:: blame the extended gestation.... ::

:: Saturday, December 11, 2004 ::

Never thought of it this way...

Properly considered, agnosticism is not a third alternative to theism and atheism because it is concerned with a different aspect of religious belief. Theism and atheism refer to the presence or absence of belief in a god; agnosticism regers to the impossibility of knowledge with regard to a god or supernatural being.

The term "agnostic" does not, in itself, indicate whether or not one believes in a god. Agnosticism can be either theistic or atheistic.

From Atheism: The Case Against God by George Smith

:: Jim Nichols 12/11/2004 08:55:00 PM [+] ::
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Cafe Hayek: The Arab Street:

"So have Palestinians become less supportive of violence? My claim is that perhaps they were less supportive of terrorism in the past but it was dangerous to admit that to a stranger doing a survey. Or perhaps they are equally interested now in terrorism as a political tool but now find it inappropriate to say so. Without more information, it is impossible to know. Surveys of people living under tyranny make good copy. But they tell us more about the incentives people face than they really believe."

Wait, isn't that true of all public opinion polls tyranny or no tyranny?

:: Jim Nichols 12/11/2004 08:33:00 PM [+] ::
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Executive Summary of The Forgotten Population: A Look at Death Row in the United States Through the Experiences of Women

:: Jim Nichols 11/29/2004 07:04:00 PM [+] ::
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Court Allows Universities to Bar Military Recruiters

Universities may bar military recruiters from their campuses without risking the loss of federal money, a federal appeals court in Philadelphia ruled today.

:: Jim Nichols 11/29/2004 07:01:00 PM [+] ::
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The Decembrist on Republican behavior since winning:

The ability to simultaneously maintain the triumphalism of a mandate, and the sense of being an embattled minority has much to do with the continued political success of the far right. It allows them to maintain the energy and righteousness of opposition even while they claim the most autocratic control of American political institutions since the 1920s. It is also a defensive shield that made it very difficult for Democrats in the past election to treat the Republican right as what it is: the ruling party, and a particularly corrupt one.

And then onto Democrats

Democrats lose elections and comfort ourselves that our views represent a majority and we just have to convey them better. Republicans win elections and comfort themselves that they are still an embattled minority and need to keep fighting like hell -- ends justify the means and all that -- against the entrenched liberal power. We're both a little crazy.

:: Jim Nichols 11/29/2004 06:53:00 PM [+] ::
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I'm just now hearing about this ballot measure in alabama.

New Donkey has some comments:

The irony in all this is that Alabama conservatives are deeply devoted to the idea that the state's economic future strictly depends on doing everything imaginable to attract business investment. But a lot of businesses aren't terribly crazy about committing themselves to a community that can't quite bring itself out of the 1950s. So the defeat of Guin's amendment was really an atavistic two-fer: establishing a lack of interest in quality public education at a time when employers care more about a skilled workforce than ever before, and reminding the whole country of Alabama's unsavory history of race relations.

:: Jim Nichols 11/29/2004 06:30:00 PM [+] ::
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News:

"The average street price of illegal drugs is at the lowest level for a decade, according to new figures."

:: Jim Nichols 11/28/2004 05:52:00 PM [+] ::
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CBS News | Poll: Creationism Trumps Evolution | November 23, 2004?21:02:35:

"Americans do not believe that humans evolved, and the vast majority says that even if they evolved, God guided the process. Just 13 percent say that God was not involved. But most would not substitute the teaching of creationism for the teaching of evolution in public schools.

Support for evolution is more heavily concentrated among those with more education and among those who attend religious services rarely or not at all"

:: Jim Nichols 11/28/2004 05:30:00 PM [+] ::
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Leiter on George Will on academia
Leiter Reports: Black is White
One of the most disappointing features of actually making it to University was the fact that it wasn't the leftist paradise I was led to believe by the mass media. Instead I found myself in a intellectually tough free-zone of independent thought as long as you can back it up. George Will is just playing up to his readers in Kansas who already believe Universitys are left wing hell holes. Leiter puts it nicely:

So here's what things look like once you've fallen through the looking glass: a representative of the monochrome mass media--where diversity means a political spectrum so narrow that no social democrat, socialist, or genuine libertarian finds a regular home--has the audacity to suggest that the only institution where genuine intellectual diversity in the United States still exists (where it is possible to teach, as I do [and my situation is not atypical], with Burkean conservatives, free market utopians, socialists, social democrats, Clintonite democrats, and regular 'ole boring liberals) lacks diversity of "thought"! Perhaps never having had one, he doesn't recognize where it still exists.

But let us translate: what Mr. Will really means is that universities are places where the banalities and misinformation which are the lifeblood of the mass media are not taken seriously; where people who think Iraq attacked the World Trade Center have a tough time holding their own in grown-up conversation; where apologists for state terror have to confront the arguments of those who know an apology for state terror when they see it; where lies about economic and social policy are perceived as lies, and made to answer to facts and evidence; where, in short, the parochial smugness of an effete little simpleton like George Will (and his many clones who constitute the "diversity" of the mass media) is perceived as exactly that.

:: Jim Nichols 11/28/2004 05:23:00 PM [+] ::
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"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do
because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."

-Susan B Anthony

:: Jim Nichols 11/27/2004 01:59:00 PM [+] ::
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Michael Mandel and Gail Davidson: Why Bush Should be Banned from Canada:

:: Jim Nichols 11/22/2004 06:25:00 PM [+] ::
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One of the best red state/blue state articles I've read yet

The New York Times > Magazine > The Way We Live Now: A States' Rights Left?

:: Jim Nichols 11/21/2004 05:59:00 PM [+] ::
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Heath insurance? Who really needs health insurance anyway?

:: Jim Nichols 11/20/2004 10:13:00 PM [+] ::
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The Faith Factor

:: Jim Nichols 11/15/2004 10:12:00 PM [+] ::
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I share your values!

The "values" the Dems lack aren't anything Christlike. They are the values of authoritarianism, militarism, and bare knuckled social discipline. But you aren't quite supposed to say that out loud....

"Values" -- especially "conservative" ones -- are a shorthand for tribal identity, the willingness to police the group and punish those who don't pay the proper respect to its mores. Defending the tribe can be a pretty morally ambiguous enterprise. As action movies teach us, a willingness to cut moral corners is evidence of true committment to the cause. Hence the suspicion of a "liberal" party committed to universalistic and not just tribal values (global test, anyone?).

What's infuriating is that right now the morally superior path is also the more effective way to defend American interests. It's patently obvious that Abu Ghraib harmed American security, that the lies behind the Iraq invasion did as well. It's also obvious that Americans have benefited from alliances over the last century, not been harmed by them. But in this election signalling tribalism, being "one of us" and not a suspiciously foreign-influenced intellectual type, was apparently more important than thinking about security.

:: Jim Nichols 11/15/2004 10:03:00 PM [+] ::
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Rights Lawyers See Possibility of a War Crime

Human rights experts said Friday that American soldiers might have committed a war crime on Thursday when they sent fleeing Iraqi civilians back into Falluja.

Wait, wasn't the invasion a war crime?

:: Jim Nichols 11/14/2004 09:05:00 PM [+] ::
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Colorado High School Talent Show Turns Political:

" A Colorado high school talent show turned into a political hot potato after some parents said a trio of students planned to use a Bob Dylan song to say they wished for the death of President Bush, officials said on Friday. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/13/2004 08:10:00 PM [+] ::
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Police use stun gun on 6-year-old - (United Press International)

:: Jim Nichols 11/13/2004 08:05:00 PM [+] ::
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The Gonzales nomination:

"There are two reasons why Bush might have nominated Gonzales to be Attorney General. The first is that he is grooming him for a further appointment to the Supreme Court. The second is that he never plans to appoint him but wants to send a strong signal that he might."

:: Jim Nichols 11/13/2004 07:57:00 PM [+] ::
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hehehehe....

Yahoo! News - CONFESSIONS OF A CULTURAL ELITIST:

"So our guy lost the election. Why shouldn't those of us on the coasts feel superior? We eat better, travel more, dress better, watch cooler movies, earn better salaries, meet more interesting people, listen to better music and know more about what's going on in the world. If you voted for Bush, we accept that we have to share the country with you. We're adjusting to the possibility that there may be more of you than there are of us. But don't demand our respect. You lost it on November 2. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/13/2004 07:49:00 PM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - Ads to Back Schwarzenegger for President:

"Californians will soon see advertisements urging them to help give Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other foreign-born citizens the chance to run for president. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/13/2004 07:36:00 PM [+] ::
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One Old Dirty Bastard dies... The other one leaves the hospital

:: Jim Nichols 11/13/2004 07:33:00 PM [+] ::
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MaxSpeak, You Listen!: KEEP YER COTTON-PICKIN'
HANDS OFF MY
SOCIAL SECURITY

:: Jim Nichols 11/13/2004 07:21:00 PM [+] ::
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Socialized Medicine... the dirty word

An interesting take on National Health Care by Sven H. Steinmo in his article American Exceptionalism Reconsidered: Culture of Institutions? The article argued that there is an institutional explanation for the country's small welfare state rather than it being a simple question of Liberal "don't tread on me" ideologies and/or values. It was an interesting read but I just wanted to pass this one blurb on:

Early in the century national health insurance (NHI), for example, was widely defended with an argument quite similar to that used to support the extension of free public education, that is, that it supported the vaunted American value of equal opportunity. The failure of the early versions of NHI had more to do with interstate competition, the medical industry's opposition, Congressional deadlock, and financial constraints, than with public preferences or values. Only after an enormous public relations campaign financed by the American Medical Association in the 1940's and 1950's, did NHI become tagged with the un-American label "socialized medicine." This massively funded public relations campaign worked. Since the late 1940's those who have labored for NHI have, in effect, been saddled with defending an "un-American" program, albeit one which is "necessary anyway" In short, free public education succeeded and became as American as apple pie, while health care became associated with an intrusive state--but not because of fundamental differences in these two types of policies. Instead, private education did not have a wealthy and powerful organized interest group that could use the checks and balances of the American political system to veto this legislation.

So we can thank the AMA for killing National Health Care.

:: Jim Nichols 11/11/2004 10:34:00 PM [+] ::
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Possible voter fraud over at The Washington Monthly

:: Jim Nichols 11/11/2004 10:06:00 PM [+] ::
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Hopefully it will be better than the last one...

Yahoo! Movies: Movie News -:

"A week after President George W. Bush was reelected--despite Moore's best efforts--the firebrand filmmaker says he's forging ahead with a sequel to his controversial documentary Fahrenheit 9/11. "

I've been thinking about why I didn't like Fahrenheit 9/11 and wondering why it got such rave reviews. And i've come to the conclusion that since I've grown up reading Chomsky, Zinn, and others in places like ZNet i've been spoiled. I've grown up reading excellent critiques of power. Most people haven't had the opportunity to see a good critque of US dominance and they are so starving for it that they'll cheer on anything they can get their hands on--9/11 being what they got their hands on this time.

:: Jim Nichols 11/11/2004 10:00:00 PM [+] ::
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Dennett on freeloaders...

I've been reading Freedom Evolves by Daniel Dennett and a passage just struck me:

Physicists are forever reminding us that things break down, things get muddled, things don't tend to repair themselves unless something special--such as a living thin, a local entropy-battler--intervenes. Economists, similarly, are forever reminding us that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Evolutionists in the same spirit remind us that freeloaders will always show up eventually, and when they do they will soon enough win the local breeding contests unless something is put in place to prevent it.

Freeloaders will always show up... at the human level freeloaders are the elites; political at the top of the pyramid, and then social/cultural/religious--all of which are freeloaders one step below the political elites. He goes on to say:

Whatever the local game, and whatever the costs and benefits to the group (the locally interacting population that must share the space and resources and risks), if it is possible to share the benefits of group action without paying one's share of the costs, then those who pursue this selfish path will do better than those who don't....

...Pretty soon there is a growing tribe of freeloaders, and no matter how well or ill the group as a whole does, within the group nobody does better than the freeloaders, who gradually come to dominate the group.

:: Jim Nichols 11/11/2004 03:21:00 PM [+] ::
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Election result maps

:: Jim Nichols 11/11/2004 12:31:00 PM [+] ::
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This just in...
The Onion | Nation's Poor Win Election For Nation's Rich:

"The economically disadvantaged segment of the U.S. population provided the decisive factor in another presidential election last Tuesday, handing control of the government to the rich and powerful once again."

:: Jim Nichols 11/11/2004 12:30:00 PM [+] ::
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Pierre Tristam: Zealots on the Mount:

"It's time to doff the veil. The United States isn't immune to the fundamentalist El Nino circling the globe. Iran has its mullahs. Afghanistan has its Taliban. Saudi Arabia has its Wahhabites. We have evangelicals, whose world view is different from those doctrinaire brigades in dress only."

:: Jim Nichols 11/11/2004 12:27:00 PM [+] ::
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Go read Arundhati Roy's Acceptance speech for the Sydney Peace Prize ZNet | Vision & Strategy | Peace?...: here is an excert:

"It is becoming more than clear that violating human rights is an inherent and necessary part of the process of implementing a coercive and unjust political and economic structure on the world. Without the violation of human rights on an enormous scale, the neo-liberal project would remain in the dreamy realm of policy. But increasingly Human Rights violations are being portrayed as the unfortunate, almost accidental fallout of an otherwise acceptable political and economic system. As though they're a small problem that can be mopped up with a little extra attention from some NGOs. This is why in areas of heightened conflict - in Kashmir and in Iraq for example - Human Rights Professionals are regarded with a degree of suspicion. Many resistance movements in poor countries which are fighting huge injustice and questioning the underlying principles of what constitutes 'liberation' and 'development', view Human Rights NGOs as modern day missionaries who've come to take the ugly edge off Imperialism. To defuse political anger and to maintain the status quo."

:: Jim Nichols 11/11/2004 12:22:00 PM [+] ::
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Leiter Reports: Editorials, News, Updates: Election Day in Ohio: A First-Person Account from a Lawyer Helping the Democrats:

"A factor that has not been widely discussed as an issue in the Bush victory is the totally disorganized state of the Democrats as campaigners. Will Rogers said, 'I don't belong to any organized political party -- I'm a Democrat.' But they were winning back then when he said that. Now it's not funny any more. As they used to say in Chicago, 'Votes Count But Organization Decides.' I saw little organization in Ohio."

Read the whole thing, it really gives you a good idea of the poor performance the democratic organization put on this year. I had a similar experience with a congressional race out here in Cali, after about a week I gave up.

:: Jim Nichols 11/10/2004 08:36:00 PM [+] ::
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Bush to Seek Gay-Marriage Ban in New Term -Aide:

" President Bush will renew a quest in his second term for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage as essential to a 'hopeful and decent' society, his top political aide said on Sunday. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/09/2004 05:26:00 PM [+] ::
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Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: November 07, 2004 - November 13, 2004 Archives:

"President Bush won reelection last Tuesday with 286 electoral votes (over Kerry's 252).

That is the second lowest electoral margin for the winning candidate since 1916 when
Woodrow Wilson beat Charles Evans Hughes by a margin of 277 to 254."

:: Jim Nichols 11/09/2004 05:21:00 PM [+] ::
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Say goodbye to Tower Theatre
Tower Theatre's owner loses $4 million in first nine months - 2004-11-09 - Sacramento Business Journal:

"The owner of Sacramento's Tower Theatre reported a nine-month loss of $4 million, or 19 cents a share, compared to a loss of $3 million, or 14 cents a share, during the same stretch last year. "

For the local readers (read: my dad) it looks like another nail in the coffin of Tower Theater. Personally I don't have a problem seeing a new theater do indie flicks. I don't have much sympathy for the old over the new. Progress is progress... death is death; in life and in the world of movie theaters

:: Jim Nichols 11/09/2004 05:18:00 PM [+] ::
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ProfessorBainbridge.com: CJ Thomas? You're Kidding Right? Bainbridge on a Clarence Thomas as Cheif Justice role

:: Jim Nichols 11/08/2004 06:53:00 PM [+] ::
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One of the better David brooks op-eds

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: The Values-Vote Myth

:: Jim Nichols 11/08/2004 06:44:00 PM [+] ::
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Election Spending Put Millions in the Pockets of Private Firms:

"With an estimated total of $1.5 billion going into the costliest presidential election, media groups and political operatives reap financial benefits."

We should have publicly funded elections.

:: Jim Nichols 11/08/2004 06:40:00 PM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - Big Voter Turnout Seen Among Young People:

"Under-30 voters came through in big numbers this year, with more than 20 million casting a ballot for president, researchers found. The turnout bested their 2000 showing by more than nine percentage points and heartened activists who worked to get young voters to the polls. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/08/2004 06:37:00 PM [+] ::
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The Omnipotent State

Cafe Hayek: Ask Not What G.E. Can Do for You....:

"Suppose, though, that Orin Smith, President of Starbucks, were to proclaim theatrically in a telecast public address "Ask not what Starbucks can do for you. Ask what you can do for Starbucks."

He'd be taken for a fool. And rightly so. People do not exist to serve Starbucks; Starbucks exists to serve people. That's its only justification for existence. The same is true for every other firm and private institution.

Why do we treat government differently?"

:: Jim Nichols 11/08/2004 06:20:00 PM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - Dean Ponders Bid to Become DNC Chairman:

"Former presidential candidate Howard Dean is considering a bid to become chairman of the national Democratic Party. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/08/2004 05:56:00 PM [+] ::
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Okay, so I am arrogant and elitist... but he puts this really well...
Am I Blue?:

"There's just one little request I have. If it's not too much trouble, of course. Call me profoundly misguided if you want. Call me immoral if you must. But could you please stop calling me arrogant and elitist?

I mean, look at it this way. (If you don't mind, that is.) It's true that people on my side of the divide want to live in a society where women are free to choose and where gay relationships have civil equality with straight ones. And you want to live in a society where the opposite is true. These are some of those conflicting values everyone is talking about. But at least my values as deplorable as I'm sure they are don't involve any direct imposition on you. We don't want to force you to have an abortion or to marry someone of the same sex, whereas you do want to close out those possibilities for us. Which is more arrogant?

We on my side of the great divide don't, for the most part, believe that our values are direct orders from God. We don't claim that they are immutable and beyond argument. We are, if anything, crippled by reason and open-mindedness, by a desire to persuade rather than insist. Which philosophy is more elitist? Which is more contemptuous of people who disagree?"

:: Jim Nichols 11/07/2004 09:43:00 PM [+] ::
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Moral overtones... or making meaning out of exit polls Dynamist Blog: Now, Will You Believe Me?

:: Jim Nichols 11/07/2004 08:57:00 PM [+] ::
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One thing I have to remind myself of every day--we are merely biologic algorithms programmed to reproduce and spread our genetic code.

:: Jim Nichols 11/07/2004 07:51:00 PM [+] ::
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Bush Country

Yahoo! News - Georgia Evolution Case Heads to Court:

"School officials in suburban Cobb County go to court Monday to defend themselves against a lawsuit accusing the district of promoting religion by requiring that science textbooks warn students evolution is 'a theory, not a fact.' "

:: Jim Nichols 11/07/2004 07:21:00 PM [+] ::
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MSNBC - Clinton to Dems: Don't whine, work on image:

"The Republicans had a clear message, a good messenger, great organization and great strategy,"

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 11:36:00 PM [+] ::
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A Democrat i could vote for...

USNews.com: Washington Whispers (11/15/04):

"Friends of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton tell us that the New York Democrat is set to begin the hard work of running for president in 2008. Associates say that she already has organized a team to target fundraising prospects, create voter lists, and draw up a campaign agenda. The presidential effort will run in tandem with Clinton's 2006 senatorial re-election bid."

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 11:35:00 PM [+] ::
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Making the case tha Libertarians would fit in well with certain kinds of Democrats

John & Belle Have A Blog: I Heart Libertarians

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 11:25:00 PM [+] ::
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Okay the jokes getting old

I'm sick of hearing all this "I'm leaving the country, now that Bush has been elected."

A real politico would say its fighting time...

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 11:22:00 PM [+] ::
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I bought an Andy Warhol book just to look at sitting unread on my shelf

Marginal Revolution: How to Sell Nothing for Fun and Profit

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 11:19:00 PM [+] ::
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Say what??

Open Letter To The Democratic Party: How You Could Have Had My Vote:

"The pictures of Iraqi children who've lost arms from the bombs my tax dollars bought make me shed tears, but I recognize that the war was the right thing to do, given the information we had available at the time the decision was made."

The information we had available at the time merited having UN inspectors search the country for weapons. THe information we had did not merit an invasion that did not have the support of the UN--meaning it was a war crime--or that of a global alliance (90% of the troops and 90% of the cost does not an alliance make)

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 11:13:00 PM [+] ::
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Cafe Hayek on Fair Trade
Cafe Hayek: "Fair Trade" as Market Failure?

update: more on the failures of Fair Trade

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 04:31:00 PM [+] ::
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Democrats Religion Problem

The Decembrist: The right question about religion...maybe:

"The right question, I think, is not whether religion has an undue influence, but why it is that the current flourishing of religious faith has, for the first time ever, virtually no element of social justice? Why is its public phase so exclusively focused on issues of private and personal behavior? Is this caused by trends in the nature of religious worship itself? Is it a displacement of economic or social pressures? Will that change? What are the factors that might cause it to change."

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 04:18:00 PM [+] ::
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Something old for a new era...

PPI: The Politics of Evasion: Democrats and the Presidency by William Galston and Elaine Ciulla Kamarck:

"The Democratic Party's 1988 presidential defeat demonstrated that the party's problems would not disappear, as many had hoped, once Ronald Reagan left the White House. Without a charismatic president to blame for their ills, Democrats must now come face to face with reality: too many Americans have come to see the party as inattentive to their economic interests, indifferent if not hostile to their moral sentiments and ineffective in defense of their national security. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 04:13:00 PM [+] ::
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Some tips for pondering Dems...
The Decembrist: How to Limit the Number of "Whither the Democrats" Articles You Have to Read:

"First, whenever you see an analysis that begins with a phrase similar to, 'We need to find a way to convince low-income/rural/evangelical whites to stop voting against their own self-interest,' stop reading. If we start from the premise that we know what people's interests are better than they do themselves, that's part of the problem. People have many interests and motivations. If what liberals want them to do is put their economic interest above others, they should be clear about that, and explain why we should prefer people to prioritize their economic interests over others."

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 04:09:00 PM [+] ::
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Emily Blunt's Blunt Review - Movie Reviews, Celebrity Interviews, Entertainment News and Mayhem:

"Musical talent Jon Brion continues to trump himself with each devilishly delicious offering he conjures up. Like the eclectic composer-writer-producer himself, Brion's choices - the films he agrees to score for - are unusual, very cerebral and oddly grounded in a Willy Wonkaish musical decoupagey whimsy that still manages to be firmly based in realism. To date he's done some of Hollywood's greatest thinking person films; Magnolia, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Punch Drunk Love.

Now this remarkable bevy of creativity has strung together a big comfy blanket of notes for David O. Russell's existential ode, I Heart Huckabees. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 01:38:00 PM [+] ::
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Best Line From I Heart Huckabees:

- "Jesus is never mad at us if we live with him in our hearts"

- "I hate to break it to you but he is, he most definitely is"

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 01:32:00 PM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - Americans Flock to Canada's Immigration Web Site:

"The number of U.S. citizens visiting Canada's main immigration Web site has shot up six-fold as Americans flirt with the idea of abandoning their homeland after President Bush's election win this week. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 01:18:00 PM [+] ::
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"As you get older, you realize that punk is folklore and oral
tradition and myths." --Aaron Cometbus

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 01:57:00 AM [+] ::
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"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are
always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts."
- Bertrand Russell

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 01:56:00 AM [+] ::
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my life with aaron cometbus my dream of saving you and us
its all over when you shout go
once upon a time I thought I had a soul
this isn't a mystery its a poorly played out dream
once upon a time and all those cleche's
this is the last time I play victim
next time i'm gone for good

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2004 01:54:00 AM [+] ::
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Welcome to Bush world 2004 please watch your step
Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: October 31, 2004 - November 06, 2004 Archives:

"Democrats have to deal with the fact that President Bush is now no longer a minority president, however slim his majority may have been. They also need to contend with his expanded senate majorities.

But this is what I fear will be a growing pattern in this second term: an effort to use a narrowly secured majority not only to govern, even govern aggressively, but to make institutional changes that strip away the existing powers and rights of large minorities. These formal and informal checks and balances constitute the governmental soft-tissue that allows our political system to function."

:: Jim Nichols 11/05/2004 08:31:00 PM [+] ::
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The Perfect Job for Bill

Clinton as DNC Chairman??

:: Jim Nichols 11/05/2004 08:25:00 PM [+] ::
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ONN. Ohio News Now: Computer error at voting machine gives Bush 3,893 extra votes:

"A computer error with a voting machine cartridge gave President Bush 3,893 extra votes in a Gahanna precinct."

:: Jim Nichols 11/05/2004 08:08:00 PM [+] ::
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Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog: Getting over myself on this election:

"In many ways, this election reminds me of the backward-glancing social conservatism of China's 4th generation of leaders, the Congress Party's return to power in India, and Putin's tough line on capitalism run amok in Russia. Like these three leaderships, the Republicans right now are doing a better job of listening to the rural heartland, which still counts for plenty in all of these four powers. And what they are saying is what I have often said: no matter how long the train nor how fast it's moving, the engine cannot go any faster than the caboose.

China wants to integrate rapidly with the outside world and modernize its economy, but guess what? It can't leave the rural poor behind. Ditto for India's IT-driven economy. Ditto for Russia's rapidly polarizing social scene where cities leap ahead and the villages tend to get left behind. In America, which is so much further along in its development, the matter is as much about values as economics. In effect, the rural heartland says to the far more integrated and outwardly-connected big coastal urban areas: you can run ahead in your 'sophisticated' view of the world and how it works, but election-wise, you won't be getting out too far ahead of what constitutes heartland values. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/05/2004 07:47:00 PM [+] ::
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The Writing Is On the Wall...

Christians See Court Appointments as Top Bush Aim:

"Christian conservative leaders say their top priority in President Bush's second term is the appointment of conservative judges to the Supreme Court and throughout the judicial system.

'We have high hopes of changing the judiciary. Every judicial appointment that President Bush makes will make the courts less radical and more in tune with the voters who turned out in Tuesday's election,' said Gary Bauer, a prominent Christian conservative leader and president of American Values, a conservative pressure group.

Unprecedented turnout by evangelical Christians was a key factor in ensuring Bush's narrow victory over Democrat John Kerry in the election. Many were motivated by their opposition to same sex marriage and abortion. "

Moral issues won the day last Tuesday. From gay marriage to abortion rights... ladies and gentlemen we have a new culture war on our hands....

:: Jim Nichols 11/05/2004 07:42:00 PM [+] ::
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Whats the left to do??

Post-Election, Hollywood Seen as Liability to Left:

"Hollywood is licking its wounds after an election that saw voters not only reject the candidate it anointed -- Democrat John Kerry -- but repudiate the values that the liberal stronghold cherishes.

Now, amid the second-guessing and recriminations that inevitably haunt the losing side, some are beginning to ask: Has Hollywood become a liability to the Democrats? "

:: Jim Nichols 11/05/2004 07:35:00 PM [+] ::
...

Observers Urge U.S. to Shorten Lines for Next Vote:

"Voting in U.S. elections this week was mostly fair, but the lines were too long at some polling stations, according to an international rights group monitoring the presidential contest for first time."

:: Jim Nichols 11/05/2004 07:33:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Thursday, November 04, 2004 ::

Yahoo! News - Scientists Search for War Remnants in Ga.:

"Dragging radar equipment behind a farm tractor, scientists Thursday scanned an old rail yard for buried artifacts from Savannah's bloody Revolutionary War battle in 1779. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/04/2004 10:55:00 PM [+] ::
...

Red State v. Blue State

Tom Friedman The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Two Nations Under God:

"This was not an election. This was station identification. I'd bet anything that if the election ballots hadn't had the names Bush and Kerry on them but simply asked instead, 'Do you watch Fox TV or read The New York Times?' the Electoral College would have broken the exact same way."

And Cafe Hayek

Red-state values differ in many important ways from blue-state values. And just as the blue-staters were oh-so-certain of the righteousness of their cause that they didn’t hesitate to use central government to impose their values when they could, so, too, are the red-staters certain of the righteousness of their cause. They’ll likely not hesitate to do their own imposing.

The lesson, I believe, is that decentralization of power – dare I say it: “state rights,” and a respect for individual differences and freedom of every peaceful person – is the best path over the long haul.

:: Jim Nichols 11/04/2004 10:36:00 PM [+] ::
...

VU Amsterdam, Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen: English : Home

:: Jim Nichols 11/04/2004 07:04:00 PM [+] ::
...

Yahoo! News - Feds: Obesity Raising Airline Fuel Costs:

"Heavy suitcases aren't the only things weighing down airplanes and requiring them to burn more fuel, pushing up the cost of flights. A new government study reveals that airlines increasingly have to worry more about the weight of their passengers. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/04/2004 05:18:00 PM [+] ::
...

A new Democratic Model?

Democrats Need New Electoral Strategy, a column by Mark Weisbrot:

"from Wisconsin: Democrat Russ Feingold just won his third term in the U.S. Senate by a comfortable margin, in a state where Kerry barely squeaked by. Feingold has a clear and consistent populist economic appeal to his working constituents, strongly opposed the Iraq war, and was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act. There is the future of the Democratic party -- if they have the guts to try it."

:: Jim Nichols 11/04/2004 03:37:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Wednesday, November 03, 2004 ::

Went to see "I heart Huckabees"

Not really anything to write home about. I think Fight Club and Matrix mixed philosophy and storyline better than this one did, although there were a few good one liners. Nothing to write home about. Wait, I already said that, see i'm repeating myself looking for something nice to say about it. Maybe it was the rain. Or maybe its because I got past page one of Being and Nothingness.

:: Jim Nichols 11/03/2004 11:56:00 PM [+] ::
...

Yahoo! News - Tin of Ancient Roman Cosmetic Cream Found in UK:

"Scientists have unearthed a small tin canister dating back to the middle of the second century AD in an excavated Roman temple precinct in London that contains a sophisticated white cream that could rival today's top cosmetics. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/03/2004 09:00:00 PM [+] ::
...

Yahoo! News - Scientist Stephen Hawking Decries Iraq War:

"Britain's most famous scientist, Stephen Hawking, condemned the U.S. led invasion of Iraq as a 'war crime' and said Tuesday it was based on lies. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/03/2004 08:59:00 PM [+] ::
...

The Washington Note Archives:

"Life goes on -- but the political life of some in the inner core of the Democratic Kremlin should be snipped. Can we arrange for a special video session between Donald Trump and Bob Shrum?? Shrum needs to go. McAuliffe needs to go. Big Time failures. Some bloggers are advocating clemency for those inside the Democratic house. Howard Dean had it right -- he refused to hire a lot of these retread barnacles who thrive on risk-aversion in the Democratic Party. That is why they helped kill the Dean candidacy.

The Democratic Party is broken badly -- and this election proves it. There must be a thorough cleaning out of the party apparatus and a realignment of interests and objectives."....


...Just think of this -- Kerry had Eminem, Bruce Springsteen, Move-On.org, Ron Suskind, Michael Moore, and many more people and incredibly innovative politically-loaded communications vehicles. All of these players and networks tried to infuse passion, vision, and a sense of consequence into Kerry's campaign, but they were not part of the core circle. Something is wrong with the machine when two similar types of candidates -- Al Gore and John Kerry -- get selected and both lose. They may be smart and have impressive records of duty and service to their country -- but Clinton and Bush do connect with people. That has to be part of the equation, and when the spirit and inspiration are missing in the core of Kerry's operation, when rumors get out that he is "whiney and a pain in the ass" from top staff people, there is something incredibly wrong.

:: Jim Nichols 11/03/2004 08:49:00 PM [+] ::
...

Eschaton:

"The people who voted George Bush and the Republicans into office this year didn't do so because they were conned by a right wing asshole posing as a compassionate centrist. They did so precisely because he is a right wing asshole. Yes, the modern Republican party consists of nasty bigots and liars and the media rarely bothers to point out just how nasty they are (all the talking heads talking about the role of 'moral values' in the election know that what that really means is 'fag hating,' but they won't say it). But, don't be fooled - people know what they voted for."

:: Jim Nichols 11/03/2004 08:41:00 PM [+] ::
...

Seems to be a growing consensus Eschaton:

"This election is not an opportunity for George Bush to have a 'do over.' It does not somehow absolve him of his past sins, letting him start again with a clean slate. The current state of affairs, both domestic and international, is his responsibility."

:: Jim Nichols 11/03/2004 08:37:00 PM [+] ::
...

www.AndrewSullivan.com - Daily Dish:

"What we're seeing, I think, is a huge fundamentalist Christian revival in this country, a religious movement that is now explicitly political as well. It is unsurprising, of course, given the uncertainty of today's world, the devastating attacks on our country, and the emergence of so many more liberal cultures in urban America. And it is completely legitimate in this country for such views to be represented in public policy, however much I disagree with them. But the intensity of the passion, and the inherently totalist nature of religiously motivated politics means deep social conflict if we are not careful. Our safety valve must be federalism. We have to live and let live. As blue states become more secular, and red states become less so, the only alternative to a national religious war is to allow different states to pursue different options. That goes for things like decriminalization of marijuana, abortion rights, stem cell research and marriage rights. Forcing California and Mississippi into one model is a recipe for disaster. Federalism is now more important than ever. I just hope that Republican federalists understand this. I fear they don't."

:: Jim Nichols 11/03/2004 08:32:00 PM [+] ::
...

2004 Best of the Blogs

The BOBs - BEST OF THE BLOGS - Deutsche Welle International Weblog Awards 2004:

"The decision phase of 'The Bobs - The Best Of The Blogs' has begun. We've now selected the 10 nominees in each category from the numerous site suggestions we've received. In the end, we will be bestowing two awards in each category. The Jury Prize will be selected by a team of international blog experts. But the User Prize will be selected by DW-WORLD's users.

You have from now until Dec. 5, 2004, to vote for your favorite blog site. "

In best english journalistic blog I read Lawrence Lessig, The Dynamist, and Talking Points Memo

:: Jim Nichols 11/03/2004 08:29:00 PM [+] ::
...

Spinning the Bush victory

The Decembrist: Pottery Barn Rule:

"All accountability now rests with Bush and his party. Everything that's been swept under the carpet until after the election will come creeping out. And the best use of all the resources of people, brains, money, and coordination that's been built this year, in addition to developing a stronger base of ideas, is to find ways to hold Bush, DeLay et. al. absolutely accountable for their choices. I really believe that this will be like Nixon's second term, and thus the seeds of a bigger long-term change than could have occurred just by Kerry winning the election."

:: Jim Nichols 11/03/2004 08:22:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Tuesday, November 02, 2004 ::

iN-PUBLiC.com | The Home of Street Photography

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 11:50:00 PM [+] ::
...

Well, it has been a disappointing evening. Looks like Kerry won't pull it out. With the popular vote being far from close I don't feel guilty about voting for David Cobb. Now I can't get to sleep cause of all the caffine I consumed paying attention to all the election news. All though it was a bad night for politicians it was a good night for blogging. I got a large number of hits. I have fun channeling all the information going through the www.

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 09:31:00 PM [+] ::
...

Unfogged:

"If Kerry loses Ohio, and thus, the election, the story has to be the weather. The precinct I was in was about 90% African American. Before the rain, the rush of voters was astounding. People lined up long before the polls opened at 6:30am. All through the morning, there was a steady stream of voters. Then it started to rain, then it really rained, and then poured, and got cold. By around 5:30pm, when you expect the second, and even bigger rush of voters...nothing. Maybe one a minute. Then, from about 6-7:30pm, maybe one every few minutes. It's hard to shake the feeling that if the rain had held off, it wouldn't have been very close at all."

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 09:26:00 PM [+] ::
...

Eminem
Even Eminem is against Bush

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 08:54:00 PM [+] ::
...

Yahoo! News - 2004 Not a Breakout for Youth After All:

"This was not the breakout year for young voters that some had anticipated. Fewer than one in 10 voters Tuesday were 18 to 24, about the same proportion of the electorate as in 2000, exit polls indicated."

This means Kerry loses tonight

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 08:37:00 PM [+] ::
...

Yahoo! News - ACLU Sues Over Late Absentee Ballots:

"Absentee ballots mailed by Florida elections supervisors too late for possibly thousands of voters to return them on time should still count, the American Civil Liberties Union (news - web sites) argued in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 08:36:00 PM [+] ::
...

Looks like (Florida Department of State - Tuesday, November 02, 2004 Election Results) Florida is going Bush

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 08:16:00 PM [+] ::
...

CNN projecting Montana and Colorado for Bush

putting it at
Bush 237
Kerry 188

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 08:15:00 PM [+] ::
...

Stem Cell proposition looks like it passed here in California

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 08:01:00 PM [+] ::
...

CNN projects
California for Kerry
Idaho for Bush
putting Bush 197 to Kerrys 188

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 07:59:00 PM [+] ::
...

CNN projects
California for Kerry
Idaho for Bush
putting Bush 197 to Kerrys 188

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 07:59:00 PM [+] ::
...

Magazine: California No. 14 among states's business climates - 2004-11-02 - Sacramento Business Journal:

"California ranked No. 14 among the states in Site Selection magazine's annual ranking of state business climates. "

After all that talk during the recall about Californias business climate

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 07:58:00 PM [+] ::
...

CNN projecting Pennsylvania for Kerry

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 07:42:00 PM [+] ::
...

Kevin Drum on the media asking bloggers what they think

The Washington Monthly:

"'In a way it's the ultimate in navel gazing,' Drum said. 'The bloggers all read the media and the media call bloggers to find out what they're reading.'"

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 07:32:00 PM [+] ::
...

Nader: "this election is close not because of their differences but because of their similarities"

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 07:29:00 PM [+] ::
...

Yahoo! News - States Projected to Reject Gay Marriage:

"Voters appeared poised to reject gay marriage in a series of state initiatives taking place on Tuesday parallel to the presidential election, U.S. television networks reported. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 07:19:00 PM [+] ::
...

CNN project Missouri for Bush

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 07:13:00 PM [+] ::
...

CNN projects Arkansas for Bush

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 07:12:00 PM [+] ::
...

Lockhart saying New Hampshire will flip for them. Ditto for Ohio.

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 07:02:00 PM [+] ::
...

Florida 77% in and Bush is ahead

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 07:01:00 PM [+] ::
...

From Chris Nelson of the Nelson Report

Steve Clemons:

"1. Pollster John Zogby, who has proven very accurate in recent years, has put his reputation on the line by already calling the election for Democratic nominee John Kerry. Zogby bases his call on his own models and the trends already reported.

2. Our sources say that private Republican pollsters like Frank Luntz agree, and that President Bush has been told he must win BOTH Ohio and Florida to have a chance at a second term. The latest numbers, however, indicate that Kerry is enlarging his earlier, one-point lead in both Ohio and Florida, as per the above.

3. White House sources say the Republican effort now is aimed at enlarging the Senate majority. . .a goal which seems likely, despite good leads by Democrats in Colorado (Salazar over Coors) and Florida (Castor over Martinez). A measure of the President's difficulty is that exit polls show Kerry to be doing twice as well as Gore/2000 with key elements of Bush's 2000 Florida strength. . .non-Cuban Hispanics, and Cubans.

4. We understand that a national press plane headed for Ohio and what had been assumed to be the 'midnight poll watch' has turned around in mid-air and is now headed for Boston, and Kerry's Headquarters. This is a rumor, but from a press source.

5. There are private messages flying around the Internet, some allegedly from key White House staff, some quoting Vice President Cheney replicating his famous admonition to Sen. Leahy, only this time aimed at political director Karl Rove, and spin-meister Karen Hughes. While perhaps apocraphyl, the reported conversations seem symptomatic of a growing malaise at the top levels of the White House, as today's numbers blend into tonight"

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:59:00 PM [+] ::
...

CNN projects Utah for Bush
Nevada, Montana, Iowa too close to call...

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:53:00 PM [+] ::
...

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: October 31, 2004 - November 06, 2004 Archives: ,blockquote>"In Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, polling stations ran out of provisional ballots and voters were turned away through the day. Voting officials worked the overtime getting more ballots prepared. And now a judge has ordered that voters can come to the City-County building until 9:30 PM -- 90 minutes after the close of voting -- to vote by provisional ballot."

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:53:00 PM [+] ::
...

Nebraska goes for Bush

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:45:00 PM [+] ::
...

For reliable voting results, look abroad | csmonitor.com:

"In the eyes of the rest of the world, American democracy is a wonderful thing: The wonder is how it can work. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:45:00 PM [+] ::
...

Politics News Article | Reuters.com:

"Wisconsin Democrat Russell Feingold, best known for championing campaign finance reform with Republican John McCain, won re-election to the Senate on Tuesday, CNN, ABC and NBC networks projected. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:43:00 PM [+] ::
...

Missouri 6% rule... St. Louis county runs 6% you have a winner of the state. So far Kerry is running 6% in St. Louis county

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:40:00 PM [+] ::
...

Bush calls travel pool into the residency... Trying to overcome the direction of momentum??

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:34:00 PM [+] ::
...

From Kevin drum
The Washington Monthly:

"....If the exit poll information is to be believed, Kerry will win both Minnesota and Michigan fairly handily. Wisconsin and Florida are dead heats."

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:32:00 PM [+] ::
...

Mississippi and Louisiana for Bush

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:30:00 PM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - Elections yahoo's electoral college map

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:24:00 PM [+] ::
...

blogging seems to calm down between the breaks between tv's calling states each round. Blogs are dependent on other news sources such as tv and newspapers

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:21:00 PM [+] ::
...

Pacific Views: Voting extended in Pennsylvania.:

"Election officials in the Pittsburgh area have extended voting until 9:30 pm Eastern time because of long lines. It may be a long night."

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:19:00 PM [+] ::
...

BBC NEWSBBC is running a electoral vote map based on AP projections

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:17:00 PM [+] ::
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The New York Times > Washington > Election 2004 > Voter Turnout Is Reported as Heavy in Most Areas#38;en=b5c959211463d899&38;ei=5090&38;partner=rssuserland:

"By 8 p.m. Eastern time, about half the states, including the bitter battleground of Florida, had closed most or all of their polling places. The results, fragmentary as they were, offered both encouragement and cause for worry for Mr. Bush"

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:16:00 PM [+] ::
...

Fox news is running comercials CNN isn't

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:14:00 PM [+] ::
...

Fox projecting Vermont Govenor going Republican

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:13:00 PM [+] ::
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CNN projects New York and Rhoad Island for Kerry

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 06:01:00 PM [+] ::
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If John Kerry wins two big conventional wisdom points from Political Science is you can't defeat a war time president, and you have to have a southerner running for president

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:42:00 PM [+] ::
...

Politics News Article | Reuters.com:

"The U.S. presidential race between Republican President Bush and Democrat John Kerry in the crucial swing state of Ohio is too close to immediately call, U.S. television networks said.

Fox, NBC and CBS networks said they could not call the race shortly after voting ended in the state, one of the most important prizes in the 2004 race. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:39:00 PM [+] ::
...

CNN projects North Carolina goes to Bush

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:38:00 PM [+] ::
...

Yahoo! News - Parties Swap Senate Seats in Ga., Ill.:

"Democratic State Sen. Barack Obama, a political star in the making, easily won his election in Illinois, and will be the only black among 100 senators when Congress convenes in January. Rep. Johnny Isakson (news, bio, voting record) claimed the Georgia seat for Republicans, completing a swap of seats where incumbents retired."

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:37:00 PM [+] ::
...

The final electoral vote predictor map

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:27:00 PM [+] ::
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Fox projects North Carolina and Virgina for Bush

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:22:00 PM [+] ::
...

The New York Times > Washington > Election 2004 > Last-Minute Efforts: Record Turnout Forecast; Vote Drives Intensify:

"Legions of get-out-the-vote volunteers, the bloodhounds of democracy, pursued the electorate across a dozen states yesterday as the most expensive and successful voter drive in history drew to a resounding close with experts predicting a record turnout at the polls today."

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:19:00 PM [+] ::
...

The Emerging Democratic Majority WebLog - DonkeyRising:

"John Kerry leads George Bush 50-47 percent of nation-wide LV's, according to the final Harris Interactive Online Survey, conducted 10/29-11/1. Kerry also leads Bush 48-47 percent of nation-wide LV's, according to the final Harris Interactive Telephone Survey. Both poills indicate a surge for Kerry over the previous Harris Poll. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:18:00 PM [+] ::
...

Bush Confident but Busy (washingtonpost.com):

"The president closed the long and contentious campaign with a show of confidence and bravado, even as polls continued to show a dead heat with Democratic nominee John F. Kerry. With critical states still looking as if they could tip either way, some Bush advisers expressed worry about the incumbent's prospects on Tuesday. "

Best line on tv so far

Like Father like son
four years he's done

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:16:00 PM [+] ::
...

Vote 2004 takes down the internet!!
Eschaton: "I'm hesitant to link to anything right now because servers are self-destructing everywhere it seems."

Zogby International: "Our Call
Zogby International's 2004 Predictions
(as of Nov. 2, 2004 5:00pm EST)

2004 Presidential Election
Electoral Votes:
Bush213
Kerry311
Too Close To CallNevada (5)
Too Close To CallColorado (9)"

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:12:00 PM [+] ::
...

I-4 corridor of Florida going red so far

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:10:00 PM [+] ::
...

Dynamist Blog: Early Returns:

"With Fox News saying the Carolinas are too close to call, things don't look too good for GWB."

Amen to that one...

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:09:00 PM [+] ::
...

Terrorism was no. 1 issue for New Jersey voters... but Kerry pulls it out. The republicans are running for cover: their main issue didn't pull it out in NJ even though their issue was the focal point

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:07:00 PM [+] ::
...

CNN

Obama wins in Illinois

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:06:00 PM [+] ::
...

Slate as of 4:28

Updated Late Afternoon Numbers - Mucho flattering to Kerry; plus Nader makes an appearance. By Jack?Shafer:

"Florida
Kerry 51
Bush 49

Ohio
Kerry 51
Bush 49

Michigan
Kerry 52
Bush 46
Nader 1

Pennsylvania
Kerry 53
Bush 46

Iowa
Kerry 50
Bush 49

Wisconsin
Kerry 51
Bush 48
Nader 1

Minnesota
Kerry 52
Bush 46
Nader 2

New Hampshire
Kerry 54
Bush 44
Nader 1

New Mexico
Kerry 50
Bush 48
Nader 1

Colorado
Kerry 49
Bush 50
Nader 1

Arkansas
Kerry 45
Bush 54
Nader 1

Missouri
Kerry 47
Bush 52

New York
Kerry 62
Bush 36
Nader 2

Nevada
Kerry 49
Bush 48
Nader 1

New Jersey
Kerry 54
Bush 44
Nader 1

West Virginia
Kerry 45
Bush 54
Nader 1"

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:06:00 PM [+] ::
...

Cnn won't project yet for Florida and Pennselvania

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 05:02:00 PM [+] ::
...

New projections from CNN

Illinois... John Kerry
Conneticut John Kerry
New Jersey John Kerry
Maine split
DC John Kerry
Massachutes John Kerry
Tennessee Bush
Alabama Bush
Oklahoma Bush

66 Bush 77 John Kerry

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 04:59:00 PM [+] ::
...

Way to go kid...Yahoo! News - Boy Hangs on to Candy Despite Beating:

"A 12-year-old boy hung onto his pillowcase filled with Halloween candy despite being beaten and dragged nearly 100 feet by two teenagers who tried to steal the loot, police said. "

Something non-political on a hyperpolitical day....

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 04:51:00 PM [+] ::
...

Bryan Caplan, The Idea Trap: Library of Economics and Liberty:

"Depression and disarray benefit the Lenins of the world. That is when the public is most receptive to nonsense, to scapegoating sneaky foreigners and greedy corporations.14 The voice of reason, in contrast, gets its most sympathetic hearing when things are running smoothly, so the public is calm enough to think rationally about how to improve on the status quo, and maybe even appreciate how much their favorite scapegoats do for them. "

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 04:48:00 PM [+] ::
...

EH.Net Encyclopedia: Index:

"EH.Net Encyclopedia of Economic and Business History is designed to provide students and laymen with high quality reference articles in the field. Articles for the Online Encyclopedia are written by experts, screened by a group of authorities, and carefully edited. A distinguished Advisory Board recommends entry topics, assists in the selection of authors, and defines the project's scope."

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 04:19:00 PM [+] ::
...

A good sign?

The people on Fox news look like deer in headlights. Does this mean their polling says Kerry wins?

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 03:55:00 PM [+] ::
...

A good sign?

The people on Fox news look like deer in headlights. Does this mean their polling says Kerry wins?

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2004 03:55:00 PM [+] ::
...

Alice Through the Looking Glass (1998) (TV): "Alice Through the Looking Glass"

I'm looking for a copy of this... I had a copy a long time ago...

:: Jim Nichols 11/01/2004 01:41:00 AM [+] ::
...

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Newsnight | New Florida vote scandal feared:

"A secret document obtained from inside Bush campaign headquarters in Florida suggests a plan - possibly in violation of US law - to disrupt voting in the state's African-American voting districts, a BBC Newsnight investigation reveals. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/29/2004 07:14:00 PM [+] ::
...

Yahoo! News - Unlimited Individual Recount Donations OK:

"Presidential and congressional candidates can raise unlimited donations to finance recounts as President Bush and Al Gore did for their high-stakes Florida dispute in 2000.

Four of the Federal Election Commission's six members said Thursday that the FEC's long-standing rule on recount fund raising remains in effect, which means federal candidates can set up separate recount funds and finance them with unlimited donations from individual contributors. Candidates cannot accept corporate, union or foreign money. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/28/2004 09:35:00 AM [+] ::
...

Daily Endorsement Tally: A Handful of Pickups for Each, but a Bigger Handful for Kerry:

"President Bush is running out of time if he wants to catch Sen. John Kerry -- in newspaper endorsements, at least. Kerry picked up seven new papers on our list today with Bush gaining just three, bringing the tally to 149 to 126 with just six days until Election Day. However, things could change when many procrastinating papers make their picks on Sunday. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/27/2004 04:23:00 PM [+] ::
...

I've been marveling all week at the use of blogs as funnels for processing and organizing information on the world wide web. And I just came upon this... The New York Review of Books: A Special Supplement: Chomsky's Revolution in Linguistics Which is an old New York Review of Books article on Chomskys Linguistics written by John Searle.

:: Jim Nichols 10/27/2004 06:54:00 AM [+] ::
...

The Weakerthans are coming to Sacramento! They are playing Harlows on December 9th. I'm very happy now.

:: Jim Nichols 10/27/2004 04:46:00 AM [+] ::
...

on the chumbawamba web site:

"Punk is lodged somewhere between my head and my heart, between
nostalgia and self-delusion. Oh the good times I had growing up in an
atmosphere of kicking, cynical rebellion."

:: Jim Nichols 10/27/2004 04:45:00 AM [+] ::
...

Yahoo! News - BBC News Boss Slams 'Flag-Wrapped' U.S. Media:

"The head of the BBC's news operations accused U.S. media organizations on Tuesday night of being overly patriotic in their coverage of the lead-up to the Iraq war."

:: Jim Nichols 10/26/2004 09:17:00 PM [+] ::
...

2blowhards.com: The Scottish Enlightenment:

"My hunch about why we feel the post-Enlightenment pinch as acutely as we do is that the Enlightenment most of us know is the French Enlightenment. And those French, forever pushing things to absurd extremes. A Frenchman is apparently incapable of saying, 'Hey, cool: Reason!' and then adding it to his repertory. No, he has to believe in it, make a substitute religion of it, live it out to its logical conclusions ... And what does Reason lead to when it's pushed fanatically out as far as it can go? Barrenness, cafe existentialism, suicide, bizarre buildings, Catherine Breillat movies."

:: Jim Nichols 10/25/2004 10:45:00 PM [+] ::
...

100 Facts and 1 Opinion: The Non-Arguable Case Against the Bush Administration: by Judd Legum "

:: Jim Nichols 10/25/2004 05:42:00 PM [+] ::
...

Yahoo! News - Kerry Leads Bush in Paper Endorsements:

"The polls may be too close to call, but there's one area in which Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry seems to be pulling well ahead of President Bush: newspaper endorsements.

According to an ongoing tally by Editor & Publisher, a newspaper industry magazine, so far 125 newspapers have endorsed Kerry — including at least 35 that had endorsed Bush in 2000 — versus 96 for Bush. Meanwhile, only two newspapers that went for Al Gore in 2000 have endorsed Bush.


What's more, several papers that had backed Bush four years ago are now declining to make any endorsement at all, including several in key states: The Detroit News in Michigan, The Tampa Tribune in Florida, and The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/25/2004 05:36:00 PM [+] ::
...

"No one gets the relationship they deserve. For some this is a cause of unending resentment, for some people it is the source of unending desire. And for some people the most important thing is that they have found something that doesn't end." -Adam Phillips

:: Jim Nichols 10/24/2004 06:38:00 PM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - British Paper Ends Bid to Sway U.S. Vote:

"A British newspaper that set off a trans-Atlantic political storm when it urged its readers to write to Ohio voters in an attempt to sway their ballot choice in the U.S. presidential race said Sunday that it had ended the campaign. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/24/2004 06:22:00 PM [+] ::
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The New Tom Waits Album: Real Gone

Tom Waits has mastered the surreal. And with his new album he tests his listeners with tastes of grit and steel. By removing piano from the background of each song the ragged pop sensibilities are thrown out the window and what we have left is shattered on the concrete below your open window. Pull your ears inside your head and let the little rhymes and storys lull you to sleep or maybe should I say its less like sleep and more like a dance on a razor but none the less listen to this album in bed with the covers over your head and booze on your breath.

:: Jim Nichols 10/23/2004 11:20:00 PM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - Jon Stewart Talks TV News on '60 Minutes':

"After his outburst on CNN's 'Crossfire,' 'Daily Show' host Jon Stewart will have a few words for '60 Minutes.' The comedian will be profiled on this Sunday's broadcast of the CBS news program. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/23/2004 04:29:00 PM [+] ::
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Business catching up with sex -- at least on the Web - 2004-10-22 - Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal:

"In the last seven years, the percentage of Web searches on sex has declined, while that of business-related searches has gone up, according to a new book on Web searching coauthored by a University of Pittsburgh professor"

:: Jim Nichols 10/22/2004 07:45:00 PM [+] ::
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LRB | Andrew O'Hagan : The God Squad:

"America is now offering lessons in what little wisdom it takes to govern the world. Confounded in Iraq, isolated from its traditional allies, shamed over Abu Ghraib, soaked in corporate corruption and the backwash of environmental harm, sustaining an uninherited budget deficit while preparing more tax rewards for the rich, as dismissive of the unhealthy as the foreign, as terrified of the unfolding truth as of mailed anthrax, it is a society made menacing by a notion of God's great plan. America is tolerance-challenged, integrity-poor, frightened to death, and yet, beneath its patriotic hosannahs, a country in delirium before the recognition that it might have spent the last three years not only squandering the sympathy of the world but hot-housing hatreds more ferocious than those it had wished to banish for ever from the clear blue skies."

:: Jim Nichols 10/21/2004 09:39:00 PM [+] ::
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Democracy Now! | Noam Chomsky on the State of the Nation, Iraq and the Election:

"A conversation with linguist, author and leading dissident Noam Chomsky on the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the presidential election, and the current state of the country."

:: Jim Nichols 10/21/2004 07:09:00 PM [+] ::
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TheStar.com - Drug exports threaten supply, group warns:

"Cross-border Internet pharmacies threaten to drain precious supplies needed to treat sick Canadians and could lead to a 'full-scale disaster' for the health system, a coalition of groups representing seniors, pharmacies and patients warned today. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/21/2004 06:25:00 PM [+] ::
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Guardian Unlimited | Arts features | Arts: The Mona Lisa experience:

"It's the most famous painting in the world and a must-see for anyone visiting Paris. But most people fight through the crowds to spend a mere 15 seconds in front of it - just long enough to grab a snapshot. So why do they bother? To find out, Amelia Gentleman spent a day with the Mona Lisa"

:: Jim Nichols 10/19/2004 07:34:00 PM [+] ::
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Everyone must watch this.... IFILM - Short Films: Jon Stewart's Brutal Exchange with CNN Host:

"Daily Show anchor Jon Stewart browbeats CNN's Tucker Carlson over journalism ethics on Crossfire. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/18/2004 07:53:00 PM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - Poll: Florida Senate Candidates Tied:

"The Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate has erased the small gap between her and her Republican rival, and they were locked in a tie as they headed into their first debate Monday, a new poll showed. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/18/2004 07:06:00 PM [+] ::
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One more has seen the light...
Yahoo! News - Michigan's Milliken Endorses Kerry:

"Former Republican Gov. William Milliken of Michigan endorsed Democratic Sen. John Kerry for president on Monday, saying President Bush has pursued policies 'pandering to the extreme right wing.'

Milliken, governor from 1969-82, accused the Bush administration of rushing into the Iraq (news - web sites) war, pushing tax cuts that benefit the rich and blocking meaningful stem-cell research.

"I felt so strongly about the direction of this country that in the end, it wasn't a difficult decision to make," Milliken said in an interview Monday with Traverse City Record-Eagle reporters and editors. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/18/2004 07:04:00 PM [+] ::
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No spoiler in 2008!

Center for Voting and Democracy - CVD:

"Last week Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. (D -IL) introduced a pair of powerful bills aimed at election reform.

H.R.5293 would require states to conduct general elections for Federal office using an instant runoff voting system.
H.J.R. 109 would amend the Constitution to abolish the electoral college and provide for direct election of the president by majority vote.

FairVote also is working with Congressman Jackson in support of a right to vote in the U.S. Constitution."

:: Jim Nichols 10/18/2004 06:59:00 PM [+] ::
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"If you want total security, go to prison. There you're fed, clothed,
given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking... is freedom."
-Dwight D. Eisenhower

:: Jim Nichols 10/18/2004 06:48:00 PM [+] ::
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"Nobody can be so amusingly arrogant as a young man who has just
discovered an old idea and thinks it is his own."
-- Sydney J. Harris

:: Jim Nichols 10/18/2004 06:44:00 PM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - Canada Urged to Halt Internet Drug Sales to U.S.:

"The Canadian government must stop the online sale of drugs to U.S. customers before it leads to a severe shortage north of the border, a coalition of health lobby groups said on Monday."

:: Jim Nichols 10/18/2004 06:37:00 PM [+] ::
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U.S. Said Set to Move on Pakistan's Long F-16 Quest:

"The Bush administration is planning to consult Congress on Pakistan's nearly 15-year quest for advanced F-16 fighter aircraft, a U.S. defense official said on Thursday, in a prelude to what may be a delicate balancing act with rival India. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/14/2004 10:50:00 PM [+] ::
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Marginal Revolution: Fastest Flip-Flop Ever?:

"Here from last night's debate, is President Bush making a good case against government-run health care:

I think government- run health will lead to poor-quality health, will lead to rationing, will lead to less choice.

Once a health-care program ends up in a line item in the federal government budget, it leads to more controls.

And just look at other countries that have tried to have federally controlled health care. They have poor-quality health care.

Our health-care system is the envy of the world because we believe in making sure that the decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by officials in the nation's capital.

And what does he say less than two minutes later?

We've increased VA funding by $22 billion in the four years since I've been president. That's twice the amount that my predecessor increased VA funding.

Of course we're meeting our obligation to our veterans, and the veterans know that.
We're expanding veterans' health care throughout the country. We're aligning facilities where the veterans live now. Veterans are getting very good health care under my administration..."

:: Jim Nichols 10/14/2004 10:48:00 PM [+] ::
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U.S. Parties Hunt for Votes in American-Rich Canada:

" In a bid to help win an election in which even a few votes could be crucial, both Democrats and Republicans are making concerted efforts to woo the estimated 600,000 or more U.S. citizens who live in Canada"

:: Jim Nichols 10/14/2004 10:45:00 PM [+] ::
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BBC NEWS | Health | Women 'better at holding drink':

"Kentucky University researchers found men's loss of inhibition was three times greater than women's with the same blood alcohol levels.

Writing in the journal Addiction, they said the finding might explain why men are more likely to become aggressive.

It found men appeared to become more stimulated after drinking while women became more relaxed"

:: Jim Nichols 10/13/2004 09:46:00 PM [+] ::
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Land of the free
U.S.: Detained al-Qaeda Suspects "Disappeared" (Human Rights Watch, 12-10-2004):

"At least 11 al-Qaeda suspects have "disappeared" in U.S. custody, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. U.S. officials are holding the detainees in undisclosed locations, where some have reportedly been tortured."

:: Jim Nichols 10/13/2004 09:33:00 PM [+] ::
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STATEMENT BY SPECIALISTS IN HEALTH CARE FINANCE AND ORGANIZATION:

We are 74 people with more than a thousand years of combined professional and academic experience in health care finance and organization. As a group, we neither represent nor endorse a particular political party or viewpoint about health care reform.

We have reviewed the health care finance proposals put forward by Senator John Kerry. Their primary thrust is to make the federal government a reinsurer when a single insured individual incurs health care costs greater than $50,000 in the course of any one year.

Because high-cost individuals account for a large proportion of the total cost of health insurance, this reinsurance is intended to make private health insurance more affordable for both employers and individuals and thus reduce the number of uninsured individuals and families. This approach is fully consistent with maintaining a health care finance system largely run by private insurance, private employers, and private medical providers.

Although Senator Kerry's proposals should be subject to a full analysis of their cost and impact, any claim that they amount to 'government run health care' or a 'government takeover' of the health care system or of health care decision-making is simply inconsistent with the facts. We are not aware of any expert in health care or health care finance, whatever his or her political orientation, who believes otherwise."

:: Jim Nichols 10/13/2004 02:05:00 PM [+] ::
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Economist.com | The economy and the election:

"WOULD John Kerry or George Bush do a better job stewarding America's economy? Judging by the polls, voters are not sure. Within the past couple of months both candidates have had narrow leads on the issue. Ask economics professors, however, and you get a clearer answer.

In an informal poll of 100 academics, conducted by The Economist, Mr Bush's policies win low marks. More than 70% of the 56 professors who responded to our survey rate Mr Bush's first-term economic policies as bad or very bad. Fewer than 20% give positive marks to Mr Bush's second-term economic agenda, and almost six out of ten disapproved. Mr Kerry hardly got rave reviews either, but his economic plan still fared better than the president's did. In all, four out of ten professors rated Mr Kerry's economic plan as good or very good, but 27% gave it negative scores. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/13/2004 01:57:00 PM [+] ::
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FT.com / World / Europe - Germany in rethink on Iraq force deployment:

"Germany might deploy troops in Iraq if conditions there change, Peter Struck, the German defence minister, indicated on Tuesday in a gesture that appears to provide backing for John Kerry, the US Democratic presidential challenger.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Struck departed from his government's resolve not to send troops to Iraq under any circumstances, saying: "At present I rule out the deployment of German troops in Iraq. In general, however, there is no one who can predict developments in Iraq in such a way that he could make a such a binding statement [about the future]."

Could a Kerry victory bring the Germans to the table?

:: Jim Nichols 10/13/2004 01:54:00 PM [+] ::
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Salon.com News | Technical expert: Bush was wired:

"Speculation continues to run wild about President Bush's mystery bulge. Since Friday, when Salon first raised questions about the rectangular bulge that was visible under Bush's suit coat during the presidential debates, many observers in the press and on the Internet have wondered aloud whether the verbally and factually challenged president might be receiving coaching via a hidden electronic device.

Now a technical expert who designs and makes such devices for the U.S. military tells Salon that he believes the bulge is indeed a transceiver designed to receive electronic signals and transmit them to a hidden earpiece lodged in Bush's ear canal. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/13/2004 01:51:00 PM [+] ::
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I watched Sylvia with Gwyneth Paltrow and Daniel Craig tonight. I was a little disappointed but not too much. I was always a big Sylvia Plath fan, especially as a teenager. The Bell Jar was a pivotal book for me, it was my Catcher in the Rye. The movie tonight closed with a great line from The Arrival of the Bee Box

The box is locked, it is dangerous.
I have to live with it overnight
And I can't keep away from it.
There are no windows, so I can't see what is in there.
There is only a little grid, no exit.

:: Jim Nichols 10/10/2004 10:52:00 PM [+] ::
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the dying is an art
like they say in the movies
and I, I am a rock
a million new inventions
evolved particles and bad luck genes
those manic little dreams
and a depressed old man walking off to die

I am that
and this
and all of these
and when you listen
the silence is damning
and each crunch crunch, boots on snow
and you scared like a flower in frost

I once upon a time thought I'd live
but now the dying seems more like a line
in some poorly produced passion play
I once upon a time thought I'd live
but now the time quickly walks away
and this is where the dying starts
for you and you and you
for all of you in the cheap seats

:: Jim Nichols 10/10/2004 10:40:00 PM [+] ::
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French philosopher Derrida dies
: "French philosopher Jacques Derrida, whose work is credited with originating the school of deconstruction, has died of cancer at the age of 74, France Info radio has said."
and here is Brian Leiters take on Derrida

Alas, he is being referred to as a philosopher.

I am, needless to say, with the vast majority of philosophers in thinking Derrida's work of a philosophical nature was badly confused and pernicious in its influence, and in the substantial minority within that group who formed that opinion after actually reading his work. His preposterously stupid writings on Nietzsche were, of course, a particular source of annoyance. And even his more apparently scholarly work on, e.g., Husserl turns out to be rather poor, as J. Claude Evans showed more than a dozen years ago. Like the Straussians, Derrida and his followers tend to be willfully bad readers of texts. Fortunately, their influence has already faded from the scene in both North America and Europe.

:: Jim Nichols 10/09/2004 06:49:00 PM [+] ::
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United Press International: Outside View: Not the candidates you thought:

"John Kerry wants seniors to be able to buy Canadian drugs now. Bush says that they aren't safe. Huh? Talk about denigrating an ally -- which Bush said Kerry shouldn't do when speaking about our unilateral efforts in Iraq and not referencing our British, Polish, Italian and Spanish partners in Iraq. (Bush forgot the Japanese tonight. Don't forget the Japanese.) Bush probably set U.S.-Canada relations back a couple of years by questioning their medical-safety standards -- which are actually among the highest in the world."

:: Jim Nichols 10/09/2004 06:45:00 PM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - Was Bush Wired? Ridiculous, Campaign Says:

"Campaign aides to President Bush on Saturday laughed off rampant Internet speculation about whether the president was wired to get help from advisers during his first debate with Sen. John Kerry"

:: Jim Nichols 10/09/2004 06:39:00 PM [+] ::
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Moms going to hate it
To try to extract the very reason of my being out of the pointless meandering of day to day life I got another tattoo today. Something to remind me every day of the futile and hopeless nature of human existence. It makes me smile while others frown

"I am just an atom in an ectoplasmic sea,
without direction or a reason to exist,
the anechoic nebula rotating in my brain
is persuading me, contritely, to persist." -Bad Religion

:: Jim Nichols 10/09/2004 05:58:00 PM [+] ::
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"The greater part of what my neighbors call good I believe in my soul to be bad, and if I repent of anything, it is very likely to be my good behavior." --Henry David Thoreau

:: Jim Nichols 10/09/2004 03:50:00 PM [+] ::
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The New York Times > Washington > Campaign 2004 > Last Job Count Before Election: Always a Political Number:

"It's official. President Bush will be the first president since Herbert Hoover to face re-election with fewer people working than when he started.

No president may have more than an indirect influence on unemployment, and Mr. Bush had the bad luck to take office in January 2001, just before the economy was about to slide into a recession.

Still, despite the stimulus from three rounds of tax cuts, a spectacular expansion of the federal budget deficit and enormous assistance from the Federal Reserve, which slashed interest rates 13 times, the nation has at least 585,000 fewer jobs now than when Mr. Bush took office."

:: Jim Nichols 10/09/2004 03:13:00 PM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - Experts: Good Hygiene Can Ward Off Flu:

"Doctors and nutritionists say careful hygiene, a balanced diet and plenty of rest and fluids can go a long way toward keeping people healthy during the influenza season, especially considering this year's vaccine shortage. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/09/2004 02:01:00 PM [+] ::
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Got to give it up for marketing genius

So I was wondering why anyone would buy the Marilyn Manson greatest hits album if they already had all his other albums until I found out he was releasing it with a DVD of all his videos. The only video not on the disk is Tainted Love, probably due to copyright laws. So technically I bought a Marilyn Manson DVD and got a free cd of his music to go along with it

:: Jim Nichols 10/08/2004 10:09:00 PM [+] ::
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"Man is not a rational animal; he is a rationalizing animal. For explanations of a universe that confuses him, he seizes onto numerology, astrology, hysterical religions, and other fancy ways to go crazy. Having accepted such glorified nonsense, facts make no impression on him, even if at the cost of his own life."
-- Robert Heinlein

:: Jim Nichols 10/08/2004 09:57:00 PM [+] ::
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The best line of the debate

The militarys job is to win the war, the presidents job is to win the peace.

:: Jim Nichols 10/08/2004 09:10:00 PM [+] ::
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The Harvard Crimson Online :: News:

"More than 50 tenured and emeritus professors from Harvard Business School told President Bush to roll back his administration's massive tax cuts and stem the growth of the federal budget deficit in a harshly worded letter released late Monday night."

:: Jim Nichols 10/08/2004 08:47:00 PM [+] ::
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Oh my god. I just realized I have a paper due tomorrow on Max Weber. I totally forgot about it. This is going to be a long night.

:: Jim Nichols 10/06/2004 11:41:00 PM [+] ::
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Interesting.... Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis - The Region - Interview with Claudia Goldin (September 2004):

:: Jim Nichols 10/06/2004 11:23:00 PM [+] ::
...

Misleading Assertions Cover Iraq War and Voting Records (washingtonpost.com):

"Sen. John Edwards and Vice President Cheney clashed repeatedly in their debate last night, making impressive-sounding but misleading statements on issues including the war in Iraq, tax cuts and each other's records, often omitting key facts along the way. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/06/2004 11:12:00 PM [+] ::
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Current Electoral Vote Predictor 2004:

"Kerry has retaken the lead in all-important Ohio by 49% to 48%, New Mexico by 46% to 43%, and Iowa by 48% to 47%"

:: Jim Nichols 10/06/2004 11:11:00 PM [+] ::
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The Washington Note Archives:

"Edwards got a lot of good blows in, but not enough to win the debate, which in my view was not a memorable debate to begin with.

The biggest reason why I think that George Bush won tonight is that Cheney made him disappear."

Bush was mentioned only 9 times tonight -- 4 times by Cheney, twice by Edwards and 3 times by Gwen Ifill.

In contrast, Kerry was mentioned 64 times overall -- 34 times by Edwards, and an additional 30 times by Ifill and Cheney. Two of the times Edwards invoked Kerry's name he was breaking Gwen Ifill's rules in the debate.

This night became about what Kerry was for or against, but Bush as a target simply vanished.

:: Jim Nichols 10/06/2004 11:03:00 PM [+] ::
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Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/06/2004 | Partisan bias in newspapers? A study of headlines says yes:

"Economists have been puzzled this year by the persistence with which perceptions about the economy have lagged the economic data. For the most recent 12-month period for which we have data, for example, the economy grew almost exactly as fast as it did during the best 12-month period during President Clinton's two terms. But the economic mood of the country has been much different."

An interesting op-ed. I wonder how somebody like FAIR would respond.

:: Jim Nichols 10/06/2004 10:55:00 PM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - Republicans Accuse Moore of Vote Bribery:

"Republicans say filmmaker Michael Moore should be prosecuted for offering underwear, potato chips and Ramen noodles to college students in exchange for their promise to vote. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/05/2004 09:50:00 PM [+] ::
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advertisement Supreme Court Refuses to Put Nader on Oregon Ballot :

"The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Tuesday to include Ralph Nader as a candidate on Oregon's November ballot, dealing a blow to the one-time consumer advocate's independent bid for the presidency. "

:: Jim Nichols 9/28/2004 05:55:00 PM [+] ::
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Leiter takes on instapunditThe Leiter Reports: Editorials, News, Updates: Ad Hominems, InstaIgnorance, and the Case of the Coming Draft:

:: Jim Nichols 9/28/2004 07:25:00 AM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - Organic Farming Studied As Demand Rises:

"Organic farming sounds simple ? no chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or genetically engineered plants. But succeeding at it can be complicated. A recent wave of research at universities around the country seeks to take some of the guesswork and financial uncertainty out of the practice. "

:: Jim Nichols 9/26/2004 08:41:00 PM [+] ::
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SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Education -- CSU San Marcos president says Michael Moore visit would be illegal:

"CSU San Marcos President Karen Haynes said yesterday that it would be illegal to have Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore on campus before the presidential election. "

:: Jim Nichols 9/26/2004 03:46:00 PM [+] ::
...

Losing the war on terror....
BBC NEWS | Europe | Arabs ambivalent over hostage crisis:

"The Arab media has presented the latest hostage crisis in Iraq as just another element in the bloody and chaotic pattern of violence in the country. "

:: Jim Nichols 9/26/2004 03:35:00 PM [+] ::
...

And then the New York Times Magazine Cover Story is on blogs The New York Times > Magazine > Fear and Laptops on the Campaign Trail

:: Jim Nichols 9/26/2004 03:29:00 PM [+] ::
...

Blogging is all over the news today. First a peice on military bloggers...
Yahoo! News - Soldiers' War Blogs Detail Life in Iraq:

:: Jim Nichols 9/26/2004 03:27:00 PM [+] ::
...

Key Bush Assertions About Iraq in Dispute:

"Many of President Bush's assertions about progress in Iraq -- from police training and reconstruction to preparations for January elections -- are in dispute, according to internal Pentagon documents, lawmakers and key congressional aides on Sunday. "

I think the way Bush is going to get caught this election year is by being too optimistic. If there is a disconnect between the way the voters view things and the way Bush talks about things Bush loses. The only problem is that people may want to believe in that hopefully optimistic view of the world which he presents.

:: Jim Nichols 9/26/2004 03:17:00 PM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - Candidates Gear Up for Crucial Debates:

"This fall's presidential debates will pit George W. Bush's folksy manner and big-picture brand of policymaking against John Kerry's more cerebral outlook and nuanced world view. Each is a proven debater who knows, only too well, what personal pitfalls to avoid: Bush must stifle the smirk, for instance, and Kerry must cut short his rhetorical rambling. "

I can't wait for Thursday. I'm glad Bush agreed on doing all three debates not only because I think Kerry can crush him but because I like the drama of the debates.

:: Jim Nichols 9/26/2004 02:13:00 PM [+] ::
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Cafe Hayek: How the Media Works:

"We think the media goes out and finds the news. Sometimes it does. But a lot of the times, it's the news trying to find the media. "

This was one of the only blog postings on the Rathergate hoopla that I have liked.... he concludes by saying that

Memogate and Dan Rather's troubles should remind us that what you read in the newspaper and see on the news is not simply the events of the day. Much of what we read and what we see comes from an intense effort to influence us. Some of it is surely true. Some of it is untrue but accurate. Some of it is untrue and inaccurate. The lesson? Read widely and have lots of grains of salt at the ready.

:: Jim Nichols 9/23/2004 09:45:00 PM [+] ::
...