] Important Senate news today. Several new polls there have
] changed the outlook. Just going by the spreadsheet (i.e.,
] the current poll numbers), the Senate will be split 50-50
] as a result of a new poll in Oklahoma that now puts Brad
] Carson ahead of Tom Coburn (the former obstretrician who
] has admitted to performing abortions but now says
] abortionists should be executed). In addition, the
] spreadsheet says the Republicans will win the Louisiana
] seat, but since no Republican has ever been elected to
] the Senate by the people of Louisiana since direct
] elections of senators began in 1914, my best guess at
] this point is that the Democrats will actually have a
] majority in the Senate (counting Jeffords as a Democrat).
] This scenario was unthinkable 6 months ago.

This is the slickest electoral college map site.

[ It's good, *BUT* to date, his methodology involves recoloring the map based only on the most recent poll *NOT* on an average of polls over the most recent sample cycle. This is ok, but recognize that it makes the map *much* more volatile. If you want a quick glance, that's somewhat more representative of general trends and likelihoods, check Slate's Election Scorecard.

Today's update indicates that he might add code to produce a similar map, which averages and accounts for trends, for monday. Perhaps a little late in the game, but, whatever, it's a free service and it's really well done, as long as it's read with knowledge of it's limitations.

This one is more for if you want to read, or if you want the state by state graphs, which are excellent. -k]

Current Electoral Vote Predictor 2004

] Osama bin Laden speaks in this image made from an
] undated video broadcast on Friday, Oct. 29,
] 2004 by Arab television station Al-Jazeera. In the
] statement, bin Laden directly admitted for the first time
] that he carried out the Sept. 11 attacks, and said 'the
] best way to avoid another Manhattan' was to stop
] threatening Muslims' security. Al-Jazeera, based in
] Qatar, did not say how it had received the tape. (AP
] Photo/AlJazeera via APTN)

Handy for those of you who need something new for your dart board... Or maybe something to stick in your office's mens room urinal.

[ I particularly like Bush's response... "... we will never let our enemies affect or influence us." Really? -k]

New Bin Laden video

] With a heavy heart, we think American readers should vote
] for John Kerry on November 2nd
]

[ It's not exactly glowing, but this is the Economist... a journal i'd have figured to bow out and not say anything before making the call for Kerry. Granted, they didn't leave it a lot of time to effect changes of mind, but still.

Unsurprisingly, the article is really more about why Bush is incompetent than about why Kerry is superior... they hnad both of the candidates a fair share of smack down, but in the end decide that Bush is just out of his league and can't be allowed to fuck up any more. I'm paraphrasing, of course. -k]

Economist.com | America's next president

] If you weren't impressed with their alliteration, maybe
] you'll be impressed with these tiny little clip-clocks
] themselves from Vessel, Inc. Looks like you can
] conveniently clip them to clothing, and no worries if you
] lose it or smash it up in a terrible
] accident%u2014they're only $14 (per pair) from Unica, or
] $13 direct from Vessel Store.

[ Ok, kinda gimmicky, but cool nonetheless. I may pick some of this action up... particularly for use when working out, when a watch is no-go and i don't have my cell on me. -k]

Gizmodo : Tempo Time Tags

] So far as she knows, Pufferbelly Toys owner Stephanie Cox
] hasn't been passing any state secrets to sinister foreign
] governments, or violating obscure clauses in the Patriot
] Act.
]
] ...
]
] Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs
] Enforcement, said agents went to Pufferbelly based on a
] trademark infringement complaint filed in the agency's
] intellectual property rights center in Washington, D.C.
]
] "One of the things that our agency's responsible for
] doing is protecting the integrity of the economy and our
] nation's financial systems and obviously trademark
] infringement does have significant economic implications,"
] she said. "

[ What!? Does that sound like a stretch of the DHS mandate to anyone else? Seriously, why the fuck should they have anything to do with this miniscule shit. Yes, protecting the integrity of the economy is fine and valid, but like, more in the context of preventing contamination of food or water supplies, or bombing of financial institutions. Don't we already have people to enforce IP law? -k]

Yahoo! News - Homeland Security Agents Visit Toy Store

] For any of you who doubted the reports of Right Wing
] voter suppression campaigns, here's a sample letter that
] was sent to a largely-Democratic, largely-people of color
] community in Ohio.

Can I please have one story about left wing voter suppression?

[ As rattle says, you could claim that suing to keep nader off the ballots counts, though the counter argument is that Nader didn't follow the rules and had a whole ton of invalid names on his petitions. You may argue against the petition rule, but there's healthy evidence that Nader didn't do the right thing as the law stands. Also, this isn't exactly suppressing voters as much as suppressing choice. Similar, but not exactly the same.

There was some story about a lefty organization, ACORN i think, which was getting in trouble, but again, not for denying voters. They were registering dead people, or made up names, or something -- clearly a serious violation, in the sense of ballot stuffing, but also not disenfranchisement, precicely.

That's all i've seen. -k]

LawGeek: Sample Right-wing Voter Suppression Letter

] This flyer is being distributed around Milwaukee's
] African American communities.

I saw pictures of these in 2000, but at the time it was considered an anomaly... Trouble is these reports are hard to authenticate.

[ Yeah, some of this stuff is so over the top that I can't help but think it's a prank, but then, not every loony with a vision to disenfranchise voters is particularly smart. This stuff makes me want to kick people in the head. -k]

Daily Kos :: Voter suppression flyering starts?

] It is as if the presidential election of 2000 never ended
] here.
]
]
] Six days before Election Day, Florida is again struggling
] with questions about potential voting irregularities,
] from complaints about missing absentee ballots in Broward
] County and accusations of voter suppression in minority
] neighborhoods to concerns about new touch-screen voting
] machines. Floridians have been standing for as long as
] three hours to cast early votes in the presidential race,
] testimony to the unresolved passions of the election of
] 2000. Interest is so intense that analysts predict that a
] staggering 75 percent of Florida voters will cast ballots
] by the time polls close Tuesday evening.

[ Sweet jesus, if there are widespread "irregularities" the state is gonna go up in flames... people are going to lose it. -k]

Passion and Election Disputes On Rise in Florida as Vote Nears

] Eminem's "Mosh" is the number one video on MTV.

[ From internet phenomenon to the top spot in about 48 hours. Damn right. -k]

Daily Kos :: Mosh is #1

[ Yeah, it's Bush flipping off the camera. Nice.

And no, i don't think every little thing anyone does in a fit of pique is an indictment of their ability to govern... i have dozens of big things to use for that argument. -k]

Daily Kos :: Bush's 'one finger victory salute'