Email comments to dsgood at gmail com
Thursday September 28, 2006.
Scientific press releases from http://eurekalert.org which I consider to have political importance:
Public Release: 28-Sep-2006
Law and Human Behavior
New study reports on attacks against U.S. abortion clinics
Crime and violence against abortion clinics are no longer in the headlines, but that doesn't mean they no longer happen. A new study reports on the ongoing vandalism and harassment that are part of the job for those who work in many abortion clinics across the United States. Surprisingly, the researchers found that state legislation designed to protect abortion clinics has had no effect on anti-abortion violence.
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/3781.html
Public Release: 28-Sep-2006
The World Economy
'The Pathological Export Boom and the Bazaar Effect': How to solve the German puzzle
Germany is the world champion in merchandise exports and yet the country suffers from mass unemployment and stagnation. Hans-Werner Sinn's paper, "The Pathological Export Boom and the Bazaar Effect," appearing in the World Economy journal this month, tries to solve this puzzle.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-09/bpl-tpe092806.php
Public Release: 28-Sep-2006
International Journal of Epidemiology
Chronic diseases and injuries now number one killer in rural India
Cardiovascular disease is now a leading cause of death in rural India, according to new research published by the George Institute for International Health and the University of Queensland. The findings from a large survey conducted in Andhra Pradesh, India, highlights the rapid growth of chronic diseases and injuries in developing countries.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-09/ra-cda092806.php
Our Courts and Congress at Work
From bna.com's newsletter:
CT RULES MASKING SPAM ORIGIN SUFFICIENT FOR JURISDICTION
BNA'S Electronic Commerce & Law Report reports that a federal court in Georgia has ruled that masking the origin of spam by routing it through an Internet service provider's mail servers so that it appeared that the messages originated from the ISP itself amounts to an "electronic contact" with the ISP's forum sufficient to assert personal jurisdiction over the spammers. The court reasoned that jurisdiction was proper because "[t]his process of masking involved connections to and from EarthLink's network in Georgia." Case name is EarthLink Inc. v. Pope. Article at
<http://pubs.bna.com/ip/bna/eip.nsf/eh/a0b3j4y1v7>
For a free trial to the source of this story, visit
http://www.bna.com/products/ip/eplr.htm
SENATE BATTLE HOLDS UP BILL ON TELEPHONE PRIVACY
Virtually everyone in Congress agrees that "pretexting" -- lying to gain access to someone else's private telephone records -- is wrong and should be outlawed. But a bill that would do that, while skating through the House in April by a 409-0 vote, has been stuck in the Senate for months, the victim of a turf war between two powerful committees.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/15623437.htmWednesday
9/13/06 What Our Representatives Are Doing
Dear Sunlighter,
Members of Congress work for us, and we should know what they do every day.
That is a pretty straightforward proposition, and we bet you agree. So Sunlight is launching a campaign, at www.punchclockcampaign.com, to get Members of Congress to agree to post their daily calendars on the Internet.
But we need your help and creativity to make that happen. We’ll give you $1,000 for each Member of Congress, and $250 for each candidate who you get to agree to do this, beginning with the next Congress. We are not kidding. Consider this a fee for your work.
We are calling this the Punch Clock Campaign because almost all of us have to
turn in timesheets or punch a clock to get our paychecks.
The details on you can get your $1,000, along with suggestions of how to talk to your politicians and other materials are here:
www.sunlightnetwork.com/punchclock
This Congress has put in less work days than any other Congress since 1948. What they are doing when they are not in legislative session? If we are going to change the nature of the relationship between lawmakers and citizens, it has to include a greater understanding of what Members of Congress do with their time.
Check out our site, ask questions, share it with your friends, and enjoy the hunt for the elusive time of our Congress!
www.sunlightnetwork.com/punchclock
Sincerely,
Ellen Miller
Executive Director
Sunlight Foundation and Sunlight Network
www.sunlightfoundation.com
Forward email
http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1101330427988&ea=dsgood%40iphouse.com&a=1101400829074
Sunlight Foundation | 901 15th Street NW, Suite 350 | Washington | DC | 20005
<a href="http://www.technorati.com/claim/476ghngye" rel="me">Technorati Profile</a>
Wednesday 9/13/06 Netroots at work:
Email from MoveOn:
Who: Michael K., Minneapolis, MN Where: Powderhorn Park - So. Mpls. When: Saturday, 16 Sep 2006, 4:00 PM What: We're getting together this weekend in Minneapolis (and lots
of other places around the country) to call voters in key districts BEFORE Karl Rove
gets to them. It's pretty easy to do, and fun in a group. The more of us, the merrier—Daniel, I hope you can come.
Congress is on the line, and it'll take every last one of us to
win this fall. Bring: Cell phones, chargers, and a snack, and plan to have
fun! RSVP: Can you make it? (When you sign up, we'll send you the address and other details.) General effectiveness: Probably high. It reaches potential volunteers who would otherwise be harder -- maybe impossible -- to reach. It eliminates the cost of phones for a phonebank. If the Republican Party isn't already also doing this, look for them to try it next election. Effectiveness in reaching me: Not much. I don't have a cell phone, and I don't have a good voice. And now, Quick & Dirty Content Analysis: Percentage of left/Democratic political blogs sampled at http://politicalwire.com/southpaws discussing elections -- 64. Percentage of right/Republican blogs sampled at http://politicalwire.com/wingers -- 31. What I think this means: The ones who expect election results they want are more inclined to look at what's happening -- and what's likely to happen -- in this year's elections. The ones who don't like what they see are more inclined to discuss (for example) fake eunuchs in India (http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2006/09/fake_eunuchs_black_magic/). Party to Win Back Congress—
Daniel, can you make it?
September 3, 2006 Minnesota Senate Race
Both Senatorial campaign committees have jumped the gun. While the DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) caucus delegates endorsed Amy Klochubar and the Republican caucuses endorsed Mark Kennedy, they still have to get through the primaries. They'll probably win; but sooner or later, at least one party will have to deal with an unexpected Senatorial nominee.
(The two Senatorial campaign committees jumped the shark long ago. It's unlikely that they'll jump the broom.)
[Both major parties also endorse in nonpartisan primaries and general elections, which helps make "nonpartisan" a farce.]
Daniel S. Goodman <dsgood@gmail.com>
Minnesota Blogger Press Kit
Michael Link <link@dscc.org> Wed, Aug 30, 2006 at 8:41 AM
To: Michael Link <link@dscc.org>
We’re trying to reach out to state and local bloggers this election year to help take back the US Senate. We’re hoping to be able to work together to help elect Amy Klobuchar this November. As part of our efforts we’ve developed what we like to call Blogger Press Kits that hopefully will be useful to you in your blogging this cycle.
You can check out the Blogger Press Kit for Minnesota here:
http://www.dscc.org/news/bloggerkits/mn/
We’ve tried to pack as much useful information into these kits as possible. There are things like ActBlue and Wikipedia links, blog ads, images you can post on your blog, polling information, and bios. We're hoping this will be a useful resource for you and other bloggers, so if you have any ideas for something else that would be good to include, just drop me a line.
Also, while I try and keep up with all the Senate posts in Minnesota feel free to drop me a line next time you do a post on the Senate race. And if you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to send me an email.
Thanks for all you’re doing,
Michael Link
Online Communications
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
link@dscc.org
http://www.dscc.org
http://www.fromtheroots.org
---------------------------
The National Republican Senatorial Committee's take on this race is at http://www.nrsc.org/senator/openrace.aspx?ST=mn It includes this:
Will Klobuchar Support Fringe Candidate Ned Lamont Or The 2000 VP Nominee, Joe Lieberman?
WASHINGTON, DC--The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) issued the following statement after Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT) was defeated by Ned Lamont in the Connecticut Democrat primary:
"What happened in Connecticut's primary clearly demonstrates that the angry left fringe of the Democrat Party is in charge and party leaders have already lined up this morning to support their cause," said NRSC Spokesman Brian Walton. "Does Amy Klobuchar support the wishes of the angry left by endorsing Ned Lamont's candidacy or does she support the man her party picked as their Vice Presidential nominee just two elections ago?"
http://www.nrsc.org/newsdesk/document.aspx?ID=2806
Barry Goldwater, 1964; pot, meet kettle. That aside, the NRSC's page on Connecticut's Senatorial race shows Lieberman as an Independent. It somehow omits mention of the properly-chosen Republican Senatorial candidate.
http://www.nrsc.org/senator/nonrace.aspx?ST=ct
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My prediction: Klobuchar and Kennedy will win their primaries on September 12. Klobuchar will win the general election on November 4.
Useful reference websites, national: http://www.politics1.com
http://www.politicalwire.com. Also see the sampling of liberal/Democratic websites at http://www.politicalwire.com.southpaws and conservative/Republican websites at http://politicalwire.com.wingers.
Minnesota: See the site list at http://www.lacrosselibrary.org/libchoice/minnesotapolitics.htm
(Yes, La Crosse is in Wisconsin. Yes, there are larger library systems in this region.)
Print reference: Barone, Michael and Richard E. Cohen The Almanac of American Politics, 2006. Distributed for the National Journal Group [by the University of Chicago Press]. 1800 p. 6 x 9 2005
Cloth $89.95spec 0-89234-111-4 Spring 2005
Paper $69.95 0-89234-112-2 Spring 2005
For a list of non-US bookstores which carry University of Chicago books, see http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/intlbkst.html. In Canada, the list includes:
Librairie l'Androgyne [Gay and lesbian]
1436, Amherst Street
Montréal, Québec H2L 3L3
Tel: 514-842-4765::
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