rickeyre.com

I wish we could have this standard of coverage in, for example, Nicaragua, the DRC or Tajikstan.

Anyway, for blog coverage of the US election count, my starting point today is the Daily Kos.

I'll add my own observations here from time to time.

Seattle residents are voting today on, among other things, "City of Seattle Referendum No.1: Adult Entertainment". It aims to define regulatory standards for the city's strip clubs.

There's stringent lighting standards, elevation standards for railings around stages, and, biggest shock horror, lap dancers will not be allowed within four feet of the patrons. (One wonders how the legislators arrived at that dimension.)

The Seattle Times and the Washington Post take up the story. The complete (and at times explicit) text of the ordinance being put forward at today's election is here.

The United States of America has more than a century and a half of experience in meddling in the sovereignty of foreign nations, and with that in mind I'm going to make some endorsements in Tuesday's US congressional and gubernatorial elections.

My short answer is to vote Democrat in both houses and remove Republican control of congress. That way, the gang at White House Halliburton will have to work harder at bypassing the US Constitution for their own corporate ends.

An even shorter answer: In the state Governors races, vote for candidates from the Green Party of the United States.

I certainly have no sympathy for Saddam Hussein. But he should not be executed for his crimes. No more and no less than any other human being.

Why, in any case, should anyone's monumental lack of respect for human life be even partly condoned through the state-organised termination of his?

One can only hope that further charges of crimes against humanity continue to be heard against Hussein, especially with regard to the chemical weapon attack on Kurds in 1988.

Liberals pass motion for Qld crocodile cull - The Queensland Liberals have called for crocodiles to be culled because people are being eaten. [ABC Environment]

The choice quote comes from convention delegate Brett Blade, who is reported as saying:

"You can't allow crocodiles to come into the main street of Cairns and eat people - and that is exactly what's happening"

Au contraire Brett, I think they should close one lane of the Cairns main street to traffic for the exclusive use of crocodiles.

Firstly, a declaration of slight personal regret today. I was unable to attend the Walk Against Warming in Sydney this morning because it was... er, too cold.

The fact is that I am still recovering from the effects of a rather aggressive little URTI earlier this week. Despite the weather there were still 10,000 people who did the march from Martin Place to the Botanic Gardens, which is great news. More demonstrations around the world on November 4 coming up.

Sir Nicholas Stern's costings of the impact of climate change are massive, yet I feel that they could still be an underestimate.

I'm putting some of my video archives from the last couple of years onto Youtube. (Note, however, that I have decided not to place any videos of Adara on unrestricted access.)

First up, the one video that I have previously placed onto Youtube - that of the "Stop The Bombing" rally in Sydney on August 12 during the Israeli attack on southern Lebanon.