Happy Godfather's Birthday, everyone. Here's the weeks alternative operating system news:
7 Aralık 2009 Pazartesi
A Snowy Linux Monday
A Snowy Linux Monday
Happy Godfather's Birthday, everyone. Here's the weeks alternative operating system news:
A comprehensive review of Ubuntu 9.10 ("Karmic Koala")
Two o the things I do a lot are web design and astronomy. There's open source programs for both, and if you're not ready for The Big Switch from Windows to Linux, many of them work cross-platform. The only one of the astronomy apps I've used much is Celestia, which gives you a fun, fly around the galaxy feel.
SliTaz: yet another minimalist distribution to compete with old standbys Puppy and Damn Small. Which reminds me, I need some more old junker machines to fix up; I'm down to only six computers up and booted as I write. The aliens won't wait forever to be detected, you know. Reader donations welcome.
For the geeky: Syncing up your smart phone in Linux.
For the ubergeeky: Editing your GRUB2 menu. For the slightly less geeky that means GRand Unified Bootloader (I had to look it up) and the 2 means, yes, it's an update.
Happy Godfather's Birthday, everyone. Here's the weeks alternative operating system news:
6 Aralık 2009 Pazar
Sarah Sunday
Sarah Sunday... and more
It's Palinsanity in Sioux City as the Rogue herself goes to Sioux City to, ya kno, sell books, just happens to be in Iowa. O.Kay is waiting in line with the most devoted.
Elsewhere:
The expected has happened again as the Johnson County GOP nominates Lori Cardella for the Jan. 19 special election. The Courier has the Official Party Line. So now we wait till the Dec. 28 filing deadline to see if any self-starters emerge. Democratic convention attendance (83) was about twice that of the GOP (43), which pretty closely matches the registration numbers and historic voting patterns of the county...
That Jonathan Narcisse primary challenge to Chet Culver ain't gonna happen. In a long, rambling piece on Iowa Republican, Narcisse, the former Des Moines school board member, endorses Chris Rants, with a plug for Rod Roberts as lite guv.
Today's must-read is the Register's piece on "stayers," the guys and gals fron your class who married each other and never left that small town.
It's Palinsanity in Sioux City as the Rogue herself goes to Sioux City to, ya kno, sell books, just happens to be in Iowa. O.Kay is waiting in line with the most devoted.
Elsewhere:
3 Aralık 2009 Perşembe
Rettig nominated
Rettig nominated, Senate candidates speak
Not a surprise but now official-Janelle Rettig is the Democratic nominee for supervisor in the January 19 special election. Rettig handily won the vote at tonight's special convention.
Self-starter Mary Jo Meggers put her own name forward but the vote wasn't close-76 to 7.
Of more interest to those outside the People's Republic, all three Democratic senate candidates were on hand. I completely missed Tom Fiegen, but Bob Krause assured me his own speech was excellent.
But the attention was on Roxanne Conlin, making her first big appearance here since joining the race. She turned the trial lawyer thing on its ear with an "I fight for a living" line. (Also of interest-the pro-Conlin buzz among the key Johnson County players after the convention.)
The convention has now morphed into the regular monthly central committee meeting, with little major activity other than prep for the January 23 caucuses.
Not a surprise but now official-Janelle Rettig is the Democratic nominee for supervisor in the January 19 special election. Rettig handily won the vote at tonight's special convention.
Self-starter Mary Jo Meggers put her own name forward but the vote wasn't close-76 to 7.
Of more interest to those outside the People's Republic, all three Democratic senate candidates were on hand. I completely missed Tom Fiegen, but Bob Krause assured me his own speech was excellent.
But the attention was on Roxanne Conlin, making her first big appearance here since joining the race. She turned the trial lawyer thing on its ear with an "I fight for a living" line. (Also of interest-the pro-Conlin buzz among the key Johnson County players after the convention.)
The convention has now morphed into the regular monthly central committee meeting, with little major activity other than prep for the January 23 caucuses.
2 Aralık 2009 Çarşamba
Conlin, Fiegen, Krause in Iowa City Thursday
Three Senate Candidates at JCDems Special Convention
All three Democratic challengers to Chuck "Public t*t" Grassley will speak at the Johnson County Democrat's special nominating convention Thursday night.
Roxanne Conlin, Tom Fiegen and Bob Krause will address delegates gathered to nominate a county supervisor candidate for the January 19 special election. Krause and Fiegen both attended the October barbecue, but it's Conlin's first big appearance in the People's Republic since joining the race in November.
The three candidates will speak at the beginning of the program, and the general public is invited (i.e. you don't have to be a delegate to show up and hear the speeches). Details:
(This means I'm probably going to miss the speeches since I'll be tied up with my usual credentials duties. But I'll do my best to get delegate reactions after the fact.)
As for the nomination itself, appointee Janelle Rettig is the only announced or even rumored convention candidate. Republicans meet Saturday afternoon and are expected to nominate Lori Cardella.
All three Democratic challengers to Chuck "Public t*t" Grassley will speak at the Johnson County Democrat's special nominating convention Thursday night.
Roxanne Conlin, Tom Fiegen and Bob Krause will address delegates gathered to nominate a county supervisor candidate for the January 19 special election. Krause and Fiegen both attended the October barbecue, but it's Conlin's first big appearance in the People's Republic since joining the race in November.
The three candidates will speak at the beginning of the program, and the general public is invited (i.e. you don't have to be a delegate to show up and hear the speeches). Details:
Special Convention will begin at 7 p.m. December 3 in the Buchanan Auditorium (Room W10) Pappajohn Business Building, 21 E. Market St., (Main Campus) University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. Registration of delegates and alternates begins at 6:30.
(This means I'm probably going to miss the speeches since I'll be tied up with my usual credentials duties. But I'll do my best to get delegate reactions after the fact.)
As for the nomination itself, appointee Janelle Rettig is the only announced or even rumored convention candidate. Republicans meet Saturday afternoon and are expected to nominate Lori Cardella.
So Much Election News 2
So Much Election News 2
Bleeding Heartland has a much better on-the-ground analysis of Des Moines area local elections than I did: "If Griess becomes a rising Republican star, just remember that it could have been avoided if some people had talked Vlassis into retiring."
Aside: Only six cities in the state have Iowa City style primaries; more of the larger cities have runoffs. If Iowa City had a runoff, we could occasionally save ourselves one election; this year Dickens and Mims would have won outright the first round. Of course, that's not the reform I'd make to Iowa City elections (remember, I want precinct-sized districts so students will get represented) but it's worth mentioning.
Up in Waverly, former state senator Bob Brunkhorst is now mayor.
And over at Iowa Republican, Craig Robinson has a minimal-spin analysis of the state of All Things Culver:
I'm also going to have to write my take on the demise of Mike Huckabee, but that'll probably be at the Register. Stay tuned.
Bleeding Heartland has a much better on-the-ground analysis of Des Moines area local elections than I did: "If Griess becomes a rising Republican star, just remember that it could have been avoided if some people had talked Vlassis into retiring."
Aside: Only six cities in the state have Iowa City style primaries; more of the larger cities have runoffs. If Iowa City had a runoff, we could occasionally save ourselves one election; this year Dickens and Mims would have won outright the first round. Of course, that's not the reform I'd make to Iowa City elections (remember, I want precinct-sized districts so students will get represented) but it's worth mentioning.
Up in Waverly, former state senator Bob Brunkhorst is now mayor.
And over at Iowa Republican, Craig Robinson has a minimal-spin analysis of the state of All Things Culver:
Since Roos joined the campaign on September 8th, former Governor Terry Branstad entered the gubernatorial race, Culver was forced to make massive cuts to all levels of state government, the Culver campaign spent $250,000 on two different TV ads in an effort to reassure Iowans that he is up to the task, and the Des Moines Register’s Iowa poll came out showing Culver is in serious trouble. Making matters worse, last weekend, the Iowa Progress Project ran a scathing ad that blames Culver’s mismanagement for cuts made in education.
It’s impossible to lay the blame for this predicament at the feet of Roos since he has not been on the job long, but when things get bad in politics, heads begin to roll. The bad news for Culver is that things are unlikely to get better soon enough to help him with his re-election effort.
This is why Democrats have gone out of their way to take the focus off of Culver. The most significant example of this is the recruitment of Roxanne Conlin...
I'm also going to have to write my take on the demise of Mike Huckabee, but that'll probably be at the Register. Stay tuned.
1 Aralık 2009 Salı
So much election news
So much election news
Many things on the Iowa scene in the last 24 hours...
Probably the big news is the departure of manager Andrew Roos from the Culver/Judge(?) campaign team after just three months. On the record all is cordial, but off the record who knows? The Register had the scoop and comment speculation ranges from rat deserting a sinling ship to the lousy dating pool for a single guy in Des Moines. No, really.
On the other side of the ballot another one bites the dust as Christian Fong bails on the governor race after the money dries up. It doesn't change the dynamic of the race much, except for saving Ed Failor some Iowans for Tax Relief Money to spend on someone else. Governor may have been a stretch for the first race but we'll see Fong again, perhaps when district lines shuffle in 2012. Who quits next: Rod Roberts or Jerry Behn? My bet is Roberts, who as a House member has to give up his seat. Behn is a mid-term senator.
Dave Hartsuch of Davenport didn't have to give up his Senate seat to challenge Bruce Braley, but he who lives by the primary challenge (knocking off Maggie Tinsman in 2006) may die by the primary challenge.
Speaking of Braley, that trip with Roxanne Conlin was an endorsement after all. It's mentioned as part of Bleeding Heartland's further wrapup of campaign events, which I'm trying to not overlap too much.
In local events, Cedar Rapids and Des Moines had their runoffs. If Iowa City had a runoff instead of a primary, we could have saved an election. But then, Des Moines elected a 23 year old which is more than Iowa City could manage.
Many things on the Iowa scene in the last 24 hours...
Afghanistan: Obama has told us before
Afghanistan: Obama has told us before
Short version:
Waaaay back in 2002, state senator Barack Obama told us that Iraq was the wrong war and Afghanistan was the war we needed to fight. But at caucus time, progressives pretended not to hear the Afghanistan part of Obama’s statements. It was, so to speak, drowned out by the applause, ignored in our disgust with Bush’s main war.
Long version: my Des Moines Register post.
Short version:
Waaaay back in 2002, state senator Barack Obama told us that Iraq was the wrong war and Afghanistan was the war we needed to fight. But at caucus time, progressives pretended not to hear the Afghanistan part of Obama’s statements. It was, so to speak, drowned out by the applause, ignored in our disgust with Bush’s main war.
Long version: my Des Moines Register post.
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