Daily Briefing - 12/18/06

People are feeling the heat from Geneva to Boston. Ski resorts in the Alps are faced with ever milder winters, while the citizens of Boston are just confused that no one has gotten frost bite yet. The folks at CATO are taking the time this holiday season to poke fun at Al Gore, and argue in their libertarian ways against global warming related regulations. Thankfully, the Governor of Minnesota, as well as the citizens of Menlo Park do not share these sentiments.

In case you missed him, Newt is back and in full force. He was all over the news this weekend, hashing out his ideas and policies on Meet the Press and in front of crowds in NH. Too bad he still can't draw a crowd as big or even force a fellow candidate to drop out by sheer media magnitude, ala Obama. The one who dropped out? That would be former Governor and current Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN). As one drops out, another joins (Edwards), and another may rethink dropping out and rejoining (Warner).

The Seattle Times has a fascinating look at a suburban Seattle family who are taking on life without a car and trying in many other ways to live sustainably. Majora Carter of the South Bronx would applaud these efforts as she tries to clean up her neighborhood. Hopefully China will find many Major Carter's and carless families because their economic boom may be stifling the rest of us in ways not economic.

For the many of you who plan on buying me a gift, The Caucus has a top ten list of gifts for political geeks. I am far and away a geek, politically and in many other genres. In other blogosphere news, MYDD wrestles with Obamamania, Volokh Conspiracy questions the EU's committement ot reducing carbon, and Grist concludes its biofuel series.

Did you know that humans have an ability to track like dogs? It's true. Our olfactory abilities are more developed than previously thought. Maybe this will help the fans of String Cheese Incident find some of America's biggest cash crop. Alright, that's enough... I'm going to go sniff out some lunch. On to the briefing.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 12/18/06
686 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Posing threats to ski resorts in the Alps
- Boston feels the warmth
- Automakers want judge to throw out California global warming suit
- Menlo Park leads the way for a green future
- Minneapolis Star-Tribune editorial: A bold, balanced initiative on energy
- Scotsman: Time to get tough on carbon emissions
- CATO: The Gore who stole Christmas
- Boston Globe: Have yourself a carbon neutral Christmas
- Paying to ease guilt
- How can you help?
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Quirks of fate can decide majority
- Dick Cheney’s waning influence
- So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, Rumsfeld
Potential ‘08ers…
- Gingrich (’08 bid depends on rivals), Bayh (bows out), Gingrich again (on a mission), Obama (forcing a shuffle), Clinton (speaking out against a troop increase), Warner (might be jumping back in), Romney (Newsweek feature), Edwards (setting to launch bid), Obama again (why he may not run), Giuliani (wooing conservatives in California), Hunter (shooting pheasants in Iowa), Brownback (hires Domino’s founder), Huckabee (add another book to the list), McCain (goes to Israel), Richardson (McCain is wrong)
- It’s a diverse bunch
Other News from the Media
- NPR: Venture capital firm puts faith in clean technology
- Wood boilers cut heating bills, clog lungs
- Los Angeles becoming a transit leader… yes, that Los Angeles
- The price we pay for China’s boom
- Yucca nuclear storage project may be doomed
- Mild storm season provided no urgency for flood insurance fixes
o Coastal living likely to carry a heavier premium
- Hurrican Katrina left Iowa awash in subsidies
- Seeing Green: On a suburban family living without a car
- Philadelphia Inquirer editorial: Farm Aid
- Majora Carter: Bringing cleaner air and a bit of nature to a place where ti is sorely needed
- Mixed prairie grasses better source of biofuels
…and the Blogosphere
- The Fix looks at the fallout over Bayh dropping out
- The Caucus’ Top Ten Gifts for Political Geeks
- MYDD: Chris Bowers on how to evaluate the impending Democratic Congress and Jerome Armstrong on Obama’s appealing ability to look forward instead of being mired with the rest of his colleagues in “the issues of the 60’s”
- A green Christmas from Huffington Post
- From grist:
o Biodiesel, the fat of the land
o Conclusions from the biofuels series
- Volokh Conspiracy: EU vs. USA on CO2
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Humans can track like dogs. Does this make the statement “men are dogs” a compliment?
- Ex-pats angry over being taxed
- Giving hope to Phish fans and Dead Heads throughout the country
- Nano-foods
- Creating an eco-warrior
Quotes O’ the Day
"Barack Obama was in New Hampshire Sunday. When informed of this, President Bush excitedly asked, 'Did we catch him?'" ~Saturday Night Live