2008 General Election Returns: Includes updated data on Presidential, Senate, House, Governors and Initiatives

What is NaNoWriMo? “Celebrating Ten Years of Literary Abandon”
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/whatisnano

Harvard Opts Out of Google Book Scanning for In-Copyright Works
Follow up to October 28, 2008 posting, Authors, Publishers, and Google Reach Landmark Settlement, from the Harvard Crimson: “Harvard University Library will not take part in Google’s book scanning project for in-copyright works after finding the terms of its landmark $125 million settlement regarding copyrighted materials unsatisfactory, University officials said yesterday."

Congressional Research Service: Perchlorate Contamination of Drinking Water: Regulatory Issues and Legislative Actions
Follow up to previous postings on perchlorate and drinking water contamination, this recent CRS report: Perchlorate Contamination of Drinking Water: Regulatory Issues and Legislative Actions, October 16, 2008
Perchlorate is the explosive component of solid rocket fuel, fireworks, road flares, and other products. Used heavily by the Department of Defense (DOD) and related industries, perchlorate also occurs naturally and is present in some organic fertilizer. This soluble, persistent compound has been detected in drinking water supplies, especially in California. It also has been found in milk and many foods. Because of this widespread occurrence, concern over the potential health risks of perchlorate exposure has increased, and some states, water utilities, and Members of Congress have urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set a federal drinking water standard for this chemical. On October 3, 2008, EPA made a preliminary determination not to regulate perchlorate; a final decision is expected in late 2008. This report reviews perchlorate contamination issues and related actions.

Court Orders Government to Submit Warrantless Surveillance Legal Opinions for Judicial Review
In EPIC v. DOJ, EPIC, the ACLU, and the National Security Archive are seeking government documents regarding the President's warrantless wiretapping program. A federal court has ordered the Department of Justice to provide for inspection copies of legal memos authored by government lawyers. The opinions, prepared by the Office of Legal Counsel, provided the legal basis for the President to wiretap US citizens in the United States without court approval. EPIC began the Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in December 2005, after the New York Times first reported the details of the wiretap program. For more information, see EPIC's EPIC v. DOJ page. (Oct. 31).
Related postings on domestic surveillance program

Quote Examine what is said, not the person who speaks. Arab proverb (paraphrase)

November 6, 1717—J.S. Bach was temporarily imprisoned by his employer, Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Weimar, who was upset that Bach had taken another post (with Prince Leopold of Coethen) without first securing the Duke's permission to do so.
Composer’s Datebook

On November 6, 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected to his first term as president of the United States. Lincoln's only experience in national politics had been a single term as a congressional representative and two unsuccessful runs for senator. He had only one year of formal schooling and no administrative experience. Newspapers called him a "third-rate Western lawyer." The Writer’s Almanac

TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART LIBRARY'S ANNUAL BOOK SALE
Stock your shelves with reasonably priced new and used art books, posters, art and travel magazines, cook books, exhibition catalogues, and colorful book covers you’ll find at the Art Reference Library’s annual book sale. Sale hours are Friday, November 7 from 1 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, November 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Library League members enjoy a preview on Friday from noon to 1 p.m.--join for as little as $10. The Library is located in The University of Toledo Center for the Visual Arts, 620 Grove Place, adjacent to the Museum’s east wing.