By: -Chuck
BlackWednesday Staff

Tip O'Neill said: "All politics is local" and that couldn't be more true in Louisville. By all accounts, the 2006 Congressional race for Ky's 2nd district is shaping up to be somewhere between the razor-thin loss to Ann Northup by Jack Conway, and the blow-out, landslide loss to Ann Northup by Tony Miller. Some of Queen Ann's commercials are nearly amusing, but they of course dance around her record of being beholden to big business, the White House, and all of the dirty laundry attached. The John Yarmuth camp is putting up a strong fight, but a "very liberal" candidate in this area is going to have a tough time winning. Even if it's not true, that's the impression that most people have. I sincerely hope I am wrong. 

Most people that are into Net-Culture are both confused, and worried by Google and their new toy YouTube. The YouTube service has been sort of a Wild-West of video sharing. Both copywritten and original content are posted there daily (in the millions) and it's becoming one of the most visited sites on the planet. I spend a bit of time there myself. The real popularity of sites like YouTube, and Google Video is the tremendous amount of what you can find. Unlike sites like Current.TV who are scared to death of being sued for having content from HBO or clips from The Daily Show, they police heavily, keeping the content largely original. This is both good and bad. The "No-Man's Land" feel of YouTube is exactly why it has become so popular. If Google changes this, then the site's popularity will obviously drop. Once people have gotten used to something, it's hard for them to accept it being taken away. And this misses the larger point that while, yes, copywrite infringement is happening...the copywrite holder does nothing but benefit. Just ask Keith Olbermann.

Oh, BTW....did you hear about this Mouse Orgy? ha!

North Korea has really taken over the news lately, and for good reason. Not only does it appear that they have had a moderately successful nuclear bomb test detonation, but they have brough both the Bush administration to it's knees in the world of foreign affairs, but they have also moved one step closer to dominating the region. In case you missed it, this officially means that the world is "less-safe" than it was before George Bush took office, and substantially less safe post 9/11. Didn't he promise....oh nevermind.

This is my favorite headline so far this week: Bush, Rove "almost inexplicably upbeat" in face of widespread GOP panic over midterm elections. If this isn't the definition of "disconnected" or "checked out"...I dunno what is. With any luck, in a few weeks, we'll all have to get used to saying: "Madam Speaker".

:::Continue Reading:::

---