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Venus flytraps caught in shrinking natural habitat
Southern Ledger - October 6, 2008
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Hungary 4 dead, 26 injured in train collision
Southern Ledger - October 6, 2008
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Iraqi lawmaker urges resolution of minority issue
Southern Ledger - October 6, 2008
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Curfew in Indian Kashmir to prevent protest rally
Southern Ledger - October 6, 2008
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Kashmir police threaten to shoot curfew violators
Southern Ledger - October 6, 2008
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Supreme Court to open new term with heavy workload
Southern Ledger - October 6, 2008
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Congress hears Lehman sought millions for execs
Southern Ledger - October 6, 2008
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Designers play it safe as economy sours
Southern Ledger - October 6, 2008
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Jimmy Kimmel returns as American Music Awards host
Southern Ledger - October 6, 2008
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OVER?!?! IT HAS ONLY JUST STARTED!
January 10, 2008 -
January 7, 2008
“Over'? Did you say 'over'? Nothing is over until we decide it is!” – Bluto Blutarsky, “Animal House”
With the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primary now in the rear-view mirror most of the political experts in the mainstream media have given the impression that the Republican and Democratic Primary races are in their final moments. Really? A quick glance at the meager number of delegates to the respective party conventions that have been awarded, and the huge number that remain outstanding, make it clear that the nominations may still be up for grabs for a while.
Take the Republican side of things, for example. Some states have lost a few of their delegate allocation as part of a punishment instituted by the Republican National Committee against those who chose to move their primary dates earlier than allowed. As a result, there are about 2,380 official delegates who will be certified for the Republican Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota later this year. When Republicans gather in early September the magic number for a candidate looking to secure the nomination is 1,191 delegates.
So how close are we to having one of the Republicans close the deal? With the Iowa Caucuses, Wyoming Caucuses and New Hampshire Primary completed here is how the delegate count looks at this point: Mitt Romney, 30; Mike Huckabee, 21; John McCain, 10; Fred Thompson, 6; Ron Paul, 2; Rudy Giuliani, 1; and Duncan Hunter, 1. The leader sits only 1,160 away from victory!
And things won’t change much in the next few weeks. Republican voters in Michigan will distribute their 30 delegates on January 15 among several candidates. Four days later South Carolina and Nevada will add 24 and 34 more delegates to the mix, respectively. Then, on January 29, there will be 57 delegates in Florida up for grabs in a winner take all contest. Regardless of what happens in these battleground states, the leader on the Republican delegate board at the end of January will likely still be about 1,100 votes short of capturing the nomination.
For Democrats, the picture is remarkably similar. The winner of the Democratic Party nomination will need to assemble 2,025 delegates. Thus far, Hillary Clinton leads the pack with 183 delegates with Barack Obama (78) and John Edwards (52) on her heels. Nevada will throw 33 delegates into the game on January 19; and 54 more will be available in South Carolina on January 26. Assuming that Clinton and Obama split most of those delegates, Clinton will still have a sizeable delegate lead at the end of January but still be far away from securing the nomination.
On February 5 the “Super Tuesday Primary” will provide an opportunity for voters in California, Tennessee, Georgia, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado and Arizona, among others, to participate. At that point the leader board for both parties will likely begin to show the sort of separation that will bring clarity to the nomination process. Until that time, however, the game is far from over.
The media seems so anxious to force candidates from the field that they can’t figure out how to keep score of what is actually happening. Even Bluto knew better than that!
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FRED SKATES AHEAD ON THIN ICE -
January 6, 2008 -
January 13, 2008
Although Fred Thompson emerged from Iowa with a third place finish he is not getting the sort of media bump that a third place spot usually generates. The reason is two-fold.
First, major media attention has rightfully been focused on the huge Barack Obama win, and Hillary Clinton third place finish, in Iowa.
Hillary Clinton has long relied upon a sense of inevitability as a strong foundation for support. Now that she is no longer able to portray herself as "unbeatable" she must f... |
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THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, LEGALLY SPEAKING. -
December 23, 2007 -
December 29, 2007
Whereas, on or about the night prior to Christmas, there did occur at a certain improved piece of real property (hereinafter "the House") a general lack of stirring by all creatures therein, including, but not limited to, a mouse.
A variety of foot apparel, e.g., stocking, socks, etc., had been affixed by and around the chimney in said House in the hope and/or belief that St. Nick a.k.a. St. Nicholas a.k.a. Santa Claus (hereinafter "Claus")would arrive at sometime thereafter.
T... |
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HUGE TAX INCREASE LOOMS FOR TENNESSEE TAXPAYERS. -
December 16, 2007 -
December 23, 2007
Some people say “there’s not a dimes worth of difference between Republicans and Democrats.” They are right, because for Tennessee taxpayers the difference is actually over $1.5 BILLION DOLLARS!
In 2004, thanks to the efforts of Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, taxpayers in Tennessee were put on equal footing with taxpayers in states that rely on a state income tax to fund their state’s operations. But the deductibility of state and local... |
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THE O-ZONE BLANKETS THE NATION. -
December 8, 2007 -
December 15, 2007
Seeking to build upon his growing momentum in Iowa and beyond, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama played his trump card with perfect timing: Oprah Winfrey. A series of “Oprahpalooza” campaign events over the weekend drew huge crowds in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Obama now hopes to translate the buzz and enthusiasm over Oprah into votes for him in those critical early caucus and primary states.
The public response to the appearance of the daytime diva on the cam... |
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IS AL GORE WAITING IN THE WINGS? -
December 2, 2007 -
December 9, 2007
With roughly a month to go before the Iowa Caucuses the once seemingly unsinkable Hillary Clinton campaign for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination is showing signs of taking on water. A new Iowa poll puts Barack Obama in the lead in that state for the first time. In the coming weeks he is planning to campaign in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina with star supporter Oprah Winfrey – perhaps the only celebrity who can go toe-to-toe with Bill Clinton when it comes to political clout... |
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