Midday Open Thread

• Recognizing how badly the Republican brand sucks, Arizona Republicans are increasingly making green the new red by abandoning the GOP ticket to run as Green Party candidates. From The Arizona Republic:

  Democrats smell a rat. They say the Greens, newly empowered as a recognized party with ballot status in Arizona, are being used as a stalking horse for Republicans. The theory: Green candidates could siphon enough votes from Democrats to help Republicans win.

  The state's Green Party has a similar take, which is why it opposes two candidates running as Greens: Margarite Dale in District 10 and Jack Kretzer in Yuma's District 24. Neither adheres to some of the party's key principles, said Angel Torres, co-chairman of the Arizona Green Party.

  Green candidate, Margarite Dale, has refused to even meet with Green Party leaders:

  "She had no desire to meet with the party, which is why we actively opposed her campaign," he said. "In our opinion, she's an opportunist who is using our ballot line.

• Kenya has a unique solution to prevent elephants from raiding food supplies. Elephants are fitted with collars that notify local residents via text message when they are near supplies. Game wardens can even track the elephants online:

  The elephants can be tracked through Google Earth software, helping to map and conserve the corridors they use to move from one protected area to another. The tracking also helps prevent poaching, as rangers know where to deploy resources to guard valuable animals.

• The Clintons are campaigning for Obama in Pennsylvania today.
• American space tourist and computer game millionaire Richard Garriott blasted off from Russia for ten days worth of experiments on the space station. His father, Owen Garriott is a former U.S. Astronaut, making him the first person to see their child follow them into space.
• Nate Silver at www.FiveThirtyEight.com notes that Norm Coleman won't be appearing at McCain rallies in Minnesota.

  [Norm] Coleman told reporters that he would not be appearing at a planned rally with McCain this afternoon. Could it be McCain's sliding polling numbers in Minnesota? His attacks on Obama? Coleman said he needs the time to work on suspending his own negative ads.

  Coleman isn't the only one.  The Miami Herald reports that one time VP hopeful, Governor Charlie Crist, appears to be creating distance as well:

  Even Gov. Charlie Crist, who helped deliver Florida for McCain during the primary, said he will spend the final weeks before Election Day minding the state's weak economy rather than campaigning for the Arizona senator.

  ''When I have time to help, I'll try to do that,'' Crist said last week, after he flew around the state with McCain running mate Sarah Palin. Saturday, he skipped a McCain football rally and instead went to Disney World.

• On the fence no longer, 106 year old Catholic nun, Sister Cecilia Gaudette says she has made up her mind to cast a vote for Barack Obama.