Daily Kos

Rep. DeGette (CO-01) to support Obama?

Sat May 10, 2008 at 08:16:42 PM PDT

SquareState.net is reporting that Rep. Diana DeGette says she'll follow the will of her district's voters:

During her CD1 nomination acceptance speech Congresswoman Degette who has been a part of the Clinton campaign, announced that as a superdelegate she will vote with the majority of voters.  She didn't technically say the majority of CD1 voters so while this technically doesn't mean she's shifting her support from Clinton to Obama, that is essentially what it means.

Colorado's first congressional district handed way over 60% of its caucus votes to Barack Obama.

Another indication that nobody really considers the Clinton campaign viable at this point ...

Alternative Transportation: Weenie Roast on Wheels

Sun Jan 20, 2008 at 08:11:56 PM PDT

So, I was working in the garden last summer one day, when something novel zipped by on the bike path -- a hybrid of sorts.  Part picnic table, part bicycle, and part hibachi, it really looked like a way to get around town in style.  I never saw it again, until this morning, when my brother pointed out that it was on YouTube.

There are plenty of energy and transportation issues that deserve our serious attention ... and this may not be a serious commuting machine.  On the other hand, these guys are having a lot of fun, and that's not a bad thing at all.  

The best part?  No ants at the picnic.  Enjoy!

Vegetables of Mass Destruction: CSA right here in the Suburbs

Sun Oct 21, 2007 at 07:33:28 AM PDT

True confessions:  until moments ago, I was planning to further the theme of bawdy VMD titles by calling this one "Taking a Leek in the Suburbs."  (And maybe I've just furthered the theme anyway!)

But, it just didn't sound right at 7 a.m.,  so, I opted for something more direct, which is fine, too, because there is something really positive happening in the local food scene in Boulder, CO:

You've heard of Community Supported Agriculture ... well, recently I met a grower who's taken it a step further.

Local production, sometimes meaning the next yard over

Knowing the farmer, who is a neighbor you see and greet from the sidewalk

A variety of fresh vegetables each week of the growing season, and you get to see them growing every day

Opportunities to volunteer on a farm by walking a few steps out the door with your cup of morning coffee in hand

Make the leap for more photos and details!

Bright idea ... thanks, Nevada!

Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 08:38:14 PM PDT

(Holler if this has already been diaried.  I looked and didn't find any diaries about Nevada's new law.)

First Australia did it.  Ontario was next, followed by the rest of Canada.


Word is that the EU is working on a policy.  South Africa would like to do it, now that they may be able to be self-sufficient in supplies.  Cuba is making the transition, and it sounds like Venezuela is, too.


We're witnessing the end of the incandescent bulb as the dominant lighting technology.  But what's happening here in the USA?


*chirp*


*chirp*


Not really ... I'm delighted to be kidding about the crickets chirping! 

The auto industry is astroturfing the blogosphere

Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 04:55:17 AM PDT

(This diary's slightly modified and shamelessly borrowed from SquareState.net)


The other day DriveCongress dropped by SquareState.net, created a login, and left a couple of comments in favor of watering down the fuel efficiency (CAFE) standards legislation that Sen. Salazar had just announced he'd support.  DriveCongress.com, as you may be aware, is an auto industry astroturf operation working to defeat increases in fuel efficiency standards.


Anyhow, DriveCongress made two comments and that was it.


A little later, I did some Googling ...

Updated: Send Jay Fawcett to DC! Fundraising w/matching

Tue Oct 10, 2006 at 07:38:39 AM PDT

Update [2006-10-10 11:37:24 by by foot]: The Fawcett campaign has a press release out on the Denver Post poll, inline below or here

Update [2006-10-10 18:17:00 by by foot]: We have passed six eight 13 16 hundred bucks raised today! (10/11/2006 -- final tally over $1600)

Alright, you've seen the news on the Denver Post poll.  Jay Fawcett is even in the polls with his opponent in the conservative 5th District of Colorado.  He can be the next representative from CO-05 -- and will be, if he has the resources he needs to do the outreach and advertising he needs.

The double bonus is that in winning this seat, he'll also force the Rs to spend a big war chest on a weak candidate, and that's money that can't be used elsewhere.  

The triple bonus is that Jay Fawcett winning in CO-05 will be a strong signal to the James Dobsons of the world -- it's the home district for Focus on the Family.

The premise of this diary is simple.  Jay Fawcett needs resources to win.  If you'll help, I'll help.

Break-in at campaign of John Salazar (D, CO-03)

Sun Oct 08, 2006 at 07:24:36 AM PDT

AP is reporting that the Pueblo, CO office of Rep. John Salazar's campaign was broken into early Saturday morning.  Windows were broken, and computer monitors were thrown around.

In addition, a computer had been opened and all of the office's campaign letterhead was stolen. Money in plain view next to the opened computer was not taken.

Are we dealing with a cornered animal here?

Chevy ad contest ... vid captures available.

Thu Mar 30, 2006 at 05:39:07 PM PDT

Okay ... just finished a few video captures from the Chevy ad contest, and am starting to put 'em up for download.

I need people to mirror these files. Doesn't seem to be a huge load on the server at this point.

More below the flip.

Cities: getting serious about climate change

Mon Jan 23, 2006 at 04:47:07 AM PDT

What's your city doing about global warming?  Some cities are doing a hell of a lot ... but if yours isn't, there are some great reasons to get started.

Given the complete lack of action on climate change from the Bush administration, it's no surprise that local governments are picking up the ball and running with it.  Fort Collins, in my home state of Colorado, is one of them.  The benefits, in addition to reducing the impact of climate change, include lower energy bills, local economic development and cleaner and more livable cities.

A recent .pdf report from Colorado's Sierra Club chapter compares several cities and provides lots of food for thought.  I hope it'll be a catalyst here ... but the profiled cities (Austin, Chicago, Portland, and Fort Collins) provide valuable lessons for local governments everywhere.

Update on the Windows security flaw

Tue Jan 03, 2006 at 07:48:45 AM PDT

The widely-reported flaw in how .WMF files are handled by Windows operating systems (and third-party software) may be less serious for some Windows users than originally thought.

E-week's Larry Seltzer is reporting that it is WinXP and Server 2003 machines that are the most vulnerable.  It is still possible for earlier versions of Windows to be affected, but less likely.  Seltzer suggests that the available unofficial patch be considered for WinXP and Server 2003 machines only.

Meta-email: Tester for Senate fundraising ... solid, catchy, to-the-point

Tue Sep 27, 2005 at 02:37:20 AM PDT

I just received an end-of-quarter fundraising email from the Tester for Senate campaign.  His candidacy, and campaign, are particularly interesting to me, so despite being in Colorado rather than Montana, I'm on the email list.

Today's email is on target and well done overall.  It starts:

One of the first things President Bush did when he finally started dealing with the tragedy in New Orleans was slash the pay of workers who will be rebuilding the Gulf Coast.

Woooohoooo ... nice dig!

More below:

Launching "Operation Thank-you Paul Hackett"

Tue Aug 02, 2005 at 08:36:08 PM PDT

I am tremendously impressed by what the Hackett campaign has accomplished in OH-02, and I'm very glad we were fortunate to have such a strong candidate in Paul Hackett.  It may be a small thing, but I'm heading out tonight to pick up a postcard or thank-you card, and I'll be mailing it to him before I hit the hay.

I invite every dkos reader to join in.

A few more details below.

Poll

Will you send a thank-you?

84%28 votes
15%5 votes

| 33 votes | Vote | Results

Lovins: Nuclear power eclipsed by renewables & cogeneration

Sat Jun 25, 2005 at 11:35:55 PM PDT

Rocky Mountain Institute's Amory Lovins, never one to shy away from a discussion of the relative merits of various energy strategies, states in an article in the latest RMI Newsletter that renewables and small cogeneration facilities already have more worldwide generation capacity than nuclear, while installation rates for new renewable/cogen capacity will quickly leave nuclear behind.  He starts by saying:

In a market economy, private investors are the ultimate arbiter of what energy technologies can compete and yield reliable profits, so to understand nuclear power's prospects, just follow the money. Private investors have flatly rejected nuclear power but enthusiastically bought its main supply-side competitors --- decentralized cogeneration and renewables. Worldwide, by the end of 2004, these supposedly inadequate alternatives had more installed capacity than nuclear, produced 92% as much electricity, and were growing 5.9 times faster and accelerating, while nuclear was fading.

-- more below --

WHO: World one step closer to pandemic flu

Sun May 22, 2005 at 11:40:49 AM PDT

I noticed some news reports in the past few days highlighting the report released by attendees to a World Health Organization meeting on pandemic flu, which took place in Manila a week or two back.  DemFromCT's diary of May 7th mentioned this meeting as upcoming.

The lowdown on the report?  Scientists are reiterating that there are signs that H5N1 flu (a.k.a. avian or bird flu) is evolving and becoming more likely to cause a pandemic.  Also of interest is that there is evidence that some H5N1 may be partially resistant to Tamiflu, one of our only effective non-vaccine methods for slowing a pandemic.  Vaccines, of course, take many months to develop, and would only come into play after a fast-moving flu pandemic had gotten quite a good start.

(note -- I didn't find any other diary on this report, but please let me know if you've seen one, and I'll delete.)

More below.

My Rep. didn't sign the Conyers letter. Did yours?

Sat May 07, 2005 at 06:53:05 AM PDT

Perhaps it can be chalked up to a quick timeline for circulating the letter (.pdf, 700+ kb), but I'm very disappointed that Mark Udall (CO-2) didn't sign onto the Conyers letter with 88 of his colleages.  

Multi-area meetup organizing post

Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 07:50:52 PM PDT

Looks like there've been some fine dkos meetups in NYC and LA, among others.  It strikes me that meeting other kossacks, for me in my area or you in yours, would be both fun and a great way to connect with other activists.

I thought of posting a Colorado Front Range meetup diary, but ...

Inaugural inspiration ... bye-bye banks

Thu Jan 20, 2005 at 09:26:03 PM PDT

I didn't quite manage to NODD on inauguration day, and since I work for a progressive nonprofit, I went to work rather than taking the day off to protest the inauguration.  But, I did see a bit of a local protest going by on the 16th St. Mall in Denver, and its brief stop outside a Wells Fargo bank branch, where "1-2-3-4, we don't want your fucking war" was shouted loudly again and again by a few hundred people.

It brought up the thought that, well, we don't want their bank, either.  Wells Fargo has a particularly bad, anti-union reputation here in Colorado, for its financing of strike-breaking Oregon Steel down in Pueblo.  But banks generally, by pursuing profit ahead of serving people, can be horrific engines for violence and antidemocratic repression, especially in the underdeveloped world.

Thinking about this has in turn inspired me to compile a bit of information on our strongest alternatives to banks:  member-owned credit unions.  And of course, my motive is to encourage people to dump banks and join credit unions.

Local govt. resolutions to condemn torture sanctioned by Bush administration?

Mon Dec 27, 2004 at 12:01:59 AM PDT

Proposal:  Organize local governments to pass resolutions opposing Bush Administration-sanctioned torture and abuse, and strongly endorsing the Geneva Conventions.

Good idea?  Waste of time?  Brainstorms and suggestions?

It struck me while reading Descrates' diary, "How the Bushies Double Crossed the Abu Ghraib Prison Guards," that there might be some value in working with local governments on this issue.  A well-worded resolution is something a lot of local governments might pass.  Opposing torture is a no-brainer -- perhaps it can be framed to make it an easy step to take for a lot of city councils and other local governments.


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