Florida Election Fun

Up to 58,000 absentee ballots are missing (before delivery to the voters) in Broward County, Florida (Fort Lauderdale area).

The Broward County Supervisor of Elections office is saying that the situation is "unusual," and they are looking into it ... As far as the voters go that haven't received their ballots, the elections office is now suggesting that they take the opportunity to vote early. Since many who request absentee ballots cannot physically vote in their county, there are likely to be some angry voters.

Some, like 68-year-old Myrna Davis, depended on her absentee ballot to vote. After they fruitlessly waited weeks for an absentee ballot, they decided to show up at an early voting site. But after a three-hour wait in line, they gave up.

Not a poke at either party (whatever some folks might think) - but problems like this were pointed out in the last election and nothing was done to keep them from happening in this one. Sheesh.

Neat forest comments and pictures

Maybe we should move to Finland? Check out this LiveJournal entry in Kaarne's LJ. Thanks to The Sideshow for the heads up.

More Guild Wars

Apparently the open event this weekend will start Friday afternoon - I've heard 5pm in each time zone, though I'm not sure how they're determining where you are logging in from :)

The Little People ...

or Homo floresiensis. Skeletal remains of several individuals were found on an island in Indonesia; they're not Homo sapiens, they did have stone tools and used fire, and they overlap by tens of thousands of years with Homo sapiens in the area (Many of Indonesia's islands were connected to Asia - and to each other - during the ice ages due to lowered ocean levels). Fully adult, Homo floresiensis was barely three-feet-tall and had a skull the size of a grapefruit. At least one of the researchers has taken to calling them "Hobbits." The individuals found range over a 5000 year period (or more; the most intact skeleton is 18,000 years old, and more recent individuals - up to 13,000 years old - have been found).

Local folk tales suggest the species may have survived into the 1500's; the researchers are not ruling out the possibility.

Read about them here (NPR), here (NZ Herald), here (News.au.com), or here (Wired).

(no subject)

And it's completely overcast here, so no lunar eclipse viewing for us :(

EDIT: It did clear off towards the end; I was able to see the last 25% or so of the shadow leaving the moon. Missed totality completely.