Happy New Year 2008!

The New Year means different things to different people, as I wrote last year:

Depending on your point of view, this is either an insignificant happenstance which doesn't deserve the excitement, an opportunity to turn over a new leaf, or perhaps a reason for a big celebration.

Regardless of what meaning the date has for you, 2008 has arrived. Happy New Year from all of us at the Northwest Progressive Institute.

Now, here's a few blogworthy items for your reading pleasure:

We're pleased to report that Darcy Burner's campaign easily crossed over the $600,000 cash on hand mark last night thanks to your help. Darcy has raised over $800,000 this cycle already and her final fourth quarter numbers (which will be released in a few days) will be impressive as usual.

Of course, Darcy has always been stellar at raising money, mostly because she's willing to put in the work it takes to run an aggressive campaign. But Darcy enjoys new advantages this time around, including greatly increased name recognition and campaign experience. She is actually a greater threat to Dave Reichert this year than she was in 2006.

For an incumbent in danger of being knocked out, Reichert's fundraising pace has been rather lazy. He's received the usual donations from D.C. interest groups and political action committees. Meanwhile, Darcy has blazed past him, tapping an ever increasing base of small donors.

Reichert brought Dubya in over the summer and still had a lackluster third quarter - complete with sloppy communication of the numbers to the press.

2008 presents Democrats with our best-ever opportunity to win the 8th District. Voters will have a clear choice between an ineffective conservative incumbent and a energetic progressive populist.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has instituted a new regulation to reduce the risk of lithium battery fires on airplanes. Here's what you need to know:

[Effective January 1st] Loose extended-life, spare rechargeable lithium batteries will no longer be allowed in checked luggage. Passengers will be allowed to bring only two such batteries in carry-ons and they must be carried in either the original retail packaging or in a plastic zip-lock bag.

Lithium batteries are typically found in electronic devices such as laptops and video cameras. Batteries stored in electronic devices - including cameras, cell phones, and laptops - are still allowed in both checked and carry-on luggage.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Joel Connelly is writing daily from Iowa this week about the presidential race, providing a much needed local perspective for those of us not in the Midwest. Check out his two solid columns so far: Edwards sharpens populist pitch and Dissent within GOP bubbles to the surface.

If you're wondering what happened to last night's Space Needle fireworks show, which abruptly stopped twice, a computer glitch was the culprit.

A number of new laws go into effect today in Washington State including online voter registration, a prohibition on text messaging while driving, and a first in the nation ban on the sale of most products that contain toxic PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers). The Associated Press has more.

In another sign that the kids are all right, Pew Research reports that young adults are the heaviest users of public library systems in the United States, despite their familiarly and comfort with using the Internet to get information. Commenting on the study, Pew's research director said:

The age of books isn't yet over.

It was truly surprising in this survey to find the youngest adults are the heaviest library users. The notion has taken hold in our culture that these wired-up, heavily gadgeted young folks are swimming in a sea of information and don't need to go to places where information is.

It's heartening to know that younger generations still find libraries to be a valuable resource. This article has more information about the methodology Pew used to conduct the telephone survey of 2,796 adults, including 1,702 Internet users.