Offering frequent news and analysis from the majestic Evergreen State and beyond, The Cascadia Advocate is the Northwest Progressive Institute's unconventional perspective on world, national, and local politics.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

In Brief - January 13th, 2008

If you were watching football yesterday, you know that unfortunately the Seahawks season has come to a snowy close with a loss at the hands of the Green Bay Packers. The game started quite nicely, with the Seahawks grabbing a quick 14-0 lead just a few minutes in, but any true fan could sense we were in trouble when almost as quickly we fell behind 21-14.

It seems the Hawks couldn't stop the running game, with the Packers galloping for over 230 rushing yards. Nor could our defense keep them out of the endzone: Green Bay set a franchise post-season scoring record with 42 points. It was so lopsided, Packers players were playfully throwing snowballs at each other on the sidelines with plenty of time left in the game.

Oh well. The Seahawks proved once again they can't win a playoff game on the road, but there's a touch of sunshine in Seattle this January morning. Lately, even for this time of year, that's a bit of an unusual sight. (Almost as unusual as seeing Shaun Alexander get more than 5 yards on a carry.)

With that sad news out of the way, on to today's quick news digest:

In the Pacific Northwest
  • With the legislative session beginning tomorrow, Democratic leaders like Lisa Brown are boldly proclaiming that 2008 is not a year for "launching new initiatives." Sigh... You know, a supermajority in both the House and Senate just isn't what it used to be.
  • Budget issues are threatening the U.S. Forest Service's avalanche warning system in the Northwest.
  • Oregon developers in Clark County and Happy Valley are feeling the pinch as the demand for new housing bottoms out.
Across the Nation
  • Barack Obama had picked up another endorsement: this one's from Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, following earlier endorsements this week from the likes of John Kerry, Tim Johnson, Ben Nelson, and Janet Napolitano.
  • Organized labor is showing some divisions in Nevada in the heat of primary season. After the Nevada Culinary Workers endorsed Obama this week, "The Nevada State Education Association, which has not endorsed a candidate, filed suit late Friday, saying [that casino caucuses for the culinary workers' benefit approved publicly months ago by the state Democratic Party] provided an unfair advantage to the Culinary Workers." Other unions in Nevada aren't too happy with the casino caucuses, including the AFSCME, which has endorsed Hillary Clinton.
  • Congress and Bush are considering a $100 billion stimulus package, but some economists are concerned that such a package might be too late to stave off a projected serious economic downturn this year.
Around the World
  • After months of pressure, the Bush administration has accomplished one mission: Saddam Hussein's Baath party members now have the chance to again apply for Iraqi government jobs.
  • Yet more (possibly) rigged elections spark protests: this time in Georgia, where thousands gathered to protest against "Pro-Western" leader Mikhail Saakashvili.
  • In 2007, the Toyota Prius outsold the Ford Explorer in the U.S. Gas-guzzling SUVs aren't quite as sexy as they used to be.
If you have something to add, please leave a comment.

Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home