I think most of us, at one time or another, have looked at a ballot and wanted to be able to check a box that rejected all of the choices we were given. There is no such choice on the general election ballot.

However, on the Presidential primary ballot you can select “none of the above”. There will usually be a choice for ‘uncommitted”, delegates that aren’t aligned with any candidate.

Consider the possibilities if you are still a member of a party, or are allowed by the laws in your state to vote in the Presidential primary election. If several states started sending uncommitted delegates to the convention, the Village would really get upset. The media can’t create controversies or pass along lies about “no one”. They can’t decide who gets talked about, because there is “no one” to talk about. The money people can’t run ads against “no one”.

Imagine the shock of the media conglomerates if it looked like they might have to actually cover a political convention to find out who won.

People who couldn’t afford to mount a primary campaign might actually have a reasonable chance at getting chosen, because it would be retail campaigning again.

There is another honored tradition of Presidential primaries that results in pretty much the same thing – nominating a favorite son/daughter. Usually there is a limit on the number of times a delegation votes for their candidate before being released to change their vote.

Long-time voters have watched the system morph into an insane waste of time and money to eliminate the selection process of a political convention. Maybe it’s time to step back to older traditions to indicate to the people currently in charge of the system that voters don’t like what they have done. Political conventions were once about selecting candidates, not providing media conglomerates with free content.

Position: 27.5N 78.0W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: Southeast [145°] near 2 mph [ 4 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 40 mph [ 65 kph].
Wind Gusts: 50 mph [ 85 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 35 miles [ 55 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1009 mb.

Currently about 95 miles [150 km] Northwest of Great Abaco Island.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Grand Bahama Island and the Abaco Islands in the northwestern Bahamas.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Women’s World Cup Final

Japan 1-1 US

Full Time

Japan 2-2 US

Extra Time

Japan 3-1 US

Penalty Shots

Japan wins on a 3-1 advantage in the Penalty Shoot-Out.

It was a 1-1 draw after regulation, then the US pulled ahead with a Wambach goal in the first extra time. Sawa responded with a goal for Japan in the second extra time, and extra time ended with a 2-2 draw.

This is well matched play with the exception of shots, which the US dominated 27-14, but the Japanese shots were more accurate 6-5.

The CBC reports that Rebekah Brooks arrested in phone-hacking scandal

Rebekah Brooks, Rupert Murdoch’s former British CEO, says she is “assisting the police with their inquiries” after being arrested in the British phone hacking and police bribery scandal.

Brooks, 43, was arrested at a London police station at noon Sunday by appointment. She is being questioned on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications — phone hacking — and on suspicion of corruption, which relates to bribing police for information.

Police had previously arrested nine people connected to Murdoch’s British media empire over allegations that the News of the World hacked into the phone voice mails of hundreds of celebrities, politicians, rival journalists and even murder victims. No one has yet been charged.

Actually, Rebekah assumed she would be “assisting the police with their inquiries” [that phrase is actually a bit of humor that Terry Pratchett has used multiple times because only newspapers say it] when she went to the police station for an interview, but the police had already amassed enough information to arrest her.

[Read more →]

Limoux – Montpellier

Distance: 192.5 kilometers.

This is the sprinters last chance for glory in the Tour, with only a Category 4 in the morning and a relatively flat race in the afternoon. As Monday is a rest day. expect them to go all out to win the stage and the Green.

Well, it isn’t exactly a surprise that Mark Cavendish of the Isle of Man was first to the line with his fourth stage win this year and 19^th stage overall. He has moved into a tie for seventh place in lifetime stage wins. He has a 37 point lead over Jose Joaquin Rojas for the Green.

Thomas Voeckler ( Fra – EUC – 181 ) [Yellow] 65h 24′ 34″
Mark Cavendish ( GBr – THR – 171 ) [Green] 319 points
Jelle Vanendert ( Bel – OLO – 038 ) [Polka Dot] 74 points
Rigoberto Uran ( Col – SKY – 118 ) 11 [White]

Team: Leopard-Trek ( 011-019 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Mark Cavendish ( GBr – THR – 171 )
Combative: Niki Terpstra ( Ned – QST – 129 ) [Red numbers]

They’ve gone 2,641.0 kilometers [1,641.0 miles] at an average speed of 40.4 kph [25.1 mph] ↑.

OVERALL STANDINGS:
[Read more →]