It's hard to say what this will do for property values, but this past year Ann Arbor has had an infestation of fairies. Actually no one reports actually having seen a fairy, but solid evidence of their existence is popping up all over town. I have seen this with my own eyes.

The best I can do for those of you who do not live near Ann Arbor is give you the link for the urban fairies website. The fairies are apparently modern and even have their own email adress accessible via their faq page.

What's on your mind as 2005 winds down?

Boy, how history does repeat itself.

Once upon a time, the utility industry had a priority to “…provide electricity and natural gas as cheaply, reliably and efficiently as possible...”

Well, maybe. Kind of. They were forced to - by a government law called PUHCA, the Public Utility Holding Company Act.

Bend over folks, that law is gone.

It's been 27 years since airlines were deregulated in 1978. Over a quarter of a century. Not long after, we saw the trucking industry deregulated and the phone system. So, airline deregulation - good or bad? success or failure? answer to the traveling public's prayers or horrific nightmare?

The December 27 Fort Collins Coloradoan had an article entitled "Life after offshoring". The article interviews several Colorado residents who lost their jobs to offshoring.

The article quotes the usual gang of economics professors (tenured, of course) who tell us we'd better get used to having insecure jobs.

Then there was the usual suggestion that we get more education. Never mind that more and more high-tech jobs can be sent overseas.

Then, there's this new idea: when your job moves to Thailand, leave the U.S. and go there with it. No, I'm not making this up.

Wilderness and falling down, theoretically, have nothing to do with each other. In my case, however, they are intimately intertwined.

I slipped and fell straight out of the door of the Kalamakaltion wilderness hut north of Nunnanen, Finnish Lapland. It was late August, 2003. I had over 1500 miles of walking behind me and over one hundred left to go before the Arcitic Ocean. When I fell, I hit my head on a rock and felt dizzy. I fell again five minutes later and cut open my hand on another rock. The wet had turned the ATV trail to glistening mud, slick as ice. The rain fell in a steady drizzle.

I passed through stands of dwarf birch, partly colored for autumn. The land was swampy and moist, cut by intermittent ridges of glacial till. There were thousands of streams and ponds that interspersed velvety turf and dark Arcadian copses. The ground was covered in alpine clubmoss, mountain bearberry, downy willow, common butterwort, several saxifrage species. I passed a number of small lakes and the ATV trail ploughed through swamps and streams, as if nothing could get in its way. It stretched all the way through the Puljun Wilderness area and into the western wilderness of the one thousand one hundred square mile Lemmonjoki National Park five miles to the north. It was used by the reindeer herders, whose camp was beyond the Peltotunturi.

With the tsunami or post-Katrina or the earthquake in Pakistan, you had so many choices where to give your money. And maybe you gave something to your religious institution. Charitable giving seems so, well charitable. So very caritas. After all, nothin' says charity like sayin' it in Greek. Charitable donations give a warm humanitarian feeling, so different from the coldness of taxes and government.

Or is it?

You'll regret being naughty.
Maybe not today,
maybe not tomorrow,
but soon,
and for the rest of your life.

Truthdig is a Web magazine that provides expert in-depth coverage of current affairs as well as a variety of thoughtful, provocative content assembled from a progressive point of view. The site is built around major “digs,” led by authorities in their fields, who will drill down into contemporary topics and assemble packages of content—text, links, audio, video—that will grow richer with time and user participation. To offer frequent change and surprise, the magazine will also present a diversity of original reporting and aggregated content culled by the site’s editors and staff.

This is not just about Indiana, though workers and unions in Indiana have been taking it on the chin this year. Almost before he was sworn in, Governor Mitch Daniels joined several other Republican governors in removing public sector unions' right to organize. And recently, the Indiana Court of Appeals decided against protecting whistleblowers. And Indiana University's Labor Studies Program - has had its budget gutted, basically ending the program.

Lord knows you wouldn't want workers to learn about labor history, their rights, or ways to gain empowerment. You wouldn't want workers to protest illegal employer actions, even when it would make the public safer. And you certainly wouldn't want public sector workers gettin' uppity. That is just not the Indiana tradition.

This morning I was out walking and I suddenly heard this teeny-tiny frantic barking. I stopped and looked toward the sound and saw a little brown blur flying towards me.

I bent down to either block or pat the furry projectile and had one of those moments when your brain can't quite figure out what your eyes are seeing. Then suddenly, pure delight.

It turned out to be a very excited, very happy, very tiny weiner dog. Dressed like an elf.

Unbossed hasn't so far mentioned the New York Transit strike now on. I'm not going to weigh in on that struggle today. It is already very much in the news. Instead, I am bringing you the musical version . . . The Sound of Unions

Yes, it is Maria in a hard hat.

My sister-in-law is a journalist. She’s very protective of her profession. She is also the ultimate centrist. My father is hard-core, Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Bush-can-do-no-wrong Right-Winger. He is convinced that all journalists hate America and not one family gathering has gone by in which the two of them don’t get into a raging battle. She’s smart and I, for one, love seeing the old man humbled.

By far the majority of the time I agree with my sister-in-law, but at Thanksgiving we set off on an interesting discussion that merits being fleshed out.

crossposted from unbossed.

Every federal prosecutor - criminal or administrative agency - knows that you will reach a point in the trial where you have to turn over your Jencks material - pre-trial statements by a witness - to the defendant. Why? Because that's what the Jencks Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3500, requires.

But have you ever wondered: Who was Jencks?

This is his story, one that matters to those of us who support civil liberties, the right to a fair trial, the right to join and be active in organizations, such as unions, and the right to dissent.

It is also a memorial to the man, who died this past week, much respected, much loved.

Dateline Lawrence, Kansas. Home of the Chesty Lions, an 1863 pro-slavery massacre and arson that nearly wiped out the city, and the deathplace of William S. Burroughs.

It's also a sea of Democratic blue in a very red state.

So, that oughta tell you something right there. We're not dealing with just any two-bit Kansas town.

But those Jayhawk fundies mean business. If they're not laughably arguing that Intelligent Design, is, well... intelligent, then by golly they're gonna make darn sure that we all know the true meaning of Christmas—saving babies from evil abortionists one aerobics class at a time.

When the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten died, his name and those of his supporters were excised from the official lists of Pharaohs. Why? Because he said things that the conservatives were not too keen to hear. History was effectively rewritten and it was not until barely one hundred years ago that Akhenaten’s identity was re-discovered and traces of his reign were uncovered by archaeolologists.

Republicans likewise seem to have little problem rewriting reality to suit their desired political bent. There is a new mythmaking in America and I believe it threatens the future of our nation.

According to a story in InformationWeek, Biometric Readers Fooled With Fake Fingerprints.

Researchers at Clarkson University fooled biometric systems with fake fingerprints made out of Play-Doh nine out of ten times, demonstrating a weakness of
some computer security systems.

Warning: The link will show you ads before letting you read the full story. Ah! Technology!

And now something for your holiday listening pleasure.

You got here by using the internet, something that is tied together by invisible links. Most of the time you don't even have to think about them. But whether you are aware of them or not, they are the medium in which we swim.

That is the story of our lives. We are unable to connect the dots, to see what is right in front of our faces. Making the invisible visible is what we have to do if we are to do good politics. Last week, I put up a couple posts on talking liberally. Here's one more.

Two recent events have impelled most of us into more activist politics - the last two elections and the war in Iraq. The fruits of the former are becoming clearer, despite the media timidity and wholesale refusal to do their jobs, as laid out by BiL yesterday.

The war in Iraq seems so intractable, so overwhelming. The prospects of being able to make good choices now would be near impossible were there perfect conditions of good will, honesty, and honor. But we are so far from those conditions that it is easier to curl up into a fetal position and try to forget terrible things are happening there in our names.

But we can't and we shouldn't.

Isn't providing information to voters so they can affect the outcome of an election a major purpose of journalism? Some mainstream media, like the New York Times, don't think so.

For democracy to function, citizens must have complete and accurate information when they vote.

Voters depend on the media to provide this information. In fact, the media's role is so important that the framers wrote special protections for the press into the very first amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

So what's a person to do when reporters publish articles that they know contain false information? Or when the media withold information because they're afraid it might affect the outcome of an election?

Last week, the New York State Department of Education announced that it had found evidence of misdeeds by a for-profit college, Interboro Institute. Interboro was accused of changing students' answers on qualifying exams and lying on student financial aid applications. The U.S. Department of Education is also examining its administration of federal financial-aid funds. A review found that only 2 of 100 students had completed their educations within the 16-month period Interboro advertised. Stories here and here.

Interboro Institute is one of those fast-growing, for-profit colleges that recruits (or preys on) needy students who have not graduated from high school.

There’s a presidential candidate who’s looking good right now. Unlike successful candidates of the past, this one’s a woman. Then there’s another thing that might work against her: she makes no pretence about adhering to any religion. Oh, and she also separated from her husband, and then had two children with another man.

Could a candidate like this win the US presidency? Lucky for her, that’s not the job she’s after. Michelle Bachelet is running for the presidency of Chile, and on Sunday she won 46 percent of the vote. Now she and the second-place candidate are in a runoff race, and there’s a good chance that Chile’s next president will be a woman.

The mystery blogger is a/k/a/ Bob in Loveland. He's too modest to toot his own horn, and Not-So-Gentle Leader Em Dash is off taking care of important things. And -- Em Dashes -- they have always had a lot -- and we mean a lot -- of heavy lifting to do.

But someone has to toot our horn, give us a cyber-pat on the back, and break out the virtual champagne (of course, only the best vintages here at unbossed central). We can't leave all the heavy horn-tooting lifting to SoapBlox Colorado.

So what's up?

One story that is sure to come up at your social gatherings is the McDonald's coffee case or other anecdotes of runamok juries and lawyers.

What most people "know" is absolutely untrue. But what is actually important is why so many people "know" these "facts."

It is important that this misinformation be corrected because it has led to a real loss of rights. And that was the whole point. Important rights taken away, and we have all applauded their loss.

Over the next few weeks - and perhaps even over the last weekend - you will be having troubling and annoying conversations as you are caught up in the whirlwind of holiday parties and family get-togethers. That is, assuming you are lucky enough to have family who also are on speaking terms (however tense that is) or you are not left alone.

So how do you speak productively to these people you work with, love, and/or are related to when you get into uncomfortable conversations? This is not a how to be touchy-feely. This is not about political issues. This is about less contested information. This is about tools. I'm going to present a few ideas over the next few days that I hope will be helpful.

Today it's Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

Congratulations on having your work noticed. There you were, blogging away in semi-anonymity, and the next thing you know, you get an email asking for permission to use your work in a book.

Exciting? You bet. But then you find yourself passing through the seven stages of an offer to have your words published on paper! - suspicion, rage, joy, self-validation, self-hatred, acceptance, and questions about copyright.

The AFL-CIO has a big push on to mark December 10 as an observance of International Human Rights Day as a labor rights day.

This isn't a real stretch. Take a look at the The OAS - American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, 1948 or the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - among others.

There was a flurry of stories about unions during the AFL-CIO split, but since then they have dropped out of the news. So how are unions doing? It's a mixed bag. Lots of complicated facts. Lots of heat.

Rather than opine, I am going to provide a few links and some data.

The Bush administration has made recovering $7-billion in defaulted student loans a key priority. On Wednesday, December 7, the Supreme Court helped it out. Now if only it would make it a priority to go after other deadbeats debtors. But perhaps where they live is just a little too close to the White House.

Perhaps it's my recent encounter with Newton's first law of motion and ice and how they affect a moving vehicle. (This was fortunately a one-car, low-speed, low-cost damage-to-the-car-only event, but a chastening one.) In any case, it has made me even more concerned about the other folks on the road.

And heading into the snow and ice season, the Indiana Court of Appeals has just given one more reason why you should share my concern. This is a post about whistleblowers, job safety, and public policy all rolled into one.

Xcel Energy is preparing to rework natural gas pricing to penalize those economic obstructionists who conserve energy through decreasing their natural gas consumption. This is so unbelievable that it could only have something to do with our nation’s energy policy.

Funny how 12-7 - December 7 takes some thinking about to connect with Pearl Harbor, the day that was supposed to have lived in infamy.

Someday 9-11 - September 11 will also just be a date on the calendar. But not for a long time. 12-7 drove us to join a war. 9-11 drives us to make wars and destroy our own democracy and democratic values.

The positive side of 9-11 is that it's forced us to examine what we had so long overlooked. So let's talk about billboards and county clerks.

The No Federal Agency Left Behind (NFALB) report cards are out, and some agencies have been very, very naughty and some have been nice. But which depends on your point of view.

As I listen to the pleas of patriotic progressive Americans calling for an immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq, I am reminded of Senator Carol Moseley Braun’s response to those same pleas during her presidential campaign in 2003/04: “You break it, you fix it,” said Braun. And to those of us who’ve fought this misguided enterprise in Iraq from the very beginning, Bruan’s words hurt as much as they ring true.

Welcome to o.s.Earth, home of the Global Simulation Workshop, an exciting and innovative learning tool for schools, universities, and corporations. A direct descendant of R. Buckminster Fuller’s famous World Game, the Global Simulation Workshop is a 3-hour interactive game that builds critical skills and teaches its participants about global issues.

Developed by our team of experienced educators and researchers over the past three decades, the game has been played by more than 350,000 people from around the world. More than 2,500 educational institutions, organizations, and corporations from 35 countries have used the game to teach their participants about how the world works, and how to make it work better.

Instead of spending it with spirits or in high spirits, why not spend it with The Spirits?

The news and the talk in town the last few days is the death by suicide of Julie Harrison.

There's a UN conference on global warming taking place in Canada through December 9. You can read more about it here.

For most of us, global warming is something that will affect us in the future. But the ecosystem most affected by global warming that has already occurred is the arctic. The people who live there are already experiencing increases in freezing rain, thinning ice, loss of hunting grounds, and other effects. There's more about this in this story at Yahoo News: "Inuits Transformed by Global Warming" (main page, under "Science").

Think that your community's companies are basically providing good, safe jobs? Think they are civic minded? Rooted? Supporters of community values? Think bad things are not happening in your community?

Now you can stop assuming and find out the truth . . . if you're ready for it.

In this installment of our irregular series on local and statewide politics, let's discuss the red and blue divide.

• Do you live in a red, blue, pink or purple state?
• Does your hometown have a decidedly different political vibe than the rest of the state?
• What races are you following in 2006?
• What is the state of women's leadership in your area?
• Any endangered incumbents?
• Any you'd like to endanger? (politically speaking, of course)
• Any juicy local scandals?
• Any predictions for the hue of your state after November 8, 2006?
• Does your local party encourage involvement or is it dominated by "insiders"?
• How can it do a better job?

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Ah, remember the glory days back in August when Unbossed broke the story about E-470 and its covenants not to compete? It's months later, and what has happened since?

If management has little concern about unionization and unions, what is the view from the other side? The Federal Human Capital Survey found that Most Workers Are Critical of Management. Full results of the study may be found here.