do we have any initiatives I should know about?

There's an initiative asking whether the state should give a voucher for a free bottle of booze to Cubs fans....

Has Jilli seen these?

(Bookmarks that look like spilled blood!)

Oooh, no I hadn't! Nifty!

The worst one of our props is one touting payday loan "reform," written and sponsored by the payday loan industry.

Do any NYistas know of a good online guide to the minor races on our ballot?

I was looking here while you were trying to help me. [link]

Brenda, there is one question asking if the IL constitution should be amended to establish a recall process for state elected officials.

I just want my goddamned early voting.

I have Halloween off, so I'm dragging Hubby off because we do have early voting in Utah. I know I can't swing the reddest of counties in the reddest of states to Obama, but dammit he's going to get at least one from here.

Hubby's not voting for Obama. I didn't ask who he's voting for, because there are conversations I avoid in my house. Hubby's got weird blind spots that don't react well to having the lights turned on them.

Happy Integral Day!!!

Each October 29, the Department of Mathematics celebrates Integral Day, to honor the day on which Gottfried Leibniz wrote the first modern integral sign. Leibniz wrote the symbol in an unpublished manuscript on October 29, 1675. The Department serves "calculus cookies" and "summation cider" to students and faculty in the Mathematics Suite. The Suite itself is adorned with integral/summation ornaments. Outside of the Mathematics Suite, a large bulletin board features an Integral Day display. Many components of our celebration have a Halloween theme, due to the proximity of Integral Day to October 31st. In the afternoon, courageous students compete in the Integral Contest, in which participants work individually on a list of integrals.

Those cookies look nummy.

More on integrals:

Oct. 29, 1675: Leibniz ∫ums It All Up

Does Newton deserve more credit? Maybe, but it's Leibniz's language you learned in your calculus class. And ol' Isaac gets his props for many other discoveries, so don't overestimate the gravity of the situation. Happy Integral Day, Gottfried!

I voted Saturday. I hope out mostly-by-mail system in Washington State will be problem free but:

I know at least two people who received an old off year ballot rather than this years ballot. They went to the County courthouse and exchanged it for a ballot with the actual races on it, still...

I know one person who received two ballots. There are various precautions (like signing the outside of the ballot) that would have meant he would have been caught if he had tried to vote both. Still a little worried. I have a comparative small circle of friends. Three errors in a sample that size is more than I like. At least they are pretty obviously honest errors.

The Repubs are against the constitutional convention question--I saw an ad with former Gov. Edgar urging voters to say no.

A great editing job on the three Presidential debates.