The Secret Machines just haven't been the same since Ben Curtis, one half of the fraternal duo, left to focus on his own band, School of Seven Bells. The unsettling but electrifying harmony between Ben and Brandon Curtis could send a current through the back of your head. Imagine Geddy Lee and Robert Plant on stage together like Simon and Garfunkel gone bad.

Japan's economy is now officially in recession, according to those in charge of labeling such things, which means that they beat us again. While most believe that the U.S. has already entered a recession, it's not official until we have two consecutive quarters of negative growth, so we're just going to have to wait until January.

Funny short by filmmaker Ilya Chaiken, set during the great power outage of '03. It was a bizarre moment in New York. The city stopped for almost 24 hours, depending on where you lived. People couldn't get up to their high-rise apartments or hotel rooms. I had a date scheduled that night, but with the mobile network down, I couldn't reach her, so I went to find a friend of mine instead. I had to creep up a dark stairwell, using my cell phone as a flashlight, to leave a note on her door.

The elections are finally over, and the world is starting to seem normal again. Kind of. We also have two new long-awaited bloggers, so I felt that it would be a good time to meta-post. When we started dagblog, we didn't have a clear idea where it was headed. Mostly, we wanted a forum to express ourselves and our wacky ideas about the world, but it was never meant to be just for us. We hoped to bring in a number of talented writers with diverse interests and ideas to share the space.

For more information about protests in NYC go to http://theimpactinnyc.devinguinn.com or http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=33598248873.

Find out about protests in your area at JoinTheImpact.com.

I plan to make State of the Day a semi-regular feature in which I offer brief commentary on the news of the day. If readers like it, I'll try to do it daily, but no promises.

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Obama recently gave his first press conference as President Elect despite the fact that "President Elect" is not actually an office.

Sorry to toot my own prescience, but no one else will do it for me. Last February, when Democratic primary fires still burned brightly, there was a lot of concern among Democrats that McCain would prove to be a formidable candidate because of his experience, military record, media popularity, reputation as a straight-shooter, and appeal among independents. I wanted to write about McCain's chances, but I concluded that attempting to predict the relative importance to voters of experience vs. change, national security vs. economy, straight-shooting vs. smooth-talking, etc.

As has been well documented at TPM, John McCain ran a deceitful, jingoistic, superficial, nationalistic campaign which grew ever more incendiary towards the end. But there is one place that McCain did not go. He did not ultimately base his campaign on racial polarization. Yes, there were a few subtle coded messages, and McCain's attacks on Obama's patriotism harbored a racial undercurrent. Yes, there were Muslim rumors and Rev. Wright ads by third parties that McCain failed to publicly deplore.

Not that it matters, but for the record: Nader may have cost Obama Missouri; Barr may have cost McCain North Carolina. Also, if Franken loses, he can thank Jesse Ventura acolyte Dean Barkley. Chambliss, unfortunately, appears to be eking out a victory, but if he doesn't, Libertarian Allen Buckley will have played a part. (FYI, Chambliss must break 50% to avoid a runoff.)

Walked home last tonight after a joyful election party in the West Village, NYC--good crowd, wonderful friends, incredible victory. Felt a bit melancholy, in the way you do after achieving something for which you have striven for so long. It's my birthday. November 5th. Marvelous birthday gift from the American voters. 37. Strange age to be. People shout gleefully on sidewalks. Cars honk happily on streets. High fives with strangers. Arrive at St. Marks Place in the East Village. Crowd on the corner. Cheering. Stand on a pay phone, take photos. Walk down St.

The story is also being reported by CNN, Al Jazeera, and FOX News. We haven't confirmed the reports at this time.

I just stopped over at the RealClearPolitics election map. The results in truth are tighter than I would like. Obama is still outside the margin of error for 278 EVs, but last week it was well over 300. I'm not really concerned. McCain would have to win all the "tossup" states, among which Obama still leads in several, plus at least one of the "leaning Obama" states. In addition, poll analysis by A-man and FlyOnTheWall gives me confidence that Obama will outperform the polls.

Contrary to President Bush's assurance, he is not the Decider. We the People are the Deciders. Mr. Bush is a temporary employee to whom we have granted provisional authority to govern on our behalf. We the People make such Decisions infrequently but regularly--every four years. And now it is again time for us to Decide.

FlyOnTheWall is my favorite non-dagging blogger at the TPM Cafe. He/she is the uncontested pollmaster of TPM. If you're feeling anxious about the election or just curious about the accuracy of the polls, I highly recommend his/her latest post.

Some excerpts:

Here's the link to the audio

Palin handler Tracy Schmitt:

"Governor Palin was mildly amused to learn that she had joined the ranks of heads of state, including President Sarkozy and other celebrities, in being targeted by these pranksters. C'est la vie."

Warning: Do not wear near children, pregnant women, or unstable people with weapons.

To print out a lifesize version, download the PDF from 23/6.

The other day, I wrote a piece of snark about Joe the Plumber's brand going global, inspired by an actual quote from a Greek analyst about "Joe the Greek Plumber." Today, I read that the Joe the Plumber has hired a manager. Seriously. Jim Della Croce, president of the Nashville-based Pathfinder Management group, explains his plans for Joe the Celeb's future:

After achieving success in the United States, Joe the Plumber has gone international. According to the New York Times, a senior strategist for the ruling party of Greece said of Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis:

More eloquent than the sermons in Oliver Stone's W. and a heck of a lot shorter.