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Today I walked into a transformed Starbucks and was notified by the red and green decor that the holiday season has begun.

Tinsel lines the counters. Signs advertise gingerbread lattes and mint mochas as must-have beverages. I’m greeted at the register by a cheerful woman wearing a Santa hat. Whoa. Aren’t we skipping a holiday, namely Black Friday?

I'll give you the same 411 I gave last year. Normally, you have to wait until Thanksgiving to see the ads for Black Friday, but some daring Internet sites are give us the goods beforehand (to some legal scrutiny). Go to bf2005.com, gottadeal.com and blackfridayads.com to see the Black Friday ads for all major retail outlets. (Somewhere in Montana, Scott is drooling uncontrollably.)

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Do not underestimate the power of the blog. Check out the scorecard:

Federal:

U.S. Senate:
WIB endorsed: Cantwell Winner: Cantwell

U.S. Rep, Districts 1:
WIB endorsed: Inslee Winner: Inslee

U.S. Rep, Districts 7:
WIB endorsed: McDermott Winner: McDermott

U.S. Rep, District 8
WIB endorsed: Reichert Winning: Reichert*

Are we seeing a trend here?

State of Washington:

Initiative 920: State estate tax repeal
WIB said: No The public voted: No

Initiative 937: Requires utilities to use renewable energy
WIB said: Yes The public voted: Yes

House Joint Resolution 4223: Tax exemption for small businesses
WIB said: Yes The public voted: Yes

King County:

Proposition 1: Allows county to sell land purchased in 1910
WIB said: Yes The public voted: Yes

Proposition 2: Sales tax increase for buses
WIB said: Yes The public voted: Yes

City of Seattle:

Proposition 1: Tax increase for road, bridge and bike lane maintenance
WIB said: Yes The public voted: No

Referendum 1: Upholds new strip club regulations
WIB said: No The public voted: No

* Too close to call

10/11**. Not bad. Not bad at all.

** Assuming Reichert is victorious.

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Breaking news: The AP reports Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is stepping down. This comes on the day Americans learn that Democrats, riding the wave of GOP disapproval, have taken the House -- the Senate majority has yet to be decided. Rumsfeld was a focus of much of the criticism of the Iraq war, a deciding factor for many voters. Last week, W. told media that he encouraged both Rumsfeld and Cheney to stay for the two remaining years of his presidency.

Coming soon: State and local election recaps.

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"Do you remember when everyone was shouting my name, and I used my strength to rip my blouse?"

Would you like to watch my band focuspoint summon our eagle powers and kick some ass Lucha Libre-style?

Date: Thursday, Nov. 9
Place: Jillian's
Time: 8:30
Cost: $5

We'll have some demo CDs to hand out at the battle, too. They're fantastic!

Hug hug, kiss kiss, hug hug, big kiss, little hug, kiss kiss, little kiss,
- Paolo