Two years ago we wrote:

What a day to have a birthday. Not fun, we bet. Both DailyKos and MadKane begin another year of life today, we hope you'll go over and extend good wishes.

Time heals, and I hope the specter of 9/11 is no longer casting a pall on the celebrations of those with 9/11 birthdays. "

Sad news to report. Aaron Hawkins, of Uppity Negro, has passed away. No details are available yet. He was a unique and talented voice in the blogosphere. You can leave your condolences here.

Say hello to Derelection, 2004 campaign coverage by the superb Cursor.

Also say hello to AltWeeklies, providing news reporting from more than 100 alternative weekly papers.

There's simply no excuse any more for being uninformed.

The cable news networks are wall-to-wall hurricane coverage. If you want the news on other issues, check the blogs:

Skippy on why the Time/Newsweek Bush Bounce polls are not to be trusted.

SK Bubba, Avedon Carol at Sideshow and Natasha at Pacific Views have great roundups of blog political coverage. SK Bubba also recounts his thoughts on Bush's convention speech.

Kevin Drum at Washington Monthly comments approvingly on military analyst William Arkin's oped in the LA Times listing five mistakes Bush has made in the War on Terror. He also debunks a new Time Magazine article on Bush's plans for a second term that suggests Bush may give up preemptive strikes for less militaristic options like supporting opposition movements:

In other words, anyone who thinks they won't find excuses for further military action in a second term just isn't paying attention. A vote for Bush is a vote for more wars, and with this crew in charge it's unlikely they'll turn out any better than Iraq has.

Conservative Andrew Sullivan won't vote for Bush in November because contrary to Bush's protestations, he's not truly in support of freedom. Bush wants to deny freedom and dignity to gays. Sullivan lists a few other reasons that true conservatives cannot support Bush:

...the only difference between Republicans and Democrats now is that the Bush Republicans believe in Big Insolvent Government and the Kerry Democrats believe in Big Solvent Government. By any measure, that makes Kerry - especially as he has endorsed the critical pay-as-you-go rule on domestic spending - easily the choice for fiscal conservatives. It was also jaw-dropping to hear this president speak about tax reform. Bush? He has done more to lard up the tax code with special breaks and new loopholes than any recent president. On this issue - on which I couldn't agree more - I have to say I don't believe him. Tax reform goes against the grain of everything this president has done so far. Why would he change now?

Trolls are abounding in the comments tonight. There have been over 800 comments today and so many of them disregard the posting rules of this site: no profanity, no name-calling or personal attacks and urls have to be in html format. Sometimes I delete the offending words and leave the rest. Not tonight, no time, and most of them are from regulars who know the rules. So, if your comment is missing, it's been deleted for one of those reasons. If you find your comments blocked, it's because you've been banned for being a multiple offender. If you don't like three strikes rules, vote against them. On election day.

Update: I've banned a log of trolls tonight. There's too many and they are lowering the level of discourse on the site with their noise. Expressing a difference of opinion is fine, trolling is not. If you don't know the difference, you're probably a troll. Post at your own risk.

Update: Dr. Ace is history. True Liberal (not) is next, soon as I find his ISP number again. Steel is gone. Please don't feed the trolls. Again, thoughtful disagreement with the opinions expressed in posts and comments is fine. Snide comments, insults, name-calling, off-topic links and rants and garbage is not. I intend to take out the trash more frequently, so here's fair warning.

Thanks to all of you who contributed to TalkLeft's New York blogging trip. I will be sending each of you a thank you email as soon as I return. As they did last month for Boston, TalkLeft readers made this trip possible and I am thrilled and humbled that readers think highly enough of the site to help out.

It's court and then Kobe for me today. Let's hear what you have to say, there's lots more going on in the world.

TBogg, one of the funnier and wittier bloggers in blogtopia, has this beautiful and moving tribute to his father who passed away this morning. I felt like I knew his dad by the time I was done reading. I hope you'll take a minute to read it.

TBogg doesn't take comments, but you can send a condolence e-mail to him at tblogg@hotmail.com. Or send him something from his Amazon wish list to lift his spirits. RIP Mr. TBogg, Sr.

What's on your mind? I'm finishing an article for the Denver Post on bloggers covering political conventions and preparing for some cable shows later today on Kobe Bryant and Scott Peterson. And I just put my house on the market and forgot how much time it takes to get it ready to be shown on a few hours notice. So, whatever topics strike your fancy, jump right in.

There's not just one, but a whole bunch of internet cybercynics satirizing the candidates and elections. In addition to those mentioned in the article, there's Tom Burka of Opinions You Should Have, who was one of the Boston DNC bloggers. Comic relief provides a welcome respite to the depressing news we come across every day courtesy of the Bush Administration.

How to start your day with a positive attitude.

1. Create a "new folder" on your computer.

2. Name it "George W. Bush".

3. Send it to the trash.

4. Empty the trash.

5. Your computer will ask you: "Do you really want to get rid of "George W. Bush"?

6. Calmly answer, "Yes", and press the mouse button ....

[hat tip to ZGM]

Interesting article in the New York Times about teachers who are increasingly using weblogs as a teaching device--with students from the second grade up. It's a tool that already has moved far beyond the individual classroom:

Some social studies classes at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, for instance, are using a blog to study the Holocaust with high school students in Krakow, Poland.