I was SO excited when I saw that. I got to vote against that freak and feel good and smug about it.

Anytime Santorum loses anything, I can get excited about it.

Eh. Santorum's scum, and it's always nice to see him lose, but I couldn't bring myself to vote for a man who would have no problem using my body against my will. I didn't vote for Casey, and I am concerned about the lesson the Democratic Party will take away from this election; from now on, are they going to sell out abortion rights whenever they're in a tough spot?

Although not thrilled with Casey, as it was explained to me, we should be dancing in the streets because a Democratic majority means no Neanderthal anti-abortion bills can (or will be)now introduced to Congress.

So nothing will come up for Casey to be retro about.

On the one hand, I refused to vote against Erik Fleming, Trent Lott's opponent, because he's an anti-choice abstinence "educator" with a history of being unpleasant on other feminist issues. So EG, I can so totally relate.

On the other hand, I turned on the election night coverage to see Rick Santorum lose by a landslide. I mean, that's why I turned on the TV set. Everything else was secondary to that.

I think the main thing is that I didn't actually have to vote in the Santorum-Casey race. If I did, I might feel less enthusiastic--but as an observer, all I can think about is: Damn, we're rid of Rick Santorum!

Cheers,

TH

...refused to vote FOR Erik Fleming, rather. I voted for exactly nobody in the congressional races; just showed up to vote for a school bond initiative.

Cheers,

TH

The Overseas Telecommunications Commission began planning additional overseas services four years in advance. All international telephone and telegraph traffic from the Games had to be transmitted over radio and cable circuits, some of them the longest in the world. Construction of new overseas transmitting and receiving stations near Sydney, already provided for in the Commission's development programme, was accelerated, and channelling equipment for the Commission's radio transmissions from Sydney, Melbourne and Perth (Western Australia) purchased.

At the Commission's transmitting station near Melbourne high-powered transmitters were modified and five independent side-band exciter equipments installed. A fixed frequency transmitter was modified to provide frequency change. At Applecross, near Perth, two transmitters were substantially increased in power and a new independent side-band transmitter installed. At Perth also a new radio-telephone exchange supplemented the existing London channels to the radio-telephone exchange at Sydney.

A new radio link established between Sydney and Vancouver provided access to the telephone and telegraph systems of North America and connexions with London via the newly-opened Trans-Atlantic cable. Further capacity was provided by Army and Navy overseas radio-telephone links. Four transmitters borrowed from the Royal Australian Air Force were installed at the Commission's transmitting stations.

Teleprinter-on-cable working on the Pacific cable and land-line chain from Sydney to London, tested in 1955, was brought into operation before the Games. Teleprinter error detection with automatic correction was introduced on the Sydney-London radio-telegraph circuits, and equipment to provide four-channel radio-teleprinter working was brought into service in late 1956.