Remember Ike? The hurricane missed Houston, but hit squarely on Galveston and then slid to less populated portions of the Texas coast. That was back in early September. The Dallas Morning News reports Sunday that “more than two months after Hurricane Ike obliterated Texas’ coastal communities, thousands of residents from Oak Island to the […]
Posted inRural Voters
Speak Your Piece: Inspecting the McCain Belt
I wanted to add my voice to the chorus of caution against those who cite the New York Times “McCain Belt“ map (November 5) as evidence that Appalachian whites rejected Barack Obama over matters of race (or culture). Several data points should help to dispel the myths from the outset and put this map in […]
Posted inAgriculture
Animal Identification Move Creates Ruckus
It’s been a while since the Yonder has caught up with the controversy over animal ID. Remember the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) — and if you don’t there are stories here and here — the regulations that would require every piece of livestock to have its very own number? The US Department of Agriculture […]
Posted inRural Voters
Them Changes: The Counties That Switched Parties in 2008
Map: Tim Murphy, for the Daily Yonder The map above shows the counties that flipped on November 4. They are the places where a majority of voters supported one party for president in 2004 but a different party in this election. There are 375 counties that switched allegiance between the last race for president and […]
Posted inAgriculture, Politics and Government
Letter From Langdon: Vilsack as Ag Secretary? So Be It
Tom Vilsack, former Iowa governor and likely Ag Secretary in the Obama AdministrationPhoto: Vilsack Campaign Most years — even an election year — nothing much that’s newsworthy ever happens around Langdon. Most of the presidential candidates (actually all the presidential candidates) did a pretty good job of ignoring Langdon throughout the primaries into the general […]
Posted inRural Voters
Rural Changes: The Yonder Counties That Flipped Their Vote in 2008
This chart lists the 213 counties where a majority of voters supported one party in the 2004 presidential election and adifferent party in 2008. There were 179 counties that flipped from Republican in 2004 to Democratic in 2008. There were34 counties that switched from Democratic to Republican in ’04. And two counties — Iowa County […]
Posted inRural Voters
Exurban Changes: The Fringe Counties That Flipped Their Vote in 2008
This chart lists the 49 counties where a majority of voters supported one party in the 2004 presidential election and a different party in 2008. Forty counties flipped from Republican to Democratic. Nine changed from Democratic counties to Republican ones. The chart shows the vote for McCain and Obama. And it shows the percentage of […]
Posted inRural Voters
City Changes: The Urban Counties That Flipped Their Vote in 2008
This chart lists the 113 counties where a majority of urban voters supported one party in the 2004 presidential election and a different party in 2008. All but one of these counties — Beaver County, Pennsylvania — flipped from Republican to Democratic. The chart shows total votes for McCain and Obama and the percentage of […]
Posted inBroadband and Technology
IBM Joins Effort to Provide Broadband Over Power Lines
IBM Corp has made a major commitment to delivering broadband internet over ordinary power lines. The method is aimed at providing fast internet connections to regions that currently don’t have other broadband options, particularly in rural communities. The company announced Wednesday that it had reached a $9.6 million deal with International Broadband Electric Communications. IBM […]
Posted inCool Places, Religion and Faith
Look North: Praha Soars for Veterans Day
The Flatonia Bulldog band has played a few hymns. People, some with umbrellas to block the midday sun, sit on benches and stand under the oaks. You can hear a flag ripple. “From the north!” yells Otto Steinhauser into a microphone. Four hundred heads turn toward the old cemetery as jets crack through the Texas […]