Check it out here. [intro]

Maine has a big gay marriage fight coming up with this year's election and the presence of Proposition 1 on the ballot, a bit like California did last year with Proposition 8. Back in September, opponents of gay marriage succeeded in garnering enough signatures to officially put the question "Do you want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry and allows individuals and religious groups to refuse to perform these marriages?" to Maine voters. So, on November 3, folks in the Pine Tree State will be the latest to give a thumbs-up, or a thumbs-down, to gay marriage.

Gov. John Baldacci is on the record as supporting gay marriage in Maine. Earlier this year, when it became apparent that Maine voters would get to decide the matter, he said “I fully support this legislation, and believe it guarantees that all Maine citizens are treated equally under our State’s civil marriage laws,” and that he was "confident that Maine voters will make the right decision on this important issue when they cast their ballots in the fall.” Of course, a lot of people were confident that California would not pass Proposition 8, and look what happened-- hence my description of what is set to unfold as a fight. Gay marriage is not, in my assessment, an issue that as many voters have as strong of opinions on as, say, abortion. But for those who want their relationships, or those of their friends or loved ones, legally recognized where at one point, they were not, the issue is obviously both emotional and critical. Likewise, for those who feel strongly enough to sign their names to get a "no gay marriage" proposition on the ballot, legal recognition of same-sex unions of any kind is, it's safe to say, a pretty big deal. [intro]...

Via the NY Times:

The European Union and South Korea took a major step Thursday toward a free trade deal aimed at generating billions of euros in new trade flows.

With the global trade talks deadlocked and amid concerns over a rise in protectionism, analysts said that the deal could send a powerful signal to other nations, including the United States, to press ahead with their own bilateral pacts.

[...]

Joseph Francois, a fellow at the Center for Economic Policy Research and professor of Economics at Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria, said that the deal sent an important message.

“It might get the U.S. moving,” he said, “if everyone else is starting signing agreements and they are not — if they feel that, with Canada and the E.U. doing that, it puts U.S. firms at a disadvantage.”

A free trade agreement between the United States and South Korea, reached in 2007, has yet to be ratified and is stuck in Congress, with some American politicians opposing an agreement for fear that it would be detrimental to automakers.

* Sigh. *...