I am located in Tokyo, and we just felt a long duration earthquake of average intensity starting at 8:43 a.m. local time Saturday morning, June 14, 2008. (Not enough to cause damage here.) However, the Japan Meteorological Agency reports that in the northern part of the main Japanese island the earthquake is of a very significant intensity.

BBC News has this breaking story on their front page, as do all the other major news sources. Sadly, at least three people are reported dead, at least seven missing, and at least 110 injured, some badly. Reports continue to pour in, and it is very likely there will be significantly more casualties.

More details below the fold....

We just had a rather substantial shake here in the metropolitan Tokyo area which woke me up. Time was about 1:48AM local. The Japan Meteorological Agency has details here:

http://www.jma.go.jp/...

Update #1: No tsunami warning issued. The JMA can issue one instantly if merited -- there's one heck of an early warning system here.

Update #2: There was one station on the mainland that clocked in in the lower 5s (on the 7.0 Japanese earthquake scale). That must have been a bit frightening, but I expect people are going to be OK. My section of Tokyo was in the 3s. Books on the shelves were rocking back and forth, slapping against the sides of the bookshelf. The buildings are engineered to sway like that.

There's a big problem brewing that could cause many loyal Michigan Democrats to lose their voting rights if there is a DNC-sanctioned primary or caucus scheduled in that state. The Obama campaign is also concerned, and I'd like to explain both the problem and at least one suggestion for how we can assure that all Michigan Democrats have the right to vote in any new contest.

The Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati has released its latest Ohio Poll.  The poll surveyed 529 likely voters in the Democratic primary from February 21 to 24, 2008, by telephone.  The results:

Hillary Clinton 47%
Barack Obama 39%
John Edwards 9%
Other/Kucinich 2%
Don't Know 4%

The Associated Press reports this morning that Senator Russ Feingold is "poised to endorse" Senator Barack Obama for President. Feingold is a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Obama has been doing well among registered Democrats, but he has been doing even better among independents and the few Republicans who are voting in the Democratic primary contests. His performance outside his own party bodes well for the general election if he were to become the nominee.

The CNN exit polls for Wisconsin reveal that an amazing 37% of voters were not registered Democrats (or at least not self-described registered Democrats). So what does that high independent turnout suggest for Ohio? An analysis follows based on the latest polling.

Democrats Abroad began voting today, starting in the Pacific and Far Eastern timezones. It's a global primary with 22 delegates (equal to 11 full delegate votes) at stake, and for the first time overseas Democrats can vote by mail, fax, Internet, or in-person.

Japanese broadcaster NHK is conducting an exit poll at today's in-person voting center in Tokyo. As of 4 pm local time, Obama is leading Clinton there by about a 9 to 1 ratio.

The first Money Sunday (Declining Dollar, What to Do) over two years ago offered recommendations on how to cope with our weak home currency. Now the dollar is even weaker, and that article is especially worth reading again.

This edition for Sunday, November 4, 2007, takes a practical and specific look at how to react: where to go on your next (or first) international vacation. This past week I visited Australia, but I didn't buy anything in the shops. The U.S. dollar has fallen about 20% in the past two years (16% in the past year alone) against the Australian dollar. So what countries remain comparative bargains? Read on to find out and for links to past editions of Money Sunday....

Like most Americans, I was incredibly frustrated and disappointed in the answers three prominent Democratic candidates for president gave to Tim Russert's question about whether they would remove troops from Iraq by the end of their first term (in 2013).

So here's another question. Would an average citizen like to ask it? How about a smart reporter?

If a Democrat wins the presidency in 2008, will you promise to support the retention of Howard Dean as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee through at least the 2010 election cycle should he wish to continue serving?

The polls closed at 2000 hours JST (7:00 a.m. Eastern U.S. time) on July 29, 2007, here in Japan.

These elections are for the upper house (the House of Councillors), with half the seats up for grabs. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) isn't liberal or democratic. It's conservative and lately has been trying to amend Japan's pacifist constitution to permit military expansion and more aggressive overseas deployments. The LDP's Bush-friendly Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, could be forced from power with a particularly bad poll result.

Results are devastating for the ruling party, with the main social liberal party, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), cruising to victory.

In this second installment of the revived Money Sunday series, you will learn about stock options: what they are, how they work, and why they are so controversial. Learn about this huge element of executive compensation so you can become a smarter, more politically savvy Kossack.

Whether you received stock options yourself — are you lucky? — or want to understand more about how top executives receive so much more pay than their own workers, read on. And take a look at past Monday Sunday articles linked below....

Monday Sunday is back for this Mother's Day, after a long hiatus. Money Sunday provides Kossacks with a progressive view on the economy and personal financial planning. After all, there's nothing better than thousands more wealthy progressives who can devote more financial resources toward improving our nation and the world.

This month features details about a relatively new class of mutual funds: the "automatic" retirement funds. These funds can play an important role in your personal financial success, especially if you are like most Kossacks: too busy with more important issues to spend countless hours managing your money. Regardless of your age or income, read on for details and for links to past Monday Sunday articles....

The Huffington Post reports this morning that somebody may still be logged onto AOL Instant Messenger under Foley's now infamous Maf54 screen name.

All political parties have hotly contested primaries from time to time. I hope Senator Lieberman recognizes that he's not alone, and that many senior politicians have had to deal with the possibility of losing offices to up-and-coming challengers.

The happiest former office holders are those who have come to terms with that loss. Public opinion is sometimes a fickle master, but we live in a democracy, and life must go on. Should Senator Lieberman lose Tuesday's primary, there are many steps he can take, like President Jimmy Carter, to transcend this temporary setback. He's still young, and he can still do so much good.

Here are some ideas on how Senator Lieberman can help improve our society.

Paul Begala has the right idea, which is for Democrats to go on the offensive with the Iraq issue.

Much like current Democratic efforts to raise the minimum wage, Democrats in Congress should frame the Iraq issue quite explicitly. It's time for Congressional Democrats to propose legislation that would immediately draft eligible sons (and maybe also daughters) of anyone serving in Congress and in the Cabinet for service in Iraq.

BBC News is reporting that the U.S. Episcopal Church, meeting in their convention in Ohio, has just rejected calls from the worldwide Anglican Church to stop appointing gay bishops.

The news item is short, but apparently the U.S. Episcopal Church has, in fact, rejected "compromise" language in which the church was to apologize for the pain it has caused the worldwide Anglican community. That was the language under consideration by the convention.

This development threatens to split the Anglican community. More conservative churches, particularly in Africa, are not at all happy with the U.S. moves. The U.S. church also made history by appointing a female leader, the first Anglican denomination to do so.

The Episcopal Church is making major strides, right now, in expanding religious opportunities and recognition for homosexuals, same-sex couples, and women. These changes will undoubtedly start to break down civil rights barriers in the U.S. and elsewhere. Other Christian denominations, such as the United Church of Christ, already fully accept and recognize same-sex couples.

The "coalition of the willing" just lost yet another member.

Norway's voters elected a new Prime Minister, the Labor Party's Jens Stoltenberg, to office earlier this week. Stoltenberg's first official act as soon as he takes office? He's bringing Norway's troops home from Iraq.

So what would you ask Scott McClellan if you were sitting among the White House Press Corps?  I know what I would ask, but now's your chance to come up with questions most likely to elicit a response...or at least a new form of denial.

Here are my 20 questions for Scott McClellan:

1. Scott, I'm wondering if you could settle a bet for pool reporters. Have White House statements over the past two weeks been more Clintonian or Nixonian?

2. Now that the President has set a new standard for White House employment, will he personally guarantee, as he has with Plame's leakers, that any federal employee may leak any information at any time as long as he or she does not commit a crime?