*Apex Raffle Time. Via the fine folks at Apex Digest: “We’ve pulled from our high-security cellar vaults some the most fiendishly delightful goodies you’ve ever seen, like free fiction critiques, ARCs of as-yet unavailable books signed by the authors, valuable rare books worth more than $50, a steampunk classic with zepplins–REAL ZEPPLINS!–doodled by the author himself, and the only Maurice Broaddus Quintuple Threat Pack in existence!” Bonus win: A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit Dolly’s Imagination Library.

*Maybe the Obamas will get one of THESE puppies. Click for a live feed of adorable puppies sleeping in a box. Or playing. Or nomming each other. Or … well, let’s be honest. Mostly sleeping. [Edited to add: If it’s dark, they’ve turned off the lights and let the pups have some nighttime snoozing.]

*Newsweek has the skinny. “The disclosures are among many revealed in ‘How He Did It, 2008,’ the latest installment in NEWSWEEK’s Special Election Project, which was first published in 1984. As in the previous editions, “How He Did It, 2008″ is an inside, behind-the-scenes account of the presidential election produced by a special team of reporters working for more than a year on an embargoed basis and detached from the weekly magazine and Newsweek.com. Everything the project team learns is kept confidential until the day after the polls close.” Fascinating, and funny, and sometimes sad.

*Here in my ‘hood. And I leave you with footage of the street party that broke out immediately following John McCain’s concession speech — right down the street from where we live. I understand it is a great pity that you cannot see the drag queen who is leading the crowd in song.