Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: Mar. 13th through Mar. 19th

March 13, 2016 JanF Community 155

Welcome to The Moose Pond! The Welcomings posts give the Moose, old and new, a place to visit and share words about the weather, life, the world at large and the small parts of Moosylvania that we each inhabit.

Welcomings will be posted at the start of each week (every Sunday morning). To find the posts, just bookmark this link and Voila! (which is Moose for “I found everyone!!”).

The format is simple: each day, the first moose to arrive on-line will post a comment welcoming the new day and complaining (or bragging!) about their weather. Or mentioning an interesting or thought provoking news item. Or simply checking in.

So … what’s going on in your part of Moosylvania?

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NOTE: The comments page will now split off after 20 or so left margin comments with the most recent comments on the current page. To see the older comments, scroll to the bottom of the page and use the link.

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53 Comments

  1. Good morning, Motley Meese! The week begins …

    It is 47 degrees in Madison WI on its way up to 49. Afternoon showers are in the forecast.

    Have a great day, all y’alls!!

  2. Don’t forget that Daylight Saving Time began at 2am.

    Move your clocks FORWARD, lose an hour of sleep … and curse Congress!! (the last should be second nature by now).

    • I didn’t even notice – since my dogs are on their own timer and wanted to go out at 2AM.

      Since I have no clocks (the puter resets itself) and don’t wear a watch, I no longer have to worry about changing anything.

      • I have clocks all over the place! I always set my alarm clock time, the coffee pot time, and the clock in my office before I go to bed but the rest wait until Sunday morning. The first time I get in my car after the time change, I usually freak out because that clock is the last one I change. It is particularly heart pounding in the Fall when it appears that I am going to be late for something. The initial reaction to being early for something is less stressful. :)

        • I forgot about the clock in my car – though I don’t think I’ve ever changed it – I listen to the radio and they give me the time :)

        • We have clocks all over the house too, Jan! I’m always worried about being late for something because three days a week we pick up Miss Pink Cheeks from school. My son has to reset my watch and the car clock is the very last thing to get reset because we always forget how to do it. :)

          • I have a few appliances that do the time change for me and one that does it automatically but incorrectly – it predates the change made in 2007 to make DST start earlier and end later. So that one has to be ignored for a month because there is no manual change available and it cannot be upgraded. This morning I changed all the non-digital clocks and when my daughter is up, I will change the electronic clocks – they all beep when they are being changed and I don’t want to wake her up.

  3. Good Sunday morning Meese
    48 here today and cloudy.

    My friend Yasuragi sent me this to read. It is very disturbing.
    Please check it out:

    The rise of American authoritarianism

    Authoritarians are thought to express much deeper fears than the rest of the electorate, to seek the imposition of order where they perceive dangerous change, and to desire a strong leader who will defeat those fears with force. They would thus seek a candidate who promised these things. And the extreme nature of authoritarians’ fears, and of their desire to challenge threats with force, would lead them toward a candidate whose temperament was totally unlike anything we usually see in American politics — and whose policies went far beyond the acceptable norms.

    A candidate like Donald Trump.

    • There are a lot of very frightening things about Donald Trump … the scariest is that people in our country will vote for him because he will be the Republican nominee and the R after his name is more important than the man and how he would run (ruin?) the country. I think they have some quaint notion that a major political party would never nominate a dangerous person:

      I noticed that the cops in Kansas City were pepper spraying protesters. You know, someone is going to get badly hurt or killed. I blame the media for turning politics into a blood sport.

      • If someone gets hurt or killed – the wingnuts, and the media will simply say it is the protestors fault.
        I’m ready to spit anytime I hear a “purported”Democrat saying they are gonna sit this election out.

        • I saw that Sanders supporter Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream said that he is still deciding whether he would vote for Hillary Clinton … and is praising Donald Trump for his stand on trade agreements!

          So there is a #BernieOrBust movement now, I guess. It smells suspiciously like PUMA to me and I hope it is derided as it should be. Many of the people I talk to who were Bernie fans are starting to actively dislike him. A lot will depend on how he concedes the nomination battle. If he does not do it like Hillary Clinton did, full-throated support and calls for party unity, he will be a pariah. Sad, really, to go from liberal lion to Nader-lite.

          • Al Giordano was kicking butt on that issue as people tried to deny that was what Cohen said. I’m not going to buy their ice cream.

          • Some of the replies to Al’s Tweets were pretty funny!

            “If you can’t tell the difference between dog poop and a chocolate bar–SOMEONE ELSE SHOULD MAKE THE ICE CREAM.”

            And many echoed what you are saying: they are not going to buy their ice cream. People who own businesses and want to share their rancid political opinions have to be prepared for the fact that some people will disagree and stop purchasing your product or service. It is really all many people have as a tool for protest.

    • Karen Tumulty from WaPo has a good piece:

      Trump’s continued domination of the GOP race suggests that there are no guardrails left in politics. Party elders and his opponents assumed that at some point, he would self-destruct. But he has defied just about every norm, and it has redounded to his benefit.

      His candidacy and the sentiment it provokes have also stirred some disturbing historical comparisons.

      GOP political consultant Stuart Stevens, who was a top strategist for 2012 nominee Mitt Romney, said Trump’s rhetoric is “almost verbatim” what segregationist George Wallace was saying in his third-party 1968 presidential campaign.

      “I don’t know what’s in Trump’s heart, but I don’t care. What he’s saying is really hateful,” Stevens said. “What did the Democratic party do with Wallace? They rejected him.”

      Do not hold your breath expecting that the party of Mitch “We Will Destroy Barack Obama’s Presidency Even If It Destroys Democracy” McConnell will reject anything in their desperation to regain power.

      • Much of this explains why so many black folks are backing Hillary – the rise of the racist right is no surprise to us – and Bernie’s inability to deal with race issues makes him suspect

        • I have a theory about the black millennial v white millennial divide: white millennials are too far removed from when they or people they know were oppressed (maybe the 1600s?) – black millennials are still feeling the oppression and even when they don’t feel it directly they know that it was not that long ago that Jim Crow ruled the South, blacks were bashed over the head trying to claim their right to vote, and they could be denied admission to a college or a mortgage or a job – or shot dead – simply because of the color of their skin. They don’t have the luxury of voting for “I need lower deductibles on my health insurance!!” and “How will I pay down that college loan???!!?” when they are still confronted with issues of life or death. Not to minimize the pain of facing health care bankruptcy (it has not been eradicated) and the crushing burden of student loan debt but on the Maslow needs hierarchy, not getting killed is pretty basic. It is similar to what you noticed about the feminist movement: where white feminists were complaining about the glass ceiling, black feminists were fighting to survive in low wage jobs with no child care and limited access to family planning.

          Two different worlds.

      • I didn’t know that anything still “redounded” in the 21st century. Karen Tumulty, I deem it advisable for you to get modern with your lingo.

  4. I went to bed early, but I’m still soooo sleepy. I’m happy to have the sun back, though. More evening light will help with my working out, or lack thereof. Right now, though — local news & getting ready for church.

  5. Good Sunday morning, Moosekind! It’s 53 F. now in NoVa under potentially rainy gray skies, going up to 56 F. We’re exhausted after a two-hour drive to BWI and back last night. Daughter and I were on the go the whole day yesterday, chattering nineteen to the dozen, as Karen Tumulty would say.

    Thanks for the tip-off on Ben Cohen! I don’t buy their ice cream anyway because I like natural flavors unmixed with any others. I’ll be sure to even give their vanilla ice cream a miss when it’s on sale.

    Waiting for hubby to make the coffee and wash the dishes. (Both are male jobs in our household.) I cooked a 1,000-calorie breakfast for him and am now engaged in doing laundry. Will spend the day on that, thanking people for cards and presents, and drafting my next two short stories.

    Wishing a peaceful Sunday to all!

    • It has been a while since I have had Ben & Jerry’s, I think it was on a visit to Vermont about a dozen years ago. I don’t like funky flavors – natural vanilla, maybe once in a while with mint chocolate chip – is my favorite. I usually get Breyers when it is on sale.

  6. Here is Dee’s Sunday morning piece: They call me ‘Battling Bella’

    I grew up in a world where women were breaking down the doors into politics.

    A world where women like Shirley Chisholm and Barbara Jordan were elected to Congress. Growing up as a New Yorker, one of the fiercest role models of them all was Bella Abzug. She was a feminist, a staunch anti-racist and as a result of the cold-war, she became a leading voice in what would become a mass movement. In 1961 she co-founded Women Strike for Peace “after over 50,000 women across the country marched for peace and against above ground testing of nuclear weapons.”

    p.s. Dee adds some Bella quotes in the first few comments. I don’t usually recommend reading comments there but in this case, it is worth the risk. ;)

    • They used to give us a day–it was called International Women’s Day. In 1975 they gave us a year, the Year of the Woman. Then from 1975 to 1985 they gave us a decade, the Decade of the Woman. I said at the time, who knows, if we behave they may let us into the whole thing. Well, we didn’t behave and here we are.” ― Bella Abzug, Women and Government: New Ways to Political Power

      Maybe this year we won’t have to “behave” to be put in charge of the whole thing … maybe we can just “be at the polls on election day”!

  7. my co-worker who had cancer died yesterday morning

    here’s something beautiful his husband wrote:

    Once it was clear that his cancer was terminal, J never viewed it as a battle to be won, but rather an adventure of self-awareness, compassion, and good-natured morbidity.

    He demonstrated a strength that helped those of us around him to see that an awareness of one’s own impending mortality need not cripple us or become a crusade against incredible odds. Rather, he approached each day as the opportunity that it really should be for each of us – one of sharing life, experience, generosity, and joy.

    Cancer sucks. Watch Dr. Who, love those around you & work to end bigotry — for J. He was a warm, sweet, funny, smart guy. The world needed him.

  9. Good morning, 45 and cloudy in Bellingham. Our visiting family will be here soon for breakfast. They are picking up hot bagels and spreads so all I have to do is make a fruit platter and set the table. It’s been a nice visit but I’m very tired so I plan to just rest and read my book this afternoon.

    I enjoyed Pete Souza’s Magic earlier this morning.

  10. Morning all. Up very late today, thanks time change! I was all over that Ben Cohen thing yesterday thanks to Al Giordano – Cohen later tweeted he would NEVER vote for Trump, but of course what he was really saying is that he didn’t think he could vote for Hillary. Guess what, genius – if it’s Hillary v Trump and you don’t vote, that’s really you saying you don’t care if Trump wins. My law firm in Vermont represented Ben and Jerry’s, and I always heard that Ben was the smart one of the two. Another myth bites the dust. I’m heartbroken to have to give up Cherry Garcia, but eh, I really need to lose weight anyway.

    I can’t wait for Tuesday to get here – I’m really hoping it’s the wave of wins that will ensure the nomination for Hillary, as I’m getting tired of the awfulness at Dkos and of wondering which of my gaming buddies is for Bernie. I suspect most of our guild is, Dee – Thanael told me last night he caucused for Bernie, but said he likes Hillary too and will vote for her, he just thought Bernie could bring in young people and he thinks Hillary will lose them. I didn’t want to get into it with him, so we just agreed to let the nomination process take its course. But it’s disappointing, for sure, so I just want all of this to be done.

    I thought Hillary’s second statement on her mistake about Nancy Reagan was pretty great – this is a woman who can admit a mistake but build something positive out of it, raising the profile of talking about AIDS in the campaign. This is the kind of issue Bernie never seems to talk about – and admitting a mistake is something he seems unable to do. There was a wonderful comment on the HNV thread yesterday from a woman talking about her 3 kids, all on the autism spectrum, making their decision to switch from Bernie to Hillary – Bernie is of course silent on the issue, but Hillary has a plan. That kind of sums up the election for me at this point – Hillary has thought about such a wide range of issues and is planning for them, while Bernie can only pound on economic inequality. Certainly that sums up the race issues – that video is brilliant, Dee, thanks for linking it!

    I bought a history last night on the rise of the National Socialists in Germany – not Shirer’s book, but a more recent work by a Cambridge historian which is more of a real historian’s exploration of the subject. I did this because I keep drawing parallels in my head between the Nazis in the 20’s up to 1932 and Trump’s now open USE of violence in politics, so I want to know more about it so I can be even more alarmed than I am now.

    Ok, off to read Dee’s Sunday diary and see what’s cooking out there – hold on for Tuesday, guys, we shall prevail!

    • Exactly!

      if it’s Hillary v Trump and you don’t vote, that’s really you saying you don’t care if Trump wins

      Here is the link to Hillary’s statement on Medium for those who missed it: On the fight against HIV and AIDS—and on the people who really started the conversation

      Yesterday, at Nancy Reagan’s funeral, I said something inaccurate when speaking about the Reagans’ record on HIV and AIDS. Since then, I’ve heard from countless people who were devastated by the loss of friends and loved ones, and hurt and disappointed by what I said. As someone who has also lost friends and loved ones to AIDS, I understand why. I made a mistake, plain and simple.

      I want to use this opportunity to talk not only about where we’ve come from, but where we must go in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

      To be clear, the Reagans did not start a national conversation about HIV and AIDS. That distinction belongs to generations of brave lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, along with straight allies, who started not just a conversation but a movement that continues to this day.

      From there she goes into some history and her plans.

  11. Good afternoon Meeses. The first thing is I obviously have internet. :) The AT&T techie who came yesterday swapped out my router with a model that actually supports my phone service and said quite probably, even though we’re talking about something that was done over a year ago, my original router had been damaged when the techie of the time hooked it up to the wrong battery and it stayed like that for 6 weeks until the thing overheated to the point I got another techie out (who only said “ooops” and changed out the battery – no warnings about damage). So. We shall see what we shall see about how well/long this one lasts!

    Started the day at 55 and overcast. Now it’s 64 and the sun is mostly shining although I’ve got rain supposedly moving in later this afternoon. So I hung the socks and underwear in the house and the rest outside, figuring that if I had to bring everything in quickly… :) I’ve got orange muffins for the week’s breakfasts and coffee breaks and oatmeal cookies to go with my frozen blueberries for dessert. I crock-potted chicken in sherry for the week’s dinners.

    I haven’t done Ben and Jerry’s since they sold it (to Unilever I think) as they were no longer a “small” business. Now I have one more reason not to. As with everybody on this site, I too have noted the parallels between Germany 1920s & ’30s, the U.S. Dixiecrats in the 1960s, and Donald Trump’s “movement” now. All I can say is Trump is looking to be more successful than G. Wallace which is bad enough. Authoritarians, with their violent response to fear, have won in way too many times and places for me to be happy about it.

    Need to run some errands but when I get back I’ll head over to GOS and read Dee’s diary. {{{HUGS}}}

    • I am glad AT&T got your problem fixed … you will want to be online when Tuesday night’s election returns come in. :)

      I am ready for my nap. I feel like I have been up since midnight!

      • Well, we’ll see about fixed the problem – the last techie who came out “fixed the problem” for about 6 days. Now I bless him for those 6 days because that was Tricia’s last week and I was able to contact everybody with updates, but I’m seriously hoping that this fix is in for more like 6 years. Not sure about Tuesday night. Election returns are sometimes a little stressful. :) Have a good nap.

  12. Good Monday Morning Meese – got a late start this morning – off to scan the news and make a fresh pot of java.
    47 here today and raining.
    Seeya later!

    • I think that “late start” is going to be the phrase of the day. I hope my clients are in slow motion too as we all deal with the time change.

  13. Good morning, meese! Monday …

    It is 42 degrees in Madison on its way up to 55. Morning fog and afternoon clouds are in the forecast.

    I am tired! My body did not want to wake up this morning when the alarm went off but I knew I had to drag it out of bed. I need to get at least 3 hours of work in before my clients open for business or I will be behind all day. I will nap later.

    I watched the Hillary segment of the CNN Townhall last night and it was excellent. I really like that format better than the debate format: Secretary Clinton can answer serious audience questions with serious answers without the distraction of an angry old man flapping his arms and scowling at her. I especially liked her response to the question “We must defeat Trump. Can you beat him?” :

    … one of my advantages, if I’m so fortunate enough to be Democratic nominee, is that the Republicans have been after me for 25 years.

    There isn’t anything they haven’t already said about me. And in the course of dealing with all of this incoming fire from them, I have developed a pretty thick skin. I am not new to the national arena, and I think whoever goes up against Trump better be ready. And I feel I am the best-prepared and ready candidate to take him on.

    I understand Bernie answered something like “revolution!”. ;)

    See all y’all later!!

  14. Happy Pi Day everyone!!!

    And, if you round Pi (3.14159265…) to 4 decimal places you get 3.1416 … which is today!! Enjoy:

  15. Good Moon Day morning, Meese! It’s another rainy day in NoVa, gray and 47 F. now, going up to 57 F. later.

    Have exactly half an hour to choke down some breakfast and get dressed. Then I need to head over to my son’s house to take care of Babylicious, who is not feeling well today. Dearly Beloved will bring me some delicious coffee on his way to work.

    Had planned to spend the day writing (sigh) but instead will use it to do research when Baby is asleep (if he takes a nap). Political Granddaughter is heading to Seattle this week to work on a political campaign up there. This was great news for me as it will make her birthday short story much easier to write.

    Couldn’t bring myself to watch the town hall last night—too tired, for one thing. Glad to hear Hillary aced it! Misogny, misogyny, misogyny. Incidentally, why are people now writing “a women” instead of “a woman”? I see this again and again and it drives me insane. Wishing everyone a good day!

  16. PPP released their polls last night. It is too close to call in Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri because they are open primary states and Bernie gets most of his support from independents and Republicans. It depends a lot on whether or not the R leaning independents and Republicans decide to vote in their own primary to stop/help Trump rather than vote for Bernie. Florida is wrapped up and North Carolina, by virtue of huge leads in early voting, is almost a lock for Hillary:

    Clinton is better positioned in the Southern states voting on Tuesday. She leads 57/32 in Florida, and 56/37 in North Carolina. She benefits in Florida from it being a closed primary state- her lead with Democrats is comparable to what it is in the three Midwestern states voting on Tuesday but that’s the entire electorate in the Sunshine State, putting her in a strong position.

    Here is what is driving OH, IL, MO … Democrats are strongly for Hillary but the non-Democrats are choosing the non-Democrat Bernie as the Democratic Party nominee. :(

    State Overall…………Democrats…..Independents Republicans
    OH…..Clinton 46-41 Clinton 55-37….Sanders 53-20 Sanders 56-21
    IL……Clinton 48-45 Clinton 59-37….Sanders 69-18 Sanders 62-23
    MO….Sanders 47-46 Clinton 56-39….Sanders 62-23 Sanders 66-23

  17. Record heat today — high supposed to be 94. Yes you read that right: ninety-four. But at least we get the sun back. I know not everyone is a fan of Daylight Time, but it’s what I live for. Finally a decent amount of light after work. I’m leaving early today for a doc appointment, but I’m going to start walking after work — or even ride my bike to & from. Anyway, just gotta do today. And for us nerds, today is Pi Day. Giggle.

    Music in my head — yesterday was Adam Clayton’s birthday, so my FB & Twitter were full of us fan-girl-and-boy-ing. This song is really bass-driven, Get On Your Boots.

  19. 45 and still effen dark when I got up this morning. We had some really dense fog early on that the sun burned through about 8:30 so sunshine! High today is expected to be 77 with tomorrow just a tad cooler, then the rest of the week is expected to be 10-15 degrees cooler for both highs and lows (including possible snow and below freezing low for Saturday) – welcome to Springtime in the Ozarks. :)

    Hope I can find a video of Hillary at the Townhall. Do not want to see Bernie. Even more, do not want to hear Bernie. Sometimes I think the white male whathaveyou is more afraid of strong women than people of color. Their response to Hillary seems worse (not by much, but worse) than their response to President Obama. And of course it will get even worse when it’s President Hillary Clinton. The very idea of Madam President on top of Black Man in the White House is already driving them into a shark feeding-frenzy of bloody violence. Goddess! That woman has guts!

    Anyway, if I can get my head together I’ve got departmental financial stuff to do today. Even if I can’t get my head together I’ve got departmental financial stuff to do today – but the results are usually better if I can get my head together. (rant ahead) DST is counter productive as far as both environmentally and work efficiency is concerned so somebody has to be making money out of it, but that’s neither here nor there. Noon is the meridian. Noon is not 1 hour post meridian. Mucking with the clocks is one more “scramble the natural connection” then taking advantage of the subconscious confusion. But if you’re going to make 1 hour post meridian be the clock meridian, then make it that way and leave it that way. Don’t muck with the clocks twice a year! (rant over)

    Anyway, happy Pi day – stay safe and comfortable. {{{HUGS}}}

    • Actually, Bfitz, I came across some 2008 Ohio exit polls that suggest that the misogynist vote is stronger than the racist vote. Hillary won Ohio with the white vote but the exit polling showed that she ended up barely besting Barack Obama among men.

      I am sure that her campaign is prepared for the fact that she may not prevail in OH especially since Bernie is running as the angry white guy candidate.

      • Thanks. As usual when talking to individuals she did an excellent job. She even satisfied that poor man who’d spent time on Death Row regarding her stance on the death penalty for heaven’s sake. And I know “fighting” for you is the standard political schtick and she uses it – but her natural comment is “working” for you. No matter how far she thinks she can get on it, she’s going to work on it. If she can only get 6 feet of progress where 6 miles is needed, she’s still going to work on getting that 6 feet.

        • Well, I respectfully disagree with you that her statement “satisfied” the man who had spent 39 years in prison for a wrongful conviction. I think he was more satisfied that he had his say.

          The death penalty is wrong, period. A civilized nation should not kill people and call it “justice” – even if it were perfect in identifying the truly heinous, it is simply revenge and has no place in modern society. I hope that Secretary Clinton evolves on this issue. It may be too much evolving to do it for the 2016 election and she may be too vested in her husband’s legacy of executions to ever evolve, but I hope that she can be convinced about how wrong it is.

          This is not a litmus test for me – litmus tests are too binary and having one makes me no better than the anti-choicers who vote for people who will turn a blind eye to the inhumane positions of GOP candidates because of their position on abortion. No candidate will line up perfectly with me on every issue and, frankly, if they did they would probably be unelectable! She is the best choice for 2016 and is excellent on a lot of the issues that matter to me.

          • I don’t think she’d disagree with you – it’s one more thing she wants “on the table” as she wants military force “on the table” mostly so she can use it as a bargaining chip and deal it away – and while she can think of cases where it might – might – be used, she’s very conflicted over it. Definitely doesn’t think the states can be trusted with it, but she regards that under the “reforming criminal justice” rubric. I think the man was satisfied because she was very firm that cases like his should never be subject to the death penalty – not just the wrongful conviction but the case itself – but even more because she talked about what led his wrongful conviction in the first place and what’s needed to fix that situation. She took the single, narrow, focus of the question and broadened it to include his whole experience.

    • Bfitz, could not agree more with your rant about DST. Can’t we have ONE natural thing? This twice-a-year back-and-forth business is for the birds.

      • Fortunately for them the birds can ignore it. We can’t. (Unless we move to AZ and we can’t ALL move to AZ, they don’t have enough water for the people they got.)

  20. Morning all! Finally got some rain here late yesterday and it’s cloudy now so maybe we’ll get some more, which we desperately need.

    I watched just Hillary’s portion of the town hall last night – and you should be able to find a video on line of just her portion, as they were clearly separated on air. I thought she was terrific – just one little slip talking about her plans for energy, I think, where she flatly said coal mining jobs would disappear – she followed it up talking about taking care of those workers with new jobs, etc. but I can see a sound bite coming out of that. Otherwise, she was great!

    Stuff to do today – have a great one everyone!

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