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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Morning all! Thanks for the tip on the Google doodle – it IS adorable! Another sunny hot day here, like every day from now till November – good day to stay inside and clean up in preparation for my new computer’s arrival in a couple of weeks! My WOW buddy Thanael told me how to save all my bookmarks – I hadn’t realized I could sign into Chrome, and once I do that, since I have a Google e-mail address, all my Chrome bookmarks (that’s my main browser) will be preserved for the new machine. Yay! Now I just have to save other files, although since I’m going to keep using this computer for work, I don’t have to do all that right away and I can decide what I want to transfer.
This neo-nazi stuff with Trump is extremely disturbing – and taken with all his comments about women, Jews, POC, etc, over his lifetime puffing himself off as a celebrity rich guy, it’s clear to me these are things he does believe. I think this mindset is far more common among the hereditary wealth class than we’d like to believe – casual, taken for granted anti-Semitism and racism are a part of the DNA of people like the Koch brothers and Trump’s family. So all this is no accident and was bound to come out – better sooner than later.
I’m so tired of reading stuff like “How does Hillary fix her trust problem?” Well, if the media would stop parroting right wing lies about her “scandals” and “investigations”, that would probably help, wouldn’t it? I look forward to hearing her and Pres Obama this afternoon – I moved my eye appt to tomorrow so I could watch it!
There certainly does seem to be a global trend of both right wing movements and traditional government centrists falling down on the job – I simply can’t believe that the two guys most responsible for pushing Brexit just decided they’d quit and leave the mess they created for others to clean up in Britain. And the Labour party is in no better shape. At least on our side of the pond, we have Trudeau for Hillary to work with when she gets in office (I don’t know much about the Mexican President, so can’t say if that’s a more stable situation than elsewhere in the world.) What I really worry about is the increase in global refugee migration as climate change makes areas like Southeast Asia untenable for possibly millions of people as the sea levels rise – seems to me a large part of the reactionary movements successes in Europe have come as a result of xenophobic reactions to refugees from the Middle East. The movement of displaced peoples can only increase, as far as I can see, and the right wingers will have a fertile field in which to sow their poisons.
Well, enough cheerfulness for this morning! Looking forward to seeing POTUS on the stage with Hillary this afternoon! Have a great day everyone!
No one wants to follow Barack Obama onto a stage – or Elizabeth Warren for that matter. But Hillary Clinton and President Obama campaigning together is going to be must-see TV.
I don’t know what to say about the faux populism, barely disguised racism and othering, that is roiling the world. I would like to think that is is simply the last gasp before we accept that we are all one people and that we need to get along or perish. Sadly, there are many who are choosing “perish”; I hope that more sensible people can break through the noise.
Rev. Barber:
Open Letter to Donald Trump: I will post a link if I find one later.
Good morning, 59 and cloudy in Bellingham. We’ll join the last of visiting family for breakfast soon and then the last of our company will be headed home. It’s been a very busy few days! So this afternoon I’ll focus on laundry and changing the bed linens. We’ll have a quiet week before our next company arrives.
Thankfully the weather cooperated with early morning rain on the 3rd so our party was outdoors as planned. Last night’s dinner could have been outdoors but we were all to tired so we just relaxed in the kitchen with tacos, family photos and some nice music. We had planned to watch the fire works together, but opted for an early to bed evening instead.
Yay for quiet week! I am trying to find a way to ease into the work week and have not gotten there yet.
I think I will go eat lunch and then watch the president and Hillary speak.
FBI Director James Comey says No charges against Secretary Clinton for her email use. My favorite Tweet, pure snark:
If you didn’t get to watch the Hillary+PBO appearance in NC this afternoon, you owe it to yourself to find a video of it, because it was one of the best campaign appearances by anyone ever. The visuals, the one-two punch of Hillary followed by Obama, the relentless trolling of Trump by both of them (Obama kept just saying “the other guy”, never using his name), and Obama’s full throated support and admiration for Hillary, all of it was just extraordinary!
It was awesome. There was a fair amount of “subtweeting” of Sanders going on, too. I burst out laughing when he said “and when she lost a contest, she didn’t pout!” Hahahaha!!
Good morning, meese! Wednesday …
It is 68 degrees in Madison on its way up to 88. Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast. We had storms roll through overnight, waking up the household, and we are expecting more tonight.
Yesterday, when I should have been working, I was instead tracking FBI Director Comey’s announcement and the aftermath and then watching the Hillary Clinton campaign rally … and watching its aftermath. The speech was great and I will put up a post. Most of you, I am sure, have seen it but posting it here makes it easier for me to find it. :) I was peeved by the talking heads who I heard when I flipped from CSPAN to MSNBC when the satellite feed was lost. Chuck Doodiehead Todd was saying that Hillary should not appear with President Obama because she suffers by comparison. JHC on a pogo stick!! EVERYONE in the known world suffers by comparison! He is an amazing speaker, a brilliant man, a political dynamo!! But Secretary Clinton is more than just ” likeable enough”, she is the perfect person to roll up her sleeves and finish the work that the president started. I kept trying to picture that rally happening with Sen. Sanders and I couldn’t. The Democratic Party chose wisely – the future needs to be built on what was started over the last 7 years.
See all y’all later!
I woke up about 5 times last night. Like, fully awake, enough to light up my watch to check the time. Ugh. Glad I already had extra tea for today. I just dumped more powdered tea in & some sugar. Did I say “ugh”?
Anyway — watched the news last night. Even the “liberals” I watch were desperately looking for a way to be mad at Hillary about the e-mail non-scandal. Weird. I ended up watching a lot of the Science Channel & Tour de France. Weird how literally none of the talking heads are talking about how various people in W’s administration used private servers — even the RNC’s — and deleted tons of files…..
Bringing out the big “stay awake” guns — playing U2’s City of Blinding Lights in my head. Really hope it helps.
Good morning, Moosekind! This morning the sky looks “quiet and blue,” with wisps of white cloud here and there. It’s 73 F. here in NoVa, going up to 89 F. today. We’ll grill the chicken tonight.
Okay, it’s barely ten past eight and my stomach is already roiling from “the news.” Dear Goddess, will someone bop James Comey the Ugly on the side of the head? Not only is he ugly-looking, the contempt garnished with relish that he served up regarding HRC should damn him to obscurity forever. Unfortunately, I think FBI directors are there for 10 years. Typical Rethug!
And the media gleefully pouncing on this “scandal” and how the findings were “rigged.” Damn them all.
Also sickened by Oscar Pretorius’ six-year sentence. Is that all Reeva Steenkamp’s life was worth? Six years? He ought to be put away for life. But there you go—far too much adulation is heaped on male sports figures, to the point where they think they can commit murder and get away with it. I still haven’t forgiven Michael Vick for electrocuting “used” pit bull dogs in a kiddie swimming pool. I don’t care what “debt” he’s paid to society, in my mind he is evil and will remain so.
Well, now that I’ve ranted, on to more pleasant things. Darling Niece, Miss Pink Cheek’s six-year-old cousin, and Miss PC herself will be here this morning. We’ll have a snack, then head down the road to Frying Pan Farm. Last week I took Miss PC there, and we gazed long and rapturously at the baby pigs who’d fallen asleep suckling Mrs. Pig’s obliging teats. Now Miss PC has acquired three pink piggies of her own—a tiny pink eraser, and two bigger stuffed animals from Ikea. Wherever she goes, she has to have her favorite stuffed animals with her.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond and Beyond!
Considering that one talked about alternative to 6 years for Pretorius was 0 years, it is a good outcome.
The email nothingburger comes at a good time: there is plenty of time for it to fade before the convention. The House Committee for Wasting Time on Clinton Witchhunts will surely convene and call all manner of witnesses to make sure that the story stays in the news. But normal people will move on. Comey doesn’t like the Clintons (going back to the Whitewater investigation) and the “extremely careless” comment was a big sloppy kiss to his Republican friends. But even if he said “she did nothing wrong and is a paragon of virtue” it would be twisted so in the grand scheme of things, who cares? Not President Obama, not the Obama coalition who are ready to Get Out and Vote … not the tens of millions of people who would be harmed by a Trump presidency.
I had to mute a half dozen bernt-enders on Twitter who were upset that Sanders could not claim the mantle of the party he hates, by default. They are simply deranged.
“Deranged” is right. :)
Thanks! You always make me feel better. I tend to get so carried away by Rethug hatefulness that I lose perspective.
The Republican Party’s chickens have come home to roost this year and whenever I get upset at some new outrage, I comfort myself in the knowledge that they have done permanent damage to their party. Donald Trump is not just a terrible candidate, he is an epicly terrible candidate. Those who embrace him will have the mark of Trump on them forever, those who refuse to embrace him will be forced to create a new party. Either way, we will have a chance to get about a 16 year head start on them. Think of the wonderful things we can do!!
Our only danger is complacency which may set in when the polls start reflecting the Republican Party stalwarts who will be looking at each other in disbelief when the GOP rolls out their presidential ticket. They are no different from the bernt-enders, sure that SOMETHING will save them from the primary voters’ choices. When it is decision time, what will they choose?
80 with a heat index of 84 at dawn so no opening and airing out the house this morning. Rain moving in. Skullbanging headache that will not go away. Trying coffee – if that doesn’t work, Ibuprofen. At least yesterday was sunny enough I got 20 KWHs and we’re at 69 for the month at the moment.
Hillary and Obama’s event was wonderful. (Thanks for the transcript – scan’s diary at GOS had a link, but it was the one where they lost the signal – I was able to see how Obama ended his speech with your transcript.) Comey is a self-righteous, self-satisfied, smirking, white male jerk. I don’t know what he thought he was going to get out of dissing Hillary as part of his “no indictment” speech that he shouldn’t have made in the first place. The “no indictment” riled up the Rs and the BoBcats and the “careless” (unqualified) riled up the Dems – that was a lose-lose for the smug bastard and he’s too stupid to see it. Oh well, he’ll find out that he just killed his career. Hope he was planning to retire anyway at the end of his FBI stint.
Still dealing with End of Fiscal 2016 Beginning of Fiscal 2017. When I can see well enough to process numbers. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Some of the transcript is missing, noted only as “missing audio”. I suspect that it was when President Obama said “And I was only too happy to direct the FBI and my Attorney General to ignore all criminal activity by Hillary regarding her email server! It is all part of the rigged system that we put in place to deny Bernie Sanders the nomination despite the popularity of his revolutionary ideas.” ;)
:) and a rousing snicker.
Morning all! bfitz, the signal loss was of the original feed, so all videos of the event will have it – but they restored the feed about 30 seconds to a minute later, so if you stick with the video, you can watch the ending if you want.
Another day, another police murder of a black man – this just isn’t going to stop until local communities get actual control of their police and down to the lowest ranked patrol person, clean out the racist murderous instincts. I’m not sure how we do that, but there has to be a way to deal with this – the great PropaneJane on Twitter has written a lot about how the habits and mindset of white poiice are imbued with the centuries old slave patrol laws, that white men in these positions of power and armed to the teeth, feel almost instinctively that they have a right to kill black men first and ask questions later. This is yet another area I have confidence Hillary can approach and do some good in – but the violence against POC, Native Americans, women is so ingrained in police culture, it’s hard to see how it will really get rooted out.
On the e-mail kerfuffle, yeah, Comey’s a Republican, he’s always hated the Clintons, and so you would think that if he of all FBI directors couldn’t come up with a case again Hillary, that would be vindication for her. But no – now the Republicans want to have hearings on Comey, just to keep the whole thing in the news thru the summer. Meanwhile, Trump praises Saddam Hussein, as he has consistently done throughout the primaries, and the media lifts its head for one second…then goes right back to e-mailghazi. In fact, the Washington Post got a double hit in – saying this somehow was evidence of the conniving Clinton campaign, to draw attention to Trump’s insanity as a way of distracting from the e-mail story. I had done a digital subscription to them, but I cancelled it, I’m simply not going to support that kind of crap.
Ugh. well, I’m going to get my eyes examined this afternoon, hope they don’t find anything that requires me to go to the opthamologist – I think/hope I just need a new glasses prescription. Have a great day everyone!
Good luck with your eye exam! I find that as I age, I need new glasses prescriptions more frequently. The optician says it is because my eyes are hardening which changes the adjustment needed – actually for the better! It is a pain, though, because glasses are not cheap. I was glad to find that Costco has the best prices and since I don’t need fancy frames, I can get the prescription redone every 18 months without too much financial hardship.
The right wing going after Comey is hilarious as is their equating Hillary’s email with Petraeus’ turning over top secret documents to his mistress! One guy said “Comey is to law enforcement what John Roberts is to the constitution”. Sheesh. Their litmus tests for purity get more and more ridiculous every day. Essentially it is now “whatever is good for the Republican Party at this point in time.”
Good morning, 57 and sunny in Bellingham. I’m going to the pool this morning and then I’d best tend to all the unopened mail on my desk. I’ve been so busy lately so I’m sure something is lurking there, needing asap attention.
Thanks to all for the news links and discussions. I haven’t had much time to read so you are keeping me informed.
Thursday.
Been up most of the night. Can’t sleep after watching the video of the death by cop execution of #PhilandoCastile #FalconHeightsShooting
No words.
If you can bear to watch – full video
https://amp.twimg.com/v/55a1cc38-b457-4a6b-9aff-493197187480
I woke up early not feeling well and flipped open Twitter. It is interesting that the 2nd Amendment actually means “The right to keep and bear arms – unless you are black”. This killing rips the mask off the “gun rights” debate in America.
Yup. Won’t hold my breath waiting for the NRA to protest his murder.
My daughter watches TV news in the mornings before school and I heard her shout at the TV “he was reaching for his ID!! why did they kill him??” She is well aware of the differences between how police treat black people and white people.
As you know, gun rights have always been muddled when it comes to black people having guns. In California in the 1960s, tough gun laws were enacted when armed Black Panthers patrolled their own neighborhoods. The 2nd amendment is a convenient fig leaf for overt racism. Hypocrites.
{{{Denise}}} – I just read your diary at GOS. No words, just sick at my stomach.
Good morning, meese. Thursday …
It is 64 degrees in Madison with an expected high of 84. Storms heading our way later this morning. I wish it would cool things down.
“Traitor” Comey will be brought before the House Committee on Bullsh*t today. Republicans, who one month ago were praising Comey’s integrity, are now attacking him because he did not put party over laws and indict Hillary Clinton or at least one of her aides. I really think that Ryan and his Republican Party were somewhat sanguine about the Rise of Trump because they saw him running against Bernie Sanders or an indicted Hillary Clinton and winning. Oops! Now they are seeing that he will not only lose but lose spectacularly – 40 states is not out of the question.
Found on Twitter:
See all y’all later!
I woke up at 3:40, spent the next 90 minutes mentally pushing ocean waves over my chattering brain & maybe dozing some. And now I’m at work & the a/c is obviously broken. That’s how hot it is — 6:30 am & I know the a/c is broken. Otoh, it’s possible Ben & Jerry’s might be giving away ice cream at the Capitol at noon.
Playing sweet, cool music (Michael Hutchence looks cool in that white t-shirt) to keep awake: Disappear
Good scorching summer morning, Meese! When I got up to make the early morning tea, the windows were all befogged with condensation from the heat and humidity outside and the a.c. inside. Current temp. is 75 F. in NoVa, going up to 92 F., with 85% humidity. Thank Goddess (and the electric company) for air conditioning!
This morning I’m seething about yet more black men wantonly murdered for being black and going about their everyday, nonthreatening business. HOW MANY MORE black lives must be lost because of the racism of the police? They should all be fired and replaced with nonracists.
I’m going to start referring to anyone against gun control as a Death Eater (a la Harry Potter). They love death. They want more of it, as long as they’re the ones doing the shooting. May they burn in hell.
Well, after all that sweetness and light, I suppose I’ll shuffle off and do some housework. Why is the news always so awful? And as The Guardian points out, the biggest issue isn’t being mentioned in either campaign, and that’s climate change! Every morning this year the lead story on the evening news has concerned the ravages that horrible weather has wrought on cities, towns, countryside, and people.
Hope everyone at the Pond and Beyond gets nothing but good news today.
Morning – 75 at dawn so I opened up and aired out before I left for work, much to the pleasure of my kitties who love to lie in the window and watch the world. Of course I had to close up before I left. Heading for 93 air temps with heat index in the upper 110s.
No words on the police shooting of the day. Just sick at my stomach.
The Rs didn’t learn their lesson with the Benghazi witch hunt. Hope Rep. Cummings has a field day with this inquiry. Meanwhile, our team just keeps racking up points. Enough points I hope to make enough changes starting in 2017 to get us going towards our “American Dream” – the first part of which is LIFE and without which liberty and the pursuit of happiness are moot.
Gotta get to work. As bright the day as possible, Meeses. {{{{HUGS}}}}
The House hearing is must watch TV.
Good morning, 63 and cloudy in Bellingham. Thanks to Sue, my 2x’s a month housekeeper, the beds are all changed and my house is clean. And thanks to serious napping I may be recovering!
Our grandson called last night with great news……his physical therapist gave him the ok to just “be a kid again!” The words, “I’m finally well again, Grammie” were wonderful to hear :) He will follow up with the therapist at Children’s Hospital re anxiety and insomnia, but he’s looking forward to that assistance. It’s so good to see his smile again.
I’m going to stay in my domestic bubble today and let my mind wander while I finish the laundry and do something with the stack of ironing. Busy work can be relaxing.
So glad about your grandson, princesspat!
Be careful with that ironing, girlfriend. Ironing every once in a while is OK, but if you do it too often, soon you find yourself doing it everyday—unable to stop!
I had to give it up after discovering it was bad for my mental health. Every time I ironed I was seized with a fit of introspection that led to troubling questions: (1) Why am I doing this? (2) Why aren’t I sunning myself on a beach in Antibes? (3) I’ve wasted my life, what should I do about it? And so on and so on.
Ha!!!
give me strength
The a/c is trying to cool off, but it’s still rather warm. The guy in the cubicle next to me is singing to himself. (is there a polite way to say stfu, this is an office, it’s noisy enough without your singing to yourself?) And my Fox-loving co-worker is talking about how the woman who recorded her partner dying “sounded too calm”….. ffs her daughter was in the car & she didn’t want to be murdered also.
Still dunno if Ben & Jerry’s has permission to come, but wow do I need them.
and….no – they hadn’t gotten permission from the bureaucracy that… well, the Capitol…..ugh
they came!!! They’re in the loading dock!
Yay! Which flavor will you choose?
I had mint-chocolate & they gave me a pint of brandy-something, which I’m going to have with chocolate
I’ve been dying to taste Trader Joe’s Coffee Bean Blast ice cream, but ice cream is a “no-no” for me, even when I’m not on a reducing diet.
So I’ve worked out an elaborate plot. I will buy a quart (it doesn’t come in a smaller size), take it to Elder Son’s house on the day I’m to baby-sit, taste 2 tablespoons of it, and leave the rest in his freezer. Hah!
Morning all. Recovering this morning from a bad day and night before last with…let’s just say instestinal difficulties. Had to cancel my eye appt yesterday afternoon, but I’m feeling a lot better this morning.
Well, I would be feeling a lot better if not for the continuing episodes in the police administered holocaust on young black men. It is absolutely soul sickening, Philando Castile did everything he was supposed to do and still died. As his mother said, she drilled into him, if you’re stopped by the police, comply, comply, comply and still he’s dead. And you know this has gone on for centuries, the difference now is that it’s being recorded and broadcast thanks to cell phones and the internet, so white people can’t ignore it any more. My great-nephew is a precious mixed race toddler who is very big for his age, and will be a tall dark-skinned man when he grows up – I want to call my niece and tell her just don’t let him out of the house, don’t let him learn how to drive, keep him safe.
I can’t bring myself to watch the Comey hearing, but from what I see on Twitter, this will prove to be a mistake for the Republicans, as the Dems are able to elicit from Comey all the facts about NO grounds for prosecution.
Ok, still recovering from yesterday but need to get some stuff clean around here. Have a great day everyone!