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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I have a geeky side – so found this article on Elan Kriegel – the head of Hillary’s data analytics team really interesting
Hillary Clinton’s ‘Invisible Guiding Hand’
She is running a very professional campaign using the latest technology and hiring the smartest people. Yet, the race is close because there is an element in our country that embraces butthurt white nationalism and an element, the RNC, that is willing to use the power of one of our two national parties to work to elect a person completely unsuited to be president – simply to hang onto power. It is beyond frustrating.
Yay Friday. Even though it was a short week, it has seemed really, really long. I kinda feel like my cold is coming back.
Richard Garriott (he’s a very successful game designer, his dad was an astronaut, his house in Austin was designed for playing D&D – secret rooms & passages, and has an observatory; seems like his house in New York also has secret passages) has a funny series of tweets, starting with this one:
https://twitter.com/RichardGarriott/status/774065590906580992
He’s politically independent, but making the right choice this year. (my proudest moment on Twitter was when I impressed him by telling him I could write using the Elvish alphabet from Tolkein’s books to pass notes in high school – in English, just using the alphabet. He was impressed)
I don’t watch Morning Joe – however they are finally going after the monster they helped create
Charlie Pierce called it a “deluge” of lies. I liken it to a fire hose aimed at the media which can’t be processed using our standard ways of dealing with data. I think the media has given up and are now covering him as a reality TV star. They need to step up their game because Americans need to understand it is NOT entertainment. The Huffington Post knew what was at stake when they started putting a note on all their Trump pieces after they were finally forced to move him from entertainment to politics:
That … was incredible. I cannot believe that Paul Ryan is willing to stand by Donald Trump and put party over country on TV for everyone to see. What does he mean it is not his job to call out Trump??? It is EXACTLY his job as the highest elected official of his party!!! And his candidate embracing a violent dictator is more than “campaign tit-for-tat”!
And I have new found respect for Bush spokesliar Nicolle Wallace. She is as dismayed as most of us are that the establishment Republican Party won’t back away from this monster they created.
Nicole Wallace is a right-wing shill, though, isn’t she? She’s the one who coached, or should I say, attempted to coach, the Palin to behave like a normal veep candidate.
Thanks Denise…..a tsunamni of lies indeed! I don’t watch MJ so it’s good to hear this honest discussion.
Good morning, Meese, on another hot, rainless day. It’s 75 F. in NoVa now, going up to 94 F. today. Ugh.
Wonder if the worm has finally begun to turn? Apparently even the WaPo thinks the email thing has been overblown. Well, it should know—the WaPo was one of the chief instigators.
Glad the Trump-Bondi story is finally getting legs, and glad to see that some are pushing back against Thing’s admiration of Putin and scorn for the generals. Meanwhile, back in North Korea, the Plump Chump has let off another nuke. He reminds me of a child playing with matches. How long before he blows everyone up? I wish China would take him out.
Time to go downstairs for breakfast. Wishing all a good day!
Just saw that Trump was on Russian TV whining about the US
Geez – what’s next?
Cloudy overnight so 75 from just after dark last night and still is although expected to go up to 90 today. Hope that means it’ll clear off soon. I got under 12 KWHs yesterday and the monthly total sits at 120 right now.
Doubt that the national media will ever give Hillary decent coverage, but they are being forced to look at some of Trump’s more egregious issues – that’s muchly because of our Twitter Warriors getting the word out and putting pressure on them but it’s partly because some of the Trump worship has been so blatant it couldn’t be covered up. (Like the CIC thing Wednesday night.) Meanwhile the Hillary campaign keeps doing the right things to not only win but Blue Wave win in November.
I’ve got January Intersession classes to enter this morning, so need to get on it. I’ll check back through the day. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good day, 61 and sunny in Bellingham. I slept well and woke up just in time to go to the pool so now I’ll rest and recover and read the news. And then I’ll retreat to my garden to recover some more! The daily yam report is just about more than I can stand.
Fortunately the Seattle Times has a good gardening section, and this is a lovely garden. More that we could maintain, but fun to read about and nice photos to dream about.
A Shoreline garden provides a bounty of food, plus spaces for dining, strolling and artwork
Good morning, meese! Saturday …
It is 66 degrees in Madison on its way up to 68. Isolated showers this morning, scattered clouds this afternoon and clearing into the evening. It looks like a week of good open-window sleeping weather coming up with overnight lows in the 40s.
The yam was at the Value Voters Summit, the group of right-wing evangelicals who value their pocketbooks over human life. One person overheard Louie Gohmert (R-TX) saying: “I’d like to elect a godly man, but we don’t have that choice”. True, they cannot elect a godly man but if they wanted to elect someone who believes in the social gospel not the gospel of prosperity, there is a candidate available.
The Supreme Court rejected Michigan’s request to block party line voting. This means that people in urban areas, whose number of polling places keep getting “mysteriously” cut by Republicans, can avoid long lines that would ensue if they have to check every box in every race. Good news for us. Also, the DC Circuit blocked Alabama, Georgia, and Kansas from implementing their proof of citizenship requirement on their voter registration. Finally, in Arizona, the DNC and Maricopa County agreed to a partial settlement of the lawsuit filed over long lines in the primary which should make voting go more smoothly. No word yet on the appeal to reinstate Ohio’s “Golden Week” still pending in SCOTUS.
The president’s weekly address is about 9/11 and I will post it somewhere later. I am sad for the lives lost in that attack but what came of it by the terrible actions of the appointed president and his bloodthirsty enablers still causes me pain. The jingoism, the war in Iraq, the rise of Daesh, the faux patriotism used to bash religions and peoples. I will spend the rest of the weekend quietly avoiding the news.
See all y’all later!
You know, Jan, I think you’re on to something there. I should do the same.
Good morning Meese
Found this letter to Trump which I will post in full (I’m sure author won’t mind:
Was up in the middle of the night responding to twitter #BasketOfDeplorables
Glad Hillary called it out.
Up for workout. Back later. Cold front coming but of course not till after we’re done.
Good hot Saturday morning, Meese! It’s 8:25 a.m. and already my blood pressure is rocketing upwards from reading an excerpt from Greg Sargent’s column about Hillary and Trump.
Today I’ve got to stop being so lazy and get a move on, we’ll be leaving in a few days. Need to go to the gym, enter the names and contact info of English friends and relatives in a notebook—fortunately I’ve established whatsapp contact with two of them—and start packing. My new suitcase is smaller than the old one, so I fear for my clothes. There’s laundry to be done as well.
Hope everyone will have a good day!
Morning all! Our little breath of fall in the form of coolish air in the morning appears to have passed, for the moment – hot outside already.
I’ve been thinking about Hillary’s “basket of deplorables” comment at her fundraiser last night and the press reaction to it. I say press, not public, as I’m not convinced the public will be shocked or suprised by it – anyone who would take umbrage to her characterization would never vote for her anyway. She’s said just about the same thing before, in a recent speech, just not with that metaphor, so I hope she doesn’t feel she needs to back down just because the Chuck Todds of the media are having the vapors over blunt talk. I think she may have deliberately intended to up the stakes here, call this election what it is – a battle for the soul of America. We will never make progress toward racial equality and an end to police murder of black men until we call things what they are and face up to them.
I’m so happy Pres. Obama decided to call a halt to that pipeline – that was very well done. I’m looking forward to Pres. Clinton, but I’m going to miss the Obamas terribly – their grace and beauty in the White House the last 8 years are unparalleled.
Ok, everyone have a great day!
Yes, great news about the pipeline! I’ll miss the Obamas too, but I am very much looking forward to President Hillary Clinton! And then President Michelle Obama, President Chelsea Clinton, President Sacha Obama…:)
I forgot to give my Saturday opera report! I just looked up what WETA is broadcasting today, and it’s Hamlet, by Ambroise Thomas – I had to look him up in Wikipedia, that’s how obscure he is, and turns out he was a very famous in his time French composer of the 19th century. He composed another opera, Mignon, which I have heard of, but Hamlet is new to me – reading the summary at WETA’s site, I can kind of see why it’s obscure. Thomas gave Hamlet a happy ending!!! Shakespeare probably rolled over a few times at that one. Still, sounds melodic, so worth having on while I play WOW this afternoon.
I love your opera reports, Geordie. They remind me of my late mother.
Good morning, 64 and cloudy in Bellingham. Thanks to a restless night I’m sleepy, slow, and unable to focus on the news this morning. Time for some coffee and then to sort out the day.
Walked 1.08 miles, did 5 30-second runs! At home waiting for the cable guy. Weird problem — 1 channel is missing. Just the one. Then I have to do errands & get a head start on cooking, because I’m doing the Brain Power walk with my friend tomorrow. Last year the 1 mile Survivor Walk took, I think, 1.5 hr. She is doing so much better now, I think it will take a lot less tomorrow.
tweet of the day
https://twitter.com/fawfulfan/status/774581485311373312
Very late check in – we started the day with rain (heaviest at 2 a.m. which got me up to close windows) and mid-60s at 6 a.m. (Topped out at 75 and the sun came out about noon. Nice.) By the time I got dressed, fed the cats, scooped the box, fixed and ate breakfast, it was time to leave. Had to gas the car before heading to the Farmers’ Market. Did my shopping, then did a stint at voter registration. Truthfully most of the people attending the Market were already registered, but I did get one to fill out the form right there and gave out 5 more forms to people who didn’t have time (although I did run them through what was absolutely required and reminded them to put a stamp on it before dropping it in the mail). Also gave the County Clerk’s phone number (I have it memorized) to several who weren’t sure so they could check. It was damp, chilly, and periodically sprinkling so when my hands and feet got too cold to continue I handed my clipboard off to one of the other volunteers and headed north to staff Dem HQ. Things are picking up as far as traffic in the office which is good. Mostly it’s down-ballot stuff as the HFA people have the office booked for Thursday evenings – phone banking for volunteers still at this point – but I got a handful of folks coming in for yard signs and bumper stickers.
I didn’t know about the “basket of deplorables” until I heard about it at HQ. So far Hillary’s walked back the “half” and doubled down on the deplorables. LOL. She’s got this. We just need to GOTV like crazy to get her a Congress she can work with.
It’s a little late to say “bright the day” but Bright the day anyway. heh {{{HuGS}}}