Monday, March 07, 2016

Goldfinch


29 comments:

  1. We have the power!

    For once, voter questioning pays off [Click] CNN gives Flint residents a voice, and they use it to challenge Clinton and Sanders.
    By Hadas Gold
    03/06/16 10:49 PM EST

    Bill--It is an interesting idea that in this contest California, voting in June, might be able to vote before the nomination is decided. I'm doubtful about that, but stranger things have happened and this is a strange year. In 1916 the outcome of the presidential election wasn't known for several days, until the votes of a remote area in the Sierra Nevada were delivered on horseback. As long as the number of pledged delegates for either Democratic candidate has not yet reached the number required for a first-round victory, the contest should continue IMO. And as Bernie said, every state should get to vote for its choice. If one candidate were to get enough pledged delegates, or even a clear plurality, I think the superdelegates would be hard pressed to put their thumbs on the scale for the other candidate. Well, we shall see. California has for some time been like two states--the coastal and inland areas. The Democratic establishment, bless their shriveled little hearts, continue to gerrymander the inland areas so few Democrats can win.

    --Alan

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    1. Alan, I don't get out to talk to people much. Super introvert. My brother does and he says many people are very excited to stand for Bernie. I know there is phone banking going on, but I haven't seen any signs (except my own lighted "Bernie" sign). So I really don't have an idea of how it's going to go, just hope.

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    2. Well, your field report is more information than we have had up to now; thanks, Susan.

      —Alan

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    3. The guy I canvassed with on Saturday was originally from Ohio. He said people there fall into two camps: those for the Bern and those for the Donald.

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  2. Hi Cat and Puddle and Alan and listener and Bill.

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    1. ♥ SUSAN! ♥

      Soooo good to see you posting here again! You've been missed!

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  3. Opposition To All Things Obama At Heart Of GOP Splintering [Click] Yet another similarity to the Whig Party, whose raison d'ĂȘtre was opposition to Andrew Jackson and anything he favored.

    —Alan

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  4. This just in from berniesanders.com:

    Michigan State University Poll - Michigan (March 7, 2016)
    Hillary Clinton 52%
    Bernie Sanders 47%

    Google Trends for Bernie and HRC in Michigan shows a definite relative increase in interest about Bernie after last night's debate. Inquiries about Bernie have generally outpaced those for HRC for some time, but Bernie inquiries have pulled somewhat further ahead now. And we have the Faux Gnus town hall tonight. I am guardedly optimistic.

    Alan

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  5. The good news is that I got a Bernie flyer in today's mail (along with one for Kim Foxx, running for State's Attorney). The bad news is that I got an email from Jan Schakowsky, long considered the liberal light of Illinois' Congressional delegation, announcing a GOTV rally with Bill Clinton.

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  6. Have a friend in Columbus who says she and a number of friends, all dems, are voting for the turnip because that's whom they'd most like to face in November. Not sure if they had to un-enroll to do that.

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  7. Bill, send Jan the Bernie flyer.

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  8. We’re feeling a little stress here tonight. As I've mentioned, after some layoffs at work, my husband's job got nearly doubled. (Penny wise and pound foolish company!) So they told Mah*Sweetie not to worry as they'd have this other guy do part of his work. Well, guess which other guy had a stroke over the weekend? He's a decade younger than M*S, too. Apparently there is something about his heart that creates clots. That poor guy!
    So M*S's work is doubled again. M*S got the job in the first place because the guy who had it before him died of a heart attack. It’s a good thing my dear husband has a good, strong heart!!!

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    1. Oh, my--about all one can do (besides look for another job, which might be as bad or worse) is as much as one can reasonably do without harming oneself. If everything the boss wants done doesn't get done, it doesn't get done. It also makes a difference if one doesn't have to hang in there for a long time... You make sure Sweetie listens to his body.

      --Alan

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    2. Well, Alan, I certainly speak up and create space and plan some relaxation into our week. But, wouldn't you just know it, he's all grown up. So there's only so much I can do. He gets up early, works hard all day and often until 7pm, then comes home and tends his home business. This is part of why I retired last year...to pick up slack with domestic things he was tending, and to work on clearing stuff out of our household, so our children won't have to some day, and so our retirement can be simpler.the difficulty is his work ethic and determination to do a quality job. And you know what they say: work flows to the most competent person until s/he submerges.

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  9. For the Macophiles out there, this from Ingego (my choice of malware protection):

    Ransomware has arrived on the Mac. A version of the popular open-source Transmission BitTorrent client distributed via the app’s official website was infected by a new family of ransomware.

    Dubbed OSX/KeRanger, the malware is the first of its kind to infect Mac OS X. Capable of encrypting system files and user documents, it will then demand a ransom be paid in exchange for their safe return. Intego’s Malware Research Team recommends that users update their software as soon as possible in order to stay out of harm’s way.

    --Alan

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    1. Make that Intego, not Ingego. I've been quite pleased with their malware protection. I figured that since they had a smaller installed base than Norton, they would be less likely to be targeted, and so it has proven at least once. I recall two or three years back there was malware directed at Norton Antivirus.

      --Alan

      Alan

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  10. Holy cow! One never knows when THE TEST will come in this life; some people will pass, and others will fail. I should think the baseball team ought to come through with a BIG financial thank-you, considering the potential liability Dad saved them from. State college tuition and living expenses, maybe?

    --Alan

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  11. Uptick in Google Trends search data for both Bernie and HRC seemingly coincident with tonight's Town Hall. Bernie about 20% ahead of HRC before the Town Hall, about 30% ahead currently. It will be very interesting to see how well this tool works.

    Alan

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    1. I should have specified that the data are for Michigan.

      Alan

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  12. 1924: The Wildest Convention in U.S. History [Click] Nearly 100 years ago, it took the Democrats 103 ballots and 16 sweaty days to select a nominee. Could the GOP be headed for a similar showdown this year?

    --Alan

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  13. It seems strange to me that the stories about Nancy Reagan's passing don't seem to talk about her enlisting a White House astrologer. I suppose omissions like that are of a piece with the hagiographic treatment of her husband.

    Alan

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    1. Oh, absolutely, and herself as well.

      Sis came across something that shocked us both and turned even mild mannered Sis virulently against Mrs. Reagan, to whit:

      Nancy Reagan Turned Down Rock Hudson's Plea For Help Nine Weeks Before He Died - Click

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