Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Jonquil


19 comments:

  1. It's a new day. We have the chance to have a new world. We have the power.

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  2. Easter here was quite nice. On Saturday we drove 1.5hrs to the church I made the Pascal Candle for. Meeting their new priest for the first time, I was a little overwhelmed by her extrovertedness, but she's really nice. She asked me (no longer a member there) to read one of the evening readings, though she wasn't sure which one, could be the third one, but would let me know. Mah*Sweetie and I quickly discovered that the candle they'd ordered was a good 1/4" larger than the hole in the candle holder. So he found a kitchen knife and set to work whittling it down to size. That took a half hour, but we got the deed done. We went out to dinner. The priest never told me which reading, but as people got up to read for the first and second readings, and there were three readings, I simply went up and read the third. Funny. It was the reading from Ezekiel about The Valley of Dry Bones. I read it through before we left for dinner, but otherwise was reading it cold…in a darkened church, with one light on at the lectern. And it came out fine, so I guess I haven't lost my touch, honed over the decade I was in the ordination process. "Mortal, can these bones live?" Sounds a lot like the political process, doesn't it? ;-) Anyway, the Candle was well received, and the service was good to be present for.
    Then on Sunday our Youngest and his wife and two grands came over for Easter Dinner and fun. They even brought a Bunny Cake they'd made. :-) It was a good time. Then! We learned that Daughter in Maine has found a Nanny for her wee lad! This is so good as she is a single-parent-by-choice and will be going back to her high level executive job in May. The Nanny is from the next town over, is 25, has a degree in Anthropology with minors in Conservation and Early Childhood Ed. She's been working for a day care but doesn't like the frenetic aspects. It seems a very good match, and Daughter will provide a good salary and help her have healthcare coverage too. Between now and May, Nanny will come one day a week so Grandbaby can get to know her and Daughter can begin to have some time to herself. Good for everybody! :-)

    All that and Bernie won by landslides in all three states over the weekend! Laaaaaaaaaa! I found myself unable to sleep because I was so happy I could just lie there with a big grin on my face! :-D

    Definitely a special weekend for the life calendar. ♡

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  3. Yes, a very good weekend, listener! Who would dare to ask Heaven for more?

    --Alan

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  4. This puts well something that I have long recognized but have not been able to competently articulate:
    The Smart Con: Clinton vs. Trump [Click] Trump’s outlandishness may get more press but Clinton’s intelligence act might be just as dangerous. byPeter Bloom
    BTW, I think I will recommend to Bernie HQ that he follow HRC’s advice and adopt a new tone: C sharp major, for instance. Think of it—just like AUMMMMMMMM….., the simplest and most inclusive mantra; condition people to associate a musical tone with Bernie, and whenever they hear it they will instantly recall all his political positions, his demeanor, everything about him! Genius!

    —Alan

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  5. Oh, choice! They must have been saving this one for the New York campaign...
    --Alan

    MARCH 29, 2016

    BURLINGTON, Vt.— Despite promises to take on special interests, the Clinton campaign continues to accept millions in contributions from corporate interests for its campaign and its affiliated super PACs. The list of corporate interests include lobbyists for the National Rifle Association.

    As late as this month, the Clinton campaign advertised a March 21 fundraising event hosted by Jeff Forbes, who was a long-time lobbyist for the NRA. She has also received maxed out contributions from NRA lobbyists.

    “How can you claim to take on the gun lobby when the gun lobby is funding your campaign?” said Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager. “If Secretary Clinton is sincere about gun safety reform she should give back their money and ban gun lobbyists from any involvement in her campaign.”

    Gun lobbyists are the latest interest group that Secretary Clinton says she will take on as president – when in fact they are funding her campaign. They are in addition to Wall Street interests, pharmaceutical companies, fossil fuel interests, and lobbyists who have worked for the private prison industry.

    Clinton’s record on gun safety is all over the map. While running for president in 2008, she spoke against federal gun laws and attacked then-Sen. Obama for being too tough on gun safety. This came after having previously advocated more gun laws when running for U.S. Senate from New York.

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  6. Alan, did you see this at Huffington Post?

    It's Time for Hillary Clinton to Concede the Democratic Nomination to Bernie Sanders
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/h-a-goodman/its-time-for-hillary-clin_b_9555422.html

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    1. I did not, but will hustle on over there right now!
      --Alan

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    2. That is a rather forcefully argued thesis, listener. I am reminded of this in politicalwire.com yesterday:
      =================
      Meanwhile, the Washington Post details how Clinton’s aides pushed to accommodate Clinton’s wishes to use her own private email account: “From the earliest days, Clinton aides and senior officials focused intently on accommodating the secretary’s desire to use her private email account, documents and interviews show. Throughout, they paid insufficient attention to laws and regulations governing the handling of classified material and the preservation of government records.”
      ================
      When I read that, my cynical self thought, "Laws and regulations are for little people, right?"

      And I am reminded of this column written in JULY of 2015:

      This Is How Hillary Loses the Primary [Click] Not perfect prognostication, but pretty good considering how early it was.

      In today's Bee (probably all the McClatchy newspapers) there was this from the latest USC/Dornsife/LA times poll (which I had never heard of):
      "Clinton leads Sanders 45 percent to 37 percent [8 points], but that's down from the 15-point advantage she had in the same poll in September." Things are looking very interesting, indeed.

      --Alan

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    3. Minor correction:

      "Clinton leads Sanders 45 percent to 37 percent [8 points], but that's down from the SIXTEEN-point advantage she had in the same poll in September."

      I find the Field Poll to be very reliable for California polling. They haven't polled the presidential races lately, but I found these polls for HRC/Sanders:
      October 2015: 47/35 [+12]
      January 2015: 46/35 [+11]

      So the two polls are not very different. People are starting to pay attention, and if Bernie does credibly in the upcoming races, he will probably do better and better here.

      Alan

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    4. Alan, I can't say I'm enamored of the author who spoke of how Hillary could lose the nomination. He seems to understand what she's doing wrong, but he terribly underestimated Bernie Sanders. He may have known the well-known Clinton, but he didn't really do his homework on the Bernie side of things. Howard Dean told Hillary Clinton early on not to underestimate Bernie. Apparently the author didn't get the memo. ;-)

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  7. Phone's sort of working. Still low information, still disconnects some, but better than a kick in the pants. Lost my upstairs clock for four days, too. Dropped it today, and it's back. Go figure.

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    1. Smartphone? Landline?

      Alan

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    2. Alan, puddle has a landline and it's dial-up.

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    3. That's what I thought...

      Alan

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  8. Ha, puddle! I love that your clock just needed the kick in the pants. LOL!

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  9. Still almost no presidential contest bumper stickers to be seen hereabouts. Are they really so out of fashion?

    --Alan

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  10. And just look who's changing their tune. ;-)

    Clinton "perfectly willing" to debate Sanders in NY, aide says
    http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-03-29/clinton-perfectly-willing-to-debate-sanders-in-new-york-aide-says

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  11. Bumper Stickers are certainly available. They might be out of fashion, especially on leased cars, because they have to be removed before the car is returned.

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  12. One can get, at the hardware store, a sheet of plastic or rubber with a magnetic sheet embedded (made for cutting of heat registers in unused rooms). It can be cut with scissors. You stick your bumper sticker to that, and cut around it. Assuming you have a metal bumper, it sticks just fine. And is very easy to peel off.

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