Pseudoscience is alive and well at the FBI lab. [Click] This is an inherent problem with the custom that crime labs are branches of the prosecution, but there is in my estimation little likelihood of change. It is a rare criminalist who has any significant scientific background; they learn by the monkey-see-monkey-do method. And then they get promoted to supervisory positions. In the EU things seem to be better; in the UK the standards wer higher until the Tory government disbanded the national Forensic Science Service in the interest of “efficiency” and “economy”—certainly not in the name of corporate profits! But consider the source--I have an attitude (from more than forty years' experience).
A national forensic service certainly sounds like a fine concept.
Speaking of the Tories, did you see where Theresa May squeaked through her no confidence vote? Now, it seems, she has to come up with a new Brexit plan. Ho hum. Another Brexit plan, and another and another. They're going to begin giving Brexit plans away free in breakfast cereal, and they still won't be able to sell it.
The art history article from last thread was most interesting. Thanks, Alan. I must admit, I always assumed Andromeda was a Greek or at least Mediterranean princess. Just goes to show how little I really know about classical mythology.
Stress-related hormone cortisol lowers significantly after just 45 minutes of art creation. This is from Drexel University. I can't make it clickable, but I find the idea fascinating.
Writing does the same thing, and it doesn't have to be art strictly speaking. Anything creative ought to do it, including sowing and other types of needlework I should imagine. Nice of the ivory tower crowd finally to inform us. *sigh*
Wonder how I go about getting funding to study the beneficial effects of taking or better yet writing trivia quizzes? Remind me to ask Bill when he comes home. It's no more frivolous than some of the things they "study" in universities and think tanks.
Lately, I've been receiving emails from various groups and individuals asking me to support Bernie in a 2020 Presidential run. Today I received one from Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield (yes, the original owners of Ben & Jerry's). And today, for the first time, I responded. Here's what I sent:
Dear Ben & Jerry,
Fellow Vermonter here. We in Vermont know Bernie best, and over the years we have had so many reasons to stand with him, because he stands with us, continually, consistently. No other former Presidential candidate has been out working for We the People as much as Bernie since the last election cycle (and before)! So, naturally, I would like Bernie to run again.
However, I do not want Bernie to run for the Democratic Party’s nomination. It isn’t going to happen. They were terrible to Bernie last time, even though he never wavered and helped them straight to the election itself, and I feel sure they would be terrible to Bernie this time as well. So, while I would be willing to volunteer to do data entry, march in parades and show up for some rallies, I feel I can’t do so if Bernie runs with hopes of the Democratic ticket.
As an Independent, I would love for Bernie to break the two-party mold and run as an Independent! He *is* an Independent and, while the nation was not ready for a third party candidate last time, trust in party politics is at an all time low; so the time is ripe for more options for Americans. In fact, there are more Independents in our nation at this time than Republicans or Democrats, and Bernie would surely garner many voters from both parties as well.
Please confirm my hopes! Many Thanks for all you’ve done for Vermont all these years! Warmly, June M. Schulte, Jericho
In Pew Research Center surveys conducted in 2017, 37% of registered voters identified as independents, 33% as Democrats and 26% as Republicans. When the partisan leanings of independents are taken into account, 50% either identify as Democrats or lean Democratic; 42% identify as Republicans or lean Republican. Mar 20, 2018 http://www.people-press.org/2018/03/20/1-trends-in-party-affiliation-among-demographic-groups/>
Seems to me running not as some sort of third party but actually as an independent, unshackled by any party allegiance would be best for Bernie. He has proven he can raise money and win primaries. No doubt it's naive, but I can't see as he would need anything larger or more elaborate than the campaign structure and Our Revolution. After all, Our Revolution is well established by now. If it is as well organized in other states as it is in Massachusetts, then it would provide a quite solid footing, emulating a party without quite being one. Many registered Democrats would vote for him.
And there's this as well. In the 2016 cycle, Fox News and MSNBC as house organs for the RNC and DNC both had considerable vested interest in running Bernie down as much as possible and heavily promoting Clinton's inevitability. By not running for the Democratic nomination, Bernie would short circuit both sides. He's gotta get with it, though, to make sure he has primary and general ballot access in all fifty states an the District, territories and such. Time isn't standing still. He needs to strike before the parties realize what's happening and move to block him.
Yes, they are EXCELLENT at ballot access. They can pull that together in a matter of days in all 50 states, because they have boots on the ground. It does sound like they are getting close to an announcement.
The Green Party has been working for decades to gain ballot access in all fifty states, and still hasn't managed to do so. Some states make it much harder than others, but none make it easy.
GRRRRRRR!!! Got the above from The Hill's FB page. On said page two comments were visible:
Comment 1: Who gives a f**k what Howard Dean thinks? Comment 2: Howard Dean hasn't been relevant in a decade.
I saw red, especially at the first and, immature though it surely was, I took great satisfaction in responding in kind: Who gives a f**k what you think? No doubt I'll pay for it,but the instant gratification was enormous.
McConnell Urging Pompeo to Run for Senate [discomfiting Trump] Trump Directed Cohen to Lie to Congress [lots of confirmation] Mueller Targets Turn on Each Other [it’s everyone for him/her self] Mnuchin Refuses to Testify on Shutdown Democrats Target 6 GOP Senators Over Shutdown Trump’s Focus on the Wall Keeps Democrats Unified [it wasn’t supposed to play out that way] Trump Retaliates Against Pelosi [No trip to Afghanistan for you!]
Quote of the Day [Click] “If you’re a one-term Congress member, so what? You can make 10 years worth of change in one term if you’re not afraid.” — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), in a new video [Click] urging activists to run for office and challenge incumbent Democrats.
Bolivian Romeo & Juliet [Click]
ReplyDeleteGeorgia senator concerned shutdown could affect Super Bowl [Click] I’m certainly glad to see that someone has his priorities straight…
LOL
DeleteActually, if it does then Joe Sixpack may actually take some notice. It's a dangerous thing to come between football fans and their big game.
Now, if the shutdown adversely impacts Spring Training, Fart may well have an insurrection on his hands. And I'm not altogether meaning to joke.
Yeah, Cat! Boston Strong! Watch out for those Sox fans. They don't take crap! ;-)
DeletePseudoscience is alive and well at the FBI lab. [Click] This is an inherent problem with the custom that crime labs are branches of the prosecution, but there is in my estimation little likelihood of change. It is a rare criminalist who has any significant scientific background; they learn by the monkey-see-monkey-do method. And then they get promoted to supervisory positions. In the EU things seem to be better; in the UK the standards wer higher until the Tory government disbanded the national Forensic Science Service in the interest of “efficiency” and “economy”—certainly not in the name of corporate profits! But consider the source--I have an attitude (from more than forty years' experience).
ReplyDeleteA national forensic service certainly sounds like a fine concept.
DeleteSpeaking of the Tories, did you see where Theresa May squeaked through her no confidence vote? Now, it seems, she has to come up with a new Brexit plan. Ho hum. Another Brexit plan, and another and another. They're going to begin giving Brexit plans away free in breakfast cereal, and they still won't be able to sell it.
40 years of experience doesn't equal attitude, it equals informed opinion!!!
DeleteWhat a lovely photo!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cat! It's a pretty road in all seasons.
DeleteThe art history article from last thread was most interesting. Thanks, Alan. I must admit, I always assumed Andromeda was a Greek or at least Mediterranean princess. Just goes to show how little I really know about classical mythology.
ReplyDeleteStress-related hormone cortisol lowers significantly after just 45 minutes of art creation. This is from Drexel University. I can't make it clickable, but I find the idea fascinating.
ReplyDeletehttps://drexel.edu/now/archive/2016/June/Art_Hormone_Levels_Lower/
DeleteOf course, artists have known this for centuries.
Delete(Well, at least, the ones who didn't hold the lead laden oil paint brushes in their mouths.)
Writing does the same thing, and it doesn't have to be art strictly speaking. Anything creative ought to do it, including sowing and other types of needlework I should imagine. Nice of the ivory tower crowd finally to inform us. *sigh*
DeleteWonder how I go about getting funding to study the beneficial effects of taking or better yet writing trivia quizzes? Remind me to ask Bill when he comes home. It's no more frivolous than some of the things they "study" in universities and think tanks.
RIP Mary Oliver
ReplyDeleteThe poet who saw the wilderness in humanity
https://grist.org/article/mary-oliver-the-poet-who-saw-the-wilderness-in-humanity/
Lately, I've been receiving emails from various groups and individuals asking me to support Bernie in a 2020 Presidential run. Today I received one from Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield (yes, the original owners of Ben & Jerry's). And today, for the first time, I responded. Here's what I sent:
ReplyDeleteDear Ben & Jerry,
Fellow Vermonter here. We in Vermont know Bernie best, and over the years we have had so many reasons to stand with him, because he stands with us, continually, consistently. No other former Presidential candidate has been out working for We the People as much as Bernie since the last election cycle (and before)! So, naturally, I would like Bernie to run again.
However, I do not want Bernie to run for the Democratic Party’s nomination. It isn’t going to happen. They were terrible to Bernie last time, even though he never wavered and helped them straight to the election itself, and I feel sure they would be terrible to Bernie this time as well. So, while I would be willing to volunteer to do data entry, march in parades and show up for some rallies, I feel I can’t do so if Bernie runs with hopes of the Democratic ticket.
As an Independent, I would love for Bernie to break the two-party mold and run as an Independent! He *is* an Independent and, while the nation was not ready for a third party candidate last time, trust in party politics is at an all time low; so the time is ripe for more options for Americans. In fact, there are more Independents in our nation at this time than Republicans or Democrats, and Bernie would surely garner many voters from both parties as well.
Please confirm my hopes!
Many Thanks for all you’ve done for Vermont all these years!
Warmly, June M. Schulte, Jericho
In Pew Research Center surveys conducted in 2017, 37% of registered voters identified as independents, 33% as Democrats and 26% as Republicans. When the partisan leanings of independents are taken into account, 50% either identify as Democrats or lean Democratic; 42% identify as Republicans or lean Republican. Mar 20, 2018
http://www.people-press.org/2018/03/20/1-trends-in-party-affiliation-among-demographic-groups/>
Good letter, Listener.
DeleteSeems to me running not as some sort of third party but actually as an independent, unshackled by any party allegiance would be best for Bernie. He has proven he can raise money and win primaries. No doubt it's naive, but I can't see as he would need anything larger or more elaborate than the campaign structure and Our Revolution. After all, Our Revolution is well established by now. If it is as well organized in other states as it is in Massachusetts, then it would provide a quite solid footing, emulating a party without quite being one. Many registered Democrats would vote for him.
And there's this as well. In the 2016 cycle, Fox News and MSNBC as house organs for the RNC and DNC both had considerable vested interest in running Bernie down as much as possible and heavily promoting Clinton's inevitability. By not running for the Democratic nomination, Bernie would short circuit both sides. He's gotta get with it, though, to make sure he has primary and general ballot access in all fifty states an the District, territories and such. Time isn't standing still. He needs to strike before the parties realize what's happening and move to block him.
Well said!!
DeleteYes, they are EXCELLENT at ballot access. They can pull that together in a matter of days in all 50 states, because they have boots on the ground. It does sound like they are getting close to an announcement.
The Green Party has been working for decades to gain ballot access in all fifty states, and still hasn't managed to do so. Some states make it much harder than others, but none make it easy.
DeleteSlowly catching up.
ReplyDeleteNotes on the last thread.
HOPE SO!
ReplyDeleteActing attorney general's wife emails reporter that Mueller investigation is 'wrapping up'
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/17/politics/marci-whitaker-trump-mueller/index.html
Howard Dean to CNN: All Dem candidates qualified to be president except Tulsi Gabbard - Click
ReplyDeleteGRRRRRRR!!! Got the above from The Hill's FB page. On said page two comments were visible:
DeleteComment 1: Who gives a f**k what Howard Dean thinks?
Comment 2: Howard Dean hasn't been relevant in a decade.
I saw red, especially at the first and, immature though it surely was, I took great satisfaction in responding in kind: Who gives a f**k what you think? No doubt I'll pay for it,but the instant gratification was enormous.
Jan. 17th headlines at politicalwire.com:[Click]
ReplyDeleteMcConnell Urging Pompeo to Run for Senate [discomfiting Trump]
Trump Directed Cohen to Lie to Congress [lots of confirmation]
Mueller Targets Turn on Each Other [it’s everyone for him/her self]
Mnuchin Refuses to Testify on Shutdown
Democrats Target 6 GOP Senators Over Shutdown
Trump’s Focus on the Wall Keeps Democrats Unified [it wasn’t supposed to play out that way]
Trump Retaliates Against Pelosi [No trip to Afghanistan for you!]
Quote of the Day [Click] “If you’re a one-term Congress member, so what? You can make 10 years worth of change in one term if you’re not afraid.”
— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), in a new video [Click] urging activists to run for office and challenge incumbent Democrats.