March 9, 2016

 The Nation: Why Bernie Sanders’s Win in Michigan Is Huge

Couldn't the headline say YUGE?

The results prove it’s far too early to declare the nomination contest over.


http://www.thenation.com/article/why-bernie-sanderss-win-in-michigan-is-huge/



 Bernie Sanders supporters rally in Miami on March 8, the day of the Michigan primary. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

 By D.D. Guttenplan Twitter TODAY 8:00 AM

So that wasn’t supposed to happen. Like many Sanders supporters, I spent the weekend bracing myself for Michigan. And not in a good way. The most recent poll had Clinton ahead by 27 points. The RealClearPolitics average had her winning by 21 points. Even the most optimistic poll had Sanders trailing by 13 points. And that was just the maths.

There was also the fact that Clinton, to her credit, responded early and effectively to the lead poisoning crisis in Flint. Plus the way Sanders seemed to shoot himself in the foot in the last debate by appearing to suggest no white voters lived in poverty—or that all blacks lived in “the ghetto.” Of course that wasn’t what he actually said, but what he did say was easily spun against him, and while that isn’t fair, it is politics. As was, Clinton’s supporters would argue, her claim that Sanders “voted against the money that ended up saving the auto industry”—by itself no more than an artful deception, but coupled with her statement that Sanders “was against the auto bailout” an outright lie. Which Sanders then had to waste precious time—and advertising money—on the eve of the vote rebutting. Call me cynical, but I figured it would probably work, and prepared myself for yet another round of Clinton’s media megaphones singing “Let’s Bury Bernie” this morning.

Instead we have a vivid reminder of how much the Sanders message matters. And why it remains far too early to declare the nomination contest over. As FiveThirtyEight’s Harry Enten admits, to find an upset on the same scale as what Sanders achieved in Michigan you’d have to go back over 30 years. Those polls that put Illinois and Ohio out of Sanders’s reach look a lot less reliable today. And if Sanders wins in those states, it won’t be his viability as a candidate that is in question.

Forestalling that possibility was what last week’s rash of premature defeatism was all about. That, and cutting the legs off the threat to the business-as-usual corporate sock puppetry posed by the kind of mobilized, organized, militant electorate that carried Sanders to victory in Michigan. Because the longer Sanders stays competitive, and the more delegates he brings to the convention, the harder it will be for any nominee—or Democrats further down the ticket—to “pivot” away from pledges to break up big banks, tear up TPP, block pipelines like Keystone, end voter suppression, prosecute both Wall Street fraud and police violence, and prevent corporations from stashing their profits in overseas tax havens. Which, though it may not add up to a political revolution, wouldn’t be a bad start.

FULL story at link.

March 6, 2016

A few photos AND NEWS from my NE caucus location today (Bernie has YUGE lead WON NE)

Up to the moment NE caucus results here: http://www.omaha.com/news/politics/caucus-updates-bernie-sanders-sweeps-sarpy-county-lancaster-county-caucuses/article_0e948b20-e26f-11e5-8813-0389a16e501a.html

Sarpy county had 2 Legislative districts at Bryan High.

It has been a long day. I'm out all day tomorrow for a volleyball tournament. See everybody soon.

OS

The line.



Hillarys group in LD 45.



Bernie's groups won't fit in one shot. Lower left in head scarf. I gave her and her friend in a wheel chair a yuge hug in the entry hall. I wish I had taken a selfie of the smiles we all 3 had.


From the OWH. This is from my LD where I was a caucus captain.

MEGAN FARMER/THE WORLD-HERALD

Jenny Henry, center, smiles while sitting with Brooke Ryan, left, and Cale Henry before the caucus begins at Bryan High School on Saturday.

March 4, 2016

An old friend came to visit, she is the largest breed (Pileated) woodpecker in N America

Taken just moments ago. Woody the Woodpecker was based on a piliated.




Info on piliateds here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/id


On the large yellow feeder is a red bellied woodpecker. Info: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-bellied_Woodpecker/id

March 3, 2016

At First, They Thought It Was an Old Tire. When These Scientists Got Closer, They Couldn’t Believe..

http://blog.therainforestsite.com/nautilus-siphonophore-discovery/?

When deep sea explorers see something they can’t believe, you know it’s a big deal.

Researchers with the Nautilus Live expedition — a live-streamed deep sea exploratory mission — nearly passed right over a rare specimen floating along the sea floor.

The creature was later identified as a siphonophore: a superorganism that’s made up of a colony of smaller animals called zooids. You may remember the Portuguese Man-o-War, which is perhaps the most well-known type of siphonophore. Like jellyfish, these aquatic predators use their tentacles to capture prey. Of the 175 known species, some reach lengths of up to 40 meters.

Watch the rare footage here:



Published on Jun 27, 2014
NAUTILUS LIVE 2014 | E/V Nautilus, the current ship of exploration of Titanic discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard, is exploring the ocean studying biology, geology, archeology, and more. Watch http://www.nautiluslive.org for LIVE video from the ocean floor. For dive updates follow along on social media at http://www.facebook.com/nautiluslive and http://www.twitter.com/evnautilus on Twitter.

This beautiful colonial organism drifted past Hercules' cameras, and we followed it for as long as we could keep track. They are made up of many smaller animals called zooids, and can be found floating around the pelagic zone in ocean basins around the world. One famous siphonophore species is the deadly Portugese Man O' War.

We would like to credit Wikipedia for the information read aloud toward the end of the video.

About Us:

The Ocean Exploration Trust was founded in 2008 by Titanic discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard to engage in pure ocean exploration. Our international programs center on scientific exploration of the seafloor and many of our expeditions are launched from aboard Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus, a 64-meter research vessel operated by the Ocean Exploration Trust. In addition to conducting scientific research, we offer our expeditions to explorers on shore via live video, audio, and data feeds from the field. We also bring educators and students of all ages aboard during E/V Nautilus expeditions, offering them hands-on experience in ocean exploration, research, and communications.

February 25, 2016

I was glad to git rid of them, Bernie's office was glad to get them

I called Bernie's Omaha office this morning about getting some yard signs. They said they have plenty of the plastic signs, but are temporarily out of the stands they go on.

Back when I ran for city council (twice) I had yard signs. I still had left over 2 boxes of 100 stands. Packed them in the car.

Went to the dentist first. I got a temp crown. I might have popped out at lunch and I couldn't tell because I was still numb. So I'm going back there at 5.

So I drove to Bernie's office. I told them what I came to donate. I made a lot of people happy. I explained they were just taking up space in my garage.

Somebody walked in the door and wanted to help, but didn't want to do phoning. Can you put signs together and staple them? Sure. The stapling is to keep them from flying off in the wind. So there is a lot more to pitching in than just calling and door knocking.

Anyway Bernie got 200 union made in the USA brackets. I brought home the empty cardboard box to recycle it.

Edit to add I delivered signs to friends on the way home.

OS

January 30, 2016

Some things that will "NEVER, EVER come to pass!!"

A Socialist running for US President while sitting in jail and getting almost 1 million votes will "NEVER, EVER come to pass!!"

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/wilson/peopleevents/p_debs.html

Debs found his greatest success in the 1912 Election, when he campaigned against Democratic nominee Woodrow Wilson, incumbent President William Howard Taft, and former President Theodore Roosevelt. Debs received almost a million votes - six percent of the ballots cast.


Unemployment Insurance for Workers will "NEVER, EVER come to pass!!"

http://laborhistoryin2.podbean.com/e/january-28-2016-unemployment-insurance-for-workers/

January 28, 2016
On this day in Labor History the year was 1932. That was the day the first unemployment insurance law in was established in the United States.

It happened in Wisconsin. Governor Phillip LaFollette signed the Unemployment Compensation Act.

2:00 minute audio at link.


A sit down strike of a corporate giant to win collective bargaining will "NEVER, EVER come to pass!!"

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sit-down-strike-begins-in-flint

At 8 p.m. on December 30, 1936, in one of the first sit-down strikes in the United States, autoworkers occupy the General Motors Fisher Body Plant Number One in Flint, Michigan. The autoworkers were striking to win recognition of the United Auto Workers (UAW) as the only bargaining agent for GM’s workers; they also wanted to make the company stop sending work to non-union plants and to establish a fair minimum wage scale, a grievance system and a set of procedures that would help protect assembly-line workers from injury. In all, the strike lasted 44 days.



A woman voting will "NEVER, EVER come to pass!!"


http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Essays/No-Lady/Womens-Rights/

The beginning of the fight for women’s suffrage in the United States, which predates Jeannette Rankin’s entry into Congress by nearly 70 years, grew out of a larger women’s rights movement. That reform effort evolved during the 19th century, initially emphasizing a broad spectrum of goals before focusing solely on securing the franchise for women. Women’s suffrage leaders, moreover, often disagreed about the tactics for and the emphasis (federal versus state) of their reform efforts. Ultimately, the suffrage movement provided political training for some of the early women pioneers in Congress, but its internal divisions foreshadowed the persistent disagreements among women in Congress and among women’s rights activists after the passage of the 19th Amendment.


POC voting will "NEVER, EVER come to pass!!"

http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/voting-rights-act


VOTING RIGHTS ACT: SIGNED INTO LAW ON AUGUST 6, 1965
The voting rights bill was passed in the U.S. Senate by a 77-19 vote on May 26, 1965. After debating the bill for more than a month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 333-85 on July 9. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law on August 6, with Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders present at the ceremony.


Workers getting a US Law to organize the workplace (democracy in the workplace) will "NEVER, EVER come to pass!!"


https://www.nlrb.gov/resources/national-labor-relations-act

Congress enacted the National Labor Relations Act ("NLRA&quot in 1935 to protect the rights of employees and employers, to encourage collective bargaining, and to curtail certain private sector labor and management practices, which can harm the general welfare of workers, businesses and the U.S. economy.


Disabled americans being treated equally will "NEVER, EVER come to pass!!"

http://adata.org/learn-about-ada

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The ADA is divided into five titles (or sections) that relate to different areas of public life.


Organized labor creating a safer workplace, affirmative action, and protecting the environment will "NEVER, EVER come to pass!!"




12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave a year will "NEVER, EVER come to pass!!"

http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/1421.htm

The Family and Medical Leave Act
The Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA&quot provides certain employees with up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave a year, and requires group health benefits to be maintained during the leave as if employees continued to work instead of taking leave. This Compliance Guide summarizes the FMLA provisions and regulations1, and provides answers to the most frequently asked questions. More detail on the FMLA may be found in the regulations (29 CFR Part 825).


A law that puts consumers back in charge of their health care will "NEVER, EVER come to pass!!"

http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about-the-law/index.html

About the Law

The Affordable Care Act puts consumers back in charge of their health care. Under the law, a new “Patient’s Bill of Rights” gives the American people the stability and flexibility they need to make informed choices about their health.


Hillary Clinton Says Bernie Sanders’s Health Plan Will ‘Never, Ever Come to Pass’

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/01/29/hillary-clinton-say-bernie-sanderss-health-plan-will-never-ever-come-to-pass/?_r=0


Feel free to add to the list. I was in a hurry. Taking one of our dogs to the vet. Back soon.

Update: I'm home but headed out for a couple hours again soon. For the little help from my friends...

OS

January 23, 2016

Happy birthday OS (update x 2)

I slept in. Went out for my favorite breakfast. Just headed out the door. My 10 year old granddaughter is taking me to lunch.

Update 1 I was still pretty full from breakfast. So we went to Orange Leaf for frozen yogurt. I doubt many grandpa's get treated by a 10 year old granddaughter on their birthday. We had a blast.

Thank you all for the great replies.

Update 2 Jr. came over in the afternoon and stayed till it was time for us to call it a night. He brought my card and the Father's Day card from last year he kept forgetting to give me. He gave me a new card game simply called "The Game". It is a lot of fun.

I won't be on much today (Sunday) either. I'm leaving at 6 AM for my granddaughter's volleyball tournament. It will be an all day affair. And I hate posting on my phone. I'll be reading between games or when her team sits.

I also heard from my oldest daughter and youngest grandchild. Best birthday I've had in a long time.



OS

January 17, 2016

Feeding birds in winter on a below zero morning 2 pix from this AM

If you have feeders up during the winter, especially when it is this cold, you have to feed them 2-3 times more than normal. A heated bird bath for open water helps. We have two of those.

The top photo is a feeder intended for cardinals. Here the female lands and defends her feeder. The starling left.

We have two sunflower chip feeders. The chip feeder not pictured is for the larger birds like woodpeckers & flickers.

OS

January 15, 2016

And they finally outed that scammer OmahaSteve (part 2)

for disability fraud with his false dementia claims, because he is still able to do things like make forum posts. Whoever created that site might have a legitimate disability claim, I would vouch for them, provided the authorities take away their internet privileges.


It seems I have dementia and still have a better mind than this POS!

I retired. My pension amount took a hit because I was 57. I needed to get to 60 Had planned on 62.

The disability requests are further up the page: http://hr.cityofomaha.org/images/stories/public_documents/retirement/Civilian/2014/12-2014%20Minutes.pdf

OS




http://www.theaftd.org/life-with-ftd/managing_symptoms/driving-privileges

DRIVING PRIVILEGES

Getting your loved one to give up the car keys can be one of the most difficult things a caregiver must do. For many people, driving has been a powerful symbol of independence from the time they were teenagers and got their first license. It can be very distressing when limiting that independence becomes necessary.

Receiving a diagnosis of frontotemporal degeneration need not mean an immediate end to driving. In time however, everyone with FTD or any other degenerative neurological disorder, will become unable to drive. The characteristic behavioral changes associated with FTD can increase risk, and highlight the importance of caregivers getting involved early. People have reduced judgment and are typically unaware of the changes they are experiencing.

A study conducted in 2007 by a team of researchers at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) evaluated the driving competency of FTD patients and healthy controls in a driving simulation task. The FTD patients received more speeding tickets, ran more stop signs, were involved in more accidents, and had a significantly higher average speed than the controls (de Simonea, L. Kaplana, N. Patronasb, E.M. Wassermanna, J. Grafmana 2007).

Caregivers share in the responsibility for the safety of the person diagnosed and that of others who may be at risk if the person continues to drive when no longer safe. Caregivers need to excercise their own judgment, as well as heed the advice of their physician, when it comes to “taking away the keys.”

January 15, 2016

And they finally outed that scammer OmahaSteve (update)

for disability fraud with his false dementia claims, because he is still able to do things like make forum posts. Whoever created that site might have a legitimate disability claim, I would vouch for them, provided the authorities take away their internet privileges.

It seems I have dementia and still have a better mind than this POS!

OS

Update...I'm sure this is one of those from the other site. The story changed and wasn't consistent with the Act Blue books. When I had the info they stopped replying: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1311567

I retired: http://hr.cityofomaha.org/images/stories/public_documents/retirement/Civilian/2014/12-2014%20Minutes.pdf

The disability requests are further up the page.




http://www.theaftd.org/life-with-ftd/managing_symptoms/driving-privileges

DRIVING PRIVILEGES

Getting your loved one to give up the car keys can be one of the most difficult things a caregiver must do. For many people, driving has been a powerful symbol of independence from the time they were teenagers and got their first license. It can be very distressing when limiting that independence becomes necessary.

Receiving a diagnosis of frontotemporal degeneration need not mean an immediate end to driving. In time however, everyone with FTD or any other degenerative neurological disorder, will become unable to drive. The characteristic behavioral changes associated with FTD can increase risk, and highlight the importance of caregivers getting involved early. People have reduced judgment and are typically unaware of the changes they are experiencing.

A study conducted in 2007 by a team of researchers at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) evaluated the driving competency of FTD patients and healthy controls in a driving simulation task. The FTD patients received more speeding tickets, ran more stop signs, were involved in more accidents, and had a significantly higher average speed than the controls (de Simonea, L. Kaplana, N. Patronasb, E.M. Wassermanna, J. Grafmana 2007).

Caregivers share in the responsibility for the safety of the person diagnosed and that of others who may be at risk if the person continues to drive when no longer safe. Caregivers need to excercise their own judgment, as well as heed the advice of their physician, when it comes to “taking away the keys.”