Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
suffragette
suffragette's Journal
suffragette's Journal
February 23, 2016
The observations he made and shared June 7, 2013, would turn out to be the first reported sighting of a mysterious starfish wasting disease that in 2013 and 2014 would devastate more than 20 species of starfish from Alaska to Mexico.
In its geographic scope, the number of species of starfish affected, and duration of the outbreak — still not over — the sea star wasting syndrome Fradkin first documented is now understood to be the largest observed die-off of a wild animal in the ocean. Nearly three years later, the epidemic of sea star wasting disease has left many coves, tide pools, pilings and beaches still largely bereft of starfish. Some locations saw complete mortality of sea stars.
Scientists working ever since to understand the outbreak have published the first evidence of a link between warmer ocean temperatures and the devastation of the wasting disease. Unusually warm ocean temperatures coincided with the 2014 die-off analyzed in the paper published last week in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.
“We were able to show warmer temperatures were related with the higher risk of disease,” said Drew Harvell, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University and a co-author of the study, along with Fradkin and others. “We suspected there was a temperature link, but we really needed to look at the field data to pull that out, and we were able to back that up with lab experiments that found that in warmer temperatures, they died faster.”
Scientists now link massive starfish die-off, warming ocean
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/scientists-now-link-massive-starfish-die-off-warming-ocean/The observations he made and shared June 7, 2013, would turn out to be the first reported sighting of a mysterious starfish wasting disease that in 2013 and 2014 would devastate more than 20 species of starfish from Alaska to Mexico.
In its geographic scope, the number of species of starfish affected, and duration of the outbreak — still not over — the sea star wasting syndrome Fradkin first documented is now understood to be the largest observed die-off of a wild animal in the ocean. Nearly three years later, the epidemic of sea star wasting disease has left many coves, tide pools, pilings and beaches still largely bereft of starfish. Some locations saw complete mortality of sea stars.
Scientists working ever since to understand the outbreak have published the first evidence of a link between warmer ocean temperatures and the devastation of the wasting disease. Unusually warm ocean temperatures coincided with the 2014 die-off analyzed in the paper published last week in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.
“We were able to show warmer temperatures were related with the higher risk of disease,” said Drew Harvell, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University and a co-author of the study, along with Fradkin and others. “We suspected there was a temperature link, but we really needed to look at the field data to pull that out, and we were able to back that up with lab experiments that found that in warmer temperatures, they died faster.”
February 23, 2016
Former British prime minister Tony Blair and former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta are launching a commission on violent extremism that will aim to help the next U.S. administration counter radicalization among Muslims.
The soon-to-launch effort, which also hopes to guide European leaders, will unite experts to study extremist groups like the Islamic State and recommend ways to blunt their appeal among disaffected youth. It is being sponsored by the CSIS Commission on Countering Violent Extremism.
Commission organizers said they plan to produce a report by the end of July to coincide with the Republican and Democratic political conventions, where party nominees will be decided.
Anyone know WTF this is about?
Timing the report to 'coincide' with the Republican and Democratic conventions?
Tony Blair, Leon Panetta to launch antiterrorism commission
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/02/21/tony-blair-leon-panetta-to-launch-anti-terrorism-commission/Former British prime minister Tony Blair and former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta are launching a commission on violent extremism that will aim to help the next U.S. administration counter radicalization among Muslims.
The soon-to-launch effort, which also hopes to guide European leaders, will unite experts to study extremist groups like the Islamic State and recommend ways to blunt their appeal among disaffected youth. It is being sponsored by the CSIS Commission on Countering Violent Extremism.
Commission organizers said they plan to produce a report by the end of July to coincide with the Republican and Democratic political conventions, where party nominees will be decided.
Anyone know WTF this is about?
Timing the report to 'coincide' with the Republican and Democratic conventions?
February 14, 2016
RIVIERA BEACH (CBSMiami) — Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has abruptly canceled a Palm Beach appearance but husband and former President Bill Clinton will attend in her absence.
In an announcement from the Clinton campaign Friday night, a press release stated that Hillary would be staying in Nevada for additional events.
The appearance was scheduled for Monday at the Port of Palm Beach in Riviera Beach, as reported by CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.
Clear sign that Bernie's doing much better in Nevada than she thought he would.
Hillary cancels Florida appearance to focus on Nevada
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2016/02/13/hillary-clinton-cancels-palm-beach-pit-stop-bill-to-speak-instead/RIVIERA BEACH (CBSMiami) — Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has abruptly canceled a Palm Beach appearance but husband and former President Bill Clinton will attend in her absence.
In an announcement from the Clinton campaign Friday night, a press release stated that Hillary would be staying in Nevada for additional events.
The appearance was scheduled for Monday at the Port of Palm Beach in Riviera Beach, as reported by CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.
Clear sign that Bernie's doing much better in Nevada than she thought he would.
February 14, 2016
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=
&imgrefurl
The Republican debate was like a version of Mr.Toad's Wild Ride with a side trip to Alice's Wonderland with the candidates, led by the toadish Trump, careening through the donor packed auditorium and all over our tv screens.
There was the counter-Constitutional stance that Obama shouldn't nominate a successor to Scalia ( hey, he doesn't need your permission), the smack of truth about lying us into war with Iraq, the stunning swerve about Bush not keeping us safe on 9/11 (with the donors trying, but not succeeding in drowning it with boos), and the grade school bickering about mooning and 'your momma' in between. And through it all, Carson somehow managed a dormouse-like sleep, even while keeping his eyes somewhat open (maybe they're painted open?).
Here's a description of the ride from Wikipedia. Note, it even includes Scalia, in life and after.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Toad%27s_Wild_Ride
Passengers begin their journey by crashing into a library, where MacBadger is seen teetering atop a ladder with a stack of books. They then crash through the fireplace, where fiberoptic effects simulate the scattering of embers on the floor. Narrowly avoiding a falling suit of armor, the passengers break through a set of doors to find the interior hallway of Toad Hall in disarray, as weasels swing from chandeliers. Guests then enter the dining room, where Moley is eating at a dinner table and gets knocked aside.
Upon leaving Toad Hall, guests travel through the countryside, passing Ratty's house, aggravating policemen and terrifying a farmer and his sheep. Making a right turn, guests head for the docks and get the impression that their car will plunge into the river, but quickly make a sharp turn in a different direction and enter a warehouse full of barrels and crates containing explosives. Guests crash through a brick wall as the warehouse's contents explode. They then head out into the streets of London, narrowly avoid a collision with a delivery truck, and enter Winkie's Pub, where Mr. Winkie the bartender holds two beer mugs. He ducks down, leaving the mugs spinning in the air (this gag is recycled from the 1971 Florida version of the ride).
Passengers then enter the town square, where the cars wreak further havoc on the citizens. A working fountain featuring Toad and Cyril Proudbottom stands in the center of the town. Behind this statue is one of Lady Justice peeking out from under her blindfold. Next, guests enter a jury-less courtroom, where the riders are proclaimed guilty by a judge (based on the film's prosecutor for the Crown). The cars then enter what is presumed to be a dark prison cell before abruptly turning right and landing on railroad tracks. The vehicles bounce along the tracks in the dark before colliding head-on with an oncoming train.
Passengers then arrive at the ride's final scene: a tongue-in-cheek depiction of Hell not inspired by any scene in the movie or book. The entire room is heated, and the scenery features small devils who bounce up and down. Passengers also see a demon who resembles the Judge from the courtroom scene. Near the end of the scene, a towering green dragon emerges and attempts to burn the riders to a crisp. A glowing light is seen in the back of its throat and choking, coughing noises are heard while the motorcar speeds away. Granted a reprieve, the passengers eventually "escape" to the ride's loading and unloading area, where they disembark.
Mr. Toad's Wild Republican Debate
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=
&imgrefurl
The Republican debate was like a version of Mr.Toad's Wild Ride with a side trip to Alice's Wonderland with the candidates, led by the toadish Trump, careening through the donor packed auditorium and all over our tv screens.
There was the counter-Constitutional stance that Obama shouldn't nominate a successor to Scalia ( hey, he doesn't need your permission), the smack of truth about lying us into war with Iraq, the stunning swerve about Bush not keeping us safe on 9/11 (with the donors trying, but not succeeding in drowning it with boos), and the grade school bickering about mooning and 'your momma' in between. And through it all, Carson somehow managed a dormouse-like sleep, even while keeping his eyes somewhat open (maybe they're painted open?).
Here's a description of the ride from Wikipedia. Note, it even includes Scalia, in life and after.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Toad%27s_Wild_Ride
Passengers begin their journey by crashing into a library, where MacBadger is seen teetering atop a ladder with a stack of books. They then crash through the fireplace, where fiberoptic effects simulate the scattering of embers on the floor. Narrowly avoiding a falling suit of armor, the passengers break through a set of doors to find the interior hallway of Toad Hall in disarray, as weasels swing from chandeliers. Guests then enter the dining room, where Moley is eating at a dinner table and gets knocked aside.
Upon leaving Toad Hall, guests travel through the countryside, passing Ratty's house, aggravating policemen and terrifying a farmer and his sheep. Making a right turn, guests head for the docks and get the impression that their car will plunge into the river, but quickly make a sharp turn in a different direction and enter a warehouse full of barrels and crates containing explosives. Guests crash through a brick wall as the warehouse's contents explode. They then head out into the streets of London, narrowly avoid a collision with a delivery truck, and enter Winkie's Pub, where Mr. Winkie the bartender holds two beer mugs. He ducks down, leaving the mugs spinning in the air (this gag is recycled from the 1971 Florida version of the ride).
Passengers then enter the town square, where the cars wreak further havoc on the citizens. A working fountain featuring Toad and Cyril Proudbottom stands in the center of the town. Behind this statue is one of Lady Justice peeking out from under her blindfold. Next, guests enter a jury-less courtroom, where the riders are proclaimed guilty by a judge (based on the film's prosecutor for the Crown). The cars then enter what is presumed to be a dark prison cell before abruptly turning right and landing on railroad tracks. The vehicles bounce along the tracks in the dark before colliding head-on with an oncoming train.
Passengers then arrive at the ride's final scene: a tongue-in-cheek depiction of Hell not inspired by any scene in the movie or book. The entire room is heated, and the scenery features small devils who bounce up and down. Passengers also see a demon who resembles the Judge from the courtroom scene. Near the end of the scene, a towering green dragon emerges and attempts to burn the riders to a crisp. A glowing light is seen in the back of its throat and choking, coughing noises are heard while the motorcar speeds away. Granted a reprieve, the passengers eventually "escape" to the ride's loading and unloading area, where they disembark.
February 12, 2016
The real question is what type of government expansion benefits citizens more
Under Republicans, we have seen enormous expansion in so-called security zones, from Border operations in the north receiving so much money that they have expanded operations beyond their mission in order to keep the money being funded to fusion centers which endanger civil rights while egregiously wasting the exorbitant funds spent on them.
I would much rather this wasteful spending be contracted and the funding be redirected to programs that genuinely increase people's security, from providing real access to health CARE to fixing our crumbling infrastructure to enhancing education.
There's also the benefit in the types of jobs this emphasis would produce.
February 12, 2016
Live stream grassroots forum in Nevada
I've been looking around to get a better idea of how things are going in Nevada and found this info about an upcoming grass roots forum in Nevada.
Looks like it will be live streamed and should be interesting to see grassroots response.
http://www.rgj.com/story/news/politics/2016/02/10/sanders-clinton-surrogate-appear-reno-forum/80200018/
A group of grassroots organizations are holding a presidential forum Saturday in Reno featuring Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.
Sanders will represent himself while New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker will appear on behalf of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Acting in Community Together in Organizing Northern Nevada, the Center for Community Change and KXNV 89.1 FM are hosting the Real Solutions for Real People Summit beginning at 11:45 a.m. Saturday at the University of Nevada, Reno Jot Travis Building on 900 N. Virginia St.
The event is already at maximum capacity, but a livestream of the event will be available at http://putfamiliesfirst.org/
February 10, 2016
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2016/01/29/latino-leaders-rally-political-force/79350072/
To kick start those efforts, progressive Latino leaders from across Southern California and their supporters gathered Thursday night in Colton for a discussion about their national potential in 2016, as well as a debate over which Democratic presidential candidate deserves support.
~~~
The next 30 minutes were punctuated by sporadic "Feel the Bern" chants, as the audience was then asked to approach the mic and take a side, the vast majority of whom spoke on behalf of Sanders. Alejandra Zamora, a student at College of the Desert, asked rhetorically of Clinton supporters: "Do we really want a president owned by corporations?"
However, the straw vote at the end of the evening was much closer: Clinton 50, Sanders 51.
Starting to look like a grassroots change from what the mainstream media is reporting. And the shift is toward Sanders.
Latino leaders rally as a show of political force
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2016/01/29/latino-leaders-rally-political-force/79350072/
To kick start those efforts, progressive Latino leaders from across Southern California and their supporters gathered Thursday night in Colton for a discussion about their national potential in 2016, as well as a debate over which Democratic presidential candidate deserves support.
~~~
The next 30 minutes were punctuated by sporadic "Feel the Bern" chants, as the audience was then asked to approach the mic and take a side, the vast majority of whom spoke on behalf of Sanders. Alejandra Zamora, a student at College of the Desert, asked rhetorically of Clinton supporters: "Do we really want a president owned by corporations?"
However, the straw vote at the end of the evening was much closer: Clinton 50, Sanders 51.
Starting to look like a grassroots change from what the mainstream media is reporting. And the shift is toward Sanders.
February 3, 2016
The initiative by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) aimed to get 10,000 out of 50,000 registered Latino voters to caucus sites by repeatedly contacting them through phone calls and door knocks. NBC News exit poll shows that 4% of Democratic caucus-goers were Hispanic and 2% were on the Republican side. With both sides seeing huge turnout (171,000 for the Democrats and more than 180,000 for the GOP) that comes out to close to 10,500 Latinos.
Only 1,000 Latinos caucused in 2012. In 2008, when the race was competitive for both Democrats and Republicans, that number was 3,500.
LULAC, drawing from responses campaign field staff received from phone calls, door-knocking, and “Commit to Caucus” returns from mailers, believes the number is closer to 13,000.
“We did our part, Latinos played our part,” said LULAC Iowa political director Christian Ucles. “We knew when LULAC put together this program in Iowa, that they were ready to come out with a show of force for any candidate that supports the Latino community.”
~~~
Though exit polls show Hillary Clinton winning 58% of the minority vote, Ucles said he is going to further analyze county returns, because Sen. Bernie Sanders won 15 of the largest 20 counties where Latinos live, suggesting they may have played a role in the razor-thin Clinton victory, which because of delegate allocation, Sanders billed as a virtual tie.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/02/01/3744644/latino-voters-iowa-caucuses/
Henry [LULAC’s vice president for the midwest] says he has good reason to expect at least 10,000 voters on Monday.
For one, there are just more Latino voters overall in the state. In 2008, he said, his group had identified only 23,000 potential voters. In 2012, they were up to 35,000. This year, LULAC has identified more than 50,000 Latino voters across Iowa, and all of them have received either direct mailings, robocalls, or live calls imploring them to go out and caucus.
The second reason is that Iowa’s growing Latino population is overwhelmingly young and politically engaged. Over 60 percent of Iowa’s registered Latino voters are under the age of 40, Henry said, and the median age is only 22.
~~~
Not only were many Latinos at Sunday’s mock caucus first-time voters, the vast majority were Bernie Sanders supporters. The room was a sea of Sanders shirts and signs, speckled by with only sporadic stickers for Clinton and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. There was no visible support for any Republican presidential candidate.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), a Latino congressman who travelled to Iowa to support Bernie Sanders, told ThinkProgress that he believed Sanders would be the main beneficiary of increased Latino turnout. He said Sanders’ wide-ranging messaging on issues like climate change, income inequality, and healthcare — not just immigration — would be what drives Latinos to caucus for him on Monday.
Very interested to see what the analysis by Ucles shows, especially given the young age of Iowa Latino voters and the stumping done by Grijalva and Garcia for Sanders there.
"The Effort To Turn Out Latino Voters In Iowa Worked"
http://www.buzzfeed.com/adriancarrasquillo/the-effort-to-turn-out-latino-voters-in-iowa-worked#.yp9A3aBgNThe initiative by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) aimed to get 10,000 out of 50,000 registered Latino voters to caucus sites by repeatedly contacting them through phone calls and door knocks. NBC News exit poll shows that 4% of Democratic caucus-goers were Hispanic and 2% were on the Republican side. With both sides seeing huge turnout (171,000 for the Democrats and more than 180,000 for the GOP) that comes out to close to 10,500 Latinos.
Only 1,000 Latinos caucused in 2012. In 2008, when the race was competitive for both Democrats and Republicans, that number was 3,500.
LULAC, drawing from responses campaign field staff received from phone calls, door-knocking, and “Commit to Caucus” returns from mailers, believes the number is closer to 13,000.
“We did our part, Latinos played our part,” said LULAC Iowa political director Christian Ucles. “We knew when LULAC put together this program in Iowa, that they were ready to come out with a show of force for any candidate that supports the Latino community.”
~~~
Though exit polls show Hillary Clinton winning 58% of the minority vote, Ucles said he is going to further analyze county returns, because Sen. Bernie Sanders won 15 of the largest 20 counties where Latinos live, suggesting they may have played a role in the razor-thin Clinton victory, which because of delegate allocation, Sanders billed as a virtual tie.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/02/01/3744644/latino-voters-iowa-caucuses/
Henry [LULAC’s vice president for the midwest] says he has good reason to expect at least 10,000 voters on Monday.
For one, there are just more Latino voters overall in the state. In 2008, he said, his group had identified only 23,000 potential voters. In 2012, they were up to 35,000. This year, LULAC has identified more than 50,000 Latino voters across Iowa, and all of them have received either direct mailings, robocalls, or live calls imploring them to go out and caucus.
The second reason is that Iowa’s growing Latino population is overwhelmingly young and politically engaged. Over 60 percent of Iowa’s registered Latino voters are under the age of 40, Henry said, and the median age is only 22.
~~~
Not only were many Latinos at Sunday’s mock caucus first-time voters, the vast majority were Bernie Sanders supporters. The room was a sea of Sanders shirts and signs, speckled by with only sporadic stickers for Clinton and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. There was no visible support for any Republican presidential candidate.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), a Latino congressman who travelled to Iowa to support Bernie Sanders, told ThinkProgress that he believed Sanders would be the main beneficiary of increased Latino turnout. He said Sanders’ wide-ranging messaging on issues like climate change, income inequality, and healthcare — not just immigration — would be what drives Latinos to caucus for him on Monday.
Very interested to see what the analysis by Ucles shows, especially given the young age of Iowa Latino voters and the stumping done by Grijalva and Garcia for Sanders there.
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: Seattle, WA
Member since: Mon Dec 13, 2004, 02:55 AM
Number of posts: 12,232
