dailykos--2020-02-12--It is not a bad thing to have a close race!

It seems that about 40 % of all posts here about who should be the 2020 nomination for president are calls for everyone else but the person they like to drop out for “ the good of the party ” .
If anything we should be hoping for a very contested , close , often debated process that goes up to the convention .
Because it does several things , it keeps the media attention on the party .
It encourages debate about the issues -— FROM A DEMOCRATIC VIEW .
It moves the thinking to how best to fix @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there a problem .
Honest review of history , and how the media works , shows that media wants “ drama ” , “ controversy ” , and jobs for pundents to give their best guesses .
If everyone but one dropped out Wednesday , the media coverage of the parties nominee would be scaled down to a few second blip “ and Democratic candidate spoke at Big City and repeated the promise to expand justice .
President Trump ’ s spokesman said the cost would be excessive .
In other news Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have several reports on each main candidate , their plans , differences , where they are going next and what is coming up .
Nothing about Trump in answer to each policy difference .
Encouraging debate about the issues from our view means people are past the GOP vs Dem question .
They are not arguing over IF we should have universal health care , instead they are discussing which form of universal health care we should have .
The great thing about this is as the primary goes on , more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makes them more firm in the idea we need universal health care , and after the convention , they are much less likely to start asking “ if we should have ... ” after spending months talking with co-workers , family , trolls , et al , on which we should have .
We know that as soon a there is a “ winner ” , we will see attacks , lies , half truths twisted out of all euclidean physics , and so underhanded magicians take notes .
Instead of talking about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if this person is ok to vote for .
Now is the time to see a long drawn out series of debates and discussion of the issues while the Trump supporters wait for the decision to be made .

It seems that about 40% of all posts here about who should be the 2020 nomination for president are calls for everyone else but the person they like to drop out for “the good of the party”.
I strongly disagree.
If anything we should be hoping for a very contested, close, often debated process that goes up to the convention.
Why?
Because it does several things, it keeps the media attention on the party. It encourages debate about the issues -— FROM A DEMOCRATIC VIEW. It moves the thinking to how best to fix the problem from the view of is there a problem.
Honest review of history, and how the media works, shows that media wants “drama”, “controversy”, and jobs for pundents to give their best guesses.
If everyone but one dropped out Wednesday, the media coverage of the parties nominee would be scaled down to a few second blip “and Democratic candidate spoke at Big City and repeated the promise to expand justice. President Trump’s spokesman said the cost would be excessive. In other news Trump made a tweet….”
But right now we have several reports on each main candidate, their plans, differences, where they are going next and what is coming up. Nothing about Trump in answer to each policy difference.
Encouraging debate about the issues from our view means people are past the GOP vs Dem question. They are not arguing over IF we should have universal health care, instead they are discussing which form of universal health care we should have. The great thing about this is as the primary goes on, more and more discussion over the different plans makes them more firm in the idea we need universal health care, and after the convention, they are much less likely to start asking “if we should have...” after spending months talking with co-workers, family, trolls, et al, on which we should have.
We know that as soon a there is a “winner”, we will see attacks, lies, half truths twisted out of all euclidean physics, and so underhanded magicians take notes. Instead of talking about different issues, it will be about if this person is ok to vote for.
Now is the time to see a long drawn out series of debates and discussion of the issues while the Trump supporters wait for the decision to be made.


dailykos--2020-02-12--Does Bernie Sanders Know What He’s Doing?

This post by Pachacutec seems worth revisiting ( originally published Feb 16 , 2016 ) – Ian Welsh Bernie Sanders is taking a lot of heat for making promises everyone agrees can ’ t be achieved in today ’ s Washington .
However , Sanders is not just smoking free-love-sixties-dope when he talks about universal health care , free college tuition , stopping deportations , and drastically cutting the prison population .
I used to teach negotiation to MBA students and lawyers seeking CLE credit , and have included negotiation content in executive coaching and other consulting work I do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve sometimes taught was how to use audience effects to gain leverage in negotiations .
The best story I know to illustrate this comes from Gandhi , from his autobiography .
Gandhi ’ s early years as an activist led him to South Africa , where he advocated as a lawyer for the rights of Indians there .
One discriminatory law required “ coolie ” Indians to ride third class on trains .
Soon after arriving in South Africa , Gandhi himself had been thrown off a train for seating himself in first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenge the law , he dressed flawlessly and purchased a first class ticket face to face from an agent who turned out to be a sympathetic Hollander , not a Transvaaler .
Boarding the train , Gandhi knew the conductor would try to throw him off , so he very consciously looked for and found a compartment where an English , upper class gentleman was seated , with no white South Africans around .
He politely greeted his compartment mate and settled into his seat for the trip .
Sure enough , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gandhi to leave .
Gandhi presented his ticket , and the conductor told him it didn ’ t matter , no coolies in first class .
The law was on his side .
But the English passenger intervened , “ What do you mean troubling this gentleman ?
Don ’ t you see he has a first class ticket ?
I don ’ t mind in the least his traveling with me.
” He turned to Gandhi and said , “ You should make yourself comfortable where you are.
” The conductor backed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ride with a coolie , what do I care ?
” And that , my friends , illustrates the strategic use of creating an audience effect to gain leverage in a negotiated conflict .
The tactic can be applied in any negotiated conflict where an outside stakeholder party can be made aware of the conflict and subsequently influence its outcome .
A couple of weeks ago , members of the neoliberal wonkosphere and others in the pundit class tut-tutted , fretted , and wearily explained to Sanders ’ band of childish fools and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” was wrong .
Well , not merely wrong , but deceptive , deceitful , maybe even dangerous .
False hopes , stakes are too high , and all that .
This was Clinton campaign , and more to the point , political establishment ideology , pushback .
When Ezra Klein starts voxsplaining how to catalyze a genuine social , cultural , and political movement , you know you ’ ve entered the land of unfettered bullshit .
Bernie Sanders , like Gandhi , Martin Luther King Jr. , Franklin Delano Roosevelt , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Matter before him , wants to use mass appeal audience effects to renegotiate the country ’ s political and economic contract .
The strategy , writ small in Gandhi ’ s train ride tale , is perfectly applicable–and has proven successful through history–in bringing about successful , peaceful , radical change .
These movements operate by forcing conflict out into the open , on favorable terms and on favorable ground .
Make the malignancy of power show its face in daylight .
Gandhi and the salt march .
MLK and the Selma to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ catalyzing popular support throughout the New Deal era , starting with the first 100 days .
OWS changed American language and political consciousness by cementing the frame of the 1 % into the lexicon .
BLM reminded America who it has been and still is on the streets of Ferguson .
One FDR snippet is instructive to consider in light all these discussions–and dismissals–of Sanders ’ “ theory of change.
” As FDR watched progressive legislation be struck down by a majority conservative court , he famously proposed legislation that would have allowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failed , but : This was a constitutional overreach by FDR , and it caused him political damage , but forcing the conflict created pressure on the Court , making its actions highly visible to the mass of people who wanted change , who voted for change , but did not always see or understand how the elite establishment acts to thwart change .
Your Mistakes are My Ladder The paths to change for all of these movements are neither linear nor predictable .
By nature , they act like guerilla movements .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ enemy into the open .
Then , once exposed and vulnerable , the guerilla tactic is to attack opportunistically on strategically favorable ground .
In peaceful social movements , “ winning ” means winning the hearts and minds of the majority of the society ’ s stakeholders to the point where they actively choose sides .
First make them witnesses , then convert them into participants in the conflict .
That ’ s exactly what Gandhi did with the Englishman in the first class compartment .
This is why calls from pundits and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fifteen point plan of how he gets from here to there are , at best , naïve .
The social revolution playbook requires creating cycles of conflict and contrast , taking opportunistic advantage of your opponent ’ s mistakes .
No one can predict with certainty where and how those opportunities will arise , though you can choose where to poke .
If the Clinton campaign wants to know how Bernie can run that playbook in action , it need only review its own performance campaigning against him .
So , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change ?
Is his theory “ 1 ) Call for revolution 2 ) ?
?
?
?
?
3 ) Profit !
” ?
Or does he have something else—some other historical precedents—in mind ?
Everything I hear and see from the Sanders campaign suggests the latter .
Take a look at this ad from Sanders ’ 2016 campaign : To me , this ad says that Sanders understands very clearly what kind of coalition and movement he needs to ignite to accomplish the vision he ’ s putting out in his campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sure .
And neither he nor any movement he helps create can or will accomplish all of it , just as FDR was unable to accomplish all he set out to achieve .
Still , accomplishing as much as FDR did , relatively speaking , would be pretty damn good .
Democrats used to say they liked that sort of thing .
Or how about this ad , where Sanders is introduced by Erica Garner explicitly as a “ protestor , ” invoking the lineage of MLK :

This post by Pachacutec seems worth revisiting (originally published Feb 16, 2016)– Ian Welsh
Bernie Sanders is taking a lot of heat for making promises everyone agrees can’t be achieved in today’s Washington. However, Sanders is not just smoking free-love-sixties-dope when he talks about universal health care, free college tuition, stopping deportations, and drastically cutting the prison population.
I used to teach negotiation to MBA students and lawyers seeking CLE credit, and have included negotiation content in executive coaching and other consulting work I do. One of the things I’ve sometimes taught was how to use audience effects to gain leverage in negotiations. The best story I know to illustrate this comes from Gandhi, from his autobiography.
Gandhi Rides First Class
Gandhi’s early years as an activist led him to South Africa, where he advocated as a lawyer for the rights of Indians there. One discriminatory law required “coolie” Indians to ride third class on trains. Soon after arriving in South Africa, Gandhi himself had been thrown off a train for seating himself in first class.
Looking for a way to challenge the law, he dressed flawlessly and purchased a first class ticket face to face from an agent who turned out to be a sympathetic Hollander, not a Transvaaler. Boarding the train, Gandhi knew the conductor would try to throw him off, so he very consciously looked for and found a compartment where an English, upper class gentleman was seated, with no white South Africans around. He politely greeted his compartment mate and settled into his seat for the trip.
Sure enough, when the conductor came, he immediately told Gandhi to leave. Gandhi presented his ticket, and the conductor told him it didn’t matter, no coolies in first class. The law was on his side. But the English passenger intervened, “What do you mean troubling this gentleman? Don’t you see he has a first class ticket? I don’t mind in the least his traveling with me.” He turned to Gandhi and said, “You should make yourself comfortable where you are.”
The conductor backed down. “If you want to ride with a coolie, what do I care?”
And that, my friends, illustrates the strategic use of creating an audience effect to gain leverage in a negotiated conflict. The tactic can be applied in any negotiated conflict where an outside stakeholder party can be made aware of the conflict and subsequently influence its outcome.
It’s the Conflict, Stupid
A couple of weeks ago, members of the neoliberal wonkosphere and others in the pundit class tut-tutted, fretted, and wearily explained to Sanders’ band of childish fools and hippies that his “theory of change” was wrong. Well, not merely wrong, but deceptive, deceitful, maybe even dangerous. False hopes, stakes are too high, and all that. This was Clinton campaign, and more to the point, political establishment ideology, pushback. When Ezra Klein starts voxsplaining how to catalyze a genuine social, cultural, and political movement, you know you’ve entered the land of unfettered bullshit.
Bernie Sanders, like Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Occupy Wall Street, and Black Lives Matter before him, wants to use mass appeal audience effects to renegotiate the country’s political and economic contract. The strategy, writ small in Gandhi’s train ride tale, is perfectly applicable–and has proven successful through history–in bringing about successful, peaceful, radical change.
These movements operate by forcing conflict out into the open, on favorable terms and on favorable ground. Make the malignancy of power show its face in daylight. Gandhi and the salt march. MLK and the Selma to Montgomery marches. FDR picking fights and catalyzing popular support throughout the New Deal era, starting with the first 100 days. OWS changed American language and political consciousness by cementing the frame of the 1% into the lexicon. BLM reminded America who it has been and still is on the streets of Ferguson.
One FDR snippet is instructive to consider in light all these discussions–and dismissals–of Sanders’ “theory of change.” As FDR watched progressive legislation be struck down by a majority conservative court, he famously proposed legislation that would have allowed him to add another justice. He failed, but:
This was a constitutional overreach by FDR, and it caused him political damage, but forcing the conflict created pressure on the Court, making its actions highly visible to the mass of people who wanted change, who voted for change, but did not always see or understand how the elite establishment acts to thwart change.
Your Mistakes are My Ladder
The paths to change for all of these movements are neither linear nor predictable. By nature, they act like guerilla movements. They force conflict and force an entrenched enemy into the open. Then, once exposed and vulnerable, the guerilla tactic is to attack opportunistically on strategically favorable ground. In peaceful social movements, “winning” means winning the hearts and minds of the majority of the society’s stakeholders to the point where they actively choose sides. First make them witnesses, then convert them into participants in the conflict. That’s exactly what Gandhi did with the Englishman in the first class compartment.
This is why calls from pundits and Camp Clinton for Bernie to lay out the fifteen point plan of how he gets from here to there are, at best, naïve. The social revolution playbook requires creating cycles of conflict and contrast, taking opportunistic advantage of your opponent’s mistakes. No one can predict with certainty where and how those opportunities will arise, though you can choose where to poke. If the Clinton campaign wants to know how Bernie can run that playbook in action, it need only review its own performance campaigning against him.
Does Sanders Have a Plan?
So, is Bernie Sanders the underpants gnome of political change? Is his theory “1) Call for revolution 2) ????? 3) Profit!”? Or does he have something else—some other historical precedents—in mind? Everything I hear and see from the Sanders campaign suggests the latter. Take a look at this ad from Sanders’ 2016 campaign:
x YouTube Video
To me, this ad says that Sanders understands very clearly what kind of coalition and movement he needs to ignite to accomplish the vision he’s putting out in his campaign. It’s an aspirational vision, sure. And neither he nor any movement he helps create can or will accomplish all of it, just as FDR was unable to accomplish all he set out to achieve. Still, accomplishing as much as FDR did, relatively speaking, would be pretty damn good. Democrats used to say they liked that sort of thing.
Or how about this ad, where Sanders is introduced by Erica Garner explicitly as a “protestor,” invoking the lineage of MLK:
x YouTube Video
Yes, I’d say Sanders has a very clear, and historically grounded “theory of change.” What those who question it’s validity are really saying is either: 1) they lack imagination and can’t’ see beyond the status quo; 2) they lack knowledge of history, including American history, or; 3) they understand Sanders’ “theory of change” very well and want to choke it in the crib as quickly as they can. They may succeed. Elites may beat Sanders himself but they will not beat the movement he’s invigorating but did not create. However, saying Sanders may fail is not the same as saying he doesn’t know what he’s doing, or that what he’s setting out to accomplish is impossible. Because, if history shows us anything, it is, indeed, possible. This post is NOT by me. It was originally posted by Pachacutec in February 2016, and was reposted by Ian Welsh on his website on 2020 January 30. Mr. Welsh has given me permission to repost all his material after a few days have passed. How Bernie Sanders and Occupy Wall Street Cracked Open America’s Political Imagination April 16, 2018 By Benjamin Dangl
Posted by John Emerson, September 17, 2014, linked from Avedon’s Sideshow.
Contrast the Republicans. They have hired plenty of PhDs, but they keep them under their thumb. The Republican leaders are opportunist demagogues, ideologues, scam artists, and petty criminals, and their politics is venturesome, opportunistic and experimental rather than realistic and passive. When public opinion goes against them they try to change public opinion. When they’re losing they don’t accept defeat but try to change the game. In short, they are political actors rather than normalizing administrators. Many of the wise men of the Democratic Party seem to be against political action in principle. (Might this not be a necessary characteristic of anti-majoritarian, anti-populist, pluralist liberalism?) Republican methods have obviously not led to good government, but they have led to victory. The realist wonks of the Democratic Party never tire of telling us that you have to win elections in order to get anything done, but then they immediately also tell us that the only way to win elections is to forget about trying to do anything.


dailykos--2020-02-12--Good News Roundup, February 12, 2020

Good News Roundup, February 12, 2020

Welcome to our little oasis on the internet , where the purveyors of gloom and doom are shown the error of their ways , where pie fights are quickly shut down , and where the conversation is all about the good fight that good people are waging against the evildoers currently ruining our country and what we can do to make sure we vote them down so decisively that they ’ ll be crushed for at least a generation .
Jill Lepore , an erudite historian and elegant writer , wrote a brilliant piece for the New Yorker ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Time Democracy Almost Died – Learning from the upheaval of the nineteen-thirties.
” It included these words I want to share with you : This next article is behind a paywall , but you may be able to open it since they allow a few free articles each month : Speakers tell Salem [ OR ] crowd of work bringing Oregon 's black history out of shadows Leaders of Oregon Black Pioneers outlined how black history has been neglected in Oregon in a presentation Friday before the Salem City Club .
[ They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ museum exhibits and efforts to bring light to the history of black Oregonians .
The Oregon Black Pioneers ’ mission is to research and preserve black history in Oregon as well as educate others about that history .
This includes combing research archives and creating curriculum that accurately represents African American history .
Two bigger projects in the works for the organization , Richardson said , are a digital museum of black Oregon history and eventually a brick and mortar museum somewhere in the state .
Ignoring African American history is common , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that African Americans aren ’ t typically in stories of the Oregon Trail .
“ We got here some kind of way , ” Richardson said to laughs from the audience .
The state came into the Union with black exclusion laws , making it illegal for black people to settle in Oregon .
...
But there have been black people in Oregon since the beginning .
That ’ s why the group ’ s museum exhibit focuses on the civil rights movement - to illustrate how hard African Americans had to fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ Gwen ] Carr said .
I looked up Oregon Black Pioneers and found this fascinating video about Vanport , the WWII city constructed to house workers at the Kaiser Shipyards in Portland and Vancouver , WA .
It was home to 40,000 people , 40 % of them black .
Ben Johnson : after the Vanport flood , working for a better Portland from Vanport Mosaic on Vimeo .
The SPLC does amazing work .
Let ’ s hope they prevail in this case : SPLC sues Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voice concerns Kinsey Akers had to take the PSAT but was determined to make her voice heard at a public meeting on school safety that same day .
... [ She ] took the standardized test , checked out of school early and missed two classes so she could rush home and get ready to speak to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission .
The commission formed after the February 2018 school massacre in Parkland , Florida , to make recommendations – with public input – to the Florida Legislature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Akers is a member of March for Our Lives , a national , student-driven movement that came together after the Parkland shooting to advocate for gun reform and other measures to improve school safety .
After getting dressed , ... she received a text from a March for Our Lives colleague , telling her that the commission had pushed up the public comments and closed the meeting early .
“ At first , I was in shock , ” said Akers , 17 .
“ I didn ’ t think they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could not believe the commission would go to such a measure to silence the people they claim to be protecting .
But I will not be silent.
” On behalf of Akers and other young plaintiffs who were denied the right to speak at the Oct. 16 meeting , the SPLC recently filed a lawsuit against the commission for violating Florida ’ s open meetings laws .
A recent report by the SPLC describes how a majority of the commission ’ s members have law enforcement backgrounds and virtually no experience in public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or mental health .
Its voting members appear to be all white and do not include students or current educators .
Here ’ s a sweet story , worth reading in full .
And it ’ s very inspiring , considering what ’ s been happening to local papers all across the country : The night before his first deadline , Carl Butz , California ’ s newest newspaper owner , was digging into a bowl of beef stew at the Two Rivers Café , the only restaurant open in town .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said with only mild anxiety .
“ The question is , will it be a four-page paper or a six-page paper ?
” At 71 , Mr. Butz is trim , with wire-rimmed glasses and a close-cropped silver beard , and he dresses in flannel shirts and cargo pants .
Since his retirement and his wife ’ s death in 2017 , he considered traveling — to England or Latvia , or riding the Trans-Siberian Railway .
But here he was , a freshly minted newspaper proprietor , having stepped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to save The Mountain Messenger , California ’ s oldest weekly newspaper , from extinction .
The Messenger was founded in 1853 .
Its most famous scribe was Mark Twain , who once wrote a few stories — with a hangover , the legend goes — while hiding out here from the law .
In Appalachia , Crafting a Road to Recovery With Dulcimer Strings The heritage of handcrafted stringed instruments runs deep in [ Hindman , KY , a ] tiny Appalachian village ( pop .
770 ) stretched along the banks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the region ’ s lifeblood : Locals like to say that “ you can toss a rock and hit a musician.
” But these strong cultural roots have been tested by the scourges that devastated Eastern Kentucky , an early epicenter of the opioid crisis .
Hindman is the seat of Knott County , one of the poorest regions in the United States and one that continues to grapple with overdose death rates that are twice the national average .
But last year , an unlikely group of renegades — suspender-wearing luthiers from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a novel approach to the hopelessness of addiction called Culture of Recovery , an apprentice program for young adults rebounding from the insidious treadmill of opioids and other substances .
Participants , about 150 so far , learn traditional arts like luthiery — the making and repairing of stringed instruments — under the tutelage of skilled artisans .
The art of crafting an instrument by hand requires keen focus , attention to detail and commitment to a goal — qualities that can help during recovery ... “ Many clients have never had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of them , or done something they ’ re proud of , ” said [ the Knott County judge who presides over the drug court ] .
“ Now they ’ re creating something tangible and beautiful.
” As a long-time cooking instructor who has taught many delightful groups of kids , I think this story is definitely good news .
Most Americans can ’ t cook ( a situation which agribusiness works tirelessly to maintain ) , but knowing how to cook for yourself is in fact a survival skill that more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A new culinary arts program was launched at a Greenpoint elementary school earlier this month that aims to teach students how to cook .
The program is being taught to all 600 students at PS 31 Samuel F. DuPont , from Kindergarten through 5th grade , at its 75 Meserole Avenue location .
There will be dedicated cooking lessons , with other school subjects incorporating food-related topics into their coursework .
... PS 31 ’ s staff is developing a school-wide curriculum to not only teach its students about making food dishes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way of educating children about life and the world around them .
... “ We have theme units per grade , ” said Sheri Sankner ... “ For Kindergartners , we have Eat the Rainbow where they ’ ll learn shapes and colors .
First graders will learn the parts of plants , such as which part they eat and don ’ t. ” The upper grades will focus on learning about the topographies and geographies of where vegetables and fruits are grown .
Some food items are grown in other countries—providing students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students will then cook those cultural dishes at the Café .
“ That ’ s how we connect , ” explained Maria Puma , the library teacher .
“ Who we are , what we eat.
” 30,000 Pounds of Leftover Super Bowl Food Saved From Landfill and Donated to Charity Future Crunch ’ s list of good news items for the second half of January ( the list for the first half of February will come out soon ) .
The world ’ s largest money manager [ BlackRock CEO Larry Fink @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of its $ 7 trillion strategy ( high signal value , less clear on substance ) .
More signals : the world ’ s most profitable hedge fund manager [ Chris Hohn of TCI Fund Management ] is forcing companies in its portfolio to reduce emissions and reveal exposure to climate risk .
Solar energy ’ s share of the power mix in India increased from 7.9 % to 9.6 % in 2019 , and renewables now account for 36 % of installed capacity .
Mercom Vietnam went from almost no solar in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of 2019 .
It ’ s now ten years ahead of its original clean energy targets .
Economist Germany is converting 62 military bases west of the old Iron Curtain into nature reserves for eagles , woodpeckers , bats , and beetles .
Independent Peru has begun reforesting the area around Machu Picchu , with plans to plant one million trees on the site in the next five years .
France24 Bangladesh has announced a ban on single-use plastics in all coastal areas and in all hotels and restaurants by the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a major plan to reduce single-use plastics .
Bags will be banned in major cities by the end of 2020 and in all towns by 2022 .
BBC In World First , AI System Develops New Drug , Cuts R & D Costs By 80 % , Moving it to Trials For OCD Patients in 1/5 the Time There ’ s been a lot of conversation about artificial intelligence over the last decade , as the controversial science fiction-turned-non-fiction technology begins to trickle into various economic sectors .
Now , for the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ created by British company Exscienta has invented a drug molecule that is entering phase 1 human trials .
The molecule has been found to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder ( OCD ) , but the noteworthy news is that the normal 5-year period for synthesizing a drug and preparing the best version for trial was cut down to just 12 months because it was placed into the brain of an intelligent machine .
Exscienta chief executive Prof Andrew Hopkins described the breakthrough to the BBC as a “ key milestone in drug discovery ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients and for analyzing patient data and scans , but this is a direct use of AI in the creation of a new medicine , ” said Hopkins .
Scientists Find Half the World ’ s Fish Stocks Are Recovered—or Increasing—in Oceans That Used to Be Overfished In the most comprehensive review of fisheries ’ management and fishing management on a per region basis , to date , an international team of researchers concluded that fish stocks are mostly increasing in these world waters .
In their paper published in the Proceedings of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research team gathered data from 50 % of the world ’ s fish stocks , which include harvest rate , recovery rate , fishing pressure , and population numbers , as well as 50 % of the world ’ s fisheries—including management strategies , fluctuations , and predictions in maximum sustainable yield .
The conclusion provided in their paper is striking—good news that may be surprising to most .
Where commercial fishing is managed , stocks are growing .
While the last major dataset accumulated for fish stocks only included North America , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Europe , the researchers added the Black Sea , the Mediterranean , Northwest Africa , South America , Russia , and Japan .
This piece is part of our Hope 100 series , telling the stories of the people and organisations creating hope for 2020 and beyond One of the UK ’ s first out Muslim drag queens , Asifa Lahore has been a strong voice in the media for the intersectional experiences of the country ’ s gay Asian community .
Lahore featured in a Channel 4 documentary , Muslim Drag @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drag helped marry her identities as a practicing Muslim ( Lahore is of British-Pakistani origin ) and an LGBTQ+ person .
She subsequently came out as trans and founded Disco Rani , a bhangra LGBTQ+ club night .
In 2019 , Lahore walked the first LGBTQ+ catwalk at Pakistan Fashion Week London .
Scientists pinpoint mysterious repeating radio signal from outside our galaxy Nearly 500 million light years away , a mysterious radio signal is repeating itself .
It 's a new piece in the puzzle of fast radio bursts ( FRBs ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are so powerful that scientists are able to detect them on Earth , despite their extragalactic origins .
Fast radio bursts are hard to study because of how brief they are , meaning telescopes ca n't often focus on them in time to get a good look .
`` We conclude that this is the first detected periodicity of any kind in an FRB source , '' the researchers said in the paper .
`` The discovery of a 16.35-day periodicity in a repeating FRB source is an important clue to the nature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FRB has been dubbed FRB 180916.J0158+65 .
The specific astrophysical event that causes FRBs is still unknown , although all observed FRBs are from galaxies outside our own .
Such signals were first spotted in 2007 .
It was previously thought that such pulses were random , but according to the aforementioned paper published on the server arXiv in late January , researchers studying FRBs discovered that FRB 180916.J0158+65 is a `` repeater , '' meaning it emits bursts repeatedly and follows a regular pattern .
`` It is unlikely that all FRBs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power requirements at cosmological distances , but possible , '' Avi Loeb , chair of Harvard 's astronomy department , previously told Salon .
... '' One needs to use all the power intercepted by the Earth from the Sun '' to create an FRB of comparable intensity to the ones we 've detected on Earth , Loeb said .
However , Loeb did posit that `` a small fraction of nearby FRBs could be artificial radio beams sweeping across the sky . ''
Every single dog from a Kansas City shelter found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's promise to pay fees Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi vowed to pay the adoption fees for more than 100 dogs if his team won the Super Bowl .
.
And Nnadi made good on his promise .
.
And Nnadi made good on his promise .
The Chiefs won .
And Nnadi made good on his promise .
Now , thanks to his generosity , every kennel at one of KC Pet Project 's animal shelters is empty .
`` Because of Derrick Nnadi 's generous sponsorship , our Petco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adopt , '' the non-profit wrote on Facebook on Thursday with a photo of dogless kennels .
`` Yay for so many lives saved ! ''
Nnadi partnered with the Missouri animal rescue organization this season : For every Chiefs win , he 'd pay a dog 's adoption fee .
The Chiefs won 15 games total , including the postseason .
And when the Chiefs made the Super Bowl , Nnadi decided he would pay for every dog 's adoption fee , if his team won .
That ended up being 109 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 150 .
Celebrity chef Rachael Ray chipped in , too : She offered a free supply of pet food for a whole year for every dog that Nnadi paid for , provided through her dog food line .
Photographer Captures An Orangutan Reaching Out To Help A Forest Warden In Borneo Recently , amateur photographer Anil Prabhakar captured a fascinating sight in a conservation forest area in Borneo .
While on a safari with his friends , the photographer stumbled upon a forest warden who was clearing snakes , the sworn enemy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Just as Prabhakar prepared to take a picture , an orangutan reached out his hand to the man , apparently wanting to help him out .
The photographer said that the forest warden refused to take the orangutan ’ s hand , saying that he didn ’ t want to touch an unfamiliar wild animal .
The forest warden ... works for a non-profit organization called Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation .
His and 400 other employees ’ job is to protect the orangutans ’ habitat , which is threated by rapid deforestation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Monday afternoon .
This pair of bald eagles lives in the neighborhood and they do produce babies .
It ’ s always a thrill to see them !
www.goodnewsnetwork.org/… ‘ Game-Changing ’ Skin Printer Works Like a Paint Roller , Speeding Up Healing on Even Bigger Wounds www.goodnewsnetwork.org/… Australian Soldiers Are Using Their Time Off to Care for Koalas Displaced by the Fires www.startribune.com/… Free student store at this Minnesota high school addresses a growing need www.goodnewsnetwork.org/… As Fur is Phased Out of Fashion , More Than 200 Donated Fur Coats Are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pink the Border Collie Whirls Through Westminster Dog Show Agility Competition and Wins Big As I schedule this GNRU on Tuesday evening , the results from New Hampshire are still uncertain .
Whether your candidate did well or not , it ’ s solidarity time , Gnusies !
!
No sniping , no pie throwing , no back-stabbing .
We need to join together under the banner of “ Blue No Matter Who !
” And we shall not be moved from our solidarity by trolls , bots , pundits , Gloomy Guses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or anything else !
!
Thanks to each and every Gnusie for your smarts , your hearts , and your faithful attendance at our daily Gathering of the Herd .

Greetings, All! Welcome to our little oasis on the internet, where the purveyors of gloom and doom are shown the error of their ways, where pie fights are quickly shut down, and where the conversation is all about the good fight that good people are waging against the evildoers currently running ruining our country and what we all can do to make sure we vote them down so decisively that they’ll be crushed for at least a generation. Jill Lepore, an erudite historian and elegant writer, wrote a brilliant piece for the New Yorker’s January 27th issue titled “The Last Time Democracy Almost Died – Learning from the upheaval of the nineteen-thirties.” It included these words I want to share with you:
...a lot of people, worried about whether American democracy could survive past the end of the decade, strove to save it. “It’s not too late,” Jimmy Stewart pleaded with Congress, rasping, exhausted, in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” in 1939. “Great principles don’t get lost once they come to light.” It wasn’t too late. It’s still not too late. ✂ In 1937, The New Republic, arguing that “at no time since the rise of political democracy have its tenets been so seriously challenged as they are today,” ran a series on “The Future of Democracy,” featuring pieces by the likes of Bertrand Russell and John Dewey. “Do you think that political democracy is now on the wane?” the editors asked each writer. The series’ lead contributor, the Italian philosopher Benedetto Croce, took issue with the question, as philosophers, thankfully, do. “I call this kind of question ‘meteorological,’ ” he grumbled. “It is like asking, ‘Do you think that it is going to rain today? Had I better take my umbrella?’ ” The trouble, Croce explained, is that political problems are not external forces beyond our control; they are forces within our control. “We need solely to make up our own minds and to act.” Don’t ask whether you need an umbrella. Go outside and stop the rain.
x YouTube Video And as Jerry Garcia said so memorably, “ Someone has to do something. It’s just incredibly pathetic it has to be us.” So let’s get going, okay?!? I’ll leave it to y’all to add political news this morning because these days I prefer to focus on good stuff that’s happening in my state, around the nation, and around the world. * * * * *
Good news from Oregon Oregon environmental groups, timber companies strike ‘extraordinary’ compromise From The Oregonian: Timber companies and conservation groups have agreed to stand down from their divisive and potentially expensive ballot measure fight over Oregon’s logging rules, striking a compromise that sets the stage for the biggest changes to Oregon’s logging practices in decades. The agreement, a copy of which was obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive, calls for state lawmakers to immediately pass tighter restrictions on aerial herbicide spraying, which legislators punted in 2015. The new restrictions would quintuple the size of no-spray buffers around homes and schools, widen them around streams and require logging companies to provide one-day notice to neighbors before helicopters start spraying. ✂ The negotiations, governed by a long list of ground rules, would aim to develop new rules for the 2022 legislative session and begin the process of seeking needed federal approval. “No one thought this could be done,” [Governor Kate] Brown said. “And we are making it happen because people are tired of the endless wars at the ballot and in the courtroom.” There is no guarantee the legislation will pass or the talks will succeed. But the agreement is a step toward resolving the conflicts over logging rules… While Oregon in 1971 became the first state in the nation to adopt comprehensive logging rules, the state has since fallen far behind its neighbors. Today, the state’s logging rules are the West Coast’s weakest, allowing timber companies to cut more aggressively than in California and Washington. You may remember the notorious stunt pulled by Oregon’s Rethug state senators in order to keep cap-and-trade legislation from passing last year: they walked out of the State Senate and fled the state to prevent a vote. Now the Dem leadership has a new plan: Rolling out the fuels portion of cap-and-trade could help the program to finally pass the Oregon legislature From KATU News: The success of a key piece of this year’s cap-and-trade bill, if passed by lawmakers, largely hinges on the state’s ability to track the sale and distribution of fuel within its borders. By using data gathered under the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Fuels Tax system, supporters of the bill say the state can manage a rollout of the fuels portion of the cap-and-trade program regionally. They say rolling out the program to the more populous regions of the state first will protect rural areas from fuel price increases that will occur under a cap-and-trade program. The architects of this year’s bill, which aims to regulate the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, came up with the idea of rolling out the program geographically as a way to appease critics of last year’s legislation. Those critics, mostly Republicans, but also a small number of Democrats, complained the bill would increase fuel costs for rural Oregonians. At first, the program, as proposed, would only apply to fuel sold in the Portland-metropolitan area. Then later, it would expand to the more populated areas of the state. But it would not expand to the rest, more rural areas, of the state unless conditions, such as a certain number of counties opting into the program, were met. Wish us luck – we’ll need it!
This next article is behind a paywall, but you may be able to open it since they allow a few free articles each month:
Speakers tell Salem [OR] crowd of work bringing Oregon's black history out of shadows
From the Salem Reporter:
Leaders of Oregon Black Pioneers outlined how black history has been neglected in Oregon in a presentation Friday before the Salem City Club. [They] told of the group’s museum exhibits and efforts to bring light to the history of black Oregonians. The Oregon Black Pioneers’ mission is to research and preserve black history in Oregon as well as educate others about that history. This includes combing research archives and creating curriculum that accurately represents African American history. Two bigger projects in the works for the organization, Richardson said, are a digital museum of black Oregon history and eventually a brick and mortar museum somewhere in the state. Ignoring African American history is common, [Willie] Richardson said, noting that African Americans aren’t typically in stories of the Oregon Trail. “We got here some kind of way,” Richardson said to laughs from the audience. ✂ The state came into the Union with black exclusion laws, making it illegal for black people to settle in Oregon. ...But there have been black people in Oregon since the beginning. That’s why the group’s museum exhibit focuses on the civil rights movement - to illustrate how hard African Americans had to fight for recognition and equity in Oregon, [Gwen] Carr said.
I looked up Oregon Black Pioneers and found this fascinating video about Vanport, the WWII city constructed to house workers at the Kaiser Shipyards in Portland and Vancouver, WA. It was home to 40,000 people, 40% of them black.
x Vimeo Video
Ben Johnson: after the Vanport flood, working for a better Portland from Vanport Mosaic on Vimeo.
* * * * *
Good national news
The SPLC does amazing work. Let’s hope they prevail in this case:
SPLC sues Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School safety commission for not allowing students to voice concerns
From the SPLC:
Kinsey Akers had to take the PSAT but was determined to make her voice heard at a public meeting on school safety that same day. ...[She] took the standardized test, checked out of school early and missed two classes so she could rush home and get ready to speak to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission. The commission formed after the February 2018 school massacre in Parkland, Florida, to make recommendations – with public input – to the Florida Legislature about making schools in the state safer. Akers is a member of March for Our Lives, a national, student-driven movement that came together after the Parkland shooting to advocate for gun reform and other measures to improve school safety. After getting dressed, ...she received a text from a March for Our Lives colleague, telling her that the commission had pushed up the public comments and closed the meeting early. “At first, I was in shock,” said Akers, 17. “I didn’t think they were allowed to do that. ...I could not believe the commission would go to such a measure to silence the people they claim to be protecting. But I will not be silent.” On behalf of Akers and other young plaintiffs who were denied the right to speak at the Oct. 16 meeting, the SPLC recently filed a lawsuit against the commission for violating Florida’s open meetings laws. ✂ A recent report by the SPLC describes how a majority of the commission’s members have law enforcement backgrounds and virtually no experience in public education, school administration, youth development or mental health. Its voting members appear to be all white and do not include students or current educators.
Here’s a sweet story, worth reading in full. And it’s very inspiring, considering what’s been happening to local papers all across the country:
Meet the Unlikely Hero Saving California’s Oldest Weekly Paper
From the NY Times:
The night before his first deadline, Carl Butz, California’s newest newspaper owner, was digging into a bowl of beef stew at the Two Rivers Café, the only restaurant open in town. “Tomorrow I have to fill the paper,” he said with only mild anxiety. “The question is, will it be a four-page paper or a six-page paper?” At 71, Mr. Butz is trim, with wire-rimmed glasses and a close-cropped silver beard, and he dresses in flannel shirts and cargo pants. Since his retirement and his wife’s death in 2017, he considered traveling — to England or Latvia, or riding the Trans-Siberian Railway. But here he was, a freshly minted newspaper proprietor, having stepped in at the beginning of the year to save The Mountain Messenger, California’s oldest weekly newspaper, from extinction. The Messenger was founded in 1853. Its most famous scribe was Mark Twain, who once wrote a few stories — with a hangover, the legend goes — while hiding out here from the law.
In Appalachia, Crafting a Road to Recovery With Dulcimer Strings
From the NY Times:
The heritage of handcrafted stringed instruments runs deep in [Hindman, KY, a] tiny Appalachian village (pop. 770) stretched along the banks of Troublesome Creek. ...Music is the region’s lifeblood: Locals like to say that “you can toss a rock and hit a musician.” But these strong cultural roots have been tested by the scourges that devastated Eastern Kentucky, an early epicenter of the opioid crisis. Hindman is the seat of Knott County, one of the poorest regions in the United States and one that continues to grapple with overdose death rates that are twice the national average. ✂ But last year, an unlikely group of renegades — suspender-wearing luthiers from the Appalachian Artisan Center here — embarked on a novel approach to the hopelessness of addiction called Culture of Recovery, an apprentice program for young adults rebounding from the insidious treadmill of opioids and other substances. Participants, about 150 so far, learn traditional arts like luthiery — the making and repairing of stringed instruments — under the tutelage of skilled artisans. ✂ The art of crafting an instrument by hand requires keen focus, attention to detail and commitment to a goal — qualities that can help during recovery...“Many clients have never had anyone tell them they’re proud of them, or done something they’re proud of,” said [the Knott County judge who presides over the drug court]. “Now they’re creating something tangible and beautiful.”
As a long-time cooking instructor who has taught many delightful groups of kids, I think this story is definitely good news. Most Americans can’t cook (a situation which agribusiness works tirelessly to maintain), but knowing how to cook for yourself is in fact a survival skill that more and more people need these days.
Greenpoint Elementary School [Brooklyn] Launches Cooking Program
From the Greenpoint Post:
A new culinary arts program was launched at a Greenpoint elementary school earlier this month that aims to teach students how to cook. The program is being taught to all 600 students at PS 31 Samuel F. DuPont, from Kindergarten through 5th grade, at its 75 Meserole Avenue location. There will be dedicated cooking lessons, with other school subjects incorporating food-related topics into their coursework. ✂ ... PS 31’s staff is developing a school-wide curriculum to not only teach its students about making food dishes, but to also use food as a way of educating children about life and the world around them. ... “We have theme units per grade,” said Sheri Sankner... “For Kindergartners, we have Eat the Rainbow where they’ll learn shapes and colors. First graders will learn the parts of plants, such as which part they eat and don’t.” The upper grades will focus on learning about the topographies and geographies of where vegetables and fruits are grown. Some food items are grown in other countries—providing students an insight into other cultures. Those students will then cook those cultural dishes at the Café. “That’s how we connect,” explained Maria Puma, the library teacher. “Who we are, what we eat.”
30,000 Pounds of Leftover Super Bowl Food Saved From Landfill and Donated to Charity
From Good News Network:
Rather than rotting in a landfill, more than 30,000 pounds of leftover Super Bowl food are being used to feed hungry Floridians. All the uneaten food from last week’s game at the Hard Rock Stadium has been donated to local shelters throughout southern Florida. NFL Green organizers partnered with Centerplate and food recovery charity Food Rescue US in order to facilitate the massive volunteer mission throughout the week following Sunday’s game. ✂ The rescued food includes uneaten chicken wings, ribs, tenderloins, and charcuteries from concession stands and VIP booths. The food is expected to feed 20,000 people after it is all successfully distributed...
* * * * *
Good international news
Future Crunch’s list of good news items for the second half of January (the list for the first half of February will come out soon).
The world’s largest money manager [BlackRock CEO Larry Fink] is putting climate at the centre of its $7 trillion strategy (high signal value, less clear on substance). More signals: the world’s most profitable hedge fund manager [Chris Hohn of TCI Fund Management] is forcing companies in its portfolio to reduce emissions and reveal exposure to climate risk. Solar energy’s share of the power mix in India increased from 7.9% to 9.6% in 2019, and renewables now account for 36% of installed capacity. Mercom Vietnam went from almost no solar in 2017 to more than Australia by the end of 2019. It’s now ten years ahead of its original clean energy targets. Economist Germany is converting 62 military bases west of the old Iron Curtain into nature reserves for eagles, woodpeckers, bats, and beetles. Independent Peru has begun reforesting the area around Machu Picchu, with plans to plant one million trees on the site in the next five years. France24 Bangladesh has announced a ban on single-use plastics in all coastal areas and in all hotels and restaurants by the end of 2020. Reuters China has unveiled a major plan to reduce single-use plastics. Bags will be banned in major cities by the end of 2020 and in all towns by 2022. BBC
In World First, AI System Develops New Drug, Cuts R&D Costs By 80%, Moving it to Trials For OCD Patients in 1/5 the Time
From Good News Network:
There’s been a lot of conversation about artificial intelligence over the last decade, as the controversial science fiction-turned-non-fiction technology begins to trickle into various economic sectors. Now, for the first time in history, an AI system created by British company Exscienta has invented a drug molecule that is entering phase 1 human trials. The molecule has been found to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but the noteworthy news is that the normal 5-year period for synthesizing a drug and preparing the best version for trial was cut down to just 12 months because it was placed into the brain of an intelligent machine. Exscienta chief executive Prof Andrew Hopkins described the breakthrough to the BBC as a “key milestone in drug discovery”. “We have seen AI for diagnosing patients and for analyzing patient data and scans, but this is a direct use of AI in the creation of a new medicine,” said Hopkins.
Scientists Find Half the World’s Fish Stocks Are Recovered—or Increasing—in Oceans That Used to Be Overfished
From Good News Network:
In the most comprehensive review of fisheries’ management and fishing management on a per region basis, to date, an international team of researchers concluded that fish stocks are mostly increasing in these world waters. In their paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research team gathered data from 50% of the world’s fish stocks, which include harvest rate, recovery rate, fishing pressure, and population numbers, as well as 50% of the world’s fisheries—including management strategies, fluctuations, and predictions in maximum sustainable yield. The conclusion provided in their paper is striking—good news that may be surprising to most. Where commercial fishing is managed, stocks are growing. ✂ While the last major dataset accumulated for fish stocks only included North America, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Europe, the researchers added the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, Northwest Africa, South America, Russia, and Japan.
British Muslim drag queens smashing stereotypes
From Positive News:
This piece is part of our Hope 100 series, telling the stories of the people and organisations creating hope for 2020 and beyond #98 Asifa Lahore One of the UK’s first out Muslim drag queens, Asifa Lahore has been a strong voice in the media for the intersectional experiences of the country’s gay Asian community. Lahore featured in a Channel 4 documentary, Muslim Drag Queens, and has often recalled how drag helped marry her identities as a practicing Muslim (Lahore is of British-Pakistani origin) and an LGBTQ+ person. She subsequently came out as trans and founded Disco Rani, a bhangra LGBTQ+ club night. In 2019, Lahore walked the first LGBTQ+ catwalk at Pakistan Fashion Week London.
* * * * *
Science news
Scientists pinpoint mysterious repeating radio signal from outside our galaxy
From Salon:
Nearly 500 million light years away, a mysterious radio signal is repeating itself. It's a new piece in the puzzle of fast radio bursts (FRBs) — short bursts of radio waves that are so powerful that scientists are able to detect them on Earth, despite their extragalactic origins. Fast radio bursts are hard to study because of how brief they are, meaning telescopes can't often focus on them in time to get a good look. ✂ "We conclude that this is the first detected periodicity of any kind in an FRB source," the researchers said in the paper. "The discovery of a 16.35-day periodicity in a repeating FRB source is an important clue to the nature of this object." The repeating FRB has been dubbed FRB 180916.J0158+65. The specific astrophysical event that causes FRBs is still unknown, although all observed FRBs are from galaxies outside our own. Such signals were first spotted in 2007. It was previously thought that such pulses were random, but according to the aforementioned paper published on the server arXiv in late January, researchers studying FRBs discovered that FRB 180916.J0158+65 is a "repeater," meaning it emits bursts repeatedly and follows a regular pattern. ✂ "It is unlikely that all FRBs are from alien civilizations due to the power requirements at cosmological distances, but possible," Avi Loeb, chair of Harvard's astronomy department, previously told Salon. ..."One needs to use all the power intercepted by the Earth from the Sun" to create an FRB of comparable intensity to the ones we've detected on Earth, Loeb said. However, Loeb did posit that "a small fraction of nearby FRBs could be artificial radio beams sweeping across the sky."
* * * * *
Animal news
Every single dog from a Kansas City shelter found a home thanks to Super Bowl star's promise to pay fees
From CNN:
Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi vowed to pay the adoption fees for more than 100 dogs if his team won the Super Bowl. The Chiefs won . And Nnadi made good on his promise. Now, thanks to his generosity, every kennel at one of KC Pet Project's animal shelters is empty. "Because of Derrick Nnadi's generous sponsorship, our Petco Adoption Center has no more dogs to adopt," the non-profit wrote on Facebook on Thursday with a photo of dogless kennels. "Yay for so many lives saved!" Nnadi partnered with the Missouri animal rescue organization this season: For every Chiefs win, he'd pay a dog's adoption fee. The Chiefs won 15 games total, including the postseason. And when the Chiefs made the Super Bowl, Nnadi decided he would pay for every dog's adoption fee, if his team won. That ended up being 109 dogs at an average adoption fee of $150. Celebrity chef Rachael Ray chipped in, too: She offered a free supply of pet food for a whole year for every dog that Nnadi paid for, provided through her dog food line.
Night cameras near CA highway capture some surprising animal behavior
x YouTube Video


dailykos--2020-02-12--Tulsi Gabbard Cryptically Tells Her Supporters “It’s Time”

Maybe it ’ s just me but Tulsi Gabbard seems to have this cult leader vibe about her .
She always portrays a half smile that suggests she has something in the works that she isn ’ t revealing .
If you think about it , it takes a lot of moxie to run for President .
This is especially true when it is as a little known congresswoman from the tiny state of Hawaii , yet she found a following and it appears has gathered 3 % of the primary vote in New Hampshire .
That not insignificant when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any national exposure beyond her interviews on Fox .
Last night Sean Hannity ’ s favorite Democratic candidate opened her remarks to her New Hampshire supporters in a mini rally with “ It ’ s time , it ’ s time ” .
Heres ’ s a link to the video provided by Politico www.politico.com/ ...
I have long suspected that Ms. Gabbard had other considerations in mind as I have watched her irregular path during this primary season .
It ’ s not unusual for someone to run even if they recognize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ path to victory .
It can serve to elevate their national profile for other ambitions .
Is she planning a third party run ?
When she announced that she would not defend her seat in 2020 that crossed my mind .
Then again with her “ present ” vote on impeachment .
Gabbard has a libertarian bent in many ways and that party is looking for a candidate to run .
Watching her interviews , I don ’ t get the impression this is a person that is going to quietly walk away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this race .

Maybe it’s just me but Tulsi Gabbard seems to have this cult leader vibe about her. She always portrays a half smile that suggests she has something in the works that she isn’t revealing. If you think about it, it takes a lot of moxie to run for President. This is especially true when it is as a little known congresswoman from the tiny state of Hawaii, yet she found a following and it appears has gathered 3% of the primary vote in New Hampshire. That not insignificant when you consider she isn’t getting any national exposure beyond her interviews on Fox.
Last night Sean Hannity’s favorite Democratic candidate opened her remarks to her New Hampshire supporters in a mini rally with “It’s time, it’s time”. Heres’s a link to the video provided by Politico www.politico.com/...
I have long suspected that Ms. Gabbard had other considerations in mind as I have watched her irregular path during this primary season. It’s not unusual for someone to run even if they recognize that there isn’t a viable path to victory. It can serve to elevate their national profile for other ambitions.
Is she planning a third party run? When she announced that she would not defend her seat in 2020 that crossed my mind. Then again with her “present” vote on impeachment. Gabbard has a libertarian bent in many ways and that party is looking for a candidate to run. Watching her interviews, I don’t get the impression this is a person that is going to quietly walk away when she finishes running as a Democrat in this race.


dailykos--2020-02-13--Book Review of Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig’s
A Very Stable Genius

William Galston , a Brookings Institution senior fellow , said that “ we are a government of men and not law.
” It has no force until people enforce it .
That is the underlying theme of Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig ’ s A Very Stable Genius : Donald J. Trump ’ s Testing of America .
The test is how far can one person , in this case a self-declared stable genius who is the president of the world ’ s longest running democracy , repeatedly stretch or ignore the legal norms of a democratic government before a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican controlled Senate Trial of President Donald J. Trump will answer that question .
Rucker and Leonnig interviewed more than 200 sources – most on condition of anonymity .
Trump turned down their request to be interviewed .
Their chronological account of his first term in office is an insider ’ s view of what they describe as his “ vain glorious pursuit of power… ” The universal value of the Trump administration was loyalty… ” According to the authors , not to the country or its laws but to him personally .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ out for me was his attack on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act .
This law does not allow US companies , like real estate developers , such as himself , to bribe foreign governments to secure special services for their business .
He asked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson “ to get rid of that law ” .
Tillerson said he ’ d have to work with Congress .
Unsatisfied , Trump turned to his senior policy advisor , Stephen Miller , to draft an Executive Order repealing the law .
Trump besides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those whom he felt resisted to his proposals .
For instance , he ridiculed national security advisor General H.R .
McMaster ’ s work performance in front others White House staff for delivering boring briefings with too much detailed paperwork .
McMaster ’ s aid said , “ The president doesn ’ t fire people , he just tortures them until they ’ re willing to quit.
” Both Tillerson and General McMaster were finally pushed out .
Trump wants loyalty to extended to his staff and federal executive agencies , like the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as “ my ” Trump Justice Department .
He couldn ’ t understand why it would not release a pro-Trump memo to help him , saying “ They are supposed to be my people.
” Trump is revealed to not understand or care how government works and is suspicious of all agencies as being part of the anti-Trump Deep State if they don ’ t agree with him .
The authors show how Russia ’ s autocrat President Putin manipulated Trump by telling him that his ideas were brilliant warned that he couldn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to execute them .
When the Justice Department indicted twelve Russian intelligence officers for hacking Democratic emails , Trump came to Russia ’ s defense after Putin personally told him that they didn ’ t .
Trump admires how other leaders can control their governments , like North Korea ’ s autocrat Kim Jong Un who got his people to “ sit up at attention ” when he spoke .
Trump called Kim “ very talented , ” and “ very smart , ” and that Kim “ felt very badly ” about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ college student who died following seventeen months in a Korean prison .
Kim told Trump he didn ’ t know about Warmbier .
Trump ’ s response , “ I take him at his word.
” This book should be read by students in business management .
It illustrates how a new company CEO with prior successes brings ideas that worked elsewhere but were not matched to the new one .
Like Trump telling his generals , “ We need to make a profit… ” on US troops stationed around the world .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ megastar in the real estate and entertainment businesses , the authors declare that Trump is a chaotic , inconsistent and ignorant manager over this nation ’ s federal government .
Some of his staff recognized these weaknesses and provided him ways that would limit his impulsive decisions , so laws were not broken .
A Very Stable Genius repeatedly shows how these professionals were worn down by what they considered the inanity , impropriety and illegality of his ideas and directives .
One of his longtime friends defends Trump , saying that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has edges… he has a kind of brilliance and charisma that is unique , rare and captivating , although at times misunderstood.
” That would explain how he attracts new acolytes to replace those he tortured and then summarily dismissed .
Would this book ’ s possible wide circulation , which sketches out a damning portrait of Trump ’ s personal flaws , impact his reelection bid ?
Will the voters care ?
If not , then it provides a glimpse of what to expect in the next four years .
Nick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Citizen Activist , served 5 terms on the Seattle City Council , named progressive municipal official of the year by The Nation , and is founding board chair of Local Progress , a national network of 1,000 progressive municipal officials .
Subscribe to Licata ’ s newsletter Urban Politics

William Galston, a Brookings Institution senior fellow, said that “we are a government of men and not law.” It has no force until people enforce it. That is the underlying theme of Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig’s A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America. The test is how far can one person, in this case a self-declared stable genius who is the president of the world’s longest running democracy, repeatedly stretch or ignore the legal norms of a democratic government before a breaking point is reached? The current Republican controlled Senate Trial of President Donald J. Trump will answer that question.
Rucker and Leonnig interviewed more than 200 sources – most on condition of anonymity. Trump turned down their request to be interviewed. Their chronological account of his first term in office is an insider’s view of what they describe as his “vain glorious pursuit of power…”
The universal value of the Trump administration was loyalty…” According to the authors, not to the country or its laws but to him personally. Among multiple examples, one that stood out for me was his attack on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. This law does not allow US companies, like real estate developers, such as himself, to bribe foreign governments to secure special services for their business. He asked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson “to get rid of that law”. Tillerson said he’d have to work with Congress. Unsatisfied, Trump turned to his senior policy advisor, Stephen Miller, to draft an Executive Order repealing the law.
Trump besides demanding loyalty, he delighted in abusing those whom he felt resisted to his proposals. For instance, he ridiculed national security advisor General H.R. McMaster’s work performance in front others White House staff for delivering boring briefings with too much detailed paperwork. McMaster’s aid said, “The president doesn’t fire people, he just tortures them until they’re willing to quit.” Both Tillerson and General McMaster were finally pushed out.
Trump wants loyalty to extended to his staff and federal executive agencies, like the Justice Department, which he referred to as “my” Trump Justice Department. He couldn’t understand why it would not release a pro-Trump memo to help him, saying “They are supposed to be my people.”
Trump is revealed to not understand or care how government works and is suspicious of all agencies as being part of the anti-Trump Deep State if they don’t agree with him. The authors show how Russia’s autocrat President Putin manipulated Trump by telling him that his ideas were brilliant warned that he couldn’t trust anyone in his administration to execute them. When the Justice Department indicted twelve Russian intelligence officers for hacking Democratic emails, Trump came to Russia’s defense after Putin personally told him that they didn’t.
Trump admires how other leaders can control their governments, like North Korea’s autocrat Kim Jong Un who got his people to “sit up at attention” when he spoke. Trump called Kim “very talented,” and “very smart,” and that Kim “felt very badly” about Otto Warmbier, the twenty-two year-old US college student who died following seventeen months in a Korean prison. Kim told Trump he didn’t know about Warmbier. Trump’s response, “I take him at his word.”
This book should be read by students in business management. It illustrates how a new company CEO with prior successes brings ideas that worked elsewhere but were not matched to the new one. Like Trump telling his generals, “We need to make a profit…” on US troops stationed around the world.
While Trump rightly boasted he was a megastar in the real estate and entertainment businesses, the authors declare that Trump is a chaotic, inconsistent and ignorant manager over this nation’s federal government. Some of his staff recognized these weaknesses and provided him ways that would limit his impulsive decisions, so laws were not broken. A Very Stable Genius repeatedly shows how these professionals were worn down by what they considered the inanity, impropriety and illegality of his ideas and directives.
One of his longtime friends defends Trump, saying that he “has genius characteristics… Like all savants he has edges… he has a kind of brilliance and charisma that is unique, rare and captivating, although at times misunderstood.” That would explain how he attracts new acolytes to replace those he tortured and then summarily dismissed.
Would this book’s possible wide circulation, which sketches out a damning portrait of Trump’s personal flaws, impact his reelection bid? Will the voters care? If not, then it provides a glimpse of what to expect in the next four years.
Nick Licata is the author of Becoming a Citizen Activist, served 5 terms on the Seattle City Council, named progressive municipal official of the year by The Nation, and is founding board chair of Local Progress, a national network of 1,000 progressive municipal officials.
Subscribe to Licata’s newsletter Urban Politics


dailykos--2020-02-14--Can We Keep It Real About Medicare For All?

Two of my favorite bold ideas are ending the use of fossil fuels in the next 15 years and a national healthcare system that resembles those found in many other countries .
Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time .
That should be any new President ’ s first priority .
I am not sure why Warren and Sanders keep promising to implement Medicare For All .
I am a very positive guy , I would love it .
I want it .
It ain ’ t happening in the next administration .
Whoever wins this election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just trying to put the government institutions like the State Department , EPA and DOJ back in order , repair America ’ s place in the world and win back trust from the public that this thing we call a Republic can actually work any more .
Not to mention a looming recession that Democrats will be blamed for if they don ’ t communicate what caused it to happen , the Republican tax cut .
In any case a President doesn ’ t make that decision , it will require the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congressional Budget Office .
Presidential candidates often box themselves in and set the stage for voter disappointment when they over promise things out of their control .
Neither Bernie Sanders nor Elizabeth Warren will be able to overhaul the healthcare system as an executive order .
That will be left to Congress with no certainty they will even will bring it for a vote .
It would need the votes of vulnerable congressional members who might possibly lose their seats .
Most Democrats in Congress oppose it as this piece out today in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hand the nefarious tactics used by insurance companies .
I ’ ve worked around healthcare for 37 years , most of it directly with Medicare , private insurance and Medicaid billing .
I owned a home healthcare company for 12 years and we would bill all insurances .
Later I founded a company that sold Electronic Medical Record Software which interfaced with a billing module .
We started a medical billing company to allow doctors and hospitals to use our outsourced service to create claims and collect monies for our client ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 after16 years .
I have more knowledge on this topic than either of these candidates .
There is a reason they can ’ t explain the process when asked by the media .
They don ’ t appear to know how to create the logistics for such a daunting project .
I hope people will be realistic as to how complicated a change it will be to overhaul the status quo and replace it with a national healthcare program like Medicare For All .
I have difficulty with Sanders/Warren ’ s “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who worked in this industry , I would equate it with something like pulling up all the nations highways and putting down new ones .
To be clear , I am totally against for profit healthcare , yet a staged approach starting with the public option would be less disruptive and have a better chance of getting passed and getting the public behind it .
I am a proponent of bold ideas and action , yet pragmatic enough to understand how deep and wide the tentacles our current healthcare system run .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get all the stakeholders that will be required to participate onboard .
While we may passionately desire change for something better , concurrently human beings are uncomfortable with too much all at once .
Revolutions rarely involve a single event , rather they evolve out of a series of smaller ones .

Two of my favorite bold ideas are ending the use of fossil fuels in the next 15 years and a national healthcare system that resembles those found in many other countries. Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time. That should be any new President’s first priority.
I am not sure why Warren and Sanders keep promising to implement Medicare For All. I am a very positive guy, I would love it. I want it. It ain’t happening in the next administration. Whoever wins this election is going to have their hands full just trying to put the government institutions like the State Department, EPA and DOJ back in order, repair America’s place in the world and win back trust from the public that this thing we call a Republic can actually work any more. Not to mention a looming recession that Democrats will be blamed for if they don’t communicate what caused it to happen, the Republican tax cut.
In any case a President doesn’t make that decision, it will require the US Congress, with the approval of the Congressional Budget Office. Presidential candidates often box themselves in and set the stage for voter disappointment when they over promise things out of their control. Neither Bernie Sanders nor Elizabeth Warren will be able to overhaul the healthcare system as an executive order. That will be left to Congress with no certainty they will even will bring it for a vote.
It would need the votes of vulnerable congressional members who might possibly lose their seats. Most Democrats in Congress oppose it as this piece out today in HuffPost explains.
I have seen first hand the nefarious tactics used by insurance companies. I’ve worked around healthcare for 37 years, most of it directly with Medicare, private insurance and Medicaid billing. I owned a home healthcare company for 12 years and we would bill all insurances. Later I founded a company that sold Electronic Medical Record Software which interfaced with a billing module. We started a medical billing company to allow doctors and hospitals to use our outsourced service to create claims and collect monies for our client’s practices. I closed that company in 2018 after16 years. I have more knowledge on this topic than either of these candidates. There is a reason they can’t explain the process when asked by the media. They don’t appear to know how to create the logistics for such a daunting project.
I hope people will be realistic as to how complicated a change it will be to overhaul the status quo and replace it with a national healthcare program like Medicare For All. I have difficulty with Sanders/Warren’s “all in” approach. As someone who worked in this industry, I would equate it with something like pulling up all the nations highways and putting down new ones. To be clear, I am totally against for profit healthcare, yet a staged approach starting with the public option would be less disruptive and have a better chance of getting passed and getting the public behind it.
I am a proponent of bold ideas and action, yet pragmatic enough to understand how deep and wide the tentacles our current healthcare system run. It will be difficult if not impossible to get all the stakeholders that will be required to participate onboard.
While we may passionately desire change for something better, concurrently human beings are uncomfortable with too much all at once. Revolutions rarely involve a single event, rather they evolve out of a series of smaller ones.


dailykos--2020-02-16--In Election2020: this guy is taken seriously to oppose Criminal-45 ?  Good grief, we're in trouble.

... [ ... ] … “ In May , Bloomberg told CBS ’ “ Face the Nation ” that he @ @ @ @ @ run if he thought he could win , though he described an Independent victory as @ @ @ @ @ has identified as Republican , Democrat and Independent at separate times in his career .
@ @ @ @ @ Who ’ s the bushy white-haired guy in the middle ?
If we 're going @ @ @ @ @ the crime bill no way Bloomberg gets a pass on stop & Frisk !
Bloomberg @ @ @ @ @ who now wants to be a Democrat just to stop Bernie !
Here 's the @ @ @ @ @ and we ai n't in it !
pic.twitter.com/ie2lNEynyW — Daisy Haughton ( @ disneyrental ) @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the mutt on the extreme left ?
God help us all .

Michael Bloomberg blocks footage of Aspen Institute appearance News | February 16, 2015
...[...]… “In May, Bloomberg told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that he would consider a 2016 presidential run if he thought he could win, though he described an Independent victory as “not possible.” Bloomberg has identified as Republican, Democrat and Independent at separate times in his career.
That ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓was just 4 years ago today!
x HOLY FUCK, you gotta listen to this speech @MikeBloomberg tried to block from release.
Thank you @BenjaminPDixon for covering thispic.twitter.com/9PfBqQmG7H — Trisha (@Trisha_Tahmasbi) February 10, 2020
Excellent reply/comment below ↓ ↓ Who’s the bushy white-haired guy in the middle?
x If we're going to call out Biden on the crime bill no way Bloomberg gets a pass on stop & Frisk! Bloomberg a Republican who turned independent who now wants to be a Democrat just to stop Bernie! Here's the only club he cares about and we ain't in it! pic.twitter.com/ie2lNEynyW — Daisy Haughton (@disneyrental) February 10, 2020
Who’s the mutt on the extreme left?
x James Baldwinpic.twitter.com/YmlRpFGnb5 — H. Eric Loewe (@ericlo) February 12, 2020
God help us all.