Fierces on the Weather Critter Comment are obligatory welcome.
The morning check-in is an open thread posted to give you a place to visit with the meeses. Feel free to chat about your weather, share a bit of your life, grump (if you must), rave (if you can). The diarist du jour sometimes posts and runs, other times sticks around for a bit, often returns throughout the day and always cares that meeses are happy … or at least contented.
For those new to the Moose, Kysen left a Moose Welcome Mat (Part Deux) so, please, wipe your feet before you walk in the front door start posting.
The important stuff to get you started:
– Comments do not Auto-refresh. Click the refresh/reload on your tab to see new ones. Only click Post once for comments. When a diary’s comment threads grow, the page takes longer to refresh and the comment may not display right away.
– To check for replies to your comments, click the “My Comments” link in the right-hand column (or go to “My Moose”). Comments will be listed and a link to Recent Replies will be shown. (Note: Tending comments builds community)
– Ratings: Fierce means Thumbs Up, Fail means Thumbs Down, Meh means one of three things: I am unFailing you but I can’t Fierce you, I am unFiercing after a mistaken Fierce, … or Meh. Just Meh. (p.s. Ratings don’t bestow mojo, online behaviour does).
– The Recommended list has a prominent place on the Front Page because it reflects the interests of the Moose. When people drive-by, we want them to see what we are talking about: news, politics, science, history, personal stories, culture. The list is based on number of recs and days on the list. Per Kysen: “The best way to control Rec List content is to ONLY rec diaries you WANT to see ON the list.”
– Finally, the posting rules for a new diary: “Be excellent to each other… or else”
(Some other commenting/posting/tending notes for newbies can be found in this past check-in and, of course, consult Meese Mehta for all your questions on meesely decorum.)
Good morning Motley Meese! Hope your weekend was lovely. Sorry it’s over so soon.
PLEASE Don’t Recommend the check-in diary!
Fierces on the weather jar comment are still welcome.
The check-in is an open thread and general social hour.
It’s traditional but not obligatory to give us a weather check where you are and let us know what’s new, interesting, challenging or even routine in your life lately. Nothing is particularly obligatory here except:
I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in “Cheers & Jeers”. For example:
THURSDAY’s CHILD is Lenny the Cat – an upstate New York kitteh who was adopted from a shelter, then returned by someone … claiming he broke wind all the time. But he has now been re-adopted, and is doing well.
ART NOTES – the traveling exhibition Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey is at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire through August 17th.
PART OF THE REASON for the drop in crime rates the past twenty-five years may involve switching to a less-cash-intensive society, a new paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests.
HOPING FOR IMPROVEMENT for the musician Glen Campbell – whose Alzheimer’s affliction has progressed to the point where he has been admitted to a care facility.
A SONG for EASTER – regardless of whether or not you are Christian. Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) was written by Duke Jordan, and recorded by Donald Byrd – with Herbie Hancock on piano and Kenny Burrell on guitar – and was performed at Martin Luther King’s funeral.
PERHAPS LIKE YOU I avoided reading this man’s obituary two weeks ago …. truly eager to ignore him. But this recounting of the death of financier Charles Keating – not only a swindler, but also a fundie moralist to boot – was fascinating to read.
THE WINDS of CHANGE continue to blow in tradition-bound Germany: the appointment of the first woman in their navy to be granted a commission on a submarine – where traditionally a female presence on-board was believed to bring bad luck ……. and a Palestinian who came to the capital city of Berlin (from the West Bank) as a child – whose first job was making fries at Burger King – who could become the first mayor of a major German city with foreign roots.
FRIDAY’s CHILD is Bella the Cat – an Arizona kitteh who lost a leg due to a building fire, and her family (who lost everything in the fire) was unable to keep her …. but who has been adopted by a couple … who say Bella is doing fine.
CHEERS to the Chilean judge Carlos Cerda – the only judge in Chile to pursue cases of human rights abuse by government forces while General Augusto Pinochet was in power – who has become the newest member of that nation’s Supreme Court.
By Request OLDER-YOUNGER BROTHERS? from Observer in Vancouver – the head coach of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, John Tortorella – and the team’s new president, Trevor Linden (whose uniform number was retired by the team after he retired as a player) – whaddya think?
…… and finally, for a song of the week ………………………… a star musician in the 1950’s R&B field who also found success in the field of business is Lloyd Price - who might have been an even bigger star had not a draft notice arrived in his mailbox. Unlike many of his contemporaries: “Mr. Personality” (as he became known) wrote nearly all of his own material, and has had a six-decade career.
Born in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner in 1933, he had trumpet and piano lessons as a child and sang in his mother’s Gospel choir. He and his brother formed a band while in their teens, after being inspired by hearing early R&B stars such as Louis Jordan and Amos Milburn on the jukebox at their mother’s fish-fry restaurant. And from her, he also developed a life-long interest in food preparation and the business practices necessary to sustain that in general.
His big break came when he was heard by another New Orleans legend, the bandleader Dave Bartholomew (who had Fats Domino in his band at the time). Rather than recommend Price to the label he was signed to (Imperial Records) during a time he had a dispute with them: he instead touted Price to Art Rupe – the visiting head of Specialty Records in Los Angeles (and who is still alive at age ninety-six). Rupe signed the nineteen year-old Price, to be backed by Bartholomew’s band.
And Lloyd Price hit #1 in the R&B charts with 1952’s Lawdy Miss Clawdy - a song that Price himself had wrote. While not considered by historians to be a true rock and roll song: it was a preview of rock, and has since been performed by everyone from Elvis Presley to John Lennon to Elvis Costello.
He had a few more singles with Specialty, including Oooh, Oooh, Oooh and Restless Heart – before he was conscripted into the Army in 1954 and sent to Korea. One wonders what his career might have been during the advent of rock and roll had he not been away for three years, as upon his return he discovered that he had been dropped for Little Richard, and that his driver Larry Williams was now also recording for Specialty.
Now forming his own band, Lloyd Price’s group featured a rocking horn section (with Merritt Dalton as lead saxophonist) and back-up singers that became a model for others in just a few years. He then founded Kent Record Company (KRC) with Harold Logan and began recording again. His single Just Because gained some popularity, and Price leased it to ABC-Paramount (to gain national distribution). This led to much success from 1957 to 1959, with songs such as I’m Gonna Get Married, Come Into my Heart and Personality – which reached #2 on the pop charts and spawned his nickname. And he did so while retaining the rights to his music – thus retaining control of his own music.
In 1962, he ended his relationship with ABC in order to found a new label Double L - also with Harold Logan (and which was the first label for Wilson Pickett). When the hit singles dried up after the British Invasion and the rise of Motown, he opened a Manhattan restaurant/club named Lloyd Price’s Turntable (which he had wanted to do in homage to his mother’s restaurant).
But the 1969 murder of his business partner Harold Logan (and the changing fortunes of the record business) led him to sell his businesses and relocate to Africa. In the 1970’s, he helped boxing promoter Don King promote two legendary Muhammad Ali bouts (in Zaire and Manila). He returned to the US in the 1980’s, but delved into building construction in his adopted metropolitan New York City. Thus, he had been out of music for the entire 1970’s and 1980’s, resisting calls for him to perform on the oldies circuit.
He finally agreed to a 1993 European tour (with Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Gary U.S. Bonds) which rekindled his interest at the age of sixty. And he has remained active (with a nine-piece band) from time-to-time, often appearing at his hometown New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. He toured in 2005 (with fellow stars Jerry Butler, Gene Chandler and Ben E. King) billed as the Four Kings of Rhythm and Blues - with a PBS special/DVD resulting. There are two definitive compilation albums available: one from his earlier (and grittier) days at Specialty Records and the other from his later ABC-Paramount recordings.
In 2009, Lloyd Price released his autobiography and has been working on producing a Broadway play (entitled “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” after his first hit). He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2010 on his 77th birthday, and his hometown of Kenner named Lloyd Price Avenue after him. More recently, he appeared on (and sang in) the first season finale of the New Orleans-themed show Tremé on HBO.
Lloyd Price still lives in the NYC suburbs and has a day job running his Icon Food Brands company, producing Southern specialties named after some of his hit songs. And at age 81, he appeared this weekend at the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend … so his sixty-year career has yet to hear its final notes.
Of all of his work, my favorite was one that he did not write, but instead re-worked from the old New Orleans folk-blues standard Stack-O-Lee. Re-named as Stagger Lee – it reached the top of both the R&B and pop charts in early 1959, and one might find two different versions in various compilations.
That is because the violence hinted at in the lyrics (and at this link is more about the back-story to the tune) was deemed unacceptable to be heard on TV shows such as American Bandstand … thus a tamer, re-worked version was released.
Below you can hear the original version – named by Rolling Stone as *#456* on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.
I was standing on the corner when I heard my bulldog bark
He was barking at the two men who were gambling in the dark
It was Stagger Lee and Billy, two men who gambled late
Stagger Lee threw seven, Billy swore that he threw eight
Stagger Lee told Billy, “I can’t let you go with that”
“You have won all my money and my brand new Stetson hat”
Stagger Lee started off going down that railroad track
He said “I can’t get you Billy, but don’t be here when I come back”
Stagger Lee went home and he got his forty-four
Said “I’m going to the barroom just to pay that debt I owe”
Stagger Lee went to the barroom and he stood across the barroom door
He said “Nobody move” and he pulled his forty-four
Fierces on the Weather Critter Comment are obligatory welcome.
The morning check-in is an open thread posted to give you a place to visit with the meeses. Feel free to chat about your weather, share a bit of your life, grump (if you must), rave (if you can). The diarist du jour sometimes posts and runs, other times sticks around for a bit, often returns throughout the day and always cares that meeses are happy … or at least contented.
On weekends (and holidays), you may find the check-in thread earlier or later than normal because … it is the weekend! Moosies need their beauty rest:
For those new to the Moose, Kysen left a Moose Welcome Mat (Part Deux) so, please, wipe your feet before you walk in the front door start posting.
The important stuff to get you started:
– Comments do not Auto-refresh. Click the refresh/reload on your tab to see new ones. Only click Post once for comments. When a diary’s comment threads grow, the page takes longer to refresh and the comment may not display right away.
– To check for replies to your comments, click the “My Comments” link in the right-hand column (or go to “My Moose”). Comments will be listed and a link to Recent Replies will be shown. (Note: Tending comments builds community)
– Ratings: Fierce means Thumbs Up, Fail means Thumbs Down, Meh means one of three things: I am unFailing you but I can’t Fierce you, I am unFiercing after a mistaken Fierce … or Meh. Just Meh. (p.s. Ratings don’t bestow mojo, online behaviour does).
– The Recommended list has a prominent place on the Front Page because it reflects the interests of the Moose. When people drive-by, we want them to see what we are talking about: news, politics, science, history, personal stories, culture. The list is based on number of recs and days on the list. Per Kysen: “The best way to control Rec List content is to ONLY rec diaries you WANT to see ON the list.”
– Finally, the posting rules for a new diary: “Be excellent to each other… or else”
(Some other commenting/posting/tending notes for newbies can be found in this past check-in and, of course, consult Meese Mehta for all your questions on meesely decorum.)
Fierces on the Weather Critter Comment are obligatory welcome.
The morning check-in is an open thread posted to give you a place to visit with the meeses. Feel free to chat about your weather, share a bit of your life, grump (if you must), rave (if you can). The diarist du jour sometimes posts and runs, other times sticks around for a bit, often returns throughout the day and always cares that meeses are happy … or at least contented.
On weekends (and holidays), you may find the check-in thread earlier or later than normal because … it is the weekend! Moosies need their beauty rest:
For those new to the Moose, Kysen left a Moose Welcome Mat (Part Deux) so, please, wipe your feet before you walk in the front door start posting.
The important stuff to get you started:
– Comments do not Auto-refresh. Click the refresh/reload on your tab to see new ones. Only click Post once for comments. When a diary’s comment threads grow, the page takes longer to refresh and the comment may not display right away.
– To check for replies to your comments, click the “My Comments” link in the right-hand column (or go to “My Moose”). Comments will be listed and a link to Recent Replies will be shown. (Note: Tending comments builds community)
– Ratings: Fierce means Thumbs Up, Fail means Thumbs Down, Meh means one of three things: I am unFailing you but I can’t Fierce you, I am unFiercing after a mistaken Fierce, or Meh. Just Meh. (p.s. Ratings don’t bestow mojo, online behaviour does).
– The Recommended list has a prominent place on the Front Page because it reflects the interests of the Moose. When people drive-by, we want them to see what we are talking about: news, politics, science, history, personal stories, culture. The list is based on number of recs and days on the list. Per Kysen: “The best way to control Rec List content is to ONLY rec diaries you WANT to see ON the list.”
– Finally, the posting rules for a new diary: “Be excellent to each other… or else”
(Some other commenting/posting/tending notes for newbies can be found in this past check-in and, of course, consult Meese Mehta for all your questions on meesely decorum.)
President Obama held an impromptu press conference yesterday. Among the topics were the success of the Affordable Care Act and Republican intransigence … in both Congress and statehouses.
From the remarks:
I find it strange that the Republican position on this law is still stuck in the same place that it has always been.
They still can’t bring themselves to admit that the Affordable Care Act is working. They said nobody would sign up; they were wrong about that. They said it would be unaffordable for the country; they were wrong about that. They were wrong to keep trying to repeal a law that is working when they have no alternative answer for millions of Americans with preexisting conditions who would be denied coverage again, or every woman who would be charged more for just being a woman again.
Wrong. Wrong. And Wrong.
Plus:
I’m going to say one last thing about this, just because this does frustrate me: States that have chosen not to expand Medicaid for no other reason than political spite. You’ve got 5 million people who could be having health insurance right now at no cost to these states — zero cost to these states — other than ideological reasons. They have chosen not to provide health insurance for their citizens. That’s wrong. It should stop. Those folks should be able to get health insurance like everybody else.
Political spite … bordering on criminal negligence.
Hello, everybody. Before I begin I just want to express on behalf of the American people our deepest condolences to the Republic of Korea and the families of all those who’ve seen their loved ones lost when a ferry sank within the last couple of days.
Obviously, information is still coming in. We know that many of the victims of this terrible tragedy were students. And American Navy personnel and Marines have already been on the scene helping the search and rescue. As one of our closest allies, our commitment to South Korea is unwavering in good times and in bad, and that’s something I’ll underscore during my visit to Seoul next week.
Before I take questions I’d also like to say a few words about how the Affordable Care Act is now covering more people at less cost than most would have predicted just a few months ago.
The first open enrollment period under this law ended a little over two weeks ago. And as more data comes in, we now know that the number of Americans who’ve signed up for private insurance in the marketplaces has grown to 8 million people — 8 million people. Thirty-five percent of people who enrolled through the federal marketplace are under the age of 35. All told, independent experts now estimate that millions of Americans who were uninsured have gained coverage this year — with millions more to come next year and the year after.
We’ve also seen signs that the Affordable Care Act is bringing economic security to more Americans. Before this law added new transparency and competition to the individual market, folks who bought insurance on their own regularly saw double-digit increases in their premiums. That was the norm. And while we suspect that premiums will keep rising, as they have for decades, we also know that since the law took effect health care spending has risen more slowly than at any time in the past 50 years.
In the decade before the Affordable Care Act, employer-based insurance rose almost 8 percent a year. Last year, it grew at half that rate. Under this law, real Medicare costs per person have nearly stopped growing. The life of the Medicare Trust Fund has been extended by 10 years. And the independent Congressional Budget Office now expects premiums for plans on the marketplace to be 15 percent lower than originally predicted.
So those savings add up to more money that families can spend at businesses, more money that businesses can spend hiring new workers. And the CBO now says that the Affordable Care Act will be cheaper than recently projected. Lower costs from coverage provisions will shrink our deficits by an extra $100 billion.
So the bottom line is, under the Affordable Care Act, the share of Americans with insurance is up, the growth of health care costs is down. Hundreds of millions of Americans who already have insurance now have new benefits and protections from free preventive care to freedom from lifetime caps on your care. No American with a preexisting condition like asthma or cancer can be denied coverage. No woman can be charged more just for being a woman. Those days are over. And this thing is working.
I’ve said before, this law won’t solve all the problems in our health care system. We know we’ve got more work to do. But we now know for a fact that repealing the Affordable Care Act would increase the deficit, raise premiums for millions of Americans, and take insurance away from millions more — which is why, as I’ve said before, I find it strange that the Republican position on this law is still stuck in the same place that it has always been.
They still can’t bring themselves to admit that the Affordable Care Act is working. They said nobody would sign up; they were wrong about that. They said it would be unaffordable for the country; they were wrong about that. They were wrong to keep trying to repeal a law that is working when they have no alternative answer for millions of Americans with preexisting conditions who would be denied coverage again, or every woman who would be charged more for just being a woman again.
I know every American isn’t going to agree with this law. But I think we can agree that it’s well past time to move on as a country and refocus our energy on the issues that the American people are most concerned about — and that continues to be the economy. Because these endless, fruitless repeal efforts come at a cost. The 50 or so votes Republicans have taken to repeal this law could have been 50 votes to create jobs by investing in things like infrastructure or innovation. Or 50 votes to make it easier for middle-class families to send their kids to college. Or 50 votes to raise the minimum wage, or restore unemployment insurance that they let expire for folks working hard to find a new job.
The point is the repeal debate is and should be over. The Affordable Care Act is working. And I know the American people don’t want us spending the next two and a half years refighting the settled political battles of the last five years. They sent us here to repair our economy, to rebuild our middle class, and to restore our founding promise of opportunity — not just for a few, but for all. And as President, that’s exactly what I intend to keep doing as long as I’m in this office.
The transcript includes the questions and answers.
~
Editor’s Note: Feel free to share other news stories in the comments.
Friday Coffee Hour and check-in is an open thread and general social hour. Come back when time allows through the day – the conversation continues.
It’s traditional but not obligatory to give us a weather check where you are and let us know what’s new, interesting, challenging or even routine in your life lately. Nothing is particularly obligatory here except:
A Washington State Ferry plying between the San Juan Islands and Anacortes with Mt. Baker in Background
Working boats are those that haul our freight, catch our fish, transport us where bridges don’t go, and rescue us when we are either unlucky or foolhardy at sea. These are hard working craft with hard working captains and crews.
Pleasure boats are often elegant and great for sport. We’ve all seen the graceful sailboats with their colorful billowing spinnakers and sailors’ hair blowing in the breeze. And then there are the really big giant multimillion dollar yachts that for many of us elicit varying parts of envy and repugnance. I believe that far too little attention is paid to the real boating troopers who toil daily in all kinds of tides and weather. In this photo diary I highlight these intrepid mules of the waterways. No fair weather sailors here.
I live on a bay at the edge of the Salish Sea. We have a wonderful harbor that moors both pleasure craft and working boats, including a sizeable fishing fleet that fishes both locally and in the waters of Alaska.
Most of these photos are taken on or around Bellingham Bay including Squalicum and Fairhaven Harbors. A few photos are from the nearby San Juan Islands and the Northern Puget Sound, all parts of the Salish Sea. Some boats are at dock while others are underway carrying out their various nautical occupations.
Two Large State Ferry systems are shown here: Washington State maintains the largest ferry fleet in US. The second fleet is from the Alaskan Marine Highway which has its southern terminus in Bellingham.
The Kittatas on the Mukatilo – Clinton (Whidbey Is.) Route
Alaskan Marine Highway ferry, the Columbia loading in Bellingham, WA
M/V Malaspina
M/V Matanuska
A water taxi to shuttle foot passengers from Bellingham to those San Juan Islands not served by State ferries
A front loading island transporter
SIGHT SEEING AND ADVENTURE CRUISES
Lady Washington, a 112′ cruise and educational ship used in several movies.
Hawaiian Chieftain
The Zodiac is a 160′ gaff-rigged two-masted schooner that takes day tours or week long adventures
Squalicum Harbor is home port to a variety of salmon fishing boats. These boats include Purse Seiners, Gill Netters, Longliners, and Trollers. The harbor also moors a number of crab Fishers who catch primarily, the delicious and delicate Dungeness Crab. Some boats do double duty, switching roles dependent on what season is open.
Purse Seiners
Loading the Seine net
Gill Netters
Gill netters often fish at night
Hook and line fishing – Longliners and Trollers
Longliner, see hooks in photo below
Fish Buyers, Processors, and Sellers on the Water
The Desire Fish Co. catches salmon in Alaska, flash freezes it and sells it in Bellingham’s Squalicum Harbor during the winter
Crabbers
Gill netter turned crabber
FREIGHTERS
COAST GUARD, POLICE, SAFETY, RESCUE BOATS
CG Cutter: Terrapin
CG Buoy Tender at Sucia Island, Echo Bay
Coast Guard rescue at station
Coast Guard in action
Lummi Nation Tribal Police
NOAA enforcement boat
Canadian Life Boat
Vessel Assist is a valuable service, saving boater’s bacon by delivering fuel when needed…
Fierces on the Weather Critter Comment are obligatory welcome.
The morning check-in is an open thread posted to give you a place to visit with the meeses. Feel free to chat about your weather, share a bit of your life, grump (if you must), rave (if you can). The diarist du jour sometimes posts and runs, other times sticks around for a bit, often returns throughout the day and always cares that meeses are happy … or at least contented.
For those new to the Moose, Kysen left a Moose Welcome Mat (Part Deux) so, please, wipe your feet before you walk in the front door start posting.
The important stuff to get you started:
– Comments do not Auto-refresh. Click the refresh/reload on your tab to see new ones. Only click Post once for comments. When a diary’s comment threads grow, the page takes longer to refresh and the comment may not display right away.
– To check for replies to your comments, click the “My Comments” link in the right-hand column (or go to “My Moose”). Comments will be listed and a link to Recent Replies will be shown. (Note: Tending comments builds community)
– Ratings: Fierce means Thumbs Up, Fail means Thumbs Down, Meh means one of three things: I am unFailing you but I can’t Fierce you, I am unFiercing after a mistaken Fierce, … or Meh. Just Meh. (p.s. Ratings don’t bestow mojo, online behaviour does).
– The Recommended list has a prominent place on the Front Page because it reflects the interests of the Moose. When people drive-by, we want them to see what we are talking about: news, politics, science, history, personal stories, culture. The list is based on number of recs and days on the list. Per Kysen: “The best way to control Rec List content is to ONLY rec diaries you WANT to see ON the list.”
– Finally, the posting rules for a new diary: “Be excellent to each other… or else”
(Some other commenting/posting/tending notes for newbies can be found in this past check-in and, of course, consult Meese Mehta for all your questions on meesely decorum.)
Recs on the weather jar comment are still welcome.
The common Moose, Alces alces, unlike other members of the deer family, is a solitary animal that doesn’t form herds. Not so its rarer but nearest relative, Alces purplius, the Motley Moose. Though sometimes solitary, the Motley Moose herds in ever shifting groups at the local watering hole to exchange news and just pass the time.
A Moose in my neck of the woods right now would look like this:
The morning check-in is an open thread and general social hour. Come back when time allows through the day – the conversation continues.
It’s traditional but not obligatory to give us a weather check where you are and let us know what’s new, interesting, challenging or even routine in your life lately. Nothing is particularly obligatory here except:
