There are some in the Southeastern US, but not many. From the Appalachians of Western NC to the Florida Everglades they are referred to as panthers. Sometimes even "painters" among the more rustic types. I have seen them only twice, once in NC along the Blueridge Parkway and once in the FlorIda Everglades. The Florida one seemed like an adult but smaller than the ones in the western US.
I've never actually seen one of em in the wild. Course, I do not even know if they remain wild on the east coast, because humans :/ But they're still runnin around California so yeah california and also, do not pet the big kitty, they will eat you
I first saw one hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park at the Loch. S/he was just across a small (about 15 feet) inlet drinking. She saw me, then turned around and ran up into the rocks. Very cool. Second time, in the mountains of southern Arizona near Sierra Vista, one bounded across the road in Front of my car. So beautiful and a powerful jumper!
I engaged in a staring contest with one, maybe a year ago here in western mass. It was maybe 20-25 feet away from me in the woods next to my house. I made sure to demonstrate that I was bigger than it was, and it decided it wasn't worth the fight, and trotted away.
Sweet fiancé Meccalopolis and I saw one on the road (he avoided accidentally hitting him/her) last week. They still exist upstate in NY; we saw with our own eyes.
I saw one bound across the road about 8-10 years ago in southern NH. We were driving and probably 300 ft. away. My lovely lady swears it was a bobcat but I distinctly remember the long tail, even at that distance. It was one of those "did I see what I think I did?" moments. I could be mistaken but it is a vivid memory for me. Their territories are quite large and are they are solitary animals so sightings are rare but I think we get the occasional "tourist" every now and then.
The Ron brownstein article is God damn fascinating. And it explains a lot, and raises lots of questions.
It gives us a handle on why Biden crushes in likely voter surveys and perhaps why Trump appears to overperform in surveys of merely registered voters. Random registered voter samples are dragneting low turnout and unlikely voters in and recording their opinions. Since their opinions are strange and incongruent to their demographics, the result looks nuts. And add to that what we've seen in some surveys of oversampling of this very group, low turnout voters, and you get the toxic data stew that outputs things like the nyt sienna weirdness. It's not a complete explanation but the best one we've seen so far.
Some of the hand ringing in the article is unnecessary. The easiest people to turn out are consistent voters. And this blind pull business is really no challenge at all. You just simply move to a regular voter strategy, which is easy to do since the party will be working from the voter file, which indicates which elections voter has cast a ballot in. It's just a little interesting that's a modern Democratic party since the rise of Bill Clinton has depended upon activating identity groups, rather than evaluating those groups on who's willing to turn out. What brownstein's analysis, synthesis shows is that the Bill Clinton approach has matured, and we're also seeing the benefits of the innovations that Barack Obama brought with on the ground digital organization, making things faster and more targeted.
Brownstein kind of hides his main point, which is that the last two presidential cycles were remarkable for their amazingly huge turnouts. When you get huge turnouts, which have been rare since 1976, you get a lot of low frequency voters. And when that dynamic shifts back, it's a low frequency voters who don't show up. So the success of driving get out the vote in the last two cycles is warping our understanding this cycle in the picture is clearing just in time for the final push later this summer.
Brownsteins analysis was good, and he was kind to Trump while still being honest about what the numbers are showing, and being honest that the the numbers include a great deal of uncertainty. With all the proper academic caveats, Trump is screwed.
And it really stands to reason. He's an extreme choice, like purple Hines ketchup. It makes a splash people hear about it they see the commercial and like it. And folks who are predisposed to experiment, actually buy it. Some people buy it as a joke. Others buy it because their kids nagged and nagged to buy it, but then it sits on the pantry shelf unopened for the next 15 years. This indeed is how you sell new products, with splash and stunts. But, because Heinz sold purple ketchup, do they sell more ketchup? Maybe. But that's also a company, or a brand, that has actually sold a great deal and has managed a company through world wars and depressions and oil shocks. The Trump personal brand is a goddamn disaster. It has been managed very poorly, and what has been successful, has been frauds and con artistry and outright theft and cheating. You can get away with it for decades apparently, but not forever.
The Trump myth is that he is a convener of great crowds, of voters. And it should be noticed that since the January 6th prosecutions and convictions begin there have been a lot fewer people willing to show up in public is his supporters. Trump has spent a lot of time in courthouses over the last year and very few of his supporters have chosen to spend time outside those courthouses. Despite Trump's titty baby whining, it's pretty clear that the dead enders are scared off by the prosecutions, and the come along Sally's, the marginally activated people who are there just because they know some dead ender, aren't showing up. The most photographed Trump supporter and collect pond Park after the verdict yesterday was a guy carrying a sign that read free father Teresa. Well that guy was a comedian who worked for Jimmy Kimmel.
So perhaps that really unusual and interesting situation in which a presidential candidate is super popular among people who never buy what you're selling is that thing that we wish it to be: the shape of the drain down which he will flush.
A question to Todd Blanche: You are, of course, correct that the burden of proof is on the prosecution and it is not your duty to "fill the gaps" in their case. However, if you know that calling witnesses that Prosecution opted to not call could possibly raise that ONE question of doubt to a jurist that may result in a hung jury, if not an actual Not Guilty...why the hell would you not call those witnesses? I'm not some big city lawyer, sir, in fact, I'm not a lawyer at all, but your argument seems a tad wonky to me.
The Huffpost article on the number of Republican officials calling for Trump to quit the race is a static picture of a tumbleweed on an open highway. The Chef's kiss to this would be a background sound of crickets.
That Brownstein piece. FFS, comfortable old-media fatheads sure can be insufferable in their sage self-regard. Brownstein draws the "startling" and "bold" conclusion that new and occasional voters are change voters. And here I was, thinking that people who normally don't give a rat's ass about current events or politics were motivated by their sudden irresistible passion for four more years of the same old shit they've been ignoring and/or bitching about for the last four years.
Nope! New and occasional voters are CHANGE voters, per Brownstein. Well no shit, Sherlock. Next, why don't you tell me that Republicans only really care about rich people or that Trump lies almost every time he opens his mouth? Blow my mind, baby!
Between the ignoring of 60 court decisions concerning the 2020 election and the pandemonium surrounding a jury of Trump's peers finding him guilty following a trial in which he was rightfully allowed to present a defense, I think we now have an exceedingly clear picture of what Republicans think of the system of law and justice fundamental to the United States.
On Liz-They should be careful what they wish for. The 11th Circuit CoA is already giving Loose Cannon the bent eye, and will (un)happily cite the 5th to yank the MerdeLardo case from her fumbley fingers.
‘Trix, please note - or suggest that your minions cover - the fact that it’s 5/31/24 and I woke up to see MSM covering a flag-flanked empty mic in breathless anticipation of some pronouncement from Trump. It looked so 2016, thought I was still having a bad dream from the last decade. They enabled this the last time and sadly, the only thing they learned is that if he goes away, so do their ratings.
Goddaughter picks out a restaurant because for her dad's birthday. It's a lavish Italian place, really beautiful inside, and because the table's not ready when we arrive EXACTLY ON TIME, they give all three of us a free glass of Prosecco.
Anyway, we get seated before we've even had two sips of the Prosecco, and goddaughter's dad comments that it's kinda loud in the restaurant. Goddaughter too notes how unusually loud it is.
I look around. I think I've discovered the reason.
"Et voilà. It's loud because it's full of American tourists."
They turn around and look. Dad replies, "Ah, bah ouai, tu as raison."
If they can convict Prezdet Tromp of crimes he committed and bragged about, they can convict you for crimes you commit and brag about. Do you really want to live in that kind of world where the wealthy or the pretend-wealthy can be punished, just for committing *all* the crimes?
Willow the mountain lion knows how to relax. It’s yer hed gif info link with live cam option: https://open.substack.com/pub/martiniambassador/p/chillaxin-mountain-lion-cub
Griffith Park in LA has a new resident. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mountain-lion-hollywood-sighting-p22-b2550835.html
Cool!
In that first clip, the lion looks as though it's going to announce that Paul Masson will sell no wine before its time.
🤭
"Uh...Willow- you really don't have to drink on every take."
LOL, I really should have photoshopped a wine glass in that paw.
There are some in the Southeastern US, but not many. From the Appalachians of Western NC to the Florida Everglades they are referred to as panthers. Sometimes even "painters" among the more rustic types. I have seen them only twice, once in NC along the Blueridge Parkway and once in the FlorIda Everglades. The Florida one seemed like an adult but smaller than the ones in the western US.
Mountain lions in the NW, and one pooped in my back yard last year. True story.
WSU Cougars!
Ha, I remember "painters" from my youth in the South. But I hadn't thought of it for YEARS.
A panther painter, now that's a gif idea!
Fly, fly my little butterfly!
Those feetses!
I want to catch that vibe. Pawfect.
No, I don't care how appealingly fuzzy it is, I am NOT gonna skritch belly.
I see her hammock is made of leather, still not kitteh proof!
Or maybe recycled fire hoses ... ?
"Who will clean my toe beans"?
Paws of Doom.
I've never actually seen one of em in the wild. Course, I do not even know if they remain wild on the east coast, because humans :/ But they're still runnin around California so yeah california and also, do not pet the big kitty, they will eat you
I first saw one hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park at the Loch. S/he was just across a small (about 15 feet) inlet drinking. She saw me, then turned around and ran up into the rocks. Very cool. Second time, in the mountains of southern Arizona near Sierra Vista, one bounded across the road in Front of my car. So beautiful and a powerful jumper!
I engaged in a staring contest with one, maybe a year ago here in western mass. It was maybe 20-25 feet away from me in the woods next to my house. I made sure to demonstrate that I was bigger than it was, and it decided it wasn't worth the fight, and trotted away.
Sweet fiancé Meccalopolis and I saw one on the road (he avoided accidentally hitting him/her) last week. They still exist upstate in NY; we saw with our own eyes.
I saw one bound across the road about 8-10 years ago in southern NH. We were driving and probably 300 ft. away. My lovely lady swears it was a bobcat but I distinctly remember the long tail, even at that distance. It was one of those "did I see what I think I did?" moments. I could be mistaken but it is a vivid memory for me. Their territories are quite large and are they are solitary animals so sightings are rare but I think we get the occasional "tourist" every now and then.
Here kitty kitty. Ouch!
I love mountain lions.
through the safety of a screen.
Some ass on CNN was saying Trump enjoys the support of half of the country. They really believe their own press.
In San Diego county...I can holler extremely loud and long!
Pretty much put all to shame...
I've been doing so in my mind for 24 hrs , more or less now... Being in the mtns...not like the flatlands.
Oh, how I would have found a great spot for my yelling/howling to echo forever...
I'm SO up to the challenge.
And I am thrilled beyond being ecstatic, about him being found guilty on ALL counts!!!
The Ron brownstein article is God damn fascinating. And it explains a lot, and raises lots of questions.
It gives us a handle on why Biden crushes in likely voter surveys and perhaps why Trump appears to overperform in surveys of merely registered voters. Random registered voter samples are dragneting low turnout and unlikely voters in and recording their opinions. Since their opinions are strange and incongruent to their demographics, the result looks nuts. And add to that what we've seen in some surveys of oversampling of this very group, low turnout voters, and you get the toxic data stew that outputs things like the nyt sienna weirdness. It's not a complete explanation but the best one we've seen so far.
Some of the hand ringing in the article is unnecessary. The easiest people to turn out are consistent voters. And this blind pull business is really no challenge at all. You just simply move to a regular voter strategy, which is easy to do since the party will be working from the voter file, which indicates which elections voter has cast a ballot in. It's just a little interesting that's a modern Democratic party since the rise of Bill Clinton has depended upon activating identity groups, rather than evaluating those groups on who's willing to turn out. What brownstein's analysis, synthesis shows is that the Bill Clinton approach has matured, and we're also seeing the benefits of the innovations that Barack Obama brought with on the ground digital organization, making things faster and more targeted.
Brownstein kind of hides his main point, which is that the last two presidential cycles were remarkable for their amazingly huge turnouts. When you get huge turnouts, which have been rare since 1976, you get a lot of low frequency voters. And when that dynamic shifts back, it's a low frequency voters who don't show up. So the success of driving get out the vote in the last two cycles is warping our understanding this cycle in the picture is clearing just in time for the final push later this summer.
Brownsteins analysis was good, and he was kind to Trump while still being honest about what the numbers are showing, and being honest that the the numbers include a great deal of uncertainty. With all the proper academic caveats, Trump is screwed.
And it really stands to reason. He's an extreme choice, like purple Hines ketchup. It makes a splash people hear about it they see the commercial and like it. And folks who are predisposed to experiment, actually buy it. Some people buy it as a joke. Others buy it because their kids nagged and nagged to buy it, but then it sits on the pantry shelf unopened for the next 15 years. This indeed is how you sell new products, with splash and stunts. But, because Heinz sold purple ketchup, do they sell more ketchup? Maybe. But that's also a company, or a brand, that has actually sold a great deal and has managed a company through world wars and depressions and oil shocks. The Trump personal brand is a goddamn disaster. It has been managed very poorly, and what has been successful, has been frauds and con artistry and outright theft and cheating. You can get away with it for decades apparently, but not forever.
The Trump myth is that he is a convener of great crowds, of voters. And it should be noticed that since the January 6th prosecutions and convictions begin there have been a lot fewer people willing to show up in public is his supporters. Trump has spent a lot of time in courthouses over the last year and very few of his supporters have chosen to spend time outside those courthouses. Despite Trump's titty baby whining, it's pretty clear that the dead enders are scared off by the prosecutions, and the come along Sally's, the marginally activated people who are there just because they know some dead ender, aren't showing up. The most photographed Trump supporter and collect pond Park after the verdict yesterday was a guy carrying a sign that read free father Teresa. Well that guy was a comedian who worked for Jimmy Kimmel.
So perhaps that really unusual and interesting situation in which a presidential candidate is super popular among people who never buy what you're selling is that thing that we wish it to be: the shape of the drain down which he will flush.
A question to Todd Blanche: You are, of course, correct that the burden of proof is on the prosecution and it is not your duty to "fill the gaps" in their case. However, if you know that calling witnesses that Prosecution opted to not call could possibly raise that ONE question of doubt to a jurist that may result in a hung jury, if not an actual Not Guilty...why the hell would you not call those witnesses? I'm not some big city lawyer, sir, in fact, I'm not a lawyer at all, but your argument seems a tad wonky to me.
The Huffpost article on the number of Republican officials calling for Trump to quit the race is a static picture of a tumbleweed on an open highway. The Chef's kiss to this would be a background sound of crickets.
Just used the Martie link for the first time. Hope that helps y'all, Becca!
That Brownstein piece. FFS, comfortable old-media fatheads sure can be insufferable in their sage self-regard. Brownstein draws the "startling" and "bold" conclusion that new and occasional voters are change voters. And here I was, thinking that people who normally don't give a rat's ass about current events or politics were motivated by their sudden irresistible passion for four more years of the same old shit they've been ignoring and/or bitching about for the last four years.
Nope! New and occasional voters are CHANGE voters, per Brownstein. Well no shit, Sherlock. Next, why don't you tell me that Republicans only really care about rich people or that Trump lies almost every time he opens his mouth? Blow my mind, baby!
Samuel Alito and John Roberts high-fiving that the Trump convictions have moved the news cycle on from them being shit-stains on justice.
Between the ignoring of 60 court decisions concerning the 2020 election and the pandemonium surrounding a jury of Trump's peers finding him guilty following a trial in which he was rightfully allowed to present a defense, I think we now have an exceedingly clear picture of what Republicans think of the system of law and justice fundamental to the United States.
Yay for Evan and also yay for us for Evan still being a wonketeer.
Kimmel's monologue was AWESOME - the guy they had infiltrate the crowd as a PAB supporter is OFF THE CHAIN!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaVxD7s4_tA
yes, awesome show!
watched last night
On Liz-They should be careful what they wish for. The 11th Circuit CoA is already giving Loose Cannon the bent eye, and will (un)happily cite the 5th to yank the MerdeLardo case from her fumbley fingers.
‘Trix, please note - or suggest that your minions cover - the fact that it’s 5/31/24 and I woke up to see MSM covering a flag-flanked empty mic in breathless anticipation of some pronouncement from Trump. It looked so 2016, thought I was still having a bad dream from the last decade. They enabled this the last time and sadly, the only thing they learned is that if he goes away, so do their ratings.
AAAAACK!!!
"Be the tourist...you want to see in the world."
Snapshot from recent Paris trip:
Goddaughter picks out a restaurant because for her dad's birthday. It's a lavish Italian place, really beautiful inside, and because the table's not ready when we arrive EXACTLY ON TIME, they give all three of us a free glass of Prosecco.
Anyway, we get seated before we've even had two sips of the Prosecco, and goddaughter's dad comments that it's kinda loud in the restaurant. Goddaughter too notes how unusually loud it is.
I look around. I think I've discovered the reason.
"Et voilà. It's loud because it's full of American tourists."
They turn around and look. Dad replies, "Ah, bah ouai, tu as raison."
We had a good time anyway.
If they can convict Prezdet Tromp of crimes he committed and bragged about, they can convict you for crimes you commit and brag about. Do you really want to live in that kind of world where the wealthy or the pretend-wealthy can be punished, just for committing *all* the crimes?