Wyoming's Democratic Party caucus takes place today.
I don't know much about the state. We visited just the eastern edge of it during a trip in September 2009:
Snip:
We next ventured into Wyoming, the state line isn't too far from Deadwood. We sought and found Devil's Tower, famous for its appearance in the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".
Before I had any idea that I could ever be living in a place where Wyoming was a possibility to visit, at least travelling by land, I had formed an idea about the state which may or may not be a fair one. It was based on a song from my favourite Elton John CD, Songs From the West Coast, a song titled American Triangle. The song tells of a very nasty incident in Wyoming in the late 1990s:
From Wikipedia
Matthew Wayne "Matt" Shepard (December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998) was an American student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured, and left to die near Laramie, Wyoming on the night of October 6, 1998, and died six days later at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, on October 12, from severe head injuries.[Matthew was gay]
The song mentions the state's name, and that mention remained in my memory very clearly:
On a more pleasant note, we've recently enjoyed two seasons of a TV series (via Netflix) set in Wyoming: Longmire. The series has given me a much better view of Wyoming.
I hope Wyoming voters will be kind to Bernie today!
UPDATE
THANK YOU WYOMING!
 |
| Bernie Sanders 56 - Hillary Clinton 44 |
10 comments:
The Wyoming Democratic primary caucus is a bit like a condiment for Hillary...she can easily forgo the delegates, should she lose a major share. Let's hope the Bern sweeps-up most of the 14 delegates. I see that the remaining four super-delegates have been purchased already by Hillary [ http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/04/01/how-hillary-clinton-bought-the-loyalty-of-33-state-democratic-parties/ ].
I've traveled through Wyoming a number of times on Interstate 80 traveling WA state to-from Kansas via the Cheyenne to-from Denver connection with I25. It's very scenic in some spots, but I wouldn't want to actually live there. Wyoming is "Brokeback Mountain" country, too...LOL. Wyoming's heightened homophobia is part of the background psychosis of the film, though I wouldn't say that Wyoming is any worse than most states. Maybe it's the coveted, manly, cowboy imagery that's at stake and is so heavily interwoven into the population there.
I'm not drawn toward programs like "Longmire", perhaps for the same reason in the previous paragraph...the macho, cowboy imagery. Doubt that I'll watch it. I'm rarely on Netflix anymore. There are a couple of season two series that I'd like to view before I cancel Netflix...the season two series are due-out late spring or early summer. The only movie I've viewed on Netflix in the last two months is "Pee Wee's Big Holiday", which I thoroughly enjoyed. There are a number of carry-overs from his previous two movies that will go over your head, if you haven't seen them. Here's the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quo-Oen1wkY
Did your email service revive? I have aol.com and their server goes down on occasion, so maybe that was the issue with yours.
BTW - Netflix raised its new-subscriber fee several months ago and is now raising the rates for old subscribers. This article says that its on accounts two years old or more, so I should be good til late this year, but I'll more than likely cancel before then. Probably switch to Showtime or HBO-Go. I sure wish a new streaming service would offer the best features of the current providers. Each of the current providers has ONE good feature to offer, but fails in other ways. I'd pay $15-$20 per month, if I could get it all in one place (I now pay $9.99/mo for Netflix).
http://www.aol.com/article/2016/04/07/17m-peoples-netflix-prices-are-increasing-and-they-dont-even-r/21340212/?cps=gravity_4816_-7108239947667173997
mike (+again) ~ Groan - Yes, true! Not much said about the Wyoming Dem caucus today online, so far. It's not thought important enough I guess - no Trump excitement to get clicks on articles.
Bernie invited to attend a Vatican conference next week is a nice bit of condiment for him though is it not? Bloomberg website yesterday tried to spin even that bit of news - saying he'd invited himself. Later yesterday an important Vatican official came back and said that was untrue - the Vatican had invited Bernie directly. (Lost links, sorry).
Ah - I hadn't realised "Brokeback Mountain" was set in Wyoming, but yes, it fits in with the flavour of Elton's song. As you say Wyoming isn't likely to be any worse than many other states in that regard - and probably things are getting better very very gradually as new generations grow.
We enjoyed "Longmire", it's a good blend of modern law-keeping in those parts, both by Native American tribal police and the Sheriff and assistants. There's a nice underlying feel to the series, not present in many policing stories.
In any case, I love series about specific areas in "flyover" USA. "Justified" is another - it is set in Kentucky, Marshal/Deputy Marshal involved. "Hart of Dixie" a fun "doctor" series set in Alabama (sounds unlikely, doesn't it?) It works though.
I've never been drawn to either East Coast places or West cost places in the USA - it has always been the middle of the country that has interested and fascinated me. I guess it was the old TV series "Centennial" from James A. Michener's book that got me hooked. Later on it continued with "Lonesome Dove" and sequels, books and TV series. That was all long, long before living in the USA was even a germ of a thought lurking in the dark recesses of my mind. :-)
Re Netflix etc. We struggle to find new stuff now, have finished "X-Files" - whole 9 seasons, and "3rd Rock from the Sun" - all 6 seasons, hard to find a decent feature-length movies. We enjoy the British TV series available there too.
Anyjazz has accidentally received yet another free month of Amazon Prime when he ordered some special tea and cereal that he likes. We were amazed we'd get a second dose of this freebee - it has enabled us to catch up with new seasons of "Justified" and "The Good Wife" - though most recent season of "Good Wife" still has to be bought. There are as many even less than "B" movies at Amazon as there are at Netflix though. There's an awful lot of crap being dished out these days by movie companies.
Re my e-mail account - thanks yes it's back on track, after long phone calls and much fiddling around on keyboard, with phone in other hand etc. The customer support person thought someone might have been using my e-mail account to send out spam. Said it might happen again, and if so there are a few more "things" we'll have to try. :-/
Gee, not sure if this will ruin it for you, but "Longmire" had various locations:
"While the story is supposed to take place in northern Wyoming, the series is being filmed in several locations in New Mexico: Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Eagle Nest, and Red River."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longmire_%28TV_series%29
Thought that I'd investigate the location, because I mentioned "Brokeback Mountain" being in Wyoming, but I looked it up just to make sure:
"[Brokeback] was filmed almost entirely in the Canadian Rockies in southern Alberta."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brokeback_Mountain
Ah, the illusions of Hollywood! Film is ruled by Neptune, so it's fair game for Hollywood to completely deceive us, yet make the ersatz look so real.
Re - Bernie...yes, I saw his alleged self-invitation on the ABC World News, but with the caveat left open that the Pope "may" have invited him. Later, I saw that he was indeed invited. Does the Pope know something we don't?
Re - email...that'll teach you to use "123" as your password...LOL. Is anyjazz the prime suspect? I assume that you've changed your password. A couple of months ago, I was locked-out of my bank account, due to someone trying to hack my password, but fortunately they failed. Several times in the last couple of months I've received emails from friends, but once the email is opened there is a link to some weird site, usually Viagra or porn. I immediately delete, then delete again from my trash file...so far so good there. That's one method of installing malware on your computer...I received it from a friend, because that friend opened an email like I received, then the malware hijacks the address book, duplicating itself. Also, if you ever wonder about an email you receive, don't open the email, but right-click on it and select "view message source"...a window will open with a bunch of cryptic letters and numbers, scroll down and you should see the written content of the email. Close the window and delete, then delete from the trash file, if you think it's suspicious.
I recently mentioned that I deleted Adobe Flashplayer, because I was having all sorts of connection problems with sites I wanted to visit and I kept being redirected. Flashplayer, because so many sites use it, will often contain malware hidden in the video. Problem was solved for me once I deleted Flashplayer...though I'll never recoup the lost brain cells from aggravation...LOL.
mike (again) ~ (Your comment went to spam this time - but I got the e-mail notification so rescued it asap.)
No that won't ruin it ("Longmire") - anyjazz usually says "Oh it'll have been filmed on a back lot in Los Angeles" when a movie is said to have been filmed in some exotic place, so I'm used to staying with my imagination. As long as they tell me it's Wyoming - it's Wyoming! ;-)
The Pope is infallible (or so we are told, if I remember correctly from my days of RC instruction before marrying an Italian individual, once upon a time). So he must be correct in his choice of Bernie to speak at the Vatican conference. I bet Hillary is fuming - I notice it's not being talked about a lot online - whereas if it had been HRC invited we'd never have heard the last of it. ;-/
Yes, had to change password - and that took countless tries - it wouldn't accept the first several I used. Had to change the "security question" as well. Eventually it worked, after going at it from various angles. I was afraid I'd have lost my e-mail archive, but it was all there.
Thanks for the advice - I'm always careful about opening anything I don't immediately recognise. In future I shall go to trash also and get rid, as you suggest.
Computer-virus-malware matters have been less troublesome for me since I've used Norton 360. Previously, even using expensive well-known virus progs I still was hi-jacked at least once every few months, entailing paying someone to clear it up. So in the end Norton 360 works out cheaper for me (especially as anyjazz pays and we share now it...lol!)
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bernie has won in Wyoming. With 96% reporting it's 56% Bernie to 44% Hillary.
Delegate haul isn't much, something like 8 to 6 I think, but it's the psychological "feel" of another win going forward that is important too.
THANK YOU WYOMING!
The delegates were split, 7 & 7...you'd a thought Bernie would obtain 8, but no. Plus Hillary's purchased super-delegates yields a total of 11 for her. Hardly seems fair, but such is the game.
mike (again) ~ Ain't "democracy" wonderful? He won the state by double digits too.
Still, momentum is proven, which, maybe counts more than the odd delegate.
These anomalies show just how bloody silly the system is! Each state has its own recipe for allotment of delegates - how daft is that in a presidential election, in a nation supposed to be "United"? The delegate thing, as a whole, is a way of keeping the hoi polloi's choice out of the presidency. Okay - they want it that way, so be it - but for goodness sake have a standard set of flippin' rules each state must obey!!
If it weren't for the fact that it's Bernie, I'd have lost interest completely by now.
The powers that be, the oligarchy on both sides, Republican and Democrat likely want Clinton - bearing in mind the alternative Republicans! So that's the way it'll likely be - this time. I want Bernie to get to the convention with as many states behind him as possible though - that has to count for something!
Considering the glaring election inconsistencies state-to-state, it seems odd that many Republicans and Libertarians insist on down-sizing the federal government by empowering each state to determine its own "rules". Har! The Republicans and Democrats don't caucus-vote comparatively, either, state-to-state. I've always been in favor of regulation at the federal level, equalizing the expectations for all states. The Republicans and Libertarians long ago realized that they can manipulate much easier on a state-to-state basis, just as we are seeing with anti-abortion amendments (to make abortions safer) and freedom of religion legislation (discrimination against the non-Christian values). A major problem with any regulation at any level is enforcement, as we've learned from the federal Environmental Protection Agency going impotent, calling off the dogs when corporate interests get in the way...aka lobbyists. And financial (de)regulation?...well, hopefully Bernie will have a say.
"US elections 2016: ‘The system is rigged, the government coin-operated’"
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/10/nation-on-the-take-wendell-potter-nick-penniman-extract
mike (again) ~ It's a mess! All the more reason to get Bernie in a position with some kind of authority to at least try to improve things.
Thanks for the link. People abroad must think the USA is off the rails - even more than usual this time.
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