'Black Panther' leads movie winners at the 2019 NAACP Image Awards

I finished up February writing about "Black Panther" and "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" as diverse superhero winners at the Oscars, so it's only fitting that I finish March reporting on "Black Panther" winning multiple awards at the NAACP Image Awards.  Wochit Entertainment has the overall story in 'Black Panther' Takes Home Several NAACP Image Awards 2019.

“Black Panther” went home with several honors from the NAACP Image Awards. One award they received was the Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture. According to Comicbook.com, another award was for Outstanding Motion Picture. Chadwick Boseman, who plays Wakandan king T’Challa, won Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. Director Ryan Coogler was awarded Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture.

In addition to the four awards Wochit Entertainment listed, "Black Panther" won Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration for “All The Stars” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation, Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Film), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for Michael B. Jordan, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Danai Gurira, and Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture for Letitia Wright for a total of ten awards according to The Wrap.  The highest grossing movie of 2018 won in every category in which it was nominated except for Entertainer of the Year, where Beyoncé beat Chadwick Boseman and Ryan Coogler.

Three other movies won awards in categories where "Black Panther" did not earn a nomination.  Amandla Stenberg won Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for "The Hate U Give." "If Beale Street Could Talk" took home the statue for Outstanding Independent Motion Picture.  Finally, Samuel L. Jackson won Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television or Film) for his role in "Incredibles 2."  Congratulations!

Thus ends a year of honors for "Black Panther" that began with the Golden Trailer Awards and the Saturn Awards.*  Congratulations to the movie that most perfectly encapsulates all the topics I care about in entertainment, diversity, politics and government, and fantasy and science fiction.  It beats the next best movie that covers these subjects, "The Shape of Water," in all but fantasy.

I might return to the NAACP Image Awards to discuss the television winners as examples of not only diversity, politics and government, and speculative fiction, but also how electorates matter for awards shows.  In the meantime, stay tuned for an April Fools Day entry.

*That is, unless I decide to nominate it for this year's edition of the Coffee Party Entertainment Awards for movies.  I haven't decided yet.  On the one hand, as I wrote above, "Black Panther" is about all the topics I care about in entertainment, diversity, politics and government, and fantasy and science fiction.  On the other, it really isn't about the kind of politics and government that the Coffee Party might want to reward — violent succession struggles in a monarchy are the opposite of peaceful activism inside a democracy.  I have a week to think about it.

#Connect2Earth for #EarthHour 2019

"Happy Earth Hour, when people all over the planet shut their lights off for an hour after dark."  That's me being a good environmentalist and recycling a greeting for the first special event I celebrated on this blog back on March 26, 2011, one I've observed every year, although sometimes a bit late.  That's not happening this year, as I celebrating it on time.

Speaking of recycling, there is footage of last year's event showing landmarks all over the planet going dark in Official Earth Hour 2019 Video: #Connect2Earth.

Healthy nature makes our life better by providing us with good food, clean air, and fresh water - but it is all under the threat of climate change and loss of biodiversity. This #EarthHour, join us on 30 March 2019 at 8:30pm local time, to switch off and speak up why nature matters. #Connect2Earth

Just like last year, I'm featuring UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' message for Earth Hour 2019.

Nature makes our lives better by giving us benefits like good food, clean air, and freshwater - but we are pushing the planet to the limit and nature is severely under threat. It's time to show world leaders that people demand an international commitment to stop and reverse the loss of nature – we need a New Deal for Nature and People as comprehensive and ambitious as the Paris climate deal.

"Earth Hour is an opportunity to show support for ambitious climate action, by turning off your lights this Saturday, March 30th, at 8:30 p.m. local time. Together, let’s build a cleaner, safer and greener future for everyone." - UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

All of this is well and good, but as I wrote eight years ago, "this is a fun publicity stunt, and I'm going along with it, but by itself, it's just a publicity stunt."  What matters are the things we are willing to do the rest of the year.  Fortunately, Earth Hour uploaded Earth Hour 2019: Sustainable Actions for Nature to give all of us some ideas about what we can do.

Kids to adults speak out about what actions they will take for nature - from using less single-use plastic, eating a more plant-based diet, to taking public transport. What will you do to protect nature?

I have listed many of these ideas and more in The Sustainability Dozen: how to live more simply.  Both do these myself and tell my students about them.  May my good example influence my readers.

CBC News updates proportional representation, topic of the second most read posts of the seventh and eighth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News, plus voting machines

For the second year in a row, proportional representation was the topic of the second most read entry of the blogging year.  For the seventh year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News, Vox explains how proportional representation can solve gerrymandering and help minor parties was the number two post.  During the eighth year, that honor went to its sequel, Update to 'Vox explains how proportional representation can solve gerrymandering and help minor parties,' the second most read entry for the seventh year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News, plus minor parties, posted March 31, 2018, which earned 13,321 default and 13,601 raw page views by 11:59 P.M. EDT on March 20, 2019, placing it third on the all time list.

I will describe the history of how this post gained its status over the jump, but first I offer a case study of electoral reform involving proportional representation, a referendum in British Columbia, Canada held last November.

CBC News posted a series of videos to YouTube that explain the possible reforms as well as the issues surrounding them and the outcome of the election.  I begin with Electoral reform referendum in B.C. | Power & Politics.

British Columbia is holding a referendum to determine whether the province should change voting from the current first-past-the-post system to a form of proportional representation.

That made for a good overview of the issue, including contrasting how Canada handles drawing districts, which are called ridings in Canada, with how the U.S. does, which produces gerrymandering.  It also shows which political parties in the province are on which sides of the issues.

The CBC uploaded more detailed explanations of the problems with the current system and how each of the alternatives would work.  First past the post vs. proportional representation describes the advantages and disadvantages of first past the post, the current system in the U.S. and Canada, with those of proportional representation.

B.C. is hold[ing] a referendum on electoral reform. CBC's Justin McElroy explains the difference between the current system, first past the post, and proportional representation.

Now answer questions about each of the proportional representation systems on the British Columbia ballot, beginning with What is dual member proportional?

Dual Member Proportional is one of the three proportional representation systems that British Columbians can choose from in the 2018 electoral reform referendum. CBC's Justin McElroy explains how it works.

Next, What is mixed member proportional?

Mixed member proportional is one of the three proportional representation systems that British Columbians can choose from in the 2018 electoral reform referendum. CBC's Justin McElroy explains how it works.

The explanations of the different proposed systems ended by asking What is rural-urban proportional?

Rural urban-proportional is one of the three proportional representation systems that British Columbians can choose from in the 2018 electoral reform referendum. CBC's Justin McElroy explains how it works.

Ultimately, none of these systems ended up being adopted, as B.C. voted to keep first-past-the-post electoral system.

British Columbia will...keep its first-past-the-post system for provincial elections, after 61.3 per cent of those who voted in a referendum rejected proportional representation.

So much for this attempt to reform elections in North America by replacing first past the post with proportional representation.  Still, the people have spoken, so first past the post remains, at least for now.  That written, I expect the idea will be proposed again.  Who knows, it might even be adopted.

As I wrote above, follow over the jump for how Update to 'Vox explains how proportional representation can solve gerrymandering and help minor parties,' the second most read entry for the seventh year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News, plus minor parties earned its page views plus the story of how a post about hacking voting machines became a top ten entry.

'Frontline' updates 'Facebook knows your political affiliation and much more,' the top post of the eighth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News

Facebook knows your political affiliation and much more posted April 7, 2018, was not only the most read entry of the eighth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News, but also in the entire history of the blog with 28,357 default and 28,854 raw page views.  That's more than 8,000 page views more than the top post for the seventh year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News, Suit against John Oliver and HBO dismissed.  Once again, wow!

Before I describe how the entry earned those page views, I'm sharing an update on this short post.  Fortunately, Frontline on PBS has provided one, The Facebook Dilemma, Part One (full film).

A major investigation of Facebook’s impact on privacy and democracy around the world...Facebook’s promise was to create a more open and connected world. FRONTLINE finds that multiple warnings about the platform’s negative impact on privacy and democracy were eclipsed by Facebook’s relentless pursuit of growth.

As Data Spock would say, fascinating!  Even though I covered the ability of social media to polarize users and encourage unreasonableness and incivility in Vox explains how social media contributes to polarization and promotes trolls, conspiracy theorists, and fake news and how those tendencies can be deliberated aggravated by bad actors in Vox explains how Russian trolls weaponized social media, another popular entry, this "Frontline" episode adds new layers of history and context to those posts.

In addition, I have the same reaction to this documentary that I had to "Putin's Revenge" on "Frontline," that it will earn at least one News and Documentary Emmy Award nomination.  I was right about that prediction, as "Putin's Revenge" earned two nominations and I am confident enough that the same will happen to "The Facebook Dilemma" that I am holding off embedding Part Two until the News and Documentary Emmy nominations are announced.  As for the specific awards, I expect it will definitely earn a nomination for either Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary or Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary, and possibly for Best Documentary, Outstanding Writing, or Outstanding Research.  As I wrote before, "I am not going to hold my breath.  It's a long time until the end of July, when the nominees are announced, and the competition will be stiff."

Enough of the update.  Follow over the jump for the story of how this entry became the top post of all time so far on this blog plus  a related top twenty entry from the eighth year of this blog.

CNN's Parkland Town Hall wins a Cronkite Award

I concluded 'Meet The Press' earns a Cronkite Award for its coverage of climate change by telling my readers "I'm not done with the Cronkite Awards.  Stay tuned for more winners tomorrow."  Today's featured winner is the CNN Parkland Town Hall.  Here is the description from the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

CNN Parkland Town Hall, a two-hour special, aired only seven days after 17 students and teachers were murdered by a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. In this “compelling and powerful” forum, moderator Jake Tapper deftly gave generous space to speak to gun control advocates, politicians, Parkland students, parents and a representative from the NRA. The program helped “advance the national conversation on gun control and violence,” the jury said.

Here is the entire CNN town hall in wake of Florida school shooting.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Ben Nelson (D-FL), Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch and Broward county Sheriff Scott Israel answered questions from survivors of the school shooting at Stoneman Douglas high school shooting, teachers and parents of the victims.

Last year, there were 14 nominations for 12 reports about Las Vegas Massacre and other mass shootings at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards.  Parkland was not among them.  I suspect coverage of it will earn a lot of nominations at this year's ceremony.  This particular program might earn nominations for Outstanding News Discussion & Analysis and Outstanding News Special, although, as I wrote yesterday, "I am not going to hold my breath.  It's a long time until the end of July, when the nominees are announced, and the competition will be stiff."

By the way, my responses to the mass school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida included Instructions on how to deal with an active shooter, which became the eighth most read entry of the seventh year of the blog, The latest from Vox on the gun control debate, which included clips from this town hall, and Music at March For Our Lives.  These last two ended the eighth year of this blog as the 22nd and 25th most read entries between March 21, 2018 and March 20, 2019.  I will write a retrospective post about both of them plus Update to 'Doctors to Congress: Fund gun violence research at the CDC and NIH,' the third most read entry of the seventh year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News, which was the 30th most read entry of the eighth year of the blog, in a special retrospective post about gun contol next month.

I might have more about the Cronkite Award winners next month as well.  In the meantime, stay tuned for a retrospective entry about Facebook knows your political affiliation and much more, the top post of the eighth year of the blog for Throwback Thursday and another retrospective about the most read retrospectives for Flashback Friday (how recursive!), followed by this year's celebration of Earth Hour.

'Meet The Press' earns a Cronkite Award for its coverage of climate change

It seems that whenever I visit my mother and middle sister in Utah, I watch something worthwhile.  In 2017, it was Treasures of the Earth: Power, which I wrote worksheets for both Environmental Science and Geology.  Late last year, it was an episode of "Meet The Press" about climate change.  I was impressed enough with that I decided I would write about it when I returned home.  I didn't get around to it until today, after I read last Thursday that it won a Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism.  The University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism explained why it earned the prize in Cronkite award winners prove facts matter.

In an extraordinary move for a Sunday show, NBC’s Meet the Press moderated by Chuck Todd devoted an entire hour to the reality of climate change, rather than giving airtime to a fake equivalence between science and science deniers. It provided a platform for climate experts and politicians from both sides of the aisle to discuss consequences and solutions. Judges called the “urgent and unprecedented” program a “breakthrough in issue coverage” that “got politicians off their talking points.”

Chuck Todd got three politicians on this program.  I begin with a former governor of my old home state, Jerry Brown, who said climate change is about inventing, "not just adapting."

In an exclusive interview, California Governor Jerry Brown (D) joins Chuck to discuss the aftermath of passing the gas tax in his state and how the wildfires this year have pushed him to "wake up the country, wake up the world" on climate change.

The next politician Todd interviewed referenced Brown and his successful gas tax increase; Michael Bloomberg on climate change, who said "This world is in trouble."

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg sits down with Chuck to discuss his work combating climate change and whether he will run for president in 2020.

I hope this segment earns a News and Documentary Emmy nomination for Outstanding Live Interview, which was won last year by "Anderson Cooper Live 360."

The final politician on the program, Rep. Carlos Curbelo, sat on the panel, which first tried to answer How do we explain the urgency of climate change?

Dr. Kate Marvel, NBC’s Anne Thompson, Craig Fugate, Michèle Flournoy and Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) join the panel in a special edition of Meet the Press to discuss how to get Americans to understand the urgency, and the cost, of climate change.

Todd and the panel returned in Politics and climate change: How to break the paralysis.

Dr. Kate Marvel, NBC’s Anne Thompson, Craig Fugate, Michèle Flournoy and Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) join the panel in a special edition of Meet the Press to discuss Washington's fractured response to combating climate change.

Watching these videos was time well spent.  I think and feel I am smarter than I was before I watched them, which is a rare thing these days.  I hope my readers agree.  May the Television Academy in New York do as well and nominate this segment for Outstanding News Discussion & Analysis, which was won last year by "All In With Chris Hayes."  I am not going to hold my breath.  It's a long time until the end of July, when the nominees are announced, and the competition will be stiff.

I'm not done with the Cronkite Awards.  Stay tuned for more winners tomorrow.

The part of the yield curve the Federal Reserve watches just inverted, sending another recession signal

Last December, I wrote Part of the yield curve inverts, sending a possible recession signal.  That was between the 2-year and 5-year U.S. Treasury Bills, not one of the portions of the yield curve that people pay a lot of attention to as a recession indicator.  Last Friday, the part of the yield curve that people, especially the Federal Reserve, do watch closely, inverted, the spread between the 3-month and 10-year Treasury Bills.  Forbes stated the significance of this event as The Yield Curve Just Inverted, Putting The Chance Of A Recession At 30%.

The interest rate on the U.S. Treasury 10-year bond just fell below the rate on the 3-month bill in response to the Fed's March announcement. This is called yield curve inversion as defined by Arturo Estrella and Frederic Mishkin. It implies a 25-30% probability of a recession on a 12-month view...

As economic relationships go, the yield curve has a good track record. You can see the data below going back to 1982. Per the chart, using this series over recent history, the yield curve inverts before a recession reliably with no false positives. An impressive record. The blue line shows the spread between 10-year and 3-month interest rates. The black line is the zero bound. The shaded grey periods are historical recessions. Note that there is a lagged relationship here, recession historically occurs 6-18 months after inversion. So today's yield curve suggests a fair chance of a 2019-2020 recession.

Here's the chart.


As Forbes noted, inversions of this part of the yield have been very reliable indicators of recession, something I warned my readers about in The tax bill and the U.S. economy in 2018 and beyond.

Three things could trigger the next recession.  The most likely would be an inversion of the yield curve, which means that short-term interest rates would rise higher than long-term interest rates.  The Federal Reserve has been raising short-term rates for the past two years while long-term rates have been rising much more slowly.  If present trends continue, short-term rates will rise above long-term ones within a year or two, which always signals a recession within a year.

The inversion I predicted has happened on schedule, which means that the recession should as well.

For reinforcement, I'm sharing Rick Santelli of CNBC explaining What an inverted yield curve means to the market.

CNBC's Mike Santoli and Rick Santelli break down what the yield curve may be signaling for the market and how a yield curve works.

That's a very good illustration of the current shape of the yield curve along with its expected effect on stock markets.

Speaking of which, Timing of next recession depends on trade deal, says Schwab's Sonders begins with a discussion of the markets' reactions to the inverted yield curve, a massive stock sell-off, the biggest since January of this year.

Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab, discusses the market selloff with CNBC's "Closing Bell."

I agree with Sonders that trade, which I haven't written enough about, is likely to be straw that breaks the camel's back of the economic expansion and that a recession is inevitable.  There is a looming recession risk so I still stand by my prediction in Ten years ago, we were partying like it was 1929. Are we about to do it again?

Based on New Deal Democrat's analysis at Seeking Alpha, that should happen in the second half of next year, so I'm moving my recession call to between July and December 2019.  The bad news is that my readers and I may not know until the middle of 2020.  The good news is that it would be perfectly timed to screw up Trump's re-election, should he last that long, or Pence's should he not.  I can live with that.

The economic storm clouds are not just visible on the horizon, but building.  All that I'm waiting for to say that the weather is advancing on us is an inversion of the 2-year and 10-year Treasuries.  When that happens, I'll report it.  Stay tuned.

Marche du Nain Rouge — tenth anniversary plus movie update

Today is the tenth Marche du Nain Rouge, as the Detroit Metro Times explains.

[T]he parade was formed by then-WSU law school students Francis Grunow and Joe Uhl in 2009, who wanted to create a Detroit-style take on the Mardis Gras tradition, noting how the festival took on a new meaning for New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They picked the Sunday after the vernal equinox as the date of the inaugural Marche, making it a springtime event and allowing some space on the calendar following Mardis Gras and St. Patrick's Day. Apparently plenty of other metro Detroiters wanted the same thing; the idea took off, and the event now draws a crowd of thousands, complete with elaborate floats, New Orleans-style marching bands, dancers, and more.

That's the event.  What about the Nain Rouge (Red Dwarf) itself?

The legend of the Nain Rouge is said to go back to 1701, when Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded Detroit. The short version of the tale is that Cadillac was attacked by the feared "Red Dwarf," who then cursed Cadillac and the city. The truth is actually a bit more complicated, outlined in a 2016 Metro Times cover story.

The first printed reference to the Nain doesn't appear until Legends of Le Détroit by Marie Caroline Watson Hamlin, published in 1883 — some 180 years after Cadillac's alleged encounter. In Hamlin's version, a fortune teller tells Cadillac he will found a great city, but warns that if he continues to sell brandy to the Native American tribes — a lucrative business, but one contrary to the advice of the Jesuits — it would eventually lead to bloodshed, and spell ruin for him and his city. Cadillac is warned to "appease the Nain Rouge," or the "demon of the strait," should it ever appear. Later, while walking along the Detroit River, Cadillac encounters the Nain — which has gleaming eyes and sharp teeth. Cadillac ignores the fortune teller's advice, and whacks the creature with his cane — forever cursing Detroit.

Both Metro Times articles discuss the folkloric origin of the Nain Rouge, a topic I covered before either in I converse with The Archdruid and his readers about Le Nain Rouge.  Sorry, I can't help but claim some credit, although that really goes to the blogger at EsoterX, whose research I used.

I don't yet have any video of this year's event, but WDIV described last year's event in Marche Du Nain Rouge sweeps through Midtown Detroit.

The Detroit tradition involves some very elaborate costumes, to say the least.

The Marche du Nain Rouge always has a political component, although it's usually about local politics and government, not national politics.  However, MLive captured an exception as Costumed 'Donald Trump' rides float at Marche du Nain Rouge.


That float reminds me of a giant mechanical roach.  Even I wouldn't make that comparison to Trump.  As for the voice in the background, that's the parade's version of the Nain Rouge haranguing the crowd.  He is such a jerk.  Speaking of which, watch as Nain Rouge and his press secretary antagonize the crowd.


As I wrote, a jerk.

In addition to the parade, I have an update on last year's Nain Rouge movie for Marche du Nain Rouge 2018.  Follow over the jump.

Statistics for the eighth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News

As I promised first in Happy Birthday to the blog and Nowruz Mubarak (Happy Persian New Year)! and again in CNN's 'Dirty Water: Danger from the Tap' on World Water Day, it's time for me to report on the statistics for the eighth year of this blog.

Blogger recorded that this blog had a lifetime total of 2,168,149 page views and 3853 posts at 11:59 PM EDT March 20, 2019.  In addition, I counted 361 comments since March 21, 2018.  The equivalent numbers from the seventh year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News were 3465 entries, 1,630,513 page views, and 2,391 comments during the first six years of the blog.  The result was that the blog earned 537,636 page views while I posted 388 entries during 365 days.  Those are fewer page views and comments for more posts than during the seventh year of blogging here, 682,128 page views and 488 comments from my readers and me on 364 entries.  That's a first, and not a good one, either.  Follow over the jump for my analysis of what went "wrong."

CNN's 'Dirty Water: Danger from the Tap' on World Water Day

As I promised twice, I am observing World Water Day today by revisiting It's not just Flint that has problems with lead in drinking water — Verge Science by sharing the CNN digital documentary Dirty Water: Danger From the Tap.

It’s not just Flint, Michigan. Bad water is more widespread than you think. Aging infrastructure is leaving thousands of rural communities vulnerable to contamination with no fix in sight. CNN travels to two of them.

Virginia Tech engineering Professor Marc Edwards watched as water flowed from a garden hose in Enterprise, Louisiana. As he moved a jar to catch a sample, the color changed from clear to brown. "When mine comes out, it comes out black," Enterprise resident John Tiser said as he watched Edwards work.

Tiser, Enterprise's newly appointed water board president, was giving Edwards a tour around this rural community in central Louisiana, where residents have struggled with water problems. He says his wife drives 20 miles each direction to do laundry in a town with clear water. Concerned about the potential health effects for his family, including his two daughters, he ran for a seat on the local water board.

What drives him, Tiser said, is "being sure that they're not consuming anything that 20 years from now is going to wind up hurting them."

Years of water system neglect means that the 250-or-so residents there are left with pipes that leak more than 70% of their water into the ground, Tiser said -- all because they can't afford to fix them. "We're basically putting Band-Aids when we need to go to the ER. That's where we're at," he said.

Lead and bacteria in the water are not just a problem for the people of Flint.  They're an issue for millions of Americans.

This video reminded me of Cassini and Voyager both winners at the Emmy Awards to "write about [the PBS 'Nova' episode] 'Poisoned Water'...in a future post."  I am still promising to do that, but only after I post about statistics and Marche du Nain Rouge.  As I wrote yesterday, I have my blogging work cut out for me.  Stay tuned.

Happy Birthday to the blog and Nowruz Mubarak (Happy Persian New Year)!

Happy Birthday to the blog and Twitter and Happy Nowruz!  Once again, it's time to celebrate the end of one year of blogging and the beginning of another.  I'm going to be a good environmentalist and recycle Broken Peach singing Happy Birthday from Happy Irish Coffee Day and Happy Birthday to Coffee Party USA!



Happy Birthday!
Thanks, ladies!

I'll be back tomorrow with World Water Day followed by statistics and Marche du Nain Rouge.  I have my blogging work cut out for me.

Purim, Holi, and a full supermoon on the Vernal Equinox

As I promised yesterday, the final post of the eighth year of this blog is about Purim on the Vernal Equinox.  Because Purim is celebrated during a full moon, it is also about a full moon coinciding with the equinox as well.  In addition, it's Holi, a celebration Kevin Robbins recommended I add to my calendar of celebrations two years ago.  I have a busy agenda for today's entry, so I'd better get writing!

First, Space.com gives the details about both astronomical events.

Wednesday (March 20) brings us the first full moon of the new spring season. The official moment that the moon will turn full is 9:43 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Just 3 hours and 45 minutes earlier, the vernal equinox — the official start of astronomical spring — will occur.

Next, John Belski of WLKY explains the significance.

This is the closest the full moon has occurred this close to the equinox since 2000. The next time the full moon and equinox will occur less than a day apart will be in 2030.

That means the image I used to illustrate this entry is incorrect.  Darn.  Even so, it was the best one I could find.

Back to Belski.

For astronomy folks there is also a supermoon Wednesday evening. A supermoon is when the time of the moon's closest approach to the earth on it's monthly orbit happens during a full moon. This means the moon is larger and brighter than usual.

This is the third and last supermoon of 2019.

Three astronomical events at once!  The last time that happened was in 2015, when there was a supermoon solar eclipse on the Vernal Equinox.  That's would be a great way to close out the eighth year of the blog with a Happy arrival of astronomical Spring, but there's more.  Follow over the jump.

WXYZ, WDIV, and MSNBC cover O'Rourke and Gillibrand in Michigan

I previewed O'Rourke and Gillibrand visiting Michigan in early campaign stops yesterday.  Today, I'm following up with clips from WXYZ, WDIV, and MSNBC on both candidates' visits.  I begin with WXYZ's Democratic Presidential candidates come to southeast Michigan.

Democratic Presidential candidates Beto O'Rourke and Kirsten Gillibrand are appearing in metro Detroit today.

WXYZ did a good job of covering O'Rourke, but broadcast this segment before Gillibrand arrived.  WDIV captured both Gillibrand's appearance and the reaction to it in Presidential hopefuls in search of 2020 Democratic nomination trek across Metro Detroit.

The 2020 presidential race is on in Michigan.

I was wondering about Governor Gretchen Whitmer's stance.  Good to know she is just welcoming Democratic candidates, not endorsing them, at least for now.*

Gillibrand also recorded a town hall in Auburn Hills for MSNBC.  Follow over the jump for three clips from that.

O'Rourke and Gillibrand visit Michigan in early campaign stops

Two presidential candidates are visiting Michigan today, Beto O'Rourke and Kirsten Gillibrand.  WDIV has the story in Beto O'Rourke, Kirsten Gillibrand making Metro Detroit campaign stops.

The presidential hopefuls are bringing their messages to Michigan voters.

As I type this, O'Rourke has wrapped up his visit to Hometown Heroes Cafe in Center Line and has moved to Carpenter's Training Center in Ferndale.  I watched MSNBC cover him in Center Line, so he is getting national attention after raising a record $6.1 million in the first 24 hours after declaring his candidacy, beating Bernie Sanders by $0.2 million.  Wow!

Speaking of MSNBC, Gillibrand is taping a segment for tonight's All In with Chris Hayes later this morning, then appearing with Governor Gretchen Whitmer in Clawson this afternoon.  Normally, I'd wish the senator good luck as one of the women running for U.S. President, but my wife and I are still annoyed by her role in the resignation of Al Franken.  On the one hand, he probably needed to go, but only after the Senate Ethics Committee had finished its hearings.  On the other, the rush to get him to resign messed with Americans', particularly progressives', entertainment, which riles Americans and does not go well in politics.  I'm not alone in thinking that.  Politico reported last November that a lot of big Democratic donors won't contribute to Gillibrand because of her actions in the Franken scandal.

Enough of my rant about Gillibrand and Franken.  I might follow up on the visits tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

Food, drink, and dance for St. Patrick's Day in Detroit from WXYZ and Tipsy Bartender

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  For today's celebration, I am returning to posting drink recipes from Tipsy Bartender and combining it with last year's St. Patrick's Day food, drink, and dance from WXYZ.  This should come as no surprise, as I concluded that entry by writing "I might return to Tipsy Bartender next year."  It's next year, so I am doing what I promised.

I begin with the food, which comes from WXYZ presenting ideas from two guests on the channel's morning show.  First, Healthy St. Patrick's Day Treats prepared by a representative of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.


St. Patrick's Day has more fattening fare than other holidays?  Wow!  In that case, I'm glad WXYZ is presenting healthy alternatives.

Now for more traditional food, even if some of it comes from England and Scotland in addition to Ireland, from O'Connor's Public House in Rochester, Michigan.


The guest chef mentioned Guinness, so follow over the jump for video from Tipsy Bartender about that quintessential Irish beer.

Thousands of U.S. students strike for the climate

I told my readers yesterday to "stay tuned" at the end of Youth Climate Strike on the Ides of March as I might follow up on the U.S. demonstrations [today]."  I'm following through on this promise, beginning with an overview of the protests in the U.S. and elsewhere from NBC News in Students Across The Globe Go On Strike For Climate Change.

13-year-old Alexandra Villasenor has been on strike for four months after seeing Swedish teen Greta Thunberg calling out world leaders. She helped organize the protests across the U.S. on Friday.

I am glad to see that at least one news organization followed up on Villasenor's role in organizing the demonstrations here in the U.S. yesterday.  As for Thunberg, she will appear again and again as someone inspiring the protests.  Speaking which, both appear in CBS New York's report NYC Students Strike From Classes For Climate Change Protest, even if they are not mentioned by name.

Groups of students across the country in 130 cities skipped class Friday for the first national school strike over climate change. CBSN New York's Lisa Rozner reports.

This may be an even better overview of the extent of the national extent of the protests than the NBC News report above, even if it doesn't name Thunberg and Villasenor.  It also is the one that shows the participation of the Sunrise Movement in the marches.

Now for reports from local news sources.  Since this is a Michigan-based blog, I begin with MLive's Students stage walkout from high schools, gather on Diag for Global Climate Strike, which shows what happened at the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor.

Washtenaw County high school students met with UM students and speakers including include former Michigan Gubernatorial candidate Abdul El Sayed; We the People of Detroit President Monica Lewis Patrick; Washtenaw County Environmental Council Chairwoman Michelle Deatrick; State Rep. Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor, several UM students; high school students Naina Agrawal-Hardin, Khadija Khokhar, and Paige Duff, and some Summers Knoll elementary and middle school students.

My Facebook friend Yousef Rabhi should look familiar; he spoke at both the Tax March and the March for Science in Ann Arbor, where he made some of the same points at the latter.  I don't mind; some points bear repeating.

Follow over the jump for reports from the rest of the country.

Youth Climate Strike on the Ides of March

I knew Wednesday that I would write about something serious today.  I just didn't know what.

There will be little time for DOOM other than this Friday.  Beware The Ides of March!

That changed this morning, when I saw that a world-wide event to motivate people to counteract climate change was happening today.  The Years Project has more about it in March 15: Youth Climate Strike.

“Just make a sign and go protest,” says Alexandria Villasenor. On March 15, tens of thousands of kids around the world will be skipping school to fight for their futures.

CBS This Morning featured Miss Villasenor and the Youth Climate Strike in yesterday's Students across the globe to skip school for climate change strike.

Students across America are expected to skip class Friday in the first national school strike over climate change. Similar demonstrations have already swept through Europe and Australia. Friday's protests are planned for more than 130 cities in the U.S. and about 90 countries worldwide. Tony Dokoupil reports.

The other young woman mentioned in the first two videos is Greta Thunberg, who CBS News interviewed yesterday in Teen activist Greta Thunberg on plans for strike against climate change.

Students around the world are planning to skip class Friday to protest for action against climate change. Student activist Greta Thunberg joined CBSN to speak about how her activism has inspired others, and her recent Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

I wish Thunberg luck with her Nobel Peace Prize nomination and the movement she has inspired.

All of the above were in preparation for the Youth Climate Strike.  What about the demonstrations themselves?  Deutsche Welle (German Broadcasting) reported on the protests in Europe and India in 'Fridays for future' marches for climate change going global.

Students in an estimated 100 countries around the world are out on strike today, heeding a call from Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. She started a movement called "Fridays for Future" that went global. And today is the biggest day yet for her, and for young activists who have taken her lead.

That's impressive.  I hope the young people protesting change minds and affect behavior.  The climate needs it.

I might follow up on the U.S. demonstrations tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson celebrates Pi Day and Einstein's birthday

Happy Pi Day!  In this year's celebration, I am taking a break from the last three Pi Days, which all shared a pie theme.  This year, the theme is math and science with Neil deGrasse Tyson.

First, the math, with Pi Day With Neil deGrasse Tyson on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

America's preeminent astrophysicist and science communicator raps the digits of Pi in honor of math's high holy day.

Now, the science with Celebrating Einstein with Neil deGrasse Tyson on StarTalk.

Join Neil deGrasse Tyson, comic co-host Chuck Nice, and astrophysicist Janna Levin as they celebrate the life and achievements of Albert Einstein and his impact on the scientific world around us including the detection of gravitational waves at LIGO. Albert Einstein's birthday is on March 14, also known as Pi day.

Here's to this episode contributing to this show earning another Emmy nomination.

That's it for Pi Day.  Beware The Ides of March!

Bright Sun Films on the death and possible rebirth of RadioShack, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

I promised to revisit Radio Shack at the end of Charlotte Russe liquidating, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse and again at the end of Tesla makes a U-turn on closing stores while Musk defends tweet before judge, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse, when I wrote "tomorrow."  Well, that's today, so I present Bright Sun Films Abandoned - RadioShack.

After over 80 years in business and the worlds largest electronic store retailer, today I explore how this billion dollar company which revolutionized the electronic store market, eventually came tumbling down into its eventual bankruptcy in the same vein as Circuit City. Let's take a look at the history of RadioShack.

That is a more complete history than the one from Company Man.  That stopped in 2017 just as the chain closed up shop, literally.  Bright Sun Films shows that, just like Twinkies, the name lives on under new ownership; it's too valuable to die.

That's it for this installment of Tales of the Retail Apocalypse.  Stay tuned for a series of holiday entries, as tomorrow is Pi Day, Friday is the Ides of March, Sunday is St. Patrick's Day, next Wednesday is both Purim and the Vernal Equinox, next Thursday is Nowruz and the birthday of both Twitter and this blog, and next Friday is World Water Day.  There will be little time for DOOM other than this Friday.  Beware The Ides of March!

Tesla makes a U-turn on closing stores while Musk defends tweet before judge, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

Kunstler quipped in Ides and Tides, "Pull the truck up to the loading dock and fill it with Tesla shares!"  That prompted me to respond "LOL, yeah, just as Tesla joins the Retail Apocalypse by closing its showrooms."  While I was typing that, Elon Musk and Tesla reversed the decision to close most of its retail showrooms and lower prices, making my comment look silly instead of snarky.  Yahoo Finance has the story in Tesla reverses decision to close all retail stores.

Rick Newman, Dan Roberts and Melody Hahm of Yahoo Finance discusses why Tesla is reversing the decision to close retail stores.

The point that Tesla was still on the hook for the rent on their leased showrooms is a good one.  If Tesla has to pay rent anyway, why not keep the locations open?  With that news, maybe I won't have to hurry to the Tesla showroom at Somerset Collection before it closes.  It probably will still be open.

Tesla making a U-turn on last week's decision to drive away from the Retail Apocalypse for now wasn't the only Tesla/Musk news today.  CNBC reported Elon Musk to defend his tweets to a judge.

Mark Lehmann, president at JMP Securities, joins "Squawk Box" to discuss Tesla CEO Elon Musk big week. Musk must respond to an order from a judge explaining why the court shouldn't hold him in contempt after he posted a tweet in February that some say may cost the CEO his title in the company.

It sounds like Musk really needs to learn when to keep his mouth shut, or at least not tweet.  I want him to continue his Crazy Eddie ways with Tesla and Space X but annoying the SEC would interfere with that.

Finally, I promised to revisit Radio Shack at the end of Charlotte Russe liquidating, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse.  Tomorrow.  The news about Tesla and Musk was too good to pass up.

Charlotte Russe liquidating, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

First Payless ShoeSource and then Gymboree are closing all their U.S. stores and selling off assets.  Now, Charlotte Russe is doing the same.  Watch Money Matters 3/7: Charlotte Russe is closing all of its stores from CBS 46 in Atlanta.


CNN has the details in Charlotte Russe will liquidate and close all of its stores.

Charlotte Russe will close all of its stores over the next two months. The women's clothing company joins a growing group of retailers that couldn't survive bankruptcy.

The company didn't want to shut down. It filed for bankruptcy protection a month ago and announced plans to close only 94 of its 512 stores nationwide. The goal was to use the bankruptcy process to shed debts and sell to a buyer who would keep it in business.

But those hopes fell apart this week when liquidator SB360 Capital Partners won the auction in bankruptcy court for Charlotte Russe's $160 million worth of inventory, and other assets. The plan to shut down was approved Wednesday by the bankruptcy court in Delaware.

SB360, which describes itself as "one of the oldest, most experienced companies in the country conducting store closing and going out of business sales," announced Charlotte Russe would start going out of business sales at all stores as of Thursday. The company will accept gift cards through March 21, and it will close all of its stores by of the end of April.

USA Today also quoted the press release.

“We are partnering with SB360 Capital to liquidate the remaining inventory in a manner which maximizes the return to our creditors," the fashion retailer said in a statement to USA TODAY. "In addition, we remain in ongoing negotiations to sell the (intellectual property) to a buyer who has expressed interest in a continued brick and mortar presence.”

In other words, just like Twinkies, the name will live on under new ownership; it's too valuable to die.

CNN has more on the fallout for employees.

Charlotte Russe had 8,700 employees at the time of the filing, all but 1,400 of whom were part-time workers. It had stores in every US state except Alaska at the time of its bankruptcy filing. It also owned 10 children's clothing stores under the Peek brand, which it acquired in 2016.

Meanwhile, $559,000 in bonuses will be paid to executives, but rank-and-file employees will likely not receive severance, which is typical in bankruptcies.

The chain's demise has been coming for a while, as I first mentioned the Charlotte Russe bankruptcy in Sears and KMart avoid liquidation, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse.  I then wrote in Gymboree closing 805 stores and selling off Janie and Jack, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse, "as the next installment of Tales of the Retail Apocalypse, I expect it will be Charlotte Russe."  Instead, it turned out to be about Tesla joining the Retail Apocalypse by closing its showrooms, but I repeated that the next installment would still be about Charlotte Russe.  I made good on that promise.

In the entry about Tesla, I also wrote "It also looks like 2019 will see even more stores close than last year," so I expect to write more about the Retail Apocalypse.  An entry about Dollar General or The Gap will have to wait until after I revisit Radio Shack, as Bright Sun Films just uploaded an episode about the defunct chain.  Stay tuned.

Many states considering bills ending or keeping Daylight Saving Time permanently

Last year I told my readers to spring ahead for Daylight Saving Time even if you hate it.  It turned out that a lot of my readers dislike changing their clocks back and forth, making Daylight Saving Time (sucks) one of the themes for the most read entries during this blog's seventh year.  They're not alone.  Last fall, I wrote that four states were considering ending or keeping Daylight Saving Time permanently.  One of those states was California, where voters passed a proposition to remain in Daylight Saving Time year-round.  CBS 47/KSEE 24 in Fresno reported the results on its YouTube channel, the text of which I'm quoting here.

In November, California voters passed Proposition 7 by a 60-40 percent margin, paving the way for year-round daylight saving time in the nation's most populated state.

The proposition still needs a change in federal law and a two-thirds vote from the state legislature to go into effect, CBS Sacramento reports. Assembly Bill 7, proposed in December, has not yet been voted on by lawmakers, it has been referred to a committee.

Supporters pointed to a study showing an increased risk of car accidents and heart attacks following the spring change, due to the loss of an hour's sleep.

Opponents of the proposition argued that even if California voters and the legislature approve of year-round daylight saving, the hurdle of getting the federal government to approve is too high, considering the state's tense relationship with Washington.

They also say the switch will cause its own headaches. If California goes to year-round daylight saving, the sun wouldn't rise until 8 a.m. during some winter months, forcing children to walk to school or buses in darkness and likely leading to an increase in car and pedestrian accidents.

California isn't the only state that wishes to remain in Daylight Saving Time.  I also wrote about Florida's Sunshine Protection Act, which requires Congressional action to be implemented.  That hasn't happened yet, so Fox 4 in Naples/Ft. Myers reported Florida legislators push to make daylight savings time year-round.


CBS Miami has a better description.

A group of Florida lawmakers are tired of the Sunshine state springing forward and falling back every year. Senators Marco Rubio, Rick Scott and Representative Vern Buchanan have introduced legislation that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent, not only in Florida, but also across the country.

I normally don't support Republican-sponsored legislation, but in this case, I'm on Rubio's side.  After all, even a stuck clock is right twice a day, pun fully intended.

Those are the states that have taken a vote of one kind or another to stop changing clocks twice a year.  According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, twenty-six other states are considering joining them, either by staying on standard time year-round or changing to Daylight Saving Time year-round.  Follow over the jump for news clips and quotes from articles about those states.

Tesla joins the Retail Apocalypse by closing dealerships plus a driving update for March 2019: Pearl

Pearl the Prius's odometer rolled over 45,000 miles on Thursday, March 7, 2019, 75 days after it passed 44,000 miles on the Winter Solstice.  That means it's time to analyze my driving habits.  I'll do that over the jump after I return to what I used to do for these updates until March of last year, share the latest news about Tesla and other electric and hybrid vehicles.

The biggest story I've read lately is that Tesla is joining the Retail and Apocalypse as Mashable reported early this week that Tesla is closing many of its 378 retail locations as it is moving to online-only sales to reduce car prices.

Tesla announced that they are closing down most of their physical stores in order to cut down on company costs. Only a few stores in busy areas will remain open, acting as galleries and “information centers." Elon Musk says the shift to online exclusivity is intended to reduce the price of all Tesla cars by 6%.

The good news is that this move will lower the price of Tesla Model 3s, which will help sell more cars, replacing those with internal combustion engines and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  The bad news includes the loss of retail space and accompanying jobs (3,150 jobs, or about 7 percent of Tesla's workforce, many of which are not in sales).  One of these may be the Tesla showroom at Somerset Collection although I have found no confirmation of it closing.  Still, I may have to hurry to see it before it does. 

Speaking of the Retail Apocalypse, CNBC reported on Thursday Retailers announce 5,163 store closures in 2019.

CNBC's Courtney Reagan reports on the amount of store closures that are already stacking up in 2019 and how it compares to recent years.

Looks like the next installment of Tales of the Retail Apocalypse will be about either Charlotte Russe or Dollar General.  It also looks like 2019 will see even more stores close than last year.

I've zoomed out from Tesla to general retail.  CNBC's Fmr. Ford CEO: Cost & charging infrastructure will affect electric vehicle adoption takes an even wider view of the economy centered on the auto industry before zooming back in on Tesla.

Mark Fields, senior adviser at TPG Capital and former Ford CEO, on US jobs report.

Fields doesn't see looming recession risk, but that doesn't mean it's not coming, probably sooner than he thinks.

That's it for hybrid and electric car news.  Follow over the jump for the rest of the driving update.

Record numbers of women running for U.S. President on International Women's Day 2019

Happy International Women's Day!  For today's theme of "Balance for Better," I'm following up the past two year's entries examining record numbers of women running for office, which resulted in record numbers women elected and serving in Congress, by examining the record number of women running for president.

With Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota launching their presidential bids over the weekend, there are now more women running for a single party’s nomination than ever.

Warren and Klobuchar join fellow Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. Altogether, they comprise nearly a fifth of the Democratic women serving in the Senate. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, is in the field, as well. Author Marianne Williamson, who counts Oprah Winfrey as a fan of her books, has also launched a presidential campaign.

Voters who want to see a woman in the White House will have many more candidates to choose from in 2020 compared with past elections. According to the Center for American Women and Politics, or CAWP, at Rutgers University, there has never been more than two women competing at the same time in the Democratic or Republican primaries.

CBS News covered this story last month in Women already making history in 2020 campaign.

Democratic women are already making history as the 2020 presidential race begins to take shape. CBSN political reporter Caitlin Huey-Burns spoke to CBSN about the growing field of female candidates.

Since CBS News uploaded the video, all five major women candidates have entered the contest.  Marie Claire interviewed all of them in One of These Women Could Be Our Next President.

This election season, a history-making, record-setting number of women are attempting to break that highest, hardest glass ceiling: the Oval Office. Marie Claire went to the Capitol and spoke to the women running for President in 2020.

I wish all of them luck, although my favorites are Harris and Warren.*  I may like Jay Inslee for making climate change his signature issue, but I think Harris, Warren, Klobuchar, and Gillebrand have more of a shot than he does; Gabbard, not so much.

I promise to have more on the presidential candidates as the campaign develops.  In the meantime, a final happy International Women's Day!


*Harris needs a label, so I'm creating one for her with this entry.

NBC News shows how the Sunrise Movement put the Green New Deal on the map

Usually, I take a serious view of an issue followed by a silly one.  Not so with the Green New Deal, where I had the the comedians examine it first.  Today, it's time for a serious look at the idea using the NBC News minidocumentary, Inside The Sunrise Movement: How Climate Activists Put The Green New Deal On The Map.

The Green New Deal has seemingly come out of the blue to become a litmus test for 2020 presidential hopefuls. But it didn't happen by accident. Alongside multiple members of Congress—notably Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey—a group of young activists has pushed the plan into the headlines, working behind the scenes to reshape America's approach to the climate crisis.

I'm glad the young people are behind this.  They have the energy and idealism that the movement needs to succeed as well as the motivation to save their future.

I plan on following the Green New Deal and posting updates when they develop.  In the meantime, stay tuned for an entry about International Women's Day.

It's not just Flint that has problems with lead in drinking water — Verge Science

When I last wrote about the Flint Water Crisis, it was about the Michigan Attorney General's prosecutions.  Today, I'm updating an earlier entry, SciShow examines the science of the Flint Water Crisis.  Verge Science posted a video yesterday on the subject, We tested NYC water for lead and the results were confounding, which I'm sharing with my readers today.

Lead contamination got a lot of national attention because of the crisis in Flint, Michigan. But today, lead pipes are still tainting tap water across America. In this episode of “Trial & Error,” we explore how lead enters the water supply, how to test for it, and find out whether our own homes are at risk.

Since installing a filter is cheaper than an unreliable test, it's good news that ABC Television Stations reported Jaden Smith's foundation bringing clean water To Flint on Sunday.

Jaden Smith's foundation and a church are working to bring cleaner water to Flint, Michigan. The rapper's organization and First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church on Friday announced they'll deploy a mobile water filtration system known as "The Water Box" that reduces lead and other potential contaminants. The 20-year-old's JUST goods company collaborated with the church to design and engineer the system. He is the son of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Filters are a longer term solution than bottled water and better for the environment, too.  Still, the best solution would be to replace all the lead plumbing.  That's expensive and will take a while.

I'll have more on the Flint Water Crisis as it develops.  Stay tuned.

Making paczki in Michigan for Fat Tuesday

Happy Paczki Day AKA Fat Tuesday!  To celebrate, I'm sharing two videos about making the Polish holiday treat from Michigan.

First, I present MLive's How to Make Paczki.

Fat Tuesday is almost here! Here's what goes into making the traditional Polish fried doughnuts - paczki.

MLive's video explains how commercial paczki are made.  WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids' Polish woman shares secret to perfect paczki shows how they are made at home.

Woman from West Michigan carries polish traditions on in the form of the sweet treat eaten on Fat Tuesday (Paczki Day).

Of course, most of us will buy our paczki.*  To help us, WXYZ shows the Best places to get paczki in metro Detroit.

We're looking at the best places to get paczki in metro Detroit.

That's it for the real Fat Tuesday for this year.  Consider this a belated apology for the false alarm last month.

*Unfortunately, I won't partake because of my diabetes.  Those of my readers in the Great Lakes states, enjoy my paczki that I would otherwise eat.