Part one of marching music for Super Tuesday on Marching Music Day

Happy Marching Music Day! March Forth! As I promised twice, I'm celebrating with a marching music Super Tuesday featuring the corps and bands from Super Tuesday states east of the Mississippi River.

I begin with the same corps I opened the past two Super Tuesday posts with, the Boston Crusaders. Watch Boston Crusaders | #dci2022 | Paradise Lost from Drum Corps International (DCI).

Boston, MA | 2nd Place (tie) | 97.325

Boston, Massachusetts' Boston Crusaders perform a segment from the corps' #DCI2022 production, "Paradise Lost," during the 2022 DCI World Championships hosted August 12-14 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Don't bite that apple!

Vic Firth Marching uploaded the entire show as Boston Crusaders 2022 | DCI Finals Week Rehearsal | Full Production.

We're going BEYOND the lot to bring you a "pieced together' full production run of the 2022 Boston Crusaders show entitled "Paradise Lost.' Recorded over the course of a 3 hour rehearsal on Thursday, August 11th, this video APPROXIMATES a full production run-through (as best we could, given all the variables)! We hope you enjoy the video!

It's Vic Firth, which makes drum sticks, so of course the video focuses on the percussion.

FloMarching uploaded a clip from last year's show, Boston Crusaders 2023 'White Whale' Prelims Percussion Feature - 2023 DCI World Championships.


That was certainly the most nautical and fun part of the show. Once again, Vic Firth Marching has the complete program in Boston Crusaders 2023 | DCI Finals Week Rehearsal | Full Production.

We're going BEYOND the lot to bring you a full (edited together) production run of the 2023 Boston Crusaders show entitled "White Whale.' Recorded in rehearsal on Thursday, August 10th. We hope you enjoy the video!

I was so looking forward to typing "the whale lives" until I realized that the guard wasn't at this rehearsal. Darn. The show gained so much from their part of the performance.

Returning to DCI, I'm sharing Boston Crusaders | #DCI2021 | "Zoom" , the corps' pandemic program.

Boston Massachusetts' Boston Crusaders performs a segment from the corps' #DCI2021 production, "Zoom," during the DCI Celebration events hosted August 12-14 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

That was so much fun that, at the risk of overkill, I'm sharing Vic Firth Marching's Boston Crusaders 2021 Full Production | BEYOND THE LOT. Yes, I am a Boston Crusaders fan.

Vic Firth takes you BEYOND the lot with the BOSTON CRUSADERS as they perform their 2021 production "Zoom" during the DCI Celebration week in Indianapolis, IN!

That was a lot more entertaining than I expected from a show named after a video conferencing app!

Since I wrote that this is a marching music Super Tuesday and not a drum corps Super Tuesday, I'm embedding UMASS Minuteman Marching Band - 2018 Pasadena Rose Parade from Music213.

From Amherst, Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts (UMASS) Minuteman Marching Band performing at the 129th Annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on Monday, January 1, 2018

In case they look familiar, the University of Massachusetts (UMASS) Minuteman Marching Band were one of the bands featured in Two drum corps and some of my favorite bands marching in the New Year for 2018.

Time to move on from Massachusetts. Follow over the jump for drum corps and marching bands from the rest of the Super Tuesday states east of the Mississippi.

CityNerd describes how to 'Live Your Best Life In These 18 Swing-State Cities'

How dedicated are my readers to maximizing the power of their votes? Are they (you) dedicated enough to move? If my readers are, and care about urbanism, then CityNerd has a list of places to move to as he describes how to Live Your Best Life In These 18 Swing-State Cities.

It's 2024. Ever think about moving to a state where your vote might actually make a difference? It's what I did in 2022 and I highly recommend it -- if you can "swing" it. Today we're looking at this year's likely swing states and affordable neighborhoods in each with great urban qualities.

I'm pleasantly surprised Ray Delahanty, CityNerd's real name, listed two neighborhoods in Detroit as destinations, praising the Motor City's potential and predicting, like I have for the past dozen plus years, the city's comeback. I would choose Midtown over Downtown, because of the Whole Foods store, where my wife and I have shopped, but both are good choices.

I also appreciate Grand Rapids earning an honorable mention as well as Ypsilanti being mentioned in passing. I'd also recommend Royal Oak, where I used to live, and Ferndale. Any one of those are good places to live, although my wife and I got priced out of Royal Oak and moved to a municipality with a more prestigious name yet better housing at a lower price. I wouldn't recommend my current neighborhood for urbanism. My miles driven increased enough that I made good on my promise to buy a hybrid by trading in my mini-SUV for a Prius to compensate.

I close by noting that I don't have to do anything to live where my vote matters. I have lived in Michigan for 35 years already. To see why my adopted home state is important, read 'How Michigan explains American politics' by Vox. Now I'm wondering what my readers who live in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin think of CityNerd's recommendations. Comments?

Vox examines hog farming's poop problem for National Food Day

Happy National Food Day! As I wrote in 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' on food safety for World Food Day, "I still plan on observing the day next week with the third video in the series that began with Vox explains how 4 companies control the beef industry for a late National Food Day and continued with Vox explains 'The chicken industry’s worker safety problem' for Food Day 2022." Here's the video, Hog farming has a massive poop problem.

Inside North Carolina’s search for solutions for its thousands of pig manure lagoons.
...
For this third episode of our video series with Vox’s Future Perfect team, we went to North Carolina, a state that for decades has been a battleground over the public health impact of hog farming.

I'll repeat some of what I wrote last week as my response.

I just watched Food, Inc. with my class last week and some of questions on the worksheet pertain to Oliver's video.

12. What is a CAFO?

A concentrated animal feeding operation.

13. How did the feeding of corn to cattle along with other raising and slaughtering practices lead to evolution and spread of a dangerous strain of E. coli?

I answered the first part of this question in Corn questions from 'Food, Inc.' worksheet: "Corn makes cattle stomachs acidic, which promotes strains of E. coli that are pathogens in humans. These strains can then survive passage through human stomachs." The video shows the second part; cattle finish their growth in crowded conditions on CAFOs that allow pathogens to spread from animal to animal. The pathogens, particularly E. coli, can then enter water supplies and pass into vegetables.

The last part, and more, is true of the emissions from manure lagoons and spray-fields, which pose an environmental justice issue.

This video also provides examples of Commoner's Laws, everything must go somewhere, everything is connected to everything else, there is no free lunch, and nature knows best. The poop has to be disposed of, but it gets into the air and water and affects people's health. That's a not-so-hidden cost of cheap meat. The solution to derive energy from the manure, which reduces methane and some of the odors, connects "there is no waste in nature" with nature knows best. I wrote more extensively about how that works in Paean to the power of poop, a Squirrel Case entry. Too bad it does nothing about the other problems like nitrogen and phosphorus. Sigh.

Stay tuned for a full week of Halloween posts. Spooky season!

Meyers and Colbert take closer looks at Madison Cawthorn losing his primary

I couldn't resist one more look at Tuesday's primaries, this time focusing on North Carolina. I begin with Seth Meyers' monologue Madison Cawthorn Ousted After Relentless GOP Campaign to Take Him Down: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at North Carolina Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn, one of the most vocal proponents of Donald Trump's big lie about the 2020 election, losing his GOP primary last night despite Trump’s endorsement.

I'm with Seth. I thought Cawthorn's allegations were B.S. until I saw the GOP leadership's reaction. Then I suspected there might be something to them. Also, the campaign to oust him from Congress reminds me of "dinghy lovebirds" Cindy Gamrat and Todd Courser, who were were chased out of the Michigan legislature because of their mutual scandal. May Cawthorn not try to repeat their career path, as they failed to regain their lost seats. I think the same thing would happen to him if he tries to get back into politics, despite the support of The Former Guy.

I know I wrote "That's it for the Pennsylvania primary," but I couldn't resist one more comedic look as Stephen Colbert asked Who Won The PA GOP Senate Primary? | North Carolina Says Farewell To Madison Cawtho[rn].

While Rep. Madison Cawthorn was the clear loser in the North Carolina primary, as of our taping time the results were still too close to call in the Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary pitting Dr. Mehmet Oz against David McCormick.

The Former Guy would tell Dr. Oz to declare victory. It worked so well for him. *snort*

Now I'm done with the results of this week's primary elections until the recount of the contest between Oz and McCormick!

FiveThirtyEight on today's primary elections in Pennsylvania and four other states

Five states are holding primary elections today, the most populous of which is Pennsylvania. FiveThirtyEight's coverage of these primaries has focused on the Keystone State, most recently when it asked Who Will Win The GOP's Senate Primary In Pennsylvania?*

In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew discusses the races to watch in Tuesday's primaries in Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon and Pennsylvania. They also introduce a new FiveThirtyEight collaboration with Ipsos in which we ask Americans about the issues they care most about in the run-up to the midterm elections. The first poll, coming out this week, is all about inflation.

The supposed front runner for the GOP nomination is Mehmet Oz, but both Kathy Barnette and David McCormick (shown in the preview image) could beat him today. They're likely to face off against John Fetterman, who is leading Conor Lamb for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. FiveThirtyEight has more on him in How John Fetterman Became A Democratic Favorite In Pennsylvania.

John Fetterman is the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. He's a Democrat, he's covered in tattoos, he's running for Senate and he's polling really well in his party's primary. But he's trending these days because of resurfaced reports that he chased an unarmed Black jogger with a shotgun in 2013.

Not a great look for a Democratic candidate, but it hasn't seemed to hurt him much, if at all.

Beyond the U.S. Senate contest, FiveThirtyEight examined the Republican candidates, asking Which May 17 Candidates Believe The 2020 Election Was Stolen?

Voters in Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon and Pennsylvania are heading to the polls this week to vote in their states’ primary elections. Here are the Republican candidates running for Congress, as well as state-level positions like secretary of state, who support former President Donald Trump’s “Big Lie.”

Kaleigh Rogers has more in the article accompanying the video, pointing out Pennsylvania.

Of this week’s primaries, we’ve found Pennsylvania has the greatest share of Big Lie candidates running: We’ve identified 15 of 41 Republican candidates there who have backed Trump’s claims of a stolen election. In particular, the race to become the GOP nominee for governor has attracted multiple election deniers. One of the frontrunners in that race — Doug Mastriano — has repeatedly questioned the results of the 2020 election, including in Pennsylvania and he supported Trump’s efforts to try to overturn results there. He has said there was “cheating and fraud” in Pennsylvania and “rampant voting problems,” though his evidence relies on anecdotes and misinformation.

I'm recycling my reaction from Jane Mayer describes 'The Big Money Behind the Big Lie' on MSNBC.

All of this reminds me why I think calling the idea that the election was stolen the Big Lie doesn't go far enough.

Personally, I'd rather call it Trump's dangerous delusion, his fixed belief that the election was stolen from him despite all evidence, which I see as related to his vulnerability to conspiracy theories, but "the Big Lie" is the established phrase used by CNBC and others, so I'm calling it that instead. It's a lie, too.

Mayer's reporting shows that Trump's delusion is not just dangerous but contagious. It's bad enough that there is one pandemic running around; we don't need another.

The delusion has continued to spread, infecting a lot of candidates in today's elections. Ugh.

*The video also covered one of the "litany of unpleasant realities" that were "also a list of future blogging topics" from Weekend Update compares this week's headlines to 'Mad Max' on last night's 'SNL', inflation. FiveThirtyEight published the results of that survey in We Asked 2,000 Americans About Their Biggest Concern. The Resounding Answer: Inflation. In response to my challenge to myself "to see how many of them I tackle this week," that's two down. Stay tuned for more as the week progresses.

Samantha Bee explains the importance of voting for U.S. Senators

In the same episode where Samantha Bee asked her viewers to Power The Polls, she explained the importance of down-ballot races, specifically the U.S. Senate, in a monologue that her show uploaded in two parts on YouTube. Here is Part 1.

It’s easy to blame Trump for the current hellish state we find ourselves in. But much like his business “success”, when it comes to enacting harmful legislation, Trump couldn't have done it alone. November is the perfect time to hold his accomplices accountable.

Since this was uploaded four weeks ago, the FiveThirtyEight Senate Forecast shows that Jaime Harrison has a 23% chance of winning to Lindsey Graham's 77%. That's not as good as Bee made it out to be, but it's better than one would have expected a few months ago. FiveThirtyEight's Perry Bacon Jr. explains how that happened in How Did Lindsey Graham End Up In Such A Close Race? Click on the link to read his answers to the question.

The situation is reversed in Arizona, where former astronaut Mark Kelly is leading Martha McSally 79% to 21%. FiveThirtyEight's Clare Malone explains what is happening in Arizona Is The Democrats’ Purple Splotch In The Sunbelt.

Bee continued describing the state of the race in the more visible Senate elections in Part 2.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from horror movies, it’s to always expect the worst. So when it comes to the 2020 election, voting Trump out of office won’t be enough to save our country. We have to also get rid of the monsters that lurk down the ballot!

Bee and her Emmy-winning writers were right about that attack ad on Sara Gideon; it looks like something her campaign could have produced as a positive ad. It may actually be helping the Democratic challenger. A few days ago, the Maine Senate election was the closest one at FiveThirtyEight, with Collins marginally ahead. Now, it's the third closest, with Gideon having a 63% probability of winning.

TBS aired this episode of Bee's show before Cal Cunningham's sexting scandal broke or she would have mentioned it. Despite that, the polls haven't moved much, which FiveThirtyEight's Geoffrey Skelley tried to explain in Despite A Sexting Scandal, Democrat Cal Cunningham Is Favored In North Carolina’s Senate Race, noting "On Oct. 2, Cunningham had a 67 in 100 shot of winning; today, Cunningham has a 67 in 100 chance, according to the Deluxe version of FiveThirtyEight’s Senate forecast." Right now, it's 66%. Still, not much movement considering the potential from a sex scandal, however mild.

Other close contests for the U.S. Senate Bee didn't mention are happening in Iowa, Georgia, Montana, Kansas, and Alaska. For those, I recommend reading Why Democratic Senate Candidates Are Competitive In Red States Like Alaska, Kansas And Montana and Will Georgia Turn Blue?, both on FiveThirtyEight. Maybe Bee and her writers will find enough material for a monologue about these contests in the next three weeks. Stay tuned.

A drum corps Super Tuesday 2020

As I've already done for Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina, it's time to share some marching music for my readers to watch and listen while they are waiting for the results.  This time, it's a drum corps Super Tuesday as nine of the fifteen states and territories holding primaries and caucuses today have competitive drum and bugle corps.  No marching bands today!

I am proceeding roughly from east to west, moving time zone to time zone as polls close across the country.  In order, the states and their drum corps I am featuring are Massachusetts, North Carolina, Minnesota, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, Colorado, Utah, and California.  I begin with the 2019 Boston Crusaders | Goliath representing Massachusetts.



Boston, MA | 6th Place | 94.488
Despite the biblical theme, this show has a patriotic element as it includes selections from "Hamilton."  May the candidates not throw away their shots, either!

Moving down the east coast, the next corps from a state voting today is Carolina Gold from North Carolina.  Watch Carolina Gold 2017.



12th place - 81.00
While Carolina Gold is the first DCA corps I am featuring this cycle, it won't be the last, as two DCA corps represent Minnesota, three if one includes the now inactive Minnesota Brass, Inc., which I am.  In fact, the Minnesota corps are next, as it's time to move to the Central Time Zone.  Follow over the jump.

Majority of Americans want to stop changing their clocks twice a year

I closed Fall back for the end of Daylight Saving Time even though it affects health and increases traffic accidents by writing "Americans are getting tired of switching back and forth between Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time, having decided Daylight Saving Time sucks."  WMTW-TV in Portland, Maine reported the depth of that dislike in Majority of Americans want to do away with daylight saving time.

A new poll finds a majority of Americans want to get rid of daylight saving time all together.

70% of Americans are tired of switching the clocks back and forth, while only 30% want to keep doing it.  Americans don't agree yet on which time to stay on, Standard or Daylight Saving.  However, that hasn't stopped states from trying to please their residents by stopping the back-and-forth.  Unfortunately, it literally requires an act of Congress to finish the job.  Follow over the jump for reports about three states that have voted to stop the twice-annual changeover and five more that are considering doing so.

Vox tells the story of Thomas Hofeller, the man who gerrymandered America

I haven't examined gerrymandering since May, when I posted 'Slay the Dragon' examines the campaign to eliminate gerrymandering in Michigan, so it was about time I do so again.  Fortunately, Vox gave me the opportunity by uploading The man who rigged America's election maps yesterday.  Watch.

The story of the man who gerrymandered America.
...
When Republican mapmaker Thomas Hofeller died in 2018, we learned exactly how far Republicans were willing to go to gerrymander political districts — and rig elections to give themselves majorities in statehouses and Congress.

While I ended up being wrong when I wrote "I'm much more optimistic about North Carolina's districts being remedied than Wisconsin's, although I'm hoping that the Supreme Court does find that partisan gerrymandering has gone too far," I'm glad to see the state courts do something about the issue now that the U.S. Supreme Court gave them the responsibility.  The door closed, but the window opened.

Vox explains the gerrymandering cases before the Supreme Court

While I last mentioned gerrymandering and redistricting in John Oliver and Vox examine gerrymandering, the issue has continued to make news.  The top story on the issue is that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments on two lawsuits contesting the gerrymandered districts in North Carolina and Wisconsin.  These cases have different bases, as Vox explains in The difference between racial and partisan gerrymandering.

The Court won't use the same criteria for either case. Here's why.
...
In America, voting districts are redrawn every ten years to account for shifts in demographics. Someone has to be in charge of drawing the new lines. And because voting is left to the states, in many jurisidictions this responsibility is left to partisan politicians. This creates an opening for politicians who might want to alter the outcome of an election through a process called gerrymandering.

But not all gerrymandering is the same. There are, in fact, two types: racial, and partisan. It is much more difficult to prove harm as a plaintiff in a partisan gerrymandering case than a racial one. And that distinction has to do with provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The North Carolina example was egregious enough that Vox used it as an example in one of its earlier videos on the subject, Gerrymandering: How politicians rig elections.

Most Americans think elections are rigged, and they're right. Vox editor-in-chief Ezra Klein explains how gerrymandering works, and how to fix it.

As I've written before, I support the idea of nonpartisan, independent redistricting commissions to reduce gerrymandering.  As for the Supreme Court cases, I'm much more optimistic about North Carolina's districts being remedied than Wisconsin's, although I'm hoping that the Supreme Court does find that partisan gerrymandering has gone too far.

That's it for this month.  Stay tuned for more about the Emmy nominees. I'm planning several posts on nominated political shows next month, which begins in a few hours.

PBS Newshour examines gerrymandering in Maryland and North Carolina

This past March, I reported that the second most read post of the fifth year of the blog was WXYZ on redistricting reform.  That examined the possibility of Michigan having a non-partisan commission take over redistricting from the state legislature.  That initiative did not make it to the ballot this year, but the idea is still kicking around, as seen in North Carolina and Maryland challenge gerrymandering from PBS NewsHour.

Gerrymandering -- the practice of drawing districts to benefit one political party over another or to protect an incumbent -- has a long history in the U.S. Special Correspondent Jeff Greenfield reports on reform efforts in Maryland, where one district has been called a “broken-winged pterodactyl,” and in North Carolina, where litigation is challenging partisan redistricting.

For another embed of this video as well as a summary and complete transcript, surf over the NewsHour page at PBS.org.

While both Maryland State Senator Joan Carter Conway, a Democrat, and Republican State Representative David Lewis of North Carolina think that independent commissions are too idealistic and completely non-partisan people don't exist, I'm on the side of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who wants an independent redistricting commission for his state.  If its good enough for that Republican governor, it's good enough for Democrats and Republicans in states like Michigan.  I think Arizona, California, Idaho, and Washington all have the right idea.