Every day is a new day and with that, a new opportunity.
EVERYONE is welcome and please join us each morning at 7:30 AM PACIFIC
to tell us what you're working on, share your show & tell, vent, whatever you want...
...this is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.
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What Do you Feel Like Talking About Today?
Happy VD from Dave!
Now, I am not a big fan of Hallmark Holidays. Far as I'm concerned they exist to either extract money from your wallet or to make single, lonely people feel even more lonely and isolated. Hell, it can even make people in couples or relationships feel lonely if they're not getting along particularly well at the time.
Yesterday I saw a patient who had recently gone through a romantic break-up, and at age 65 she deeply feared she would spend the rest of her life alone. "And tomorrow is Valentine's Day," she said, "Which I think is a stupid holiday even when I'm with someone, but it makes feel more than ever that I wish I had a special someone in my life." I reached out and held her hand while she wept for a few minutes.
"You have no idea how good that feels right now," she said. "I so miss being touched." It was a good reminder that so many people go every day without any kind of touch at all. A caring touch, no matter how fleeting, releases oxytocin, the trust hormone, and reduces cortisol, the stress hormone. When someone is feeling overwhelmed or alone or struggling with life's problems a touch can do even more:
In the brain, prefrontal areas, which help regulate emotion, can relax, freeing them for another of their primary purposes: problem solving. In effect, the body interprets a supportive touch as “I’ll share the load.”
“We think that humans build relationships precisely for this reason, to distribute problem solving across brains,” said James A. Coan, a a psychologist at the University of Virginia. “We are wired to literally share the processing load, and this is the signal we’re getting when we receive support through touch.”
What are just a few of the things that even a light appropriate touch can do?
- People are more likely to help a total stranger when a light touch accompanies the request.
- NBA teams who touch more during games (high fives, chest bumps, back slaps etc) showed higher performance by both individuals and the team.
- Students receiving a very light touch on the back or the arm by a classroom teacher were twice as likely to speak up in class as those who did not.
- Giving a little neck or shoulder rub to someone benefits the giver in reducing stress hormones as much as the receiver.
- One study showed that touch lessened pain, improved pulmonary function, increased growth in infants, lowered blood glucose and improved immune function.
- Even touching ourselves as in rubbing our own foreheads or necks, stroking our own hair or rubbing our own hands lowers stress as measured in cortisol and helps us cope.
Children, understandably, are touched the most, but this quickly changes. As we get older we get touched less and less for numerous reasons including societal inculcation, inhibitions, religion, or even fear of being misunderstood. Senior citizens receive less touch than any other group...but are also less inhibited about accepting it when offered.
Bottom line?
There is no substitute for the gentle, loving touch of someone who cares.
Do you know someone who could use a little support? Someone who is widowed, lives alone, is isolated or feels overwhelmed by life's stresses right now? You don't have to scare them by offering them a massage, but a light touch on the arm along with the question, "Is there anything I can do for you, or get for you today?" is more likely to elicit a truthful response than the question all by itself. Touch is the most primary and direct expression of empathy, compassion, and shared humanity, far more so than reading another person's facial expressions which may vary from culture to culture and which people have varying abilities to understand. But an appropriate gentle touch is something far more widely understood.
So, as you go through your day today, I invite you to keep your eyes open for any opportunity to literally reach out and touch someone. It might be the confused elderly lady in line at the supermarket, flustered over trying to write a check with shaking hands. It might be a quick pat on the back or fist-bump as you share a joke with a stranger or a friend. It might be any opportunity you look for today to help someone feel less lonely and more connected.
Because if you watch for that moment it will surely open its arms to you.
Who knows whose world you might open up with just a touch of kindness.
Latest Updates on Kossack Regional Meet-Up News Below the New Day sunrise cloud
:: COMMUNITY BUILDING UPDATES ::
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Let's build communities!
Every region needs a meatspace community like SFKossacks.
We take care of each other in real life.
I urge YOU to take the lead and organize one in your region.
Please tell us about it if you do and we're here for advice.
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THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
>>>Instructions on HOW TO FORM A NEW DAILY KOS GROUP
NEW GROUPS IN THE PROCESS OF ORGANIZING:
Send a Kosmail to the organizers and ask for an invitation to the group.
• Northern Indiana Area: Kosmail Tim Delaney
• Long Island: Kosmail grannycarol
• Northern Michigan: Kosmail JillS
• Nebraska: Kosmail Nebraska68847Dem
• Westburbia Chicago Kossacks: Kosmail Majordomo
• Caprock Kossacks (Panhandle/Caprock/Lubbock/Amarillo area) : Kosmail shesaid
• West Texas Kossacks (including Big Bend Region and El Paso) : Kosmail Yo Bubba
• Vermont Kossacks: Kosmail 4Freedom
• California Central Coast Kossacks: (San Luis Obispo & Pismo Beach area) Kosmail CentralCoaster
Note to the above new leaders: Feel free to leave a comment any day reminding readers about your new group. Also, tell us about your progress in gathering members. Kosmail me when you've chosen a good name for your group and have created a the group. Then I'll move you to the NEW GROUPS LIST. When you've planned a date for your first event I'll make a banner for you to highlight your event in our diaries and your diaries.
These are the groups that have started since * NEW DAY * began. Please Kosmail navajo if you have started a group before that.
NEW GROUPS LIST:
• California Central Valley Kossacks - Formed: Jul 29, 2012, Organizer: tgypsy
• New England Kossacks - Formed: Aug 6, 2012, Organizers:
Clytemnestra for Lower New England (Conneticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island)
nhox42 for Upper New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont)
• Houston Area Kossacks - Formed: Aug 7, 2012, Organizer: Chrislove
• Kossacks in India - Formed: Aug 14, 2012, Organizer: chandu
• CenTex Kossacks - Formed: Sep 9, 2012, Organizer: papa monzano
• Central Ohio Kossacks - Formed: Sep 26, 2012, Organizer: VetGrl
• Kansas City Kossacks - Formed Oct 15, 2012, Organizer: Statusquomustgo
• Phoenix Kossacks - Formed Oct 16, 2012, Organizer: arizonablue
• Chicago Kossacks - Formed: Oct 31, 2012, Organizer: figbash
• Koscadia the Pacific Northwest coast from Northern California to Alaska
- Formed Oct 17, 2012, Oganizer: Horace Boothroyd III based in Portland, OR
• Boston Kossacks - Formed: Nov 7, 2012, Organizer: GreyHawk
• Motor City Kossacks South East Michigan (Detroit) Area - Formed: Nov 10, 2012, Organizer: peregrine kate
• Pittsburgh Area Kossacks - Formed: Nov 12, 2012, Organizer: dweb8231
• Salt Lake City Kossacks - Formed: Nov 17, 2012, Organizer: War on Error
• Twin Cities Kossacks - Formed: Nov 17, 2012, Organizer: imonlylurking
• Dallas Kossacks North Texas - Formed: Nov 21, 2012, Admins: Catte Nappe and dalfireplug. Please contact them to join the group. An Event Organizer needed.
• The Southern California Inland Empire Kossacks - Formed: Dec 3, 2012, Organizer: SoCaliana
• Los Angeles Kossacks - Formed: Dec 17, 2012, Organizer: Dave in Northridge
• Northeast Ohio Kossacks - Formed: Jan 16, 2013, Organizer: GenXangster
• Kansas & Missouri Kossacks - Formed: Jan 17, 2013, Organizer: tmservo433
• I-77 Carolina Kossacks who live from Columbia, SC to north of Winston-Salem, NC. - Formed: Jan 30, 2013, Organizers: gulfgal98 and eeff
• Indianapolis Kossacks - Formed: Feb 6, 2013, Organizer: CityLightsLover
• Southwest Ohio Kossacks - Formed: May 10, 2013, Organizer: Dr Erich Bloodaxe RN
• Northern Arizona Kossacks - Formed: Jul 5, 2013, Organizer: Sam Sara
• Mexican Kossacks - Formed: Apr 14, 2013, Organizer: roberb7
• New York Hudson Valley Kossacks - Formed: Oct 27, 2012, Organizer: boran2
• North Carolina Triangle Kosmopolitans - Formed: Aug 2, 2013, Organizer: highacidity
• Silicon Valley Kossacks - Formed: Oct 31, 2013, Organizer: Glen The Plumber
• Seattle and Puget Sound Kossacks - Formed: Dec 17, 2013, Organizer: EagleOfFreedom
• Las Vegas NV Kossacks - Formed: Oct 22, 2013, Organizer: miracle11
ESTABLISHED GROUPS LIST: (List will grow as we discover them)
• SFKossacks Founded by navajo, Formed: May 2, 2005
• Maryland Kos Founded by timmyc, Formed: Feb 23, 2011. Contact: JamieG from Md for a group invite.
• New York City Founded by Eddie C - Contact the group organizer for meet-up events: sidnora
• Baja Arizona Kossacks, Event Organizer: Azazello
• Three Star Kossacks Tennessee, Founded by maryKK, Formed: Apr 8, 2011
• Nashville KosKats, Founded by ZenTrainer Formed: Jan 30, 2012
• Virginia Kos Founded by JamieG from Md, Formed: May 3, 2011
• Kos Georgia Founded by pat208, Formed: Feb 13, 2011
• Colorado COmmunity Founded by Leftcandid, Formed: Feb 13, 2011. Organizer: ColoTim
• New Mexico Kossaks Founded by claude
• Philly Kos Founded by mconvente Formed: Aug 29, 2011
• DKos Florida Founded by ThirstyGator, Formed: Feb 14, 2011, Currently organizing: Kosmail Vetwife to be included in next event.
• Oklahoma Roundup Founded by BigOkie, Formed: Feb 13, 2011, Currently organizing: Kosmail peacearena to be included.
• DKos Asheville Founded by davehouck, Formed: Feb 13, 2011 - Organizing Assist by: randallt
• San Diego Kossacks Founded by La Gitane, Formed: Nov 18, 2011
• Massachusetts Kosmopolitans Founded by mem from somerville, Formed: Feb 13, 2011
by EagleOfFreedom ♥ for Seattle and Puget Sound Kossacks
I'm so impressed with the Seattle Kossacks, right now. EagleOfFreedom offered to take up the reins of collecting local Kossacks for camaraderie and action. In a very short time he started the group, communicated with me, set the event and got almost a dozen folks to join the ranks in person. Kudos!
So, you Seattle Kossacks, you've got a group now and John Crapper has offered to be an admin of the group. How swell is that?
SEATTLE KOSSACKS! Look for each other in the comments and gather together, invite one another and let's see more folk show up at the next event. AND the next action event.
To quote one of the attendees:
Once again Kossacks prove they are for real.
L-R: N in Seattle, Regina in a Sears Kit House, bleeding blue, doingbusinessas
L-R: ?, John Crapper, EagleOfFreedom, mlharges
All photos courtesy of mlharges
Please visit EagleOfFreedom's diary for MORE photos! Enjoy! You can join Seattle and Puget Sound Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to EagleOfFreedom.
SFKossacks Welcome Matching Mole and bwren
with a Birding Event Plus Dinner
by navajo ♥ for SFKossacks
Last Sunday, matching mole, who flew in from the East Coast, and bwren, who flew in from Seattle, were picked up and chaffeured by the founder of Dawn Chorus, lineatus. She drove them to meet with other SFKossacks and Central Valley Kossacks to do some bird watching in the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area on San Francisco Bay. I'll leave the telling of that story up to lineatus in her Sunday morning series.
I'll be covering the dinner we had that evening to welcome our out-of-towners.
Please visit navajo's diary for descriptions of above photos and access to MORE photos! Enjoy! You can join SFKossacks by sending a Kosmail to navajo.
by randallt ♥ for DKos Asheville
Wow, the standard setters for Daily Kos group organizing just one-upped the bar again! Not only do they meet for socializing, they get themselves on radio shows to advertise the event, they invite local candidates and progressive causes to speak to our Kossacks and then fully cater an event to reward all attendees. Wow. Just wow.
More than 30 Kossacks got together amping up and organizing the Asheville atmosphere for getting out the vote. Here's one photo:
L-R: DKos Asheville Kossacks
Please visit randallt's diary for many MORE photos! Enjoy! You can join DKos Asheville by sending a Kosmail to randallt.
by Dave in Northridge ♥ for Los Angeles Kossacks
LAKossacks at it again, please see diary for food pr0n details.
L-R: DuckTape, Dave in Northridge, joemarkowitz, Shockwave and SanFernandoValleyMom
L-R: susans, Kathy, otoelbc, Jerico, Joe Bacon, mr. gmats and gmats
Please visit Dave in Northridge's diary for many MORE photos! Enjoy! You can join Los Angeles Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to Dave in Northridge.
by ericlewis0 ♥ for New York City
Wow. Boom! ericlewis0 blew us all away on Sunday. He provided a LIVE BLOG of the NYC event complete with photos and bonafide commentary from the attendees. Amazing!
Photo 1 L-R: In the orange, thankgodforairamerica, ghchaucer2, sidnora, joanbrooker, dave g & kathny Photo 2 L-R: Plf515, Laura Clawson, mets102, son of broccoli, Communitygis, no exit, designthefuture & mattc129
Please visit ericlewis0's diary for the live blog commentary from the attendees! Enjoy! You can join NYC Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to sidnora.
sidnora promises her faithful follow-up diary and she could likely have food pr0n. I hope so. I live for explicit photos of the fries at Spitzer's Corner.
:: Events Currently on the Books for Kossacks ::
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Saturday, February 15th
Los Angeles Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: 2:00 PM
LOCATION: The Sidewalk Grill
1727 N. Vermont • Los Angeles
ORGANIZER: Send Dave in Northridge a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. Dave in Northridge
2. Shockwave
3. Ducktape
4. joemarkowitz
5. jakedog42
6. Joe Bacon
7. 714Day
8. SanFernandoValleyMom
9. Otoelbc
10. Chiwere
11. Floja Roja
12. Gay CA Democrat
13. Brecht
14. recoveringConservative
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Maybees:
Moody Loner
mommyp00ka
Little Loner (Who's not so little anymore)
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Latest diary: Los Angeles Kossacks - Saturday, February 15, 2 PM - The Sidewalk Grill, Los Feliz
Saturday, February 15th
Boston Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: Midday, TBD
LOCATION: The Barking Crab at Fort Point Landing
88 Sleeper Street • Boston
ORGANIZER: Send GreyHawk a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. GreyHawk
2. HawkWife
3. bjedward
4. thankgodforairamerica
5. Knockbally
6. AnotherMassachusettsLiberal
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Maybees:
commonmass
annieli
jplanner
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Afterward, a walking trip to the Design Museum Boston to see the free exhibit Green Patriot Posters.
Latest diary: The Barking Crab - BosKos & NE Kos Meetup Details
February 15-17th
Mexican Kossacks & Democrats Abroad Annual Meeting in Puerto Vallarta
SCHEDULE
Saturday, Feb. 15, 6:00 PM-7:30 PM: Welcome Reception with Tom Hayden at private home.
Sunday, Feb. 16, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM: Annual Meeting at International Friendship Club - (to include business meeting, address by Tom Hayden, and presentations on Fundraising, Web-Ex training (replaces Calliflower), Get Out the Vote (GOTV), and Communications including Social Media
Monday, Feb. 17, 4:00 PM-6:00 PM: Presentation by Tom Hayden supporting the importance of voting in the 2014 election. Hosted at chapel across from Hacienda San Angel.
TICKET INFORMATION
Advanced Full Registration: $35 USD (450 pesos) Includes all events if you register before Feb 1st.
Tom Hayden Presentation (Monday only): $12 USD (150 pesos)
To Buy: Email GOTVfromAbroad AT yahoo DOT com with the quantity of tickets needed for either “Full Registration” or “Tom Hayden (Monday only)”. You will receive a PayPal bill and a written notification once your payment has been processed.
ORGANIZER: Send roberb7 kosmail to connect at the event.
KOSSACK RSVPs:
1. roberb7
2.
3.
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Maybees: |
Monday, February 17th
Tennessee Three Star Kossacks Attend Music & Vision Fundraiser for State Candidates
TIME: 6:00 PM
LOCATION: The Whippoorwill
118 N Water Ave • Gallatin
ORGANIZER: Send marykk a kosmail to connect with her and other Three Star Kossacks.
RSVPs:
1. marykk
2.
3.
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Maybees: |
Saturday, March 15th
Sacramento/Central Valley Kossacks Demonstrate at "Don't Frack California"
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: California State Capitol
1315 10th St. • Sacramento
RSVPs:
1. Anthony Page aka SecondComing
2.
3.
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: Quick re-mention of March 15 statewide "Don't Frack California" demonstrations
Saturday, April 5th
Seattle & Puget Sound Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: Noon - 3:00 PM
LOCATION: Pyramid Alehouse, Brewery & Restaurant
1201 First Avenue South • Seattle
ORGANIZER: Send EagleOfFreedom a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. EagleOfFreedom
2. Reetz
3.
4.
5.
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: Seattle & Puget Sound Kossacks Arrive
Saturday, May 3rd
DKos Asheville Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: TBD
LOCATION: TBD
[Address] • [City]
ORGANIZER: Send randallt a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. randallt
2. davehouck
3. Joieau
4. Gordon20024
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: [Waiting for linked diary]
Send navajo a kosmail if you post a diary about an event so we can update our round-up.
Okay. Floor's open.
Tell us what you are doing on this NEW DAY?