3/17/16 ~ Today's TILT! (THINGS I LEARNED TODAY)

"Mary Wollstonecraft (1759 – 1797) English author, Wollstonecraft wrote the most significant book in the early feminist movement. Her tract “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” laid down a clear moral and practical basis for extending human and political rights to women. – A true pioneer in the struggle for female suffrage." ~ via biography online

In 1992, Bill Clinton had lost 11 of the first 12 Primaries. Bernie's won 9 of them, and 7 of them by blow-outs.

And, even in five of the ones that he supposedly lost, he either essentially tied, or just lost by a few points.

We still have 27 states to go. More than half the delegates have not yet been awarded. Bernie is really in a good position right now. All that Bernie needs to do is win the Blue States by the same margins that Hillary's done, and he's closed those gaps dramatically.

A Bernie win is still very much a possibility now. We just have to work at it.

[Rachel's interview with Bernie was fairly neutral and respectful. She did seem to be truly happy to have Senator Sanders back on her show, and her analysis with Chris Hayes afterwards gave me hope. At least Bernie got 20 minutes worth of coverage on one of the major Cable Networks tonight. That's Breaking News right there!]

"The New York Times recently reported on the growing trend of stylists arriving at hospitals to perfect a new mom's hair, showing up with cases of hairspray and curling irons after labor, but before photos.

And it's not just hair — many moms also report calling in makeup artists or at least packing some concealer and mascara into their hospital bags. That's what Christine Koh, author and editor of the blog Boston Mamas, did when she gave birth to her second child in 2011.

Who can forget Kate Middleton stepping out in high heels and with perfectly bouncy hair after delivering newborn Charlotte? To be fair, she looked equally flawless after giving birth to Prince George two years earlier. And so did Beyonce, with a head of voluminous, shiny curls while clutching baby Blue Ivy in 2012.

But if you're not a celebrity or a royal, bringing stylists to your bedside can be pricey. A hospital visit from stylist, Warren Tricomi's crew starts at $200, Warren said.

And not every mom feels the need to look glam after having a baby. Last year, TODAY anchor Savannah Guthrie's post-birth snapshot with her newborn daughter Vale garnered attention for Guthrie's noticeably barefaced look.

'Honestly, it didn't even cross my mind to have fixed-up hair and makeup,' Guthrie said then. 'I figured everyone would be looking at little Vale, anyway. She is the star of the pictures, after all.'

(Reuters) - Five North Carolina Sheriff’s deputies have been disciplined over their behavior at a rally for Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump where a white supporter sucker punched a black protester, officials said on Wednesday.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said three deputies were demoted and suspended for five days each without pay for their unsatisfactory performance at last week’s rally while the two others were suspended for three days.

The actions of the deputies and their failures to act in situations such as that which occurred during the Trump rally at the Crown Coliseum have never been and will not ever be tolerated under the policies of this office,” Sheriff Earl “Moose” Butler said.

At the rally in Fayetteville, John McGraw, a 78-year-old white Trump supporter, was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge after he was seen on video punching a 26-year-old black protester in the face.

Video of the incident recorded by bystanders showed deputies pinning the assaulted protester to the ground, prompting social media criticism on why swift action was taken against him instead of his assailant.

All five of the deputies were admonished for their behavior and have been placed on probationary status for the next 12 months, the Sheriff’s Office statement said.

Sheriff’s officials on Monday decided against criminally charging Trump or his campaign with “inciting a riot” at the rally.

Trump has rejected suggestions that his language was to blame for recent clashes at his rallies. The 69-year-old New Yorker leads a field of three Republican candidates vying for the party’s presidential nomination.

CNN led on the demo side and Fox News Channel in total viewers for coverage of Super Tuesday, with both networks establishing all-time highs for a night of primary and caucus coverage. MSNBC, on the other hand, lagged well behind its rivals and was the only network down from 2008 Super Tuesday.

Overall, according to preliminary Nielsen estimates, roughly 11 million people watched one of three cable news networks during primetime Tuesday, when primary and caucus results from eleven states were revealed — up from 9.3 million on the comparable night eight years ago. About a month ago, FNC, CNN and MSNBC drew 10.2 million for primetime coverage of the Iowa caucuses.

CNN registered the largest audience in the adults 25-54 news demo than any cable network on record for a primary/caucus night, averaging 1.6 million from 8 to 11. Fox News followed with 1.36 million, and MSNBC lagged far behind with 625,000.

In total viewers, Fox delivered another record-breaking primary night with 4.88 million viewers during primetime. CNN drew 4.10 million, and MSNBC about 1.98 million.

Compared with the 2008 Super Tuesday, Fox News Channel was up the most — rising 40% in total viewers and 25% in the demo. CNN was up too, growing 12% overall and 5% in the demo, but MSNBC lost nearly 40% of its demo audience and 6% of its overall audience.

[My take: What did you expect, MSNBC? You crapped on your Liberal Base, and chased us away, in an effort to become Fox Lite, but nobody in America needs a Fox Lite, they've got Fox.]

"SeaWorld could be in trouble because of “Granny," the world's oldest known living orca. The 103-year-old whale (also known as J2) has been spotted off Canada's western coast with her pod — her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. But while the Granny sighting is thrilling for us, it's problematic for SeaWorld.

First of all, SeaWorld has claimed that “no one knows for sure how long killer whales live," when simple figures or even living and thriving examples — like Granny — can give us a pretty good idea.

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation project estimates that whales born in captivity only live to 4.5 years old, on average; many of SeaWorld's orcas die before they reach their 20s. Perhaps because of their reduced lifespans, the whales are forced to breed continuously and at perilously young ages, which could also diminish their overall health.

Another key aspect of an orca's life — which is missing in captivity — is the ability to swim up to 100 miles per day. Granny still makes the an 800-mile trek from northern California along with her pod.

According to animal welfare advocates, long-distance swimming is integral to orcas' psychological health and well-being; SeaWorld, however, has gone on record claiming that orcas do not need to swim hundreds of miles regularly, ostensibly to defend the parks' cruel practice of keeping massive, powerful orcas confined to cramped tanks.

Since Granny was first spotted (as early as the 1930s), she's believed to have mothered two calves, who in turn have had calves of their own. (One of her grandchildren, Canuck, reportedly died at the age of 4 after being captured and held at SeaWorld).

As her pod has grown, Granny has kept up with them — without being separated through human intervention — and traveled astonishing distances with her pod annually. Orcas at SeaWorld are routinely separated from their pods, which has been known to cause huge mental and emotional strain and can prevent calves from developing normally.

Granny doesn't simply represent an impressive feat of nature; she embodies what's wrong with SeaWorld by being a living example of what's right in the wild.

While it's true that most wild orcas don't live as long as Granny has, their lifespans are still dramatically longer than those of SeaWorld's whales (the NOAA estimates that wild female orcas, like Granny, live an average of 50 to 60 years). Their lives are also filled with much more swimming, exploration, variety and bonding with family — in other words, their lives are likely filled with much more joy.

UPDATE: Since this post, Granny has been making serious waves, by guiding her family, swimming hundreds and hundreds of miles off the Pacific coast and by generally proving SeaWorld wrong in every way.

St Patrick's Day is celebrated on 17 March across the world to commemorate the death anniversary of the patron saint of Ireland. The day also marks the arrival of Christianity in the country.

Legends about the Irish saint suggest he used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the concept of Trinity — the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The festival is also associated with the leprechaun, a Celtic fairy, the pot of gold and Blarney's stone.

"Never greet an Irishman on St Patrick’s Day by saying ‘Top o’ the mornin’ to ya’ unless you want your pint of Guinness thrown on the floor.

Saying this to someone is basically sticking two fingers up at the Irish accent, likewise with wishing someone a ‘Happy St Patty’s Day’ (popular in America).