Thursday--

It may be a lazy day today.  We had rain overnight and may have on and off rain for most of this morning.  All the seeds I want to start have been started and are doing well.  Now I am considering what transplants I want to buy.  A few strawberries, spearmint, peppermint and stevia for sure.  What else depends on what I find at the garden shops.  Signs of spring have started appearing--low bushes leafing out and daffodils, hyacinths, tulips and some of the flowering trees blooming.  The color is a feast after the bleak drabness over the winter.

I am often amazed how often the technology that is portrayed as some kind of savior creates as many problems without really solving any of ones it was supposed to save us from.  As an example look at this article at Naked Capitalism on the electronic medical records.  And those urging the adoption of the technology often (almost always??) have ulterior, unspoken motives for wanting it.  We were sold the notion the the electronic records would reduce errors and facilitate patient treatment and welfare.  The real motive was to control doctors and increase profits.  Any harm patients suffer is simply "collateral damage."

Friday--

Should be dry and sunny today--and warm.  That will be good because I received an e-mail that my blueberry and sweet potato slips will be delivered today.  I didn't expect them quite this soon but have everything nearly ready for them.  That will leave the wintergreen and lemon verbena yet to arrive.

I read the headline for this article and thought of the ad I saw on TV last night trying to sell nuclear power to secure our energy future.  The narrator noted that a number of nuclear plants are nearing the end of their engineered lifetime and that we urgently needed to build new ones to replace them or face crippling energy shortages.  Given Fukushima, Chernobyl, and Three-Mile Island I would say it is well past time to phase out nuclear altogether.

'Tis the season when potholes blossom along with the tulips, daffodils, and other early spring flowers.  This WGN story shows an artist making the potholes almost as smile-worthy as the other signs of spring.

While I can agree with this article that our infrastructure is suffering from serious and long term neglect, I think they are way off base in concluding that the deficiencies of the infrastructure is a threat to democracy.  Most of us forget that, though Presidential elections are held in early November, until the 20th Amendment moved the date  inaugurations were held in March not January.  That four month gap allowed the votes to be counted and transmitted from remote areas, Electors to meet to cast their votes and for the wining candidates to travel in mid winter to his inauguration.  We functioned quite well as a democracy without a modern infrastructure and would again without it--assuming we have the will to maintain democratic structures.  We have far more compelling reasons to maintain our various infrastructures.

Susie Madrak asks a good question in her post--what does it mean for our voting systems?

I saw this and simply don't believe it.  I haven't seen any decrease in prices and several prices that are definitely higher.