May 23

Found this right off the bat. We, on this side of the Atlantic, are already (and have been for some tine) dealing with this. I hope the Boris Johnson's government isn't so desperate for a trade deal with the U.S. that they won't knuckle under to U.S. pressure. However, ever since Bush II proclaimed the ambition to create an "ownership society" I thought he really meant an "you're on your ownership society." In almost every aspect of our lives we can't rely on the "protections" and "advice" we had trusted because it has been corrupted, diluted or dismantled. Throughout the pandemic business interests have succeeded in getting the administration to "ease" regulations. We do have to do much more research when deciding what we will do and buy.

Cassandra's Legacy has this interesting post. No one really knows how the COVID-19 moves. My guess, as a literate, non-expert, is that the number of contacts leads to increased exposure and increased chances of infection. The stay-at-home orders and shutdown of "non-essential" businesses (in quotes because that term is very different in different areas and for different people) leads to fewer contacts, fewer chances for exposure, and lower chances of infection.

Sunny right now and nearing 70F. So I am getting transplants into permanent pots. I put two marigolds in small pots in front of the large pot with the begonia by the front door. I will put more marigolds around the begonia arrangement by the back door. I will continue working outside, slowly with frequent rests, until either it gets too hot or until the expected afternoon thunderstorms come. I should be able to do the same tomorrow and Monday but without the threat of storms.

Charles Hugh Smith at Of Two Minds says some things I have thought about what our post-COVID world will look like. I have long thought that rarity provided much of the value of educational attainments (degrees, certifications, etc.) As long as the proportion of people with those credentials was low they had value. When they were no longer rare--you had PhDs driving cabs and Master's Degree holders unemployed. Another blogger once commented that she thought the real purpose of the yearly physical the medical establishment was to search for something, however trivial, they could treat. The condition may not bother you, might even go away on its own, but it was an income stream and kept you coming back regularly. I wonder how much we have been accustomed to buying we will suddenly realizee don't need, don't really want, and won't do what we thought it would.