Good day to you all on this (probably sunny--it is still early) cool Monday.  I did get my cabbage and kale plants in the large containers yesterday.  They seem to be settling in well.  I put hot caps over them--more to protect them from possible rain than anything else.  I have some more plants to move and some cuttings to put into permanent pots.  We'll see what I get done.

I didn't see much I wanted to comment on yesterday.  The politics and economics are still what they have been for so long--a total mess.

The pictures with this article stunned me though the statistics didn't.  I told Mom over coffee this morning that I am hoping for a record setting snow pack this year and a cool spring.  Unusual for me--I don't really like snow.  Anyone else noticing how much more frequently the terms 'global warming' or 'climate change' have crept into the lamestream media this year?  Day late and dollar short.

Another good commentary from James Kunstler.  I have thought for some time that our two party system is pretty much obsolete.  Actually, it isn't necessarily the system that is obsolete but rather the parties themselves.  Neither party has any real answers for our problems.  All they are concerned with is perpetuating their power.

We just came back from doing our errands and got a very nasty surprise.  We drove by several gas stations with prices of $3.88-3.89 per gallon.  We decided to stop at the station we normally patronize but were shocked to find the price has just bumped up to $4.10.  We scratched our heads and decided to wait a few days.  I thought the price was supposed to go down.

Hi, Everybody.   Beautifully cool and sunny this morning.  We have already done some cleaning and are now taking a break.  I want to bring my variegated marjoram and rosemary inside now.  The temperature last night went down to mid-50s and they expect lower over the next week.  I haven't found pots I like to put them in over the winter.  I have some peppers to harvest and am kicking myself because I left about six of them too long.  It has been a strange year for the gardens and a strangely unsatisfying one.  On that last, I am not sure why I feel so dissatisfied.  I got a surprisingly good yield out of my tiny patches.  I will have to think about that a bit.  Let's see what is on the 'net.

NBC News posted this assessment of the employment situation this morning.  It is surprisingly accurate and John Schoen says something that few economic reporters (and no politicians) will say out loud: the government can't control job growth no matter who is in the White House.  And I suspect that even if   the economy picks up we will be talking about another 'jobless recovery.'  I don't really expect any real recovery any times soon.  The number crunchers may give us good news but the numbers won't really mean much.  Note that the job creation numbers for the last two months were revised down by 41k.  Also take a look at the number of manufacturing jobs, government jobs, and temporary jobs lost.  Does anyone besides me remember earlier this year when all the pundits were ecstatic over the increasing numbers of temporary jobs because, they assured us, that meant that employers would soon have to hire permanent, full time workers?  Didn't happen.

Hope you all are having a nice Friday.  We expect rain today so we will continue our house cleaning.  We have to take a trunkful of useful (for someone else) items to Goodwill and will do our grocery shopping today since the rain will keep our doors and windows closed.  Mom wants to scrub down the front doors inside and out--but not if it is raining.

I didn't find much of interest on the internet--in between our serious cleaning and rearrangement of the kitchen.  Let's see what I find today.

I agree, Kay.  Things do seem to be increasingly crazy--politically, socially, economically.  I only hope Todd Akin has committed political suicide.  Unfortunately, I seem to remember that he has recently received some help from Mike Huckabee who has described the contest in Missouri in almost apocalyptic and definitely Biblical terms.  I wish those invertebrates would crawl back under their rocks and leave the rest of us alone.

I love the term 'gottcha economy.'  I think it describes what we have and it is not what we deserve.  If there isn't a special place in hell for people like this and this, there should be.  These people (and the Mitt Romney's of the world) are the ones with the real sense of entitlement--not those of us who expect promises made to us over our lifetimes should be honored.

Yesterday I read a very accurate description of Romney--'ambitious sociopath only interested in his own benefit.'  If I find the blog I will provide a link.  This Rolling Stone article supports that assessment.  Does Romney have any real achievements?  Besides amassing a whole lot of money he wouldn't have had without government bailouts?

Well, I guess we know where some of the oil went that mysteriously disappeared after the BP Deepwater Horizon spill.

Having just taken a trunk load of 'stuff' to Goodwill, I can definitely relate to Charles Hugh Smith's post today.  We aren't interested in acquiring more stuff.  We have been in de-acquisition mode for the last 12 years.  Both of us shed a lot of stuff when we moved in together.  As time has gone on we have reassessed what we have (will we use it, how soon, how often, does it do what we want it to do) and getting rid of what no longer suits our life.  We have acquired some new stuff--dehydrator, a water bath canner, a large stock pot, TV, blu-ray player, convection/microwave.  Things we use almost daily or at least seasonally.

Good Wednesday to you all.  Cloudy today after a night of thunderstorms and heavy rain.  Yesterday was hot.  We touched 90 again.  I think the weather people said we need only one more such day to tie the record for the most 90s in a year.  We may get that today.  We are busy house cleaning and rearranging.  We took Kuma to the vet yesterday afternoon.  He went nicely and quietly like the gentleman he has always been.  Now on to other things before I start bawling---again.

Gene Logsdon at The Contrary Farmer has some interesting things to say about a growing problem in agriculture.  No, it's not the drought.  Rather it is herbicide resistant (especially Round Up resistant) weeds, especially pig weed.  I don't know why otherwise smart scientist don't understand that plants are as adaptable as insect or animal pests.

My first thought reading this Nick Turse piese in Tomdispatch was:  have these boys learned nothing from VietNam????  And, IM(not so)HO, we have accomplished about as much in Afghanistan and Iraq as we did in VietNam

So Todd Akin thinks women's bodies have a way of shutting down a pregnancy if the rape is 'legitimate?'  No further comment necessary except to say at least one rapist got what he deserved.

Good Tuesday, everyone.  We have clouds and rain today.  Not much, therefore, to do in the gardens.  We do have our errands to run.  Let's see what I find on the 'net.

I saw this story on the news last night.  I wondered, with my usual skepticism, on what criteria the study would be comparing 'organic' to non-organic foods.  The headlines give the impression that scientists have 'proven' that there is no difference between them and certainly none that justifies the extra cost of organics.  My skepticism was well justified.  The study indicates that there is no difference between organic and non-organic when simple nutrition is considered.  They provide the same level of nutrients.  However, I have to question that.  I have seen reports that the vegetable varieties most commonly planted commercially today, selected for a number of traits none of which involved nutritional value, don't provide the same level of nutrients that older varieties provided.  I noticed the picture with the article showed an heirloom tomato in a Whole Foods store.  I suspect that the heirloom varieties would definitely show a higher level of nutrients as well as a much better flavor (also a trait not high on the selection list for commercial varieties.)  But the stories did indicate, well buried in the body of the report, that organics usually beat non-organically grown foods with respect to lower levels of pesticides and antibiotics consumers receive.  Also, this study was a 'study of studies.'  Not a new research protocol that attempted to get fresh data.  A key sentence comes about mid-way in the text and notes that many researchers did not specify exactly what defined 'organic'  for their particular research.  For us, this 'news' isn't news.  We try to buy local foods that have the least possible amounts of herbicides, pesticides, and antibiotics (or other drugs) as possible.  And we try to eliminate as many GMO products as possible.

Heather at Crooks&Liars picks up on some interesting comments from Dean Baker on the Repthuglican theme of 'are you better off now than you were four years ago.'  He is absolutely right that the question is basically meaningless.  Obama came in after the Wall Street Meltdown, after the auto industry had been put on the critical list, after Lehman Bros. imploded and AIG revealed itself to be a major threat to the entire world's financial system, and after housing took its spectacular nose dive. That happened during Bush II's tenure and did anyone else notice who wasn't at the RNC convention? And if those lazy reporters want to ask me if I am better off now than four years ago,  they probably wouldn't publish my answer.  Yes!! I am better off. But not for anything either Bush or Obama has done.  Two and a half years ago, after two years unemployed without any benefits, I went on Social Security.  That almost doubled our household income.  We went from barely scraping by and wondering what else we could cut to a bit comfortable.  And, in case any one has forgotten, the program was established during FDR's presidency and it is people like Ryan who want to 'reform' it out of existence.  And I don't really believe they won't change it for those of use who already are receiving it.  And I would rather vote for the fireman than for the party of the arsonist.

This piece by Ian Welsh, from Naked Capitalism, contains some very astute observations about the state of the economy.  Translation (though one isn't needed): we're all pretty----screwed.

Good Labor Day Monday, Everyone.  It will be warm today and tomorrow (88 and 90+) so I will leave any gardening until Wednesday.  I did check on the seedlings and cuttings in the mini-greenhouse.  They all look good.  It feels like summer and all are waring with each other for supremacy.  We have a couple of days of summer conditions followed by a couple of definitely fall-like conditions.  Kuma is still with us but all he seems to be thinking about is finding a nice dark place to hide.  We have cleared a small place he seems to be content with--at least he hasn't gone looking for another.  I put him over by his water bowl but he totally ignored it.  We look in on him every now and then to see how he is doing.

Since I am not going to be occupied outside I will do some long neglected chores inside.  Yesterday I got all but one bookshelf dusted and a bag of books ready for donating.  I have three on my chair-side shelf to read before I decide whether to keep or donate them.  I am finding a number of books that are old friends whom I have carried along with me for the last forty years but really don't want to revisit.  It is time to find them a good home elsewhere.  And I have to get back to cleaning up our storage/craft room--a chore I have let languish over the spring and summer.  And I have to spend some time with my  garden notes to bring them up-to-date.  Let's see how much I get done and how much of interest I find on the 'net today.  By the way, I am treating the DNC convention as I did the RNC--trying mightily to ignore the whole thing.

Ah!!  Capitalism at work.  Isn't it wonderful how profits can be made?  Remember the Chinese themselves described their economy as "capitalism with a Chinese face." (SARCASM ALTERT!!!)

This is an interesting development.  I have seen stories about a new station in Egypt run by women that only employs veiled women, some in niqab (full face veil) rather than the hijab as shown in the picture. But this is Egyptian state TV which was 'unofficially' prohibited from putting veiled women before the cameras.  If I find a new story on that station I will put in a link.  (Ah!  found a link.) I find it interesting how often women's religious dress becomes a political statement.  I remember the 1970s when the chador in Iran became a symbol of resistance to the Shah's regime because the state had forbidden women to wear it in government buildings and schools up through university.  The women who took up the chador weren't necessarily religiously conservative; they were, however, definitely anti-Pahlavi. On the other hand, I also remember reading an account of a politically active Egyptian woman who, returning after Nasser took over, dramatically dropped her veil in the Mediterranean--a symbol of the freedom she expected to enjoy.  The irony, of course, is that Iranian women have had no choice since the Shah was overthrown--they must wear the chador or face persecution by the religious police.  I hope Egyptian women will fare better with their revolution.  Right now the results are mixed and chaotic.

We have seen some (little!!) coverage of the possible consequences of the drought over here.  Mainly on the escalating food prices.  Al Jazeera asks a very good related question: how much of the higher prices are the result of speculation.

Well, someone is finally asking a serious question about all of the digital stuff we buy--who gets it when we die?  We buy virtual things now-a-days.  Things that are intangible.  But unlike all of the tangible things we accumulate, which may go to someone of our choosing before or after death, the virtual 'things' are another matter.  Do we actually 'own' something; or, are we merely 'renting?'

Kunstler has a really good rant this morning on Clusterfuck Nation.  I have thought for sometime that both parties were in a fantasy bubble just hoping that nobody had a pin.  That is why, though I will vote in the fall, I don't have any hope that real change will come.  If you remember, I voted for Obama but not with any enthusiasm--rather with a very skeptical notion that not much would change but he and Biden were the least obnoxious candidates.

Good day to you all on this first day of September.  The year is now two-thirds over.  Where has the time gone?  It seems like only a day ago or so that I was starting the seeds for the garden.  Now I am planning what plants to take out, which ones to move where for the coming winter, and where to put the cabbage and kale for the fall.  We had a bit of rain last night as the leading edges of Isaac moved in. That is the pattern for the entire weekend.  All of the cuttings and seedlings are doing well.  Indoor work and errands today.

I can now wish you a good second day of September.  I didn't find anything to comment on yesterday and my attention has been focused for the last week on Kuma.  Most of you may remember that he is the last of the three cats I brought here with me.  Two years ago the oldest two died at age 19 (they were litter mates).  Kuma, now 17, has been declining for the last several months and the decline has accelerated over the last weeks.  We have had a couple of discussions about whether to take him to the vet to be put to sleep; but, so far, have decided against it.  He hasn't eaten since sometime yesterday.  And I found him wedged back into a narrow space between the planters.  I don't know if he didn't want to get out or simply didn't have the strength to get out.  Same thing this morning.  We found him in the space between the fridge and wall tangled up in the mop and broom.  How long he had been there we don't know. He got in there sometime overnight.  Now we think that, if he makes it to Tuesday, it is time to say good-bye.

We will spend another day inside thanks to the remains of Isaac.  We are getting some much needed rain.  But throughout this hurricane I have had some dismal thoughts about our infrastructure.  When the news reporters were telling us that the rebuilt levees around New Orleans had held at the same time nearby communities were flooded, I wondered if there was a connection.  After all, the water has to go somewhere.  Then the authorities called a mandatory evacuation not because of Isaac but because a dam might break.  Now, this morning, they are evacuating because a weak lock might fail.  I wonder if the governments involved will scrape up the money to bring the levees outside New Orleans, the dam, and the lock up to some condition that will protect the residents.  My guess--once the news focus is elsewhere they will quietly ignore the problems.

As if we needed another drought-related housing problem!!  I have some questions that aren't answered in the article.  Given how expensive the repairs are how are people paying for them?  Do they have good enough credit scores to get loans and are banks giving such loans?  Do the homeowners have a mortgage and are they underwater?  What happens if they can't afford the repairs?

I love Susie Madrak's commentaries on Crooks&Liars.  She has another good one and a nice quote from Matt Taibbi that sums up one of my reasons for not supporting the Mitt & Paul show the Repthuglicans have put on.  She is absolutely right in her comments about the root cause of our economic woes.  All of us who grew up in a society that indoctrinated us into the cult of 'more is always better,'  'cheap is good,' and 'unlimited growth is normal,' have contributed to the problem.  Some of us have begun to break the mental shackles that keep this fantasy going.  Unfortunately,  they aren't in the Repthuglican party.  All those boys (and girls) promise is to restore those fantasies.

And then there is this piece from Crooks&Liars that is a hilarious 'biopic' on Mitt Romney narrated by Leonard Nimoy.  My own take--Mr. Spock is far more coherent that Dirty Harry.  And, frankly, more trustworthy.

I notice that the local morning news today reported a story I saw on my computer yesterday.  Deutsche Welle has the same story here.  Mom and I had the same reaction: only took you bastards fifty years--too little, way too late.  I really believe that the thalidomide story is a major argument against fast tracking drug approvals.  Yes, I know the other side.  How many people suffer from conditions that a developmental drug might relieve if only the damned FDA would get off its ass, etc., etc.  But the only reason the U.S. didn't have more children suffer from birth defects thanks to thalidomide was because the FDA hadn't approved it.