July 26

 Should be a nice day but one on which I will have to water the plants. Oh well, I will spend the next couple of hours enjoying (for the most part) my coffee. I say "for the most part" because, of course, the political news/talk shows are on which tends to raise my blood pressure and I will have to make a call to a cell phone company (which I won't name) to try to resolve a problem that has been on-going for two blasted months.

Stupidity of the day: Donald Trump trying to blast Harris for failing her bar exam. My mind stuttered because she is a LAWYER who has been a prosecutor and therefore practiced as a lawyer. To do that she had to be admitted to the bar and had to pass the exam. Well, I checked it out and found ComingSoon which clarified the matter. Yes, Harris did fail the bar exam--on her FIRST try. She shares that "distinction with 25% of the people who take the bar (information found on another site). She passed on her second try. JD Advertising listed a number of well known people who also failed their first attempts and an even more surprising number of prominent people who failed on their SECOND attempt. Given Trump's academic record of less-than-stellar performance, he is a pot that who really shouldn't be calling the kettle black. And Harris showed a nice level of self-reflection when she wrote in her autobiography that her preparation for the first attempt was the most "half-assed" effort of her life. I can't imagine the orange god admitting to anything but self-described perfection.

Update: I think the cellphone situation is resolved. I got e-mail confirmation of final payments. That is plural because there were two phones involved and each had to be done separately. I had to spend about an hour and a half on the phone through once dropped call and two transfers through the company departments. All the while every "representative" spoke English (sort of) none of them really listened. I did pat myself on my back for my restraint: I didn't swear a blue streak at top volume. It was quite an effort after the second transfer. Hopefully, the matter is done.

I did watch Biden's speech last night explaining why he was stepping out of the campaign. He showed far more grace and generosity that I would expect from any of the other politicians on the stage right now. But Biden has been noted for decades for his grace and generosity and empathy. Something else I noticed he didn't blame anyone and he didn't whine about how shabbily he was being treated. In other words, he was an adult. Quite a contrast with the 77-year-old going on 7 who is the other party's nominee.

July 24

 Partly sunny today with chances of intermittent rain. I went out and did some sweeping and weeding on the patio while things were fairly dry. I also moved a couple of the ties keeping the sunflowers connected (loosely) to the tall stakes. They are, probably, a month away from blooming.

Major irritation of the day: the female host on one of the supposedly conservative faux-news channels who claimed Harris slept her way up the political ladder. It is bad enough when men do that shit; it is absolutely unacceptable from an alleged woman.

Second irritation: JD Vance slamming Harris for a lack of accomplishment because she hadn't served in the military as JD had and she hadn't founded a successful business. Hey, JD, the man at the top of your party's ticket hasn't either. And he has a longer string of FAILED businesses (and other scams) than Harris' list of ELECTED offices she has won and lawsuits she has pursued and won against people like Trump. Just because she hasn't pursued the same career JD did doesn't mean she doesn't have experience or accomplishment.

July 23

 We are almost done with July. Damn how fast the year has passed. I had a post ready but decided not to publish it. Too much of the frustration I have with politics came out and I decided not to inflict that on anyone else. I did get out and watered everything deeply but I should do it again today. We aren't expecting much precipitation and the plants are big enough to suck up the water in the containers quickly. Most of the herbs are blooming. I am leaving them for the bees. 

I had noticed that some of the interviewees on the news reports who were asked about Kamala Harris' campaign for the Democratic nomination and possible (probably?) campaign for the presidency were skeptical that our electorate is ready for a female president. I keep thinking that the U.K. has had three female Prime Ministers. And Germany had Angela Merkel as Chancellor for about two decades. And Swedish women occupied all of the major government posts for one term. But then my mom said she really can't see Harris as president. That I think is the problem--we haven't seen it before and can't see it now. Instead, it is easier to see an 80-year-old man with serious character deficiencies and cognitive problems, who has been convicted of sexual assault and fraud in the office he tried so hard to steal to remain in power. Somewhere about forty years ago some friends and I, who were all either biology majors or minors, decided to form a school biology club. We were all women and were the drivers in this project but when I came to selecting officers all of them rejected the notion that one of us should be president or vice-president. They insisted that men should occupy those spots. Again, we had't seen women in those positions and therefore couldn't see it at that time. It really is time we start seeing with our imaginations.

To go onto something else--I watched the first disk of the Sandman season 1. I won't be watching the rest partly because mom really didn't like it at all. I thought it wasn't a bad film version but not really satisfying. So I re-read the first volume of the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman which is what formed the basis of the Netflix series. And that is why I won't be watching the rest of the TV series--I really prefer the comic. That isn't unusual. There are very few films based on novels, etc., that I think are as good as or, even more rarely, better than the original.

I just finished a book that should have been more interesting than it was: Nomad Century. The first half described what we might expect as large populations move because of changing climate conditions, especially across national borders. We are already seeing some of that. I remember when the Biden Administration soon after coming into office sent Kamala Harris to talk to Mexican and Central American presidents hoping to forge some arrangement to stem the migrants going through Mexico and ending up at our border. I didn't expect much and she didn't accomplish much. Migration is an intractable problem because the drought is compounded by gangs which are compounded by government and oligarch affiliated death squads. Similar conditions set off the migrations from Africa into Europe which continue. I wasn't very satisfied with the second half where the author went on far too long on what she thought should be done. Most of those prescriptions would require far more national and international cooperation than is likely at this time. I have read a number of stories lately of political movements definitely critical of "green" measures.

July 19, 20

 It has been a nice clear, sunny, and dry day--a bit warmer than yesterday.  I will have to check the plants tomorrow for watering but I don't expect they will have dried out from the deluge we had early in the week. I had to go out this morning to get a new e-reader because my ancient iPad seems to be on its last legs. It might last a good while yet but I thought it best to get a replacement while I had the time to become accustomed to it. As it turned out I didn't go with another iPad, thought the cost has gone down considerably. Instead Barnes and Noble has a Lenovo 9 with a large memory that can easily accommodate my "library" and much more besides.

We kept BBC on the TV all day. It provided a lot of information on more than that damned Republican Coronation. They had enough to give me an idea of what went on. I haven't changed my mind on Trump or his sycophants. I hope they lose but the Democrats are in a race with them to see who can actually reach bottom first. I am reminded of the Will Rogers quip: I don't belong to an organized political party; I'm a Democrat.

They also had extensive coverage of the Crowdstrike IT snafu. It isn't really surprising that the disruption spanned the world or involved so many industries and companies. Here is another article on the situation. A couple of decades or so ago, I was buying a new Apple computer and I was talking to the sales associate about the current spate of hacking. The salesman (and it was a man, you didn't see many women selling computers) remarked that I wouldn't have to worry about that because Apple (at that time) was too small a part of the market to make it worth hackers' time. Several years ago that had changed a bit as Macs have become a larger portion of the computer sector. But the financial institutions, the hospital chains, city governments, and other entities use other systems and are big enough to attract hackers--witness the ransomware attacks over the last few years. It's the Willie Sutton rule: you rob banks because that's where the money is. Nowadays, a lot of the money is pixels in computer systems.

20*********************************************************************

Another nice day. I should get out and tidy the patio and planters but I don't have any ambition at all. I have been able to open the door and windows again for a while. When it warms up outside I will have to close up but til then we can enjoy a fresh breeze.

As I read this article I wondered how many countries weren't affected by the Croudstrike caused IT outage. All the information I found dealt with companies not countries. Russia has actively worked to separate itself from international networks since they invaded Ukraine so it is no surprise that they didn't feel any discomfort. I suspect that other countries not deeply integrated in the global economy/information systems wouldn't be either: N. Korea, Iran and others.

Hurricane Beryl did a nasty job on the electricity infrastructure in Texas. That has led to a debate about how much more reliable underground lines are as opposed to the overhead lines. Areas that had underground lines were still without power while some neighboring areas had theirs restored. And vice versa. The Weather Channel had a piece about the new composition poles which are stronger and more lightweight than the wooden poles. We have noticed that our utility company is replacing a lot of their poles and we also have a patchwork of areas with overhead lines neighboring areas with underground lines. We haven't had any prolonged outages for several years. The utility company is also aggressive about trimming trees to remove dangerous limbs and reduce the likelihood the tree itself will come down. 

July 18

 Early and not yet light. 

As I said I am not following the Republican Convention or any of the politics closely but occasionally I find a post worth passing on so I will continue linking to them.

It is sad that N. Carolina Republicans saw fit to gerrymander Democratic Congressman Jeff Jackson out of his seat. Here he provides interesting pieces describing the machinations in the House as well as lucid and moderate commentary on the current politics. Here he provides more solid information on the assassination attempt.

Update: partly sunny, breezy, and cool. Nice. We have the doors and windows open. Might be a nice day for hot tea for supper instead of the cold tea I have in the fridge.

Tom Englehardt (on his Tomdispatch) site has a melancholy but, I think, accurate article. I remember reading his book THE END OF VICTORY CULTURE when it first came out and felt a faint feeling that worse was to come. I wasn't thrilled (and am not now) that Biden and Trump are squaring off again. I believed that something was coming down the pike that neither the men nor the parties behind them will be able to handle. It is nothing less than the end of American hegemony. But Biden, with his thoughts still stuck in the world of the Cold War, and Trump, with his pipe dream of "Make(ing) America Great Again," have the vision or the personality to chart a new course. So we will stumble into a very murky future.

I just saw a headline that gave me a cynical laugh: MASS DEPORTATION IS FASCISM. Not really. I guess people really don't read their Bibles any more--unless they are trying to justify what ever they are trying to force feed the rest of us. During the 500sBCE the Babylonian Empire deported many of Jews from the Kingdom of Judah. How many deportations, how many deportees isn't really certain but the Exile lasted about 50 years until the Babylonians were conquered and Jews allowed to return to Judah. Skipping forward several centuries and the Romans did the same after putting down the last Jewish rebellion in 135CE. Jews remained a minority in the area until the modern state of Israel was established in 1948. Russian czars pursued policies of both deportation and "Russification" at various times and the Soviets did the same in Ukraine under Stalin. And we aren't clean on this either given the Trail of Tears during the 19th century. Fascism has nothing to do with deportation. Deportation is a TOOL various political systems have used to deal with "troublesome" populations of "others."

July 17

 I didn't look at my e-mail or post yesterday. I got to see a bit of what the storms that went through Monday night did. The weather service put out severe weather warnings for our area including tornado warnings. We decided to sleep in our recliners on the lowest floor of our apartment instead of the bedroom on the upper floor--just in case. Shortly after we turned off the lights  the alerts started going off on our phones and the sirens blared. The wind was the most intense we have experienced for a good while. We came through with no problem. But other areas of the city weren't so lucky. I had to go out to get some stamps and take books/other materials back to the library. Along the way I passed through an older section of town where I saw a lot of tree limbs down, and one large tree uprooted and lying across the street. I had to detour a couple of blocks to get to the library but I didn't see much else. Our local power company posted an update to our e-mail detailing power outages and projecting when power would be restored. Again our own area didn't experience the outages.

We are NOT watching any part of the Republican Convention (a.k.a., Trump Coronation). I was, and am, skeptical that Trump's calls for "unity" indicate any kind of shift in his rhetoric or "policies." Some time ago Trump expressed what he meant by "unity" when, in an interview, he praised Xi Jinping saying that when he spoke every one in China did what they were told in lockstep. (my paraphrase) He was clearly envious and wished he got that kind of response over here. And the so called policies are simply restatements softening, mildly, Project 2025. His choice of J.D. Vance doesn't do anything to make me think any changes would be anything but cosmetic--putting lipstick on a pig.

The "Not Qualified" Chorus is starting with J.D. Vance in the subject line. I guess no one reads any part of the Constitution--ever. The qualifications are 1) 35 years old, 2) natural born citizen of the U.S. and 3) resident of the U.S. for 14 years. That is it. It really is time some of our so-called pundits (of what ever political stripe) stop wasting ink (or pixels) talking about this non-issue.

I wonder if there is anything the MAGA crew and their corporate handlers won't try to privatize to make a profit. Take a look at this piece. So, they think it just fine if only those who can pay for anything can get it and the rest of us are up a shit creek without a paddle. I have said before some things should not be for sale and not all services should have bean counters squeezing for as much as they can extort.

July 14, 15

 We have scattered  thunderstorms moving through. One earlier storm dumped a lot of rain--it rained so  that I couldn't see across the street. Before the rain I had to take a bag of trash to our tote and I stopped by a couple of the flowers to put up some trellising because earlier winds and heavy rain had bent them over. The forecasters are predicting about a week of this.

Vinay Prasad posted a piece the resonates with us. Mom has complained about the same behavior in doctors she has seen. Most she hasn't seen a second time. I noticed that other doctors have begun to talk to patients while an assistant enters data in the computer.

15*********************************************************************

Welcome to half-past July. It is going by way too quickly. We have sun right now but are also under a heat warning. The heat index might reach triple digits. Watching the Weather Channel mainly because the news channels are focused 1) on the attempt to assassinate Trump and 2) the Republican Convention. I don't want to focus on either. I look at the print news on line which gives me as much information as I can use and I can ignore the mass of speculation. 

Texas is still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Beryl. A week after a significant proportion of customers are still without power and some are looking at being without for another week. A lot of people are asking "why"? Few are talking about 1) an aging infrastructure that 2) hasn't had adequate maintenance or upgrades and 3) was designed for a different climate "normal." The problem isn't limited to Texas.

Jeremiah Johnson has an interesting piece this morning: What is the purpose of liberalism? Notice that is liberalism with a small l. It isn't the same as capital L Liberalism. Just as small d democracy isn't the same as capital D Democracy or small r republicanism isn't the same as R Republican. He also notes one of the last prolonged periods of political violence--the 2+centuries of religious warfare. What is evident today is that we have a new generation of demagogues who think their religious/social/political beliefs should be shoved on everyone else. And some of those demagogues don't mind violence to accomplish their ends. Trump is a useful tool for them because he has no ideology, no moral base and is focused only on himself and his immediate desires/whims. However, I am glad that young idiot they think tried to murder him failed. The news reports say he is re-writing his convention speech supposedly to be more moderate. I will believe it when I hear it because he changes like a weather vane. And "moderate" is entirely in the eye (or ear) of the audience.

This post by Ugo Bardi brought an amused smile to my lips. Not a "ha ha" smile but one that says "oh, shit, he is so right." I wrote some time ago that the elections from 2017 through this one is the last gasp of my generation (the Boomers) in presidential politics. But I am rethinking that. The average age of the Senate is 64--the same age as my youngest siblings who were born at the tail end of the Baby Boom. We forget that Trump and Biden (and I) were born at the leading edge of the Boom. Some of those senators might decide to grab for the ring.

I think I will rant on a nonpolitical theme: nuisance phone calls. We have been deluged with calls hawking funeral pre-arrangements, "new" benefits we may qualify for from Medicare, and so many others. We have had more than 20 a day along with calls where no one answers for several a minute or two before the call cuts off. Sometimes we wonder if we can do without it. It makes us wonder about the condition of the insurance companies behind the calls.