November 12

Overcast again this morning but the weather forecast indicates we won't clear off. We are also heading into a colder than normal stretch with possible snow. I guess I got the patio swept and plants mulched just in time. I am never ready for two things: time change and snow. And I can't do anything about either.

Just saw an interesting piece on the news this morning where the head of the Michigan GOP offers a spot on analysis of the election that delivered most of the offices to Democrats. The GOP offered up extreme candidates who turned off their usual donors. That seems to be appropriate for so many of the Republican candidates this year. Those who tied themselves to The Former Guy, trumpeted the Great Lie, and espoused extreme positions lost for the most part. I really hope the results foretell a more balanced approach and willingness to negotiate and compromise. 

Kevin McCarthy has been interrupted in his measurement of the drapes in the Speaker's office by a building rebellion among members of his conference. He wanted to have a quick election, perhaps before all the results are in, but the rebels want it delayed until after they know who will actually be in their conference and have a chance to talk to leadership candidates to find out what they might want to do.

Anyone thinking about "investing" in cryptocurrencies should read this article before they do. I have never seen the attraction of crypto. And now the third big crypto company, in the last 6 months, has filed for bankruptcy. I wonder how well "investors" have fared in these proceedings. I put those words in quotes because I can't see the difference between crypto "investors" and those who pull the handle of the one armed bandits in the casinos.

Oh, goodness!! The nannies strike again. The Daily Mail reports that some scientists say that foods like donuts, pizza and chips should be classified as drugs. Supposedly they are as "addictive" as nicotine. I keep wondering when the "experts" and the politicians will learn the lessons of Prohibition and marijuana. To quote Ken Burns (in his miniseries Prohibition) the bans created a "nation of scofflaws." 

The same could be said of the screeching voices wanting to ban abortion, contraception, same sex marriage and same sex sex. Clarence Thomas, in his concurrence in the Dobbs decision) suggested revisiting those issues. Of course the one decision he didn't flag was the Loving v Virginia which legalized multi-racial marriages (that would have hit to close to his house.) All were argued on the same Constitutional grounds. 

I am not at all surprised by this N.Y. Times story. Masks do work to slow the spread of COVID. It is also interesting that the schools did not track the kinds of masks or whether the masks were worn correctly. The schools were in poor neighborhoods, were old with out dated ventilation systems and crowded class rooms. But those schools showed much less transmission than newer schools in wealthier neighborhoods. Way back when Indiana eliminated mask mandates and left the matter to individuals and various business and other establishments. The local hospitals kept the mask mandates and, when we asked why, we were told that they noticed not only that they had fewer COVID cases but fewer colds and flu as well. We wear our masks in the hospitals because it is simply polite but not most other places because we avoid crowds and did so before COVID.