August 20, 21

I went out early to water the plants on the patio. The few days of moderate temperatures the weather forecasters promised have disappeared. They now predict a week of 90+ temps. I also got some support in for the diplodenia that were spreading into the lavender and alyssum. I plan to put them in again next year but now I know how they grow. I find I have to actually see how plants grow over a season before I can plan on where they should go and with how much support they need. I have already pulled the bean plants but next year I plan to find a flowering vine to put there.

21*********************************************************************

Not much planned today. Hope to get a bit done on the patio before the heat builds. It is mainly maintenance at this time of the year. I cooked up a potato and smoked sausage casserole yesterday which will last through tomorrow. I have always found that cooking for one or two more trouble than it is worth. I cook as I always have and we eat it until it is gone. A casserole will go two or three days. A pork or beef roast will provide two meals or as many as six depending on the size of the roast and how I plan to use the left overs.

Some of the interview snippets involving prominent Republicans leave me shaking my head. The most common "argument" against The Former Guy is "If he runs we will lose." No one questions his "policies" perhaps because he never had any program. Others pursued their objectives and TFG simply supported them (or not).

I hadn't read anything about this law suit which will deeply affect the whole AI debate. Copyright is an essential feature of all of the arts industries and so is the question of who can hold the copyright on an artistic work which is entirely generated by AI--in other words who can profit from controlling the work. That is really at the bottom of the current writers' and actors' strike in Hollywood. The next question will be how much AI can be involved before the work is not covered by copyright.

Robert Reich has another post on Oliver Anthony's primal scream, Rich Men North of Richmond. I didn't find the protest over the anguish of white, Christian, men so surprising. It has cropped up frequently since Arlie Hochschield wrote Strangers In Their Own Land in 2016. Reich is right on the money when he notes that the focus on the culture war issues deflects the real reason why working class of all types are "selling my soul working overtime for bullshit pay." Even if all brown people, black people, uppity women, welfare recipients disappeared tomorrow working class white men would not be any better off. I wish the Democrats would junk thee culture wars theme and talk about class warfare. As Reich writes"

“I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day / Overtime hours for bullshit pay,” Anthony sings. 

Yes you have — but the reason is not because cultural elites have replaced white Christian nationalist men with people of other races, genders, nationalities, and creeds. 

It’s because America’s wealthy have turned their growing wealth into increasing political power to change the rules of the game in ways that further enlarge their wealth and power, while shafting the bottom half.

Found this interesting bit on Euronews. Before 1300ce England produced its own wine. After, as the "little ice age" set in, the English vineyards disappeared and the upper crust imported their wines. I have read reports of the reappearance of vineyards and wine production in England over the last few years. Considering how long it takes for vines to mature and produce the shift has been going on for a while now.