Good Monday morning, Everyone.  Though today has started out cloudy after overnight rain the temperature was about 50F. Kuma is a very happy cat because I opened the doors and he could go in and out at will.  He hasn't been able to do that for about 3 months.  The wind has died down, for now, so we weren't uncomfortable leaving the door open enough for him to squeeze through.  This week is supposed to be in the 60s and 70s with periods of rain.  Oh, you are so right, Kay.  This weather is weird.  Don't worry too much about the bulbs.  See what comes up and replace what doesn't.  That is why I keep watching the blueberries, herbs, roses and mums--to what works and what has to be changed.

And I agree also that this country needs to get a big dose of sanity.  We had news commentators this morning noting the rising price of gas and Obama's falling (again) popularity numbers wondering what he 'needs to do' to turn things around.  The implication is that Obama, all by his lonesome, can do something to significantly change the economic environment.  The problems go well beyond Obama or the Republicans or the Democrats.  To think any of them have any real options to improve the economy is like thinking that someone could have prevented the Japanese earthquake/tsunami.

Oh, yeah, the economy is really getting better.  I remember asking three years ago, when the Federal government funneled all that money to the states and cities all that money to keep teachers, police and firefighters employed, what would happen when that money ran out.  I guess I was realistically pessimistic about when the economy would turn around.  But I do notice that these kind of stories don't make the national news even when we are talking about mind-boggling bankruptcies of cities and counties.

Good Sunday morning to you.  The sun is up and looks really pretty.  They say we are in for a week that would be more normal for mid May--60s and 70s.  I got my tomato seeds started yesterday.  I used pint half&half cartons with the top cut off.  I can't start anything else till mid week when I will get some more potting soil.

I get e-mail messages from several seed companies.  I don't mind getting some ads and these are always informative and thought provoking.  This morning Burpee sent me one that is intriguing: grafted tomato plants.  They are pricey and I won't be buying them but it is interesting to see heirloom varieties grafted onto hybrid rootstock.  So far they are offering three: Black Krim, Brandywine Pink, and San Marzano.

Gaius Publius at Americablog asks an interesting question that  Paul Krugman asks in his column: do the very rich need the rest of us?  Unfortunately the answer may well be a resounding 'NO!'  Krugman's op-ed piece centered on higher education and it is right on the bull's eye.  However, as I read the article, I remembered a couple of movements in Missouri and Vermont (I think) to remove the legal barriers on child labor and mandatory school attendance.  Gingrich has proposed teaching poor children 'good work habits' by making them do janitorial chores (without pay) in school.  It isn't just Repthuglicans pushing the education bus over a cliff.  Even Democrats and supposed liberals have gotten on the 'charter' school bandwagon which allows for-profit 'educators' to skim off the cream leaving the rest for an increasingly impoverished public school system.  An educated workforce is not necessary in a global economy where companies are able to either import foreign workers or export jobs.  Nor is an educated workforce necessary when the production processes are so broken into unskilled segments that minimal training suffices to fit a worker into an industrial slot.  Nor are American consumers necessary because newly affluent populations in India, China, or Brazil are buying like there is no tomorrow.

And don't forget the changes in our education system that enrich the standardized testing industry while providing minimal educational benefit.

Undernews posted this article they found at the Washington Post that sheds some interesting light on the government and the banks.  Both have trumpeted how much of the TARP money has been paid back.  None mention that the banks are paying TARP money back with money borrowed from other government loans.  So nothing is really being paid back.  The debt simply migrates from one government balance sheet to another and taxpayers are still on the hook.  It makes me wonder exactly how healthy the 'too-big-too-fail' banks really are?

Also from Undernews this bit on the Alan Stanford conviction on fraud.  What is really interesting is the account of political contributions which the receiver is trying to claw back but the recipients are refusing (so far) to return.  Another indication that there is very little difference between Damnocrats and Repthuglicans.

Good morning to you all on what looks like it will be a sunny Saturday.  The wind is kicking up though not as much as a couple of days ago.  Hope you get rid of that cold so you can enjoy this nice weather, Kay.  What you say about driving across town and spending hard cash on movies reflects our own feelings.  I don't think we have been to a theater since Return of the King was released.  I saw on your post yesterday that your Repthuglican governor changed his mind about Federal aid for the tornado victims.  I hope he and a whole bunch of others are ousted this election cycle.

Another entry in the 'Oh, what weird weather we are having!!' file.

And then there is this new post destined for the 'Don't you just love political double speak' file.  So 'energy independence' = 'transporting oil in a pipeline to the gulf coast so it can be exported to other places.'  And it may make gasoline more expensive in the midwest because the pipe will take our supply to the gulf to join the export stream.  And the Canadian company admits that the oil is not destined for the U.S. market but they want it to go across U.S. territory.  I say let them build it over their own country, risk polluting their own land and water supply, and send it wherever they want.  The Repthuglican politicians pushing the Keystone XL pipeline are serving the interests of their true paymasters--oil company executives and investors.

Why does this sound so familiar?  Oh, yes, I remember now.  The executives of Lehman Brothers and other companies involved in the financial crisis also got nice bonuses for helping unravel the mess they created.  These idiots have it made coming and going.

Good morning, Everyone.  The rain cleared out yesterday about midday and we had some nice sun.  This morning is clear and sunny but expected to be colder (actually more normal.)  I have a dental appointment today so I don't know if I will be in the mood to do much today.  Thankfully, by the end of the month all of that work will be done.  Damn!!  Just got back.  They only did one of the two teeth that need crowns.  I go back at the end of the month for the permanent crown.  Next month I will get the other done. I do hate going to the dentist.  Oh, well.  Since I want to keep my teeth I will get this all done.  But next week we expect in the temperatures to be in the 60s; perfect time to see how workable the soil in the containers is.  I want to get the tomatoes and peppers started inside, and cut back the lemon balm, mums and roses.  Can you tell I have a serious case of spring fever?

The news last night and this morning carried stories about the decisions by Coke and Pepsi to alter their formulas.  They evidently acted to forestall action in California to require them to put cancer labels on their products.  It seems the caramel coloring agent they use contains a potential carcinogen.  The BBC has more here.  And I noticed the 'pink slime' story still has life.  ABC carried it again last night.

It is wonderful the economy is picking up (at least according to those in the Never-Never Land of high finance or the Federal government.)  But this is another story that intensifies my skepticism.  Detroit is simply one of many extreme examples of cities that can't afford to provide their citizens with basic services.  Recent stories from Chicago show a a less extreme side of the problem but one that makes one wonder how stable the city's finances are.  The consolidations in both the police department have triggered concern and outrage in the neighborhoods where residents fear increased crime and longer response times.

Ezra Klein at his Wonkbook provides a needed and sobering look at the employment data that has been so anticipated and greeted so enthusiastically by the mainstream media.  It also shows why I don't trust either the mainstream pundits or the statistics.  The pundits, more often than not, are boosters taking the most positive pollyanna view and there is the old saying about statistics: lies, damned lies, statistics, and government statistics.

I found this Washington Post story this morning and I had to wonder if the new measures the Obama is going to introduce to try to boost the housing sector might have been behind a story which said Bank of America is planning new policies that would reduce the debt for as many as 200k homeowners to the market value of the home--a write down they had here-to-fore refused to consider.

The morning news had a story which struck me as a bit--odd.  The reporters talked about 'social media shopping' and asked what kind of a 'social media shopper are you?'  They ran down the list with the characteristics for each.  At the end I had to conclude I wasn't any kind of 'social media shopper.'  But I was reminded of that broadcast news story when I read this piece from Huffington Post.  The comment from the former Director General of Al Jazeera is right on:  the American news is presented without any real context and no sense of what should have priority.  The news media, like politics and finance, appears totally divorced from the real world in which most people live.

We just had another discussion about the current movies and our lack of interest.  For the most part it is 'been there, done that.'  John Carter of Mars?  I read the books, all of them, 50 years ago along with the Tarzan series and the Venus series (all by Edgar Rice Burroughs.)  And they were 40 to 50 years old then.  The Hunger Games?  Cross Roman 'bread and circuses' with 'Theseus and the Minotaur.'  And most of the adaptations of books I have loved have been disappointing.  I can count on the fingers of one hand the numbers of movies adapted from book I have loved that have met or exceeded expectations.

Good morning on this cloudy, rainy Thursday.  Yesterday was beautiful except for the strong winds.  We felt like we should have lead weights to keep us on the ground.  The parking area and street were obstacle courses with the wind driven, wheeled garbage totes rolling down the pavement.  But the temperature hit mid 60s.  The national news last night said that 2012 has seen the warmest winter in a century.  Two-thirds of the country was either above or much above normal for the season.  Makes you wonder what the summer will be like.

I just saw an ad from a bank (I have already forgotten which one) that amused me.  It showed a woman looking at merchandise on-line and every time she puts something in her 'basket' the tally shows how much her choice 'saves' her.  At the end she has 'saved' $280.  Then there is a knock on the door and on top of the package propped up on the door frame asks 'do you want a better way to save?'  Under the line on the computer showing how much she 'saved' is another flashing line showing she spent $580.  She cancels the purchase and closes her computer.  Perfect.  I don't know how many adds I have seen on TV that tough buying X, Y, or Z and 'saving' megabucks or fantastic percentages of the price.  I always look at it and remark that I will save 100% because I won't be buying at all.

The mainstream media has finally found the 'pink slime' issue I have mentioned a couple of time in previous posts.  Recently, McDonald's and other fast food chains agreed to eliminate it which means they were using it until the issue became too hot for them.  Now the issue has shifted to grocery chains.  ABC news conducted a study and found 'pink slime' in 70% of the ground beef on their shelves.  They don't have to label it as an ingredient because an under secretary in the FDA over ruled the agency scientists saying 'it's pink so it's meat.'  She left the FDA soon after was appointed to the board of directors for the company making the crap.  When we first heard about the 'additive' we made a simple decision: our ground beef comes from our local meat market which grinds their own or we grind it ourselves.

I keep hearing various talking heads saying that the economy has turned around but I see far too many stories that make me wonder what they are smoking.  Stories like this one from Kentucky where the state budget may eliminate any cost of living increases for state and local government retirees.  Or this and this from California where school districts are laying off significant numbers of teachers to try to close their budget gaps while the State contributes to the uncertainty because it is depending on passing tax increases.  Or this from Maryland where the governor has proposed a 'doomsday' budget with drastic cuts to close a $1.1billion deficit unless the legislature acts to raise revenue.  I could go on but I think you get the point.  But then the good news on this morning's report: consumers are going deeper in debt to buy new stuff.

Lynn Parramore, posting on Yves Smith's Naked Capitalism, thinks somewhat like I do:  there is a good bit of crowing from those who got bailed out and their fiscal position has eased but at the expense of almost everyone else.

Well, Apple has announced the 'New iPad' which will be on sale soon (I forget when exactly).  The tech reporters talked about it last night.  Besides all of the new features they were also considering what the decision to continue making and selling the iPad2 at a greatly reduced price would have on the Nook, Kindle and other e-readers.  The reporter said something that reflects my own experience: some users want devices that have a single dedicated function.  I have had my Nook for about a year and I am not at all tempted to go over to the iPad.  I can read my books, magazines, newspapers on the device.  I can look up what I want on-line because it has web access.  I can even take a break and play a couple of rounds of a game.  And I am an Apple user from a long way back (like Apple II days.)  We are the same way about our phones as I have indicated on several blogs over the years.  The drive to make these devices all inclusive and multifunctional drives us nuts.

Herschelian at Jasmine Tea and Jaozi posted this item on a subject about which I have been reading the occasional article from time to time: the drastic gender imbalance in a number of countries.  Boiled down the problem is too many boys and not enough girls.  And it is widespread across Asia and north Africa, and parts of eastern Europe as well.  As indicated the problem isn't simply rooted in China's one child policy (which, according to some stories I have read, the government has modified significantly) because no other country has any similar policy in place.  Modern medical technology has opened another Pandora's Box.

Good morning to you all.  Well, we got into the mid 60s yesterday and will probably match that today.  But we will also have clouds most of the day with a strong possibility of rain overnight.  I noticed that the overnight temperatures for the next week are at or slightly above freezing.  Good--that will start thawing my containers.  I might be able to work them soon.

Here is another entry in the 'cure is worse than the disease' file.  I have seen several articles on the problem of toxic flame retardants in children's clothes and products.  I remember the push a couple of decades ago to protect children from the easily flammable clothing that was killing children.  But manufacturers went for a 'neat' technofix--incorporating chemicals into their products to make them harder to catch fire.  Unfortunately, those going for technofixes almost always have blinders on--they only see the 'problem they are trying to solve' and have no idea what problems they may be causing.

I always like learning something new.  I have read a number of stories like this one on the Round-up resistant weeds farmers have found infesting their fields over recent years.  Pigweed, evidently, is a really aggressive weed that will choke cotton plants if it gets into a field and it can be nearly impossible to eradicate.  As the story says farmers have few choices and all are expensive: plant a cover crop that will prevent the weed from taking over, hire hand labor to chop the plants out or spray more of more toxic chemicals hoping the weeds won't become resistant to those chemicals also.  Of course, the chemical/GMO companies want the last because that is where their profits lie even though past experience  shows that the fix is expensive, temporary and is harmful to the environment.  So what did I not know, you ask?  Pigweed is apparently edible.  It is in the amaranth family and the young leaves can be used like spinach, lettuce or dandelion.  The author's description of pigweed comes about half-way down the article.

Found this cute idea this morning.  I won't be trying it because I am not skilled at cutting glass and don't know anyone who is, and I don't have any long-necked glass bottles.  Actually, I just remembered I still have a couple of bottles of cheap beer I use as slug bait but I still don't do glass cutting.  But the little self watering planters are interesting.  I wonder how this would work with plastic??

It seems Australia has a problem we have joked about for years.  Years ago my dad quipped about youngsters who thought beef came in a plastic wrapped package from the grocery store and milk from a bottle.  Over the years my siblings and I picked up the observation as did some newspaper writers.  But is it surprising when the U.S. became an urban society over 80 years ago?? Most of the younger generations of our family have had no real experience with farming of any kind.  My generation had only two or three weeks every summer when we visited the paternal grandparents who finally sold their farm when I was in my late teens.

As I wrote the above paragraph I was reminded of several stories about schools that are developing classes that introduce youngsters to gardening.  A couple even use the garden produce in the school lunch room.

Charles Hugh Smith has a very accurate assessment of our present economy and our 'system' of higher education: let's pretend.  I would go a bit further and not limit the pretense to for-profit schools.  A lot of the graduates of traditional colleges and universities are in the same boat: their degrees are not worth the paper they are printed on, the time invested in getting them, or the money (most often borrowed) spent on them.

Good morning, Everyone.  We expect mid 50s today.  Right now we have some clouds but, hopefully, they will clear off.  Don't worry, Kay.  This should be going your way.  I was cheered by the forecast because the temperature roller coaster appears to be moving up a bit.  Instead of oscillating between the 30s and 40s it is swinging between the 40s and 50s.  I told Mom that I will change out the door wreath on the spring equinox.

Well, the G8 conference has been moved from Chicago to Camp David.  The city's boosters and political leaders are mourning the 'loss.'  They were hoping for an economic boost from all of the anticipated spending on food, accommodations, and what ever else the attendees might spend money on.  The Occupy and other protestors are claiming a victory.  I think the move is a good one.  With the meeting at Camp David, the costs of the meeting falls entirely on the Federal Government.  On the issue of whether Chicago was ready for both of these conferences at the same time, one of the local commentators made the point that no city is prepared for even one of them.  All you need to do to see the truth of that is to look back at any of the recent G8 meetings.  They have been lightening rods for all of the discontent and anger over globalization.

It seems that Rush isn't the only Repthuglican idiot who has to spew forth inanities.  John McCain thinks we should bomb Syria in support of Assad's opposition.  That worked so well in Libya, didn't it?  It has become such a free, democratic, and stable society now that Qaddafi is gone.  (Sarcasm alert)  MSNBC published this account.  'Humanitarianism' has become a catchall with all of the meaning 'national security' has now.  In other words, no meaning at all.  It means what ever the speaker/writer/observer wants it to mean.  The Arab League has condemned the assault by the Syrian army and have called for Assad's ouster--Let them take the lead.

Red Tape Chronicles presents another article concerning what has become an increasing invasion of privacy: companies and other organizations demanding user names and passwords for applicants' social media.  I have often said that anyone who expects privacy in their internet activities is living in a dream world.  Once something is posted it is there forever.  Just in the last couple of days, I saw the story of a Brit who is suing Google Earth for invading his privacy over pictures they got of his neighborhood that showed him taking a leak in his yard.  He wants Google to retrieve and erase all of those pictures--an impossibility.  However, though I don't believe in any such thing as true private in the cyberworld, I don't think we should accept companies, etc., demanding the right to invade password protected sites and pages.