Good Wednesday, Everyone.  Happy Halloween, Samhain, Dia de Los Muertos, etc.  Thankfully, the wind has died down and we spend a quiet night.  I don't think it caused any damage.  Just a bit unsettling, however.  I will go out a bit later when we have more light to see how the plants are doing but from the door (or upstairs window) I can see the tansy, mints, pineapple sage, cabbage, kale and mums.  They are all fine--at least from a distance.  Given what I am seeing on the news from the east coast--we are grateful that all we got was the wind on the very far edge.

Let's see what is on the 'net.

A thought after listening to some of the commentary on the TV concerning the preparedness of various governments (New Jersey, New York, NYC) to handle another storm like Sandy.  It reminds me of some of the discussions after 9/11 spearheaded by or former Vice President Dick Chaney.  He and his friends insisted that we had to prepare 100% for potential terrorist attacks even if those events had only a 1% or less chance of happening.  I thought that was a stupid proposal.  We lost about 3000 people in those attack--not trivial by any means but compared to a population of 300,000,000?  We shoved so much money into 'homeland' security that little towns away from any conceivable targets got armored personnel carriers, heavily armored and armed swat teams, and god only knows what all.  Was that well spent.  The news said that the New York Stock Exchange was last closed for one day in the mid 1980s and the last closure for two consecutive days was 1888.  Three days in the last 130 years.  I looked at the Wikipedia listing for the hurricane history of New York and found only 4 in the last 12 years that caused anything from heavy and widespread flooding in New York City itself.  The question that no one taxed VP Chaney with is how much preparedness is economically sensible.  We are economic beings and make such choices all the time.  Most sensible human beings will prepare for a mid-range of possibilities because that gives the most good for the investment.  I noticed a few of the pundits are asking now if perhaps we should prepare for a 'new' climatic and weather normal.  Maybe.  But anyone want to define what that 'new normal' is?  About five years ago we had such a cold summer that my tomatoes produced very little.  I seriously thought about buying some seeds for the ultra cool and short season tomatoes I saw in a catalog.  I didn't and, until this year, the traditional warm season varieties did very well.  This year it was so hot for so long that nothing was happy especially the tomatoes.  So which is normal?  I have no F$$$$$ idea.

And then there is this.  A short while back, our Sec. of Defense Leon Panetta, warned of a potential 'cyber Pearl Harbor.'  But getting any action appears unlikely any time soon.

The reports on CNBC say that the death toll (so far) from Sandy is 61.  That puts Sandy on top of the list of East Coast storms by number of casualties--just ahead of the 1938 monster storm which killed 60.

Good morning, All.  We have had very strong winds overnight.  I woke about 3am thanks to a heavy blast and couldn't get back to sleep.  I finally gave it up and got out of bed a little after 4.  I figure I can cat nap later.  Nothing on our patio has been affected.  I put a lot of my empty pots on the lower shelves of the mini-greenhouse so it had some weight to hold it.  And I put the hose reel right up against the front.  But the fence has done very nicely against an almost straight north wind.  Indiana Toll Road is closed to semis with the long double or triple trailers and to high profile vehicles.  The weather people are talking about 20-30ft waves on the lake.  They said that areas in eastern Indiana had sleet and snow.  Our temps will be too high for much of that.

We now have some light outside.  As I thought the patio is in good shape but we did see a strange sight.  Our heavy mat which usually rests in front of the door now is 3ft away under the stacked patio chairs as though we had set it there.  Trees that yesterday still had leaves have been stripped bare.  I decided Sunday that I wouldn't put our trash tote out because we didn't have much in it.  We don't generate a lot of trash.  Now, looking at the street in front and all of the totes upended by the winds (many of which were very full) I am glad.  I have no desire to chase our wheeled tote down the street.

The chairs just went flying.  I rushed out to shove them under the table on their sides.  The only thing keeping the table in its place is the planter set on it.  I took the opportunity to pick up a couple of items I really didn't want to sail away in the wind.  The picture of that tanker beached by the storm on the NJ coast simply amazes me.  Actually I am stunned by most of the pictures.  I moved the planter to the center of the table but was totally surprised when one of the gusts almost picked up the greenhouse.  We expect more wind through tomorrow.

Howdy, All.  The weather talk is all about Sandy which might become a real menace.  Sometime over Monday into Tuesday it should join with the system that has brought cooler temperatures, clouds, and a bit of rain here to become a real nasty.  Thankfully, most of the governments and utility companies are taking the situation seriously.  It was chilly last night and I almost got up and got my afghan.  The forecast is for cool enough that I got it back on the foot of my bed this morning.
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Another Monday after a Sunday when I didn't see much to comment on.  I should note that doesn't mean I didn't read anything.  Sundays are usually light on the internet but my alerts always find things of interest.  Most, however, I have commented on before and have nothing new to say.  The news today is dominated by Superstorm Sandy.  Actually, Sandy has commanded the attention of the news for the last three days.  We are expecting high winds that may push lake waters on shore causing flooding.  We are on high enough ground far enough from the lake that flooding doesn't worry us.  High winds though are a bit more concerning.  Thankfully, we don't have much out on the patio that can be carried off or damaged.  I might bring in the bird feeders tonight even though they have been fairly well protected inside our fence.  We'll see.

I brought in the last harvest of stevia and pulled the plants yesterday.  Six trays in the dehydrator.  Everything else still in the gardens look fairly good.  I was surprised to see some nice healthy new growth on the roses.  This has been a very nasty year for them.  I was thinking of simply taking them out.  Now, depending on how they survive the winter, I may simply move them into their own smaller pots.  The blueberries are also showing stress from the extreme heat of the summer and, for the last three weeks, cold and wet weather.  I may change their positions next spring.

For those following the fungal meningitis story, NBC reports that a second compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts has been closed by health officials for unsanitary conditions.

I take the polling data with a large dose of salt.  It doesn't matter who is ahead in which poll, I simply don't believe they are all that accurate.  My skepticism, it seems, is well founded.  The pollsters are having a hard time getting responses from today's voters.  Part of the problem involves the increasing numbers of voters who use cellphones exclusively.  Part of the problem also involves voters who simply refuse to answer the poll questions.

We just got back from our weekly shopping trip.  The wind is wicked already though we do have nice bright sun.

HuffingtonPost reminds us, with Hurricane Sandy looming, of one of Romney's policies that might be counterproductive should he be elected President: dissolving FEMA (and other emergency services) and sending the money back to the states or, even better in our predatory capitalists, to the private sector.

Jasmine Tea and Jiaozi has a post that sounds all to familiar over here.  Unfortunately, when "labor" becomes an abstract concept divorced from the individuals who provide it and when the individuals become replaceable cogs in the economic machine easily changed out without thought or concern, that situation becomes much more common.

Good Saturday, Everyone.  Cloudy and cool today.  Not much going on here so we are going to be lazy.  Supper is already cooking--a big pot of beans.  We'll have that with some buttermilk cornbread.  Comfort food for the cooler weather.  According to the e-mail from the Apple Store the new battery should come sometime today.

Considering how many stories like this one I have read over the last couple of weeks, I think we should be very thankful that we do have a secret ballot in this country.  I hope the employees of the various 'businessmen' who have given similar 'warnings' get thoroughly pissed off and vote exactly in the opposite direction.

Welcome, All, on this last Friday in October.  My how this month and year have raced by.  I know, I know--I say that all too often.  The temperatures have returned to more normal--meaning about 30 lower than they have been.  We had heavy rain for at least a bit last night.  We heard it pounding just as we went to bed.  The skies are still a bit overcast.  Only twelve days till this election cycle ends.  Thank goodness!!!

I think my skepticism about any corrections the Maricopa County elections officials (led by a Republican) would make to their "mistake" on the Spanish language portion of voter IDs is very justified.  The problem isn't just limited to a "few" ID cards.  Other Spanish language media also contain the same "mistaken" date for the November election.

So John McCain won't endorse Mourdock (Repthuglican candidate for the Indiana Senate seat) until Mourdock "apologizes" for his comments on rape.  I am sure you all know what those comments were so I won't reiterate that crap.  I am glad Sen. McCain would be so easily mollified by an "apology."  I am not.  They are too easily given and are, usually, not real apologies.  Just look at all of the "apologies" that merely apologize for the wording or for "offending" some unspecified someone--not for the sentiment expressed.  Update: I was right.  McCain is easily mollified.  Although I will give Mourdock credit for some backbone, I don't care to be ruled by his values and I don't want those values controlling my options.  Perhaps life created in rape is a "gift" from his god--but his god isn't mine.  Maha expresses my opinion perfectly.   Bennett at Time Goes By also expresses the outrage we should all be feeling at these Christianist assholes who think with some organ other than their brain.

Hello, All.  Another day of warmer than normal temperatures but fall comes back with a vengeance starting tomorrow.  After a frustrating day with the computer yesterday everything is almost back to normal.  Suddenly my little MacBook decided to act up.  It froze and I couldn't get out of the program or site.  Or the cursor would act erratically.  I was afraid the whole thing was going out and I really did not want to even think about a new one.  After a whole lot of fumbling with trying to shut down and restart accompanied with much loud swearing and screaming I did what I should have done earlier on--used my nook to go on line and search out information on the problem.  Well, the problem seems to be easily and, relatively, cheaply remedied.  The battery was going out and swelling when it heated up--which explained why everything worked well from early morning to mid afternoon when the battery heated up.  The swollen battery put pressure on the track pad which prevented it from working properly.  So until the new battery arrives in the next couple or three days I am operating without a battery.

However, I was reminded, in spades, of how dependent I am on my electronic devices.  If I can't get my daily fix on the computer I am totally out of sorts for the day.  And I feel somewhat cut off from the world.  Long ago we stopped taking newspapers--they are mostly advertising and contain almost as little news as the broadcast news programs.  We get so much more information on line.  During my daily sessions I generally visit NBC, Al Jazeera, Deutche Weile, NHK, Asahi Shimbun, and a Greek English language news site.  And we usually spend about an hour or two watching to the BBC.

Here is another item for the "Dirty Tricks" file.  So far we have seen official letters sent out in Arizona and Ohio with 'mistaken' information for the election date.  Now we have some asshole sending out fake letters to voters in Florida questioning the recipient's eligibility to vote.  And the letters were sent from Seattle.

The local (Chicago) news this morning told viewers they should stock up on beef now while supplies are plentiful and prices moderate.  They have, finally, noticed that the drought forced a lot of cattlemen to send their stocks to slaughter early and the future supplies are expected to be tighter and more expensive.   We are as stocked up as can be given our limited space but not because of economics.  We like to have enough supplies to last at least a week with a bit to spare--in case we get a stretch of bad weather that keeps us housebound.  We have seen all too many of such incidents (elsewhere admittedly) over the last few years.

I read parts of this article to Mom and suggested that it might be a good idea of retire to this little Greek island where 'People Forget to Die.'

Good Wednesday to you all.  Thirteen days till we get a break from the intense electioneering we have endured for the last two+ years.  We may get early sun today which would be a nice change.  Our fall weather feels like a mirror image of the spring conditions.  I wish we had receive part of the rain we have had over the last two weeks about two months ago.  My blueberry bushes aren't happy--too wet.  They are showing some distress.  I hope the buds I see on the stems bode well for the spring.  The roses aren't happy either but they haven't been all year.  I will take them out in the spring.  They haven't thrived no matter what I have done for them.

The South Bend Tribune published this article on a story I saw yesterday.  Western states have been dissatisfied for years over the amount of land within their borders that are under Federal control.  What struck me is the phrasing in this article: 'take back control' of the land.  Somebody doesn't know much history.  That land was never under state control to begin with.  It came into the U.S. before the states were formed.  I find it absolutely fascinating how the Republicans are all 'state's rights' till they aren't.

Another item for the 'Why industries (and companies) can't police themselves' file.  Unfortunately, all too often the profits gained from slip-shod practices, corner cutting, and haste outweigh the losses from a break down of safety.  In this case the losses include twenty-odd lives lost and about 300+ cases of serious illness.

From Crooks&Liars--first Arizona officials sent out bi-lingual information cards with the wrong date for the election in the Spanish action and now an Ohio GOP election board sent out mailings with the same "mistake"on the date and an additional "mistake" on the location of the polling places.  These "mistakes" raise my skepticism antennae.