A probable pyrrhic victory

The employees of the Market Basket chain celebrated the return of open handed CEO Arthur T Demoulas as a victory for the working man.  Demoulas had been ousted by his cousin in a move that was widely seen as a prelude to benefit cuts for employees of the chain who have been compensated at a much higher rate than similar worker in other chains.  However, I have been told by someone on the Boston produce market who has done business with Market Basket for many years there is far more to the story than what the press has covered.  In his take on the saga, the whole family is a little dotty, although shrewd business people.  Arthur T's side, while on the worker's side has also been taking advantage of some business dealings to the detriment of his cousin's interests.  In order to buy his way back to CEO, Arthur T has now brought in outside investors who will expect a high return on their investment.  The days of wine and roses for employees may be short lived, and if Demoulas has trouble servicing the new debt, there are suitors waiting in the wings.  Unfortunately for the workers, Kroger is not in business to look after their interests.

Post Racial Racism

Without even reading the columns themselves, the titles of Nicholas Kristof's and Charles Blow's articles in today's NYT offer affirmation of my own speculation regarding racism in the US.  White privilege over the course of centuries is so ingrained that people like Bill O'Reilly refuse to acknowledge the built-in bias which allows them to slide through life on rails greased by prejudice.  Meanwhile, on the black side of the equation, the same centuries of injustice have caused an underlying hatred of whites which bubbles to the surface after such egregious incidents as the killing of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson Mo. two weeks ago.  The refusal of white America to confront the institutionalized nature of racism would seem to doom any possibility of comity between the races.  I think the passing of each generation is breaking down the barriers, but the final solution will be the reduction of white America to a minority group in the near future as migration of large numbers of brown people changes us to a truly multi-racial society.

Chasing Papa's ghost

An American was killed on a battlefield in Syria last week.  This would ordinarily not be news, as we have been getting killed on battlefields in almost every year since the Revolutionary War.  The difference is this is a civilian who made his way to Syria to take part in the civil war.  The last time this sort of thing happened was the Spanish civil war in the 30s.  This conflict was immortalized by Ernest Hemingway in "For Whom the Bell Tolls".  That war was seen as a just fight against the fascist dictator Franco and by extension a battle against fascism everywhere.  The war in Syria is a fight against a dictator whose only goal is to preserve his power at any cost, including the commission of atrocities against his own people.  Unfortunately, the forces arrayed against Assad include some scary Islamic terrorists whose ultimate goal is the creation of a theocratic Islamic state with less freedom than what it would replace.  The murky motives of many of the other groups appear no better.  What idealists such as this fallen "freedom fighter" need is an organization which will promote justice for all people.  The UN could be such a  force for freedom, but we need to get over our petty nationalism and promote the welfare of all the world's people.  Right!

Late summer surge

Finally, a week of sunshine and warm temps will hasten maturity on many lagging crops.  the winter squash has had a tough time of it as well as my later plantings of corn.  Both were planted on a section of the garden with heavier clay soil which has been too wet for most of the summer.  Coupled with cooler than normal temps and cloudy days, it has been hard for these crops and the sweet potatoes in the same area.  The warm, dry regime will help, if powdery mildew doesn't get to the plants.  The early blight in tomatoes is advancing and the cool nights and heavy dew isn't helping on that front.  What fruit is on the plants will continue to ripen, but  blossoming has virtually stopped and the smaller fruit will probably never size up.  The cole crops continue to look good and I continue to plant spinach for our own use.  Anything planted now will mature long after the farmer's market is a hazy memory. 

Go south old man, go south

Paul Krugman's column in the NYT this morning is definitely food for thought.   He opines the reason the South has experienced much higher population growth than more northern cities and regions is the high cost of northern and western housing, not the pro business polices pursued by the Rick Perry's of the South.  He may be correct up to a point.  What I think he fails to understand is the continuing demographic shift the baby boom generation has initiated.  Many if not most of the increase in population in many southern states is driven by older people who are shedding their high priced, highly taxed houses in favor of cheaper living and better climate in the south.  So what if they work the last few years before retirement at lower paying jobs.  It is more than made up for by the lower cost of living.  Besides, many 55 plus boomers are already retired from well paying jobs with great retirement benefits.  That is a boost for southern economies.  Until cheap housing stocks in the south start getting scarce this cycle will continue with high productivity in northern areas and a graying retirement population driving a low wage, low productivity economy in the south.  If that is the economic miracle Perry hopes will drive his presidential campaign, I have a bridge for sale in Brooklyn.

Social media and protest

Thanks mainly to social media, the situation in Ferguson, Mo. nearly spiraled out of control last week.   Images of a highly militarized police and their reaction to a seemingly justified protest of the death of an unarmed black teenager fanned the flames.  Looters took advantage of the situation and outside agitators were drawn to the chaos, but the use of cellphone videos and twitter allowed a much more nuanced view of the rioting than the mainstream media and the police would have had us believe.  In an era where anyone with a smart phone is a reporter and recorder of real time images it has become much harder for the authorities to whitewash what was essentially criminal behavior by police.  While it may contribute to racial polarization, it also gives both sides images and information which may change minds regarding what life is like in America's ghettoes, circa 2014.   Policy makers especially must take heed.  If Ferguson is a microcosm of this situation, we can expect more of the same later this year if the economy continues to leave large swaths of the population behind.

Weather or not

I may have used that title on previous postings, but it is irresistible at certain points in the season.   A little light rain is falling as I write and it is probably necessary to germinate a late spinach planting and work the fertilizer into some lettuce plantings, but other plantings will suffer as a result of too much water.  The heavier soils are balanced on a knife edge at this point and the winter squash and tomato plants don't need any rain at this point.  Besides, I need clear weather to mow, weed and harvest.  the forecast for next week looks good in that respect, so I'll hope we dodge the heaviest showers today and have clear sailing for a couple of weeks.  I doubt I'll complain about dry weather for the balance of the season.

They got nothin

The republicans will probably win a few seats in the Senate, but not enough to gain control.  The house will remain in their hands for a few more cycles, until the demographic tsunami they have helped create washes them out of power.  Meanwhile, they have nothing but Obama hatred to pump up their base.  The ACA, or as the pundits say, Obamacare has worked, so there is not much political capital to be gained by attacking that.  The economy has continued to grow and the job creation numbers are better than anything under the last couple of Republican Presidents so that's not a good line of attack.  As house guests pointed out last weekend, even with the slowly grinding economy, hotel rooms were at a premium on the NCR this past weekend and there were no events to draw tourists.  The events in Ferguson will probably fire up the Democrats base voters and without an appeal to racism, the repubs really can't make political hay out of the situation.   So, it comes down to tying every Dem candidate to Obama and hoping that is enough.

Slipping away

The planting season is rapidly drawing to a close.  I transplanted a couple of hundred lettuce, bok choy and nappa last night and watered them in as the mosquitoes descended.  This morning it was 48 degrees in the garden.   I am still seeding spinach, but the only other candidates for the process are radishes and broccoli rabe.  Most of the summer weeds have stopped sprouting, but the galinsoga seems to love this kind of weather.  It is carpeting my last plantings of lettuce and crucifers.  The summer crops of tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are stalling with the colder mornings and wet soils while the potatoes and onions are waiting patiently to be harvested.  Warmer, drier days are still ahead, I hope...

Closing the circle

Celebrating little Hannah Grace's arrival was the order of the weekend.   Ms. Rock made her first appearance for many family members who made the trek to the NCR from L.I. and central NY.   Much as we did when our own children were born, celebration of  continuity is important in the lives of families and by extension of our own.   The increasingly hectic pace of modern life makes such celebrations more meaningful, since we increasingly have little time to spend with family.  As each member made the appropriate noises while holding this new person I could feel the torch passing to a new generation.  The Divine Mrs. M and yours truly, while not irrelevant, are now the grandparents.  That is reason for celebration.   The new generation has closed the circle of life once again.

More of the Same old song

Ferguson, Mo. has become the latest example in the case for a racist America.   When the cops who are sworn to "serve and protect" refer to those demonstrating the probable murder of a black teenager as "4000 animals", America has a serious, unresolved problem.  Although I have not checked, I doubt Faux News has had much coverage of the situation in the suburb of St. Louis where the probable crime took place.   Much of white America has too much political and moral capital invested in the proposition there is no racism in the US.  Meanwhile, black men face de facto execution for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  As economic inequality worsens, blacks and whites seem to have less and less interaction.  This new segregation on the basis of race and economic status poses serious threats to our democracy.  A permanent underclass of black, brown and poor whites is a recipe for social unrest.  As many in the putative middle class find themselves sliding into poverty, they are looking for scapegoats.  The "other", or someone not like them is an easy target, and with the proliferation of guns, the temptation to rage against something or someone eventually becomes irresistible.  We need courageous political leadership, not the dithering democrats or the pandering republicans we now have.

Humanitarian missions and the military

With the crazy weather associated with climate change and the continuing social revolutions around the world, there is more calls for humanitarian missions than military intervention.  Yet, the US continues to rely on a war machine to distribute aid to disaster stricken areas.  While success at these missions redounds to the army, navy, etc., it is a ridiculous use of resources.  I don't want to pay for propaganda for the military.  Why not  organize a force for peaceful distribution of resources, like a government funded Red Cross or Salvation Army.   The government could easily appropriate some of the military's money and come up with a compact force capable of projecting aid around the world without the intimidation factor.  A modest proposal...

Comfort zones

In the NYT today, Marc Bittman doesn't exactly rhapsodize about his childhood food experiences, but it struck a chord with me.  His mother's idea of a balanced meal was meat, potatoes (mashed) and a green vegetable (usually canned peas or beans).   She must have gone to the same cooking school as my mother.  We were usually blessed with more fresh vegetables, although I can still remember stuffing canned peas in my pockets to get rid of them.  As he points out, and I can testify, you can modify the menus you grew up with to take advantage of the abundance available today, but if you really want comfort food, you will get as close to Mom's cooking as you can.  Kale and arugula may be the watchwords today, but a wedge of iceberg with thousand island dressing instantly transports me to the 1960s.

A sad day for the rest of us

The world is a distinctly less funny place this morning.  Robin Williams' passing is cause for reflection on humor and the toll it seems to take on its brightest stars.  As he was only a little older than me, his career arc coincided with my own.  I thought Mork and Mindy was a flash in the pan and I really didn't appreciate the madcap humor he spewed so effortlessly.  To me, his turn as a disc jockey in "Good Morning Vietnam" is his signature role.  It illustrated both the humor and the pathos he was able to bring to a role.  To my daughters, he will always be remembered as the big, blue  genie in "Aladdin".   His multiple personality riffs appealed to the parents, while the lovable personality engaged the children.   For all the laughs, he must have been crying on the inside, a Pagliacci among clowns.  If there is a hereafter, I hope he is keeping a new audience in stitches. R.I.P Mr. Williams.

Another blurry weekend

Harvesting, planting, weeding and watering are getting very old.  The tomatoes have finally started to mature, but early blight is stealing up the vines, so the vines don't look nearly as nice as they did a couple of weeks ago.  Applying triage tactics to the garden means weeding only the younger plantings.  The onions which looked so nice several weeks ago have matured, but the crop is overrun with galinsoga, so the harvest will be like playing hide and seek.  The second planting of corn is maturing, but will the skunks and raccoons wait and let me get a few ears or will they just ravage the whole planting several nights before the ears fill out?  Heavy rain is predicted for later this week which in a dry year would be welcome.  This year, not so much.  At least we had a chance to dry out a little before the latest onslaught.  I wish there was some philosophical thought to add to today's ramblings, but frankly, I'm too tired and behind to think of something pithy to say.

Post Iraq syndrome

This morning the news is Obama authorizes air strikes in Iraq if US servicemen are endangered.  The real reason is both humanitarian and political.  This is the conundrum facing policy makers in the post-Bush era.  The US public has lost its taste for "foreign entanglements", but there remains a role for the US in the middle east because of our past transgressions in the area.  We owe the people of Iraq the chance to make a country out of the mess we left them, but we can't babysit them (and the Afghans) forever.  The next president will have to make some painful choices when it comes to  our commitments in the world.  Straight talk to the people by this administration will make those choices easier.  Unless and until we wholeheartedly support a strong United Nations, we will have to use our diplomatic and strategic assets to try and keep the peace.  But the purse and the American peoples' patience will be limiting factors to our effectiveness.

Farmers' Markets

My favorite food columnist, Marc Bittman had a piece about farmers' markets the other day which caught my eye.   While praising the efforts of growers to make local, high quality food available to the masses, he then proceeds to name various exotica he acquired at markets around the country.  I only see the small market in Plattsburgh each Saturday and I can tell you, my offerings of bok choy are probably the most exotic thing the natives are likely to see as far as produce is concerned.  The shoppers who buy in our market are mostly well meaning people, but I doubt they would be willing to part with extra cash to keep growers in business.  For the most part, farmers' markets are more a labor of love than a get rich quick scheme.  I am reminded of this each week after devoting 90% of my free daylight hours to growing and probably making less than minimum wage after deducting the cost of fuel, seed and fertilizer.

Sugar and responsibility

Before the latest session of the clown show known as the US congress adjourned for the rest of the summer, Rosa DeLauro, a dem from Connecticut introduced a bill which would have taxed producers of sugar laden drinks.  The consumption of excessive amounts of soda is a rising health concern, especially among the younger generation.  While we know this legislation would not go on to become law at this time, it is important to be introduced.  Taxes on cigarettes and the eventual proof of the connection between smoking and cancer were a long time coming.  The line between soda and obesity will be considerably easier to draw, but unless we start the process, it will never happen.  That's why Ms. DeLauro's bill is important in the long run.  The health of generations to come depend on actions we take now.

Not for the faint hearted

Gardening on the NCR this year has been a test of internal fortitude.   A long cold winter, followed in turn by a cold, wet spring and a cool, wet summer have confounded many plans and plantings.  Add a radicchio loving deer and corn harvesting raccoons and skunks and it has put more frowns than smiles on my face of a morning.  The heavier soils in the back gardens have begun to dry out once more, but I was throwing 30% of the lettuce harvest on the ground last Saturday due to bottom rot.  My next two plantings are in the same area, so things are not looking good again this weekend.  I was able to get the first fall planting of spinach in on Saturday as well as some radishes and a test planting of an early carrot variety, Mokum, which I would like to see mature in early October.  The winter squash plantings look good, but they are far behind where they would normally be this time of year.  The bright spots have been potatoes and onions.  I had none of either last year due to flooding, so the large onions and plentiful spuds are welcome.  As always, the weeds are horrific this time of year.  They sprout and seemingly set seed in a matter of weeks, especially the thrice cursed galinsoga.  Fun, fun, fun....

Tea bag follies

While this blog does not have a huge following, occasionally I hit a nerve among those who peruse my scribblings.  In particular my reference to tea baggers provoked a comment about "classy libs".  When I refer to tea bag republicans, I don't think of the scatological version of the term, but the image of middle age and older men and women with teabags stapled to their hats, trying  to act like latter day tea party patriots at Boston Harbor.  In particular, the stupidity of protestors who want Uncle Sam to "keep his hands off my medicare".  Of course, medicare is perhaps one of the most successful government programs for seniors.  In the Republican view of the future, many people who now collect government benefits negotiated by strong unions (yes, I'm talking about you Kevin) would be reduced to beggary, since we obviously can't afford to take care of union workers.  As I see it, one of the main functions of government is to level the playing field between labor and capital.  Encouraging unions and enforcing the laws on the books are two ways to do this.  The other is to directly or indirectly transfer wealth from the fortunate who have had opportunity to those who through no fault of their own were born into families with little means to get ahead.  Those of you who feel differently should look at the payer of the checks you are cashing before yelping about "socialism".  Nuff said.

Scary state of the union

As the Republicans in the House fold their tents and head for home in their clown car, it is scary to contemplate the state they are reducing our country too.  They have redefined the "do nothing Congress" to the extent they make the republicans of 1948 look like ball of fire.  Of course, the cowardly John Boehner is the real reason this congress can't get out of its own way.   He is so afraid of the 30 or so tea bag republicans in his caucus he refuses to work with Democrats to craft needed legislation.  One or two real compromise bills passed by the Dems and whichever Repubs feel they can work with the president would probably show the country who the real obstructionists are and how they can be circumvented.  But Boehner is more worried about his speakership than getting the country headed in the right direction.  This is how the country is being held hostage by a few know nothing idiots in safe seats.  The long term solution is to make as many congressional districts possible competitive seats.  That will allow a real debate on policy and prevent the preaching to the choir that so many congressmen now do.  In the short term, Boehner needs to grow some stones and put the country ahead of his own legacy and his party.  Do I hear crickets?.....