Catching up

A welcome rain on Sunday put almost 3/4 inch in the rain gauge and the garden sucked it up within a couple of hours.  By Monday afternoon I was able to concentrate on killing weeds and catching up on thinning and other chores which watering duties put on hold.  Most of the tomatoes are out and this week I'll transplant the winter squashes.  Last year these events were followed by 5 inches of rain which effectively killed the squash and most of the tomatoes.  I'm hoping this year will be different, but the extended forecast looks pretty rainy through next week, so we'll see.  Meanwhile, as with every year, the pace of planting will accelerate for a couple of more weeks before falling back to a more manageable pace.

Memorials

As I have said before, I am conflicted when it comes to holidays which celebrate wars and the warriors who fight them.  Memorial Day is particularly fraught.    While it started as "Decoration Day" to commemorate veterans of the Civil War, after the turn of the 20th century it was changed to Memorial Day to honor all those who died in the armed services.   Certainly the vast majority of those who have died fighting had no say in the war or action in which they participated and certainly can't be held responsible for the jingoistic policies of successive American governments.  However, the wars these veterans fought in are also glorified.  From the Spanish-American war to the invasion of Iraq, there is precious little to be proud of beyond the valor and sacrifice of our fellow citizens.  I have often said if the children of the policy makers were forced to fight on the front lines of whatever war their parents (mostly fathers) felt was necessary to protect American interests, there would have been far fewer conflicts in the last century.  Nonetheless, I'll spare a few minutes this week to remember the millions of men and women who gave the last full measure and hoped it would safeguard their fellow Americans.  I'll also hope for more a more rational world where Memorial Day is a quaint holiday to celebrate the last gasp of our martial proclivities.

The Bernie-Trump debate

While I don't think it will happen, the idea of Bernie debating The Donald on nationwide TV is troubling at this stage of the campaign.   There is no downside for either participant.  The losers will be Democrats and Hillary.   If Bernie wins it will stoke his supporters "Bernie or Bust" argument even though the clear will of the majority of voters is Clinton.  Should Trump win (although I can't see that happening except in one of his fever dreams) it burnishes his credentials and lends authenticity to his campaign.   He also gets to trash Hillary for free with the willing participation of Sanders.   What little respect I had for Bernie is about to be flushed.

Falling skies

As usual, the horse race view of presidential elections is in full flower among the pundit class.   They breathlessly dissect each new poll showing The Donald either closing the gap or actually leading Hillary.   As has been proven over the last 50 years, polls taken 167 days out from the election are little better than reading the entrails of some sacrificial animal, but the talking heads need something to justify their continued relevance.   A cursory look at the present state of the race would show the Democrats still jousting in the primary with Bernie hoping some scandal will force Hillary from the race and he will be the White Knight beneficiary of the party.  That's about his only hope at this point, however his continued attacks on the leader are damaging in the short term.  Meanwhile, Trump is the presumptive nominee of the Republicans.  He continues to attack virtually everyone who is not white.  His latest target, the Latina governor of New Mexico shows how he will be unable to  "pivot" as the general election campaign starts.  His uncensored ID will not allow civility and his dredging up of every Clinton scandal will be amusing, but not very effective.  Another thing the pundits have not allowed for is the formidable campaign skills President Obama will deploy in Hillary's favor.   This will be the first time a 2nd term president with over 50% favorability will actively campaign for his party's nominee.  Oh and yes, Bernie will come around and try to convince the Bernie or Bust crowd to vote for the lesser of two evils.

Middle Class Blues

It seems everybody is either worrying about middle class job mobility, prospects, decline, etc.  They also have prescriptions; bring back manufacturing jobs, raise the minimum wage, encourage unionization, more entrepreneurship.  Meanwhile, the rage of out of work whites builds and encourages demagogues to pander to the urge these people have to lash out at anyone who doesn't look like them.  What even the most blunt pundits don't tell us is unless we have another national mobilization comparable to WW 2, full employment based on manufacturing jobs won't be coming to a town near you or me anytime soon.  The halcyon days of the 1950s and 60s were based on the fact the US was the only major economy in the world not devastated in the war.  Everyone wanted and needed American goods and we built the factories and infrastructure to provide them to the world.  In effect we had a monopoly on world manufacturing.  First the Japanese and Germans recovered their previous status, then the rest of the world, seeing our example built factories and began to compete.  To think we could have kept our manufacturing jobs by forcing companies to keep the jobs in the USA would only have caused a faster decline than what actually happened.  Better policy could have cushioned the impact on workers, but education can only go so far if there is no payoff at the completion of school.  Rebuilding America is a worthy goal, but with the present gridlock in congress, it is unlikely that will happen.  The polarization of the polity and citizen anxiety encourages the worst instincts in the political class.  What to do...

A Day to Remember

41 years ago this morning I was as nervous as I have ever been.  I was about to get married to the most entrancing human being I have ever met and I wanted everything to be perfect.  Of course, Mother Nature had other ideas as the temperature soared to 94 degrees.  That is the record temperature for May on Long Island.  However, aside from the sweaty beginning, my memory of the day is everything else was as good as it could be.  The Divine Miss R. became and remains to this day the Divine Mrs. M.  Hoping for another 41 years, but will settle for as many as the FSM is willing to grant.

Bernie and the unity conundrum

Based on their words at different rallies yesterday, it looks like Hillary and Bernie are beginning the process of unifying the party prior to the convention.  Hillary complimented the Sanders campaign and affirmed she will be tackling one of his major rallying cries, namely the presence and influence of big money in modern political campaigns.  Meanwhile, it appears Bernie is toning down his attacks on Clinton during his standard stump speech.  Although this is possibly due to his recent fund raising difficulties, it is still a welcome break from the vicious attacks which resembled a scorched earth policy.  Meanwhile, the DNC made a major concession to Sanders by allowing him to appoint 5 members of the platform committee as opposed to Clinton getting 6 choices and the execrable  Debbie Wasserman-Schultz getting to name the final 4 members instead of the entire roster as the by-laws allow.   Now Sanders will get the influence he says was what motivated him in the first place.  The Revolution becomes Evolution and the party can unite in the face of the challenge of defeating The Donald in the general election.  We'll see how this plays out.

The NPR sellout

One of life's little pleasures for me has been the reporting and commentary on NPR.  Although I have sometimes expanded their acronym to Nice Polite Republicans, the commenters on the news have generally been mostly non or at least politely partisan.  Lately, however, with the addition of Tucker Carlson and Jonah Goldberg as the supposed balance to Mara Liason and Cokie Roberts, the management of NPR has stepped over the line, unless it is another move in an 11 dimension chess game I am not following.  Neither Carlson or Goldberg is overly bright, so it's just possible some jokester at NPR is allowing the right to hang itself, but I doubt it.  With some of the stations funding now coming from the Koch Brothers, you can imagine the pressure management is under to represent "conservative" views, no matter how incoherent.  Unfortunately, there are numerous outlets for tantrums by Carlson or the doughy pantload.   Why does NPR have to demean its reputation by association with these lightweights.  Maybe they are also in discussion with Breitbart to do their news.   If these trends continue, I will have to rethink my support for public radio.

Dry and getting warmer

As predicted by any casual gardener, this week will the cool, dry spring and usher in what looks like a warm, dry summer.  The soil in the wettest areas of most farms and my own humble establishment is dry enough to work and plant.  The downside is the plantings need frequent watering which in most cases is not available or practical.   It is distracting and time consuming to continue to water previous plantings, but the risk is they will be stunted or actually die without water.  As I planted peppers and eggplant on Sunday morning I kept looking at the sky with some hope, but the amount of rain we received barely settled the dust.  Of course, about the time I am ready to give up, the skies will open and whatever survives the drought will drown in the ensuing deluge.  In the meantime, I will keep planting and take comfort that the weeds are growing slowly and that other activities beckon.   I played golf with an old friend on Saturday and attended the Divine Mrs. M's concert with her vocal ensemble on Sunday afternoon.  The proliferation of grandchildren is another reminder the garden is important, but not the most significant part of the pageant we call life.  But still, I wish it would rain!

Berning down the house

Along with many pundits and average joes, I admire the campaign Bernie put together  and prosecuted for the Democratic nomination for president.  My own evaluation was his message was spot on, but due to his age and lack of appeal to a wide demographic he would not win.  Millions of Americans begged to differ and powered his campaign with hundreds of millions of dollars with an average of $27./per contribution.  He preached revolution, but most of his supporters were and are far too comfortable to risk their status in a real revolution.  Meanwhile, those with nothing to lose either didn't hear or didn't believe the message that millions of ordinary people can come together and force meaningful change.  The majority of democrats bought Hillary's message of incremental change and we cheered as Bernie forced her more and more toward the left of center.  This is the extent of Bernie's revolution and he and his supporters should be proud.  However, now, the dead enders of his team threaten to disrupt the convention and perhaps fatally weaken Clinton's candidacy if they can't overcome the will of the majority of dem voters.  Here's where the old curmudgeon needs to take a deep breath, lessen his attacks on Hillary and get his team on board with the program. 

Morley Safer's impact on journalism

As a kid, 60 Minutes was a Sunday evening ritual.  I remember the big guns as Mike Wallace and occasionally Dan Rather, but I always enjoyed the mostly low key stories done by Morley Safer.  Safer passed away recently at the age of 84, leaving behind a remarkable body of work.  He interviewed the man in the street who had a story to tell, whether it was doing the tango in Finland or tilting at corporate windmills in the US.  I was unaware of his contributions as a foreign correspondent during the Vietnam war, but it seems he left his mark on the story of that conflict as well.  I remember him for his relentless good humor and sympathy with his interview subjects.  He didn't belittle or condescend and drew out the kernel of truth in even the most outrageous story.  He may not have broken many major stories during his tenure at 60 Minutes, but he influenced the way I thought about journalism and what it means to the average citizen.  His tone and style will be missed.

Short-sighted once again

The Flying Monkey Caucus in the House of Representatives has struck another blow against common sense.   After the administration asked for funds to research and fight the Zika virus before it leads to birth defects in the US, the house introduced a bill which appropriates no new funds and instead takes money from existing programs like the fight against ebola and redirects it to the Zika fight.  Obama has vowed to veto the bill as it stands, but before that can happen the Senate must weigh in with its own bill and then reconcile with the  House.  Meanwhile, women who are in their childbearing years must deal with another anxiety during pregnancy.  This is especially true in southern areas of the US where mosquito activity is already picking up.   The virus has already caused at least one case of microcephaly in Puerto Rico and with the steady migration of people from that island to the mainland, people with active Zika in their bloodstream could begin the process of infection.  Tell me, who elected these idiots and what did we do to deserve this congress?

Health Care Fixes no one talks about

Bernie's Medicare for All sounds like every liberal's dream, until the cost of the program turns into a nightmare.   Most other industrialized democracies have universal health care and spend much less than we do for our non inclusive mess.  We are told it's the fault of big pharma or too many expensive tests and patient demands for more expensive procedures.  All these things are true.   However, the biggest driver of health care costs is the American Medical Association and its government enablers.  The dirty little secret is the income of the doctors and specialists in the system.  The average American doctor makes in excess of $200,000/year.  Specialists make much more.  In most European countries physicians make  far less.  By keeping the  supply of doctors tight, the AMA perpetuates this monopoly.   The easiest way to bring medical costs down is to open more medical schools and subsidize tuition.  We are led to believe only a tiny dedicated minority can survive the training to become doctors.  Experience in other countries proves otherwise.  Let's give it a try.

The continued rise of IL Douche

It sounds like I was wrong about the supposed slugfest which was to occur last night between Megyn Kelly and The Donald.  Although it was pre-recorded, Trump tweeted that he hoped it would go well and vowed to live tweet it.   Personally, I would prefer a root canal to tuning in to Faux News, so my take is all second hand from commenters who actually sat through Kelly's audition to become the next Barbara Walters.  With a continuous shower of softball questions about his emotional state and a long exposition regarding their fight, Kelly becomes the last major Fox News anchor to capitulate to Il Douche.  She obviously is a team player on a very dirty team.   Meanwhile, it looks like Bernie's campaign, aided and abetted by the candidate himself is going down a very dark road.  After a win in Oregon and a narrow loss in Kentucky, the electoral math has become impossible without major defections among superdelegates.  This ain't gonna happen unless Hillary is indicted before the convention.  Bernie is beginning to exhibit signs he is a petulant sore loser and instead of working within the party to correct flaws in the nominating process he seems to be preparing to pick up his bat and ball and go home if he doesn't win.  As most people realized after the mid-atlantic primaries, Hillary had a prohibitive lead in pledged delegates.  Unless Bernie could win most of the remaining states with huge majorities he could never close the gap.  Also, the super delegates are party insiders who will support Clinton.  After all, she won a majority of the votes and delegates and she is a loyal party member, two things Bernie can't claim to do or to be.  I had hoped he would tone down his attacks on Clinton and get his supporters ready to support her, but it sure doesn't look that way now.

Break out the popcorn

Donald Trump is going to do a one on one interview with Megyn Kelly of Faux News tonight.  Unless she is muzzled by Roger Ailes, she should be free to question Trump as any newsperson would love too.  I can only wish The Donald would agree to an interview with Rachel Maddow.  Not in this lifetime!

The new Bubble Boy

I think it is just possible The Donald is so far into the sycophant media bubble blown up by the likes of Morning Joe and other enablers that he really feels like he has already been elected president.  Picking fights with the British Prime Minister, calling the Grey Lady a failed newspaper after its expose' of his problem with women and other assorted gaffes could only be his way of expressing the belief the next six months are mere prelude to a Trump administration.  I can't wait until the real President, Bernie, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and Bill Clinton start to really campaign for Hillary.  Trumps bubble will turn into a bunker pretty quickly.

The Merry month of May

By now, young men's fancies have turned to thoughts of ; keeping warm!  It is shaping up to be a record cool May on the NCR.  As I write this, the temperature is 37 degrees and a 20 MPH west wind probably makes it feel like 15.  Everything in the garden is in suspended animation as the weekend was alternately cloudy and cool or sunny and cold.  About the only thing growing was grass, so the mowers were exercised on Saturday.  The  only good news was the weeds were reluctant to grow as well.  The Divine Mrs. M and I planted some peonies on Sunday, but otherwise concentrated on staying warm.  As of this time we are a week or so behind schedule for most crops, but it could be worse with another week of cool/cold weather predicted.  The last time we had a year without summer was 1816.  Let 's hope we don't have a repeat 200 years later.

Strangers in the night

As The Donald and the Republican party establishment in D.C. circle each other with the subtlety of a pair of 8th graders at their first dance, it appears both sides want to paper over the differences over substance and appearances between them.  This may be harder than they anticipate.  Trump has so far run a policy free campaign, unless you attribute substance to such utterings as "Build the Wall",
" Ban all Muslims", etc.  Meanwhile, the establishment has encouraged the base of the party through dog whistle politics to believe they really mean the same things Trump is shouting at his rallies.  The Paul Ryans of the party are horrified these slogans may actually become policy in a Trump administration, while cherished goals such as shredding the remaining social safety net programs are pushed back because Trump supporters really like these programs as long as they are not available to "those people".  Meanwhile, the gaggle of far right white supremacist and hate groups flocking to Trump's banner are even more of an embarrassment to the supposedly mainstream GOP.  Again, this is the logical culmination of rhetoric and policy over a generation finally coming home to roost.  How Ryan, McConnell, et. al. resolves the apparent contradictions between republicans and their presumptive nominee for president will be an interesting spectacle over the next couple of months.

New normal

It seems the weather is dealing everyone a few wild cards this spring.  For much of the middle atlantic and northeast, cooler than normal weather has held sway and delayed planting of many warm weather crops.  The west coast has had more rain than normal which has impacted quality of many of their salad crops, especially spinach.  Meanwhile, in flyover country, people are dealing with tornadoes and drenching rain on a daily basis.  It remains to be seen if planting of corn and soybeans will be affected.  The steady drumbeat of bad weather news seems a little louder than many previous years.  Usually one section or another is affected by wild weather.  This year it seems like everyone is dealing with a joker in the deck.

The Circle Game (with apologies to Joni Mitchell)

As the final primaries continue to roll out, the chattering classes are busy polishing their approved narrative of the horse race that is wrapping up and the upcoming Presidential Sweepstakes.  To whit, Trump is here, there and everywhere and who are we to question him on matters of substance and on the Democratic side, the old white guy seems to appeal to white folks who can't quite buy into Trump's brand of populism, but also can't bring themselves to vote for the woman with all the baggage Hillary carries.  This also leads to continuous stories of how Bernie still seems to be  in the race although he is virtually eliminated and why does he continue; rinse and repeat with either a Sanders or Clinton spin.  Meanwhile, over at his blog on Mother Jones, Kevin Drum looks at the economy through actual government data and finds it is in surprisingly good shape, despite candidates on both sides of the political spectrum decrying it for partisan reasons.  Of course there are caveats.  Student debt is a huge burden for many, wages have barely kept up with inflation and many who lost manufacturing jobs which allowed for a middle class lifestyle are struggling with lower paying service sector jobs, but the overwhelming majority of Americans say they are satisfied with their own economic situation.   Satisfaction is not the way to turn out your base in election years, so we can expect plenty of economic gloom and doom from both sides as we head to November.  And we go round and round and round in the circle game.

Climate anomalies

As we in the Northeastern US wait somewhat impatiently for spring, other areas of the world are bearing the brunt of climate change.  Daily high temps in parts of India and Australia are approaching 120 degrees which is exacerbating the drought these areas also face.   Many other areas are facing crazy temperatures and either far too much or too little rainfall.   Climate change deniers and their legislative hacks like Sen. James Inhofe of Ok. point to the chilly temperatures in the eastern US and Canada and say there is no problem.  If anything, its too cool!  Once again, the parochial nature of American politics and exceptionalism blinds many to the very real presence of change.  Even our present chill can be explained by the rush of cold water coming off the Greenland icecap and disrupting the waters of the Gulf Stream which would normally usher in warmer air from the south.  No one knows how this scenario will play out, but count on the Inhofes of the world to spin it in ways that will be hurtful for many.

On the Weekend

As always, Saturday and Sunday are too short to cram all the gardening and familial activities into without feeling rushed.  The early part of the weekend was devoted to planting.  Onions, potatoes, herbs and second plantings of carrots and beets went in.  Weeding is now underway as the continued cool conditions favor opportunistic weeds over veg seedlings.  Sunday was a celebration of motherhood and we gathered to honor the Divine Mrs. M, our daughters and their forays into maternity.  We also received a minor, but beneficial rainfall which should keep the garden moist as we head into a few dry days.  Near frost this morning, but nothing to damage the hardy seedlings and plants in the cold frames.  Meanwhile, in outside news, I happened on two articles in the local paper which fed my obsession with automation and robots.  In one story, new, surgical machines were able to stitch up patients in an operating room which human surgeons looked on to "supervise".  In another, the US Navy unveiled a 132 foot completely automated drone ship which is designed for anti-submarine warfare.  The infatuation of the military with drones and other opportunities for automated warfare has been evident for some time.  Let's face it, humans are a war planners nightmare.  They operate independently and unpredictably.  We get closer to a Terminator scenario with each development of more autonomous war machines.  The development of robot surgeons may be even more troubling in the long run.  The displacement of doctors would be proof that virtually any human endeavor can be replicated by machines.   Outside of speculative fiction, there seems to be very little debate over the implications of these developments.  What do we do with billions of people who have no reason for being besides producing more humans.  We need to think about what the next generation is brought up to believe about human potential.  Either that or cede our relevance to our machine overlords.

Misplaced Optimism

This could be a political or a gardening post, or a bit of both.  On the political side, it looks like liberal pundits and commentators are already wringing their hands and claiming that Democrats are not taking Trumpism seriously and will not prosecute a vigorous campaign and GTV drive in the months leading up to November.  Personally, I think Hillary and her advisors will not let this happen and The Donald can be counted on to provide the motivation to turn out the base voters, including most of Bernie's people.  Clinton will have to move further to the left on many issues to satisfy Sander's supporters, but it shouldn't be too much of a stretch.  Meanwhile, the fractured GOP may even spawn a third party candidate as a spoiler to Trump.  This would be good for Dems on many fronts, not least of which is the exposure of the modern republican party coda as a vehicle for white anxiety and racism.  America is rapidly becoming a multiracial, increasingly secular society and the rapidly shrinking white portion of the population needs to come to terms with its role.  On the gardening front, misplaced optimism is the order of the weekend.  As the soil dries out and grudgingly warms up, it is time to plant potatoes and onions.  Last year, the onions and early carrots and beets were washouts due to heavy rains in late May and early June.   Of course, this year will be different!  The grass is growing, the asparagus is pushing up and the sun will shine tomorrow.  Hooray for Spring.

And then there were none

As Rachel Maddow ritually "poofed" the last two competitors for the Republican presidential nomination and enlarged The Donald's head to fill the screen, I'm sure a bunch of liberals had a sinking feeling.   After hearing about Trump's media mastery and the cheering crowds of mostly white males who abuse anyone who points out the stupidity of expecting a billionaire to care about their resentments, many Democrats, including the Divine Mrs. M feel like the general election will play out in the same fashion.  In this scenario, Trump will make mincemeat of Hillary and sweep to victory in November.  Unfortunately for him, there may be millions of angry white race baiting misogynists in this country, but they are not the majority by a long shot.  Women, people of color and liberal white men are by far the biggest electoral coalition and they are Clinton's to lose.  Trump led the in the polls for the republican race from the outset of the campaign, but most pundits refused to believe their lying eyes.   Similarly, he trails Clinton by double digits and has alienated or made enemies of a clear majority of voters.  Again, the pundits are willfully disregarding the polls and projecting their fears and/or hopes onto Trump.   It's going to get ugly for the next few months...

Trumped

Last night, Tailgunner Ted Cruz became the latest casualty in The Donald's march to the Republican nomination for president.   After a dismal showing in Indiana, Cruz suspended his campaign and with it, Carly Fiorina's one and only opportunity for national office.  While I despise Cruz and his politics, I almost felt sorry for him as he shuffled off the stage.  He may try for the presidency again, but the baggage he accumulated during this run should effectively foreclose that option.   This leaves the GOP with a badly flawed candidate with no qualifications for dogcatcher, let alone President.  The only prayer Trump has is some unforeseen event; an economic meltdown, terrorist attack, etc.  I rarely read the execrable Tom Freidman's column in the NYT, but a masochistic attack directed me there today and as usual, I was not disappointed.  After tossing off  his opinions as established fact, especially his hobby horse of the "Grand Bargain" between the political parties to shred Social Security and Medicare, Friedman concludes that the badly damaged Republican party needs to lose this election in order to be rebuilt as a "thinking" center-right party and Trump is the vehicle for this salvation.   America, be afraid, be very afraid.

The Politics of Compromise

It was depressing to see Jane Sanders on Chris Hayes "All In" show on MSNBC last night.  Instead of proclaiming they fought the good fight and would keep reminding Democrats that the better angels of our nature are still in the house, she promised a brutal fight at the convention which will probably cause many BernieBros to feel they have been sold out by the party.  Bernie is further behind Hillary than she was behind Obama in 2008.  While she fought to the end of the primaries, she pulled the plug on her campaign after California voted and actually nominated the future president at the 2008 convention.   With the more and more acrimonious muck being hurled by Sanders' supporters, it seems unlikely we will hear the candidate singing Clinton's praises in Philadelphia.  This is of a piece with all the purity candidates in my lifetime.  Since JFK, every Democratic president has fought for health reform and until Obama, every one has failed, many because they refused to compromise.  Perhaps their best chance at Obama style reform occurred during Nixon's presidency.  The watered down reform, which could have been improved over decades was shot down by Ted Kennedy because it wasn't ambitious enough.  He later said it was his biggest regret.   Now comes Bernie and the "Revolution" which will founder on the rocks of republican obstruction.  If he can't even bring himself to endorse a Democrat willing to compromise, how could Sanders possibly wrangle his programs through congress.  If the last 8 years have taught democrats anything it is political compromise may seem dirty and impure, but if you want to move the progressive agenda forward it is the only way to go.

May? Day

I wish I could say it was a beautiful May Day on the NCR.  Unfortunately, it was more like an average day in late March.  Cloudy, damp and cool/cold, it was the perfect day to celebrate 4 months of the Divine Mrs. M's unstinting labor for her Champlain Valley Voices concert at the Strand Theater in Plattsburgh.  Despite the gloomy weather, the Voices were in fine fettle and the consensus was the event went well.  Meanwhile, in the garden, slowly is the watchword.  Before the rain started I was able to transplant some cole crops from the cold frames to the open garden.  There they will sit until daytime temperatures get into the 60s on a regular basis.  Despite the 1/4 inch of rain we received, the soils are drying and will warm quickly with some strong May sunshine.   Everything else remains stalled and the heat loving vegetables remain in startup phase or safely in their packets as we wait for a capricious Mother Nature to relent.  On the national scene, nothing much changed over the weekend as far as I can tell.  Bobby Knight continues to illustrate why highly paid, successful coaches should not be trusted further than they can throw presidential candidates.  We seem to have reached a lull in the presidential campaign as the parties begin the process of resigning themselves to the consensus candidates on either side.  The jockeying for the fall has begun already and it looks like a tawdry and contentious battle between a couple of New Yorkers who will trade insults for the next six months.  I hope my daughter Merry's addition to the family is born into a world whose most powerful leader will be a beacon of hope, not a hateful misogynist.