Spring is almost here

At least by the calendar, spring is around the corner.  With the temp at -13 degrees in Saranac Lake this morning, somebody forgot to circulate the memo to Mother Nature.  The saving grace is the abundance of sunlight today. 

The politics of hate

Now that Bibi Netanyahu seems to have won another term as prime minister of Israel with a late barrage of negative campaigning and scaremongering, it may be time to reassess America's relationship with our Mideast doppleganger.  By using hate and fear to win elections, the Likud is descending the same path as the GOP in America.  Marginalizing Israeli Arabs and telling everyone there will be no Palestinian state on his watch, Netanyahu is thumbing his nose at any pretense of peace with his neighbors.  Add to that his advocacy of an American-Iranian war to stop the latter's development of a nuclear bomb and you have the classic case of the tail wagging the dog.  An unholy alliance of the Christian right, the republican party and the Israel lobby have pre-empted a measured, thoughtful policy in the Mideast.  We need to have a discussion about who is driving policy and what are the implications of that.

Climate change and the Presidency

On his website VOX, Ezra Klein makes a good case for an Al Gore presidency.  Disregarding the fact he already won the popular vote once, Klein argues not so much for an ultimate win, but at least a chance for the serious issue of climate change to be aired before the next election.  Many scientists are now arguing that the human race may not survive a 4 degree rise in global temperature.  Do we hear anything like this from the nascent Clinton campaign?  The republican candidates are a joke when it comes to climate change.  We are more likely to see a snowball fight on the senate floor than a realistic debate on global temperature unless someone of Gore's standing with his name recognition drags the other candidates to the table.  With his personal baggage and wooden style, it is unlikely he will win the Democratic nomination, but by injecting his take on issues, he will certainly make the eventual nominee more responsive to the coming challenges a changing climate will force on all of us.

Back to the Same Old

Cold and snow.  Mexico already seems like a pleasant dream.  Got home Thursday morning and has been snowing off and on ever since.   The bright spot is I was able to plant the first seeds of the new season.  Started snapdragons, peppers and eggplant.  It's amazing how expensive the seeds are these days.  One variety of peppers were nearly $.40/seed.  Ditto the eggplant.  I hope they germinate and grow well.  I guess we will see as the season progresses.  Of course with the weather we are now experiencing, I'm not too sanguine at this point.  With 4 feet of frost in the ground.  I won't be transplanting anything outside for some time.

blogging in Paradise

The palm trees are waving and the sun is relentless, especially to those of us acclimatized to winter in the Northeast US.  I consider myself extremely lucky to be here in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.  After a fairly uneventful trip, the Divine Mrs. M and I are comfortably ensconced in our ocean view room.  You can hear the birds outside our windows and the air conditioning is on as I write this.  I am taking a minor holiday from current events and will write about tropical breezes and Mexican food and hospitality unless something especially egregious comes up.

Sunny (I hope) Skies

Blogging for the next few days will be somewhat irregular as the Divine Mrs. M and myself hie off to sunny Mexico for a well deserved week of warm forgetfulness.  The only fly in the ointment is the weather between here and Playa Del Carmen.  The thought of spending even a small fraction of the next week staring at airline bulletin boards and hoping no cancellations will impact us is the dark lining to our silver sky.  I will pay some attention to current events, but for the most part am looking forward to lazy days by the pool and long walks on the beach.  My carbon footprint for the next week or so will be regrettably large. 

The Walmartian Economy

Almost out of the blue, Walmart issued a declaration it would be raising wages for at least 500,000 employees.  Immediately, TJ Maxx and several other large, low wage retailers announced similar plans.  The conventional wisdom and most republicans have not weighed in on this development, but you would think these "big box" retailers would be in for a scolding.  After all, the economy is certainly not markedly better than it was a year ago, at least by most people's reckoning.  But then again, maybe it is.  Jobs at Walmart are among the worst in the country.  Crazy schedules, low pay and irregular hours should lead to low morale and high turnover.  Sure enough, that is what happens when you treat human beings like disposables.  Judging by Walmart's past behavior, the only reason for a wage increase is management is feeling the pressure caused by lower productivity and has decided it is in the company's interest to make conditions better.  The fact millions of people have agitated for a raise in the minimum wage for years would seem to have no weight.  Where are the chorus of doomsayers predicting mass unemployment?  The problem of inequality has still not been addressed, but at least the conversation has started.