Benefit of the Doubt!

I notice that I am often willing to give Biden the benefit of the doubt.  I want the contrast between him and the last guy to be obvious and positive.  And during these first months of his presidency I've been happy with what he's done and how he's done it.  So giving him a nod of approval hasn't been difficult.

But these past ten days has tried my commitment to his success.  No problem with his decision to pull out of Afghanistan.  But big problem with how he's gone about executing his decision.  And even bigger problem with his unwillingness/inability to tell the truth about what a disaster it has been.

He's not alone of course in what seems to me to be a qualification for being a politician - refusing to admit a mistake.  So instead of being straight with us we are fed bullshit, excuses, lies on what I can only conclude is the assumption that we can't handle the truth.

So this time he doesn't get the benefit of the doubt.  We can only hope that in the end the mission is accomplished and our people and our friends are saved.  But it won't change the truth of how bad it has been.  No pass, Joe!

Where to Look First?

It's hard to know where to look first.  Competing crises are all demanding attention.

In the last few days Afghanistan leads the pack.  Mayhem.  Uncertainty.  Blame.  Heartbreaking stories from people who want to get out, whose lives are in danger, and bureaucratic roadblocks every bit as real and frustrating as Taliban checkpoints.  At this point one can only hope for a good result, but hope may give way to helpless unless positive action follows.

Haiti is once again a disaster.  Earthquakes followed by a torrential downpour and preceded by assassination, corruption and poverty.  A poster child for what a cursed place looks like.

More and more wildfires, and the fire season is just beginning.  Close to home northern California is aflame.  Overseas Greece and Turkey are burning.  Why?  Pick your reason: lightning, faulty power lines, global warming, human carelessness.  The cause doesn't really matter.  People are dying.  Homes and businesses are being destroyed.  Lives are being disrupted.  And no end in sight.

Covid is surging here and around the world.  Here, the unvaccinated are fueling the surge.  In states with low vaccination rates the medical structure is breaking down - full hospitals, no ICU beds, and a lack of staff and partisan political bickering about what to do.  In addition, confusing guidance from the CDC, FDA and the experts about booster shots and whether the vaccines protect us over time lessen our trust in what we're being told.

Refugees.  Tens of millions of people have left their homes because of war, famine, drought, or just plain fear for their lives and survival.  And this one gets worse every day.  Compassion is in short supply, so finding places to go is difficult.  For those of us who have been spared we should be grateful.

Like I say, it's hard to know where to look first!

Blame Game!

Afghanistan is gone.  Or more accurately, Afghanistan has again been taken back by the Afghans.  It was never ours to lose, because it never belonged to us.  We had an illusion that by training their army and supporting a veneer of democracy they would see the world the way we wanted them to see it.

Wasn't going to happen.  The Russians couldn't make it happen.  The English couldn't make it happen.  For them and others, and now for us, we have been taught a basic lesson - we can't make the world over in our image.

So what can we do?  Blame someone.  Biden can blame Trump.  Trump can blame Biden.  They both can blame those that came before.  The supreme irony is that now, on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the Taliban flag will fly over the capitol in Kabul, the same Taliban flag that flew over Kabul when Al Qaeda was sheltering in Afghanistan while planning their attack on us.

What is happening is sad, tragic for many.  Whose fault is it?  Who should we blame?  Choose one, there are many candidates.  Welcome to the Blame Game!

  

Bet You Didn't Know That!

From Science Times today:

Birds seem to like collecting hair from animals and humans to better insulate their nests.  Not only will they scavenge hair from mammal carcasses, they'll steal it if they can.  Tufted titmice are the most common culprits.  Bet you didn't know that!

Giraffes are more social than we'd thought.  New research tells us that female giraffes have lunch buddies, stand guard over dead calves and stay close to their mothers and grandmothers.  They even take turns babysitting and feeding each other's young.  Bet you didn't know that!

Eating colorful fruits and vegetables may be good for your brain.  A new study found that flavonoids, the chemicals that give plant foods their bright colors, help curb forgetfulness and mild confusion that older people often complain about.  Brussels sprouts, strawberries, winter squash and raw spinach scored high.  Onions, apple juice and grapes didn't do well.  Bet you didn't know that!

Older people with Covid are showing atypical symptoms not seen so much in younger patients.  Classic Covid symptoms include fever, trouble breathing, and coughing.  People over 65, and even more so in those over 85, report functional decline - falls, fatigue, weakness, trouble getting out of bed, and altered mental status.  Bet you didn't know that!

Piling On!

Andrew Cuomo is definitely up to his neck in foul-smelling doo doo.  For sure, he should suffer the consequences for his bad behavior.  My guess is that he isn't likely to resign, so impeachment could be the path down which he goes to lose his job.

Ok, fine.  He deserves what he gets and has brought all this on himself.  Unacceptable behavior with women and a toxic work environment for those in his office.  Case closed.

I have only one problem with the way all this is going down.  The guardians of our public morality are having a field day piling on the Gov for being such a bad boy.  The (self serving) politicians.  The (holier than thou) pundits.  The (smug) journalists.  The (unleashed) social media.  And all the rest.

What's the point?  Being smug is not a virtue.  "See, I told you so," is not a brilliant insight.  "He deserves what he gets," is not an uplifting opinion.

Let it go, guys.  Talk about something useful.  I remember during those early days of the pandemic how Cuomo's daily press briefings were a breath of fresh air in contrast to the confusion and lies coming out of the White House.  That Cuomo doesn't excuse this Cuomo, but it at least provides a context for something other than getting even with him.

Or just say nothing.  That would be a step forward!

Quick Hits!

A few random thoughts:

Cuomo has been a very bad boy.  He should go!

Many businesses and money people and NBC have taken a hit because the Olympics hasn't generated much interest.  What a shame!

Most of the people now being hospitalized with Covid are unvaccinated.  Again, what a shame!

About 70% of Americans have been vaccinated.  Less than 2% of Africans have been vaccinated.  Is anyone surprised?

I rewatched "The Remains of the Day."  A gem.  Highly recommended!

Under threat:  Abortion rights.  Voting rights.  Democracy as we know it.  Once gone, what are the chances they'll return?

Why do we keep tightening the screws on Cuba?  Other than Florida politics, what's the point?  Must be some kind of threat I can't see.  Makes no sense!

The English Premier League is back in 10 days.  Go Leeds!

Farmer's Market

I went to the Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building today.  First time in almost two years.  What did I notice?

Far fewer people than usual.  Fewer tourists?  Fewer locals?  Dunno for sure, but my guess is that it is fewer tourists.

Outside, the number of fruit and vegetable stands seemed about the same.  The Tuesday market has always had less to offer than the more popular market on Saturday, but even less was still OK.

Inside, some old favorites were gone, like Cowgirl Creamery, but I noticed a variety of interesting shops, some old, some new.  There was still a line at Acme bread.  I found great prosciutto at the Golden Gate Meat Co.  Sandra visited a new place, Epicurean something or other, which featured cheese, pate, etc.

We left stocked with corn, sugar snap peas, pluots, carrots, basil, strawberries, figs, tomatoes and a smile on our faces.  Seemed, almost, like old times.

What Wakes Us Up?

The other night there was a mass shooting in New York.  Ten people were wounded.  How do I know this happened?  It was reported at the bottom of page 17 of the Times.

Page 17?  You have to be a committed reader to even notice what in a world not so long ago would have been big news.  We have become so used to the outrageous that it barely gets our attention.  And I'm not only talking about something like a mass shooting, of which there seems to be one every day.

We are surrounded by the outrageous, the unacceptable, the "up with this we should not put."  Lies from our leaders.  Lack of transparency in government.  Uncontrolled student loan debt.  Refusal to get a Covid vaccination.  The homeless.  Growing income inequality.  Out of control climate change.

Take a look.  Wake up.  It won't take you long to see what is not OK with you.  And then, if you are now awake, ask yourself if it has to be this way.  Can anything be done?  Or are we helpless in the face of the unacceptable?

It may be that the best we can get is feeling helpless.  Or maybe not.  Whatever . . . first we need to wake up!