That's just tiny wild strawberries, but the commercial fields are growing well--harvesting should begin sometime in April. The Hmong farmers now dominate the local strawberry business, and they have extended the season considerably--both earlier and later. The state tax collectors leaned on them hard starting two or three years ago for not treating family members as employees, which significantly increased their operating costs and thus prices to the consumers (to a smaller degree, I think). Their strawberries are of far better quality than those of the big farms over on the coast.
To some extent it appears that we are protected by Trump's incompetence; so far he has actually accomplished next to nothing beyond mere theatricality. This whole business about being bugged by Obama seems to be a clear display of paranoid psychosis, which I am more and more convinced is merely a facet of his psychopathy. The press, as well as the politicians, continues in its long-established fantastic propaganda that radicals and anarchists are "conservative." The Global Laundromat operation [Click] could very well have links to Trump's companies, and indeed his personal wealth, although the press in the US so far seems to be ignoring it.
As for bringing back coal mining jobs to Appalachia, there seem to be three factors that have had a far greater effect than EPA regulations--simple economics (Appalachian coal is too expensive to be competitive), alternative energy, and the Sierra Club's "Beyond Coal" campaign. The last has been very effective in stopping expansion and major rebuilding of old coal-fired power plants; it seems to be very much under the radar of the "Obama's war on coal" propagandists.
“There’s just never been any question in my mind about that. I’ve been inside a cover-up. I know how they look and feel. And every signal they’re sending is: ‘We’re covering this thing up.'”
— Ex-Nixon White House counsel John Dean, quoted by The Hill, on the Trump administration’s reaction to ongoing investigations of Russian ties and Trump’s wiretapping accusations.
“There’s just never been any question in my mind about that. I’ve been inside a cover-up. I know how they look and feel. And every signal they’re sending is: ‘We’re covering this thing up.'”
— Ex-Nixon White House counsel John Dean, quoted by The Hill, on the Trump administration’s reaction to ongoing investigations of Russian ties and Trump’s wiretapping accusations.
“The whole world had a chance to watch this unfold, and it was a direct test of his credibility. And the whole world now knows he lied about it. We’ve seen it again and again. When we have a president who is a congenital liar, it really matters.”
— Former White House aide David Gergen, quoted by the Washington Post.
Well, I have my doubts, listener. People are conditioned to behave normally, and that is counterproductive when things are abnormal. They also have a strong tendency to take their behavioral cues from those around them. Consider the famous (I think) psychology experiment where someone hears a crash and scream from the next room. If the hearer is alone, s/he usually runs quickly to give aid. If in a group of people who don't respond, s/he also does not respond (usually). The current dysfunction in the White House is so unprecedented that people are not sure what to do or who to look to for validation of their ideas about what to do, so they do little or nothing. Barring something truly dramatic, I think it will probably take them a long time to form a consensus, but there is always the possibility that someone will take some sort of independent effective action without waiting for consensus. In the meantime they are trying to work themselves up to it a little bit at a time. The terrible dysfunction in the GOP members of Congress makes the task far more difficult. If the situation ripens adequately, a single person standing up and speaking out will be enough to trigger a huge response. In the meantime, I just hope we don't get involved in a nuclear war; I worry about that more now than I have in fifty years.
llistener--Am I correct to believe that Great Point is on Nantucket? And congratulations on Root Center*Son's house!
ReplyDeleteI just remembered that while gardening this past weekend I noticed fruit on the volunteer wild strawberries near one of our cherry trees.
--Alan
Wow. Strawberries in March. Ours wil come late June.
DeleteYes, Great Point is at the tip of Nantucket that points toward the elbow of Cape Cod.
That's just tiny wild strawberries, but the commercial fields are growing well--harvesting should begin sometime in April. The Hmong farmers now dominate the local strawberry business, and they have extended the season considerably--both earlier and later. The state tax collectors leaned on them hard starting two or three years ago for not treating family members as employees, which significantly increased their operating costs and thus prices to the consumers (to a smaller degree, I think). Their strawberries are of far better quality than those of the big farms over on the coast.
DeleteAlan
Just to make your day...
ReplyDeletehttp://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TRUMP_RUSSIA_ANALYSIS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-03-21-03-33-15
To some extent it appears that we are protected by Trump's incompetence; so far he has actually accomplished next to nothing beyond mere theatricality. This whole business about being bugged by Obama seems to be a clear display of paranoid psychosis, which I am more and more convinced is merely a facet of his psychopathy. The press, as well as the politicians, continues in its long-established fantastic propaganda that radicals and anarchists are "conservative." The Global Laundromat operation [Click] could very well have links to Trump's companies, and indeed his personal wealth, although the press in the US so far seems to be ignoring it.
ReplyDeleteAlan
As for bringing back coal mining jobs to Appalachia, there seem to be three factors that have had a far greater effect than EPA regulations--simple economics (Appalachian coal is too expensive to be competitive), alternative energy, and the Sierra Club's "Beyond Coal" campaign. The last has been very effective in stopping expansion and major rebuilding of old coal-fired power plants; it seems to be very much under the radar of the "Obama's war on coal" propagandists.
Delete--Alan
OK, we’re starting to get a little bit closer:
ReplyDeleteBank that lent $300m to Trump linked to Russian money laundering scam[Click]
—Alan
“There’s just never been any question in my mind about that. I’ve been inside a cover-up. I know how they look and feel. And every signal they’re sending is: ‘We’re covering this thing up.'”
ReplyDelete— Ex-Nixon White House counsel John Dean, quoted by The Hill, on the Trump administration’s reaction to ongoing investigations of Russian ties and Trump’s wiretapping accusations.
Post went a bit haywire; try again:
DeleteThere WAS an FBI wiretap in Trump Tower.[Click] Just not placed there by Barack Obama and not targeting Donald Trump.
Robert Reich reflects on the state of affairs in DC[Click]
Proof Comey's Testimony Is a Turning Point in Trump's Presidency[Click] Hmmmmmm…..well, maybe.
Quotation via policalwire.com:
“There’s just never been any question in my mind about that. I’ve been inside a cover-up. I know how they look and feel. And every signal they’re sending is: ‘We’re covering this thing up.'”
— Ex-Nixon White House counsel John Dean, quoted by The Hill, on the Trump administration’s reaction to ongoing investigations of Russian ties and Trump’s wiretapping accusations.
—Alan
Verrrrrry interesting!
DeleteAnother quotation via politicalwire.com--Alan
ReplyDelete“The whole world had a chance to watch this unfold, and it was a direct test of his credibility. And the whole world now knows he lied about it. We’ve seen it again and again. When we have a president who is a congenital liar, it really matters.”
— Former White House aide David Gergen, quoted by the Washington Post.
I sure do hope they crack this thing very soon, and end this agony!
DeleteWell, I have my doubts, listener. People are conditioned to behave normally, and that is counterproductive when things are abnormal. They also have a strong tendency to take their behavioral cues from those around them. Consider the famous (I think) psychology experiment where someone hears a crash and scream from the next room. If the hearer is alone, s/he usually runs quickly to give aid. If in a group of people who don't respond, s/he also does not respond (usually). The current dysfunction in the White House is so unprecedented that people are not sure what to do or who to look to for validation of their ideas about what to do, so they do little or nothing. Barring something truly dramatic, I think it will probably take them a long time to form a consensus, but there is always the possibility that someone will take some sort of independent effective action without waiting for consensus. In the meantime they are trying to work themselves up to it a little bit at a time. The terrible dysfunction in the GOP members of Congress makes the task far more difficult. If the situation ripens adequately, a single person standing up and speaking out will be enough to trigger a huge response. In the meantime, I just hope we don't get involved in a nuclear war; I worry about that more now than I have in fifty years.
DeleteAlan
Trump's Credibility Crisis Arrives [Click] James Fallows
ReplyDelete--Alan