Greetings Fellow Humans. How are you doing in these perilous times? We're water logged, which is further depressing our spirits. It's currently raining and cold. At 3:30 in the afternoon it's in the low 50s. Due to the jet stream and a lack of high pressure systems, there's no end in sight for this weather pattern.
The weather models are predicting this to go well in to June. Kill me now.
There is an amazing article up on NYT about Haiti and how France, the US and Haiti's internal corruption have ruined the country. While there was and is corruption within the Haitian government, I would have to say the greatest fault has to be laid at the feet of France and the US. When Haiti over threw their enslavers, France required the Haitian people to recompense the former enslavers. The debt compounded over the years, leaving nothing for nation building. Mistakes were made by the Haitians, but I think the French have much to apologize for. The French do not accept that any of this happened, oddly enough. Anyway, it's here. There is a paywall, but if you haven't used up your monthly allotment of free articles, this one is worth reading.
We have not done much that is worth writing about. In part because of the weather. We started up the big hill the other day, but the wind picked up, we got cold and gave up on it.
Our neighbor with the giant agave took it outside for the summer. I'm wondering how the agave is feeling about leaving its west facing window in the warmth of the house.
This is ours from when we got here. I took this outside when it had just been repotted.
The neighbors had some maintenance done on their roof this morning. It just gives me the willies to see people unharnessed on a roof. This one does not have a really steep pitch, but still. Here they are, scraping off moss.
He did not fall. A split second later, he grabbed the edge of the roof and arrested his departure into space.
I'm not sure how I feel about pressure washing a composite shingle roof. I think I'm against it.
They finished up just before the rain got here.
From the department of you can't fix stupid, we have this quote from Bill Cassidy, senator from Mississippi. As you know, Mississippi rates pretty much at the bottom of every list by which states are ranked. Maternal mortality is one of those lists. However, according to the senator, things are not really that bad. The below is from Vanity Fair.
In an interview with Politico, the following words came out of Cassidy’s mouth: “About a third of our population is African American; African Americans have a higher incidence of maternal mortality. So, if you correct our population for race, we’re not as much of an outlier as it’d otherwise appear. Now, I say that not to minimize the issue but to focus the issue as to where it would be. For whatever reason, people of color have a higher incidence of maternal mortality.”
What, oh what, could those reasons be? Lack of pre-natal care? Refusal to expand Medicaid post-partum care? Systemic racism in the medical profession? One does wonder about this higher incidence. Vanity Fair wrote about the interview, which you can read here. Or you can read the longer article on Politico here.
I will leave you with a picture of one of our cute quail. They're California Quail. I'm going to spare you the picture of the marmot poop we picked up off the front yard.
That's it! That's all I've got.
That is one cute quail. As for Mississippi, and the rest of them, that stupid statement is what is wrong with so many people who consider the other races beneath them.
ReplyDeleteYou just can't win in the weather department - too hot and dry in Tucson, to cold and wet in Spokane!
ReplyDeleteI saw that. What an ass. Well, if you only count real people, it's not so bad. Another white guy who thinks there's no such thing as systemic racism or poverty either I guess.
ReplyDeleteYou're unseasonable cold, we're unseasonably hot. But we did finally get some rain last night.
Mississippi and their Elected Officials, well, I have no Words... except, it's Mississippi and their track record has always been abysmal for obvious reasons. Not that our State of AZ is much better at times with bad Politicians being elected by those who idolize and support people who have the same biases that they do. With some Americans it seems the only criteria to getting their Vote is to Hate all of the same people that they do. I feel so sorry for your Weather there, The Grandson moved back to AZ from Washington State, couldn't take the Weather or how expensive it was to live there anymore. They were Homeless most of the time and with crappy Weather and being without affordable Housing, it all became too much. We're having a prolonged drought here of coarse, Global Warming, what can I say except it's Real.
ReplyDeleteLove the quail! It seems wildly coincidental that your neighbor has the exact same type of agave. What are the odds?! At least you're getting water -- in this world, better too much (within reason) than too little.
ReplyDeleteI grew up knowing how the reparations demanded by French enslavers crippled Haiti. It broke my heart, especially knowing there was nothing my poor little self could do about it. I find I feel that way a lot these days when I hear US politicians spout their bigotry and stupidity. Our poor world.
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