Harvest time. Whither the prognosticators?

20220808

It is harvest time.  Grandma Nadia has made umpteen jars of peach, current and cherry plum jam.  If there is food shortage, diabetes will be a greater threat than starvation.  Otherwise we’ll have to systematically give it away.

I was successful giving away this 20lb bag of cherry plums.  Two grandmothers usually set up a table by the train station to sell homegrown produce and flowers.  I intended it for them, but they weren’t there.  However, there is a church soup kitchen in the next block that gladly accepted them.

Grandma Nadia assures me that we will be able to use all our tomatoes in salads, but I have my doubts.  I’m ready to make a few batches of tomato sauce.  The apples are the most abundant of all.  If the weather turns summery we may be able to dry some. Otherwise, stand by for a lot of pie.

The Internet provides a profusion of opinions on the war.  Interesting to me that what happens on the battlefield seems to have little impact on the opinions.  The Russophiles are still touting an assured Russian win.  Check out Mike Whitney and Paul Craig Roberts.  They don’t come close to leaving themselves a way out if they are wrong.  Alt-right news sources such as Revolver and ZeroHedge are also biased, though not as egregiously.

My tendency is to believe Bob Homans.  His sources have enough humility to admit when they are wrong and confess to uncertainty.  Russian Dissent has an interesting take on the political situation in Russia.  The title is quite apt: Stupidity, Treason, or Business as Usual? Russia has its own problems. 

The outcome is likely to depend on factors we cannot accurately forecast.  Two Churchill quotes are appropriate: “Russia.. is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma” And "Russia is never as strong as she looks; Russia is never as weak as she looks." We could say similar things at this juncture about the US, NATO and the West.  It is a screwy time in world history. 

Edward Dutton analyzes world events from an evolutionary point of view.  He has a new book out, Spiteful Mutants, that got a good review from Roger Devlin.  Dutton’s books tend to repeat one another, but each has enough original thought to be worth the price.  I’ll probably buy it and quote him in an upcoming speech on coping with the New Normal.

That’s the news from Lake WeBeGone, where the strong man is spending more time with Eddie on schoolwork, getting in a lot of time bicycling with the kids.  The good looking woman does her part, and the kids enjoy being around us.  Maybe that will last?

Graham