Growing a little bit of food for the family has long been one of my most satisfying hobbies. In the past, I was able to harvest onions, artichokes, cucumbers, squash, carrots, plums, apples, apricots and other crops from my backyard in San Francisco; these days my latest yield is the cherry tomatoes shown above.
But watering the seedlings in my planter box has been a bit of a challenge; more precisely, getting the amount of moisture just right has been the issue.
A recent study involving a robot calibrated to provide just the right amount of water found that the robot used far less water on the plants than humans did. This came to my attention just as a bunch of nasty mushrooms invaded my box and the soil started smelling musty.
After reading the study I cut back on watering dramatically. Since then, the mushrooms have disappeared and these tomatoes have ripened to perfection. The soil is drier and the musty odor has vanished.
Unfortunately, my grandchildren say they don’t like cherry tomatoes at this point, but for this my daughter has a plan. Maybe they will change their minds after trying some of Grandpa’s home-grown variety, she opines.
That’s the main drama at our house this first week of September. Now on to the news, where the conflicts are decidedly more severe…
HEADLINES:
Capitol Hill doctor: McConnell did not have a stroke or seizure when freezing before cameras (CNN)
Ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio sentenced to 22 years for Jan. 6 riot role (NPR)
Government shutdown deadline looming as lawmakers return to Capitol Hill (CBS)
Poor families could see cuts to food aid as Congress battles over budget (WP)
The 2024 U.S. Presidential Race: A Cheat Sheet (Atlantic)
CNN Poll: GOP voters’ broad support for Trump holds, with less than half seriously worried criminal charges will harm his 2024 chances (CNN)
Could the 14th Amendment keep Trump off the ballot in 2024? (WP)
He’s Wanted in a 1970 Bombing. The F.B.I. Aged His Photo to Seek Tips. (NYT)
Ukraine war: 17 killed during attack on market in 'peaceful city'. (BBC)
Kim Jong-Un to meet with Putin this month (CBS)
Putin dashes global hopes for reviving the Ukraine grain deal (AP)
Cuba says it dismantled human trafficking ring recruiting for Russia's war in Ukraine (NPR)
Russian Pilot Describes Defection to Ukraine, Urges Others to Follow (WSJ)
Two doctors on opposite sides of the culture war tearing Israel apart (WP)
Burning Man attendees make a mass exodus after a dramatic weekend that left thousands stuck in the Nevada desert (CNN)
Faced With Evolving Threats, U.S. Navy Struggles to Change (NYT)
Around 70,000 child-care centers are expected to close. Around 3.2 million children could lose care, according to one study. (WP)
Climate change has increased the risk of explosive wildfire growth in California by 25 percent, and it will continue to drive extreme fire behavior (LAT)
Why car break-ins are so bad in S.F. — and not elsewhere (SFC)
Elon Musk blames the ADL for 60% ad sales decline at X, threatens to sue (CNN)
Can Teachers and Parents Get Better at Talking to One Another? (New Yorker)
A local LGBTQ pride group was excluded from a southwest Iowa town’s Labor Day parade, apparently by the city’s mayor, who cited safety concerns. A council member who disagreed with the move said she knew of no threats. [AP]
New AI-generated COVID drug enters Phase I clinical trials: ‘Effective against all variants’ (Fox)
Oracle Stock Is Rising. Bullish AI Cloud Outlook Prompts Another Upgrade (Barron’s)
Ex-Google executive fears AI will be used to create ‘more lethal pandemics’ (NY Post)
Inside Meta’s AI Drama: Internal Feuds Over Compute Power (The Information)
Exclusive survey: Experts favor new U.S. agency to govern AI (Axios)
Generative AI at an inflection point: What’s next for real-world adoption? (VentureBeat)
Baidu CEO says more than 70 large AI language models released in China (Reuters)
Man’s Only Remaining Source Of Pleasure Is Being Mad In The Car (The Onion)
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