Our Commander in Chief at the White House should be called instead the Embarrassment in Chief. We traded this for a real leader in Trump. Go figure. But Trump wasn’t polite but rude and often nasty so he had to go. Duh.
Author: Henry Barnard
I am a voracious reader and also enjoy writing. I often have a very different point of view than the popular one. I do see value in debate, and thought it might add to the public debate on controversial issues if I were to express my contrarian opinions. I also started keeping my poems recently (I've written little pieces my whole adult life but never kept any); and I've been a photographer now for over 25 years. So I will be adding an occasional poem and hopefully interesting photograph to the blog along the way, just to spice things up.
Afghanistan — What It Tells You
What the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban tells you about the limits of American power is that we can’t change the ethos of other countries — that is well beyond our capability. We can’t take a deeply conservative, male-oriented, and archly Islamic country and make it over into our image of a Western democracy with equal rights for everyone and freedom of religion. And we shouldn’t try to. It’s bound to fail.
They are all now blaming Biden for this defeat, but, to be honest, he was a very late player in this comedy of errors. The initial error was to expand our enemies list from al-Qaeda to the Taliban. The Taliban never attacked the US; al-Qaeda did.
Another Vietnam?
Afghanistan is turning into another Vietnam.
I suppose there is a plus side to all of this. Americans now know where Afghanistan is located.
Old Age and Feet
If you see someone old who is walking with difficulty, it very well may be that each step is causing pain in the bones in their feet. What can happen in old age is the soft tissue in the bottom of the feet can deteriorate so the bones have less protection. But there is a definite solution to this: metatarsal pads that fit inside the sock.
Yogurt Adds
Silk Unsweet Almond Milk Yogurt with Vanilla. Add oat bran for the fiber, which will feed the bacteria, and take it with a probiotic pill as well. Boost for the gut bacteria. Stop using yogurts that have added sugar. They have so much sugar they are candy.
The True Way
Have you ever braved the lonely road?
For we are here but a short time,
And the wind blows us all away.
Have you ever braved the lonely road
And found your true way?
Have you ever sung your own song?
For we are here but a short time,
And the wind blows us all away.
Have you ever sung your own song
And found your true way?
Have you ever loved?
For we are here but a short time,
And the wind blows us all away.
Have you ever loved
And found your true way?
Music for Me
For me, Pachelbel’s Canon represents the height of human elation, while Barber’s Adagio represents the depth of human sorrow. The third movement in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade is my most enjoyable piece, although Chopin, Ravel, and Debussy are all knocking at that gate.
Quirky
Quirky but memorable movie on Netflix — that vast wasteland — called “Cut Bank”. First rate acting, for a change. Gets that country dialog just right.
Literary Challenges
Making my way slowly, arduously, and meticulously through the Odes of Horace and Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Not for the faint of heart.
Mushrooms, To Your Health
Netflix has an interesting documentary about mushrooms and other fungi called “Fantastic Fungi”. Not sure many people realize that mushrooms are technically not plants but, instead, their own separate class of organism: fungus, which live off of and decay dead organic matter.
Mushrooms have been getting a lot of recent attention by nutritionists and other scientists relative to their beneficial effect on the human body — Lion’s Mane for the health of the brain, Turkey Tail for fighting cancers, Chaga and Reishe to support the immune system, Cordyceps for the respiratory system.
The above types of mushrooms are just not available to me locally, but their mushroom powders are all available to me online, although expensive. But if their benefits are half as good as what is claimed, they are worth it.
Henry's Views 