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.

Relishing Food

In my old age, I’ve become something of a cook and now enjoy food much more, as I am able to produce meals that have a lot of taste. But it begs the obvious question, what is taste, what is the taste of food? If you think about it for a moment, it comes down to the tongue’s reaction to the chemicals in food. The tongue — this magical organ with its taste buds — plays the pivotal roll, especially the very tip of the tongue.

And the more you get your tongue involved in each morsel of food, the greater the intensity of the taste of that food. So it is actually possible to increase that intensity by slowing the chewing process and lengthening the amount of time the tongue has to twirl and savor the food.

And then there is something called the “aftertaste”. It is literally the lingering taste of the food after you have swallowed it. The mouth and tongue are still slightly coated with that taste so there is this faint but discernible aftertaste. How many gourmets, instead of rushing on to the next bite mindlessly, take the time to enjoy this aftertaste? Many? Any?

The bottom line about taste is to eat more slowly so that you let your tongue do it what does so well…and don’t forget that hint of the taste in the aftertaste. So mindful eating is the way to go if you can manage it — to get even more taste.

Cool

Illegal Aliens

The Democrats care more about illegal immigrants — and their potential votes — than they do about American citizens.

So now we have mass acceptance of all the illegal aliens (14 million? 20 million?) as full-fledged citizens without so much as any screening process at all. Looks like their illegal behavior paid off, allowing them to jump the line to get citizenship. I suppose that means the foreigners who got in line were suckers after all. I suppose it also means we have no real borders.

That’s government by Democrats. No question, we are now on a very downward trajectory as a nation. What California has become under their rule is what the rest of the country will become — and soon. The best days are behind us. The future looks very bleak and probably dangerous.

Antifa

Vaccines

All these vaccines for the coronavirus — the pharmaceutical companies claim they have a high percentage effectiveness rate, but making such a claim is also very much in the pharms self interest to claim that, as it gives the pharms access to the huge and lucrative market for such an effective vaccine. But are these vaccines really as effective as claimed?

And no doubt they have been rushed to market, so to speak, in order to deal with the pandemic, but in that haste to make them available, has adequate testing been done to rule out side effects and even serious medical reactions?

What if the vaccine you are taking — trusting all the various claims about it — is in fact not only ineffective against the virus, but can produce serious, even life-threatening reactions?

Are you taking too big a leap of faith in trusting these pharmaceutical companies, companies that like all profit-making companies are focused very much on the bottom line?

Antifa

“Truth in Boxing”

Have you ever noticed that when you open a box of breakfast cereal and look inside, a third to up to half of the box is actually empty, that is, nothing but air? What is actually happening here? Clearly the producers are telling you that you are buying a larger amount when you view the size of the box itself from the outside compared to the amount of cereal in the box that you actually get.

This is no doubt good for the producer because, in selling you less product than you think you are buying, they are reducing their cost than if the box were full. On the other hand, it is clearly bad for the consumer, and represents arguably deceptive and misleading selling.

There was a phase in consumer-protection history when we had a campaign called “truth in advertising” because the permitted ads were so deceptive and misleading. Is it time for something called “truth in boxing”? Or do you want to continue to pay for air when you think you are buying breakfast cereal?

Virus Overreaction

Virus Overreaction

The two groups that are in danger with this virus are people over than, say, 65. and people with other serious health conditions. Those two groups should remain isolated and stay at home, but everyone else should go back to work and back to a normal life style, in my opinion, because, like with the flu, the virus doesn’t pose a serious lethal threat to them, and we all do need a functioning economy or we are looking at a repeat of the 1930s and a real economic collapse.

A Different View

Impeachment Farce

Impeachment farce comes to its thankful end. You don’t impeach someone who is no longer in office. And what happened at the Capitol was all about a fraudulent election. The people were showing their ire about the fraud. Can you blame them? It would have been shameful had they not demonstrated by invading that building. American elections are supposed to be honest and above board. This one stunk to high heavens — and look what we are left with in the White House.

Circus Comes to Town