I wish I knew the different trees. I know the Weeping Willow and the Red Maple and the Pine and the Douglas Fir. But there are so many more I don’t know.
Misspent Youth
New York City
In a downward spiral. Pretty soon, you’ll have many long-time residents getting out — already started. Just that de Blasio has been terrible for the city. The city is backsliding back to the bad old days of 70s.
Tolstoy’s War and Peace
There recently was a contest on television rating the 100 best ever works of fiction. To Kill a Mockingbird was the final winner, but, in my opinion, Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace should have been the winner as the best work of fiction ever written — perhaps that will ever be written.
It weaves together various aristocratic romantic as well as, at times, sinister and self-seeking relationships in a backdrop of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia and ultimate defeat at the hands of the Russian military and the Russian winter. The central character is this somewhat credulous but very humane character Pierre who seems to always find himself in the middle of things — both the various romantic relationships as well as the French invasion itself. One finds Pierre committing one folly after another, but going through a learning process and ultimately gaining a deeper humanity for it.
There was a television miniseries based on Tolstoy’s novel that’s now available on Hulu. The screenplay and staging are both excellent, the acting superior, and the miniseries really does this classic novel complete justice. Yet the miniseries when it was first aired received little recognition and applause for all of that. But then again there’s no underestimating American taste.
Nevertheless, Paul Dano played the role of the bumbling but appealing Pierre Bezukhov, the pivotal lead character of the novel, to perfection. He got both Pierre’s early stupefaction and his later enlightenment and character development just right. Bravo to Paul Dano for bringing this wonderful Tolstoyan character to life.
War and Peace (2016 TV Series)
Trump in a Nutshell
Pro-America Trump.
Lunatic Politicians
The so-called “Squad” shows the Democrats have their fair share of lunatics.
Black Racism
Blacks in the US are more racist than whites — for good reason, given the long history of discrimination against them. But you only hear about whites as racists; never about blacks.
Yet what a heavy load to carry around with you if you are a black American who hates “whitey”. Real hatred is extremely corrosive.
Reminds me of the famous line of the mother in The Grapes of Wrath: “Did they hurt ya and make ya mean-mad? … ‘Til ya ain’t no boy nor man anymore, just a walkin’ chunk o’ mean-mad.” Slavery and all the post-slavery discrimination against blacks couldn’t help but hurt them and make them mean-mad. So it is not surprising that racism among black Americans is common — but you never hear about it.
Bravo to the black American with so strong a character that he could overcome it. I’m not sure I could have.
Ending Mass Migration the Clear Trend
More and more European countries are wising up and putting a stop to mass migration. Italy is a case in point where mass migration of Africans into Italy has gone from 180,000 a year to just 3,000, and this is a direct result of the government taking action to prevent it.
So one can easily make the argument that Trump’s attempt to limit mass migration from Mexico and Central America is far from unusual. In fact, it is the clear trend internationally. Countries just don’t want to be swamped by masses of poor immigrants. It’s that simple.
Deportations
Deportation of illegal immigrants with criminal records long overdue. About time Trump lived up to this campaign promise.
Henry's Views 