The weather is expected to be wetter – I hope it does not wash out the neighbourhood Halloween festivities at the old Lydia School this week. And Lisa will be having her second cataract operation.
Maybe we can combine both events. Lisa now has protective shields for both eyes intended to protect the post-operation eye for a couple of days whilst she sleeps. They look just like fly eyes. Maybe she can attend the function as a latter-day Fly, hybrid human insect.
And maybe we will find time to do other things as well!
Robin’s Thoughts on America
Last week, I referenced two other articles recently circulating on the Internet. The thoughts of Scott Waters, an American tourist on an extended stay in England, triggering a riposte in The Guardian from the Western side of the Atlantic. So, I will be offering a few of my own thoughts this week – here are a few starters whilst I compose and consolidate my thoughts.
- Americans are overwhelmed by stuff – there never seems to be enough space to keep everything. Hence the proliferation of self storage facilities to hold your stuff. Every road seems to have one or three.
- And much of this stuff is auctioned off when the owners can’t pay (or be bothered to pay) the rent.
- All American drivers are terrified of a roundabout (they call them a rotary), which is why there are so very few of them. And nobody has any practice at circumnavigating them.
- Portion sizes are enormous, so you are offered the chance to take home the leftovers to snack on later.
- But nobody seems to know which came first – enormous portions creating leftovers to take home, or the need for snacking at home requiring oversize portions in restaurants.
- The Great American Dream says that anyone can become a billionaire if they work hard enough at it.
- And on the off chance that this is true, a progressive tax regime (where the rich pay the same percentage, or even a little higher percentage of their income in tax than the poorest) is resisted – it might affect you personally one day.
- Gourmet home cooking means mixing the contents of two cans.
- American politics are totally broken. Hatred of any positions taken by liberal socialist nazis or conservative plutocrat fascists (pick your choice of opposition) is automatic.
- But however much the President is despised (according to opinion polls), he is wildly popular by comparison with the rest of the political circus.
- Most Americans believe that the USA is a shining example to the rest of the world.
- Most Americans believe that they need to be armed to the teeth to stop the US government implementing its secret plan to imminently remove all democratic liberties.
- For example, there is a widespread belief that the President will attempt to suspend the next elections so that he can hang on to office.
- Mind you, if he does, that might stop Donald Trump from becoming the next President.
- Yet, in spite of all their doubts about the future of USA, Americans are welcoming, friendly, charitable folk.