The beginning of one of the few dozen novels I’ve read begins:<\/p>\n
“It was the best of times it was the worst of times.”<\/em> That’s how I feel now. My blog’s recent quiescence reflects my intense involvement with, reading the news, studying history, learning French, thinking about it all, all the while making sure not to neglect my family. If I was less preoccupied I’d be blogging like mad. I don’t even feel sorry for depriving my eight loyal readers. I’m sure they have enjoyed the vacation. Even when I lie in bed knitting together the many strands of my thinking I don’t feel too badly about my zipped fingers.<\/p>\n The past couple of days I’ve I’ve progressed in my French studies teasing out the elusive eliasons of the spoken language and developing enough vocabulary and grammar to imagine myself muddling along splendidly when I get to France five months from now. I better start making reservations.<\/p>\n Just now I was thinking of Dicken’s first words in A Tale of Two Cities<\/strong> and I came up with a useful corollary.<\/p>\n It was the best of times but don’t forget about the distressed<\/em> and it was the worst of times but don’t be jealous of those who are doing better<\/em>.<\/p>\n Putting aside Trump’s empty blue collar rhetoric I loath him because he only cares about himself. Despite his riches he can’t hide his envy of even richer plutocrats. Running for President was just another scheme to get richer which was spoiled by actually getting elected and facing the legal roadblocks to his corruptly getting richer in the swamp he poured more alligators into. Poor baby. He may even end up losing his billionaire status.<\/p>\n I have been accumulating blog material that I may never get around to pontificating about. I’ll just paste in a dozen stories from the New York Times, Guardian and Washington Post from the past few days that beg for our attention:<\/p>\n In 83 Million Eviction Records, a Sweeping and Intimate New Look at Housing in America <\/a><\/p>\n Sworn to secrecy, Trump’s history of using nondisclosure agreements<\/a><\/p>\n How the Party of Lincoln Became the Party of Racial Backlash<\/a> <\/p>\n Why I left Fox News<\/a><\/p>\n A Riposte to European Superiority<\/a><\/p>\n