June 2016 Notes

Another brief entry. Hopefully, I will have more to tell you all about my July, 2016.

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On a Sunday in early June, the K family took the family vehicle (our Citroen CRX3) to the Ling Shan area of Wuxi. We didn't go to the Big Buddha but we were able to see it while we drove around the shores of Tai Hu.

The drive was quite nice actually. The road wound through some hills and offered some picturesque views. However, when we stopped alongside Tai Hu at a spot that was seemed wonderfully lacking in people, we saw dark green water and nearly gagged at the horrible odor emanating from it.

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My son Tony tells me that he wants to change his name to Stanford Pines. Stanford Pines being a character on the cartoon series Gravity Falls that I have introduced to Tony. Tony has watched the two seasons of the cartoon series over and over again.

Besides this strange declaration, Tony has been saying a lot of other funny things and asking me all sorts of questions, most of which, thankfully, are from a discovery of facts about the world which in turn has spurred him to be further curious. For instance, he has been asking me about countries, their flags and World Wars One and Two.

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Differences are meant to be laughed at, said GK Chesterton, or so I seem to recall him saying. And if my memory isn't further failing me, I believe GKC was commenting on how English or European travelers would be disconcerted by being laughed at by the natives who thought their different ways were quite hilarious.

I mention this when I think of the stories I have heard by Chinese and Africans. Many Chinese would make jokes about the blackness of Africans skins, I have heard, that in this day of hyper racial sensitivity would be considered hate crimes or examples of extreme racism.

And so it was that the reaction to the detergent commercial, where a black man is pushed into a washing machine by a girl and comes out as a light skinned Chinese man, is big in the PC World but not in China.

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One student, the old engineer who I sometimes get to talk to on a Saturday morning, says he would to like see Trump win the US presidential election because he sees Hilary as part of a political dynasty and Trump as just being a more interesting personality. When I told him of Trump's attitudes on trade with China, the old engineer didn't seem concerned.

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For Dragon Boat Festival Day, the K family drove to Jenny's Hometown so Jenny could do some paperwork at the police station there. On the drive in, we encountered a bit of a traffic jam on the freeway; but had clear sailing on the way back. The other drivers didn't annoy me so much, except this one guy who rode my ass for thirty seconds.

In the evening, back in the Hui Shan District, where we live, we went to see the film Warcraft. The movie was alright but doesn't deserve a repeat view or anticipation for its possible sequels. More interesting than the movie, to me, was Tony's strong desire, which he expressed by sobbing and a few temper tantrums, to not see the film. Jenny suspected he was really mad at not being allowed to play on the Ipad to his heart's desire.

As we suspected, Tony who has before been known to express opposition in the strongest manners to things beforehand and then change his mind, calmed down as we took him to the movie and was in a good mood as the evening progressed.

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In June, We also drove to Suzhou and stayed overnight at a hotel. I hated the drive because the traffic was horrible, but I didn't mind Suzhou so much once the car was parked at the hotel and we were able to ride the subway around the city.

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I was ecstatic when I heard the results of the Brexit vote.

What I don't understand is why such a large proportion of people, 48 percent, wanted to stay in that God awful monstrosity that the EU had become. Were these people ignorant of history? Did they think that staying in the EU would bring on some sort of stand around the fire and sing kumbaya world? Did these people like have their life taken away from them at airports or government offices? (I say this because this is the world that would surely result if the EU ran more and more of people's lives) Did these people stupidly think that being in the EU could end bigotry or racism? Did these people stupidly think that the EU had been responsible for the peace that has existed, except when it hasn't, in Europe since 1945? Did they secretly want Canada to join the United States? (Canada's situation vis-a-vis the USA, will soon be akin to Great Britain's to Europe once Brexit is enacted) Did they think that acting like ignorant and arrogant dickheads was the way to convince their opponents to join their side?

There is nothing more ignorant than someone who thinks he knows better.

There is nothing more bigoted than someone who thinks he is lacking is prejudice.

Bravo Great Britain!

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I warned an Englishman that he should fear the match against Iceland at Euro 2016. And I was right.

It was the perfect opportunity for England to break their fans hearts and they naturally took advantage.

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My gig of teaching US History at Big Bridge came to an end. Just in case it hasn't, I will be reading a lot of history books over the summer.