Just thought I’d follow up on Sheona’s question about being able to write original posts.
Not much to really say. I’ve been extremely busy, balancing three jobs and a busy study schedule. Managed to slip out of California for a week to visit Texas. Will fly back to California tomorrow. Would prefer to be in Europe, but Boris managed to destroy that for me and I’m working on getting to Sweden.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Howdy, pardner!
Here are two books that you might find interesting.
The first was written by Fanny Trollope, the mother of Anthony of Barchester fame. She provides her opinions of America and Americans during her visit there from 1827 to 1831.
https://ia600501.us.archive.org/13/items/domesticmannerso10345gut/10345-8.txt
The second is by Captain Hall another travel-writing Brit who provides a similar set of views. I think their observations go a long way to explain the development of US society and how it differed so much from the UK and Europe.
Click to access 2739b.pdf
If you have ever read Martin Chuzzlewit, you will see know that Charles Dickens had sentiments that coincided with the other two writers.
Sorry, not sure why it posted the whole book in that format. I thought it was just a link.
As for escaping Europe, flippin’ heck, they are well and truly losing the plot.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2021/11/16/inside-austrias-apartheid-lockdown-huge-queues-get-jabbed-unvaccinated/
Hi Christopher and Sipu!
I was beginning to wonder whether it was worth keeping this site open. But, maybe just a bit longer… I am aware that I’m not too good at writing posts!
What’s your latest study, Christopher?
Sipu: It’s not much better in the US. There are states like Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, etc. that are still sane. The problem is that I just don’t particularly care for them. Parts of California, Hawai’i, New York, etc. are as deranged as Germany, Ireland, etc. I make a point of rarely leaving this particular rural county. There’s not much of a future for me here, but for the time being, it’s better than most places.
Here is a story I heard yesterday. California was one of the most locked-up states in the US. Naturally, age adjusted, California fared worse than Florida and Texas. Until 15 June, there was a universal statewide muzzle mandate. In many parts of the states, it was actively enforced. Not in this county. Other than hospitals and medical centres where there is at least some logic behind having them (for diseases generally), there was little real enforcement. Those businesses that have implemented muzzle requirements have generally either been forced to back off and drop them or not seek to enforce them. So, to the story… A couple from outside the county went to eat at a restaurant on the high street of one of the main towns in the county. I won’t name it to avoid causing them problems, though I know which one it is. They noted that the waiters were not wearing muzzles and that hardly any of the customers were, either. When they asked the waitress “Aren’t you supposed to be wearing a mask”? she responded: “If you don’t like it, get the hell out”.
I have no intention, at this point, of ever going to Austria or Slovakia. I have put off indefinitely any plans to travel to Italy and France. I was pressured into going to Vancouver (BC, not that drug den south of BC) but I’m using the ever-rising cost of tickets as an excuse to back out. I respect the right of countries to set the requirements of their choosing for entry. I am aware that visiting a country which I do not have an inherent right to live in is a privilege. This is nothing new, anyway. To travel to parts of Africa, I need proof of vaccinations and a supply of anti-malarial medications. Citizens/residents of countries like India, Nigeria or Cambodia have to show proof of vaccination for a number of diseases to travel to a number of countries. What I object strenuously to is having to show papers to go to a theatre, cinema, museum, place of worship, historic site, cafe, restaurant, etc. If that is the requirement, I’d rather not go. That is the case in San Francisco already. I will go because I have to go, but I will not go to a restaurant as I refuse to show any papers. I will also not be treated like a dog and be forced to sit outside or be limited to take-away. I’d rather go to the Japanese market and buy a bento.
Boadicea: I haven’t had much to write. I had an enjoyable holiday in Sweden and found Turkey interesting. Since then, it’s been incredibly buy, stressful and unsatisfactory. I can write a few posts a month to keep things going and, if Sipu and yourself (and Sheona!) make some submissions, it might just work.
Right now, there isn’t much interesting going on in my world of studies. I’ve been working on learning Russian, Swedish and Cantonese as well as brushing up on my Castilian and Italian. I did a lot of research last year into totalitarianism. Lots to work with in Germany. I had wanted to continue this year, but travel restrictions in Poland and the Baltics scuppered that plan. My Russian teacher (She’s actually Ukrainian, but she was born and raised in the Soviet Union and learnt Russian in school. She comes from a Russian-speaking family in Russian-speaking Odessa) gives me a lot of insights into life in the USSR.
Cantonese is a labour of love for me. I rather like the language. I appreciate that it’s written in traditional Chinese. We also owe the Hong Kong people a huge debt of gratitude. They knew that Hong Kong was doomed and they knew that by speaking out, by rising up that they’d hasten the inevitable demise of Hong Kong. But… In rising up, they might just have saved Taiwan from the same fate and finally forced the world to wake up to what they’re really dealing with in the CCP. I have a blog post in me about this topic. I’d love to get a chance to write it.