Cold War continuing?

Being where I am, it is difficult to avoid the near continuous coverage of the upcoming American elections.  However several intriguing things are being revealed...the chief one for me was the involvement of Russia in US's politics...talk about reversal of fortune!

Various internet sources imply that it is Russian money financing the racist buffoon Trump, and I was much amused by Michael Moore's observation that the American general public, like the British, are happy to stir the pot and sit back in awe to observe the disaster to come.  It's almost as if we need to go back to square one and just have the educated few as the voting public-- but then who decides who counts as 'educated few'? Even worrying for me was Moore's observation that Hillary is a war hawk and firmly behind 'the establishment' - it seems the USA just can't get over their lucky break of World War II which propelled their economy to the top, and who seem determine to set the stage for various repeat performances...what the heck..there are too many people in the world already,eh - and after all it's not the war hawks' kith and kin who are doing the actual fighting?

The latest revelation that it may be hackers, probably of Russian influence, who were responsible for revealing emails that the Democratic Party apparatus worked against Hillary's main opponent Sanders is another worrying sign that elections are not about individuals in their countries but in fact, about other 'outsiders' manipulating the system....after reading Zero,Zero,Zero....it is intriguing that international crime syndicates could even be putting in their two cents worth!
this sums it all up:

11-Nov: Yikes, how accurate is this: http://www.globalresearch.ca/hillary-and-bill-clinton-pay-to-play-racketeering-the-bonnie-and-clyde-of-american-politics/5554804  
 and the answer - not very-- it is pro-Russian, anti-Clinton (surprise,surprise) but always good to hear the dirt dished up!

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

It all started off so well... I was giggling to myself about the way a person had to humiliate themselves to just get a job, a demeaning one at that, to pay the bills...when somewhere in the thirty pages of the first story, it moved from funny to tedious and outright vicious. I was initially amused with the slapstick American humour but then it moved from laughing WITH people to laughing AT the underclasses and snobbish.  I guess some types of humour are difficult to share..the reason I limit Facebook friends as those acquaintances who may not 'know' me might get offended by some of the things I find funny.

By the third story, I thought the writer was trying too hard and lost interest in the rest of the book but soldered on to get to the end as it is December's bookclub book...I am sure I shall forget most of the book by then.

Our Changing World

It was with incredible sadness I listened to BBC Radio about the man driving a rented truck into a crowd in Nice...and with each update...the death toll grows. The current count is about 84 deaths. I mourn the further discrimination against anyone with a vaguely-sounding Muslim name who wants to rent any vehicle on the Continent and the further loss of personal freedom for the young who would not know the world I experienced after finishing my degree.  I was fortunate enough to be able to buy an Interrail ticket which allowed me unlimited access to most of the railways of Western Europe. The friend I was with got quickly bored of the standard town Square with obligatory cathedral and we reduced some countries and cities to a quick walk-around after chucking our backpacks in the lockers at the Train-stations-- long removed since the 'terrorist threats'. Those opportunities I rather suspect are gone forever.

The increasing intolerance and growing resentment on both the haves and have-nots seem to be escalating to a boiling point which will only increase the tragic and maybe avoidable events. The US, self-elected World police are themselves indulging in home-grown plots by the revelation of bad policing, the lash-back by the short-sighted and the further call to arms by other racist groups-- where would it all end?