World, Thoughts, Flummoxed

          Generally, try to decide between a mixture of bad and obscure choices while realizing that the only variation between them is the degree to which they are wrong, or their respective levels of borderline insanity. This is also a reflection of the state that Britain dug itself into after the calamitous referendum on leaving the European Union.            Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss, and Sunak. The  Conservative party was already in a pickle before the musical chairs and the Brexit fiasco began. It had been a mess since Margaret Thatcher lost her marbles in 1988. Nostalgia for a nation which didn't even exist in the first place has motivated policies which are either misplaced, or were completely the wrong thing at the wrong time.           Many conservative MPs have been deserting the sinking ship for a few months. Taxes at historic highs flies in the face of what the Conservative p...

In the beginning...           My first time in Asia was also my first time in China at the end the previous millennium. This trip, 25 years later, began with the second city I used to live in, Shanghai. It is the main gateway to central and southern China, so much so that Pudong airport is nearly in the pacific ocean. To varying degrees, China is a mix of the ancient and modern.        This was still evident when I caught a glimpse of Jing'an temple close to one of my old apartments.                       From there, I used to commute to a teaching position at a private school. This English training centre is mainly for adults looking to improve fluency for career advancement and to prepare themselves to emigrate.            During that year or so, I saw and heard about some ridiculous and flummoxing behaviour on the part of the local...