Bad news and good news

"There it was, you see.  A man is a man, at bottom.  Whole ages of abuse and oppression cannot crush the manhood clear out of him.  Whoever thinks it a mistake is himself mistaken.  Yes, there is plenty good enough material for a republic in the most degraded people that ever existed--even the Russians; plenty of manhood in them--even in the Germans--if one could but force it out of its timid and suspicious privacy, to overthrow and trample in the mud any throne that ever was set up and any nobility that ever supported it"--A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

So Rob Ford's brother is Premier of Ontario now.  We're in no position to look down on Americans electing Trump!  It reminds me of the second season of Twin Peaks when the deceased villain Jacques Renault got followed by his brother Jean. (I'm showing my age again...) 

But at least the New Democrats took second place, and should provide a more spirited opposition than the Liberals would. (The Liberal government was pretty worn out:  Kathleen Wynn had been lucky to survive the previous election.) And here in St. Paul's Jill Andrew won a close race!  They had a party for the volunteers at the Midtown pub, but I just made a brief appearance there.

Wednesday night at the History Meetup we discussed the Portuguese empire.  One of the people there was a blind woman, and afterward I let her hold my arm as she walked home!

Finished A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court the other day.  The apocalyptic ending--which reminded me of the Mad Max movies--leaves a bad taste in the mouth, but does seem remarkably prophetic of the 20th century. (Did Che Guevara read it?)