Yesterday, being a relatively free day and in plenty of time. we made our way down to 'The Lemon Tree' cafe in town, stopping en route to get some cash out of an ATM which is yet another reason for making an occasional excursion along the High Street. After our mug of tea and the treat in which we indulge in a bacon butty, we wondered what other delights the High Street had to offer. For the first time in quite some weeks we had a quick whizz around the Cancer Relief charity shop which I always reckoned used to be a slight cut above the others. But we did espy a couple of bargains so I bought Meg a new cardigan (decorated with sheep along the front) to complement the other two that she wears regularly - we shall have to wait until tomorrow morning to see if it fits OK. I also bought another quite deep cooking pot which I could not believe was being sold for only a couple of pounds so I will put this use with some roasted vegetables and some mince that I might do in the oven in the morning. We passed by two sets of friends on the way down but did not have the chance to stop and chat as there was other traffic in the road which we were in anger of holding up. Once we had returned home, we lunched on kippers done in the oven after being wrapped in tinfoil, baked potato and some broccoli. In truth, the dinner turned out to be huge and both Meg and I struggled to finish it. After lunch, we were blessed with a spell of fine weather and did manage to get the back lawn cut. Like the lawns in the font of the house, this was badly needed and I was relieved to get it done fairly expeditiously. This week's cut of the lawns will be the penultimate of the season as I hope to make the final cut in about 10 days time- I generally aim for the final cut of the year about Bonfire Night time. AFter the last cut, the mower needs to be drained of petrol and oil ready for the winter sojourn until I start again on or about March 25th next year.
Every so often, one hears a story that really engages one's attention and so it proved the other day. A BBC reporter had visited Michigan in which there are a couple of towns with high Arabic populations, the workers having come from Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East to work primarily in the car factories. At first sight, given the support that the USA is giving to Israel, one would have thought that these towns would have naturally gravitated towards the Democrats but actually the reverse is the case and the Arab populations seem to be firmly swinging behind Trump. Trump narrowly took the state of Michigan eight years ago and the Democrats equally narrowly four years ago. But it seems that the reporter might have highlighted a massive problem for the Democrats in this crucial state. The social scientists amongst us might snort and dismiss this one account as a piece of journalistic fantasy and hence 'one swallow does not a summer make' On the other hand, sometimes a good journalist might get the kernel of an interesting story to be reflected in the opinion polls. At the Sahara Restaurant in Dearborn, Michigan, four Arabic language TV news channels are beaming in images of the war in Gaza and the aftermath of the recent pager and radio devices explosions in Lebanon. The smell of cardamom-infused coffee and shawarma and falafel, and hum of friends catching up, stand in stark contrast to the images on the television screens. Dearborn is the first Arab-majority city in the US, and it has served as a key centre for the 'uncommitted' movement that is opposed to the Biden administration's policy toward the Middle East. Because they are in Michigan - a key Midwestern swing state that Joe Biden won by fewer than three points in 2020 - Dearborn voters, like those who frequent the Sahara Restaurant, could decide Kamala Harris's political future. What I found especially chilling was one female voter who explained to the reporter that she loathed every one of Trumps's policies and could not abide him as a candidate. Nonetheless, she hated what she regarded as the genocide of the Lebanese people even more and she especially blamed Harris for this - and hence was going to vote for Trump. One can put this story together with other fragmentary bits of electoral news such as the fact that the Democrats are losing support amongst the young black and Hispanic males and Trump is the beneficiary. For his part, Trump has bragged that if he were President, the war in the Middle east would. not have started in the first place and even the Ukraine conflict he argues will be settled in a day. Over here in Europe, we might throw up our hands in horror at what might seem to be the political naivety of some of the American voting population but I am increasingly of the view that the election is already lost and the Trump camp, by hook or by crook aided with last minute swings, a lot of recent hot money, an army of lawyers standing by to contest results and a sympathetic bevy of Republican administrators in key positions within the electoral machine will actually manage to get Trump over the line in this election. The Trump legal team are making great play of the fact that the volunteers for Kamala Harris, encouraged by the UK Labour Party, is actually breaking US electoral law as 'foreign interference' in a US election. As the practicer of volunteering is quite common on both sides of the Atlantic and both parties, this is generally regarded in the British media as just a Trump ploy to distract attention from more serious issues. But given that Trump has an army of lawyers effectively twiddling their thumbs until Election Night itself, I suppose that complaining against the Labour Party gives them something to do in the meantime. This could have slightly more serious consequences were Trump (as I now think is quite likely) as it means that the whole of much vaunted 'special relationship' between the UK and the USA might be put into jeopardy.
© Mike Hart [2024]