Missive #558

103. Nasruddin and the Neighbor’s Bull

Nasruddin’s neighbor had a bull, and one day that bull blundered into Nasruddin’s garden, trampling all of Nasruddin’s vegetables.

When Nasruddin saw what his neighbor’s bull had done, he grabbed a whip and chased the bull out of the garden, whipping the bull as he did so.

“You accursed creature!” he shouted. “I’ll show you who’s the boss here! Take that! And take that!”

The bull bellowed loudly every time he felt the sting of Nasruddin’s whip.

“Hey there!” shouted Nasruddin’s neighbor. “What are you doing?”

“You stay out of this,” replied Nasruddin. “This is between me and the bull!”

This Tale is from “Tiny Tales of Nasruddin” by Laura Gibbs. The book is licensed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. © 2019-202The2 Laura Gibbs

From 1821 until 1879, when the railroad brought an end to the wagon trade, the 775-mile trail was the major commercial route linking citizens of Santa Fe with traders from the Missouri frontier. Lavender chronicles the development of commerce along it, clearly explaining the risks travelers faced, as well as the potential for profit that attracted so many traders. The process of preparing a large party of wagons for the 7-to-10 week journey will engage readers, as will the accounts of travel at various times during the history of the trail.This is a very short book with a lot of pictures. Not David Lavender’s usual style. There were no customer reviews at Amazon and only one short comment at goodreads.com that said it was written as a children’s book. The many individuals who worked on a wagon train, from proprietors, captains, and lieutenants to teamsters, mule skinners, and bullwhackers, are all described. Details such as the cost of wagons, their cargos, and the food eaten on the journey will satisfy report writers. The author distinguishes among the different Indian tribes travelers encountered, offering insight as to why some were considered hostile and others peaceful. Native American views of the pioneers are also presented. Well-placed, black-and-white reproductions, including historical photographs, complement the text. — Book promo @ Amazon

A leaked Chinese geopolitical strategy document reveals China’s self-confidence. The document predicts, “The US and Western Europe will collapse due to cultural and demographic conflict by 2050.” China’s leaders increasingly see multiculturalism as “cultural suicide” and believe the west is dying because of it. — CNN

The Chinese aren’t wrong, although my 2004 estimate for the initial breakup of the USA as a unitary political entity is 2033. The EU has already begun to break apart and the centrifugal forces will continue to grow stronger with the failure of its economic war against Russia. The USA, the UK, and every Western European country are either going to collapse into a violent partition like India circa 1947 or embark upon ethnic cleansing on a larger scale than the Israelis are currently applying to Gaza. — Collapse By 2050 by Vox Day