In Merry England:

The British Prime Minister (Boris Johnson) said he was looking for the Taliban to respect “internationally agreed standards on human rights and inclusivity”.

Just invite the Taliban to join Rotary: the “Diversity and Inclusion” policy will see us all through. 

North of the border:

The leftist governing party of the devolved Scottish parliament is calling for its emergency coronavirus powers to be made “permanent”, giving them the ability to shut schools, enforce mask-wearing, and impose lockdowns without time limit.

(Nicola Sturgeon, right)

Back in the USA:

During a portion of an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, President Joe Biden said that he doesn’t think the exit from Afghanistan could have been handled any better and “the idea that somehow, there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens.”

On the other hand: Michael Wolff has written an amazing tale of political desperation and delusion in this, his third book on the Trump presidency. He takes us inside a madhouse, recounting events that are bewildering, breathtaking, jaw-dropping, gobsmacking, incredible and un-bloody-believable.

Where DO they get those people?

A Medical Diversion:

President Andrew’s quotation today by the philosopher Seneca, may have inadvertently triggered a flashback among our five club doctors, causing them to recall Mist Senega et Ammon.

However they should remember that Seneca was a philosopher, and Senega is a plant. The root is used to make medicine.

Senega is used for decline in memory and thinking skills that occurs normally with age, asthma, swelling (inflammation) of the throat, nose, and chest, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.

Some experts warn that senega may interfere with the body's response against COVID-19. There is no strong data to support this warning. But there is also no good data to support using senega for COVID-19. 

History: Senega root was used by eastern American Indian tribes, including the Seneca tribe (from whom its name is derived), to treat rattlesnake bites; however, early European observers gave little credence to this use. Colonists and Europeans used senega root as an emetic, cathartic, diuretic, and diaphoretic, and in treatment of pulmonary diseases (such as pneumonia, asthma, and pertussis), gout, and rheumatism. Its main use in the 19th century was as an expectorant cough remedy. It was included in the US Pharmacopeia from 1820 to 1936 and in the National Formulary from 1936 to 1960.

Perhaps Seneca and Senega could have been in President Andrew’s Lingua File, as another troublesome couple.