People talk about melting pots,
America’s a melting pot, South Africa’s a melting pot,
melting pot, melting pot…
What you forget is that what’s making the things in the pot melt
is the fire…..

There are no diverse places in the world
where people just came there for good times.

— excerpt, interview with Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah Is Still Trying to Explain
America to Itself. It’s Getting Harder.
By Wesley Lowery, November 18, 2020

As a rule I do not view any of the late night comedy shows.  I enjoy Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC.  Jimmy Kimmel is an intellectually brilliant, effective communicator host, but I do not dedicate time at the end of my day to view his late night show.  The humor is dark, sardonic.  I enjoy it too much. I do not need assistance in my inclination toward cynicism.  I strive to remain a skeptic.  There is a great difference between cynicism (nothing really matters at all) and skepticism, an emotionally positive attitude of curious inquiry.

Of the hosts doing political comedy, I sense that Trevor Noah is different.  Noah is a South African black man who understands himself as a news reporter.  Noah is the successor to Jon Stewart on The Daily Show.  Noah believes that his task is to translate the news to the viewer.  If I were to watch a comedy show it would be Noah’s work.

The quotes are from an recent extended interview with Noah.  If you’d like to read the entire GQ interview CLICK HERE.

The photos of Christmas tree lights were taken last night on the river walk in downtown Batavia.  Community organizations are invited to decorate a tree for the holidays.  Taking advantage of the pleasant fall weather we took a leisurely walk after dark along the Fox River and viewed the trees.

The final photo in the series is my favorite.  The old cottonwood towers at the rivers edge, having witnessed many seasons of change in Batavia.  At the base of its trunk is a sizable scar, the aftermath of a beaver visit many years ago.  This tree tells the best story of all.