Answer:
The sea has waves. They go up and crash back down. You can think of this as hard times. When you think your doing good and start rising to the top you often crash back down. This (the crash) leads to difficulties or troubled times.
2016 is a leap year in that case
Answer:
Unlike Bernard, he is well liked and respected. Though he and Bernard share a dislike of the World State, Helmholtz condemns it for radically different reasons. Bernard dislikes the State because he is too weak to fit the social position he has been assigned; Helmholtz because he is too strong.