This blue blob appeared in the night sky over the U.K., Croatia and Poland on Monday. It has been attributed to the spinning frozen exhaust plume from a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch earlier that day. [Jennifer Thang, KTLA News, March 25, 2025.]

Well, that makes sense. Only Elon Musk has both the means and the ego to write his initial across the sky to remind Europe who’s the boss now.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka

3/26/25

It was inevitable . . . though you couldn’t have convinced Donald Trump or Elon Musk of that before the damage was done.

Once they began their chainsaw-style purge of all of our country’s illegal immigrants and those guilty of having committed actual crimes on U.S. territory, they figured they were on a roll and might as well keep going. They were having a grand time.

So they started in on those who hadn’t done anything wrong other than having been born in another country. Never mind that those people had been here for years, held honest jobs, raised families, and obeyed our laws; they needed to go — even some who were already on track to citizenship.

Xenophobia, unchecked, develops a momentum of its own.

Never mind the human toll; that clearly was of no significance to Trump and Musk. But what they never bothered to ask themselves — or anyone else — was who would fill all of those jobs previously held by the now-absent immigrants . . . jobs that most natural-born Americans won’t or can’t accept because they don’t pay a living wage, or they’re too difficult, or too “menial.”

But it seems that one day recently, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis woke up from what he thought was a bad dream, only to find that it was true: his state was facing a labor shortage. Where were all of those people who had formerly made his and his friends’ lives easier: the invisible people who cleaned the rest rooms in the hotels, resorts, and other public buildings; the street sweepers and trash collectors; the household help; the au pairs, the restaurant dishwashers and school janitors; the orange-pickers?

They were gone, herded into dormitories or tents at Guantanamo, or off to El Salvador, like so many head of cattle.

What to do? Omigod, what to do??!!!

Well, you can’t accuse Ron DeSantis of being unimaginative. He knew he couldn’t risk his political future by speaking out against White House policy, so he quickly came up with a brilliant solution: Fill those jobs with children!

But wait . . . what about child labor laws? Currently, Florida state law prohibits teenagers from working between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. And many of those jobs include overnight work.

No problem . . . we’ll just amend the law. (Why am I suddenly reminded here of Vladimir Putin and his fiddling with the Russian Constitution?)

Anyway, on Tuesday the Florida state legislature advanced a bill that will allow children as young as 14 to work overnight shifts, even on school days. It whizzed through two committees before being put to a vote by the full Florida Senate.

At a panel discussion last week with Tom Homan, acting director of I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), DeSantis had this to say:

“Why do we say we need to import foreigners, even import them illegally, when you know, teenagers used to work at these resorts, college students should be able to do this stuff.” [Jordan Valinsky, CNN, March 25, 2025.]

And, as though that weren’t enough, he added:

“And what’s wrong with expecting our young people to be working part-time now? I mean, that’s how it used to be when I was growing up.” [Id.]

What’s wrong with it? Well, let’s examine that.

First, he’s confusing college students with 14-year-olds. Second, he’s conflating working at a resort, say, as a lifeguard or dining room waiter, with cleaning toilets in the local bus station. And third, he’s mixing up part-time, after-school or weekend work with eight-hour overnight shifts on school days.

And finally, he’s talking about recruiting children for these jobs — which is hardly the same thing as a family making its own, individual decision as to whether a child should take on that type of burden at such an early age . . . whether they’re physically able, and whether it will adversely affect their school work, their family time, and — remember this from your teenage years, Ron? — their social lives.

*. *. *

Yes, there are many American families in need of extra income just to make ends meet. And some of those families have older teenagers who would welcome the opportunity to help out by taking a part-time job. That’s commendable. But when did it become all right to rob younger teens — 14- and 15-year-olds — of the best school years: years of football games, and dances, and just hanging out with friends.

A lot of us had part-time jobs during high school, mostly to pay for those “extras” that can put a strain on some families. In my case, it was baby-sitting for neighbors and family friends. Some of my classmates mowed lawns, shoveled snow, and washed cars. One worked as an usher at the neighborhood movie theater. But the hours were limited, and all in line with the teenager’s best interests, and within the parameters of local child labor laws.

If we just blithely cast those protective laws aside, what’s next: the sweat shops of 100 years ago?

Ron DeSantis has three small children. I wonder what kind of jobs he’ll line up for them when they’re 14.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/26/25

The other night — or, rather, early morning — I wrapped up my news-reading and blog-writing for the day, and happily crawled into bed, blissfully sleepy and ready to journey off into one or more of my notoriously weird dreams.

Four hours later, I was still lying there, staring alternately at the ceiling, the clock, and the insides of my eyelids, and mentally counting everything imaginable (including sheep) in an effort to fall asleep. But slumber continued to elude me.

I wasn’t ill; I wasn’t feeling achy; my feet weren’t twitching with that restless leg thing. But my mind wouldn’t shut down. Between thoughts of wars in Ukraine and Gaza, brush fires in nearby South and North Carolina, the price of Tylenol, and Elon Musk racking up another billion bucks from his government contracts . . . well, there was barely time to count more than 20 or 30 of anything.

And then I realized it might have been that half-pint of coffee ice cream I devoured around 10:00 p.m. That stuff does have caffeine, you know. Brilliant!

Finally, around 6:30 a.m., I got out of bed to answer that irresistible early-morning call of nature, and settled down again to give sleep one more try. That was when the dog started barking. And kept barking . . . and barking some more. It wasn’t her “someone’s trying to break into the house” bark; it was more like “there’s a deer in the back yard and I want to go out and play.”

Well, the rest of the family — and most of the neighborhood — needed to finish their night’s sleep before going off to work, so I finally decided to get up to convince the dog to shut her damned yap.

And at 7:00 that morning — after exactly zero shuteye — there I was, in the den, giving Dixie her first full-body massage of the day.

Yes, you read that correctly: I give dog massages. And apparently very good ones, because at least twice a day, she’s in here, staring at me without ever blinking, compelling me to put down whatever I’m doing and give her a “scratch” (that’s the word she knows). And when I finally can’t concentrate any longer . . . well, you try it with a pair of big, sad, brown eyes fixed on your face . . . she smiles knowingly, moves closer, and proudly turns around and backs up to me until I am looking smack-dab at her hind end. Because just above her tail and on both hips is where she is apparently the most itchy.

Of course, it doesn’t stop there. There’s the rest of her long back, her belly, the shoulders, back of the neck, top of the head, cheeks, and ears to be treated to my soothing ministrations. It has occurred to me that, with all of the dogs in this neighborhood, I could turn this into a business and make a small fortune — that morning’s massage was worth a good $100, at least.

Anyway, my eyelids had finally begun to droop. So I gave her the three pats on her rump that signal I’m finished rubbing and scratching for now, and she got up and walked out . . . turning, just as she reached the doorway, to give me her “thank you” look. And I took myself — pajamas now amply strewn with dog hair — back to bed, where I finally, miraculously, managed to score four and a half hours of sleep and no fewer than three bizarre dreams.

My final thought before drifting off that morning was that I must remember to warn the family to look out for deer poop in the back yard.

And that, dear reader, is half a day in the life of this blogger. Is it any wonder I sometimes spend the other half doing this . . . ?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/25/25

It appears that — at least for the next couple of weeks — he is back at home in Dubai, after spending the past seven months as a “guest” of French authorities.

You remember Pavel Durov, don’t you? He’s the multi-billionaire (about $15 billion at last count) citizen of Russia, where he was born, as well as France, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the lovely Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis. He made his entrepreneurial debut as the founder of Russian messaging service VKontakte, then left Russia to outdo himself by creating the famously encrypted Telegram service.

He left Russia as a result of government pressure to reveal confidential client information, which he refused to do as a matter of professional ethics. Last year, similar demands were made by the French government in connection with criminal investigations involving some Telegram subscribers . . . which he again refused. And so he has not been allowed to leave France pending resolution of charges brought against him for his failure to cooperate with their investigations.

Now it appears that the Paris prosecutor’s office has suspended “the obligations of judicial supervision” for a period of three weeks, from March 15th to April 7th. Mysteriously, no further details have been given as to the reason for, or the conditions of, his temporary release. [Joe Tidy, BBC, March 16, 2025.]

While France and the UAE are parties to an extradition treaty signed in 2007, I have to wonder what would stop a person with billions of dollars at his disposal from fleeing to a country that does not share an extradition treaty with France . . . other than personal integrity, that is. And considering his past willingness to leave his native country behind in order to stand by his principles, and his continuing fight to preserve those same principles . . . well, I would hope and expect that he will be back in France by April 7th.

As to whether I think he is right or wrong, I have asked myself whether I would risk everything to protect the privacy rights of suspected criminals who had, by contractual agreement, entrusted their confidential information to me. And I had only to recall my own long-ago history to know the answer.

It’s not an easy choice.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/25/25

President Putin: It is my understanding that you have an excellent command of the English language. But, never having met you personally, I cannot be certain of that . . . and your recent behavior suggests to me that you may need a small refresher course. Being a good-natured individual, I have volunteered my services in this regard.

Let us begin, please, with two simple English words: “Peace negotiations.“

Each word individually is simple enough: “peace” is “мир” and “negotiations” is “переговоры.” But when you put them together, they take on a significant meaning: “мирные переговоры.”

Now, you are, from all accounts, an educated man . . . a graduate of the renowned Leningrad State University, no less. I don’t have to explain to you that “peace” is the absence of turmoil, or anxiety . . . or war. And I’m sure you are aware that a “negotiation” is a verbal exchange leading to a compromise decision.

You do understand “compromise,” don’t you? That’s “компромисс” in your native language. Couldn’t be simpler.

Понятно? Да? Хорошо.

So, now I have a question for you:

What the hell are you doing today — at the very hour that these so-called “peace negotiations” are taking place in Saudi Arabia — bombing the daylights out of the Pokrovsk region of Ukraine?!!

According to people in the area, “There are 200-300 explosions per day, all coming in our direction. They’re trying to advance on our positions — but we’re holding them back.” [Andriy Kuzakov, Current Time, RFE/RL, March 24, 2025.]

When asked about his thoughts on the peace talks underway in Riyadh, another gentleman responded: “I don’t believe it. This is a repeat of 2014 when they negotiated a cease-fire. It’s all just to pull in troops and strengthen their positions.” [Id.]

And isn’t that just what you have accused Ukraine of wanting to do if you agree to a 30-day ceasefire?

You are a master at posturing, at playing the peacemaker, and at making promises you have no intention of keeping. But in reality, you are Richard III, delighting in his deceptive nature and blaming his baseness on everyone and everything but himself:

“And thus I clothe my naked villainy
With odd old ends stol’n forth of Holy Writ;
And seem a saint when most I play the devil.”
– Shakespeare, Richard III, Act I, Scene 3

*. *. *

But war is not a stage play, Vladimir Vladimirovich; it is real, it is deadly . . . and it is unforgivable.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/24/25

Edgar Bergen (1903-78) was a mid-20th century ventriloquist well-known to radio and TV audiences as the voice of the dapper Charlie McCarthy and the countrified, not-so-bright Mortimer Snerd. Bergen and his playful characters were so beloved, they became almost real to those of us who lived in those much more innocent times.

And looking at that photograph in the context of today’s political environment, I can visualize other faces: Vladimir Putin, for example, as the ventriloquist, with any two members of his administration perched on his knees.

Or possibly — and even more ominously — with other, non-Russian adherents of Putin’s policies, such as Belarusian presumptive president Aleksandr “Mortimer” Lukashenko, and . . . let’s see, now . . . perhaps Donald Trump in place of the well-turned-out Charlie McCarthy?

Now, Charlie was a bright enough fellow, often getting the best of his verbal exchanges with Mr. Bergen. So let’s rename him Donnie, and assume he’s clever enough — and sufficiently ambitious — to bring along a few dummies of his own, perhaps named JD, Marco, and Steve.

“Steve? Steve who?” I hear you ask. Why, none other than the newest “expert” on U.S.-Russia relations . . . Donnie’s special envoy to the Middle East (yeah, I know, that doesn’t make any sense) . . . real estate entrepreneur par excellence Steve Witkoff.

What? You’re still asking “Steve who?” Don’t worry . . . so are a lot of people, myself included. So, here he is:

Recognize him now? He’s the one who does the perfect impression of Trump’s superior sneer. Maybe that’s how he got the interview for the job.

Uncanny, isn’t it?

But he needed more than just “the face” to nail the job itself. And that’s where he outshone any and all other candidates with his perfect mimicry of “The Trump Put-down.”

First he referred to Ukrainian President Zelensky’s refusal simply to hand over sovereign Ukrainian territory to Putin as “the elephant in the room” at the so-called peace talks in Saudi Arabia between Russia and the United States . . . to which, by the way, Ukraine was not even invited.

But man does not live by insults alone; we must also master the art of the kiss-up to those whom we’re trying to impress, and whose egos are at least as great as our own . . . in this case, none other than Vladimir Putin himself. And how better to broadcast one’s obeisance to the mighty Russian dictator than by way of an interview with the only journalist guaranteed not to disagree with him: the one, the only (thank God!) . . . Tucker Carlson?

Following his meeting with Putin in Moscow, Witkoff told Carlson that he “liked” the Russian president:

“I don’t regard Putin as a bad guy. He’s super smart,” Witkoff proclaimed. He said that Putin had been “gracious” and “straight up” with him; had told Witkoff he prayed for Trump after last year’s assassination attempt; and had said he even had a portrait of Trump commissioned and presented it to Trump, who was “clearly touched by it.” [Id.]

Parroting some of Putin’s own claims, Witkoff wondered when the world would recognize occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian, and went on to add:

“There’s a sensibility in Russia that Ukraine is just a false country, that they just patched together in this sort of mosaic, these regions, and that’s what is the root cause, in my opinion, of this war, that Russia regards those five regions ** as rightfully theirs since World War Two, and that’s something nobody wants to talk about.” [Id.]

** The five regions at least partially under Russian control at the present time: Crimea, Donetsk, Lukhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia — three of which Witkoff was unable to name.

I have a question here: Doesn’t anyone in the Trump administration own a freakin’ history book??!!!

*. *. *

And, as to any further expansionist goals on Russia’s part, Witkoff went on to ask: “Why would they want to absorb Ukraine? For what purpose? They don’t need to absorb Ukraine . . . They have reclaimed these five regions. They have Crimea and they have gotten what they want. So why do they need more?” [Id.]

Again . . . history, you nimrod! Read your Russian/Soviet/Russian history — and not just since World War Two, but all the way back to the Russian Primary Chronicle and Kyivan Rus’.

*. *. *

But wait . . . there’s more. (There always seems to be more.)

British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, recently put forth a plan for an international force to support a ceasefire in Ukraine, to which Witkoff had this to say:

“I think it’s a combination of a posture and a pose and a combination of also being simplistic. There is this sort of notion that we have all got to be like [British wartime prime minister] Winston Churchill. Russians are going to march across Europe. That is preposterous by the way. We have something called Nato [sic] that we did not have in World War Two.” [Id.]

Right . . . that’s the same NATO that Trump has threatened — how many times? — to leave if those “simplistic” Europeans don’t cough up a larger share of the costs.

*. *. *

Well, every performance has to have a spectacular finish, and this one was no exception. In an attempt to reassure his audience that a ceasefire in the Black Sea would be “implemented over the next week or so [and] we are not far away” from a full 30-day ceasefire (as meanwhile the missiles and drones continue to blast away at cities throughout Ukraine), Witkoff described Trump’s desire to cooperate with Russia once relations have been normalized:

“Who doesn’t want to have a world where Russia and the US are doing collaboratively good things together, thinking about how to integrate their energy policies in the Arctic, share sea lines [sic] maybe, send LNG gas into Europe together, maybe collaborate on AI together?” [Id.]

Right. Just as Little Red Riding Hood trusted the Big Bad Wolf to lead her to Grandmother’s house.

And we all know what happened to her.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/24/25

And I have to say . . . it felt good.

Happy new week, everyone. Maybe I’ll be more productive tomorrow.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/23/25

There certainly is no lack of news concerning U.S.-Russia relations these days, primarily focused — as it should be — on ending the war in Ukraine.

And amidst all of that, the fact that there has been no word of an imminent release of political hostages from Russia’s prison camps is not necessarily an indication that behind-the-scenes negotiations are not taking place. At least, we should hope they are.

In the meantime, I thought I’d search for any sort of update, and found an article concerning dual U.S.-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina, arrested in Russia in January of 2024 and sentenced in August to 12 years in prison . . . for making, while living in the United States, a $51 donation to a pro-Ukraine cause.

Karelina and her boyfriend, Chris Van Heerdan, had taken a vacation in Istanbul. Karelina reasoned that, as long as she was that close to her former Russian home, she should visit her younger sister and their aging grandparents. Against his better judgment, Van Heerdan returned home to Los Angeles, while Karelina went on to Yekaterinburg.

They haven’t spoken since.

She was detained on arrival for 16 hours; her passport and phone were taken from her and kept for three weeks. When she was told she could retrieve them, she was instead arrested for “hooliganism” — a vague charge commonly used as an excuse by Russian authorities to arrest someone who has done nothing illegal.

While searching her phone data, the authorities found a record of the $51 donation Karelina had made in 2022, and upgraded the charges against her to treason, saying she had “contribut[ed] to a secure, prosperous and democratic Ukraine” — an illegal act in Russia. [Kirsten Fleming, New York Post, February 24, 2025.]

From her letters, Van Heerdan has learned that Karelina has survived in prison by giving facial massages to other inmates, which has helped to improve her relationships with the women. “This is who Ksenia is,” he says. “She can walk into any room and anyone will love her because she’s just a bright uplifting, positive person. She is trying her very best to hang on.” [Id.]

Van Heerdan’s interview stressed his hope and belief that Donald Trump will be able to secure Karelina’s release in light of his improved relationship with Vladimir Putin. According to Van Heerdan:

“Russia released a statement on state broadcast TV and acknowledged, ‘We are in communication with America. They are seeking the release of Ksenia and are [sic] we are very much interested in making that happen.’ That is massive.” [Id.]

Van Heerdan says that statement was issued the week after the February 18th meeting in Saudi Arabia between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which has given Van Heerdan reason for optimism.

I hope he is right.

*. *. *

And we continue to remember all of those on our list of unjustly held hostages in Vladimir Putin’s GULAG of penal colonies:

David Barnes
Ales Bialiatski (in Belarus)
Gordon Black
Andrei Chapiuk (in Belarus)
Robert Gilman
Stephen James Hubbard
Ksenia Karelina
Ihar Karney (in Belarus)
Vadim Kobzev
Uladzimir Labkovich (in Belarus)
Michael Travis Leake
Aleksei Liptser
Ihar Losik (in Belarus)
Daniel Martindale
Farid Mehralizada (in Azerbaijan)
Nika Novak
Marfa Rabkova (in Belarus)
Igor Sergunin
Dmitry Shatresov
Robert Shonov
Eugene Spector
Valiantsin Stafanovic (in Belarus)
Siarhei Tsikhanouski (in Belarus)
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland
Vladislav Yesypenko (in Crimea)
Yuras Zyankovich (in Belarus)

*. *. *

And — like a broken record — I again offer this plea to Donald Trump in the White House . . . though I fear it will likely continue to fall on deaf ears, as it has thus far:

“Amidst all of the hubbub of your new administration, it is imperative that these innocent men and women not be forgotten. Negotiations for their safe release have been underway for some time. President Joe Biden succeeded in bringing home 16 innocent people on August 1st of last year, and you have added two others to that list. But you should be trying to do even more. Whatever else you do, this should be high on your list of priorities. The people you promised to represent are counting on you.

“Perhaps this would be an appropriate time to remind you also of the oath you swore on January 20th:

“‘I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.’

“I’m sure there’s a copy of that Constitution lying around the White House. If not, you can Google it. This is what it looks like, in case you’ve forgotten.”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/23/25

On this date in 1983, then-President Ronald Reagan proposed a plan to develop a space-based missile defense system to shield the United States against a possible nuclear attack. He called it the Strategic Defense Initiative, or SDI; critics of the idea quickly labeled it “Star Wars,” because of its greater resemblance to science-fiction than anything within the realm of possibility.

And the critics were right. After an outlay of some $30 billion over ten years, the project was abandoned as unworkable.

And now Donald Trump is proposing — as though it were his original brainstorm — something he calls the “Gold Dome” project, supposedly to serve the same purpose, but without a clue as to how — or if — it might work.

Great way to cut the federal budget, Donnie!

Israel has a defense system known as the “Iron Dome.” But Trump being Trump — that is, being all about glitz and glitter and conspicuous consumption — thinks “gold” is more impressive than “iron,” even when talking about nuclear defense.

And even the name isn’t original . . . though in all fairness, he probably doesn’t know that the United States already has at least one golden dome: the Gold Dome Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, originally built as a bank in 1958. It has served well in protecting the string of businesses under its cover throughout the years; but as a defense against a nuclear attack . . . well, I’d rather take my chances in a subway station, thank you.

Or maybe he’s just envious of the magnificent golden domes on churches and cathedrals around the world . . . and most particularly those beautiful “onion” domes in his friend Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Perhaps he’d like to add a few of those to the White House . . . or, at the very least, to Mar-a-Lago. In the meantime, however, he has had to satisfy his lust for luxury by scattering a few — actually, more than a few — shiny dust-catchers to the Oval Office.

Unfortunately, he missed out on this one for the residence . . . but perhaps he can have a duplicate made:

*. *. *

Well, I’ve had enough fun at Donald Trump’s expense today. But even as I jest, I believe I’ve proven two things:

First, all the gold in the world can’t buy you good taste; and . . .

Second, all the money in the world doesn’t make you smart.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/23/25