Have you noticed how quiet things have been in the Kremlin lately? No major pronouncements from Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov; no edicts from President Vladimir Putin; no word from Defense Minister Andrei Belousov as to the progress of Russia’s little adventure in Ukraine. Not even a threat of nuclear annihilation from that ever-present Voice of Doom, Dmitry Medvedev.

What’s going on, fellas? Could it be because that little “adventure” isn’t going so well right now, and they haven’t quite figured out what to do about it? Because their “special military operation” has come home — literally — to visit for a while on Russian soil? Or maybe they’re all just a wee bit shame-faced at having underestimated the Ukrainians once again and failed to anticipate that possibility?

Or all of the above?

Whatever the reason, you may view the lull as a brief respite, or as the ominous quiet before the next storm. Since we’re talking about Russia, I’m more inclined toward the latter. But we shall see . . .

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/16/24

Today — August 16th — turns out to be noted for a great many things. For example, it is:

National Bratwurst Day. I could certainly sink my teeth into that one. A little sauerkraut, a bit of mustard, some nice fried potatoes on the side, and three or four Tums tablets for dessert, and you’ve got the perfect meal.

National Airborne Day. Who do they think I am — the Flying Nun? It does look like fun, though.

National Roller Coaster Day. Pass. I rode on one — just once — and it wasn’t half the size of today’s monster rides. That was enough. Screamed my bloody head off, made a complete fool of myself . . . but at least I didn’t throw up that Bratwurst.

National Rum Day. That’s better. A nice Planter’s Punch goes down so smoothly on a hot summer day.

Hawaii Statehood Day. Happy birthday, and mahalo for being our 50th state.

*. *. *

Now, those are all great fun. But the one that caught my attention was:

Tell a Joke Day. Because just yesterday, I happened to run across an article on “How AI is helping comedians write jokes.”

I kid you not. They — those diabolical Dr. Frankensteins who are bending our minds with all of the pictures and videos that look so real, but not quite — are now trying to convince us that AI has a sense of humor.

Here’s a sample of what you get if you ask AI to write a political joke:

“Why did the politician bring a ladder to the debate?” “To make sure he could reach new heights with his promises!” [Megan Lawton, BBC News, August 15, 2024.]

Nice try, folks. And it does exhibit a certain understanding of the subject matter. But is it going to reduce an audience to side-splitting guffaws? Sorry, no . . . not even an appreciative chuckle. It can clear a room in 30 seconds flat, though.

However, it will never compete with “A priest, a minister and a rabbi walked into a bar . . .”

Still, according to Canadian comedian Anesti Danelis, “that doesn’t mean there is no room for AI in comedy.” [BBC, id.]

It seems that comedians have been experimenting with AI technology to brainstorm ideas and even to write scripts. And Danelis has even asked ChatGPT to write a show for him. He has been performing the result, which he calls “Artificially Intelligent,” throughout this summer.

He admits that there were some “rubbish” jokes, but found the AI tool useful for brainstorming. He said he asked it to “write me five songs about bisexual dilemmas, or being an immigrant child, and it gave me ideas that I would have never thought of.” [BBC, id.]

What surprised him most was AI’s understanding of how to devise a show:

“I told it to make me a running order, and it explained where every song should go and why, and it made total sense. I was surprised by how much it could explain the reasoning behind it.” [BBC, id.]

Now, those of you who know me at all, also know that I get a bad case of the jitters when anyone starts talking about the latest hi-tech developments. As much as I still love R2D2 and C3PO, and still add a Roomba vacuum to my Christmas wish list every year, I am not ready to accept a world in which I don’t know whether my next-door neighbors are real people or someone’s virtual representations.

And then it dawned on me: even AI, as brilliant as it is, had to be created by real, flesh-and-blood human beings. Without us, they cease to exist . . . if they ever did.

And Anesti Danelis is the first to admit that his comedy show still relies on his performance. Without the funny guy delivering the lines and endearing himself to the audience through the strength of his own personality, the funniest routine will still fall flat. As Danelis says:

“I learned through the process that human creativity can’t be replicated or replaced, and in the end about 20% of the show was pure AI, and the other 80% was a mix.” [BBC, id.]

And therein lies our salvation. Because without our human brain power and imagination, there would be no AI. And those bots still don’t have feelings — we can make them smile, or frown, or even cry, but they don’t know why they’re doing it.

I still have one concern, though: If the day ever comes that those AI beings start recreating humans . . .

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/16/24

Recycling, reusing, repurposing . . . all ideas that are vital to the preservation of our natural environment. I can’t imagine myself ever disagreeing with that.

Or I couldn’t . . . that is, until I took a look at this building.

Now, I’ve seen some strange-looking structures, both in person and in pictures; and I’ve occasionally had to wonder what inspired some of the architects. Many were simply unusual, and a number of them were just plain ugly. But this one . . . well, frankly, it gives me the creeps!

It’s not just the top part, which looks like the upper floors of a Beijing hotel that got ripped off by a Kansas tornado, transported to Germany, and plopped down — ripped bottom and all — on top of what looks for all the world like an 80-year-old Nazi bunker, and . . .

Holy crap! That’s exactly what it is!!

And I knew, the second I looked at the picture, that there was something seriously bad about that structure. Places have auras, you know; and this one screams . . . well, it just screams, that’s all.

Do I think it’s haunted? I don’t know; I suppose I’d have to spend the night there with a lot of electronic gizmos, searching for orbs, or magnetic fields, or whatever ghost hunters look for, before I could answer that question. I’m not talking about ghosts. But it’s a Nazi bunker. You know some terrible things took place there during the Second World War.

So, my first question is: Why would anyone in their right mind want to turn it into a hotel? Did they seriously think anyone would want to stay there? (I know, that’s two questions. Sorry.)

Well, apparently the answer to the second question is “Yes,” which in turn answers the first question. And from all appearances, it’s been reasonably successful.

But my next question is: Did they have to make it so damned ugly? I mean, even uglier than the original structure! Just look at it again, from a different angle:

I do understand that it was just too huge, too solid to demolish. It would have required much too large a quantity of explosives in what is now a busy commercial area. The neighborhood, known as Karoviertel, “sits in a cool enclave filled with stylish coffee shops and vintage stores, plus the Knust nightclub in a repurposed abattoir.” [Maureen O’Hare, CNN, August 14, 2024.]

EXCUSE ME??!!! Did she just say “abattoir”????? That’s a freakin’ former slaughterhouse, and it’s also been repurposed . . . as a nightclub.

At the risk of repeating myself . . . Holy crap!

*. *. *

But back to the bunker. It now houses two restaurants, a rooftop bar and garden (the source of all that greenery), Constant Grind coffee shop and bar, and a five-story Hard Rock Hotel. Rooms range from 180 Euros (around U.S. $197) to 269 Euros (about $295). Amenities include a 55-inch flat-screen TV and Alexa in-room assistant.

Just between you and me, Alexa makes me nervous too — she reminds me too much of Big Brother, and I do not allow her in my house. I really don’t think I want to share a hotel room with her. But that’s just me.

Here are some photos of the interior:

I will say this much for Hamburg’s monstrosity: At 76,000 tons of concrete, with walls 2.5 meters thick, I wouldn’t be concerned about the building being struck by lightning or blown over in a hurricane. But I still get an eerie feeling just looking at the pictures — the same sort of sensation I felt at the entrance to Hitler’s underground bunker in Berlin, and in the barracks at Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp in the otherwise lovely town of Oranienburg: A feeling that I did not want to be there.

Anita Engels of the Hilldegarden Neighborhood Association, which supported the bunker restoration project, offered this thought:

“The idea of raising the height of the building with greenery was to add something peaceful and positive to this massive block left over from the Nazi dictatorship.” [CNN, id.]

With all due respect to good intentions, I still feel it could have been done better. Short of demolition, could they not have found an alternative, such as — oh, I don’t know — maybe draping it in a sarcophagus similar to the one the Russians used to encase the reactors at Chernobyl . . . only more attractive, of course? Perhaps Banksy could have been hired to pretty it up with some of his incredible murals. I still wouldn’t have stayed there — those pesky ghosts of the past, you know — but at least the neighborhood would have looked better.

I mean, that is one seriously ugly building.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/16/24

Not surprisingly, the court in Yekaterinburg, Russia, found Ksenia Karelina guilty of high treason today, sentencing her to twelve years in a “general regime” penal colony for having made a contribution of $51.80 — while living in the United States in 2022 — to a New York charitable organization benefitting the people of Ukraine.

A dual U.S.-Russia citizen, she was visiting family in Yekaterinburg in January of this year when she was detained for “petty hooliganism” — charged with allegedly swearing in a public place. (What constitutes “swearing” in today’s Russia is not clear.) While in detention, her cell phone was searched and officials found the transaction in her bank records. Under Russia’s onerous new laws, Karelina — still holding her Russian citizenship — was then accused by the FSB (formerly KGB) of “raising money for a Ukrainian organization providing arms to the Ukrainian military.”

At her trial earlier this month, Karelina truthfully admitted to having made the contribution, which the court immediately interpreted as a confession of guilt. The prosecutor had asked for a sentence of fifteen years; the court “magnanimously” gave her twelve.

*. *. *

The offending charitable organization — Razom (which means “together” in Ukrainian) — was formed in 2014 to, in their words, “contribute to the establishment of a secure, prosperous, and democratic Ukraine. We achieve this by creating, inspiring, and collaborating on initiatives that motivate people to think, partner and do.” They do not supply Ukraine with weapons.

But the court said that investigators had found that on February 24, 2022 — the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — Karelina had “transferred funds in the interests of a Ukrainian organisation, which were subsequently used for the purchase of tactical medicine items, equipment, means of defeat and ammunition by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” [Reuters, August 15, 2024.]

In Russia, it is whatever they say it is.

*. *. *

Two weeks ago today, an historic prisoner swap involving seven countries was concluded, and sixteen political prisoners were released by Moscow in exchange for eight of their spies and hardened criminals. It seems that now the sixteen vacancies in Russia’s GULAG of penal colonies must be filled with new prospects for the next swap. When that will be, is anyone’s guess.

And meanwhile, Ksenia Karelina — along with fellow Americans Marc Fogel, Robert Woodland, Gordon Black, Robert Gilman, David Barnes, Eugene Spector, and Michael Travis Leake — wait for their miracle.

*. *. *

The U.S. State Department has reiterated its warnings to Americans not to travel to Russia, and for those who may already be there, to leave . . . and the sooner the better.

I should think that would be obvious to anyone with a brain.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/15/24

It all started with an article about Oregon’s newly-renovated Portland International Airport terminal building, with its dozens of trees, thousands of other plants, natural light, unique ceiling constructed of locally-sourced wood, and its therapy llamas and alpacas.

The $2.15 billion renovation . . .

Whoa! Wait just a minute! Hold it right there! Did they say “therapy llamas and alpacas”??!!!

That can’t be right. But it is. You see, the new terminal wasn’t designed solely for improved efficiency of operation. It’s also about making this phase of the passengers’ travels more pleasant and less stressful. Thus the emphasis on greenery and such. According to a Port of Portland news release:

“The new terminal also uses biophilic design — bringing in the natural world — to harness its benefits like lowering travelers’ stress, blood pressure, and heart rate and make it feel like a stroll through a Pacific Northwest forest.” [Forrest Brown, CNN, August 14, 2024.]

Come to think of it, I noticed something similar — also on a distinctly Pacific Northwest theme — a number of years ago on arrival at the Vancouver, B.C. airport. And I’ve never forgotten how lovely it was, or how welcome it made me feel; so there must be something to this de-stressing idea.

But back to Portland . . .

Of course, the amenities haven’t been overlooked, either, such as the restaurants and shops placed ahead of the security areas, so that even non-traveling visitors might enjoy them.

And the llamas and alpacas? Oh, yes . . . they’re there, from time to time, as a special treat. And all thanks to Lori Gregory and Shannon Joy of Mountain Peaks Therapy Llamas and Alpacas Farm of Ridgefield, Washington.

In 2007, this mother-daughter team found their mission in life in providing animal-assisted therapy to senior communities, special-needs groups, and schools for therapeutic and educational interactions. Within a few years, they found they were receiving inquiries for private parties, and even weddings. [classycamelids.com].

I can see it now, at the wedding reception: “I’d like you to meet my best man, Larry Llama.” Okay, a little strange . . . but somehow endearing.

We all know how amazing therapy dogs are, not just with their individual owners, but with hospitalized children, the elderly, and others in need of comfort. And my own granddaughter was the beneficiary of the love of a therapy horse when she was quite young. So, why not a sweet-faced, fuzzy, half of a Pushme-Pullyu, a la Dr. Dolittle? I, for one, would love it.

And if one day I were walking through an airport, and happened upon one of these beautiful beasts of burden and incredibly soft hair, I know I’d be thinking more about how wonderful my day had just become . . . and less about the possibility of my plane losing a wing.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/15/24

I sat down yesterday afternoon to choose my subject matter(s) for today’s post(s), and I found I had six tentative titles ready. And they were all stale.

Oh, they’re current news, all right. It’s just that they’re ongoing news — subjects I’ve covered, perhaps over and over again — and all I can do now is continue to update them.

Well, yes . . . updates are important. If the subjects are significant, then keeping current is certainly beneficial. But, from fear of boring you (and myself) with the same-old-same-old, I’ve decided to give you a quick synopsis of each of the six items today, as I go off in search of some new news to sink my teeth into.

So here are the six for today, at mach speed:

*. *. *

The Ghost of Yevgeny Prigozhin. He’s still dead, but his Wagner Group of mercenaries is very much alive, and mostly doing their dirty work in Africa, under the complete control of Vladimir Putin’s government. Surprise, surprise!

Stuck In Space. More problems for Boeing and the Starliner astronauts on the International Space Station. Scary.

The Reemergence of the Hostages. They’re recuperating, making plans for continuing their opposition to Putin’s regime in the future, even from exile. Good news!

“Putin’s Brain.” A lunatic named Aleksandr Dugin apparently has Vladimir Putin’s attention. I may have to follow up on this one; he’s not your run-of-the-mill nut job. Very scary.

Hungary Is At It Again. Viktor Orban, playing footsie with immigrants from Russia and Belarus. The EU isn’t happy. No surprise there.

Dear Mr. Peskov. I’m sure my readers are sick of hearing about the Kremlin spokesman, and wondering why I find him so interesting. I’d like the answer to that myself.

*. *. *

So there you have it. You see? I can be brief. Not very informative, but certainly brief.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/15/24

Did you know that, on this date in . . .

1751: A daughter poisons her father. A tale worthy of a Midsomer Murders episode, this real-life British drama involves a 26-year-old spinster, a wealthy father, an adulterous fortune-hunter, an illicit affair, betrayal, arsenic . . . everything but incest. And nearly 300 years ago. What fun!

1917: China declares war on Germany. World War I. China was on our side back then. Ah, the good old days.

1935: FDR signs Social Security Act. And a good thing, too. But you still can’t live on it.

1945: Japan’s surrender made public. World War II finally ends. Amen.

1985: Michael Jackson purchases the publishing rights to the majority of the Beatles’ catalog. If you happen to have $47 Million hanging around . . .

1994: The terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal is arrested. That’s a relief. (Aside: I knew someone years ago who claimed to have attended university with him. If true, that means I was just one degree of separation from one of the most notorious . . . Holy crap!)

2003: Blackout hits northeast United States. It’s a mess in New York, Ohio, parts of Canada, and more. And in May of 2004, the birth rate in those same areas suddenly surges. Hmmm . . . coincidence?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/14/24

On August 3rd, I reported that this Canadian family, Arend and Anneesa Feenstra and eight of their nine children — who had blithely (and blindly) emigrated to Russia in February of this year to find peace, prosperity, and freedom from “wokeness” — had apparently been on the verge of being ejected from their new, ultra-conservative Russian paradise because of visa problems. And then I lost track of them.

But thanks to the wonders of YouTube — which apparently still works in Russia, at least for the moment — they have not vanished from the face of the Earth. They have a vlog they call Countryside Acres, with an apparent 169,000-plus followers. I tried listening to one of Arend and Anneesa’s broadcasts, but gave up after about five minutes of watching them sit there, mutely waiting to get things working properly, and another five minutes of Arend fumbling through a description of a day in which they apparently did nothing, but were very grateful for the opportunity to live in Russia.

But I’m persistent, and I next found an online site called “Wonkette News,” which contained a recent article (June 8th) by one Marcie Jones, who has obviously been in touch with the Feenstras. What a relief! They’re all alive, still in Russia, and . . . well, let’s begin where we last left off.

*. *. *

For starters, two things went wrong. First, the Russian government lied. They always lie. They lied about their “special military operation” in Ukraine; they lied about the cause of Alexei Navalny’s death; hell, they even lie about their crop yields. So no one — other than the Feenstras themselves — should be surprised to learn that what had supposedly been promised them by the Russian government was just a pipe dream.

And second, the Feenstras are clearly not the brightest people; they didn’t do their homework before making the biggest decision of their — and their eight children’s — lives. But you can’t fix stupid.

Now they’re stuck, and they’re trying to make a go of it. They’ve learned that they needed to pass a Russian language proficiency test in order to emigrate; and they’ve also learned that as foreigners they couldn’t simply buy a farm but could only own a minority share of it.

Wait . . . WHAT??!!!

Are you telling me they didn’t know all this beforehand? Or that their “tourist” visas had an expiration date, and didn’t entitle them to stay indefinitely?

Well, they know it now. And so they’ve decided on another route: they’ve applied for asylum.

On what grounds? What were they being threatened by, back on the farm in Canada? Locusts? Liberals? Gay people? Yeah, that’ll get you asylum, I’m sure.

Meanwhile, the ten of them have been living in a one-room (probably communal) apartment . . . Well, that doesn’t even bear thinking about. I’ve seen those apartments. Besides being too small even for two people, they’re . . . Ugh! Don’t ask.

Reading on, I learned from Ms. Jones that the Feenstras have now become aware of further restrictions and legal requirements of their new homeland. Such as the fact that, as foreigners, in order to buy agricultural property they must first form a Russian company, and that company must have a Russian citizen (or citizens) as majority owner(s). So Arend says they’ve now done that, and found someone to take on the 51% ownership.

Well, there’s a big “oh-oh” right there. Who are these new partners of theirs? What do you know about them? Are they solvent? If so, where does their money come from? In short, can they be trusted? In Russia, you can’t just run a D&B on someone. Do you realize that the partner(s), and not you, actually control that business? And even if you’re lucky and find the right person, registration still takes forever, finding and buying the property is no easy feat, and . . .

Oh, hell! I could go on forever with the “ifs,” “ands,” and “buts.” The bottom line is: the Feenstras are royally screwed. And what do they say to this? Ms. Jones quotes Arend Feenstra on this:

“We live day-to-day, and so much of it is out of our control that we have really been learning to live in faith, and not by sight. And just taking each day as it comes, hoping we get one step closer every time. We believe God brought us here, we believe God is making a way, and we will just keep trusting in him.” [Marcie Jones, Wonkette, id.]

*. *. *

I envy you your faith, Mr. and Mrs. Feenstra . . . I really do. And I hope things work out for you soon. But another old saying keeps popping into my head as I think about your dilemma:

“Yes, I believe God answers all of our prayers; but sometimes the answer is simply . . . ‘No.’”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/14/24

I knew that; we all know what a fungus is. I just never imagined how many there are!

If you’re reading this and eating at the same time, I strongly urge you to stop one or the other . . . right now. No, seriously. Put down that taco. You’ll thank me later.

I’m not entirely clear on whether that’s an actual picture of some sort of human-hosted fungus, or just someone’s idea of what Venusians will look like when they finally reach Earth. But Google says they’re fungi, so I’m going with that.

And no, they’re not the latest in Russia’s or China’s arsenal of chemical weapons . . . as far as I know. They’re actually right here, on our very own bodies — along with bacteria and viruses — by the billions . . . and we need them.

(Excuse me, but if the plural of “fungus” is “fungi,” then why isn’t the plural of “virus” . . . “viri”? Just asking.)

Anyway, it seems that any square centimeter of skin on your body contains between 10,000 and 1,000,000 bacteria. But they’re the good kind. So they (the experts) now tell us we shouldn’t overdo the antibacterial soap and other stuff we’ve all become so addicted to since the Covid pandemic. Because it turns out that all those tiny trespassers on your personal property — your epidermis — are there as the first line of defense against any pathogens that might try to invade your system. [Jasmin Fox-Skelly, BBC, August 13, 2024.]

And reading on, I learned that the distribution of these little squatters is uneven throughout your body . . . and that there are a number of different types of bacteria living with you in apparent harmony (and presumably not paying rent). Your forehead, nose and back might be housing one type, while your armpits, or between your toes . . .

All right — I told you to drop the taco, didn’t I?!!

I did add quite a few new words to my (admittedly limited) medical vocabulary along the way, such as “Cutibacterium,” “Corynebacterium,” “Propionibacterium,” “keratinocytes,” and my personal favorite, “skin dysbiosis” — all of which I promptly consigned to the “Immediately Forgotten As Being Totally Useless” file in my brain. I’m absolutely certain I won’t be discussing “cutie bacteria” with any of my friends in the near future . . . or ever.

The article, which was quite lengthy, went into great detail as to the way in which each of these tiny treasures does its job to keep us healthy, and as to our body’s workings in general. And trust me . . . you probably don’t need to know every bit of it, any more than I did. But if you are the curious type, here’s the link:

https://bbc.com/future/article/20240813-the-surprising-benefits-of-the-microbes-that-live-on-your-skin

Otherwise, just be content with knowing that you shouldn’t be scrubbing yourself with Grandma’s lye soap in a misdirected attempt to get rid of all of those baby blue Venusians crawling all over you. They’re friendlies. They should stay.

But maybe you could have that talk about rent.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/14/24

Unless you’re a student of World War II battles, or specifically of Russian history during that era, you may not have heard of the Battle of Kursk. The original one in 1943, that is.

The Battle of Kursk was the single largest battle in the history of warfare. And along with the more famous Battle of Stalingrad, Kursk was one of the two most-cited turning points in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO) of World War II. It lasted for one month, two weeks and four days — from July 5 to August 23, 1943 — and was the single deadliest armored battle in history.

The Nazi regime placed great hopes on their capture of Kursk; Hitler believed that a victory there would improve his prestige with his allies, which had recently been waning. But — largely due to intelligence provided by the British — the Soviet government had received warning of Germany’s intentions. Without going into detail here, suffice it to say that Hitler lost the day — and eventually the War — as the Battle of Kursk was the final strategic offensive he was able to launch on Germany’s Eastern Front before having to divert troops to its Western Front.

So the very name “Kursk” has great meaning to the Russian people. But it is also one of the areas from which Russia chose to launch its attacks on Ukraine in this war. Now it is being evacuated, its civilian population finally learning just what it is their military has been doing to the people on the other side of the nearby border for the past two and a half years.

Perhaps someone should have warned Putin back in 2022, before he fired the first shot of this “special military operation,” that paybacks are hell.

But he’s been learning that lesson — a little too late now — over the past seven days, since Ukraine’s surprise counterattack took their troops, for the first time, across the border into Russia, where they now claim to control more than 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory.

That’s got to feel good . . . for the Ukrainian side. President Zelensky said that Russia had brought war to others, and now it was coming back to Russia.

But on the Russian side, Vladimir Putin called the Ukrainian offensive a “major provocation,” and ordered his forces to “kick the enemy out of our territory.” [Gianluca Avagnina and Frank Gardner, BBC, August 13, 2024.]

Well, they are trying, having launched a massive counter-counteroffensive; and an anonymous senior British military source said there was a risk that Moscow might now redouble its attacks on Ukraine’s civilian population and infrastructure out of sheer anger. [BBC, id.]

Because, in Vladimir Putin’s delusional, narcissistic world, everything is someone else’s fault. And losing — or even the appearance of losing — is intolerable. So he simply strikes out, further escalating what he began in the first place.

And it all devolves into a classic barroom brawl . . . but with deadly weapons. And, as has been the case in every war ever fought anywhere in the world, innocent people on both sides of the border — people who never wanted the fight in the first place — are the real losers.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/14/24