August 1988. A friend and I had joined a U.S. tour group to visit what was then still the Soviet Union. We began the four-city tour in Moscow, where we were shown the usual highlights: the Kremlin and Red Square, the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow State University in the Sparrow Hills, a couple of beautiful Orthodox cathedrals that had survived Stalin’s mad spree of destruction, and more. One day, as we were strolling along the charming street known as the Old Arbat, I noticed something on some of the buildings that struck a nerve: surveillance cameras. We were aware that our hotel rooms were probably bugged; but seeing these cameras on the streets, in the days before security CCTV invaded the rest of the world, removed any doubt that we were indeed in the land of Big Brother.

*. *. *

March 2024. They couldn’t stop the funeral . . .

. . . so they began the nationwide post-funeral sweep-up.

There are estimated to be hundreds of thousands of CCTV cameras in Moscow alone, allegedly for the purpose of identifying criminals and contributing to public safety. In the days just prior to Alexei Navalny’s funeral on March 1st, several additional cameras — likely enhanced with facial recognition technology — were installed in the area around the church and cemetery where the service and burial were to take place.

Since Navalny’s suspicious death in a Siberian penal colony on February 16th, more than 400 people have been detained for participating in peaceful protests across Russia. Additionally, during the past few days, at least five people have been detained after attending the funeral, including one woman on Monday of this week who was caught on camera chanting “glory to the heroes,” a pro-Ukraine slogan. She was fined and allowed to return home the following day; but she now has a criminal record. The fate of the others is as yet unknown.

Russian opposition activists are warning that the Kremlin is in the process of centralizing its surveillance system, and that, “If they digitalize all the databases and combine them to make this joint database, they can find everybody.” [Mathias Hammer, Semafor, March 5, 2024.]

Make no mistake: Vladimir Putin has no intention of allowing any sort of dissent to continue. Yet, in the days since Navalny’s funeral, hundreds of Russians have continued to visit his grave in defiance of Putin’s onerous new laws and regulations. As reported in Sobesednik — one of the few liberal Russian publications still in operation — there were “gigantic queues” and “mountains of flowers” at his grave site over the past weekend. [Id.]

The question now is: Who will prevail in this contest of wills . . . Big Brother, or the huge spirit and determination of the Russian people? We can continue to hope that it will be the latter; but only time will tell.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/7/24

To be clear, I love Colin Firth. I loved him in Shakespeare In Love and in Love Actually; I adored him as the reluctant monarch in The King’s Speech; and I found him gayly adorable in Mamma Mia.

That said, would I pay the equivalent of $12,000 for a shirt he wore in the film version of Pride and Prejudice? Or any garment he might have had close to his body at any time?

I don’t think so.

Okay, I admit — he’s pretty damned cute. Even sexy. But if I were truly smitten . . . so smitten that I’d lost all reason and decided to bid my last dime on the shirt from that watery scene in the movie . . . what on earth would I then do with my expensive souvenir? Hang it on the wall? Bring it to school for show-and-tell? Wear it as a night shirt in the hope that it might evoke an erotic dream of the delightful Mr. Darcy?

Well, maybe that. But still . . . $12,000?

Which, of course, started my mind meandering in all sorts of directions about things that people buy, at exorbitant prices, just to say they own them. I’m not talking about items of obvious monetary value — the Hope Diamond, a genuine Faberge Egg, Michelangelo’s David (if you could get it out of the Galleria in Firenze). Or even the unique historic items that people bring to the Antiques Road Show. No, I’m talking about . . . well, for example:

“Do Not Disturb” Signs. Rainer Weichert of Germany holds the world’s record for his collection of 11,570 of these ubiquitous hotel hangtags. Since 1990, he has traveled to 188 countries, bringing home signs in various shapes, designs, and languages. Why? I have no idea; you’ll have to ask him.

*. *. *

Barf Bags, also known as air sickness bags. A Netherlander by the name of Niek Vermeule made a bet with a friend in 1986 to see who could collect the greater number of these (presumably unused) items. He made it into the Guinness Book of World Records in 2012, defeating his friend, when his collection numbered 6,290 bags from 1,191 airlines in 200 or more countries. I didn’t know there were that many airlines in existence! He even managed to “bag” one that had spent 16 days in space aboard the NASA space shuttle Columbia. I suppose they’ll come in handy if he ever gets a really bad case of airsickness or flu (which I don’t wish on him or anyone); but otherwise . . . well, I just can’t imagine what you’d do with them. Maybe he’s had special book shelves — or bag shelves — built to hold them.

*. *. *

Pizza Boxes. Scott Wiener (no comments on his name, please) from Brooklyn, New York, began collecting pizza boxes in 2008 when, on a trip to Israel, he saw “the most artistic pizza box he’d ever seen.” He enlisted the help of family, friends and fans — yes, he has fans — and by 2013 he achieved the world record when his collection totaled 595 pizza boxes. And here’s the really strange part (as if this weren’t already strange enough): Scott has published a book, “Viva La Pizza! The Art of the Pizza Box,” to share with the world his expanded collection of over 1,500 boxes. He even loans his boxes to museums and other exhibits. What . . . there’s a Museum of Pizza? Where? Or, more to the point: Why?

*. *. *

Celebrity Hair. No, not Goldilocks or Rapunzel, but real live (at one time) celebrities, incuding Elvis Presley, Ludwig von Beethoven, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Marilyn Monroe. What is this guy — a grave robber? I don’t know, because the article I read doesn’t reveal how John Reznikoff amassed his collection of famous follicles, just that he did, and that it is now insured for $1 milion. He says “they tell important stories about the past,” and several decades ago “was the equivalent of owning an autograph and a true status symbol.” Okay, Mr. Reznikoff. If you’re happy, we’re happy for you.

*. *. *

And finally . . . and clearly my favorite . . .

Fossilized Dinosaur Poop. It seems that when a young freshman named George Frandsen visited a fossil shop in Utah, he came across what is described as “an especially impressive specimen.” This led to his unexpected interest in coprolites (defined as “a stony mass consisting of fossilized fecal matter of animals”), and a collection was born and grew to at least 5,000 specimens ranging from tiny specks to samples weighing over four pounds. As it turns out, though, Mr. Frandsen’s collection does serve an allegedly useful purpose: the specimens provide important information for scientists to determine what the prehistoric animals ate when they roamed the earth. Frankly, I don’t give a s**t what they ate. But he has lent his collection to the South Florida Museum, and the exhibit was so popular that it ran for over a year. For those of you who may continue to be curious about coprolites, Mr. Frandsen also has an online website, Poozeum (cute!), which displays nothing but ancient poop. Be still, my heart.

*. * . *

And FYI, the source of all of this delightful data, and more, was a fascinating article written by David Long (and fact-checked by Rachel Jones) for Weird Stuff, March 27, 2021. Oh, the things you can find on Google!

*. *. *

So, having completed my in-depth research, and given much consideration to the amount of time, effort, and money involved in the amassing of these unique collections, I find that I have discovered something about myself . . . and that is, that I no longer consider it totally weird — comparatively speaking — that one might decide to spend $12,000 on Colin Firth’s shirt. It makes more sense than poop.

Now . . . where did you say that auction was being held?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/6/24

I recently joined a Facebook group known as the Dull Women’s Club. After reading some of the members’ posts, I quickly realized that these women are, in fact, anything but dull. Bored, maybe. Dissatisfied, probably in some cases. But also bright, witty, compassionate, and supportive. So I joined, and I am so glad I did!

They come from all over the world, all ages, all sorts of backgrounds and current living conditions. And it turns out that they’re all — each in her own unique way — beautiful, and worth knowing.

But a problem has arisen recently: some men want to join our women’s club. There are, of course, differing views on this, and that’s fine. But here is mine, for what it’s worth:

Despite current attempts to blur the line between the sexes, there is a difference — a big one — between men and women. You may wish you were something you’re not; you may take steps to be something other than what you are; and you may be attracted to someone of your own gender. That’s all fine, if it makes you happy. But the fact is, if you have a uterus, working mammary glands, and no Adam’s apple, you are genetically female. If you have a penis, testicles, and that useless lump in your throat, you are male. And I say:

Vive la difference!

But we women — the ones who acknowledge and appreciate our womanliness — sometimes just want to be by ourselves, with other women, to talk about women’s things. When that’s the case, it’s uncomfortable to have men in the room. It doesn’t mean we don’t love you anymore, or don’t ever want you around. Just not in our women’s club. At least, that’s how I feel.

I understand there’s a Dull Men’s Club on Facebook too. I have no interest in joining it to hear about some jock’s latest sexual conquest, or his newest video game, or the best mud flaps for his monster truck, or whatever it is you talk about. But you guys go right ahead and enjoy yourselves. We women won’t interfere, I assure you. And we’d greatly appreciate it if you would return the favor.

Do I believe in equal rights for both sexes? Damn right, I do! But that doesn’t mean we’re alike in every way, nor do we need to be. We can have separate interests . . . separate opinions . . . different hormonal balances . . . and still be equal. In fact, it’s those very differences that make it so much fun to mingle when we do all get together. Just not all the time, okay?

Just sayin’. . .

Brendochka
3/5/24

It is too late for Alexei Navalny; but perhaps it is not too late for the others.

The terror continues, with two more prominent pro-freedom activists added to the growing list of those imprisoned in Vladimir Putin’s Russia for speaking the truth: Oleg Orlov and Boris Kagarlitsky. Not household names like the late Aleksei Navalny, but each vitally important to the cause of freeing Russia from the ever-strengthening grip of Putin-style totalitarian rule . . . each now being muzzled for having offended the dictator in the Kremlin.

Oleg Orlov, age 70, Chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization “Memorial,” was charged in October 2023 with “repeatedly discrediting” the Russian armed forces. Found guilty at trial, he was fined 150,000 rubles (US $1,630) and walked free. But — as has become commonplace in Russia recently — the prosecutors appealed the sentence as being too soft. A higher court ordered a retrial.

Some four months later, the guilty verdict was confirmed, but the sentence was far different: he would be sent to prison for 2-1/2 years . . . simply for having written an article presenting his assessment of the war in Ukraine. In his closing statement in court, he spoke of a Russia that is “sinking ever more deeply into darkness” and of “the suffocation of freedom.”

“We know the real reason why we’re being detained, tried, arrested, sentenced and killed. We are being punished for daring to criticise [sic] the authorities. In present-day Russia this is absolutely prohibited.”

He addressed the judge and the prosecutor: “Doesn’t the obvious occur to you? That sooner or later, the machine of repression may roll over those who launched it and drove it forward? That’s what happened many times throughout history.” [Steve Rosenberg, BBC News, Feb. 27, 2024.]

And then he was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom.

*. *. *

Boris Kagarlitsky, age 65, is a Russian Marxist theoretician and sociologist, editor-in-chief of the Left Politics publication in Moscow, and host of the YouTube channel Rabkor. In May of 2022, he was declared a “foreign agent.” And in December of 2023, he was found guilty of “public justification of terrorism” for a video published on Rabkor commenting on the Crimean Bridge bombing in October of 2022. Like Oleg Orlov, he was issued a fine, though in the higher sum of 609,000 rubles (US $6,700).

Also as in Orlov’s case, the prosecution appealed the sentence, and on February 13, 2024, the Russian Military Court of Appeal sentenced him to five years in a penal colony, and banned him from administering websites for an additional two years after his release.

*. *. *

More and more, Mr. Orlov’s words ring true: Russia is indeed “sinking ever more deeply into darkness.” And the people who dare to speak out against the causes of its decline are paying with years spent in the hell of the Russian prison system . . . and sometimes with their very lives.

*. * . *

So I urge you yet again: Do not forget or forsake those men and women being held HOSTAGE by the Russian government, who have done no more than speak out against the dictatorial, fascist regime of Vladimir Putin. While they have been forced into silence, we have not.

We must continue to use our voices for them.

Please . . . bring them home!

Brendochka
3/4/24

Well . . . I did not hit the lottery. But the cost (my share, above and beyond insurance) of my most expensive prescription drug did drop from $151 to $93 per month. Now I can afford that really great brand of toilet paper. That’s certainly a good thing.

I ate two 4-oz. cups of Haagen-Dazs ice cream in one day and didn’t gain any weight. Also a good thing.

And all my orders from Amazon arrived in a single delivery this week. Yay!

If you think I’m grasping at straws here, I am. And it’s because I couldn’t find anything to cheer about in the news during the past seven days — just the usual litany of disasters, despotism and depravity. So I turned once again to CNN’s The Good Stuff column, which this Saturday was a collection of somewhat unusual stuff, to-wit:

– An 85-year-old man in England who finally, after 30 years, fulfilled his dream of completing his “geologically correct” and “aesthetically pleasing” rock map of Scotland. It took a lot of trips, but now perhaps he can relax and spend his retirement years admiring his uniquely beautiful creation.

– A much younger Irish explorer who has claimed the Ultimate Explorer’s Grand Slam prize (a thing I didn’t even know existed) for having climbed the highest mountain on every continent, touched the North and South Poles (not, I presume, at the same time), and visited every country on the globe. Quite an accomplishment. I wonder where he’ll choose to take his vacation next year.

– A sweet story about a tailless squirrel who is managing to enjoy life despite his embarrassing disability . . . a nice “tale” of inclusiveness in the squirrel community.

– A list of the least-visited national parks in the United States . . . prepared, I assume, for the benefit of those who have been everywhere else. Perhaps that Irish explorer.

– And speaking of toilet paper . . . there was an advertisement for that very thing, only this is made of three-ply bamboo. Now, that is good news, especially for the trees of this world. Not surprisingly, though, it’s pricey: $66 for 24 extra large rolls of 340 sheets each. The equivalent amount of my favorite high-end brand costs $40 (in that big box from Amazon shown above). Good news for the environment, but not-so-good for the budget.

*. *. *

So do you see what I mean? These stories don’t exactly change the world (except maybe that toilet paper) — no great medical discoveries, no end to any wars, no solution to the climate crisis. They’re just pleasant offerings about people (including one squirrel-stalker) who have found a smidgen of momentary joy in an otherwise joyless week.

But come to think of it, isn’t that what most of us are looking for: a bit of day-to-day happiness to take us away, even for a little while, from all of the doom and gloom?

And that is a very good thing indeed.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/3/24

Snapshots of the last four years of a man’s life . . . each picture worth more than any number of words.

Alexei Anatolyevich Navalny
June 4, 1976 – February 16, 2024

Proshchai,
Brendochka
March 2, 2024

Alexei Navalny was laid to rest today in Moscow. His mother and father were there to say a final farewell to their son; but his wife and children were unable to attend. They had to watch from the safety of a European haven, as the Kremlin authorities had already stated unequivocally that “The same fate awaits Navalnaya. If she comes to Russia, she will go to prison.”

It was only with the greatest difficulty — and for the same reasons of intimidation — that his mother and colleagues were able to make the arrangements for his funeral. Churches, cemeteries, hearses were somehow fully booked — some only when they heard Navalny’s name, others admitting frankly that they had been warned against accepting him. And the public had been “cautioned” to stay away. But, for once, the forces of evil did not prevail. A church and a nearby cemetery were found, a van was acquired . . . and the people came.

By the thousands, they came. They did not carry signs that could have gotten them arrested; but they chanted Navalny’s name, they chanted “Russia without Putin” and “Russia will be free.” And the heavy security forces — regular police and the MVD (Ministry of Internal Affairs) — did not interfere.

People who agreed to be interviewed said they were not afraid. Perhaps there was safety in numbers. Perhaps they were just sick of being afraid. Perhaps it was the presence of the Ambassadors from the United States, France, Germany, Ireland, Australia, and other dignitaries that kept the police at bay. Or perhaps Alexei Navalny’s courage had inspired the people to find their own.

And from their safe place, Navalny’s wife and daughter spoke of their determination to make him proud of them, and to carry on his mission to free Russia from the grip of Putin’s totalitarian regime. Perhaps the end of Alexei Navalny’s life is the spark his movement needs to bring about that new beginning for his beloved country.

And without a doubt — without any “perhaps” — today is a day that will not be forgotten by Vladimir Putin. How he will react remains to be seen; but I doubt that it will be pretty.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/1/24

*. *. *

I doubt that Alexei Navalny would ever have sought to become a martyr. His goal was simply to see his beloved Russia and its people living in freedom — freedom from tyranny, want, and fear. His method was to spread the truth: loudly, clearly, peaceably. He was met with persecution, poisoning, criminal prosecution, imprisonment, torture, isolation, starvation, and a long, slow, painful death in a penal colony in the frozen Siberian nowhere.

Vladimir Putin and his minions of course deny any complicity in Navalny’s treatment or his death . . . while at the same time threatening Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, with “the same fate.” As offered by Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov on Tuesday, February 27th: “The same fate awaits Navalnaya. If she comes to Russia, she will go to prison.” [Shannon Vavra, Daily Beast, Feb. 25, 2024.] Presently outside Russia, it is unclear whether Yulia Navalnaya will be able to attend her own husband’s funeral.

*. *. *

As I write this on the eve of the funeral (7:00 p.m. Thursday E.S.T. time, 3:00 a.m. Friday in Moscow), I see reports that there is already a police presence outside the church. Putin is well aware of the outpouring of grief that has already been seen since Navalny’s death was announced; and he must now realize that, in allowing this man to die while in custody, he has inadvertently created his own worst nightmare: a martyr, beloved by the freedom-seeking Russian populace and survived by a wife, children, mother, and team of compatriots who will carry on the fight against Putin’s tyrannical reign. Does he plan to kill them all?

We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Brendochka
2/29/24

. . . “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

Dylan Thomas wrote those lines as he contemplated the inevitability of his aging father’s death. And the words themselves have become immortal . . . words of advice for all of us to heed.

One man who clearly believed, as Thomas did, that his only choice in life was to fight — to rage — against that finality was Alexei Navalny. But death was inevitable to him as it is to all of us. For him, though, it came far too soon, brought about by the evil of a regime that could not bear his honesty, his courage, or his raging.

He was the victim of the very sort of injustice against which he had fought so long and so honorably in life. Wrongfully charged, poisoned, imprisoned, tortured . . . yet he still could not be silenced. So he was murdered; and even after death, forced to suffer the further indignity of his body’s being held hostage as his killers sought to prevent any public show of grief and support. They arrested hundreds of those who laid flowers at makeshift memorials to him, and finally tried to coerce his family into keeping his funeral “secret.”

But his family showed that they, too, are made of sterner stuff, and began making proper funeral arrangements for him . . . only to run headlong into a blockade erected by those very same killers when church after church, burial ground after burial ground, were closed to him, some confessing that they had been “forbidden” by the authorities to accept him. Arrangements were finally made at a location near his former home in the outskirts of Moscow; burial is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, March 1, 2024. In a show of defiance, the public has been invited by Navalny’s family and colleagues to attend, and have been urged to “come early.”

There is little doubt that attendance will be great . . . and accompanied by an equally great police presence. Whether Alexei Navalny’s final farewell will be peaceful, as he would have wished, remains to be seen.

*. *. *

In a final twist of the metaphorical knife, one of Navalny’s team, Maria Pevchikh, has said that, just before his sudden death, negotiations had been underway for his release and that of two (unnamed) U.S. citizens being held hostage in different prisons, in exchange for “a Russian hitman serving a life sentence in Germany for the 2019 assassination of a former Chechen fighter in Berlin.” [Anna Chernova, et al., CNN, Feb. 27, 2024.]

As of the time of reporting, CNN had been unable to independently verify Ms. Pevchikh’s claims, and the German government had declined to comment. An unnamed Western official told CNN that there had been “early discussions about a prisoner swap involving Navalny and US citizens, but no formal offer had been made prior to his death.” [Id.] But Ms. Pevchikh alleges that “because Putin could not tolerate the thought of Navalny being free, he instead decided to ‘get rid of the bargaining chip.’” [Id.]

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s typical response was that the accusations were “absurd,” that the Kremlin “has nothing to do with the case” and therefore “cannot exert pressure.” [Id.]

Okay, sure — I buy that. And I also believe the moon really is made of blue cheese.

*. *. *

Whatever may be the truth of any behind-the-scenes prisoner “swap” negotiations, it is time now to give Alexei Navalny and his family the rest and the closure they deserve. Let’s hope he is at last allowed to “go gentle into that dark night.”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/29/24

It’s not because they have eight children. It’s not because they’re right-wing conservatives. It’s certainly not because they’re Canadian, or because they’re farmers. Or even because they’re anti-LGBTQ. I’m a firm believer that each and every one of us has a God-given right to his/her/their opinion on everything. But these people have done something so incredible, so unbelievable, so unimaginable, that it can only be classified as absolutely, positively, unequivocally STUPID.

And now you’re wondering “Who?” “What?” “Why?” Well, hang on to your hats, because this one really is hard to believe.

Meet the Feenstra family from Canada, who, in their haste to escape the perceived “LGBT ideology” of their formerly beloved country, decided the best place on Earth to live would be the one place that has the most stringent anti-LGBT laws, and where they would feel safe from the “Western influence” . . . the place they have called “the land of opportunity” . . . RUSSIA.

Yes, I said “Russia.”

I honestly don’t know how to feel about this. On the one hand, it’s so bizarre I want to laugh. But it really isn’t funny. This couple, in their misguided belief that their way is the only true way, have consigned their eight innocent children to a life in what can only be described as Hell on Earth.

Emotions aside, suppose we just examine this a little further, without in any way passing judgment on their religious or moral beliefs. Those are strictly personal matters, and as I said, to each his own. But from a purely logical point of view, I have to ask: WHAT HAVE THEY DONE??!!!

They look like a nice, average family, don’t they? Dad (Arend) was a beet farmer in rural Canada, while Mom (Anneesa) has obviously had her hands full caring for their substantial brood of really cute kids. And they’ve carefully raised the children according to their conservative Christian beliefs. Life has been good to them.

Then one day, the kids find out that Mom and Dad are selling the farm and they’re all moving far away . . . really far, halfway around the world to another country where the way of life is different, the laws are different, the people are suspicious of foreigners, and most people don’t even speak English. It seems logical that the older ones will have asked why this is happening, and I have no idea how I, as a parent, would have answered them. “Because life is better there”? “Because we can have more land there”? “Because they don’t allow gay people there”?

Wait . . . WHAT??!!! What was that last one? Oh, yeah . . . that one was the truth. Because Russia does have the most stringent laws against promotion of “deviant” sexual identity, and we need to protect our precious children from the evils of “wokeness” and LGBT’s “corrupting influences.”

Well, if that was their goal, they could not have chosen a better destination (although Hungary is working hard at trying to catch up). In fact, they had received advance assurances from Russian officials that they would be given the help they needed to get established there. And they believed it.

But if they thought life in their new home was going to be paradise, or even easy, well . . . to put it bluntly, their new reality sucked. Big time.

First they found that their new Russian bank account, containing the proceeds of the sale of their Canadian farm, had been frozen as being “suspicious.” Unable to find anyone who spoke English to help them, Anneesa flipped out and went into a rant on YouTube, saying she was “very disappointed in this country at this point . . . I’m ready to jump on a plane and get out of here. We’ve hit the first snag where you have to engage logic in this country and it’s very, very frustrating.” [Will Potter, Daily Mail News, Feb. 22, 2024.]

Wow!

Well, you can just imagine how that went over with the folks in the Kremlin. The details of what followed aren’t readily available, but the video was taken down from their YouTube account, and Arend “shared a groveling apology video where he said their ‘thoughts aren’t always conveyed properly.’” [Id.]

Then a follow-up video was posted on February 11th, in which Arend said their funds were no longer frozen, and that they intend to stay in Russia “for the long haul.”

Further kowtowing ensued, in which Arend went so far as to say:

“Western media for the most part is very biased, corrupt probably. Lots of lies, lots of nonsense being spread around the West about us. We are perfectly happy here, we’re not planning on leaving here, we’re not stuck here, we’re not hostages.” [Id.]

He even went on to encourage others to follow in his footsteps, claiming that officials “make it easy for Americans to move to Russia. Especially large families, Christian farming families, conservative people, and they want them here . . . there’s tons of land and opportunity here.” [Id.]

Ah, yes . . . it seems the good old “workers’ paradise” from the days of Lenin and Stalin has returned to Mother Russia. And it didn’t take long for the propaganda machine to take hold of the Feenstras, did it?

*. *. *

As for the kids, who will no doubt learn Russian fairly quickly, as kids usually do . . . well, the school system will take care of their essential “re-education.” Though I’m not sure what’s going to happen to their earlier Christian religious upbringing. Perhaps they’ll be allowed to join the Young Pioneers instead. What fun!

Желаю удачи, дети: “I wish you luck, kids.” I really do. I’m afraid you’re going to need it.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/28/24