Xi Jinping will be hosting the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the northern port city of Tianjin, China, on August 31 and September 1, for 20 or more of his country’s closest friends and allies.

The list of attendees does not include Donald Trump, but does extend to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Together with Xi, that’s three of the five founding members of BRICS.

Also expected are leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. [Laurie Chen, Reuters, August 26, 2025.]

According to a Chinese Foreign Ministry official, this year’s summit will be the largest since the SCO’s founding in 2001. He called the organization an “important force in building a new type of international relations.” [Id.]

The meeting coincides with China’s scheduled Victory Day celebration on August 3rd, commemorating the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender ending World War II. That day will be marked by a military parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, undoubtedly of spectacular proportions, to showcase China’s latest weaponry, including aircraft, tanks, and anti-drone systems. [Laura Bicker and Jean Mackenzie, BBC News, August 28, 2025.]

Some 26 heads of state are expected to attend the spectacle . . . notably including, for his first-ever multilateral international meeting, North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un. [Id.]

What a diplomatic coup for Xi, being able to pull together Putin, Kim, and Modi — still smarting from Trump’s increased tariffs on Indian imports — in one fell swoop.

With Putin and Xi hell-bent on creating a “New World Order,” next week’s gathering in China is beginning to look like an opportunistic meeting of their Executive Committee.

*. *. *

As badly screwed-up as the existing world order is at the moment, you might be thinking we’re ready for a new one. And you may be right . . . but I’d rather it didn’t look so much like someone’s dystopian nightmare.

Wouldn’t you?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/29/25

Not to worry: it’s still the Feenstras’ farm — Countryside Acres — in rural Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. But, as we learned recently, another family has moved into their newly-built guest house: Justin and Anita Pulley and their four young children, from Australia by way of the rugged Altai region of southern Siberia.

But, other than the fact that they will be living and working on the farm with the Feenstra clan, and that they have been in Russia longer and speak Russian more fluently than the Feenstras, not much else was revealed about them. So of course, I went digging. And I found them on YouTube.

It turns out that the Feenstras aren’t the only, or even the first, immigrant social media stars transplanted to the land of the tsars and the commissars. Although the Pulleys don’t really qualify as “stars.” The video from Altai in 2021 in which Justin and Anita answer questions about themselves lacked the pizazz of a Feenstra presentation. They merely sat and spoke to the camera; there was no activity; no children (they had three at the time) were in sight, other than an infant being swaddled, totally hidden, against Anita’s chest.

But they were personable and likable, and offered a good bit of information about their backgrounds and how they had landed in Siberia.

Like the Feenstras, their story indicated that they are conservative Christians, farmers, and believers in the joys of a large family. Justin was a carpenter and builder in Australia; Anita worked as a waitress and barista, and then for the Australian postal service. Both had worked from about age 15.

Justin first came to Russia in 2013 with a group that included the man who would eventually become his father-in-law; their purpose was to help build a church for a religious group. Justin said it was then that he realized he had harbored “a few misconceptions about what Russia was like,” and that it had “moved forward” since the 1990s. He returned in 2014, and decided he wanted eventually to live there.

The couple have been married since 2017, and have four children, three of them born in Russia. The video I watched — made four years ago — focused mainly on their backgrounds, and didn’t offer much insight into what they had accomplished since arriving in a mountainous area of Russia bordering Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China.

But Justin did say that their goal was to start a farming enterprise, first as a family business and later to expand. He added that they would appreciate any support they might receive from viewers — whether just by clicking “like” and “share” on their Facebook or Telegram posts, or financially by contributions via PayPal (the link was provided at the end of the video).

During the filming session, Justin had been sipping from what appeared to be a stainless steel, drip-proof, thermal travel mug. Seeming suddenly to realize that he was holding it in his hand, he held it up and launched into a demonstration of its usefulness, its excellent design and construction, and its easy cleanability. Finally, while making sure that the name on the mug was facing the camera, he offered a disclaimer: “They are not sponsoring us; we are just very happy with the product.”

It was the perfect infomercial . . . much like the ones we see from Arend Feenstra — though Arend’s are presented a bit more subtly — for everything from tractors to insulation material to chicken feed to the (not-so-subtle) phone number of the regional immigration help center.

*. *. *

I will need to watch more of the Pulleys’ videos to learn what they’ve been up to during the past four years, and to search out some answers to the questions that naturally come to mind, such as:

> Why dd they leave Altai for Nizhny Novgorod? Was it voluntary, and if so, how did they connect with the Feenstras?

> If they were ordered to move, why? And why to the Feenstra farm? Did Arend Feenstra request help from the government, or is this part of a specific agricultural program?

> If Arend Feenstra asked for help and received it, what kind of influence does he have that he was able to make it happen?

> Or if it was due to an official order, how did the Feenstras feel about having to build a house for — and have their private lives invaded by — six complete strangers?

As always in Russia, there are far more questions than we can expect answers to. But one thing is clear: Vladimir Putin is making the most of this inexplicable influx of immigrant families from Canada, the U.S., Australia, and probably other countries as well.

Perhaps he’s just trying to replace the thousands of people he’s deporting back to Central Asia.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/28/25

He may not be able to remember Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s name, or the correct pronunciation of Namibia; but when it comes to getting what he wants, Donald Trump’s mind is a steel trap. He forgets nothing.

And that includes the beautiful, resource-rich, strategically-located, autonomous Danish territory of Greenland.

Trump wants it — really, really wants it — allegedly for “security purposes.” But the Greenlanders and the Danes are determined to hold onto it. It is, after all, theirs.

There was a big push to send a U.S. delegation there last March; the locals, both in Denmark and in Greenland, strongly expressed their outrage at Trump’s presumptuous proposal; and not much more has been heard about it in recent months.

Until yesterday, that is, when the U.S. envoy to Denmark was summoned to the Danish Foreign Ministry to discuss a report that a number of American men have been attempting to conduct “influence operations” on the island. [Catherine Nicholls and Henrik Pettersson,, CNN, August 27, 2025.]

According to an investigation by Danish public broadcaster DR, at least three Americans with “ties” to Trump have been conducting active operations in Greenland, apparently attempting to influence public opinion in favor of an American annexation of their homeland.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Wednesday:

“We are aware that foreign actors continue to show an interest in Greenland and its position in the Kingdom of Denmark. It is therefore not surprising if we experience outside attempts to influence the future of the Kingdom in the time ahead.” [Id.]

The U.S. State Department, confirming that Charge d’Affaires Mark Stroh had met with the Danish Foreign Ministry “at their request,” also stated that theirs had been “a productive conversation [that] reaffirmed the strong ties among the government of Greenland, the United States, and Denmark.” [Id.]

The State Department spokesman then added that they had “no comment to provide on the actions of private US citizens in Greenland. The US Government does not control or direct the actions of private citizens. The President, the Vice President, and the Secretary of State have all been clear: the United States respects the right of the people of Greenland to determine their own future.” [Id.]

Really? Since when? Has Trump actually reversed his position, or is this just more bureaucratic double-speak? And who are those three mysterious American men wandering around Greenland?

No, wait! Don’t tell me . . . let me guess. Perhaps they’re just three opportunistic MAGA suck-ups who think helping Trump win control of Greenland will land them influential jobs in Washington for which they are totally unqualified. You know . . . like the rest of the administration.

Or maybe they’ve watched Dan Akroyd and Chevy Chase blundering through “Spies Like Us” one too many times, and think a little espionage activity would be a load of fun.

Not plausible? Then what? They couldn’t be the genuine article, sent by the U.S. government to snoop around and — heaven forbid! — possibly influence another country’s vote . . . could they?

Whatever the answer, it has brought Greenland — and Trump’s lust to acquire it — back into the spotlight. And I’m sure the good people of that nation are simply thrilled.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/28/25

Remember seeing pictures of these?

They are photos from mid-20th-century Moscow, USSR, when larger-than-life statues and posters of Soviet leaders were everywhere.

You still see their equivalent in countries around the world ruled by autocrats and dictators. They are a constant reminder of the omnipotence of their leaders.

*. *. *

Now take a look at this:

No, you’re not seeing things. And it’s not an AI-created picture; it is an actual photograph of the U.S. Department of Labor Building in Washington, D.C., sporting a gigantic poster of Donald Trump bearing the legend, “American Workers First.” And on the other side of the big American flag is a similar portrait of the renowned trust-busting President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, with the same legend.

The difference — well, one of the thousand or so differences —- between the two men is that Roosevelt actually did place the interests of American workers at the forefront of his labor policies, whereas Trump has done nothing but force thousands of people out of work, slash their earned benefits, and demolish their social safety nets . . . all in the interest of lining his own and his billionaire friends’ pockets.

That — and plastering his face on buildings to remind the common people who is the boss — is the stuff of which dictators are made. Yet Trump somehow felt the need, two days in a row this week, to “reassure” the American people and his Cabinet that he is most assuredly not a dictator.

Methinks the old boy doth protest too much.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/27/25

Today, as it happens, is “National Just Because Day” — the perfect time to write an article about hooters: just because. So let’s take a little trip back in time . . .

The year was 1959. I was shopping in one of my favorite clothing stores in downtown Washington, D.C., about to pay for my purchases, when a well-dressed man approached me, handed me his business card, and introduced himself as the manager of the soon-to-be-opened D.C. branch of the Gaslight Clubs.

Then he asked me if I would be interested in applying for a job at the club.

I was very young, but old enough — and savvy enough — to know that being a “waitress” in a private gentlemen’s key club was not my goal in life, no matter how generous the tips might be. I had a good job that I loved, an active social life, and I was taking college classes two nights a week. Life was good; I didn’t need to be the serving girl to a bunch of lecherous old men.

So I thanked him for the compliment, and declined his offer.

It was an era of male dominance and female subservience, when we “girls” had to wait to be asked out by a man; when we were restricted to lower-paying jobs; when we were expected eventually to become stay-at-home wives and mothers because those who wished to be doctors or lawyers or engineers were assumed to be lesbians, which was something you definitely did not want to be suspected of. There weren’t many Ruth Bader Ginsburgs around in those days.

And it was an era when workplace sexual harassment was considered the norm. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone took aim at my backside — and got their hands smacked for it . . .

*. *. *

By the 1980s, Gaslight Clubs and Playboy Clubs were everywhere. We women were a little better off than in the’60s, but not much. We had navigated the Betty Friedan sexual revolution, and were freer to impose our own terms on a relationship; but it would still be another decade before gender discrimination became verboten and employers began subjecting their employees to mandatory sensitivity training courses.

In 1983, a group of men opened a restaurant in Clearwater, Florida; they hired attractive, amply-endowed young women as servers; they dressed them in hot pants and low-cut tee shirts; and they named their establishment “Hooters.”

And to everyone’s surprise, they were enormously successful — perhaps because of the titillating name. (Sorry about that.) Soon, Hooters were everywhere. You could stop in for dinner and be treated to a face full of Hooters’ hooters.

*. *. *

I hadn’t thought about Hooters in years; in fact, if you had asked me, I would have said they no longer existed. But then I read that they are still very much alive, although legally in bankruptcy, and hoping to be rescued and revitalized by one Neil Kiefer. He says he wants to turn the “breastaurant” into “a place where men come for beer and wings alongside families who are there for chicken strips and curly fries at lunch.” [Heather Haddon, Wall Street Journal, August 22, 2025.]

Kiefer wants to redo the more rundown locations, update the menu, and make the entire chain — in the words of its original founders — “delightfully tacky” again. [Id.]

While he says, “I don’t think you’re going to see a bunch of butt cheeks hanging out,” Kiefer does allow that the waitresses will be wearing orange shorts (not hot pants or bikini-style bottoms), and that the job qualifications will include “glamorous hair styling” and the “ability to maintain attractive fit & image.” [Id.]

In other words, sex appeal is definitely required.

Goodness knows, we’re no longer in the 1980s; it’s the 2020s, and the sexual revolution has long since come, gone, and left its mark. Skimpy outfits on well-built (and some not-so-well-built) women are to be found everywhere these days, from the beach, to the local mall . . . even (unfortunately) in our middle and high schools. I doubt anyone would be shocked by a pair of orange short shorts.

What I am wondering, though, is how a generation of young women still having to fight for job equality, reproductive rights, and basic respect will feel about their mammary glands being publicly promoted as “hooters.”

And I’m thinking that perhaps some entrepreneurial ladies should pool their financial resources and open a competing chain, staff it with hunky male waiters clad only in Speedos, and call it . . .

Well, never mind. You get my point.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/27/25

You remember Richard Nixon, don’t you? He was the president who resigned on August 8, 1974, before he could be impeached for crimes in connection with the Watergate Scandal.

At a press conference on November 17, 1973, when questioned about Watergate, he had declared, “I am not a crook.”

Well, he lied. He was a crook. And he, his partners-in-crime, and the entire country paid a steep price for it.

*. *. *

Then there was Bill Clinton, who foolishly insisted, when asked about his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky:

“I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”

Guess what? He lied too.

*. *. *

And this one, who says his war of attrition against Ukraine is a “special military operation,” launched to protect Russia-friendly Ukrainians from alleged persecution by a non-existent Nazi regime:

The whole world knows he lies about everything.

*. *. *

Deny, deny, deny. It’s a common tactic used by everyone from the toddler caught with his hand in the cookie jar, to the student who lobbed the spitball at the teacher, to the world leader whitewashing anything from garden-variety corruption to full-blown genocide.

When you know you’re guilty, you just keep denying it and hope there’s no one out there who can prove you’re lying.

So why — considering his well-documented inability to tell the truth about anything — should we believe this guy when he declares, twice in two days:

“I am not a dictator” . . . and then immediately adds that a lot of people are saying maybe they’d actually like to have a dictator?

And we’re supposed to believe him? With his track record?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/27/25

Haven’t you ever wondered what your reactions to those inkblots would say about you? I have.

(I’ve also thought about being hypnotized, and parachuting from an airplane; but not all of our wishes are fulfilled. Maybe in my next life.)

Visual clues can create strong — and often unexpected — impressions. For example, that inkblot above looks to me like a couple of 18th century Russian peasants celebrating the end of a hard day in the fields, probably with a half-empty bottle of vodka nearby. Go figure.

“So what’s the point?” — I hear you ask.

Well , it’s simply to share with you my visceral reaction to a photograph I stumbled across online yesterday. It’s not an inkblot, and certainly nothing unfamiliar. But my immediate thought was:

“The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”

Yup . . . I looked at those faces and I thought about these guys:

My mind is obviously in a very dark place right now. I think it may be time for a mental reboot; maybe I’ll start by turning off the news and watching “Mary Poppins” again.

🎶 “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious . . .” 🎶

Oh, yes . . . that’s much better.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/26/25

It’s a 21st-century, cyber-world phenomenon, and it has reached pandemic proportions. Nearly everyone I know — with the exception of a few people who refuse or can’t bear to follow the daily news — is suffering from it. In text-speak, on a more personal level, it’s called “TMI”: Too Much Information. For news junkies like myself, I call it “IO”: Information Overload.

Much of my online doodling consists of my personal reactions to, and commentaries on, the day’s events. I’ve gotten into the habit of scanning the headlines for interesting items two or three times a day, in addition to checking out the little news flashes that pop up on my screen with disturbing regularity. And, depending on what I find and what mood I happen to be in that day, I begin writing my next day’s articles.

It is now 9:15 p.m. on Monday, August 25th, and I have compiled a list of five newsworthy events that have caused me enough concern, or simply pissed me off sufficiently, to inspire a response. Their headlines are:

> “How Russia is trying to win over the world beyond the West.” (BBC)

> “[Supreme Court Justices] Gorsuch and Kavanaugh warn lower court judges in Trump cases.” (CNN)

> “Trump signs executive order establishing ‘specialized’ National Guard units to address crime in cities.” (CNN)

> “Kilmar Abrego Garcia sues to fight deportation to Uganda after being detained by ICE.” (CNN)

> “Trump orders removal of Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook.” (BBC)

I tried the “eenie-meenie-miney-mo” approach to choosing the most important subjects, but it didn’t work. They’re all vital; they’re all infuriating; and taken together, they’re too much.

So I had decided to wait until midnight, file this list as my first post of the day, and not deal with any of it until morning when hopefully I would be in a better mood. And then this alert popped up on my phone:

> “The Plan to Make Hooters ‘Delightfully Tacky’ Again.” (Wall Street Journal)

Okay, it’s not earthshaking news. But it’s somewhat enticing, it’s fun, and it took my mind — even momentarily — off of the bad stuff. So I’m still going to call it an early day; but at least I now know what my next topic will be. It won’t be about wars, or Donald Trump, or Vladimir Putin, or any of the world’s other current madness. It will be about these . . . er, sorry . . . this:

And if that doesn’t make you smile . . . well, all I can offer you is my sympathy; you may be even more depressed than I am.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/26/25 (12:01 a.m.)

How exciting! Vladimir Putin has declared that he sees “a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Unfortunately, it’s not the tunnel leading to the end of his war of attrition against Ukraine. Rather, it is the road leading to improved — and potentially profitable — trade relations between Russia and the United States.

Yes, it’s all about the money. That is what was really accomplished by the two billionaire leaders at that “summit” in Alaska on August 15th, when they were supposed to be working toward putting an end to the nearly four-year massacre of civilians in Ukraine.

As Putin said while visiting a Russian nuclear research center on Friday, August 22nd:

“With the arrival of President Trump [in the White House], I think that a light at the end of the tunnel has finally loomed. And now we had a very good, meaningful and frank meeting in Alaska.

“The next steps now depend on the leadership of the United States, but I am confident that the leadership qualities of the current president, President Trump, are a good guarantee that relations will be restored.” [Anastasia Lyrchikova ad Dmitry Antonov, Reuters, August 22, 2025.]

Without going into detail, Putin spoke of “huge, huge” mineral reserves in the Arctic region, and pointed out that Russia’s Novatek — a liquefied natural gas company — was already in operation there. He added:

“We are discussing, by the way, with American partners the possibility of working together in this area. And not only in our Arctic zone, but also in Alaska. And at the same time, the technologies that we possess, today no one but us possesses. And this is of interest to our partners, including those from the States.” [Id.]

That’s all well and good, assuming any trade agreements are mutually beneficial, and not simply a give-away of Alaska’s vast natural resources. Certainly, improved trade relations would be preferable to the current atmosphere of open hostility and threats of mutually-assured destruction. But cloaking trade talks in the guise of ceasefire negotiations is not merely misleading . . . it’s despicable.

The fate of Ukraine — in fact, the future of the entire world — currently rests in the hands of two old men who, though purportedly at opposite ends of the political spectrum, are in fact like two peas in the proverbial pod. They are a matched set of autocratic, tyrannical, avaricious, rapacious, narcissistic, blood-thirsty sociopaths.

The principal difference between them is that one is diabolically clever and manipulative, while the other is just a bully.

And of the two, guess which one is more likely to come out on top.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/25/25

Jackie Kennedy had exquisite taste — in clothes, home decor, entertainment, and her choice of a first husband.

Melania Trump . . . not so much. She dresses well, but remember her “Handmaid’s Tale” Christmas trees?

And her husband . . . well, you have only to consider his passion for gilt and glitter, the decor of his New York penthouse, the shiny personalized items he added to the Oval Office, and his choice of entertainment for the once-renowned Kennedy Center — reportedly sidelining classical ballet to make room for something on the order of “So You Think You Can Dance” (which is good fun for TV viewing, but hardly appropriate for a cultural center).

There is also, of course, his paving over of a substantial portion of the beautiful White House Rose Garden, and his plans for a 90,000-square-foot, $200 million ballroom addition. His simple philosophy: More is better.

Well, no . . . sometimes, more is just more. Take, for example, his new money-making sideline: Trump merchandise in the White House gift shop.

Never mind the traditional items available for purchase by tourists looking for a bit of memorabilia to take home with them. For the current White House occupant, it has to be all about him . . . and if he can line his already overflowing pockets a bit more, then so much the better.

We’re not talking about tasteful trinkets, like photos and books about the history of the White House, or even coffee mugs bearing pictures of the building. No, we’re talking about Trump, Trump, and more Trump . . . . MAGA, MAGA, and more MAGA . . .

. . . and Crap, Crap, and more Crap . . .

. . . and even this flagrant bit of unconstitutional wishful thinking:

What must European leaders Starmer, Macron, Herz, Meloni, Stubb, Rutte and von der Leyen have thought when they arrived to try to find a solution to the war in Ukraine, and received a tour of . . . THAT??!!!

*. *. *

Now, I don’t think I’m a snob. There is ample room in this world for an infinite variety of tastes. Classical, country-western and rock music can co-exist nicely. One person may enjoy minimalist decor, another prefer a bit of kitsch and clutter, and a third person even love red Christmas trees. It’s okay. In fact, it’s the variety of choices that make life so interesting.

But in the world of international diplomacy, there are traditions and rules — and plain old common sense — to be considered. If Trump’s taste in decor is more glitzy than yours or mine, that’s fine. But did he have to put his egotistical, money-grubbing collection of cheap merchandise on display for all the world to see?

Frankly, it’s mortifying.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/25/25