I suppose, as long as these two keep exchanging threats and snarky comments, they’ll be too preoccupied to do anything worse.

One can only hope.

Except that the taunts keep escalating. From Medvedev today:

“If some words from the former president of Russia trigger such a nervous reaction from the high-and-mighty president of the United States, then Russia is doing everything right.” [RFE/RL, August 1, 2025.]

And the goading reminder from Trump on Truth Social:

“I have just been informed that almost 20,000 Russian soldiers died this month in the ridiculous War with Ukraine.

“Russia has lost 112,500 soldier since the beginning of the year. That is a lot of unnecessary DEATH! Ukraine, however, has also suffered greatly. They have lost approximately 8,000 soldiers since January 1, 2025, and that number does not include their missing.” [Id.]

Yet the question remains: Is Dmitry Medvedev (derogatorily referred to in his own country as “Little Dima”) someone we need to be worried about? Or is Trump using him as the target for his invective in order to avoid a direct confrontation with Putin?

And who is Medvedev, anyway?

Yes, he was the titular president of Russia from 2008 to 2012 — but only as a stand-in for Vladimir Putin until Putin could run for his third term. At the time, the Russian Constitution provided for two permissible consecutive four-year presidential terms. So Putin served his two consecutive terms; took a required break for one term; installed his puppet Prime Minister, Medvedev, in the office in the interim; and made his comeback in 2012. (In the meantime, Putin had engineered a couple of changes in the Constitution to keep himself in office almost indefinitely.)

So, when Medvedev refers to himself as the former President of Russia, while he is not lying, he is glorifying his own past accomplishments. After his four years on the throne with Putin pulling the strings from behind, he returned to the position of Prime Minister in 2012. That lasted until 2020, when he was inexplicably removed from office and given the consolation role of Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation . . . a position not totally without influence, but with little or no actual decision-making authority.

There are varying opinions as to whether Medvedev actually has a great deal of influence on Putin, or whether he is just kept around to play the part of the warmonger while Putin pretends to be concerned with peace negotiations and other diplomatic niceties.

But what I don’t like is the idea of Donald Trump blithely throwing around the “N” word, even if it is only a tactical maneuver. As he himself said just yesterday:

“Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.” [Jaroslav Lukiv, BBC News, August 1, 2025.]

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/1/25

We’ve all heard the old adage that says the definition of insanity is doing the same thing, in the same way, over and over again, and expecting a different result.

So, why would any sane person, after all of the failures, continue to think that sanctions are going to have any effect on Vladimir Putin’s war strategy? What part of “Nyet!” does Donald Trump not understand? Could the Kremlin have been any clearer or more concise on Wednesday when they called the repeated threat of sanctions “routine,” and said they “have already developed a certain immunity in this regard,” and are “taking measures to counteract all of this or even turn it to our own advantage”? [Reuters, July 30, 2025.]

I wouldn’t have thought any further clarification to be necessary . . . and particularly when, later that same night, Moscow followed up with an especially vicious attack on Kyiv that killed 31 people, including five children: an act that Trump described as merely “disgusting” and “sad,” while vowing to slap Russia with new sanctions — you know, the ones that haven’t worked for the past three years. In his own words:

“Russia, I think it’s disgusting what they’re doing. I think what Russia’s doing is very sad. A lot of Russians [sic] are dying.” [RFE/RL, August 1, 2025.]

I assume he meant to reference the dying Ukrainians — but with Trump, one never knows what he means. And then he went on to add, as though his mind had begun to shut down completely:

“I don’t know that sanctions bother him,” obviously referring to Putin. [Id.]

Well, I thought I had found the ultimate evidence that the old saying about insanity had just been proven . . . and then I heard the chime from my phone indicating an incoming news flash, and saw this:

“Trump moves nuclear submarines after ex-Russian president’s comments.”

And “insanity” took on a whole new definition . . . and a different persona. Because Trump’s action is not a spontaneous act of lunacy; it is, rather, a response to the latest spate of verbal offal from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Earlier this week, Medvedev — now Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council — accused Trump of playing “the ultimatum game with Russia,” and said that “each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war.” [Jaroslav Lukiv, BBC News, August 1, 2025.]

And yesterday, in a post on Telegram, he warned of a “dead hand” threat . . . which some military analysts have identified as a reference to the codename of Russia’s retaliatory nuclear strikes control system. [Id.]

In response, Trump referred to Medvedev as “the failed former president of Russia, who thinks he’s still president” — not quite accurate historically, but typical Trump. He also warned Medvedev to “watch his words . . . he’s entering very dangerous territory!” [Id.]

Now Trump has ordered two nuclear submarines to “be positioned in the appropriate regions [in response to] highly provocative” comments by Medvedev. In an unusually articulate statement, he said that this action was taken “just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.” [Id.]

And in his daily post on Truth Social today, he wrote:

“Based on the highly provocative statements of the former president of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the deputy chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions.” [Id.]

Quite properly, Trump did not identify the “appropriate regions.” He also did not say whether the submarines were nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed.

But the “N” word is now out there. And to my mind — as someone old enough to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 — that is the true definition of insanity.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/1/25

Last week, to the shock and consternation of the entire free world, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed into law a bill — while intended to rid the country’s principal independent anti-corruption agencies of suspected Russian influence — would in fact have granted control of those agencies to the government’s Prosecutor General.

The next day, the people of Ukraine took to the streets in protest.

Yesterday, crowds took to the streets of Kyiv to celebrate a new law restoring the independence of those two organizations: the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).

Announcing the passage of the new law, Zelensky said on social media:

“This guarantees the normal, independent work of anti-corruption bodies and all law enforcement agencies in our country.” [RFE/RL, July 31, 2025.]

*. *. *

That is proof of what can be accomplished when the people speak with one voice . . . and the president listens. That is democracy at work.

But what usually happens in an autocracy when the people protest government actions? Sometimes nothing, and sometimes worse. But in an astonishing turn of events this week, the government of Iran withdrew controversial legislation intended to counter what it called “fake news,” when some politicians and civil society groups warned of the dangers of some of the language of the bill.

Critics have called it the “bill of suffocation,” pointing out that vague phrases such as “disturbing public opinion” and “content against state security” — language echoing that of many of Russia’s oppressive laws — could be used as a pretext for arbitrary crackdowns on freedom of the press and legitimate dissent. [RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, July 30, 2025.]

Proponents of the bill naturally claim that the suggested measures are necessary to protect national security and preserve social stability . . . by providing for the punishment of anyone publishing “fake news” with onerous prison sentences of up to 15 years.

It is not clear whether this is now a dead issue, or if a revised bill is likely to be presented. But what is notable is that this retraction could occur at all in Iran — the country that Reporters Without Borders calls “one of the world’s most repressive countries in terms of press freedom.” [Id.]

*. *. *

Meanwhile, in the United States, Donald Trump has claimed that The Wall Street Journal — a bastion of independent journalism since 1889 — is ready to offer a settlement of his law suit against them for their publication of articles concerning the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

This is just the latest in a string of atrocities committed against the mass media, universities, major industries, and individuals who have caved in to the tyrannical demands of a single greedy, uncontrollable, megalomaniacal individual.

But where are the American people? Yes, we’re speaking out . . . but no one in Washington is paying attention. We have our days of protest, and many thousands of people show up . . . but nothing changes.

Why does it work so quickly in Ukraine, and even in Iran, but not here?

Clearly, we’re doing something wrong . . . or not doing enough. But the campaigns for next year’s mid-term elections are beginning, and that is where we the people can exercise our power. So if the present members of Congress are too afraid of losing their jobs to do their jobs, they might want to remember who gave them those jobs . . . and who can take them away.

And meanwhile, a lot more peaceful demonstrations wouldn’t hurt.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/1/25

He didn’t even wait for the details. Solely on the basis of Donald Trump’s accelerated August 8th deadline, Vladimir Putin made his decision: sanctions are no longer a threat.

Well, who didn’t know that . . . other than Trump, that is?

So, basically, the Kremlin’s response is “yob vas, Donnie.” (Use your imaginations, or Google Translate, for that one.)

Although couched in slightly more diplomatic terms, that is essentially the message delivered to reporters yesterday by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

“We have been living under a huge number of sanctions for quite a long time, our economy operates under a huge number of restrictions. Therefore, of course, we have already developed a certain immunity in this regard, and we continue to note all statements that come from President Trump, from other international representatives on this matter.” [Gleb Stolyarov, Dmitry Anntonov, Mark Trevelyan and Andrew Osborn, Reuters, July 30, 2025.]

And Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, calling the threat of additional sanctions “routine,” wondered why the West hadn’t yet caught on to the fact that they don’t work:

“We see that the West simply cannot let go of the issue of sanctions. It seems as if they are constantly stuck in a rut. Apparently, there are no other options left — they have been exhausted. We are responding and taking measures to counteract all of this or even turn it to our own advantage.” [Id.]

Well, there’s another “up yours” to the U.S., to Ukraine, and to all of the European allies who thought they could strangle Russia’s economy. Not that the sanctions haven’t created any problems for them . . . they certainly have. But Putin has his own allies; and with substantial support from China, India, North Korea, Iran, and who-knows-who-else, Russia is surviving, as she always has, through just one more Time of Troubles.

Of course, Putin brought this particular headache onto himself when he invaded Ukraine, believing that it would take just days or weeks to overwhelm the smaller, weaker country. But he has adapted, and is determined to continue on his chosen course until he has won, no matter the cost.

So what options are left to the West? As Putin knows full well, no one wants World War III.

My heart is with the good people of my ancestral home of Ukraine; but my head is losing hope. It’s time for a miracle, and while we wait for it, all I can offer is a fervent . . .

Slava Ukraine!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/31/25

We all do it now and then: start for the laundry room to get the towels from the dryer and pass the kitchen, where we realize we’ve forgotten to empty the clean dishes from the dishwasher. So we stop to take care of that, and remember that we need to defrost the meat for tonight’s dinner, and while rummaging through the freezer for the lamb chops, we spot the half-empty carton of Haagen-Dazs. So we take that out — solely in order to free up some space in the freezer, of course — and polish it off while perusing the catalogs that arrived in yesterday’s mail, which reminds us that we haven’t fetched today’s mail yet. So we head outdoors to the mailbox, noticing along the way that the hedges are in dire need of trimming. But the hedge trimmers are on loan to the neighbor three houses down, and it’s best to retrieve them now while we’re thinking about it and before she leaves to pick up her kids from school, so off we go . . .

You know how this ends, don’t you? A cup of tea and a chat with the neighbor, and suddenly it’s time to start prepping the vegetables for dinner. Heading back home, it hits you that you’ve left the hedge trimmers behind, the mail is still in the mailbox, the hedges are never going to be trimmed, the lamb chops never made it out of the freezer, the dishwasher hasn’t been emptied, and the towels are languishing in the dryer.

“Oh, crap!”

And all of the foregoing is to point out the circuitous route by which I came up with the actual topic for this post.

While researching my earlier article about China’s proposed school in Russian-occupied Luhansk, Ukraine, which some suspect will really be a cover for Chinese intelligence agents, I was reminded of the famous Cold War-era university in Moscow — then known as Patrice Lumumba University (PLU) and now renamed People’s Friendship University — which was widely also believed to be a school for spies.

Oh, not the sort of schools that every country operates to train its intelligence officers, like the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia, or the KGB’s Academy of Foreign Intelligence. No, PLU was special.

To begin with, it was — and, from all accounts, still is — a legitimate university. But back in the day, it was also a magnet for students from a number of underdeveloped African nations in which Russia had . . . for lack of a better word . . . a paternalistic interest.

Thinking about PLU and its questionable history, I was next reminded of a wonderful Russian gentleman I had the pleasure of knowing back in the late 1980s and early ‘90s: Professor Viktor Mozolin, who had been a professor of law at PLU years before I met him through the International Law Institute (ILI) in Washington. As I sat reminiscing about the lovely evening when Viktor and his wife Valya hosted me at their apartment in Moscow on one of my visits there, I decided to see what the PLU website had to say about him, and . . .

Nothing. It had been too many years, I suppose. But my search did bring up a rather odd list of 69 names of what I presume to be their most notable alumni. Not surprisingly, 65 of them were completely unfamiliar. But the other four jumped out at me — three because they’re famous, and one because he isn’t . . . although I did know him personally.

And now you’re dying to know who they are . . . right?

*. *. *

First is Anna Chapman (real name Anna Kushchenko), whose Wikipedia listing shows her occupations as “Entrepreneur, television host, and agent of the Russian Federation.” And it is in that last capacity that she became well-known in June 2010 when she was arrested in the United States for spying on behalf of Russia.

The daughter of a Russian diplomat and reported KGB official, she was included in a major spy swap in July of the same year, whereupon she returned home, became a popular TV personality, a fashion model, and head of a government youth council. Probably not the best role model for young girls; but it helps to know the right people to get you into the job.

*. *. *

The other surprise name was that of Alexei Navalny, who needs no introduction. The most widely known and revered of all of Putin’s opposition leaders, Navalny was murdered while in a Russian prison camp in February of 2024. His name and his work live on through his Anti-Corruption Foundation, now headed by his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, and a number of his former colleagues. I knew he was a lawyer, but would not have expected him to choose PLU for his education . . . though perhaps he didn’t have a choice.

*. *. *

Now comes the fun part. I knew this man had attended PLU (how I knew will be explained later), but was shocked to see him listed, not by his real name — Ilyich Ramirez Sanchez — but by his infamous adopted moniker: Carlos the Jackal.

The real Carlos:

You’ve probably heard of him: a notorious Soviet-trained terrorist in the 1970s and ‘80s, he is the son of a Venezuelan Marxist lawyer who enrolled him in PLU when he was refused admittance to the Sorbonne in France. (I’ll never understand how he made the mental leap from Paris to Moscow, but that’s what his bio says.) His persona and his name have appeared in countless books, movies and TV shows, adding immeasurably to his notoriety. Small comfort, though, as he has been in a French prison since his capture in 1994, serving three consecutive life sentences without possibility of parole.

*. *. *

And last, as well as the least famous, is Yuri Shvets. He is the only one of the four with whom I am — or was — personally acquainted . . . a fact which does me no credit whatsoever. And he’s also the one of whom you are least likely to have heard.

But as this article has already become much longer than intended, and I must in any event hurry off to a doctor’s appointment (just routine), I’m going to have to leave you hanging until tomorrow for the rest (and best) of the story.

I think you’ll find it worth the wait.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/31/25

This was overnight in Kyiv, Ukraine. At least six dead, dozens injured. Let the pictures speak for themselves.

Enough said.

Brendochka

7/31/25

In yet another indication of the burgeoning relationship between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping, word has spread in Russian state media of a plan by Chinese activists to open a private school for Chinese citizens . . . in Russian-occupied Luhansk, Ukraine.

According to a story first released by Russian state outlets and repeated by pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, the school will admit 300 Chinese students, teaching them the Russian language in preparation for eventual enrollment in Russian universities.

It is officially being touted by the Kremlin as a step toward “economic normalization” in Ukraine, reflecting “changes in the geopolitical situation in the world.” [Olha Katsan and Donbas.Realities, RFE/RL, July 27, 2025.]

In other words, justifying Russia’s current, illegal occupation of 20% of Ukrainian territory.

But Ukrainian political analyst Kostyantyn Batozskiy says:

“Consider this: Would Chinese families really risk sending their teenage children into an active war zone for education? This is not about education. It’s about optics, influence, and control. . . . Like their endless talk of rebuilding the ruined Donetsk airport or restoring the town. of Shyrokyne — none of it materializes. It’s about keeping occupied populations distracted with grandiose promises.” [Id.]

But beyond mere distraction, there is concern that other forces may be behind the proposed school. Artur Kharytonov, president of the Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine and an expert on East and Southeast Asia, cautions:

“In China’s totalitarian system, nothing of this scale happens without top-level approval.” [Id.]

Referencing Xi’s recognition of Russian elections and expressions of respect for Russia’s constitution, as well as China’s proven involvement in trade and investment activities in Ukraine, Kharytonov continued:

“Crimean wine makes its debut at Chinese trade fairs. Stolen Ukrainian grain and metals from occupied Donetsk appear on Chinese platforms, such as AliExpress, China’s online retailer. This is reality, not speculation.” [Id.]

And Yuriy Poita, head of the Asia-Pacific Section at the New Geopolitics Research Network, takes it a step further, saying that he believes the “school” may not be for teenagers at all:

“It’s more plausible that this is a facility to train Chinese engineers, technicians, or workers involved in joint Russian-Chinese projects in occupied territories. Complex equipment requires skilled personnel. You can’t deploy these systems without on-site Chinese experts. Language training for local workers — and vice versa — could easily be packaged as ‘education.’” [Id.]

In view of the existing evidence of Chinese technology and materiel being provided in support of Russia’s war in Ukraine, this makes perfect sense.

And as political analyst Batozskiy said:

“They [the Russians] desperately want to show the world that Ukraine’s occupied region is a de facto part of Russia, attracting foreign citizens for work and study.” [Id.]

Even more concerning, Batozskiy added:

“Chinese specialists brought into Luhansk might be linked to the People’s Liberation Army or Chinese intelligence services. Proximity to the frontlines gives them unparalleled access to battlefield data and Ukrainian infrastructure.” [Id.]

Bingo!

Just days ago, two Chinese men — a 24-year-old student and his father — were reported to have been arrested by Ukrainian intelligence for attempting to obtain classified information about the Neptune missile program. [RFE/RL, July 25, 2025.] And there were earlier reports of North Korean officers entering the Russian-occupied region of Donetsk disguised as students, revealed when several were killed and others captured by Ukrainian forces. [RFE/RL, July 27, 2025, op.cit.]

But what do the pragmatic Chinese gain from such an arrangement? According to Kharytonov:

“China ideologically supports Russia’s war. It will buy anything from these territories — grain, metals, whatever — because it’s cheap and politically useful. . . . Nothing in China happens by accident. Even a modest presence — engineers, trainers, or ‘students’ — could serve multiple purposes: economic, political, and military.” [Id.]

*. *. *

Despite their sometimes competing separate interests, Russia and China are natural allies, bound by a shared political ideology and a mutual goal of displacing Western economic dominance with their own “new world order.” Nothing — not even the seemingly smallest of clues — can be overlooked in dealing with this pair.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/31/25

That was in the 1920s through 1945, when Adolf Hitler established an organization for the indoctrination of German children into his Nazi party.

In Lenin’s and Stalin’s Soviet Union, it was known as the Komsomol, or Communist Youth League.

Today, in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, it’s called “patriotic profiling” . . . but by any name, what it really is, is mind control.

In addition to the new school year’s curriculum designed to instill in children a more chauvinistic attitude toward their government, “neuroprofiling” tests are being conducted by the state-run Russian Patriot Center (RPC) on some 10,000 children and teens across the country, in order to boost patriotism and direct them into appropriate adult roles according to the test results.

Independent educators are critical of the program, calling it “pseudoscience”and “manipulation,” and saying that it echoes both communism and fascism. One such educator, Dima Zicer, said:

“It is yet another attempt by the authorities to control people and influence their decisions.” [Andrei Soshnikov, Svetlana Osipova, Valery Panyushkin, and Systema, RFE/RL, July 30, 2025.]

From the program, which runs into August and includes 12-to-18-year-olds, 50 participants “with a pronounced positive profile” are to be selected to participate in a five-day seminar in Sevastopol, in Russian-occupied Crimea (Ukraine).

The website for the program says that it is intended to identify “leaders and/or anti-leaders (participants prone to destructive behavior)” . . . and that those who “defame the ideas of patriotism” will be immediately removed from the event. [Id.]

On its Telegram channel, RPC described the aim of the program as the “transformation of approaches to education, career guidance, and the patriotic upbringing of young people.” [Id.]

No mention was made of what was ahead for the children — either the “leaders” or the “anti-leaders” — at the conclusion of the program. But there is no question in my mind that those deemed to “defame the ideas of patriotism” can, at the very least, look forward to spending the rest of their lives on a Kremlin watch-list.

One company that sells “neuroprofiling” tests is called Persona. In a presentation, the company stated that its conclusions about the participants are based on “various subconscious cognitive perceptions of visual symbols.” And the head of Persona, Vladimir Kozlov, posted on RPC’s Telegram channel:

“We are convinced that patriotism begins with understanding one’s role in the future of the country. Our company’s neuroprofiling technologies help teenagers find this role — accurately, consciously, and with motivation.” [Id.]

Simply stated, it is mind control.

And it is alive and thriving in Russia today.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/30/25

The silence has been deafening, from both sides.

Yesterday morning (GMT), while still in Scotland, Donald Trump issued what, for him, was a stern warning to Vladimir Putin that Moscow had only “about 10 or 12 days from today” to enter into serious ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine, or suffer the consequences.

But Trump didn’t specify what those consequences would be, other than additional “very severe tariffs.” And he has yet to follow through with a more detailed ultimatum, other than a confirmation of August 8th as the new deadline date. [Rachel Hagan and Jaroslav Lukiv, BBC, July 29, 2025.]

Maybe he’s just jet-lagged, or still exhausted from riding around his new Scottish golf course in Golf Cart One.

Trump’s comments followed his meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday, and represented a major turn-around from his earlier offer to Putin of 50 days to respond. After hearing such an announcement, one would naturally have expected a quick reaction from the Kremlin, perhaps accusing Trump of going back on his word.

But all we’ve heard from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov thus far was that they had “taken note” of Trump’s comments, and that:

“Putin is waiting. To know what to say next, he needs to understand exactly how Trump plans to behave.” [Ray Furlong and Current Time, RFE/RL, July 29, 2025.]

Smart.

These two — Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin — have been racing headlong at one another for years. But since Trump’s return to the White House in January, they’ve been playing chicken like a couple of teenage hot-rodders from a 1950s movie.

But even in real life, when two idiots drive head-first into each other, the worst that can happen is that two lives and two vehicles will be destroyed.

When the idiots are Trump and Putin, and neither of them is willing to be the first to swerve, the results could be cataclysmic.

Putin is correct in waiting for particulars from Trump; as things stand now (midnight EDT), he has nothing concrete to respond to. But once he has that information, he needs to quit playing games and begin acting like the world leader he claims to be.

This is not a game, and it’s not a Hollywood movie. But these two are treating Ukraine as though it were the grand prize for the winner of a teenagers’ jalopy race . . . and it has to stop.

Someone needs to swerve. Unfortunately, the odds are that once again it will be the wrong one.

But let’s see what the rest of the day brings.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/30/25

Forget the Flying Fickle Finger of Fate; this is one of those inexplicable, seemingly miraculous moments in history when all of the planets are aligned, the gods on Mount Olympus are in unanimous agreement, and everyone is in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.

Think about it: CBS desperately needs a hit show to fill its late-night time slot. (We all know why, don’t we?)

And, with the Kremlin threatening to do to YouTube what Paramount just did to Stephen Colbert, Vladimir Putin may need to find a new spot for his favorite Canadian purveyor of propaganda, Arend Feenstra.

Well, I have the obvious solution for everyone’s problems. How’s this for an opening worthy of Saturday Night Live:

“And now, from historic Nizhny Novgorod, it’s . . . Farming Those Faraway Fecund Fields With the Feenstra Family.”

All right, the lead-in may need a bit of work, but you get the idea. We’ll still be losing Colbert’s incomparable, dry humor; but in place of political satire, we’ll be gaining Arend Feenstra’s ability to talk forever about the most fascinating aspects of building a successful working farm from a barren field in the middle of Nowhere, Russia, with your own two hands (and those of your wife, eight children, and a slew of Russian neighbors and experts who occasionally appear out of nowhere).

In the past year and a half, I have already learned so much from Arend about plowing, planting, harvesting, construction, fencing, post-hole digging, waterproofing, machine repair, crop rotation, milking, egg incubation, sheep breeding, protecting poultry from marauding foxes when you’re not allowed to own firearms (sadly, learned the hard way), bartering in a foreign language, and how to tell the difference between a milk cow and a future hunk of pot roast . . . not to mention the administrative nightmare of doing business in rural Russia.

I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, even though we may not understand that reason for a very long time, if ever. And I now comprehend why the fates arranged for me to stumble across the Feenstras and follow the story of their abandonment of life in free and happy Canada in order to take their chances in the historically autocratic land of Tsarism, Communism, and Putinism.

And that reason is to give Arend Feenstra, and all the little Feenstras, the big break they deserve: worldwide fame and fortune. They’re naturals on camera; they’ve worked hard; and they’ve earned recognition. So in May, when Stephen Colbert says his last good night from the glitzy studios of CBS-TV, his replacements will be ready to step in with the premier of “Farming With the Feenstras.”

As their agent, I’ll only charge the standard 15 percent . . . in U.S. Dollars or Euros, not Rubles, please.

So that’s what we have to look forward to in the spring. Insomniacs of the world . . . rejoice!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/29/25