As I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep last night (it must have been the caffeine in the coffee Haagen-Dazs), I found myself reminiscing about my younger days, mostly the happy times, and about old friends. And I realized — not for the first time — how few of them I have left. Old friends, that is . . . not memories.

Since I retired and moved some 600 miles away from my long-time home, I’ve met some lovely people. But they’re new friends. And while it’s fun to learn new things about new people, there’s no history, no jokes about “remember when.” And I miss that.

It’s all part of aging, of course; someone has to be the “last bottle of beer on the wall,” and in my case, I seem to be the designated survivor. So I went searching for some stories of other people’s experiences, looking for humor . . . and what I found was understanding and empathy from a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author. It’s long, but it is so perfectly descriptive of my own thoughts, I’d like to share it:

“The thing about old friends is not that they love you, but that they know you. They remember that disastrous New Year’s Eve when you mixed White Russians and champagne, and how you wore that red maternity dress until everyone was sick of seeing the blaze of it in the office, and the uncomfortable couch in your first apartment and the smoky stove in your beach rental. They look at you and don’t really think you look older because they’ve grown old along with you, and like the faded paint in a beloved room, they’re used to the look. And then one of them is gone, and you’ve lost a chunk of yourself. The stories of the terrorist attacks of 2001, the tsunami, the Japanese earthquake always used numbers, the deaths of thousands a measure of how great the disaster. Catastrophe is numerical. Loss is singular, one beloved at a time.”

– Anna Quindlen, “Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake”

*. *. *

They’re all gone now — first Simin (we told her to quit smoking!), then Amelia, Marilyn, Diane, and finally, my sister Merna. There are a few others left, many miles away, but still dear and in touch. The numbers are shrinking, though (as am I, dammit!), and reminiscing alone isn’t much fun. My family members, while great, don’t share all of the same memories as the friends I worked and traveled and partied with.

But that’s life, and we either roll with it or go bonkers. And since I’d rather my family didn’t get the idea that I’ve grown senile or descended into some horrible clinical depression so that they need to have me put away, I’d like to close with yet another quote — a much briefer and happier one — this time by a politically controversial but undeniably talented Irish playwright:

“You don’t stop laughing when you grow old,
you grow old when you stop laughing.”

– George Bernard Shaw

*. *. *

And now I shall exit stage right, chuckling merrily.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/15/25

It took 116 years, actually, with a bit of conflictus interruptus for a minor inconvenience known as the Black Death*; but the French ultimately defeated British King Edward III’s attempt to usurp the French throne . . . though he obviously didn’t live to see the finish of what he had started.

* The Black Death, or bubonic plague pandemic, took some 50 million lives in Europe between 1346 and 1353.

That seemingly endless conflict, involving four successive generations of combatants, was finally resolved nearly 600 years ago. There have, of course, been many — far too many — wars, both large and small, since then. The longest one in recent memory was World War II, which lasted six years.

And now we have the one in Ukraine, rapidly heading toward its fifth year, with Russian President Vladimir Putin showing every sign of aiming for a new record. He vacillates between hinting at a willingness to seriously negotiate a peace settlement, and blasting the hell out of Ukraine’s innocent civilians yet again.

Case in point: On November 12th, following an announcement by Russia’s Defense Ministry of further advances toward the capture of the strategic city of Pokrovsk, Kremlin spokesman and all-around sweetheart Dmitry Peskov commented on an alleged attempt by the UK to resume a back-channel dialogue:

“There were indeed contacts, . . . [but the talks collapsed because] there was a lack of any intention or desire to listen to our position. Given the impossibility of exchanging views, the mutual dialogue has not developed.” [RFE/RL, November 12, 2025.]

Earlier on the same day, Russian state news agency TASS had cited a Foreign Ministry official as saying that Russia was ready to resume peace negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul. [Id.]

Seriously . . . don’t these people talk to each other? The Foreign Ministry says they’re ready to meet, but the Kremlin then insists that it will only be on their terms. Or did something happen in the interim between the TASS report and Peskov’s statement to change their minds?

But at least there was talk of holding talks . . . perhaps a dim light at the end of a long tunnel, but a light nevertheless.

*. *. *

Until, less than 48 hours later, Ukraine was hit with massive Russian barrages of 430 drones and 18 missiles in several locations, killing no fewer than six people and injuring more than 35 others, including children and a pregnant woman. Targets included the capital city of Kyiv, which saw its strongest assault in several months, as well as Sumy, Odesa and Kharkiv.

In Kyiv, about 30 apartment buildings were damaged, in addition to medical facilities, public transportation, offices, shops and vehicles. Also hit by an Iskander missile fragment was the Azerbaijani Embassy, which sustained damage to its compound and perimeter wall. [Id.]

In a post on X, President Volodymyr Zelensky said:

“Once again, Russia has launched a heinous attack against Ukraine, our people, and ordinary residential buildings.” [Id.]

Yet Moscow continues to deny that it targets civilians or non-military infrastructure. And increasingly punishing tariffs haven’t worked, nor has Russia’s isolation from a large part of the rest of the world. Donald Trump thought this war would be an easy one for him to end; but Vladimir Putin’s intransigence has proved greater than that of all the Middle Eastern potentates combined.

Maybe he just hopes to wear us all down. If that is indeed his strategy, he already has a good start.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/14/25

This one is self-explanatory. It is from an address given by Frederick Lewis Donaldson* in 1925, in Westminster Abbey, London:

“The Seven Social Sins are:

Wealth without work.
Pleasure without conscience.
Knowledge without character.
Commerce without morality.
Science without humanity.
Worship without sacrifice.
Politics without principle.”

* Frederick Lewis Donaldson was an English Anglican priest, and Archdeacon of Westminster from 1937 to 1946.

A sort of extension of the Seven Deadly Sins — pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth — the Seven Social Sins would serve as a worthy guideline throughout life for most of us.

If only we could convince the proud, greedy, wrathful, envious, amoral, gluttonous, slothful, and downright evil ones to join us . . .

Just sayin . . .

Brendochka
11/14/25

In 1865, Lewis Carroll wrote the immortal “Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland,” to the delight of generations of children and adults, and in modern times inspiring movies and musical adaptations.

In 1871, he wrote the sequel, “Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There” — thus bestowing upon the world a second classic that to this day has lost none of its charm and wonderment.

And contained within that latter story is the famous poem, “The Walrus and the Carpenter,” in which — unbeknownst to Carroll — he foretold the future advent of the Donald Trump administration.

Most of us are familiar with one particular verse, though by itself it doesn’t seem to mean much:

“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
”To talk of many things:
Of shoes – and ships – and sealing-wax –
Of cabbages – and kings –
And why the sea is boiling hot –
And whether pigs have wings.”

But how many know the rest of the poem, or the context in which that verse was written? In a nutshell, it’s a Pied Piper sort of tale, in which a Walrus and a Carpenter, walking along a beach, come across a bed of Oysters, all fat and ripe for the eating. They attempt to lure the mollusks along the beach with promises of a good time:

“O Oysters, come and walk with us!”
The Walrus did beseech.
”A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
Along the briny beach:
We cannot do with more than four,
To give a hand to each.”

The eldest of the Oysters wisely declined the invitation, though he said nothing. Then:

But four young Oysters hurried up,
All eager for the treat . . .

Four other Oysters followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more –
All hopping through the frothy waves,
And scrambling to the shore.

Merrily the little Oysters followed in anticipation of a marvelous time to be had with their new friends. After a while, they rested, and the Walrus said it was “time . . . to talk of many things.” And as he and the Carpenter began preparing a loaf of bread and some vinegar and pepper, the truth finally dawned on the Oysters . . . but it was too late.

Spoiler Alert: I will leave you to read the entire poem for yourselves. But as you can imagine, the afternoon did not end well for the gullible little Oysters, who had failed to do their due diligence before electing as their leaders a pair of smooth-talking hustlers who cared only for themselves and their insatiable appetites.

THE END

*. *. *

And so it goes, dear children . . . even unto the present time.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/14/25

In words of one syllable:

I DON’T DO SMUT!

Furthermore, I (happily) have never met Epstein, Maxwell, the Trumps, former Prince Andrew, or anyone else — as far as I know — who might have been part of their Tenth Circle of Hell; I have no inside information, nor special access to the infamous hundreds of pages of released and unreleased documents; and I will not render judgment based solely on conflicting statements from parties with a vested interest in the outcome of the investigation.

On the other hand, who can resist a juicy scandal? Not I. So of course — being possessed of a reasonable amount of normal, human curiosity — I’m not totally unaware of all the “he said / she said” on this subject; and I will now make my one and only (at least until it’s all resolved) public observation on the whole slimy, revolting, stomach-turning situation:

If you’re innocent, and have nothing to fear, why knock yourself out trying to hide the evidence?

*. *. *

I’m not the first to ask it, and certainly won’t be the last. It’s no more than common sense.

You do remember common sense, don’t you? It’s one of those old-fashioned virtues that seems to have gone the way of good manners, human kindness, empathy, and self-respect.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/13/25

While commenting earlier today on the news of a scandal in Ukraine’s energy and political sectors, I was reminded of an old axiom on the subject of corruption, and went searching for the original source. It turned out to be a man with an impressive string of names and titles: one John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, First Baron Acton, 13th Marquess of Groppoli.

Lord Acton, as he is more familiarly known, was an English Catholic historian, Liberal politician and writer, best known for his advocacy in favor of individual liberty and his observations on the dangers of concentrated authority.

In an 1887 letter to an Anglican bishop on the subject of the threat to human freedom posed by unchecked power, he wrote:

“Power tends to corrupt, and
absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Lord Acton’s writings frequently emphasized the importance of limiting governmental and institutional power in favor of individual rights and personal liberty. [Wikipedia biography.]

And I couldn’t think of a more apropos quote today in light of recent developments, in Ukraine and elsewhere.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/13/25

Full disclosure: On the issue of Russia’s war against Ukraine, I stand firmly on the side of Ukraine in its struggle to maintain its sovereignty free of interference from Russia.

That said, no one — and particularly no country — is perfect. Governments are, after all, run by human beings, who are innately imperfect and sometimes corruptible. Why would anyone believe Ukraine might be an exception?

But this week’s revelations concerning the extent of the kickback scheme involving a number of people at or near the top of the Ukrainian hierarchy have, at the very least, been shocking.

As yet, there has been no implication of involvement on the part of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and it is devoutly to be hoped that his hands are indeed clean. This is a man who, with little political experience, was thrown into the role of defender of his nation when Vladimir Putin launched his attack in February of 2022. For nearly four years, Zelensky has fought for and inspired his people with a strength and tenacity that few would have suspected he possessed at the outset. To be told now that he might have been involved in, or covering up, illegal activity for personal enrichment would be devastating.

But the scheme was uncovered as the result of a 15-month investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) — the two offices that Zelensky tried to strip of their authority by transferring control to the Prosecutor General last July. That order was only rescinded following massive public protests. (See my post: “7/24/25: What Has Volodymyr Zelensky Done?”)

It is alleged that Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and others — including Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov and businessman (and former business partner of Zelensky) Timur Mindich — received payments from contractors hired to build fortifications against Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. [Laura Gozzi, BBC, November 12, 2025.]

According to NABU, contracting company Enerhoatom systematically paid kickbacks of between 10% and 15% of contract values — amounting to an estimated $100 million — to the involved individuals.

The funds were laundered through an office in Kyiv connected to the family of former Ukrainian lawmaker — and currently Russian senator — Andriy Derkach. The money was then transferred outside Ukraine . . . including to Russia. [Id.]

Well, I’ll bet that raised a few eyebrows!

Aside from the theft of money desperately needed for the defense of the country; and aside from the fact that this has all taken place in the midst of crippling power blackouts to conserve electricity as Russia continues to batter Ukraine’s energy infrastructure; it appears that Russian operators — if not the government itself — are involved.

At best, this is a massive headache for President Zelensky — as though he needs another headache at this point.

And at worst . . . well, I hate to even think about what it would mean to him, and to Ukraine, if he were even accused of being involved.

Though I’m pretty sure there would be celebrations in the Kremlin.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/13/25

In a slight departure from the usual daily quote, I am inspired today to respond to the unintelligible ramblings of one well-known individual with the far more eloquent words of another.

We begin with this guy . . .

. . . who, while addressing a gathering of the top U.S. military brass on the subject of Marine morale, suddenly lost his train of thought and wandered off onto the subject of “Biden’s autopen” and . . . well, see for yourself:

“I have to sign for a general because we have beautiful paper,
the gorgeous paper. I said, ‘Throw a little more gold on it,
they deserve it.’ Give me — I want the A paper, not the D paper.
We used to sign a piece of garbage.”

– As reported by Robert Reich, Substack.com, November 11, 2025

*. *. *

It didn’t take me long to imagine the likely reaction of the Bard, had his monarch, Queen Elizabeth I, spewed such gibberish at her troops. Try this:

“It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
signifying nothing.”

– William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act V, Scene 5

*. *. *

Yup . . . I believe that pretty much sums it up.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/12/25

According to “sources familiar with the matter,” one of our most valued allies, the United Kingdom, is no longer sharing intelligence with the U.S. regarding suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean “because it does not want to be complicit” in the Trump administration’s military strikes, which it “believes . . . are illegal.” [Natasha Bertrand, CNN, November 11, 2025.]

The UK believes they’re illegal?? Well, if anyone has any doubts, they should be allayed by the following:

> The United Nations’ human rights chief, Volker Turk, said last month that the strikes violate international law and amount to “extrajudicial killing.”

> Trump has justified the attacks by designating drug cartels as “foreign terrorist groups,” thus making his actions — in his opinion — fully compliant with the Law of Armed conflict, which applies to attacks on civilians. But legal experts say that that the “foreign terrorist” designation does not automatically authorize the use of lethal force, and that the restrictions mandated by the Law of Armed Conflict would still apply to civilian drug traffickers.

> Even Trump’s own Defense Department has weighed in against the attacks. Specialists in international law within the DoD’s Office of General Counsel have raised concerns, as have current and former uniformed military lawyers . . . although Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s spokesperson has denied that any lawyers involved in the operations have dissented.

> To top it off, the commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Admiral Alvin Holsey, raised questions about the legality of the strikes during a meeting last month with Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during which Holsey offered his resignation. He will be leaving his post next month. [Id.]

And our British friends are not alone in their refusal to be associated with Trump’s murderous rampage. Canada — which has also helped the U.S. Coast Guard pursue drug traffickers in the Caribbean for nearly 20 years in a partnership called Operation Caribbean — has now also distanced itself from the attacks by making it clear to the U.S. that it does not want its intelligence being used to help target boats for the deadly strikes. In a statement to the Canadian press last month, a spokesperson for the Canadian defense authorities said:

“ . . . it is important to note that Canadian Armed Forces activities under Operation Caribbean, conducted in coordination with the United States Coast Guard, are separate and distinct” from the U.S. military strikes on suspected drug vessels. [Id.]

*. *. *

While it’s encouraging and heartwarming to know that our allies have consciences and codes of ethics unfamiliar to the current members of the U.S. administration, it is at the same time devastating to realize how far we have sunk in the esteem of even the most stalwart of our friends.

I’m reminded of the song by American country music singer Lee Greenwood — “God Bless the USA” —which he wrote in 1983 but which went viral in 2001 following the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The second verse is particularly poignant:

“I thank my lucky stars
To be living here today
’Cause the flag still stands for freedom
And they can’t take that away.”

. . . and the chorus continues:

“And I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free,
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me.
And I’d gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today,
’Cause there ain’t no doubt
I love this land.
God Bless the U.S.A.”

I vividly remember hearing that song on my car radio as I drove past the destroyed western side of the Pentagon on my way home from work the day they reopened that stretch of highway I-395.

And I recall being at Dulles International Airport to meet an arriving relative just a week after the attack, when I was privileged to speak with a unit of British soldiers who had also just landed . . . coming to assist us in our time of need.

I feel certain that our British friends would still be there for us if we needed them today. But I wonder whether it would be with the same spirit of comradeship . . .or simply out of an innate sense of duty and human decency.

What sad times we live in.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/12/25

Yesterday I quoted from a work of fiction on the subject of tyrants. Today, I turn to a very real person . . . one of the greatest, most revered political ethicists of modern times . . . a peacemaker who was assassinated for his views on freedom and civil rights: Mahatma Gandhi.

Known in India as the “Father of the Nation,” he led the drive for his country’s independence from British rule, and inspired worldwide civil rights movements through non-violent resistance.

And on the subject of tyrants, he offered these words of hope:

“Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants
and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible.
But in the end, they always fall. Always.”

– Mahatma Gandhi, “Gandhi: An Autobiography”

*. *. *

My question remains: How long do we have to wait before the fall?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/11/25