You know you’ve got writer’s block when you start doing weird things when you should be tapping away at your keyboard . . . things like pulling at the skin on the back of your hand to see how loose it is; or counting the new freckles (why do they call them liver spots?!!) on your arms; or putting everything aside to go fetch the tweezers to get at that one stupid little hair that keeps growing back just inside your left nostril.

You’re sitting there trying desperately to think of a subject you haven’t covered before and preferably one that isn’t too depressing or downright morbid because that’s all there is in the news these days; and nothing seems to catch your attention. So you head to the kitchen to grab some ice cream from the freezer, and on the way you stop to play with the dog for a while, which makes her happy but doesn’t do a thing for your brain.

And after you’ve polished off a half pint of Haagen Dazs (that’s a made-up name, you know — maybe I could do an article on words that don’t mean anything), you glance down at your hands again, but instead of focusing on the chicken skin, you notice how prominent those big blue veins have gotten and you remember how pretty your hands used to look back in the days when you took the time to polish your nails.

So you turn on the TV, surf through the listings for a couple of minutes, and realize there isn’t one single thing on any of those 250 channels that you haven’t seen or would waste your time on for any amount of money, and you know you have to get back to work. I did watch one of those Jane Austen 18th-Century romances the other day, which was fairly entertaining except that all that bowing and curtsying started to drive me crazy.

Why does the skin on a chicken pull up like that? Is it only after the chicken has been killed, plucked, and cut into its various parts, or is it like that under the feathers when the bird is still alive and clucking? I’d really like to know.

Time for a fresh bottle of soda from the fridge, with a quick side trip to the bathroom to wash my hands after playing with the dog again . . . if only she wouldn’t lick so much! But she’s sweet, and . . . Hey! I never noticed that before, but my left eyebrow is thicker than the right one. Just like my left leg is 5/8 of an inch longer than the right one. But I’m right-handed. Does that mean anything?

Someone once suggested that I try my hand at writing fiction — a nice juicy mystery novel, for example. The truth is, I have tried . . . and failed miserably. I don’t know why, but my descriptions end up sounding like one of those old detective stories — you know, “She oozed her way into the room, her hips swaying from side to side like the pendulum of a grandfather clock” kind of thing. And my dialogue? Well, let’s just say that Jane Austen sounds more believable in today’s world.

So it’s back to the drawing board. If something interesting doesn’t occur to me soon, I’ll have to start waxing rhapsodic about that one funny toe on my right foot.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/8/24

I know I keep harping on it — talking about Vladimir Putin’s brainchild, BRICS; Xi Jinping’s “Belt and Road” initiative; Viktor Orban’s “Patriots for Europe“ scheme — as being a long-range plot to turn the world upside-down. But it’s not a made-up conspiracy theory; it is a real thing.

And now the heads of the United States’ CIA and Britain’s MI6 are describing the present international order as being “under threat in a way we haven’t seen since the Cold War.” [Gordon Corera and Jemma Crew, BBC News, September 7, 2024.]

In a first-ever joint article for the Financial Times, the two intelligence chiefs addressed the issues of “resisting an assertive Russia and Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine”; the work being done to “disrupt the reckless campaign of sabotage” across Europe by Russia; the push for de-escalation in the Israel-Gaza war; the rise of China as “the principal intelligence and geopolitical challenge of the 21st century”; and the urgent need to counter the resurgent Islamic State. [Id.]

In part, they wrote:

“There is no question that the international world order — the balanced system that has led to relative peace and stability and delivered rising living standards, opportunities and prosperity — is under threat in a way we haven’t seen since the Cold War.” [Bill Burns and Richard Moore, Financial Times, September 6, 2024] [bold emphasis is mine].

Without rehashing the entire article — which is well worth a read, by the way — I just want to say that, while it is certainly good to know that you haven’t been imagining or overstating things, there are times that you really wish you were wrong.

This, unfortunately, is one of those times.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/8/24

Judging from this list, it seems we go to war a lot in September. Let’s hope the trend doesn’t continue. But check out these past adventures (or misadventures, depending on your outlook):

1776: World’s first submarine attack. It’s hard to believe, but they really did have submersible crafts — if you can call this a craft — nearly 250 years ago. During the U.S. Revolutionary War, the submarine called the Turtle was used to attempt to attach a time bomb (yes, they had those too!) to the hull of British Admiral Richard Howe’s flagship Eagle in New York Harbor. It was unsuccessful, but General George Washington labelled it “an attempt of genius.”

Sounds to me like something out of a Jules Verne novel.

*. *. *

1813. United States nicknamed Uncle Sam. A meat packer named Samuel Wilson, from Troy, New York, supplied barrels of beef to the U.S. Army during the War of 1812. He stamped the barrels with “U.S.” (for United States); but because he was known locally as Uncle Sam, soldiers began referring to the food as “Uncle Sam’s.” The local newspaper picked it up, and it became the 1813 version of a meme.

Who needs social media?

*. *. *

1864. General Sherman orders civilians evacuated from Atlanta. The other war on U.S. territory: the Civil War of 1861-64. General Sherman had already taken Atlanta, but needed to get the civilians out of his way because of a limited number of troops to guard the city, and limited supplies to feed everyone. So it wasn’t entirely altruism that caused him to evacuate the civilians — although he did say he didn’t want to be responsible for the women and children. So off they went. Sherman provided transportation out of the city, but thereafter they were on their own.

War is hell.

*. *. *

1940. The Blitz begins as Germany bombs London. Keeping with the war theme . . . this was unspeakably bad. For 4-1/2 seemingly endless years.

That really was hell.

*. *. *

1968. Protesters disrupt the Miss America Pageant. A bunch of feminists — popularly known as the women’s liberation movement — disrupted the annual pageant in Atlantic City, protesting the “oppression” of women and declaring that the pageant reinforced “the degrading Mindless-Boob-Girlie Symbol.”

Equal rights for women have come a long way since then. But the Miss America pageant lives on.

*. *. *

1977. U.S. agrees to transfer Panama Canal to Panama. The treaty signed on that date recognized Panama as the territorial sovereign in the Canal Zone, but retained the United States’ right to continue operating the canal until December 31, 1999. Under a separate Neutrality Treaty, the U.S. also retained the right to use military force, if necessary, to keep the Canal open.

Thus was the dictator Manuel Noriega overthrown in the U.S. invasion of Panama in1989.

*. *. *

Footnote: I don’t recall the exact date, but it was in the early 1980s, while Noriega was still heading the government of Panama. I was having lunch with my daughter in Washington’s Madison Hotel across the street from my office, when a man strode into the restaurant with an entourage of some of the toughest-looking bodyguards I had ever seen. My daughter saw them first and said, “Mom, is that who I think it is?” And when I recognized Noriega, I suggested we eat quickly and get out of there — just in case.

I love Washington — you never know who (or what) might be around the next corner.

*. *. *

And thus ends September 7th for another year.

TTFN,
Brendochka
9/7/24

It’s easy to tell when Vladimir Putin is joking, because he usually looks like this:

Or this:

Or — Heaven help us! — even this:

But every now and then, what passes for his sense of humor — more of an overload of sarcasm, really — comes through loud and clear.

And there it is: the smirk that killed Russia’s hopes.

And on Thursday, in a speech at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, he treated us to what we can only assume were some of his best stand-up lines when he expressed his (alleged) support for U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign:

“Our ‘favorite,’ if you can call it that, was the current president, Mr. Biden. But he was removed from the race, and he recommended all his supporters to support Ms. Harris. Well, we will do so — we will support her. She laughs so expressively and infectiously that it means that she is doing well.” [Nathan Hodge, CNN, September 5, 2024.]

And he went on to “criticize” Donald Trump for having placed “so many restrictions and sanctions against Russia like no other president has ever introduced before him.” [Id.]

Wait — is this the new Vladimir Putin? Has he been channeling U.S. comedians? Does he think he’s Bill Maher?

If you listen to his actual speech, even if you don’t understand Russian (you can catch it at bbc.com, with English subtitles), just look at his face — and the face of the moderator — as he speaks. He is using the old standby device of saying exactly the opposite of what he means. It’s sarcasm.

And in so doing, he is continuing to accomplish precisely what the United States government has charged him with this week, and what he continues to deny — trying to influence the upcoming U.S. presidential election. He isn’t fooling anyone with his “support” of Vice-President Harris; his preference for the gullible and malleable Donald Trump has long been obvious. As far back as 2015, he said about Trump: “He is a bright and talented person without any doubt . . . an outstanding and talented personality.” [Id.] And they’ve been holding hands ever since.

Come on, Vladimir Vladimirovich! Whom do you really think you’re kidding?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/7/24

Has Turkey finally made a decision?

No, not that turkey! This turkey — the one from Turkiye:

A full-fledged, card-carrying, dues-paying member of NATO since 1952, Turkiye (or Turkey, as it is more commonly spelled) has recently appeared to be having a difficult time deciding which side of the political fence it prefers: NATO’s democratic side, or Russia’s . . . well, you know.

In complete opposition to everything NATO stands for, Turkiye’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has staunchly refused to condemn Russia’s war against Ukraine, and continues to mollify Vladimir Putin at every turn. His justification is his claim to be able to negotiate between Putin and the Western powers in an attempt to end the war — though so far without success.

And now word has come from Yuri Ushakov, foreign affairs aide to Putin, that Turkiye has applied for membership in BRICS — the bloc of developing economies that seeks to counter the West’s global influence. [Associated Press, September 4, 2024.]

While President Erdogan has stated in the past that his country desires to join the BRICS alliance, this has not yet been confirmed, according to Omer Celik, a spokesman for Erdogan’s ruling party. But membership in BRICS would fit well with Erdogan’s long-time efforts to enhance his country’s global influence, if the alliance continues to expand.

BRICS aims to establish “a fairer world order and the reform of international institutions like the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.” [Id.] Its founding members (in 2006) were Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining in 2010. Newer members include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates; Saudi Arabia has said it is considering joining; and Azerbaijan and Malaysia have already applied.

And there is that phrase again — the one that keeps haunting me: a “new world order,” which keeps cropping up in proclamations from both Russia and China. That cannot be a coincidence.

This is the alliance that Erdogan has expressed a strong interest in joining, while somehow maintaining his country’s conflicting membership in NATO.

I wonder what his justification will be this time.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/7/24

Let me clarify one thing up front: We are not paddling our canoes through alligator-infested waters around here (although that nearly happened in some neighborhoods when Hurricane Debby blew through). We have cars, and paved streets and highways, and lawns, and shopping centers.

But when I arrived here from the big city just over four years ago, I was curious as to why all of the houses in our lovely neighborhood were lacking basements. And I was told it was because this entire region is built on a swamp.

Of course, I immediately had a mental image of a heavy rain (much like the aforesaid Debby) coming along and sucking our house up out of the ground with a big, resounding “Thwoop!”

It hasn’t happened so far, but I’m still thinking about investing in an inflatable raft.

And there actually was an alligator pond on the far end of the neighborhood when I arrived here; but I understand some of the homeowners were a little nervous about their small children and dogs possibly becoming ‘gator chow, so they — the ‘gators, not the kids and dogs — were relocated to a legitimate swamp or a preserve that doesn’t allow humans, I’m not sure which. Apparently there are people around here who do that for a living — moving large reptiles and such — which is a good thing for the rest of us.

It’s been a particularly hot summer down here in the marshland, as it has in most of the world this year. And with our normally high humidity, and an excess of rain, we’ve not missed the ‘gators because we’ve had other critters coming out of their hiding places to keep us company. Like snakes — and yes, some of them are venomous — and spiders the size of Alaskan king crabs, and those good old Southern ‘possums that probably wouldn’t hurt you if you didn’t bother them but they just look mean. So as you can imagine, I stay indoors . . . a lot . . . well, okay, most of the time.

Now, that’s not as bad as it may sound, because our air-conditioning works really well, and I get to sleep as late as I want to, and hang around in my pajamas when I’m feeling particularly lazy. But most of the time, I do have things to keep me busy.

Let’s see now . . . Last week I had my regular doctor’s appointment, and this coming week I’ll be back at the dentist’s office, both of which are “in town.” Which means wearing something decent, putting a dab of makeup on my face, and actually venturing outdoors. And I’m scheduled to get my annual flu shot, a Covid booster, and an RSV vaccine, all at once, at my pharmacy on Saturday. So I should be down and out for a good 36–48 hours after that. And there goes the weekend.

I did get caught up on my laundry this week, and I got rid of that old cheese that had grown some penicillin in the fridge since I last checked it. I also straightened out my sock drawer, and re-arranged the books in one of my bookcases — not in alphabetical order, but by genre. That, I have to say, was extremely satisfying.

But mostly, I write. It’s one of the things I always wanted to do but never managed to find time for before I retired — that, and read my entire set of the World’s Great Books, which, I can tell you right now, ain’t ever gonna happen.

Writing, though, has become my greatest joy. Whatever comes to mind, I put down “on paper” — actually on screen, but I’m a little old-fashioned about some things, and I still talk about “dialing” a phone and “defrosting” the refrigerator. I have a very small audience of readers, and I’ve just about given up hope of ever having anything published. But the joy is in the creation, so I keep tapping away at my little keyboard, and sometimes what I write even makes me smile.

Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote a wonderful book called Notes From Underground about 200 years ago. Do you suppose someone will be reading my Notes From the Swamp in the 23rd Century?

I like to think so . . . it keeps me motivated.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/6/24

And they’re unhappy, because they’ve been discovered, uncovered, and must now recover from their own undercover shenanigans.

On September 4th, the U.S. government announced a number of actions that it had taken against a dozen Russian individuals, two entities, 32 internet domains, and others in retaliation for — as expressed by a U.S. Treasury official — having engaged in a “nefarious campaign to covertly recruit unwittingly American influencers in support of their malign activity.” [Sam Cabral, BBC News, September 4, 2024.]

One of the principal targets of the U.S. actions was Russia’s state-controlled TV network known as RT (formerly Russia Today), for its widespread campaign to interfere with the upcoming U.S. presidential election. RT’s head, Margarita Simonyan, has been sanctioned for alleged attempts to harm “public trust in our institutions.” And two of RT’s Moscow-based managers — Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva — have been charged with paying content creators on U.S. soil to “pump pro-Russia propaganda and disinformation” to American audiences. [Id.]

Additionally, 32 internet domain names used to “covertly promote AI-generated false narratives” on social media have been seized; other media outlets have been designated as “foreign missions,” requiring them to report under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act; and a $10 million reward has been offered for information on hackers associated with the Russian group known as Russian Angry Hackers Did It (RaHDit). And that’s just for openers.

Holy crap! You can’t believe anything you see, hear or read any longer. It’s a crazy, disturbing world out there. And it’s about to get crazier . . . because the Russians wasted no time in shouting about getting back at us for daring to retaliate against them . . .

They started with their customary “turn the tables” routine, accusing the U.S. of doing exactly what they themselves have done. Maria Zakharova, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said in a statement:

“When the authorities resort to such primitive ways of influencing their voters, this is the decline of ‘liberal democracies.’ . . . There will be a response.

“We warn that attempts to expel Russian journalists from the territory of the United States, create unacceptable conditions for their work or any other forms of obstruction of their activities, including with the use of visa tools, will become the basis for taking symmetrical and/or asymmetric retaliatory measures against the American media.” [Id.]

Excuse me . . . I’m sorry for losing control. I thought Dmitry Peskov was the only Russian official who could make me laugh like that. But this Zakharova chick is positively hilarious!

Has she already forgotten about Evan Gershkovich? Alsu Kurmasheva? Vladimir Kara-Murza — all released from their Siberian penal colonies just over a month ago in trade for a few Russian spies and a KGB assassin? Would she like to discuss “unacceptable conditions” and “obstruction of their activities?”

And then there are Russia’s own independent media, who suffered a level of tightened control that made it impossible for them to continue operating, and finally resulted in their shutting down when they were designated “foreign agents” — media outlets such as Novaya Gazeta, and TV broadcaster Echo Moskvy.

There have been the usual back-and-forth insults, charges and counter-charges, so reminiscent of the Cold War years. In those days, it was easier to hide in the shadows; today, everything leaves an electronic trail that is not just difficult, but is virtually impossible to continue covering indefinitely. And the U.S. seems to have found — likely not all, but many — of Russia’s electronic hiding places. And they’re not happy.

The two governments will have their day, exchanging accusations and mostly meaningless penalties; and in the end there will be little, if any, significant change. Russia, China, Iran, North Korea — all of our political adversaries will continue trying to undermine democracy throughout the West in any way they can. And with the internet, social media, and artificial intelligence at their disposal, it will become more and more difficult for us, as individuals, to distinguish the real from the fake.

So be careful out there in Cyberspace . . . it’s a strange and often scary new world.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/6/24

Amid still unproven speculation that he may have been a Russian spy, questions have now arisen as to whether Norway’s adopted beluga whale, Hvaldimir, was the victim of assassination.

I can’t bear to think about it. But although it’s not yet been verified, two Norwegian animal rights groups have alleged that when Hvaldimir’s lifeless body was found last weekend in southern Norway, it appeared that he had been shot.

Hvaldimir, of course, is the beautiful white beluga whale who first appeared in Norwegian waters in 2019. When discovered, he was wearing a specially-made harness with mounts for a camera, and a buckle that read “Equipment Saint Petersburg.” Thus the belief arose that he might have been a Russian spy whale who had gotten lost, or simply decided to defect. He was friendly toward people and seemed happy in Norway, so the local folks adopted him and planned to relocate him to a safer place where there was a wild population of belugas. [Avery Schmitz, CNN, September 4, 2024.]

And now Hvaldimir — whose name is a blend of “hval,” the Norwegian word for whale, and “dimir” from Vladimir Putin’s first name — is gone. And the animal rights groups OneWhale and NOAH are calling for a criminal investigation “based on compelling evidence that the whale was killed by gunshot wounds.” OneWhale has said that “several veterinarians, biologists, and ballistics experts have reviewed [the] evidence of Hvaldimir’s injuries, determining that the whale’s death was the result of a criminal act.” [Id.]

And now we await the results of a formal necropsy.

But murdered or not, Hvaldimir is sorely missed by the people of Norway, to whom he had become something of a folk legend. And to all animal lovers — myself included — it’s always a tragedy to lose one of nature’s beautiful creatures.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/6/24

Before you start yelling at me, that was not my idea. That was one of the thoughts thrown out there by Donald Trump in describing his plans for a new — if he’s elected, of course — “government efficiency commission” (it doesn’t have an official name yet).

Another of his off-the-cuff plans: steep regulation cuts. That would presumably be corporate regulation, of course.

Trump also has someone lined up to head his new commission: a good friend, one who sees eye-to-eye with him on so many wackadoodle subjects, one might almost think they were father and son.

And that person’s name?

ELON MUSK.

Yup, that one. That’s the guy that Trump would appoint to conduct “a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government, [and make] recommendations for drastic reform.” [Alex Leary and Richard Rubin, Wall Street Journal, September 5, 2024.] In fact, it was Musk who recently suggested on X that Trump form such a commission to tackle government spending as a way to address inflation. He said last month, “I’d be happy to help out on such a commission,” and just last Thursday added, “I look forward to serving America if the opportunity arises. No pay, no title, no recognition is needed.” [Id.]

What a guy! Such generosity! Such altruism! Such modesty!

So why does this worry me? Could it be because we’re talking about an individual who doesn’t even know — much less care — that the average person exists? About an egotistical, self-absorbed, conscienceless, anti-Semitic, racist, misogynistic narcissist who listens to no one but himself? And who would, if supposedly working for Donald Trump, eventually become a “shadow president,” because he could never stand being second fiddle to anyone?

Or simply because his “drastic reform” of the federal government would inevitably be in favor of the super-wealthy — not because it would be best for the country, but because it would be best for Elon and Donnie and all their little one-percenter friends?

I keep thinking about Musk’s takeover of Twitter — not just the change to a stupid single-letter name, but the layoffs of 80% of Twitter’s employees. Is that what would be in store for our government workers?

Of course, I could be wrong; I’m not an economist. And he is a highly successful businessman, a self-made billionaire. He must know what he’s doing. But . . .

Yup, there’s always a but, and this is a big one, with both legal and moral implications: But what about the little matter of conflict of interest? For example:

– SpaceX’s most important customers include NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), whose astronauts are transported to the space station by SpaceX, and the Pentagon for the launching of national security satellites. [Id.]

– Tesla’s car sales and energy business, are both subsidized by federal tax credits and grants issued from various government agencies.

– X is regulated by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission.

– Neuralink (his brain implant startup), is regulated by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). [Id.]

What is he planning to do — “step down” from all of those companies while serving the government . . . much as Trump supposedly did while he was in the White House? At least Trump had kids he trusted to pretend to run things for him; I’m not sure Musk can say as much about his dozen offspring.

But really — what am I worried about? They’d find a way around it. They always do.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/6/24

The handsome but unhappy-looking couple above are Linda Sun, former deputy chief of staff to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and Sun’s husband, Chris Hu — both now under arrest on charges of acting as agents of the Chinese government.

Specific charges against Sun were violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, smuggling of aliens, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. While working for the New York State government, she is alleged to have “influenced the messaging of high-level state officials regarding issues of importance to China, blocked Taiwanese government representatives from access to the officials, and obtained official New York State proclamations for Chinese government representatives without authorization.” [Gloria Pazmino and Mark Morales, CNN, September 4, 2024.]

Her husband was also charged with money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, as well as misusing means of identification. In a news release, prosecutors said that Sun acted as “an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government while her husband, Hu, facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain.” [Id.]

The couple were arrested on Tuesday at their Long Island home, seen below.

The defendants’ attorneys have denied the accusations against their clients, and say they “have a lot of confidence in our case.”

Not surprisingly, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesperson, Mao Ning, said that they were not familiar with the aide (Ms. Sun):

“I am not aware of the situation you mentioned. I will not comment on the domestic cases in the United States, but we oppose malicious associations and slander against China.” [Id.]

At a time when U.S.-China relations are already at a low ebb, the last thing we need is a dust-up over spying. But it’s inevitable that these situations will present themselves from time to time; we are, after all, talking about the world’s second oldest profession. It’s not going anywhere — not in my lifetime.

And yet again, we’re reminded that you never really know who your next-door neighbor, your co-worker, or your beautician might turn out to be.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/5/24