How shocking! How humiliating! But more to the point . . . how come?

I’m referring to the economic conference that was held on Friday, October 11th, as the regular lead-in to the BRICS summit scheduled for October 22-24. And people did attend . . . just not the people who were expected. Not the top people, but the second-stringers.

Ordinarily, these pre-summit sessions are attended by the finance ministers and central bank heads from the member nations. But this year, only the finance ministers from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and the head of Iran’s central bank were present when Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov called for the creation of an alternative to what he called the Western-dominated global financial system. [Gleb Bryanski, Reuters, October 11, 2024.]

The remaining members, including China, India and South Africa, instead sent deputies or more junior officials. The Saudi delegation was not represented at all. And is it likely to have been coincidental that this occurred the day after the Kremlin accused the West of pressuring countries not to attend the BRICS summit?

The economic conference is central to the agenda of the summit itself, particularly since Russia — in the wake of Western sanctions over its war in Ukraine — has been wooing its BRICS partners with various proposed initiatives, including something they call the BRICS Bridge international payment system. [Id.]

Siluanov told the officials present that “The creation of a cross-border payment initiative is our main task.” [Id.] He also spoke of the creation of a BRICS clearing center, a rating agency, a reinsurance company, and a commodities exchange. [Id.]

All of these initiatives are of particular importance at the present time to Russia, which is experiencing delays in its international transactions, as some of its trading partners are concerned about possible punitive actions from the West. [Id.] Could these same concerns have kept the top economic officials of those countries from attending Friday’s conference? And if so, what does this say to Russia in terms of the backing it can expect from its fellow BRICS members in moving forward with his proposals?

The forthcoming summit in Kazan on October 22-24 will be of special significance for Putin. His foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, has said that nine of the ten member states will send their leaders, but that Saudi Arabia — which missed the economic conference — will send its Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

This should be interesting.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/14/24

The word is out: Alexei Navalny’s memoir — started while he was recuperating in a German hospital from the Kremlin’s poisoning attempt on his life, and continued from his prison cell in Siberia following his return to his homeland — is being released for publication in just nine days.

Alexei Navalny – Gone, But Well Remembered

Published by Alfred A. Knopf, it recounts, among other things, “his political career, the many attempts on his life, and the lives of the people closest to him, ad the relentless campaign he and his team waged against an increasingly dictatorial regime. . . . a moving account of his last years spent in the most brutal prison on earth; a reminder of why the principles of individual freedom matter so deeply; and a rousing call to continue the work for which he sacrificed his life.” [Amazon Review.]

I am thrilled to know that this work exists, and that I will soon be able to learn more about the quiet man I never met, but whom I admired so greatly. My readers will recall my following his progression from Putin oppositionist, to poisoning victim, to survivor, to prisoner . . . until that unspeakably horrible day when the world was notified of his mysterious (and still unexplained) death in a Siberian penal colony. And even beyond that day, through the days when the Russian authorities delayed turning his body over to his mother; and finally, the funeral and the outpouring of grief that the Kremlin could not prevent.

I presume the posthumous publication of Navalny’s memoir was facilitated by his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, who said — in a statement released in April by the publisher — that the book was not only a testament “to Alexei’s life, but to his unwavering commitment to the fight against dictatorship, [and that it would] inspire others to stand up for what is right and to never lose sight of the values that truly matter.” [Associated Press, October 12, 2024.]

Navalnaya also revealed that the memoir has already been translated into eleven languages, and that it will “definitely” be published in Russian. [Id.]

I wonder how many copies Vladimir Putin will be receiving for Christmas this year. In fact, I’m tempted to send him one myself.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/13/24

Her name was Viktoriia Roshchyna. She was 27 years old, a Ukrainian journalist on a mission to expose the grim realities of life in those parts of Ukraine now occupied by Russian forces.

She disappeared in August of 2023. It took nine months for Russian authorities to admit that she had been detained, without further explanation.

Her father was informed this week, by letter from the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow, that she died on September 19, 2024 . . . with no further explanation given.

It is too late to add Viktoriia to our hostage list . . . too late to hope and pray and fight for her release. But there is much more to her story, and I will pay homage to her in a separate chapter.

But for now, let us remember her as another of Vladimir Putin’s countless victims — yet another murder on his head, and his alone.

Rest in peace, Viktoriia.

*. *. *

And, as always, we remember those others who have already been convicted and imprisoned on spurious political grounds. In no particular order, they are:

Stephen James Hubbard, 72, who was teaching English in Ukraine. In April of 2022, he was charged with fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Following a closed-door trial, he was sentenced on October 7th to six years and ten months in a maximum-security prison.

A 72-year-old English teacher! Is there no limit to the depth of Vladimir Putin’s corruption?

*. *. *

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Gordon Black, who was stationed in South Korea when he fell into a classic Russian “honey trap.” He was on his way back to his home in Texas, on two weeks’ leave, when he was lured to Vladivostok by the Russian girlfriend he had met in Korea. He was arrested in May of 2024 on charges of alleged larceny and murder threat, and sentenced the following month to a prison term of three years and nine months.

* . *. *

Marc Fogel, a schoolteacher from Pennsylvania, was arrested in August of 2021 for possession of 0.6 ounce of legally-prescribed (in the U.S.) medical marijuana. In June of 2022 he was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

*. *. *

Ksenia Karelina, dual U.S.-Russian citizen, recently convicted of espionage and sentenced to 12 years in prison for contributing $51.80 to an American charity providing aid to Ukraine.

*. *. *

Robert Romanov Woodland, a dual US-Russian citizen, was teaching English in Russia when he was arrested in January of 2024 for allegedly attempting to sell drugs. In July, he was sentenced to 12-1/2 years in a maximum security prison.

*. *. *

Robert Gilman, already in jail in Russia serving a 4-1/2-year sentence (later reduced to 3-1/2 years on appeal) for kicking a police officer in 2022, found himself facing added charges in 2023 of punching prison staff in the head, and later also attacking a criminal investigator and another prison guard.

*. *. *

David Barnes, an American citizen and resident of Texas, was arrested in January of 2022 while visiting his children, who had been taken to Russia from Texas by his Russian wife. He was charged and sentenced in the fall of that year to 21 years in prison for child abuse (allegedly occurring while in Texas), on his wife’s accusation. I really wish I knew more of this story!

*. *. *

Eugene Spector, a dual US-Russian citizen already serving a four-year sentence handed down in June of 2021 on a bribery conviction, received additional charges of suspicion of espionage in August of 2023. No other details have been found, as the evidence is labelled “classified.”

*. *. *

Michael Travis Leake, a rock musician and former paratrooper, was sentenced in July of this year to 13 years in prison on drug charges — specifically, suspicion of selling mephedrone, and organizing a drug trafficking business “involving young people.”

*. *. *

And again I ask: Are any of these prisoners actually guilty of the charges leveled against them? I don’t know. But I do know that the recent timing of a number of the arrests, and the speed with which they were brought to trial, is a clear indication of Russia’s intentional roundup of American citizens to be used as (what I call) Putin’s Pawns.

What they are, quite simply, are HOSTAGES. And they will not — MUST not — be forgotten. Let’s shorten this list to zero.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/13/24

Apparently, that was the tone of the recruitment campaign dubbed “Alabuga Start,” aimed at young African women excited at the prospect of being paid a decent wage for a “work-study program” being conducted in Russia’s semi-autonomous Tatarstan region, some 600 miles east of Moscow.

Only someone seems to have forgotten to include the “study” part of the program.

It may have been pictures like the one above that enticed the 200 young women, ages 18-22, to sign on to what promised to be a golden opportunity, but turned out to be an environment akin to slave labor. According to an Associated Press investigation, the young women were met with “long hours under constant surveillance, broken promises about wages and areas of study, and working with caustic chemicals . . .” [Emma Burrows and Lori Hinnant, AP, October. 10, 2024].

Because it turned out that the so-called work-study program was, in truth, a factory for the assembly of thousands of Iranian-designed attack drones for use in Russia’s “special military operation” against Ukraine. Since the start of that war, Russia and Iran have signed a $1.7 billion deal for Moscow to import Iranian drones. And the plant at Alabuga quickly expanded from there. [Id.]

But Russia had a problem: it was facing a wartime labor shortage. It did, however, have friends in numerous African countries, such as Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. And so the recruitment began, there and elsewhere . . . including Sri Lanka in South Asia. And it is expected to expand to other parts of Asia and to Latin America.

So you’re probably thinking there’s nothing wrong with offering jobs to people from countries with struggling economies. And you’d be right . . . as long as the jobs are what they purport to be. But what did those 200 young ladies find upon arrival from their African homes?

Well, first, they share dormitories and kitchens that are “guarded around the clock” — presumably for their safety. When brought by bus from their living quarters to the factory each day, they pass multiple security checkpoints. They receive local SIM cards upon arrival, but are not allowed to bring phones into the factory. Some of the women interviewed said they were not allowed to speak freely to outsiders, and that their messages were monitored. [Id.]

Some women described shifts of up to twelve hours, with only irregular days off. There were reports of salaries not meeting the advertised promises, and difficulties sending money home to Africa because of banking sanctions against Russia. Being able to help their families at home was one of the principal reasons many of the women were drawn to the jobs in the first place. [Id.]

*. *. *

So what can be done? According to the AP report, a spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights — noting that Moscow is a party to the U.N. Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime — said that Russia’s actions in the matter of the Alabuga program “could potentially fulfill the criteria of trafficking if the recruitment is fraudulent and the purpose is exploitation.” [Id.]

Whether action will be taken remains to be seen. Thanks to the AP’s investigation, we can hope for the best.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/13/24

What a great title for a really bad horror flick. But these are real — although they haven’t actually eaten anything . . . yet . . . as far as anyone knows.

Here’s a sample of what’s been washing up on the beaches of Newfoundland (the white-ish stuff to the left) since around early September:

One resident described them as doughy — “like someone had tried to bake bread and done a lousy job” — even smelling somewhat like vegetable oil. [Jessica Murphy, BBC News, October 12, 2024.]

According to Globe and Mail, a spokesperson for Environment and Climate Change Canada has said that it was not a petroleum hydrocarbon, petroleum lubricant, biofuel, or biodiesel substance. And a marine ecologist for Fisheries and Oceans Canada has said that it is not a sea sponge and contained no biological material. [BBC News, op.cit.]

But an inquiry to officials in Ottawa has had no response. [Id.]

A local environmentalist, a Mr. Tobin, discovered the blobs last month while walking along the beach, and initially thought they looked like styrofoam. He has since seen “hundreds and hundreds of globs – big globs, little globs,” most around six inches in diameter. When he reported them to the Canadian Coast Guard, he was told that styrofoam had been ruled out. But, added Mr. Tobin, “Somebody or somebodies know where this came from and how it got there. And knows damn well it’s not supposed to be here.” [Id.]

I wonder how long it will take for the rumors to start. You know , . . “Did you see the strange lights in the sky last night?”

Or: “All my electronics went haywire at the same time this morning.”

Or my favorite: “I swear, my little boy’s new friend looks just like E.T.”

It never fails to bring out the UFOlogists and conspiracy theorists . . . especially when the government won’t comment.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/12/24

For one thing, the world continues to spin without your help, which is actually somewhat disappointing. And for another, you miss a lot. Which is why I’ve become so fearful of being too far from either my phone or my iPad. It’s all news, all the time.

I’m back now, after the Yom Kippur holiday. It’s already evening, so I can’t go in-depth on every item. But I thought I’d just give you an idea of some of the activity that took place when I wasn’t paying attention.

First, of course, there’s Russia, right up front as always. It seems that Vladimir Putin took a little trip to Turkmenistan, where he met with . . . wait, that can’t be right. But it is. He met in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on the sidelines of an international forum that both were attending, with the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss “the situation in the Middle East,” according to Russian state media. [Associated Press, October 11, 2024.]

Taken in conjunction with this past week’s warning from Ken McCallum, head of Britain’s MI5, of the rise in attempted assassinations, sabotage, and other crimes on UK soil by both Russia and Iran . . . well, to say that this does not bode well for the UK — or for Western Europe as a whole — would be a gross understatement at best. So we’ll have to hold onto this item for further follow-up and comment.

*. *. *

And speaking of attempted assassinations, Donald Trump has understandably become more than a little nervous following his two recent experiences — so much so that his campaign has increased its requests for added security, including transport by military aircraft with deterrent systems to protect against surface-to-air missiles, as well as additional on-the-ground protection. Because he’s not just worried about America’s lunatic fringe. Apparently, Iran is out to get him too.

And President Biden has said Trump’s requests should be granted, “as long as he doesn’t ask for F-15s.” [Kristen Holmes, Holmes Lybrand and Kaitlan Collins, CNN, October 11, 2024.] I assume that wasn’t a joke.

I certainly don’t begrudge either candidate all the security they need; but I do have just one question, and it’s a fairly obvious one: I want to know who’s supposed to foot the bill for the planes and the anti-SAMs. Considering the paltry 2.5% Social Security increase that’s just been announced for next year, it had better not be coming out of taxpayer money.

And I actually do have a second question. If Trump is granted use of military aircraft for the remainder of his campaign, and he’s due to speak in, say, Springfield, Ohio . . . is there going to be a place to land and take off again, without endangering the few remaining household pets that haven’t been eaten by the Haitian residents? Has anyone even thought about that, other than President Biden when he ruled out the use of the F-15s?

*. *. *

Moving on: Elon Musk has unveiled yet another product he hopes will make him even richer: his robotaxi, named the Cybercab. I know these are supposed to be the wave of the future, but personally, you won’t find me volunteering for the test run of the prototype — or ever riding in anything without a steering wheel or pedals. And especially if it comes from Tesla.

Seriously . . . shouldn’t they iron the kinks out of their electric cars before they foist these new death machines on the public?

And as for the aesthetic, the car in the picture looks like one of my son’s Hot Wheels from many decades ago. I have serious reservations about your design team, Elon. Where’s the imagination? The creativity?

By the way, has anyone asked Musk why there’s no “X” anywhere in the name of his magnificent machine? Just wondering, as it’s something we’ve all come to Xpect.

*. *. *

I did find one lovely piece of news, and that was the awarding of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, an organization comprised of survivors of the 1945 nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, by the United States.

The award was given to Nihon Hidankyo “for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.” [Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, October 11, 2024.]

I can’t think of a more worthy recipient. And I couldn’t ask for a happier sight than the reaction of Toshiyuki Mimaki, Co-Chairman of Nihon Hidankyo, when he heard that they had received the award.

Congratulations on an honor well earned!

*. *. *

There’s more from today’s news, but I’ve come to realize that my readers can only take so much gloom and doom at one time. And since verbal diarrhea was one of the personal imperfections for which I attempted to atone earlier in the day, I really should call it quits now.

But you know I’ll be back with more, because I’m always

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/12/24

Better known as Yom Kippur, it begins at sundown this evening (6:56 p.m. Eastern time), and ends at sundown on Saturday. I shall therefore be taking tomorrow off to . . . well, to atone for whatever I should have known better than to do in the past year.

To my Jewish friends, G’mar chativa tova — may you be sealed in the Book of Life. And here’s wishing you an easy fast.

And to my non-Jewish friends, you might want to try it; it’s very good for the soul. But no pressure.

I will be back with you tomorrow night, God willing.

TTFN,
Brendochka
10/11/24

We each grieve in our own way. Some weep and moan and tear their clothes. Others retreat into some inner place and keep silent. Still others celebrate the life of the deceased with a party. In New Orleans, a loud, jazz-fueled parade is de rigueur.

And Lisa Marie Presley — daughter of Elvis and Priscilla — found her own way of handling her grief in 2020 when her son, Benjamin Keough, died of a shotgun wound at age 27.

She packed him in dry ice and kept him at home for a couple of months until she felt ready to let him go.

Wow! Except for the turquoise hair, he’s lookin’ seriously like his ol’ granddaddy there!

But back to his poor, bereaved momma. Prior to her own death, less than three years after her son’s, Lisa Marie had begun writing her memoirs. She never finished, but did leave behind some recorded notes from which her daughter (and Benjamin’s sister), Riley Keough, was able to finish the book, titled “From Here to the Great Unknown.” And thus, we have the tale of the first eight weeks of young Ben Ben’s afterlife.

Riley tell us that “It was really important for my mom to have ample time to say goodbye to him, the same way she’d done with her dad. And I would go and sit in there with him.” [Lisa Respers France, CNN, October 8, 2024.]

WHAT??!!! They did that to Elvis too? I did not know that. Maybe it was publicized at the time and I just missed it, but . . . well . . . WOW!

Anyway, Lisa Marie kept Ben Ben, as she called him, in “a separate casitas bedroom.” As she explained,

“There is no law in the state of California to bury someone immediately. I found a very empathetic funeral home owner. I told her that having my dad in the house after he died was incredibly helpful because I could go and spend time with him and talk to him. She [the funeral director] said, ‘We’ll bring Ben Ben to you. You can have him there.’” [Id.]

She went on to explain that the designated casitas room had to be kept at 55 degrees, presumably to keep the dry ice from evaporating, and that she felt “fortunate that there was a way that I could still parent him, delay it a bit longer so that I could become okay with laying him to rest.” [Id.]

I don’t know what to say about the “parenting” thing. In fact, I don’t know what to say about any of this.

*. *. *

Well, yes . . . actually, I do.

It’s not my purpose to judge anyone else’s decisions, and certainly not their way of handling difficult situations. If it helped Lisa Marie through what must have been a dreadful first stage of grief, then I’m glad — for her — that she was able to do it.

But on my part . . . well, I’ve buried both my mother and my sister. And the thought of having either of them lying around in a spare room, packed in dry ice, for two months . . . well, I’m sorry, but that’s just a little too Addams Family for me.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/11/24

And here he is again — Hungary’s answer to Benedict Arnold, Guy Fawkes, and Vidkun Quisling — the one and only Viktor Orban. The man who would sell Ukraine to Russia; ease visa restrictions for Russians and Belarusians, giving them access to Europe’s open-border Schengen zone; and cozy up to China’s Xi Jinping and his so-called Belt and Road Initiative.

In July, as Hungary assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union Council, he undertook his own personal, unauthorized “shuttle diplomacy” program, visiting both Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, offering his alleged expertise to solve the problem of Russia’s ongoing war of attrition against Ukraine . . . as though it were merely an argument between two farmers over the grazing rights for their cows. As is tragically obvious three months later, he didn’t get very far; the war goes on.

But he doesn’t give up easily. In a speech to the European Parliament on Wednesday, despite meeting with protest over his authoritarian rule in Hungary and his friendly relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he had this to say:

“The European Union needs to change, and I would like to convince you about that today. Our union needs to change, and the presidency wants to be the catalyst for this change.” [DW, October 9, 2024.] He said that the escalating conflict in the Middle East would prompt a “migration crisis” that might cause the Schengen open border system to “fall apart.” [Id.]

But wait a minute. Is this the same man who wants to let all the Russians and Belarusians into Hungary, thence to roam freely through virtually all of Western Europe? . . .

His comments, happily, did not go unchallenged.

Terry Reintke, co-leader of the Green bloc, told Orban: “You are not welcome here, this is the house of European democracy.” [Id.]

And Manfred Weber, leader of the conservative European People’s Party, was dismayed that Orban had not uttered a “single sentence” in regard to Ukraine’s continuing battle against the Russian invasion. With reference to Orban’s trip to Moscow in July, he bluntly stated the truth: “Your trip was never a peace mission. It was a big propaganda show for the autocrats.” [Id.]

And then Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, had her say, first taking aim at Hungary’s failure to to join its EU partners in helping Ukraine; and at its strengthening ties with Moscow and Beijing:

“The world has witnessed the atrocities of Russia’s war. And yet, there are still some who blame this war not on the invader but the invaded.

“There are still some who blame this war not on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s lust for power but on Ukraine’s thirst for freedom. So I want to ask them, would they ever blame the Hungarians for the Soviet invasion in 1956?” [Lili Bayer, Reuters, October 9, 2024.]

Bull’s-eye!

Orban could only respond that he was “surprised” by her speech, and he rejected any comparison between Hungary’s failed 1956 uprising against Soviet rule and Ukraine’s current fight in defense of its territory. He then reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Ukraine. [Id.]

But von der Leyen wasn’t finished with him:

“How can it be that the Hungarian government invites Russian nationals into our union without additional security checks? This makes the new Hungarian visa scheme a security risk not only for Hungary, but for all member states.

“How can it be that the Hungarian government would allow Chinese police to operate within its territory? This is not defending Europe’s sovereignty, this is a backdoor for foreign interference.” [Id.]

*. *. *

For the Prime Minister of a country that is a full-fledged member of both the European Union and NATO, Orban’s stance is nothing short of a betrayal of the principles of both organizations — not to mention, of Hungary itself. But he is, at least until the next election, still the head of his government.

And that makes him dangerous.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/11/24

Phonetically, I presume, which would be “Финстра.” Got that?

It’s important, because that is most likely the way it was written on the family’s immigration documents when they recently filed formal applications for temporary resident status — the first step toward their ultimate goal of Russian citizenship.

Yes, you read that correctly. On his YouTube channel, Arend Feenstra recently announced the big news . . . and even took his viewers with the family on their big adventure to complete the mountain of requisite paper work that will enable them to attain temporary resident status. In a few months, they expect the applications — all ten of them — will be granted, and that several months after that they will file for permanent resident status.

Next step (after about three years, he thinks): Russian citizenship.

Well, that nails it: The Feenstras have gone over the edge, around the bend, and down the rabbit hole. They have been captured by Putin’s Propaganda Pixies, and are now beyond salvation. What most people thought would be a short-lived nightmare followed by a quick return trip to Canada has turned into a lifelong commitment . . . all captured by some handy, unidentified cameraman, in Arend Feenstra’s own words.

Well, the words came from his mouth. But they clearly did not originate with him. Not when he spouted lines like “A massive thank you to our President Putin” for making their move to Russia possible. And, “Thank you to our wonderful President Putin” for changing the language requirements, thus making it possible for the Feenstras to apply for resident status. And how grateful they are to be able to build a future in their new home.

Excuse me, please, while I vomit.

Okay, that’s better. Now . . .

Look at the entire picture: The sudden acquisition of the farmland; the materials to build a big new house; the sudden change of language requirements; transportation for ten people whenever they need it; the warm reception and available interpreter at Immigration; the YouTube channel that won’t be shut down as long as the praise of “our wonderful President Putin,” the smiles of the happy wife and children, and the homage to the glories of Russia keep coming.

It’s all just too convenient.

The Feenstras have left behind the freedom of Canada, where they actually owned their farm and their home, and where they had the absolute right to criticize the “wokeness” they hate so much. And they’ve traded it all for a piece of land they will never be able to sell because they will never truly own it; the right to produce YouTube programs so long as they say only what it politically approved; and a future for their children under an oppressive, murderous, totalitarian regime that will control every move and every word of their lives . . . unless a revolution, “velvet” or otherwise, alters the course of history.

But they’ll thrive, just as long as they toe the line.

I hope they’re happy now. Really.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/10/24