So, after two and a half years of being battered, pummeled, raided, bombed, pounded with missiles, having thousands of its people maimed, starved, kidnapped, tortured and slaughtered . . . after all of that, Ukraine has finally given Russia a small taste of its own medicine by conducting an incursion into the Kursk region, the site of one of the most significant battles of World War II, close to the Ukrainian border.
The Russian Ministry of Defense called it a “massive attack.” Vladimir Putin called it a “large-scale provocation,” saying that Kyiv conducted “indiscriminate shooting from various types of weapons, including missiles, at civilian buildings, residential buildings, and ambulances.”
A Home in Kursk, Russia – Damaged by falling debris from a destroyed Ukrainian missile
Now, why do you suppose that sounds so familiar? Could it possibly be because that’s exactly what Russia has been doing — on a much, much larger scale — to Ukraine since February 24, 2022?
For all of his big talk, his bravado, his braggadocio, it is blatantly obvious that Vladimir Putin — the man who would be “Tsar of all the Russias” — can dish it out . . . but he can’t take it. Not even a little bit of it. He’s frightened now . . . and his image is badly damaged. That, to a narcissist/tyrant such as Putin, is unbearable.
Let’s look at what he has delivered in the past 29-1/2 months in various parts of Ukraine, from Donetsk, to Kyiv, to Lviv, to Crimea . . . all over the map of a peaceful, sovereign country that wasn’t bothering him in the least. Just off the top of my head, I’m remembering Bucha, Bakhmut, Mariupol, Avdiyivka . . .
BakhmutBucha . . . or what’s left of itAvdiyivkaThe Remains of Mariupol
And, while perhaps lesser-known, such cities as Popasna and Rubizhne, in the eastern regions now occupied by Russian forces and claimed by Putin as part of Russia, have likewise been decimated.
Now, would you like to count the casualties in Kursk and compare the numbers to a similar time period of just a few days in Ukraine? Or the nature and comparative magnitude of the ongoing, incessant attacks throughout Ukraine against the recent incursion into Kursk?
And . . . perhaps most significantly . . . would you like to talk about who started it? I mean, who really started it — not some Russian bullshit propaganda about Nazi provocations or historic ownership. I’m talking about beginning the new year of 2022 with a rapid deployment of thousands of Russian troops and offensive weaponry to the border of Ukraine under the guise of a “special military operation.”
Oh, yeah . . . it was “special,” all right. It was special when, on February 24, 2022, that purely “routine” military exercise stormed across the border into Ukraine — blasting, burning, bombing, destroying everything in its path and leaving only rubble and death in its wake.
And I have just one more question for Vladimir Putin, quaking in fear now in his Kremlin palace, or his Novo-Ogarevo dacha, or his Black Sea estate:
What the f*ck did you expect? Bullies always believe their victims won’t fight back. But sometimes — when they’ve finally had enough — they do.
And a word of advice: Grow a set, Vlad. Because one of these days — when your own people have had enough — you’re going to need them.
That’s TIME, as in the magazine and online news medium. And they are — if not literally, then at least academically — killing me. With this:
Screen Shot
No, it’s not the photo . . . although, admittedly, that face is usually enough to bring about the second appearance of my breakfast. But not this time.
This time, TIME stopped me dead with the header:
“Trump Responds to Tim Walz Calling He and J.D. Vance ‘Weird’”
Look at that again. Read it aloud, and listen to how it sounds. “Calling he . . .”
“What the hell is that??!!!
Do you call “she” to breakfast? Do you call “he” on the phone? Do you call “they” a bunch of idiots? Well, hopefully not. And, for those of you who have been victims of our current educational system — which doesn’t seem to teach grammar, simple arithmetic, or how to read an analog clock — I will try to explain why.
Yes, that’s 1:50. Just take my word for it.
Because the various forms of the verb “to call” — call, called, calling — are what are referred to as transitive verbs, meaning that they take an object. And that means that they are followed by a noun or pronoun; if you “call,” you must call someone or something. (Unless you’re just calling into the void, I suppose.)
Now, nouns are simple. But pronouns have different forms, depending on whether they are subjective or objective. “She” is a subject; “her” is an object. (No, not an object of desire — let’s stick with grammar here and keep our minds out of the more interesting places.) So “she” went to the store; but you called “her” for dinner. “She” is the subject of the sentence; “her” is the object of the verb “called.” And the same applies, of course, to “he/him,” “they/them,” and “we/us.”
Oh, crap! I’ve lost you already. And I haven’t even gotten around to the proper use of the apostrophe.
Well, never mind. My grammar gripe today isn’t with the public in general; it’s with the writers and editors of TIME and other respected news media who, if anyone, should know the difference. You’re supposed to be educated people, role models. What are you — 12 years old? Buy yourselves a copy of “English Grammar for Dummies,” please! Or hire someone over 50 who actually had a decent elementary-school education.
It was not a good way to start the day. Scanning the morning headlines — as is my habit each day — my attention was immediately drawn to a startling item a couple of days ago:
“Eastern Europe’s armies struggle to enlist young people with war not far away.”
Eastern Europe – 2024
“. . . with war not far away”?!! Is this now an accepted fact in that part of the world?
It seems to be . . . or, at the very least, it’s considered to be a strong possibility. And if Russia succeeds in defeating and reclaiming Ukraine, then war rises to the level of a distinct probability. Because, once on the move, Russia will not stop. Like a runaway lawn mower, it will chew up every blade of grass it can find (and a few shrubs along the way), rebuilding the USSR and re-absorbing its former Eastern Bloc satellites, one hapless, helpless country at a time.
We in the West may consider this far-fetched, even a sign of mass hysteria. But Eastern Europe knows better; it lives directly under Russia’s shadow, and has experienced its fearsome control in the past. And so it is taking precautions.
But not without difficulty. Unemployment is low in most of the former Soviet-satellite states now in NATO, resulting in low military enlistment figures. Who wants to join the army when you already have a good job? Recruitment targets have been missed over the past several years, leaving army units understaffed and unable to attain combat readiness. [Michael Kahn, Reuters, August 9, 2024.]
In the Czech Republic, for example, one army program attracted around 80 high school students who opted to spend four weeks training in a closed military zone about 58 miles west of Prague. But the program may not be able to continue operating at its present 50 percent of capacity. General Karel Rehka, the Czech Armed Forces Chief, stated:
“We want to deter any potential adversary in the future. If we don’t do anything about the lack of human resources in the military . . . it may mean that we won’t be able to preserve our peace and to deter any potential enemy.”
General Rehka continued: “We cannot do anything without people — if we modernise equipment and don’t have enough competent people and motivated people, that is all wasted money.” [Reuters, id.]
Old Town Square, Prague, Czech Republic
Tomas Kopecny, former Deputy Defense Minister of the Czech Republic, put it this way:
“We also see the probability of Russian aggression against us as not impossible . . . within a few years. So in case Russia attacks, we need to know we can count on a certain amount of soldiers and capabilities.”
*. *. *
And the problem is the same for former Soviet satellites that share a border with Ukraine: Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia are all struggling to keep up with military requirements.
In Poland, officials say they are meeting their recruiting targets and plan to increase the limits; but critics have questioned whether the goal (an army of 300,000 soldiers) is realistic. While the number of recruits, according to the most recent data, is said to have risen, some 9,000 professional soldiers left the service in 2023. [Reuters, id.]
Old Town Warsaw, Poland
*. *. *
Hungary has not published recent recruitment data; it has, however, launched a media campaign — billboards, advertisements, and an upcoming military-themed TV series — to attract new enlistees. [Reuters, id.] If that seems less than adequate, you’re right . . . it is. And one reason is likely to be the Russia-leaning policies of the country’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban. Hungary could be in serious trouble.
Hungarian Parliament at Budapest, on the banks of the Duna (Danube)
*. *. *
And in Romania, recent data showed that 43 percent of officers’ positions were vacant, along with those of 23 percent of soldiers and other professional ranks. [Reuters, id.]
Bucharest, Romania
*. *. *
These countries have performed political, economic and humanitarian miracles since breaking from the former Soviet Union just over thirty years ago. And now they must once again gather forces to prevent a slide back into the horrors of totalitarianism. To do so, they are placing their hopes on the new generation of students such as John Dunka, a Czech high school student who participated in his country’s army summer camp, and plans to enlist after graduation. He shared his thoughts:
“Wearing this uniform includes a sense of pride. With all that has happened in the world, I’m glad I can participate in a camp like this.” [Reuters, id.]
We can only hope that there are enough John Dunkas in Eastern Europe to safeguard its future.
If you have a choice, I strongly urge you to stay out of Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico for the next three months or so. And if you live in any of those places . . . unless you’re able to take a leave of absence and head for, say, Iceland . . . you may want to stay indoors.
Because in those three states, it’s tarantula mating season, folks.
Omigod! Are you insane??!!!
The word — or, rather, the scent — is out there from the females of the species, advertising the fact that they’re ready. And those horny males are about to emerge from their burrows to track them down. Let the orgy begin.
Now, my instinct in encountering any spider, other arachnid, or most insects (except ladybugs and dragonflies, which are lovely) is: KILL — at least, the ones that dare to venture indoors. Years ago, a black widow spider showed up in my living room, and I quickly dispatched it to Arachnid Heaven. I’m truly sorry if that offends any Buddhists, entomologists, or vegans out there; I totally respect your beliefs, but I don’t think eight- or six-legged creatures are meant to live in houses or apartments with the bipeds.
Anyway, the writer of the article I read (Julia Gomez, USA Today, August 9, 2024) assures me that, while a tarantula may bite, and the bite may hurt, it is not lethal unless you are a rat, a frog, or other small creature. You should just put ice on the site of the bite, and you’re certain to be all right. (A little poetry there . . . sorry.)
But while I’m in rhyming mode, let me add one more line: “. . . If I haven’t dropped dead from the fright.”
Sorry . . . they just scare me!
She also has this advice for getting rid of the offending critter:
“Instead of chasing a tarantula with a broom or fly swatter, she recommended sneaking up on it and, without grabbing it, coaxing it into a bucket to take outside and releasing it back into the wild.” [Gomez, id.]
Yeah . . . sure. How do you coax a tarantula? “Here, kitty, kitty, kitty” probably isn’t going to work. And by the time I found that bucket, “Kitty” would have disappeared into some hiding place and I’d have to move because I would never again sleep a wink in that house.
I don’t know whether this picture is of Yun Chuan or Xin Bao, but it really doesn’t matter. They are the newest couple in residence at the San Diego Zoo in California . . . and the first pair of giant pandas to be sent to us from China in 21 years.
I do know that since the days of the first pair to arrive at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. in 1972 — Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing — the indescribably adorable pandas have been a symbol of successful diplomatic relations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China.
Just look at that face! Wouldn’t it melt the stoniest of hearts? Who cares if they’re Chinese, American, or Martian? All they ask is a comfortable place to sleep, a couple of toys to play with, their daily ration of 40 pounds of bamboo to munch on . . . and to be treated kindly.
I always knew it, but at last, there is proof. I really am smarter than the average bear.
I recently ran across an article titled “Why ‘doing nothing, intentionally’ is good for us: The rise of the slow living movement.” [Holly Williams, BBC, August 8, 2024.]
Well, hell’s bells . . . I knew that years ago. It’s called “retirement,” people.
Happy Older People
But then I read the entire article, and that’s not at all what the author was talking about. It seems the woman about whom she was writing — an author, podcaster and entrepreneur named Emma Gannon — decided to battle the burnout resulting from her frenetic lifestyle by experiencing “a year of nothing.” As she put it, “No work, no emails, no career progression, no striving or achieving or being productive.”
Right . . . retirement. But younger. And it’s expensive. How many people can afford to do that, or have family circumstances that would allow them to just drop out for a year?
Elon Musk (as if you didn’t know)
Okay, maybe this guy. But you know perfectly well that’s never going to happen. Because he thrives on the stress of overwork.
Luckily for Ms. Gannon, though — who was truly in need of a long stretch of serious R&R — she was able to manage it.
But what the Millennials have discovered (or think they originated) is something called #SlowLiving (with six million hits on Instagram). And the GenZ folks have come up with”quiet quitting” and “lazy girl jobs,” where they do the minimum at work to preserve their energy for the more “meaningful” parts of life, such as hobbies, relationships, or self-care. [BBC, id.]
Well, I hate to tell you this, but I’ve worked all my life with a wide variety of people, and quite a few of them fit that “lazy girl” description long before it even had a name. It turns out, they were just plain lazy — goof-offs who made life harder for those of us with a good, old-fashioned work ethic, and who then had to carry their load along with our own. And by the way, a couple of those slackers managed to get themselves fired, so it’s probably not a terrific idea.
“Hey, come on, guys!”
But there are always two sides to a situation. In this age of cut-backs for the purpose of minimizing expenses and maximizing profit for the upper echelon (oh, sorry, was I not supposed to bring that up?) . . . well, anyway, in today’s work environment, many employers are making do with fewer employees and requiring them to pick up the slack and produce the same amount of work as the larger pool of workers did.
And that’s a big part of the reason for the meltdowns and the slowdowns and the general job dissatisfaction. People are simply burning out. I saw it myself in the last couple of years before I retired; and according to friends from my last job who are still there, it’s only gotten worse.
*. *. *
So let’s say you’re one of the lucky ones who can take a year off, not have to declare bankruptcy during that time, and still have a job to come back to when you’re fully rested. What are you going to do with all that extra time?
Well, yes, I suppose that’s one possibility. But realistically . . .
Your options depend on a number of factors: what your interests are, what your financial limitations are, and even where you live.
The first thing that comes to a lot of people’s minds is travel. Personally, that’s always been my favorite. But restful? Not these days. Have you been through an airport lately? Or squeezed into a coach seat on a plane? Or tried to deal with the entitled passenger who insists you change seats with her because she and her boyfriend were too stupid to book seats together?
But it might be worth the hassle if you’re going to one of those amazing spas . . .
That could work. Expensive, though, and wouldn’t last for the entire year. So for the other 50 weeks . . .
How about doing some of that volunteer work you’ve never had time for? But that can be stressful too — and she did say “no achieving or being productive.”
Okay, you could write that book . . . Nope. Requires typing and it’s productive and possibly an achievement. Not allowed.
Catch up with old friends. Sorry, no emails. Maybe phone calls, except that all of those friends are at work.
Cooking classes? Too much like work — all that peeling, slicing, dicing, chopping, blending, and cleaning up afterwards. Also, you’d be sticking to a class schedule, and that’s stressful.
There’s always time for social activity, though: going to the theater, checking out the newest restaurants in town, getting hot-stone massages, going shopping . . . But aren’t we on a no-income-for-a-year budget? And who’s going to go with you? All of your friends are . . . I hate to repeat myself . . . working.
*. *. *
Get my drift? Unless you’re seriously, clinically stressed out — I mean, physically and/or emotionally hanging by a thread, in which case you definitely need to get help — then maybe Ms. Gannon’s extreme cure isn’t for you.
And if you need confirmation, just ask me. I have nothing but time on my hands, and I will testify — hand-on-the-bible swear — that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. And I’m not restricted from using a computer or being productive. But I miss the good old days — well, except for the commuting in traffic and having to get up at the crack of dawn — when I felt as though I might actually be accomplishing something worthwhile. And enjoying the company of co-workers. And going out to lunch. And receiving a paycheck twice a month.
Probably not that much, but still . . .
So maybe the answer isn’t a year off, or a work slowdown. Maybe you could just start planning a lovely, restful, two-week vacation. Or book a massage once a month. Hire someone to clean your condo for you. Score tickets to a great play or concert.
Or have you ever thought of looking for a new job? That could work.
Ten days ago, sixteen of Putin’s political prisoners were released from various prisons and penal colonies in Russia . . . traded for eight Russian criminals being held in several European countries and the United States. The world celebrated, and the sixteen people who had done nothing more than voice their opposition to Vladimir Putin’s repressive regime are now re-starting their lives. The road ahead may not be an easy one, but they are free to take whatever direction they may choose. And I have no doubt we will continue to hear from them as they carry on the fight against Putin’s tyrannical dictatorship.
Three who continue the fight: Kara-Murza, Pivovarov and Yashin
But eight Americans — and hundreds of Russian dissidents — remain locked up in Russia. So we continue to remember them each week, and will do so until each and every one has been returned home.
But one in particular, Ksenia Karelina, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen, was not included in the exchange because her case had not yet come up for trial. Russian regulations require that sentence be pronounced before a prisoner can be eligible for a possible “swap,” and she missed the deadline by just a week.
A resident of Los Angeles, Karelina was visiting family in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in February of this year, when she was arrested and charged with having donated $51.80 — while in the United States — to a charity that offered assistance to Ukrainian war victims. Her trial began on August 8th, at which time the prosecutor asked that she be sentenced to 15 years in prison for “treason.” A guilty verdict is a certainty; only the sentence remains in question.
Ksenia Karelina – “Hostage of the Week”
*. *. *
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.
Marc Fogel
*. *. *
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 Romanov Woodland
*. *. *
U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Gordon Black was stationed in South Korea when he fell into a 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.
Staff Sergeant Gordon Black
*. *. *
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.
Robert Gilman
*. *. *
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!
David Barnes
*. *. *
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.”
Eugene Spector
*. *. *
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.”
Michael Travis Leake
*. *. *
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.
Science is a wonderful thing. It can tell us how far away Pluto is (not the Disney dog — the planet that isn’t a planet anymore, but maybe it is, or not, because no one seems to be sure). And it can tell us what’s going on in the insides of our bodies (though it can’t fix everything just yet). And it can allow us to create artificial entities that look and act just like real people (except that the hands are always too big, too small, or just in the wrong place).
And now — wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles! — science has proven that J.R.R. Tolkien knew something the rest of the world didn’t: He knew that Hobbits were real.
Living Proof
Of course, the folks at New Line Cinema were sure of it all along, or they wouldn’t have produced the movie series that made all of their investors incredibly wealthy. But the world was still full of unbelievers; and to all of you, I say . . .
Pffftt!!
So how has science come to verify what has long been consigned to the category of science fiction? Perseverance, that’s how. By not giving up on a mystery dating back to a discovery made in 2003, when archaeologists found a teeny-tiny human skull on the Indonesian island of Flores.
They found other small bones as well, and at first assumed they were all those of a child from ancient times. But there were teeth, and the molars were those of an adult. A very small adult.
And voila! They realized they were looking at “a newfound kind of human who lived 60,000 years ago: Homo floresiensis.” [Ashley Strickland, CNN Science, August 10, 2024.]
An Adult Humerus (Upper Arm)
Okay . . . I will freely admit that science was my worst subject in school. Therefore, I will not be attempting to explain how the scientists were able to identify these bones, or how they figured out how old they were . . . or, indeed, how they knew they weren’t just the bones of a “normal” person suffering from dwarfism. All of that is beyond me.
But I am convinced it is proof of Hobbits. And if they investigate that island very, very thoroughly, I would be willing to bet they will find this . . .
Hobbit Hill
. . . or a reasonable facsimile.
And they can argue all they want to about studies, and tests, and methodologies, or whatever. As far as I’m concerned, they can take their test tubes and microscopes and computers, and put them where the sun don’t shine.
Because in today’s world of global warming, and wars, and artificial intelligence — and even at my advanced age — I still prefer to believe in the fantasy.
Thank you, Hurricane/Tropical Storm Debby, for all you have left behind: the flooded roads and buildings, weakened dams, broken pavements, sinkholes, disrupted lives and businesses . . .
And the overabundance — unrequested and unwanted — of mushrooms and army worms. The former are sprouting all over our back yard like . . . well . . . like toadstools.
‘Shrooms by the hundreds
And the latter are everywhere, devouring the nourishment that had turned our lawns green — for a while. And now they’re brown. The lawns, that is. And the army worms too, I guess.
Army Worms: Not your ordinary caterpillar
Oh, and don’t forget these guys.
Them Ol’ Cottonmouths Back Home
They’re showing up everywhere on people’s properties, and they’re scary as hell because some of them, like the cottonmouths, are venomous. We have children and pets. We don’t need snakes. This is not the Garden of Eden!
Wasn’t once enough?!!
So please, Mr. Sun, keep shining. Bring back the nice, hot weather that will dry out our soggy lawns and gardens, send the snakes back into their snake holes, and fry the army worms to a delightful crisp. As for the mushrooms, I guess we’ll just have to keep hacking away at them.
At least until the next big rain event. This is, after all, the southern swampland.
The Blog About Everything … and Sometimes Nothing 