Most of us, during that week between Christmas and New Year’s when we feel as though we’re in limbo waiting for the next big thing to happen, might think about making yet another list of New Year’s Resolutions in an attempt to improve our lives following the last twelve-month shit-storm. And most of us immediately dismiss the thought. But those who actually do make a list generally recycle the same prosaic, though well-intentioned, promises: to lose weight, to economize, to clean out all the closets, to get involved in some charity work. And by the end of January, the list has been lost and the demands of everyday life have drained us of every last bit of energy that would have been needed to keep those promises.

But not this guy.

Oh, no . . . not him. We already know he’s physically fit because he’s an exercise nut, and he has people who prepare his healthy food for him; he’s filthy stinkin’ rich so he doesn’t need to economize; and as for charity work . . . well, excuse me while I ROFLMAO. Because when, in his entire miserable, self-centered, cruel, vicious, narcissistic, murderous, unsympathetic, unempathetic, evil life has he ever given a moment’s thought to anyone other than himself? Charity?? Pshaw!

So what’s left for him to resolve? Actually, plenty. Because he wants to own the world, and that takes planning. So here’s how I envision King Vlad dictating his list of New Year’s Resolutions for 2024:

First: I’ll start with those two Asian guys, Xi and Kim, he says. They’re getting entirely too big for their britches — especially that chubby Kim, ha-ha! I’ll have to have someone arrange for them to fall out of a couple of windows, or off that Great Wall, or maybe an airplane. Then what? North Korea’s kind of a wasteland, so I can just let that die a natural death. But China has a huge economy, lots of advanced technology, and millions of potential conscripts for my army. That’s a keeper, for sure.

Second: Ukraine needs to be wrapped up once and for all . . . but on my terms, of course. With all those millions of little Chinese guys in my army, I’m sure that won’t be a problem. We’ll just overrun Zelensky and those other Jewish Nazis. Then it’s on to Moldova, Georgia, Poland, the Baltics . . . What fun!

Third: Closer to home, there are still a bunch of smart-assed oligarchs that need to be taken down a few pegs. So I resolve to nationalize all of their “private” companies, confiscate their other assets, charge them all with corruption or naziism or whatever, and ship them off to one of those Siberian country club prisons.

Fourth: Which reminds me . . . I need to add another ten years or so to the sentences of those trouble-makers Navalny and Kara-Murza. They’re never gonna see the outside of a prison camp again, I promise you that. Also need to dangle the American hostages, Whelan and that Jew . . . what’s his name? . . . yeah, Gershkovich . . . for an exchange, and see who I can get the Americans to send back. They’re so stupid, giving us Viktor Bout for the girl basketball player. Idiots!

Fifth: And speaking of those LGBTQ people . . . I miss the good old days before the internet and social media, when we could keep everything secret and pretend they didn’t exist in our glorious country. But it’s too late for that, so we’ll just have to round them all up and send them off to an island, someplace where they’ll just die out naturally. Oh, I know! One of the Kuril Islands. They’re not good for much else anyway. And if Japan still wants them, they can have them — but they have to take all the gay people with them, and agree never to release them.

Sixth: Ukraine again. Resolve to step up the bombardments and missile attacks. There are still a few hospitals and apartment buildings left standing. I already announced I wouldn’t stop until I’ve reached my goal. And I always keep my word.

Seventh: As for the Middle East, I must remember to increase arms shipments to Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, and the others. Israel is really getting on my nerves. Who knew those smart-ass Jewish intellectuals could fight like that?

Eighth: Belarus . . . what to do about Belarus? That Lukashenko clown is getting too ambitious for his own good, wants a say in how things are run. Wonder what’s the tallest building in Minsk . . .

Ninth: Finland. Sending all those Africans and Arabs begging for asylum at our border with that giant popsicle country has been a major annoyance to the Finns, but not as effective as I’d hoped; they just keep blasting “Finlandia” at us across the border. (That Sibelius was no Tchaikovsky — maybe we should try the “1812 Overture,” cannons and all.) No, we need something to really weaken them so they come begging us to take them back. Maybe kill off their herring supply? . . .

Tenth: And of course, there’s the friggin’ United States. So much to do there: get Trump elected, first of all. But if they actually convict him of something, then who? Maybe DeSantis? He’d be easier to manipulate than Trump, but doesn’t have the big following. Anyway, after the election, get them to leave NATO, put the razor wire back up on the Mexican border, fire up those MAGA idiots. And I must get a few more of our people inside the CIA, FBI, NSA, Fox News . . . So many vulnerabilities; so little time.

Eleventh: Must resolve to clean out my own house too — and I don’t mean the closets. Start with Lavrov, Peskov, Patrushev, Medvedev. They’ve been pretty useful, but like all of their predecessors, they’ve gotten to the point where they know too much and think they’re indispensable. Either they fall into line, or they’re gone. Must work on replacements. If only Dzerzhinsky were actually still alive . . .

*. *. *

Well, now, that’s a pretty good start; should take me through March or April, at least. Have I forgotten anyone? Maybe Switzerland?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/4/24

Iosif Vissarianovich Djugashvili, better known as Josef Stalin: a name whose simple mention brings cold chills to those of us old enough to remember him. Tyrant, dictator, drug-induced paranoiac, fanatical racist, mass murderer — all appropriate descriptors, yet none quite strong enough to evoke an adequate image of the man. He was, simply, evil personified.

And now, he is being reincarnated as a hero — the great man who industrialized the Soviet Union; who carried it through the “Great Patriotic War” (as the Russians refer to World War II); who brought peace, prosperity and stability to his people and their beloved country. Statues are being erected in his honor again; memorials to his six million victims are being destroyed; and now . . . with the approval, and even at the direction, of Vladimir Putin . . . “Stalin Centers” are being opened throughout Russia.

“Wait . . . what?!! Seriously??!!!”

Unfortunately, yes. It’s been going on for years, the majority of the centers having been created just since Vladimir Putin took office. Many, but not all, appear to be in rural areas, where the standard of living is lower and people long for the days of stability and order. These centers seek to “re-educate” people by glorifying Comrade Stalin’s many years of service to his country . . . while conveniently forgetting to mention the years of terror when a knock on the door could, and often did, mean the end of one’s existence.

In addition, an estimated 100+ statues and monuments to Stalin, many newly installed, dot Russia’s massive landscape. One in particular — in the Tatarstan region of Naberezhnye Chelny — stands out as unique. There is a bench that resembles a sofa, with a sculpted “blanket” draped over the back and one arm. Seated on one end of the bench is the figure of Comrade Stalin, seemingly engaged in rapt conversation, visually inviting passersby to sit down and have a chat with him.

Leonid Nevzlin, a businessman who fled Russia for Israel in 2003, offered the following in a 2020 essay for Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL’s) Russian Service:

“‘Stalin’ is our everyday reality. The Putin regime has a completely defined relationship to Stalin, to Stalinists, to Stalinism. This relationship is primarily tied to the roots of the regime. The KGB [and other Soviet security agencies] cannot be against ‘Stalin’ as an idea and as a practice. Stalin is their patron, their fate, and their biography.”

He continued:

“‘Stalin’ is a special operation under which the population is being drawn into the process of Stalinization and being recruited to become neo-Stalinists. In the cultural-psychological sense, we remain a Stalinist society.” [Robert Coalson, RFE/RL, Jan. 1, 2024.]

According to Denis Volkov, Director of the independent polling agency Levada Center, 47 percent of Russians polled in 2023 said they regarded Stalin “with respect.” Whereas, during Mikhail Gorbachev’s era of glasnost, Stalin was regarded with contempt as the details of his crimes became publicly known. Yet today he has become “normalized” in the everyday lives of Russians. [RFE/RL, Jan. 1, 2024.]

“Stalin constantly appears in the public space,” said Denis Volkov of the Levada Center. And right along with him — God help us all! — is the return of Feliks Dzerzhinsky, founder of the Soviet secret police (originally known as the Cheka) and master of political terror without equal. The people of Moscow celebrated in August of 1991 as they tore down the huge statue of his likeness that had stood since 1958 in front of KGB Headquarters, in what was then known as Dzerzhinsky Square (now Lubyanka Square). But in September of 2023, a slightly smaller version was unveiled in front of the Moscow headquarters of the SVR (successor to the KGB) foreign intelligence service. The event was presided over by SVR Director Sergei Naryshkin, a Putin colleague who, from 2009-12, headed the government’s ironically-titled Historical Truth Commission.

*. *. *

In 2021, Memorial — an international human rights organization created in Russia for the purpose of examining and revealing Stalin’s human rights violations and other crimes, and the recipient of one of three Nobel Peace prizes in 2022 — was closed in Russia for allegedly violating the “foreign agents” law. At the liquidation hearing in Moscow’s main court, the prosecutor ingenuously intoned:

“Memorial besmirches our history. It forces us — a generation of victors and the heirs of victors — to justify our history.”

It all defies belief. But it is all happening again, this time under the rule of Vladimir Putin. And it is terrifying.

*. *. *

And what about the future? Well — as Stalin knew all too well — get them young enough, while their minds are open and impressionable, and you’ve got them for life. And Stalin’s #1 modern-day admirer, Vladimir Putin, is not stupid. He has spent years studying Stalin’s methods. So . . .

New curricula — which should more appropriately be labelled “propaganda” — are being created for the schools. Youth athletic parades, reminiscent of Soviet days, have appeared, including in Moscow’s Red Square. And the littlest children — some as young as four years old — are being schooled in military exercises, complete with toddler-sized uniforms.

A whole new generation is about to grow up believing that this life — a life of regimentation, militarism, fear, paranoia, and unquestioning worship of their “infallible leader” — is normal.

And there isn’t a single thing we outsiders can do about it. As I was once told by a Russian Foreign Ministry official when I had the audacity to mention Afghanistan: “That is strictly an internal affair.”

In other words: “Butt out, lady.”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/3/24

We humans are an odd bunch, for many reasons. But one of the most foolish things we do repeatedly, year after year, decade after decade, is place our faith in some magical, mystical, absolutely implausible ability of January 1st to make things better. Not just for ourselves, but for the entire world. Has it happened yet? Looking around, I’d say no. And yet we continue to hope. I suppose a world without hope would be totally unbearable; yet, how much disappointment can we continue to bring upon ourselves? And what do they say about the definition of insanity? That it’s doing the same thing over and over, exactly the same way, and expecting a different result. I rest my case.

Yet here I am, having awakened — two days in a row now — to a brand-new year, and finding that nothing has changed. My back still aches; my bank account doesn’t show any unexpected deposits; and I don’t smell a huge English breakfast being prepared for me in the kitchen. Inconceivably, even that’s not enough evidence for me — I have to click into the day’s news reports too.

Oh, crap!

It wasn’t just a bad dream after all. Japan started the year off with a bang . . . literally. On New Year’s Day, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck western Japan, causing a number of deaths and injuries, severe structural damage and power outages; stranding 1,400 passengers on bullet trains between the cities of Toyama and Kanazawa; and precipitating tsunami warnings (later downgraded to advisories) along the island nation’s west coast, where four-foot waves were reported.

Elsewhere, the war in Ukraine rages on, and is becoming more and more fierce as Russia steps up its bombardments specifically aimed at civilian targets, and striking cities in the north, south, east, west and central regions, all on the same day.

And Israel continues to pursue Hamas with a goal of wiping out the terrorist organization, but meanwhile racking up a terrifying number of civilian casualties. Charges have even been lodged against Israel for alleged war crimes. But wasn’t Hamas’ original attack also a war crime?

Where is the biblical Solomon when you need him to figure these things out?

And the all-too familiar “accidents” are still occurring in Russia, where friends, supporters, cronies of Vladimir Putin continue to fall — not merely out of favor — but out of windows to their deaths, which are then attributed to “heart conditions.” In September of 2022, Lukoil tycoon Ravil Maganov, age 67, took a nosedive from a window of the elite Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow. He was reported to be suffering from heart problems. Coincidentally, the hospital’s CCTV cameras had been “turned off for repairs” . . . and Putin himself was reported to be visiting the hospital . . . all on the same day.

In February of this past year, Marina Yankina, a 58-year-old top Russian defense official, fell 160 feet to her death in St. Petersburg. She had been a key figure in the funding of Putin’s war in Ukraine.

While we’re at it, let us not forget the most spectacular “fall” of all: that of Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose plane fell from the sky in August of 2023, killing him, two of his top Wagner Group officials, four bodyguards, three flight crew members, and a par . . . oh, no, that’s all. No partridge; just ten people.

This past week, Vladimir Egorov, 46, a member of the ruling United Russia party from the Tobolsk region in western Siberia, was found dead in a courtyard outside his home. No information has yet been advanced as to the cause of his death, though it wouldn’t surprise anyone if we were to learn that it had something to do with a “heart problem,” and not that hitting-the-pavement thing.

And one more to close out the year, though this one was just a close call. Russia’s “egg king” . . . yes, apparently there is such a thing . . . survived an assassination attempt just two days after he had become the target of an investigation for alleged price fixing. His name is Gennady Shiryaev, and he was driving his BMW 4×4 in Voronezh, Russia, when he was ambushed by a gunman firing two shots, both of which missed. Obviously, the people of Russia take their eggs, and the grossly inflated price thereof, very seriously. Whether the shooting was meant as a warning, or the gunman was just a lousy shot, is not so obvious. It is also not known whether the shooter was a disgruntled citizen fed up with the cost of groceries, or a professional assassin hired to do a job. What is clear, however, is the manner in which issues are being dealt with in today’s Russia: If someone becomes a problem, eliminate them. Problem solved.

*. *. *

But those are just drops in the bucket of doom. I have found a list of no fewer than 26 suspicious deaths of prominent Russians in 2022 and another couple of dozen in 2023. That’s a lot of people, still in the prime of life, having heart attacks while standing next to an open window — although some of the reported causes were undoubtedly different, and hopefully more imaginative.

But in all fairness, they were warned. In July of 2000, Putin summoned 21 of his top oligarchs and business leaders and assured them that he wouldn’t reverse the privatization of their assets . . . “provided they pledged their loyalty to him and agreed not to meddle in politics.” And certainly, with each new report of an “accidental” death, it must have occurred to some of these people that something was decidedly fishy.

And then there’s this, previously quoted by me in my blog post of December 14, 2023:

“But . . . analysts suggest that loyalty had not been enough for Putin and that he wants to create a new cadre of hugely wealthy figures who are beholden to him by distributing the assets that the state has seized from foreign companies exiting Russia and through invalidating the privatizations from the 1990s.

”Analyst Nikolai Petrov of Britain’s Royal Institute of International Affairs wrote that Russia is engaged in deprivatization ‘intended to redistribute wealth to a new generation of less-powerful individuals and shore up the president’s own position.’

“A new group of quasi-owner state oligarchs is being created, with wealth and control redistributed from the ‘old nobles’ to the new . . .” [Jim Heinz, Associated Press, Dec. 6, 2023.]

*. *. *

It seems to me that it doesn’t get much more straightforward than that. To make way for the new, one must first clear out the old — whether it’s clothes, furniture, or people.

And if the old won’t leave voluntarily, they sometimes have to be given a little push.

Just sayin’. . .

Brendochka
1/2/24

I don’t know how he does it. But even in the most isolated, most frozen, most notoriously restrictive of Russia’s Siberian prison camps, Alexei Navalny somehow manages to get word out to his team of supporters. And on New Year’s Eve, he once more reached out with words of cheer and hope to the outside world:

“‘I miss you terribly’ is a kind of incorrect construction from the point of view of the Russian language. It’s better to say: ‘I miss you a lot’ or ‘I miss you so much.’ But from my point of view, it is more accurate and correct. I miss my family terribly. Yulia, my children, my parents, my brother. I miss my friends, colleagues, our office, and my work. I miss you all terribly.”

He went on to say that he doesn’t have “feelings of loneliness, abandonment, or isolation at all. My mood is great and quite Christmassy. But there is no substitute for normal human communication in all its forms: from jokes at the New Year’s table to correspondence in Telegram and comments on Instagram and Twitter. Happy New Year to everyone. Arctic hugs and polar greetings to all. Love you all.” [Radina Gigova and Darya Tarasova, CNN, Dec. 31, 2023.]

Remarkable words — under the most abysmal conditions — from a remarkable man.

In return, I send to you, Alexei Navalny — and to all of your fellow political HOSTAGES being held in Russian prisons on fictitious charges — my wish that this be the last holiday season that any of you will have to spend in a Russian prison. The governments of the United States and other free nations are working on your behalf. Your families, friends and colleagues continue to do the same. You have not been . . . you will not be . . . forgotten.

С новым годом!

Brendochka
1/1/24

It has been one week since I started this daily reminder about those prisoners — no, HOSTAGES — of conscience, both Russian and foreign, being held in Russian penal camps for alleged offenses that should not be labelled as “crimes.” From today, in order not to become so familiar as to risk being overlooked, these reminders will be issued weekly. This is not to imply that they are any less important — quite the contrary! Every week ... every day ... every minute that goes by is that much time stolen from the lives of these noble people and their families. We must keep up the pressure to bring them home.

“Their power resides in their words . . .”

Please . . . bring them home!

Brendochka
01/01/24

When Abraham Lincoln wrote those words in 1863, they became part of the Gettysburg Address.

I don’t have to tell you that I am not possessed of that level of greatness, either in terms of statesmanship or literary ability. But it’s a brand new year, so I thought I should somehow address the subject of resolutions, agonizing as that may be.

Yes, I hear your collective Grro-o-o-a-a-a-nnn!!! But never fear — I no longer bother with the resolutions that won’t make it past January 2nd, like losing those ten (or so) ugly pounds, sticking to a smart budget, or re-joining the gym. I have other, bigger, better things in mind this year. So read on, please . . .

First: I resolve to acknowledge my age. That doesn’t mean I’m going to share it with the world; I’m just going to admit to myself that I am no longer “a little past middle age,” or “getting older,” or “a lively senior citizen.” I am officially an old person. I’ve lost many friends and relatives in the last several years, some even a little younger than myself, and it’s hard. I’m not merely in the last quarter of my life; according to the actuarial tables, I should already be dead. So there.

Second: Because each morning that I wake up is now a bonus day, I resolve not to do things just because I should. If I should do laundry but don’t feel like it . . . screw it. If I should catch up on my emails but don’t feel like it . . . to hell with it. And if I should make that dentist appointment but don’t want to . . . well, f*ck that too. There’s always tomorrow. And if there isn’t, well then, what will any of those other things matter?

Third: I resolve to eat whatever I damn well please. Oh, not enough to make myself sick — whatever time I have left, I’d rather not spend it heaving my guts into the toilet bowl. But if I want extra soy sauce on my Chinese food, I’m not going to count every last gram of sodium. And if those brownies are calling my name, I’m not going to worry about the sugar, or the caffeine in the chocolate. One or two brownies won’t kill me, and if they do . . . f*ck that too. I’ve already exceeded my “use by” date by several years anyway.

Fourth: I’m tired of always trying to be ladylike. If I want to swear like a longshoreman, I won’t worry about who’s within earshot. If I choose to dress like a hooker, that’s my prerogative. (I’ve never actually tried it, but that’s beside the point; I’m just keeping my options open.) And as for my posture, I’m always dressed in long pants anyway, so why do I have to keep my knees together when I sit down? That’s fine for royalty, but in case you hadn’t noticed, I am not Kate Middleton. So I resolve to be comfortable, no matter what.

Fifth: And speaking of comfort, I resolve not to agonize over every little unexpected noise that might escape my tired old body. I certainly won’t do it on purpose, but an accident is an accident, and if anyone is offended by a fart, they can just leave the room. And I won’t blame it on the dog, the way my mother used to do. No one believed her anyway.

Sixth: I resolve not to suffer fools any longer. If you’re an idiot, or a pain in the ass, please don’t try to be my best friend. I don’t have time or energy to waste trying to talk sense into you.

Seventh: I resolve, for the first time in my adult life, not to vote this year. There is no candidate worth voting for in any party, and I refuse to pretend I’m proud to wear that little sticker that says I did my civic duty. I stopped being proud when Truman left office.

Eighth: I resolve to take more naps . . . Oh, never mind; I already do that. Moving on.

Ninth: I resolve to continue doing the same things I’m already doing to keep from losing my mind entirely: reading, doing puzzles, playing Scrabble, and — most important — writing. It may take me a moment longer to remember a name or a familiar word these days, but as long as I can keep cranking out this blog in some coherent form, I know I’m doing all right.

Tenth: And finally, I resolve to stop apologizing because I can’t walk faster, or hear what you’re saying, or reach the stuff on the upper shelf. I’m old, I’m short, and my joints are stiff. So be patient with me; you’ll find out what it’s like, soon enough.

*. *. *

That’s about it, I guess. I feel one of those naps coming on now, and not a moment too soon. I’ll just be turning on the TV, snuggling up with my fuzzy blanket, and grabbing some zzzzzzzz . . .

Happy New Year, one more time,
Brendochka
01/01/24

“Their power resides in their words . . .”

Please . . . bring them home!

Удачи в новом году!

Brendochka
12/31/23

There’s still nothing like an old Saturday Evening Post cover to make us go “Aw-w-w-w!” and long for simpler, seemingly better days. And it reminds me that the last thing we need on this, the most hopeful of holidays, is another of my litanies of the world’s grim news reports. So I’m taking a brief break tonight to celebrate the survival of another year and raise a glass to the next, hopefully better one.

And to that end, I say to all of you out there, wherever you may be . . .

Happy New Year, one and all! Whether you’re planning to party hearty, or celebrate quietly at home with family and a few friends, or just hit the couch and watch the crowds on Times Square living it up — I hope you have a wonderful segue from 2023 into 2024. And here’s wishing everyone a happy, healthy, peaceful, safe, and prosperous year ahead.

See you next year.

Brendochka
12/31/23

Locking Alexei Navalny away for 30 years wasn’t enough; forcing his team into exile wasn’t enough; even sending him to Siberia to further isolate and punish him wasn’t enough. Now some of his regional team leaders have also been imprisoned on charges of committing “extremist” or “terrorist” acts . . . simply because they are politically opposed to Vladimir Putin’s dictatorship. They haven’t tried to kill him, or anyone else; they haven’t tried to forcibly overthrow the government; they haven’t been building bombs in their basements. Their power resides in their words; and Putin is all too familiar with that power and its potential threat to his totalitarian regime.

Since so many of Navalny’s supporters have fled the country to continue their work from the relative safety of other European nations, Putin is now extending his grasp to the far reaches of Russia’s vast territory.

This summer, Lilia Chanysheva, Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation leader in the central Bashkortostan Republic, was sentenced to 7-1/2 years in prison.

Vadim Ostanin, the head of Navalny’s office in Barnaul, has been handed a sentence of nine years.

And now — since it truly is never enough — Ksenia Fadeyeva, who has headed the Foundation’s office in the Siberian city of Tomsk, has also received a nine-year sentence, again for alleged acts of “extremism” — a term that can mean whatever the court says it means.

Her attorney, Semyon Vodnev, said in a video posted by SOTA Media, that the defense had been “bullied.” “What happened in this trial has nothing to do with justice,” he said. Calling the verdict “illegal, baseless and unfair,” he stated that he had to refrain from speaking his mind, or otherwise “I will probably find myself on the same bench as Ksenia.” [AFP, Dec. 29, 2023.] He indicated that her sentence will be appealed — for all the good it will likely do.

In the meantime, it is not clear where Ms. Fadeyeva will be incarcerated; but since she is already located in the Siberian city of Tomsk — somewhere between Novosibirsk and the outer fringes of Hell — one thing is certain: it won’t be a picnic.

*. *. *

So now we add these three brave souls to our growing list of HOSTAGES being held in Russian prisons for having done nothing more than speak the truth about the Putin regime. They are not prisoners who have committed violent, or even white-collar, crimes. They are men and women of conscience: HOSTAGES to Putin’s mad, narcissistic, unconscionable lust for lifelong power, and his paranoid obsession with an upcoming election whose outcome is pre-ordained.

They must not be abandoned to the fate he has chosen for them.

*. *. *

Please . . . bring them home!

Brendochka
12/30/23

Just a year ago, this blog sprang forth, fully formed, as though from the head of Zeus . . . Well, perhaps not so dramatically. On December 22, 2022, I introduced myself to the wonderful world of blogging with an article titled “This Is Me.” And on Christmas day, I posted my first story-line chapter, “My First Commie.”

My blog was called “All Roads Led To Russia,” and that’s what most of the first 28 chapters were about: my travel, business, and personal adventures in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Czechoslovakia, England, Hungary . . . wonderful, exciting times, since unmatched. Then I ran out of those stories, and turned to a mix of other topics: my early years, the world as it was throughout the decades of my life, and as it is now. And the name of my blog became, appropriately, “The Blog About Everything.”

It seems serendipitous that my one-year anniversary should fall just as we prepare to tiptoe cautiously into yet another year. Let’s face it: 2023 hasn’t generally been known for its joyous news items, and it’s not surprising that we’re facing 2024 with more than a little trepidation. Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first, and then remind ourselves that there was also news to celebrate along the way.

So here we go: 2023 in a nutshell.

*. *. *

There were natural disasters aplenty. A pair of earthquakes — 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude — struck Turkey near the Syrian border in February, killing approximately 60,000 people. More disastrous earthquakes occurred later in the year in Morocco and Afghanistan, taking another 6,000 lives. Volcanoes erupted in Iceland and other parts of the world. Droughts killed wildlife and evaporated water supplies in some areas, while at the same time torrential rains caused destruction and death in other parts of the world. Wildfires became commonplace due to the excessive summer heat. Entire species of animal life became endangered. It seemed as though the gods were angrier than they had ever been.

And the world’s humans didn’t help. Russia’s “special military operation” — in reality, a full-fledged war of attrition — raged on in Ukraine, and is now about to enter its third year. And lest the world become bored with that conflict, Hamas decided it was a good time to invade Israel from Gaza on October 7th — a day of autumnal celebration for the Jewish people — slaughtering 1,400 innocent men, women and children, seriously wounding nearly 9,000 more, and taking 250 (mostly civilian) hostages. Needless to say, Israel retaliated with a vengeance. That conflict, too, continues to this day.

Russia’s Vladimir Putin continues to tighten his grip on society, passing ever more onerous laws against practically everything and imprisoning people simply for speaking against his policies. He has become the 21st Century’s Josef Stalin, reincarnate.

The saber-rattling continues in China, North Korea, Russia, Iran . . . You’d think we should be used to it by now, but it’s a good thing we’re not. When you let your guard down, that’s when you’re doomed.

Donald Trump continued to campaign for a second term as president, despite his overwhelming legal difficulties, both civil and criminal. The really bad news is that — inconceivably — he could still win. I’m thinking that Canada is looking better and better every day.

Congress installed a revolving door on the House Speaker’s office, with one disastrous choice after another passing through it. And they’ve once again played havoc with people’s livelihoods, not to mention the efficient operation of the government itself, by failing to pass the annual budget, and only managing to come up with a series of stopgap measures. And why? Because tied to the budget is the question of further aid to Ukraine, which apparently hasn’t suffered enough.

A lot of good people passed away in 2023: Henry Kissinger, Rosalynn Carter, Tony Bennett, Betty White, and dozens of others. Rest in peace, each and every one of you; you’ve left the world a good bit better than you found it.

*. *. *

So now, on to the good news. Hmmm . . . this may be a little more difficult.

But we need look no farther than Taylor Swift, who has had enough joy this year to satisfy a whole bunch of people. She became a billionaire, through a combination of talent, business acumen, hard work, and more than a smidgen of incredibly good luck (being born beautiful, talented, and smart didn’t hurt). She is Time’s Person of the Year. Her tours are sold out almost before they’re scheduled. And her love life seems to be thriving. She is a dynamo, a force of nature, a role model . . . and we all want to be her. Wishing her well seems redundant and a bit late, but I do; she has worked hard and earned it.

The Covid pandemic finally slowed down. Not that the virus has disappeared completely. It seems that, like the garden-variety flu, it will be with us for the foreseeable future, but in a milder and more treatable form. It’s now okay to socialize and travel again, and even to shake hands. I never did take to that awkward elbow-bumping thing.

Finland gained admission to NATO, seriously pissing off Russia. So that’s two more good things.

Patches, a 40.3-pound cat in Richmond, Virginia, has finally found a forever home with a local woman, Kay Ford. Under her care, Patches — known as “the largest cat anyone has ever seen” — was last reported as weighing in at a much healthier 28.63 pounds. Good job!

And there’s more good news in the animal kingdom. A precocious sea otter named Laverna has been allowed to remain in her home off the coast of Malibu, California, since it was discovered that her previous naughty behavior (stealing people’s surfboards) was due to her unsuspected pregnancy. Now that her pup has been born and her hormonal condition normalized, she’s calmed down, and continues to live happily in her Pacific home. It makes me smile just to look at her. I don’t think it’s fair that she was named after the Roman Goddess of Thieves, Cheats and the Underworld.

After following Laverna’s story (and writing a couple of blog chapters about her), I found that I had fallen in love with otters in general. They are the most adorable mammals! So I’d like to close the happy part of this year’s retrospective with some proof of cuteness.

Now, if that didn’t make you smile, nothing will!

Happy New Year,
Brendochka
12/30/23