When we were kids, that was our sing-song way of taunting a sore loser, or someone who had just been called out for intentionally misbehaving.

And when that little brat grows up to be nothing more than a bigger version of him (or her) self, those of us who actually did become adults — having learned a bit of restraint along the way — might prefer instead to offer a bit of useful advice, such as . . .

“If you can’t face up to the punishment, maybe you should think about not committing the crime in the first place, you f***ing idiot!”

I’m sure you’ve figured out that I’m talking about the ruling handed down yesterday by U.S. District Judge Casey Cooper, directing that Donald Trump’s renaming and closing of the Kennedy Center be reversed. In his 94-page opinion, Judge Cooper concluded that the law establishing the Center:

“ . . . makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.” [Devan Cole and Betsy Klein, CNN, May 29, 2026.]

Word has it that the White House staff was subsequently treated to a typical Trumpian meltdown . . .

. . . following which he spent some time actually doing his job, entering the White House Situation Room to make his “final determination” on the situation in Iran. We can only hope that he stayed focused long enough to get through that meeting.

He then turned his attention back to what was of greatest importance to him: Judge Cooper’s ruling. In a 578-word statement on Truth Social, he attacked the judge for having been nominated to the federal bench by Barack Obama. He noted that Judge Cooper had ruled that his (Trump’s) handpicked board members, who “unanimously voted to add the name ‘TRUMP’ onto the former Kennedy Center, making it The Trump Kennedy Center, did not have the right to do such an addition, and the name, ‘TRUMP,’ must be removed.” [Robert Mackey, Maham Javaid, Lucy Campbell and Tom Ambrose, The Guardian, May 29, 2026.]

And — after a great deal more ranting and raving — he ended with a “you-can’t-fire-me-because-I-quit” type of statement, saying that he has “no interest” in the Kennedy Center, and that:

“ . . . we are going to be working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them. I have instructed the Department of Commerce to make all necessary arrangements with Congress to allow a full and complete transfer of this Institution, giving them the responsibility for its Operation, Maintenance, and Management.” [Id.]

But despite Trump’s professed lack of interest, Judge Cooper’s ruling is likely to be appealed. The Kennedy Center’s vice president for public relations, Roma Daravi, also issued a statement, stating that they “are confident that on appeal the court will uphold the board’s will to recognize President Trump’s historic contributions to our nation’s cultural center.” [Id.]

Still, what else would one expect from a board comprised of loyal sycophants anxious to maintain their positions?

*. *. *

Things haven’t been going well for Trump lately. His ill-conceived (and illegal) “excursion” into Iran is dragging on; he flew to China to meet with Xi Jinping, only to leave empty-handed; numerous courts are ruling against his vindictive attempts to retaliate against people who tell the truth about him; his $1.77 billion slush fund is in limbo, as are his “Arc de Trump,” his proposed $250 bill with his face on it, and the proposed taxpayer funding for his precious ballroom/bunker. Even members of his own party are beginning to vote against him in Congress. It can’t be much longer before the six conservative Supreme Court justices wake up to the fact that he can’t fire them, and that perhaps it’s time they started thinking of their own legacies.

Then maybe — just maybe — once Todd Blanche and Kash Patel have been dispensed with, the Department of Justice will resume doing its job, tear up Trump’s enemies list, and begin prosecuting the real criminals.

And when that day comes, we will know that it all started with a few honest and brave judges like Casey Cooper.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/30/26

A few hours ago, I posted an article about Russia’s most recent incursion into NATO territory, when an overnight attack against Izmail, southwestern Ukraine, resulted in a drone striking an apartment building in Galati, southeastern Romania. Referring to Vladimir Putin’s continuing violations of international law, I wondered:

“So how long will it be before he is held to account?”

Well, it didn’t take long for Romania to take diplomatic action.While NATO accused Russia of reckless behavior and promised to defend its allied territory, Romanian President Nicusor Dan went a giant step further and announced the expulsion of Andrei Kosilin, the Russian Consul General in the nearby city of Constanta, and shut down the consulate.

From the looks of it, it’s not much of a consulate. And its closure is not as impactful as shutting down the embassy in Bucharest would be.

But it’s a start — and it has not gone unnoticed in Moscow. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quick in saying that:

“ . . . retaliatory measures in connection with the declaration of the Russian consul general as persona non grata and the closure of the consulate general will not be long in coming.” [Meduza, May 29, 2026.]

Zakharova did not indicate whether they were considering diplomatic retaliation or — hopefully not — a military response. But it is clear from her words that the Kremlin is not happy.

The war in Ukraine has predictably spilled across borders in the tightly-packed Eastern and Central European region, creating security nightmares for numerous countries from Romania and Moldova to the Baltics. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has an outstanding warrant against Putin and other high Russian officials for war crimes committed in Ukraine. But Russia is not a member of the ICC, and there has been no practical effect on Putin other than to restrict his travel to or through certain ICC member countries.

Further isolating Russia diplomatically might be more meaningful, if enough countries were to follow Romania’s lead. A number of them have already closed their borders with Russia and its ally Belarus, cancelled direct flights, and issued punishing sanctions.

But Putin still has sufficient allies throughout the world to keep his regime afloat . . . for now. What will it take for them to realize that his ability to help them is waning, while his need for their assistance is increasing?

How long would their loyalty last if he were finally shown to be the liability that he truly is?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/29/26

It keeps happening: Russian drones — ostensibly aimed at Ukrainian targets — continue to stray across borders into NATO/EU territory, causing human casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.

This time it was Romania . . . again. Russian drones have breached that country’s airspace 28 times, and last night another one hit an apartment building in Galati, exploding and wounding two people. The strike occurred as a massive attack was underway in the Ukrainian city of Izmail, a large Ukrainian port just across the border formed by the Danube River. [Kathleen Magramo, CNN, May 28, 2026.]

Galati is located in the far southeastern region of Romani, abutting both Ukraine and Moldova. And Moldova — while not yet a member of either NATO or the EU, but on track for EU membership in an effort to remain outside of Russia’s grasp — is equally endangered.

Also at risk are NATO/EU members Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, all of whom share borders with western Ukraine. Polish airspace has already been invaded numerous times by Russian drones, and that entire region of Eastern Europe is on increased, constant alert.

Yet Vladimir Putin claims that it is his country that is in danger from Western “aggression,” as he continues to pound Ukraine into rubble, while also veering — accidentally or otherwise — into territories that pose no threat whatsoever to him.

Is Russia’s drone technology so poor that they keep wandering outside of their intended target range? Or are these in fact intentional warning shots across NATO’s bow? Practically speaking, it hardly matters. Either way, Putin’s actions are in clear violation of international law.

So how long will it be before he is held to account?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/29/26

Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas famously penned these immortal words when contemplating the inevitable death of his father:

“Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

And it appears that Vladimir Putin has taken that advice very seriously — to the tune of some $26 billion to finance his longevity initiative, known as “New Health Preservation Technologies.”

It was announced last month by the Russian government that scientists are working on the development of a gene-therapy treatment that would slow cellular aging. According to Deputy Science Minister Denis Sekirinsky, the drug “represents one of the most promising avenues in the fight against aging.” [Bojan Pancevski, The Wall Street Journal , May 28, 2026.]

But that’s just one facet of Putin’s quest for immortality. They are also working to create human organs in a laboratory for transplantation, focusing on two key technologies: bioprinting, or 3D printing of living tissue; and xenotransplantation, or growing human organs inside mini-pigs, which are a breed of animals genetically compatible to humans.

Russian scientists already claim to have bioprinted human cartilage tissue and a mouse thyroid gland, and have projected a target date of 2030 for achieving human organ transplantation. According to the Kremlin press service:

“In the Russian Federation, work is under way on a whole range of scientific programs in this field. These projects are supported by the state, and many scientific and research institutions are taking part in them.” [Id.]

Putin’s longevity program is being spearheaded by his daughter Maria Vorontsova, an endocrinologist, along with physicist Mikhail Kovalchuk, head of the Soviet-era nuclear research center known as the Kurchatov Institute.

Kovalchuk — whose brother Yuri is a banker and media investor close to Putin — says that science will soon allow humans to repair and replace body parts indefinitely:

“It is difficult to discuss immortality, but the ability to repair man will undoubtedly increase.” [Id.]

This initiative is not new; it was started by Putin in 2024, but has received little or no publicity. Nor has there been any meaningful peer-reviewed research reported in major international journals. According to Russian scientist Aleksandr Ostrovsky:

“If there are no publications there are no real results, and their statements should probably be taken as aspirations, not to say dreams. It’s impossible to do science in isolation. They are probably telling Putin what he wants to hear to secure funding.” [Id.]

Vladimir Putin is not the only billionaire fascinated with the idea of living forever; his obsession is shared by the likes of Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman and Peter Thiel, among others. But unlike those who may be motivated by a simple desire never to be parted from their money, Putin is known to be a man who lives in constant fear.

He is said to be a germophobe; pictures of him surfaced during the COVID pandemic, seated at ridiculously long conference tables far removed from other people. He moves constantly from residence to residence, office to office, to keep his whereabouts hidden from his perceived enemies. And he has recently been known to spend considerable time hiding out in secret bunkers because of the Ukrainian military’s expanding drone and missile attacks on Moscow.

While fear of death — particularly a violent death — is not unusual, Putin’s condition seems extreme, even pathological. And I can’t help wondering whether, as he grows older and life becomes more hazardous, he has perhaps begun thinking about the possibility that there will be a Judgment Day in which he will finally be required to account for his actions on this earthly plane. And that’s enough to drive anyone to distraction.

Thinking about my own misdeeds throughout life is disturbing enough. I sure as hell wouldn’t want to have to answer for his.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/29/26

Yesterday was not one of my better days. It was just a sinus headache on top of a restless night’s sleep; but it was enough to interfere with my plans for the day, and my overall mood — especially after perusing the daily ration of depressing world news.

But I didn’t want to give in to it for another day, so I turned to a wise man for inspiration, and found this last night:

“There is a saying in Tibetan, ‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’ No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.”

– Dalai Lama XIV

So, here’s to holding out hope for a better day today.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/28/26

As I was writing yesterday’s post about Vladimir Putin’s purge of Russian Orthodox priests who have spoken out against his war in Ukraine, I was reminded of my own, surprisingly spiritual, experience in one of the churches at the famed Novodevichy Monastery in Moscow, more than 30 years ago.

February 1993. In a lead-up to my being hired to manage the Moscow office of a U.S. humanitarian aid foundation later in the year, I was in the Russian capital to accompany the foundation’s Washington office director, Kate Williams, for a week of organizational meetings.

One bitterly cold afternoon when Kate and I had some free time, our driver Vitold took us on a little sightseeing tour, ending at the historic Novodevichy Monastery. Most of the buildings were not open to the public, but we were able to wander the snow-packed lanes through the cemetery where the creme-de-la-creme of Russian and Soviet society were spending eternity: famed writers such as Chekhov, Gogol and Bulgakov; the composer Prokofiev; and the unforgettable former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev; among numerous other cultural, political and military elites.

After an hour or so, when we were just about frozen to the bone, we suddenly heard an unexpected sound . . . a sound best described as the distant voices of angels.

No . . . we were not hallucinating. What we were hearing was the liturgical music of a choir practicing in one of the Monastery’s churches . . . and the doors were open. We headed for the warm interior, excited at the opportunity to thaw out and to see what the inside of a Russian Orthodox church looked like.

The first surprise was the emptiness — no pews, no benches, no seats of any kind; just a large expanse of concrete flooring. Along the left and right sides were tall windows, below which were statues of various saints, and tables with long, thin candles to be lit for the saint of one’s choice. And at the front was a large altar, behind which loomed an incredibly beautiful, nearly ceiling-high iconostasis separating the main part of the church from the sanctuary. The angelic voices were drifting out from behind that screen.

There were a few worshipers — mostly old women, who, despite the obvious pain involved, would periodically kneel and touch their heads to the hard floor. Seventy-five years of communist rule had done nothing to diminish their faith.

But most interesting were the men in suits and overcoats strategically posted on either side of the room, one on each side, just standing and watching. Kate wondered who they might be — perhaps security? Vitold didn’t respond, knowing the answer but concentrating on trying to ignore them. So I whispered that they were most likely from the KGB.

She thought at first that I was joking; but when she saw that I wasn’t, and Vitold nodded in agreement, she looked understandably nervous. So I told her, “It’s okay; just ignore them” — which was pure bravado, of course. I was feeling jittery myself; but I knew that the last thing we needed was for them to think we had anything to be nervous about. The Soviet Union may have disintegrated more than a year earlier, but some things hadn’t changed, despite glasnost.

Then we were distracted by some activity at the front of the church. To our delight, we had arrived at the perfect time. Without any fanfare, a priest — in long, white-and-gold robes and headdress, snowy white beard flowing from his chin halfway down his chest — emerged from the sanctuary and began a service for the small gathering. Of course, Kate and I couldn’t understand a syllable of the old Church Slavonic language, but with the choir of angels in the background, it sounded divine.

The three of us were standing in front near the altar, soaking in the atmosphere, when suddenly the priest looked around and his eyes caught mine . . . and held. And held. And held some more. His gaze was mesmerizing, and I could not bring myself to look away. I felt as though he was looking deep into my soul, and I somehow sensed that I was being blessed . . . though I couldn’t imagine why.

Perhaps I stood out as a foreigner, and he was trying silently to warn me about the KGB’s presence. But why me, and not Kate? I still think about it, and wonder. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced, or have felt since. And if I close my eyes today, I can see that priest’s eyes and feel the power of his gaze.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he looked away and the service ended shortly thereafter. It was time for us to leave — and to walk past those KGB watchers still hanging out in the warmth of the church. I wondered if either of them had noticed my visual exchange with the priest, and I half expected them to stop us, if only to find out who we were and where we were from; but they didn’t.

We stopped briefly to light candles to a couple of saints whose identities were a complete mystery to us, left a generous donation of rubles in the plate, and hurried out of the church and the Monastery grounds to Vitold’s little heap of a car waiting nearby on the street.

*. *. *

That experience has stayed with me for 33 years, which is probably why I have had such a strong reaction to the treatment of today’s Orthodox priests by the Putin administration, and by their own Moscow Patriarch Kirill. Even though I was raised in the Jewish faith, I have always been interested in, and maintained a great respect for, all other religions. And that day, standing in the warmth of a Russian Orthodox church, I felt the strength of that priest’s faith and his spirit of human kindness.

Both Vladimir Lenin and Josef Stalin tore down countless magnificent cathedrals and churches in an effort to stamp out religion. Putin, thus far, has been smarter than that, choosing instead to pay lip service to the Orthodox Church while maintaining control over its teachings.

The Russian Orthodox Church and its proponents survived Lenin, Stalin, and their communist successors; and their faith will outlive Putin as well. But unfortunately, it won’t be without a struggle.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/28/26

On May 24, 1844, American inventor Samuel F.B. Morse saw his latest creation come to life. He had been working to perfect an idea he had first gleaned from a French inventor 12 years earlier: an electric telegraph instrument.

During that time, while refining and improving his models, he also composed a set of signals that could represent language in telegraph messages, which became known as the Morse Code. He also convinced Congress to finance a Washington-to-Baltimore telegraph line to transmit the signals of his yet-to-be-completed invention.

When at last it was ready to be tested, Morse arranged with Alfred Vail — an engineer who had partnered with Morse to turn the concept into reality — to receive a message in Baltimore that would be sent by Morse from the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The message he chose was a four-word line from the Old Testament:

“What Hath God Wrought?”
– Numbers 23:23

Within another decade, more than 20,000 miles of telegraph cable criss-crossed the United States. And the rest, as they say, is . . . well, you know . . . history.

But I can’t help wondering whether Morse had an inkling of just what he and God had indeed wrought when they opened up the lines of communication across, not just one continent, but the entire world. And if they could have foreseen the next 182 years, would they have had second thoughts about launching their marvelous toy onto an unsuspecting world?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/27/26

The centuries-old relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and the many iterations of the country’s government has been a complex one. But since 2009, it has been clear that the man born as Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, who rose through the Church’s hierarchy to become Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus’ and Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, lives in the pocket of President Vladimir Putin.

Describing Putin’s reign as “a miracle of God,” Kirill has worked to solidify the relationship between church and state, even justifying Russia’s war against Ukraine as a struggle against “forces of evil,” and describing it as a “Holy War.”

Conversely, and not surprisingly, his relationship with Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople — the Ecumenical Patriarch and spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians throughout the world — has been described as “tense.” Bartholomew I has denounced Kirill’s support for Putin as “damaging to the prestige of the whole of Orthodoxy.” [Wikipedia.org.]

But, ignoring the disapproval of his spiritual leader, Kirill — knowing full well what side his khleb (bread) is buttered on — continues to do Putin’s bidding . . . including, since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, disciplining and de-frocking Orthodox priests who dare speak out against Putin’s “special military operation.”

One such case is that of Father Aleksei Uminsky, for more than 20 years rector of a church in central Moscow. On January 4, 2024, three days before Russian Orthodox Christmas, he received a phone call instructing him to appear before the regional archpriest the following day. When he arrived, Uminsky was handed a decree suspending him from the ministry, thus revoking his authority to preach to his flock. [Valery Panyushkin and Systema, RFE/RL, May 26, 2026.]

Within an hour, Uminsky found himself standing before a four-member disciplinary committee demanding to know why he was not reading a prayer in support of the war as part of his services. The four men, who did not identify themselves, then confirmed his suspension and ordered him to remove the cross from around his neck. [Id.]

Following the Christmas holiday, Uminsky received repeated phone and email instructions to appear before a church court for a hearing on his potential defrocking. But a fellow priest warned him that he was slated to be arrested after the ecclesiastical trial, and he chose instead to leave Russia. Soon thereafter, he received an email notice that Patriarch Kirill had approved the diocesan court’s January 13th decision to defrock him for “refusing . . . to read the prayer for Holy Rus during the Divine Liturgy” — a prayer created by Kirill himself following the start of the war.

Now mandatory, the “prayer” says that “those who wish to wage war have risen up against Holy Rus” and asks God to “grant us victory by Your power.” When asked by the original disciplinary committee why he wasn’t reading the prayer, Uminsky had answered, “I don’t know what Holy Rus is.” [Id.]

For those who have any knowledge of Russian history, that answer makes perfect sense. But it is not what Putin — and, by extension, Kirill — wanted to hear.

There have been other cases like Father Uminsky’s. He and at least two others have had their ranks reinstated by Patriarch Bartholomew — a long and painstaking process. And though they have been reassigned, they remain separated from their long-time congregations. Uminsky now serves in a small church in Paris, where he is provided a small apartment above the church but no salary. He earns a living by giving lectures and sermons on social media. [Id.]

This is how men of peace are treated in Putin’s Russia. Had Father Uminsky not fled when he did, he likely would have wound up in a penal colony alongside the thousands of dissidents, journalists, and other political prisoners who have done nothing more than speak out against Putin’s illegal war of attrition.

These stories are nothing new in Russia. But it could happen anywhere . . . and we can’t say we haven’t been warned.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/27/26

Why the U.S. even needs a special envoy to Greenland is a mystery to everyone other than Donald Trump. But we’ve got one, in the person of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry: a red-blooded, ultra-conservative, right-wing member of the Republican Party who has supported his state’s abortion ban, advocated for prayer in public schools, and fought against LGBTQ rights.

Landry’s political credentials are slightly better than, say, special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff’s, in that he (Landry) has served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives (from 2011 to 2013), eight years as Louisiana Attorney General (2016 to 2024), and since then as Governor of the state.

But again, what purpose does he serve as special envoy to a territory that clearly doesn’t want us there? And for that matter, why have we just opened a new consulate in the capital city of Nuuk?

On a three-day trip there last week, Landry met with Danish Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the current and former foreign ministers, and a group of business leaders, ostensibly to “build ties and make friends.” But no top Danish or Greenlandic officials attended the dedication of the new consulate, and hundreds of citizens gathered to protest the U.S. presence.

In an interview with the local Sermitsiaq newspaper, Landry attempted to curry favor by supporting the territory’s long-held dream of independence, saying, “I think Greenland could have an equally good or even better economy as an independent country.” [Adrienne Murray, BBC, May 22, 2026.]

But then he blew it. When asked if Donald Trump would respect an independent Greenland’s red lines on sovereignty, he replied:

“There is only one line for us. It is red, white and blue.”

Good job, Landry. You just reiterated Trump’s obsession with the one thing Greenlanders will never agree to: a hostile takeover of their island. And your faux pas was reinforced by a follow-up statement from a White House spokesperson, saying that “The United States is optimistic that we are on a good trajectory to address US national security interests in Greenland.” [Id.]

U.S. interests . . . not Greenland’s.

Thus did another Trump-appointed “special envoy” push America even further into disfavor with our traditional allies.

I have one question: Where does Trump find these people?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/26/26

Come on, now, admit it . . . Haven’t you always wondered about those little bitty arms? I have.

No, I don’t spend hours contemplating the physiology of a creature that lived 100 million years ago. But I have been to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, and I’ve seen snippets of Jurassic Park (though admittedly never watched the whole movie). And those teeny-tiny forelimbs are a matter of some curiosity.

Certainly, they’re interesting enough for scientists to have spent more than a century trying to figure out why Mother Nature would have played such a mean trick on an otherwise fearsome animal. The theories they have posited over the years include the arms being used for holding or pinning down prey; impressing potential mates during courtship (though the aesthetic logic of that one eludes me); reducing the risk of being bitten during feeding frenzies; and simply having shrunk over time because the arms had no practical purpose to begin with.

But now a new study, based on an analysis of 85 species of dinosaurs, concludes that the tiny arms were an evolutionary trade-off for a bigger and stronger head. According to Charlie Roger Scherer, a doctoral student in the Department of Earth Sciences at University College London who acted as lead author for the study:

“If you’re a dinosaur with a very strongly put together skull, chances are you’re going to have very small forelimbs. And it doesn’t really matter how big you are — you could be 1 ton in weight, or 10 tons in weight. If you have a strong skull, you’re going to have relatively small arms.” [Jacopo Prisco, CNN, May 25, 2026.]

Well, that’s logical — at least, it is if you’re a carnivore in a prehistoric world where you have to butt heads with the competition for your next meal. But when you think about it, it’s also very cool to contemplate.

What if we could make trade-offs the way T-Rex did? Of course, we wouldn’t want to wait millions of years for the changes to evolve. Everything moves a lot faster in today’s world, thanks largely to advanced technologies. Wouldn’t it be nice if our bodies were able to adapt instantly to the rapid changes — for example, by swapping our fat fingers for slimmer ones (especially thumbs) to accommodate the keypads on our cell phones. Or spines designed to withstand the hours of sitting at a computer. And ears shaped to hold earbuds comfortably and securely.

Come to think of it, maybe we could just become like these folks:

We already have the capacity to transplant internal organs, with a very high success rate. And plastic surgery can do wonders for our aging faces, unattractive noses, and sagging breasts. So how far off can interchangeable parts be?

And on that optimistic note, I’d like to put my order in now. It’s a pretty long list, and I’m not getting any younger, so I don’t want to waste a minute.

Yup … that’ll do just fine.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/26/26