Well, February 7th was a big day for the ten members of the Feenstra family from Canada . . . it was the day they were granted temporary residency status by the Governor of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. After 13 months of living “in limbo,” as Arend Feenstra described it, they finally feel secure in the knowledge that they’re settled for at least the next three years. The second step will be permanent residency, eventually followed by full citizenship — a six-year process in all.

For the momentous occasion, they got dressed up and made the trip into the city for the formal ceremony — which turned out to be somewhat less formal, and more personal and relaxed, than they had expected. They were the only honorees that day, and each of them was given personal attention by the local officials.

As always, there was ample photographic coverage of the event. Other than Vladimir Putin himself, the Feenstras are quite possibly the most photographed people in Russia these days. And here they are, waiting for the presentation to begin:

Before entering the hall, however, Arend had a few words to say to the camera: pretty much a repetition of the reasons they had come to Russia (greater opportunities, greater religious freedom, protection of their traditional Christian values, blah blah blah). Then he launched into his customary assurance to anyone who might be considering making the move to this land of opportunity, promising the listener that the government is working to simplify the process, and even giving a plug to the local agency in Nizhny Novgorod region that has been of so much help to them: OKAgency.com.

So, for any of you out there who might be interested . . .

No, forget I said that. Back to reality.

The ceremony itself consisted of each family member in turn receiving their individual documents — which look like passports, though they were not identified as such in the video — starting with dad Arend and Mom Anneesa, all the way through the tiniest toddler . . . and all under the watchful gaze of President Putin from his perch on the wall.

Having watched them now through a few official ceremonies, a visit to an agricultural exhibition, an exhausting tour of Moscow, and endless hours of working on their farm and in their new home, I have to say that these are eight of the best-behaved, most likable children I have ever seen . . . which is probably why I have become so attached to the entire family. While I fear for their futures, I still wish them all the best.

*. *. *

Then there was a guided tour of a small museum on the premises, a final photo op, and Russia’s newest temporary residents were seen out into the cold February day.

*. *. *

Before heading home, they celebrated with lunch at a Georgian restaurant (I can almost taste the Chicken Tabaka now).

And then it was off across the snowy landscape and back to the farm . . .

. . . where there was time for one more little speech by Arend, again thanking everyone who has made this transition so much easier for them . . . from the folks at OKA, to the Governor of Nizhny Novgorod, to President Putin himself.

Then one more message to all the unfortunate people in the West who don’t know what they’re missing: an invitation to come to Russia, where life is good and the future filled with hope and promise.

*. *. *

After a little more than a year, I have to admit that I didn’t believe it could work for them. But they are making it happen, through hard work, perseverance . . . and an uncanny ability to go along with the system.

As my beloved grandmother — who risked everything to leave that life behind for a better one in America — would have said (and often did):

“Oy! Are they crazy, or what?!!”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/10/25

Lately, this is pretty much what it feels like every day, trying to navigate through life in a world being deluged by a never-ending crap storm that has nothing whatsoever to do with the weather:

Happy Monday, world.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/10/25

Children learn from their parents first, and from their teachers next. And what the adults tell them must be true, because the children have no other frame of reference. Their sponge-like minds absorb it all, and accept it as gospel.

The idea is that, by the time they’re old enough to think for themselves, they will have been taught not to . . . and the damage will be done.

In Nazi Germany, it was the Hitler Youth. In Lenin’s Soviet Union, there were the Komsomol (ages 14-28), the Pioneers (ages 9-14), and the Little Oktobrists for the really vulnerable (under age 9). And in the schools, there were the carefully crafted lessons in history and patriotism by which the teachers drummed into their brains the “virtues” of Mother Russia and the “evils” of the West.

And now, thanks to the courage and skill of one primary school teacher from the mining town of Karabash in the Ural Mountains, we are able to see proof of the present-day return to official political indoctrination of Russia’s youth under Vladimir Putin’s rule.

It began in earnest shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine — euphemistically known in Russia as Putin’s “special military operation” — in February of 2022. In Karabash, a teacher named Pavel Talankin, who also happened to be the school’s official videographer, was instructed by his superiors to document the implementation of a new directive from the Kremlin: shaping the younger generation by immersing them in ultra-nationalist views and preparing them to one day join the army fighting in Ukraine.

But Talankin is an independent-minded, free-spirited individual, whose classroom had always been open to innovative thinking on the part of his students. And he wanted no part of Putin’s return to Soviet-style ideology. And so, the opportunity having presented itself to him almost as a gift, he developed a plan — an extremely risky one — whereby he would secretly film and show the world an unfiltered view of how Putin’s war against Ukraine was affecting the lives of Russia’s children. In Talankin’s own words:

“I immediately knew this had to be preserved for the historical record. I quickly realised [sic] this material can’t be lost.” [Pjotr Sauer, The Guardian, February 9, 2025.]

He began reaching out to independent film outlets, and eventually found his “angel” in David Borenstein, a U.S. filmmaker who agreed to co-direct the project with Talankin.

And thus was born:

Talankin has said: “Any journalist trying to film what was going on in schools would be immediately jailed. I was put in this unique situation. The Russian ministry of education would send extremely detailed orders that certain lessons had to be filmed, and I would go and film.” [Id.]

In his documentary he shows children being ordered to march with the Russian flag, reading newly-printed history books defending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and competing in grenade-throwing tournaments. He also spoke of war veterans — often former convicts from the Wagner paramilitary group — visiting schools to preach “patriotic values” to the children. “Schools are one of the main places where they spread propaganda,” he says. “Fascism can take root in the simplest ways — starting in schools, with children.” [Id.]

Although many of the teachers were vehemently opposed to the new curriculum, they had no choice but to obey orders. At best, they might lose their jobs . . . and, as Mr. Talankin says, jobs in Karabash are scarce. And at worst . . . well, they didn’t even want to think about the worst-case scenario.

By the summer of 2024, he had become aware of police surveillance outside his home, and word of his anti-war views circulating throughout the town. So in June, without telling anyone, he fled the country . . . taking with him seven hard drives of footage. [Id.]

The documentary premiered last month at the Sundance film festival, where it won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award. Since its release, Talankin has received both messages of support and “a lot of threats, long voicemails calling me a scumbag, a traitor to the Motherland.” [Id.]

But he adds: “I want as many people in Russia to see this as possible — not just in Karabash, but everywhere. For their own good.” [Id.]

I can’t wait to be one of those people.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/10/25

NOTE: This story ties in directly with a post I am writing concerning the Feenstra family from Canada, now living in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, and what it augurs for the future of their eight children.

I do . . . but then, I’m getting up there in years, so I probably don’t have a lot of company. But my remaining contemporaries, and some younger students of U.S. history, will know what I’m talking about.

I refer to the communist witch hunts of the 1950s. And today, February 9th, is the 75th anniversary of the day that Senator Joseph McCarthy announced to the world that the U.S. State Department employed (at that time) over 200 “known communists.”

McCarthy — whose checkered history makes fascinating reading in and of itself — was a virulent anti-communist, who believed that the U.S. government agencies were riddled with turncoats and spies, and that the government was guilty of a massive cover-up. He alleged — without any evidence — that the State Department had been most heavily infiltrated.

It was noted editorial cartoonist Herbert Block (1909-2001), better known as “Herblock,” who coined the term “McCarthyism.” And it has stuck to this day.

Following the perjury conviction of former State Department employee Alger Hiss in January of 1950, McCarthy targeted everyone, in famously televised Congressional hearings that continued until 1954, when he went a step too far: He accused the U.S. Army of “coddling known communists.” [“This Day In History,” History.com, February 9, 2025.] He never found a single hidden communist anywhere, and his hearings were shut down shortly thereafter.

I vividly recall, as a pre-teen, watching those broadcasts during the blistering hot summer afternoons of 1952 — my family’s first year of living in Washington, D.C. — when it was too damned hot to go outside and there was nothing else to do. Even at that tender age, I understood the possible consequences of one obviously demented zealot being allowed to run rampant through the American legal system. Those hearings wrecked countless lives through their unproven accusations, and turned friends against friends in the effort to save themselves.

McCarthy died of hepatitis in 1957; but his legacy of fear lived on for years.

*. *. *

As I read the article today and recalled that bit of history, I found myself — as I so often do lately — comparing the long-ago with the present time. And I was horrified to find myself thinking that . . . as bad as the McCarthy era was . . . what we are facing today is even worse.

In a sense, Joseph McCarthy may simply have been a man born before his time. He thought there was rot within the government, in the form of infiltration by communists. He was wrong about the source of the problem, and his timing was off by 75 years. But perhaps what he did display was prescience.

Because the real rot is now, and it’s coming from the very top of the governmental hierarchy. And it will, if left unchecked, destroy more than a few hundred lives. It will destroy us all.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/9/25

Isn’t this just what every country needs: a military force, already partly comprised of hardened criminals and barbaric mercenaries, and now — along with all of those poor conscripted Russian and North Korean soldiers — about to be joined by a whole lot of syphilitics, mentally disturbed individuals, and people with high blood pressure who could blow at any moment.

What a pretty picture that is . . . not to mention, how reassuring for the citizens dependent upon their military to keep them safe.

But desperate times call for desperate measures . . . and it appears that Vladimir Putin has reached that point of desperation. His war against Ukraine — which he originally predicted would be over in a matter of just days, or weeks at the most — has caused hundreds of thousands of casualties among his own troops over the past three years. And he has already had to resort to finding replacements for those losses by luring thousands of convicted criminals from prisons, convincing them that even war is better than prison (and he may actually be right about that); and paying huge bonuses to Russian citizens desperate to support their families . . . not to mention the 11,000 professional fighters “borrowed” from North Korea.

(Aside: I’m not sure how he plans to “give back” the 1,000 or so North Korean soldiers who have been killed to date . . . but that’s for Putin and Kim to work out between themselves.)

Yet even that has evidently not been sufficient to fill the void. So he is making it more difficult for potential conscripts to avoid the draft for medical reasons by proposing revisions to the military’s Schedule of Illnesses, which outlines eligibility for exclusion from service based on health issues. [RFE/RL, February 7, 2025.]

If adopted, the proposed revisions would make it more difficult to avoid military service for reasons such as high blood pressure, asthma, obesity, and other conditions. And while the rules currently provide that persons diagnosed with latent syphilis are exempt from conscription during peacetime, the revised rule would allow them to serve in roles such as engineering and railway troops, signalmen, and technicians.

Great. All those young men with latent syphilis, who may not be exhibiting any obvious symptoms, sharing quarters — and a latrine — with all the others . . . well, it doesn’t require a lot of imagination to figure out what would happen next.

And if venereal disease doesn’t get you, there’s always the possibility of being attacked by a mentally unstable bunkmate who finally loses it in the middle of a missile attack and goes “postal” on his buddies. Because the proposed new rules would also designate “those diagnosed with ‘severe’ mental problems due to stress and mood disorders as fit to serve during wartime” — whereas they are currently, and properly, designated as “unfit for military service” [id.].

*. *. *

Artyom Klyga, a lawyer with the Russian anti-war group Movement of Conscientious Objectors, has said — in what appears to be a clear understatement — that the changes would “significantly worsen the situation of both military personnel and conscripts.” He said that his group has been aware of the loopholes for some time, and they’ve been wondering when the government would finally address them.

“Many changes have been promised since the 2000s, but no one touched either the draft or the issue of mobilization,” Klyga added. “As soon as [mobilization] was announced in September 2022, we realized that we have thousands of gaps in the legislation.” [Id.]

So now Putin proposes to fill those gaps with physically and mentally ill individuals who clearly cannot be relied upon to give 100% to the job; whose conditions will inevitably worsen under battle conditions; and — worst of all — who present a real danger to their comrades-in-arms.

Great idea, Vlad. This way, you not only fill the vacancies in the ranks; at the same time, you rid the country of thousands of “undesirables”: people with debilitating diseases and mental illnesses who are a blight on society and a drain on Russia’s economy.

Adolph would have been so proud.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/9/25

Just two days ago, I wrote that the Kremlin has been eerily quiet of late, other than Vladimir Putin’s off-the-wall accusation that Volodomyr Zelensky is somehow the “illegitimate” president of Ukraine — which, when one considers the source, is actually a rather amusing example of the pot calling the kettle black.

But there have been no new threats emanating from Moscow, no signs of movement toward negotiating a resolution of Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine . . . and no word of further arrests of political dissenters or so-called “foreign agents.”

Nor has there been any indication of progress toward the release of those political prisoners already being held in Russia, as well as in Belarus. And that is especially worrisome in light of the change of administration in Washington, and the fact that no one is able to predict what may happen there from moment to moment, or what may transpire between Messrs. Putin and Trump.

But in the hope that even a single voice can still be heard, I keep my vigil for those whose names I know, and continue to remember them each week. They are:

David Barnes
Ales Bialiatski (in Belarus)
Gordon Black
Andrei Chapiuk (in Belarus)
Marc Fogle
Robert Gilman
Stephen James Hubbard
Ksenia Karelina
Ihar Karney (in Belarus)
Vadim Kobzev
Andrey Kuznechyk (in Belarus)
Uladzimir Labkovich (in Belarus)
Michael Travis Leake
Aleksei Liptser
Ihar Losik (in Belarus)
Daniel Martindale
Farid Mehralizada (in Azerbaijan)
Marfa Rabkova (in Belarus)
Igor Sergunin
Dmitry Shatresov
Robert Shonov
Eugene Spector
Valiantsin Stafanovic (in Belarus)
Siarhei Tsikhanouski (in Belarus)
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland
Vladislav Yesypenko (in Crimea)
Yuras Zyankovich (in Belarus)

*. *. *

I repeat my message to Donald Trump:

“Amidst all of the hubbub of your new administration, it is imperative that these innocent men and women not be forgotten. Negotiations for their safe release have been underway for some time. President Joe Biden succeeded in bringing home 16 innocent people on August 1st of last year; you should be trying to do even more. But whatever you do, do not drop the ball on this. The people you promised to represent are counting on you.”

And one further note for Vladimir Putin and Aleksandr Lukashenko:

“Israel and Hamas are gradually releasing hostages. Russia and Belarus should certainly be able to do at least as much.”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/9/25

Back in the good old days, at the height of the Cold War when we all lived in expectation of an imminent nuclear holocaust, I used to say how glad I was that I lived in Washington, D.C. — Ground Zero in the event of a Soviet attack. Because I wanted to be under the first bomb to hit . . . I did not want to live to see what followed.

Well, as we all know, cooler minds prevailed, Armageddon didn’t happen then, and people stopped investing in backyard fallout shelters.

Now we just keep one eye open for drones. But that’s a whole different issue.

*. *. *

Yesterday I read about something over which we humans have no control whatsoever: a newly identified asteroid known as “2024 YR4” (reminds me of the lovable little “Star Wars” ‘droid, R2-D2). The report stated that the chances of this one hitting Earth — precisely on December 22, 2032, if current prognostications are correct — have just been recalculated, and increased from 1.2% to 2.2% likelihood.

Unfortunately, scientists don’t seem to be able to give a precise estimate of where the hurtling piece of space junk is likely to hit, so we’ll just have to hope and pray that it lands in some uninhabited wasteland, and doesn’t choose to make its home in New York, or Paris, or Tokyo. The middle of the Gobi Desert would be nice.

The last asteroid to affect our planet showed up in 2013, exploding in the air over Chelyabinsk, Russia, “releasing 20 to 30 times more energy than that of the first atomic bomb, [and] generating brightness greater than the sun.” It is reported to have injured more than 1,000 people and damaged more than 7,000 buildings. [Ashley Strickland. CNN, February 7, 2025.] It could have been a lot worse.

And YR4 is two to four times the size of that one. So, while the chances of its hitting Earth at all are still very slim, I’m thinking I’d like to send it my GPS coordinates now, to ensure that I’ll be right under it — once again at Ground Zero — if and when it does arrive.

Just in case.

*. *. *

Oh, by the way . . . lest my neighbors worry unnecessarily about being taken out with me, be assured that — on the off chance I’m still around and YR4 hasn’t burned itself out by 2032 — I’ll be moving to the Gobi Desert right after Thanksgiving that year, and taking my GPS with me. So you may all sleep soundly, knowing that the only victims of that particular flaming ball of gas will be yours truly and a few dozen camels.

And the only thing flying over your neighborhood in December of 2032 will be Santa’s sleigh.

Merry Christmas in advance.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/8/25

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka

2/8/25

This is it: I am officially, hopelessly, irrevocably wrecked . . . not so much dysfunctional as non-functional. My body doesn’t want to move; my mind is in a complete fog; and my spirit has flown the coop. I can no longer even read the news, much less write about it.

The only reason I am writing this is to keep my streak going: I have posted on my blog for 359 consecutive days, and will hit a year in just six more days. To break that now seems wrong, somehow. So, here I am . . . a hollow shell of my former self . . . but still here, tapping away at the keyboard.

Which, by some crazy, circuitous thought process, has brought to mind my favorite aunt — my mother’s younger sister Ethel — who passed away some 14 years ago at the age of 93. She enjoyed remarkably good health for most of her life, except for that chronic constipation thing. But we each have our cross to bear, and that was hers.

Other than that, though, she remained active and vital, both physically and mentally, up until the last few years when she finally started to slow down, just a little. And she was forever a cheerful, affectionate, generous woman, always thinking of others and not given to complaining. When I would call to check on her, and asked how she was doing, her standard answer was, “Oh, I’m fine. Except, you know, for my bowels.”

But in her last years, she would sometimes tell me that she’d wake up in the morning and ask herself, “Why am I still here?” I would always tell her it was because we — her family and friends — loved her and needed her. I knew it wasn’t enough, but I like to think it helped a little.

I miss her; we all do.

Anyway, I was thinking about her today because I realized I have another birthday approaching in a few weeks. No, I’m nowhere near 93 yet; but I have begun wondering why I keep fighting so hard to stick around, and to remain relevant. And I just don’t have an answer.

Yes, I like to think my family and friends will miss me when I’m gone . . . at least for a while. But they’ll be fine; it’s not as though I have anyone relying on me to take care of them. And until a few years ago, there were many things I still enjoyed doing: traveling, going to the theatre or a movie, meeting friends for lunch or dinner, strolling through a museum, going shopping, or simply taking a long walk on a lovely day.

But most of those things are no longer easily accessible for a variety of reasons, and I have a lot of spare time; so I’ve turned to writing. And I do enjoy it. But much of what I write about has to do with current events . . . and that’s where I’ve run into trouble.

Because — as bad as the last few years have been in terms of world affairs — this year has become such an unending shitstorm of horror and total insanity, it has turned me into a much crankier version of my Aunt Ethel. Like her, I have begun to ask myself why I’m still here.

The saddest part, though, is that — unlike her — I’m not sure I want to be.

And for that, I hold two people responsible. You know who they are; and they are conspiring to destroy my country — possibly the rest of the world as well — and I can’t bear it. To quote Danny Glover’s character in the “Lethal Weapon” movie series:

“I’m too old for this shit.”

I’ve simply run out of strength.

*. *. *

And now, having gotten all of that off my chest — and, by the way, I thank you for reading this far — I believe it’s Haagen-Dazs time. Life still does hold a few small pleasures.

Perhaps I’ll adopt that as my new mantra: “As long as there’s Haagen-Dazs, there’s hope.”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/8/25

In the midst of all of the hubbub, the angst, and the total insanity coming out of Washington lately, has anyone noticed how quiet Russia has been . . . aside from that little war in Ukraine, that is?

True, there have been a couple of military officers — well, one real military officer and one mercenary type — killed by bombs in Moscow in the last few weeks. But there hasn’t been the usual saber-rattling; and other than calling Volodymyr Zelensky an “illegitimate” president, even Vladimir Putin has been relatively quiet.

Most of all, I’ve missed poking fun at Putin’s press secretary, good old Dmitry Peskov, who, under normal circumstances, should be poking fun at Donald Trump and Elon Musk right about now. Where are you, Dima? Your silence is making me nervous.

But the Kremlin’s public relations folks have managed to keep busy — mostly, it seems, managing the careers of that fascinating emigre family from Canada, the Feenstras. Their YouTube channel and Facebook account — in a country where most outside social media are being blocked — have been keeping us informed, on a daily basis, of their idyllic life in the land of — their words — “religious freedom” and “unlimited opportunity.” They’ve even just finished filming an appearance on Channel One’s “Tonight Show.”

Who would have thought, a year ago, that their rough start in their new home would have led to fame and . . . well, maybe not fortune, but an obviously comfortable life . . . and in such a short time? Good job, everyone!

Anyway, rather than bite my fingernails over the relative silence from that part of the world, perhaps I should simply sit back and enjoy it while it lasts. Because, based on history and personal observation, it probably won’t last very long.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/7/25