And this year’s winner — for the second year in a row — is . . .

Mama bear 128 Grazer!

And, as in last year’s epic competition, she once more beat her principal male rival, 32 Chunk, in a final round face-off.

Score one for the big girls!

Sadly for Chunk, it wasn’t even a close match this year: his 30,468 votes came nowhere near Grazer’s 71,248. The final tally of the online voting site was 1,041,124 in this tenth year of the popular Alaska-based contest.

Sorry, big fella.

The contest, held by Katmai National Park & Preserve, promotes public awareness of the Alaska brown bears. It has become a popular fall ritual, not only in the U.S., but in many places around the world as well. [Forrest Brown, CNN, October 8, 2024.]

Life in the wilderness is not always easy for these big beauties, and it’s nice to see them receiving a little recognition before they go off to hibernate for the coming winter.

Summer, of course, has to be their favorite time of year, when they feast on all the salmon they can catch. Here, for example, is 2019’s winner, 435 Holly, before and after gaining her hibernation weight. That gal can certainly pack in the calories.

Looking at both of the girls, Grazer and Holly, and comparing their weight gains with Chunk’s, one thing is painfully obvious to me: We women just have more trouble maintaining our youthful figures than the guys do. Maybe it has to do with all the litters we produce.

Sometimes life just ain’t fair.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/9/24

It’s actually yesterday, October 8th, that is the subject of today’s meandering through years past. And we begin our constitutional with the legends and truths of a tragic event that has somehow caught people’s imaginations for 153 years:

1871 – The Great Chicago Fire. Let’s start by blowing a big hole in the commonly-held belief that poor Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern, thus starting the whole thing. There have been other theories over the years, one of which is that a comet may have fallen to earth at that precise spot and landed in the hay. Or it may simply — and more likely — have been human clumsiness. For some reason . . . and on what evidence, I have no idea . . . the Chicago City Council decided in 1997 to exonerate Mrs. O’Leary and her bovine friend. It was, of course, too late for either of them to appreciate; Mrs. O’Leary, who had become a recluse following the fire, passed away in 1895.

But the fire had done its damage. Between 200 and 300 people were killed, and another 100,000 left homeless; 17,450 buildings were destroyed; and total damage was estimated at $200 million — more than $4 billion in today’s money.

But it’s an ill wind — or comet, or cow — that blows nobody good, as the old saying goes. Out of the ashes of that fire rose the metaphorical Phoenix that we know as the Windy City, the Second City, or just plain Chicago. And we’re glad she’s there.

*. *. *

1871 – The Peshtigo Fire. Wait a minute . . . is that a typo? Two newsworthy fires on the same day?

Nope, not a typo. And this one, just 250 miles north of Chicago, is to this day considered the most devastating fire in U.S. history. Some 1,200 lives were lost, and two billion trees were consumed by the wildfire. But it was overshadowed by the Great Chicago Fire, which started later that night.

The details of the results of the conflagration are too grisly to go into here. But the scope of the disaster, and the coincidence in timing, make it a piece of history too fascinating to overlook.

*. *. *

1956. New York Yankees’ Don Larsen pitches only World Series perfect game. I remember that. I was just a kid, and baseball was a big deal in our household. It’s a record that has not yet been broken by a single pitcher.

*. *. *

1957. Jerry Lee Lewis records “Great Balls Of Fire” in Memphis, Tennessee. Not sure why this is considered big news, but it was included in the list. Take it for what it’s worth.

*. *. *

1967. Che Guevara captured by Bolivian army. Probably best remembered for his role in the Cuban Revolution of 1956-59, he was responsible for encouraging Fidel Castro to pursue his communist agenda. Thanks a lot, Che.

*. *. *

1970. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wins the Nobel Prize in Literature. It was awarded “for the ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian literature.”

Probably his best-known work was the epic Gulag Archipelago. For his criticism of the Stalin regime, he was arrested in 1945 at the age of 27, served eight years in Russian prisons and labor camps, and — upon his release in 1953 — was sent into “internal exile” in Asiatic Russia. He began writing secretly during that period; after Stalin’s death in 1953, he was released from exile and began writing openly.

But his work had to be secreted out of Russia for publication, and he was not allowed to personally accept his Nobel Prize in 1970. Finally, in 1974, he was expelled from the Soviet Union for treason, and moved to the United States. He returned to Russia in 1994, where he remained until his death in 2008 at the age of 89.

*. *. *

1970. Communists reject Nixon’s peace proposal. On the very day that Solzhenitsyn received his great honor from the Nobel Committee, Richard Nixon received a slap in the face from the North Vietnamese when they rejected his proposal to end the war in Vietnam, calling it “a maneuver to deceive world opinion.”

To the people of Vietnam, it seemed as though the fighting would never end. And when it finally did, it didn’t end well.

*. *. *

2001. The Office of Homeland Security is founded. This happened on October 8th, less than a month after the September 11th terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Talk about being a little late closing that barn door . . . But to continue with yet another axiom, I suppose late is better than never.

*. *. *

Looking ahead in the list, I’m seeing nothing but bad news on this date: the first person in the U.S. to die of Ebola, in 2014; and something about a sweat lodge ceremony turned deadly in 2009. I’m not sure I even want to look into that one, so let’s end on the one remaining high note:

2004. Kenyan environmentalist and human rights campaigner Wangari Maathai wins Nobel Peace Prize. Ms. Maathai was born in 1940 to peasant farmers, and grew up in a rural community in Kenya. She was able to study in the United States, where she received bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In 1966, she returned home to Kenya to become the first woman in east and central Africa to earn a doctorate degree. She founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977, focused on reducing poverty and preserving the natural environment.

Accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, she addressed her people:

“My fellow Africans, let us as we embrace this recognition, let us use it to intensify our commitment to our people, to reduce conflicts and poverty and thereby improve their quality of life. Let us embrace democratic governance, protect human rights and protect our environment. I am confident that we shall rise to the occasion. I have always believed that solutions to most of our problems must come from us.”

Ms. Maathai died in 2011, at the age of 71, of complications from ovarian cancer. It’s unfortunate that she wasn’t given more years. That beautiful lady certainly left this world — or at least her corner of it — a better place than she found it.

Wouldn’t we all like to have that written about us.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/9/24

On August 1st of this year, sixteen cots were vacated in various locations throughout Russia’s archipelago of penal colonies, when as many prisoners were released in an historic multi-nation prisoner swap.

But nature and Vladimir Putin abhor a vacuum, so it stands to reason that those vacancies had to be filled. And yesterday, two of them were.

American Stephen Hubbard, 72 years of age, was charged with having fought as a mercenary against Russia in Ukraine, allegedly after signing a contract for around $1,000 a month. Detained since April of 2022, Hubbard pled guilty last month, telling the Moscow City Court: “Yes, I agree with the charges.” He was brought to trial on September 27th. A guilty verdict or plea could bring a sentence of seven to fifteen years in prison. [Lauren Kent and Darya Tarasova, CNN, October 7, 2024.]

The “trial,” held behind closed doors, concluded on October 7th with Hubbard’s sentencing: six years and ten months in prison. The “minimal” sentence was said to be in deference to his age.

Hubbard’s sister, Trisha Hubbard Fox, had previously said that “he never had a gun, owned a gun, done any of that . . . He’s more of a pacifist.” She also had commented that her brother held pro-Russian views. And in a Facebook post in September, she stated:

“RUSSIA’s prosecutor is LYING!!! Steve was never a mercenary. He was an English teacher teaching English in foreign countries!” [Id.]

And now the English teacher / alleged mercenary will occupy a cot in a cell in a Russian prison, quite possibly for the remainder of his life.

*. *. *

Earlier on the same day, in a court in the city of Voronezh, another American citizen, Robert Gilman, had seven years and one month — to be served in a maximum-security penal colony — added to his 2022 sentence of more than four years for an alleged attack on a police officer.

The current charge is again assault — this time on a prison official and a state investigator. Only Gilman and the Russian officers know the truth behind the allegations. But the sad fact remains that Gilman now faces another nine years in the hell of Russia’s prison system.

So . . . two more cots occupied. Surely, there can’t be many more Americans left in Moscow to arrest. And if they’re smart, they’ll head for the nearest exit.

I mean now, people. Right now!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/8/24

In 2022, American basketball star Brittney Griner was arrested in a Moscow airport for possession of marijuana — when in fact, what she had were some medically-prescribed cannabis oil cartridges that she had been given for pain. In August of that year, she was sentenced to nine years in prison. But on December 8th — after a total of ten months in pre-trial detention and prison — she was released in a trade arranged between the governments of Russia and the United States.

Sent back to his home in Russia, in exchange for the innocent American sportswoman, was Viktor Bout . . . a notorious Russian arms dealer widely known as the “Merchant of Death.” For nearly 20 years, he had sold weapons to rogue states, rebels and warlords in Africa, Asia and South America. He was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and extradited to the United States, where he was convicted in 2012 on terrorism-related charges and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Hardly a fair exchange, in the estimation of a great many people. The U.S. had refused to swap Bout before; but the Russians wanted him back — apparently very badly — and they knew they had a winning hand when they found Griner’s cannabis oil. So they arrested her, convicted her, and imprisoned her; and after months of negotiations, the deal was made.

For nearly two years, little has been heard of Viktor Bout outside of Russia. And now, the Wall Street Journal has reported that he has once again been dealing arms, this time to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen:

“‘When Houthi emissaries went to Moscow in August to negotiate the purchase of $10 million . . . worth of automatic weapons, they encountered a familiar face: the moustachioed [sic] Bout,’ it reported, citing sources.” [James Kilner, The Telegraph, October 7, 2024.]

Reports from “people familiar with the matter” said that deals between Russia and the Houthi representatives were for weaponry ranging from small arms to anti-ship missiles. It was not known to what extent Bout was involved in the various trades, or whether he was acting on behalf of the Kremlin or simply with its tacit approval. [Id.]

But his presence was noted . . . and significant.

It does not appear that the potential arms sales have been completed, or that they would include the advanced weapons the Houthis might be seeking. But even small arms shipments would be a danger in the hands of the Houthis, who have been designated by the U.S. as a terrorist group. [Benoit Faucon, Michael R. Gordon, Warren P. Strobel and Alan Cullison, Wall Street Journal, October 7, 2024.]

*. *. *

So why on earth did we let this dangerous, hardened criminal loose on the world? Tymofiy Mylovanov, President of the Kyiv School of Economics, says:

“The Biden administration had previously assessed the risks of Bout’s release as ‘acceptable.’ It was believed he wouldn’t go back into the arms trade but would join politics. Well, now those ‘acceptable’ risks have been realised [sic]. I fear he is just starting.” [The Telegraph, op.cit.]

In fact, Washington was partially right. Political office seems to be a favorite landing spot for Moscow’s returning criminals and spies. Bout did indeed join a far-right, pro-Kremlin party upon his return home, and in 2023 won a seat in a local assembly. It appeared to some that he had reformed, until that meeting with the Houthi representatives in August. [Wall Street Journal, op.cit.]

To say that the United States’ assessment was naive would, I believe, be a gross understatement. We screwed up — big time! For when has a treacherous, unscrupulous, highly successful arms dealer ever shown a propensity for choosing politics over his lifelong career? His world is all about the thrill, the danger . . . and the money.

It’s that simple.

*. *. *

The Wall Street Journal reports that Steve Zissou, a leading New York criminal attorney who represented Bout, declined to discuss whether his client had met with the Houthis. But he did have this to say:

“Viktor Bout has not been in the transportation business for over twenty years. But if the Russian government authorized him to facilitate the transfer of arms to one of America’s adversaries, it would be no different than the U.S. government sending arms and weapons of mass destruction to one of Russia’s adversaries as it has sent to Ukraine.” [Id.]

Oh, that’s very nice. I know it is the job of a defense attorney to . . . well . . . defend his client before and during the trial and any subsequent appeal. But a dozen years after the fact, to continue trying to justify the criminal actions for which that client was convicted — and which the whole world knows he did commit — well, that is just beyond all reason . . . and certainly outside the requirements of professional ethics. Better to say nothing at all.

Viktor Bout was not in the “transportation business,” Mr. Zissou. And sending weapons to defend a country under attack — yes, I’m speaking of Russia’s war of attrition against Ukraine — is not the same as selling weapons to a terrorist group whose sponsor’s aim is to wipe another country off the map.

Where is your conscience, sir?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/8/24

We all know the things that start to wear out as we get older — you don’t need me to list them for you. The physical stuff is bad enough; but to me, even worse is when you’re standing there talking to someone and, mid-sentence, you can’t remember a specific word. Not something abstruse, like “esoteric,” for example. But . . . oh, say . . . “refrigerator.” Or “dog.”

And God forbid, someone should ask you the name of your favorite actor, or your best friend. Or your sister.

But it never ceases to amaze me when I recall, in the most excruciating detail, a complete picture of a party I went to, a show I saw, or a meeting I attended 40 years ago . . . including what I — and everyone else — wore, where we sat, what we ate, and who said what to whom.

And those thoughts inevitably lead me to marvel at the things I was able to do back then, 40 or 50 or . . . well, never mind how many years ago. Let’s just say, even if I wanted to, there’s no way in hell I could ever:

. . . repeatedly climb five flights of stairs to my office in that little old building in Prague every time the power went out during that summer of 1991.

. . . or, for that matter, walk those hilly, cobblestone streets of Prague, for miles and miles and miles.

. . . go straight from the office to the gym and work out on those . . . oh, what’s that word? . . . well, those machines for a couple of hours, and leave there feeling refreshed.

. . . dance for hours in four-inch heels, and still be able to walk the next day.

. . . eat an entire baked stuffed lobster, plus the dozen large scallops in the stuffing, and part of a baked potato . . . and still think about dessert. All without throwing up. (At Mattakeese Wharf in Barnstable, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, if you’re interested.)

. . . or run for a bus.

. . . or schlep luggage through an airport.

. . . or get up at 6:00 a.m., work all day, meet friends after work and party until 2:00 a.m., then do it all over again the next day.

. . . or just get up at 6:00 a.m., for any reason.

*. *. *

And those are just the fun things. The next stop on my train of thought is usually somewhere in the midst of all those things I’ve done throughout my life that I might not have done if I’d been smarter, or more cautious. You really want to know? Okay, then . . . there was:

. . . the time, on one of those after-work get-togethers, I consumed close to half of a fifth of vodka, then drove someone else home because he was too drunk to drive. It was his car, by the way, which I kept in order to get myself home; he had to take a taxi to pick it up the next day. And incidentally, please don’t mention this one to my kids; I don’t do that anymore.

. . . or the time I let myself be talked into eating escargot (snails, in case you didn’t know — and don’t you wish you still didn’t!). Even the excess of garlic and butter didn’t make them less disgusting.

. . . or go out with that guy I dated, just once, as a favor to . . . well, no. Never mind that one.

. . . or meeting that old acquaintance in Moscow and agreeing to help his friend find a publisher in the U.S. for his tell-all book.

No, actually, I think I would do that one again . . . but a bit differently, knowing what I know today. Because without that whole experience, I’d have very little to talk about in my old age, and this blog wouldn’t exist.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/8/24

The day is nearly over in Moscow, but it’s not too late to send a birthday wish to Vladimir Vladimirovich:

С днем рождения!

Now that I’ve said “Happy birthday,” it seems pretty lame compared to the effusive greetings he received on the dot of midnight from two of his nearest and dearest comrades . . . er, colleagues: Aleksandr Dugin and Ramzan Kadyrov. Allow me to elaborate.

You may remember Dugin from some of my earlier descriptions: the far, far, far, far right uber-nationalist whack-job who is trying to help Putin rebuild the Soviet . . . oops! the Russian Empire. Well, he outdid himself with today’s birthday greeting, sent just minutes after the stroke of midnight via posting on his Telegram messaging channel:

“God save the Tsar! Putin rules the country confidently and unhurriedly. And it shall always be so. Well, almost.” [Guy Faulconbridge, Reuters, October 7, 2024.]

Not sure what he meant by “almost.” Perhaps it’s the fact that, at 72, Putin has already outlived his life expectancy (in Russia) by three years. That’s seriously creepy, Dugin.

*. *. *

And then there was the quick turn-around by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who had spent the previous week ripping into Putin’s handling (or mishandling) of the war in Ukraine. Seeking to cover his rather substantial yagoditsy (literally, buttocks), he praised the birthday boy for his support of Chechnya “in the most difficult times,” as follows:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin played a key role in the fate of the Chechen people,” adding that Putin had “saved the republic [and] raised [it] from ruins. Today, neither the collective West, nor Europe, nor even Ukraine can dispute this obvious and indisputable fact. And it will always be so! Putin has changed the world position of Russia and forced us to reckon with the position of our great state!” [Isabel van Brugen, Newsweek, October 7, 2024.]

Wow! That’s just beautiful.

*. *. *

But wait — there’s one more. I should have known Aleksandr Lukashenko, Belarus’ presumptive president, wouldn’t forget his BFF’s big day.

His birthday message read: “Your deep understanding of Russia’s historic mission, personal responsibility for the fate of the people and the Fatherland have become a reliable guarantee of strengthening its statehood and sovereignty.” [Elena Giordano, Politico, October 7, 2024.]

When he’s no longer leading the people of Belarus to disaster, Lukashenko clearly has a future with Hallmark . . . don’t you agree?

*. *. *

And there was a tightrope-walking message from Armenia’s Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, who has lately been sucking up . . . sorry, fostering closer ties to the EU:

“Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, please accept my sincere congratulations and best wishes on your birthday. We believe that at this stage, the need for consistent activities aimed at strengthening the mutually beneficial cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation in all areas of mutual interest is of particular importance . . . I wish you, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, health, success and all the best.” [Id.]

*. *. *

And that seems to be it. Nothing — at least not publicly — from dear friends Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping, or the Ayatollah Ali Khamanei. [Id.]

It must have been a very quiet party. I do hope that someone in the Kremlin — perhaps Medvedev, Lavrov, or good old dependable Peskov — at least remembered to buy you a necktie.

I would add a lengthy, extravagant message of my own, Vladimir Vladimirovich, but it would hardly be appropriate. First of all, you don’t know me, so it would be meaningless. And secondly, I don’t like you. I mean . . . I really don’t like you.

But, happy birthday, anyway.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/7/24

His name was Ildar Dadin. In 2014, he was a well-known Russian opposition activist, staging peaceful protests against the increasing political repression in his country. And he was the first person prosecuted under the newly enacted Article 212.1 — later dubbed “Dadin’s Law” — that rendered his repeated protests criminal offenses. [Sarah Rainsford, BBC, October 6, 2024.]

He was, of course, convicted and sentenced to two and a half years in prison. Placed in a punishment cell, he staged a hunger strike, and was tortured by his prison guards to force him to stop . . . including being hung by his wrists handcuffed to a wall, and being threatened with rape. But he survived, and was released in 2017.

He always felt that he and his fellow protesters were not doing enough to stop Vladimir Putin’s increasingly totalitarian rule. A lifelong pacifist, he nonetheless felt he had to do something more, and in 2023 he joined a battalion of Russian volunteers fighting for Ukraine.

“I can’t sit by and do nothing and so become an accomplice to Russian evil, to its crimes,” he explained. “The aggression, the mass killing, the torture, rape and looting. The main thing now is to act according to my conscience.” [Id.]

And now, the Ukrainian group that had recruited him has told the BBC that he has been killed in action, and that “he was, and he remains a hero.” [Id.]

There are few details available at this time, other than the fact that his battalion, the Freedom of Russia Legion, came under Russian artillery fire in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine. Sarah Rainsford, the BBC reporter who earlier interviewed him, has been told that his death was “confirmed by those who were with him in battle.” [Id.]

Ildar Dadin was in most ways an ordinary man, but a man who listened to his conscience, who loved his country and was willing to fight against the evil regime that was — and is — destroying his people. He did his part in the only way he knew how, fully aware of the dangers, but always feeling he should have been able to do more. And he died a hero.

Rest in peace, Ildar . . . you did your very best. And it was more than enough.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/7/24

It began on October 6, 1973, and continued to the 25th of the month. It was most commonly called the Yom Kippur War, but also was referred to as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab-Israeli War.

Whatever you choose to call it, it starteed with an attack by Egyptian and Syrian forces on Israel. Israel ultimately prevailed, but not before Russia became involved on the side of Egypt and Syria, forcing the United States to step up in defense of its ally, Israel.

Thanks largely to the “shuttle diplomacy” of then U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, a peace settlement was agreed upon. Israeli troops withdrew from occupied parts of the Sinai and Syrian territory; Egypt, on its part, pledged to eschew the use of force in all dealings with Israel.

Peace returned to the region . . . though, as always in that part of the world, it was an uneasy peace at best. And severe damage had been done to U.S.-Soviet relations in the taking of sides.

Some things never seem to change. Because exactly 50 years later, it happened again.

*. *. *

Today, October 7, 2024, marks the one-year anniversary of the unwarranted, criminal, indescribably barbaric attack on Israel by Hamas’ terrorist forces from bordering Gaza . . . the rape and slaughter of women and children, burning of families alive in their homes, killing of over 1,200 innocent civilians and taking of 251 hostages that shocked the world with the intensity of its hatred and animalistic brutality.

When Israel retaliated, the world cheered. The ferocity of its counter-attack was expected and justified.

But it didn’t stop. Both sides, for the entirety of the year since the initial horrifying slaughter by Hamas, have continued to rain destruction upon one another with a savagery and an exhibition of pure hatred seldom (but not seldom enough) seen in the modern civilized world.

As we approach the holiest of the Jewish high holidays this Friday — Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement — the Middle East once again stands on the brink of all-out war, with yet another terrorist organization, Hezbollah, and its host country Lebanon joining in the fray . . . backed by Iran, whose growing friendship with Russia adds still another level of major concern.

Sadly, despite a year of efforts to reach a settlement, there is no Henry Kissinger to call upon.

The times are dark indeed.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/7/24

Last week, we added 72-year-old Stephen James Hubbard to our hostage list as he stood trial on charges of having served as a mercenary fighter for Ukraine. A guilty verdict could bring a prison sentence of seven to fifteen years.

Hubbard’s trial, which began on September 27th, was scheduled to continue on Thursday, October 3rd. As of yesterday, October 5th, word from the closed-door session was that Hubbard had admitted guilt, and the prosecutors had asked for a sentence of seven years to be served in a maximum-security penal colony. The minimum sentence request was allegedly in deference to Hubbard’s advanced age.

Well, isn’t that special!

With a guilty plea having been entered — under who-knows-what circumstances — all that remains now is the sentencing by the court. At age 72, in the conditions known to exist in Russia’s maximum-security prisons, the length of the sentence hardly matters.

*. *. *

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

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

*. *. *

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

*. *. *

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

*. *. *

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

*. *. *

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

*. *. *

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

*. *. *

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

*. *. *

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

*. *. *

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

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

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/6/24

How many people out there think you know what a frappe is? (You New Englanders, please lower your hands; you already do know.)

First of all, it’s not pronounced “frapp-ay,” which the French folks might think as they placed an accent aigu above the letter “e.” It’s just plain “frap.” And in most parts of New England, it’s what people in a lot of other places call a milk shake — milk, syrup and ice cream, all whipped together. Except in Rhode Island, where it’s known as a cabinet. No one knows why.

And if you’re wondering what a New England milk shake is, it’s a frappe without ice cream — just milk and whatever flavor syrup you desire, whipped to a froth. Add ice cream, and you then have a frappe — or a cabinet. Or just plop the ice cream into the milk shake without whipping it in, and you have a float. But that’s a whole other thing.

What made me think of this was a visit to the list of celebrations for tomorrow, which, among other things, includes National Frappe Day. I’m not sure anyone knows the reason for that, either. But it certainly did whet my appetite for one.

Then, of course, my mind wandered off into the Land of Oddly-Named Foods, and particularly those with different names in different parts of the United States. You expect different countries to have their own names for the same dish — such as the incredible stuffed cabbages of Russia, Ukraine and Poland — because of the language variations. Yet within one country — the U.S. — there are numerous regional differences . . . possibly as a result of past migrations from all over the world, or simply some local person’s vivid imagination.

But take the peculiarly American creation known as the submarine sandwich, or sub. Or hoagie (Pennsylvania). Or hero (New York). Or po’boy (Louisiana). Or, inexplicably, the grinder (New England).

I call it a heart attack on a plate, but that’s just me.

*. *. *

Now, what could be more American — other than apple pie — than the good old hamburger? And other than adding cheese to create a cheeseburger, or bacon and cheese to make a bacon-cheeseburger, what else would you call it?

Well, I’ve been informed that it’s just a “burger.” It can’t be a “hamburger” unless you put ham on it. I suppose that makes sense; in fact, I don’t know where the name “hamburger” came from in the first place. You could call it a beef patty; or simply a meat patty (which would make me wonder what happened to the neighbor’s horse); or add other ingredients such as bread crumbs, an egg, and seasonings, and call it Salisbury Steak. Come to think of it, that’s how my mother always made her burgers, and she never knew it was Salisbury Steak. Nor did I, until now.

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How do you like your ice cream — with or without sprinkles? If you said “with,” then be sure they’re just little round candy bits (also, by the way, known as nonpareils). But if they’re cylindrical — and especially if they’re chocolate — they’re jimmies. Got it?

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I grew up hearing the end piece of the loaf of bread called the heel. I’ve also heard it referred to as the end, the butt, or just the crust. What I didn’t know — probably because I didn’t pay enough attention to my grandparents — was that the Yiddish word for it is shpitzel.

Actually, shpitzel sounds to me like a word for something entirely different . . . something anatomical . . . but let’s not go there.

And speaking of bread, that wonderful side dish we all crave at Thanksgiving and Christmas is what I know as stuffing. It is, after all, best when it’s been stuffed into the bird’s . . . uh . . . cavity and roasted to absorb all that delicious poultry flavor. “Dressing” is a southern name for stuffing, and is frequently baked separately in a casserole dish.

Sorry, but dressing is a liquid or creamy concoction that goes on a salad.

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And we could argue all day about soda vs. pop, and frosting vs. icing. But all this talk of food has, predictably, made me hungry. Time to raid the refrigerator.

Or is it an ice box? That would depend on how old you are.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/6/24