Alexei Navalny: Free at Last

      Opposition politician Alexei Navalny of Russya has been freed from detention by Russyan police.  After more than 30 days, authorities released him.  Many of those opponents of Putin's regime have not been released yet, and pressure is building from locals in Russya to take action.  As the economy continues to suffer under Western sanctions, the Kremlin fiddles away, trying anything to sway opinion to their side.   Good luck.

Hong Kong-The Human Chain

       Well, now, a new form of protest.  Borrowing from another act of protest, Hong Kong citizens added the tactic to their program: the Human Chain.  Linking arms together, the citizens of the city stretched out a long file, a file that covered 25 miles across the city.  This act alone involved hundreds of thousands of locals.  This message conveys new meaning to the term "solidarity".   The protest organizers have proven to be very adept at making changes, adjustments, and adaptations to their plans and tactics.  This does not bode well for a timely resolution to the dispute with the government of Hong Kong and the Communist leadership in Beijing.
       President Xi is no doubt making his plans known among his inner circle.  Those plans have as yet not been revealed to the world.  But the scope of the protests and its duration will cause the mainland Chinese in Beijing to make a move.  With the whole world watching, it will necessitate careful action upon the part of the Communists.
      We'll see soon enough.

Russya: Another Explosion?

       The vast stretches of Siberia have been colored recently by the smoke from forest fires raging across the taiga, the vast woodlands that cover Siberia.  Moskova has called in the military in an attempt to corral the firestorm.  But, now, something else has captured the world's attention.  What at first seemed to be an isolated explosion, now appears to have been a missile launch followed by a failure.   It also appears from satellite evidence that there was a nuclear device involved in the incident.   Moskova has been quiet offering little comment on these series of events.  Perhaps there is more than meets the satellite's eye.   Experts agree that when Russya remains silent in the face of evidence of problems, she stays silent until a news leak from some source spills the beans.  US intelligence agencies are used to this behavior so are not surprised by the dearth of official news from the bowels of the onion-domed rats' nest, aka The Kremlin.   No doubt, more information will surface as the Russyans attempt to hide the disaster from the civilized world, aka The West.
      Have a nice day,  Vova.

Hong Kong: The Airport

Let's Visit Hong Kong

       Well, it took awhile, but the youthful protesters of Beijing's policies finally arrived where obvious disruptions would cascade across the airline industry.  Thousands of protesters disrupted all operations at Hong Kong's International airport over the weekend.  Over 100 flights were cancelled as passengers were unable to find gates, check-in lines, security queues, or find answers to their innumerable questions.  Security personnel were caught unawares as crowds of protesters flooded the terminal, creating chaos among passengers waiting for departures.
       This is another sign that the organized protests will not go away anytime soon.
Welcome to the new world of China.

Book Review: "Growing Up", author Russell Baker

        The late columnist, Russell Baker passed away this past January.  A number of years ago he wrote a memoir about his early years called "Growing Up".  It won him a Pulitzer Prize.  It was a best seller.  His candid account of a childhood dealing with "The Depression", as opposed to 'depression', clearly touched a generation, often called the "Greatest Generation".  Millions of Americans are familiar with Mr. Baker because he was a writer of columns and articles that were widely published on a regular basis across America for many, many years.   His ability to touch ordinary people was extraordinary.   He could observe a simple act, hear a simple word or phrase, or meet an ordinary citizen and turn that into something extraordinary.
         Most Americans over 40 years of age have heard of the "Depression".  The era has left its mark on millions of individuals and American history.  It was a time that marked a low point in our history, when ordinary people could not find shelter, lacked sufficient food for their families, lost jobs and livelihoods.  It was a time when bank failures were commonplace, farms and homes were repossessed, families were turned into the streets, nowhere to go.   Suffering was widespread, and often the weakest suffered the most: children, the elderly, the sick and injured, and mothers responsible for putting food on the table.  There was wholesale abandonment by fathers who lost jobs and dignity; the same fathers who couldn't cope with failure, and had no hope of improving conditions.  These facts scarred the victims for life, no matter the outcomes.
       Russell Baker began to suffer early on on his life when his father  died young at age 37, leaving his widow with 3 children to raise on her own.  She had no skills, no money, and little hope of improvement.  Sadly, she gave up her youngest daughter to a couple who could offer some hope of a future, a future that included a decent chance by providing a home and sufficient food for all family members.  Russell and his other sister had to follow their Mom wherever she would take them.  Fortunately, she was able to secure shelter with one of her brothers in New Jersey.  Baker's description of life in that home provides details of effects on a family's life as the Depression dragged on for years during the 1930's.   When FDR was elected in 1932, he began his programs that put Americans to work.  Progress was slow, but the effects of the WPA soon began to appear among those suffering the worst.   Baker's memoir touches on the details that a curious child could remember: the importance of a few pennies or a nickel to the welfare of the family.  His descriptions of his Mother's efforts to ensure that he studied hard and that he recognize the importance of education became part of his lasting memory of the period.
       As he matured, his Mother directed him to apply for college; but then, a war interrupted his  plans.   He became a pilot in the Navy and was preparing for the invasion of Japan when the war abruptly ended, no doubt saving his life.  He then entered college and completed his degree, ready to work.  With luck and skill, he landed a job with a newspaper and began a life that continued for the next 50 years.  A great life well reported.