Golden State Warriors Moving On

        The Denver Nuggets of the NBA came to play last night against rival Golden State. The team was down 3-1 in this playoff game of 1st round action. The Golden Boys almost swept last time they played, but had to try again to finish them off. It was not easy. The Warriors displayed some verve early on, but could not stretch their lead(s). Soon, Denver was back on top late in the game and it appeared the Warriors would let the contest slip away. But......

     The resilient Bay Area men stepped on the gas and marshaled their outside shooters(Curry and Co.,) to give Steve Kerr's team a late edge. Denver would not stoop the pressure, putting impressive 3-pointers on the scoreboard, staying annoyingly close, threatening to take over the lead. Then, the Nuggets were forced to foul, the sign of the desperate player/team. How this strategy became routine is questionable, but it survives. After Steph Curries' last few 3 pointers iced the contest, it was happy time in the Bay Area. Movin' on up.

    Next stop: Minnesota or Memphis. Could be a difficult series of games. Watch it.

Wall Street Mobsters Arrested-Again

        As Mayor of a small western village nestled in the Sierra Nevada(Snowy Mountains), I enjoy reading about the "real" world of high finance courtesy of various print media outlets. Despite the best efforts of these media outlets, the criminal behavior of Wall St. companies is never ending. It has become so common place that the exposure of their many wrongs barely elicits a yawn from: the public, the regulators, the bankers, and politicians who generally can't be bothered as they have elections to win(or lose). But, every now and then a massive fraud scheme is revealed with some eye-popping numbers.

       Indictments today and yesterday of principals of Archegos Capital Management illustrate  how the world of high finance is often a game of inflated substance based on suspect evidence unquestioned by insiders themselves.  Bill Hwang, a founder of the company, is under arrest and free on $100 million bail. His finance chief, Patrick Mulligan, has also been indicted. They claim complete innocence. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York says the elaborate scheme was basically a "pump-and-dump plan".  The company holdings and values increased dramatically from about $36 billions to $160 billions in a matter of months. Hmmmm? Would that have caused some heads to turn? The best part of the whole scheme, in my High Sierra eyes, is the revelation that the cream of the crop of investment banking firms(the usual scum @Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Credit Suisse) believed what they were t-o-l-d by Mr. Hwang instead of trust-and-verify, again. So, it confirms what we all suspect: despite the outrage among regulators and politicians, things continue pretty much as always despite the hot air.

      The FED actually stated that the tactics of Archegos Cap. threatened the entire banking system. Imagine that! One man/one company putting the financial lives of all Americans in jeopardy; it's enough to make you wonder about all the academic power available in America, and all the pronouncements of economists, and all the fear created by media about the fiscal health of the working stiffs in the country. Yes, there will always be problems, but it seems that the problems we face these days are bigger and more concentrated in fewer places-Wall Street/ Washington/ K-Street.

      The U.S. Attorney will have his work cut out for this case unless he can provide recording of the statements provided to lenders/bankers that convinced them what he claimed had some veracity. If not, Bill Hwang could get off free like Bernie Madoff. Oh, wait, Bernie went to prison and died there, and his wife died penniless, and a son committed suicide. One could say he paid a heavy price for his fraud.

Have a nice day.

No Gas For You Bulgaria

       So, Gazprom the Russyan energy supply company operated by the Kremlin, has decided to "punish" Bulgaria by cutting it off of the country's major source of natural gas. The Kremlin is not happy that Bulgaria is siding with the West on the war in Ukraine initiated by Russya over 2 months ago. The EU and America are joining in providing Ukraine with weaponry needed to confront the onslaught. Missiles, artillery, and air delivered bombs continue to rain down upon the Ukrainian population wherever they may be hiding. Without targeting discrimination, the War Criminals from Russya continue in the 'quest'to flatten the entire country.

       The foul mouthed Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Lies form Putin, continues his empty pronouncements designed to scare the West and intimidate the civilian population of Ukraine. It's not working against President Zelensky of Kyiv. He's not afraid of Putin.

      Things have slowed in the East where Russyan troops have been camped in mass since 2014( a long time to be parked in the mud). But, hey, there aren't many jobs for mercenaries outside of Africa or Ukraine anyway. The Wagner Group is having recruiting problems: no decent living conditions, no good food, lousey pay, no defined career path except to the cemetery.  Hmmm. Sounds like the French Foreign Legion of old.

   And now there's talk in the US CONGRESS OF PASSING SOME LAWS TO ALLOW US sale of seized Russyan assets in the country. All those billionaires will no longer have a safe harbor for all the shit they stole from their own neighbors at Mad Vlad's request. And the money will go directly to Ukrainian government treasury to help the victims of the war waged on their lands by the invading scum from the Steppes and Siberia wastelands.

No Safe Harbor for Russyans

       Well, the war goes on. More civilians are dying. More soldiers are dying. More weapons are destroyed, more homes, buildings, businesses are destroyed. And flap jawed Russyan diplomats have the gall to say peace talks are threatened because the West antagonizes Russya. Now reports are being circulated that Russyan citizens are fleeing the MotherLand.  Where can they hide? There should be no resting place for these opponents of the regime in the Kremlin. Alexsey Navalny rots in the Penal Colony down the street from Moskva. What countries offer safe harbor for these "rats off a sinking ship"? These rats should be left on the ship of the Russyan state. How dare they find a home in the West. How many flee to China? How many flee to North Korea? How many flee to Cuba? How many flee to Venezuela? How many flee to Syria? How many flee to Belarus? How many flee to Hungary? These opponents of Putin, as they say they are, should be sent back immediately. Fleeing Kremlin oppression only serves to help Putin consolidate his power among the oligarchs and those stuck in the Steppe without hope.

No More Safe Harbors; Anywhere!

Navalny On CNN

 

                              ALEXEI NAVALNY BEFORE HIS RETURN TO MOSKVA

He is now in Penal Colony No.2 Pokrov- a very sad place.

Macron REElected in France

       French President Macron won reelection today, capturing 59% of the vote versus 41% for his opponent, Marine La Pen, the candidate supported financially by Putin and Russyan banks in the form of cash loans to her campaign.  The sleazy witch of the far right changes her stripes with the weather as any subversive has to do. Can you imagine a candidate in the US taking a campaign loan from Russya? I didn't think so.

      So, Macron can now focus on the changing landscape of the entire country and the entire EU as they confront the war in Ukraine initiated by the Russyan army. As the war grinds on and casualties among civilians reach new highs, anxiety grows in the west that no end is in sight. The world watches with grave concerns. The US Secretary of State  and the Secretary of Defense visited Pres. Zelensky in Ukraine today to assure continued support for his country. This is one of the most powerful gestures from the West: two of President Joe Biden's top diplomats going into a country under siege by a foreign nation. The two month campaign continues with more casualties everyday. No one can predict where this will end. Macron will have to up his game faced with financial difficulties at home, and anxiety among near neighbors who are concerned about long term effects of sanctions against Russya and its oil and gas production that so many Europeans depend on everyday. 

FI$Cal California: No Kidding

        Well, taxpayers, wonder where the money went? So does the State wonder. Several years ago, the money collected by the State Board of Equalization(luv the name!) was having trouble figuring out where the money goes-really! So the Solons came up with a "new" fiscal management scheme to make it easier to figure out the answers to those nosy media types who always ask too many questions. The program-named FI$cal would consolidate all types of offices: budget, spending, auditing,etc. across the wide expanse of Sacramento.  The program(s) were built by Oracle, the business solutions software giant(Larry Ellison's company-remember Larry?). So, what did we get?

       Really, very little. For years, the State has spent hundreds of millions of dollars and it still does not work. The State auditor has issued 18 reports that criticize the program but that has not stopped the pols from throwing more money at this white elephant. When will it end? No one in Sacramento wants to talk about it. Sunk costs? What does it matter. Keep spending the poor taxpayer will continue to pay. Unless of course, the State runs out of taxpayers. Could happen, judging by the exit polls, many wou/ld be taxpayers are fleeing the state.

What now, Gavin.?

Dick Spotswood on the Cal State Housing Quotas

       Well, it's time to focus a bit locally, as in California local. Housing, or lack of, has been a problem in the state for years. Too much demand, too little product. The environmentalists have effectively ytaken control everywhere across the landscape. It comes in the form of CEQA: the California Environmental Quality Act. It is the basis for all reviews of development no matter where, city or county. And it is often, just the beginning! Planners are very sensitive to all criticism and politicians even more so. However, pressure is building to the breaking point and the solons(using the term loosely) have decided they must act. "we'll tell all those locals they must build and must build how much we tell them to build. So, the numbers flow: 3,000, here; 2500 there. No rhyme nor reason, just numbers. Locals are horrified.

       Where did they get the numbers? According to Dick Spotswood, a writer in MArin cunty and a watchdog for voters there, says that Michael S. Tilden, California's acting state auditor, got involved by the request of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. His office evaluated the Dept.of Housing and Community Development(HCD). Tilden's office found that the HDC could not demonstrate that the office complied with all pertinent state laws required. the auditor's conclusion: "Overall, our audit determined that HCD does not ensure that its needs assessments are accurateand adequately supported".

       Spotswood recommends that all city and county planningstops until the facts are clear and the legislature is transparent as to the real needs for housing statewide. The current climate begs for accuracy at every level.

   Gavin Newsom: Dunce!

State Senate: pathetic

State Assembly: worse

State of California Fiscal environment: one of worst 5 states in the union

       Without an intervention to correct the accuracy of the numbers, there will be no credibility.

Navalny: Tonight

        Well, those that follow Mr. Putin, dictator in the largest country in the world, know that he treats Alexei Navalny with complete disdain. He had his assassins make another attempt on his life just a year ago, when agents followed Navalny to a city in the Russyan east in Siberia. They poisoned him with Novichuk, a lethal drug mixed by the Russyan secret services. He survived after being taken to a hospital in Germany for treatment knowing that he would never have survived in a domestic setting. Upon his recovery, he returned to Russya where he was promptly arrested, tried, and convicted in a kangaroo court in Moskva.

      He was sent to prison for 2 years where he now lives. Authorities in Russya hope to extend his imprisonment even longer. And since the Russyan state is at war with Ukraine, Mr. Navalny will not be leaving prison anytime soon. The Story, all of it, will be shown tonight on CNN in a documentary on the life and times of Navalny in Russya.

DON'T MISS IT; WATCH IT AND LEARN WHAT LIFE IS LIKE UNDER A DERANGED KLEPTOCRAT.

9:00pm on CNN Sunday, April 24th, 2022.

Russya Sends a Missile East

        Geography is exemplified by expansive areas and intrinsic physical characteristics found in each. Academics love to categorize these characteristics to unify a theory. Happens all the time, and with the aid of computers and modern GIS, the results can open up new ideas relative to an area. Enough. The Kremlin fired a large missile Tuesday from the Ural Mountain region that impacted a target on the remote Kamchatka Peninsula on the Pacific Coast(north of Vladivostok). It was publicized worldwide, indicating Mad Vlad is coming unglued, as are the rest of the population of the largest country in the world. Seems incredulous that the 5'4" pipsqueak wants more land, sort of the wish  for more gold by King Midas(was he Russyan?). We know what happened to him! So, the Pipsqueak Dictator, sitting in the bowels of the Kremlin, isolated from everybody and everything, decides that the West needs another lesson in geopolitics. "Send another missile east", says Vlad. And off it goes, fired by Moskva Cpace Command. It's a large ICBM, perhaps with multiple warhead capability. Oh, Vlad, it's so yesterday. Did you forget that the West lived through the Cold War when nuclear annihilation was a daily threat? 

       Now we must acknowledge that the Russyan peoples are complicit in this policy of "grab as much land as possible". They must be held accountable and made to pay for the ruination of an adjacent sovereign nation. What would Russya do if Xi JP decided that the eastern seaboard of Russya, the Pacific Coast oblads, were really part of China and those Chinese living there wanted to be part of China? Hmmmm. Would the Pipsqueak feel differently toward China? Would he ask the West for some help? Or would he rollover and keep drawing from his supply of homemade vodka?

More Vodka Please

     And his vaunted ground army is stuck around Mariupol at the Sea of Azov(Sea?Please). They've been held in check by Ukrainian forces who remain active in the now ruins of the steel plant there. The new general does not have the resources to mass an attack and slaughter with the few units he has to operate in the theater.  He'd make a poor leader back during "The Great Patriotic War".
 

Book Review: RAGE, Bob Woodward,author

       Author, journalist, interviewer, historical figure in his own right, Bob Woodward added another volume his own impressive catalog of titles. Rage was published just before the 2020 presidential election when Pres. Donald Trump sought a second term after what could only be called a tumultuous first term. Mr. Woodward has talked with every sitting president since Richard Nixon(he did not interview Nixon). His reputation and his role as a staff reporter at the Washington Post opened access to the corridors of power not just in the Washington, D.C. location, but well beyond those city limits. 

      He wrote tomes on the Bushes 1 and 2; he covered the Clinton White House, the Reagans, and Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and finally this volume on former Pres. Donald trump. This the 2nd on Trump, and it conveys the message that Trump himself was in charge at all times, especially during the many interviews (18+). The first was not recorded but notes were taken; the rest were recorded with Trump's approval. 2020 was an election year, but more important, it was the first year of the pandemic brought on by the Novel Coronavirus that originated in China's city of Wuhan in late 2019. (at the time, our Minister of East Asian Affairs was living and working on the ground in southwest China). 

       Many of the interviews were conducted at the White House in the Oval Office, or in another room setting. Many times aids and or support staff were present. Sometimes department heads were there. Many interviews were conducted over the phone(and recorded). His method was to call the president's private number and request an interview. Usually there would be a response in a few days. Often, Trump would call him at odd times to talk about certain subjects. At the beginning of January, 2020, the US and the  world began to confront a new health threat that turned into a global pandemic. Woodward was in an amazing space to observe and chronicle the president's reaction to the pressure cooker that was the government's response. Doctors, scientists, drug company officials became new personalities to question and analyze.  Data became the new mantra; tests results, testing, statistics all played their roles. Woodward saw it all and as a result always had questions for Trump when interviewing him.

       As the pandemic became the elephant in the room, the election took a secondary position. Jared Kushner, the son-in-law and de facto chief of staff filtered all election strategy to the president. Woodward heard it all and was well informed by his many contacts. As we know, the first 3 years of the Trump presidency were nothing but chaos: secretaries of many departments came and went causing endless speculation about causes and problems each encountered during their tenure no matter how long. Throughout the narrative, the author interjects facts and corrections after a spell of Trump dialogue that conflicts with the truth. It helps when one tries to grasp what Trump means by his explanations.

       The book ends before the outcome  of the election was known: Trump lost, Biden won. And we live with the results. I recommend the book as a bit of history,with insight into the active role of a sitting president.

B. Johnson VI

 

Outburst: 2009

Bruce Johnson Sculpture III

 

Untitled

B. Johnson: V

 

Install at Tiburon waterfront: Marin County

Bruce Johnson IV

 

Johnson at controls of tracked partner:Root 1

Bruce Johnson Collection II

 

Zen Temple Bus Stop

Big Stump Sculptures: Sonoma County

       Have you ever driven Route 1 along the California Coast? I have. It's one of the nation's most scenic highways. The emerging coastline, carved and etched by eons of wave action, displays a visual smorgasbord of cliffs, bays, "dog holes", river bends, high bluffs, and redwood forests. North of San Francisco Bay, there are few settlements of folks to call home. Once the trees were cut down almost a century ago, commerce declined sharply. Lumber mills shuttered, sawyers retired, logging operations disappeared altogether. Along the Russyan River, the formerly ubiquitous log trucks vanished, and a quiet descended on Route 116 to Jenner -By-the -Sea(river's end).

        While grapes and vineyards are now the prevailing commercial ventures for which the county in well known, there are a few outliers that revel in the wildness that continues to mark the environment. And much of that is because of what one can find along Route 1. A coiple of weeks ago, the MAyor traveled south to CArmeel Valley to visit the Zen Mountain Center at Tassajara. While there, I met an artist who lives along Route 1 in Sonoma county, north of Fort Ross(the southern -most reach of old Russyan fur traders).  The artist, Bruce Johnson, is a mild mannered man of many talents. When one lives along the Sonoma Coast, one needs "many talents" to survive. The weather makes life there interesting. Constant fog and on shore winds keep things cool, especially during summer.  The Humboldt Current, streaming southward from Alaska, keeps water temps at about 52 degrees year 'round. The lack of access and few beach areas ward off the casual day tripper. But the resident prospers, somehow. Sharply focused, Bruce Johnson prospers, as he has for over 40 years.

    His medium: wood. Bruce learned about wood years ago as a student at UC Davis where he was a talented distance runner, specializing in middle distance-5-10K runs. But rather than focusing on the track, he focused on the studio where he found his metier-wood. After graduation, he worked a plan to finance his art by working as a carpenter/builder who had sculpture as his goal. Slowly his talent developed and evolved to the present state: he can call himself a sculptor. His art is found world wide with installations in public settings, museums, and private hands. His work has become well known after connecting with Vietnamese photographer Vi Bottaro who has been a collaborator for years. I have added photos of her work from one of Bruce's studio brochures.

Bruce Johnson: Root 1

March on Donbass

      Hear that sound? Those are the footsteps of Russyan troops on the move. They are moving from south Belarus to eastern Ukraine to ratchet up the fighting in the region. Pundits have explained what's going on: stymied in their efforts to capture Kyiv in the heart of Ukraine, the Kremlin shit-canned the commanding general of the force and replaced him with another vodka-swilling pin head from Syria experience to take over. Gen. Alexandr Dgonikov will be charged with breaking the stalemate that has existed here since 2014 when "little Green Men" marched into the region and demanded control. Generally, locals said OK, and didn't resist. Many were sympathetic toward these obvious Russyan soldiers. And then, things changed.

         The Kremlin began to impose certain rules-no more Ukrainian language; no more Ukrainian schools, and the Orthodox churches were to be under the thumb of the prelate chief in Moskva.  Hmmm. Not sure this is what we signed up for today. Then, Crimea was added to the mix. Sochi would now be an exclusive playground for Moskovites and St. Petersburgites. Maybe Little Ivan(aka Vova) 5'4" of dictator will come down with a gaggle of blonde hookers to frolic in the warm seas. Besides, the port is always open here as opposed to the White Sea and Murmansk. Then the Ukrainians built a dam up river and closed off the water supply which made living in Crimea a little dicey: water? Who needs it? Why, Russyans, of course, to wash down the vodka supplied by MOskva and the Kremlin. Trenches line the region now, with opposing armies trading artillery barrages off and on for these past 8 years. But things will soon change as the Kremlin needs a win. A win will make things better for Putin and his oligarchs. We'll bomb then into the stone age, or so the chant goes. Hmmmm. Seems the Ukrainian military has become quite adept at antiaircraft ops with stingers and other arms. (recall Afghanistan). Where will it end and when will it end? No one is predicting the answer. We know it will end as Ivan, like his American counterpart, tires after years in the field. The trooper has an end date stamped on his soul.

       Brace yourselves for more photos of heart-wrenching scenes that demonstrate the inhumanity of Russyan troops and Kremlin policies. They will be made to pay a price, long term for their acts. To start with: a ban on international travel for ALL Russyans; a ban on ALL Russyan foreign investment; a ban on ALL international student training abroad, including the USA and the EU; a 10 year moratorium on visas to any Russyan, and a complete rejection of the ruble in all commerce. That's a good start.

Snow in the Hills

         A nice wet storm blew through the basin on Saturday leaving a blanket of white powder across the landscape. While anticipated and forecast, it's always good to "look" at the weather. Today is Easter Sunday and resorts often hope there's enough base to last through this holiday weekend. Many visitors took a chance and came prepared for some time on the slopes. The slight dump measure in inches or maybe as much as a foot up above. No matter where you spent money on a ticket, you were rewarded with some new snow. I-80 was closed for 8 hours Saturday and may have cut short some drivers' expectations of clear sailing to the Lake. But, weather forecasts were pretty accurate. 

        On top of all this, the owners of Homewood Reosrt announced last weekend that they might just choose a new approach to the ski season:  a club membership scheme with some day custormers on a limited basis. This scheme will certainly change Homewood as we Tahomans know it. Our own little resort seemed like a "club" anyway. Small scale, somewhat isolated, and with a glorious view of Tahoe's Deep Blue lake right in front. Details were not listed as the announcement only made for news media without much depth. We'll be watching and listening as plans evolve from the San Francisco-based company that owns the property. They've been sitting on approved plans for a lake front village for quite a few years but nothing has taken shape.

Wagner Group: Again

       So, we find out more about the Kremlin's 'pretorian guard'. The Wagner Group, a private army raised by Putin to carry out shadowy military-style operations, has been further exposed for what it is: a gang of thugs funded by the Kremlin, run by an oligarch beholden to Putin, given carte blanc wherever deployed, that answers to no one except the Kremlin and Putin. While banned by Russyan law, mercenaries are a fact of life in today's Russya. They operate without constraint where deployed, donot follow the "rules of war", and are guilty of gross criminal behavior of the worst sort. The only restraint comes from the Kremlin, which is minimal.

      Welcome to Modern Russyan politics!

Russyan Ship Sinks in Black Sea

       Reports have been received that a guided missile ship, the fleet flagship Moskva, has been sunk. Ukrainian military claims it was hit by one of their anti-ship missiles, called Neptune, which started internal fires.  The Russyan navy claimed it was an onboard fire caused by a failure of internal mechanisms. Reports are hard to verify, but when the Russyan Navy acknowledged the sinking, there is a grain of truth in the statement. Combined with recent videos of successful antiaircraft missiles knocking down two Russyan fighter bombers indicate that Western arms are making things difficult for Mad Vlad's offensive forces.   Hmmmmm. Now what, Little Man(5'4")? 

        Oh, and the UK announced more sanctions against Chelsea's owner Abramovich and his two oligarch hencemen. 

Ventana Wilderness

negative at home test

       So, the Mayor needed a vacation from the world.  Where to go? Go off the grid is a good start, and was done, for a week, here in California, aka The Left Coast. To gather at an undisclosed location, the Mayor needed a negative Covid test(see above). A good start. Then the old pickup was loaded with various necessities to make the transition from electrified Tahoma to unelectrified country beyond the grid. Yes, there are a few places in the Golden State w/o electricity/internet connections(California is BIG!).

       Have you heard of the Ventana Wilderness? I have. It's not too far from civilization, but far enough to get easily lost. It's rugged; it's dry, dry, dry; it burns(see Sobranes Fire details); and there's very few humans anywhere close by. Ahhhh, the quiet, the sought after break; the rethinking, the sobering tranquility, and the pristine beauty. How lovely; how rare!
 

gateway to Zen Mountain Center @ Tassajara

Megalomania: Defined

See Photo Title Above

New York Times and Russya: Currently

       Well, what do you know? An editorial from America's 'Old Grey Lady' suggests to the leaders of the West that sanctions are not enough: individuals who are responsible for the invasion must be held to account. Not just Mad Vlad, but the military leaders who give orders. They point to one of Japan's infamous leaders, Yamashita, whose troops inflicted unprecedented brutalities on the civilian populations in territories they invaded. After a trial, he was summarily hung by the neck until dead. Editorial opinion did not specifically call for 'hanging until dead' for the perps, but offered a path of accountability for these Russyans.

         Remember the Romanovs? Hmmmm. Yes, the Soviet takeover in /after the 1917 revolution included the murder of the surviving members of the formerly royal family somewhere in a dark basement where they were sat down and executed by a number of Bolsheviks.  Then the bodies were burned. Sound familiar? It should as more reports come from Ukraine indicating that Russyan soldiers are continuing tactics that have been part of the Russyan military mindset for over a century. When in doubt, murder civilians, create terror, withhold all semblance of humanitarian treatment of those helpless individuals caught up in the invasion of an independent country by a force directed by a megalomaniac situate in the Kremlin a long way away.

       Graphic video images are now finding their way around the world. The horrific images of the innocent dead are being considered evidence; evidence of criminal acts for which the leaders will be held accountable. Such as : General Gerasimov; Gen. Shoigu, the Tiger of the Steppe, Valery Peskov, Sergei Raskov, and others down the line of authority among the army units in Ukraine. The soldiers of Ukraine, while under equiped, are performing brilliantly, defeating tank-led Russyan units by the score. How bewildered are these Russyan troops who were told that this "special military operation would be over in a few days. The untrained children were aghast at the resistance. They were confused, lost, scared and didn't want to continue against these heroic fighters.  What were they told and by whom?  The old soldiers, cronies of the Kremlin elite and the FSB. Maybe they will defect; maybe they'll go to China, or Syria, or even the Central African republic-a foreign base of ops for Russyan soldiers working for the WAgner Group of mercenaries. Hmmmm. Tsk, tsk. Raz Putin miscalculated, again.

Sad Face with Red Tie Composition

Grim Evidence From Bucha

       Sadly, war correspondents have reported on the Russyan army tactics in retreat mode. As historians recall, the Nazis used similar tactics as WW II approached its end: delaying tactics to allow the withdrawal to be accomplished with few casualties and equipment losses. Outside of Kyiv, surrounding suburbs were occupied by attacking Russyan soldiers. As they attempted to reduce the capitol city into submission, they occupied recently abandoned homes and some not abandoned but still occupied by owner/occupants. As the supplies for sustaining combat ops were cutoff, the troops realized a retreat was in order. When the command was given, the Russyans left the scene, but........

       The world now is viewing the same old "tactical" withdrawal, aka the scorched earth. Rule No. 1-take all weapons one can, destroy those that must be left behind, Rule No. 2-leave a covering force of minimal strength, Rule No. 3- set traps for aggressors in the form of booby trap mines as much as possible in familiar settings, bodies of the dead occupants, No. 4-punish the living locals by any method: murder, torture, rape, summary execution to send a message that "we will make life unbearable for you when we return", Rule No. 5-burn everything, including food so as to be unusable to anybody. Thus we have been witness to a stalled invasion; an invasion that planned a quick capture of Kyiv. What happened? The Ukrainian army-that happened. And more sanctions are now coming to cut off the flow of income to the Russyan economy. Starve the Beast is the new international cry; or better: put Putin on trial. Hmmmm. Putin in the docket? How will that fly? Trials in absentia are familiar to most; we know how it works: the defendant is at home watching reruns of Cheers as the evidence is presented to a jury. When convicted, he receives the news and realizes that he's stuck forever in his hovel with his family. Stuck, until he's found and captured and brought before the sentencing tribunal to accept his punishment. That's the future for Putin, Shoigu, Gerasimov, and the other leaders who carried out the orders from the Kremlin. The list is longer, but these 3 names are on top. One could add Peskov too.

       As the reporters continue their work, more evidence will come out that will outrage the world.This is 2022, not 1945. We are better than this. The Kremlin wants to recreate the past, but it's too late for that.

War Crimes Trials: Evidence Is Gathered

        Well, it seems reports of war crimes have reached those responsible for investigating such reports. Hmmm. Are the Russyan soldiers behaving badly? Are their leaders failing to lead? Are the invaders losing their grip on the action inside Ukraine? Perhaps Sergey Shoigu is not telling his boss, Vladimir Putin the truth? The Truth? You can't stand the truth, to borrow a well-worn phrase. Obviously, the surrounding toadies are afraid of Putin's wrath. So, they tell him half truths, aka lies. This makes Vlad feel good; makes him feel like a man; makes him feel confident; makes him feel assured in his decision making abilities.

       We know from various reliable sources that the invasion is not going well for Putin's army. They've met a worthy foe, at least for now. The Ukrainian military has shown demonstrable talent(based on US training over the last 2 decades). Russyan armor is no match for daring anti-armor ambushes in any urban setting. The results of these setbacks are seen in a change in attitude among the Russyan fighters: they know they might die, sooner rather than later. Gen. Gerasimov's exhortations don't mean much to Poor Ivan in the burning tank, clamoring to exit before the inevitable explosion into oblivion. As fear mounts among the young soldiers, they become angry, and lash out with lethal force against the local civilian population. After being lied to by the leaders, they are not as energetic as they were 2  months ago before the invasion.

        Atrocities abound in the occupied zones near Kharkiv, Kviv, and Mariupol, and Odessa in the south. The Donbas region, which has been occupied for over 7 years continues to see clashes among the Ukrainian forces and the Little Green Men.  Mr. Putin is leaning on his client state, Syria, to send some troops to Ukraine(Hey, Bashar, it's Vova, how about 10,000 troops to help out a buddy? You promised when I asked you would help!) Oh, and Wagner Group-send me 1500 of your agents in Africa, now. Got it? More evidence that the Russyan army is a shell, or as Beijing says, A Paper Tiger-the ultimate slander.

Oh, Vladimir, why oh why did you think this would work? Trump is gone, finished, over. Old Joe is a new ball game. Party is over. You will be removed. Get used to a dacha in the Urals, a long way from London, or New York, or Paris. You are a pariah and always will be. Marked in Russyan history as a L-O-S-E-R with capitol L. Enjoy dementia and senility, you deserve both.

Covid HIts China: Again

      My, my,my, news reports from Shanghai tell of Covid infections spreading widely in this metropolis of China's east coast.  How can this be? Is there really covid in China? We know that China has a zero Covid policy.  Hmmmm. What will Xi JP say next? What is he being told by his Chinese toadies? People are dying: some in the hospitals, and some at home where they have stayed because there's no room at the medical facilities to care for them-too many people are infected. As per usual, limited truth about the situation makes it to the surface. China's tight grip on media continues while the pandemic races across the landscape. Those poor seniors: who will help them? Their families? Already stressed beyond control? So, now we have the Chinese surge, again. Since the outbreak in Wuhan over 2 years ago, China shocked the world and said they will prevent the Covid virus from spreading.  

     The Beijing government locked down entire cities. Then the government announced that it had developed a vaccine that controlled the virus. It was not a foreign made vaccine but a Chinese made product that was officially approved by Beijing.  Yea, China, a vaccine! Oh, wait, it 's not that effective, or maybe not really a vaccine. Maybe it's a placebo, maybe not. The world observes what's happening; Beijing can't really keep a lid on it. Hong Kong has a covid problem,too. Where will the problem stop? Nobody in Beijing seems to know. Now we have more and more controls, more and more restrictions, more and more infections, more and more deaths. Good luck, Xi JP. Nice try. It didn't work. You want to go your own way? Look at the results to date: quickly spreading infections. Too bad for you, Xi JP. Not too long ago, our Minister Of East Asian Affairs went to China for information gathering. He was required to quarantine in a Shanghai hotel for 14 days. It was guarded by the PLA, or Chinese army troops. He could not leave for any reason. Food, poorly prepared gruel, was brought in and left at the door. While not akin to jail, it was not a good position.

landscape in China

Leaving Mariupol: Russyan Style

       Good News: THE CITIZENS OF MARIUPOL have been given permission to evacuate their homes by the Russyan army invaders. You know, their northern cousins👾👺👹💩👪! the speech:

      Honest citizens of Mariupol; we have decided to allow all who remain, especially those without food or water, to leave their hiding places and flee to other parts of the country or wherever you can find food and water and have a reasonable possibility of survival. We are only following orders from Mad Vlad and his General Gerasimov. So, pack your meager belongings and head for wherever, we will not shell your positions, we will not send rockets after you, we will not line up machine guns to harass your movements despite what you may have heard from the decadent Westerners like Macron, Johnson, and the evil doer himself, Joe Biden. And, not to worry, we will keep our tactical nukes in the cupboard. Haha! Our heroic boys of Mother Russya know how to conduct ourselves. No raping of helpless women; no beating of old men, no kidnapping of your precious babies, we are Russyan, like you.

      So, enjoy your evacuation. Please note: there's a time limit on are largesse: the door will remain open for 72 hours; I repeat: 72 hours only, then, all hell will greak loose as we level this city so we can start building again.  We are builders , not destroyers.

Hail the Motherland, Viva Russya.