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.

Truckee River: Low Water

PDQ Restoration in Tahoma-Progress

Iconic Tee from Downtown Tahoma

       More gates at the dam are closed and the river runs low.  The result-no rafting right now.  Maybe some private tubing, but that's it.  We'll keep an eye on the situation.

Bernie Country: It's Different

State Capitol Bldg-Montpelier, VT

Lodge At Lake Mansfield, VT

       Well, now that summer is upon us, traveling is the American mode right now.  the mayor decided a trip east was in order.  The flight was not without its challenges: the first leg was fine-on time, on schedule.  Then upon arrival in Philly, things changed.  A rain cell descended upon the airport and my connecting flight was cancelled.  I got a seat on a flight two hours later.  Then that flight was also cancelled.  Hmmm. Not good.  I decided to go on to Boston, and drive the rest of the way north.  And then, Boston flights cancelled.  Now what?  By 6pm, things were not looking so good.   Another flight to Providence appeared to be a good fallback position.  We finally boarded at 9:30 pm with a new pilot and crew.  We pulled away from the gate and waited.  And waited.  And waited some more.  The pilot  finally said we would have to wait a little longer as weather in Providence dictated some route changes.  After 2 1/2 hours in a plane, we left for Rhode Island, landing there after 1am.  A hotel stay was necessary as the Mayor could not see straight let alone driving in the rain for the next 3 hours.
      But, despite the delays, a timely trip to the Manchester area happened as planned and summer weather prevailed over New England.  This effort was followed by a trip to Vermont-a first for the Mayor.  This is Bernie Country, where conservatism meets Socialism ala Bernie.  The aging Senator whose energy level belies his age, continues to rant against the evils of capitalism.  Hmmmm.  This must be just another ploy by a dedicated political animal hoping to continue his run.
      What's Vermont all about?  To gather the flavor of the place, I enlisted the help of an old friend, a former college roommate who has lived in Vermont long enough(45years and counting) to acquire all the attributes of a local.  An historian, he easily explains the long history of the State.
      Bernie has been a presidential candidate before(2016) without much luck.  Running as a reconstituted Independent Socialist, he garnered support from a variety of sources, none really mainstream.  He has had to detail with family issues as his wife has drawn unfavorable publicity due to her involvement with a private educational institution that failed locally amidst financial improprieties.  Nonetheless, he has been on the stump for some time this year( with many other Democrats) hoping to ignite his microscopic base of support.  At this juncture, it appears he'll do about the same as 2016:poorly.
        Montpelier is the capitol city of the State of Vermont.  This "city" of 8,800 citizens has a distinct New England flavor: a neoclassical domed capitol building; multi-floored state offices, and a smattering of late 19th century brick buildings dusted with the soot of years of coal burning and wood fired stoves.  The city is traversed by Interstate 89, the north/south route to Canada on the east shore of Lake Champlain and east of upstate New York.  Not a lot of Americans live here due to climate issues: 6 months of winter is just too much, even for old families with generations of roots in the state.   But many of these folks support Bernie, just why is a bit mysterious for often that support comes from normally conservative elements of the state.  more later

Hong Kong: Tear Gas Used

      

Protests Continue Against Beijing

Tear gas has been employed against protesters in Hong Kong as protests against government actions continue.  Beijing is worried that unless protests end now, they may continue and spread to the mainland.  Heaven forbid.  This comes at a time when Beijing is expanding its influence in SE Asia.
      Recent revelations by Washington, DC, indicate that a secret agreement has been signed by China with Cambodia to use port facilities in that country to complement a nearby airport that has been under construction by China for the last 2 years.  Add to this list are the island construction projects in the South China Sea.  Political pressures at home caused by a pushback from Trump's White House has given the government of Premier Xi pause.  Can the US finally be recognizing the spread of China's "new" Communism?   Things are different now in China that they were just 25 years ago.  All the signs are there indicating a new prosperity, unlike anything seen before.
     High rises dot the landscape in just about every major city.   Even Llasa, Tibet is experiencing a building boom as the central government pushes for Chinese citizens to move to Tibet, to avoid unrest by locals who recall the takeover in 1959 by the Chinese army(PLA).  

Hong Kong: The Beat Goes On

       Hong Kong police units stormed the government building with clubs aswinging and gas a bloomin' as they took back the admin headquarters of the city's government.  Young protesters had occupied the structure after knocking down barricades and pushing aside security guards who did not have enough power to stop the takeover.  The mostly student-group continued their call for the resignation of Carrie Lam, the mayor of Hong Kong and beijing's on -the-scene representatives.  The protest coincided with the anniversary of the turnover of Hong Kong by the British government after 150 years of occupation after the notorious Opium Wars of the 18th century when imperialism was at its height in east Asia and the Pacific.  The protesters rightly recognize that Beijing has its eye on the final deadline for a complete takeover of the Hong Kong government operation as spelled out in the agreement going back to 1997.   Most young Chinese citizens of Hong Kong have a queasy feeling about turning over their "independence" to the Communist powers in Beijing after witnessing its moves regarding Uighars and other undesirables on the mainland.  None of this is lost on Taiwan as the newly elected president there watches all the moves from Xi Jin Ping, at home and abroad.
     We will continue to watch as things develop in HK.