The Curmudgeon Speaks

I know from the log files that I get an occasional visit from Russian readers. I have written in recent posts about our connection with people from Russia and these folks may be those who have connected.

The present war in Ukraine is not being accurately represented to the Russian people and measures are being taken to limit what Russian citizens can presently learn from sources outside of Russia. VPNs allow protected Internet access for those who realize their news is biased and want a safe way to access blocked sites. Most individuals in countries wanting to get outside information know about this technique, but just for others I would have interested readers take a look at a source titled – Best VPNs for Russia in 2022. The article also explains VPNs for those who don’t explore such tech tools and gives specific information about sites that are presently blocked from Russia.

I have spent several weeks in Russia and have an ongoing friendship with several Russian citizens. One thing that was obvious in spending time in Russia was just how memories of the Second World War are so alive among the Russian people. The following image from Volgograd is of a building preserved to honor the defenders of the city and country and a specific soldier who ran from window to window firing and throwing grenades to deceive the Nazi attackers as to the strength of the defenders.

Putin has described his invasion of the Ukraine as a fight against Nazis. What a cruel, but probably effective strategy to promote this deception of the Russian people. Control of the media prevents the Russian people from viewing the many similar images that now show the reality of Russian actions in Ukraine. The time will come when the Ukrainians will preserve a similar building to help future generations remember the atrocities of the Russians.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has placed tech companies in a challenging position. I was just listening to a podcast on which the participants were debating the competing positions. One one hand Apple phones are very popular and expensive. Those unable to make purchases are likely the more wealthy Russians and possible more persuasive in putting pressure on the regime. On the other side phones and the internet are a primary means of information and the Russian people are being told a slanted version of the war and the atrocities being imposed on the outgunned Ukrainian people.

My perception of the value of truthful information has been shaped in part by the Russian people I know. We have good friends from Russia who just left after staying with us for a couple of weeks. They are not pro-Putin, but seem to largely get their news from Russian sources. Initially, their perspective was that of less alarm, but our television habits and their constant phone conversations with their own family members in Russia and Ukraine resulted in a change in their thinking. They have significant issues with the situation on both sides of the border suffering financial consequences themselves because of the funds they still have in a Russian bank and having to worry about those they know in Ukraine.

Disinformation is such a tool and we should understand this from the situation in this country.

Maybe it is just the crazy way my brain works, but present circumstances in the world keep bringing the song Sting sang in the mid ’80s running through my consciousness.

The song was called “Russians” and the song concerned the foolishness of the nuclear threat the Russians and the U.S. had created to each other. In a war that could not be won from the perspective of an American, there is a line that comes as close as anything to offering a hopeful perspective:

But what might save us, me and you

Is if the Russians love their children too

I can’t say I am against all wars because there are certain values that must be defended and certain wrongs that must be confronted. From the Russian perspective, I just can’t see in this case what justification the Russian people would see in the invasion of Ukraine.

I recognize that I have been neglecting this blog lately. We are in Kauai to avoid the worst of the Minnesota winter and I have been describing this experience on my travel blog. 

Here is something rather unique from our experiences. We stay close to a golf course and there is an area that has been adopted by nesting  Layson Albatrosses. These birds are unique in several ways. They live as long as humans and fly incredible distances without stopping. They do this strange dance I was able to record.  There is a lot of wind noise, but you should also be able to hear bird sounds – clicks and moos

For some time now, I have had a sense there was some interconnections among religion, politics, and social media that were creating what I would professional label craziness. I have tried to figure out what this is and have read many who thought they knew. I have decided I do not have the mental horsepower or at least the time to take a broad view and work out the connections. Maybe this weirdness has always been there, but if so I am guessing our media and the Internet have resulted in much greater awareness and damage.

I happened across a podcast that does attempt to take a big picture perspective and much of what they say seems insightful. If you have the same gut feeling that plagues me I think you will appreciate what these folks have to say.

https://pca.st/episode/f8532f97-c308-49ab-ba0c-46ee1b0bf4a0

What to do on a winter day when the below-zero temps make a venture outside painful? Go to your garden, pick some basil, and make pesto.

The garden in this case is in the corner of my living room and allows me to raise vegetables and herbs year-round with hydroponic agriculture. The herbs I grow produce far more than we can consume to flavor dishes. How much basil does anyone use in a normal week?

It takes two cups of basil to make a batch of pesto. You can substitute spinach or maybe kale if you don’t have enough or can’t afford enough, but that was not necessary in this base.

My pesto is pretty good. I have a secret. Once not having the traditional Parmesan cheese, I tried blue cheese. What an improvement in the flavor.

Now, if I could figure out what to do with all of that parsley.

Basil Pesto Recipe (remember the blue cheese)

I work a lot in front of my desktop computer even when I am not using it. When ignored, the screen saver on this computer kicks in to display composites of the photos I have taken over the years. I notice sometimes and try to remember just where the different images were collected and maybe the people that are included. Cindy says I don’t take enough pictures of people and I suppose this is true. The collection I use as a screen saver was likely selected to focus to emphasize the beauty of different locations. I have not given much thought to this before.

I have always liked to take pictures, but my collection of digital images probably only summarizes the last 30 years or so. I find the compilations my computer generates fascinating. The variability and randomness somehow reflect the diverse experiences I have been lucky enough to have had. The following are the first three displays that appeared as I sit here.

I found this to be an interesting opinion piece on EdWeek given political activism attempting to control how the facts of history are presented. Consider 1/6 from an educational perspective. A teacher asks how the historical account of 1/6 should be taught?

Kids have at least viewed the same video as you and me. Given the visible evidence was that an attack on our government or not? Was the vote really achieved through tampering and didn’t the past President make this claim?

Also see NPR piece on this same topic