Russia states President Biden's speech is alarming. I would hope so.

March 28, 2022
By Guy Faulconbridge

London - The Kremlin said on Monday (click here) that U.S. President Joe Biden's remark that Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power" was a cause for alarm, a guarded response to the first public call from the United States for an end to Putin's 22-year rule.

"For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power," Biden said on Saturday at the end of a speech to a crowd in Warsaw. He cast Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a battle in a much broader conflict between democracy and autocracy....

It is wonderful Russia has noticed President Biden's speech. I hope the speech, which is intended to bring peace, makes it to the Russian people who are losing sons at an incredible rate. That doesn't even count the Russian generals dying with one even commiting suicide at the reality Russian tanks not in the battlefield were cannibalized for part. There is no backup for the Russian tanks lost in the war with Ukraine. That is an amazing reality that Russia needs to embrace as it faces the truth about it's wayward military endeavors.

It is legal to kill generals, they aren't civilians. So, how many civilians in Russia has died by the illegal genocide? 

March 26, 2022
By William Booth, Robyn Dixon and David L. Stern

The war in Ukraine (click here) is proving extraordinarily lethal for Russian generals, the gray men bedecked in service medals, who are being aggressively targeted by Ukrainian forces and killed at a rate not seen since World War II.

Ukrainian officials say their forces have killed seven generals on the battlefield, felled by snipers, close combat and bombings.

If true, the deaths of so many generals, alongside more senior Russian army and naval commanders — in just four weeks of combat — exceeds the attrition rate seen in the worst months of fighting in the bloody nine-year war fought by Russia in Chechnya, as well as Russian and Soviet-era campaigns in Afghanistan, Georgia and Syria.

“It is highly unusual,” said a senior Western official, briefing reporters on the topic, who confirmed the names, ranks and “killed in action” status of the seven....

From article at top of page. The White House staff is being stupid for apologizing for one of the greatest speeches in history. 

...The White House tried to clarify Biden's remarks and the U.S. president said on Sunday he had not been publicly calling for regime change in Russia, which has more nuclear warheads than any other power.

Asked about Biden's comment, which received little coverage on Russian state television, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "This is a statement that is certainly alarming."

"We will continue to track the statements of the U.S. president in the most attentive way," Peskov told reporters....

Even after pinning metals on broken Russian soldiers in wheelchairs that will never fight again; Putin's genocide is being hidden from the Russian people. Even the parents of the dead are still wondering where their sons are.

It is biological warfare. Allow the dead to create health problems. Just put them in mass graves. Let the families cry alone and pick through the rubble that the Russian people sanctioned in their lack of ability to control the tyrant in Moscow. I have no sympathy for a nation of people to allow Putin to carry on with completely unrelenting hatred of good and decent people in the Ukrainians.

When Bush diverted the war in Afghanistan to that of Iraq no one gave him a moment of peace. As a country, those that abhor war, fought propaganda, demonstrated and sought to change outcomes of future elections. And we did. By 2006 the legislative body of the USA was changed to Democratic majorities and we stopped Bush's free reign of terror both at home and abroad. This entire episode with Putin is Satan and nothing short of it and yet the Russian people don't question. I have no sympathies for a nation of people so ignorant to their own realities they passively go about life as if it is perfect.

Remember the Kursk? They laid at the bottom of the sea until sea predators picked their bones dry. This is Putin. 

March 28, 2022

By Shaun Walker

Kyiv - The Ukrainian president, (click here) Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has accused Russian authorities of disrespect towards the families of their own dead soldiers, criticising Moscow for not agreeing on a scheme to have the remains of those killed in action returned to Russia.

Zelenskiy claimed the Kremlin was affording less respect to those killed during its invasion of Ukraine than is usually given to dead pets.

“We’ve all had a moment in our lives when someone has passed away, maybe not even close people or relatives. Listen: even when a dog or a cat dies, that’s just not how to behave,” Zelenskiy said in an online interview with Russian journalists on Sunday evening. “I’m saying this to you as the president of a country that is fighting with Russian soldiers … It’s a war, but they are not animals.”...

Since his election, President Zelenskyy's leadership has been anti-corruption and peace.

Russia's compromise in the face of defeat is nowhere to be found. In that is an unspoken truth that can only be defined as an approach by Russia and allies of a Third World War. I remind there is a meeting of allies in Israel because they were attacked recently by missiles. The USA, NATO and The West needs to end that ideology of aggression and return the world to a dialogue of peace and denuclearization of war. Now is the time to end this ideology and return to prosperity as the dialogue that dominates all issues of potential war. When there is military escalation, even during peacetime, there is potential danger to annilation of civlization.

Strength in the belief in democracy and freedom will end hatred.

 

Russian propaganda is doing it's level best to delegitimize the Ukraine opposition. The Republicans and Russia are on the same page.

Duly elected and lawfully elected President of this country?

I believe the January 6th Committee is doing valuable work. I also believe the Republicans are willing to compromise our constitution in order to win an election. The reason I covered the topic of the legitimacy of Ukraine's democracy and it's decades struggle to rid itself of Russian style and Russian corruption is because of a Republican strategy to win elections by delegitimizing the Ukraine war with Russia.

As is the style of the Republicans, they take an issue and turn it on it's head in order to gain the "talking points" they believe will win votes. The problem with that in this case is that they are willing to destroy the USA democracy in the process of politics. The war Russia began with Ukraine is a war of politics spawned by Putin's ambitions. It is now a war that I believe Ukraine can win. If the Republicans successfully delegitimize the roll the USA is more than willing to play with Ukraine and NATO the country will be at risk of leaning too far to the right and return the autocracy movement begun by the disgraced Former President Trump and his assault on democracy on January 6th.

In this questioning by US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of the Alabama Attoney General Steve Marshall, it is obvious Marshall won't breach his politics in recoginzing President Biden as the duly elected and lawfully serving President of the United States of America. I think it is disgraceful to say the least that such a high ranking state official is so afraid to be honest that he is willing to be deceptive in his answers to Senator Whitehouse.

These are the politics of the Republicans, they are dangerous and quite frankly dishonest and undermining of democracy. I think the American people need to be careful who they elect in 2022. The Republcians are coveting power to use against Americans in a way they have never imagined. I also believe the Republcans play into Putin's hands and he likes it and feels emboldented by it.

Americans need to be afraid, very afraid. War will be prevented not by passivist dialogue, but, through strength of our democracy. The politics the Republicans are engaging weakens our democracy. There needs to be a very strong turning point and now. 

 

Will Smith obviously loves his wife.

It takes great courage and heartache when an autoimmune problem erodes happiness.

I think part of the problem with the so called joke by Chris Rock was that it wasn't pre-vetted according to many trade papers and tabloids (click here). 

It appears there is something personal going on with Chris Rock that was never known by the organizers at rehearsals. I don't like the public display of violence between very powerful celebrities on a stage where "the best" are supposed to be awarded for their excellence. But, the so called joke was done in bad taste. 

It is unfortunate that Chris Rock and Will Smith had to make history for the Oscars last night in such a tasteless display of emotion.

"Good Night, Moon"

The Waning Crescent

25.2 day old moon

19.4 percent lit

March 24, 2022

By Sam Thompson

The meteor (click here)  that lit up the sky Wednesday night in the Interlake wasn’t the only one Manitobans saw this week.


Astronomer Scott Young from the Manitoba Planetarium told 680 CJOB the province — as well as nearby areas — had the extremely rare treat of seeing back-to-back meteors Tuesday and Wednesday.

“It was all across southern Manitoba — in fact, all the way down into North Dakota and off into Saskatchewan … just like the one that happened the night before,” Young said.

“The timing of these two things — the odds against it are astronomical.

“Usually we might see one or two across that month period, rather than having them back-to-back in the same area. Literally, if you were in the right spot, you could’ve seen this once-in-a-lifetime thing on Tuesday and then seen another once-in-a-lifetime thing the following night.”...

I am sure statistically this is an event. But, in reality, I think it needs to be decided if they are the same rock that may have collided with another rock and split. To me, that is the only logical answer for two rocks following the same trajectory within 24 hours of each other. I think once the two rock reminants are found, if they are found, will have the same chemical composition. Either they were the same rock at one time or they both were spewed into space from the same explosion somewhere out there.

The American people are wrongly focused on the causes of inflation before them.

It is greed, plain and simple. And the fact the USA is still in the stone age with energy production doesn't help at a time when any petroleum product is more expensive than the food bill.

I also need to say, President Biden is not going to war with Russia. If Russia is foolish enough to escalate this war into NATO states there is no alternative and we will stand with them and fight for their sovereignty. For now, that seems unrealistic.

But, as to the inflation, it is not caused by increases in labor costs. One might take a look at the forms of energy being used and understand that energy touches every aspect of our economy. I never thought there would be a $5.00 per gal price for gasoline.

We need to switch our energy to renewables as much as is possible as soon as it possible. We cannot continue to pump oil out of the ground and suck methane from chemical cracks in rock and expect the USA economy to survive.

The so called inflation is at a 7 percent rate. Yep. Labor increases are at a 2 percent increase. I hardly call 2 percent inflationary if that is all that was increasing. There is absolutely no reason to bring down income of Americans that work the hardest to make this economy run. Americans deserve their salary increases.

And, I won't be going to Applebees anytime soon. It is a shame really, my sister loved Sunday brunch there. Like I said, it is greed. CEOs don't care about the people, they care about keeping their jobs and returning dividends to stockholders. Never will it occur to any CEO that their profit margin is actually hurting the American economy by reducing disposable income, but, also hurting their employees as well.

CUT PROFITS! That means there will be a stable wage for all Americans that assist in creating an enormous Middle Class which fuels the USA economy. 

CUT PROFITS NOT WAGES!

USE ALTERNATIVE ENERGY AND NOT PETROLEUM!

Wall Street can end this inflation if it wanted to.

March 25, 2022
By Aimee Picchi

To Applebee's franchise executive Wayne Pankratz, (click here) surging gas prices are an opportunity for his business, rather than a downside. That's because, as he told managers in an emailed memo, the pool of people who work at Applebee's live "paycheck to paycheck" and will be forced "back into the work force" to earn more.

Pankratz also saw another silver lining: High gas prices will increase costs for competitors, who won't be able to increase wages to the extent they had been. "We all competed to hire out of the limited applicant pool and there was a wage war," he wrote in the March 9 memo. "They will no longer be able to afford to do this."

The result, Pankratz predicted, is "hiring employees in at a lower wage to decrease our labor [costs]."

Wayne Pankratz of @Applebees says that higher gas prices are great for business because most employees live check to check and hopefully they can start lowering wages. pic.twitter.com/BiRfeSmsYX

— Rob Gill 🇨🇦❤️🇺🇦 (@vote4robgill) March 23, 2022

The memo, which was shared on social media, is sparking a backlash against Applebee's, with some consumers vowing never again to dine at the chain. And at one Applebee's location in Lawrence, Kansas, three of its six managers reportedly quit over the memo, according to the Lawrence World-Journal....

It is time to bring Russia to grips with the genocide.

There seems to be an interesting article about Vladmir Putin in the New York Times. I have not had time to read it yet. But, I will.

Link: click here

I do know it is time for the world to take a long hard look at Russia, it's people and the wrongful events in the Russian Duma that created a monster named Putin. The Duma is not even practicing communism. The Duma is practicing corruption of government in instilling a single man to remain at the head of the government for the rest of his life.

Russia has deteriorated since the Revolution in the Maidan. Their president is obsessed with controlling the Soviet Union again. He is blind to the genocide he is causing in Ukriane. The Russian people need to take control of their government and military, if that is possible. They cannot look away while their president kills more and more Ukrainians everyday.

This is not about ideology. This is about how we define life and how to protect it from "False Flag" propaganda that literally is so powerful it compels generals to march unprepared into a sovereign country killing those that they once lived among. The death of children is so unthinkable I can't find the words. 

I am convinced the Russian leadership knew exactly what they were doing when they unleashed their missiles on Ukraine and it's people. It is the obligation of the global community to bring Russia back from the brink of a greater war. The Russians have to be made to answer the judgements of them that exist.

I am more than pleased to see the former President Poroshenko has returned to Ukraine.

He was a very strong advocate for Ukraine's independence from Russian influence. He was very popular with the people for a long time. He also has experience that the country may need at this time. He certainly appeared, in that interview, to be fit and more than outspoken about the wrongful invasion and outraged that Putin is using propaganda to attempt to justify his human rights abuses.

President Zelenskyy has been a strong and powerful leader. He is unendingly dedicated to his country and the people within it. He has the loyalty of his countrymen and women which means he is trusted beyond a doubt by those that stand with him.

President Zelenskyy has been honorable in all his dealings since he started to run for office. He appropriately placed his holdings with another party, arguably someone he knew and trusted, but, certainly willing to leave his former life aside while he conducts the much needed changes in Ukraine.

President Zelenskyy has done what no other Ukraine president has ever done or any other previous Soviet governor, clean up the corruption. That is what is so unfortunate about this stupid war. President Zelenskyy was achieving his goals and the EU application was receiving favorable reviews. That application, from what I have heard reported, is successful and Ukraine is not part of the EU. That is astounding.

President Zelenskyy is not carrying out a political campaign of hate against the former President. He is standing by his administration while they present the facts and the judge decides the case. 

Ukraine is a democracy. Currently, it is mired in Russian muck because Putin decided the war exercises were enough to launch an invasion into a former Soviet state for his own reasons. 

There is no corruption with President Zelenskyy and Ukraine is not a dictatorship. Ukraine is a united country under a strong love of freedom and democracy. Enough of all the Pro-Russian propaganda from the USA political right wing. This is serious business in Eastern Europe. 

Zelenskyy's administration did not target the former President Poroshenko, they targeted corruption.

Basically, President Zelenskyy went to work to end the corruption as he had run on a platform of reform.

The former President Poroshenko is accused of financing the Pro-Russian separatists in Donbas. In that is the understnding that with such help the separatists would be successful in assaulting the sovereign state of Ukraine, hence, treason charges.

This is all  a part of the anti-corruption administration brought about by President Zelenskyy. The new President is not carrying out the investigations across Ukriane. The anti-corruption unit had autonomy in their investigations. So, while, people that want to shoot holes in the idea Ukraine is a democracy in the USA for their own purposes, they are sadly wrong. What is occurring with the former president is due to findings of the anti-corruption unit of the Zelenskyy government. 

...The charges allege that Poroshenko, (click here) the owner of the Roshen confectionery empire and one of Ukraine’s richest businesspeople, was involved in the sale of large amounts of coal that helped finance Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014-15. His assets have been frozen as part of its investigation into the allegations of high treason, and he faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Poroshenko, a pro-European politician who has been critical of Moscow, has denied the allegations and accused the prosecution of acting “shamefully” and of “dividing” the country.

He accuses his successor, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, of seeking to discredit him politically to distract from Ukraine’s widespread problems, including economic woes and rising deaths from Covid-19....

The former president of Ukraine will have his day in court and he can dispute the findings. He may do that handily, but, it isn't because the current president is being vindictive and attempting to eliminate a political foe, it is because there was evidence to bring charges. 

With the election of President Zelenskyy the Ukraine people demanded he fire whoever was committing fraud and start fresh to prosecute those that could not or would not be stopped in supporting the corrupt governing infrastructure that also extended into private enterprise. It was the private enterprise that the EU objected to most strongly and demanded it all be cleaned up from government into the private sector. The former president was found, under the Ukraine constitution, that he violated the trust of the Ukriane people to the point of destruction of their constitution. I might add, the Ukraine constitution is a very interesting document.

So, if Zelenskyy is so corrupt, how did he win over the incumbant President Petro Poroshenko ?

June 11, 2020
Katya Gorchinskaya

"The Poroshenko Era" (click here)

In early March 2017, the Solomyansky district court in Kyiv was the scene of a compelling crime drama. Inside the courtroom, the nation’s top tax inspector, Roman Nasirov, appeared on a stretcher behind bars, wrapped in a checkered hospital blanket for a hearing to determine whether he would be jailed or go free while under criminal investigation.

The taxman was suspected by the nation’s anti-graft authority of causing $75 million in damages to the state by abusing his authority. Just prior to being served with an order of suspicion, effectively a pre-indictment notice, Nasirov reportedly suffered a heart attack. Then there was a further delay as authorities could not immediately find an available judge to preside over the court proceedings. On top of all that, the courtroom received a bomb threat....

President Poroshenko was the first freely elected President of Ukraine after the revolution that took place in the Maidan or otherwise known as the Euromaidan. Viktor Yanukovych was exiled and at that time Ukraine had no president. So, there was an election organized and Petro Poroshenko was elected. He was a very successful businessman and the people wanted a far better economy than they had under the Pro-Russian president. 

Petro Poroshenko was recognized throughout The West, but, when it came to beginning trade that he hoped would be forthcoming the issue of corruption came up over and over. For that reason, his presidency while wonderfully laced with freedom, was also failing to capture the real problem with Ukraine's economy, the Russian influence that entrenched the country in corruption. When he ran for re-election against the current President Zelenskyy it was the issue of corruption and the people wanted to trust someone who had become an everyday hero in their hearts.

January 17, 2022
By Andrew Kramer

Former (click here) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reacts to Russian President Vladimir Putin's defense of the invasion of Ukraine.

Kyiv, Ukraine - Ukraine’s former president (click here) and a leading opposition figure, Petro O. Poroshenko, returned Monday to Kyiv, where he faced possible arrest on charges of treason, adding internal political turmoil to the mounting threat of a Russian invasion.

Mr. Poroshenko led Ukraine from 2014 until 2019, when he was soundly defeated by his rival, Volodymyr Zelensky, the current president. Mr. Poroshenko’s return escalates their long-running feud and focuses attention on Ukraine’s fractious domestic politics, which analysts and critics say is a perilous distraction as the Kremlin masses troops at its border.

Since Mr. Zelensky took power, his government has questioned Mr. Poroshenko as a witness in a raft of criminal cases that he claims are politically motivated. On Monday he said he was under investigation in more than 120 separate cases. Police in the past month have also searched the apartments of members of his political party....

No one can say Russia is corrupt without also looking at Ukraine.

Last update August 2020 (click here)

Snapshot

A combination of rampant corruption, (click here) market volatility and political instability in Ukraine represents major business risks for foreign investors. Bribery and facilitation payments are widespread among Ukrainian public officials, severely complicating business registration and trade procedures for international companies. Public procurement also suffers from pervasive corruption, burdensome regulations, and favoritism, severely impeding fair competition. Corruption, extortion, bribery of foreign public officials, abuse of office and facilitation payments are criminalized under the Criminal Code, and official corruption – including conflicts of interest, asset disclosure and gifts and hospitality – is also covered under Ukraine’s legislative framework. Ukraine’s anti-corruption laws encompass corrupt misconduct in both the private and the public sectors. The Law On Prevention of Corruption introduces measures for monitoring the effective implementation of anti-corruption provisions. However, a weak judicial system limits the enforcement of Ukraine’s anti-corruption laws....

The way I see this is, "How do you survive and be successful in a country so steeped in corrupt there is no financial interaction that can be carried out cleanly?" Ukraine was corrupt long before President Zelenskyy was in office.

Pandora Papers (click here)

3 October 2021
by Elena Loginova

...The documents show that Zelensky and his partners (click here) in a television production company, Kvartal 95, set up a network of offshore firms dating back to at least 2012, the year the company began making regular content for TV stations owned by Ihor Kolomoisky, an oligarch dogged by allegations of multi-billion-dollar fraud. The offshores were also used by Zelensky associates to purchase and own three prime properties in the center of London.

The documents also show that just before he was elected, he gifted his stake in a key offshore company, the British Virgin Islands-registered Maltex Multicapital Corp., to his business partner — soon to be his top presidential aide. And in spite of giving up his shares, the documents show that an arrangement was soon made that would allow the offshore to keep paying dividends to a company that now belongs to his wife....

...In the heat of the campaign, a political ally of incumbent President Petro Poroshenko published a chart on Facebook purporting to show that Zelensky and his television production partners were beneficiaries of a web of offshore firms that allegedly received $41 million in funds from Kolomoisky’s Privatbank.

That ally, Volodymyr Ariev, didn’t provide evidence, and his accusations have never been proven. But the Pandora Papers show that at least some of the details in this alleged scheme correspond to reality. The leaked documents show information on 10 companies in the network that match structures detailed in Ariev’s chart....

Is Russia corrupt? Absolutely.

Last updated 2020 (click here)

Snapshot

Corruption significantly impedes businesses operating or planning to invest in Russia. High-level and petty corruption are common, especially in the judicial system and public procurement. The business environment suffers from inconsistent application of laws and a lack of transparency and accountability in the public administration. Russia’s regulatory inefficiency substantially increases the cost of doing business and has a negative effect on market competition. The Russian Federal Anti-Corruption Law (in Russian) requires companies to actively implement anti-corruption compliance programs. However, compliance with these provisions in practice is lagging behind. Russian law criminalizes active and passive bribery, facilitation payments, gifts and other benefits. However, effective enforcement of anti-corruption legislation is hindered by a politicized and corrupt judicial system.

There is more to the assessment than this paragraph summary. This assessment spells out very clearly that Russia has rampant corruption. No one is enforcing laws on the books to end corruption. Russia is so corrupt, that the laws are nothing more than a decoration for Russia to say they have anti-corruption measures. None of the enforcement is real, UNLESS, you are an oppositional candidate to Vladimir Putin. Every person opposing Putin is automatically corrupt and worthy of prison.

But, Putin is a saint and should not be bothered with such details of corruption within his administration or the accounting in the "Panama Papers."

Not only is Russia corrupt, but, it's president leads the country in being corrupt.

April 3, 2016
By Luke Harding

A network of secret offshore deals (click here) and vast loans worth $2bn has laid a trail to Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.

An unprecedented leak of documents shows how this money has made members of Putin’s close circle fabulously wealthy.

Though the president’s name does not appear in any of the records, the data reveals a pattern – his friends have earned millions from deals that seemingly could not have been secured without his patronage.

The documents suggest Putin’s family has benefited from this money – his friends’ fortunes appear his to spend.

The files are part of an unprecedented leak of millions of papers from the database of Mossack Fonseca, the world’s fourth biggest offshore law firm. They show how the rich and powerful are able to exploit secret offshore tax regimes in myriad ways....

As to corruption in Russia.

I read an assessment of Russian corruption from a company named "GAN Integrity." Their short history is illustrated in an icon that appears to be liquid in nature.

GAN Integrity (click here)

There is some talk among the right wing media stating Ukraine is not a democracy. I would like to address that.

The Chinese media "Tik-Tok" is carrying the political right wing of the USA's message that Ukraine was never a democracy because the current president has prosecuted his opposition. To begin, President Zelenskyy was elected by a majority in the free and open elections in Ukraine.

22 April 2019

Ukrainian (click here) comedian Volodymyr Zelensky has scored a landslide victory in the country's presidential election.


With nearly all ballots counted in the run-off vote, Mr Zelensky had taken more than 73% with incumbent Petro Poroshenko trailing far behind on 24%.

"I will never let you down," Mr Zelensky told celebrating supporters.

Russia says it wants him to show "sound judgement", "honesty" and "pragmatism" so that relations can improve. Russia backs separatists in eastern Ukraine.

He said he expected Mr Zelensky to "repeat familiar ideological formulas" that he used in the election campaign, adding: "I have no illusions on that score....

President Zelenskyy's win could never have been corrupt because the percentage was enormous. Yes, he was a comedian and that is scoffed at in Moscow, but, it is not unusual for popular figures to be elected by Ukrainians. The "tone" of Russia's comments from it's leadership are adult-child. From the beginning with his election Russia was defaming him, belittling him and Putin saw him self superior to Zelenskyy in every way.

I rarely discuss the monarchy, but, this deserves attention.

The New York Post (click here) has a photos collection that portrays the Diamond Jubilee tour of the Caribbean. The royal couple met with demonstrations regarding the colonalism that still exists with the British monarchy still the ruling class of these countries.

They met the challenge with grace and some stumbles, but, primarily it helped define the way in which the monarchy is changing in response to the countries that have been a part of the Commonwealth. There is a lot of good reasons for the Commonwealth to exist. But, to end the monarchy's role as head of state is wrong. It needs to change.

Prince William was every bit the sovereign in measuring his place within the governance of the Commonwealth and the new autonomy they will take on when he is King. He does not expect to be a head of state when the power of the thrown is passed to him.

The Commonwealth will survive, but, each country will have it's own head of state. I think that is a remarkable statement by Prince William.

This is the royal couple as they leave for home. Both the Prince and Duchess had remarkable wardrobes for the occassion. The Queen has every reason to be proud of them.

I believe President Macron represents the thoughts of the EU.

Interesting bed fellows. The USA Secretary of State is expected to attend.

These countries (click here) have experienced an increase in violence in the past weeks. Iran fired missiles at a US base in Kurdish Iraq, Erbil, the capital of that region. A civilian was injured, but, extensive property damage.

26 March 2022
By David Horovitz

The speed with which the Sunday-Monday “Negev Summit” (click here) has been pulled together, the storied location, and the expanding list of participants, combine to underline the significance of this unprecedented get-together of foreign ministers in Israel.

Being hosted by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid at Sde Boker, the Negev home and burial place of Israel’s founding prime minister David Ben-Gurion, the gathering at so resonant a locale constitutes further dramatic symbolic confirmation of Israel’s legitimacy and regional importance by Abraham Accords partners Morocco, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.

Their foreign ministers will, simply by their presence, be upgrading relations with the country Ben-Gurion was so central to establishing. There is even talk of a photo opportunity at Ben-Gurion’s grave....

Haaretz (click here)

March 27, 2022

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Twitter that he had updated the "Negev Summit" participants on the attack, adding that "all foreign ministers condemned the attack and sent their condolences to the families" of those killed.

According to Lapid, this was "an attempt by violent extremists to terrorize" Israelis. "Israel will not relent in its fight against terrorism," he added. "We will stand together with our allies against anyone who tries hurting us."

March 27, 2022

For Blinken and the Biden administration, (click here) the trip is largely dedicated to ensuring that all of its highly skeptical Middle Eastern allies understand its position on the Iran deal.

It's Sunday Night

There is a bit of a phenomena that occurs with Ukrainian women, no different than some Russian women, they advertise for marriage. I don't know how many or who they would be, but, I am quite sure they are living in The West and enjoying freedom.

It was a bit of a chore to decide what to include here tonight. So, let's start with an interesting summit that was assembled rather quickly as summits go.

Below is Jamie Lee Curtis at the Oscars tonight.

The Knives Out actress also had a blue ribbon on her finger that was worn to support the refugees who have fled war torn Ukraine. (click here)

The Ukraine National Anthem was celebrated at the beginning of a wrestling match at Madison Square Garden in 2016. The country was well recognized worldwide for it's burgeoning democracy and embrace of freedom. If you click here  and read the comments below the video, they were more recently written than the event itself. Strong man sports are a mainstay in even Ukraine politics.