What will Russia achieve with a bloody invasion into Ukraine?

From Ukraine to the Olympics, is there any place in the world where Russia does not cause adverse outcomes?

Frequent nuclear accidents that cause air pollution that reaches the scandinavian countries to the point of monitoring the wind that comes from Russia to determine the level of radiation it contains.

Methane holes that look like their reach into hell itself and spew tonnes and tonnes of methane into the air and all unabated in any way. At least when the Saudis had a methane hole leaking to the surface of Earth, they closed it.

The famous ballet is still performing well:

The Bolshoi Ballet is back! (click here) Lincoln Theater is bringing three spectacular ballets, captured live in Moscow, right to our community living room here in the heart of Damariscotta. Bolshoi Ballet, the legendary Russian company, offers dance lovers the opportunity to experience their most iconic shows on the big screen, and is kicking off 2022 with George Balanchine’s sparkling “Jewels,” which will screen for one showing only at Lincoln Theater Saturday, Feb. 19 at 1 p.m.

February 15, 2022
By Sean Lyngaas and Tim Lister

A cyberattack hit the websites of Ukraine's defense ministry and armed forces, (click here) and the websites of two Ukrainian banks on Tuesday, according to Ukrainian government agencies' statements.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the hacking incident. "It's too early to attribute" responsibility, Victor Zhora, a deputy chairman at the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP) -- who is investigating the incident -- told CNN.

The incident comes as Russia has massed an estimated 150,000 troops close to Ukraine's border, according to United States President Joe Biden, and as US officials warn that a fresh Russian invasion could come at any time. Russia has denied it is planning to invade Ukraine.

SSSCIP identified the incident as a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, which floods a website with phony traffic to disrupt access to it. DDoS attacks are relatively cheap and easy to carry out. While they can be disruptive, they do not necessarily require sophistication....

If cyber attacks is the new bomb Russia drops in the name of war, can war be that bad anymore?

This is the year 2022. We have enormous problems and none are reconstructing the Soviet Union. There are issues of virus and climate that are a huge burden. They both need to be addressed and adding a war in the way of enormous human suffering is not really on the agenda of global efforts of peace.

Russia has it wrong. Putin never accepted the fact that the Soviet Union fell of it's own weight. When it occurred The West stood by and waited for everyone to recover from the implosion of a superpower. It was a peaceful transition of a failed state. 

Russia and China are recognized as communist governments. No one is rushing to end communism, in case they didn't notice. The Cold War is over and it should stay over. If Vladimir Putin needs an old style politic of hate and pushing the envelope of war, NO ONE ELSE WANTS IT, except the communists. So, Russia needs to keep their politics of oppression and hate within it's borders and I guarantee it that no one will try to change it. Except. The Russian people themselves. That is the real enemy to Putin. Internal disharmony of a Russian president that seeks only stable states of government.

If the Russian people want free and fair elections they should have them. If the USA wants free and fair elections they should have them. If Somalia can contain the brink of civil war, then I would think Ukraine should be able to be given a chance to do the same. 

No one wants this invasion into Ukraine. It makes no sense to anyone, except, Putin and the communists. That should be an awakening in Russia to the fact, they are the only ones struggling with the idea of better quality of life. The Ukrainians already have it.

Paleontologists believe they have found the foundation of the modern canine.

18 October 2021
By David Grimm

If you were walking through a dark forest in ancient Japan, (click here) you might hope to run into an okuri-ōkami, a wolf that would escort you safely to your destination. This creature of folklore may be based on the Japanese wolf, a border collie–size animal with short legs and stubby ears that lived in Japan for thousands of years until humans wiped it out in the early 20th century. Now, scientists studying ancient DNA from this wolf’s bones say they may have solved the long-standing mystery of where it came from: a vanished population of gray wolves in East Asia that also gave rise to modern dogs.

“It’s a very meticulous study,” says Peter Savolainen, a geneticist at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm who was not involved. The research, he says, adds evidence to the idea that dogs arose in East Asia, as he and other researchers suspect, rather than in Europe or the Middle East, as some experts have proposed.

All of today’s dogs likely descend from a single population of gray wolves. But exactly where and when those wolves lived has long been a source of contentious debate. Part of the problem is that although the species persists, that original population has likely vanished, wiping out genetic clues about doggy origins.

Enter the Japanese wolf (Canis lupus hodophilax). Described by some as one of the greatest mysteries in the history of Japanese zoology, the animal’s origins are unclear, as is the route it took to reach Japan. A genetic analysis of remains from a single Japanese wolf published earlier this year found it was closely related to a lineage of Siberian wolves, long thought extinct. Recent evidence also suggests dogs may have arisen in Siberia. Might Japanese wolves and dogs share more than just geography?...

I think this invention by the Chinese was long overdue. Congratulations to China for taking the initiative.

Finally, a way to clean up space!

September 2, 2022

Last month, (click here) a private satellite tracking company spotted a Chinese spacecraft apparently grabbing and throwing a dead satellite away into a "graveyard" orbit.

Something out of a Star Wars movie occurred in Earth's orbit last month.

A Chinese satellite was spotted in late January grabbing another long-dead satellite and days later throwing it into a "graveyard" orbit 300 km away, where objects are less likely to hit spacecraft.

These rare events were presented by Dr. Brien Flewelling in a webinar hosted by the Center of Strategic and International Studies and Secure World Foundation last month. Flewelling is the chief space situational awareness architect of ExoAnalytic Solutions, a private U.S. company that tracks the position of satellites using a large global network of optic telescopes.

The Chinese SJ-21 satellite was seen on January 22 changing its usual place in the sky to approach decommissioned satellite Compass-G2. A few days later, SJ-21 attached to G2, altering its orbit....

The successful efforts of the Biden Administration that don't make the front page.

Why, one might ask, do these not make the front page? Because they are bipartisan and without any controversy and absolutely no wild protests or demonstrations at the driveway leading to Yellowstone National Park. 

Today, Senior Advisor and White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator (click here) Mitch Landrieu and other senior administration officials, including Sarah Greenberger the Associate Deputy Secretary at the Department of Interior, discussed how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will build a better America by investing in the conservation of and access to our public lands. Landrieu outlined the President’s commitment as part of the America the Beautiful Initiative to building partnerships with states, conservation groups, hunters, anglers, Tribes and others to conserve America’s lands and waters for future generations.

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes billions for ecosystem restoration and resilience of America’s lands, invasive species detection and prevention, and native vegetation restoration efforts, on top of nearly $16 billion for cleaning up legacy pollution. On Friday, the Department of the Interior announced distribution of a record $1.5 billion in Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) Program allocations to state wildlife agencies throughout the nation. The WSFR was reauthorized as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Landrieu noted that these grants will make significant progress in our work to protect our cherished natural treasures, and together with other Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments, will make significant progress in our work on collaborative conservation....

Someone put a road in the middle of the meadow.

Oh, yeah, the SuperBowl. Who won?

Here is something you will rarely hear. Ever notice how the LA Rams always helps their team mates off the ground after a play? They do it all the time. The Cincinnati Bengals never did it once.

This is a complete guess. Nothing more. But, those men are not being polite. I think getting up from what was just a strenuous event, a football play, can cause injuries to muscles and tendons. If not big injuries, then small ones that add up.

I could be completely wrong, but, I think the LA Rams always help each other up from lying to standing after each play to prevent injury. Just a guess.

February 13, 2022
By Emma Bowman and Peter Ganitz

The Los Angeles Rams (click here) won't have to travel far to enjoy a celebratory Super Bowl victory parade. The Rams rallied for a late touchdown to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, 23-20, marking the second straight year a team won the Super Bowl on its home field.

The championship capped a triumphant return to Los Angeles for the Rams, which won its only other Super Bowl as the St. Louis Rams in 2000. And the team's home field at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., also hosted a halftime show that featured hip-hop with a West Coast flair.

The Rams needed more than 59 minutes to seal the victory in Super Bowl LVI, with Cooper Kupp, the game's most valuable player, catching a short touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford with 1.25 left to play. That put the Rams on top - again - and for the final time....

The loyalty of the GOP to Trump isn't about his ideology so much as winning an election.

I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and it hit the floor hard today. Donald John Trump was dropped from his accounting firm because they no longer will stand behind ten years of records. What does ten years of lies look like? The US Presidency is what ten years of lies looks like. A man who never belonged in the Oval Office made it because he was seen as a great success that "Only he could do." 

Well, guess what? It was a lie and the American people paid for it.

February 15, 2022
By Alexander Bolton

Senate Republicans are scrambling (click here) to figure out how former President Trump’s mounting legal troubles will affect his grip on the party and chances of running for office again in 2024.

Allies of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has worked behind the scenes to counter Trump, are wondering whether the former president’s clout may fade regardless of what happens in the 2022 midterm elections because of his many legal entanglements, including investigations by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) and Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis (D).

The latest development came Monday evening when Trump’s longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA, severed ties with him and his business empire and said it could no longer vouch for the reliability of a decade’s worth of financial statements it prepared for the Trump Organization....

Again? We were just coming down off the fourth wave. It was the fourth, wasn't it?

January 24, 2022
By Herb Schribner

It was only a matter of time (click here) — scientists have reportedly found a subvariant of the omicron variant, raising questions about what’s going to happen next with the novel coronavirus.

The news: Scientists across the world have found a sublineage of the highly-transmissible omicron coronavirus variant, called BA.2.

The BA.2 variant is now under investigation because it could have a growth advantage, replacing the original omicron variant, per Reuters.

Why this matters: The subvariant BA.2, which has been nicknamed the “stealth omicron,” could be spreading faster than the original omicron and lead to even more COVID-19 cases, according to Fortune.

Details: Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist and health economist and a senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, said he is “concerned” about the new subtype because it is surging....

February 1, 2022
By Lawrence Tabak, DDS, PhD

The NIH continues (click here) to support the development of some very innovative therapies to control SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. One innovative idea involves a molecular decoy to thwart the coronavirus.

How’s that? The decoy is a specially engineered protein particle that mimics the 3D structure of the ACE2 receptor, a protein on the surface of our cells that the virus’s spike proteins bind to as the first step in causing an infection.

The idea is when these ACE2 decoys are administered therapeutically, they will stick to the spike proteins that crown the coronavirus (see image above). With its spikes covered tightly in decoy, SARS-CoV-2 has a more-limited ability to attach to the real ACE2 and infect our cells.

Recently, the researchers published their initial results in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, and the early data look promising [1]. They found in mouse models of severe COVID-19 that intravenous infusion of an engineered ACE2 decoy prevented lung damage and death. Though more study is needed, the researchers say the decoy therapy could potentially be delivered directly to the lungs through an inhaler and used alone or in combination with other COVID-19 treatments.

The findings come from a research team at the University of Illinois Chicago team, led by Asrar Malik and Jalees Rehman, working in close collaboration with their colleagues at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The researchers had been intrigued by an earlier clinical trial testing the ACE2 decoy strategy [2]. However, in this earlier attempt, the clinical trial found no reduction in mortality. The ACE2 drug candidate, which is soluble and degrades in the body, also proved ineffective in neutralizing the virus.

Rather than give up on the idea, the UIC team decided to give it a try. They engineered a new soluble version of ACE2 that structurally might work better as a decoy than the original one. Their version of ACE2, which includes three changes in the protein’s amino acid building blocks, binds the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein much more tightly. In the lab, it also appeared to neutralize the virus as well as monoclonal antibodies used to treat COVID-19....

All this medical talk. But, basically the way responsible medical scientists and researchers see their responsibility is that, "It ain't over until it is over." One just has to look at the initial Boston study of HIV/AIDS treatments and to realize where the science has brought us. It is nothing short of a genius. Their work ethic and the ethical standards of the professions are magnificient. 

A Possible Role for Anti-idiotype Antibodies in SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination

By William J. Murphy, Ph.D.and Dan L. Longo, M.D.

The Clinical Implications of Basic Research (click here) series has focused on highlighting laboratory research that could lead to advances in clinical therapeutics. However, the path between the laboratory and the bedside runs both ways: clinical observations often pose new questions for laboratory investigations that then lead back to the clinic. One of a series of occasional articles drawing attention to the bedside-to-bench flow of information is presented here, under the Basic Implications of Clinical Observations rubric. We hope our readers will enjoy these stories of discovery, and we invite them to submit their own examples of clinical findings that have led to insights in basic science.

The pathogenesis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is incompletely understood, with its effects on multiple organ systems1 and the syndrome of “long Covid” occurring long after the resolution of infection.2 The development of multiple efficacious vaccines has been critical in the control of the pandemic, but their efficacy has been limited by the appearance of viral variants, and the vaccines can be associated with rare off-target or toxic effects, including allergic reactions, myocarditis, and immune-mediated thrombosis and thrombocytopenia in some healthy adults. Many of these phenomena are likely to be immune-mediated.3 How can we understand this diversity in immune responses in different persons?...

To beat a dead horse, where is Steve Bannon and the Alt Right? It is like looking for Waldo.

It is getting too expensive in the USA for the Alt Right. They are getting caught in law breaking, being taken to court, paying fines and jailed or even prison. They are being sued for their racism and they are losing the lawsuits.So, if they can't live comfortably in the USA with their hate, move to Canada.

Steve Bannon has been causng trouble all over Europe. Bannon wants to disrupt democracy to make a living. Bart what it's name?????? Oh, yeah, Britbart. It has been doing nothing but creating all sorts of misinformation and political disharmony. They are allowed to do it.

For those that want to destroy democracy, it is because of democracy allows them to carry on the way they do. Does that make sense? Silence the demonstrators after they fought so hard to end freedom of speech and The West's constitutions.

?????

I ask myself what this mess is truly about? Nothing. It is about nothing that matters, because, disharmony and aggitation is the way Bannon makes his millions. That is all this is. No other reason. The amusement of million-billionaires.

No different than the truckers at the border or Canada and the USA. They were allowed. They were even tolerated. Democracy at work. They caused problems, but, those that live in a democracy won't give it up.

Look, democracy has given us the ticket line that starts an entire day before the ticket sales begin. You know what I mean? Americans and Canadians have a great deal of patience with democracy. They like it. They don't want to give it up. So, the only reason Bannon is doing this is because he can and let's face it, he is at least a few millions wealthy, right? Or was that left?

Febraury 13, 2022
By John Bacon and Christine MacDonald

Windsor, Ontario – The busiest U.S.-Canada border crossing (click here) reopened late Sunday after protests against COVID-19 restrictions closed it for almost a week, while Canadian officials held back from a crackdown on a larger protest in the capital, Ottawa.

Detroit International Bridge Co. said in a statement that “the Ambassador Bridge is now fully open allowing the free flow of commerce between the Canada and US economies once again.” Esther Jentzen, spokeswoman for the company, said in a later text to The Associated Press that the bridge reopened to traffic at 11 p.m. EST.

Police on Sunday swept through the lingering protest that has brought a week of chaos to the massive bridge linking Detroit to Canada, arresting a few truckers and other protesters still attempting to block the nation's largest border crossing....

I didn't know the EPA critiqued plumbers. I always thought that was OSHA or the Better Business Bureau.

At any rate I never had a problem with plumbing when living in a high rise like Trump Tower. In a high rise anything the toilets work well because the higher the water starts running the more likely the toilet flush will be a success. It is called physics. Oh, well, populous politics has it's own laws of gravity I suppose.

 

The invisible Sarah Palin.

On one hand I think the American public is correct in that they have had enough of the former governor and her holier than thou lifestyle. But, on the other hand I think she is politically dangerous and we don't need another populous candidate for president if that is what she might have on her mind.

But, to update:

September 22, 2021

...Todd Palin filed for divorce in 2019 (click here) after 31 years of marriage, according to People, citing "incompatibility of temperament." While they didn't publicly reveal the cause of their split, it's possible that the pressures of fame took their toll on the couple. Family friend John Coale told the outlet, "It's been a long road to this. The family just had to take so much and couldn't handle it, I don't know if anybody could. It's a tragedy. Sarah Palin is a great person, and now it seems the family is in tatters" (via People)....

I think "incompatibility of temperament" is interesting and a bit abusive, if not a lot abusive. It isn't the same as irreconcible differences. I can picture her being verbally abusive. I think that political identity lends itself to abusive behavior and alienating personality. She is dating a former NHL start.

February 12, 2022
By Dana Kennedy

Ex-NHL star Ron Duguay (click here) has confirmed that he and “buddy” Sarah Palin are indeed dating, according to a report.

Duguay has been on hand supporting the one-time vice presidential candidate at the Manhattan Federal Courthouse, where her defamation case against The New York Times was in its seventh day of trial Friday.

“We’re friends. I’m here to support her,” The New York Rangers legend said of Palin on the courthouse steps earlier Friday....

This all came to light with the conclusion of her recent libel trial with the New York Times. She may be trying to change her image, new man, hence, new woman. I think her political days are over. I would be surprised if after Trump another populous candidate actually gains the country's interest.

February 10, 2022

By Seth Stevenson

...I admit, at this point in her testimony, *click here) I was a little impressed. Palin in no way resembled the caricature I had in my head. She was confident, articulate, and—somewhat to my surprise—quite lucid. I’m not saying she was Stephen Hawking, but she at least evinced a sort of horse sense, paired with grinning charisma, that you could imagine might make her an effective mayor or governor. Then, about a half-hour in, the wheels came off.

Palin’s own attorney asked her to shift her focus forward from 2011 to 2017, when a New York Times editorial revived that false connection between Palin’s rhetoric and the Giffords shooting (thereby provoking this lawsuit). Palin responded by saying the Times had “lied” about it “again.” A lawyer for the Times objected, for obvious reasons: No one—including Palin in her filed complaint—has ever alleged that the New York Times got this wrong on any other occasion aside from that one editorial.

Palin’s lawyer tried to help her clean it up. Judge Jed S. Rakoff invited her to clarify what she meant. But Palin doubled down, saying, “My view was the Times took a lot of liberties” in the wake of the Giffords shooting and that the paper had “led the charge” against her back then. Confused looks sprouted on everyone’s faces. Reporters exchanged glances. Palin grew flustered, recognizing that something had curdled but not exactly sure what she’d screwed up. And here she reverted to the caricature: that fidgety posture and those looping, meaningless sentences. “I don’t have the specific references in front of me,” she said, desperately scrambling to recover....

The conclusion is:

February 14, 202
By Jody Godoy and Jonathan Stempel

...In an abrupt twist (click here) in a trial seen as a test of longstanding protections for American media, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said Palin's lawsuit must be dismissed because she failed to show the Times acted with "actual malice," the standard in lawsuits involving public figures....

This is a good commentary about the Platinum Jubilee in both the read and the video.

February 11, 2022

By Oli Smith

THE QUEEN (click here) broke with tradition to mark the start of the Platinum Jubilee move as she took the "unusual" move of inviting the public into her private Sandringham Estate.

The Queen marked the start of her Platinum Jubilee year with her first public engagement of the year. Last Saturday, on the eve of the Jubilee, the Queen hosted a reception at Sandringham House in Norfolk. ITV's royal correspondent Chris Ship commented that the decision to invite the public and media into Sandringham was "quite unusual"....

I think by opening the Sandringham Estate to the public she can still stay in touch after Charles is made king. I hope that occurs soon. I think the UK is ready for Charles and Camilla and a bit of a different tone of leadership with a man at the head of the government. Seventy years is a long time for Queen Elizabeth II. She was greatly admired and always addressed the issues of the day with grace and intelligence. She will always be remembered with fondness. 

February 10, 2022

By Stephanie Petit

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (click here) is speaking out for the first time about her future title of Queen Consort.

Prince Charles' wife stepped out solo in London on Thursday, including a stop at community kitchen Nourish Hub. There, she was asked by a member of the public about Queen Elizabeth confirming her wish over the weekend for Camilla to be known as Queen Consort when her husband eventually becomes King.

"I feel very, very honored and very touched," Camilla answered.

Camilla's outing on Thursday came as the couple's office at Clarence House announced that Prince Charles, 73, tested positive for COVID-19 and was self-isolating. His visit to Winchester was canceled with hopes to reschedule for the near future....

Pope Francis offers guidance.

15 February 2022

By Christopher Wells

With a new motu proprio (click here) published on Tuesday, Pope Francis has modified canon law for both the Latin Church and the Eastern Churches, changing the areas of competence for various bodies within the universal Church. Specifically, with the Apostolic Letter Assegnare alcune competenze (“Assigning certain competencies,” taken from the opening words, or incipit” of the document), Pope Francis transfers certain responsibilities from the Vatican to local bishops.

Fostering collegiality
The new norms deal with different areas of Church life, in each case specifying the authorities competent to make decisions with regard to those issues. “The intention,” of the changes, writes Pope Francis at the beginning of his Letter, “is above all to foster a sense of collegiality and pastoral responsibility on the part of Bishops […] as well as Major Superiors, and also to support the principles of rationality, effectiveness, and efficiency.”...

Febraury 15, 2022
By Jackie Turvey Tait and Tobias Winright

A full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine (click here) seems imminent, but nobody really wins if this happens. The global economic and food security impacts would fall disproportionately on the most vulnerable. Catholic concern for the common good and just war principles require us to look for a diplomatic solution that might avert the evils such a conflict would unleash. In particular, a personal intervention by Pope Francis may be our last hope for successful negotiations to preserve peace.

Notably, Pope Francis writes in “Fratelli Tutti” that “it is very difficult nowadays to invoke the rational criteria elaborated in earlier centuries to speak of the possibility of a ‘Just War’” (No. 258), in part because of the destructive power of modern weapons. However, this does not mean contemporary Catholic ethics calls for unqualified pacifism; the just war framework allows leaders to judge whether military action is reasonable in light of traditional principles and pragmatic considerations....

It is child abuse. I agree.

But, what will the International Olympic Committee do to protect her from further abuse? Ms. Valieva will place with Gold as she is a magnificent skater with dignity, grace and every aspect of perfection the sport requires and dreams. But, Russia did it again, ruined yet another Olympics for the athletes they have sent to represent their country. No ceremonies in the Women's Ice Skating Competition. That seems interesting to what is sincerely a global issue with Russian althletes. 

A sixteen year old with performance enhancing medication in her system and her lawyer makes the excuse it is a trace of something that her grandfather takes for his heart. So, is the lawyer saying this 16 year old dabbled in performance enhancing drugs all by herself only to be caught in a drug test? I doubt her grandfather force fed it to her.

This is negligence at the very least by Russia to be sure their athelets are not involved with such issues. But, truly the adults, especially the coachs are responsible for child abuse. This was not a mistake, it was a medication given to her to ensure her performance and it is malicious and typical.

The international community should offer Ms Valieva and her famiy, including her grandfather, asylum from the abuse that permiates the ugly history of Russian Olympic contestants. This must stop. A 16 year old women's ice skating champion with sheer perfection in her movements was given a performance enhancing drug for absolutely no reason at all, except to make a political statement that the Olympics will allow tainted athletes to compete and win, but, alas without a metal ceremony as punishment.

Don't think for one minute this isn't put front and center with a beautiful child to demean this democratic arena where fairness outweighs dictators wishes. There is no doubt, as far as I am concerned, that she is a victim, not just of Russian doping, but, of the maniacal global politics of a bitter president and his demands for attention. It wasn't enough to have the world's greatest woman skater in the world, she had to be used to make a statement by a Russian president that knows only bitterness for the "arena of democratic fairness."

Putin's Russian arrogance, in a country that bows to his every whim, is on full display with Ms. Valieva and his wish to make a beautiful sport bittersweet. Still yet another reason for the "Russian people" to feel beleagured by world judgement and a real reason yet again to fight the war that will pheonix the Soviet Union.

She and her family need asylum if she is ever to grace the world with her magnificent potential and with all the honors that accompanies it.

February 15, 2022

By Rosie DiManno

Beijing - She will always be the girl with the ghost medal, a tragic figure. (click here)

If Russian teenager Kamila Valieva wins Olympic gold here on Thursday — because even when she’s imperfect, she’s brilliant — there will be no medal ceremony. Not for her and, as drive-by victims, not for the other two figure skating podium finishers either. It’s all too pending, too pendulous, too hanging fire.

And they’d have to take it away from her later, should the doping case against Valieva be substantiated down the road. Best not to even let her touch it.

But if the sports authorities get all mushy about the teen’s guilt, find an exculpating wedge of amnesty, just as the Court of Arbitration for Sport did on Monday — examining the dilemma through a very narrow lens of culpability and allowing the shy adolescent to compete in Tuesday’s short program despite testing positive for a banned substance — then the medal (medals) will be yielded later. Still radiating toxicity, though, tainted rather than burnished.

As spectral in her possession at some future date as it is phantom-like now: the gold she’ll probably win and the gold she’s already won in the team event.

Can it ever bring her pleasure or would it burn her fingers?

The fingers she laced together and held over her eyes at the end of her “In Memoriam” program on Tuesday evening, covering her tears, the strain of the past few days finally breaking through.

We need reminding, maybe, that this is a child and the ordeal she’s experiencing is akin to child abuse...

The New York Times is reporting there were many drugs in her system (click here). That is nothing but child abuse. Plain and simple.

The Olympics are not front and center this year. Go figure. I guess President Biden isn't there to damage politically.

February 11, 2022

The U.S. (click here) grabbed more shiny hardware Saturday at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Lindsey Jacobellis, 36, won her second gold medal of these Games, finishing first alongside American teammate Nick Baumgartner in the debut of mixed-gender team snowboardcross. The Americans were the oldest team in the field with a combined age of 76.

For Baumgartner, 40, who was heartbroken after failing to advance to the men's individual final, it was a second chance to earn his first Olympic medal in what was likely his fourth and final Olympic Games....

February 15, 2022

Team USA (click here) continued to add to its medal count at the 2022 Winter Olympics, but was it enough to lift them higher on the leaderboard?

With the help of two Chicago-area speed skaters, the U.S. scored a bronze medal in the men's team pursuit overnight....

Hare the top nations in the medal count so far:

1. Norway – 26 (12 gold, 7 silver, 7 bronze)

2. ROC - 20 (4 gold, 7 silver, 9 bronze)

3. Germany- 18 (9 gold, 6 silver, 3 bronze)

4. United States- 17 (7 gold, 6 silver, 4 bronze)

5. Canada- 17 (2 gold, 4 silver, 11 bronze)

The U.S. now sits in a tie for fourth place with 17 medals.

Norway continues to lead the way with 12 gold medals.

An exciting Gold Metalist is Kallie Humphreys.

14 February 2022
By Bryan Armen Graham

Interesting side story about Kallie in "Self." (click here)

Kaillie Humphries of the United States (click here) validated her reputation as one of the best pilots in the history of bobsleigh, surging to victory in the debut of women’s monobob and adding a third Olympic gold to her career haul with a strong chance for a fourth by week’s end.

The 36-year-old, who captured two-woman golds with Canada in 2010 and 2014 before joining the US team in 2019, finished with a four-run combined time of 4min, 19.27 sec to win by 1.54sec, the widest margin in any bobsleigh event in 42 years. She becomes the second athlete to win a Winter Olympic title for two different countries, joining short track speed skater Victor An....

I will be blogging this evening.

I understand that President Biden's sarcasm got him in trouble with Wall Street. That is Joe. He, up to now, has been very sarcastic. That is what got him in trouble with Peter What's His Name from FOX. 

That's Joe.

Either you love it or you don't. His sarcasm is actually disgust with the subject he addresses. I can respect that. Of course, we are not going to have bombs falling in the USA. But, President Biden is steadfast in his support of NATO and he is spot on. This is enough. Putin means to move into NATO countries and not stop at Ukraine. A communist regime is trouble for the human being. Not business. Not capitalism. Not the elite. But, average people are chronically having problems and live under a great deal of stress.

I want an investigation to the mental status of the USA woman skier Mikaela Shiffin. What occurred at the Olympic is not at all her norm.

Febuary 9, 2022
By Jenna Lemoncelli

Mikaela Shiffrin (click here) is getting support from past and present Olympians after the US alpine skier was brought to tears over her second straight disqualification at the 2022 Olympics.

Retired Olympic champion skier Lindsey Vonn, who’s commentating on the Beijing Games for NBC, said she was “gutted” for Shiffrin after the 26-year-old’s early exit in the first run of the slalom race on Wednesday.

The shocker came two days after Shriffin did not finish the giant slalom race, in which she was the defending gold medalist, after crashing 11 seconds into the opening run....

That said, I want to point to the arrogance of the Chinese woman's skier Eileen Gu. This is the profound problem in The West's average person understanding of communism, but, what is occurring with Eileen Gu is exactly the problem in communist countries. 

February 15, 2022

By Eduardo Baptista

Beijing - When Eileen Gu won Olympic gold in the Big Air, (click here) sales of her red Anta ski suit, complete with slipdrag reduction technology, surged 20-fold on Chinese e-commerce platform JD.com.

Luckin Coffee sold out of Gu-endorsed drinks, with a spike in cup-holders bearing her image, and the Chinese chain immediately said it would launch more Gu-linked products throughout the year.

The San Francisco-born skier won a silver medal in Tuesday's slopestyle final, earning more praise on Chinese social media for redeeming herself on a third jump after an earlier mistake....

Eileen Gu has a dual citizenship, China and the USA. She is on the China woman's ski team by choice.

In a recent press conference she stated, "I am just living my best life." She is an international model with acceptance by the Chinese people in many of their advertisements. But, she also skies in championship contests globally. She does not apologize for her glamourous life and ski championships. She simply is enthralled with herself. 

Her glib attitude about her popularity is ignoring the complete tragedy that exists in China among the people. China is as a known human rights violator. Ms. Gu doesn't speak to that, nor does it effect her focus in the wealths in her life, both financial and athletic elite. She is definitely more Chinese than American in her demeanor and ego. 

It is one thing to have talent and win. No one has a problem with that, but, her success in life and her igorance to her status in China is a tragedy all itself. Basically, so long as she is comfortable and happy the world is perfect. In China, the world is far from perfect.

I am also suprised in realizing China has had the Olympic games in only a fourteen years apart, the other being 2008.. That is not all that long. That is only three rotation of games both summer and winter.

Why is it that other countries such as Vietnam have no hope in sponsoring the games. Vietnam's reconstruction after the USA war there is stunning. They host a healthy tourism industry. Why are these countries lagging in prestige? The International Olympic Committee needs to discover ways for less wealthy countries to sponsor Olympics and develop their sports venues. Perhaps engaging them in other international events that will lead to a good effort in competing for sponsorship of Olympic games.

Until later.