Thursday, April 21, 2022

I heard reports that Russia was consulting with China within the window this missile was planned to be launched.

April 21, 2022
By Mark Trevelyan

London - In a show of strength two months into its assault on Ukraine, Russia test (click here) launched a new nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile which President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday would make Moscow's enemies stop and think.

Putin was shown on TV being told by the military that the long-awaited Sarmat missile had been test-launched for the first time from Plesetsk in northwest Russia and hit targets in the Kamchatka peninsula, nearly 6,000 km (3,700 miles) away.

The test of the Sarmat, under development for years, did not surprise the West, but came at a moment of extreme geopolitical tension. Russia has yet to capture any major cities since it sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24.....


In talks of Ukraine, Russia is not coming to grips with reality. Putin is counting on bullying his way through this and it is not well received. 

Putin needs to stop the killing which includes the bombing and allow the Ukrainians to return. They will not view him as their leader since he killed so many of them. Putin has to make the effort, otherwise, the outcomes to this is very poor.

There are too many people dead. There is no stepping away from that.

Putin is still looking for appeasement without realizing he has moved far beyond that possibility. His politics demands global resignation to his power. He will not be able to bridge that gap of reality with propaganda. The launch of a missile is supposed to bring the world to his feet in awe of his power. That is what that is about. Xi Zinping knew this was going to happen and evidently consented to it to force the issue of surrender.

The communists are vastly miscalculating. 

Nuclear brinkmanship was always a dialogue without credibility. This genocide has turned the communists into a danger on Earth. They are capable of disregarding all that is peaceful. Their values are not at all what The West has expected of them. They have little to no value of life. Power is their's to use as they see fit without overrating the enormously tragic outcomes. They are not calculating their moves in meaningful ways to even engage in peace talks. The dialogues have words but no meaning except to bide time and propagandize legitmacy of hate to the Russian people.

Putin has an achilles heel with the people of Russia and he is trying in every way to hide it and make excuses for all that has transpired. That is not a leader seeking peace. That is further aggression against his own people. There is a reason Navalny had a hearing before the invasion and that was to make opposition feeble in appearance.

They are really miscalculating and these are the leaders of these countries. There is no place for them to blame a misunderstanding. There is no safe place for them. They are fully invested in their propaganda and wrongly so.

It is one thing to be Goliath with arrogance of victory by the sheer appearance of strenght and it is another thing to be Goliath and approach a fight with the possibility of losing. The communists have got this wrong and they can't see the forest for the trees. That is impossibly dangerous.

The West demands peace. Appeasement has always been overrated when it comes to communists. Appeasement is not a weakness, it is a measured policy to peace. The communists have got this completely wrong.

I never thought I would ever see such carnage again.

The godless communists. Breaking every international law to protect life is disregarded. They have no conscience and now, with this highly illegal genocide by Putin, we know what to expect from them regardless of their pandering otherwise.

To take this back to the G8 that decided to expel Russia, I thought it would matter. I thought having trade relations mattered. Obviously, it doesn't and never did. They were playing The West for fools. It was all an experiment that carried with it hope of a peaceful planet with prosperity abounding, but, it was a failed experiment from the beginning with this generation of communists.

Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin were interested in peace. No one will convince me they weren't. There were human rights violations in the country, but, China could be approached at that time to establish policies to improve those violations. Today, that conscience is dead. I do not believe there is any reason to believe a communist country is capable of great humanity. The HOPE is over.

I remember the first Olympics in Beijing in 2008. We were seeing a very different China. The people and their leaders were proud of every moment and they had a right to be. It was events like that which brought The East and West together. The hope of establishing a profound peace across the globe was real. I know it was. 

The communists in Russia began to build power within the country that was unexpected. It was they that brought about the tragedies of 2014 in Ukraine. Even then I never expected this. Never. I still shake my head at the thought of all those dead and wonder why this is even happening. It is Putin's politics. He has to be right to bring about a powerful communist state. 

I think the invasion into Iraq was a turning point as well. But, that is a turning point that occurred in 2003. I can understand the communists measuring their power versus that of the USA as the invasion into Iraq was not consented to by major powers in the world and provided a platform to step back from peaceful optimism, but, to assign the displaced right to genocide is still uthinkable in any measure.

There were a lot of options open to Russia and China given the general displeasure with the USA by most every other country. This was not realized at all to be a possiblity. I thought genocide was put to rest with Hitler. Never would I expect Russia to carry out such depersonalized warfare that would kill the people of an entire nation.

This idea of power by the communists is wrongfully assessed. This blatant power to kill is an overreach of any possible outcome to the world. There is no sense to any of this. There are so many other options. Death carries a high definition with communists now. They have opened Pandora's Box. They have no means to back away from it now. They are playing high stake games with life on Earth and that is completely wrong and very arrogant. This will not end well. It already hasn't.

April 21, 2022

Since it began March 1, (click here) the Russian military has pummeled Mariupol relentlessly with artillery barrages and air raids, flattening most of the once-bustling city. The indiscriminate bombardment has hit homes, hospitals and other public buildings, killing thousands. That includes about 300 people killed in an airstrike on the Mariupol Drama Theater that was being used as a shelter, with officials inscribing the Russian word for “CHILDREN” in huge white letters on the pavement outside.

Mayor Vadym Boychenko told The Associated Press that at least 21,000 people were killed in Mariupol, with bodies “carpeted through the streets.” He said Russia deployed mobile cremation equipment to methodically dispose of the remains in order to destroy evidence of the massacre and prevent international organizations from documenting “the horror the Russian army is responsible for.” He alleged bodies also were dumped into mass graves outside the city.

He estimated that 120,000 people remain in Mariupol out of a prewar population of about 450,000...

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Some of the precious children of Mariupol are finding safe refugee status. Not all though.

20 April 2022
By David Averre

A few dozen civilians managed to leave the bombed out urban centre in a small bus convoy yesterday, but Ukraine accused Russia yet again of sealing off previously agreed humanitarian corridor, meaning fewer civilians were able to flee than hoped

...Mariupol (click here) would be the biggest city to be seized by Russia since invading Ukraine eight weeks ago, and the port is seen as a key strategic position for Russia's assault on the east of Ukraine.

But Putin's forces have been forced to reduce what was once a bustling metropolis of 400,000 people to rubble, having met bitter resistance from Ukraine's armed forces and territorial defence units stationed there....

...A few dozen civilians managed to leave the bombed out urban centre in a small bus convoy yesterday, but Ukraine accused Russia yet again of sealing off previously agreed humanitarian corridor, meaning fewer civilians were able to flee than hoped....

One thing to consider are the orphans that find their way to refugee camps. They are dearly import and should not be sent for adoptions unless it is another Ukraine family with hopes of one day returning to their homeland. The adoption industry takes advanage of every opportunity, but, this should not be considered an opportunity so much as oppression and genocide. The children that are orphans from Ukraine are vitally important to Ukraine's future. Now is not the time for adoption agencies to be swooping in to find homes away from Ukraine. They are surviving the genocide and that is vitally important and puts a pause on adoptions outside of Ukraine.

Chinese General Sun Tzu military philosophy is correct.

I would like to assign military genus to Putin, but, it isn't genius. It is the five year plan. The logistics effecting The West is the same all over the world due to the pandemic. 

NATO is a strong alliance because the countries are strong in many ways, but, military strength is part of that. The excess preparedness of NATO available to assist the genocide in Ukraine is impressive. But, NATO will not compromise it's readiness. So, part of the frustration facing Ukraine is the ability to manufacture it's military need to assist in the preservation of life. 

This war is not about power. NATO will not be stronger for helping Ukraine, it is about saving lives and maintaining the integrity of an entire ethnic in the world. Putin has it wrong about NATO and it is his own peril that he has caused.

For more than two millennia, (click here) the philosophical words of legendary Chinese general Sun Tzu have influenced successful strategic military plans. Many prominent leaders have heeded his warning that "the line between disorder and order lies in logistics."

Ammunition is one of the Department of Defense's (DOD's) top three largest logistics burdens along with water and fuel.1 Crane Army Ammunition Activity (CAAA), located in central Indiana, has for more than a decade produced conventional munitions and provided them to warfighters. For as long as combat leaders have fought and won battles in Iraq and Afghanistan, they have appreciated the activity's support.

As an Army Working Capital Fund organization, the CAAA operates under a revolving fund concept, relying on revenue from sales to finance operations rather than on budget proposals for direct appropriations from Congress. The activity operates as a business-like enterprise, managing cash and expenses in real time....

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

I don't find it strange that the richest man in the world doesn't own a home.

To begin, he wants to live on Mars, okay?

But, it is my opinion he moves from one friend's house to another as a guest because he finds collaboration enjoyable. I think it helps his genius to find comfort.

Clearly.

And Prince Harry is not going to cause a circus when he visits his Grandmother with his children. His daughter is named for her. Let them have real family moments. I think the Queen is up to it.

Give Elon Musk Twitter!

Give it to him!

What are you kidding me? 

He is the only one that looked at January 6th and decided something had to be done with Twitter!

Questions?

No one trusts Russia anymore.

April 19, 2022
By David L. Stern and Paulina Villegas

Mukachevo, Ukraine — The commander of Ukrainian forces’ (click here) last stronghold in the southern port city of Mariupol, surrounded by Russians and subjected to a constant barrage of fire, said Tuesday that his soldiers will not surrender....

...Speaking over a crackling connection made possible by satellite, he said his forces would not repeat the mistake made by others of trusting Russian guarantees of safe passage, only to see the Russians break their word and open fire....

We have seen the slaughter of innocent people, what is there to trust?

Ivan Monastyrskyi cruel death in Bucha can only be due to profound hatred. He never did anything to deserve the worst treatment and humiliation a man could receive. He was mocked for his faith in God and slowly drained of his life. I will never forget the severe death of this man. This was an act of barbarism. There is no civilized world in Russia anymore. Russia is propagating hatred in it's citizens and the military is a reflection of it.

The people in Mariupol need assistance in leaving. It isn't as though the soldiers are stubborn and holding on for the sake of holding on, the people of Ukraine no longer trust Russia and Ivan Monastryskyi is a clear demonstration of hatred and barbarism that resides in every Russian heart.

The men of the Ukrainian military need to be able to evacuate the people in the steel plant. They cannot do that because of the unrelenting bombardment of Mariupol. Why is the rest of the world finding it disabling to come up with a plan to assist these people? They are human beings that want to leave and live for the day they can return to Ukraine. They are basically refugees without a safe passage.

I find this war more and more intolerable everyday. Their requests for help should never go unheard or unaddressed. Mariupol is on a sea. There must be some way to relieve these people of their suffering.

The sanctions and pressures are causing problems within Russia, but, so far it hasn't translated into thwarting their killing machine. The Russians must be stopped.

...Arestovich (Ukrainian advisor) laid out three possible outcomes of the renewed fighting: "The first is that the Russians, having exhausted all of their operational reserves, will conduct tactical actions in order to hold onto the territory they currently occupy. The second is that they can leave our territory. And the third is that they can return to peace talks."...

Three reasonable options for the Russians. Why aren't they taking them? I think Putin's military is so far gone down the line of attempted annihilation of Ukrainians there is simply no solution at all. While Mr. Arestovich is seeking a solution to this chronic crisis, there are none. Putin is committed to one outcome and that is to destroy every Ukrainian life he can. Any other possibility put forward by Russia is a ruse.

There is no solution. There never was. This Russian military is a brutal regime with absolutely no reason to end the killing. They could not care less about life. They kill within their own ranks without a second thought. Some of the youngest soldiers kill their own. There are many reasons for that, but, they are overwhelmed with their own tasks.

I see no end point.

Everyone warned against this. The Secretary of State, President Biden, any USA military person that would speak to it; they saw massive death and destruction if Russia moved forward with a war against Ukraine. They were right. But, that is little solace in realizing there is no end to this. I guess the only answer is to isolate Russia and hope that is enough to stop this ridiculous war that began without any provocation except the Ukrainian people were alive.

I never thought I would ever see this level of hatred in my life. I thought the world was over disasterous wars and hideous reasons to kill. 

Now, China for whatever reason has built a second battery of radar to detect incoming missiles from all places Japan. There is nothing to be afraid of with Japan. These are very old paradaigms of hate and entitlement. The history books of resentment and hatred need to be nailed shut!

April 18, 2022
By Mike Yeo

Melbourne, Australia — A satellite photo(click here) has revealed that China has built a new long-range, early-warning radar that can be used to detect ballistic missiles from thousands of miles away, likely giving it coverage of all of Japan.

The image, taken on February 2022 by commercial satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies and published on Google Earth, show that a new Large Phased Array Radar, or LPAR, has been built at an existing mountaintop site in Yiyuan County, Shandong Province, some 70 miles southeast of the provincial capital Jinan.

The new array is pointed in a northeasterly direction and was built sometime after November 2019. Its completion can potentially give China early warning of ballistic missile launches from North and South Korea, most of Japan and even parts of Russia’s Far East....

Communism breeds paranoia. This is so ridiculous. North Korea maybe, but, all the other countries? Come on already. Where is world order when there is this level of paranoia and fear or each other?

Even space is not safe.

April 18, 2022
By Aamer Madhani

Washington - The Biden administration (click here) says it is barring anti-satellite missile testing by the United States, a move that White House officials say is meant to underscore its hopes of establishing new norms for military action in space.

The U.S. has sharply criticized Russia and China for conducting anti-satellite missile tests, although it also used an interceptor missile fired from a U.S. Navy warship more than 14 years ago to destroy a malfunctioning spy satellite....

End the Five Year Plans!


Believe me, Wall Street has no five year plan. This is really antiquated thinking that does not relate to the real world.

Putin woke up one morning while the Russian military was running war games, realized it was February 24th, the anniversary of the end of the Revolution of Dignity in the Euromaidan, looked at the five year plan and said, "This is the day we invade Ukraine," and did.

April 19, 2022

...Moreover, (click here) its latest Five Year Plan for the energy sector, made public in late March, makes it clear that coal will be a mainstay of the country’s electricity mix for a while....

Communists have a profound problem with their Five Year Plans. The world simply doesn't work that way anymore. Economics is based in opportunity and not a plan. This mess it creates is old world. If China and Russia and North Korea can't figure out why they are not in step with everyone else, there is a reason.

China cannot continue to use coal like this. It is out of the question.



Did anyone ask Disney how this is going to work?

April 19, 2022

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis escalated his weeks-long feud with Disney on Tuesday, challenging lawmakers to eliminate the special status that allows the entertainment company to operate as an independent government around its Orlando-area theme park.

In a bombshell announcement dropped just hours before lawmakers returned to Tallahassee for a special session to finalize new congressional maps, DeSantis changed the agenda for the week to also include a review of "independent special districts that were established prior to November 5, 1968." That would include the Reedy Creek Improvement Act, passed by the Legislature in 1967 to help establish Walt Disney World.

A bill filed by a Republican lawmaker soon after DeSantis' announcement would dissolve Disney's special district on June 1, 2023....

Is Disney prepared to eliminate the district it sits on and what has been proposed in the Florida budget to replace the district so Disney is fully supported? If the district falls into disrepair it will effect business. If this is due to ONLY redistricting, there are real concerns about the judgement of the members of the Florida legislature willing to do anything to Republican control of the vote going forward.

Congressional districts can be assigned by the number of people alone living and working within a district. I am quite sure there are significant number of people served in this district. Aren't they voicing there concerns and why not?

It seems to me everything has gone correctly all these decades and now all of a sudden that has to change to satify voting maps. That is not the way a governor is supposed to see a state full of people facing enormous issues the least of which is a climate crisis. Miami is having significant problems already due to climate and that never enters the Republican policy map. I think being responsible is more important than gerrymandering districts to corruptly win elections.

The public needs to hear from the parties most effected by these ridiculous new maps. The threat of well being of a lot of people that visit Disney every year are at stake. Disney's average tourist population is 58 million people (click here). That is a lot of flushing toilets.

...The District (click here) is responsible to oversee land use and environmental protections within the District, and provide essential public services (e.g. fire protection, emergency medical services, potable water production, treatment, storage, pumping & distribution, reclaimed water distribution, chilled and hot water systems, wastewater services, drainage and flood control, electric power generation & distribution, and solid waste and recyclables collection & disposal); regulate the EPCOT Building Code; and operate and maintain all public roadways & bridges. The District operates on a fiscal year, beginning on October 1st and ending on September 30th; and funds its operations, services, and capital improvements by assessing taxes and fees to the District’s landowners and lessees, and by issuing ad valorem and utility revenue bonds....

Reports from the "Daily Mail" state Putin's bomb masters are using metal darts to kill people.

I hate to cast doubt, but, pictures and autopsies would be required to claim this as an effective weapon.


Never heard that from Syria which was attacked with cholorine bombs. Bucha is a wasteland. The cruelty of what transpired there is the work of someone dedicated to killing and now war.

February 6, 2022

The first World War (click here) was a horrific time to be a soldier on the frontlines. Nations were in a rush to quickly develop and implement the newest and most effective tools of destruction. Before the war, troops had no idea of the true devastation that a tank, fighter pilot, or the various gas canisters could bring. And then there were evil darts....

I haven't a clue how that would work. The bomb would have to explode above the ground. And far enough above the ground to allow the darts to pick up velocity.

The darts were also mostly silent. One minute, you and your platoon are fine in the trenches. The next, you’re all being turned into pincushions. (Illustration from the Petit Journal, August, 1915

...If you filed grooves into the top or added a bird’s feather to the dull end, the dart would always land pointy-side down. Now consider the fact that a single pilot could release a canister filled with around 250 of these darts at a time and you can understand the sheer terror that these things wrought.

The Italians invented the darts before the war, but soon, countries on both sides of No Man’s Land were dropping them on opposing trenches. They were also extremely cheap to make and implement, which means they were used constantly — although the Royal Flying Corps felt they were “unsportsmanlike.” The Germans, on the other hand, were very keen on using the darts on the French. In fact, they had them specially imprinted with the text, “invention Française, fabrication Allemande.” Which roughly translates to, “a French invention, German made.”

The elections of 2010 are not accurate depictions of what can occur in 2022.

For any analysis to compare the 2010 elections to the 2022 elections is not accurate. The 2010 election was a majority of "return to Republican" seats in both the US House and Senate. The interesting aspect is the number of Democratic seats maintained in that election.

That said, currently there is a January 6th Committee coming back with very upsetting news. There was law breaking regarding this insurrection and yes, it was an insurrection. In that, Republicans are taking up right wing extremism as a moniker for wins in the USA 2022 elections.

THERE IS A REAL DANGER IN THAT.

Some of the undertones of these candidates aren't so much known as maintained in secret, especially as the CULT OF TRUMP has it's witch doctor, sorry, Shaman in prison for a significant length of time. Let me impart some of the stupidity that goes along with this hubris. Very dangerous hubris. 

Trump was a known Putin puppet as it revealed during his time in office, the worst of it was the obvious secrecy of the Helsinki meeting. But, for those that declare themselves Republicans while practicing voodoo in their campaigns there is a strange analogy that Trump "is the man" for all season.


The attacks into eastern Ukraine have their problems (click here). It is still bombs away vs. boots on the ground.

This is deranged but not unthinkable as the extreme right is looking for "signs" that will lead to victory. The only reason I bring this up is that a majority Republcan House and Senate will seek to overturn the 2020 elections by legislative directives and will seek to dismantle the USA Constitution to allow for such hideous outcomes following legitimate elections, ie: Georgia. What if Georgia's corruption makes it into federal law? That is a focus and will be a focus of these so called Republicans in the 2022 elections.

There is nothing economically friendly about communism. Nothing. While captialism has been tolerated in Russia and China, it is just that, tolerated. One of the reasons it has been tolerated is due to long term plans to dismantle The West. With The West entangled in communist's capitalism, the hopes have always been to defeat these countries from the inside and send them into ruin. Donald John Trump's economy succeeded because of it's tax structure and no other reason. There was no reason to expect that disasterous strategy to be abandoned if there are majorities in the US House and US Senate. The state races are at risk as well.

This election is just as important to the country as the next 2024 federal races with states falling to Republicans that are right wing extremists. Vladimir Putin is watching to find a USA more friendly to Russia and less supportive to Ukraine. 

Communists are not interested in money, they are interested in control. I would think the dictatorships that now exist in Russia and China would reveal that. Poverty is a good friend to the communist elite. There is nothing to say a higher level of poverty won't occur after the next USA elections.

April 18, 2022
By Jennifer Rubin

Open Secrets (click here) reports that from 2019 to 2020, business PACs poured more than $21.3 million into Republican coffers. (Covering their bets, they also gave roughly $15.8 million to Democrats.) The rotten return on their largesse should prompt corporate executives to rethink their political giving.

After the Jan. 6 insurrection — and after many Republicans voted to overturn the 2020 election - many corporations declared they would no longer give to Republicans. Many have since reconsidered. Did business leaders think these Republicans have turned over a new leaf?

If so, they were terribly naive, given Republicans’ subsequent conduct. In continuing to fund antidemocratic Republicans, corporations are courting disaster not only for the country but also for their corporations, which depend on the rule of law, functional democracy and peaceful transfers of power....

The FAA needs to start a category concerned with climate when investigating deaths and incidents.

I don't believe the Burley Airport will be closed. This is a picture of the runway with a light plane landing. I believe the processing plant is in the background. I think those are grain silos and not chimneys, but, the picture below shows the chimneys that Jim Bob Infanger discusses below.

The Burley Airport (click here) was dedicated on the 4th of July 1930. It is located right on a bend just off the Snake River. It is one of the most stunning airports to fly into in Southern Idaho. The Airport rests just on the east side town but is still close enough to downtown that pilots can walk in for a bite to eat.

Rededication

In late October of 2002 the airport was rededicated Burley J R Jack Simplot Airport. If you wish to contact the airport call Kevin Gebhart at 678-7118....

The picture to the right is the street level view of the Gem State Processing Plant (click here). There are multiple smoke stacks and what appears to be grain elevators at the plant site. The grain elevators are in line with the products produced at this plant. At the very least any tower near any airport should have long lasting digital lights so planes can plainly see them on approach, but, there is something else I need to discuss below.

However, the picture below shows a lovely and competent pilot in Chelsea Brittney Infanger. She looks typical of the women in the Midwest that come from farming areas. Happy and competent in their career choices.

14 April 2022
By Rett Nelson

Idaho Falls – A local family (click here) is mourning the loss of their daughter and sister after she was tragically killed in a plane crash Wednesday morning.

Chelsea Brittney Infanger, 30, of Salmon was the pilot of a single-engine Cessna 208B plane registered to Gem Air. It crashed into the Gem State Processing Plant in Heyburn around 8:35 a.m. Details of the crash are still being investigated, but Jim Bob Infanger, the pilot’s dad, tells EastIdahoNews.com Brittney, as she was known to friends and family, was delivering packages for UPS when the crash occurred.

“The company she worked for has a contract with UPS,” Jim Bob says. “They’ve got quite a few pilots and they fly six or eight of these routes every day and she was one of their main pilots flying a UPS route for them.”

Brittney had been flying for 11 years and was a “well-respected pilot way beyond her years,” according to her dad.

Jim Bob explains the Burley Municipal Airport is on the bank of the Snake River and on the opposite side is the processing plant his daughter collided with. He says Brittney flew to this airport all the time and was well aware of any obstacles.

“There’s a 60-foot chimney sticking out of the top of the food processing plant — no lights on it, dead center — straight across the runway. So whenever you come in, you have to fly over the top of this and drop down,” he says.

Jim Bob doesn’t officially know what happened but suggests she might have hit a bird on the way down and the coroner thinks the wing may have hit the chimney, causing the plane to flip. The Minidoka County Coroner is expected to release more information about what happened Thursday or Friday, according to the Heyburn Police Department....

In the years 2004 through 2009 I flew a lot primarily on the East Coast. It was with Delta airlines and there were brush burn incidents along the way whereby the pilots had to divert their direction and it was ususally straight up and I found myself pulling Gs. 

Some small airports are in percarious places and the approaches can be difficult, one in particular was in Juneau, Alaska (Alaskan Air) where one of the runways have an approach between two mountains. On a cloudy day pilots sometimes have problems with coming in too close to the mountains, hence, the upward climb only to come in over the wetlands. So, to wonder about the approach of some small airports is appropriate.

However, in all the many years since my focus has been more intense regarding the climate, there is also a problem with small, light planes. The number per year that crash can be a bit unbelievable. They usually end in death to most adults in those planes. Sometimes a child will be alive, interestingly enough.

The problem as I see it is wind. I know private plane pilots and they tell some harrowing tales about their flights. Many of these pilots are well trained with significant time in the air, so their observations are interesting. There is such a reporting of a very similar set of circumstances and unless one is a pilot the idea that wind could cause these deaths and incidents would not necessarily occur to the average person. It may be some of these airports do need nearby buildings to be lit up and/or doppler radar to detect unexpected changes in wind.

One such tale was imparted to me regarding an approach of an airport in New Jersey called "Kupper Airport." The pilot had made plans and was flying alone coming into his destination airport when suddenly what seems out of nowhere a huge blast of wind literally took control of the airplane. He pushed the acceleration of the plane into high and pulled the nose up. It was all the right moves, but, the plane was now sideways in the air and he believed he was going to crash. The wind had literally held the plane in the path of the wind due to the aerodynamics of a plane now sideways and providing a large surface area. The pilot remembers seeing the wind sock go from gently blowing as expected to standing straight out with a turn in the opposite direction. As he climbed he could feel the aircraft coming back into control and he was now over the hanger where he should have crashed if the plane was not recovered. He was able to rise above the wind and it released the plane so he could circle around and inform the people on the ground he was going to approach a different airport. In about 30 minutes he landed safely, but, not without realizing his hands were shaking as he shutdown the engine.

One of the projects I always wanted to approach was a survey of commercial and small private plane pilots to determine if wind is a problem, how much of a problem and were their changes in normal patterns since 2003 when the chronic Midlatitude Vortexes came into dominance over the Jet Stream. I was never able to get that funding, but, the surveys still need to be done. 

The FAA needs to add to these crashes and incidents whereby unexpected wind issues become near fatal, could be caused by the climate crisis. I have to wonder if this very competent UPS pilot met her death due to unexpected wind gusts. We have seen mulitude of YouTube videos of commercial airliners. struggling to land in strong winds with some very large jets even turning at angles before touching down only to have the pilots land safely. I think there is a real need for this research and the FAA should sponsor it if pilot unions do not. If nothing else it can create graphs that indicate the frequency of these incidents and the number of fatalities involved. There are probably more small planes in the air these days than two decades ago, but, the percentages should reveal where concern lies and find a quest to solve these problems.

My sincerest sympathies for the family of this wonderful woman pilot, Chelsea Brittney Infanger. I hope the investigation into her death shows the cause and a path can be laid to correct that danger.

Monday, April 18, 2022

Russia has legal obligations to Ukraine for the destruction and loss of life it has caused.

The court has no direct means to enforce the order, but, the international community and the banks can find justice for Ukraine so long as Russia continues to kill the people and rape the land.

I believe sovereign countries can act against Russia that limits it's ability to carry out war and the banks have a legal obligation to Ukraine in requesting monies to protect this country and return function. Banks with the authority invested in them by sovereign governments can begin to take Russian wealth and return Ukraine's function and protections for the people.

There is absolutely no doubt the World Court has ruled that Russia is acting illegally and is to stop. As it continues beyond the decisions of the world court only proves it has no respect for authority of any kind. When such a rouge status is valued by Putin, it is time for the world and it's banks to act responsibility to end this travesty of this war.

16 March 2022


The UN’s international court of justice (ICJ) (click here) in The Hague has ordered Russia to halt its invasion of Ukraine, saying the court had not seen any evidence to support the Kremlin’s justification for the war, that Ukraine was committing genocide against Russian-speakers in the east of the country.

The court ruled by 13 votes to two for a provisional order that “the Russian Federation shall immediately suspend military operations that it commenced on 24 February 2022 in the territory of Ukraine”. Only the Russian and Chinese judges on the court voted against the order.

The court president, US judge Joan Donoghue, said the court “is not in possession of evidence substantiating” Russian allegations of genocide on Ukrainian territory. In any case, she said it was “doubtful” the Genocide Convention gives any authority for the “unilateral use of force in the territory of another state”.

Consequently, she said “the court considers that Ukraine has a plausible right not to be subjected to military operations by the Russian Federation”.

ICJ rulings are binding under the UN Charter, and the court order noted they “create international legal obligations for any party to whom the provisional measures are addressed”, but it has no means of enforcement. It is unlikely to influence Putin’s choices, but it does provide an authoritative refutation of his frequently used pretext for starting the war.

“Ukraine gained a complete victory in its case against Russia at the international court of justice,” the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said in a tweet. “The ICJ ordered to immediately stop the invasion. The order is binding under international law. Russia must comply immediately. Ignoring the order will isolate Russia even further.”...

This is not a culture war, it is an attack on freedom of speech by Texas.

If Texas is good for anything that attacks moral content of society like freedom of speech, multi-culturalism, gun control and the climate. Other than that I don't find much virtue in what goes on in Texas. It is biased against most anything American.

There is a children's section in any public library and why adult content would be found there is because of librarians that don't know the Dewey Decimal System.

It is outrageous to even make an issue of this. When it comes to transgender anyone there is no arguing with it. It is a physical PROOF that is genetically based. There is no INFLUENCING anyone to be transgender. It is a matter of genetics and the extremist idiots in Texas need to get over themselves.

They don't even care to understand where the responsiblity at the southern border ends with States Rights and Federal responsibility. This idea of limiting content in public libraries and schools is outrageous. I think School Boards have been doing a great job at the local level and there is no other way to address school children and their needs. One has to wonder what fuels the sports bonfires in Texas.

April 17, 2022
By Annie Gowen

Llano, Tex. - In early November,  (click here) an email dropped into the inbox of Judge Ron Cunningham, the silver-haired head chair of the governing body of Llano County in Texas’s picturesque Hill Country. The subject line read “Pornographic Filth at the Llano Public Libraries.”

“It came to my attention a few weeks ago that pornographic filth has been discovered at the Llano library,” wrote Bonnie Wallace, a 54-year-old local church volunteer. “I’m not advocating for any book to be censored but to be RELOCATED to the ADULT section. … It is the only way I can think of to prohibit censorship of books I do agree with, mainly the Bible, if more radicals come to town and want to use the fact that we censored these books against us.”

Wallace had attached an Excel spreadsheet of about 60 books she found objectionable, including those about transgender teens, sex education and race, including such notable works as “Between the World and Me,” by author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates, an exploration of the country’s history written as a letter to his adolescent son. Not long after, the county’s chief librarian sent the list to Suzette Baker, head of one of the library’s three branches.

“She told me to look at pulling the books off the shelf and possibly putting them behind the counter. I told them that was censorship,” Baker said....

Sunday, April 17, 2022

I hope everyone has had a good holiday. 

With all the religious faiths in the world it is difficult to isolate just one for good wishes. Every member of every faith should have a wonderful experience. Faith is important and a moral guardrail for people.

Good night.

Is it possible to suspend some of the debt?

This is a country that is trying to protect every Ukrainian they can through a refugee process and/or protecting the cities as best they can. The idea Ukraine has the luxury of worrying about it's economy and/or a better GDP is simply unrealistic. As an example, one aspect of the Ukraine GDP was a rocket factory. That has been bombed by the Russians. 

So, the idea Ukraine can at all provide some degree of normal financial functioning is absurd. The country needs relief from it's debt and since this is still a new war the path forward is uncertain. One has to consider not just the enormous damage to cities and their infrastructure, but, Russia has been carrying on very strange movements around Chernobyl. For the Ukrainians still living in that region, there may or may not be permanent damage to the region and it may have to one more time be evacuated until radiation levels are down.

The debt Ukriane is incurring to allow for a national defense will have to fall to Russia in reparations. It is international law and Russia is not exempt. 

President Zelensky in making this request is worried about the well being of the Ukrainian treasury and it's perception in the international market place. The future for the Ukrainians that are now children are still a concern for President Zelensky. I am most confident the World Bank and other financial institutions can begin to assess Ukraine's problems vs. it's assets which include the people and determine the best path forward. With any luck this conflict will be short lived and Ukraine can return to correct it's path today and rebuild a better business infrastructure.

There is currently an intrinsic value to this conflict the financial world is not considering. THE CONFLICT or WAR has a value to the world that reveals new truths about the global balance of power and the future of weapons and wars. Ukraine has to be assessed as a country that has withstood incredible strife to get this far in protecting it's sovereign state. Ukrainians have overcome some of the most terrible circumstances that can be leveled at a human society and that is a value in lessons that are part of the value of Ukraine.

The lessons the world is learning from Ukraine and it's magnificent people must become part of it's financial legacy going forward. In that understanding comes a reverence for the country in knowing the future holds a great deal of hope. That hope and the knowledge the world has gained is part of a greater legacy that has to be valued in the real world.

No financial institution can replace the people lost in Ukraine that are part of it's economy. But, for the perseverence of the Ukrainians, financial institutions can and must consider wisdom in serving their national debt and their needs today. In that is to realize Russia has a profound indebtedness to Ukrainians regardless of the outcome of the conflict and it is Russia that needs to held responsible TODAY for the destruction they have carried out and the real life damages to the people of that incredible country.

There is no doubt President Zelensky is making an honorable request and all I am stating here is that there is higher regard that can be shown by the world financial institutions and the place where Ukraine's debt actually lies. Please assist President Zelensky in his struggle to protect Ukraine's sovereign borders and the land that will once again be home to a proud nation of people and their children. These are young families and their potential is unlimited as soon as the country is once again functioning as it should.

April 17, 2022
By Grayson Quay

Ukraine has asked the G7 countries for $50 billion (click here) to help cover the war-torn country's budget shortfall, said Oleh Ustenko, the economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on Sunday, Reuters reports.

Per Reuters, Ukraine "is also considering issuing zero percent coupon bonds to help it cover a war-linked budget deficit over the next six months."

The World Bank projected last week that Ukraine's economy is expected to shrink by 45.1 percent in 2022 as a result of Russia's invasion, though "the magnitude of the contraction will depend on the duration and intensity of the war."...

Saturday, April 16, 2022

The Russian soldiers crucified and tortured Ivan Monastyrskyi to entertain themselves.

April 16, 2022
by Louisa Loveluck and Serhiy Morgunov

Bucha, Ukraine - Police found the body (click here) in an abandoned Russian military camp where occupying soldiers had sat around drinking wine, their laughter so loud that neighbors seethed as it echoed down Yablunska Street.

They had known for weeks that there was a body in the camp, yet another among so many corpses the Russians left behind. Overwhelmed crews picking them up simply hadn’t gotten to it yet. So no one knew it was Ivan Monastyrskyi.

His neighbor was the first to identify him, recognizing the unshaven face of a man who had watched his beloved street become a killing field. When his wife, Yulia, approached the body, her blue eyes froze.

There were bullet holes in his calves and his arms were stretched out at strange angles between slats of wood with nails through them. His wife looked at the thin sweater he was wearing and couldn’t help thinking how he must have been so cold in his final minutes.

Yulia’s neighbors heard her that night, inconsolable.

“What happened?” they heard her crying. “What did they do to him?”...

May Ivan Monastyrskyi rest in peace. May his wife find solace in his passing. He did nothing wrong. He was a victim of hate.

The 2016 Russian Yaravaya Law makes it illegal to be Christian. It is my guess Mr. Monastyrskyi tried to make friends with the Occupation Russians. Obviously, his wife did not know he was in the camp, so he probably approached them in hopes of finding common ground and welcome them to their neighborhood. Other Ukrainians have done that with the Russians and were mildly successful, especially with the young conscription soldiers.

The older Ukrainians didn't want the war, as far as they were concerned the lack of electricity and heat in the cold winter and the lack of water was a form of suffering and they believed if the Russians were allowed to take over at least they would have water and heat in their homes. They attributed much of their suffering to the younger Ukrainians that wanted to live within a democracy with economic vitality.

Both of these perspectives regarding the Ukrainian people were written in accounts I read and/or were videos of those waiting in line for water. There was on occassion a working hand water pump in the community, probably a farm where the animals were watered.

I am sure Mrs. Monastyrskyi was hoping her husband would return soon with some sort of resignation to the presence of Russians now.

A: Russia adopted a law (click here) making it unconstitutional to be a Christian, even though the (Russian) constitution says you are free to profess any faith. (The Yarovaya law increases regulation of evangelism, including a ban on the performance of “missionary activities” in non-religious settings.)

Based on this law, which is active right now, if you declare that you belief this or that or if you publically invite someone to church, of if you share an invitation to a Christian conference or service on facebook, sometimes even if you just attend church you will receive a huge fine or you can be jailed for up to 3 years. If you represent a church as a pastor or leader, then the fine is $1M rubles ($15,700) and up to 5 years in jail, if they can prove that you were promoting your faith....

Russia expelled non-profits some time ago. Recently, human rights groups were removed from the country. They coulc even be in jail or prison by now.

April 9, 2022
By Mark Robinson

Under mounting international pressure (click here) for reported war crimes, Russia on Friday forced the closure of several prominent human rights groups' offices, CNN reported.

Driving the news: The Russian Ministry of Justice rescinded the registrations of 15 offices belonging to foreign NGOs and international aid organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace....

The march to war in Ukraine by Russia didn't happen overnight. Putin directed his military unexpectedly, but, the Russian government has been closing down freedoms and any alliances connected to any country that practiced freedom. It has been coming for some time. The more difficult the communists made the politics, the more and more Russia became a dictator state with plans for expansion.

19 September 2012

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) (click here) has announced it will close its offices in Russia following an order from the authorities there to cease operations.

The Russian government gave the US until 1 October to close the mission, accusing it of meddling in politics.

USAID has worked in Russia for two decades, spending nearly $3bn (£1.8bn) on aid and democratic programmes.

The expulsion follows a government crackdown on pro-democracy groups....

USAID was not the only non-profit to be closed down by the Russian government.

March 1, 2022
By Peter Smith 

Ukraine’s tangled political history with Russia (click here) has its counterpart in the religious landscape, with Ukraine’s majority Orthodox Christian population divided between an independent-minded group based in Kyiv and another loyal to its patriarch in Moscow.

But while there have been appeals to religious nationalism in both Russia and Ukraine, religious loyalty doesn’t mirror political fealty amid Ukraine's fight for survival.

Even though Russian President Vladimir Putin justified his invasion of Ukraine in part as a defense of the Moscow-oriented Orthodox church, leaders of both Ukrainian Orthodox factions are fiercely denouncing the Russian invasion, as is Ukraine's significant Catholic minority.

“With prayer on our lips, with love for God, for Ukraine, for our neighbors, we fight against evil — and we will see victory,” vowed Metropolitan Epifany, head of the Kyiv-based Orthodox Church of Ukraine....

True to form, freedom of speech has brought criticism of the Ukraine military.

The article below is not the reporting I am discussing here. The article below shows the continued genocide by Russia of the Ukriane people. The gossip that I heard today sought to understand and somewhat justify the Russian invasion. There is no rational that allows Russia to slaughter innocent people.

The comments come from someone who believes the Nazis are the Ukrainian military. That is not the case and I remind the leader of the Ukriane military is the commander and chief and he is Jewish. I think the Ukraine people have been in the hands of a man, namely President Zelensky, qualified to lead the country. He certainly has hands on time in the streets and in the killing fields. He does not sit at a desk without understanding what is transpiring across Ukraine.

Previous to the Russian invasion there was an extremist right wing group called the Azovs. They studied the methods of fighting, etc. It is my understanding they were involved in the Maidan in 2014. Why? Because they were battled trained. Azov shamelessly speaks to their philosophy as Nazis. In the USA we have similar people called White Supremacists/Nationalists. They do the same thing the Azov group has done. The difference in the focus of the two is startling.

To understand the Azov group one has to realize the Ukrainian national military was disarmed and mostly disbanded by the Pro-Russia faction of the Ukraine government. Instead of the national military, Yanukovych gave the Ukriane oligarchs power to organize and train militias acoss Ukriane to control the people. The national security of Ukriane was literally handed over to Russia at Russia's insistence. Basically, under the Yanukovych rule Russia saw Ukriane as a satellite to it's own power. Yanukovych was overseeing the country of Ukriane not as a sovereign country, but, as a state within Russia. The best example is the annexing by Russia of Crimea after the 2014 uprising. It is safe to say that the uprising in 2014 at the Maidan probably would not have happened without the Azovs.

Was the uprising a good thing? Yes. It separated Ukraine from Russia. The uprising in the Maidan began a backlash that ousted Yanukovych from power and sent he and his family to Russia. I am certain he would love to come back to rule over Ukraine as a state again. The people don't want it.

The reporting of Russia capturing Ukrianian people and forcing them into servitude to destroy their own country is a good illustration of Russia's perceived entitlement to the land and the people that populate that land.

  • An advisor to Mariupol's mayor warned (click here) Russia plans to close off access to city
  • He said 'filtration' of men still in the city has reached 'maximum momentum'
  • He claimed Russian forces are using filtration camps and checkpoints to determine which of the city's residents could still be of use to Moscow
  • Russia is doing this because the city is no longer habitable for many who remain, he said. Mariupol has been all-but reduced to rubble by Russian shelling 
Basically, Putin is running out of men and believe pressing captured Ukrainians into service for Russia is going to give him a better hand to play. Putin is desperate. The Russian military has set up "filtration camps." Such a camp by any other name is a concentration camp. The Ukrainians are probably being treated as possessions and used as if they are Russia's chatel. We now know what has become of the men, but, what has become of the women and children the Russians have captured and placed in their filtration camps? Better name is reassignment camps.

At any rate, the Avozs exist because of Russian oppression. Now that the Ukrainian government has reconstituted it's national military, with this invasion by Russia, the Avozs have joined the ranks of the Ukrainian military and are fighting for their country.

In the USA White Supremacists/Nationalists are more interested in racism (click here). The use of "Nazi" by Putin is for the purpose of instilling fear that dates back to WWII. That is not the issue at hand. Additionally, most countries are not "melting pots" like the USA. So, when the Azov group is discussed in relation to Ukriane there is no racism involved. They are a fighting force with military training related to the Nazis, but, Ukrainians are Ukrainians.

This is a map of the varied ethnicity in Ukraine. (click here) Make no mistake, Putin and his military want to wipe out the Ukrainian population from the map. The forces within Russia are only interested in Russians and no other ethnicity. The rest of the world needs to take example of this because Putin is coming for them next.

Russia's invasion into Ukraine is about control and not about eradicating Nazis. If that was the case Russia and Ukraine might work together, but, since there has been little uprise since the Maidan, the Azov groups seem quite happy.

Vladimir Putin has no intention to allow Ukrainians the right to live and carry on their identities or their faiths. As far as Putin is concerned Ukrainians are a problem and they will be less and less a problem if they are eradicated. That is what this boils down to and the Azovs are not true died in the wool Nazis. They are Ukrainians that armed themselves in training during the time when Yanukovych was in power and disarmed the national military.

Putin is using the Nazis as scapegoats for his war against Ukrainians. There is no threat to any other country, except, Russia by the Avozs. Especially now, they are part of the Ukrainian mlitary.

We know for a fact that Russia is only interested in Russians because of the internal laws that have taken place by the Duma. The Russian diaspora was returned and given jobs, but, within a year after their return they had to declare their dual citizenship. In another year there was a fine for dual citizenship status. That fine was supposed to be paid annually. But, after a time that fine was dropped and all Russians had to declare their Russian heritage as their only identity and their only citizenship. The opportunity to have a dual citizenship in Russia was then criminalized.

This tightening noose around the Russian people has lead to political dissent. Well over half the Russian people do not approve of this level of oppression. They are unable to rid themselves of the oppression because of a very, very corrupt election process.

The resistence by Ukraine to become a Russian possession is real for real reasons and has nothing to do with the Nazis of WWII or racism. 

April 16, 2022
By Adam Schreck and Mstyslav Chernov

Russian forces resumed scattered attacks on Kyiv, (click here) western Ukraine and beyond Saturday in an explosive reminder to Ukrainians and their Western supporters that the whole country remains under threat despite Russia’s pivot toward mounting a new offensive in the east.

Stung by the loss of its Black Sea flagship and indignant over alleged Ukrainian aggression on Russian territory, Russia’s military command had warned a day earlier of renewed missile strikes on Ukraine’s capital. Officials in Moscow said they were targeting military sites.

But the toll of war reaches much deeper. Each day brings new discoveries of civilian victims of a war that has shattered European security and plunged East-West relations to new lows. In the Kyiv region alone, Ukrainian authorities have reported finding the bodies of more than 900 civilians, most shot dead, since Russian troops retreated two weeks ago....

Time to check expiration dates.

16 April 2022
By Sheryk DeVore

Avian flu (click here) has likely killed hundreds of double-crested cormorants nesting at Baker’s Lake near Barrington, Illinois.

Wildlife biologist Chris Anchor said this is the largest outbreak of disease in wild birds he’s seen in Cook County.

“I’ve never seen anything like this since I started working here 41 years ago,” said Anchor, of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. “Chances are this is happening in other places, and we’re not aware of it because no one is looking.”

The outbreak, which affects wild, backyard and commercial bird populations, was likely caused by the same highly infectious strain of avian flu that is sweeping the country.

Since early February, more than 23 million birds in commercial flocks have been killed by avian flu or euthanized due to the outbreak, mostly outside Illinois, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Cases have been reported in 24 states this year, with Iowa the hardest hit, The Associated Press reported. While poultry remains safe to eat as long as it’s properly cooked, the prices of eggs and other poultry-related foods are soaring....

On April 17, 2007, (click here) FDA licensed the first vaccine in the United States for the prevention of H5N1 influenza, commonly referred to as avian influenza or "bird flu." This inactivated influenza virus vaccine is for use in people 18 through 64 years of age who are at increased risk of exposure to the H5N1 influenza virus subtype contained in the vaccine. This vaccine is derived from the A/Vietnam/1203/2004 influenza virus. The vaccine is manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur Inc. of Swiftwater, PA and has been purchased by the federal government for inclusion within the Nation's National Stockpile.

This vaccine could be used in the event that the H5N1 avian influenza virus develops the capability to spread efficiently from person to person, resulting in the rapid spread of disease across the globe. Vaccines are critical to help counter the spread of influenza disease during a pandemic.