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Suzy McHale’s Journal: 2022

Last year of the Covid pandemic, but replaced with a new drama as the Russia-Ukraine war commenced, which would obsess me (and thus be the subject of much of my writing) for the next two years, and cause me even more mental distress (6/4 entry) – I noted in my 7/4 entry that I now felt nostalgia for the lockdowns. Politically I was in a more Conservative/Libertarian phase (which proved temporary – 16/9 entry) so my opinions here reflect that. On Tuesday 25/1 I tripped up on the pavement while walking outside and got grazes and bruises – I noticed I did not recover as easily from such incidents as I did when younger and injuries took longer to heal (31/1 entry). In my 10/5 entry I said that the cumulative mental distress from the lockdowns then this war had contributed to my loss of interest in my former creative projects and books and movies – and coping with my aging parents (the last was only just the beginning of their decline). Mum sold her Mazda 2 on 13/6. On 24/8 I endured what I thought was one of my occasional migraines and a head cold, but a subsequent RATS test on 28/8 showed me positive for Covid! I temporarily lost my sense of smell – a Covid symptom. I also tripped and fell again on that day. On 1/12 Dad was taken to hospital (Monash I think? I did not record it) with what turned out to be Covid – as he was elderly (89) it affected him badly. He was discharged on 4/12. In my 18/12 entry I said that my creative muse had vanished and that my politics were more Leftwards again.

January

Saturday 1/1: Starting another year in the heat; distorted time; The Expanse TV series latest

Another year begins, no doubt to be dominated by COVID-19 again, with the threat of more lockdowns (despite the Prime Minister’s assurance otherwise). Seems hardly any time since last year was beginning (and the COVID lockdown limbo also contributed to the feeling of time distortion).

Weather is in the high-30s; the hottest NYD in Melbourne in a decade. I have not been on my daily walk yesterday or today; too tiring.

I watched Episode 4, Season 6 of The Expanse (I am not buying the books or other products due to the authors’ extreme Wokeness – 2/12/2021 entry). It was somewhat more engaging than the previous episode. A lot of time has passed since I read the novels, so I have forgotten much of the storyline. The aesthetics of the TV series and the engaging actors do have a strong appeal though, and the orbital mechanics are relatively realistic (at least until the magic alien protomolecule is involved, in which the laws of physics are discarded simply because it is alien). Would one want to live in such a world, though? Though humans have colonized the solar system, it is something of a dystopian society, but perhaps that would be inevitable, given human nature.

Sunday 2/1: A bit cooler; annoying holiday; JWST OK so far; reading the Rifleman’s Journal

Warm today and a bit humid, but not scorching like the last two days. Heavy rain forecast for later this week; looks like a bit of tropical-style humid weather.

Tomorrow is a “substitute” public holiday in Victoria due to NYD falling on the weekend. Annoying and pointless as we already have too many such holidays . Some shops open and some don’t – which surely must be frustrating, given they were forcibly shut for months during Coronavirus lockdowns in the last two years. I would only allow public holidays for NYD, Christmas Day, and Easter.

The James Webb Space Telescope continues without issues so far, having deployed some of its components. A highlight in an otherwise dismal barrage of bad news in the world (mainly Coronavirus/global warming doomsaying).

My main online reading has been working my way through the Jeffersonian’s Rifleman’s Journal, and his science fiction story, both of which I am liking.

Can anyone point me to an Excel (or, actually, OpenOffice Calc) formula to figure time/distance/acceleration/velocity? I know the basic formulae of course, I have them transcribed in my scrap file for reference, and I’ve found a few online Java calculators, but they’re not entirely what I’m looking for, and this is the sort of thing which can Matter to the Story, and I can forsee a need to make many such calculations with many such variables – it would be many Therbligs saved to add cells to the spreadsheet I already have hotkeyed in the Start Menu for other unit conversions. For example: A ship is in orbit, maybe 300km above a Terra-type planet, coasting along at let’s say seven kilometers per second relative to the surface, and she Suddenly Must Leave. She has Niven-esque fusion torches and can Boost Really Hard, like 70mps2. The limit to safely survivably Transition to hyperspace, in my arbitrarily-fictional universe, is .6 light-second, roughly 180,000km, from the planetary surface. Presuming her orbital position is favorable and she’s just going, how long will it take her to reach the hyper limit from orbit and how fast will she be going in realspace when she gets there, presuming a constant acceleration of about 7-1/8 Terran Gs? The answer I really want is those spreadsheet formulae so I can do it over and over with different numbers. (22/6/2012 entry)

I’ve been looking for a similar calculator for my beamship in my worldbuilding project, to calculate how long it takes to accelerate from zero to 10%/0.1 percent of lightspeed, and how much distance would be crossed when accelerating (and decelerating) on the way to the target star – what portion of the lightyear distance would these take up, and how long in years would this take. This needs to be added to the travel time at the cruise speed, so: acceleration + cruise + deceleration. Online searching brings up some, but none are quite right.

Monday 3/1: Beamship journey calculations

For my worldbuilding project’s beamship (tentatively linked to from here, but link may change). I am just jotting these down for reference for today. I have had a lot of trouble trying to calculate the parameters of how long the travel time would take, as I am not mathematically-inclined. I awoke around 2 a.m. this morning with this going through my head, so my brain hurts! I am slowly struggling my way through these, but there are perhaps still errors.

Sites used:

From the first link, pertinent entries (with “Use Circular Sail” and “Circular Comm Optics” both ticked; table is at the end of this entry). I am deliberately constraining myself using the results here.

More calculations, using the other two links:

  1. Time to get to limiting speed: 2400000000 m/s / 4.38 m/s^2 (19.1844) = 547,945,205.47 seconds (17.37 years)
  2. With time known, distance covered: s = v_i t + 1/2at^2
  3. The second term drops out because v_i = 0, so all you have to do is plug in the numbers: s = 1/2at^2
  4. s = 1/2(4.38 m/s^2)(547,945,205.47)^2: 4.38 x 547,945,205.47 then square this, then halve it: 657,534,246,552,657,534.246771 m = 69.5 light years
  5. So, 17.37 years time taken and 6.938 ly crossed to accelerate to 8.01% of c.

UC Santa Barbara Laser Propulsion data results table:

UC Santa Barbara Laser Propulsion data results
Inputs Value Unit Outputs Value Unit
Payload 400000 kg Sail Mass 5.67E+07 g
Use Circular Sail TRUE checkbox Total Mass 4.57E+08 g
Use Optimal Sail Size FALSE checkbox Areal Density 1 g/m^2
Sail Diameter 8500 m Laser Power in Main Beam 3.00E+05 GW
Sail Thickness 1 um Flux on Sail 0.00529 GW/m^2
Sail Density 1 g/cm^3 Peak Acceleration 4.38 m/s^2 0.447 g_n
Sail Reflection Efficiency (0 - 1) 1 L_0 220 au 3.29E+10 km
Sail Light Absorption (0 - 1) 1 Time to L_0 44.8 d 3.87E+06 s
Sail Front Emissivity (0 - 1) 1 Speed at L_0 1.70E+04 km/s 5.66 % c
Sail Back Emissivity (0 - 1) 1 Kinetic Energy at L_0 1.83E+07 GW*hr 6.58E+19 J
Use Circular Laser Array TRUE checkbox Laser Energy in Main Beam at L_0 3.23E+08 GW*hr 1.16E+21 J
Laser Array Diameter 10000 m Electrical Energy at L_0 3.23E+08 GW*hr 1.16E+21 J
Total Optical Power 300000 GW Launch Efficiency at L_0 (KE / Electrical Energy) 5.66 %
Beam Efficiency (0 - 1) 1 Electrical Energy Cost at L_0 3.23E+13 $
Wavelength 1060 nm Energy Storage Cost at L_0 3.23E+16 $
Electrical Efficiency (0 - 1) 1 Limiting Speed 2.40E+04 km/s 8.01 % c
Electrical Energy Cost 0.1 $/kW-hr Time to Target at Limiting Speed 310 yr
Energy Storage Cost 0.1 $/W-hr Max Flux Absorbed by Sail 0 GW/m^2
Peak Laser Comm Power 1 W Max Power Absorbed by Sail 0 GW
Photons Per Bit for Communication 1 ph/bit Sail Equilibrium Temperature 0 K
Laser Comm Wavelength 600 nm Laser Comm Flux at Earth 0.0000256 ph s^-1m^-2
Laser Comm Beam Efficiency (0 - 1) 1 Equivalent Photometric Magnitude m_v 37.7
Use Circular Comm Optics TRUE checkbox Laser Comm Rate Received in Array 2.01E+03 ph/s
Laser Comm Optical Diameter 1 m Laser Comm Bit Rate Received in Array 2.01E+03 bits/s
Target Distance 24.8 ly Laser Comm Wavelength at Speed at L0 635 nm
Laser Comm Wavelength at Limiting Speed 650 nm

Tuesday 4/1: Mild headache; tropical weather ahead; headings now links; transgender child – wtf?

Had a mild headache this morning; not too debiliating, but still making me feel off.

Some tropical-style weather is forecast from Wednesday to Saturday: “Humid. Partly cloudy. Very high (90%) chance of showers. The chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon and evening. Heavy falls possible. Winds easterly 15 to 20 km/h turning northeasterly 15 to 25 km/h during the morning.” So unpleasant and annoying as laundry is difficult to dry.

I changed each Journal entry heading so it is an anchor link, and now use a CSS pseudo-element for the 🔗 symbol beside it (29/11/2021 entry); this is a little easier to do. The regular expression I used for all 1540 <h3> headings to date:

  1. Find: <h3 id="(.*?)"><a href="(.*?)">🔗</a> (.*?)</h3>
  2. Replace: <h3 id="$1"><a href="$2">$3</a></h3>

“How Ellie came to terms with her transgender identity at age 7,” ABC News, 4/1. More gender absurdity. How can anyone know what they are at that young age of 7? That this is now accepted is tantamount to child abuse.

Wednesday 5/1: Tropical weather; headings again; COVID panic

No rain yet, but clouds are building and overnight was mild; nearly 20°C. Only good thing about such an overnight temperature is that it makes arising much more bearable for me! There is a cyclone in Queensland in the north of the continent, so remnants from that will be streaming over the south-east in the next 2 or 3 days.

Decided against the link symbols for my headings here (4/1 entry) as the Safari browser turns them into a rather ugly 3-d emoji image, so I will use a hash (#) symbol for now.

COVID virus scaremongering continues to dominate the mainstream media. I am utterly burned out with hearing about it and just ignore it as much as I can. I am certainly not going to get tested, or buying the rapid test kits that are the big trend now. There are a few ominous hints that lockdowns are not done with as authorities panic over the large number of (mostly mildly) infected people; health authorities are investigating if “commonsense measures” need to be put in place to stem the Omicron spread. I can’t contemplate the awful prospect of more months spent in limbo.

More worrisomely, food supply chains are being disrupted – I eat a lot of fresh produce, so this being in short supply is of great concern. The stock is there, but the humans needed to distribute it are fewer than needed. This demonstrates how fragile our civilization’s logistics systems are in general.

Thursday 6/1: Anti-car, anti-freedom; Australia the Nanny State

Warm and humid tropical weather. Felt a bit headachy and off-color this morning again. Nearly 3 p.m. now and an ominous dark thunderstorm patch with heavy rain is developing to the north, coming this way.

“Memo to the Left: We Americans Will Give Up Our Cars When You Pry Our Cold, Dead Hands Off the Steering Wheel,” PJ Media, 4/1. Individual driving autonomy is increasingly under threat from evermore onerous government regulations and environmental fanatics. The ultimate aim is to exert more control over the movements and life of citizens.

If there is one thing liberals hate more than guns, it’s automobiles, and not because of the climate; our vehicles are scorned by the Left because they free the individual to go anywhere he or she chooses. In a word, privately owned cars and trucks equal F-R-E-E-D-O-M.

[…] And what better way to control a population than to force them all out of their private cars and trucks that take them where and when they choose, and into government-owned transportation modules – trains, buses, cabs, bicycles, etc. – that run on schedules created by bureaucrats.

[…] “But I have a funny feeling that driving tax is going to be revisited. Critics say that and other fines, fees, etc. are designed to nuke personal vehicle ownership for all but the wealthy. Expect to see similar measures in other cities and maybe entire states/territories in North America and beyond in the near future.”

As I noted in my 3/12/2021 entry, the Labour Left Victorian State government is considering the same options, of a road per-kilometer tax.

One noticeable feature of some forums I regularly visit, such as MetaFilter, Reddit and Hacker News, is that they have a collective anti-car bias, due no doubt to being dominated by Left/“Progressive” younger users who have been indoctrinated by environmental activism.

The generally subservient response of Australians to the State Governments’ harsh imposition of pandemic lockdowns prompted me to muse about this cultural paradox of us having a reputation for being irreverent towards authority, yet still meekly obey the innumerable rules and regulations imposed by the latter. A quick search lead me to this page with an overview of our culture:

Rules and Relaxation

Australia has many national narratives that idolise the ‘scallywag’ or ‘larrikin’ (such as Ned Kelly). These are underdog characters that show little regard for rules. Australians often express a light disregard for authority (especially in their humour). Nevertheless, most are very conscientious about following the rule of law. Society is circumscribed by a vast number of practical regulations that stringently control the behaviour of the Australian public. For example, cyclists can be fined hundreds of dollars for not wearing a helmet. Foreigners are often surprised to see how much of an emphasis is put on safety in a society often stereotyped as ‘laid-back’. Indeed, many Australians do find these regulations overly precautious or too tightly enforced by police. Those who criticise this aspect of Australian law and order dub themselves as living in a “Nanny state”.

However, most people do generally maintain a relaxed approach about things. There is a cultural tendency towards procrastination in the way situations may be approached. For example, problems may be met with an answer of “she’ll be right” (just leave it, she will be okay in time without our intervention). Australians also tend to avoid putting themselves under pressure. They like to prioritise their energy, placing emphasis on relaxation, holidays and winding-down. Some may even find people who exert themselves a lot (in their eagerness, impatience, stress, etc.) to be exasperating. This reflects a cultural aversion from complaining, worrying too much, reflecting on mistakes and dwelling on the past. Instead, people are expected to have an easy-going, ‘can do’ attitude.

One “Nanny State” example is shown in this recent photo I took of a train interior on one of my City trips to illustrate this criticism. Note all the stickers and signs prescribing what passengers should or should not do!

This is negative enforcement: assume people will behave badly, and thus treat them like recalcitrent children. Such an outlook only breeds resentment in those targeted.

Friday 7/1: Unsettled weather; grocery shortages; no nuclear fusion yet (if ever)

The storm cell of yesterday afternoon bypassed us thankfully, but the humid weather continues, so more of the same conditions today.

“Supermarkets short of supply as up to half of truck drivers absent due to COVID,” ABC News, 6/1. More on the transport-induced grocery supply shortages. The onerous isolation required for positive COVID tests is ultimately to blame.

“How close is nuclear fusion power?,” Sabine Hossenfelder (her NYT book review is archived here). As noted in my 29/12/2021 entry, the attainment of sustained nuclear fusion power that outputs more energy than is used to create it (“The challenge these researchers face is overcoming the electric repulsion between positively charged nuclei, which don’t want to come together. Our sun forces nuclei into each other with the strength of its gravitational pull, but this is not an option at our disposal”), is no nearer than it has been for decades.

Saturday 8/1: Calmer weather; JWST OK, 1 year since DC protests; headings again

A severe thunderstorm passed over Melbourne yesterday afternoon; fortunately it mostly bypassed where I live. Today is cooler, calmer and drizzly.

The James Webb Space Telescope has so far deployed various components successfully. If there is one area the American space program has done well in, and inspired the world, it is space exploration, particularly with robotic craft – the beautiful images beamed back over the decades has more than justified the money spent on these programs.

A year since the so-called “insurrection” protest in Washington DC on 6 January by disaffected President Trump supporters. The Left-wing media is predictably publishing hystronic articles, and the Wikipedia article is similarly biased, while more Conservative outlets, such as The Spectator, take a more measured view. I’m too tired to comment further on the event, but I regard anything the mainstream media issue now with suspicion.

I found how to add flat link icons to my headings (5/1 entry): convert SVG to Base64. I used this converter.

Sunday 9/1: Struggling; JWST fully deployed

Tired; mid-afternoon energy slump.

The James Webb Space Telescope has fully deployed all its main components! It has currently completed around 75% of its journey to the L2 point.

My worldbuilding project and story continue to limp along, with very occasional updates or additions (3/1 entry). I have decided on an orange K1V star (107 Piscium), rather than the F9V star of the previous “Star Warrior” version. (K-stars are cooler than our G-class Sun; F-stars are hotter).

Monday 10/1: Humid again; supply-chain shortages

Humid unsettled weather again for most of this week; temperatures into the high 20s.

Am utterly exhausted again, mainly from doing various chores and tasks today. Have done some more possessions purging, mainly books; these get very bulky and heavy.

“Supermarket shortages are different this time – here’s how to respond and avoid panic,” ABC News. Back to this wearisome situation again, mostly due to a shortage of transport workers (most of whom are isolating as a precaution but not hospitalized with COVID, so this is a government-policy-induced situation). Hyperbolic media reports are only inducing panic-buying. Products such as fresh produce can’t be stockpiled as it will go bad. A union is whinging about the “reckless” decision to allow close-contact workers back, but what other option is there to avoid food shortages? (I have come to loathe unions generally and their claims for excessive wages and so on.)

Tuesday 11/1: Aches and pains; end America?

Warm and humid weather until Saturday.

This morning I strained/pulled what felt like my left external or internal oblique muscle while making my parents’ double bed (an exhausting daily ordeal) and trying to shift the heavy mattress. Now my side is quite sore.

An idiot of a Health Minister “urged Australians to stock up on over-the-counter painkillers paracetamol or ibuprofen, as cases skyrocketed into the tens of thousands each day. Professor Kidd said having the medication on hand would help to manage fevers and mild aches or pains.” So now supermarket shelves have been cleared of said painkillers by panic buyers. I need both for my random headaches.

For a few years I have felt an annoying ache under my left ribs when lying flat on my back. It is a chronic dull pain with no apparent cause. Internet searching brings up several reasons, but most are from sudden injury and are not applicable. So I am baffled as to what it could be.

“This generation can end the United States,” 9/1/2022. One of Khannea Suntzu’s (last mentioned in my 12/12/2021 entry) latest too-infrequent text posts (she mostly posts embedded YouTube videos, but I much prefer reading personal opinions to watching). Given her personality, I can’t ascertain whether she is serious or just trolling. For all its faults (and, of course, no country is flawless), I would rather have the USA as the main superpower, rather than a non-Western country.

Wednesday 12/1: Unending pandemic hysteria; The Expanse S6E5

Warm and humid today, so I am lethargic.

The mainstream media continues its hyperbolic and irresponsible reports of COVID-related supply-chain shortages, only fueling more panic-buying, as well as breathless recitations of daily pandemic statistics (test results/infections/deaths). I am burned out on the whole topic and mentally exhausted.

I almost wish I could move somewhere else, but where would I go, even if I had the means to (which I don’t)? People talk of moving to other states or even other countries to escape the onerous pandemic restrictions where they live, but there is no guarantee that their destination will not have the same restrictions imposed by a new government.

I watched Episode 5 of Series 6 of The Expanse. Very rushed again. Don’t have any particular opinion on it otherwise. Last episode of the series screens this week.

Friday 14/1: Jeffersonian needs help; anti-male bias; country journeys

Still humid, with some rain. I have been mildly headachy all day, so feeling off-color and lethargic again. A brief storm cloud front passed through yesterday evening.

The Jeffersonian is in dire need of housing and work. I could only give another measley $20. His fiction is a great read; of the older-style science fiction, with likeable characters, a plot and no “Woke” nonsense (certainly preferable to what is produced by twats such as Jason Sanford, of last year’s Baen-bashing infamy – 20/2/2021 entry). He is in the demographic that is now one of the most disadvantaged and discriminated-against in the current American and Western cultural climate: a white Conservative (or, at least, not politically-Left) middle-aged heterosexual male. Demonizing traditional male values (using that hateful phrase “toxic masculinity”) is the acceptable norm now. I feel sorry for boys growing up at this time: they are constantly fed subliminal messages that they are bad (or potentially so) solely due to their gender. In gender relations, things have gone from one extreme to the other – the ridiculous excesses of the #MeToo movement being one prominent example. A woman can now accuse a man of sexual harassment for the most spurious of reasons, and sometimes for an alleged incident decades ago, and she will be believed. Even if proven false, the man will have his reputation tarnished. One woman who has long supported men is Bettina Arndt, an Australian social commentator on men’s issues.

His May 2007 blog page has a lot of photos of a road trip he took then. I find it fascinating to see how ordinary people in other countries (particularly in the USA!) live – the small towns, the landscape. In some respects the scenery is reminiscent of the countryside beyond Melbourne, with lengthy roads connecting small town communities. I, my parents and sister went on many road trips (daytrips and longer holidays) outside of Melbourne in the 1970s and 1980s, and the memories of these are now treasured. The native vegetation is, of course, different (eucalypt trees for Australia, various deciduous and conifer trees for the USA – I do prefer the latter type!). The people who live here (the so-called “flyover states”) are the sort whom Hillary Clinton infamously sneered at as “a basket of deplorables” (15/12/2021 entry). People in the big coastal cities (in both Australia and the USA) also tend to look down upon country folk as supposedly unsophisticated, another patronizing generalization.

Saturday 15/1: Not so humid; last episode of The Expanse

A bit cooler today at last, with the humidity much reduced. Unfortunately it will return by next Friday, looking at the long-range forecast. I am still feeling very fatigued.

Watched S6E6 of The Expanse. This was an hour-long episode but it still felt to be in a rush to tie the storylines up. Much of it was taken up by the space battle to defeat Marcos.

I have learned to speed up videos (and audiobooks) in order to get through them faster – about 1.5 times speed for videos.

Sunday 16/1: A distracting allusion; Welcome to Country annoyance

One aspect of the last The Expanse S6E6 I did not like was the “shout-out” to its fans in the form of characters from other universes being used as secondary characters’ names, as described in this Reddit post. Most commenting there thought it amusing and clever, but for me it takes me out of the show immersion and is an annoying distraction.

One trend I increasingly find irritating is the “Welcome to Country or Acknowledgement of Country” aimed at Aboriginal Australians, and dutifully posted on many retail and government websites – a typical example from one such retail site is quoted below:

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the original custodians of the land upon which we live and work. We honour and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect and appreciation for the thousands of years they have cared for and preserved this country's lands, waters and culture. We also acknowledge our global support centre is located on Wadawurrung Country. We pay our respects to Wadawurrung people and value their continuing connection to land, waters, language and traditions.

My local council (last griped about in my 3/12/2021 entry) of course slavishly follows this trend.

While a lot of wrongs were done in the past, there is now an almost grovelingly reverent attitude in society towards anyone and anything Indigenous (in contrast to the dismissive attitude a few decades ago) – from one extreme to another. One wonders how long can people keep blaming their current troubles on past events of a hundred or so years ago – at some point, one must move on.

“Australia Day parade cancelled, Invasion Day goes ahead,” The Spectator, 13/1. Australia Day, for example, is now regarded as “Invasion Day” (as Europeans colonized the continent). (The Spectator, incidentally, has a lot of good anti-Left articles.)

I also find the title of “First Nations” for what was regarded as tribal groups a misnomer; tribes are not equivalent to nations, no matter how Progressives try to re-write history. (The description is increasingly being pushed for Aboriginal Australians.) I do respect that Aborigines lived a sustainable hunter-gatherer lifestyle for tens of thousands of years, and have a rich cultural and art heritage.

Monday 17/1: Joined Gab

Moderately warm today, but more humid weather forecast towards the end of the week, unfortunately.

A thought that occurred to me today: Progressives are idealists, Conservatives are realists. Don’t know if that is original or said elsewhere.

I joined an alternative social media platform called Gab, an American Conserative-oriented free speech alternative to Facebook: “We build Freedom Of Speech Software. We champion free speech, individual liberty and the free flow of information online. All are welcome.” Dont’t know how much I will use it as some of my relatives are on Facebook (which, despite its annoying censorship, still has some use), but it is nice to have an alternative option.

A Reddit post: Who else has turned more way right leaning because of the pandemic? I certainly have – I will not vote for Labor or Greens, or any similar Left-orientated party, again, out of disgust at their authoritarianism and hypocrisy, and obsession with identity politics.

Tuesday 18/1: Parents booster shots

My parents had their mandated third/booster COVID vaccination today (Pfizer this time – they and I had AstraZeneca for the first two doses last year – my last was on 5/9/2021). Don’t know if any side-effects will manifest (a possible one is apparently swollen lymph glands). I am not very happy about having so frequent vaccines in such a relatively short timeframe, no matter what so-called reassurances the authorities might give. I am, though, utterly weary of the debate about the issue and just tune it all out, like I do with the COVID hysteria as a whole.

Thursday 20/1: Another hot ordeal; urban survival

After a relatively pleasant few days, an unpleasant stretch of hot days into the mid-30s is forecast for nearly a week ahead, so I am going to have even more difficulty functioning again.

One personality in the Survivalist community I have read about is Selco Begovic, who has made a living from his alleged experience with surviving in a city during the Yugoslav Wars in the early 1990s. He has been quoted on various sites (Bushcraft USA forum, The Organic Prepper, Reddit. One blogger has consolidated his tips here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (archived). There seems to be doubts about his authenticity, though – he has made a living with his SHTF School courses.

Another account is that of Fernando Aguirre from Argentina.

The current disruptions from the pandemic – unsustainable economic spending, supply chain issues leading to product shortages – have not surprisingly brought attention to such topics as preparing for collapse and survivalism. Economic collapse is probably the most realistic and likely scenario, given that our society is precariously dependent upon “just-in-time” supply of products (rather than stocking and long-term storing of excess), many of these imported from overseas (which makes supply even more vulnerable). Addemdum, 23/1/2022: This article, “Vaccine Passports, Food Insecurity and the Law of Unintended Consequences,” goes into detail about how fragile the supply chain is in the USA, but is applicable to Australia, also.

To live through such a total collapse is obviously extremely unpleasant in reality, though many like to fantasize about it – Is prepping just a modern/more realistic LARPing? asks one Reddit post (as does a blog post).

Friday 21/1: Sensitivity reader nonsense

One of the most absurd concepts to have appeared in recent years is that of a “sensitivity reader.” I scorned the concept as soon as I learned of it – more Woke nonsense.

Writer Larry Correia has his usual refreshingly no-bullshit-tolerated opinionated blog post on the concept: “‘Sensitivity Readers’ Are Bullshit, and You Are A Sucker If You Believe Them,” 1/3/2019.

A Sensitivity Reader is usually some expert on Intersectional Feminism or Cismale Gendernormative Fascism or other made up goofiness who a publisher brings in to look for anything “problematic” in a manuscript. And since basically everything is problematic to somebody they won’t be happy until they suck all the joy out of the universe. It is basically a new con-job racket some worthless scumbags have come up with to extort money from gullible writers, because there aren’t a lot of good ways to make a living with a Gender Studies Degree.

To the diversity fanatics, a writer is not “allowed” to write outside of their culture/ethnic group/sex without permission of said group. An aspect of being a writer is to use your imagination if you do not have the real-life experience (though Internet access does go a long way towards making researching topics more available and easy). You do not need permission from any group to write, and you can write about anything (assuming you live in a free society). The offended groups are not obligated to read the work they are offended by.

Saturday 22/1: Morning headache; Hell Week

Had one of my dreaded random headaches this morning.

The Hell Week (or so) of hot weather begins here. Temperatures into the mid-30s, with the added unpleasantness of humidity later in the week. Perth has had this even worse, with temperatures above 40°C since Tuesday.

Sunday 23/1: Nudging behavior

Came across this recent article on The Spectator: “Wink wink, nudge nudge! Governments’ scary behaviour.” “Nudge theory” has been adopted by governments to subtly influence (“nudge”) the public, and no doubt Dan Andrews and others have utilized this during the pandemic.

Nudge theory has been explained as ‘the science behind subtly leading people into the “right” decision’. Leading, that is, with prompts rather than blunt coercion. I am glad that the word ‘right’ is in quotation marks. Because governments everywhere that have employed nudge theory are, in fact, guiding the gullible to make the decisions that they want. […]

Governments, of course, are very adept at performing double nudges. They condition what people think and believe, then they produce polls that show that the people are actually in favour of the draconian actions they have taken. This, in turn, creates even more conformity to the mob mentality – and scorn and show trials for the dissenters.

There is a Behavioral Insights Unit page on the Victorian Government website, so I wonder if they use these techniques to manipulate public opinion.

Monday 24/1: MetaFilter nonsense; in defence of cars; revenue raising

Hot, humid. Weather will be like this until week’s end, at least. Saps what little energy I have.

MetaFilter is a site of user-submitted links that has been online for many years. I visit it regularly, but have not joined as this requires payment. I have garnered many interesting links and information from it. The tone of the site has always been mostly Left/Progressive, but in recent years this has become extreme to the point of absurdity (or perhaps my shift toward a more Conservative view has also affected my opinion of the site) – and they wonder why the site is in decline! A couple of user guides:

I could provide a lot of posts as an example. One recent one: Our Animals, Ourselves

Instead of being polite, Phoenix was an unabashed vegan killjoy, taking his audience on an uncomfortable journey not simply to the slaughterhouse, but to the insemination room. He was talking about milk and the reproductive and gendered violence it always entails. What made the speech so unsettling and memorable, in other words, was its latent feminist analysis. It was an analysis that spoke to the animal rights movement’s forgotten feminist roots, and – we hope – to its socialist-feminist future. We believe that the role of animal consumption has been misunderstood and that a feminist lens can help us place animal rights within a broad socialist critique of capitalism.” A link to some nonsensical essay about veganism.

One member’s comment: “I appreciate their reminder that meat consumption has always been wrapped up in b.s. racist/sexist ideologies. I’ll have to sit more and think about the reproductive labor of non-humans through a feminist analysis. I also am re-confronted with the horrific reality of milk production, from forced insemination to culled male calves.” In short, meat consumption is sexist! The convoluted jargon and overthinking used in this thread is typical of MeFI users. They are uniformly, stridently anti-Conservative. I would like to see the commenters endure a real famine and food shortage, then watch their high-and-mighty principles crumble as hunger set in.

I might note that I don’t eat meat as such now, but for health reasons, not ethical ones. I don’t give a damn about livestock welfare issues; they have been bred for food. (I similarly do not care about the ethics of the products I buy.)

“What Killed the Red Cars Is Still Killing Transit”: A recent opinion piece defending the use of cars.

As the UCLA Institute of Transportation found, rising car ownership makes transit usage plummet. Once a household has access to a car, they almost universally prefer driving to mass transit. That is why planners’ attempts to browbeat residents into walking, cycling and using mass transit, supposedly improving their quality of life, attracts so few away from driving.

Cars are simply vastly superior to transit alternatives for the vast majority of individuals and circumstances.

Automobiles have far greater and more flexible passenger- and cargo-carrying capacities than transit. They allow direct, point-to-point service, unlike transit. They allow self-scheduling rather than requiring advance planning. They save time, especially time spent waiting, which transit riders find the most onerous. They have far better multi-stop trip capability (which is why restrictions on auto use punish working mothers most). They offer a safer, more comfortable, more controllable environment, from the seats to the temperature to the music to the company.

Again, ironically, I have never owned a car and am unable to drive (I rely on lifts from others). I do like using public transport (trains and buses) – but the latter is not always reliable and can be canceled. You are also locked to their timetable and have to plan your journey to suit this.

Via a Facebook post, more Nanny State interference: “Speed limits set to be reduced in regional Victoria” – a thin excuse to raise revenue for the State Government via speed camera fines. Most users are not happy.

Tuesday 25/1: Trip-up; self-flagellation day tomorrow

I managed to trip up on a section of raised pavement during my daily walk, and fall. Bruised left elbow (with a graze) and hip, but nothing broken, as far as I can tell. Still an unpleasant adrenaline shock, with that awful feeling of being powerless and unable to stop myself falling. Two drivers passing by stopped and asked if I were hurt, which was nice of them! The lady kindly offered me a lift, but I decided to walk back home (did not want to be a bother). I will be bruised and sore for a few days.

Australia Day 🇦🇺 tomorrow. More local council virtue-signalling (previous examples in my 3/12/2021 entry) and self-flagellation:

On Wednesday 26 January 2022, Council will fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags at half-mast as a mark of respect for Australia’s First Nations peoples and to acknowledge the local Traditional Owners of the land – the Boon Wurrung people. As well as celebrating our great country, 26 January is also a time for us to come together in unity to reflect and mourn for those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who died fighting for Country. We are committed to continuing our work towards reconciliation with First Nations people as outlined in Council’s Reconciliation Action Plan to create deep and powerful change within the Glen Eira community.

Councils should stick to local issues – roads, rubbish, rates, etc. – and stop wasting ratepayers’ funds on this Woke nonsense!

In the present culture of revisionist history, Australia Day is now “Invasion Day.” (The USA has a similar issue with its Thanksgiving and Columbus Days.) I am sick of being constantly berated by the media for the supposed sins of those in past eras. You can’t wallow in the past forever and use that as an excuse.

Related: “Aboriginal flag copyright transferred to Commonwealth, as artist agrees to make flag freely available to all,” ABC News, 24/1. $20 million of taxpayers’ money used to buy rights to a flag that is not our national flag (although flown alongside the official Australian flag as such). Would Americans tolerate other flags similarly flown alongside their official one?

Wednesday 26/1 🇦🇺: Liminal spaces; toilet leak

“Cancel ‘Invasion Day’,” The Spectator, 22/1. Good opinion piece on the tedious debate.

One subReddit I like is r/LiminalSpace. “A liminal space is the time between the ‘what was’ and the ‘next.’ It is a place of transition, waiting, and not knowing. Liminal space is where all transformation takes place, if we learn to wait and let it form us.” It is also interpreted as “somewhat spooky deserted spaces” by many users posting photos there. The images are often quite calming. I took a couple of my own at Southland today, a passageway leading to an upper-storey carpark.

A favorite post from there: Weirdest toilets I've even been in (and archived photos). Like a few other commenters there, these are the sorts of public toilets encountered in dreams: endless rows of stalls and passageways.

Some also post art, mainly 3D-rendered pieces. One recent artist whose work I like that was posted there is Gabrielle Salonga (u/GabrielleSalonga at Reddit). She creates surreal rendered dreamscapes (sometimes slightly spooky ones).

On a more mundane note, our toilet developed a leak from the pipe that feeds water to the cistern. Dad had a go at repairing it today, but was lacking a particular part, so will have to buy it tomorrow at a hardware store and continue. We are filling a bucket and pouring it into the cistern to fill it and flush; more work, but at least we can still use it.

Thursday 27/1: Storms and rain; toilet fixed (hopefully)

Thunderstorms and heavy rain overnight and into this morning, as the oppressive tropical weather continues. A few more days of this yet.

The toilet seems to be working again X=, after another hour or so of working on it by Dad.

Saturday 29/1: More storms and rain; The Gilded Age begins

The unsettled tropical weather persists until next Tuesday, but yesterday was particularly violent: hot and humid, then afternoon storm cells developed and dumped heavy rain with thunder and lightning into the early evening, creating much havoc. We’ve had 2 weeks of humidity, which is unusual: “She Bureau of Meteorology’s Diane Eadie said the influence of La Niña had resulted in the summer storms bringing much more moisture than those in previous seasons.”

Felt very stressed yesterday, as I was fretting about potential power outages (the power here did flicker off briefly), and the violent weather upsets me also, so I am exhausted today. Today is thankfully cooler and calmer, but it is a brief respite.

I watched the first episode of a new streaming series, The Gilded Age, a historical drama about various characters of that era (the 1880s) in New York City. I mostly enjoyed it; the lavish set designs and gorgeous women’s dresses are wonderful to look at. The characters were generally likeable, though there are a lot of them. (There was also the seemingly now-obligatory gay couple, “closeted” in that period.) That was the time of my great-grandparents (my maternal grandmother was born in 1898), so it is not too far removed from now.

Sunday 30/1: Warming up; still sore from fall; prepper reality checks

Weather is heating up again, though not as severely as last week. “Oh the humidity: why does Melbourne feel like Darwin?” The Age, 29/1:

For a start, Australia is in the middle of a La Nina weather event, which usually means cooler temperatures (although not necessarily cold), more rainy days and higher risk of stormy weather. El Nino, at the other end of the spectrum, brings hotter temperatures and less rainfall. Both originate in the Pacific Ocean. “There is a strong correlation between La Nina summers and increased rainfall along the eastern coast of mainland Australia,” said Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Miriam Bradbury. This week’s humid weather has also been attributed to the remnants of ex-tropical cyclone Tiffany, which dumped rain on the Northern Territory and South Australia earlier this month. That moisture from the north, along with more from the east, has been dragged down to Victoria through northerly and easterly winds day after day for more than a week. A monsoon trough has also recently developed over the far-north, adding more humidity to the mix. The weather also hasn’t changed much because of a “blocking high” system sitting over the Tasman Sea. This stops the usual west to east progression of weather systems across southern Australia and can also increase the length of heatwaves. “This blocking high during El Nino is making it really dry, it intensifies the risk of fire,” said Wenju Cai, chief research scientist at the CSIRO and an expert in El Nino-La Nina. “And then, in conjunction with La Nina, we see that it becomes very humid, hot and thunderstorms more often.”

But of course, as is the dogma now :-S, climate change has to be mentioned, in the context of these events becoming more frequent.

My left hip which I bruised in my fall last week (25/1 entry) is still sore and impeding my walking, as I was finding today.

I am in a mental and physical slump. I do not feel like doing anything; my creativity has left me, and I am chronically exhausted. My bicycle has sat in Dad’s shed for a year or so; I do not want to go near it. Even walking is an effort.

Read this at The Organic Prepper website: A Post-Apocalypse Christmas Story. To me it emphasizes the need to cherish what we have now, as life without the modern creature comforts we are accustomed to in a high-tech society will be much more difficult, with little if any leisure time as much of one’s waking hours will be focused on survival and chores. A few of the commenters there don’t seem to understand this, and instead express nostalgia or longing for a supposed simpler time:

But others do realize the hardships entailed if society as we know it does collapse:

I can see this scenario coming true in possibly the next 5 years. I sure hope not though. As the main character kept remembering, we have it pretty good now. Even the smallest comforts will be hard to reproduce in a SHTF situation.

I must say, this article doesn’t sound positive to me. I’ve 2 teenagers, both really wanting to (in a positive way) go out and explore the world. To travel, see other places, experience new things. I encourage that.

But if the world collapses, their existential grief would know no bounds. They’d truly never get over it. To never be able to leave and see the world, experience different places, expand their horizons, and have the adventures that young people should have (and I did).

The world you describe would be unending drudgery and uncertain fear. Not an appreciation of simple pleasures, which we can make up, but our kids may not see it that way.

Not to mention the disease and hardships we seem to have forgotten. Things like deadly pneumonia, infections, TB, dysentery, typhoid, and even things like blood poisoning, lock jaw, and simple loss of blood in trauma.

No, thanks. And don’t presume your loved ones will be immune due to isolation, herbs, and homeopathy. See how you feel as you see a loved one die in the aftermath, when they wouldn’t have died now.

Another article from a different site: What Happens When You Get Old: “What do you do when you get old and hope to survive a few more years in reasonable comfort and security? What are the things that you have done or have acquired that will help in that desire? What things does one really need when you are getting there?” Many elderly in society now are highly dependent upon the care of others, technology and modern medicine – and the absence of these would result in their demise very soon, sadly. Most could not cope with having to transition to a self-sufficient/survivalist existence. It is a physically difficult life with much labor involved in even everyday tasks.

(On a side note, an irritation with visiting such Prepper/Survivalist websites is the constant barrage of advertising, with the creators wanting visitors to buy their books, sign up for courses, and purchase sponsored products – many of dubious utility – of sponsors. I understand that the creators need to make a living, but the commercialization becomes a distraction. Selco – mentioned previously in my 20/1 entry – is also constantly advertising his books and courses on his website.)

Monday 31/1: Hot and hurting

My left leg still hurts (down the side of my upper thigh) from last week’s fall; I can barely walk. I also had a headache overnight and into the early morning, just to compound my discomfort. Still hot and humid, though a cool change is due tomorrow afternoon (hopefully).

I have managed to write something for most days this month, even if inconsequential. Don’t know if I can maintain it.

February

Tuesday 1/2: Still hurt, but cooler; nuclear threats

My left hip still hurts (25/1 entry), and down the outside of my thigh. Walking is difficult – I am essentially hobbled – so I have not been going on my daily walks, to my frustration.

Today is cooler and the awful humidity of the last two weeks has abated, thankfully. Warming up again towards week’s end, but some respite for now, at least.

In light of the current Russo-Ukrainian crisis, via a Organic Prepper blog entry I came across a 2019 YouTube video, Plan A: “a depiction of how a conflict between Russia and the United States could escalate from conventional war to all-out nuclear war.” It is oddly hypnotic to watch. (I thought the nuclear holocaust threat had receded since the Cold War ended, but it is still there, though overshadowed by the current dominant topics of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.) Tensions in Ukraine could lead to a war-by-proxy between the USA and Russia (and possibly China could take advantage).

Sadly, Russia is again becoming a villain or bogeyman from the point of view of Western nations, despite co-operation with the manned space program and International Space Station. I still like the country despite everything.

… Just came across this relevant opinion piece: “Too Late To Triangulate: The New Shape of the World.” “At the end of the Cold War, Russia sincerely wanted to join the West. But that relationship has broken, and Russia has moved on to a new partner China. A little discussed reason for that disappointment is the complete loss of trust Russia had in the US and the West.”

Wednesday 2/2: Still hurting but cooler

My left hip and thigh are still sore and can only hobble along. At least the cool change has come – much less violently than last week (27/1 entry).

There was a “lot of weather” in January across Australia that caused more havoc than usual. South-east Queensland (my sister and her family live there) is now enduring the horrid hot and humid conditions that Victoria had for the last two weeks; the higher latitiudes are normally such, but this is more intense.

Thursday 3/2: Another injury; gender stupidity

I managed to crack or tear something in my side (over my upper left ribcage, just under the breast) this morning, while merely lying face-down on the floor to do some front lifts for my exercise routine. Nothing strenuous – but something there made a nasty audible crack when I moved, and it is now quite painful when I breathe in. Don’t know if some cartilage tore or a rib broke. Not much I can do about it anyway, but a setback I don’t need. I hope this year will not be one of yet more injuries.

A couple of recent culture/gender wars articles:

Friday 4/2: Mum’s birthday; still hurt; nostalgia

Mum is 84 today. She and Dad have gone to the local RSL club for lunch, as they do once or twice a week (when not in lockdown).

I am still in pain from my injured left hip and thigh, and can barely walk, as I found again today to my frustration. The rib, or cartilage over it, that I injured yesterday, has quietened down, but is obviously still tender. I am just sitting quietly at home, trying to rest, but am restless.

I think often of my maternal grandmother during my daily walks, and miss her dearly. I miss visiting her in her home in Elsternwick. I feel nostalgia for my childhood and teenage years (1970s-1980s), and miss the culture and atmosphere of those times, very different to that of today.

Saturday 5/2: Hurting still; college controversy

Still sore, but I managed to go for a slow walk, though I am still impeded in my left hip and thigh with moderate pain. The pain of my left side injury has also receded, but is still tender.

“Hellish roasting for Citipointe College,” The Spectator Australia, 4/2. A recent controversy in Australian news is a religious college asserting its traditional principles by not pandering to the current gender and inclusivity nonsense. Cue the howls of outrage from mainstream society and the media, and the disgraceful demonizing of the Principal in charge. It is a private school and no-one is forcing students to attend – if they disagree, they are free to go elsewhere.

Sunday 6/2: More liminal images; link rot; American lives

Still sore from my fall. Did go for a very slow walk. Also I seem to have suddenly gained a couple of kilos, to my annoyance, though nothing has changed in my diet.

A couple more liminal images were posted at the relevant subReddit; Room 19 Day and Night.

“Link rot” is an ongoing and frustrating problem with the Internet. I have begun going through my oldest Journal entries and attempting to find and repair broken external links, mainly by changing them to Internet Archive links (and that’s assuming Archive.org will itself remain online!), but with literally thousands of these, this will be an extremely lengthy and tedious process, and not all links have been archived.

American lives – those of ordinary people – fascinate me; how similar or different are they to my life in Australia? Not surprisingly, I am most interested in those who have grown up in the same era I have (born around the 1970s) as I can relate to them better, being in the same age range. Two I have currently been reading are SwankiVY’s Life Story (she was born in 1978) and the Rifleman’s Journal (he was born in 1967). Both almost diametric opposites. One feature of their lives is that they haved moved from place to place a lot – in contrast to me, who has lived in the same house all my life so far (but I suspect I am quite unusual in this). The USA is one of the countries I would like to visit, but in my current situation I will never travel anywhere. I wonder how different I might be in personality had I grown up in America?

Monday 7/2: Injury improving; Novosti Kosmonavtiki magazine archived online; <details> element

I went for my daily walk, and did not feel pain for the first time since my trip-up nearly two weeks ago (25/1 entry). My left hip and thigh are still tender, so I still need to be cautious, but I do feel a bit better in that regard.

The Russian Space Agency, Roskosmos, is putting downloadable PDF issues of the now-defunct Cosmonautics News/Novosti Kosmonavtiki/«Новости космонавтики» magazine online (for those who can read Russian!). It was published from 1991 to 2018 and was well-regarded, though there was no English translation, unfortunately.

Roskosmos begins publishing the archive of the journal Cosmonautics News

The press service of the State Corporation Roskosmos begins publishing the archive of the popular science and information-analytical magazine Cosmonautics News, published from 1991 to 2018 under the auspices of the Federal Space Agency and as the official publication of the State Corporation Roscosmos. To date, the issues for the last six years have been posted, in the future the archive will be replenished.

“I am very glad that the chronicle of world cosmonautics from 1991 to 2018, which we kept on the pages of the Novosti Cosmonautics magazine for almost 27 years, thanks to the Roscosmos State Corporation, will now become available to everyone interested in not only domestic, but also world cosmonautics,” said Igor Marinin , who has been the magazine’s editor-in-chief for more than a quarter of a century.

The pages of Cosmonautics News covered in detail the events of Russian and foreign cosmonautics – flights of manned and cargo ships, the Mir orbital complex and the International Space Station, launches of artificial Earth satellites and automatic interplanetary stations, analyzed various space programs and published historical and archival materials.

Since 2019, the Cosmonautics News team has been publishing the Russian Space magazine, the main industry print publication of the Roscosmos State Corporation, which popularizes the achievements of Russian cosmonautics.

I have again lost some enthusiasm for the current Russian space program – my interest is dormant though not gone (spaceflight is one of my long-term interests) – so have barely been following it.

One HTML5 element I recently learned of is the <details> element, which collapses everything between these tags. I have been using it for longer articles that I want to reproduce on my pages.

Tuesday 8/2: Trip-up spot revisited; link chore

Went on my daily walk with little pain, though I was a bit sore earlier this morning. Walked the same route I did two weeks ago when I fell. Took a photo of the offending pavement section – I tripped on the raised asphalt that had been applied over the raised segment (uplifted by tree roots, a common nuisance). Pavements are very dilapidated and hazardous in many places (Dad has also tripped and fallen). I sent a contact form to the local council via their website, with the photo. (Precise location: 37°55′43.1″S 145°03′47.9″E)

I finished going through the external links on my 2005 Journal page. Most, but not all, were captured in the Wayback Machine; some are just gone forever. This chore is going to take months, if I ever stick with it. Then there are my Blogger blogs, and the rest of my site – thousands of external links! :-( …

Wednesday 9/2: Haircut; body maintenance chores

Got my hair trimmed today. The hairdresser, a young lady, was talkative and quite nice. I usually go to one of the sit-down-and-wait salons, rather than a more expensive appointment, but I still pay $25 (was only $11 a few years ago!).

Other body maintenance chores include a much-needed dentist visit for a check-up and clean (my teeth are now very coffee-stained and tartar-covered) – hopefully no more cavities on top of that. My last visit was in 2020 for wisdom tooth extraction (3/10/2020 entry). Also an optometrist visit for an eye exam and new glasses (last visit was on 18/11/2020 for an exam only).

I still also have the health issue (prolapse) last mentioned in my 6/12/2018 entry; that is no better and will need surgery again, but I have no energy to endure all those procedures again. Also the public hospital waiting lists for elective surgeries have increased hugely no thanks to COVID-19.

Thursday 10/2: Dental appointment made; slowly healing; hidden homes

I made a dental appointment for Wednesday 23/2 – for a check-up and clean, and hopefully no more cavities that need filling. Not something to look forward to.

I am still a bit sore from my fall, but could walk with no pain today.

I have various places and houses I like to look at when going past on my walk routes.

House at 44 Mawby Road

Along Mawby Road. The gates to this house are often closed, but when open there is a nice sheltered front garden inside with some Chinese-style jade-green lion-dog statues and a vase. It feels like a secret refuge.

House at 317 Chesterville Road

On Chesterville Road. A more unusually-laid-out house, set at the end of a long driveway, and the side of it looks right onto the King George VI Memorial Reserve park. With the large garden, it also has the feel of a secret hidden place.

I do like hidden and secret places: laneways, gardens and so on. Melbourne’s many laneways have long been a tourist attraction here, and a lot of old cities around the world feature these. My favorite is The Block Arcade, home of Gog and Magog (30/9/2021 entry).

My maternal grandmother’s weatherboard home, at 14 Bridge Street Elsternwick (demolished in 1997 to my great sadness) had a similar atmosphere of a hidden place, and the old-world feel of the early 20th century when it was built, the 1920s and so on, as did the streets around it. Though a lot of the old houses built then have gone, the suburbs of that area still retain that atmosphere and look.

Friday 11/2: Yet more gender nonsense; vaccine mission creep

A full-page taxpayer-funded ad was in The Age today – “Supporting an LGBTIQ+ Loved One” – by some Victorian Government organization, Respect Victoria. I am fed up with this gender nonsense being promoted and normalized (and I can’t avoid it as it is in the media generally). The jargon is ridiculously convoluted (“deadnaming,” “cisnormativity”) and the gender issue has now become a fashion (and, arguably, a mental illness) amongst young people. There is some small amusement in listening to TV newsreaders reading out the ever-lengthening alphabet soup of the latest gender acronym (they speak very quickly).

With tedious predictability, and an example of mission creep, Australians will need to have a third booster dose to be considered “up to date” with COVID-19 vaccinations (a deliberate language change from “fully vaccinated,” probably on the advice of government media propagandists advisors, probably in order to keep pushing future booster shots). I have no wish to get one yet, and will put it off; after my adverse reaction to my firstt vaccine shot (15/6/2021 entry), I have no desire to experience unknown side-effects from a different version.

Saturday 12/2: Removed <details> tags; anti-car academic; Gwern.net

I decided to remove the <details> tags mentioned in my 7/2 entry as HTML Tidy mangled them when run, they are more markup to maintain, and the extra click required to view a hidden article was a little annoying.

“Enforce e-scooter safety, but don’t ignore the bigger traffic danger,” The Age, 11/2. Yet another anti-car article by an out-of-touch academic (aren’t most of them). He defends electric scooters despite deaths and injuries attributed to them by stating that cars are still more dangerous, which is true, but then concludes with his real agenda:

If we are serious about reducing overall deaths and injuries on our footpaths, streets and roads we need to take a much firmer approach to reducing harms from motor vehicles and enforcing rules more punitively. This includes systematically reducing speed limits in urban environments.

Every kilometre per hour of slower motor vehicle speed reduces the likelihood of injury or death in a crash. Expanding 30 kmh zones to most residential and commercial areas would be a great advance for public safety. And speed limits need to be backed up with greater enforcement.

We also need to expand the infrastructure that separates pedestrians from bicycles and e-scooters, and in turn from motor vehicles. While pop-up bike lanes have proliferated, these need to be massively scaled up across Melbourne. The NSW government has just announced $950 million for cycling infrastructure in Sydney. Victoria should follow suit, and more.

More broadly we should be looking at ways to reduce car use in Melbourne overall, especially for shorter trips well suited to walking, cycling or e-scooters. Our city is one of the most car dependent outside of the United States and the Victorian government has a stated policy of shifting travel to other modes. But commitment to this goal has been weak and progress negligible.

Yes, reduce speed limits – and increase driver frustration even more – and ultimately reinstate the Red flag laws! (Mentioned these back in my 29/10/2021 entry, and previous opinion on this topic in my 24/1 entry.)

I came across a personal website, Gwern.net (Gwern Branwen). He has an ecclectic and niche range of interests and writings (most of which, I will admit, are of no interest to me, but that’s the nature of many personal sites). He comes across as intimidatingly intelligent and intellectual, and seems to have a near-ubiquitious presence in various places on the Internet (he is currently u/gwern at Reddit – he has more on his Links page). I do find his Design Of This Website page an interesting read as he goes into almost obsessive detail about how he creates it: “Gwern.net is implemented as a static website compiled via Hakyll from Pandoc Markdown.” He uses a static site generator to produce the HTML pages (I have put my thoughts about such tools on my Web design page; for my own site I much prefer keeping processes simple and just hand-code each page in an editor). I also like to look at the source code of websites. His has a huge amount of code (CSS and Javascript) in the <head> section – the actual <body> section (containing the text visible in the browser) begins on line 3095! The static site generator would insert these on each page when assembling these before uploading. This practice seems to be a feature of such generators, rather than linking to a separate file of CSS and JS as I do in my site. The disadvantage is that page size gets tremendously bloated (181 KB that page weighs in at). (Some of my own pages are quite large, but that is actual body text that you see in the browser with carefully hand-coded HTML – I prefer to minimize the number of pages I have for easier maintenance.)

Reading the words of such people makes me realize the limits of my intelligence – namely, they make me feel dumb! It is not a good feeling. But I am what I am; not everyone can be a high-IQ genius.

Sunday 13/2: Articles roundup

A few articles to briefly comment on:

A lot of links today! I have made the precaution of cross-linking to archive websites in case the originals disappear; this is becoming habitual now.

Monday 14/2: No Valentine for me; NBN outage

Valentine’s Day. As usual, I have no one in that regard; never have. Too old now.

My home NBN Internet connection has been offline most of the day (current restoration time is around 6 p.m. but no guarantees). Thankfully I can use my smartphone to access the alternate cellular network, but I am limited to Internet browsing; can’t do any tasks such as uploading to my online website (I still use good old FTP), so it is very frustrating.

Tuesday 15/2: Internet back (hopefully); healed; new Khannea story

The Internet was not available until later last night, annoyingly. Don’t know what was happening; only an “unplanned outage.”

I am pretty much recovered/healed from my fall of 25/1, three weeks ago, thankfully. I had a mild but unpleasant headache yesterday evening.

Khannea Suntzu (last mentioned in my 11/1 entry) has a new short story posted.

Wednesday 16/2: Walks and dreams

I am doing my daily walks with no pain now (and try to keep watching the pavement ahead for treacherous humps and cracks!). I get lost in nostalgia when walking, thinking of the past and people I knew decades ago now. All gone.

I have several routes I go on, for around half-an-hour or so, the limits of my stamina. The familiar streets and houses feature in my sleeping dreams, but an oddity is that these dream landscapes are so different. I know where I am, but everything looks different compared to reality.

I am creatively dormant at the moment, so have not done anything in that regard.

“Time-space synaesthesia: how some people perceive the ‘shape’ of days, weeks and years,” ABC News, 13/12/2021. I do subconsciously visualize a year like a calendar (12 vertical boxes, from January at the top to December at the bottom), with time flowing from one day to another through these. Perhaps not particularly novel, as many calendars are arranged like this.

Thursday 17/2: De-caring society

“The death of old bangers,” The Spectator, 16/2. On the value of retaining old cars.

There’s a school of thought that says getting older, dirtier cars off our roads is kinder to the environment because they emit more muck, but given that greater energy is expended in making a car than it’s likely to use during its working life, there’s a counter argument that throwing away a perfectly serviceable older car is a waste of energy and resources. If mass take-up of electric cars sees many fossil fuel ones become redundant, this process will accelerate. […]

Hunter thinks successive scrappage schemes, launched during the 2008 financial crash and repeated several times since, spelled doom for many healthy, cheap cars because they were worth more dead than alive. ‘It was a scandal,’ he said.

He suggests that this is part of a broader agenda to get people out of private cars. ‘The whole thing gets me wound up and animated. I can see a future where driving a classic is reserved for the very rich.’

So where does this leave my fixed income friend? Taxis and neighbours now have to be employed if his mother has a hospital appointment or shopping needs to be bought.

Whether you feel such people are necessary collateral for a cleaner world or victims of rising prices, their quality of life is being diminished. Change is often messy, but there’s a danger that the drive towards newer cars powered by greener technologies once again makes car ownership the preserve of the better off.

The website mentioned in the article has a page on Agenda 2030 Banning New Cars. This is in the UK, but is applicable to other Western countries (USA, Australia). (Previously on this topic: 12/2 entry.) It’s ultimately an insidious push towards making people more dependent upon their government for basic necessities such as just moving around (similar to the discouragement from using physical cash).

The MetaFilter, Hacker News (links to tagged posts) and Reddit forums are generally hostile to cars, thinking everyone should be pushed toward using public transport and bicycles, especially in cities. A stupid, elitist point of view from their userbase, primarily young urban people (struggling to ride a bicycle in freezing and/or wet weather, for example, is sheer torture – no amount of clothing keeps out the cold, and, yes, I speak from experience). (Though a quick search comes up with “Owning a car will always be better than using public transport,” not surprisingly in r/Unpopularopinion, but, typically, a lot of commenters argue otherwise.)

Friday 18/2: Hikikomori article; tedious link-checking; phone call with sister

“In Japan, a million people have shut themselves in their rooms. One mother is helping them come out,” ABC News, 17/2. On recluses in Japan, though it is not unique to that country. I would be partially one myself.

Hidehiro Shinmasu felt the pressure to fit in as a child but he just could not conform. He was not athletic and was not a success at school. He is now 40 and still lives with his parents, who provide everything for him. Some days he barely has the energy to leave his room. […] The problem confronting many hikikomori, as they age, is the prospect of their parents dying and having to survive on their own.

I have mostly finished link-checking my 2006 Journal; a process both tedious and mind-numbingly exhausting, involving many visits to Archive.org to see if the Wayback Machine has cachéd the URL in question. Sometimes it does, sometimes not; some articles are lost forever. Now I have a lot more to do.

I am using the <details> tag again on some longer article quotes, but without the <summary> tag (the browser just inserts a substitute “Details” with an open/close arrow). The summary is not technically necessary, though the webpage validator marks its absence as an error.

I spoke to my sister in Queensland via the landline phone; nice to hear from her. She is hopefully visiting here in March (no guarantees due to her work and the threat of further COVID lockdowns).

Saturday 19/2: Nice weather; broken links continue; MetaFilter hates cars

The weather has been mercifully mild the last week or so; mid-20s and fine.

Still slowly working on correcting what broken external links I can in my early Journals. Mind-numbing tedium! Copy-paste-check-copy-paste over old link. Repeat hundreds, thousands of times. The Internet Archive is getting a real workout from me.

Streets are for People, MetaFilter, 18/2. A anti-car link post (measures that major cities are taking to discourage car use in their regions), typical of the extreme-Left proclivity of the site.

Sunday 20/2: Lucifer’s Hammer; Russia space nostalgia

“The Rules Of Civility Will Be The First Casualty,” a review of the now-classic disaster novel Lucifer’s Hammer at the Dissident Thoughts blog (Arthur Sido). Though published in 1977, it is still one of the best disaster novels, featuring a comet impact and the devastation and social collapse that ensues. Some of the social mores of then are obviously considered dated by current standards (attitudes towards women), but that would be a perennial complaint of any older story (some example comments in a Reddit post about the book).

The Chelyabinsk meteorite explosion of 15/2/2013 was relatively small in comparison (17 m diameter and 9100 tonnes), but still caused a lot of damage.

Finished link-checking my 2005 Journal. My Russian space program interest was at its height during that decade, and I realize now how much I miss those times, particularly with the renewed hostilities between Russia and Western nations. I still like Russia despite everything – its traditional culture, and its space program. Going through my 2005 Journal, the 31/12/2005 entry notes the tradition of having “Grandfather Frost” (Дед Мороз/Ded Moroz) visit Moscow Mission Control (ЦУП/TsUP), which is a nice ritual.

Monday 21/2: Distant city; heading links removed

The City – Melbourne CBD – is nearly 15 km distance from where I live, as the crow flies (i.e. measured in a straight line). I took a photo of the distant buildings from a South Road footbridge (looking north-west), which can just be glimpsed in the cropped image. It would be a spectacular view at night, all lit up!

I decided to remove the headings-as-links from my Journal (see 4/1 entry) as it is a little less markup to write, and each entry is linked to in the Contents at the top of each page so the extra link for each is redundant (the HOME key, or CTRL key + up arrow (↑) on a Windows keyboard jumps to the top of a page; on a Mac it is Command (⌘) and the up-arrow key; on a tablet or phone, touch the top of the screen). Regex code for that process:

  1. find: <h3 id="(.*?)"><a href="(.*?)">(.*?)</a></h3>
  2. replace: <h3 id="$1">$3</h3>

And I also removed the <details> tag again! (18/2 entry.)

Tuesday 22/2: Dreading dentist; feeling off

Dentist visit tomorrow; am very nervous.

Felt off-color for most of the day with abdominal pain (trapped gas!), so no energy to do anything productive.

I am mostly indifferent to world news and events; the virulent culture wars in the USA and other Western countries between Right and Left politics are mentally stressful to read about too often. I could not have been more uninterested in the just-concluded Winter Olympics in China. I also feel little interest in the current Russo-Ukrainian crisis.

Wednesday 23/2: Dentist visit; more abdominal pains; walks and kindergartens

Dentist today for a much-needed checkup and clean. Happily, no further cavities! Cleaning was, however, rather painful as usual due to my gum recession and exposed tooth roots. The end result was worth it, though! They feel fresh and shiny again. Cost was $193. I saw Dr Sara Vargas Ramirez at the Southland Dental Surgery.

Have had abdominal pains again, feeling of trapped gas, after breakfast this morning. Lying down relieves it. Don’t know what is causing it as my diet has not altered; it’s an annoyance.

The weather is warming up, though not as intensely as mid-summer.

Went on my daily walk, this one through Hodgson Reserve in Bentleigh, which is quite pleasant, only around 15 minutes away. There is a little kindergarten near the park, GEKA Bentleigh Kindergarten. Saw some young children lined up in its backyard with a man talking to them a bit like a drill instructor; they were playing a ball game. Did not look very fun to me (I would have hated such activities). I do now believe children should be mostly left alone to play and explore – ideally near a forest, like in Europe, a magical place where they could perhaps glimpse one of the little people (23/8/2021 entry). Organized sports seem very soul-destroying for young children.

Michele and I attended a now-vanished/demolished kindergarten nearby in the early 1970s: Finchley Kindergarten. (While searching for it on the Internet, I found a Facebook group, I Grew Up In bentleigh, and joined – this is one positive aspect of Facebook!) A Mrs Woff was a teacher there (head teacher according to one group member). I remember going on group walks to a little nearby pocket park, Leckie Street Reserve, and eating musk stick lollies! There was also a life-sized palomino rocking horse in the hall, and a row of dark pine trees nearby. Memories of long ago that seem tranquil and innocent now.

Thursday 24/2: Russian-Ukrainian conflict – a dissenting view; trans madness

“The U.S., Ukraine And Russia: Lies, Distortions And Hope,” Between Two Worlds blog, 3/2. “The narrative from America is that it has to take up the cause of Ukraine because a military invasion by the Russians is imminent – it’s been imminent for 3 months now. America must get involved, they say, because the U.S. is the defender of democracy around the world. They can’t let the poor Ukrainians suffer under an attack by the Russians. I want to show why I believe that whole narrative is false.” A contrary opinion on the current Russian-Ukrainian dispute from an American living in Russia, married to a Russian lady with children. I have been visiting this blog occasionally for a few years and it is an alternative view to the Russiaphobia that has unfortunately resurged in the West.

The Australian Government has come out in emphatic support of Ukraine, imposing sanctions on Russia. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is openly belligerent, reminiscent of a former PM’s rather cringe-inducing comment that he was going to “shirtfront” President Putin. Ukraine is being uniformly portrayed in the Western media as the underdog, and Russia as an overbearing bully, and there is little chance of this changing. (Somewhat more trivially, it looks like Russians will be an uncontroversial choice of bad guys in fictional media yet again.)

MetaFilter outrage post for today: protect trans children. A predictable collective meltdown from site members over Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s letter to direct Family Protective Services “to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures transgender reassignment surgery and hormonal drugs in the State of Texas.” This is for children under 18 (minors), presumably. Fair enough – no way a child should be able to undergo such a drastic and permanently-altering procedure at such a young age. This news article goes into more detail. “Such procedures and treatments include castration, the removal of healthy body parts as well as the prescription of puberty-blocking drugs among others. Beyond the obvious harm of permanently sterilizing a child, these procedures and treatments can cause side effects and harms beyond permanent infertility.”

Hopefully, future historians will look back upon this trend with the same bafflement that we today regard the once-accepted practice of lobotomies – and further reinforces the view that psychology is a dubious form of “science”. (Given the complexity of the human mind, psychology is more like guesswork.)

Friday 25/2: Russian bad guys; spaceflight concerns; optometrist appointment made

The Russian-Ukrainian conflict has pushed out the COVID-19 pandemic in the news headlines. Russia is being uniformly painted as the villains in Western media – today’s Herald-Sun front page making its stance obvious (predictably sensationalist for a tabloid newspaper) – “Mad Vlad invades Ukraine, threatening ‘consequences … never seen in history’ for anyone who stands in his way.” The Australian Prime Minister is talking tough, but he does not speak for me. And, as with the pandemic, I will be mistrustful of the mainstream media and look at alternative sources for different views. Vox Day, for example, has several posts tagged with the topic. Another blogger is The Saker. There is also Russia Today.

One concern is how co-operation between Russia and its partner nations in space might be affected. Already there is some sniping between the organizations (a round-up of some articles in a NASAWatch post).

I made an appointment with my local optometrist for next Tuesday. I really do need some new glasses, but finding affordable frames I like is difficult.

Saturday 26/2: I stand with Russia 🇷🇺

Feeling upset and distressed about the current conflict and the sheer hatred of Russia on most websites. Reddit, for example, is even more toxic than usual (there are Russian-focused subReddits such as r/Russia, r/Russophobic, and r/AskARussian, but such subs are predictably getting brigaded. A lot of Russian websites – including Roskosmos – are getting Denial-of-service attacks and are unreachable (the Anonymous hacker group “declared cyberwar on Russia.”) The Australian government is imposing harsh sanctions, which will of course fray relations even further. I have always been interested in Russia since my teenage years, and its space program since the early 2000s, and always will, despite everything.

Sunday 27/2: Rampant Russophobia

The Roskosmos website has been back online; their Facebook page stated (as I thought would be the reason): “DDoS-attack on the Roscosmos website was organized from Lviv and carried out with the help of a network of bots located on the servers in different countries of the world. Technicians were able to identify a specific performer of the attack. The data about it will be transferred to competent authorities.” It is still slow for me and does not connect at times.

To me it seems that other countries have been looking for an excuse to ostracize Russia, and the current situation has given them the opportunity to do this with an eager vengeance. As I noted in my 25/2 entry, after the last two years of unrelenting COVID-19 scaremongering, I no longer trust the (not-unbiased) mainstream media, and seek alternate points of view and sources. Now I do the same with the Ukraine conflict (Ukraine is not entirely innocent) – if that makes me a pariah, so be it. I mentioned The Saker blog in that post (that site has been a bit slow at times); there is also Moon of Alabama currently covering the situation. Conservapedia also has a not-hostile entry. Conservatives, though, have divided opinions on the crisis and Russia.

Internet “keyboard warriors” are out in force, with opinions and cyberattacks. Reddit, as I also noted yesterday (26/2 entry), is even more unbearable than usual.

With the manned space program, Russia might be wise in emulating China and becoming more independent (with their own separate space station), rather than involving international partners for vital components. Roskosmos last year announced a plan for an independent Russian Orbital Service Station, but as always, unfortunately, funding for this is uncertain (and will almost certainly be pushed back in the current crisis).

Just going through my first Journal years – in 2004 and 2005 I was commenting on Ukraine then (25/11/2004 entry as an example); this was about Western interference in Ukrainian elections so as to turn it against Russia; a proxy war of sorts. So history repeats, but rather more seriously this time.

Monday 28/2: Russia cancelled

I am unable to access the Roskosmos website again, so it is under attack, as are other Russian government websites (though I can at least still access Energiya and TsPK). I utterly loathe these Internet activists.

The innundation of pro-Ukrainian propaganda continues relentlessly in Australia and other Western countries. Russia is effectively being “cancelled.” I was feeling upset this morning almost to the point of tears. I cannot visit my usual websites as they are all spouting anti-Russian vitriol. Australia is “to help send weapons via NATO to support Ukraine in war against Russia.” >:-(

Alternate points of view at Vox Popoli, The Saker (link to the February 2022 archives there as there are a lot of articles). I made a comment, a simple expression of support: “Same sentiment from me; I’m Australian and the mainstream news here is uniformly anti-Russian. I’ve long had an interest in Russia (especially their spaceflight program), so finding sites like this is a relief, and useful for a different perspective.”

Another blogger, Ian Kummer: American Thoughts on the Invasion of Ukraine.

Another link about Russian movie villains continuing from my 24/2 entry: “Hollywood reboots Russophobia for the New Cold War,” Off-Guardian, 1/9/2019. There is also a current article, “What’s really going on in Ukraine,” noting that: “Basically, Ukraine has been targeted by the West for ‘regime change’ since at least the ‘Orange Revolution’ of 2004 which was a creation of the NGO racket and Western intelligence, ousting the pro-Russian Victor Yanukovych. The succeeding Tymoshenko government privatized state assets and vocally supported NATO membership to ‘protect Ukraine from Russian aggression.’”

March

Tuesday 1/3: Optometrist visit; Russia pile-on

I visited the optometrist today (James Baumgarten at Family Eyecare in Bentleigh, whom I have been visiting since my teenage years). My eyes are a fraction worse (see my spectacle prescription on my Profile page). I did find some affordable frames I liked this time: a metallic blue rather than green, but very similar to my current ones otherwise. Not as good quality as the expensive designer ones, but $500 or so for frames is out of reach!

I still can’t access the Roskosmos website due to Russian government sites being under a fierce DDoS attack. Very frustrating as the next ISS crew (Expedition 67 on Soyuz MS-21) launches on 18/3.

The anti-Russia hysteria continues worldwide, like a self-amplifying chain reaction or feedback loop with increasingly punitive measures being imposed by other nations. The mainstream media (MSM abbreviated) are contributing to this with hyperbolic pro-Ukrainian reporting. I am utterly disgusted at their blatant propagandizing and bias.

Some snippets from today’s Russia-Ukraine war live updates blog at ABC News, demonstrating the Australian Government’s hostility towards Russia:

By providing support to Ukraine, is Australia making itself an ‘enemy of Russia’?

The Prime Minister says: “We stand up to bullies here in our own region.”

“In standing up to bullies in our own region, we have been targeted, Australian economic interests have been targeted, so my government will never be back down.

“For Australia’s interests and a liberal democracy in today’s world, demarcating between autocrats and authoritarian regimes … we can’t be absent. That is directly in Australia’s national interest.

“Now I can report that to date, we have not seen that state-sponsored cyber activity to Australia, but we should remain on the ready. We have been acting in concert with countries all around the world when it comes to the support that we have been providing.”

Morrison: ‘Mr Zelenskyy said don’t give me a ride, give me ammunition, and that’s exactly what the Australian government has agreed to do’

“I’m not going to go into specifics of that because I don’t plan to give the Russian government a heads up about what’s coming their way, but I can assure them it’s coming your way,” Mr Morrison said.

Morrison: ‘Our goal is to impose the most significant cost on Russia that we possibly can’

“Every day that we impose a cost on a Russian government, and all those who support them in their unlawful acts, imakes it even harder for Russia to continue to pursue their objectives in Ukraine,” Mr Morrison said.

“But this is also likely to lead, I suspect, to a more violence response in Russia.

“Anyone who thinks the Russian government is going to sit there, doesn’t understand the intent and outrageous objectives of President Putin.

“Our goal is to impose the most significant cost on Russia that we possibly can […] as a clear warning to anyone else to who seek to engage in such unlaw acts of aggression.”

Australia to provide $70 million to NATO for weapons for Ukraine

Australia will provide NATO with around $70 million to purchase missiles and ammunition for Ukraine.

The National Security Committee of Federal Cabinet has met this morning to discuss the ongoing invasion by Russian troops.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the money will go towards purchasing lethal and non-lethal defence equipment.

$35 million will be spent on humanitarian assistance, providing food and shelter to people fleeing the conflict.

As an Australian, I am deeply ashamed and angry; my Government does not speak for me.

“Full text: Putin’s declaration of war on Ukraine,” The Spectator, 24/2.

Wednesday 2/3: Russia hate intensifies

The relentless barrage of anti-Russian media propaganda continues in Australia. Some businesses are now refusing to sell Russian-made products, such as vodka. Melbourne is to end its 30-year sister city relationship with St. Petersburg (councilors voted unanimously for this punitive measure). How damn stupid. Will the Russian language be banned? There has already been Internet talk of banning the .ru country domain.

I have never seen such internatinal vitriol expressed against a country, not even China. It is as though a dam has burst; that other nations were just waiting for a chance to openly ostracise Russia, and the Ukraine intervention has provided such an opportunity.

I still cannot access the Roskosmos website. I think that it is blocked outside of Russia, as news items are still being posted in the RK section of the NK forum (in Russian). I can understand why access is limited, but it is still very frustrating as the hostile actions of these idiot activists are just hurting Russian space enthusiasts (and certainly have intensified my hatred of such activists).

A lot of conservative personalities online, including ones whose sites I was regularly visiting, are supporting Ukraine. Disappointing, but one can’t expect consensus, though both they and Russia under President Putin share some traditional values in common. Forums such as Reddit are so collectively biased against Russia that they are unbearable to visit, as is the Australian media (just skim the headlines in The Age Russia-Ukraine war section).

Thursday 3/3: Russia hate continues; a letter of comfort; new Avatar book

I am upset, stressed, anxious, unable to focus. Was agitated again this morning. No-one in the real world I can talk to about this. The barrage of anti-Russian propaganda in Australian media is relentless. Some ABC News examples:

Also of concern:

Ukraine calls for Russia to be booted off the internet

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov sent a letter to the president of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) on Monday. He asked ICANN to revoke – either permanently or temporarily – the domains .ru and .su. He also asked the corporation to shut down the root servers in Moscow and St Petersburg that match domain names and numbers. In making his request, Mr Fedorov cited the “atrocious crimes” of Russia’s invasion.

He said those crimes “have been made possible mainly due to the Russian propaganda machinery” and said Russian cyberattacks had impeded the ability of Ukrainians and their government to communicate.

ICANN had no immediate comment. But the regional internet naming authority for Europe and the former Soviet Union, RIPE NCC, rejected the request. In an email to members, RIPE’s executive board said it believes “the means to communicate should not be affected by domestic political disputes, international conflicts or war”.

But that could change. Russian sites would be advised to buy an alternate domain name ending with .com and similar as a backup.

The entertainment industry is also colluding in Russia’s ostracizing.

And on, and on. As trite as it sounds (compared to what people in other parts of the world are enduring), I am as upset as I was during the enforced lockdowns here, perhaps even more so. As I said yesterday (2/3 entry), I have never seen so much international hate unleashed against a country.

I still can’t access the Roskosmos site. The comments on a NASAWatch post (which I rarely visit now) are very much anti-Russian:

Ben Russell-Gough: There are a lot of self-proclaimed ‘cyber-warriors’ running around vandalising or DDoSing official Russian government sites. It’s mostly symbolic but I bet it is annoying.

Jack: The more annoying the better.

Terry Stetler: One group hacked Russian TV and had it playing Ukrainian folk music.

Todd Austin: Much of this is being done by the hacker collective Anonymous, including the gov’t website and the TV hack. They have declared cyber war on Putin’s regime and are proving to be quite effective. (e.g., they hacked the Russian Ministry of Defense site and downloaded & published its entire user database, including names, email, phone numbers, hashed passwords, …)

Jack: I heard others say that too but I haven’t been able to find a source of that claim. So, I’m not sure how trustworthy it is. Note: I’m specifically referring to the part you have in ()’s.

Homer Hickam: I doubt the Russian space industry will ever recover from this debacle unless it teams up with companies from an independent and free Ukraine.

Todd Austin: The best-case result of all this would have meaningful regime change in Russia. It would be wonderful, but I’m not holding my breath.

Winner: Would be nice to see everything .ru offline.

mt: The internet itself should not be cut off, however. It’s important to keep lines of communication open, e.g, for groups opposing the war.

Bad Horse: If the Russian are off line or the lights go out at the Kremlin you can thank US Cyber Command. They do things you can’t believe.

SpaceHoosier: I agree that as much pressure be applied to Putin and his crony oligarchs as possible, but a cyber attack of that magnitude by US Cyber Command could realistically be interpreted by Moscow as a direct act of war and result in retaliatory cyber attacks against American infrastructure and quickly escalate to a ‘hot’ war real fast. I would hope these kinds of attacks are left to un-aligned groups like ‘Anonymous’ and not state-sponsored computer hackers or governments.

And this is the warning I now get from Facebook when following a Russia Today external news link (“‘Pro-Russian’ hacking group hits back at Anonymous”:

Russia state-controlled media: This link is from a publisher Facebook believes may be partially or wholly under the editorial control of the Russian government.

Yes, Western social media companies are also participating in the cancelling of Russia. They can just p*ss off with their patronizing virtue-signalling. I will make my own judgements, thank-you.

As a counter, at The Saker: One week into the Russian special operation in the Ukraine – update.

Other things. The weather has been warm-to-hot and humid for most of this week, but not as intensely as that two-week ordeal in January (5/1 entry).

A handwritten letter was left in our letterbox this morning: from a recruiting Jehovah’s Witness as it turned out. Still, it was a nice and oddly comforting letter:

Dear Householder, I am writing to you, to share a comforting thought from the Bible.

In today’s world, anxiety and many troubles surround us and many find extremely difficult.

Though you feel like there’s no way out, you can take comfort knowing that God will always be there for you. God promised at Isaiah 41:10: “Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am your God. I will fortify you, yes, I will help you to deal with any trials.”

To learn more please visit our website, JW.org. Thanks for your time and be safe. Kind regards, Merelina (?) L.

I spotted the just-released The World of Avatar: A Visual Exploration in a Southland bookstore, and despite my interest in the movie and world currently being at a low ebb, could not resist buying it (and I thought it would be prudent to as I know I would later regret not buying it). It is nicely-produced with an updated guide to the world.

My website needs a lot of work. I would like to revive my RuSpace site (add more pages), but I have so much else to do. I am unfocused and bounce from one thing to another.

Friday 4/3: Local council climate activist infiltration; support for Russia banned

“Roads, Rates, Rubbish and Climate Ratbaggery,” Quadrant Online, 4/2. Infiltration by environmental activist groups via elections has seen local councils increasingly declaring “climate emergencies” despite this being well outside of their mandate of roads, rates and rubbish. Such activism is a disgraceful waste of ratepayers’ money and should be expunged from council agendas. “These climate catastropharians have loads of rat-cunning. Unable to swing federal parliament, they’ve focused on city councils where their Greens are easy to elect. Then they push their Emergency! claptrap into the community using ratepayer resources.” (My council, Glen Eira, has well and truly been indoctrinated into the climate cult – see my 3/12/2021 entry.)

The world cancellation of Russia continues unabated (and I am too mentally exhausted to document everything). No one who dares to voice opposing views is safe from censure, Russian chess Grandmaster Sergey Karjakin being one example: “Chess star who supported Russian military operation in Ukraine facing disciplinary action,” RT, 28/2.

“The dangerous rise of Russophobia,” Spiked Online, 2/3. Though the writer is decidedly against President Putin’s actions, she makes a salient point about the anti-Russian xenophobia being targeted at anyone and anything Russian during the current hysteria. In my view all this will have unforseen long-term consequences. Russia will, yet again, have little reason to put any trust in Western countries and their governments.

The Between Two Worlds blog (24/2 entry) has the second part of his Reaction To The Russian Invasion online. He has a summary of President Putin’s rationale:

WHAT DOES PUTIN WANT? Another one of the frustrating things about the coverage of the events in America has been the endless psychoanalyzing of Putin, ostensibly because he is so impulsive or irrational that no one knows what he really wants. The leading reason given is that he wants to return to the days of the USSR. He is trying to expand Russia. I’ve already addressed why I think this is a ridiculous assertion in previous blogs. Actually Putin has made it very clear for quite some time what he wants. Here are the three basic points of what he wants from NATO. It ain’t complicated.

  1. He wants the expansion of NATO to stop. He will not permit NATO to expand to the Russian border countries of Ukraine and Georgia. It has been documented countless times that Gorbachev WAS promised that NATO would not move one more inch past Germany if the USSR would not oppose the reunification of Germany. Gorbachev agreed. America lied. The U.S., as I said before, has now given some verbal agreements that Ukraine would not be accepted into NATO at least anytime soon. Well, they said that to Gorbachev, but now say since it was not in writing they were not going to abide by it. Secretary of State Blinken flat out lied and said that James Baker never said that. Putin wants an officially signed statement to which America can be held accountable. Article 10 of NATO’s agreements says that if one member is involved in military conflict, they all are to get involved in some sense. Putin knows America and the West need little in the way of justification for attacking Russia.
  2. Putin refuses to allow the West to deploy any offensive weapons near Russia’s border. The move is already on to do so in Romania and now Ukraine. He is telling them to stop sending weapons to Ukraine. He will not accept the U.S. claiming they are defensive weapons when they can easily by changed to offensive. There is nothing irrational or even odd about this request. The U.S. adopted the “Monroe Doctrine” that no one can have these weapons in the Western hemisphere. Putin wants the U.S. hypocrisy to stop. Don’t demand of Russia what you yourself will not permit.
  3. He wants the military infrastructure to return to what it was in 1997 when the last treaty between Russia and NATO was signed. He is not saying the Baltic states have to leave NATO. He is addressing specifically the military infrastructure.

Saturday 5/3: Energiya website targeted

Now the usually-reliable Energiya Rocket and Space Company website is down, no thanks to vandal hackers and DDoSing. TsPK (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center) is still up, but I fear it too will go. I am getting cut off from the Russian spaceflight sites I am accustomed to visiting and I am as distressed, if not more so, as I was during the enforced lockdowns of last year. Nothing is safe.

Below, a Roskosmos news item describing the attacks – thirdhand from the NK forum and computer-translated as the RK site, as with other Russian government sites, are still unavailable.

A massive DDoS attack was organized on the RSC Energia website

Last evening, specialists from RSC Energia named after S.P. Korolev (part of Roscosmos) recorded a massive DDoS attack on the corporation’s website from various IP addresses from abroad. At the moment, the site is working stably, the infrastructure and all sections of the site are under the control of specialists.

Most of the IP addresses from which the coordinated destructive action took place are registered on the territory of various Western countries, mainly the USA, Canada and Sweden. All information about this incident will be transferred to the competent authorities, who will establish both the owner of the bot network that was used to attack the corporation’s website and the beneficiary of this action.

RSC Energia specialists, who for many years, with their high scientific potential, engineering talent, and reliable production activities, have been creating safe conditions for flights of people from different countries into orbit and returning to Earth, express at least bewilderment that they are very competent and endowed with high administrative powers the regulatory and supervisory authorities in the IT sector of these countries indulge in such destructive actions. It’s not even a red line – it’s already beyond reason.

Do they want an unmanaged International Space Station with an indeterminate landing point? We hope that common sense and reason will still be above the excesses of Russophobia and will help to cope with it.

“Ukraine: Putin, the Pope, and Wayne Gretzky”: a long summary of news items about the conflict. “The intensity of the attacks on Russia are breath-taking. The false and twisted reports are finding new highs of dishonesty, and the range of items assembled to ‘punish’ Russia would have been beyond the limits of my imagination only a week ago. Looking at the entire landscape, it is obvious this is all being tightly orchestrated from a central source, the usual suspects who benefit most from all wars, but it is astonishing to see how wildly they are grasping and how useless many of their actions must be. There seems almost a desperation to inflict pain, no matter how trivial, and to give the impression of an international consensus of inflicting pain. Some of the Western actions are serious, some almost comical, and others absolutely ridiculous. I have attempted here to give you a small sample of what I have collected. The main thread through all of it is the intensity of the attacks and the lies being told.”

Most of the websites I usually visit are just unbearable. The irony of many who opposed the pandemic lockdowns now unquestionably believing the mainstream media (MS) narrative (pro-Ukraine, anti-Russia) on the conflict is just dismaying. I am unable to watch or do anything. More and more is being taken away.

Time magazine has a cringeworthy propaganda puff-piece on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: “How Volodymyr Zelensky Defended Ukraine and United the World.” It meets the Cult of personality definition.

But as the Russian bombs began to fall on Ukrainian cities and troops moved to surround the capital, the President underwent a transformation. Before our eyes he came to embody a struggle that most Western statesmen had long forgotten how to fight, the one that is sometimes required to keep tyranny from killing off democracy. Zelensky not only rallied his own people to defend their nation, inspiring them to toss petrol bombs at Russian military vehicles and stand in the way of tanks. He also galvanized the world’s democracies in ways that seemed unthinkable just a week before. […] Yet Zelensky decided to stay in his capital, an act of courage that has already altered the course of history. It roused the U.S. and its allies to impose unprecedented penalties against Russia, crashing the ruble and unplugging much of its economy from the rest of the world.

Who knows what the long-term consequences of these knee-jerk reactions will be. Russia again has ample reason to not trust the West.

Sunday 6/3: Blog comment posted

I posted another comment at The Vineyard of the Saker blog:

Andrei, thank you so much for your blog and I am very sorry about the current abuse you (And other Russians) are enduring in the West. I am a 51-yo Australian woman who has long had an interest in Russia (though not Russian myself), and the unprecedented Russophobia and anti-Russian bias demonstrated in the last couple of weeks is just … unreal. I have found this as mentally distressing – if not more so – than the lengthy and unwarranted COVID lockdowns endured in Melbourne over the last year. I am particularly enthusiastic about the Russian spaceflight program (I have a small website about it) and to have their websites targeted by vandal hackers and taken offline is a source of great upset for me (as trite as it may seem). My elderly parents are well and truly convinced by the MSM narrative, and I have no one to talk to. Trying to state Russia’s case is futile as discussions only get very acrimonious. The constant barrage of Russophobic propaganda by all Australian media outlets is just overwhelming. I am ashamed to be an Australian at the moment. (Sorry about the rant; I just have nowhere else to turn. Your blog is one of my very few refuges – even many of the U.S. Conservative sites and blogs I visit, who opposed the mandatory lockdowns, are now pro-Ukrainian – the irony of their unquestioning acceptance of this escapes them.)

Still can’t access various Russian Government spaceflight websites. I am fearful this will become permanent.

Tried out the panorama function on my iPhone 11, this from South Road bridge.

Monday 7/3: Profiling President Putin; spaceflight relations fractured

I remembered that TIME Magazine did a profile of President Putin for its 2007 Person of the Year. An interesting read. “TIME's Person of the Year is not and never has been an honor. It is not an endorsement. It is not a popularity contest. At its best, it is a clear-eyed recognition of the world as it is and of the most powerful individuals and forces shaping that world – for better or for worse. It is ultimately about leadership – bold, earth-changing leadership. Putin is not a boy scout. He is not a democrat in any way that the West would define it. He is not a paragon of free speech. He stands, above all, for stability – stability before freedom, stability before choice, stability in a country that has hardly seen it for a hundred years.” He is still an enigma, and is uniformly portrayed in a negative light in the West. SBS screened the first part of a documentary, KGB: The Sword and the Shield, which is certainly not a flattering portrait. The media here are obviously going to use any means they can to portray him as a villain.

I am ambivalent about him. He is obviously determined (ruthless?) and brooks little opposition, but also in the minds of many Russians, he has brought stability. Hal Freeman at his Between Two Worlds blog has a series of posts about him. A few examples:

Another profile of him, from 2018: “Understanding Russia, Un-Demonizing Putin.”

Dismayingly, Russia’s co-operation with other nations regarding spaceflight is also in jeopardy. From an interview with Dmitry Rogozin via the NK forum (originally in Roskosmos news, currently still inaccessible to me):

Now there is only one joint project left – this is the project of the International Space Station. The United States made a decision before the New Year that they are extending their work on the ISS until 2030, but we have not yet made such decisions. So far, we have the opportunity to work legally only until 2024, for which we have government permission. Without Russian participation, this station is doomed. It has served its time. The resource of each module is 15 years. Count – 15 years have long passed.

You have probably seen the news that our crew has to deal with the removal and elimination of leaks every now and then. This is understandable, the station wears out. It is subjected to colossal pressure, including temperature – either it cools down a lot, or it heats up a lot. There are micrometeorites. They severely wound the outer hull of this station. Accordingly, the United States also offered us to extend the work until 2030, but I think that in the current conditions we will make other decisions. We will reserve these decisions for a later date. We will see how the situation develops. At least today, our crew is not comfortable working on the station, although they have friendly human relations with the American astronauts. We are preparing them together, each of them was ready to lend a shoulder, but in such a situation, we here on Earth are not ready to work with our American colleagues if they reserve only what they need, and we are deprived of funds for the development of our rocket and space industries, cutting off the supply of all necessary components to us, which should be open to all space departments, for all industries, since this is an open market, it has always been, is and should be. These things are non-sanctioned because they affect the safety of space missions.

However, they tried to isolate us. We cannot be isolated. We will certainly solve all these problems. Combat missile systems, which are also being created within the framework of Roskosmos, are generally manufactured without a single part produced outside of Russia. Everything is Russian there. Our space rockets are also made from Russian components. We are not dependent on imports in any way. There is a certain dependence on spacecraft, since each spacecraft is 95% made of microelectronics. But we will solve this problem too. Do not doubt.

And what will they be left with? They will remain in orbit without technical backup. No one else will extend a hand to them and will not substitute a shoulder. Isn’t that what you wanted to achieve? They are now risking the lives of their children, their astronauts. Why such a price? The price of hostility towards Russia can literally result in the death of their people.

The Space Review: The ending of an era in international space cooperation. An overview of the increasing amnity between Russia and the other space partners, predictably biased in favor of Ukraine.

Tuesday 8/3: Unfriendly Australia; serene giants

Australia continues to impose ever-harsher sanctions on Russia, and counter supposed “pro-Kremlin disinformation” (namely, information that disagrees with the prevailing Russophobic view in the West). In response, “Russia has responded by placing Australia and other nations implementing sanctions – including most European countries, the US, Singapore, Japan and South Korea – on a list of ‘unfriendly countries.’” So we are now, dismayingly, one of the declared “hostile” nations against Russia. I am utterly despairing at how this keeps amplifying.

I posted another comment at The Saker blog:

I am also Australian, and am utterly despairing and furious at how aggressive our government is becoming towards Russia. They do not speak for me. Relations between our countries will be fractured for many years. I don’t think there are any other political parties opposing this measure (any candidates considering this would likely not dare to, given the prevailing Russophobic mood here). I think that we do have a sizeable Ukrainian diaspora (Victoria’s Liberal opposition leader, Matthew Guy, is of Ukrainian heritage, for example), so perhaps there is a lot of pressure from many within that community.

On a far more positive topic, I watched some of Brian Cox’s The Planets documentary on TV last night. I like the gas and ice giant planets. They look so serene, floating far away in the void; the imagery of them surreal and otherworldly (literally). A quick Google search for giant planet iconic images brings up this JPL page: Galleries of Images Voyager Took. There is also a page on the Hubble Telescope website featuring Hubble’s Grand Tour of the Outer Solar System (also at ESA) with updated images from 2021.

There is a big book released in 2020, Voyager: Photographs from Humanity’s Greatest Journey featuring the photos from the Voyager missions, but it is a bit expensive!

I think again of this description of a Saturn flyby from Titan by Stephen Baxter, one of my favorite (if gloomy!) novels (mentioned in my 29/5/2010 and 12/8/2006 entries):

And now the limb of Saturn, a thin crescent, reached into the window frame. Precise and huge and intimidating, it reared up before the sun. It was a yellow arc, obviously flattened from the circular, blistered with turbulence. The colors were subtle, and she found she had to shield her eyes from the glaring yellow and white and green of the orbiter’s instrument lights.

Saturn was no gaudy pyrotechnic display, but an autumn-color sculpture wrought of the soft light of the remote sun. It was, Benacerraf thought with a shiver, utterly unearthly. […]

Discovery was receding from Saturn now, skimming back, briefly, towards the sun, and the planet was once more turning its full face to the spacecraft. The cloud bands were sharply distinguished, though more subtle and yellowish than Jupiter’s. Along the fringe of one band at the equator Benacerraf could see turbulence, oval clouds like cells. The rings themselves cast a shadow, a thin, complex line, over the milky equator of Saturn’s daylit hemisphere. The shadow was curved, an exercise in projective geometry. And the rings had a lacy, tenuous appearance, so that she could see the curve of the bright limb of the planet through their structure.

There was nothing to compare to this experience.

This was not, she thought, even like travelling from Earth to Moon, from one closed-up sphere to another. They had journeyed for years, into the huge outer wastes of the Solar System, and entered orbit around this metahuman artifact, this structure of rings and spheres that could fill up the Earth-Moon system.

It is the dream of a million years, she thought, to be here and see this.

Wednesday 9/3: Further Australian sanctions on Russia; US oil ban self-sabotage

The escalation of hostilities continues between Russia vs. Ukraine/most other countries. Just a couple of items from the unending barrage of news from both sides. Via a comment on the Moon of Alabama blog, an Australian Government press release details the latest sanctions.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been accompanied by a widespread disinformation campaign, both within Russia and internationally. Tragically for Russia, President Putin has shut down independent voices and locked everyday Russians into a world characterised by lies and disinformation.

The addition of sanctions on those responsible for this insidious tactic recognises the powerful impact that disinformation and propaganda can have in conflict.

The Australian Government is sanctioning 10 people of strategic interest to Russia for their role in encouraging hostility towards Ukraine and promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda to legitimise Russia’s invasion.

This includes driving and disseminating false narratives about the “de-Nazification” of Ukraine, making erroneous allegations of genocide against ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine, and promoting the recognition of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic as independent.

The Australian Government continues to work with digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google to take action to suspend the dissemination of content generated by Russian state media within Australia. SBS and Foxtel have already announced the suspension of Russia Today and NTV broadcasting.

Exemplifying the expression, “Cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face,” U.S. President Biden has banned imports of Russian oil. Guess which way prices will head. Australia is already very close to $2 per liter. Via a The Saker blog comment:

US bans Russian energy imports

A senator earlier explained that it’s the ‘cost of standing up for freedom’ as oil and gas prices threaten to hike further

US President Joe Biden has announced a ban on Russian oil and gas imports in response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine on Tuesday, a move that threatens to send global gas and oil prices even higher than the record-setting costs the commodities are already fetching.

The president called on the nation to use the events as an opportunity to transition to renewable energy, insisting that if “no one has to worry about the price at the gas pump in the future, tyrants like Putin won’t be able to use fossil fuels as weapons against other nations.”

Biden warned oil and gas companies against jacking up prices unnecessarily, declaring that while “Putin’s war against Ukraine is causing gas prices to rise … it’s no excuse to exercise excessive price increases or padding profits or any kind of effort to exploit the situation or American consumers.”

“Russia’s aggression is costing us all, and it’s no time for profiteering or price-gouging,” Biden said, hailing the blanket ban on all imports of Russian oil and gas as “another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine.”

“This is a step we are taking to further inflict pain on Putin,” the president boasted, even while acknowledging “there will be costs as well in the US.”

Americans will have to pay for what Senator Chris Coons (D-Delaware) called “the cost of standing up for freedom” in the coming weeks as the sanctions are expected to send energy prices soaring worldwide.

Ahead of Biden’s announcement, the Democratic senator told CNN that the price of oil could very well double to $300 per barrel, with gas prices more than tripling to $10-$14 per gallon.

The repercussions from the price shock will be felt worldwide, he continued, as costs continue to surge. Acknowledging that “the strength of our sanctions, of the costs we’re imposing on Putin … are more successful and more sustainable when they’re coordinated,” he praised the administration for working together with Europe on the looming import ban instead of pushing ahead unilaterally.

“We have to realize that it’s a global integrated market, it is tough to just turn on the taps and increase production quickly – it’s not like phoning up Amazon,” he explained, cautioning “we are going to see increased gas prices here in the US, in Europe they will see dramatic increases in prices, that’s the cost of standing up for freedom and of standing alongside the Ukrainian people. We need to see the cost and benefit here.”

The senator also admitted the White House has been in negotiations with its once-sworn enemies in Venezuela and Iran, two major oil producers Washington is suddenly seeing in a new light for their potential to bail out countries soon to be running on empty in the absence of Russian energy supplies, but argued the focus should be on Canada first. However, he acknowledged Putin “had Western Europe over a barrel” – literally and figuratively – regarding the highly sought-after commodities.

Russia is the second-largest oil exporter in the world, while the US is the largest oil consumer. While Moscow supplies only about 7% of US oil, Europe is much more heavily reliant on the nation for its energy supplies.

Fresh polls claim that Americans are willing to pay more at the pump in order to stick it to Putin. A Quinnipiac survey conducted over the weekend, which found 71% of Americans supported a ban on Russian oil even if it led to higher gas prices. More than half of respondents (56%) even suggested the US hadn’t gone far enough with its sanctions and called for tougher moves.

And of course that will affect the less-well off, who are already struggling with the ever-increasing cost of living.

Thursday 10/3: Enclosed environments

I still can’t access the Roskosmos or Energia websites; I think they are online (going by continued updates in the NK forum) but access outside of Russia is blocked. Very frustrating (if anyone could help me with this I would be grateful – neither the Tor browser or Opera VPN are successful in getting through; a quick search shows that these are apparently banned in Russia. I can’t post at the NK forum as I can’t speak Russian, and requesting information in English would seem rude.) I can still at least access TsPK (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center).

A variation on my favorite fictional trope of a generation starship that I find curiously appealing, perhaps because it is confined and even cozy, is the faked generation starship voyage: where a group of people think they are on a real interplanetary or interstellar voyage but are instead, unknown to them, confined in some underground chamber. Two examples of this are in the novel Omon Ra by Victor Pelevin, and the short story Taklamakan by Bruce Sterling.

In Omon Ra, the titular character ultimately finds out that the Soviet space program he has been enrolled in is an elaborate fake (similar to the “faked Moon landings” conspiracy theory, but for real in the novel). I first read this short novel in the early 2000s and found it compelling; almost dreamlike.

At first I thought I must be in some huge ancient Roman planetarium. On an immensely high vaulted ceiling, set among glass and tin, the distant stars glimmered at about one-third of full voltage. About forty metres from the wardrobe stood an old crane; attached to its lifting arm, about four metres above the ground, was a Salyut spacecraft, shaped like a huge bottle. Docked with the Salyut was an Agdam T-3 cargo shuttle; the spaceship sat on the lifting arm the way a plastic model aeroplane sits on its stand. The entire structure was obviously too heavy for the crane to support, because the stern of the cargo shuttle was supported by a couple of long beams braced against the floor; I could just make them out in the half-light, but when two floodlights came on right beside the wardrobe, they became almost invisible because, like the wall behind them, they were painted black and covered with pieces of glittering foil that reflected the electric light.

The floodlights were fitted with filters, and their light was a strange, deathly white. Apart from the spaceship, which immediately looked very convincing, they also lit up a television camera and two machine-gunners who were smoking beside it, and a long table with microphones, food, and spectrally transparent bottles of vodka looking like icicles that had been hammered through the table; sitting at the table were two generals. At one side stood a table with a microphone, at which a man in civilian clothes was sitting. Behind him was a large sheet of plywood with the word “News” and a drawing of the earth; rising crookedly over the earth was a five-pointed star with long, extended side rays. Another civilian was leaning over the table and talking to the man behind the microphone.

“Double three!”

I didn’t see who said that. The second civilian ran over to the camera and pointed it towards the small table. A bell rang, and the man at the microphone began to speak:

“Today we are at the front line of Soviet space science, in one of the branches of Central Flight Control. Cosmonauts Armen Vezirov and Djambul Mezhelaitis are now in their seventh year on board an orbital spacecraft. This is the longest space flight in history, and it has put our country at the forefront of world space technology. It is symbolic that I should be here with cameraman Nikolai Gordienko on the very day when the cosmonauts are carrying out an important scientific assignment – in exactly thirty seconds they will emerge from their craft into open space in order to install the Quantum astrophysics module.”

The entire space was suddenly illuminated by a soft, diffused light – I raised my head and saw that the lamps on the ceiling had been turned up to full voltage, revealing a magnificent panorama of the starry sky to which man has aspired for so many centuries, the inspiration for those beautiful but naïve legends about silver nails driven into the firmament.

– Omon Ra

In Taklamakan, two infiltrators discover a Chinese project where dissidents have been effectively entombed within fake starships on a simulated mission, deep in an underground spherical cavern made by an atomic bomb test.

Katrinko craned her head back, gloved palms pressing the goggles against her face. “I can see everything, man! Gardens of Eden, and cities of gold!”

The cave had been ancient solid rock once, a continental bulk. The rock had been pierced by a Russian-made drilling rig. A dry well, in a very dry country. And then some very weary, and very sunburned, and very determined Chinese Communist weapons engineers had installed a one-hundred megaton hydrogen bomb at the bottom of their dry hole. When their beast in its nest of layered casings achieved fusion, seismographs jumped like startled fawns in distant California.

The thermonuclear explosion had left a giant gasbubble at the heart of a crazy webwork of faults and cracks. The deep and empty bubble had lurked beneath the desert in utter and terrible silence, for ninety years.

Then Asia’s new masters had sent in new and more sophisticated agencies.

Pete saw that the distant sloping walls of the cavern were daubed with starlight. White constellations, whole and entire. And amid the space – that giant and sweetly damp airspace – were three great glowing lozenges, three vertical cylinders the size of urban high rises. They seemed to be suspended in midair.

“Starships,” Pete muttered. […]

Katrinko thought about it. “You know what’s truly pathetic? The shabby illusion of all this. Some spook mandarin’s crazy notion that ethnic separatists could be squeezed down tight, and spat out like watermelon seeds into interstellar space …. Man, what a come-on, what an enticement, what an empty promise!”

“I could sell that idea,” Pete said thoughtfully. “You know how far away the stars really are, kid? About four hundred years away, that’s how far. You seriously want to get human beings to travel to another star, you gotta put human beings inside of a sealed can for four hundred solid years. But what are people supposed to do in there, all that time? The only thing they can do is quietly run a farm. Because that’s what a starship is. It’s a desert oasis.”

“So you want to try a dry-run starship experiment,” said Katrinko. “And in the meantime, you happen to have some handy religious fanatics in the backwoods of Asia, who are shooting your ass off. Guys who refuse to change their age-old lives, even though you are very, very high-tech.”

“Yep. That’s about the size of it. Means, motive, and opportunity.”

“I get it. But I can’t believe that somebody went through with that scheme in real life. I mean, rounding up an ethnic minority, and sticking them down in some godforsaken hole, just so you’ll never have to think about them again. That’s just impossible!”

– Taklamakan

A real-life analog, though for only a short period, was a British reality show called Space Cadets, a hoax where participants were fooled into thinking they were training for a real space mission. This would be very difficult to fake these days.

Other examples – though in these the participants were fully aware of their situation – were the Mars-500 mission simulation in the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems facility from 2007 to 2011, with 6 participants from the Russian, ESA and Chinese space programs. There is one currently underway, called the Sirius Project. Unfortunately for these participants, the world situation will have changed for the worse when they emerge, particularly in relation to international space program co-operation.

There was also the Biosphere-2 enclosed environment experiments during the 1990s.

I would rather like to participate in such an experiment; it would not be too different to being confined in my bedroom.

Friday 11/3: Search engine censorship; social media hypocrisy

The CEO of a search engine called DuckDuckGo announces on his Twitter account that “Like so many others I am sickened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the gigantic humanitarian crisis it continues to create. #StandWithUkraine️ At DuckDuckGo, we’ve been rolling out search updates that down-rank sites associated with Russian disinformation.” My response: “So, another search engine to not trust. I am capable of making my own decisions without this patronizing censorship. ‘Russian disinformation’ – meaning, anything that does not agree with Western propaganda.” Social media companies are actively censoring pro-Russian accounts and posts. So much for “free speech.” The hypocrisy is infuriating. It is exactly the same strategy as was practiced about so-called COVID disinformation during the pandemic (namely, any opinions that went against those of authorities).

Facebook and Instagram (both part of the social media company now called Meta) are also temporarily allowing posts on Ukraine war calling for violence against “Russian invaders.”

Meta Platforms will allow Facebook and Instagram users in some countries to call for violence against Russians and Russian soldiers in the context of the Ukraine invasion, according to internal emails seen by Reuters on Thursday, in a temporary change to its hate speech policy.

The social media company is also temporarily allowing some posts that call for death to Russian President Vladimir Putin or Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in countries including Russia, Ukraine and Poland, according to internal emails to its content moderators.

“As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders.’ We still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.

The calls for the leaders’ deaths will be allowed unless they contain other targets or have two indicators of credibility, such as the location or method, one email said, in a recent change to the company’s rules on violence and incitement.

Between Two Worlds blog: Russia in Ukraine Part 3.

Saturday 12/3: Got through to Roskosmos; pro-Ukraine newspapers propaganda; Chicken Kiev to Kyiv

Thanks to a comment at The Saker blog, I found out how to access Roskosmos again, via a certain setting in the Tor browser: Set TOR Exit Node – TOR Browser, Country Code, Specific Node.

Editing “torrc” settings file

Full path to the file that needs to be changed: ..\Tor Browser\Browser\TorBrowser\Data\Tor\torrc. You can edit it with regular Notepad. By default, it should be empty.

Set TOR Exit Node to Specific Country

Add the next line in the “torrc” file: ExitNodes {Country Code} StrictNodes 1

“StrictNodes 1” – Means TOR will use only this country exit nodes. Note: If there are several Exit Nodes in that country, TOR will connect you to the fastest available. For example, if you want to set TOR Exit Node to Australia: ExitNodes {au} StrictNodes 1

If you want to set several countries (Australia + Canada):

ExitNodes {au} StrictNodes 1
ExitNodes {ca} StrictNodes 1

If no nodes are available for that country – TOR will not connect. In this case, you can set “StrictNodes 0”. “0” means TOR will try to connect to the Exit Node, but if it is not available, it will connect to the Exit Node in default settings.

TOR is using ISO Standard country codes. Full list on Wikipedia ISO Standard Country Codes.

For my case: I used ExitNodes {ru} StrictNodes 0. I use the portable TOR browser; the path to the file is ..\Tor Browser\Browser\TorBrowser\Data\Tor. For now, at least, it works! I wish I could access the site legitimately, but not possible at the moment. (The Energiya site is, however, still offline.)

Some more cringeworthy lionizing of Ukrainian President Zelensky in a couple of opinion pieces in The Australian. One is worth quoting in full below just to see how hypobolic the pro-Ukrainian propaganda is in Australia:

Volodymyr Zelensky: a hero for our times

By Nikki Gemmell, The Weekend Australian Magazine, 11:00PM March 11, 2022

I’ve watched the video clip about 15 times, sometimes teary, sometimes weeping. It’s of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky surrounded by his band of brothers in the early stages of the Russian offensive. He’s explaining, simply, “We are here.” As in, we’ve not fled, leaving our country to its fate. We’re on the street, not in some gilded palace with all the pompous trappings of modern leadership, the flags and the enormous desks, the red carpets and saluting minions. The men look exhausted. They’re wearing army colours; T-shirts and simple unbadged jackets.

We’ve been battered by the moral weakness of so many world leaders this century that the sight of a country’s president on the ground, alongside his people in the middle of a war, was arresting. Deeply moving. Zelensky was calm, humble, assured, in what was akin to a selfie video. He was masculine without a trace of the insecurities of toxic masculinity. His simple words felt deeply authentic. When has the world witnessed such a heroic stance, within this generation, from a nation’s leader? We have not. It felt cleansing, recalibrating. Zelensky’s actions were a disruptor to all the cynicism about politics that has built up over recent years. This was a man willing to sacrifice his life for his country. The US offered to get him out but Zelensky replied, “The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride.”

Bad behaviour in leaders has been normalised over recent years; it’s as if we’ve been pummelled into submission to accept a lesser standard. Donald Trump’s mendacity. Boris Johnson partying while his country was under lockdown. Ashraf Ghani fleeing Afghanistan in a helicopter before Kabul was taken. Zelensky’s predecessor, Viktor Yanukovych, leaving his palace full of exotic cars and scarpering to Moscow in the aftermath of the 2014 revolution. Obscene personal enrichment, favours for mates, moral cowardice, abrogation of responsibility, rorting, power for power’s sake – all this is what leadership in the modern world is about, isn’t it? It’s what we’ve come to expect.

But now this. A narrative of myths and movies. Of the sacrificial hero fighting for the people, with the people. There are echoes of Henry V, the indigenous warrior Yagan, David and Goliath … “We’re all here,” Zelensky said in that first week. “Our military is here … we’re all here defending our independence, our country. And it will stay this way.” Give an actor those simple, sonorous lines and there would most likely be posture. But from Zelensky, a former comedian and actor who played a president on Ukrainian TV before he became the real thing, it felt deeply authentic, as if he was reconciling himself with the fact that his death may be very soon. It was a riveting, heart-wrenching watch.

We’ve been starved of this kind of narrative in real life; of the relatively young man leading his troops from the frontline as opposed to the pampered old man at his desk somewhere far away, signing off on the deaths of his nation’s young. We’ve witnessed so much courage during this war, and not just from the president. The defenders of Snake Island, who told the commander of a Russian warship about to obliterate them to “go f..k yourself”. The women making molotov cocktails. The man kneeling in front of the tank. The lone woman praying in front of a church as air raid sirens wailed. The mother on the Ukrainian border delivering a stranger’s children to safety.

Zelensky has taught us so much about inspiring leadership. During his inaugural address in 2019 he told lawmakers: “I don’t want my picture in your offices. The president is not an icon, an idol or a portrait. Hang your kids’ photos instead, and look at them each time you’re making a decision.” It’s a message all leaders would do well to heed. Zelensky will go down in history for his profoundly inspirational leadership in an age when few will.

And in an utterly stupid example of virtue-signalling, an Australian supermarket is to rename Chicken Kiev to become Chicken Kyiv. No doubt others will follow. I will continue to use the Kiev spelling.

Sunday 13/3: Propaganda winner; fed up with Ukraine news; Sergei Lavrov speaks bluntly; government-supported piracy; Z-news

Another assorted roundup of a few random Ukraine-related articles.

“How Kyiv won the information war,” The Australian, 11/3. “There was always going to be global fury at Putin’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Yet Putin has badly underestimated not only the strength of Ukraine’s military resistance, but also the strength of the West’s response. And the strength of the West’s response has been directly fuelled by the savvy information war that Ukraine has waged. Not all of this information – and at times disinformation – is the deliberate creation of the Ukraine government. Many videos, photos and stories have been posted on social media by ordinary Ukrainians, but the government in Kyiv has promoted them vigorously to bolster its pleas for more Western military aid.” Unfortunately, Russia is well behind in “winning hearts and minds.” This is an important aspect of conflict, and the simplistic narrative of Big Bully Russia invading plucky underdog Ukraine is very easy for a gullible public to support. It will be very difficult now for Russia to make its reasons for its intervention understood.

This exasperated (and sweary) comment from the Moon of Alabama blog echoes what I am feeling:

I’m fu*king sick of this plastering of ukrainian sh*t all over everywhere.

And I mean it.

The posturing, the flag fetish, the adoration for a backwards, provincial, self-hating people that hasn’t done a single worthwhile thing for anybody else since USSR times.

I’m pretty sure I’m going to come out of this with a long-term disgust for ukrainians and anything ukrainian.

Fu*king atlanticist bastards and their fu*king sh*t-eating faces; the first priority for every other political camp from now on should be identifying, displacing and isolating them.

Posted by: Misotheist | Mar 12 2022 14:26 utc | 370

Respected Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (who had diplomats rudely walk out during his televised speech at a UN Human Rights Council meeting) had some blunt remarks at a meeting in Turkey. As a commenter at MoA says:

What is interesting is that it is clear that Lavrov is no longer interested in putting up with Western media nonsense. he circumlocutions and politeness are mostly gone. Key statements:

Turning to the question on whether we intend to attack any other countries: we are not planning to attack other countries. In fact, we did not attack Ukraine, either. We have explained many times that the situation in Ukraine has evolved in such a way that it poses a direct threat to Russia’s security. No one listened despite all our reminders, admonitions, calls and proposals during all these years. […]

Those supplying arms to Ukraine must understand that they bear responsibility for their actions. The same goes for those who encourage sending mercenaries to Ukraine to fight there in keeping with the traditions extreme radicals and their battalions introduced in Ukraine’s everyday life. […]

We had been trying for years to draw attention to the turning of Ukraine into “anti-Russia.” Since the early 2000s, the West openly demanded before every election that Ukraine make a choice between the West and Russia. That is, you are either with us, or against us. Is this the Western values that were being forced on the Ukrainian people?

We have also seen other things. When a pro-Western candidate got the smallest number of votes, as it happened in 2009, the West forced the Ukrainian Constitutional Court to adopt a decision on the third round of voting, in violation of the Constitution of Ukraine. There were a lot of such manipulations in those “best years.” Ukraine was being consistently turned into a pro-Western instrument for Western experiments. Ultimately, NATO demanded that Ukraine must be free to join the bloc, naval bases were being established in Ukraine, and the deployment of missiles, which were a direct threat to the Russian Federation, was discussed. It has now turned out that military biological laboratories were operating there secretly from the public in Ukraine and the rest of the world. When it was suggested that Ukraine should abandon its non-nuclear status, we appealed to the reason and conscience of our Western partners and urged them to coordinate security principles for Europe. […]

As for our economic problems, we will deal with them. We faced difficulties at all stages in our history. I can assure you that this time we will emerge from the crisis with a healthier mindset and mentality. We will have no illusion that the West can be a reliable partner who will not abandon anyone and its own values at the drop of a hat. Could you imagine that private property rights will be buried as easy as one-two-three? Have you ever seen the presumption of innocence, the pillar of the Western legal system, to be openly disregarded and trampled underfoot? I can assure you that we will overcome this. And we will also do everything in our power never to depend on the West in the areas of critical importance for our people. […]

It is not our tradition to run around the world and force sovereign, independent countries, members of the UN, to fulfil the Big Brother’s order. Actually, we are good-mannered people, as you are aware. The Americans do not conceal the fact that they are demanding that Turkey, India, Egypt, Southeast Asian countries and even China join the illegal unilateral US sanctions. It is impossible to imagine such disrespect for these great countries and civilisations. However, the Americans let nothing pass. For them, any means are acceptable to whip up Russophobia to unprecedented heights. We do not do such things. […]

All our admonitions during the eight years since the coup in Kiev and our appeals to our Western colleagues that they should bring the Ukrainian authorities to their senses have run against a dead wall of silence. Take, for example, the most obvious things regarding the Russian language. They have passed the law On Ensuring the Functioning of Ukrainian as the State Language, which declares Ukrainian alone as fit for use, while all other languages are open to prejudice in some way or another, including in terms of teaching them at elementary schools and universities. […]

The West’s attitude towards the referendum in Crimea is also an example of the policy of double standards. There was no referendum in Kosovo. NATO, by its bombing attacks, deliberately created a situation, where it could bring about the disintegration of Yugoslavia. When the Kosovo legislature declared independence, the entire West (almost entire) was applauding and supported this as a manifestation of democracy and freedom of choice. But why can Albanians do it while Russians in Crimea cannot? […]

We have realised that the point at issue is not Ukraine at all. It is an aggression against all things Russian – interests, religion, culture, language, security, etc. The West’s furious reaction to our actions demonstrates that this is a life and death struggle, a struggle for Russia’s right to be on the political map of the world with full respect for its legitimate interests.

The gloves are off.

“The internet watches with glee as Russian oligarchs’ yachts are seized,” The Age, 11/3. Russian oligarch billionaires are also having their assets seized. Is this legally right, though? As much as some might dislike them, they (presumably legally) own these possessions, and for these to be arbitrarily confiscated just because they are Russian sets a worrying precedent.

Italy seizes $580mn yacht owned by Russian tycoon

The world’s biggest sailing yacht was seized in the port of Trieste

The Italian authorities have seized a yacht belonging to Andrey Melnichenko, the owner of major fertilizer producer EuroChem Group and coal company SUEK.

The move comes just days after the billionaire was included on the EU’s sanction list along with 13 other businessmen from Russia.

According to the Italian government, the world’s biggest sailing yacht was seized at the northern port of Trieste on March 11.

The 143-meter (470-foot) vessel, designed by Philippe Starck and built by Nobiskrug in Germany, is reportedly worth €530 million ($578 million).

Last week, Italian police seized villas and yachts worth $156 million from five Russians who have been placed on the EU sanctions list over alleged ties to President Vladimir Putin over the conflict of Ukraine.

As one commenter says, “Nothing more than more western-guided high seas piracy.”

The Roskosmos website has a page, Z-news/Z-новости: “Information section dedicated to the current agenda in the world,” namely the Russian view of the war.

I am exhausted; the last two weeks of this conflict have been extraordinarily stressful mentally (though to note this seems trite as I am in a safe environment a long way from any actual conflict). The barrage of Russophobic propaganda has sucked in my parents (they grew up during the Cold War, so this also colors their overall negative view of Russia). I feel isolated with no one to speak to who also agrees with me. To my recollection, I have never hated Russia, even when I was growing up during the 1980s during the tail end of the Cold War. I am also disillusioned with the anti-Russian stance of many conservative bloggers and sites (who were skeptical about the COVID virus scaremongering in the mainstream media); I have virtually stopped visiting these (such as this post at Larry Correia’s blog). Complete consensus can’t be expected, but I would still expect them to question the MSM on this issue. The spaceflight sites and forums are predictably pro-Ukrainian so I rarely visit them either.

Monday 14/3: Humid again; downloaded NK magazine

An unwanted public holiday today. A violent thunderstorm passed over Melbourne last night, with heavy rain, and bringing in a week of humidity. The air was saturated with moisture this morning, though the sun did emerge.

I have downloaded all the available issues of Novosti Kosmonavtiki magazine from the Roskosmos website (2018 to 2004 online so far – over 3 GB! The magazine was first issued in 1991). I had to click through to each page and save each one individually, so this took a couple of days.

Tuesday 15/3: Entitled caller; anti-car study

Heard this on an ABC News channel program, Afternoon Briefing, yesterday afternoon (from around 50:10 minutes in the iView video): “… one radio caller said, I’m all for cost of living relief, but there is a cost to war. If we all want to be supportive of some way with Ukraine, and our fuel prices are a symptom of that war, this is a price I’m personally prepared to pay, said that motorist and listener. Do you have any sympathy to that argument that there is no pain-free conflict such as that we’re seeing in Ukraine at the moment? We put sanctions on Russia, invariably we all bear some cost in our own hip pocket from these decisions.” That angered me – the sanctions were made by government choice; Australia did not have to get involved (we should remain neutral, in my view, but other Western allies would then condemn us). The radio caller was perhaps in a privileged well-paying job so that they would not be affected so severely by rising cost-of-living. Unfortunately most will “blame Putin” rather than their government’s choosing to react to the Russian Ukrainian intervention.

“Five city-changing ideas for Melbourne’s roads,” The Age, 13/3. Anti-car nonsense from some international group with the vague description of “professional services firm.” Namely, force as many onto bicycles as possible, construct bike lanes everywhere, lower vehicle speeds to ridiculously slow limits, discourage cars entering the city with a congestion tax, encourage electric cars.

Wednesday 16/3: Energiya site still online; losing the online war; oligarch squatters; minister insults Putin; idiot volunteers

I have managed to break through to the Energiya website using the method described in my 12/3 entry, but connection is still erratic – sometimes I can, othertimes it can’t be established. But it is still online, though unaccessible outside Russia on normal Internet connections. I hope this will not be permanent – become like China’s Great Firewall.

“Parallel Worlds or Parabolic Mirror Images: Media Coverage of the Russia-Ukraine War,” Gilbert Doctorow, 15/3. On the very different narratives of the war that Russians and the West are getting from their respective media outlets.

Let us be perfectly frank: the Russians have lost the Information War over their ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine in Western media, meaning especially in the United States and Europe. The situation globally is, of course, more nuanced, with nearly half of humanity, meaning India and China, on the sidelines or predisposed to side with Russia.

Let us remember that the Russians never did well in the Information War in the West. They lacked the skills, and the ‘market’ was virtually closed to them by tight U.S. government control over all major media and patriotic self-censorship in editorial and production offices. The shutdown of RT and Sputnik has been an insignificant factor working against dissemination of the Russian narrative.

Let us also be clear-eyed: the loss of the Information War in the lands of their enemies changes absolutely nothing for Russia. They never were liked. The ongoing war, and the greater threat of its escalation to a more generalized Third World War that quickly becomes nuclear has put into the equation an element of fear, which may sway some minds in the West towards greater realism. Or perhaps it won’t. But all of this changes nothing as regards the outcome if the Russians can complete their mission in the coming weeks and not face growing domestic discontent that compels them to change their negotiating terms at the end. If completed quickly, the Russian military operation will be decided by two things only: Blut und Eisen, or ‘blood and iron,’ as Bismarck would have observed.

I watched the introduction titles of The Salisbury Poisonings. It interspersed real media footage of a 2018 snowstorm in Britain, nicknamed “the Beast from the East,” with some of President Putin. A not-very-subtle allegory, but a demonstration of how Russia has been historically regarded in Europe: as a nation of barely-civilized subhumans.

“Russian oligarch says he’s ‘appalled’ by British police as squatters occupy London mansion for nearly 20 hours,” Business Insider, 15/3. As anyone who owned a house that had been overrun would normally be – but the Reddit thread I saw this link in is full of gloating with schadenfreude at his supposedly being “deserving” of this.

“Peter Dutton escalates criticism of Vladimir Putin, says Russian invasion was a miscalculation,” ABC News, 16/3. Like President Putin would care what some minister from an obscure country would think?

There is a subReddit called r/volunteersForUkraine, where members discuss going over there to fight (essentially as mercenaries). Normally an illegal activity, but because Reddit is rabidly anti-Russian generally, the sub is not banned. I hope those who do go over get slaughtered – good riddance. There’s no shortage of foolish young males. One describes his “reality check” in an article, “Shaken Foreign Volunteers Flee Ukraine After Base Hit by Russian Cruise Missiles – Ex-Marine Reports.”

Thursday 17/3: Upcoming Soyuz mission launch; unhinged commenter

Weather still warm and humid, but not unbearably so. I am mentally and physically exhausted from following the awful barrage of Russiophobic news from the last couple of weeks.

Soyuz MS-21 is due to launch on 18/3 (19/3 in Australia) with the all-Russian Expedition-67 crew. No Roskosmos page up for it yet, and will it be publically accessible?

I rarely visit NASAWatch, and it is predictably unbearable now. Clicked on one post and there was this bile-filled rant from one of the commenters, worth quoting here:

Keith Vauquelin: I respect Scott Kelly. Greatly. If he has the friendships and relationships of value he claims, they will survive this era. If not, they were not worth sustaining.

However, this time, after this immoral human calamity brought upon a peaceful people, I cannot in good conscience support his opinion. Hope is not a strategy for success. An executable plan which evolves as circumstances dictate IS a strategy for success. For the armchair critics out there, that is the nature of flight PLANning, which I did successfully in all-weather environments, and while operating high-performance civilian aircraft for twenty years.

Nothing from the US for Russia. Not one thin dime of taxpayer money for anything, including cooperative space exploration. At this junction of history, I could give a damn what happens to their aerospace industry, or if they ever have the industrial base to support space exploration for a thousand years. I know all about the thousands of Russian aerospace professionals who will be horribly affected by this. With respect, so what? How about the suffering their own country and leadership has delivered upon Ukraine? And the arguments about “how this kind of response will affect American aerospace labor and business” is fallacious. Have you heard of a US company called SpaceX?? I am sure they are looking for a few good men.

In order for mankind to truly inherit the stars, we must recognize our civilization is at a pivotal moment in its collective history, where the wrong decision(s) will drive us back to the cave, and due to the selfishness of a very small number of despots. We can decide as a civilization that this kind of ruthless, destructive, and again, immoral world leadership is unacceptable, and choose to do something about it, regardless of the cost. We are all going to have to sacrifice through this terrible era. I explain further in a following paragraph.

I’m fine with a “no expiration date” moratorium on ANY and ALL United States space cooperation with Russia. Political expediency be damned. The Russians break agreements frequently, demand one-sided concessions, beg financial support, sabotage their own hardware, then toast the taxpayers of the US as useful idiots. I’m done with this; if any American has a shred of human decency, they should be as well.

Putin and any Russian who supported Ukrainian crimes against humanity must be held accountable by the International World Court, tried, and executed for what they have done in Ukraine before any thought or discussion of US space exploration cooperation is EVER considered.

The problem with America is it forgives and forgets too easily. I thankfully have not had any of my Ukrainian friends killed. But all are refugees spread across Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania.

I am actively financially supporting one of them, as she has lost everything. Her home, personal belongings, job – all gone. The woman I mention NEVER did anything to deserve this experience. Millions of her fellow countrymen now are refugees. Hundreds if not thousands of unnecessary deaths, destroyed families, and murdered children. None deserving of such a life experience. It is Hitler’s reign of terror, again.

Thankfully, my other friends have mostly have some measure of resources. I leave for Romania on April 11, with no plan to return to the States any time soon. This is my sacrifice to serving a greater good in the world, rather than enjoying my comfortable retirement. If NATO is finally drawn into this war, then I am risking my life and all I have worked for to help my friend. I hope it is evident I am putting my actions where my mouth is.

The easiest way we can eliminate Russia’s despicable behavior, is to COMPLETELY sever financial ties with Russia in all ways and means possible. Let the Russians begin to starve to death. Provided Putin does not use chemical weapons on his own people, they could rise above this evil government and leader to overthrow it, and replace it with something, hopefully, far better.

Quote by Marie Yovanovitch, former US Ambassador to Ukraine:

“They (Ukrainians) view this (war), I think rightly so, as a campaign of extermination, exterminating Ukraine, exterminating the Ukrainian people. You've heard the things that Putin has said that Ukraine is not a country, the Ukrainian people are not a separate people from the Russians, and he is doing his best to eradicate the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian country, Ukrainian culture.”

Why does Russia have a right to survive as a country and a people, while dictating that Ukraine and it’s people, do not???

My plan to help end this war, is inclusive of ending Russia’s participation on the ISS:

1) ALL (as in 100% of) RUSSIAN FINANCIAL / TECH / IT / ENGINEERING / BUSINESS TIES TO THE US MUST BE SEVERED AND/OR FROZEN. This is an executable, achievable plan for success against Russia, and on behalf of Ukraine.

2) Give notice to the Russians that they must undock their segment of the ISS within 60 days of written notice, unless Russia COMPLETELY withdraws from Ukraine. This one is hard to enforce; however, it will shake up Rogozin, and his minions. Tell them in no uncertain terms to get the hell off the station. We might be surprised if they agree to do so, and let them go at their own peril.

3) Work with SpaceX for executing a workable and achievable PLAN to support ISS reboost, if not evolutionary expansion. There are plenty of Falcon 9 launch vehicles around – I will wager SpaceX already is formulating a real and achievable plan to support the ISS.

It may seem silly to paraphrase a dialog line from Star Trek, here. Nevertheless, I will, as it acutely describes my armchair experience in life with the Russian government, and the way I see the US relationship with Russia, now:

“… We've made too many compromises already; too many retreats. They invade our lands and we fall back. They murder innocent people without remorse and we fall back. They assimilate entire countries and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here. This far, no further!”

It’s past time we cut off the head of the Russian snake. Putin has ordered the extermination of Ukrainian civilians, and literally destroyed a trillion US dollars of property in Ukraine. I have no doubt given the chance, all of Europe and the US will be next IF he believes we are too weak as a people to stop him.

We are ALL Ukrainians, now; seen in Lewisville, Texas, today: Photo of Ukrainain and USA flags being flown

Friday 18/3: Rewilding humans project

The extremely biased media coverage of the Ukraine war continues. It is unbearable to listen to; I want to throw things at the idiot reporters on the TV screen.

Soyuz MS-21 launches very soon.

To something gentler, Lynx Vilden (previously mentioned in my 28/8/2021 entry) has a new section on her website: Lithica – The rewilding humans project. Her goal is to raise funds for a large tract of land in Europe that “would allow modern people to start to live there, reintegrating themselves as rewilded humans; People of the Stone.”

Saturday 19/3: Soyuz MS-21 launched and docked; toxic forums

Soyuz MS-21 launched and docked with no issues today. Frustratingly, the Roskosmos website is still off-limits to outsiders (a link to the mission page if it is ever unblocked again), and more and more Russian sites are not posting on U.S./Western-owned social networks anymore; they are walling themselves off. Much was made of the crew happening to wear yellow flight suits with some blue detailing, but these colors were in the crew’s patch. A Reddit comment from an r/space post:

These suits have been used on previous missions by Russian crew, though admittedly not very frequently. It has been said on Twitter that the three Russian astronauts all graduated from the same university, and that these were their school colors. So my guess is that they did choose these outfits, but probably quite some time ago, and for different reasons. It just serendipitously worked out to have a new meaning over the last few weeks.

That said, I’m 100% positive this was fully realized and discussed at the time (i.e. within the last few weeks) amongst these men (and likely several mid-level managers at Roscosmos), and they decided to go ahead with it anyway, knowing full well the new significance these colors would have. Most Russian scientists are well-read and know what’s up with the world. Someone is absolutely going to get fired – if not worse – for this decision, knowing how servile and stupid Rogozin is, he’s going to insist on some heads on a platter for this one.

Which is pretty much typical of the toxic hostility that Reddit collectively has towards anything or anyone Russian now. I have not been enjoying visiting the site for some time, but it has been especially stressful and unpleasant for me to visit now, being infested with pro-Ukraine propaganda and activists (anything pro-Russian is banned or downvoted to oblivion). I only keep visiting because there are a few subs I can tolerate, and I don’t know where else to go (even the spaceflight forums are hostile towards Russia, and the Novosti Kosmonavtiki forum is dismayingly nihilistic also).

Today was a lovely sunny day, though the weather is warming up for a few days. Not as intensely as summer though; the early morning chill of Autumn will soon make itself felt.

Sunday 20/3: About those flightsuits

An NK news item about those yellow flightsuits the Soyuz MS-21 crew were wearing:

Roskosmos explained the color of the cosmonauts’ flight suits by analogy with the emblem of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University

The design of the flight suits for the cosmonauts of the “S.P. Korolev” spacecraft (Soyuz MS-21) was coordinated long before the events in Ukraine and is not associated with the flag of this country. This was announced by the head of the press service of Roscosmos Dmitry Strugovets, reports TASS.

“Sometimes yellow is just yellow. The flight suits of the new crew are made in the colors of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University emblem, from which all three cosmonauts graduated. The design of the uniform was agreed upon long before current events. Seeing the Ukrainian flag everywhere and in everything is already a clinic,” wrote Strugovets in his Telegram channel “Closed Space.”

He called the assumptions of some media that the astronauts dressed in suits in the colors of the Ukrainian flag a ridiculous invention of foreign bloggers and media.

“Oleg Artemyev is not the first time flying in a yellow suit,” Strugovets emphasized, accompanying the publication with a photograph of Artemyev in the spring of 2014, in which he is in a yellow flight uniform.

But there is still debate about them, such as in this NASASpaceflight.com forum thread, or this annoying poster who is obviously sympathetic to Ukraine (must refrain from snarling at him there).

Global Times infographic: Sanctions against Russia undermine West’s ‘democratic’ claims.

Monday 21/3: Canary cosmonauts and Russophobia; media censorship hypocrisy; haircut and some selfies

A couple of Russia Today articles. “Western media drags Russian cosmonauts into Ukraine ‘information war’,” 19/3. “One of the cosmonauts, Oleg Artemyev, elaborated further on the suits affair, confirming that the colors opted-for had nothing to do with the Ukrainian crisis. The suits are made specifically for each crewmember some six months before the launch, he said, so it simply could not be linked to the Russian offensive launched late in February. ‘In past flights, I had flight suits in yellow, white, and blue. There is no need to look for secret signs and symbols in our uniforms. Color is just color. It has nothing to do with Ukraine,’ Artemyev stated. ‘These days, despite the fact that we are in space, we stand together with our president and our people!’”

“Russophobia didn’t start with Ukraine. It’s long been brewing in the West,” 20/3. “Moscow’s actions in Ukraine have exposed a deep-seated latent racism toward the Russian people that a number of Western institutions – not least Hollywood and the legacy mainstream media – have been cultivating for far too long. […] And that brings us to another question: why has it become so acceptable, even fashionable, for people to embrace their inner Klansman whenever the subject is Russia, the global whipping boy? I believe I speak for the majority of Americans when I say we have been methodically conditioned from birth to believe Russians are inherently ruthless and amoral. Much of this conditioning occurs on the television screen and in the movie theater over the duration of a lifetime. Russians find the clichés so ridiculous as to be amusing.”

Of great concern, closer to home: “Government to introduce laws to combat misinformation, disinformation,” The Age, 20/3. “The federal government has pledged to introduce new laws to help reduce the spread of harmful content on social media, as the world’s most powerful tech companies try to combat the deluge of misinformation and disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine online.” Meaning, anything that goes against the government and mainstream media’s accepted narrative – in this case, targeting anti-lockdown viewpoints, and pro-Russian supporters. Censorship! And people in the West have the temerity to accuse the Russian and Chinese governments of such? Our authorities here are hypocrites in the extreme. (And I will not comply.) An example is a warning page that Facebook redirects outbound Russian media links to, with a warning: “Russia state-controlled media: This link is from a publisher that Facebook believes may be partially or wholly under the editorial control of the Russian government.” I loathe this patronizing gatekeeping.

I had a haircut today; just a trim. Took a few selfies; I recently discovered the effects filter on my iPhone so I have posted a couple of images that I took after the cut at home. I almost look presentable!

Suzy, filtered selfie, 21/3/2022 Suzy, filtered selfie, 21/3/2022

Tuesday 22/3: Accessed VK.com; downloading photo albums

I found out how to achieve two tasks on the Internet that had eluded and frustrated me:

  1. Access the Russian social media site vk.com. The ISP I use (via Dad) for some reason blocked access to this site (an issue long before the present conflict). The instructions are on a page at Yandex.ru. In Windows 8.1, I changed my DNS via Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network Connections, then right-click on Wi-Fi; left-click, select Properties, then select IPV4. Enter new DNS (Yandex: 77.88.8.8 (77.88.8.1 secondary)); I can now access the site normally through my browser. (I don’t want to sign up for an account, though, as this and many other SM sites, such as Telegram, require a mobile phone number, which I don’t want to provide – I do not trust their privacy policies.)
  2. Roskosmos now has a page there (Russian organizations are being banned from using Western social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube, as the latter were censoring any Russian content). I wanted to download some of their photo albums; bulk-download as there are a lot of photos. I found a command-line downloader, gallery-dl, on Github, and there is a stand-alone version for Windows (gallery-dl.exe). To use this:
    1. Put gallery-dl.exe into its own folder (program is portable).
    2. While in folder, SHIFT + right-click on folder in details pane; select Open command window here.
    3. Summon the program by typing after the prompt: gallery-dl [album url] – e.g. gallery-dl https://vk.com/album-30315369_261312454; press ENTER key. Download should then start, into subfolders in the same folder.
    4. gallery-dl --help then ENTER to print program help in command window.

I am actually comfortable with using the command line; GUIs, however, can be more convenient.

In one of the galleries, there are Soviet-era space-themed posters. I love the artwork and themes from this era! It was hand-painted or drawn, and the designs quite imaginative and inspiring. Yes, of course, it was propaganda (a lot of it aimed at children, who would seem poignantly naïve compared to digital-media-saturated children now), but it is still art in its own right.

There was (is?) a Russian philosophy called Cosmism, a sort of merging of spirituality and the cosmos. I think the space program in the Soviet era was almost a quasi-religion, a replacement for the then-banned Orthodox Church. I could still envision the two merging again (ascending to the Heavens/the Cosmos).

Wednesday 23/3: Roskosmos website access in peril; President propaganda

Pages at the Roskosmos website were loading very slowly or not at all today. I hope my tenuous connection will not get cut off via TOR, also. I have not been able to get through to Energiya again, though, since those sporadic connections noted in my 16/3 entry.

The SBS TV channel has been blatantly siding with the Ukrainians in the intervention; its latest propaganda effort was a documentary, Zelenskyy: The Man Who Took On Putin. I have not watched it as I know I would end up even more infuriated.

Thursday 24/3: Sister staying; new glasses; books bought and read; CSS esoterica

My sister has flown here from Queensland to stay for a few days.

I collected my new glasses today; it took just over 3 weeks for them to be made! (1/3 entry) Unusually long compared to earlier years, but there are delays due to COVID. They are a metallic sapphire-blue, similar in design to my green pair.

I took the train to the City yesterday. Bought a book called Soviet Space Graphics: Cosmic Visions from the USSR, which has reproductions of the Soviet-era space art I mentioned I liked in my 21/3 entry.

I am re-reading a novel that I mentioned way back in my 21/4/2007 entry, Ascent by Jed Mercurio. It is a bleak but excellent read, and in an odd way I can somewhat relate to the main character: he feels empty and hollow inside, and is looking for a purpose in his life. It is literary and sparing in its style, with lovely descriptions of the land and sky. I certainly would not describe it as “a trashy entertainment” like that newspaper review did.

Had an acrimonious blow-up with my parents yesterday when the topic of the Ukraine war came up. We have opposing views (as noted in my 13/3 entry). The Russophobic media barrage in Australia is unrelenting.

Noted in an entry by The Saker is Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to questions during his meeting with finalists of the International Track as part of the Leaders of Russia management competition, Moscow, March 19, 2022. Long, but worth reading as Mr. Lavrov gives reasons into Russia’s justification for its Ukraine intervention.

I still can’t access the Energiya website, but found another roundabout way of getting there, via pasting the URL into the Yandex Translate service. The rendering is very basic and layout messed up with no images – but the text is still readable.

For my own site, I found a method yesterday of using Cascading Style Sheet pseudo-classes to display generated content in table cells in a particular order. It works fine with simple cell rows, but when there are cells spanning more than one row, the generated content gets messed up, displaying in the wrong cells. But I found this works (via an article, Getting to Know CSS3 Selectors: Structural Pseudo-Classes) – for my Russian spacewalks page:

.tablevkd td:nth-child(0n+1):before {content: "Expedition:\00000a";}
.tablevkd td:nth-last-child(6):before {content: "Date:\00000a";}
.tablevkd td:nth-last-child(5):before {content: "Participants:\00000a";}
.tablevkd td:nth-last-child(4):before {content: "Duration:\00000a";}
.tablevkd td:nth-last-child(3):before {content: "Airlock:\00000a";}
.tablevkd td:nth-last-child(2):before {content: "Number:\00000a";}
.tablevkd td:last-child:before {content: "Reports:\00000a";}

nth-child works forward; nth-last-child works backward.

I wanted to display a brief description of each header in the corresponding table cell below it; as the table is quite long now, the header would not display after scrolling down. I did try another method, using position:sticky, but this proved to be difficult to achieve when I also want a horizontal scrollbar to display for small smartphone screens, which are too narrow to display wide tables fully. So I felt quite pleased at achieving that convoluted behind-the-scenes code! (Little achievements like these do cheer me a bit.) This will only display in up-to-date browsers, but it is more a cosmetic enhancement so older browsers will not.

Friday 25/3: Pro-Russia news censorship; foreign propagandists at work; Roskosmos connection erratic

“Melbourne-based Russian radio show probed over Kremlin propaganda,” The Age, 25/3. A typical example of hypocrisy and censorship. “Kremlin propaganda” – anything that conflicts with the relentless Russophobic Western propaganda. Australian TV news channels, such as SBS and ABC, should likewise be “probed” for their blatant pro-Ukrainian propaganda (as should The Age and other major newspapers – there are no points-of-view other than “Russia bad, Ukraine heroic”).

“Ukraine’s Propaganda War,” Consortium News, 23/3. “Behind Ukraine’s public relations effort is an army of foreign political strategists, Washington, D.C., lobbyists, and a network of intelligence-linked media outlets.” The same international players were doing this in Ukraine way back in 2004, as noted in my 27/11/2004 entry: “But while the gains of the orange-bedecked “chestnut revolution” are Ukraine’s, the campaign is a United States creation, a sophisticated and brilliantly conceived exercise in Western branding and mass marketing that, in four countries in four years, has been used to try to salvage rigged elections and topple unsavoury regimes. Funded and organised by the US Government, deploying US consultancies, pollsters, diplomats, the two big US parties and US non-government organisations, the campaign was first used in Europe in Belgrade in 2000 to beat Slobodan Milosevic at the polls.”

The TOR Roscosmos link has sporadically been unavailable, so I am feeling rather panicky that it will disappear altogether.

Saturday 26/3: Presidential propaganda documentary watched; ashamed Australians

A perfect sunny Autumn day; still and calm. Unlike various places elsewhere in the world.

I reluctantly watched that Ukrainian president propaganda documentary I mentioned back in my 23/3 entry, Zelenskyy: The Man Who Took On Putin (on fast-forward speed). It is blatantly aggrandizing, presenting Zelenskyy as the plucky underdog challenging the dastardly Russian President Putin. I’m sure that Putin would outmaneuver the posturing pretender with ease.

A few Australians posted in this comment thread at the Reminiscence of the Future blog. I posted: “I’m Australian too and feel embarrassed to be so – my government most assuredly does not speak for me. I wish we could remain neutral but we are unfortunately tied to the US. I sincerely hope Russia prevails in this conflict.”

Sunday 27/3: Headache yesterday; Russian Kosmos Journal article; President Biden gaffe

Forgot to mention yesterday that I had one of my headaches in the early morning, this one debilitating. I don’t know what might cause them; they seem to come at random.

Russian Kosmos Journal / Журнал «Русский космос», March 2022, is on the Roskosmos website (in Russian). There is a lengthy and passionate opinion piece on the current international anti-Russian sanctions, which I spent a tedious afternoon copying-and-pasting from the PDF into Yandex Translate, then tidying up. I have put it in my Articles section (also linked from my Russian space news page). Online computer translators do a fairly decent job, now. I hate copying from PDFs, though, as hard line breaks in paragraphs are copied also, and removing these is a real chore.

“US President Joe Biden says Russia’s Vladimir Putin ‘cannot remain in power’,” ABC News, 27/3; “Putin ‘cannot remain in power’ – Biden,” Russia Today. Officials then hastily backtracked and tried to spin a different meaning: “A White House official said Mr Biden was ‘not discussing Putin’s power in Russia or regime change.’ The official, who was not authorised to comment by name and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Mr Biden’s point was: ‘Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbours or the region.’” Uh, no – can’t weasel your way out of it; the President obviously said what he really felt: Get rid of Putin. (Vox Day has a tart entry on the statement.)

Monday 28/3: Sister gone; unbearable websites

My sister departed for Brisbane this afternoon.

I have virtually stopped visiting a lot of websites that I frequented since the Russian-Ukraine intervention began; they are all anti-Russia and are just unbearable for me now. Same with spaceflight forums. The Ukraine propaganda war has convinced many.

Tuesday 29/3: Novel remembered; intended destruction of Russia

At long last I found a novel that I read in 1987 or so whose title I could not remember, only some scenes; it had eluded me for years. The novel was prescribed as part of the school English literature curriculum of then – perhaps for Year 12 – though as I never finished that year I don’t think I studied it in class. It was set in Melbourne, around the Mornington Penninsula region, and there was an eccentric old man who lived in a house called Thermopylae, next to the sea. The novel is All the Green Year by Don Charlwood, published in 1965 and set after the First World War; it is regarded as an Australian classic. There is a short review and synopsis of it at the linked blog entry.

“The Regime Change … in Russia?” at The Market Ticker blog; a bluntly-worded entry (via Vox Popoli – link in 27/3 entry). “The official goal of the Biden Administration is the destruction of Russia.”

“Biden’s Reckless Words Underscore the Dangers of the U.S.’s Use of Ukraine As a Proxy War,” Glen Greenwald, 28/3. “I conclude that the U.S. intends to keep this war going …. I have evidence from other sources to corroborate this. ‘The only end game now,’ a senior administration official was heard to say at a private event earlier this month, ‘is the end of Putin regime’….I gather that senior British figures are talking in similar terms. There is a belief that ‘the U.K.’s No. 1 option is for the conflict to be extended and thereby bleed Putin.’ Again and again, I hear such language. It helps explain, among other things, the lack of any diplomatic effort by the U.S. to secure a cease-fire. It also explains the readiness of President Joe Biden to call Putin a war criminal.”

Wednesday 30/3: Dad’s birthday; liminal pools; General attrition; dissenter censored; travelers banned

Dad turns 89 today.

Found a subReddit related to the Liminal spaces one (26/1 entry): Poolrooms. Oddly soothing pictures (photos and computer-rendered) of swimming pools in enclosed spaces. Links to a few recent posts with images I liked: Mini pool rooms (Gabriella Salonga); Stairway Up; Summer Breeze; Arc of a Diver; Level −33.1; Room 19 – Day and Night.

Mini Pool Rooms Summer Breeze Arc of a Diver Poolrooms Room 19 - Night

“Russian generals are getting killed at an extraordinary rate,” The Age, 27/3. “The war in Ukraine is proving extraordinarily lethal for Russian generals, the grey men bedecked in service medals, who are being aggressively targeted by Ukrainian forces and killed at a rate not seen since World War II. Ukrainian officials say their forces have killed seven generals on the battlefield, felled by snipers, close combat and bombings.” The veracity of such reports without objective proof, though, is of some doubt (“Ukrainian officials say …”). Seems like a deliberate morale-booster type of article, given the mainstream media’s obvious pro-Ukrainian bias and propaganda war.

“Melbourne radio station suspends Russian broadcaster for ‘offensive’ programs,” The Age, 29/3. “A Melbourne community radio station has suspended a Russian broadcaster over complaints his program was airing Kremlin propaganda on the war in Ukraine. Last week The Age revealed the country’s media regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, was investigating the program hosted by volunteer Oleg Bydanov after receiving complaints about its content.” Presumably from those with pro-Ukrainian views. Deliberate censorship at work, as was the case for dissenters during the Coronavirus lockdowns.

“Moscow to hit most Western states with visa restrictions,” RT, 28/3. Which will include Australia. Not that I am in a position to travel, but it is still a dismaying development, nonetheless.

Thursday 31/3: Safe landing for Soyuz MS-19; Soviet spaceflight nostalgia

Soyuz MS-19 landed yesterday with Anton Skaplerov, Mark Vande Hei and Pyotr Dubrov onboard. (Sadly, I can’t link to the official Roskosmos page as the website is still unavailable outside of Russia). There was some nonsensical fuss about the American NASA astronaut being kidnapped or refused a flight down, but Russia did not abrogate on its agreement.

One very small personal positive of the recent turmoil is my renewed interest and enthusiasm for the Russian space program – I have realized how precarious information from Russia is now, and it is being cut off.

I was re-reading the National Geographic article from the October 1986 edition, “Soviets in space: are they ahead?” Back when the Russian space program was mysterious and a real challenge to the West – rather like China’s space program is now. I do now believe the Russian program was better off when it was independent. The international partnership centered on the International Space Station has always been controversial and acrimonious, and the recent Ukraine intervention has seen hostilities in the space program erupt into the open.

April

Friday 1/4: Dismaying developments

“‘We stand with you’: Australia steps up military aid for Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers live address,” SBS News, 31/3. “Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used his speech to thank Australia for its support, including an extra $25 million in defensive military equipment. He also issued a call for more powerful sanctions, while Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison rebuked Vladimir Putin, labelling him a war criminal.” SBS is a Government-funded Australian TV channel, and it is blatantly biased in favor of Ukraine. As well, some even more dismaying anti-Russian actions by the Government: Australia will fly a number of Australian-made Bushmaster vehicles over to Ukraine, provide yet more financial aid and impose a 35% tariff on goods imported from Russia and Belarus. As well, the Ukrainian PM gave a televised speech to Parliament yesterday, which was broadcast on ABC TV (the other Government-funded channel, also blatantly biased). For obvious reasons, I did not watch it; I am furious enough already.

Saturday 2/4: Anti-Orthodox article; astronaut not kidnapped

I am fretful and agitated, for the usual reasons (i.e. unrelenting anti-Russia hate here). In my hate-browsing of the ABC News website, I came across this article, “Is Orthodoxy finished?” a predictably anti-Putin and anti-Orthodox church opinion piece. “As terrified civilians in Ukraine were fleeing Russian bombs, in Moscow Patriarch Kirill gave what has now become an infamous statement of support for President Vladimir Putin’s invasion. And what was His Holiness’ justification for this ‘holy’ war? ‘The Gay Pride parade’! Ukraine has sold its soul to Western libertinism, he stated, as is shown by its endorsement of homosexuality. The fight, therefore, is not only against NATO, but against darker, diabolical powers: ‘We have entered into a struggle that has not a physical, but a metaphysical significance.’ […] I’ve long suspected Kirill to be deranged, but he is now also doubtless dangerous – dangerous because he is backing his even more deranged dictator, who may soon begin using chemical weapons (having built up some experience in their use in Salisbury and Syria).” “Deranged” only from the writer’s point-of-view. I very much doubt that Orthodoxy is “finished,” though it – like other traditional religions – are regarded as anachronistic by the currently-dominant secular world. It’s the progressive-versus-conservative theological battle again.

Star City (Zvyozdniy Gorodok, Звёздный городок, the training center for Russian cosmonauts, has its own Orthodox Church, constructed in 2008 (and the Church there has its own website).

A TASS article regarding the landing of Soyuz MS-21 and the silly “kidnapping” rumors (31/3 entry):

NASA astronaut returns to Earth as scheduled despite Russia-West sanctions standoff

Earlier, some US media outlets doubted if Russia would take Mark Vande Hei back to Earth amid the barrage of sanctions over the Ukraine crisis

MOSCOW, March 30. /TASS/. NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who has spent nearly a year on the ISS, has left the orbital outpost in Russia’s Soyuz MS-19 space capsule as planned, with the ongoing sanctions feud between Russia and the United States having no effect whatsoever on the original space mission schedule.

As follows from a livestream by Russia’s space corporation Roscosmos, Vande Hei left the ISS together with two Russian cosmonauts, Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov.

Before the hatches between the spacecraft and the ISS were shut, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemiev said jokingly that he had held roll call for all those boarding the departing capsule.

Earlier, some US media outlets doubted if Russia would take Vande Hei back to Earth amid the barrage of sanctions over the Ukraine crisis. Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin uploaded to his Telegram channel an extract from a Fox News broadcast claiming there was a risk Russia might leave the US astronaut in space.

Roscosmos then had to confirm the obvious and to remind everyone that it had never created the slightest pretext that it might let its partners doubt its reliability. The space corporation reassured that the US astronaut would travel back to the Earth as expected.

Sunday 3/4: Daylight Savings ended; comments at Between Two Worlds; Rogozin ruckus

Daylight Savings ended in Australia overnight. That extra hour of sleep does make me feel a bit better (I arise ridiculously early now; if I were living by myself I probably would get up an hour or two later).

I made a comment at the latest post in the Between Two Worlds blog; it was well-received.

Suzy on April 2, 2022 at 7:03 am said: Hi, I’m an Australian who has been following your blog for some time; relieved to see that you (and Russia generally) are coping OK with the insane sanctions. The Russophobia in Australia is unrelenting, a constant barrage from the media here, and our government has unfortunately made its anti-Russian stance very clear (which will destroy relations between our two countries for years to come). I very much support Russia’s actions, and I don’t think President Putin is insane or evil.

Hal Freeman on April 2, 2022 at 8:07 am said: Thank you. I have a Russian friend from Australia visit a few weeks ago. She was born in Kaliningrad, but her family moved to Australia when she was a child. She was telling me the same things you said about the propaganda there. So sad!!! But I am glad there are people like you who look and listen for the truth. Again, appreciate your comments.

Dmitry Rogozin, Director General of the Roscosmos State Corporation, had some acerbic comments on the negative responses received from the heads of the ISS partner space agencies to his request that sanctions against Russian State Corporation enterprises involved in the program be cancelled (I have posted the English translation on my Russian space news page). His anger is understandable; unfortunately the reaction on all the spaceflight forums I visit has been derisive towards him (he is not well-regarded by Western spaceflight enthusiasts generally). Keith Cowing at NASAWatch (which should perhaps be renamed NASAWhinge) is predictably negative (and recall the deranged commenter in my 17/3 entry).

The r/space subReddit at Reddit is an absolute cesspool when it comes to the topic of Russian spaceflight, as you might have guessed (the site is infested with pro-Ukrainian shills, and any pro-Russian sentiment gets one banned).

Monday 4/4: Australian Russians; massacre (not); website work

“‘I feel I have blood on my hands’: the Russian locals protesting the Ukraine war,” The Age, 2/4. On Russians living in Australia and their reactions to the Ukraine intervention. Unsurprisingly, its tone is in favor of dissenters (i.e. those who are anti-Putin).

The latest manufactured (“false flag”) outrage is an alleged massacre of Ukrainians in a suburb called Bucha. (Rebuffals by Larry Johnson; War on Fakes; The Saker.) I simply do not trust the mainstream media at all now (two years of COVID hysteria has had that effect) and barely glance at the headlines..

I am working on my RuSpace website, but so far it is rather tedious behind-the-scenes tasks, such as cross-linking some pages.

Tuesday 5/4: Ukie flag virtue-signalling; Aging Parents subReddit

Little to say. I did see a Ukrainain flag hanging from an apartment balcony on the drive to Southland SC with my parents. Wanted to tear it down.

One of the very few subReddits I find tolerable now – if sadly relevent – is r/AgingParents – “Adults dealing with aging parents.” It is mostly U.S.-focused, though.

Wednesday 6/4: Disinformation distress

A comment at the Moon of Alabama blog echoes how I feel:

Is anyone else here mentally and/or physically affected by this scale and depth of Western disinformation? With the Wuhan great psychosis I felt frequently like I was the only sane person in the room as reason fled the building and the Left rallied in favour of biopolitical repression and lockdowns. I found myself doing things I once would not have done, reading Spengler and listening to podcasts by Bronze Age Pervert.

And just when I thought I was recovering, this happens. Vast edifices of journalism and free press, cracked by Assange and COVID coverage, now in full collapse to the point where insanity, lies and indeterminacy have become the norm. And we now support Nazis, thugs and ethnic cleansing.

I grew up in the post-war West, weaned on a diet of WW2 films and ancestral traditions about the good fight against Nazism. It justified the US invasion and capture of Western Europe. One of the greatest PR coups in history: repackaging D-Day as a heroic liberation when it merely replaced fascist totalitarianism with liberal totalitarianism. Was that all lies too? It’s like waking up inside a Philip K. Dick novel ….

And here we are. And I feel it now in my soul, a weariness, hating the internet, hating the lies upon lies to the point of lethargy and depression. This is the Enlightenment played in slow motion reverse. I feel physically sick over it every day.

Posted by: Patroklos | Apr 4 2022 19:47 utc

Even though I am a world away from the conflict, I am similarly in mental distress, perhaps even more so than I was during the lockdowns (an example being in my 28/8/2021 entry; the threat of future lockdowns, incidentally, has not gone). I am surly, snapping and snarling at anyone nearby.

Vox Day has a skeptical entry about the “false flag” Bucha massacre.

Thursday 7/4: News blackout; lockdown nostalgia

Tired. I rarely look at the mainstream media now, aside from hearing news headlines on TV; I try to avoid such programs now. I am not missing much. I even find watching repeats of quiz shows more appealing (I lie in bed in the evening with the TV on, and go to sleep at intervals). Also documentaries.

Compared to the current hostile world situation (West and Ukraine vs. Russia), I am, bizarrely, almost feeling a little nostalgic for when lockdowns were the main focus; at least a virus is impersonal.

Friday 8/4: Red Election; shame on Australia

I managed to remember a TV series I had watched a few months ago: Red Election. It is quite good, featuring “a British intelligence agent and a Danish secret service agent who team up to stop a Russian terrorist attack in Britain.” One gruesome scene (at least, I think it was from this series) that made an impression had a Danish female informant being cremated alive by the Russian KGB agents she had double-crossed! Of course, real-world events now will see Russians feature as politically-correct villains for quite a few years (unfortunately).

The Australian Government is flying some Bushmaster armored vehicles out to aid Ukraine against Russia, to my frustration and shame. Not one politician here has spoken in support of Russia, or questioned the insanely one-sided reporting (or perhaps any who might be are afraid to, as they would be castigated).

Saturday 9/4: Calming coding; patronizing propaganda

Slowly working on my RuSpace website; behind-the-scenes HTML coding. I find organizing and laying out data oddly soothing, meditative; figures and facts. There are a lot of sites with tables of space launches and other data; I suspect I am not the only one who likes similarly organizing such! I am focused on Russia now, so my creative project is on a backburner.

“‘Was I dreaming?’ Local Ukrainians wonder if Australia still cares,” The Age, 7/4. A typical article that mainstream media publish. All MSM, progressive or conservative, has the same pro-Ukrainian bias.

In Russia, mothers do not believe their children who live in Ukraine. One daughter, heartbroken, says, “Mum, one day I will take you to Mariupol”. A woman I once hugged and kissed tells her sister that the explosions she’s been hiding from in a basement are “fake news”. Mariupol and Bucha are “fake news”. (How is it even possible that anyone is still using this criminal term seriously?) Multiply this by infinity. Massacres and mass rapes of Ukrainian civilians are described as acts of “liberation” and “denazification”. A young Russian woman holding white flowers in public, and a man holding a white piece of paper, have been arrested for discrediting the Russian army. Peace is war. War is peace.

What years and years of the massive and multidirectional propaganda campaign have created in many Russian people is not merely a skewed view of the world around them, but the readiness to discount the overwhelming evidence in front of them. Not a blind faith in what authorities tell you, but a default setting in which any new information is greeted with the search for the worst possible motive, the self-interest, the most egregious spin. The zombification of many Russian people (that ugly fascist “Z”) has been powered equally by the mass refusal of evidence and the mass refusal of shame.

According to the patronizing view of the article’s writer, those who have a different (i.e. pro-Russian) opinion are brainwashed and misguided.

Russian expat Anatoly Zak, creator of the long-running website RussianSpaceWeb.com, is also anti-Russian intervention (samples from his Twitter feed: “Russia specializes on mass murder in Ukraine,” “Crime so horrific it can be seen from space … literally” (referral to Bucha), and so on). He has always had a certain cynicism towards his country’s program. I certainly won’t subscribe to his paid “Insider Content” at his site now (I had considered doing it, but it was expensive anyway). So many pages are locked away now that the site is becoming less desirable to visit for information.

A comment from another in similar mental distress to me (and who is my age) at the Moon of Alabama blog:

I have a few questions unrelated to this specific post but rather to this community. I’ve been following MoA for almost eight years now. I have 600 friends on Facebook. I’m in Canada. Out of those 600, maybe 10 agree with my views. TEN.

So the questions are:

I must say I cannot handle it anymore. I don’t feel it’s worth it. I have never thought about ending my own life and for the first time I think about it, wide awake, night after night. I would never do this to my four daughters and wife and mother, but the sole fact that I’m considering when I never did before speaks volumes about my state of mind.

I am constantly disgusted by the stupidity of people around me, their lack of empathy, how easy they are to manipulate, how little efforts they make to investigate, research, think by themselves, read, document themselves elsewhere than the 24/7 brainwashing machine.

I’m desperate. It is not weakness. It’s total and absolute psychological exhaustion at feeling alone against so many. Sometimes I wonder where you guys all are when I would so much need your support and arguments while debating.

I’ve been doing this since I was 21, in 1991, when 95% of the people around me were for the first Iraqi war. I’m still doing it at 51. The amount of energy spent has been useless. I am useless. But with more of you I would feel less like this. You’re all scattered, only to be found here, while on so many platforms you are absent. I’m not even sure where I’m going with this and this lack of direction probably just amplifies my desperation, solitude and inability to find the energy to continue.

It’s become simply too difficult to fight the overwhelming consent around a single idea, an idea that is wrong, putrid, horrible.

Posted by: Melkiades | Mar 23 2022 0:57 utc | 148

Sunday 10/4: ISS sighted

I saw the International Space Station passing overhead this morning! I was not looking out for it, but happened to see that distinctive point of light crossing the early morning sky, from north-east to south-west, for around 30 seconds before it faded out into Earth’s shadow. I miss the first years when it was still a novelty, and the partnership had not yet soured.

Monday 11/4: Federal Election called; tenuous site connections

The Federal Election has been called for 31 May, so a barrage of campaigning will ensue until then. I will not vote for either major party (Labour or Liberal), but an independent one, though none supports Russia. My electorate is Goldstein; the candidates are:

Candidate Name Party
WILSON Tim Liberal
ABBOTT, Martyn Australian Labor Party
DANIEL, Zoe Independent
GALLI-McROSTIE, Alana Greens
SEGAL, David Liberal Democrats
REYNOLDS Catherine United Australia Party

My tentative vote party preference:

  1. Liberal Democrats
  2. United Australia Party
  3. Liberal
  4. Independent
  5. Labor
  6. Greens

Having some problems accessing the Roskosmos website via Tor; could not get through at all earlier today, then managed to for a while, then the connection was lost again. I even connected to the Energiya site for a while, but then it was unavailable again. The connection is frustratingly erratic.

Tuesday 12/4: Wiped out from web coding

Spent my fragmented free time today working on the code for one of my webpages, so my brain is fried. Got through to Roskosmos and Energiya websites again via TOR browser, but the connection dropped after a while of idleness.

Wednesday 13/4: RegEx solution; expert cynicism

Another fragmented day of coding for the RuSpace section of my website. Cross-linking for the ISS-related pages is mostly done. Figured out how to do a Regular Expression function to generate anchor links from table ids (in Notepad++).

  1. Find: <tr id="(.*?)">
  2. Replace: <li><a href="#$1">\U$1\L</a></li> (\U – replace lowercase letters with upper; \L – replace uppercase letters with lower)

For cosmonaut names, though, I want to have the first letter capitalized; the initial RegEx code just copies the case of the id, so <a href="#artemev">artemev</a>. Found a solution of sorts, so after some frustrated experimenting, this worked (with extra steps):

  1. Find: ">(\w)
  2. Replace: \U$0

I still have to do hand-tweaking to refine some errors, but that RegEx saves me a lot of tedious work.

“Russian ‘fake news’ claims are fake, say Australian war crimes experts,” The Age, 13/4. Needless to say, I am extremely skeptical of these so-called “experts” (whose findings conveniently suit the prevailing pro-Ukraine position); the “experts” advocating severe lockdowns in response to COVID completely soured me on them.

Thursday 14/4: Broken site link annoyances

Still link-checking and correcting, this time on the Cosmonaut Group page for their biography links from external space agencies. So many now broken! Archive.org has most; I have so many relinked to that site now I hope that it remains online! And I will gripe yet again (18/6/2021 entry) about how much I hate the NASA website usability (or lack of it) since it was last redesigned back in 2015. As it has been online since 1996, there must be thousands of pages created and hosted by now. Better to leave older webpages as they were when first uploaded (with permanent URLs that link to them!) along with newer pages. There was a NASA.gov: Behind the Page blog by the web designers (a Brian Dunbar seems to have been, or still is? the main content manager).

Friday 15/4: Roskosmos unavailable again; cremation scene; Reddit Russophobia; taxes for gender surgery; sore throat

I am unable to access the Roskosmos website at all at the moment using the TOR browser method (12/3 entry). Very frustrating – is that connection also denied now? It just keeps timing out. I also can’t sign up for a Virtual Private Network as I am on a shared Internet connection/account.

And just as I wrote that, TOR managed to break through, but only briefly. It is frustratingly erratic.

Episode 7 of Red Election (8/4 entry) has that gruesome cremation scene! A GRU agent called Elena is the victim; captured by her compatriots when trying to flee Russia for Finland. It is fairly brief but quite a horrid way to die.

A particularly silly comment from a Reddit post:

Posted by RandoScando: I agree with you all the way. It’s incredibly relevant right now with what’s going on in Ukraine. The Russians are literally raping babies and murdering children. And most of their countrymen and women back home support it. Even the rape and civilian murder.

Such an absurd allegation that it is laughable. Next it will be “eating babies”! Demonstrates how collectively gullible and indoctrinated most Reddit users are; the site is overrun with pro-Ukrainian propaganda.

The Australian Government-funded SBS TV news channel is so blatantly anti-Russia biased in its coverage of the Ukraine conflict that I simply do not watch its news at the moment.

A sidetrack into Wokeness (almost forgotten due to the war) and one of many reasons why I will put the Greens last on the ballot: “Greens call for gender surgery to go on Medicare,” The Age, 13/4. Of all the most unneccessary burdens on an overburdened Medicare, this would be one of the most odious. It is elective surgery (arguably due to a mental illness) and should not be taxpayer-funded (the Greens apparently think money grows on trees – or just tax the rich more). The changing gender issue is well out of control and hopefully there will be a massive backlash against it in the future (and all Woke issues).

Developed a bit of a sore throat today. Have not had a cold since the lockdowns and mask-wearing began, so I don’t know where I picked up this. Hope I can fight it off.

Saturday 16/4: No Roskosmos connection still; sore throat gone; no end in sight to conflict

Still can’t connect to Roskosmos via the TOR method (12/3 entry); I have exhausted all options I can find. Something is now blocked on the remote end; it was working up to this week. Very frustrated and despairing.

My sore throat seems to have passed (thanks to gargling with Betadine, perhaps), hopefully!

The Saker has a Day 50 summary of the conflict. Does not look like it will be resolved anytime soon. I sincerely hope Russia prevails. One commenter made something of a short summary of the conflict reasons:

Petersburg2021 on April 15, 2022 at 5:13 pm EST/EDT: I agree to a certain extent with the Saker. I lived three years in Russia and have a fair understanding of the Russian mentality. I also have friends in Ukraine who are absolutely certain Russia is at fault. The Ukrainians get no outside information. As for my American friends and family, they were swayed by the MSM until I thoughtfully walked through what really is happening and why Russia had to act. Most people become very understanding of Russia’s position once they see it through the lense of (1) NATO has been expanding for years; (2) Russia doesn’t want NATO bases on its border with missiles pointed at them (much like we wouldn’t want Chinese military bases in Mexico with missiles pointed at us); and (3) Ukraine refused to be neutral. Most Americans like an underdog in any fight. Here, they rooted for Ukraine because it was supposed to be the David versus Goliath. Once they understand that Russia is truly David fighting against the West Goliath, it changes their perspective. Because of the way the MSM works here, there was no true way for Russia to respond that would’ve changed the MSM landscape. The best thing Russia can do is find very fluent English speakers who can articulate why Russia had to act. Rarely do I find any ambassadors or spokespeople who speak English without a heavy accent. Regardless of how people feel about Benjamin Netanyahu, the guy speaks perfect English and really connected with the average American. Russia needs an equivalent person to do the same.

Sunday 17/4: Running down Russia; Presidential propaganda pushers; no Roskosmos

A commenter at the Moon of Alabama blog linked to this 2019 RAND report, “Extending Russia: Competing from Advantageous Ground” – examining “Russia’s economic, political, and military vulnerabilities and anxieties. It then analyzes potential policy options to exploit them – ideologically, economically, geopolitically, and militarily.” I hope the revelvant authorities in Russia have read this, as real-world events are following these options now.

There is a shorter related document, “Overextending and Unbalancing Russia,” with the disclaimer:

Editor’s Note, April 2022: We encourage you to explore this research brief and the full report that it is based on. However, because Russian state media entities and individuals sympathetic to Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine have mischaracterized this research in recent weeks, we also encourage you to explore this helpful resource on Russia’s “firehose of falsehood” approach to propaganda and our research on “Truth Decay,” which is a phenomenon that is driven in part by the spread of disinformation.

And the West is undertaking the exact same strategy as Russia is supposedly doing in the linked “Firehose” document. Hypocrisy, much?

“How Zelenskiy’s team of TV writers helps his victory message hit home,” Guardian, 16/4. Another Ukrainian-shill news outlet; this article describes how the team behind the President helps manipulate his public image. “On the information front, however, Ukraine has offered a masterclass in message. Zelenskiy’s speeches to his people, and his addresses to foreign parliaments around the world, have galvanised international support and shored up morale at home. They have been gripping viewing, an unvarnished real-time video blog from Europe’s bloody frontline.”

Unable to get through to the Roskosmos website; seems it is blocked from outside Russia entirely. I am frustrated and despairing; even my enjoyment of the Russian space program is hobbled now. I don’t understand why they are shutting out foreign space enthusiasts; surely they would want to encourage their interest in, and publicize, the Russian space program. (I even tried sending an email from a couple of my accounts, but it seems these are also blocked; getting bounced back from their end.)

Monday 18/4: SLS vs commercial space; religion of the cosmos

I have not been following NASA’s Space Launch System program to develop a “super heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle” along with the Orion spacecraft. The long-delayed test “wet dress rehearsal” rollout of the rocket to its launch pad on 17/3 got media attention, but the 14 April test was called off due to a hydrogen leak. The delays and cost overruns of the project have, not surprisingly, come in for much criticism (and those who scorn the Russian space program’s issues should look to their own country’s problems).

I came across a blog, Ice on the Moon, by Gary Michael Church. He seems to be very critical of commercial “New Space” in contrast to government programs – from a recent entry:

The SpaceX AX-1 flight took off today, 8 April 2022. Billionaire tourists to the ISS. Feels like the end. NewSpace seems to have completely corrupted that most sacred American endeavor, Human Space Flight. I am so sad. […]

NewSpace is the worst thing that has ever happened to space exploration. And the damage is accumulating.

NewSpace is essentially a for-profit ideology that rejects any activity in space that is not market-driven and a private or corporate enterprise. The anti-government, anti-tax, anti-NASA theme of most of the comments here, which are mostly focused on the flagship company, reflect that. In a nutshell, that is the problem. If you lean into Neoliberalism, it is of course not a problem, it is gospel.

For progressives like me, rocket jesus Elon Musk is not the prophet of space colonization- he is the anti-christ. […]

The reality is there is a group that regards space as incidental to their true goal; pushing their anti-government, anti-tax, libertarian ideology. It is not co-existence they are after, it is zero taxation to support any state-sponsored programs. Including space. It is perfectly appropriate to their zero integrity/moral compass identities that they have gamed the system to get companies built with tax dollars and are now using that investment by the citizenry for their own profit-making. That is what they are.

Now that my perspective on some issues has (again) changed, I can empathize with his point of view.

Interestingly, he mentions that “Russian Cosmism seems to be where I am going with all this.” (I mentioned Cosmism in my 22/3 entry.) And in the latest issue of Russian Cosmos magazine (Журнал «Русский космос») there is an article about the history of Cosmism (which I might try to translate if I find the time and energy). (As I still can’t access the RK site, someone at the NK forum uploaded a copy.)

Some whimsy: I can easily imagine a merging of Orthodox Christianity and Russian spaceflight/Cosmism; the Holy Trinity would comprise Konstantin Tsiolkovskii (Holy Spirit), Sergei Korolyov (Father) and Yurii Gagarin (Son). Cosmonauts would be the equivalent of angels, who travel between the Heavens and Earth. A premise for a semi-fantasy or science fiction story?

The thought occurred to me that one reason the Russian space program has long appealed is that it seems to have a spiritual or emotional element that is lacking in the programs of the West (NASA, etc.).

More relevant articles: “Eternity in Low Earth Orbit: Icons on the International Space Station,” an academic study. From BBC Future, a small collection of articles: Russian Right Stuff.

Tuesday 19/4: Unwelcome rain; price increases

Wet and miserable weather yesterday and today; an unpleasant contrast to most of last week.

Grocery prices have risen noticeably; it seems more like profiteering on part of retailers, mainly supermarkets. I do not “blame Putin,” but instead the stupid overreaction of Western governments to the Russian intervention that has seen them banning the importation of Russian oil and subsequent increase in oil prices and transport costs.

Wednesday 20/4: Changing loyalties

Spent my fragmented spare time working on my RuSpace site.

From a recent article/report at The Saker site: “In conclusion, I just want to end with a reminder. This is not a war between Russia and the Ukraine. This is a war between Russia and the united West, the latest one is a series going back at least a thousand years. Russia has been singled out for ‘cancellation’ and we don’t want to be canceled.”

I feel so furious and despairing at the reaction of the West to the Ukraine intervention that I would choose allegiance to Russia over my own country. Even China now seems better in some ways than the hateful and hypocritical politics here. A subReddit I found that is pro-China is r/Sino. An English-language Chinese news site is Global Times.

Thursday 21/4: Roskosmos ISS RS photos online but can’t access them

Roskosmos have made available high-resolution photos of the ISS Russian Segment as photographed by Soyuz MS-19 on a page on their website … but, frustratingly, I cannot download them as I am unable to access the site. The TOR browser method has not worked since last week. They do not seem to be available anywhere else. I am upset and again furious at the selfish hacker vandals who sabotaged the site and incentivized RK to limit its access.

Friday 22/4: Fearful of Russian resurgence

A commenter at The Saker blog translated a Russian-language article, “Why is the West so afraid of the military defeat of Ukraine?” Quick summary from the heading points:

Saturday 23/4: Morning chill

Getting chilly in the mornings again, with temperatures down to the single-digits. Autumn/Fall has arrived, with leaves turning gold and red and falling.

Tired; no energy to write about anything.

Sunday 24/4: Cosmonaut survival page added; conspiracies and Chechens

I managed to complete a new page for my RuSpace site, Cosmonaut survival training (I had a page previously, but this one is reorganized). A small achievement!

Conspiracy theories – I am generally highly skeptical of these, as in reality governments and corporations are simply not that well-organized. These institutions muddle along (as does society as a whole) and things keep functioning (somehow). There is no overall secretive organization controlling the world. The Occam’s Razor principle applies: “It is generally understood in the sense that with competing theories or explanations, the simpler one, for example a model with fewer parameters, is to be preferred.” One of the most prominent CTs during the COVID pandemic is the so-called “Great Reset,” explained in a BBC News article, “What is the Great Reset – and how did it get hijacked by conspiracy theories?” But conspiracies do have some basis in truth. There has been a confluence of events and technologies that enabled governments to enact social control so effectively: the digitalization that is now essential if one wants to function in a modern society (e.g. digital payments replacing physical cash coins and notes, doing most activities online, proving one’s identity, a smartphone becoming an essential tool rather than a novelty).

An interesting factor in the Ukraine conflict is the inclusion of Chechen soldiers with the Russian forces. They seem to be well-regarded (on the Russian side!) and feared by the enemy. The Chechen culture is a traditional, tribal, conservative “warrior” culture (not a criticism, but an observation). The Saker blog has some articles under that tag; note how the tone has changed over the years.

A Wikitravel article has a culture note:

On a lighter note, Chechnya is a country of extraordinary beauty, full of majestic mountains with lush vegetation and auls (mountaintop villages) rising above the tree lines; rapid rivers have cut spectacular gorges throughout the region. Chechen culture is distinctly romantic and chivalric. It is at once steeped in Islamic Sufi mysticism and in the macho codes of hardy mountain tribes. The Chechens have a distinct culture of Caucasian music and dance. The Chechens traditionally follow a strict code of honor and hospitality to accepted guests; unyielding hostility and violence towards enemies. All this could make Chechnya an intoxicating destination for the truly adventurous, but the present security situation should rule out this destination to all but the hardiest of travellers.

Monday 25/4: Sleep apnea episode?; ISS photos acquired; alone with thoughts; President Putin compared to Nazis?!

I think I had an episode of sleep apnea last night – I was dreaming, but recall the alarming feeling of having stopped, or forgotten to breathe, and I had to make an effort to re-inflate my lungs again, which was unpleasant. I would not have thought I would be prone to apnea, as I am not overweight and wear a dental mouthguard.

Thanks to a kind member at NASASpaceflight.com in response to my plea, I was able to download the ISS Russian segment flyaround photos that they uploaded to a file host! I have uploaded the photos (10 to date) to Archive.org, in a smaller JPG format (originally in PNG, but the file sizes were huge). But I hopefully await the day when I go to access the Roskosmos website and find it online as normal again.

When I go out walking, I do not listen to music. I did go through a phase of listening to audiobooks for a few months, but I found myself distracted or bored, so I have stopped again. I just walk with my thoughts, though these can sometimes become agitated to the point of rumination.

I have watched some episodes of the Alone TV series (and there is a dedicated subReddit). I have no bushcraft survival skills, but I wonder how I would fare mentally. I prefer being by myself; with others around I become stressed and distracted. Some contestants are defeated more by the mental challenge of being along with their thoughts. How would I fare?

“Peter Dutton marks Anzac Day by again comparing China and Russia to Nazi Germany before World War II,” ABC News, 25/4. In some unbelievably disgraceful and tactless comments, Defence Minister Peter Dutton “directly compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler and again suggested China was on a similar path to Germany in the 1930s in the lead up to World War II.” His words: “‘People like Hitler and others aren’t just a figment of our imagination or that they’re consigned to history. We have in President Putin somebody at the moment who is willing to kill women and children. And that's happening in the year 2022.’”

Tuesday 26/4: Discomfort

Tired again. Little comfort anywhere to be found online.

Listening to a hysterical mainstream news channel, totally pro-Ukraine of course. Makes me want to throw objects at the screen. Claims of 15,000 Russian soldiers killed to date, which I find hard to believe.

Wednesday 27/4: Stupid flag virtue-signaling; anti-car article; Twitter turmoil

I do not visit the r/Melbourne subReddit very often; posts like this are now a reason why: “Somebody put up a Ukrainian flag above the m1 freeway this morning.” Not surprisingly, most of the comments approve, from the virtue-signaling useful idiots there. I would tear that damn flag down and burn it if I could. Or put up a Russian flag near it.

“As Melbourne re-evaluates its streets, could the CBD become car-free?” The Age, 27/4. Yet another impractical anti-car article (perhaps utilizing some nudge theory – 23/1 entry). At least there are some acerbic comments: “Chalk another one up to Capp and her woke army! Until we have the public transport infrastructure to move people from outer suburbs into the CBD for work and pleasure for pete’s sake leave the city alone – it’s a nightmare to get in and out of now for those of us who live more than bike ride from town. I suggest all these Councilors come and live in the outer West, North West, South East or any other growth corridor and try to walk of cycle in from there before you start touching our ability to get to work!!!”

“Now that he is buying Twitter, has Elon Musk finally lost the plot?” ABC News, 27/4. The mainstream media gatekeepers are all agitated over Elon Musk’s acquisition of the Twitter social media platform (for an admittedly ridiculous price of $61.1 billion for something so intangible and ephemeral – surely he would be better to direct that money towards his spaceflight program?), because he has promised “free speech.” An apparently horrifying prospect as it would enable non-approved “alternative” viewpoints to be posted without the censorship and deletion these are subject to now (such as pro-Russia Tweets). Note the disapproving tone of the linked opinion piece.

I have a Twitter account, though it is not my main form of communication (I seem to have, though, managed to accumulate over 100 Tweets to date).

Thursday 28/4: Rocket naming honor; angry altercation

In a jab at Russophobic haters, the Soyuz rocket launching the next Russian ISS Progress cargo ship supply mission on 3/6, Progress MS-20, will be named “Donbass.”

The inscription «Донбасс», “Donbass” will be printed on the second stage of the Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle, designed to launch the Progress MS-20 cargo spacecraft, and the head fairing will be marked with the flags of the DPR and LPR. This is stated in the message of Roscosmos distributed on Wednesday.

“The second stage of the Soyuz-2.1a missile will be marked with the inscription “Donbass,” and on the head fairing – the flags of the DPR, LPR and the image of a brave Ukrainian grandmother who refused to accept products from the military Armed Forces of Ukraine with the flag of the USSR. The heroic act of an elderly woman inspired many artists and masters,” Roscosmos said in a statement. This decision was made in response to a letter from the head of the DPR Denis Pushilin, who asked the General Director of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin to devote one of the nearest launches to the republic’s struggle for peace, freedom and security. He also proposed to consider the possibility of presence of children of the DPR at the cosmodrome and sending the flag of the republic to the ISS.

Earlier, a video was widely distributed on social networks, in the footage of which an elderly woman with a red banner meets Ukrainian servicemen, mistook them for the Russian military. APU fighter gives his grandmother a package of groceries, but at the same time takes away and tramples the flag. Then an elderly woman refuses to take food and demands to return the banner for which her parents fought.

Had an angry altercation this morning after going to cross a marked pedestrian crossing; a woman coming up in a car drove right through close in front of me, and I gave the car an angry thump (as cars are meant to give way there). She stopped, blasted her horn, then a few minutes later walked past and snarled, “You touch my car again, I’ll hit you.” Put up or shut up, lady (two untrained women fighting would be a rather amusing sight – probably unco-ordinated grabbing, slapping, hair-pulling). As far as I’m concerned, I was in the right (perhaps I did overreact, but after my accident (15/5/2020 entry) I get very agitated if a car speeds towards me on my left). I have a short fuse anyway, after the unrelenting stress of the pandemic and now the unaminous hate against Russia.

“A 6000km journey through the war piercing Ukraine’s soul,” The Age, 28/4. Yet another propaganda piece.

Friday 29/4: Patriotic spacewalk; pots and kettles; Ukraine money pit

In another patriotic (and pointed) gesture during their spacewalk earlier today, Oleg Artem’ev and Denis Matveev deployed a copy of the Victory Banner in the Great Patriotic War, Знамени Победы в Великой Отечественной войне (Znameni Pobedy v Velikoi Otechestvennoi Voine) on MLM Nauka on the eve of Victory Day, Дня Победы (Dnya Pobedy). Artem’ev announced the idea of taking the Banner out into outer space a few days ago, and his initiative was supported at all levels. In addition, a small copy of the Banner of Victory and the St. George’s Ribbon were attached to Oleg’s spacesuit.

Anatoly Zak of RussianSpaceWeb was not happy on his Twitter feed: “More Soviet/WW2 flags, if we did not have enough lately” (followed with snarky comments by those who agreed with him). He seems to actively dislike his country; he certainly has been cynical about its space program for years (9/4 entry). As are all the spaceflight forums I visit, including the Russian Novosti Kosmonavtiki one. (Example NSF thread: Can the ISS survive the Russian invasion of Ukraine? I am refraining from commenting there as my opposing opinion on the issue will likely lead to me getting banned.)

“Russian Cosmonauts Are Being ‘Brainwashed’: Ex-NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly,” Newsweek, 25/4. What a blindly patronizing opinion – so those who believe the intense barrage of pro-Ukrainian propaganda here are not? Perhaps the “brainwashed” cosmonauts are sincere in their support.

Kelly said he has been surprised by the number of Russian colleagues he spoke to who have expressed support for Putin’s regime.

“I’m a patriotic American, as a former military officer and an astronaut, and I would expect the Russians to be patriotic,” he told Newsweek. “What kind of surprises me is that, at least from an appearance perspective, most of them are really far down the rabbit hole, you know, believing that this was a necessary action to prevent Nazis and NATO from destroying Russia. And I know this because some of them have told me this.

“So that part surprised me. How easily some of them were misled and brainwashed, I guess you could say, and don’t believe what is really happening. I mean, I’ve had discussions with them about the atrocities that are committed, and they believe it’s all fake, that it’s Ukrainians committing them and blaming them on the Russians, or it’s just made up.”

“The pot calling the kettle black” is the appropriate idiom.

Blatant theft of assets by the USA to send funds to Ukraine – President Biden wants to raise an unbelievable $US33 billion:

Joe Biden wants to sell off oligarchs’ assets to fund Ukraine’s recovery

US President Joe Biden doesn’t want to just seize the yachts, luxury homes and other assets of Russian oligarchs, he wants to sell off the pricey goods and use the money to help rebuild Ukraine. He’s asking Congress to streamline the process to allow that to happen.

In the latest attempt to pressure Russia to end its war and to pay for the enormous costs of defending Ukraine, the Biden administration has called on Congress to enhance US authority to liquidate assets seized from Russian elites.

The House on Wednesday passed the Asset Seizure for Ukraine Reconstruction Act. This bill, which now goes to the Senate, would allow the president to confiscate and liquidate property owned by sanctioned individuals. The money could only be used for specific purposes.

Joe Biden rejects the idea of a proxy war between Russia and US

US President Joe Biden has asked Congress for an additional $US33 billion ($46 billion) to aid Ukraine, rejecting the idea that Russia’s war could grow into a proxy conflict between Moscow and the US as a result. Mr Biden said that the idea of a larger proxy war was concerning but “not true.”

He blamed Russian authorities for exaggerating the speculation, saying “it shows the desperation that Russia is feeling about their abject failure” with the invasion of Ukraine. “Instead of saying that the Ukrainians, equipped with some capability to resist Russian forces, are doing this, they’ve got to tell their people that the United States and all of NATO is engaged,” Biden said.

Saturday 30/4: Presidential propaganda

“Inside Zelensky’s World,” TIME magazine, 28/4. Yet another Zelensky propaganda promotional article, including a “heroic” cover portrait, from a magazine that seems to have become a media promotional outlet for him (see 5/3 entry). The magazine is so blatantly creating a personality cult from this presidential puppet that it is cringeworthy, but many will take it at face value.

President Putin, however, has been so relentlessly demonized over the years of his tenure that a positive portrayal of him seems a lost cause. Just one of countless articles: “Russia’s Turn to Its Asian Past,” WSJ, 7/6/2018. An illustration of him looms as a literal Mongol barbarian – the “Beast from the East” (16/3 entry).

May

Sunday 1/5: Conjunction

I saw the Jupiter-Venus conjunction this morning; the sky was hazy but the planets could still be discerned.

Monday 2/5: Extravagance and deprivation

Been feeling a bit mildly headachey all day, so I am barely functional.

“Pelosi vows US support for Ukraine ‘until the fight is done’ after Zelensky meeting,” New York Post, 1/5. More nauseating ingratiation and fawning over the Ukrainian presidential puppet, and another mention of the astonishingly extravagant funding package the USA is giving. “President Biden last week asked Congress to approve $33 billion in new funding for Ukraine The package includes $20.4 billion in military spending, $8.5 billion in cash for Ukraine’s government and $3 billion in humanitarian relief.” As well, he was awarded the “Order of Princess Olga” medal for some reason.

“Italians ‘sweat for Ukraine’ as law sets air conditioners at 27 degrees,” The Age, 2/5. Not a joke. The blame is squarely on the West for imposing such sanctions – their citizens will suffer from such deprivations because of this stupidity. Russia would have kept supplying gas to Europe if it had continued to be paid.

Tuesday 3/5: Still no Roskosmos access

Still no indication Roskosmos or Energiya will re-enable normal access to their spaceflight websites from outside Russia. I am frustrated and despairing.

Wednesday 4/5: Omon Ra re-read; SBS Zelensky mouthpiece; no mass graves

I mentioned back in my 10/3 entry that I was re-reading Omon Ra by Victor Pelevin (an English translation). I finished it and still found it curiously compelling and enjoyable; it has re-read value (which can’t be said of most longer novels). As well as the almost-cozy feeling of the enclosed fake spaceship environment I quoted in that previous entry, there are also lots of little details about Soviet-era life, written with mixed emotions of nostalgia and disillusionment; a contrast of the dreariness of everyday life with the childhood dream of becoming a cosmonaut:

All the same, the person that I could with real certainty call myself took shape only later, and gradually. I think the first glimpse of my true personality was the moment when I realised I could aspire beyond the thin blue film of the sky into the black abyss of space. It happened the same winter, one evening when I was strolling around the Exhibition of Economic Achievements in another corner of Moscow. I was walking along a dark and empty snow-covered alley; suddenly on my left I heard this droning, like a huge telephone ringing. I turned – and saw him.

Sitting there in empty space, leaning back as though in an armchair, he was slowly drifting forwards, and the tubes behind him were straightening out at the same slow pace. The glass of his helmet was black, and the only bright spot on it was a triangular highlight, but I knew he could see me. He could have been dead for centuries. His arms were stretched out confidently towards the stars, and his legs were so obviously not in need of any support that I realised once and for ever that only weightlessness could give man genuine freedom – which, incidentally, is why all my life I’ve only been bored by all those Western radio voices and those books by various Solzhenitsyns. In my heart, of course, I loathed a state whose silent menace obliged every group of people who came together, even if only for a few seconds, to imitate zealously the vilest and bawdiest individual among them; but since I realised that peace and freedom were unattainable on earth, my spirit aspired aloft, and everything that my chosen path required ceased to conflict with my conscience, because my conscience was calling me out into space and was not much interested in what was happening on earth.

What I saw in front of me was simply a spotlit mosaic on the wall of an exhibition pavilion, a picture of a cosmonaut in open space, but it told me more in an instant than the dozens of books I’d read before that day.

Although described as amusing, I found the story rather wistful. I ordered a physical copy online and received it today.

SBS are relentlessly promoting more pro-Ukrainian propaganda on their TV channel with a documentary, Zelenskyy: The Story, to screen on Thursday (which I will not watch so I do not erupt in incandescent rage): “He is the face of Ukraine’s resistance against Putin’s invading forces and he is determined to fight. But, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was catapulted into power with little traditional political experience. From his beginnings as a TV show actor to his spectacular campaign, his election and his rivalry with Russia’s president, here’s the story of an incredible journey and an undisputed hero.” “Hero” – a misnomer if there ever was! SBS also hosts the Eurovision Song Contest; predictably, Russia has been excluded from this year’s competition (not that I watch it anyway). There will likely be a lot of proclaimed support for Ukraine.

“Here’s what I found at the reported ‘mass grave’ near Mariupol,” RT, 28/4. There have been hysterical claims of “mass graves” of victims supposedly massacred by Russian forces by the mainstream media useful idiots here; this reporter has actually visited the site and, not surprisingly, found no evidence.

“The Nazis Of Ukraine,” C.B. Forde at The Postil, 1/4. Who are these “Nazis” that Russia keeps referring to? This article gives context and history.

Also from that site, an interesting Our Interview with Jacques Baud.

After the Maidan revolution, the emerging force in the political landscape was the far-right movement. I do not like to call it “neo-Nazi” because “Nazism” was a clearly defined political doctrine, while in Ukraine, we are talking about a variety of movements that combine all the features of Nazism (such as antisemitism, extreme nationalism, violence, etc.), without being unified into a single doctrine. They are more like a gathering of fanatics. […]

Second, since 2007, Putin was systematically demonized in the West. Whether or not he is a “dictator” is a matter of discussion; but it is worth noting that his approval rate in Russia never fell below 59% in the last 20 years. I take my figures from the Levada Center, which is labeled as “foreign agent” in Russia, and hence doesn’t reflect the Kremlin’s views. It is also interesting to see that in France, some of the most influential so-called “experts” on Russia are in fact working for the British MI-6’s “Integrity Initiative.”

Third, in the West, there is a sense that you can do whatever you want if it is in the name of western values. This is why the Russian offensive in Ukraine is passionately sanctioned, while FUKUS (France, UK, US) wars get strong political support, even if they are notoriously based on lies. “Do what I say, not what I do!” One could ask what makes the conflict in Ukraine worse than other wars. In fact, each new sanction we apply to Russia highlights the sanctions we haven’t applied earlier to the US, the UK or France. The purpose of this incredible polarization is to prevent any dialogue or negotiation with Russia. We are back to what happened in 1914, just before the start of WWI …

Thursday 5/5: Morning chill; in flux; cancel Eurovision; COBRA TV drama

The unwelcome arrival of some cold weather; I am certainly feeling a chill in the early mornings now. Dreading the winter ahead, as always.

A comment (now deleted) from a Reddit thread of a couple of months ago:

This person is all over the place. Constantly looking for a place to fit in. It would not have been difficult to make her turn to the other side and make a news story if it. They wouldn’t have even had to offer her money. She would have been happy with friendship. She seems to flip flop from one thing to the other. She was a Trump supporter and now she’s not. She was massively into protests and now isn’t. She had a go at cops and now she regrets it. She was into QAnon and now she’s not. I mean, that alone shows how deep she got. This person does not have a clue who she is. She’s just going with whatever narrative suits her at the time, and going at it hard. She’s been seeking a place to fit in and moves on when she doesn’t feel like she does anymore. She reminds me of a friend I have who just can’t stick to one thing very long. She gets bored and moves on. Their emotions at the time override their sense of logic. Right now, she thinks she’s found her peeps people (yet again). We’ll see how long this one lasts.

My thought when I read that is that it could describe me; I jump from one interest or belief to another, but can never stay with anything. I feel that inside I am a void looking to be filled, and have never yet managed to. I am in a state of flux a lot of the time, and it leads to much mental distress.

“Can Ukraine win? How politics is shaking up Eurovision like never before,” The Age, 5/5. More on Eurovison cancelling Russia; it should itself be cancelled by viewers. “‘It’s not all about winning,’ Clarke says. ‘I am sure there are numerous people thinking, is it really worth going over there this year, [because] Ukraine’s just going to win? But I think to be able to connect and to be able to see Ukraine on stage this year will be a really magical, powerful moment. And they will be supported by a cast of nations that just really want to see that moment. And they want to support.’”

I watched the first episode of a new British TV series, COBRA, last night on SBS. A massive solar flare takes out power in the UK and around the world, and society devolves into chaos. It was reasonably good so far, and emphasizes how precariously reliant modern society is upon electricity and electronics to function.

Friday 6/5: Approved truths

Some days I have a lot to write about; others none, or very little.

“Is the West at war with disinformation or dissent?” RT, 5/5. “Freedom of speech” in Western countries is increasingly a misnomer. Countries such as Russia and China have been heavily criticized for censorship over the years, but the supposedly “free” democracies are far more hypocritical in this regard, particularly online. The issue has come into sharp focus recently with the formation by the U.S. Government of the Disinformation Governance Board, with many sardonic comparisons to the fictional Ministry of Truth in the novel 1984.

Saturday 7/5: Red Sparrow movie; Zelensky zaniness; Mir online book

I watched most of a movie on TV called Red Sparrow, about a Russian spy agency courtesan (a so-called “Sparrow”) who is trained to seduce potential foreign recruits. It is based on a novel (now a trilogy) by a former CIA officer. How much truth is in it, I don’t know, but the movie was … not pleasant, with (female) nudity and much violence. “Torture porn” is a critic’s description in the linked article – the nudity did seem exploitative and the premise more of a salacious male fantasy than anything reality-based. Jennifer Lawrence was convincing, but I wonder how acting some of the scenes would affect her mentally, even though it is part of an actor’s job. So definitely not a movie I enjoyed and probably won’t watch again.

The fawning over Presidential Puppet Zelensky from Western leaders is getting beyond hyperbolic:

Zelenskyy speaks with former US president George W Bush

It’s not just current US President Joe Biden that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in contact with – in the last few hours he’s also spoken with former US president George W Bush.

Bush wrote on his Facebook page that he was “honoured” to speak with Zelenskyy, who he called “the Winston Churchill of our time.”

“I thanked the President for his leadership, his example, and his commitment to liberty, and I saluted the courage of the Ukrainian people,” Bush wrote. “President Zelenskyy assured me that they will not waver in their fight against Putin’s barbarism and thuggery. Americans are inspired by their fortitude and resilience. We will continue to stand with Ukrainians as they stand up for their freedom.” (ABC News Ukraine blog)

George W. Bush’s post (which I can’t link to directly as the URL is ludicrously long, and Facebook is extremely annoying about nagging to sign up or in):

I was honored to spend a few minutes talking with President Zelenskyy – the Winston Churchill of our time – this morning. I thanked the President for his leadership, his example, and his commitment to liberty, and I saluted the courage of the Ukrainian people. President Zelenskyy assured me that they will not waver in their fight against Putin’s barbarism and thuggery. Americans are inspired by their fortitude and resilience. We will continue to stand with Ukrainians as they stand up for their freedom.

And Zelensky is now resorting to global crowdfunding to fund his war – perhaps opponents could DDoS the site mentioned in the article. A lot of gullible fools will probably donate – again, throwing good money after bad!

I found a 1995 NASA book, Mir Hardware Heritage, on the Wikisource site. It is a detailed overview of the Mir space station, whose de-orbiting is still lamented. At least Russia had its own independent space station then. There are plans being drawn up for a Russian Orbital Space Station (and NASASpaceflight.com forum thread, and Russian-language NK equivalent); hopefully it will become reality, given present tensions.

Sunday 8/5: CMOS replaced; Victory Day

Replaced the CMOS battery in my PC today (or had to get Dad to do it as I could not pop it out of its casing) – it occurred to me that I should, as the original one had been there since the computer was built in 2013. I am still using Windows 8.1; everything works and I really don’t want to upgrade until I absolutely have to. I hate the current trend of frequent OS updates over the Internet.

Russia is commemorating its Victory Day on 9 May, with particular relevance this year. Roskosmos altered its logo temporarily as part of the memorial.

Great heritage: Roscosmos changes its logo to the Red Star

At a turning point in history, when Russia is in the context of an undeclared war unleashed by the collective West, when the country is resisting the unprecedented pressure of economic sanctions, the people are being subjected to real nationalist harassment, and our Russian army is conducting a special operation to denazify Ukraine, Roscosmos State Corporation cannot stand aside.

The rocket industry was, is and will be with the people and the army. Half of the products of Roskosmos enterprises are produced as part of the state defense order.

During the Great Patriotic War, all our victories took place under the Red Banner and the Red Star. It was with these symbols that we defeated Nazism in Europe.

With them, our country opened the way to outer space: it was the first to put a satellite into orbit, sent the pioneer of the Universe Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, whose name the West is trying to erase from history, into flight. The first picture of the far side of the Moon, the first soft landing on the Moon, the first woman in space, the first man in outer space, the first automatic docking, the exploration of Venus and Mars, the first orbital station, the first woman in outer space – the achievements of our country, implemented under the rays of a red five-pointed star.

In memory of those who died in the Great Patriotic War, in honor of the great achievements of the USSR in space and as part of the support of our Armed Forces in Ukraine, Roscosmos is temporarily changing the logo of the State Corporation to the Red Star – a symbol of the great victories and achievements of our country.

Let us never forget that our leading enterprises, before they started working for space, during the years of the Great Patriotic War, created in their workshops weapons for the Red Army – the winner of fascism. These are artillery cannons, machine guns and mortars, the legendary Katyushas, mines and shells, military radio stations, tanks and aircraft – light fighters and heavy bombers and much more – all that has become for us the “Weapon of Victory.”

Today the Red Star is a symbol of not only ideological, but also structural changes. In the current foreign policy conditions, the State Corporation prioritizes the task of ensuring the security of the state, in which, in addition to the creation of intercontinental ballistic missiles and ballistic missiles of submarines, a satellite constellation plays a significant role, providing communications, navigation, reconnaissance, obtaining meteorological data and other information for the Armed Forces and economic development of the country.

I broke through briefly to the Roskosmos website today using the TOR browser but, frustratingly, the connection seems to be lost after clicking through a few links. I hope the Russian spaceflight program will not become nearly inaccessible and secretive again as it was during the Cold War; it is one of Russia’s best and most positive assets to present to the rest of the world.

Monday 9/5: Superior space toilets; Victory Day in orbit

A delightful little snarky post from Dmitrii Rogozin, the Director-General of Roskosmos, on the RK Press Telegram channel (a computer translation):

Lovers of Western technology, often comparing something Soviet / Russian with foreign ones, put great ergonomics at the forefront of foreign products. Perhaps that is the way it is. But this clearly does not apply to space bathrooms. A space toilet was developed for Yuri Gagarin's 106-minute flight.

A month after Gagarin’s flight, the United States launched its astronaut on a suborbital flight. The astronaut was not supposed to have a toilet. I had to urinate directly into the suit. Astronauts who flew to the moon as part of the Apollo missions left a large number of diapers on the Earth’s natural satellite. Naturally used. They were also not allowed to use a toilet for multi-day missions.

And now there are four permanent toilets on the ISS: three Russian-made and one American (I missed the moment, were my colleagues able to get it working?). This is not counting the bathrooms in the Soyuz and Dragon spacecraft, but their waste tanks are limited in volume, so they are used only in autonomous flights, and at the station - only in an emergency.

Speaking of Dragon. According to US media reports, the undocking of the Dragon spacecraft with four participants in the space flight is scheduled for 1:05 a.m. east coast of the United States on May 5, and splashdown at 12:37 p.m. on the 6th. One and a half day flight. Against the backdrop of American media reports about the previous flight, when urine began to flow into the cockpit … In a word, I sympathize with the participants in the Crew-3 mission.

– 4/5/2022

Rogozin is much-mocked from those on both Western and Russian space forums, but I find him refreshingly blunt and combative.

In what is sure to annoy the partners and many spaceflight fans (suck it up, haters!), the cosmonauts of ISS-67 sent congratulations for Victory Day, posing with the red flag that is currently onboard the Station.

“Putin ‘desperate’ to revive Russian memories of Nazis and World War II on May 9,” The Age, 9/5. A typically stupidly condescending opinion piece from that paper. It does note that “An estimated 24 million Soviet citizens died during World War II and reverence for those who perished for the Red Army runs deep in Russian culture.” So, Russia has more reason than most to feel particularly sensitive about the encroachment of NATO on its borders, and threats of a future invasion.

Tuesday 10/5: Propaganda: ours vs. theirs; distressed

Agitated and angry, for the usual reasons now – online dramas and anything mentioning Ukraine. I have come to actively hate that place now; the relentless Russophobic propaganda here has enforced that feeling. An example of the campaign in the UK: “‘Her Majesty’s Russia Unit’: How British spies have launched a full-scale propaganda war to demonize Moscow,” RT, 6/5. “Britain’s ‘HMG Russia Unit,’ an interdepartmental government organization created several years ago, has acted as a front for soft influence operations against Moscow with the assistance of international consulting organizations.”

SBS TV is screening yet another Russia-bashing documentary on Dateline: “Putin’s Child Soldiers” (accompanying article: “Inside Russia: the pro-Putin town sending its sons to fight in Ukraine.” It finds a few dissidents to interview. But is that any worse than, for example, the multi-gender nonsense children in Western societies are being indoctrinated with? Propaganda in a different area.

I have lost interest in so much over the last couple of years. Fantasy and science fiction books and worlds I was once enthusiastic about are now almost dead to me. The teaser trailer for the long-delayed Avatar sequel has just been released, but I can only feel a mild interest at best.

My last worldbuilding project (3/1 entry) has gone on hiatus; my creative urge/muse is in hibernation. The accumulated stress from the COVID lockdowns and now this conflict have not helped. I know that, compared to many in the world, I am relatively safe and comfortable; I am grateful for that. But I am still in mental distress from various issues (as well as the last two issues, and being locked out of Russian spaceflight websites, also coping with aging parents, mental and physical exhaustion; a feeling of barely keeping up; life generally, and my dismal future prospects).

Wednesday 11/5: Image non-display issue

Am having an odd issue of a couple of linked images on this page not displaying when online, only in the Firefox browser (latest version, 100 as of this date, and the previous version, but not earlier ones). Looking at the source code of the images, I found this included in it: srdhf5t40="". This is not in my local offline copy of the page. The Chrome and Safari browsers also display the images normally and do not have this curious little inclusion. The images are, like all mine on my site, hosted in a subfolder (not pulled in from another site), and are, as far as I can tell, normal. So I am puzzled as to why. If it were a host issue the other browsers would also have the same not-displaying issue. So, a peculiar browser bug?

Thursday 12/5: Billions into a black hole

In an astonishing, wasteful extravagance, U.S. Congress approved yet more aid money to Ukraine: $40 billion. Where is all this money coming from? A Glen Greenwald is highly critical (via a post at Moon of Alabama). Wikipedia has a page listing all the foreign aid flowing into Ukraine.

Friday 13/5: Black hole photograph released

A grey, damp, dreary day. Not much to say again. Utterly tired of everything in the world. I have managed to break through to the Roskosmos website a few times with the TOR browser, but the connection is unstable and unreliable.

The supermassive black hole at our galaxy’s center, photographed by the Event Horizon Telescope in 2019, had photos released today.

Saturday 14/5: Comfort and madness

Not much to say. Almost the only websites I visit now frequently are Moon of Alabama, Reminiscence of the Future … and The Vineyard of the Saker, where I can find a little comfort in commenters who share the same views as I do.

Disappointed to see that Finland and Sweden have applied to join NATO. As Finland and Russia share a border, this will mean that Russia has a NATO nation as a direct neighbor, and another potential threat (as the USA could place military bases there). A stupidly foolish move, but not surprising given the current contagious Russophobia madness.

Sunday 15/5: Predictable Eurovision winner; Mariupol misreporting; Russia’s reasoning

No surprises as to which country won Eurovision – a forgone conclusion. Why even bother voting? Russia was better off not participating – it would have undoubtedly been voted last, however good its entry song was.

“Mariupol Liberated … Western Media Silence Amid Their Big Lie Exposure,” Strategic Culture, 13/5. Uses the so-called defenders of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol as an example of Western media misreporting and propaganda in favor of Ukraine – the civilians were in fact being held hostage as human shields by the Ukrainian soldiers there.

Russian Federation Security Council, 22/2: President Putin here, before the Ukraine intervention, gives an overview of Russia’s concerns of why it considered Ukraine’s acceptance into NATO as a threat, and Ukraine’s past aggression towards the independence-seeking Donbass region.

Monday 16/5: A General’s opinion; wolf bananas

“The point of view of the French General Jacques Guilmin: The situation in Russia and Ukraine.” An excellent opinion piece (computer-translated) by a French General on why Russia can be seen as justified in its actions.

On a somewhat lighter note, one Eurovision song I did like was a Norwegian entry, “Give That Wolf a Banana,” by a duo called Subwoolfer.

Tuesday 17/5: Putin the Dark Lord; The Yellow Arrow read

Putin’s Road to War screened on ABC’s Four Corners last night; yet another (deliberate) addition to the many documentaries demonizing the Russian President (and there are also many books about President Putin with the same condemnatory tone). I have not watched it so far (don’t know if I will as it will only anger me). I don’t think his image could be reformed here, in the West, as he has been so invariably presented in a negative light; the real-world equivalent of Sauron. (See 7/3 entry with entry links about Putin by the Between Two Worlds blog.)

I read The Yellow Arrow by Victor Pelevin (author previously mentioned in my 4/5 entry), this a short novella. It was not quite as appealing as Omon Ra but still has his oddly compelling style. The protagonist is living on a train during a seemingly endless journey through a landscape, and the story describes his navigating through each day, dealing with the other eccentric characters on board. The novel is set in a surreal world that simply exists the way it is with no background explanation, but that did not bother me. It is not really a straightforward plot-driven story, but more dreamlike.

Wednesday 18/5: Deceptive reporting; 100 blog entries challenge

The Ukrainian soldiers holed up at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol for weeks surrendered yesterday. As the Moon of Alabama and Reminiscence of the Future … blogs point out, it was a surrender, not an “evacuation,” the latter word which the mainstream media are deceptively using. An example of how the MSM cannot be trusted for objective reporting; they are as biased as the alternative media the establishment disparages.

Andrei Martyanov has some uncomplimentary remarks on the statements by a Russian military “expert,” Mikhail Khodaryonok:

Meanwhile, Russia, no doubt, has her own defeatists with “credentials” and one such “asset” is a former Russian General Staff colonel Mikhail Khodaryonok who is a concentrated expression of everything there is negative about Russian Armed Forces, especially considering the fact that this colonel retired in 2000 and, effectively, missed on a massive military reform of Russian Armed Forces. Well, he produced this excrement which immediately was picked up by NYT.

A military analyst on one of Russian state television’s most popular networks left his fellow panelists in stunned silence Monday when he said that the conflict in Ukraine was deteriorating for Russia, giving the kind of honest assessment that is virtually banished from the official airwaves. “The situation for us will clearly get worse,” Mikhail M. Khodaryonok, a retired colonel and a conservative columnist on military affairs, said during the “60 Minutes” talk-show program on the Rossiya network. It was a rare moment of frank analysis in a country where criticizing the war effort can result in a prison sentence and broadcasters have generally adhered to the Kremlin’s talking points …. We are in total geopolitical isolation, and the whole world is against us, even if we don’t want to admit it,” said Khodaryonok, noting that Russia’s “resources, military-political and military-technical, are limited.”

First, about his qualifications as a competent observer of the international arena – he has none. Nor is he that good of a General Staff officer since I personally know people who retired in the same rank as officer-operators but much later (a decade later) and know things Khodaryonok, who is stuck in 1990s psychologically and militarily, could not have possibly learn in 1998 or 2000. They are also much better professionals. But the audacity of this loser to offer his judgement on “isolation” and foreign affairs is remarkable. Not to mention the fact that he, being excluded from modern General Staff of Russia due to retiree status, can not possibly have any inkling about how modern command and control work and what intel is processed there.

The incident was duly reported by The Age, with the retired colonel’s dissenting comments, in predictable fashion, being presented positively.

There is a 100 Days to Offload blog posting challenge: “Can you publish 100 posts on your blog in a year?” I think I have managed that so far this year; a minor achievement! Though mine is not a “proper” blog (content-managed, taggging system, etc.). A lot of the blogs linked there, though, tend to be geeky computer- and web-developer type blogs, so are not very interesting a lot of the time.

Thursday 19/5: Voting tedium; planks in eyes; farcical Film Festival

Federal election voting this coming Saturday. I am even more disengaged than usual; just indifferent and irritated. Utterly sick of the incessant political party ads, making promises that will never be kept, and of the obsessive focus on the climate change doomsday cult. Australian politics is utterly irrelevant to the rest of the world. Whatever government is formed, none will be friendly to Russia.

“Russian Australians are watching news from Moscow, but not everyone is falling for Putin’s propaganda,” ABC News, 19/5. So the news here is not? The last paragraph in the story is just laughable: “He encouraged Russian speakers reliant on state media to broaden their news sources, and suggested they could listen to SBS Russia’s coverage, which he described as more balanced, to get an accurate picture of what was happening in Ukraine.” SBS is just a pro-Ukrainian propaganda outlet and is promoting a personality cult for its puppet President. (The Bible verse Matthew 7:5 seems appropriate.)

“Why Funding Ukraine Is Just Dead Wrong,” Revolver, 12/5. “And keep in mind, this is only to cover through next September. If the war is still grinding on then, and President Biden comes back asking for another $40 billion to cover another five months, America will end up spending $83 billion in one year on a war that our own soldiers are not even fighting in. For comparison, 1991’s Gulf War, which the U.S. actually fought in, cost the country just $14 billion in 2022 dollars. Yet incredibly and depressingly, the consensus at the top of the GOP Republicans is that $43 billion for Ukraine is the single best and most important use of America’s dwindling wealth.”

“Election 2022: Australia to deploy Bushmasters boost to Ukraine,” The Australian, 18/5. More unwanted wastage of taxpayers’ money on a war we should not be involved with.

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Gives Emotional Cannes Opening Night Speech: ‘The Dictator Will Lose’,” Variety.com, 17/5. The puppet President made yet another appearance, this at the Cannes Film Festival (where Russian participation is predictably banned – Statement from the Festival de Cannes on the situation in Ukraine). An appropriate venue for the useful idiot, I suppose, and the Festival is now to be scorned.

Friday 20/5: Scapegoat?; supply chain fragility

Much is being made here of a young Russian soldier being the first to be convicted for killing two civilians. I suspect he is the scapegoat in a show trial. The War on Fakes website (which, curiously, seems to be offline at the moment) has an analysis of a video: “Proof of war crimes or another fake? A detailed analysis of the high-profile CNN report.” I am not sure if this includes the convicted soldier. The argument will be made that the WOF site is another Russian propaganda outlet – but so is most of Western mainstream media, which are obviously out to highlight any negative publicity about Russia.

A comment left at Moon of Alabama:

The Russian POW tried for war crimes in Kiev was convicted of killing a 62 yr old man who was using a cell phone. The Russian troops feared that he was giving away their location and the soldier was ordered to shoot.

Looking back at the Iraq war and the US RoE (Rules of Engagement) Wikileaks highlights some ambiguities that gave almost carte blanche for US troops to use lethal force:

Another interesting feature of the ROE is a complete ignoring of the language barriers separating U.S. troops from the Iraqi populace. Thus, in a section on graduated force, the first stage is “shout verbal warnings to halt.” There is not even a mention of the fact that most Iraqis cannot understand warnings shouted in English. In general, the ROE is notable for lacking any recognition that, in an “insurgency,” there are at best blurry boundaries between combatants and noncombatants. Thus, there is no emphasis of the need to take extraordinary measures to protect the civilian population. Rather, it provides a rationale for virtually any attacks:

US Forces may always use force, up to and including deadly force, to neutralize and/or detain individuals who commit hostile acts or exhibit hostile intent against US Forces or Coalition Forces.

As we have seen repeatedly, from the numerous roadblock killings of civilians to the Haditha massacre, this ROE authorization to use force can be used to provide cover for virtually any civilian killings. The ROE suggests that preventing such deaths was low on the priority list of those officials writing the rules of engagement for the occupation. Even so, a military study found that less than half of US occupation soldiers would report a unit member for violating an ROE. Thus, even the limited protections provided civilians in the ROE were often not present on the ground.

How many US troops were prosecuted for war crimes? I recall a handful of soldiers who engaged in a truly despicable killing of civilians were tried, and, if I recall correctly, all were found innocent.

Now consider just the fact that Ukrainian troops have uploaded videos of themselves executing Russian POWs - no western media coverage, no trials, but this one poor Russian kid is all over the western Media.

Posted by: the pessimist | May 19 2022 20:06 utc | 108

Via Vox Day, a post on how fragile the current supply-and-demand system is (America-focused here, but relevant to other Western nations) – Understand This About War …:

Folks, understand one thing about the US getting involved in an actual shooting war with anyone.

You immediately will have no semi-conductor anything, zero lithium batteries for anything at all from electric cars to cellphones, 75% or better of the pharmaceuticals in common use will disappear instantly, finding tires will be nearly impossible, automotive and machine parts, specifically wear parts such as bearings will all become unobtanium and more. Even something as simple as a circuit breaker for your house will not be able to be sourced. ALL of the large transformers used to distribute electrical power in the United States, never mind nearly all of the switchgear, are made overseas in whole or part and thus if they fail, whether due to natural or man-made cause they cannot be replaced in such an event either. Within a few months spares for critical parts that are considered wear items and thus must be replaced on a schedule will run out in our energy generation and distribution system and failures will begin to occur with impact from local areas to entire regions.

Your local gas station and supermarket cash register (never mind most modern refrigerators, HVAC systems and similar) all have chips in them that are only made overseas; there is no replacement available made in the United States. Your much-vaunted heat pump that is so “green” has a defrost control board in it without which it will not function – if you bypass it (which you can in some cases) once the temperatures get below about 40 degrees outside the unit will fail or be destroyed without it, and there won’t be a replacement available at any cost. Even the contactor (relay) in that outdoor unit has no US supply and without it the unit doesn’t work. Your gas furnace has an ignitor and control board without which you have no heat, they do fail and, again, there is no US supply. We did this to ourselves with our decades-long stupidity offshoring everything and by doing so made it possible for any nation that can sink even a single container ship to break the United States economy and perhaps even a few million people’s survival within minutes.

Commercial shipping will go to zero basically immediately as anything that floats and is big is easy to sink and without insurance, which nobody will write, nobody will ship anything because someone is going to eat the entire cost if the ship ends up on the bottom of the ocean and there is nobody in their right mind who will take that risk.

This is the crazy of international supply chains when there is no substitution here at home available in the size required. It all depends on everything being “peaceful” – both economically and militarily. You can go shoot goat herders without impacting that but the minute hostilities break out with someone that has actual reach into shipping lanes you must expect them to spend one conventional torpedo costing a few tens of thousands of dollars and once they do anything and everything headed your way stops.

Container ships are trivially easy to send down to see Davey Jones; they’re huge, they’re lightly crewed which means no serious amount of damage control is available and they’re certainly not built and fitted out to survive in a wartime environment.

Yeah, I know, you’re sure it won’t happen.

Better hope you’re right if you’re dependent on medications, as just one example.

Perhaps we should be re-thinking our ideas about sending tens of billions of dollars worth of “stuff” to another nation – an amount that exceeds their entire military spending for the last year, never mind “admitting more new nations into NATO.”

Saturday 21/5: Election day; clueless Putin piece

Federal Election day – ugh. Utterly irrelevant to the rest of the world. I have done my compulsory voting duty.

The chilly Autumn mornings have arrived, and arising is again even more difficult.

An utterly stupid and naïve opinion piece from a columnist in The Australian (mercifully short, and link paywalled, so reproduced below). Typically disrespectful of, and clueless about, the Russian President and no, women leaders are not inherently more peaceful. Even the included stock image is titled: “Malevolent: Vladimir Putin.”

One man’s megalomaniacal frailty poses a threat to us all

By Nikki Gemmell, The Weekend Australian Magazine, 12:00AM May 21, 2022

Who are we, really, as a species? We humans, capable of so much ingenuity and beauty, yet we have a world right now held hostage by one man’s ego. His overweening pride, his petulant refusal to back down, and his ridiculous, megalomaniacal frailty poses a threat to us all.

The pictures coming out of Ukraine are dystopian. Nightmare vistas stripped of greenery, of life. Cinematic in the intensity of the destruction. It’s a feast of lustful, vengeful oblivion and it’s History, now. The grim past rushing at us, once again, as we realise with horror this is our present and our future too. Oh Europe, Europe. Again? We thought we’d moved beyond those astonishing World War II images of great cities reduced to rubble, but no. Ah mankind, how petty and ridiculous and shortsighted you are, amid all the wonder of what you’ve achieved.

All those names seared into our planet’s annals of horror. Genghis Khan. Hitler. Mussolini. Stalin. Idi Amin. Mao. Pol Pot. And now of course Putin. History has shown us that overconfidence is an important factor in initiating war, and it’s borne out by Putin’s hubris. Locked away in his palace, surrounded by a flattery of gerontocrats, thinking he can illegally invade another country and seize it within days. Does he care for human life, this man who would not have his own family fighting this barbaric war? Putin would argue that history is telling him there’s a destiny to fulfil, and fulfil it he must. He’s deluded, and the world suffers as a result.

Overconfidence is something women rarely suffer from. Kaja Kallas, the first female Prime Minister of Estonia, recently spoke to The Times and speculated that the Ukrainian invasion might never have happened if a woman had been in charge of the Kremlin: “Maybe it’s very sexist, but I’m going to say it: if you’ve given birth to human life, taking away the life of another mother’s child is just so cruel.” A mother of one, she spoke of her admiration for the book The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker. “There’s one chapter there about if there are female leaders, there’s less violence. I absolutely agree.” I would venture that women are more used to compromise, to backing down for the sake of peace, to giving way – because we spend our whole adult lives doing it. If more women were in power, would the world be a different place?

Recently I rewatched that charming little Aussie film The Dish. A celebration of the wonder of the moon landing, a profoundly moving feat of human ingenuity and co‑operation. What extraordinary things we can do as a species. Our then prime minister, John Gorton, was invited by NASA to send a message with the astronauts to be left on the moon in a time capsule. Gorton’s missive read in part: “This is a dramatic fulfilment of man’s urge to go ‘always a little further’, to explore and know the formerly unknown; to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. May the high courage and the technical genius which made this achievement possible be so used in the future that mankind will live in a universe in which peace, self-expression, and the chance of dangerous adventure are available to all.”

And now, Putin. So small, juvenile, isolated. Holding the world to ransom because of his nuclear weapons. Meta’s chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, suggested recently that Russia and Ukraine wouldn’t be at war if women were in charge: “No two countries run by women would ever go to war,” she declared. Is it because we’re less cavalier with human life? More risk averse? Christine Lagarde, former head of the International Monetary Fund: “If Lehman Brothers had been Lehman Sisters, it would’ve been a different world now.” And if Putin had been a woman, would the world be a different place now?

Sunday 22/5: Good money after bad; election result

President Biden signed and authorized the $40 billion Ukraine “aid” package, to send the USA into imaginable levels of debt for years to come. A fools and his money…

Labor won the Federal Election last night, with the Greens also making a strong showing. I just feel indifferent, but irritated that the climate change doomsday cult will now be an even more dominant topic (with all the increasing energy costs and deprivations its policies will bring). As well as the gender identity nonsense, and appeasement (at taxpayers’ expense) of indigenous so-called “First Nations” people. I detest identity politics; no group should get special treatment.

Monday 23/5: Skeleton crew

Chilly – only 6°C this morning. Difficult to arise and get functioning.

I have a ghoulish fascination with various eating disorder online “celebrities,” such as Eugenia Cooney (who also has a subReddit), Ashley Isaacs and Anna Johnson (and also the deceased Wallmeyer twins – 28/11/2021 entry). They are so extremely thin I wonder how their bodies keep functioning. But what I find irritating is the patronizing faux-concern posted in comments by followers, such as in the Kiwifarms forum threads linked to, and the equally annoying content- and trigger warnings (are people that damned oversensitive? If the content is shocking, I don’t care – deal with it), and the obligatory links to recovery resources. Perhaps some with EDs use these as a way of coping and simply do not wish to recover. Even as a method of passive suicide, as this Reddit thread suggests. That is their choice and it should be respected.

The Kiwifarm forums are full of snark, where people can post almost unrestrained about various topics and issues; it is the nature of the site, though, conversely, a lot mean well and there is a fair amount of support also. I think it is a safe space for members to vent. Some thread topics number in the hundreds of pages and span years.

A book I have found compelling and re-readable is Wasted by Marya Hornbacher, who spent decades with an ED, alternately binging and starving. It is a wonder how she survived the ordeals she put her body through – she does have long-term damage. An old 1998 article notes briefly that “Her body is ruined. Her rotted teeth (whitened temporarily to hide the brown) have to come out, her heart is smaller than normal, her liver and kidneys damaged. Her ovaries do not function.”

Tuesday 24/5: NSF.com no longer good; a slow, steady grind

The NASASpaceflight.com forum, which I have visited for many years, is becoming poorer in content quality. It has turned into the SpaceX/Elon Musk cheerleading forum, as well as threads of nothing but various Twitter feed reposts (some users have thousands of posts of these), the latter of which are mostly trite. Even the L2 subscription forums have little worth signing up for. The Russian spaceflight sections in both have a dearth of interesting posts (and current hostilities do not help there – most users support Ukraine).

“Made in the USSR,” ABC News, 24/5. Yet another character assassination garbage article about President Putin, but typical of mainstream Australian media. Russia has not failed in its goals; it is proceeding slowly and methodically; “grinding” the opposition down is a word often used. From an earlier article: “This is just an illustration of the Russian General Staff applying its trademark, methodical, painstaking strategy, where the main imperative could be defined as a personnel-preserving forward drive. With the added benefit of committing just a fraction of overall Russian firepower.”

“Dmitry Trenin: How Russia must reinvent itself to defeat the West’s ‘hybrid war’ – Russia’'s very existence is under threat. The country has to take serious measures to ensure it survives.”

Today has been fine, sunny and moderately warm, after a chilly morning. Just having warm clothing and a heat source are simple joys.

My politics, my beliefs are again in flux; I don’t subscribe to any one ideology. I do know that I feel a fierce, irrational loyalty to Russia, even more than that of my own country (whose stance on Russia I am deeply ashamed of, and this will not change under the new Labor Federal government). “Batiushka” has some more philosophical articles about Russia at The Saker website.

Wednesday 25/5: Australia and USA – business as usual; Davos meeting sinister plans; across the Bay

PM Anthony Albanese will continue Australia’s unwanted harsh sanctions against Russia, as noted in this article about the Quad meeting (between USA, Australia, Japan, India): “Speaking to reporters after the formal Quad meeting and a working lunch with the other leaders, Albanese said the talks canvassed the atrocities in Ukraine and he had told the meeting that Australia had delivered on every request for assistance including the shipment of Bushmaster vehicles. ‘Russia must pay a price for its actions. It’s as simple as that,’ he said.”

The World Economic Forum annual meeting is taking place (which will have conspiracy theorists on high alert). George Soros made some stupidly histronic remarks about Russia (perhaps at his age – 90 years – he is getting senile): “While the war rages, the fight against climate change has to take second place. Yet the experts tell us that we have already fallen far behind, and climate change is on the verge of becoming irreversible. That could be the end of our civilization. I find this prospect particularly frightening. Most of us accept the idea that we must eventually die but we take it for granted that our civilization will survive. Therefore, we must mobilize all our resources to bring the war to an early end. The best and perhaps only way to preserve our civilization is to defeat Putin as soon as possible. That’s the bottom line.”

There were also rather ominous remarks about a “Painful Global Transition.”

And the increasingly tiresome Volodymyr Zelenskyy got his face in again with the usual hysterical address over a video link: “He called for ‘maximum’ sanctions against Russia, including an oil embargo and a complete withdrawal of foreign companies. ‘All trade with the aggressor should be stopped. All foreign business should leave Russia so that your brands are not associated with war crimes. So that your offices, bills and goods are not used by war criminals in their bloody interests. Values must matter.’ He continued: ‘This is what sanctions should be. They should be maximum, so that Russia and every other potential aggressor that wants to wage a brutal war against its neighbour clearly know the immediate consequences of their actions.’”

A post at r/LockdownSkepticismAu: “No Petrol cars by 2030”

This is the Green’s stated agenda, and they will likely have a big sway on the government now. So, let’s just put their policy in perspective:

There are 20.1 million registered petrol cars in Australia. TWENTY MILLION. In less than 8 years these will all be defunct according to the greens. What happens to them? Landfill?

Same as decommissioned wind turbine blades after twenty years? – we just bury them in the ground and ignore the ridiculous hypocritical environmental cost?

Also, be prepared for insane petrol prices in the near future BY DESIGN, to forcibly achieve this goal. Same thing in the USA – this is what Biden slipped the other day:

“When it comes to the gas prices, we’re going through an incredible transition that is taking place that, God willing, when it’s over, we’ll be stronger and the world will be stronger and less reliant on fossil fuels when this is over.”

Trying to keep up with major events in the world is exhausting and depressing. I try to focus on my memories when I am out walking.

Crossed over the South Road footbridge on my daily walk; a good view to the northwest of the distant Melbourne CBD skyline around 15 km away in a straight line (21/2 entry), and the mountain range beyond the city even further away (70 km or so, across Port Phillip Bay) – the Macedon Ranges and Grampians. My family (parents and sister) used to go driving on daytrips to that region in the 1970s and 1980s, to regional towns like Ballarat and Bendigo, also to visit some of my maternal grandmother’s relatives who lived around there. Fond memories now; I have not been that way since the 1990s.

I wish I could soar all the way
across the suburbs and over the Bay
and visit the mountains for a day.

Thursday 26/5: Useful idiots

The Ukraine conflict has been very instructive in the manipulations of propaganda. A blog entry, “Finding the Truth about Ukraine,” observes that “The Western/Ukrainian and Russian battlefield narratives are nearly the inversion of one another.” I have picked a side and feel it is the correct decision. A phrase I think of, when I read Western media, is “useful idiots.” It applies to the majority of users in forums such as Reddit (dominated by pro-Ukrainian shills).

Friday 27/5: Russian government social media; tanks still relevant?; blowback

Departments of the Russian government are active on social media, but unfortunately they have departed from the Western platforms (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) due to Russophobia and restrictions on these. Russian equivalents are VK.com and Telegram. I have not joined so far as I am reluctant to give a phone number. Two I have bookmarked are Roskosmos (VK/Telegram) for the space program (various cosmonauts have channels on these, too) and the Минобороны России/Ministry of Defense of Russia (VK/Telegram). Like FB and Twitter, though, the sites pester users to sign up or in, annoyingly.

I am interested in the use of tanks by Russia in the Ukraine conflict; the vehicles still seem very relevant in modern ground combat. Wikipedia has a List of equipment of the Russian Ground Forces (and the Order of battle for the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine – Wikipedia, though, is not unbiased, and predictably favors Ukraine). And a quick search shows that the relevance question has been frequently asked, and yes, tanks still are – a Reddit post from 4 years ago answers this question:

You should sense something of a pattern in these statements. The burden of proof is on the person saying “The Tank is Doomed” because they have always, always, always been wrong. Thus far, I’ve yet to see a compelling argument that proves to me that 60 tons of chobham, steel and cannon:

  1. Is useless against enemy combatants and equipment, and
  2. Is so vulnerable to be untenable in a modern battlefield.

In fact, most arguments and examples from Syria, Israel, Iraq, Ukraine, etc. point towards the opposite: That more than ever, a tank is an incredibly difficult obstacle for an armed force to overcome, one that generally requires specialist equipment, training, and a significant amount of planning devoted to removing tanks so that other strategically important objectives can be pursued.

“Power bills set to spike as global energy crunch hits home,” The Age, 26/5. “The NSW and Queensland default offer price rises are being driven largely by spiking wholesale costs because of higher coal and gas prices adding to the cost of fuelling the states’ biggest power stations. Coal and natural gas prices have been rising sharply around the world as a global energy crunch is being exacerbated by energy utilities shunning Russian supplies and scrambling for alternatives in a bid to starve Moscow of the revenue it needs to fund the war in Ukraine.” A word for this is “blowback.” The unneeded and vindictive sanctions on Russia are having unintended consequences, and I can’t feel much sympathy for affected countries (though I live in one).

Saturday 28/5: Straight-talking Sergei; Rogozin rebuke; warm coat; biased SBS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov did not mince his words during a meeting with the heads of Russia’s regions: “But the situation has changed since that time: the West has declared a total war on us and the entire Russian world. No one is concealing this any longer. The cancel culture directed at Russia and all things Russian is reaching the apogee of absurdity. Russian greats, including Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy and Alexander Pushkin, are banned. Russian cultural figures and artists representing our culture today are persecuted. It may safely be said that this situation is here to stay. We should be ready to accept the fact that it has revealed the West’s true attitude to those fine-sounding slogans concerning human values and the need to create a united Europe, a ‘common European home’ stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, which were put forward 30 years ago after the end of the Cold War. Today we see the true worth of all these empty words.”

The Director-General of Roskosmos, Dimitrii Rogozin, also had some sharp remarks regarding ESA’s cancellation of Russia (article translation on my Russian spaceflight news page): “Representatives of the European Space Agency are trying to “bribe” some partners of Roscosmos so that they do not cooperate with the State Corporation, said Dmitrii Rogozin, Director General of Roscosmos. The Russian Federation is ready to help rising space powers in manned space exploration.”

I have to rave about this coat (WOMEN Windproof Fluffy Yarn Fleece Hoodie) I bought this week: it is wonderfully warm, the first coat I’ve had that actually keeps me warm. I have so much trouble keeping warm in cold weather no matter how many layers of clothing I wear. The color selection, though, is very limited; I chose the grey (my favorite basic/neutral colors for clothing are grey, black and navy blue).

The biased TV channel SBS introduced a dedicated (unsubtitled) news channel, Worldwatch. I note that there is a Ukrainian-language news service, but – tellingly – no Russian one that I can see.

Sunday 29/5: Bushmaster blasted; Australian killed in Ukraine; Lavrov speaks truth again; Elon disappointment; wearisome writers

A still from a short video of the blasted body of an Australian Bushmaster armoured troop carrier is shown in this Telegram post: “First Australian ‘Bushmaster’ donated to Ukrops Ukraine operations was sent to hell.” Good! I hope the others meet a similar fate. Australia should not be involved in this conflict.

“Australian man Michael O’Neill killed in Ukraine conflict,” ABC News, 29/5. I can’t feel much sympathy – he “was believed to be in Ukraine helping the country with humanitarian aid when he was wounded and killed.” I wonder if he were doing more than that – perhaps trained for “mercenary” work also, as many would-be foreign combatants have traveled there to “assist” Ukraine. Of course the Australian media will milk this for all it’s worth, using the death to fuel more Russophobic outrage.

“Western leaders have many complexes – Lavrov,” RT, 27/5. The ever-blunt Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks the truth again. “‘We know that our Western friends have many phobias, many complexes. They have a superiority complex, the infallibility complex, and I believe they also have some paranoia,’ Lavrov insisted. ‘Any process that does not include the West, which the West does not control, they perceive as opposition, a challenge to their dominance,’ he explained, referring to various regional economic integration groups and organizations that Russia participates in. ‘It’s high time for them to kick this habit.’ […] ‘The insolence of the Anglo-Saxon alliance has no bounds, and we find confirmation of that every day,’ he said. ‘The West sends its envoys and emissaries every day to every capital without exception … to deliver ultimatums and to blackmail.’ Russia is pleased to see that most of the states in Asia, Africa and Latin America are resisting the pressure, Lavrov added. ‘Those nations don’t want to compromise their national dignity and run around as servant boys doing the chores on behalf of the West,’ he said.”

“How Elon Musk’s Starlink Got Battle-Tested in Ukraine,” Foreign Policy, 4/5. “Starlink is what changed the war in Ukraine’s favor. Russia went out of its way to blow up all our comms. Now they can’t. Starlink works under Katyusha fire, under artillery fire. It even works in Mariupol.” I felt great disappointment with Elon Musk when he arranged this to favor Ukraine; I hope a way is found by Russia to overcome it.

Via pro-Ukraine MetaFilter, “We, the Writers? A Global Literary Congress Meets in New York,” NYT, 15/5. A gathering of clueless writers, who do not support Russia: “The U.N. Security Council, which meets just across the hall, she noted, counts among its permanent, veto-wielding members ‘the world’s most egregious aggressor’ (Russia) and ‘the world’s worst jailer of writers’ (China). ‘If these are the guardians of our freedom and security,’ Nossel said, ‘we’re in trouble.’ […] Andrey Kurkov, a novelist and the president of PEN Ukraine, assailed Vladimir Putin’s assault on Ukraine’s territory, culture and history, which he described as an assault on the whole world. ‘He is destroying not only Ukraine,’ Kurkov said. ‘He is trying to destroy life on Earth, menacing everyone with nuclear weapons.’” Stupid hyperbole, but one can’t expect much from these useful idiots.

The latest version (100.0.2) of the Firefox browser seems to have fixed that odd not-displaying-some-images bug (11/5 entry).

Monday 30/5: Winter comes; Zelenskyy demotivates the troops; Russian economy misinformation; Russia going its own way; renewable energy delusions

An unpleasant cold front came through this afternoon, bringing freezing wet winter weather. I get very anxious in this weather, as I am worried there will be power cuts or some disaster.

“Ukrainian President visits front line in first official appearance outside Kyiv since Russia invaded,” ABC News, 30/5. Zelenskyy pops up to make an appearance.

“The noose around Russia is tightening,” The Age, 30/5. The columnist tries to make out that Russia is and will do poorly economically. “Does the rebound in the rouble signal the sanctions aren’t working? Not really. […] Like many of the sanctions and other Western responses to the invasion, the choking of Russia’s economy and cementing its status as a pariah nation, largely cut off from much of the rest of the world, is going to be a slow burn. The rebound in the rouble should be seen as a largely artificial construct. Beneath the veneer the impacts of the sanctions and the West’s revulsion at the invasion and the methods Russia has been using to prosecute it are slowly ratcheting up. […] Russia is being steadily consigned to Soviet-era conditions, where there were shortages of food and goods and its was reliant on poor-quality and technically inferior domestically produced items.” Uh, no – I think their quality has improved quite a bit since then. There are also non-sanctioning friendly countries such as neighboring China to trade with.

“Russia at a turning point? Russians have long debated whether their country should adopt the Western model or go its own way. The latter have won the day,” Canadian Dimension, 3/4. Russia is much better off going its own way, given the rabid Russophobia displayed by the West, which only wants a weak and disempowered Russia.

“Oh, Transition Eh?,” The Market Ticker, 25/5. An acerbic comment on President Biden’s blithe promise that the current oil supply crisis will speed up the transition to renewables. “Biden has admitted he meant what we said during the campaign – he intended to cripple ‘legacy-style’ energy production and all the wokesters bought into it. The problem is that all these ‘greener’ solutions are not answers; they are unreliable because you can neither control the wind or cloud cover and what’s worse is that constructing them requires energy which you haven’t generated yet and materials that are in fact made from oil and various things we dig out of the ground – which also requires oil.” Fossil fuels are much more energy-dense than renewables (wind, solar) – a 2020 Forbes article, “It’s Harder Than You Think To Stop Using Fossil Fuels,” mentions this. “The truth is that fully transitioning to a renewable energy economy will require a tremendous, and some argue an unsustainable amount of raw materials and land. Renewable energy sources have a lower energy density than fossil fuels, so they often require more energy to capture the same amount of power from other sources per volume.”

Tuesday 31/5: General Winter arrives; Peacock President; rejecting Europe

The forecast cold front is making itself felt across the State. Bad enough, but still mild compared to a Russian Winter! The 1851 painting “Napoleon’s Retreat from Moscow” is a harrowing depiction of the sheer misery of this deadly cold.

A nicely snarky assessment of Zelenskyy in this article, “Perpetual Debt, Perpetual War”:

That is to say, if Washington cannot muster even a single Dem “nay” vote on the funding of a mindless war that has no bearing whatsoever on America’s homeland security, then the prospects for restoration of even a semblance of fiscal discipline are somewhere between slim and none.

Indeed, what in the world is wrong with these blithering knuckleheads? Last week’s action brings already spent and promised Ukraine weapons and aid to $54 billion. For crying out loud, Ukraine’s GDP last year was just $155 billion. At the current run rate, they have spent 120% of Ukraine’s GDP on its own destruction, and with no end in sight. It is no wonder, therefore, that the pretentious little peacock who parades as the country’s president is now telling the world that the war will go on until the last Ukrainian soldier is dead and Washington’s endless bounty is finally used up.

After all, at a moment when Russia is making steady gains in Donbas, reportedly now poised to take all of Luhansk province, Zelensky instructed the grandees gathered at Davos that Ukrainian forces would fight to liberate all occupied territory: […]

There is no other way to say it: Washington has empowered a madman, who is so smitten by his own strutting on the world stage that rationality itself has become the victim. […]

But, of course, that’s not what Ukraine is actually about. Those 271 Dem “yea” votes were merely an exercise in political virtue-signalling. They were a vote against Donald Trump’s avatar on the scene – the endlessly demonized Vladimir Putin.

That’s why the discourse about this calamity has lost all touch with reality. For instance, Zelensky is now saying that if Ukraine is not victorious, the Baltics will be next on Putin’s agenda and American servicemen will soon be shedding Article 5 blood in Latvia.

That’s absurd, yet nary of word of rebuke was to be heard from Washington. The town is in full on war heat with no compunction at all about the massive waste of American treasure or putting the American economy itself in harm’s way.

“The Russians may be learning from the mistakes of the Ukraine war. But are they adapting fast enough?” ABC News, 31/5. The rabidly pro-Ukrainian mainstream media in the West are slowly, grudgingly, admitting (though with caveats) that maybe Russia is not doing so badly in the conflict after all.

“Why ‘cancel’ Russians?” A guest post at The Saker blog. Russia has tried to draw closer to Europe in the past, but the current Russophobia madness has revealed this as a lost cause.

June

Wednesday 1/6: Rapes faked; arrogant activists

“Rape Allegations Against Russian Troops In Ukraine Were Fake,” Moon of Alabama blog, 31/5. Not surprised! But of course any allegations against Russia will be reported as truth in the West, no matter how outlandish.

“Why Won’t They Say Who Funded These Ukraine Ads?” A post by Michael Tracey on pro-Ukrainian propaganda ads appearing around London.

“Canva blocks Russia after pressure, joining global exodus as war drags on,” The Age, 1/6. A graphic design software firm caves in to pressure from “Australian-Ukrainian activists.” I have a loathing for activists generally – I wish companies would show their resolve and resist them. Environmental activists on shareholder boards of energy companies that have holdings in fossil fuels have pressured their executives to move to renewables, despite a lot of supply and infrastructure issues with the latter (see my 30/5 entry).

“Not cooking with gas: Councils want to ban gas connections in new developments,” The Age, 31/5. More environmental virtue-signalling from activists on local councils, despite electricity being an inadequate substitute for gas heating and cooking.

“Luxury beliefs” is a term coined by Rob Henderson: “These are ideas and opinions that confer status on the rich at very little cost, while taking a toll on the lower class.” The concept extends to environmental activism: “So-called ‘action on climate change’ is a prime example. Higher electricity prices may escape the notice of wealthy voters who say they want the government to commit to greater emissions reductions efforts. But for working and middle-class Australians, the destruction of their jobs, the devastation of their local communities, and energy poverty are all-too-real consequences of policies they never voted for in the first place.” And this at the end of the article unfortunately proved prescient: “Luxury beliefs may come cheap to inner-city voters, but they may well just cost the Coalition the 2022 election.” Overwhelmingly so – the Greens now have trememdous influence in the Australian Federal Government: “Greens have mandate to stop new oil and gas projects: Bandt tells Labor,” The Age, 28/5.

“Stay inside, bureau warns, on icy, windy, wet start to winter,” The Age, 1/6. Nice if you have that luxury! My coat (28/5 entry) did keep me very warm on my daily walk (though not dry; I needed the umbrella I carried).

Thursday 2/6: Australian energy crisis; Russian rules of war

“Australia faces a ‘perfect storm’ on gas supply, as minister warns problem will not be solved quickly,” ABC News, 2/6. “The current cold spell across south-eastern Australia and the collapse of a gas supplier last week have seen the spot price for gas skyrocket. Prices were already high due to increasing international demand as nations around the world wean off Russian gas and coal. Problems with some coal stations in Australia have also contributed to the pressure on gas prices domestically.” Well, if Australia had not joined in the Russophobic sanctions mania, perhaps this crisis could have been mitigated somewhat (I’m not quite sure how the whole system works?).

“Rules Of War For Russian Soldiers In Ukraine,” Southfront, 31/5. An addendum to yesterday’s (1/6 entry) disproven rape allegations.

Amid the ongoing media campaign aimed at discrediting the Russian military, facts and footage from the war-torn regions confirm that Russian servicemen are acting in accordance with the law of war and that the order to avoid the destruction of civilian infrastructure given by the Russian military command is strictly observed.

Serviceman,

in the performance of military service duties and special (combat) tasks

REMEMBER

During an armed conflict, the norms of humanity must be respected even in relation to the enemy. These norms are contained in international humanitarian law (mainly in the four Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols).

PROTECTED PERSONS:

PROTECTED OBJECTS:

PROTECTION OF MEDICAL MISSIONS:

THE CONDUCT OF MILITARY ACTIONS:

Failure to comply with any of the above requirements may result in disciplinary or criminal liability

If you have any questions, please contact the legal adviser of the commander of the military unit.

Friday 3/6: Disturbing dream; Progress launch

Had a disturbing recurrent dream last night that I repeatedly hit family members on the head, trying to kill them, but they would not die no matter how many times I inflicted blows. I have variations of this dream occasionally; does it symbolize pent-up frustration?

The next Russian cargo supply ship to the ISS, Progress MS-20, is to launch very soon. As noted in my 28/4 entry, its carrier rocket is named “Donbass.”

Dedication to Donbass

Earlier, the head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, sent a letter to Roscosmos, in which he asked the director general of the state corporation, Dmitrii Rogozin, to dedicate one of the next launches to the republic’s struggle for peace, freedom and security. He also suggested considering the possibility of the presence of children from the DPR at the cosmodrome and sending the flag of the republic to the ISS.

As a result, it was decided to put the inscription “Donbass” on the second stage of the rocket, and the flags of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics on the head fairing.

A group of children from the DPR and LPR also came to Baikonur. Schoolchildren have already visited museums, got acquainted with the infrastructure of the cosmodrome, and on Friday they will watch the launch of the Soyuz-2 rocket with the Progress MS-20 cargo spacecraft.

Of course, those in Western spaceflight forums, such as NSF (and NK too) are pro-Ukraine so they are snarking about it: “I hope NASA is sensitive enough to obscure the contentious wording on the side of the rocket.” “Dedicated to the people they are slaughtering.” I have almost given up visiting such forums now as the Russophobic nastiness is fully evident. The ISS partnership has always been controversial, but the Russian intervention in Ukraine has brought hostilities in the spaceflight community into the open.

Saturday 4/6: Sister here; Ukraine lies

My sister is here from Queensland for a short (weekend) stay.

I really should avoid reading articles like the following as they make me extremely cranky, but with gritted teeth I skimmed through “Time to ‘minimise Russia’ or watch a Ukrainian genocide from afar,” The Age, 3/6. Full of the usual Russophobic and inaccurate nonsense – but the writer is of “Ukrainian background,” so he is extremely biased.

First, the myths of Russian power and of Putin as some grand strategist are dead. The Russian military has been revealed not as a machine but a marauding street gang whose size is matched by its incompetence, criminality and sadism. Blatant falsehood. Russian forces have treated the captured enemy quite well, in fact, while Ukraine forces have tortured and killed.

The Russian dictator has been fully exposed. One friend in Kyiv, an AIDS/HIV services provider who is now a military volunteer, aptly calls him a “political paedophile”. One who seeks to exploit those he sees as weaker through force and lies – be they about non-existent Nazis or NATO aggression. Typical character assassination of the Russian President; nothing new there. NATO is incrementally surrounding Russia as more countries join the alliance; an intolerable threat.

Except, in Ukraine’s case, his intended victim refuses to be one. It very much remains an independent and democratic state, which Putin had literally set out to extinguish. That is another blatant lie, considering the USA has been intefering in Ukrainian politics since the end of the Cold War.

Second, the West has rallied around democracy – versus autocracy and brute force – as its reason for being. A moral framework is guiding decisions rather than dressed-up forms of commerce or geopolitics. “Moral”? A sick joke. Ukraine is a means to an end – to destabilize Russia.

That framework has translated into unprecedented international military and related aid, including some $200 million from bi-partisan Australia, and sanctions to cripple Russia’s logistical ability to wage war. An appalling waste of taxpayers’ money.

Accordingly, the West must choose between cheap energy and the death of innocent people in Ukraine. At the moment, there is a lack of commitment in some European capitals about banning all Russian energy, which is two-thirds of the Russian budget’s revenue. Oil and gas sales fund Russian weapons used against civilians. Not to accept the short-term cost of energy sovereignty is to accept the infinite cost of death.

It’s that stark for the Europeans. Pay more for your household energy or watch your neighbours be slaughtered in a 21st century genocide. Easy for the well-off to say – but why should low-income earners have to sacrifice their basic comfort of affordable heating to freeze to death for some far-off irrelevant country.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part, displays a fresh type of nimble, empathetic and frank leadership. Truth be told, NATO and the European Union need Ukraine as much as Ukraine needs them. The Presidential Puppet? Another laughable falsehood. And Europe – not to mention the rest of the world – certainly do not “need” Ukraine.

And so on. (I am too tired and distracted to find links to sites with evidence, but the ones pinned below have various articles and entries correcting the writer’s assertions.)

Sunday 5/6: Happiest alone; Russian forum; yet more weapons for Ukraine; American Minitrue

Suzy body check, 5/6/2022

A body check self-image, taken today. I’m around 41kg.

I realize I am less stressed when I am by myself; being around other people means I am unable to relax. I would simply like to arise a bit later and do activities in my own time.

I came across a forum, Russian Military Forum, which does not seem anti-Russian. It has a Russian spaceflight subforum. Unfortunately registrations are currently closed (presumably due to online harassment?), so I can’t join, frustratingly! There is no way of contacting the moderators either. There is a member with the username of “Big_Gazza” from Melbourne who seems to have opinions similar to mine (he dislikes Anatoly Zak of Russianspaceweb.com! As noted in this post: “As usual, Anatoly Zak twists the facts on his site to introduce his particular brand of 5th column bullshittery … Thankfully his BS is confined behind a paywall so the Russia-hate mind-virus is mostly contained to the already infected.”), but I cannot view his profile.

Ukrainian demands for more weapons reach a new pinnacle of absurdity: “Ukraine hopes to get submarines from Germany,” RT, 4/6. The puppet President wants more, more, more weapons! Taking advantage of the gullible Western nations’ largesse while it lasts.

“The underground network of Belarusians sabotaging Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine and plotting a revolution at home,” ABC News, 5/6. The Belarusian President being undermined (by dissidents and Western media) as he supports President Putin.

The U.S. Department of State now has a Global Engagement Center:

Core Mission: To direct, lead, synchronize, integrate, and coordinate efforts of the Federal Government to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations.

Vision: A data-driven Mission Center leading U.S. inter-agency efforts to proactively address foreign adversaries’ attempts to use disinformation and propaganda to undermine U.S. interests.

1984’s “Ministry of Truth” for real!

Monday 6/6: Upcoming novel; sister departed

I visited the Baen Books website, which I have not done for a while since the Russian intervention started. A lot of Western Conservatives and related others on that side of the political spectrum have sided with Ukraine, and I have essentially “canceled” visiting their websites – indeed, much of what I was focused on before the war has fallen by the wayside. Anyway, Travis S. Taylor has a new novel to be released in August, with some sample chapters online: Ballistic. And I think the plot is going to make me rather annoyed, as Russians seem to be the bad guys:

A Russian ICBM site is attacked just north of the Ukraine boarder. The nuclear warheads are missing! A Special Operations and Intelligence Community Task Force is rapidly put together to respond, but where it should deploy is unclear. A fire ravages a cosmonaut training facility in which five spacesuits disappear. And the Task Force finds a cache of detailed schematics of highly complex rocketry systems. The Task Force reaches out to Dr. Amy Sue Harrington of the Missiles and Space Intelligence Center in Huntsville, Alabama. To Dr. Harrington, it all adds up to the unthinkable: someone – someone extremely well funded – is taking aim at the International Space Station.

But Colonel Vladimir Lytokov and his team of mercenaries aren’t planning to bring the ISS crashing to Earth. They’re taking the fight to orbit, boarding the station and hijacking it. As the ISS traces its path across the heavens, Lytokov rains down destruction from above, effectively holding the entire globe hostage.

I skimmed through it. Not sure if I find it interesting yet; a lot of plot threads and characters to follow. There is a billionaire, Marcus Jeffery Dorman, who seems to be the mastermind behind all the scheming: “Marcus smiled at the way K had used the World Economic Forum’s slogan for the Great Reset, as they had called it. They had used the pandemic invasions to destroy most of the world’s previous economic systems and usurped over eighty percent of the world’s wealth, and therefore, power. Marcus, while a part of the WEF by necessity and design, didn’t care a lot for the so-called Party of Davos. But he never let on to them such sentiments because that bunch of oligarchs represented most of the world’s money and power structure. He’d never let on that, when it came to the original Great Reset, he didn’t like how they had handled things. His plan was better, bolder, and he was going to usurp it all from the usurpers. He was going to snatch it right out from under them without them ever suspecting a thing.” There is a female Ukrainian mercenary mentioned, that had me roll my eyes a bit (perhaps she was hastily included due to current developments): “Finally, he could see the bright auburn color of her hair whipping about in the morning sunlight. The Ukrainian mercenary seemed to have appeared from nowhere, moving like a blur, wielding a bladed weapon in one hand that glinted furiously as she slashed it about and an AR platform pistol in the other that was firing in controlled bursts.”

As mentioned in my 9/4 entry, I have not worked on my own creative worldbuilding project since the conflict began in March; I have been too mentally distressed and distracted, and simply lost motivation. The characters still persist in my head, though; they are almost “old friends.”

My sister departed home for Queensland today. At least the threat of lockdowns has receded for now – but they could always be reinstated.

Tuesday 7/6: Blame Putin!

“As Russia’s war on Ukraine passes the 100-day mark, the brutal invasion brings lessons – and warnings,” ABC News, 7/6. More delusional nonsense from a “recently retired Australian Army major general”: “The world has watched on as the Ukrainians have demonstrated national unity, resilience and bravery as they have been led by their young yet fearless president. And despite the barbarity of the Russians and the suffering of the Ukrainian people, this has also been a tragic opportunity for many governments and military institutions to learn.” There are some valid points (“For national governments, the invasion holds an important lesson about investing in the right defence capabilities for modern wars, rather than those of yesterday.”), but the nonsensical praise of the puppet president invalidates the author, as far as I am concerned.

“Biden declares US energy emergency,” RT, 6/6. And he blames it on President Putin (like everything else at the moment, it seems!). A self-inflicted wound. (Someone needs to do a Putin version of the “Blame Canada” song.)

Wednesday 8/6: New proxy server works (for now); humiliating Russia counterproductive; canceling Tolstoy; vanished bookstores

A link was posted in the Moon of Alabama blog comments to a free proxy provider, and using it to access Roscosmos.ru works – for now. It seems to not be able to display Javascript-based image galleries, though.

“Humiliation in Ukraine is the price Russia must pay for its brutality,” The Age, 8/6. The retired Major-General Mick Ryan (7/6 entry) opines again, apparently objecting to the surprisingly sensible statement made by French President Macron, who: “said it is vital that Russia is not humiliated so that when the fighting stops in Ukraine a diplomatic solution can be found, adding that he believed Paris would play a mediating role to end the conflict.” A couple of reasonable comments in contrast to the rest of the usual Russophobic ones:

HarryWho: Before this war Ukraine would not have sprung to mind when contemplating a list of Democracies. On the contrary, I’d have considered it a less than open, possibly corrupt, former Soviet state not yet close in democratic development to Australia, the UK, France or any other long established Liberal Democracy. This war has the unmistakable hallmarks of a civil war. Only slightly over 30 years ago Ukraine was an integral part of the USSR. It produced many Soviet Leaders. Historically Ukraine and Russia are intertwined. Mr Ryan’s assertions that Ukraine’s sovereignty is as important to me as Australia’s sovereignty is not convincing. I do not think that Ukraine is a European domino which, if it fell, would result in all the other European Democracies tumbling under the weight of Russian aggression. Nor is it convincing to suggest that China poses as great a threat to Australia as indeed it does to Taiwan. Like the Spanish Civil War which was a proxy war between the global Left and Fascism, so this Ukranian conflict has all the hallmarks of a proxy war between Russia and the USA. America is of such pre-eminent power globally that it can command the cooperation of Europe/NATO and tightly aligned States like Australia in its effort to capitalize on this “Civil War” to bring on, preferably, an uprising in Russia, or at least the overthrow of Putin. President Macron however, probably understands that Russia has always been ruled a highly authoritarian singular sovereignsuch as were the Tsars. Putin is simply a modern iteration of the type of Leader that the Russian society and State are structurally set up to produce. Macron is indeed correct to be prudent in his approach to the war in Ukraine. Putin is nuclear armed. Russia’s geography causes distrust and paranoia in strategic matters. The gung-ho tone of Mr Ryan’s articles for this publication are indicative of the forlorn hope that Ukraine will toss the Russian invaders back over the border and there will be no dire repercussions for Europe, and the World. I disagree.

Nevernever: The perspective of a general not a statesman.

Macron is perhaps more aware than most of the lessons of history about humiliating powerful countries. It was at Versailles near Paris that the seeds of WW2 were sown when the victorious allies imposed humiliation on Germany after WW1.

The allies learned their lesson and actually helped rebuild Germany and Western Europe after WW2 under the Marshall Plan. It set the foundations for todays successful Europe.

A weak and humiliated Russia is not what we want.

Second worst case scenario is a failed state broken up. Think thousands of missiles in the market or controlled by new micro central Asian states. Think easy territorial expansion of China, Turkey and Libya into current Russian territory.

Worst case is a russia pushed into more aggressive military and even nuclear conflict.

We all need to think on a global longer term level, and retain perspective. Things could get worse and wise heads are needed.

“Ukraine to ban War and Peace,” RT, 7/6. “Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace and other works that supposedly glorify the Russian military will no longer be taught in Ukrainian schools, Kiev’s ministry of education announced on Tuesday.” The latest in stupidity from the insane Ukrainian government.

Last night I had a recurring dream of going into an old secondhand bookstore along a local main street. So many of these have closed since online books came to predominate. I still like going into a bookshop and simply browsing; I can escape reality for a little while. Unfortunately most of the few remaining bookstores just stock generic titles; the specialist ones have mostly closed. Of the latter, in Melbourne there used to be the Technical Bookshop on Swanston Street; McGill’s Newsagency on Elizabeth Street (also many hard-to-find military and technical titles); Hyland’s Books on LaTrobe Street (“Australia's Largest Military & Transport History Bookshop”). I loved to visit these due to my interest in military topics and spaceflight, but no longer.

Thursday 9/6: Interplanetary novel; information overload

I bought a sci-fi novel yesterday, Flight of the Aphrodite, by S. J. Morden. A crew on an ESA interplanetary mission to Jupiter encounter a mysterious radio signal from Jupiter’s Gallilaen moons. It seems to be fairly hard sci-fi (no FTL travel or magical gravity, though the spaceship does use as-yet-unobtainable sustained nuclear fusion for its engine). As noted in my 10/3 entry, one theme in spaceflight novels that I do like the focus on a small crew in confinement.

I have information overload. There is so much I could add to my RuSpace website for example, but I just freeze up as I can’t decide where to start. There is the added burden of computer-translating articles to Russian. The Roskosmos website has a huge amount of information, but is inaccessible now for those outside Russia unless a proxy server, TOR browser or Virtual Private Network are used (and these are not always successful in breaking through). I am also bombarded with overload from the current unpleasant Russian-Ukrainian crisis, which has greatly distracted and distressed me. So I am barely functioning both mentally and physically.

Friday 10/6: Moronic mercenaries; traitor author; forest wish

“Two Britons and a Moroccan sentenced to death by Russian proxy in Ukraine,” ABC News, 10/6. They were fighting for Ukraine as mercenaries, so I have no sympathy for them – they made their bed, they can lie in it. Of course, the Western media are outraged, as are government officials: “British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the court’s decision was a ‘sham judgement’.” According to a RT article, though: “London has demanded that its citizens be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions. However, Britain is not formally at war with the DPR. Authorities in the DPR have said they consider them to be mercenaries, who are not granted the same privileges as regular combatants under international law.”

“Ukraine’s Book of Executioners will collect evidence of alleged Russian war crimes,” ABC News, 8/6. Ukraine is not exactly innocent in that regard.

“Metro 2033 author put on Russian government ‘wanted’' list for condemning invasion of Ukraine,” PC Gamer, 9/3. I have no respect for Russian dissidents like these (who tend to be Western-oriented intellectual and creative types and in such professions) – the term for them is “fifth column.” Russophobic Reddit users are predictably in support of the author (1, 2, 3).

“The Zelenskyy effect: Why Ukraine’s ‘Ze’ is defeating Russia’s ‘Z’,” Toronto Star, 26/3. Delusional opinion piece and more promotion propaganda for the Puppet President. “In the 2004 Orange Revolution, millions rose up to thwart a Kremlin-supported effort to steal a presidential election. And in the 2013-14 Euromaidan Revolution, which Ukrainians widely call the Revolution of Dignity, estimates indicate a tenth of the population mobilized to topple an increasingly authoritarian Russia-backed president.” Conveniently leaving out the fact that the USA interfered in Ukrainian affairs in both “revolutions” – see the propaganda articles pinned at the bottom of the page.

On a completely different note, I wish I could walk through the northern forests of Russia – under the birch, larch and conifer trees, with no other sounds but those of Nature. Just to temporarily escape all the awfulness of the human world, to find some inner peace.

Saturday 11/6: Antarctic cold; Navalny not Novichoked

Not much to write about, and I am doing this late, so just a few links.

Cold and rainy again. “Why is it so, so cold? It starts with a ‘tongue’ from Antarctica,” The Age, 13/6. An unusual run of cold fronts from Antarctica are to blame – “Melbourne is having its coldest start to June in decades.”

“As Russia goes dark, Vladimir Putin could be taking cues from Kim Jong Un on how to quash dissent,” ABC News, 11/6. A typical Putin-bashing article; Russia is turning into a dictatorship, according to the report. “Independent media outlets have been shuttered, Western businesses have left and free speech has effectively been stamped out.” And how is that any different to what Western nations are doing to supress their version of “fake news” (namely, any pro-Russian opinions and articles). The mainstream media here seems wilfully blind to the blatant hypocrisy.

“Captured on camera: The poisonous plot to murder Aleksei Navalny,” The Age, 13/6. A documentary of dubious authenticity – Andrei Martyanov, for example, has nothing complimentary to say about Navalny or his supposed poisoning; as do Moon of Alabama: “Navalny Gets Skripaled” and The Saker: “A few basic comments on the Navalnyi PSYOP.”

Sunday 12/6: Nearly squashed; more blaming Putin; space colony stories

More wet, dreary weather. During my daily walk, I nearly got run over by a car backing out of a driveway whose driver didn’t look – the engine was very quiet and I did not hear it until the last moment, and I scurried out of the way. Can’t even walk in safety.

“They Plan On Repeating “Putin’s Price Hike” Until People Believe It,” Cailtin Johnstone, 11/6. President Biden’s attempt to “blame Putin” (the phrase will surely become a meme!). Sadly a lot of people will believe him – as the article points out, repeat an idea often enough and people will believe it.

“‘I’m trying to keep my @*#% together’: Being a surrogate mum in Ukraine,” The Age, 10/6. The latest Ukraine sob story, this involving the dubious industry of paid overseas surrogate mothers – “Commercial surrogacy was a booming industry for Ukraine. Then Russia invaded.” You guessed it … “blame Putin.”

Briefly to a pleasanter topic, one of my favorite interests: interstellar (and even interplanetary) colony ships. A recent Reddit post: Colonies and Colonization: A (Lengthy) Recommendations List for sci-fi novels. I prefer novels focusing on a small crew, such as the one I am reading (9/6 entry), though this is not a colonization story as such. Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson is one of my top favorites, as is Coyote (and the series) by Allen Steele (17/12/2021 entry for the latter).

Monday 13/6: More Russian web proxies; car sold

Found another proxy server list for Russian websites via a forum post. I can access both Roskosmos and Energiya via these, for now.

Mum is selling her car (15/3/2020 entry) to one of my sister’s adult children. She bought it after having to give up her Toyota Starlet for an airbag safety recall, and the new car purchase was the equivalent of a rebound relationship. She can no longer drive, so the car is best sold – not for the original price, as depreciation after sale is inevitable, but it is in near-new condition, so better getting some of the purchase price back rather than sitting in the garage.

Tuesday 14/6: Blade Runner 2049 baseline test

Blade Runner 2049 was screened again on a commercial TV channel last night, so I watched some of it in a fragmented manner (between ad breaks and my episodic falling asleep). It is very compelling and beautifully designed, though the dystopian future depicted is grim. A scene I find mesmerizing is the “baseline test” (as uploaded in a YouTube short clip from the movie – if that upload is removed, there are plenty of others that show up with a search). Its rhythmic cadence is almost like that of a religious chant, or call-and-response. Someone uploaded that part of the script to the BR subReddit (I also made a local copy).

Wednesday 15/6: Deluded General; renewable energy delusions; biased Wikipedia; NK magazine collection all uploaded; facial recognition tech in use

“Ukraine must maintain Western attention to win this war,” The Age, 15/6. Another delusional opinion piece from the retired General Mick Ryan (previously: 8/6 entry). The Ukraine intervention is not relevant to Australia and the government should have remained neutral. I for one am thoroughly sick of hearing about Ukraine, the incessant propaganda and Russophobia, and actively hate the country now.

The Ukrainian president has mastered communicating with a global audience over the past three and a half months. But it is an audience that has a short attention span. Moreover, it is an audience that is now beginning to see the war as the cause of their high (and climbing) power, fuel and grocery bills. […]

The Russo-Ukraine War is unlikely to be over in the short term. Both sides possess the will and the resources to continue fighting well into 2023 and possibly beyond. But at some point, Russia’s size, brutality and relative wealth will begin to crush the Ukrainians without ongoing Western assistance. Despite their courage and battlefield success so far, the Ukrainians could still lose this war if the West doesn’t continue, or even step up, its support. In other words, Russia is slowly but surely prevailing, as it will hopefully continue to do so. […]

Fourth, the Ukrainians have a major role to play in combating Russian disinformation operations around the world. Few understand Russian motivations and strategy like the Ukrainians. Countries such as China, which has close economic and other relationships with Russia, have shown little inclination to support Ukraine or the fight against Putin’s brutality in that country. Russia has also focused on nations in Africa and South Asia to minimise the influence of Ukraine’s global information campaign – and sustain its energy exports to gain important revenue to fund its war. Ukraine will need to support Western efforts to wean these nations off Russian energy, and its lies. None-Western countries are fed up with the dominance of the USA and its allies, and rightly want to break away from this. Ukraine has its own disinfomation campaign, aided by the USA.

“Power uncertainty hits multiple states as AEMO makes moves to cover shortfalls,” ABC News, 14/6. An entirely unnecessary power crisis. Australia still has plenty of fossil fuel resources for decades yet, but the doomsday climate change cultists are pushing for conversion to renewables, despite these being less energy-dense and thus requiring more resources to provide energy needs (30/5 entry). A comment from r/LockdownSkepticismAU:

Imagine living in a country that has enough coal to supply ourselves for the next century, actually I lie. We have 1200 years if annual usage in reserve.

We have known supply of the next 50 years of gas and we are the world’s largest exporter.

We have the world’s largest uranium and thorium reserves.

Now imagine this same country is now going through energy rationing.

“Wikipedia fights Russian court order to remove information about Ukraine invasion,” SBS News, 14/6. One biased news outlet reporting on another with the same bias. Wikipedia is by no means objective or impartial as a source of information (though I link to it a lot).

All issues of Novosti Kosmonavtiki (Cosmonautics News) magazine are now uploaded to the Roskosmos website, and I have downloaded them all (I will likely never read them as I can’t read Russian, but it is nice to have them if I do!). They total 5.5 GB. Ideally they would be seeded over the Internet by torrenting, but it is far too big for me to upload, sadly.

“‘Creepy and invasive’: Kmart, Bunnings and The Good Guys accused of using facial recognition technology,” SBS News, 15/6. A comment from r/Australia that linked to this story:

(Source: Used to work at an organisation that greatly benefitted from coarse and precise customer movement tracking)

You’ll be “delighted” to know that you don’t even need to join the WiFi to be tracked, it just needs to be turned on on your device!

If you do not have MAC address randomisation, your device will give your MAC address away to every WiFi hotspot it polls. This can’t be used to personally identify you unless you sign into the WiFi at least once, but it can be used to track your individual device’s location within the building, the path you take, how often you visit over any period of time, and if you tend to take the same path every single time (you can overlay "trips" from different time periods over each other to see how an individual behaves). MAC address randomisation helps combat this.

If you actually connect to the WiFi, then things get a bit insane. Whatever details you use get permanently tattooed to that MAC address, meaning that you’ll be personally identifiable from that point on even if you never reconnect (as long as you broadcast the same MAC address). You can also be targeted for deals/popups/ads etc in the login captive portal based on your provided demographic data.

I once sat in a large area of my old organisation when testing the system. I noticed a user had connected to the WiFi and used Facebook as a signin method to authenticate to the WiFi. It showed me their name, their display picture, and precisely where they were in the building. I looked across the large open space to where it said they were sitting, and sure enough I could see the exact person within 1m of where the map said they would be.

Don’t use public WiFi. Turn your WiFi off when not using it.

Thursday 16/6: Censorship bypass works both ways; EU lies; China and Russia against the West; gullible President; using public transport

“US funds VPN firms to help Russians evade censors and access Western media about war in Ukraine,” ABC News, 16/6. Ironically, I am using various means to try to access blocked Russian websites.

Between 2015 and 2021, the three VPNs received at least $US4.8 million ($6.9 million) in American funding, according to publicly available funding documents reviewed by Reuters.

Since February, the total funding allocated to the companies increased by almost half in order to cope with the rise in demand in Russia, the five people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The funding flows through the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) – a federal agency that oversees US government-backed broadcasters, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

It also flows via the Washington-based OTF, which is funded entirely by the US government and overseen by the USAGM.

Laura Cunningham, president of the OTF, said the organisation had increased its support to the three VPNs because: “The Russian government is attempting to censor what their citizens can see and say online in order to obscure the truth and silence dissent.”

“Truth”? The West’s version of the truth, which is no more reliable. This is just another method to undermine Russian authorities and ultimately fragment and weaken Russia. Young people there (who are predominantly tech-savvy) will be sorely disillusioned if they think the USA and its allies are morally superior. As happened in the Cold War, they have been infected with Western propaganda (“fifth columists,” as I noted in my 10/6 entry).

“Busting European Union myths on causes of global food and energy disruptions,” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

China has reiterated its support for Russia (ABC News/The Age articles). The mainstream media articles are predictably negative, but I see the support as positive; hopefully the two countries will remain united against the Western hegemony.

President Biden posted a Twitter tweet saying: “This morning, I spoke with President Zelenskyy to discuss Russia’s brutal and ongoing war against Ukraine. I reaffirmed our commitment to stand by Ukraine and shared that the United States is providing over $1.2 billion in additional security and humanitarian assistance.” The Ukrainian puppet president is a real conman – extracting as much money as he can from these gullible countries while he has the spotlight.

I took the 627 bus to Chadstone this morning, as I have been doing once every week or two for a while. I actually like riding public transport as I can read a book or read one on my phone, and let someone else do the driving (though I still can’t drive in any case). The main disadvantage is that PT is not very frequent – every half-hour on weekdays, once an hour on Sundays for the bus (and even less in more remote suburbs); every 10 minutes on weekdays for trains. It can also be delayed or canceled for various reasons, and the walk to a stop or station can also be unpleasant, depending upon the weather. Bentleigh is, at least, well-serviced by PT, being an older established suburb. I feel unable to bicycle anymore, so my bike now is stored in Dad’s garage (but I got a lot of use from it until my accident – 15/5/2020 entry). I am also tied to the PT timetable so can’t linger long in the shopping center or City.

Friday 17/6: Email shutdown; Russian POWS tortured but Ukrainian POWs well-treated; sanctioned Australians

Had a tiring afternoon trying to sort out email for Dad as the ISP email provider he has used for years will be shut down by the company that took it over (as described in this Whirlpool forum thread), and the parent company has not provided an alternative (they are unhelpful and useless). No solution yet. So I am mentally exhausted and too frazzled to write much.

“Prisoners of War – Ukrainian VS Russian. How do they fare?” Deborah L. Armstrong. An answer to one of the lies in the pro-Ukraine opinion article linked in my 4/6 entry. (Another by her: “The Russian Perspective isn’t ‘Propaganda’.”

“Russia sanctions 121 additional Australians, including journalists, experts and business people,” ABC News, 17/6 (and the Foreign Ministry statement). Various journalists are reacting to this with bravado and mockery, but for me it reinforces the bias in their reporting, and Australia certainly does have a “Russophobic agenda.” An The Age columnist, the obnoxious prick Tony Wright (mentioned back in my 13/2 entry), blusters in response, “Plot foiled: Why the little man who wants to be a big tsar put me on his list,” but the “little man” is a judo champion who would wipe the floor with him.

“Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to consider Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s invitation to visit Kyiv,” ABC News, 17/6. More money will be extorted from Australian taxpayers by the conman president.

Saturday 18/6: Little insult; major speech from President Putin; spaceflight nostalgia

Regarding that obnoxious The Age columnist, Tony Wright, who was sniping at the Russian President (17/6 entry), he is using the word “little” in the article both metaphorically and physically as an insult. President Putin is around 5 ft 7 in/170.1 cm tall, which is on the shorter side for a male (I wonder if that is one reason he took up judo), and Googling his height brings up various articles denigrating him. Using shortness as an insult is, however, a stupidly immature tactic (as are other jabs at a person’s physical appearance that they have no control over).

“The old world is over: Key takeaways from Putin’s first major speech since Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine,” RT, 17/6. President Putin’s address at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum Plenary session. (He seems so dignified, in contrast to the immature sniping by “journalist” Wright.)

I was skimming through my oldest computer journals, dating from 2001. How much more enthusiastic I was about issues! My interest in the International Space Station and Russian spaceflight was still relatively new and I was all for Russia and indignant at NASA’s and the USA’s dominance in space (of course, I was also much younger – 30 years – and more energetic generally!). Ironically, my feelings have come full circle back to a similar state, with the events of this year and the Western world shunning everything Russian, including its spaceflight program. I am angry and disillusioned with the online spaceflight community – every forum is pro-Ukraine.

Extract from my 12/10/2001 entry (I had only just begun to use a computer for the first time, and the Internet was also new to me):

I’m more into the Russian space program; I’ve been pissed off at NASA ever since they virtually forced the Russians to deorbit the Mir Space Station on 23/3, and then tried to stop Dennis Tito going up to the ISS for a week with a Soyuz flight as a space tourist (ironically, Mr. Tito used to work for NASA as a rocket scientist). NASA are elitist and arrogant and act like they own space – my nickname for them is the “Space Mafia”! Admittedly, the Russian program is, like the country as a whole, seriously dysfunctional and chronically underfunded – it nearly collapsed altogether in the 1990s, and only NASA funds (via the Shuttle-Mir program) helped keep it alive. The Russians really need to get their act together and get organized! Easier said than done, though, given the endemic corruption and apathy there. The country is a basketcase. I guess I feel kinda sorry for them – they were a superpower a decade ago, and now they’re in a sorry mess, almost a Third World country. Russia is becoming a backwater again, like it was a couple of centuries ago.

Sunday 19/6: Sunny

A relatively mild day with sunshine for a change! A very chilly morning, though. The winter solstice is on Tuesday.

A nice daily walk. The immediate, real environment around me is peaceful (humans aside!). Tried to keep focused on pleasant personal memories of times and people long gone, and nostalgia, though irritation at events in the outside world intrude.

Monday 20/6: Modern freak shows; silent Jeffersonian; sci-fi preferences; yet more good money after bad

Been reading through the Anna Johnson thread at Kiwifarms (23/5 entry). She was given an ileostomy on 10/4/2019, an apparent drastic consequence of long-term laxative use/abuse, and had more surgery for it later on (it presumably is permanent). The thread is currently 680 pages, a lot of it snark (as is typical of the site) and concern trolling, and assumptions about her motivations. I am not sure what to think; who is trolling whom? I do feel some empathy for her; I don’t believe she is being deliberately malicious.

Many of the others featured in various threads have made deliberate public spectacles of themselves and are thus seen as fair game – essentially a continuation of the old (no longer politically-correct) circus and carnival sideshows and freakshows. (The hugely overweight Tess Holliday is an extreme example; she has made a living out of her condition.)

The Jeffersonian (6/2 entry) has “gone dark;” his blog (or social media) has not been updated since 19/5, when he was facing homelessness. He had updated it daily since its inception. I hope he is OK.

I am slowly working my way through The Flight of the Aphrodite (9/6 entry). It is something of a “slow burn,” but I am enjoying it so far; the thought of the silent calm of interplanetary space is a soothing antidote to all the online sound and fury. I feel more inclined toward realistic science fiction – mundane sci-fi, with no magic FTL or other “handwavium.” (Even nuclear fusion fits under the fantasy element as sustained fusion – that generates more power than is used to create it – is still not attainable.) The Expanse book and TV series started off with some realism, but veered more into science fantasy as the series progressed. This Reddit comment summarizes:

The Epstein is just the tip of the iceberg for Expanse’s soft sci-fi. And fwiw, it’s honestly a much bigger handwave than you’re giving it credit for. Calling it an “advanced version of something we have” is a massive understatement.

Past book one, the protomolecule is basically straight-up magic. In book 2, you have protomolecule super soldiers that can survive in vacuum conditions. Book 3 introduces FTL travel. Book 4 the protomolecule can just stop nuclear fusion from happening within a given area. Books 5&6 are generally pretty light on breaking physics aside from the “Dutchman” ships that simply disappear. And books 7,8&9 are just a free-for-all where anything goes, including dark space gods, telepathy, and immortal golems.

The Expanse gets a nod from the hard sci-fi crowd because the subject matter is treated with the same seriousness and thoughtfulness that hard sci-fi is associated with, as opposed to the more pulpy adventure tone that space opera is associated with. They handwave physics away, but they explicitly deal with the consequences of those handwaves. The scientist characters are puzzled by unexpected technological advances. The handwaves aren’t just exciting plot devices – they’re real parts of the world and we see the ripples through society that they create.

That the laws of physics were acknowledged when spaceships were undertaking maneuvers is the only real “hard” sci-fi element in the series.

“Hospital kits add to Ukraine aid as Australian donations pass $5m,” The Age, 19/6. Fools and their money … Also, this ridiculous statement from Stefan Romaniw: “‘At the end of the day, if Ukraine wins, the world wins. If Ukraine loses, we all lose. So we have to keep up the fight.’” No, “we” lose, in huge amounts of resources that would be better spent on more pressing issues than thrown down the Ukraine black hole.

Tuesday 21/6: Winter solstice; blacklist; China vs. USA mobiles

Shortest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere today. I had a headache from early this morning, so was feeling poorly. It seems to have faded now.

“I was blacklisted by Putin, but I’m no Russophobe,” Geoffrey Robertson, The Age, 21/6. The tone of the article – more tedious President Putin-bashing – suggests otherwise. Disregard.

“Kremlin names and shames its 121 least favourite Aussies,” AFR, 16/6. They are treating the blacklisting as a joke. For me it is a handy list of what journalists and others to disregard.

LARRY ROMANOFF – Chinese and American Mobile Phone Systems: a blog entry comparing these; China’s network and payment system seems to be much superior! (Also much better than Australia’s, not surprisingly.)

Wednesday 22/6: More Ukraine flag virtue-signaling; bad use of Bushmasters; Jeffersonian concerns

Spotted another Ukrainian flag in a window when walking down a local street, Lahona Avenue (5/4 entry). Want to paint the letter “Z” on it. (Wish I could display a Russian flag in my window!)

“‘Like a house on wheels’: Australia’s Bushmasters prove their mettle on the front line,” The Age, 22/6. More on the (mis)use of the vehicles in Ukraine, donated without taxpayers’ consent and at great expense.

Came across this forum thread from 2010, Anyone know Karl Leffler (Jeffersonian)?, resurrected recently – but no new information.

Yah I know I woke up a Zombie thread, but some of us OGs who have read Jeffersonians blog for the last 20 years, know that he spent his life posting to that blog – daily – and yesterday he said he was done. With the blog, life, or both – we don’t know. But nonetheless I think that news was worthy of a zombie wake – at least for the OG NWFA folks that have been in the PDX gun community since back when gunshows were cool and surplus military arms were a) everywhere, and b) cheap. […]

Yes I think your summary is a good one, and you rolled up years of his blog with the “cut off your nose” comment. I followed the blog for so long because I kept waiting for the eventual and unfortunately pretty obvious conclusion. And of course I hope he is OK and can regroup. He was a man that would have done a lot better had he been born 150 years ago. My aim of this thread was to communicate the news, and leave out the commentary … but since you dug into it, I figured I’d give you some feedback.

– thirtycal

Thursday 23/6: Partition Russia plot

Every morning I awaken without a headache is a good start, but I dread when the next one will come. I have no idea what the trigger for them could be – they seem to be random.

“Delusion – The US Government’s Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) holds a briefing on the ‘moral and strategic’ necessity of partitioning Russia,” Niccolo Soldo. Link from a Moon of Alabama post. Blatant U.S. interference in the politics of other countries, and an attempt to effectively destroy Russia as a nation. “Tomorrow’s panel is a further step forward in that it tells ordinary Russians that even regime change and democracy is not good enough for them. They require the partition of their country into smaller (more easily controlled) polities, so that they can be free. Needless to say, this is a propaganda coup for Putin and the Kremlin as it allows them to paint the conflict in Ukraine as an existential fight.” Which it certainly is. “Europeans and North Americans need to sacrifice their standard of living so that the USA can triumph in Ukraine. Africans might need to starve as well. It’s for a good cause, the decolonization of Russia. How can you say no?”

Friday 24/6: Ukraine begging; Mother Madonna

“Ukrainian ambassador urges Albanese to visit Zelensky, says it would ‘demonstrate solidarity’,” The Age, 24/6. I wish he would not, but he probably will, and the Ukraine conmen will extract more taxpayers’ money from Australia.

Australian National University emeritus professor Paul Dibb, an expert on Russia, said there was a good case for the visit to Ukraine. No, there isn’t.

“I think that Albanese should visit Kyiv but he should beware of succumbing to Zelensky’s blandishments and demands,” he said.

“This new government of ours, which is doing rather well on what it says about foreign and defence policy so far, needs to remember that our immediate region needs to be their absolute priority.”

“Thank you for your support, Australia, but don’t lose interest in Ukraine,” The Age, 24/6. I have. An opinion piece from the Ukraine foreign minister, begging for more funds. “Australia has been generous, providing Ukraine with assistance worth more than $285 million.”

Madonna was one of the most popular singers of the 1980s; I enjoyed her music as a teenager then. She is still performing, but seems to be in a desperate quest to stay relevant and young-looking (she is 12 years older than me), though she has enough wealth to undertake this. There is a thread at Kiwifarms following her. Madonna has always been one to deliberately court controversy through her art. Her latest is a series of videos called Mother of Creation (warning: very NSFW!!) in which “MADONNA AND BEEPLE COLLABORATE TO GIVE BIRTH TO MOTHER OF CREATION, AN NFT TRIPTYCH.” A highly-stylized digital version of her gives birth to various objects, and the videos leave nothing to the imagination! In a peculiar way I can appreciate the artistic intent (and I am at the age where little if anything shocks me – my reaction to some nudity is just indifference).

Saturday 25/6: Zelensky everywhere

Feeling uninspired today, so just a few collected Russia-Ukraine links.

“Dr. Volodymyr & Mr. Zelensky: the dark side of the Ukrainian president,” Guy Mettan, 23/6. Not as “heroic” as the Western media has hyped him up to be.

“Wasteland warriors: The long, cruel summer on Ukraine’s eastern front,” The Age, 25/6. Yet another pro-Ukraine sob story. Also: “Problems at home? Get to Kyiv and be photographed with Zelensky” which should surely become some sort of meme, and “Freedom always wins: Zelensky delivers emotive message to Glastonbury revellers” – the puppet president extorting more support and money from gullible idiots.

“The EU’s crumbling unity gives Putin an opportunity to win,” AFR, 25/6. The EU is now experiencing unintended consequences from their unneccessary imposition of sanctions and misguided support for Ukraine. I feverently hope President Putin wins!

Sunday 26/6: Tsar by Ted Bell; Russian villains

Earlier this year I read a novel called Tsar by Ted Bell, one of a series featuring his James Bond-style protagonist Lord Alexander Hawke. The novels are very much a male fantasy wish-fulfilment with larger-than-life characters (and there is nothing wrong with that – they are the male equivalent of female-orientated romance novels!). So, I read it (or most of it) with that in mind (though I am sure a lot of young “Woke” types would find such a novel offensive!). The one and only President Putin features as, surprisingly, an almost-good guy (he is deposed and imprisoned after a coup). The arch-villain is a Count Ivan Korsakov, who schemes to become the next Tsar; a brilliant and dastardly mastermind who has his own airship. “Korsakov – the Dark Rider, as he was known – secretly ruled Russia with an iron fist. But since he had no official title or position inside the Kremlin, only a handful of people at the highest echelons knew that Korsakov was the real power behind the throne.” There is a group of underlings (oligarches and such) who answer to him, called “The Twelve” – “his siloviki, the twelve most powerful men in Russia.” Russia is, predictably enough, presented as a threat: “We think all this strong-arming is only a prelude. There’s a strong possibility she may try to take them all back. Restore her old Soviet borders by force. And once she’s digested her eastern neighbors, she’s going take a hard look at the rest of Europe. Western Europe’s at Russia’s mercy, even now. The Kremlin can shut off the flow of energy to our European allies any time it damn well wants to.” (Prophetic words – the novel was published in 2008.) Naturally only the forces of good – the USA and UK – can combat the Eastern threat.

Alex meets and falls for Korsakov’s beautiful daughter, but I predicted she would meet a sad end, and sure enough she did (and was pregnant by Alex). I have to admit I just skimmed through much of the novel; a frivolous read but nothing more. As I noted in my 28/2 entry, Russia has, unfortunately, long served as a villain in fictional media, and will continue to be portrayed as such even more after the events of this year. There has already been one movie delayed so the Ukrainian villains could be replaced with another nationality: “$150-million movie halted over Ukrainian ‘bad-guys’,” RT, 24/6. Some snark from the comments section: “In the real world the villains are Brits and Yanks, however in Hollywood fantasy movies always Russians are.” “So all Ukrainians must be good guys huh? Every country will have gangsters and criminals EXCEPT Ukraine huh?” “Only Russians, Chinese and North Koreans can be villains according to the free nation US.” “Hollywood is the number one way we have been raised to hate Russians and why it is so easy for people to believe anti-Russian propaganda from government and media that they openly distrust. The hypocrisy is staggering.”

Monday 27/6: Ostracized oligarchs

“Roman Abramovich owns one of the world’s most expensive private jets. US authorities want to seize it,” ABC News, 7/6. Russian oligarchs continue to have their assets seized by governments on the flimsiest of pretexts. While the oligachs may not be popular, a government being able to take a private citizen’s legally-acquired assets simply because the former does not like the latter, sets a worrisome precedent. President Biden also authorized the official theft:

Biden’s speech included some concrete measures to rein in Russia. Although he has always drawn the line at military intervention.

He announced that the US Department of Justice was assembling a task force to go after the “Russian oligarchs and corrupt leaders who have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime.”

“We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets. We are coming for your ill-begotten gains,” he said.

Roman Abramovich was also forced to sell the Chelsea Football Club. Some reader comments: “The statement made by the club is pure western criminal BS style. We all know that Abramovich was robbed and that is another warning for international corporations or private entrepreneurs that doing business in these war criminal countries is a risk!” “A sad day when a country can decide to rob a hardworking person of their assets.”

“Inside London’s Struggle to Wean Itself From Russian Billions,” Vanity Fair, 23/6. London officials have decided they don’t want oligarchs after all. Fairweather friends indeed. No wealthy person with any sense will want to invest in a Western country after this year. (See also 16/3 entry.)

A “global luxury market” website called the Robb Report has a Russia tag, many stories currently featuring oligarch asset seizures.

Tuesday 28/6: Australia against Russia; Zelensky begging; another plain HTML personal site

“Albanese says Russia’s ‘brutal’ invasion has major consequences for world,” The Age, 28/6.

Anthony Albanese says a strong and united NATO is in Australia’s strategic interests, as he called on democratic nations to stay the course on their support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s “brutal” invasion.

Landing in Madrid on Monday night AEST, the Australian prime minister told journalists that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of its neighbour in late February had broken international law and had major consequences for the world.

According to these opinion pieces – Is Putin’s War Legal?; Russia, Ukraine & the Law of War: Crime of Aggression – Russia’s intervention was within international law.

The Australian Prime Minister will unfortunately continue the harsh policies towards President Putin and Russia. I am deeply ashamed of my country. I feverently hope that Russia, China and the other non-Western countries who are siding with them against NATO and the West, will prevail and flourish in the long-term. And the puppet President is still shamelessly begging: “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, addressing G7 leaders in the Bavarian Alps via a video link, asked for more weapons and air defences to gain the upper hand in the war within months.”

The pestilent pustule also made yet another video appearance at the Glastonbury music festival.

Zelensky sets the tone

In a video message that opened one of the festival’s main stages, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged festivalgoers to “spread the truth about Russia’s war”, donate to relief efforts and put pressure on politicians who can help restore peace.

“We want to stop the war before it ruins people’s lives in other countries of Europe,” he said. “Africa, Asia, Latin America – they are all under threat now.”

The Libertines’ singer Pete Doherty, who played immediately after the video message, led a chant of Zelensky’s name with the crowd and, later on in the festival, McCartney waved a Ukrainian flag during his encore to massive applause.

Kalush Orchestra, the Ukrainian winners of this year’s Eurovision competition, also performed at the event – marking their first-ever show in the UK.

Came across another personal plain HTML-coded blog by Bill Dietrich (who has a webpage on web design). Mostly about his daily life in Barcelona. It is refreshing to come across such “old-fashioned” hand-coded pages that are not generic bloated Wordpress blogs. (My Links page has some more of such sites listed.)

Wednesday 29/6: Headachey; Gongoozlers; special operation legalities; mall strike hyperbole; to Opal Court

Headachey this morning. I noticed that Bill Dietrich (28/6 entry) gets frequent headaches too, noted in his journal.

Mum’s car was de-registered today, in preparation for transfer to its new owner. It is to be shipped up to Brisbane, which is apparently a more efficient option than road transport! This is where a canal transport network is useful, as are still found in the UK (and reading that, I just learned a new word: “Gongoozler – a person who enjoys watching activity on the canals of the United Kingdom. The term is also used more generally to describe those who harbour an interest in canals and canal life, but do not actively participate,” and there is, indeed, a Wikipedia category of Observation hobbies – people who like watching various things!).

“Reasons for the Russian special military operation in Ukraine,” The Saker, 28/6. More detail on the topic of the legality of the Russian intervention, as noted in yesterday’s entry.

“Local Ukrainian mayor explains casualties at shopping mall,” RT, 28/6. The latest Russian airstrike, which was not deliberately targeting the mall in question, has predictably been played up for maximum outrage in Western media reports. “President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike was ‘calculated’ and the death toll could rise further.” Of course, the puppet president will be believed as he can do no wrong :-S.

“Albanese stands with NATO to condemn Putin as UK warns of 1937 moment,” The Age, 28/6. More biased and inaccurate reporting. A particularly insulting remark from a UK military official: “The head of Britain’s armed forces, General Sir Patrick Sanders, warned that the West must be prepared to act rapidly to contain Russian expansionism, comparing it to the rise of Nazi Germany. In a major speech on Tuesday he said the world was facing its ‘1937 moment’ and must be ready to ‘fight and win’ to ward off Putin.” Given that the USSR of then lost 30 million or so of its citizens to the German invasion, that is a bizarre statement.

Wanderings! Achieved a small goal on my walk today: made it to Opal Court, where the house of a Kilvington classmate still stands. I don’t know if Melinda Hansen still lives there or has moved away long ago, but I did visit there for playdates with her way back in the 1980s. Around 2.4 km walk there, so nearly an hour round trip. Nostalgic memories now; I really miss those times of just hanging out with friends as a teenager in the 1980s.

I have lived in the same area all my life so far, but there are still many streets I have never walked along, so some of those today were a first time walk also. It feels mentally refreshing.

Centenary Park lies beyond the court; a nice big recreational park.

Suzy at Opal Court 1 Opal Court home

Me at Opal Court

Centenary Park

Centenary Park

Samuel Court

Looking down a court street. Some views evoke a particular feeling or atmosphere.

Bentleigh Secondary College forest path

A school forest path – what lies beyond?

Feel quite tired; body is falling apart. Sores at corner of mouth; a little bleeding from the other end. Probably deficient in many nutrients and minerals.

Thursday 30/6: Dreams; planets line-up; Lavrov not welcome

Feeling a bit better this morning – no headache, at least. Had some chilly, single-digit mornings.

Vaguely-remembered dreams: of parents saying they were going overseas on a holiday, and did I want to come along, then I was hastily packing a suitcase. Earlier: of descending a ladder or stairs looking over a dark landscape with illuminated buildings.

Feel scattered and unfocused; can’t focus on any one thing for long, especially with reading books or articles. Too much to look at.

Four planets – Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and Venus – can currently be viewed lined up in their orbital order in the early morning sky; I saw them this morning – I took a couple of photos as best I could. A rare occurrence.

“Penny Wong wargames G20 message for Putin’s foreign minister,” The Age, 30/6. I hope the Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is prepared for more rude treatment – he has more dignity and is more of a statesman than all these fools combined!

The likes of Australia, the United States, Britain, Canada, Japan and New Zealand have, however, deployed various strategies to reinforce their stance on Russia’s aggression at a series of other G20 and APEC meetings since the war in Europe began.

This has included walkouts during addresses by Russian delegations, the sending of junior officials to meeting when Russians and denouncements of the invasion by government representatives including by an Australian official at a lower-level G20 digital economy forum on Lombok in March.

Delegates attending virtually have also turned off their screens when Russia has had the microphone and deliberately returned late from afternoon tea when the Kremlin’s envoy was scheduled to speak straight afterwards.

July

Friday 1/7: Ostomy dream; Bernie speaks out

Had a dream that I had an ostomy. The way I am going, I may need one in the future (such as Anna Johnson did – 20/6 entry). The prospect does not alarm me; from reading forums (r/Ostomy) people live with one generally well, with some adjustments. The main and obvious concern is the continuation of obtaining supplies of bags and such – if supplies are threatened, what can one do as an alternative?

I really should visit the GP again as I have not been since last year (5/9/2021 entry) but I feel too apathetic and exhausted to motivate myself to.

“Formula 1 reacts after former chief praises ‘first-class’ Putin,” RT, 30/6. Bernie Ecclestone has predictably been condemned by Ukraine shills, but good on him for daring to speak up in support of Russia – “Amid a predictably hostile response after Ecclestone went against the presiding Western narrative, Formula One moved quickly to announce its opposition to his statements.” Although I have disliked him in the past (17/3/2009 and 14/3/2013 entries) I will forgive him if he supports Russia!

Saturday 2/7: NATO menace; Russian hackers

“NATO adopts new Strategic Concept directed against Russia”; “Updated strategy, new members, old enemies: NATO summit highlights,” RT, 29/6. Blustering and threats against Russia and China from the NATO nations. “NATO’s annual summit continued in Madrid on Wednesday, with the leaders of the US-led military bloc agreeing to take on two new members Sweden and Finland and naming Russia as its number one threat. China also found a spot on the agenda, as did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who again petitioned Western leaders for billions of dollars out of their taxpayers’ pockets.” No surpises that Russia is feeling increasingly surrounded and threatened – NATO nations are deliberately inflaming tensions. An opinion piece from Scott Ritter that elaborates on this: “NATO has completed its post-Cold War transformation from Europe’s guard dog into America’s attack dog.”

The mainstream media interpretation – the complete opposite, of course: “NATO ‘prepared for all eventualities’ as Russian President Vladimir Putin issues fresh threats,” ABC News, 1/7; “Putin’s grand plan backfires as NATO formally invites Sweden and Finland to join alliance,” 30/6. They wish! President Putin is a lot smarter than implied by his caricaturish portrayal as a villain by the Western media.

“Эксклюзивное интервью с пророссийскими хакерами «XakNet Team» cпециально для Russian OSINT” (Exclusive interview with pro-Russian hackers ‘XakNet Team’ specially for Russian OSINT), 26/6. Russian computer hackers (of whom I approve) give some details (in Russian – will add English translation if I find the energy to) of their own cyberwarfare against the West.

Sunday 3/7: Finished Genesis; to Centenary Park

I finally finished a generation starship novel called Genesis by Paul Chafe (17/12/2021 entry). The first part of the novel is quite interesting, detailing the building and eventual launch of the generation ship, but is less so in the second, where the society created has devolved into a pastoral medieval setting, with the ship’s population divided into religious sect farmers and the ship crew engineers, who have almost forgotten their origins – Earth has passed into mythology. The second novel continues this (don’t know if I will get around to reading it). The third novel has still not been published, and the author seems to have disappeared off the publishing scene; he no longer has a web presence. So, annoyingly, it seems that the story will remain unresolved.

Walked eastwards up to Centenary Park again (29/6 entry). Walked around the park; quite pleasant, and the closest I will get to walking through a forest. I wish I could walk daily in solitude through a real forest or along a beach; it would help with my distressed mental state.

Centenary Park Suzy in Centenary Park

Monday 4/7: Sunny; PM funding Ukraine

A chilly start to the morning, but a fine and sunny day, at least.

Our gullible fool of a Prime Minister visited Ukraine, and has pledged yet more taxpayers’ money ($100 million!) to the conman Zelensky. I can’t adequately express my disgust enough.

Tuesday 5/7: Inactive sites; Avatar sequel approaching; victorious flag on ISS; absent PM; pregnant “man”

Feeling a bit mentally dull, though no headache this morning at least.

The various worldbuilders and their sites that I follow online rarely, if ever, update. There seems to be a collective malaise generally, perhaps due to the stress of the pandemic and now the war this year. But it is discouraging to visit the sites most days and see nothing new. I certainly am creatively dormant myself; the great surge I underwent with my own project up to 2018 or so has well and truly subsided. I do envy people who can work on the same project and characters throughout their lives; I can’t seem to persist with anything for long (though my last project was from around 2008 to 2018).

Publicity for James Cameron’s long-delayed Avatar movie sequel, Avatar: the Way of Water, is at last ramping up, with more images released.

Roskosmos VK.com wall post, 4/7, which has the other space partners (and Twitter whingers) all upset (as well as The Guardian):

Liberation Day of the Luhansk People’s Republic! We celebrate both on Earth and in space. The entire territory of the Lugansk People’s Republic has been liberated. Russian and Lugansk forces have established full control over Lisichansk – the last major city in the LPR! Roskosmos and our cosmonauts Oleg Artem’ev, Denis Matveev and Sergei Korsakov, who are working today at the International Space Station, join the congratulations of the head of the LPR Leonid Pasechnik on the “new Day of the Great Victory.” This is a long-awaited day that residents of the occupied areas of the Luhansk region have been waiting for eight years. We are confident that July 3, 2022 will forever go down in the history of the Republic. Citizens of the allied Donetsk People’s Republic, wait!

“Prime minister defends international travel during floods,” The Age/ABC News, 5/7. The PM should be visiting the NSW flood victims here, not gallivanting around,and giving millions of our dollars to Ukraine. “Opposition treasury spokesman Angus Taylor had accused the prime minister of being more concerned with his global reputation than flood victims back home.”

“Kim thought he could never be a parent. Then he gave birth to baby Morgan,” The Age, 5/7. This gender fad is patently absurd (and is a mental illness) – “he” still has a womb and can give birth; therefore “he” is female.

Wednesday 6/7: A chilly start; Russophobic astronauts

Only 3°C outside this morning! Coldest morning of the year so far. The day was fine and sunny day, at least.

Yet another Twitter whinge from Anatoly Zak: “Well, just a few weeks ago, their @NASA crew mate went out of his way to convince us that those cosmonauts had no intention to wear costumes in colors of the Ukrainian flag, so if we to believe him now, they have nothing against this war and are as guilty as Rogozin is. Right?” in response to a tweet by astronaut Garrett Reisman: “Yeah, I’ve got thoughts. None of them good. This is another attempt by Rogozin to suck up to his evil master. Those Cosmonauts, even if they are against the war, really have no good options here, unfortunately.” The next day: “You’re unable to view this Tweet because this account owner limits who can view their Tweets.” Fortunately I wrote it down! Apparently they can’t comprehend that the cosmonauts in question (5/7 entry) may actually be loyal and patriotic. I feel nothing but disgust for the Russophobic astronauts of the Western ISS partners now. Russia was better off when it operated its own independent spaceflight program and the Mir space station – it answered to no one. I hope that its future program will return to this path. No more international partnerships!

“After ‘victory’ in Luhansk, what next for Russia?,” The Age, 6/7. Another inane opinion piece from Mick Ryan (8/6 entry), trying to diminish the impact of the Russian win in Luhansk.

Thursday 7/7: Roskosmos site returned?

Roskosmos.ru is back!! Well, accessible outside of Russia through the normal Internet link again. Will it remain so, or is this just a brief trial? Hopefully malicious Western hackers will not target it again (or the site is hardened against such attacks?). Such unexpected joy I felt when clicking on the link today and finding it worked normally!

Friday 8/7: Nightmare art; another would-be shirtfronter; NASA rebuke

I have an ArtStation account. I have nothing posted there, but use it to follow and like artists posting there. There are thousands of intimidatingly talented artists. Some I have favorited (with linked example artwork):

Agatha, Angel of the Void Peace

Andres Rios, whose art is seriously nightmarish! But is beautifully rendered and textured, and the figures have a certain elegance. “Agatha, Angel of the Void” appears to have a black hole’s singularity floating over it while “Peace” is his “representation of a peaceful death.”

Black Robes, Golden Skull Ritual

Occoultya has many portrayals of sinister robed figures. Nonetheless, these two are oddly serene; their stillness is calming to look at.

H.P.L. was right

Another goes under the username of “Dofresh”; his Lovecraftian monsters are disturbingly realistic. This one reminds me of dreams where a figure notices me as soon as I think about it, and no matter how fast I run away, it relentlessly pursues me, drawing ever closer.

Guests Of Light, The Venetians Arrival

Some of Petar Milivojevic’s figures gathered in his more creepy landscapes are disturbingly difficult to focus upon (they appear to be almost faceless), but are gorgeously costumed with baroque jewelry and clothing.

One of my collection albums is titled “Creepy,” with some art of others that has similarly scared me (and I am not easily scared now!).

“Albanese vows to confront Putin as Wong confirms first in-person meeting with China,” The Age, 7/7. “Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vowed to treat Russian President Vladimir Putin with ‘the contempt that he deserves’ when the two leaders cross paths at the G20 leaders summit on the Indonesian holiday island in November. ‘It certainly won’t be polite,’ Albanese told Sky News. ‘The world needs to send a very clear message about how we regard him and his behaviour towards undermining the rules-based order, undermining the UN Charter, being responsible for the war crimes that are being committed in Ukraine.’” So he will be churlish and rude – and will hopefully be disregarded. I’m sure President Putin is trembling in his shoes at the prospect of being “shirtfronted” (24/2 entry) by our PM! :-S

NASA published a rebuke to the cosmonauts displaying the Luhansk flag (5/7 entry): “NASA strongly rebukes Russia using the International Space Station for political purposes to support its war against Ukraine, which is fundamentally inconistent with the Station’s primary function among the 15 international participating countries to advance science and develop technology for peaceful purposes.” Anatoly Zak is predictably approving: “Better late than never … and at least something than nothing.” And Keith Cowing of NASAWatch, who has never liked Russian participation, has posted: “Russia Is Using ISS For Overt Propaganda.” Let’s not mention Ukraine’s massive Western propaganda effort (see links at bottom of this page), with the help of the USA.

Saturday 9/7: Gas pains; Zelensky bios

Another episode of trapped gas (22/2 entry) so feeling off-color for most of the day. Did not go for my walk. Lying down this afternoon for an hour or so seemed to help. (TMI, sorry! I am turning into one of those old people who cheerfully inform all in unwanted detail about their health issues.)

“From comedy to war: Zelensky’s ascent to the year’s most admired leader,” The Age. 9/7. Fawning reviews of two 🇺🇦 President biographies – “year’s most admired leader” – not! Conman, more like. Definitely no-reads for me. (But if one must read them, find other non-paying means of obtaining them.)

Sunday 10/7: Foggy start

Foggy, damp and cold this morning. Some weak sunshine emerged later in the day. Just did my usual chores, and went on my walk today but did not go anywhere; feeling a bit better compared to yesterday.

Monday 11/7: Domain name renewed; Angry Astronaut aggrevation

Renewed my domain name. It is something I very much want to keep, though I could only afford a 2-year payment.

“Cosmonauts become puppets for Rogozin’s propaganda machine! EXCLUSIVE CONTENT,” The Angry Astronaut’s YouTube channel, 4/7 (real name: Jordan Wright – he seems to use the tactic of deliberately courting controversy to attract viewers and subscribers). I have not watched it as I would get too aggrevated. Western space enthusiasts seem convinced that the cosmonauts made the presentation (5/7 entry) under duress. A commentater called Kevin Van Horn remarked, however: “You seem to have missed that in December 2009 American astronauts on the ISS had a nice chummy conversation with the U.S. troops in Iraq, telling them, ‘there’s not a day that goes by when we don’t remember the service and the sacrifice that so many of you are making over there in the service to our country and in the protection of our freedoms that we too often take for granted.’ The U.S. killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis in their invasion and conquest of Iraq.” So it’s only “propaganda” when Russia does such a presentation; if the Western partners did similar it would be “patriotic.” Hypocrisy yet again.

Tuesday 12/7: Finished The Flight of the Aphrodite; JWT image released; space program snark; EU Disinformation site

A damp, grey, cold and miserable day, in contrast to the last couple of days.

I finished The Flight of the Aphrodite novel (20/6 entry). The characters on the titular spaceship all went a little mad in various ways, the intense protective magnetic field generated by their ship affecting their brains. The ending was ambiguous (which may frustrate some) – the alien ziggurat on Jupiter’s Galilean moons may or may not have been real. But it was a decent read.

The first images from the James Webb Telescope will be released tomorrow! A preview image of incredibly distant galaxies was released today: “NASA’s Webb Delivers Deepest Infrared Image of Universe Yet.”

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine jeopardizes the future of the International Space Station,” PBS Newshour, 17/5. A not-surprisingly-biased (guests include Scott Kelly and Anatoly Zak) overview of the current ISS partnership issues (via an equally acerbic NASASpaceflight.com forum post). “Homer Hickam: I just don’t think its good optics right now to show American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts hugging and playing with their food and all that kind of thing, and really recommended that they avoid those types of optics, because, after all, right now, the Russian government is engaging in a hideous war against its neighbor, Ukraine, and killing men, women and children right before our eyes.” Ukraine certainly is not an innocent victim.

More Twitter snark from a Katya Pavlushchenko: “Let me guess, we won’t hear any word of congratulation to the @NASAWebb team from Roscosmos tomorrow. So guys, let me assure you, the Russian space community sends their congratulations. We just can’t do it officially.” I had been following her but have generally quit looking at most Twitter spaceflight accounts and feeds in disgust; nearly all are pro-Ukraine. (Though a user called Ákos Horváth on that comment thread supports Russia:

Replying to @snefru and @katlinegrey

I think I have made my point clear. You are just looking for excuses to justify your dislike of Roscosmos. Whatever floats your boat. You can have the last word and we can move on.

I didn’t miss anything. But your question will only be answered in a day or two. And you could pose the same question to JAXA and ESA. But you didn’t. It’s 2am in Hamburg and 3am in Moscow, you have to wait for my congrats until the morning. At least.

Why don’t you wait maybe a day before you pass judgement. Or you expect congratulations a millisecond after the event? Have JAXA and ESA congratulated yet?

I know you write for NSF. Why would it upset me? I was talking about NSF commenters. But maybe your NSF contributor job is the reason you seem way too eager to please your Western audience by making snark remarks about Roscosmos. Anyway, let’s enjoy the images sans politics.

NSF well represents the US space community, I’m sure you know it. Maybe you should wait until tomorrow before you preemptively accuse Roscosmos of wrongdoing.

You mean all the snarky comments about how the Russians almost destroyed the ISS and how primitive their technology is? Not much of a congratulation. I stopped reading NSF because it only covers Russia in a negative light. And nowadays NSF is just pure anti-Russian hysteria.

Care to give an example? I think you are too apologetic for being Russian. But it’s your prerogative to be sorry for being alive in Moscow.

Did NASA ever congratulate the Russian space community on anything? Couldn’t you just enjoy the images without apologizing for being alive and Russian?

A comment at The Saker site (which was offline for a few days due to online attacks) linked to a page at a “EU Disinformation site,” that is a European Union propaganda site (anything disagreeing with the pro-Ukraine narrative is “disinformation”).

EUvsDisinfo is the flagship project of the European External Action Service’s East StratCom Task Force(opens in a new tab). It was established in 2015 to better forecast, address, and respond to the Russian Federation’s ongoing disinformation campaigns affecting the European Union, its Member States, and countries in the shared neighbourhood.

EUvsDisinfo’s core objective is to increase public awareness and understanding of the Kremlin’s disinformation operations, and to help citizens in Europe and beyond develop resistance to digital information and media manipulation.

Wednesday 13/7: Rest of JWT images released; Roskosmos history summary

The other four of the five initial James Webb Telescope images released today! Of interest to me is the atmospheric composition of WASP-96 b (its parent star system 1120 light-years distant!). As water was detected, it increases the likelihood of life evolving in other star systems (on habitable Earth-like planets) as water is not exclusive to our Solar System.

An informative (and not negative!) Twitter thread by “Bomby”: What has Roscosmos been doing for 30+ years in the background and why do I like Dmitry Rogozin? I have reproduced the text of the thread below, as Twitter is so annoying to use:

A giant thread on the difficulties that Roscosmos encounter during its inception, the problems that it still faced and how these issues were and are being dealt with.

As we all know, Roscosmos had a very bumpy start following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

3 Major problems have plagued it since :

  1. Lack of Funding
  2. Lack of Public Support
  3. Disorganized Industrial sector

Lack of Funding

Following the catastrophical Perestroika, the newly formed Russian Federation faced a huge economic crisis, which heavily impacted the Aerospace Industry as well. Hundreds of projects were suspended, employees laid off, facilities closed and equipment destroyed. No money – no show. Everyone understood that, and since the Russian government wasn’t able to provide enough funding, Roscosmos had to improvise.

Many of Roscosmos’ facilities that were producing highly specialized tools before had to switch to production of common goods. This wasn’t giving much income, but it reduced drastically the expenses and achieved higher funding from the government. Another big change compared to the Soviet time was the commercialisation and opening up of Roscosmos to the west.

Most notably, the Mir-Shuttle program. While many, including me, see this as a treacherous act that allowed the Americans to skip over 20 years of technological development in the field of Modular orbital stations, this project allowed Roscosmos to keep the Mir station afloat.

As well as continue the experiments on board. It was a necessary evil, as to that point, Mir was falling apart and there simply wasn’t enough spacecraft available to launch the crew to the station. It remained for months unamnned, drifting in the void of space, breaking overtime.

Finally, the corporations that were formed after the collapse, such as RKK Energia, had only one way to survive the decade. It was to take loans. Big Loans. And big loans they took. This debt became a huge problem eventually, as we’ll see later.

Lack of Public Support

Who needs floating space tin cans when you don’t have food on your table? To simply put it, many just didn’t see a reason to keep such an extensive space program that was draining billions when it could be used to save the country’s economy.

This dissent over the space program eventually turned to an outright hostility towards Roscomsos, who many believed was just a waste of money. The pride in the people’s achievements in space wasn’t lost, but that pride couldn’t beat hunger.

Slowly, the Russian economy recovered and stabilized, the wages grew and the prices fell, but little was done to rekindle people’s interest of the cosmos. Not only that, but the west’s achievements in this sector lead to many of the younger generation to look for a job overseas, rather than pushing the envelope in their homeland. This brain drainage was a giant issue, culminating in an aging workforce of Roscosmos.

So, what has been done to stop this and make the common man interested in Russian spaceflight again?

Well, sadly, the effort to do that has been pretty slow and delayed. Only in mid-2010s did Roscosmos seriously started to counter this issues and only under Rogozin were big measures taken. What are these? School programs, Education grands, New educational facilities, conferences, public events, new press and overall easier access to information about current Russian Aerospace development.

These are really important, as they encourage the youth to look for job in Roscosmos and VKS, replacing the tired,old personnel with new, motivated members.

Disorganized Industrial sector

Oh boy, this is a big one.

Following the collapse, much of the aerospace industry (research centres, production lines of engines, propellant and fuel tanks, satellites) was divided among the new countries that formed.

Bureau Yuzhnoe in Ukraine, Baikonur in Kazakhstan, propellant production in Central Asia, metallurgy in Belarus.

The many parts of the well-oiled machine were now broken up and split by borders. While at first it was more of an inconvenience rather than a deal-breaker,eventually the different roads that each nation took and the regional wars that took place had made this whole situation a real mess.

Solution? Bring everything home. But that’s easier said than done. This was a multiple-decade job, delaying all other projects so that Russia could sustain independent space exploration. Most notably, the completely new Vostochnii Cosmodrome was built to serve the launch needs of Russia, without having to rely on Kazakhstan. A monumental task, as the Cosmodrome had to be built in the middle of f*cking nowhere in Amur, it was plagued with issues the whole time, but eventually, with combined efforts of many administrations and the final push by Rogozin, the Cosmodrome is now in full operation, ready to be the home to the next generation all-Russian Angara family of launch vehicles next year.

And finally, the debt that accumulated over 2 decades on the different aerospace corporations. They were on constant bail outs from the Russian government and were at the risk of bankruptcy. RKK Energia alone was over 30 billion rubles in debt in 2018.

There were 2 solutions.

First is leaving it to the market, commercializing entirely the system. This the way that NASA went by after the failure of the Constellation program. But Russia didn’t have a big enough commercial market nor companies to sustain such work. The public wouldn’t like it as well

So, we have only one option remaining on the table. Nationalization. And that’s what Roscosmos did. The factories and corporations that worked for Roscosmos were integrated into it.

This effort started in late 2000s, but only now can we see its fruits.

Under Rogozin, the main achievement was to drop the burdens of the past. The debt that has been slowing the progress all over the chain of production was largely paid in Roscosmos subsidiaries, which allowed to actually start planning for the future.

Secondly, major efforts were done at domesticating the production, especially after the sanctions that hit Russia in 2014 after the reunification with Crimea.

Now Roscosmos produces large variety of microelectronics, optics and high precision tools.

Finally, Rogozin gave Roscosmos that final push to complete the long overdue project that were draining the budget for decades. You can see this everywhere. Vostochnii finally went into operation, Nauka was finally competed and launched, Angara is entering normal operation.

Thursday 14/7: EMP dream; reading Mythago Wood

I had a vivid dream last night of a coronal mass ejection from the Sun causing a mass blackout – obviously inspired by an apocalypse novel I am reading (Aurora by David Koepp), which I began and read some of to nearly 12 a.m. (my erratic sleeping habits!). It is fragmented in memory now, but in one scene my various electronic gadgets (iPad, iPhone) began smoking when the electromagnetic pulse hit and their data destroyed. In another I went to some underground cold storage room (like a fridge but with a clear glass door) to put a hard drive in, and nearly got trapped inside. I also looked outside a window of the house I was in to see the sky lighting up the clouds from the intense auroras sparked by the CME/EMP hitting the atmosphere.

Another novel I am reading and finding quite compelling is Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock. Set in post-World War 2 England, the protagonist returns to his home in England, located near a mysterious old-growth forest where the ancient world of mythology intersects with the modern one, the various characters being formed from the humans’ subconscious minds and emerging into reality. I enjoy that intersection of the very old and the modern world; the feeling that a more ancient wisdom and wild entities still exist, despite the more advanced but spiritually barren world of technology and rationality humans now live in (to the detriment of our mental health). (See also the Gnomes book in my 23/8/2021 entry.) I wonder if there are any hidden old-growth forests in Europe that have existed undisturbed since the last Ice Age; I like to imagine so. The closest to this seems to be Białowieża Forest on the Poland-Belarus border, but, sadly, it is not undisturbed by destructive human activity. I wish I could walk through ancient woodlands in the UK and Europe; it would be mentally healing, a break from all the hatefullness online.

Friday 15/7: Walks; Macbook envy

Feeling a little headachy today; very mild but still draining.

Walked to Centenary Park yesterday (previously: 3/7 entry), and today to Officeworks in Moorabbin and back (around 1 hour round trip). Dropped off some old (formatted!) usb drives into the recycling bin there provided. So am feeling a bit tired.

The latest Macbook Air laptop has just been released (though with a waiting period for those wanting to buy it). Reviews seem to be mixed, but, like all Apple products, is gorgeous to look at (I like the Midnight Blue color).

Saturday 16/7: Duck and cover; Rogozin replaced; Scott the Ukraine shill; war crimes fake news

In a curious move, New York City Emergency Management released a short Nuclear Preparedness PSA video on 11/7, perhaps in response to current tensions. (Relevant post at the r/Preppers subReddit.) For myself, I don’t believe any country would be willing to take that first step in launching an attack – it would be an irrevocable action that would ensure an escalating response – so I am not losing any sleep over the prospect.

“New Russian space boss unveiled,” RT, 15/7. In a major Russian spaceflight development, Roskosmos head Dmitrii Rogozin was replaced with a new leader, Yurii Borisov (links on my Russian spaceflight news page). A commentary by Andrei Martyanov, About Borisov’s New Post.

A huge event: a removal of Rogozin from the position of the head of a mighty Roscosmos and appointment of Yuri Borisov to this post. This event created a major splash in Russian media with people immediately beginning to speculate that now Russian space program will begin to focus more on military applications (in Russian). But let’s recall who Yuri Borisov is – yes, he is one of the major driving forces behind modernization and rearmament of Russian Armed Forces which underwent fast and dramatic update which turned them into arguably best fighting force of today. Borisov's role in this is huge, to put it mildly.

Borisov is one of those military-technological, engineering and organization geniuses who are a very rare breed and seldom appear at the highest levels of political power. It is especially true for modern military-industrial complex of any superpower, because huge swaths of those complexes are in effect dual technologies producing industries. Borisov was instrumental in turning Russian military-industrial complex into R&D and manufacturing powerhouse it is today. Moreover, Borisov is a former cadre military, a general, with military academy behind his belt. Him, taking the command of Roskosmos may mean very many things and all of them good for Russia. Remember, it was on Borisov’s watch that the Russian Armed Forces started to deploy some extremely advanced weapon system, many of which have no analogues in the West. Some – never will. In other words, Borisov is a specialist in the most advanced military and dual use technologies and bringing them to serial production.

Of course, Western spaceflight sites are portraying Rogozin’s removal as a “firing” (from displeasure at his performance) and are gloating.

Retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly (previous mentions: 17/3 and 29/4 entries) is a pro-Ukraine shill to an extreme (as his Twitter account demonstrates). Given that, I have no respect for him at all, despite his spaceflight achievements.

“War crimes in Ukraine,” The Age, 16/7. An “investigation” into alleged Russian war crimes (file under “fake news”).

Sunday 17/7: Unsettled weather; MacBook envy again

Gale-force winds since yesterday, which I hate, and unsettled weather. A storm cell cloud grumbled and lurked ominously to the south-east on my walk, but fortunately did not pass over me.

Browsing on the Apple site and coveting the latest Macbook Air laptop. The base model (8GM RAM/256 GB SSD) is $1900; the maxed-out model (24GB unified memory, 2TB SSD storage, Apple M2 chip with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine) is A$3,849.00. Ridiculously overpriced, like all Apple products, but so gorgeous to look at.

Monday 18/7: Dull; approaching cold

Felt low in mood on waking, a usual feeling for me. Not much to look forward to. Not on the Internet – all the hysteria and hostility in forums and comments, the websites I like, or liked, to visit are seldom updated, or provide no comfort; I have no creative project to occupy myself with.

Very chilly nights forecast for the next few days – only 1°C for tomorrow night!

Tuesday 19/7: Drafty housing; miscellanous Russian-Ukraine conflict articles; banning petrol cars insanity

Cold – 4°C or so this morning. My mood seemed a bit better. Of relevance: “Australian homes are so cold that some are falling below the WHO's recommended ‘safe’ temperature,” ABC News, 15/7 (and relevant r/Australia subReddit thread). Builders have never been required to insulate houses adequately here, so they are extremely hot in summer and freezing in winter, as I well know, living in an old poorly insulated weatherboard. My room would be unbearable without a little space heater (but which still barely warms the room); in summer it becomes suffocatingly hot.

Fragments of last night’s dream: was looking for a new house, somewhere along Poath Road on the way to Chadstone Shopping Centre; a long main street lined with shops. This is a recurring scene. Was fairly pleasant.

Below, a collection of Russia-Ukraine conflict articles I collected and meant to mention:

The latest Government environmental insanity: “Concerns electric vehicles still won’t be affordable for many by 2035 when ACT bans sale of new petrol cars,” ABC News, 18/7. The Market-Ticker blog has a snappy retort: “Don't Fall For It (EVs).”

Wednesday 20/7: Freezing; Ukrainian grifters

Freezing outside – 1°C or so. Having poor circulation (Raynaud syndrome) makes the cold even more unbearable; my hands and feet seem to be permanently cold.

“A ‘just war’: West has a moral obligation to help defeat Russia,” The Age, 20/7. No, the war is not “just,” and we have no obligation. Mick Ryan (6/7 entry) trying to drum up support for the “cause.”

“Ukrainian ambassador visits Bushmaster factory, asks for more support to combat Russia,” ABC News, 20/7. Shameless begging for yet more funds and equipment from Australia by the Ukrainian ambassador.

Thursday 21/7: Haircut; cold start; Cosmonaut Group portraits

Had my hair trimmed today, so it is barely below my chin. Feels much better.

Another chilly start to the day, with a colorful sunrise (apparently due to a Tongan volcanic eruption on 15/1), but a lovely clear sunny day.

A treat of sorts from Roskosmos: Роскосмос представляет обновлённые портреты космонавтов (Roskosmos presents updated portraits of cosmonauts) – photo portraits of the current Cosmonaut Group (see translated entry on my Cosmonaut news page).

Friday 22/7: Predictable corruption

“Corruption concerns involving Ukraine are revived as the war with Russia drags on,” NPR, 20/7. From a very pro-Ukraine site, a grudging admission that political corruption has and still is a problem there. “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s dismissal of senior officials is casting an inconvenient light on an issue that the Biden administration has largely ignored since the outbreak of war with Russia: Ukraine’s history of rampant corruption and shaky governance. As it presses ahead with providing tens of billions of dollars in military, economic and direct financial support aid to Ukraine and encourages its allies to do the same, the Biden administration is now once again grappling with longstanding worries about Ukraine's suitability as a recipient of massive infusions of American aid.” Naturally, “Ukrainian officials have hit back. A statement from Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry accused Spartz of spreading ‘Russian propaganda’ and warned her to ‘stop trying to earn extra political capital on baseless speculation.’” They don’t want to lose their gravy train of huge amounts of foreign funding from gullible governments.

Saturday 23/7: Rain again; still no Jeffersonian; another Zelensky bio; shirtfronting Putin

Rainy and dreary again, after a few nice days. Not as cold in the morning, at least.

Still no website or other online updates from the Jeffersonian/Karl Leffler (20/6, 22/6 entries). He was last located in Palm Beach County, Florida, according to his blog there. Is he homeless and unable to access the Internet, or something worse? No way of finding out.

“From showman to statesman: the rise of Volodymyr Zelensky,” The Australian, 23/7. “How did Volodymyr Zelensky transform from struggling peacetime president to heroic wartime leader?” Extract from yet another fawning biography. “Heroic?!” That is a joke. “Grifter” is a more accurate description.

“The M17 atrocity and how Julie Bishop ‘shirtfronted’ Putin – diplomatically,” The Age, 22/7. That is a delusion. “Recalling the encounter several years later in an interview with ABC Perth, following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, she described Putin as ‘menacing.’ He was ‘very steely, very calm,’ she said. ‘He stared at me, his eyes didn’t leave my face. He didn’t blink. Not once. But he disagreed with the points I’d made calmly, politely, almost respectfully.’” Looks like he “shirtfronted” her. (Alternate reports on the MH17 downing by John Helmer at Dances With Bears.)

Sunday 24/7: Inherited an old laptop

Milder today with sunshine.

I have inherited an old ASUS laptop via Dad (X555LA model, manufactured October 2014). I installed Windows 10 on it, which I managed to do after finding out I need to delete all partitions in the hard drive before the OS would install – I was getting the “Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk is not of the GPT partition style” error message. After that, I was able to install without issues. Then much tiresome tweaking to remove most of the annoyances for Windows 10 Home edition. I also had to hunt for a touchpad driver on the ASUS site (ASUS Smart Gesture [Touchpad Driver]) so finger gestures would work. The laptop only has 4 GB RAM, though, so it is rather slow (Dad did replace the original HDD with a Solid State Drive, which helps a little) and a limited battery life (by today’s standards). The laptop will serve as a backup should anything go wrong with my main desktop PC (from 2012!).

I find that doing all of this seems to be very mentally tiring for me, though; I can only do a small amount of such tasks on any day.

Monday 25/7: The Saker returns

Rain from around midday. Not much of interest.

“Five months into the Special Military Operation – a summary,” The Saker, 23/7. The site creator has returned after a much-needed break (stress from the continued Russophobic hate) with an overview of the Russian operation so far – a very different take compared to Western media.

Tuesday 26/7: VKD no issue; Chinese space station module launch; SIRIUS-21 completed

“Russian and European astronauts make rare spacewalk,” ABC News, 24/7. An odd and rather stupid report, with a predictable focus on the Ukraine issue. “But so far, the space station’s seven residents say they’re getting along well, as have the flight control teams in Houston and Moscow.” Yes, that has been the case since the beginning of the program. There was co-operation between the-then superpowers (USA and USSR) in space even during the height of the Cold War.

Barely rating a mention in the Western media was China’s successful launch of another component of its manned space station on 24/7, a 23-tonne laboratory module, named Wentian, or “Quest for the Heavens.” China is much better off keeping its space program as independent as possible. I hope Russia is able to follow this path again; the Western partners and spaceflight enthusiasts have been griping about Russian involvement since the inception of the ISS program and Russia’s involvement – and this has, of course, been exacerbated by the Ukraine SMO, and the constant barrage of negativity on their part is wearing and disheartening.

“On July 3, 2022, at 13:00 MT, the SIRIUS-21 isolation experiment was successfully completed at the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBMP RAS). The experiment involved an international crew of five researchers, who carried out a simulation of a manned mission to the Moon, operations in the Lunar orbit and extravehicular activities while staying inside the IBMP's Ground-based Medical and Technical Facility for 240 days.” (Previous mention: 10/3 entry.) The crew co-operated well. How they treated the SMO in Ukraine, from an Investia.ru news article, in Russian – «Мы сможем создавать автономные базы на Луне и планетах» (“We will be able to create autonomous bases on the Moon and planets”):

– Have relations within the team changed after the start of the special military operation? (We almost immediately discussed among ourselves the attitude to what is happening. The crew made a joint decision not to touch on this topic at all during the mission. We just focused on the work, which was very much.)

Wednesday 27/7: Steal a jet! ISS Russia depart date for 2024; lobbying for Ukraine; Mythago Wood finished

Dreams: setting up a rudimentary camp in an open forest. Seemed to be for later use. Having to get lunch with male and female dream characters, preparing it in a car.

“Ukrainian plot to hijack Russian warplanes exposed by Moscow,” RT, 25/7. Revelation of a rather outlandish plot by Ukrainian and Western intelligence agencies to bribe Russian military pilots to defect with their aircraft. Thankfully one of the pilots contacted proved patriotic and informed Russian intelligence.

“Russia to quit International Space Station after 2024,” RT, 26/7. As I’ve opined previously, a good move for Russia if it becomes reality. Its space program was better off when it was independent (up to the time of the late, lamented Mir Space Station); it did not have to answer to any other partners and could go its own way. There is predictable snark and nastiness from space enthusiasts and observers (NASAWatch, NSF forum).

“How professional lobbyists have worked to generate enthusiasm in Washington for a long proxy military conflict in Ukraine,” RT, 26/7. The massive propaganda effort by pro-Ukrainian supporters (and likely true in Australia also, given Russophobic media bias here). “If you’ve wondered why so much Western media coverage of the Ukraine conflict seems to be based on ‘Kiev says,’ the answer is largely down to the power of lobbying. The Ukraine is always good and Russia is always bad narrative didn't create itself. […] A one-sided and utterly distorted view of events in Ukraine persists to this day, courtesy of Ridgely Walsh and its peers. With vanishingly rare exceptions, established news outlets have presented the conflict as a David and Goliath battle between unalloyed good and evil, and have unquestioningly reported extremely dubious official claims emanating from Washington and London about Ukraine’s endless heroism and triumphs on the battlefield. In fact, the vast majority of Western media coverage of the conflict has amounted to simply regurgitating Ukrainian statements, without any attempt at fact checking.”

I finished Mythago Wood! (14/7 entry.) And it was a riveting read; superior to much of the current dreck passing as fantasy now.

I found passages such as these evocative:

‘The Urshacam,’ she went on, ‘was the first outsider. It walked the great valleys of ice; it watched the tall trees sprout from the barren ground; it guarded the woodlands against our people, and the people before us, and the people who came to the land after us. It is an ever-living beast. It draws nourishment from the earth and sun. It was once a man, and with others was sent to live in exile in the ice valleys of this land. Magic had changed them all to the appearance of beasts. Magic made them ever-living. Many of my people have died because the Urshacam and his kin were angry.’

I stared at Kushar for a moment, amazed by what she was saying. The end of the Ice Age had been seven or eight thousand years before the time of her own people (which I took to be an early Bronze Age culture that had settled in Wessex). And yet she knew of the ice, and of the retreat of the ice …. Was it possible that the stories could survive that long? Tales of the glaciers, and the new forests, and the advance of human societies northwards across the marshes and the frozen hills? […]

I could well imagine the simple historical basis from which legends of the Urscumug and the flame-talkers had sprung. The vision I had was of a time when the last Ice Age was rapidly declining. The ice had advanced as far as the English Midlands. Over the centuries, as it withdrew, the climate had been cold, the land in the valleys marshy and treacherous, the slopes bare and frozen. The pines had arrived, a sparse fir forest, foreshadowing the great Bavarian forests of our own time. Then the first of the deciduous trees had begun to take root, the elms, the thorns, the hazels, followed by the limes, oaks and ashes, pushing the evergreen forest northwards, creating the dense greenwood cover that partially survived to this day.

In the dark, empty spaces below the canopy, boars, bears and wolves had run, deer had grazed the glades and glens, emerging occasionally on to the high ridges, where the forest thinned and the bramble and thorn formed bright spinneys.

But human animals had come back to the greenwood, advancing north into the cold. And they had begun to clear the forest. They had used fire. What a skill it must have been to set a fire, control it, and clear the site for a settlement. And what a greater skill it must have been to have resisted the re-encroachment of the forest.

There would have been a bitter struggle for survival. The wood was desperate and determined to keep its mastery of the land. Man and his fire had been determined that it should not. The beasts of that primal woodland had become dark forces, dark Gods; the wood itself would have been seen to be sentient, creating ghosts and banshees to send against the puny human invader. Stories of the Urscumug, the forest guardian, had become associated with the fear of strangers, new invaders, speaking other languages, bringing other skills.

The Outsiders.

And later, the men who had used fire had become almost deified as ‘flame-talkers’.

The time of the Ice Age in Europe fascinates me; how did my remote ancestors live then; what were their dreams and myths? Magic and reality were one for them, as evidenced by their marvelous painted cave art. The vast landscapes of plains and the northern forests, unspoiled by human civilization; the megafauna that were plentiful then. To think of them is a comfort.

Thursday 28/7: Tacky photoshoot

Tired and flat in mood; used up what little energy I had for the day.

“Portrait of Bravery: Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska,” Vogue, 26/7. Yet more blatant Zelensky propaganda – a rather tasteless Vogue photoshoot!

Friday 29/7: Photoshoot backlash; ISS withdrawal clarified

Couple of cold mornings forecast: 5°C tomorrow morning, and only 2°C Saturday.

“The Phoniest, Most PR-Intensive War Of All Time,” Caitlin Johnstone, 27/7. Acerbic commentary on the tasteless Zelensky Vogue photoshoot (28/7 entry). “Call me crazy, but I’m beginning to suspect that there might be a concerted effort to manipulate the way we think about the war in Ukraine. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say it’s the most aggressively perception-managed war we’ve ever experienced.”

An update to the “no Russia on ISS after 2024” reports from yesterday – apparently this is to be more of a staged withdrawal untill the Russian Orbital Space Station is ready (perhaps some miscommunication or mistranslation?). “NASA announced Russia’s plans to stay on the ISS until the creation of ROSS,” TASS, 28/7.

According to NASA manned flight program manager Kathy Lueders, “there are no signs of change.”

TASS, 28 July. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) manned flight program manager Cathy Lueders told Reuters that the Russian side has informed the agency of plans to remain on the International Space Station (ISS) at least until the formation of the Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS). “We are not getting any indication at any working level that anything is changing,” Lüders said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Roscosmos Director General Yurii Borisov, at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, announced that the decision to withdraw Russia from the ISS project after 2024 had been made, while all obligations to partners would be fulfilled. He noted that by the time the Russian Federation withdraws from the ISS project, the formation of the Russian Orbital Service Station will begin.

Flight Director of the Russian Segment of the ISS, General Designer for Manned Space Systems and Complexes of the Russian Federation, General Designer of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation Vladimir Solovyov said in an interview with Russian Space that the construction of a high-latitude ROSS could begin in 2028.

The news has been amended (03:39 Moscow time) – transmitted in connection with a change in the text of the Reuters message – the Russian Federation remains on the ISS until the creation of the Russian Orbital Service Station.

Predictable snark and nastiness from Western space websites; I won’t even go there.

Saturday 30/7: More on Russia leaving ISS; Ukraine so-called free press

“Russia clarifies ISS pullout timeline,” RT, 29/7. Also see translation of Roskosmos news item on my Russian space news page.

“‘I used to be emotional’: The Millennial media owners taking on Putin,” The Age, 30/7. More blatant pro-Ukraine shilling. A “independent free media in Ukraine” is surely an oxymoron.

Discussion turns to misinformation in Russia and the rest of the guests agree that Russians are being brainwashed. Rudenko is firm in her repudiation of this notion. “Seventy per cent of Russians support Putin’s war. Yes, they are victims of propaganda, but there are plenty of ways to get accurate information; there are easily accessible VPNs. They only want to superficially know the truth and painting Russians as victims is relieving them from the responsibility of what they are supporting – civilians being raped, murdered fake news – see 1/6 entry, a neighbouring country invaded …”

Complete, utter bullshit. And, after months of relentless Russophobic propaganda in the Western media, I feel utter and implacable loathing for Ukraine or any mention of the place – similar to what a commenter was expressing back in my 13/3 entry. I was expressing dislike as far back as the election interference in my 27/11/2004 entry, with the USA meddling behind the scenes in the Ukraine elections of then.

Sunday 31/7: Walk; another alleged atrocity; Russian economy actually doing well

Walked eastwards today, past Centenary Park (previously: 15/7 entry). It’s dismaying to see the familiar older suburban homes with backyards replaced with “McMansions.” There is seemingly unending demolition and redevelopments around the suburbs on almost every street. The older houses (dating from the 1940s onward) and gardens are pleasant to walk past, but the looming unfriendly modern homes are not. (A 2017 post, “McMansion Hell: Australia Edition,” from the McMansion Hell blog shows some examples.) There is a Wikipedia page, Australian residential architectural styles.

“Russian embassy tweet says Ukrainian POWs deserved a ‘humiliating death’; Zelenskyy orders Donbas evacuation,” ABC News, 31/7. Of course, the detention shelling will be twisted into blaming Russia, despite the strike being made by “US-made HIMARS rockets,” and Western media will latch onto this as another “Russian atrocity.” “Russia invites UN and Red Cross experts to investigate POW camp bombing,” RT, 30/7. Wonder if the latter will take up the offer.

“Actually, the Russian Economy Is Imploding,” Foreign Policy, 22/7. A commenter at Moon of Alabama picks apart this argument (quoted in full below – it’s fairly lengthy).

A detailed examination of this article is necessary:

Myth 1: Russia can redirect its gas exports and sell to Asia in lieu of Europe.

This is one of Putin’s favorite and most misleading talking points, doubling down on a much-hyped pivot to the east. But natural gas is not a fungible export for Russia. Less than 10 percent of Russia’s gas capacity is liquefied natural gas, so Russian gas exports remain reliant on a system of fixed pipelines carrying piped gas. The vast majority of Russia’s pipelines flow toward Europe; those pipelines, which originate in western Russia, are not connectable to a separate nascent network of pipelines that link Eastern Siberia to Asia, which contains only 10 percent of the capacity of the European pipeline network. Indeed, the 16.5 billion cubic meters of gas exported by Russia to China last year represented less than 10 percent of the 170 billion cubic meters of natural gas sent by Russia to Europe.

Long-planned Asian pipeline projects currently under construction are still years away from becoming operational, much less hastily initiated new projects, and financing of these costly gas pipeline projects also now puts Russia at a significant disadvantage.

What is noted above is true, but largely irrelevant and cherry picked. “Gazprom’s 2021 annual earnings hit record on gas price rally,” Bloomberg, 28/4.

Net income rose to 2.09 trillion rubles in 2021 compared with 135 billion rubles the previous year, Gazprom reported Thursday.

The Yale authors are clearly comparing vs. 2021 as opposed to prior years.

A second, even bigger problem is that this report makes no comparison of the losses being suffered by Europe as a consequence of the Russian natural gas situation – the equation isn’t just about what Russia is/is not experiencing but the relative impact of abated Russian natural gas sales not just on Russia, but on European customers. It is abundantly clear that the loss of revenue to Gazprom is a drop in the bucket compared to the losses being experienced by EU economies and EU citizens ….

But then, Yalies are a bunch of morons anyway.

Myth 2: Since oil is more fungible than gas, Putin can just sell more to Asia.

Russian oil exports now also reflect Putin’s diminished economic and geopolitical clout. Recognizing that Russia has nowhere else to turn, and mindful that they have more purchasing options than Russia has buyers, China and India are driving an unprecedented approximately $35 discount on Russian Urals oil purchases, even though the historical spread has never ranged beyond $5 – not even during the 2014 Crimean crisis – and at times Russian oil has actually sold at a premium to Brent and WTI oil. Furthermore, it takes Russian oil tankers an average of 35 days to reach East Asia, versus two to seven days to reach Europe, which is why historically only 39 percent of Russian oil has gone to Asia versus the 53 percent destined for Europe.

This margin pressure is felt keenly by Russia, as it remains a relatively high-cost producer relative to the other major oil producers, with some of the highest break-evens of any producing country. The Russian upstream industry has also long been reliant on Western technology, which combined with the loss of both Russia’s erstwhile primary market and Russia’s diminished economic clout leads to even the Russian energy ministry revising its projections of long-term oil output downward. There is no doubt that, as many energy experts predicted, Russia is losing its status as an energy superpower, with an irrevocable deterioration in its strategic economic positioning as an erstwhile reliable supplier of commodities.

More junk economics from numbskulls. Again, clearly “positional” analysis as opposed to intelligent analysis: the price premium spread is true but the high present price of oil means Russia is getting paid far, far above the price on which Russia’s budget is geared for. American and EU consumers and economies, on the other hand, are clearly geared for far, far lower oil prices.

Myth 3: Russia is making up for lost Western businesses and imports by replacing them with imports from Asia.

Imports play an important role within Russia’s domestic economy, consisting of about 20 percent of Russian GDP, and, despite Putin’s bellicose delusions of total self-sufficiency, the country needs crucial inputs, parts, and technology from hesitant trade partners. Despite some lingering supply chain leakiness, Russian imports have collapsed by over 50 percent in recent months.

China has not moved into the Russian market to the extent that many feared; in fact, according to the most recent monthly releases from the Chinese General Administration of Customs, Chinese exports to Russia plummeted by more than 50 percent from the start of the year to April, falling from over $8.1 billion monthly to $3.8 billion. Considering China exports seven times as much to the United States than Russia, it appears that even Chinese companies are more concerned about running afoul of U.S. sanctions than of losing marginal positions in the Russian market, reflecting Russia’s weak economic hand with its global trade partners.

This is idiotic on many levels, but I’ll stick to the main two:

  1. where exactly are the losses in imports? If the losses are iPhones and high end perfumes and the like, big f*cking deal.
  2. how accurate is the China data, particularly in the era of sanctions and SWIFT based economic surveillance? The exit of Russia-Chinese bilateral business from SWIFT would certainly affect economic surveillance, doncha think?

Myth 4: Russian domestic consumption and consumer health remain strong.

Some of the sectors most dependent on international supply chains have been hit with debilitating inflation around 40-60 percent – on extremely low sales volumes. For example, foreign car sales in Russia fell by an average of 95 percent across major car companies, with sales ground to a complete halt.

Amid supply shortages, soaring prices, and fading consumer sentiment, it is hardly surprising that Russian Purchasing Managers’ Index readings – which capture how purchasing managers are viewing the economy – have plunged, particularly for new orders, alongside plunges in consumer spending and retail sales data by around 20 percent year-over-year. Other readings of high-frequency data such as e-commerce sales within Yandex and same-store traffic at retail sites across Moscow reinforce steep declines in consumer spending and sales, no matter what the Kremlin says.

Russia’s economy isn’t 69% based on consumer spending, so even were the above assertions true (which it is not clear they are), it is simply not remotely as relevant to Russia’s economy as it is for US and EU economies.

Myth 5: Global businesses have not really pulled out of Russia, and business, capital, and talent flight from Russia are overstated.

Global businesses represent around 12 percent of Russia’s workforce (5 million workers), and, as a result of the business retreat, over 1,000 companies representing around 40 percent of Russia’s GDP have curtailed operations in the country, reversing three decades’ worth of foreign investment and buttressing unprecedented simultaneous capital and talent flight in a mass exodus of 500,000 individuals, many of whom are exactly the highly educated, technically skilled workers Russia cannot afford to lose. Even the mayor of Moscow has acknowledged an expected massive loss of jobs as businesses go through the process of fully exiting.

1000 companies have exited: how many are actually vital to Russia’s economy? I suspect very few.

500,000 individuals have fled. The high profile ones are actors/media talents with large contract deals and/or assets abroad. Does losing them make any difference to Russia? I think not.

Capital flight: bullshit. Any capital that wants to leave Russia, left long ago since offshoring of capital has been a notable feature of Russia for decades. If anything, the recent actions (Russia eurodollar reserve confiscation, US and EU confiscation of Russian individuals (oligarch and non-oligarch alike) and so forth have reinforced to many that sovereign protection matters and that the US and EU are no longer ruled by law.

Myth 6: Putin is running a budget surplus thanks to high energy prices.

Russia is actually on pace to run a budget deficit this year equivalent to 2 percent of GDP, according to its own finance minister – one of the only times the budget has been in deficit in years, despite high energy prices – thanks to Putin’s unsustainable spending spree; on top of dramatic increases in military spending, Putin is resorting to patently unsustainable, dramatic fiscal and monetary intervention, including a laundry list of Kremlin pet projects, all of which have contributed to the money supply nearly doubling in Russia since the invasion began. Putin’s reckless spending is clearly putting Kremlin finances under strain.

If Russia is only 2% in budget deficit with an active war on involving the 2nd largest army in Europe – damn that is impressive. Let’s contrast that with the US budget:

More Yalie idiocy ….

Myth 7: Putin has hundreds of billions of dollars in rainy day funds, so the Kremlin’s finances are unlikely to be strained anytime soon.

The most obvious challenge facing Putin’s rainy day funds is the fact that of his around $600 billion in foreign exchange reserves, accumulated from years’ worth of oil and gas revenues, $300 billion is frozen and out of reach with allied countries across the United States, Europe, and Japan restricting access. There have been some calls to seize this $300 billion to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine.

Putin’s remaining foreign exchange reserves are decreasing at an alarming rate, by around $75 billion since the start of the war. Critics point out that official foreign exchange reserves of the central bank technically can only decrease due to international sanctions placed on the central bank, and they suggest that nonsanctioned financial institutions such as Gazprombank could still accumulate such reserves in place of the central bank. While this may be technically true, there is simultaneously no evidence to suggest that Gazprombank is actually accumulating any reserves given sizable strain on its own loan book.

Furthermore, although the finance ministry had planned to reinstate a long-standing Russian budgetary rule that surplus revenue from oil and gas sales should be channeled into the sovereign wealth fund, Putin axed this proposal as well as accompanying guidelines directing how and where the National Wealth Fund can be spent – as Finance Minister Anton Siluanov floated the idea of withdrawing funds from the National Wealth Fund equivalent to a third of the entire fund to pay for this deficit this year. If Russia is running a budget deficit requiring the drawdown of a third of its sovereign wealth fund when oil and gas revenues are still relatively strong, all signs indicate a Kremlin that may be running out of money much faster than conventionally appreciated.

See #6 above

Myth 8: The ruble is the world’s strongest-performing currency this year.

One of Putin’s favorite propaganda talking points, the appreciation of the ruble is an artificial reflection of unprecedented, draconian capital control – which rank among the most restrictive of any in the world. The restrictions make it effectively impossible for any Russian to legally purchase dollars or even access a majority of their dollar deposits, while artificially inflating demand through forced purchases by major exporters – all of which remain largely in place today.

The official exchange rate is misleading, anyhow, as the ruble is, unsurprisingly, trading at dramatically diminished volumes compared to before the invasion on low liquidity. By many reports, much of this erstwhile trading has migrated to unofficial ruble black markets. Even the Bank of Russia has admitted that the exchange rate is a reflection more of government policies and a blunt expression of the country’s trade balance rather than freely tradeable liquid foreign exchange markets.

This is enormous idiocy even for Yale economists. Russia is being sanctioned – why wouldn’t the ruble be trading at reduced volumes?

Myth 9: The implementation of sanctions and business retreats are now largely done, and no more economic pressure is needed.

Russia’s economy has been severely damaged, but the business retreats and sanctions applied against Russia are incomplete. Even with the deterioration in Russia’s exports positioning, it continues to draw too much oil and gas revenue from the sanctions carveout, which sustains Putin’s extravagant domestic spending and obfuscates structural economic weaknesses. The Kyiv School of Economics and Yermak-McFaul International Working Group have led the way in proposing additional sanctions measures across individual sanctions, energy sanctions, and financial sanctions, led by former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul and the experts Tymofiy Mylovanov, Nataliia Shapoval, and Andriy Boytsun. Looking ahead, there is no path out of economic oblivion for Russia as long as the allied countries remain unified in maintaining and increasing sanctions pressure against Russia.

And here we get a glimpse of the tail that is wagging the dog: Kiev professors and McFaul the moron.

Defeatist headlines arguing that Russia’s economy has bounced back are simply not factual – the facts are that, by any metric and on any level, the Russian economy is reeling, and now is not the time to step on the brakes.

I don’t think any commentary is needed to respond to this concluding sentence.

August

Monday 1/8: Two 50-something sisters now; Z-News removed; new Russian Navy doctrine; pointedly symbolic photo

Feeling slightly headachy this morning. At least it is not so cold as last week.

My sister turns 50! So we are both now officially “middle-aged.”

The Z-News page that was at Roskosmos seems to have been removed (there is just one Archive.org snapshot from 6/7). Perhaps it was judged no longer expedient with the appointment of the new Roskosmos CEO/General Director Yurii Borisov, and discontinued.

“Putin signs new Russian naval doctrine,” RT, 31/7. “Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday gave his approval to a revised naval doctrine that takes into account the ‘change in the geopolitical and military-strategic situation in the world.’” (Russia’s Navy Day was on 31/7, and President Putin attended the main Naval Parade.) A commenter at Reminiscence of the Future provided a translated summary:

New Naval Doctrine Topics:

“Russia’s new naval doctrine: What you need to know,” RT, 1/8.

I liked the symbolism of this photo, posted on Twitter (and the official press release) by the Australian Russian Embassy: “Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China Wang Yi on the sidelines of the SCO Foreign Ministers Council meeting held in Tashkent on July 28.” As I Tweeted: “Great image (real and symbolic)! Hope 🇷🇺 and 🇨🇳 will stand together against the West.”

Tuesday 2/8: Rampant Reddit Russophobia; more Mick Ryan fake news; aligning with China

Nice to awaken without a headache, and to a milder morning. Windy today, though, which I dislike.

Two recent posts on the r/space subReddit regarding Russia’s eventual leaving of the ISS. I cringe when I see Russia posted as a topic there (and usually don’t read further), as the comments will invariably be virulent – Reddit is rabidly Russophobic and infested with pro-Ukraine shills. SubReddits supporting Russia have been banned or quarantined.

“Russian troops have been accused of castrating a Ukrainian POW. It tells us a lot about their army,” ABC News, 2/8. “First, a video that appeared to show Russian soldiers gagging and then castrating a Ukrainian prisoner of war was circulated widely. Subsequently, dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in their beds when the Russian army is alleged to have used a thermobaric weapon.” “Appeared … alleged” – so no real proof then, just a dubious video and hearsay.

“Evidence shows the Ukrainian campaign has been a failure for the Russian army at every level.” What “evidence”? The alternative news I read (and, yes, trust more) indicates that Russia is slowly but surely achieving its goals (see 24/5 entry).

The author is the “recently retired Australian Army major general” Mick Ryan again (previously: 20/7 entry), so no surpises as to the article’s extreme bias. I will regard it as “fake news.”

Regarding yesterday’s Sergei Lavrov-Wang Yi photo (1/8 entry), I was previously wary of China (in part due to anti-Chinese propaganda and hysteria in the Australian mainstream media), but now find myself increasingly siding with the country against the West.

Wednesday 3/8: Gale winds; plum blossoms appearing; China backdown?

Gale-force winds again from yesterday into today.

The pink plum blossom street trees are begining to bloom! Had my first sighting of one during my Sunday walk. A cheering sign, as always. (The species is the Purple-leaved Cherry Plum – common name; Prunus cerasifera ‘Nigra’ – botanical name.) The local council has been removing them over the years though, unfortunately. Conversely, a street tree I strongly dislike, but which the council seems to be planting everywhere, annoyingly, is the Queensland Brush Box – an ugly native that drops leaves everywhere, making a tremendous mess, and nasty little spiky seeds like medieval caltrops (these get stuck in my sneaker soles when walking).

Came across a new blog, imetatronink, by William Schryver (whom I follow on Twitter), with some acerbic commentary on the Ukraine conflict and military topics generally.

Blog posts on China’s apparent backdown from action over the U.S. House Speaker’s provocative visit to Taiwan: “Nancy braves the Chinese dragon and wins?” at The Saker; “OK, Let’s Cut The Crap …” by Andrei Martyanov. Analysis at Russia Today: “Beijing’s response to Pelosi’s Taiwan visit will likely show that revenge is a dish best served cold.” China’s leaders certainly are not stupid (unlike the West’s condescending view of them), so there must be a long-term strategy in place. “The saying goes that revenge is a dish best served cold. And China certainly has a lot of time on its hands to let that dish languish, choosing a time and place of its own to react.”

A tidbit regarding Chinese names:

Hello, I know it’s a mistake made by habit but when you mention a Chinese person’s name, you simply cannot use the second part (which is the first name) alone. In general, both parts are used together even by close friends. The first name alone is only used in intimate relationships. So either you say “Nixon and Zhou” and since there may have other “Zhou,” “Nixon and Zhou Enlai.” (Posted by: xiao pignouf | Aug 3 2022 6:33 utc | 418)

Thursday 4/8: Night storm; Bunker book; Zelensky begging for more; heading anchor links back

Temperature was fairly mild – around 14°C overnight – as well as some thunder and lightning from a short storm as the weather is still unsettled. A couple of brief power brownouts when my PC was on, though it seems unharmed.

Am reading a non-fiction book called Bunker: building for the End Times by Bradley Garrett, a somewhat sardonic sociological study of the various prepper communities, their philosophies and in particular the bugout shelters many construct for possible disaster scenarios. It is mostly focused on U.S.-based groups, but also mentions ones in Australia and Thailand. The Mormons feature in one chapter as they have long had a philosophy of preparedness.

“Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanks Australia, shares his experience as a wartime leader,” ABC News, 3/8. “Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko said once the invasion ended his country would need donations, business investment, help restoring schools, hospitals and power plants.”

“‘You can’t just sympathise’: Zelensky calls for more support to fight tyranny,” The Age, 3/8. The grifter President Zelensky pops up again to drum up more sympathy so he can con more millions from gullible governments. He also has the audacity to tell China that it should condemn Russia (hopefully Chinese leaders will ignore the obnoxious prick).

Telling thousands of students in an online address organised by the Australian National University that he was grateful for Australian support so far, Zelensky also emphasised the need for more practical support in a sign he wants more defence and humanitarian supplies on top of pledges worth $388 million in the 161 days since the February 24 invasion. […]

“And I would like China to join the unified world position on the tyranny of Russia against Ukraine.”

Decided to reinstate the heading anchor links for this Journal (29/11/2021 entry).

Friday 5/8: Victory dream; Russian forest; possible death reversal research

Had a dream I was watching a briefing by Russian military command regarding the current Ukraine operations, where victory had been achieved, and the names of the alt-news bloggers I visit were listed on a document. Later, I saw a photo of my sister serving as a volunteer with a medical organization in the conflict zone there! She was sitting in a bus seat, being transported to some location.

Via a Roskosmos vk.com post, I found out about an old-growth forest in Russia:

We offer you to travel to the Kologrivskii Forest, «Кологривский лес», reserve in the north-east of the Kostroma region for at least a minute. The European flora is adjacent to the Siberian, and coniferous tree species grow next to broad-leaved ones. In the reserve, a site of a relic (primordial) forest has been preserved, which has not been touched by a human hand.

Story research ideas tidbit: “‘Reversible death’: Scientists revive heart, cells of dead pigs,” The Age/NYT, 3/8. My thought when I read this was, I wonder if this “OrganEx” could be adapted to enabling humans to hibernate for long periods (such as on interplanetary or interstellar spaceship missions) then be revived?

Saturday 6/8: Ukrainian war crimes admitted; EU’s self-inflicted hardship

“Amnesty claim of Ukraine deliberately ‘putting civilians at risk’ sparks fierce backlash from Volodymyr Zelenskyy,” ABC News, 5/8. Of course it would – any doubts raised that question valiant little Ukraine :-S will jeopardize the endless funds flowing into its corrupt government. “Amnesty fully ‘stands by’ report on Ukraine,” RT, 5/8.

“Anatomy of the EU ‘gas crisis’,” Jorge Vilches for the Saker blog, 5/8. Good overview of the European Union’s self-inflicted energy crisis.

Sunday 7/8: Bits of Tenet

A quiet day. Sunny and calm. Some cold 2°C mornings forecast for the next few days.

The Christopher Nolan film Tenet premiered on a free-to-air TV channel last night, but between sleep episodes and interminable ad breaks, I only saw fragments of it, so I can’t give a review. I could understand the reason for the praise and complaints about the movie, but it was still compelling, in the manner of his earlier Inception.

Monday 8/8: Sunny; Russia is actually doing fine

Cold morning, but a nice sunny day.

Feeling flat in mood and uninspired. Browsing the Internet is just depressing, with all the online conflict and anger.

“Western Propaganda Continues to promote the Meme that Russia Is Toast,” Larry Johnson. A great entry (one of many!). He eviscerates the “Russia is failing” narrative in the mainstream media.

Tuesday 9/8: Missing worldbuilding; car colors

Feeling a little headachey this morning.

I miss my enthusiasm for worldbuilding, and the world I created. I spent years immersed in it, but my interest eventually faded and I can’t return to it now. I feel that I should be more productive by actively creating, and feel bad about merely passively consuming – which is what I mostly do now – but I am mentally so flat and lifeless.

A recent Hacker News thread: Has the world become less colourful?, which links to a Twitter thread on the same topic. In general, yes – referring, of course, to cultural trends in the colors of our products, not the Earth as a whole which is as colorful as ever! But color fashions in items noted in the thread, such as interior design and cars (Car colors by year comparison graph), are now generally more conservative or “safe,” one reason being due to their perceived resale value. They are also, however, rather boring. Car colors are now usually a choice between white, black, shades of grey or metallic silver, blues and reds (an example being the color selection for the 2022 Mazda 2). The rare colors other than these stand out and are a nice change.

Screenshot of a photo album of various car colors I have taken, that have caught my eye. Colors include shades of blue and green, the rare purple or pink, deep red, yellow. Most are metallic paint; a few are flat colors.

Wednesday 10/8: More Mick Ryan delusions; more good money after bad

“Can Ukraine 'seize the initiative' from Russia? What would that mean for the war?” ABC News, 9/8. Delusional Ukraine shill Mick Ryan opines again (previously: 2/8 entry).

“Pentagon announces largest military aid package for Ukraine,” RT, 8/8. “The US Department of Defense has announced its largest military aid package for Kiev since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in February, planning an additional $1 billion in weapons shipments to the former Soviet republic. […] Biden has now approved about $9.8 billion in military aid to Kiev since he took office in January 2021, including $9 billion since Russian tanks rolled across Ukraine’s borders. Congress approved $40 billion in overall new aid to Ukraine in May after previously providing $13.6 billion.” They just will not learn – throwing yet more good money after bad, this when there are so many social problems in the USA that themselves need much funding.

Thursday 11/8: Internet connection issues; sleepless night; website makeover; Mick Ryan meanderings; Steven Seagal for Russia

The ISP that Dad uses was having intermittent slowdowns and outages since yesterday (according to this Whirlpool thread, a car crashed into the exchange?) so I could not fully upload this page and it would not display. Connection seems OK now, but the issue is not resolved according to that thread. I can only access my online site via FTP on my desktop PC – I can’t update it online like, for example, social media or a Wordpress site – the one disadvantage of a traditional static site.

Had a sleepless night as my brain would not “switch off.” Also walked to Officeworks in Highett yesterday and back – around an hour’s round trip – so am a bit fatigued.

Gave my website a bit of a makeover! Nothing drastic so far; I just simplifed some of the stylesheet and removed some of the decorative “fluff.” I feel I want a more minimalistic look, so I will see how this goes. I based its appearance a bit on the personal site of Ran Prieur, which I visit daily. His writing has a generally mellow tone, avoiding contentious issues, and I find it soothing to visit.

“Defending democracy: Parameters of Western resolve may soon be tested,” The Age, 11/8. Mick Ryan again (previously: 10/8 entry); he has become one of my most despised columnists. “First, and most important, governments must inform their citizens about the virtue of protecting democracy, wherever it occurs and whatever form it takes. This is not a simple ask. Several surveys in recent years (including in Australia) have noted increasing dissatisfaction with “democracy”. This is a major challenge.” I wonder why :-S – perhaps it is the sheer hypocrisy of so-called “democratic” Western governments being just as authoritarian and censorious as the ones they criticize.

“Steven Seagal appears in Ukraine, serving as a Russian spokesperson,” Military Times, 10/8. The Aikido martial artist and actor is, surprisingly but pleasingly, a Russia supporter – but he will no doubt receive a lot of flak for this (he is already disliked by many). “Seagal is known for his pro-Russian stature. In particular, he showed strong support for Putin’s plan regarding the annexation of Crimea. In 2016, the actor was given Russian citizenship.” The article, predictably, seeks to debunk his findings.

Friday 12/8: Ran’s changing views

An interesting aspect of reading Ran Prier’s early writings (11/8 entry) are his youthful diatribes against civilization and advocacy of anarcho-primitivism compared to his more mature outlook now (though he is still not against them).

I used to see collapse happening for physical reasons, like resources and climate. Now I see it happening for mainly psychological reasons: that the tasks necessary to keep the system going, are drifting too far from what we enjoy doing.

I used to be a doomer optimist, expecting the collapse of complex society to make a better world. Then I expected the big systems to muddle through the coming disasters and tried to figure out the details. I still think high tech will survive and get weirder, and Covid has accelerated the inevitable economic collapse.

I used to think rural homesteading was a good idea. Then I noticed that almost everyone who tried it was unhappy and did way too much driving. […]

I used to write about “civilization” and “nature”. Now I prefer a more precise and less morally loaded framing: the human-made world and the non-human-made world. The human-made world isn’t evil – we’re just still really bad at making worlds. I believe that any sufficiently advanced civilization is indistinguishable from nature. Or, the purpose and value of the human-made world is to approach the non-human-made world in beauty, endurance, adaptability, elegance, and fun. (About me page)

Living off-grid is also a lot of hard work, particularly as one gets older (30/1 entry) and loses any youthful energy. The idea still appeals, but the reality is much more difficult and tiring (I loathe gardening and cooking; find both utterly boring as well as physically tiring).

Saturday 13/8: Off-color; afterlife wish

Had a bit of a headache overnight and into the morning, as well as a little vertigo. Feeling tired and off-color, and uninspired. Had a pleasant after-lunch walk, at least; weather was sunny.

As often on my walks, ruminated on pleasant nostalgic memories of my maternal grandmother: spending Saturday afternoons at her home, sitting in the kitchen listening to her little radio tuned to the football (Richmond being her favorite team); having flame-toasted bread and butter next to the dining-room fireplace. Family dinners at the round table there: roast lamb or chicken with vegetables, and Gran’s home-made jam tart pie. My afterlife wish is to revisit my memories and those relatives now long-deceased in the real world; to see and talk to them again.

Sunday 14/8: Grey day

Grey and overcast. Just did my usual chores and walked up to Centenary Park (31/7 entry) and back. Tired and feeling uninspired, so little to say.

Still tweaking the stylesheet for my site.

Monday 15/8: Sustainability conundrums

I woke up this morning and felt … OK. No headache and my mood was reasonably good. But by afternoon I often go into a slump and become irritable and weary.

Have simplified the look of my website, so I will see how I feel about its appearance.

Have been reading, in a fragmented manner, Ran Prieur’s Landblog/Houseblog: “The chronicle of my homesteading project, which was doomed to fail but I learned a lot, and later some stuff I did with my house.” Well, at least he had a go at it! Self-sufficient living is a difficult life and hard work, and can be quite expensive if one factors in the need for transport (a motor vehicle for remote areas) and luxuries such as solar panels. The sustainability of solar panels is debatable – their manufacturing is complex and requires the use of rare earths and other exotic materials from various locations. So use of these is not really “self-sufficent.” The expense of such a lifestyle is another issue: “Is ‘green living’ a luxury affordable only to the middle and upper classes?” ABC News, 15/4/2018. It can justifiably be regarded as an affectation of those with high incomes – a luxury belief (1/6 entry).

Tuesday 16/8: Draining websites; Ecosophia

Rain this morning. Left writing too late and I am now weary and irritable. The Internet is almost unbearably toxic, as usual. The term “energy/psychic vampire,” though normally used for people, also seems an appropriate description of many social media websites.

A more positive blog and website I have been visiting lately is Ecosophia – Toward an Ecological Spirituality by John Michael Greer, a “author, blogger, and astrologer whose work focuses on the overlaps between ecology, spirituality, and the future of industrial society. He served twelve years as Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America, and remains active in that order as well as several other branches of Druid nature spirituality.” There is a lot of reading (and hundreds of comments) on the site. I am undecided about the “magic” topics – the rational side of me is skeptical, but the more intuitive side feels that there is more to this world than the dreary reductionist worldview of modern science (14/7 entry) – the “spiritually barren materialism” (to quote from an essay by JMG on the linked Druid site). “Yet the “mechanical philosophy,” as it was called, had problems of its own. Its vision of a clockwork universe set in motion by an absentee god threatened to empty the world of meaning. Reduce the entire cosmos to atoms in a void, a few insightful minds had already grasped, and every human value dissolves: courage, compassion, reverence, and love become meaningless mechanical reactions in the nervous system of an unimportant animal.”

Wednesday 17/8: Roskosmos logo reverted; ROSS model revealed (to predictable Western derision)

Noted by the Kosmosnews site (in French), Roskosmos appears to have quietly reverted back to its previous logo (8/5 entry), the Red Star having been removed (but one save at the Internet Archive!). Presumably the new General Director wants to take a more diplomatic or muted tone than his combative predecessor.

“Russia unveils look of its new space station,” RT, 15/8. A model of the proposed Russian Orbital Space Station was displayed by Roskosmos at its stand at the Army-22 International Military-Technical Forum. (Unfortunately the news was posted to r/space at Reddit, with the usual mockery and derision from the ignorant Russophobes there – previously: 2/8 entry.)

“US should end ISS collaboration with Russia,” Greg Zsidisin, SpaceDaily, 9/8. Another ignorant rant from a Russophobe. By the same writer: “Op-ed | Sealing the ISS Airlock Behind Putin,” SpaceNews.com, 5/8.

Thursday 18/8: Windy

Unsettled, windy weather today. At the time of day when I am weary and am shutting down.

Friday 19/8: Saboteur threat

Couple of items from The Age yesterday, still pushing the pro-Ukraine narrative.

“Australian senator tells France and Germany to ‘get off your arses’ after visiting Ukraine,” ABC News, 19/8. What the heck is an Australian senator doing over there (not to mention thinking he has the same authority as a Prime Minister by telling other countries what to do)? Is he there at taxpayers’ expense? Australia should not be involved at all.

Saturday 20/8: CSS problem solved; fragile feminism

Found a solution to an obscure CSS issue that was bothering me nonetheless: the generated pseudo-text I described in my 24/3 entry was also inserting the last heading in the last table cell that spanned all the rows, which was not wanted in this cell row. After much frustrated experimenting, I came across this similar Stackoverflow question, How to exclude the first and last row in a table when using CSS counter-increment? The code solution for my case was: .tablevkd tr:last-child td:last-child:before {content: none;}. So a certain amount of satisfaction in solving that!

“Feminism Will NOT Survive the Industrial Collapse,” Caustic Ramblings blog, 9/7. An interesting opinion on the fragility of feminism (specifically, contemporary Western feminism) and how much of it would be abandoned should society as we live in collapse, as it is a luxury enabled by technology (a lot of which is unsustainable). Essentially, a reversal to traditional gender roles and abandonment of the more nonsensical cultural obsessions, such as identity politics and the ever-multiplying array of “genders.” Not necessarily a bad thing as the author notes, though many now would be horrified at the prospect.

The idea that men and women should be engaged in the same occupations is one that can only find fertile ground when we have machines and energy slaves doing most of our “back-breaking” work. The social classes today which most strongly promote “gender egalitarianism” are those comprised of people who mostly work in climate-controlled offices. We could say that office jobs are androgynous; which means they privilege neither the nature of men or women. If one’s work-existence is limited to the office then they might indeed start believing that men and women can easily do all the same kinds of tasks. But take away the machines and their energy slaves and this delusion suddenly collapses like house of sand! Once we find ourselves back to those grueling pre-industrial conditions, then the sexual mores of olde’ will be back with a vengeance. Men will be back to doing brawny jobs and women will go back to taking care of the household and other tasks that don’t require a ton of muscle or life-threatening actions each day. But in general, men AND women will be working with their hands most of their waking hours. Both will be too busy and tired to be worrying about any sort of decadent or boutique identity politics; nor will there be any social media platforms left as an arena to spend one’s waking hours fighting about these soon-to-be inconsequential abstractions. And no aspect of this impending future need involve any Victorian* neuroses. Neither does the future absence of a welfare state to subsidize the collapse of the family mean a return to Victorianism. But it does means that modern gender ideologies will cease to exist as anything the state (what remains of it) can or will enforce on the general populace.

Sunday 21/8: Play, not sport

Walked to Centenary Park. Quite busy, with a football match or two being played in the ovals by what looked like junior Australian Football League teams. I thought again how much I dislike organized sports for children (23/2 entry), and not a happy way to spend a weekend afternoon – unstructured play is much pleasanter in my view, with children being left alone to entertain themselves, ideally in nature (spending a day by themselves in a forest, for example). Sadly, not an option for many children with dire effects on their mental health (nature-deficit disorder is recognized informally as a real problem).

Monday 22/8: Unending updates; another CSS problem solved

A fine but windy day, with a short violent cold front sweeping over Melbourne around 4 p.m. bringing rain and some hail.

An irritation of computer software usage is the seemingly endless cycle of updates. Too-frequent updates become annoyingly intrusive, particularly with operating systems. Can a program ever be so complete that it never needs further updating? I hate the Windows model (and software model generally) of software-as-a-service (though that is apparently ending with Windows 11). Apple iOS updates are also equally annoying. Yes, I am aware of the need for security but the updates are still a chore.

Found the solution to another obscure CSS problem (a previous one: 20/8 entry) that had been frustrating me for some time: using SVG code within a CSS rule to enable display of a decorative image after certain text elements (psuedo-element). I could get the generated image to display in base64 format converted from the SVG code, but not the SVG code (as described on this Bootstrap icons page). The code snippet provided there did not work for me, but I finally succeeded using this code (example below):

a[href^="mailto:"]::after {
content: " " url('data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="16" height="16" fill="%23fff" viewBox="0 0 16 16"><path d="M.05 3.555A2 2 0 0 1 2 2h12a2 2 0 0 1 1.95 1.555L8 8.414.05 3.555ZM0 4.697v7.104l5.803-3.558L0 4.697ZM6.761 8.83l-6.57 4.027A2 2 0 0 0 2 14h12a2 2 0 0 0 1.808-1.144l-6.57-4.027L8 9.586l-1.239-.757Zm3.436-.586L16 11.801V4.697l-5.803 3.546Z" /></svg>');
vertical-align: -.125em;
background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-size: 1rem 1rem;
text-decoration: none;} (my actual CSS file page is here).

When using SVG in CSS, I also need to properly nest quotes (double quotes within single quotes, or vice-versa), and escape any characters, such as # to %23 when specifying hex color values.

Internet Explorer, however, does not display the generated images – it only does so for base64-encoded ones – so I may revert to the base64 version after all (and the images are decorative but not essential – only the latest browsers display them). But at least I know what the solution is now!

Tuesday 23/8: Head cold; horseplay

Have a bit of a head cold, so not feeling very good. Have mostly managed to avoid these, but my luck ran out. I did not go for my daily walk. The cold weather and rain was also discouraging.

Regarding unstructured play (21/8 entry), an example of my own when I was little (1970s to early 1980s). I enjoyed spending afternoons in my parents’ suburban home backyard garden playing by myself with plastic model horses and other figurines, making up and narrating to myself a story as the play progressed (the term for this is “self-directed play”). Sometimes my sister played with me also. However, I seemed to almost abruptly lose the ability and desire to do this once adolescence encroached (age 13 or so) – I continued creating stories, but in my head only (not acting them out physically). I hated team sports, though – I had to participate in these for Physical Education classes at school (netball, hockey and so forth).

Fortuitously, I still have three old photos of a diorama I set up of the horses in the backyard rockery Dad had made, taken in 1983 with my first camera (a red Konica Pop, which I still have), near the permanent ending of such play sessions, and have scanned them in here. A lone white stallion confronts a black stallion and his herd; the two fight and the black horse emerges triumphant after killing the white! I applied red watercolor paint for bloodstains! And had two models of horses in those colors, in different positions.

Wednesday 24/8: Nausea and migraine; <details> tag back; more Ryan rantings; Russia is not losing

I had overnight what appeared to be one of my random migraines: nagging headache, loss of appetite and two bouts of nausea (as there was nothing in my stomach, I only threw up a little saliva). No energy. My head cold seems to be a little better, but I just wanted to collapse and lie down for hours this morning. (Previously: 26/3/2020 entry.) I think I am past the worst (tentative hope!), but am still feeling fragile and off-color.

I decided to reinstate the <details> tag again for longer blockquotes (12/2 entry).

“Six months after Putin’s invasion, what has this war taught the West?” Mick Ryan, The Age, 24/8. More moronic meanderings from this Ukraine shill. There are some incisive comments about him in the Disqus thread for this Reminiscence of the Future … blog entry:

Primate_Supremo: Forget Professor John Mearsheimer. You need a higher opinion. Here it is – from the Australian Mick Ryan, a major general who served in the Australian Defense Force for more than 35 years and was commander of the Australia Defense College. Hmmm – Commander. Impressive. Check – He is the author of War Transformed: The Future of 21st Century Great Power Competition and Conflict. Kyiv will win and he tells us all how. Judging from the reader comments, most believe him. The general state of foreign affairs reporting in Australia, somewhere between outright lying and delusion, sometimes both. Now you know what we know.

Johnboy4546: The Major General runs through a number of factors that might keep Zelensky in power, then rounds thing out with this zinger: “Finally, the Ukrainians must win on the battlefield.” No shit, Sherlock. So he writes an entire article about how well the Ukrainian racehorse is running its race, and then points out that it’ll all be for nothing if the nag falls in the home stretch. The nag has ZERO chance of doing anything other than an epic face-plant in the home stretch. “Finally, the Ukrainians must win on the battlefield.” Not. Gonna. Happen.

Primate_Supremo: Try posting your critique on his article comments and watch Australian privatized censorship in action. He may not have written that article. Someone from a domestic US intelligence operation here informed me that his intelligence role was to write false narratives to be provided to the mainstream media. You do not see anyone here in the public space admitting to these things. A few in the US do – not many.

Peter Williams: Mick Ryan is a moron. His pontifications about the Ukraine probably earn him a nice income as he writes for the ABC every other day.

Brother Ma: As you sarcastically allude to, Ryan is an absolute idiot. Every single prediction he made regarding the SMO was found to be incorrect, he is the main person who said that Russia was running out of ammunition back in March, and that Ukraine was slaughtering the Russians. He has never once retracted a prediction he was found wrong in, nor has the media ever shown up his mistakes. Thank God he was out of the Australian Forces now.

“Six months on, Ukraine is losing the war with Russia,” The Age, 24/8. Oh-so-grudgingly, some of the mainstream Western media useful idiots are beginning to admit that Russia is not losing.

Thursday 25/8: No migraine today; fools for Ukraine

I still have my head cold, but not that awful debilitating migraine of yesterday, so my mood is a bit better despite the discomfort.

“New Zealand soldier killed in Ukraine while on leave from NZ Defence Force,” ABC News, 25/8. Another misguided fool is eliminated – no sympathy from me.

“US President Joe Biden announces nearly $US3 billion in new military aid for Ukraine,” ABC News, 25/8. Unbelievable and unconscionable – yet more good taxpayers’ money thrown after bad. With so many internal issues, why are the American public not loudly opposing this wasteful extravagance?

Friday 26/8: Head cold slowly going; illusionary independence

My head cold is not so bad; I am, hopefully, over the worst of it. Stopped using a medicated nasal spray yesterday (not meant to use them for prolonged periods), so I had to endure the temporary rebound effect of stuffiness, which has now eased a bit.

“Supporters around the world celebrate Ukraine’s Independence Day, condemn Russian invasion,” ABC News, 25/8. Well, I certainly did not, and it certainly is not independent of foreign interference in its politics, on the part of the West (and USA in particular). On that topic, an alternative historical article from RT, 10/8: “How Ukrainians voted for the preservation of the Soviet Union in 1991, but still ended up in an independent state later that year.”

Nevertheless, most Ukrainians didn’t want to break up the country and sever economic and political ties with Russia – the two republics had close connections, including familial ones. At the March referendum that was held in the USSR the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians voted for keeping the Soviet Union. […]

To this day, Ukrainian politicians use those numbers as proof that this was a time when the people came together in their nation-building ambitions. In reality, the overwhelming support of Ukraine’s independence even in the “pro-Russian” regions came as a surprise to many at the time. There were several reasons for the massive ‘yes’ vote, however.

First off, people were promised that all ties with Russia would stay intact and there would be no boundaries, cultural or otherwise, between the two states. The authorities also ensured the citizens that the Russian language would be protected. Kravchuk himself said this on a number of occasions. Nobody expected that there would be immediate borders dividing Russia and Ukraine. Subjectively, citizens of the two republics didn’t want a breakup, but they wanted strong power, which the Kremlin couldn’t demonstrate, so Ukrainians thought that there would be more order if the republic gained sovereignty. Many hoped that nothing would really change in the grand scheme of things, while Ukraine’s independence would result in its prosperity. Propaganda promised economic growth comparable to that of Germany and France.

Saturday 27/8: Still not recovered; creative fifth columnists

Still have lingering effects of my head cold; my sense of smell is still muted. I have not been out for a walk as I have not felt up to this. I have been arising a little later (half-hour to 45 minutes later, at around 4 a.m.) which is helping a bit (though the onset of Daylight Savings will negate this!).

“Culture war: ‘I never thought I would be ashamed of Russia’,” The Australian, 27/8. Fifth columnists and loyalists in the Russian creative world. Guess which are lionized in the West.

As the war has continued and a complex web of cultural and financial links between the arts world and the Russian state has emerged, a wider question looms: has Putin been using culture to wield “soft power” beyond Russia’s borders? Soft power is measured by oligarchs proffering generous donations, and friends of the Kremlin rubbing shoulders with the right people and being accepted by our institutions, says Marcel H. Van Herpen, author of Putin’s Propaganda Machine: Soft Power and Russian Foreign Policy. Soft power shakes hands with western institutions, which then come under the thrall of Russian money and talent. “Soft power is hard power in a velvet glove,” Van Herpen says.

Well, the use of soft power is certainly not exclusive to Russia. American popular culture has been dominant in those of many other countries for decades.

And the creatives who dare to support the Russian Special Military Operation are predictably presented negatively:

Since the invasion of Ukraine, despite pressure from concert venues, festival organisers and the mayor of Munich, Gergiev has refused to condemn Putin, eventually leaving quietly for Moscow. Other performers have also retreated to Russia, most notably Denis Matsuev, and every proposed performance of the Bolshoi Ballet outside Russia has been cancelled.

Some stars, however, are too big to fall. Already Netrebko has been back to La Scala, the Philharmonie de Paris and festivals in Regensburg, Germany and Verona, Italy. But there is one stage she still cannot grace: will she ever again be the face of the Met? “When the war is over, Putin has been defeated and she’s demonstrating genuine remorse, maybe that’s when we can consider it,” Gelb says. “But I would say there’s a very small chance of that happening.”

I hope they have the resolution to resist such pressure to turn against Russia.

Sunday 28/8: Space Russophobes; another fall and a virus

Anna Kikina, currently the sole female cosmonaut in the Group, was approved for the SpaceX Crew-5 mission, currently scheduled to launch on 3/10. She will be the first Russian cosmonaut to fly on the commercial spaceship. Of course, given current events, a lot of negativity will accompany her mission. Example: yet another reminder of how much I dislike NASA Watch, and despise Western spaceflight commentators generally.

Will Cosmonaut Anna Kikina Go Political On ISS?

Good question for media to ask @Roscosmos Cosmonaut Anna Kikina is whether she plans to participate in on-orbit political efforts in support of the Russian invasion of #Ukraine as the current Russians on #ISS have done. BTW this is why @NASAWatch is not allowed to ask questions.
– NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) August 4, 2022

KC has been sniping about Russian involvement since the beginning of the ISS program, so nothing new. I am soured on the current manned spaceflight program generally, as so much latent Russophobia has emerged with a vengeance. If only Russia had its own independent space station again, like China does now (26/7 entry).

A week of moderately calamitous health issues for me.

With all that, I am even more physically and mentally exhausted than usual and cannot keep up with everything. There is little enjoyment or solace to be found anywhere online now.

Monday 29/8: Smelling again, maybe; NASA Moon rocket upcoming first launch

Mild but unsettled this morning, with afternoon rain and a cool change (unfortunately).

My sense of smell seems to have returned somewhat, at least for now – came partially back after blowing my nose later this morning. It may fluctuate, so I am not getting hopeful yet. I am still feeling extra fatigue (on top of my normal lethargy) and just vaguely off-color generally. I am also bruised from my fall yesterday (28/8 entry), but not as severely as the one on 25/1.

NASA’s Artemis I Moon rocket is on the launch pad, with a tentative launch time of 12:33 UTC (10:33 p.m. Australian time here). As always in the launch site’s tropical location (Launch Complex-39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida), weather will be a deciding factor – lightning strikes and storms will scrub the launch.

Tuesday 30/8: Launch scrubbed; a dubious accusation

The Artemis I launch attempt was scrubbed due to an engine bleed issue. Next attempt will be at 2:48 a.m. this Saturday, September 3 (AEST)

“Putin’s failures exposed by the men forced to fight his war,” The Age, 30/8. Inane opinion piece by yet another so-called “expert.” The paratrooper quoted in The Guardian article, Pavel Filatyev, “fled his homeland” – deserted, in other words – which makes his account dubious: “The Guardian has not been able to independently verify all the details of Filatyev’s story”.

Filatyev describes his regiment as being in a state of anarchy. Eventually, men start shooting themselves to be allowed to leave the front.

“And this is in the airborne forces, the elite, the commander-in-chief’s reserve! It is scary to imagine how things will be in other units,” he writes in a chronicle so unsparingly honest that he’s had to flee Russia.

Sounds more like the exaggerated tall stories of one who wants to garner sympathy.

Wednesday 31/8: Tired; Gorbachev gone

Feeling laggy and fatigued today; difficult to function.

“US senators use Gorbachev’s death to bash Russia,” RT, 30/8. Last leader of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, died on 30/8. Lauded in the West but hated by many in Russia for decisions leading to the unintended dissolution of a former superpower and much subsequent hardship for many of its citizens. I am no fan of him for destroying the USSR and the huge national trauma that followed.

September

Thursday 1/9: Spring arrives! Articles on hypocrisy; China avoids Gorbachev’s mistakes; digital ID creep

First day of spring! The Manchurian Pear (Pyrus ussuriensis) street trees have blossomed white for the last couple of weeks.

Couple of recent articles by Caitlin Johnstone:

“Chinese observers express mixed feelings about Gorbachev, draw lessons from his immature policy of cozying up with West,” Global Times, 31/8. The Chinese government has long viewed the breakup of the USSR as an object lesson in what not to do. “Blindly worshipping the Western system made the USSR lose independence, and the Russian people suffered from the political instability and severe economic hardship, which China considered a major warning and lesson to draw experience from for its own governance, observers said.” An ABC News article from 26/12/2021: “China studied the collapse of the Soviet Union and learned three lessons to avoid a similar fate.” The three key decisions the CCP made in a bid to outlive the Communist Party of the Soviet Union: embrace capitalism … with “Chinese characteristics”; manage the message; watch the periphery (border countries).

“Vladimir Putin and Mikhail Gorbachev’s competing visions for Russia’s future ultimately saw the two men turn on each other,” ABC News, 1/9. Unsurprisingly, Western news outlets such as the ABC are lauding Gorbachev and using his death as yet another excuse to disparage President Putin.

As Gorbachev’s health declined this year and he was largely tethered to dialysis machines, he watched on in horror as Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine.

It was a move he reportedly saw as the final nail in the coffin of his vision for Russia.

“Everything that Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev did – it’s all ruined,” journalist Aleksei Venediktov, the editor of the Ekho Moskvy radio station, told the Russian Forbes magazine.

“All the Gorbachev reforms reduced to zero, dust, smoke.” […]

In the West, the last Soviet leader was revered and celebrated, having freed Russia from the chains of communism and ushered in democracy.

But in Vladimir Putin’s eyes, Gorbachev’s legacy brings a deep sense of bitterness.

This was the man who had allowed the once glorious Soviet empire to be carved up into pieces, in what Putin believed was the “greatest catastrophe of the 20th century.”

Only the West (and Russian fifth columnists) liked the reforms – but these were deeply traumatic and damaging for a lot of the rest of Russian citizens.

“Banks ready to launch new digital identity checking service,” AFR, 31/8. Who couldn’t see this coming, with a digital ID increasingly made necessary to access various government and financial services. In the name of “security” and “efficiency,” of course. :-S

Banks see the service as most useful in online commerce, but it could also be used at self-service checkouts in physical stores. The system involves customers authenticating themselves using their regular banking login and providing express consent for the identity data to be shared with the non-bank.

Other uses of the service will be purchasing mobile phone plans, allowing banks to earn revenue from the major telcos, along with utilities and insurance.

It will also be rolled out for employee onboarding, travel bookings and loan applications. In addition to identity, age-related and address information, the system could be used for anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing checks. […]

Ms Mentis said using digital identity would also protect customers from the threat of cybercrime and reduce costs for businesses by making processes more efficient.

Friday 2/9: Renewed HCC; Robert E. Lee house

Weary as usual near day’s end. Applied online to renew my Health Care Card, so I hope it will be accepted. The process is easier than it used to be, but still fraught with anxiety.

Photographed during today’s walk: a nicely-painted (lavender and mint-green detailing) California Bungalow-style local house, interestingly named “Robert E. Lee,” presumably after the Civil War Confederate General. Wonder what the story is behind naming the house after him?

Saturday 3/9: Almost normal

Feeling a bit better today, though still easily fatigued. Nonetheless, I went for a walk to Centenary Park and back. My sense of smell seems to be back to mostly normal. Of relevance, an article on the often-unappreciated importance of smell in today’s The Age: “One upside of COVID: New research into our startling olfactory capacities.”

Sunday 4/9: Launch scrubbed again; hate royalty; a collective malaise?

Artemis I launch scrubbed again due to a hydrogen leak. Next launch attempt set for 17 October.

Random opinion: have been thinking how much I hate and resent royalty, and the institution of monarchy. They are wealthy and privileged, and will never know hardship. They do not achieve their position in society by merit, but by birth. I loathe the British royals and the endless tabloid feed of their activities, and can see why people in some countries ultimately rebel and oust their monarchies (and even eliminate them). I don’t think the institution should be revived in Russia; let it remain in past history.

Most of the various personal websites I visit are still not, or are rarely, updated (5/7, 18/7 entries); again perhaps the collective malaise. “Making the rounds” in hope is a depressing daily experience.

Monday 5/9: Give us more! Offensive art; self-inflicted energy crisis; Russia a forbidden zone; billionaire bunkers

Ukraine shilling articles from today’s The Age:

“Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns Europe to brace for energy crisis,” ABC News, 5/9. Typical misreporting. These countries chose to impose sanctions against Russia and are now feeling the consequences. If they had paid up as normal, Russia would still be willing to supply gas. (But of course, anything “Volodymyr” says must be believed unquestioningly :-S.)

The Federal Government Smartraveller advisory website has declared Russia a “forbidden zone” for potential visitors: “We've reviewed our advice for Russia. Do not travel to Russia due to the security environment and the impacts of the military conflict with Ukraine. There are limited transportation options, restrictions on financial transactions and possible shortages of essential products and services.” If I were able to travel, I would visit regardless – Russia itself seems safer than many Western countries. I suspect the warning is yet another Russophobic measure on behalf of the Australian Government.

Antidote article: “The Western Press Lies About Why Russia Invaded Ukraine,” OrientalReview.org, 2/9. “Ukraine was a special focus there because it has the border which is the closest of any nation to Moscow, which is only 353 miles away. By contrast, Washington DC is 1,131 miles away from Cuba. If Kennedy was concerned, then Putin had even more reason to be concerned – 353 miles instead of 1,131 miles, and far faster missiles now than then. Whereas decapitating America if Soviet missiles had stayed in Cuba would have taken around a half-hour, decapitating Russia if Ukraine enters NATO would take around 5 minutes. Putin had tried everything to prevent Ukraine’s joining NATO, but Biden and his NATO anti-Russian military alliance mocked him for it, and refused even to consider any of his requests. The only way left to do it, then, was military.”

“The super-rich ‘preppers’ planning to save themselves from the apocalypse,” The Guardian, 4/9. A book extract with the usual disparaging tone on the topic of wealthy preppers. (Via a MetaFilter post with predictably disparaging user comments.) “Taking their cue from Tesla founder Elon Musk colonising Mars, Palantir’s Peter Thiel reversing the ageing process, or artificial intelligence developers Sam Altman and Ray Kurzweil uploading their minds into supercomputers, they were preparing for a digital future that had less to do with making the world a better place than it did with transcending the human condition altogether. Their extreme wealth and privilege served only to make them obsessed with insulating themselves from the very real and present danger of climate change, rising sea levels, mass migrations, global pandemics, nativist panic and resource depletion. For them, the future of technology is about only one thing: escape from the rest of us.”

Tuesday 6/9: Z-news back; Russophobe PM; Jacques Baud interview; another wasted life; keep that fuel coming; Gorbachev no hero to Russians; Artemis I a waste?

Z-news at the Roskosmos site seems to have been reinstated! Wonder what prompted that decision? (It is an “Information section dedicated to the current agenda in the world,” in Russian – I use a browser translator add-on to translate to English.)

“RIP Great Britain,” Moon of Alabama blog. Liz Truss has been chosen as the new UK Prime Minister – with dire consequences for the already-fractured relations with Russia, as she is rabidly Russophobic. “‘Boris, you got Brexit done, you crushed Jeremy Corbyn, you rolled out the vaccine and you stood up to Vladimir Putin,’ she said. ‘You are admired from Kyiv to Carlisle.’”

“Our Latest Interview with Jacques Baud,” The Postil Magazine, 1/9. “After more than six months of war, it can be said that the Russian army is effective and efficient, and that the quality of its command & control far exceeds what we see in the West. But our perception is influenced by a reporting that is focused on the Ukrainian side, and by distortions of reality.”

The mainstream media do not present the war as it is, but as they would like it to be. This is pure wishful thinking. The apparent public support for the Ukrainian authorities, despite huge losses (some mention 70,000-80,000 fatalities), is achieved by banning the opposition, a ruthless hunt for officials who disagree with the government line, and “mirror” propaganda that attributes to the Russians the same failures as the Ukrainians. All this with the conscious support of the West. […]

I think that war crimes have been committed on both sides, but that their media coverage has been very different. Our media have reported extensively about crimes (true or false) attributed to Russia. On the other hand, they have been extremely silent about Ukrainian crimes. […]

NATO and the European Union are only instruments of US foreign policy. These institutions no longer act in the interests of their members, but in the interests of the US. The sanctions adopted under American pressure are backfiring on Europe, which is the big loser in this whole crisis: it suffers its own sanctions and has to deal with the tensions resulting from its own decisions. […]

The West has created an Iron Curtain 2.0 that will affect international relations for years to come. The West’s lack of strategic vision is astonishing. While NATO is aligning itself with US foreign policy and reorienting itself towards China, Western strategy has only strengthened the Moscow-Beijing axis. […]

The West’s loss of influence stems from the fact that it continues to treat the “rest of the world” like “little children” and neglects the usefulness of good diplomacy.

“Tributes flow for Queensland medic Jed Danahay killed in Ukraine, hailed a hero by ambassador to Australia,” ABC News, 5/9. “Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, called Mr Danahay a hero for his service to Ukraine.” Another misguided fool, throwing his life away for nothing.

“Australian motorists ‘indirectly’ fueling Russia’s Ukraine invasion, CREA advocacy group claims,” ABC News, 5/9. “Mr Bowen, a policy fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre, said such a revelation was unlikely to go down well with most Australian motorists, who he believed were strongly against Russia’s actions.” Well, it certainly does “go down well” with me, and I strongly support Russia’s actions.

“Gorbachev: Death of an ‘American’ Hero,” Modern Diplomacy, 2/9.

It was these consequences that led to President Putin making the famous statement that is still highlighted in so many American intelligence analyses as “proof” that Russia and America can never be allies: in 2005, when asked about the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he called it the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.” Almost without exception, American experts on Russia have interpreted this as Putin’s secret desire to one day reinvent and reintegrate the Soviet Union (this should sound very familiar to anyone who has paid attention to Western analyses of the current Ukraine conflict). In fact, this is completely wrong-headed and a failure of Western minds to put themselves into the shoes of Russian political elites. Putin has by now spent over two decades, in his estimation, dealing with the consequences of what Gorbachev failed to keep under control and maintain. The loss of Soviet power was nothing for the Russian Federation compared to the political, economic, and humanitarian degradation that followed that loss. Therefore, that “geopolitical catastrophe” is not a wistful fantasy about one day re-creating the Soviet Union. Rather, it is an objective analysis of what the loss of that stability and power did in real terms to the Russian state and its people. And while experts in the West seem reluctant to consider that interpretation, one can be certain that elites in Russia are aware of who they consider to be the reckless architect of that catastrophe: Mikhail Gorbachev.

“NASA’s Artemis Rocket Is a Gigantic Waste of Money,” Bloomberg.com, 5/9. An opinion piece. “The SLS’s path to the launch pad should never have happened. Conceived as a means to maintain US aerospace employment, and based in part on older rocket designs and parts, the project has siphoned funds and energy.” Given the huge costs and delays of this long-gestating he sniping critics of the Russian space program have no ground to stand on.

31/8 comment from a forum thread (won’t/can’t directly link) from someone who works on the program: “I’m tired. Today was day 10, and there were a couple of twelve-hour shifts thrown in. This push to launch totally sucks. I will break 14 days Saturday without a day off. Someone is going to screw up. Some of the engineers have been working shifts far beyond what should be legal. Do we have ‘go fever’ at this point? Gawd, I hope not.”

Wednesday 7/9: Ukraine irrelevant to Australia; blowback big time; Russia’s transition trauma

A lovely mild sunny Spring day. Unfortunately rain is forecast from tomorrow.

“How we bet the house on Ukraine … and lost,” The Spectator Australia, 25/6. On Australia’s baffling support for Ukraine. “While it is legitimate for Australia to express concern that any nation might resolve differences through military action, quite why our Parliament decided in a bipartisan manner to join in this disaster remains a mystery. Ukraine is a nation some 13,000 kilometres away. Australia and Ukraine have negligible economic, military, political or cultural ties. The tussle between Russia and Ukraine over the status of Russian-aligned regions in Eastern Ukraine, has nothing to do with Australia. Australia is not a member of NATO, or the EU. Despite the FakeNews sheen, Ukraine has long been known as a deeply corrupt and troubled place. In short, there does not appear to be any national interest justifying Australian involvement in the conflict.”

“Putin’s energy war profits dwarf cost of Ukraine,” The Times, 7/9. Oh, the schadenfreude from Russia’s perspective must be most satisfying. I have no sympathy for the countries that sought to disempower Russia and who are now suffering blowback. Unfortunately Australia is inevitably affected but I do not “blame Putin” but our sycophantic government mindlessly following its American master (as usual).

“Russia’s economic nightmare after Gorbachev,” The Age, 7/9. An overview of the economic disaster Russia endured after the collapse of the USSR: “But Russia in the 1990s clearly offers a lesson in how not to transition to a market economy.” But the writer spoils it by stating: “I hope, of course, that Ukraine will defeat this invasion; if it does, one large part of the former Soviet Union may finally have achieved a durable democracy. And it’s possible to imagine a democratic Ukraine growing increasingly integrated with the European economy, showing a way to combine democracy with prosperity.” Ukraine being regarded as a “democracy” is farcical; its government is terminally corrupt and the USA has interfered in its politics since the USSR ended.

Thursday 8/9: No sympathy for the opponents; delusional Mick Ryan opines again; President Putin warns the West

“Ukraine Loses Soldiers – Europe Its Economies – All For No Gain,” Moon of Alabama, 7/9.

But what really bothers me is the human toll of this offensive.

I have never been at war. But I have had a decent full time military officer training over several years plus several month long reserve stints in active duty battalions. I have read lots of books and watched dozens of movies about frontline fighting in World War I, II, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan etc. If one reflects on those events and the details described in the depictions one gets a ‘feel’ for such conflicts. Then there is the operational math like the numbers of artillery rounds fired per square kilometer, troop density and the toll such artillery bombardments will inevitably take.

The Ukrainian soldiers never had a chance to withstand the might of the Russian military. None whatsoever. That was recognizable from the very onset of the war. That the Ukrainian government and its backers tried to withstand the onslaught was illogical.

I would have to disagree with lamenting the casualties the Ukrainians are suffering – I do not waste sympathy on an opponent, and the more losses they suffer, the better for Russia. A brutally pragmatic view, admittedly.

“Ukraine’s southern offensive signals new stage of brutal combat,” Mick Ryan, 7/9. The useful idiot former general opines again (previously: 24/8 entry). “The Ukrainians, who have generally out-thought and out-fought the Russians in this war, will not, however, be seeking pyrrhic victories like the Russians in Luhansk. As a nation, they value their soldiers too much to use them as the casual, expendable fodder characteristic of the Russian Army and its proxies.” That is not what I read in the alternative news – just the opposite, in fact. The Ukrainians are the cannon fodder while the Russians methodically grind them down. The Saker blog has a relevant new post: “Some *very* basic stuff about Russian defenses in the SMO.”

Conversely, the Russians have an advantage in 1) firepower 2) maneuverability (they can move under the protection of Russian airpower and artillery, which the Ukrainians cannot) 3) logistics 4) reach (the Russians can strike even in the far western Ukraine 5) C3ISR 6) morale and 7) training. […]

So let me repeat this again: the Russians retreating before a determined Ukrainian attack is not the exception in this war, it is the rule. So we should EXPECT the Russians to do that every time the Ukrainians launch a mass assault and sends entire battalions into the Russian meat grinder. […]

Remember how “Ze” spoke of a “million soldiers army”? Well, that is nonsense, of course, but it shows one thing: “Ze” feels that his biggest advantage is to thrown tens and even hundred of thousands of soldiers in suicidal attacks.

“Vladimir Putin warns West could be cut off from Russian energy supply if prices are capped,” ABC News, 8/9. I hope he does, to punish the West. He stated this in a speech at the Eastern Economic Forum.

Friday 9/9: Queen dead; BBC bias

Queen Elizabeth II has died. Not unexpectedly, given she was 96 and in deteriorating health. But I still feel the same animosity towards the institution of royalty that I noted in my 4/9 entry. I am indifferent and have no interest in her generally spoiled and awful children, who have grown up in priviledge and know nothing of real work and hardship.

Two BBC News articles on Ukraine:

“Ukraine urges Europe not to wobble on war support,” BBC News, 9/9. “In public, at least, Ukrainian authorities say they are not concerned that Europe’s energy crisis will affect support for them. But they are not ignoring it. Officials in Kyiv are aware the coming months will be challenging, and the message to the EU has been consistent, and probably co-ordinated: it will be hard for you, but imagine what it will be like for us.” Deluded, misguided fools to continue in their irrational support.

“Ukraine war: US approves $2.6bn in aid for Ukraine and allies,” BBC News, 9/9. Fools and their money … “For Washington, of course, the stakes are bigger than Ukraine. The Biden administration – and a bipartisan majority in Congress – believes the Russian invasion threatens to rip up the rules of the liberal global order largely established by the US after World War Two.” Or perhaps countries are fed up with the U.S. hegemony and want to assert their independence.

“Learn how the BBC is working to strengthen trust and transparency in online news.” “Our commitment to impartiality is at the heart of that relationship of trust. In all our output we will treat every subject with an impartiality that reflects the full range of views. We will consider all the relevant facts fairly and with an open mind.” A farcical statement, given that the UK news service being as biased against Russia as other Western mainstream media

A comment about President Putin from the Ecosophia blog comments:

Regarding Russia and the war in Ukraine, I do not understand why our rulers and a large part of the population think that Vladimir Putin is a brainless imbecile, an irrational fanatic who does not think about the consequences of his acts; Instead, it seems the opposite to me.

Putin has a doctorate in economic sciences and his doctoral thesis, which he did in the mid-1990’s was entitled “Strategic Planning of the Reproduction of the Mineral Resource Base of a Region under Conditions of the Formation of Market Relations”, so it was, and he is, a profound connoisseur of the true needs of modern societies for raw materials and energy resources, having studied it in depth and each of the steps he has been taking before and during this conflict show that he fully understands the implications of the actions he is taking and its impact over time.

Apparently, in his doctoral thesis dissertation, he was quite critical of the short-termism in the management of natural resources carried out by the former Soviet Union, and the need to change that model of use in the Russian Federation.

Putin is a person who personally experienced the collapse of the Soviet Union as an unparalleled catastrophe, and from that dramatic experience I think he retains a strong grudge against the West.

The other important thing to note about Putin’s perspective on the Ukraine conflict is that Putin’s family suffered terribly in the German invasion of the USSR, his father was seriously injured in the siege of Leningrad, his 2-year-old brother died of diphtheria in the midst of tremendous malnutrition; 5 of the 6 brothers of his father died on the front fighting against the Nazis, as well as several relatives of his mother, a terrible family tragedy.

In honor of the Ukrainian “hero” Stepan Bandera and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, associated with the American neocons, the worst of his nightmares comes true and that is why he considers the fight in Ukraine as “existential” for Russia, and they have to prevail under ANY circumstances, even if that means a nuclear war with USA, which the West has not understood at all.

Now may be the Putin’s goal has changed and is now the demilitarization not only of Ukraine, but also of Europe through its complete voluntary deindustrialization.

Saturday 10/9: Partnership in space no more; Australian parliament pranked; a major offensive

“European space chief ‘cannot see’ a return to cooperation with Russia,” Ars Technica, 6/9. (Via a Reddit comment thread, which is, predictably, a Russophobic pile-on.) The European Space Agency has turned out to be as hostile to Russia as the rest of the West. “‘I’m really disgusted by the invasion of Ukraine. We see it every single day. What is happening there is not meeting our European values, and we cannot work with a partner who is completely trampling on those values. […] I cannot see a rebuild of the cooperation we had in the past,’ Aschbacher said. ‘I am speaking here on behalf of my member states. They all have very much the same opinion. And this is really something where the behavior of ESA will reflect the geopolitical situation of the member states on this point. And I think this is very clear.’” Disappointing, but ESA’s loss. On 28/2 ESA issued a press release stating its stance on the intervention. “We are fully implementing sanctions imposed on Russia by our Member States. We are assessing the consequences on each of our ongoing programmes conducted in cooperation with the Russian state space agency Roscosmos and align our decisions to the decisions of our Member States in close coordination with industrial and international partners (in particular with NASA on the International Space Station).”

“Australian parliament criticised for ‘deplorable’ vetting, after pro-Putin propagandists strike blow in ‘information war’,” ABC News, 9/9. Two Australian senators got pranked – serve them right!

“US announces $2.9 billion in defence aid for Ukraine, other European countries as Antony Blinken visits Kyiv,” ABC News, 8/9. More billions down the drain.

“The West took advantage of Russian weakness in the 1990s and is unable to understand the trauma it unleashed,” RT, 9/9. Some backstory as to why Russia has taken the current path with its intervention in Ukraine. “Since 1992, the US has been openly pursuing a policy of countering Moscow’s integration efforts in the post-Soviet space. Washington did everything it could to make sure Russia would never be reborn as a great power. And, of course, no significant financial aid was extended either to the USSR under Gorbachev or to Russia under President Boris Yeltsin, so it was a one-way street.”

Some alternate news/blogs on the current Ukrainian counter-offensive that has been the main news there for a couple of days and caused alarm amongst Russia supporters:

The real situation is, of course, unknown; we wait in hope that Russia will prevail.

Sunday 11/9: Hidden courts; Charlie king; Kharkov withdrawal uncertainty

Went for a longer walk, to Centenary Park and back (previous mention: 21/8 entry). I wish my family had lived in a court (cul-de-sac street) rather than on a busy main street; I like these semi-hidden quiet roads and homes (10/2 entry).

Charlie is now king. I feel irritated and indifferent to the whole spectacle. A relevant blog entry by Craig Murray: “That’s Enough Monarchy Now.” “But the anachronistic nature of monarchy is also fully on display, in the obvious absurdities and pantomime procedure […] Still more absurd is the millions in feudal income that goes with that title, all real money paid by actual ordinary people as feudal dues.[…] There can be no clearer example than the monarchy of the unrelenting media propaganda by which the Establishment maintains its grip.” One wonders how many millions of pounds are to be spent on the lavish funeral – an especially inappropriate extravagance at a time of increasing economic hardship (unneccessarily self-imposed due to the idiotically irrational support for Ukraine). And an irreverently snarky post from a contributor to The Saker: “Another one bites the dust: shrivelled Lizzie drops off her perch.” (If the Royals were to meet the same fate as the Romanovs, I would not be upset.)

To more actual important matters, mainly the current worrisome withdrawal by Russian troops under a Ukraine assault. A computer translation of a Russian military expert’s take on the situation:

A military expert explained the reasons for the regrouping of Russian troops in the areas of Balakleya and Izyum

September 10, 2022, 17: 59; text: Andrei Rezchikov

The Russian Defense Ministry carried out a whole range of measures to mislead the Armed Forces of Ukraine, created the illusion that we have “weak defense” and allegedly there is no information about the preparation of an offensive in the areas of Balakleya and Izyum, now the main task is to defeat the group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, military expert Konstantin Sivkov told VZGLYAD newspaper. On Saturday, the Defense Ministry announced the regrouping of troops in the areas of Balakleya and Izyum.

“Our military knew that an offensive was being prepared, so now the troops are regrouping to destroy the group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), which came to the areas of Balakleya and Izyum. It should be borne in mind that there are no fortified areas there, so the task of destroying the most combat-ready Ukrainian units will be solved quite successfully. This will take a few more days,” said Konstantin Sivkov, Doctor of Military Sciences.

The expert emphasized that over the past three days, as it became known from the Defense Ministry’s report, more than 2 thousand Ukrainian and foreign militants, as well as over a hundred armored vehicles and artillery were destroyed. “The Armed Forces of Ukraine suffer large daily losses. Now the main task is to defeat the advancing group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, deprive it of its potential, knock out equipment that is located not in cities and fortified areas, but in open spaces. The Armed Forces of Ukraine should not have the strength and means to conduct an effective defense,” the source explained.

On Saturday, the official representative of the Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, announced the regrouping of Russian troops in the areas of Balakleya and Izyum within three days “to achieve the stated goals of the special military operation to liberate Donbass.” Konashenkov also noted that during the transfer, diversionary and demonstration activities were carried out with the designation of real actions of the troops. “In order to prevent damage to the Russian troops, the enemy was dealt a powerful fire defeat with the use of aircraft, rocket troops and artillery,” the Lieutenant General added.

Sivkov emphasizes that the diversionary maneuvers were carried out in order to “pull the AFU strike group out of the fortified areas.” “If this group would have remained in Slavyansk or Kramatorsk, how many would have had to ‘pick it out’? And now it’s in the palm of your hand. Therefore, a whole complex of measures was carried out to mislead the enemy, creating the illusion that we have weak defenses in this area and allegedly there is no information about the preparation of the offensive. The enemy was misled about the location and actions of our troops,” the expert added.

More blog entries: Understanding Planning, Orders and Troop Movements in Ukraine (Larry Johnson); Clarity In Small Dozes. Or Why I Do Not “Do” Sitreps. (Andrei Martyanov); Open Thread, one article, a very promising new blog and trolls/bots (The Saker). I particularly liked this comment by “Sinotibetan”:

I too was in dismay with the seeming success of this Ukrainian counteroffensive. The psychological effects on pro Russia supporters with the Russian retreat from Izyum is immense, and that’s an understatement (I am not sure how this will affect the Russian population’s support for Putin – but I reckon it will if similar ‘failures’ recur or this counteroffensive opens the door for even more Russian defeats, say in Donbass itself). We can see the change in tone in say the Duran, other channels even avoid the topic altogether – these are all coping mechanisms. I think here are some of the possible manner of thinking that contribute to the shock, anger, perhaps frustration of the “faithful” – especially those who are not military experts/have no military background (based on introspection of my own emotions) :-

  1. The pro Russian narrative ran counter to the dominant pro Western narrative in cyberspace and MSM. Before this counteroffensive, Russian verifiable military successes was a psychological bullwark – this has collapsed with the massive triumphalism and jeering at Russian “weakness” by MSM and other Western cheerleaders/trolls commenting furiously in pro Russia channels. These trolls are out in full force to capitalize on this “victory.” It is like a loss of trust in the previous pro-Russia narrative with a current reality that seems to fit (“confirms”) pro Western narrative. It is understandably human to snap at this relentless psychological attacks. Most of us are not cool headed rationalists at heart, even with the most cool headed amongst us. Regaining that trust from these angry “faithful” is going to be very difficult. They felt betrayed, being “lied” upon by pro Russia sites about the strengths and weaknesses of Russian military Vs Ukraine military (doesn’t matter if it’s true or not).
  2. Izyum was touted as town of strategic importance to the Russian SMO. That has been drummed into our heads,say from the likes of the Duran in videos after videos. Russian triumph in that area was often used as an example to counter pro Western narrative of a “winning” Ukraine. That it fell very quickly, without much Russian resistance was a psychological shock. “If this town was so important, why did it fall to the Ukrainian military so swiftly? And if pro Russia sites claim Russia knew of this possible counteroffensive, why has Russia not prepared to defend this important town?” They will come up with “logical” inferences to “explain” this “loss” – “Putin is “too soft” and docile to the West,” “Russia should have committed more troops,” “how come Russia air power and intelligence, if these are so great, “failed” to locate Western weaponry like HIMARS and destroy them,” “Russia should have done a shock and awe like US did – the SMO was a failure from the start” etc. This probably has more effects on those who prefer a harsher/hard-line stance on the US/collective West – I myself am one: hence my (being ethnically Chinese and pro-Russia, pro-China, pro-multipolarity) occasional “frustrations.”
  3. The gains by Russia were hard-fought and took a long time. The gains in the Donetsk area had been excruciatingly slow. This is in contrast to the speed of which Izyum and surrounding areas fell. Thus, the optics run counter to the narrative of a weak and weakening Ukraine military (due to massive loss of troops and weapons) vs. a more powerful Russian military with time on its side, making slow but meaningful gains … this was the predominant narrative in most pro-Russia sites such as the very influential “The Duran.” Russia appears weak and Ukrainian military strengths seem to have been underestimated in such an optics.
  4. Majority of those in the cyberspace are non-military people whose only understanding of military affairs are secondhand accounts in books or YouTube videos by self-proclaimed “experts,” or even computer games on warfare, or worse still war movies/Netflix, or even worse – American “flatten the country to dirt war” in Iraq, Afghanistan etc. With these bad standards as references, they would not truly understand war strategies nor the intricacies of war operations although the likes of this site and Brian’s New Atlas channel painstakingly try to explain. We are generally in an instant result, instant gratification era. Majority doesn’t understand that wars are not always winning, that there could be serious defeats even, or that errors do happen, and that sometimes retreats are needed to ultimately win the war. Deception, feints etc are useful manoeuvres in warfare and neither the West/Ukraine military nor the Russian military are going to expose their strategies and tactics. What we see even in this site and others are inferences, at best educated guesses,based on heavily propagandized info from both sides and “battle maps” which surely cannot tell us the true and complete situation.
  5. I think many pro-Russia sites became pseudo or even true “echo chambers,” probably not by intent. This is psychological and understandable. People supporting a side psychologically need reinforcements of their beliefs in the side they chose. The idea is that Russia is ultimately invincible and all weaknesses of Russian strategies (if any) are dismissed as not significant to the ultimate result. Concerns of some of the “faithful” of these supposed weaknesses were dismissed. In my view, this is a problem – notwithstanding the true problem of “concerned trolls.” Thus, faithful with concerns and concerned trolls are blended as a group – and the latter is always keen to convert the former to the “Russia is a lost cause” narrative. Pro-Russia sites dismissive of the former actually help the latter.

Personally, after several days of dismay and copium, I have accepted current realities. I will continue to support Russia because to support the morally-bankrupt, woke, progressive, anti-civilizational West is ideologically impossible for me. That said, I am also a realist I do think that Russia is militarily superior to Ukraine and should ultimately win this conflict. But I cannot vouch for the certainty of this outcome. In history, “weaker” forces had “unexpectedly” triumphed over “superior” forces. This has always been my thinking. And this is a proxy war of Russia Vs NATO in actuality . I don’t want to dismiss US military, although the US is in decline. This counteroffensive should remind us never to underestimate the US/West despite their moral bankruptcy and ideological fixations. In fact, ideological obsessions are drives that can band even debauched and decadent elites to do unthinkable things.

Let’s see what Russia will do next. I am hopeful and think most likely The Saker and The New Atlas analyses are correct. Psychologically prepared though, for any eventuality.

Of course, the mainstream media are going to gleefully make the most of this apparent Ukrainian victory.

Monday 12/9: Transient railway art; Russian and China vs. the West; a retreat or rout?

On 4/9 I took photos of this rather nice art on a factory wall next to the Brewer Road bridge over the Frankston rail line, of trains in an apocalyptic landscape. Unfortunately the old factory has now been demolished and the wall art is no more.

“China gives ‘endorsement’ for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” The Age, 12/9. Good! The two countries should ally against the West. And more articles from the same paper today, demonstrating the gleeful reporting of Ukraine’s counteroffensive – Russia’s strategic retreat is being interpreted as a disorganized rout:

A new and lengthy post from Ian Kummer, Why Care About Me, or Russia? He takes a more critical look at the Russian perspective, and comments on the other related sites and bloggers.

What I want is for the Western nations supporting Ukraine to be defeated in their purpose and utterly humiliated. I want Russia to prevail, and to avenge some of the humiliation the nation has endured since the USSR disintegrated after “losing” the Cold War.

Tuesday 13/9: Propaganda barrage

Very tired as usual. Too much going on in the world to keep up with.

“The Fog of Information War in Ukraine,” Human Events, 15/3. “The Western intelligence apparatus has been busy in Ukraine. With financing and collaboration through various non-governmental organizations, it won the information war with the help of Ukrainian media before Russia ever fired a shot in February.”

“On the role and importance of PSYOPs for the SMO,” The Saker, 12/9. On the massive online propaganda barrage for the Ukraine conflict. “Listening to all the innumerable opinion and news (the latter mostly fake) about what happened in the past days in the Ukraine I am getting the feeling that I am observing two quasi non-connected worlds. The first world is the purely military world and in that world a rather minor incident happened. In this world, it is even possible that the Russian executed a crafty feint (Kiev op revisited). In the second world, let’s call it the ‘information space’ Russia has suffered a crushing defeat and the entire SMO is about to collapse. These two world are so far apart that it is hard to compare them.”

A nauseating Reddit post in r/Australia: “Thank you Australia for all your support and for providing Bushmasters that protect our troops and help liberate our land. 🇺🇦❤️🇦🇺” I am not going to read the comments less I explode in rage. Reddit is infested with pro-Ukrainian shills (some previous comments on this: 26/2, 16/3, 2/8 entries) – and is an increasingly irritating site to visit anyway.

“Of Cats in a Dark and Cluttered Room. by Dmitry Orlov,” SitRepWorld, 12/9. A more measured interpretation of Russia’s withdrawal tactics. “I will do no such thing and instead explain why Russia, having committed perhaps as much as 16% of its professional soldiers (no draftees or reservists but increasing numbers of volunteers), is actually succeeding in its mission to demilitarize and denazify the Ukraine, provide for the security of the Donbass region and, beyond that, to shift its relationship with the West (if any) to a more equitable basis. Everything is going according to plan, and although we don’t know the details of that plan ahead of time (it is normally a state secret) we can discern some of its details as it unfolds.”

Wednesday 14/9: China sides with Russia; Russia’s imminent collapse (not); President Putin excluded; off with their heads!

“Ahead of an historic third term, Xi Jinping wants the world to know he’s got Vladimir Putin’s back,” ABC News, 14/9. “China's leader Xi Jinping is set to give Russia’s increasingly isolated! President Vladimir Putin a public show of diplomatic support this week, when the pair meet face to face for the first since Mr Putin’s army invaded Ukraine.” Good – Russia and China should continue to stand together against the West. (“Increasingly isolated”?! President Putin has plenty of internal popular support, and also from other allied nations such as Iran and India.)

“Prepare for Russia itself to disintegrate,” The Telegraph, 13/9. A hysterically hyperbolic opinion piece by some retired general. “It is becoming increasingly clear that Ukraine is going to win this war and that the Kremlin faces a historic crisis of confidence. Indeed, I now believe it is a genuine possibility that Vladimir Putin’s exposed weaknesses are so severe that we might be witnessing the beginning of the end – not only of his regime, but of the Russian Federation itself.” Russia is managing the economic sanctions quite well, contrary to what the article states. A nation that endured the horrors and losses of World War II/the Great Patriotic War is well-equipped to endure the latest trial.

“The three countries not invited to the Queen’s funeral,” also from The Telegraph, 13/9. President Putin is excluded, not surprisingly, given the now-open hostility between Russia and the UK, but he has rather more important matters to attend to.

While on that tiresome topic, another opinion piece that I agree with this time: “Monarchs Belong in the Dustbin of History,” Chris Hedges. “The point of social hierarchy and aristocracy is to sustain a class system that makes the rest of us feel inferior. Those at the top of the social hierarchy hand out tokens for loyal service, including the Order of the British Empire (OBE). The monarchy is the bedrock of hereditary rule and inherited wealth. This caste system filters down from the Nazi-loving House of Windsor to the organs of state security and the military. It regiments society and keeps people, especially the poor and the working class, in their ‘proper’ place.”

Thursday 15/9: More on Kharkov; ignorant “experts”; fawning over the royals

“The Kharkov game-changer,” The Saker, 14/9. A fairly measured summary of events at Kharkov by Pepe Escobar. “Facts: Russian forces withdrew from the territory of Kharkov to the left bank of the Oskol river, where they are now entrenched. A Kharkov-Donetsk-Luhansk line seems to be stable. Krasny Liman is threatened, besieged by superior Ukrainian forces, but not lethally. No one […] knows what the Russian General Staff (RGS) plans, in this case and all others. If they say they do, they are lying. As it stands, what may be inferred with a reasonable degree of certainty is that a line – Svyatogorsk-Krasny Liman-Yampol-Belogorovka – can hold out long enough with their current garrisons until fresh Russian forces are able to swoop in and force the Ukrainians back beyond the Seversky Donets line.”

“Vladimir Putin's troops in Ukraine are on the run – will China's Xi Jinping lend support?,” ABC News, 15/9. “And now Xi is going out of his way to literally stand with Putin at a time when the Russian President is being humiliated on the battlefield.” Of course, Western media are reporting the Russian tactics as a cowardly retreat.

“Ukraine is the New Hannibal.” Vox Day roasts a so-called “expert.” “The media is reaching a level of detachment from reality that one seldom sees outside the economic news. Remember, most of the manpower being utilized in Ukraine are no more part of the Russian military than the Ukrainian forces are part of the US military. The Russians haven’t even bother to mobilize yet, which should tell you how little they are worried about the operations in Ukraine. Except for the specialist arms supporting the militias, the Russian military is being reserved for the direct confrontation with NATO forces that is coming. Now, it may be that NATO forces are directly involved in the Kharkiv and Kherson offensives, which they actively boast about planning, or it may be that the Russians have been withdrawing to lure the Ukrainians out of their fortified positions in order to eliminate them more easily. We simply don’t know.” The article he links to: “Ukraine has pulled off ‘one of the greatest counter attacks in modern history’: Military expert JUSTIN BRONK says Vladimir Putin has NO good options and Russia’s entire invasion force could COLLAPSE in worst defeat since WW2.”

“The Queen and her legacy: 21st century Britain has never looked so medieval,” Johnathan Cook, 9/9. A critique of the excessive and expensive funeral for the Queen, where dissenting views against the monarchy are not tolerated. “The wall-to-wall eulogies are intended to fill our nostrils with the perfume of nostalgia to cover the stench of a rotting institution, one at the heart of the very establishment doing the eulogising. The demand is that everyone show respect for the Queen and her family, and that now is not the time for criticism or even analysis. […] The Royals’ loss is public in every sense. There will be a lavish state funeral, paid for by the taxpayer. There will be an equally lavish coronation of her son, Charles, also paid for by the taxpayer.”

Friday 16/9: Persistant side ache; hostile dream encounter; Pilger on propaganda; more Russia is failing nonsense; SCO underway; confused politics

I am still bothered by the dull ache under my left ribs when lying down. As I previously noted (11/1 entry), it has been persistant for a few years now. It feels like some sort of muscle or tissue problem around the rib area, on top of the rib cage.

Had a rather unfriendly encounter with some dream characters last night. I was walking to and from a shopping center, crossing an open grassy area to get there and back. Some middle-aged people noticed me and one said something like, “There she goes again,” in a rather sardonic tone. I was irritated and confronted the speaker, saying “You have a problem with that?” A few more angry remarks were exchanged. I have had previous hostile encounters with dream characters, such as this one I noted on 5/1/2021:

I am on a small tropical island. It is sunset and the light is dim. There is an ominous rumbling on the western horizon and I can see that a hurricane is approaching. I run to the beach on the east side to seek a cave to shelter in. Others are there, including a group of teenage girls.

At this point in the dream I am semi-lucid and decide to confront one of these dream characters to find out who she is, this one a heavyset teenage girl with a plain face. I grab the dream character by her shoulders and shake her a little. She stares at me rather blankly as I keep asking her, “Who are you? Why are you in my dream?” (or words to that effect). She becomes hostile, as do the other DCS (also teen girls). They surround me and hit me a bit. I let the girl go.

These DCs are not based on any real-world people whom I know; they are like anonymous background scene actors in a movie. Confronting one was a deliberate dream decision, but I did not get any revealing answers.

“Silencing The Lambs. How Propaganda Works.” (also at Consortium News) by long-time Australian activist John Pilger, pertinent to the current pro-Ukrainian barrage in the West. “A measure of this ‘historic success’ is the war in Ukraine, news of which is mostly not news, but a one-sided litany of jingoism, distortion, omission. I have reported a number of wars and have never known such blanket propaganda.”

“Putin and His Army on the Ropes, AGAIN!!” Larry Johnson’s refutation of a nonsensical article published by Business Insider.

“Meeting of Chinese, Russian leaders injects stability into a world of change and disorder: Global Times editorial,” 16/9. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation annual summit is currently underway in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with Russia, China and other allied nations attending. I hope they will form a strong alliance to stand against the West.

My “political compass” seems to have swung Leftwards on some issues again (17/1 entry) (but I still have an aversion to “Wokeness”), in no small part due to the Russian-Ukraine situation this year, and my disgust at the utter hypocrisy of the West and some Conservatives in supporting Ukraine, despite it being no innocent victim and ignoring Russia’s justified intervention. Anyone supporting Ukraine gets “cancelled” by me. I don’t, however, follow any one ideology (and political theory bores me rigid, as does religious theology). I’ll quote again a relvant comment I noted in my 13/2 entry: “This person is all over the place. Constantly looking for a place to fit in. It would not have been difficult to make her turn to the other side and make a news story if it. They wouldn’t have even had to offer her money. She would have been happy with friendship. She seems to flip flop from one thing to the other. She was a Trump supporter and now she’s not. She was massively into protests and now isn’t. She had a go at cops and now she regrets it. She was into QAnon and now she’s not. I mean, that alone shows how deep she got. This person does not have a clue who she is. She’s just going with whatever narrative suits her at the time, and going at it hard. She’s been seeking a place to fit in and moves on when she doesn’t feel like she does anymore. She reminds me of a friend I have who just can’t stick to one thing very long. She gets bored and moves on. Their emotions at the time override their sense of logic. Right now, she thinks she’s found her peeps (yet again). We’ll see how long this one lasts.”

Saturday 17/9: Burial site but not massacre; Putin press conference; those against Ukraine are not extremists

“Ukraine finds mass burial site containing more than 440 bodies in forest near recaptured city of Izium, police say,” ABC News, 17/9. Another false flag? Why would an implied massacre site have crosses clearly marking each grave? Moon of Alabama has a rebuttal post: “Ukraine – Dissecting Some War Propaganda News Items.”

“Ukraine conflict, energy crisis and ‘colonial’ West: Putin’s latest press conference,” RT, 16/9. “Vladimir Putin reiterated the goals of Russia’s military operation and blasted the Western elites’ attitude.” A summary of President Putin’s News conference following visit to Uzbekistan.

“From her NSW coastal home, Liz saw the Russian invasion. And launched a battle plan,” The Age, 17/9. Yet another Ukraine sympathy-rousing story in their constant propagandizing.

“Sympathy for Russia unites extremists on both sides,” The Australian, 16/9. “Both believe the West should not be arming Ukraine, and both have gone so far as to condemn their own countries – Britain and the US – for providing weapons and funding to bolster the Ukrainian defence. […] Corbyn’s views are based on fanciful and immature ideas.” A stupidly condescending opinion piece. Those who question the overwhelming pro-Ukraine propaganda are not “extremists.”

“Figures such as Corbyn, alongside Noam Chomsky and Australian journalist John Pilger, view the US as an ‘evil empire’ that is responsible for all the ills in the world, while those in poorer, non-Western nations sit beyond reproach. For the far left, crimes of non-Westerners are minimised, excused or ignored to maintain the facade that the West is the root of all evil.” U.S. imperialism is a real issue (couple of quick example links: “Mapping U.S. imperialism,” and Caitlin Johnson’s articles tagged with U.S. empire). To miminize this influence is extremely disingenious; two recent examples are the U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, both of which resulted in thousands of deaths of both nations’ citizens.

Sunday 18/9: Ban Russian tourists? Russian restraint or losing momentum?

Miserable weather – heavy rain yesterday and today. I am weary as usual.

“Ukraine calls on Australia to ban Russian tourists,” The Age, 18/9. The arrogance of this deluded fool – Ukraine’s Ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko – is unbelievable. I wish he could be banned and expelled. “He said Russian people predominantly supported the invasion of Ukraine and claimed that they hated Australia and its democratic values. ‘If you analyse what Russia is saying here in Australia – and I’m following several Russian-speaking groups … they just hate Australia,’ Myroshnychenko said.” Perhaps they are sick of the rabid Russophobia in the media?

Couple of pointed posts by Vox Day:

And from the other side in the parallel universe that is reporting the war in the mainstream media, The Australian in this case:

Monday 19/9: No HCC yet; Roskosmos unavailable again; sending more weapons; Russophobic letter; Napoleon in Moscow

My Health Care Card is still being “processed,” not completed until 30/9, but my current one expires this week on 22/9. Getting anxious. Two useless public holidays this Thursday and Friday (National Day of Mourning for the Queen; AFL Grand Final) don’t help, as government offices shut down for these.

I also can’t access Roskosmos again; getting a Forbidden Request ID: 2022-09-19-03-35-20-05589CBD03D451C4 server error, though I still can access via an online free web proxy. Very frustrating and anxiety-inducing as I thought such bans were done with; is it a deliberate IP ban by country, or some server misconfiguration?

“Marles looks to more Australian support for wartorn Ukraine,” The Age, 19/9. And still Australia is extorted for more weapons, and the gullible fools who pass as politicians here just keep on giving. (See 7/9 entry and link to “How we bet the house on Ukraine … and lost” article.)

A letter in the same paper today, typical of the attitude towards Russia here:

We must stand up to Putin

The Australian government should support Ukraine bybanning all Russians from coming here, whether for business, migration or tourism (Sunday Age, 18/9). This would send a clear message to Vladimir Putin that Russia’s action is unacceptable and that all Russians are complicit.

It is a war that should not have started and now is dragging on, destroying millions of lives and infrastructure that will take decades to rebuild. Sending military supplies is enabling more destruction, whereas inconveniencing Russians will make them realise we are standing with Ukraine. Why should the Russian people continue to enjoy their lives when Ukrainians are living in terror and fear while they battle this war on their homeland?

– Jacinta Cloney, Macedon

On a tangent, some interesting Napoleonic Wars history: “Bait and switch: How Russia handed Moscow to Napoleon 210 years ago but went on to win the war,” RT, 18/9. “The Western cliche is that ‘General Winter’ defeated the French leader, but the truth is far more complex.” But, as I noted in my 31/5 entry, just looking at the paintings of the troops shivering in the bitter cold is sheer misery!

Tuesday 20/9: Funeral fuss; Putin persona non grata; Mick meets Vlad

A fine, mild, sunny day for a change.

I ended up watching the funeral (in between sleep episodes), mainly because there was nothing else on. I wonder what the cost of all that pagentry was.

“Who was at the Queen’s funeral service – and who was not?” BBC News, 20/9. President Putin was on the “not invited” list. Even if he had been, attending might not have been a good idea when his Russian forces are involved in a conflict. Being thus shunned must be a little hurtful, though. Perhaps his feeling is, “I will not forget nor forgive.”

Representatives from Syria, Venezuela and Afghanistan were not invited. This is because the UK does not have full diplomatic relations with these countries.

No-one from Russia, Belarus and Myanmar was invited either.

Diplomatic relations between the UK and Russia have all but collapsed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and a spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was “not considering” attending the funeral.

The invasion was launched partially from the territory of Belarus. And the UK has significantly scaled back its diplomatic presence in Myanmar since a military coup last year.

North Korea (DPRK) and Nicaragua were invited to send only ambassadors, not heads of state.

Human rights groups had criticised the decision to invite Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. The prince has been accused by Western intelligence of ordering the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Prince Turki Bin Mohammed al Saud attended the funeral instead.

Pro-Ukraine propaganda in today’s The Age:

I get so angry and frustrated – I feel powerless to counter this incessant and pervasive Russophobia, and no politician will speak up for Russia (or, if any feel that way, they dare not to as the hysterical Ukrainian diaspora here would harass them).

Larry Johnson has a different view: “Did You Know that Ukrainian soldiers are ‘routing Russian forces and collapsing Russia’s northern Donbas axis?’.” “Let me reiterate one very important point – the so-called intelligence on Russian casualties in terms of personnel and equipment, is being provided solely by the Ukrainians. The United States has not taken any steps to independently verify the Ukrainian ‘intelligence.’ That is a recipe for disappointment once the truth comes out that Ukraine is guilty of exaggerating.”

Wednesday 21/9: Zak still whinging; Ukraine funding black hole; to destroy Russia; Putin announces partial mobilization; two Teslas

I still can’t access Roskosmos due to the 403 Forbidden error. Very frustrating, with the Soyuz MS-22 launch imminent.

Anatoly Zak of @RussianSpaceWeb continues to tweet out his Russophobic nonsense. A few recent tweets:

58m: Russia is bewildered by unexplained cancellation of highly anticipated Putin’s address tonight. Kremlin’s spokesman is out of sight, propaganda channels removed the speech broadcast announcements. Rumors about imminent border closures are circulating like in some banana republic.

15h: KARMA: Ukraine-based Antonov company delivers @OneWeb satellites to India, which takes over space delivery business from Russian #Soyuz rockets, as a result of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine

Sep 20: Russian publication, quoting Reporters Without Borders, says that French satellite operator @Eutelsat_SA broadcasts Kremlin’s propaganda to 15 million homes inside the Russian Federation. They call on Eutelsat to stop the practice.

Sep 19: Russia previously offered Turkey to fly its astronaut on #Soyuz … but then decided to spend more time on murdering people in Ukraine

“Economics of war: What Ukraine needs from us now,” The Age, 21/9 (originally in the NYT). The writer, in a convoluted manner, tries to justify the endless siphoning of foreign funding to Ukraine, and guilt-trip readers into continuing support for its corrupt regime. “This leaves one remaining path to Russian victory: dwindling Western support, both military and economic. If the flow of weapons slows down, Ukraine will once again find itself outmatched. If the flow of money is insufficient (some European nations have yet to deliver much of what they promised), Ukraine’s economy will fall into crisis.”

“Vladimir Kornilov: Time to drop our illusions, the West is waging a war to destroy Russia,” RT, 20/9. A bluntly-worded opinion piece. “We must speak frankly and openly: the West is waging a fierce war against the Russian state, using local forces as proxies. And this is covered by the fig leaf of “defending democracy.” However, what they really want is for Russia to be destroyed. Forever! Irrevocably! […] We still adhere to certain gentlemen’s rules of the game, which were adopted after the end of the Cold War. But now the stakes have been raised too high. To be clear, I am not calling for us to copy the criminal actions of Ukraine. We, unlike them, do not deliberately kill children, torture prisoners of war, or exterminate civilians. But in the face of increasing threats to Russian citizens, we are left with no choice but to act much more forcefully against military infrastructure, even if it’s also used by civilians, in the direction of decision-making centres, and towards those individuals directly responsible for terror and murders wherever they are located, as well as tackling states that pursue hostile policies.” (The Economist article he mentions: “Vladimir Putin’s war is failing. The West should help it fail faster.”) What the West ultimately wants is for Russia to be humiliated, disintegrated and subjugated, to be exploited for its resources and forever rendered powerless. One hopes the Western countries will meet that fate instead.

President Putin just announced that Russia is to begin partial mobilization. Mainstream news here is portraying this as an act of desperation and failure, doing their best to disparage the President (the ABC News on TV just had some think-tank “expert” speaking thus).

To a lighter topic: I now own two Teslas! Well, somewhat shrunken ones. ;-) A Matchbox one (red Tesla Model Y), bought today, and a Hot Wheels model (grey Tesla Model 3), bought a couple of years ago. I note that the official Tesla website for Australia has some die-cast models available in its shop, but they are $250 each, so not exactly affordable! I am seeing real Teslas much more frequently now in my local area, nearly every day.

Thursday 22/9: Not mourning; no Roskosmos; day of stresses; Putin pronouncement hysteria; finished Saving Proxima

An unwanted public holiday today: national day of mourning. I won’t be! (There is a comment at Reddit detailing the darker side of the Queen.)

I managed to briefly get through to the Roskosmos website early this morning, but it is now slowed up so much it keeps timing out. Under DDoS attack again? (Previously: 27/2 entry.) I am so sick of this.

Had a stressful day with that online drama (see the feelings expressed by an online commenter in my 9/4 entry), a mild headache this morning and interacting with elderly parents. I have forgotten what it is like to interact with normal (i.e. cognitively functioning) people.

Some ABC News articles that try to twist the mobilization so it is portrayed in a negative manner:

“Exclusive: Russia's Sergey Lavrov Warns U.S. It Risks Becoming Combatant in Ukraine War,” Newsweek, 21/9. An interview with the ever-well-spoken Russian Foreign Minister (also reproduced at The Saker). “I would like to emphasize that the collective West, led by the United States, is openly seeking to defeat Russia ‘on the battlefield.’ The United States and its allies are ready to sacrifice Ukraine for the sake of their geopolitical goals. To achieve them, they pump the country with weapons, and this leads to an escalated and prolonged conflict. It puts off the prospects of its settlement.”

Larry Johnson yet again has an excellent (and sardonic) riposte to the nonsense being propagandized by Western media: “The Rantings And Ravings of Vladimir Putin – He’s On The Ropes.” “Instead of taking Putin at face value and acknowledging that he is not one to make idle threats, western pundits and politicians rushed to set the meme–i.e., Putin is hysterical and panicked. He is a desperate man ready to do desperate things because Ukraine is beating the crap out of Russia. Etc. Denethor is an island of tranquility compared to the anguished, despondent Putin. Or so we are told.” (Note: “On the ropes” – a boxing metaphor.)

To a pleasanter topic: I read Saving Proxima by Travis S. Taylor and Les Johnson (sample chapters at Baen Books). A radio signal emanating from a habitable world orbiting Proxima Centauri indicates that, bafflingly, humans are residing there! Something that should be an evolutionary impossibility. The technology used is reasonably plausible (no FTL magic) – a photon-emitting drive called the Samara Drive provides propulsion for the starship:

Once complete, the Samaritan would use its fusion drive to take it to roughly the orbital distance of Mars before the onboard photon drive would be activated. As she understood it, the drive accelerated by emitting photons, lots of photons, instead of reaction mass. Without having to carry heavy fuel, the ship could accelerate to speeds in excess of seventy percent the speed of light, perhaps above eighty percent. The only drawback was the danger posed by the photons, the light, that accelerated the ship. It was essentially a death ray, a superpowered laser that, if aimed at a spacecraft or even a planetary surface, could do significant damage. The ship had to be sufficiently far away from anything that might fall into the emitted beam when it was operational – hence the need to begin the interstellar journey at or beyond the orbit of Mars.

The crew also take turns in induced hibernation to pass the time on the voyage:

“Well, the good news is that we think we can get the trip time down to ten years, like your spokesperson said today, instead of the original twenty. And there will be an option for sleeping part of the way. It isn’t the cryogenic sleep you see in the VRs, but more of an induced coma. While the person is asleep, their muscles are electrically stimulated to keep them healthy, their bodies are fed, and wastes disposed of. They will still age, they just won’t have to endure the full ten years in deep space. Crew members can choose to sleep all, part, or none of the time during the trip and they can change their minds at any time. And, of course, due to special relativity the trip will seem slightly shorter than ten years to the crew onboard.”

They reach the exoplanet and meet the inhabitants who are, indeed, human. There is a set-up for a sequel as their human origins are not fully explored. The novel was a decent straightforward read. Much of the story is concerned with detecting, building and life on the starship, and problem-solving.

Les Johnson has several fiction and non-fiction books published; he specializes in solar sail technology, an interest of mine due to my (currently-stalled) story. I did buy his most recent book, A Traveller’s Guide to the Stars, an overview of currently-plausible (and more fantastical) propulsion technologies for an interstellar spaceship.

Friday 23/9: Senior moments; Sergei Lavrov does not “flee”; Russophobic hysteria; 1,160 years of Russia

An oddly stressful day as Dad arose bizarrely early (around 3 a.m.) and had his breakfast then (normally arises around 6:30 a.m.). I hope he is not mentally declining as I am barely coping with real life.

“Top Russian diplomat ‘flees’ UN meeting after showdown over Ukraine,” The Age, 23/9. “Flees” – seriously? There is no way Sergei Lavrov would do so. “Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived late to the Security Council meeting, delivered his speech and then left soon afterwards.” He was probably aware of the hostile reception he would get and did not bother staying. Deliberately biased and loaded language in that headline.

Larry Johnson, as always, has an opposing view: “The Anti-Russian Propaganda Campaign Kicks Into High Gear.”

[…] There has been a flood of reports claiming that the Russian stock market is collapsing and that Russian men of military age are fleeing the country in droves.

The reality is that reaction in Russia has been more positive than negative. Are there protests? Yes. Funny about that. I thought Putin’s Russia was the reincarnation of the bad Soviet Union and anyone protesting would be carted off to the Gulag. There have been a few arrests, but the protests have not been quashed.

Western sources are circulating videos on social media of lines of cars trying to get out of Russia and lines of young men at the airports looking for a safehaven overseas. Is it true? Well, there are other videos of lines forming outside military recruitment offices in Russia.

President Putin Vladimir Putin made a speech at a gala concert marking the 1160th anniversary of Russian statehood. “For 1,160 years now, we have firmly learned that for Russia it is mortally dangerous to relax its sovereignty or renounce its interests even for a limited time. Russia’s very existence has come under threat during these times. They can no longer expect us to make these mistakes. We will not succumb to blackmail or intimidation, and we will never betray or lose our sovereignty. By strengthening it, we are developing our country.” Hopefully Russia will last another thousand (or many more) years! This commenter shares my own feelings: “I am not Russian. nor do i have a speck of Russian blood in my body. i am filled though with joy for being lucky to live in the time of such a gigantic world leader as Putin. i also feel blessed and immensely proud to carry a Russian heart.”

Saturday 24/9: Australia yaps, no one cares

“Penny Wong to criticise Vladimir Putin’s ‘desperate’ nuclear threats in UN General Assembly speech,” ABC News, 24/9. “Foreign Minister Penny Wong will use her speech at Friday’s UN General Assembly meeting to label Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats ‘weak and desperate,’ while calling on China and the global community to ramp up pressure on Moscow to end its invasion of Ukraine. Australia has been a forceful critic of Russia's invasion and has been the largest donor of military equipment to Ukraine outside of NATO.” Yet again, I am ashamed to be Australian. She does not speak for me! I hope President Putin will just ignore her (as she deserves to be).

The article made me think of this pointed cartoon by Steve Hunter I came across on a Twitter post: the symbolic Russian bear and Chinese dragon look with indulgent disdain upon a yapping little terrier representing Australia.

Mainstream media and the Western nations are doing their best to highlight a few people supposedly fleeing Russia to escape the military call-up, and describing the separatist referendums in Donbass as “illegitimate.” It is disheartening as it seems near-impossible to counter such relentlessly Russophobic propaganda. I note also that various biographies of President Putin are appearing in bookstores, all portraying him and Russia in a negative light.

Sunday 25/9: Voting a sham if Russia does it

Another fine and sunny day, but showers are forecast from tomorrow, unfortunately.

Did some more tweaking of the CSS file for my website; this can be either therapeutic or frustrating if I can’t get a particular style to work.

“Russia is holding referendums to claim more parts of Ukraine. The West says they are illegal shams – here’s why,” ABC News, 25/9. Predictably reporting the democratically-held referendum in the worst possible light. “Ukrainian officials have also branded the voting as a sham, reporting that people were banned from leaving some occupied areas until the four-day vote was over, armed groups were going to homes to force people to cast ballots, and employees were threatened with termination if they did not participate. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Russian-installed officials in the regions were setting targets for invented voter turnouts and approval rates, with some turnout figures already agreed.” And these fools are believed?

Too weary to comment on events now.

Monday 26/9: Website housekeeping

Still doing some tweaking of my website as an escape from world news; it is a creative outlet of sorts. Ran my pages through the online W3 validator; still picked up some syntax errors on a few pages. Only annoying aspect of doing this is that I have to paste in each page URL separately; there seems to be no option to scan a directory.

Tuesday 27/9: HCC processed; dubious POW claims; cornered rat?

My Health Care Card was renewed at last, at least the version in the app’s Digital Wallet – the paper one should arrive hopefully sometime this week in the mail.

“‘I wish they’d kill me’: British POW thanks Roman Abramovich for ending brutal Russian torture,” The Age, 27/9. Given that the prisoner was serving as a mercenary – who are not covered under prisoners-of-war rules (10/6 entry) – I am still skeptical of how much truth is in his account.

“Is Putin, the cornered rat, bluffing on the nuclear threat?” The Age, 27/9. “Is Vladimir Putin the cornered rat in the war against Ukraine? If so, is he about to lash out with a level of atomic violence that Penny Wong has described as ‘unthinkable’?” No, a nuclear response would be a last-ditch option to a NATO strike. A rather nasty comparison of President Putin to a rat he once encountered. Peter Hartcher is also a paranoid anti-China hysteric. A commenter, Geoff M, counters:

Is there actually any “threat to the territorial integrity of our country,” meaning Russia? No. Of course there is a threat to the territorial integrity of Russia. NATO has been encircling Russia for decades. More specifically, after the coup in 2014 and the expulsion from the parliament of all representatives from the ethnic Russian communities, the US DoD put out tenders for buildings in Crimea. They were ready to move in. The loss of facilities for the Russian Navy in Crimea, as flagged by the new Kiev regime, would have meant a Russian Navy confined to the Asov Sea and the whole of southern Russia exposed. As for the Donbass communities, they are clearly terrified of what the Kiev government would do to them if they were to successfully regain control of those regions. It is they who have pushed for the referendums at this time, probably too early in the war for the Russians. This is a brutal regime that has been shelling them for 8 years. In the order of 14,000 had died prior to the Russian invasion and civilians continue to die there on a daily basis under constant shelling. This is Ukrainians shelling Ukrainian citizens. They have seen what happened to “collaborators” in Bucha and Izyum and they want out. There is absolutly nothing left for them in Ukraine. Putin could not allow them to feel they have been abandoned, as much for his own political future as their safety. Further, if Donbass falls then Crimea falls and with that control of the Black Sea will fall to NATO. This is not about some Catherine the Great complex on Putin’s part. This really is existential.

“The Russia-Ukraine war will not end soon but post-war planning must start now,” Mick Ryan, ABC News, 27/9. This useful idiot again in his latest opinion column. “In the wake of this war, assuming Ukraine prevails, it will require a security framework to protect it from future Russian aggression.” “Assuming” – being a bit premature! “The Russians have essentially treated Ukrainians as a sub-class of people to be abused, tortured, and exterminated, as seen in Bucha and Izyum.” Actually, it’s how the ethnic Russians in Ukraine have been treated by Ukrainians.

Wednesday 28/9: Cars and rabbits; Russians as fictional bad guys; referendum results and gas pipe sabotage

I see two or three Tesla electric cars almost every day now; three white ones in the space of 10 minutes a couple of days ago, for example. The cheapest here is around $65,000, so they are still not exactly affordable! For myself, I found another Matchbox Tesla (21/9 entry), a dark grey Tesla Roadster.

I also own a rabbit … well, a toy one, a realistic black-and-white Dutch rabbit by Bochetta Plush Toys. I like soft toys, as many adults do, and see no shame in buying them. They provide tactile comfort for elderly people also. Watership Down by Richard Adams is a classic novel of rabbits and still a great read. My family saw the animated movie when it was released in 1978 and I cried most of the way through! It did not sugarcoat how brutal the natural world can be (and nor should such movies, in my view). It is still the original and best adaptation (the ones following in the modern era are best ignored).

I just want to write of innocuous and pleasant topics; I feel as though I am fighting against the tide regarding the Western mainstream media bias against the Russian intervention, and I am utterly burned out on it (though, of course, my distress is nothing in comparison to the real threats Russian soldiers and citizens face).

Had a quick skim through of a thriller novel, Backlash, churned out by an American author, Brad Thor. I won’t bother to link or describe it much, but the main ongoing character, Scot Harvath (American Secret Service agent and ex-Navy SEAL) goes to Russia to combat some bad guys there from the Russian government. Pretty much the usual shallow and simplistic depiction typical of this genre, with the civilized West battling the “barbarians” from the East and any country not aligned with the USA, UK and Europe (namely China, North Korea, the Middle East and so forth). Below are some extracts describing Russians – a stereotypical portrayal of them as vodka-swilling, barely-civilized barbarians:

Chapter 1: The transport plane, like everything else in Russia, was a piece of shit. For years, mechanics had swapped out its worn scavenged parts with even older parts. Cracks had been filled with epoxy. Leaking tubes and frayed wires had been wrapped with tape. A crash had been inevitable.

Ch 5: There was only one thing Russians liked more than drinking or f*cking, and that was fighting.

Ch 8: The Russians wanted to enjoy the peace and prosperity of a civilized world, without the encumbrances of following any of its laws. They wanted their sovereign territory respected, their system of government respected, their ability for self-determination respected, and on and on.

What they didn’t want was to be forced to play by the same rules as everyone else. They fomented revolutions, invaded and annexed other sovereign nations, violated international agreements, murdered journalists, murdered dissidents, and strove to subvert democratic elections and other democratic processes throughout the Western world. […] The Russians were not only superstitious but also congenital gossips.

Ch 10: When it came to intelligence gathering, the Russians ran a brutish operation that somehow succeeded despite itself. They were not thoughtful, meticulous savants. They were rats with terrible eyesight and even worse noses. Luck and bravado, more often than talent or hard work, usually carried the day.

Ch 26: Harvath knew a few things about the Russians. They were tough and proud, more enamored of their past than their future. Their “best” days as a nation were always those behind them, never those yet to come. The desire, among the very young and the very old alike, to return to Communism was startling.

That said, there was an overall distrust of, and even a disdain for, government. It was well-placed.

Little had changed in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The country was still being run as it had been during the Cold War. But instead of a Politburo, a handful of former KGB people now controlled everything, and they used that control to line their own pockets at the expense of the Russian people.

The contempt that Russians had for their government only grew the farther you traveled from Moscow. Out in remote areas, the evidence of the Kremlin’s failures was everywhere: lack of basic services, crime, corruption, and desperation. Across the country, standards of living, life expectancy, and literacy were all decreasing.

Russian President Fedor Peshkov and his cronies had grown astronomically wealthy by raping the country. It was a modern kleptocracy. They lived like royalty, and there was nothing the average Russian could do.

Every election was rigged, and those journalists, dissidents, or political opponents of Peshkov who did stand up were quickly knocked down, or worse.

In Russia, you learned not to question Peshkov or his allies. Survival existed along one path – the path of least resistance. No one in today’s Russia had ever taken on the government and survived, much less won. But as much as the citizens of Russia detested Peshkov, Harvath was under no illusion as to where their loyalties lay. Their pride came from a deep sense of nationalism, something Peshkov was expert at manipulating.

Not a week went by that he didn’t accuse America of being the source of his nation’s woes. It was straight out of the Soviet playbook.

An ex-KGB man himself, Peshkov was masterful at pointing the finger overseas in order to distract from his problems at home. If he didn’t continually blame “capitalism” or “American arrogance” or “American imperialism” or any of the other bogeymen he laid at the feet of the United States, the Russian people might start wondering if he and his government were to blame for their crappy existence.

Ch 31: As backward as it was, Russia had a high level of connectivity to the Internet, even in some of its most remote areas.

Not worth reading, let alone buying. As I noted in my 24/2 entry, Russians have long been bad guys in novels and movies, and will be even more so now. (Incidentally, Russia will be boycotting the Academy Awards, perhaps a pre-emptive move as they would be ostracized anyway. RT also had a recent article, “Block-busted: How Russians survive without Hollywood.” Admittedly, Russians are not missing out on much anyway, given the mostly dreck that Hollywood produces.)

Russia news of the day: “Kremlin claims victory in controversial Ukraine referendums set to pave way for annexation,” ABC News, 28/7. Of course, these are described as “illegitimate” and there are dubious claims that “Pro-Russian officials have been accused of forcing people to vote at gunpoint.” So it’s only illegitimate when Russia holds a referendum, and not Catalonia, Scotland or Quebec?

The other major event is the apparent sabotage of two Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia and Europe. “A senior Ukrainian official called it a Russian attack to destabilise Europe, without giving proof.” A nonsensical claim, as are others by any Ukrainian.

Thursday 29/9: Sore throat; moved “I stand with 🇷🇺” links; no Russia travel guides? Free VPN provider

My throat is a bit ominously sore – I hope this will not turn into another cold or Covid bout!

I moved the “I stand with 🇷🇺” links to my main Link page as the bottom here was looking a bit crowded.

I noticed some months ago while browsing in both bookstores in Southland Shopping Centre that there are no travel guides for Russia, or Russian cities, in that section at all. I don’t know whether that omission is deliberate, or perhaps because Russia is simply not popular as a destination (even before the events of this year), but it is odd as Russia is still a major country. I am not game to ask about the absence of travel guides there.

Via a forum link I found a free VPN provider, VPNGate (in Japan oddly), with a downloadable VPN client. I installed this and can now connect to Roskosmos, Energiya and other Russian space sites again! I will have to have the VPN running when I want to do this. For now, it works. I hate having to go through these convolutions, though; I just want to access these sites normally again.

Friday 30/9: End of month

October tomorrow; also Daylight Savings begins this weekend. Weather is warming up; the awful morning winter chill is now absent, thankfully.

Too tired to write today.

October

Saturday 1/10: Sunshine and memories; new Ran Prieur interview

Today is a rare perfect sunny day, clear blue sky, warm but not too hot. I indulge in pleasant nostalgic memories when walking. One favorite is of family daytrips in the 1970s and 1980s on weekends to the countryside surrounding Melbourne, usually around the Ballarat region to the northwest. I scanned in some photos here, of one such occasion, us near the much-driven Renault 12 (colored in that distinctive and very 1970s flat orange-tan), having stopped for a picnic and some gold-detector fossicking by Dad. (Sadly, he never found so much as a speck of gold, though large gold nuggets are still being unearthed in the region in the present day! And there are many old and deep mineshafts scattered around the area.) Notable also are the dryness of the bush, the tans and olive greens of the soil and vegetation contrasting with the brilliant blue sky. I don’t know the exact location of where the photos were taken long ago (around 1979); are they still there, I wonder. I like the one of my sister and I standing in the shallow pond; it looks like a secret magical place.

1979 family daytrip to Ballarat goldfields, two photos: stopped for a picnic 1979 family daytrip to Ballarat goldfields, two more photos: Dad fossicking for gold; sister and I standing in pond

If there is an afterlife, I would like to spend it reliving my pleasant memories, of visiting places and reuniting with now-deceased relatives. An afternoon would stretch for an eternity. As well as Australia, there are also memories of England, such as of staying in my paternal grandmother’s Corner Cottage in Spridlington (mentioned in my 5/10/2014 entry).

Ran Prieur (12/8 entry), whose website and blog I follow (the blog being constructed in refreshingly old-fashioned and plain handwritten HTML, like mine) linked to a recent interview with “Leafbox.” An eclectic and wide-ranging chat on various topics. A quote I liked: “my latest obsession, one of my favorite motivational quotes is from the filmmaker John Waters, who said ‘Life is nothing if you’re not obsessed.’ So I just like to get obsessed with little things.” That’s a way to keep yourself going if you have no major creative projects to occupy you. My own worldbuilding is dormant if not abandoned altogether as my creative spark there has gone, but I feel bad about just passively consuming. So fussing with the underlying HTML and CSS code of my website is one little thing for me.

Sunday 2/10: Laptop dream; referenda hypocrisy; draft-dodgers; President Putin’s speech; stupid pipeline sabotage accusation; Ukraine getting uppity

Had a curious dream in which I was given a hot-pink-colored Apple laptop! I commented on the color; it was the last one available, apparently.

“Satellite images show long queues out of Russia as enlistment centre reportedly established at Georgia border,” ABC News, 28/9. “Russian men have been lining up for kilometres at the borders of several neighbouring countries to avoid President Vladimir Putin’s mobilisation efforts.” Hyped up by Western media, of course. But a Russian senator who suggested banning military-age men from leaving Russia was criticized by fellow lawmakers, which is proof that criticism is allowed in Russia.

“Rules for Thee But Not for Me: Referenda Results the West Recognized When It Suited Them,” Sputnik News, 30/9. An overview of previous referenda to demonstrate the selective hypocrisy of the West’s declaring the reunification with Russia of the four former Ukrainian oblasts a “sham.” “Washington and its partners have threatened Moscow with a raft of new sanctions as it moves forward to formally incorporating the territories into the Russian Federation. But recent history shows that Washington and its allies are not at all averse to using referenda to hasten the destruction of their adversaries, or even to expand their own territorial realms, when it is convenient for them.” Examples given are the diplomatic recognition of Slovenia and Croatia, and the various nations resulting from the breakup of the USSR.

“Signing of treaties on accession of Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics and Zaporozhye and Kherson regions to Russia,” President of Russia, 30/9. English transcription of President Putin’s landmark speech.

“US suggests Russia could be behind Nord Stream gas leaks,” BBC News, 1/10. BBC News grasping at straws (it is as biased and Russophobic as the other mainstream Western media). The utter stupidity of this assertion is obvious – why would Russia sabotage an income-producing asset? “Russia has dismissed suggestions that it was to blame. It said claims it had damaged the pipelines were ‘stupid and absurd.’ […] Earlier Russia’s Foreign Ministry suggest it was the US that stood to benefit from the pipeline being out of action because it would be able to increase its own natural gas sales.”

“Ukraine warns Australia against rubbing shoulders with Putin at G20,” The Age, 2/10. The sheer rudeness and audacity of the politicians from this insignificant country telling other nations what they “should” do! Sadly, Australia will continue to blindly support them. “Andrii Smyrnov, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s deputy chief of staff, told The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age that Australia was a ‘very strong and very powerful continent’ and its role in upholding the rules-based order in the world was ‘huge’. ‘Australia is not only a large country, it is a large continent that plays an important role in the global system of security and in other areas,’ he said.” Utterly and laughably false, so a blatant attempt at buttering up the gullible politicians here.

Monday 3/10: HCC came; brainwashing of Australians; Jaques Baud on Kharkov

My paper Health Care Card arrived at last in the mail today, so that is done until next year.

“Australia hits Russia with more sanctions following Kremlin’s annexation of Ukrainian territories,” ABC News, 3/10. More of the same. I am once again ashamed of my country.

“‘Australians are brainwashed’: Russian ambassador sends expulsion warning,” The Age, 3/10. He simply states the truth – the media here are complicit in brainwashing the public and are by no means impartial.

Pavlovsky acknowledged the “predominant mood” in Australia was hostility towards Russia and the belief Ukraine had been the victim of bullying by a larger, more powerful neighbouring state.

But he said this was largely because the western media did not provide the public with the Russian perspective on the war or highlight wrongdoing by Ukraine, including restrictions on teaching the Russian language in Ukrainian schools.

“Australians are not informed on the genesis of the situation,” he said. “And frankly I would even use the word brainwashed.”

Even as nations such as Australia decry the annexation referendums as shams, Pavlovsky said he believed the “true mood” in those regions was widespread support to be part of Russia rather than Ukraine.

“Kharkov and Mobilization,” Jacques Baud (previously: 6/9 entry), The Postil Magazine, 1/10. An analysis of the apparent Ukrainian victory in Kharkov. “From a military point of view, this operation is a tactical victory for the Ukrainians and an operational/strategic victory for the Russian coalition.” Also on the mobilization and Western media focus on those fleeing such: “Much has been made in the West about those who have sought to leave Russia to avoid mobilisation. They certainly exist, like the thousands of Ukrainians who sought to escape conscription and can be seen in the streets of Brussels driving powerful and expensive German sports cars! Much less publicity has been given to the long queues of young people outside military recruitment offices and the popular demonstrations in favour of the decision to mobilise!”

Tuesday 4/10: Ukraine conflict summary; Elon pot-stirring again; mad Vlad article; a webmention

“A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding the Ukraine Conflict,” Ian Kummer, 2/10. A summary of current events there.

“Elon Musk in row with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy over Twitter poll suggesting Russia should keep Crimea,” ABC News, 4/10. The eccentric entrepreneur managed to get Ukraine shills riled up over one of his provocative Tweets (but he spoils it by Tweeting “I still very much support Ukraine, but am convinced that massive escalation of the war will cause great harm to Ukraine and possibly the world”).

“The end of Vladimir Putin? It might come sooner than you think,” The Age, 4/10. Yet another Putin-bashing opinion piece by Matthew Sussex, an obscure Australian academic, who seems to be living in a different reality and somehow has a deep insight into the President’s psyche (like most of these so-called Western “experts”).

Still tweaking my CSS for this site. I also got a webmention at Seirdy/Rohan Kumar’s site from his Best practices for inclusive textual websites page (I linked there from my Web design opinion page). My own philosophy is to stick to the basics (hand-coded HTML and CSS) and for my site to be viewable in older browsers, as well as text-only ones like Lynx, though of course the more advanced decorative and layout techniques will not be rendered by these.

Wednesday 5/10: Musician Roger Waters cancelled; Mick Ryan conflict of interest; an annoying artist trend

“Roger Waters: I’m on a Ukrainian ‘Kill List’,” Rolling Stone, 4/10. Good to see a celebrity with the courage to speak up against the relentless propaganda – but the journalist interviewing him still tries to dismiss his opinions: “I try to push gingerly through Waters’ brick wall. I haven’t just seen things via corporate media, I say – I’ve got friends in Ukraine, and friends who went to Ukraine as journalists. I’ve even got friends who are Ukrainian journalists. I’m relying on testimony of people I know who’ve seen things with their own eyes. And it’s not only Ukrainian officials and Western media reporting atrocities – there are war crimes investigations already underway. […] Waters’ claim isn’t true, but it isn’t completely false, either. […] I leave the interview thinking it’s almost the opposite: Waters is an example of how we can construct our own narrative and twist the world to fit in, with no amount of mainstream media, propaganda, or even real-world facts and evidence able to let any light in.” Mainstream media are as biased as those they disparage, and their narrative is not to be trusted.

Roger was already “cancelled” – literally: “Polish venue cancels Roger Waters concerts amid anger over Ukraine comments,” ABC News, 26/9. The Ukraine shills and fanatics lynch-mob anyone who threatens their version of the conflict.

“Australia’s pitiful support for Ukraine sends the wrong message to China,” The Age, 5/10. “As the world’s 13th largest economy, and a nation that has regularly sent its people to the far side of the globe to defend other democracies, this small contribution is puzzling. There are ample reasons for why Australia should be at the forefront of providing more military, economic and humanitarian aid to the Ukrainians.” Mick Ryan at it again (previously: 27/9 entry), trying to guilt readers and the government into increasing support for the money pit that is Ukraine.

Independent journalist Caitlin Johnstone posted a Tweet concerning his conflict of interest: “Mick Ryan is a fellow at @CSIS, a think tank funded by the military-industrial complex, arguing that Australia should funnel more money into the military-industrial complex via Ukraine. The Age neglects to inform us that this is effectively an advertorial for Northrop Grumman. The Age only says Ryan is ‘a retired major general,’ making no mention of his immense conflict of interest. This is like running an article by Colonel Sanders on the health benefits of fried chicken but calling him ‘Harland David Sanders, former fry cook.’ The Age also of course neglects to inform us that the think tanker who is telling us that Australia must send more weapons to Ukraine is funded not only by the military-industrial complex but by the US government and its client states, including Australia. It’s absolutely insane that the news media people trust to inform them about their government’s foreign policy routinely feed them punditry by think tankers who are funded by the war industry and those very same governments, without ever mentioning this.”

To the topic of websites, and the web presence of artists. “Your Website is Useless,” Kiriska, 28/2. This entry is targeted at artists who have a website but rarely if ever update them, instead focusing their main activity on social media. This trend also irritates me (previously mentioned: 11/11/2018 entry). Most social media sites throw up annoying modals and popups demanding that viewers sign in or join up to view more posts. I do not always wish to sign in (if already a member) or sign up if not, so I backtrack from such pages. I wish artists (visual, writers, musicians etc.) would make their main web presence on a basic old-fashioned website, as used to be the case. These were and are a lot more user-friendly and accessible. “Let me sit in the library of your website and enjoy things quietly and unhurriedly.”

Thursday 6/10: Russian rides a Dragon

“American, Russian, and Japanese astronauts launch with SpaceX Crew-5 mission,” NASASpaceflight.com, 5/10. Cosmonaut Anna Kikina, currently the only woman in the active Cosmonaut Group, became the first Russian cosmonaut to launch on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft as part of the Crew-5 mission. Predictably, this event is overshadowed by the nastiness from the observers of, and participants in, the Western space program as all seem to be rabid Ukraine supporters (some previous examples: 19/3, 3/4, 29/4, 3/6, 6/7, 12/7, 16/7, 28/8 entries). Of course, NASAWatch has more snark: “NASA Would Rather Not Talk About The Whole Russian Invasion Thing,” 5/10.

Keith’s note: At the post-launch press event today Roscosmos representative Sergei Krikalev was asked if his upbeat and professional tone was an attempt to dial back the behavior of the former head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin. He gave a one word response: “Yes”, smiled, and there was laughter in the room.

That said Krikalev et al are trying to keep the whole cooperation thing going – and they did not start the war in Ukraine, so I suppose they need to be cut some slack. But Russia has used the ISS more than once as a photo op backdrop for pro-Russian military efforts in Ukraine – so this topic should not be out of bounds.

It is somewhat odd that Sergei Krikalev smiles and laughs about the behavior of Rogozin in an official capacity i.e. the horrid things he said about NASA and his coarse, unvarnished support for the brutal invasion of Ukraine by Russia. This is serious life and death stuff folks.

It is good that this issue was asked by someone in the media since NASA PAO limits who can ask questions for fear of raising tensions – they stopped sending me advanced dial-in information, FWIW. Alas the invasion of Ukraine by Russia is a touchy topic – even when it comes to ISS – so don’t expect much of a discussion about that ‘elephant in the space capsule’.

Reddit is, of course, unbearable on that topic.

Friday 7/10: Flooding rain; begging for more (and nuke Russia too!); President Putin turns 70

Very heavy rainfall in Melbourne from mid-morning; almost tropical in intensity.

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praises Australia’s Bushmaster vehicles, calls for coordinated action at UN to rebuke Russia’s annexation,” ABC News, 7/10. “While not elaborating on exactly what arms Australia was supplying, he revealed more weapons were on the way to Ukraine. ‘I don’t want to go into details on what weapons … it is not only small arms but some heavy weapons as well,’ he said.” The begging never ends.

“Zelensky: Australia to deliver ‘significant’ new support for Ukraine,” The Age, 7/10. “In an appearance via video link at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney, Zelensky urged the global community not to give in to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ‘nuclear blackmail.’” Which is exactly what this shamless grifter is doing – guilting nations into giving his lost cause yet more money and equipment.

He also asked NATO to start a nuclear war with Russia – video clip on Twitter and Archive.org). “What should NATO do? Eliminate the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons. […] We need pre-emptive strikes so that they’ll know what will happen to them if they use nukes, and not the other way around. Don’t wait for Russia’s nuclear strikes and then say, ‘Oh, since you did this, take that from us!’”

The Age published a hasty walkback:

Earlier today, we told you that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has enraged Russia after using a speech to an Australian think tank to suggest NATO should conduct a pre-emptive strike against the Kremlin to ensure Vladimir Putin’s regime doesn’t use nuclear weapons.

Zelensky’s staff have since clarified those comments.

Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Lowy Institute he was looking forward to more military assistance from Australia.

Presidential spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov has explained that the Ukrainian leader was referring to strikes in the sense of preventive sanctions, and not the literal sense of launching missiles, according to The Kyiv Independent.

During the speech, Zelensky did not go into specific detail about what kind of strikes he meant. But Nykyforov added that Ukraine would never call for the use of nuclear weapons.

Yeah, right. As with President Biden’s “walkback” regarding Russia in March (“‘For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,’ Biden said about Vladimir Putin”), he can’t weasel his way out of such a blatant statement.

President Putin turned 70 this week (7/10)! But of course Western media has nothing nice to say: “Putin at 70: isolated, irrational and fearing for his health,” The Times, 5/10. Though to be honest, some assertions made in that article are bizarrely entertaining: “Suspected health issues have added an element of unpredictability. Putin has been visited at least 35 times by a cancer specialist in four years, the Proyekt opposition website reported earlier this year. It claimed he had resorted to taking baths of blood from the antlers of young reindeer, a treatment that he was introduced to by Shoigu.” And this gem: “Aleksei Navalny, the opposition leader, exposed Putin as the secret owner of a vast palace on the Black Sea. The 1 billion-pounds residence boasts helicopter pads, an underground ice hockey rink, a tunnel to the beach and a spa with a storage area for therapeutic mud. Its lavatories are equipped with gold-leafed Italian lavatory brushes worth pounds 650 and pounds 900 lavatory paper holders.” Do they really believe anything that fifth columnist says?

Saturday 8/10: Putin speech analysis; actor joins the Dark Side

“Putin’s September 30, 2022, speech – a commented reading,” The Vineyard of the Saker, 7/10. Analysis of President Putin’s notable 30/9 speech.

“Steven Seagal Praises Russian Orthodox Christianity, Attends International Church Conference,” Fr. Joe’s Newsletter - Moving to Russia, 7/10. “Born in the United States, and also a citizen of Serbia, actor Steven Seagal was granted Russian citizenship six years ago. He has come to Russia many times, repeatedly expressing his affection for the country.” Steven Segal’s support of Russia was mentioned in my 11/8 entry. Of course such an opinion will now make him a pariah, unfortunately.

“Star Wars actor asks to help Ukraine with drones,” RT, 2/10. I was also disappointed to see another well-known actor, Mark Hamill, side with Ukraine (seduced by the Dark Side), but most celebrities have been propagandized into this.

“I mean, Star Wars was always a fairytale for children and fairytales are morality tales of good versus evil, where good is clearly defined, evil is clearly defined,” Hamill said.

“And it’s not hard to extrapolate an evil empire with Russia invading a sovereign nation.”

“I feel a great responsibility to try and do everything I can to further the Ukrainian cause,” he said.

As one article commenter lamented: “I’m so tired of this … actors that become activists of some sort and therefore ruin or taint their legacy. There are now so many classic films that I can’t watch any more because the principal actors have gone on to espouse political and/or activist views that are divisive, to say the least. I can no longer watch these films without being reminded of these acts. It ruins the illusion of the film. The power of the film is in the illusion. You take that away, you take away the magic ….”

Sunday 9/10: Mysterious mercenaries

Very tired as usual; I seem to have been in constant motion all day with chores. I have also been tidying up a computer-translated webpage (Russian to English) for my RuSpace site, which is tedious and mentally exhausting.

“Who’s behind Wagner, the most notorious mercenary group in the world?” The Age, 9/10. Today’s Russia-bashing article, on the use of mercenaries (which I already knew of) and certainly is not exclusive to Russia (Blackwater, for example, being a notorious American private military company). Of course, being Russian, they are presented with a particularly sinister slant :-S. “From seizing diamond mines in Africa to prowling the streets of Kyiv with alleged orders to murder Ukraine’s president, Wagner has been turning up more and more in conflicts across the globe as Russia seeks to expand its influence. Experts say the group is now largely propping up Vladimir Putin’s bloody and costly war in Ukraine. Wagner fighters have been among the first charged with war crimes there and their financer, the oligarch known as ‘Putin’s chef,’ has recently admitted to running the group (after surviving a major Ukrainian strike on their base in the Donbas).” (Who are these quoted “experts”?)

Monday 10/10: Pontificating on Putin; money wasted on Ukraine; Ukraine apologist novel

“This world is more dangerous with a wounded Putin,” The Age, 10/10. Editorial about a man whom the writer has never met and thus relies on hearsay for a so-called “analysis.” “This leaves him with few options but to double down militarily in a bid to stave off further humiliation. At just about every turning point since the war began, Putin has reacted to military failures with ever further escalation: calling up untrained recruits, conducting more indiscriminate attacks on cities, reducing gas flows and threatening to use nuclear weapons.” Contrary opinion: the war Russia is waging is a deliberately slow grind, successful in that it has sucked in the West to economically self-destructing as the deluded governments of these countries commit increasingly scarce funding and equipment to a lost cause.

“‘Can’t wave budget papers on the battlefield’: Defence blowouts under fire,” The Age, 10/10. “Support for Ukraine’s war against Russia is also adding to budget pressures, with the government set to announce a substantial new package of support for Ukraine on top of the $388 million in military assistance already provided this year.” There’s one unnecessary expense that definitely should be cut.

Espied a Ukrainan-themed novel today, I Will Die in a Foreign Land by Kalani Pickhart. A quick glance indicates it is the usual poorly-written, pseudo-literary dreck that has been undeservedly lauded by critics due to its subject matter – the Ukrainian side is presented sympathetically. I may get a perverse enjoyment from it of sorts if I manage to hate-read it.

In 1913, a Russian ballet incited a riot in Paris at the new Théâtre de Champs-Elysées. “Only a Russian could do that,” says Aleksandr Ivanovich. “Only a Russian could make the whole world go mad.”

A century later, in November 2013, thousands of Ukrainian citizens gathered at Independence Square in Kyiv to protest then-President Yanukovych’s failure to sign a referendum with the European Union, opting instead to forge a closer alliance with President Vladimir Putin and Russia. The peaceful protests turned violent when military police shot live ammunition into the crowd, killing over a hundred civilians.

I Will Die in a Foreign Land follows four individuals over the course of a volatile Ukrainian winter, as their lives are forever changed by the Euromaidan protests. Katya is an Ukrainian-American doctor stationed at a makeshift medical clinic in St. Michael’s Monastery; Misha is an engineer originally from Pripyat, who has lived in Kyiv since his wife’s death from radiation sickness; Slava is a fiery young activist whose past hardships steel her determination in the face of persecution; and Aleksandr Ivanovich, a former KGB agent who climbed atop a burned-out police bus at Independence Square and played the piano.

As Katya, Misha, Slava, and Aleksandr’s lives become intertwined, they each seek their own solace during an especially tumultuous and violent period. The story is also told by a chorus of voices that incorporates folklore and narrates a turbulent Slavic history.

While unfolding an especially moving story of quiet beauty and love in a time of terror, I Will Die in a Foreign Land is an ambitious, intimate, and haunting portrait of human perseverance and empathy.

A contrary viewpoint to the 2014 “Color Revolution” is presented at Conservapedia: Maidan coup. (Has a right-wing/Conservative slant, but still some salient points.)

Tuesday 11/10: A dream of devastation; a justified response; Australia’s Ukraine mission creep

Had a vivid and unsettling dream before arising this morning, about the current Russian SMO in Ukraine. I was with President Putin – both as a separate presence and looking through his eyes – and his advisors and military generals. The dream was quite detailed, but has inevitably faded; these are just some impressions as best as I can remember.

We are being shown around in a city in one of the liberated regions; unidentified in the dream, but a major city that is damaged by the fighting and still a war zone. The conflict is escalating.

There are signs that the enemy is up to something – I see armored soldiers and some sort of long-legged robots marching. Scenes of a city war zone. President Putin is on some sort of guided tour to ascertain the current situation from the ground. There are indications via Intelligence assets that the Americans seem to be planning something.

The day is bright and sunny. Putin looks northward out over where the city used to be – now a vast smoking crater carved out by an unknown American super weapon laser from orbit; a demonstration of its power. A truck drives over the edge of the crater and tumbles down. He must retaliate somehow but is stunned and indecisive. A nuclear strike seems to be the only option. Putin retreats to a room in a bombed-out building with a few advisors, stunned and uncertain of how to proceed.

A scene of Russian armoured soldiers boarding a military transport aircraft along with some civilians; they are singing some patriotic song to lift morale.

Last scene: A still-devastated Putin walks into a crowded dining room to meet US officials who can barely contain their glee. I then awaken.

Not a happy ending, so I hope that dream is not prophetic!

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has a new leader – but the fatal flaw at the heart of Vladimir Putin’s strategy remains,” Mick Ryan, ABC News, 11/10. Another inane “analysis” from the so-called “expert” I love to hate (previous mention in my 5/10 entry). “In the past 24 hours, we have seen the Russian response to the attack on the Kerch Bridge over the weekend. […] Perhaps inevitably, Putin and his morally bankrupt military leadership turned to their normal response to such ‘outrages’ – bombing Ukrainian cities.” No, the targeted airstrikes were a justified response to a Ukrainain terrorist act. (President Putin’s meeting with permanent members of the Russian Security Council.)

And still the gullible idiots in the Australian Government get further and further sucked into the Ukraine quagmire:

ADF’s plan to deploy Australian troops to help train Ukrainian recruits

High-level talks are under way for Australian troops to help train Ukrainian soldiers.

The Australian Defence Force is ready to deploy troops to help train Ukrainian military recruits heading into the frontline in their war against Russia.

Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed he is in high-level talks with the Ukrainian government over further support packages for the embattled country, noting the latest indiscriminate missile assault on civilians by Russia.

Mr Marles described the attacks as “appalling” and said Ukraine had to be supported in any way in what was clearly set to be a protracted conflict.

“What’s really clear is that these strikes have been done with complete indifference to civilian populations, they’ve been directed at population centres in Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine,” Mr Marles said.

“I was with the Ukrainian Ambassador (Vasyl Myroshnychenko) yesterday when the news broke about these strikes, and the heartbreak was palpable.”

He said having ADF trainers assist Ukraine in combat warfare was one option.

The British military has already trained nearly 10,000 Ukrainian recruits under Operation Interflex at various training camps in the UK, specifically in urban warfare, marksmanship and battlefield first aid. They are set to “significantly expand” the program with assistance from the armed forces of New Zealand, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands.

“Well, that’s just one option that’s on the table,” Mr Marles said when asked if Australia would follow the British lead.

“The United Kingdom is providing training assistance for Ukraine so we’re looking at that option as well as others. We’ve not made any commitments yet as to what exactly the package of support would look like but we are working with the Ukrainian Government about ways in which we can help.”

It is understood the US also have considerable personnel assisting Ukrainian counterparts from NATO bases in Poland and elsewhere. Canadian Armed Forces also has Operation Unifier is undertaking targeted training of Ukraine recruits in the UK.

Last month the British Ministry of Defence requested other allies like Australia consider the same assistance commitment.

Australia has had considerable experience in providing warfare training – notably in Afghanistan and Iraq but also PNG and the Philippines.

Mr Marles suggested Australia could also gift Ukraine more Bushmaster vehicles which he said had an obvious impact in protecting Ukrainian personnel from Russian strikes. Australia had already committed to sending 60 of the armoured vehicles.

“I want to emphasise there is an enormous sense of gratitude from Ukraine to the whole of the Australian people for the support that has been provided up until now,” he said.

“We’re just about the largest non-NATO contributor. There is this sense that they’re getting support from the other side of the world and they’re really grateful for it.”

He said Ukraine, Ukrainian conflict had to be resolved on Ukraine’s terms as Russia’s continued aggression could not be tolerated.

Wednesday 12/10: Haircut; more flooding rains; recluse and rockets; Russian shock and awe; Surovikin takes over; Mick Ryan ramblings

Had my hair trimmed, so it is quite short again (just below my chin), though still one length.

Another major rain front came through today, with heavy rains forecast across the east coast of Australia.

A nice human interest story was posted on the Roskosmos Telegram account – see my Russian spaceflight news page.

“Volodymyr Zelenskyy asks Australia to train Ukrainian soldiers, during phone call with Anthony Albanese,” ABC News, 12/10. The puppet president being presumptuous again. “Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last night, during which the Ukrainian leader asked for more assistance. Mr Albanese, speaking on Wednesday, said his government would consider the request in the coming days but insisted Australian troops would not be entering Ukraine. ‘The suggestion is whether Australians could provide support for training outside of Ukraine in Europe, and we'll give consideration to that as we’ll give consideration to the other requests,’ he told the ABC.” SBS News also reports on this; they are even more blatantly biased against Russia.

Much hysteria and condemnation from the West of the Russian missile strikes on Kiev, targeting key infrastructure – which have only come after Russia is out of other options. Civillians were killed, but that is an unfortunate inevitability of any war. You’d get the impression such an action was particularly odious because Russia did it, but one might invoke “whataboutism” in pointing out America’s “Shock and Awe” bombardment of Iraq, or their invasion of, and numerous bombings in Afghanistan.

“‘A reputation for total ruthlessness’: General Surovikin takes charge of Russian troops in Ukraine,” The Age/NYT, 12/10. And that is precisely what the Russian SMO needs: a no-nonsense, hard-arse military commander. Of course, Western media reports this in a negative manner, digging up any unverified allegations: “He has long had a reputation for corruption and brutality, military analysts said. ‘He is known as a pretty ruthless commander who is short with subordinates and is known for his temper,’ said Michael Kofman, the director of Russia studies at CNA, a defence research institute based in Virginia.”

‘General Armageddon’ to lead Russian forces in Ukraine

Sergey Surovikin, a Syria campaign veteran, will take command of all operations, the Defense Ministry said

Army General Sergey Surovikin, who has been heading up the ‘South’ grouping of troops in Ukraine and Donbass, will assume overall command of Russian forces, the Defense Ministry announced on Saturday.

“By the decision of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General Sergey Surovikin was appointed commander of the joint grouping of the forces in the area of the special military operation,” the ministry’s statement read.

The veteran general has held the position of commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces since 2017. The same year, he was awarded the title of Hero of Russia for his role in the military operation in Syria. Before that, he also took part in hostilities in Chechnya.

According to various media reports, Surovikin was given the nickname ‘General Armageddon’ by his colleagues, citing his hardline and unorthodox approach to military operations.

Surovikin took charge of the ‘South’ grouping during Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine. In late June, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that his troops had eliminated a major Ukrainian force encircled in the area of Gorskoye, in the Lugansk People’s Republic.

The new appointment comes after Russian troops withdrew from the key town of Krasny Liman in the Donetsk People’s Republic to avoid encirclement, last week. The move sparked criticism from a number of Russian officials, who rebuked the military for not having organized more solid defenses.

Meanwhile, some military analysts, and media figures, have become increasingly vocal with concerns about how the Ukraine operation is progressing.

“Putin has mastered the art of atrocity, but it won’t win him this war,” Mick Ryan, The Age, 12/10. “This is hardly a new act from the Russians. Since the beginning of this war, they have mastered the art of the atrocity.” Apparently exclusive to Russia (Ukraine, of course, can do no wrong). “Shopping malls, train stations, parks, playgrounds, hospitals, theatres, cultural sites and residential areas are all fair game for the brutal yet clueless Russian military commanders. These attacks are given a thin veil of legitimacy by the Russian military by calling their targets ‘military,’ but nothing is further from the truth. These are deliberate attacks to terrorise the people of Ukraine.” No, they are to target infrastructure and, as I wrote earlier, make the point that Russia will tolerate no more incursions. “This is hardly a new act from the Russians. Since the beginning of this war, they have mastered the art of the atrocity. Shopping malls, train stations, parks, playgrounds, hospitals, theatres, cultural sites and residential areas are all fair game for the brutal yet clueless Russian military commanders. These attacks are given a thin veil of legitimacy by the Russian military by calling their targets “military”, but nothing is further from the truth. These are deliberate attacks to terrorise the people of Ukraine.” Allegations only, and again Ukraine has committed its own share of atrocities in Donbass.

One sensible comment on that opinion piece: “Kari Freyr McKern: ‘The reporting of the war is completely onesided. During the Cold War we learned to have a grudging respect for our adversaries. Ukrainian attrocities against Russian speakers in the Donbass were a reality according to UN observers. This war is a calamity caused firstly by the expansion of NATO and secondly the installation of the Zelensky regime and for these reasons I see zero evidence that the West will prevail in Ukraine anymore than it could prevail in Vietnam. Demonising Putin will get us nowhere, it has only solidified his support.’”

Thursday 13/10: Vocal protestors; stealing money; businessman with a grudge; Elon controversy; hibernation research

“Australians rally in support of Ukraine after Russian missile strikes,” ABC News, 11/10. Actually they are mostly Ukrainian immigrants, or Australians of that descent. They are loud and no doubt have some influence in government policy.

“Australia’s sovereign wealth fund still holds $200 million in Russian investments despite war in Ukraine,” ABC News, 13/10. “The Australian government has banned commercial interaction with publicly owned Russian banks and companies associated with the Russian oil industry, military equipment and services. Australia also joined fellow central banks in putting the squeeze on Russia, preventing $8 billion worth of Australian bonds from being cashed in by the Bank of Russia.” So, stealing legitimately-invested Russian funds. I hope Russia (and China) can decouple themselves from the Western financial system.

“‘He doesn’t negotiate’: Russia’s foreign enemy No.1 on what makes Putin tick,” The Age, 13/10. William Browder is an untrustworthy source – according to one article from 2017, “Hedge-fund operator William Browder helped plunder Russia’s riches […] the loans-for-shares scheme that made him his initial fortune has been correctly characterized as the epitome of corruption, an arrangement whereby foreign “investors” worked with local oligarchs to strip the former Soviet economy of its assets paying pennies on each dollar of value. Along the way, Browder was reportedly involved in making false representations on official documents and bribery.”

“‘Disaster’: What an Elon Musk-owned Twitter could mean for Ukrainian freedom and democracy,” The Age, 13/10. Only a “disaster” because of the now-heretic prospect of allowing free speech for pro-Russian posts. “Barrett and others said that they were not afraid of Musk bringing Twitter to China and back into Russia, saying that could help citizens communicate more. Instead, they fret that a Twitter without much moderation would allow propagandists for those governments to wreak more havoc than they already do.”

To a completely different topic: hibernation. “The remarkable science behind fat bears that holds important lessons for human health,” The Age/WP, 11/10. The research here is focused on applications for human insulin resistance (possible treatments for diabetes), but could this also be applied to hibernation for long spaceflight journeys? “But the bears maintain their muscle and rapidly reestablish normal, healthy insulin sensitivity and organ function after hibernation. […] But bears hold on to their muscle through months of not moving. Their secret seems to lie, again, in substances flowing through their blood.”

Friday 14/10: Gnomes book found; dud weapons? Children rescued, not kidnapped; EU support for Ukraine flagging

Flooding rains all over Victoria yesterday; my suburb got heavy rainfall but escaped the worst of it.

I found the Gnomes book from my childhood (23/8/2021 entry) in a local charity shop! Not cheap at $60, and a little worn and damaged, but as it is long out of print and more expensive on secondhand online sites, I bought it (at least the money is going to a charity).

“Australia’s presence in Moscow at stake as Ukraine urges government to eject Russian diplomats,” ABC News, 14/10. Ukraine gets ever more audacious in its demands. It seems too much to hope that the Australian government will come to its senses and stop acquiescing.

“As Russia and North Korea loom, US marines put on a show for Japan with the weapon that humiliated Putin,” ABC News, 14/10. “The FGM-148 Javelin is a smart anti-tank weapon system that rose to prominence in the early weeks of the Ukraine war, as small, mobile units of Ukrainian defenders used it to wreak havoc on advancing Russian tanks. It proved so effective against the invaders that it earned the reputation as ‘Putin’s nightmare’ and was converted into an internet meme, ‘Saint Javelin.’” But, according to this 29/3 tidbit from The Saker: “It is now clear that the Pentagon leadership has seen the utterly dismal performance of the Javelin and now wants to phase it out from U.S. forces. Remember, out of thousands of Javelins supplied, thousands of videos published by Ukraine, not a single successful usage of the system has ever been recorded. In fact the vast majority of successful Ukrainian defeats of Russian armor happens at the ends of legacy Soviet/Russian systems and mostly artillery. Russian forces continue to find Javelin units completely unused because Ukr troops have found them to be unwieldy and impractical in combat – too long to set up and use, too heavy to carry around, and not effective even when used. For urban combat where troops have to be as light, mobile, and agile as possible, the Javelin is absolutely worthless with its large CLU interface and overly-bulky design. The Pentagon has clearly seen the failure of the over-hyped system.”

“How Moscow grabs Ukrainian kids and makes them Russians,” The Age, 14/10. Another deliberate attempt to demonize Russia as child abusers; there has been propaganda accusing them of “abducting” children from the fighting zones. According to the President’s official site: “Maria Lvova-Belova brought children from Donetsk People’s Republic to Russia.” “All the children have been granted Russian citizenship. They stayed in orphanages for a long time, and most of them had traumatic experiences due to the many years of hostilities in Donbass. Psychologists, social workers and other specialists have worked with the potential foster parents and children to get a sense of the mood, state of mind and readiness of the children to join foster families. The focus was on choosing the right parents for the children, not the other way round.” Which hardly sounds like forced kidnapping. I have learned by now to regard any news regarding Russia in the Western media as falsified.

“Lies, Lies, Lies,” by Batiushka for The Saker blog, 13/10. An examination of such fake news.

“‘Stop being afraid of Moscow’: Ukraine delivers an ultimatum to Europe,” The Age, 14/10. Ukrainian politicians getting desperate as a few cracks in European unity against Russia appear now that the reality of economic sanctions blowback and energy shortages are making themselves felt. Schadenfreude.

The only way to win the war unleashed by Russia, Mykhailo Podolyak said in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro, was to “stop being afraid” of Moscow and help multiply Ukraine’s tactical victories.

“If Ukraine loses, Russia will dominate in Europe and impose its values on it. Ukraine has shown that it is capable of waging war, but we need help. It’s time to go the whole way – without fear,” Podolyak said.

“In the near future, we need to strengthen our air defence to protect the civilian population. And the Europeans are still wondering: ‘Should Ukrainians receive weapons?’.”

As the battle, more than 230 days long, grinds on into winter, there remain concerns among Western officials that European states, facing a sharp economic downturn, a cost-of-living crisis and energy shortages, are growing weary of the crisis.

Saturday 15/10: Butt out, Bolton; Shoigu speculations

Feeling fatigued again, so little to say.

“Putin Must Go: Now Is the Time For Regime Change in Russia,” U.S. (former) Ambassador John Bolton, 1945.com, 9/10. An American official blatantly calling for the removal of a head of state by internal and external sabotage (“dissent”). “Outsiders can assist in many ways, including augmenting dissidents’ communications internally and with their diaspora, and significantly enhanced programs to transmit information into Russia (complicated by the long decline in US information-statecraft capabilities). Financial support, especially given Russian economic conditions, and not necessarily in large amounts, can also be critical. What Washington says publicly about regime-change should be concerted with the dissidents and other foreign allies. Keeping our actions covert may be impossible, but there is likely no need to ballyhoo them. […] Washington’s obvious strategic objective is having Russia aligned with the West, a fit candidate for NATO, as we hoped after the Soviet Union’s breakup. Others may be unhappy about such a new Russia. China can hardly welcome the collapse of a regime that is turning into Beijing’s junior partner, if not an outright satellite. Chinese efforts to support Putin, even militarily, cannot be ruled out. While Russian regime change may be daunting, America’s goal of a peaceful and secure Europe, episodically pursued goal for over a century, remains central to our national interests. This is no time to be shy.” So ultimately the aim as stated by this moron is to weaken Russia and make it subserviant to the American hegemony. Related RT article: “It’s no secret that the West is trying to overthrow the Russian government – John Bolton was just saying it out loud,” 8/10.

“Vladimir Putin’s ambitious defence chief Sergei Shoigu was once the ‘heir apparent.’ Ukraine’s war could bring him down,” ABC News, 15/10. Removing and reassigning officials who are not meeting goals is normal for any government … of course, being Russia, such a move is portrayed as a sinister plot: “While his disappearance was downplayed, observers speculate an epic power struggle is now playing out inside the Kremlin as the war drags on.”

Sunday 16/10: Mir page restored; dastardly Kremlin deeds

I re-added my Mir space station page to my RuSpace website – magnificent, much-missed Mir.

“Assassinations, sabotage and a leader who wants revenge: How the riddles in Russia’s war benefit Vladimir Putin,” ABC News, 16/10. Still pushing the narrative of sinister plots in the Kremlin, and of self-sabotage and infighting. “Damage to the Kerch Bridge no doubt benefits Ukraine, but no one on that side has actually claimed responsibility and the theories as to who authorised and orchestrated the bombing are still developing. One theory is again that it’s an inside job, and that Russian infighting has reached a point where this level of sabotage could be possible.” This speculative rubbish passes as serious news here. “Not only does their leader look incompetent, but with widespread analysis the Russian military is ineffective, the motherland itself looks both weak and stunningly cruel on the world stage.” Includes a nonsensical theory that the assassination of Darya Dugina was “an anti-Kremlin movement inside Russia” rather than Ukrainian operatives.

Monday 17/10: Jeffersonian gone? Internet vulnerability; China with Russia or not? President’s vision

Some fine, sunny weather at last.

The Jeffersonian’s website (previous mention: 20/6 entry) is now completely offline as its hosting has expired. The Internet Archive has saved some, but not all pages (it is frustratingly erratic in what it saves). Again, this emphasizes how transient websites are, and they will not always be archived in their entirety, or at all, sadly.

“‘Grey zone’ warfare exposes Western weaknesses, including in Australia,” The Age, 11/10. “In other words, you don’t need to be fighting a war to be targeted for infrastructure attack in ‘grey zone’ tactics, or coercive state-based actions short of kinetic war. This includes trade embargoes, influence operations, maritime intimidation, and other practices to which Australia recently has been subjected by its major trading partner China.” Of course, it’s presented as the West vs. sinister Russia and China. But modern society’s dependence on the Internet is now a major vulnerability: “ I asked half a dozen Australian experts from the fields of politics, defence and think tanks and every one of them cited undersea internet cables as the primary or secondary vulnerability.”

“China is approaching a turning point in its history: Will Beijing join with Russia to confront the West or keep its powder dry?” RT, 15/10. One hopes that China and Russia will unite; they are neighbors after all, and both have the same reasons to distrust the West.

“Putin has proclaimed a new national idea for Russia as it abandons the dream of a Greater Europe,” RT, 7/10. Another analysis of President Putin’s landmark speech (8/10 entry). “Instead, Putin’s central theme was Russia itself. He came closer than ever before to repudiating the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991 by the leaders of the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian republics. Putin said that those politicians had flouted the will of the people who just eight and a half months prior had overwhelmingly voted in favor of keeping a renewed Union. […] 2022 sees the undoing, in part, of the catastrophe of 1991 – such was the message. […] Re-uniting the divided people of Russia and gathering the lands where they live is essentially the core element of the new Russian idea that Putin is offering to his compatriots. […] To Putin, Greater Russia is a distinct civilization which opposes not only America’s hegemonic policies, but also the West’s projection of its values as universal. This is an about-face not only from Gorbachev’s musings about a common European home, but also from Putin’s own travails in trying to forge a Greater Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok, and his efforts to find a way for Russia to join NATO.”

Tuesday 18/10: <details> tag removed again; Russia will not nuke first; Putin-bashing books galore; Bolton rebuttal

Removed the <details> tag again … having an extra click to view an item does get annoying, I find. Other short-lived HTML markup experiments: the loading="lazy" tag – I find images only loading just as I scroll down to them also annoying; scroll-behavior: smooth: this CSS rule I found nauseating.

“Russia Will Not Use Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine,” Cirno’s Lake, 16/10. “Needless to say, these speculations about first-use of nuclear weapons are utterly bogus as the Russians have made no such threat. […] The odd specificity of the supposed threat also reveals the true intent by the United States against Russia as we will see together. It is most likely that these repetitive and alarmist claims are a dangerous prelude to a nuclear false flag framing Russia.” Provides a background of what events lead up to the present situation, beginning from the ending of the Cold War and Russia’s disasterous collapse, deliberately engineered by outside forces. “The US would however retain two important strengths: the ability to carry out covert and direct operations against nations that did not accept its new, global mandate. One of the most significant victims of this was the Russian Federation itself, with a coup against the deep state inside Russia which had attempted to restore order after catastrophic collapses of government policy. Largely supported by the US, Yeltsin brought in oligarchs who privatized the wealth of Russia under the guise of ‘economic shock therapy.’ This was one of the US’s greatest successes and the damage to Russia is still very much apparent until the time of writing.”

“How Russia Views America,” American Affairs. A surprisingly positive review of one of Andrei Martyanov’s books. (Linked to in the reader comments in this post by him.)

A current catalog selection of Russia and President Putin books at a local bookstore. There are an increasing number of Putin-bashing books appearing, unsurprisingly – some titles (I won’t link to them): The Russia Conundrum: How the West Fell For Putin’s Power Gambit – and How to Fix It; Putin: His Life and Times; Zelensky: The Unlikely Ukrainian Hero Who Defied Putin and United the World; Red Notice: A True Story of Corruption, Murder and How I Bill/William Browder Became Putin’s No. 1 Enemy; Freezing Order: A True Story of Russian Money Laundering, State-Sponsored Murder,and Surviving Vladimir Putin’s Wrath (Bill Browder again – see 13/10 entry); Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and then Took On the West; Navalny: Putin’s Nemesis, Russia’s Future?; Kremlin Winter – Russia and the Second Coming of Vladimir Putin; House of Trump, House of Putin - The Untold Story of Donald Trump and the Russian Mafia … and on and on! Unfortunately, President Putin has been so relentlessly demonized in the West since he first was elected that reforming his image seems an impossible task now. (“Second, since 2007, Putin was systematically demonized in the West. Whether or not he is a ‘dictator’ is a matter of discussion; but it is worth noting that his approval rate in Russia never fell below 59% in the last 20 years. I take my figures from the Levada Center, which is labeled as ‘foreign agent’ in Russia, and hence doesn’t reflect the Kremlin’s views. It is also interesting to see that in France, some of the most influential so-called ‘experts’ on Russia are in fact working for the British MI-6’s ‘Integrity Initiative.’” Jacques Baud – see 4/5 entry.)

A rebuttal by Scott Ritter to John Bolton’s call for Russian regime change (15/10 entry): “John Bolton’s Russia regime-change fantasy has little basis in reality,” RT, 17/10. “Bolton’s mission is not to tell the truth about Russia but rather to shape perception for the purpose of manufacturing a false narrative. The perception of the existence of a viable domestic political opposition is essential to the regime-change fantasy being promulgated by Bolton.”

Wednesday 19/10: Drone assault; propaganda war; repairable laptop alternative

“Lessons for Australia from Putin’s missile attacks on Ukraine,” Mick Ryan, The Age, 19/10. Yes, the drone strikes on Kiev are having an effect, despite his inital assertion otherwise: “But that doesn’t mean that these attacks are without impact. First, they reinforce Putin’s support base at home, especially the hardliners. […] A second more damaging impact of the missiles is confidence among those who wish to invest in Ukraine.”

“Ukraine and Russia’s second front is a propaganda war. But who is winning?” ABC News, 19/10. Unfortunately, Ukraine has won the West in this, so far. “Mr Linvill said the distrust that has resulted from fake news has led to unhealthy levels of distrust in society and has spurred harmful conspiracy theories. While critical thinking is important, so is being able to trust. ‘You can’t simply distrust everything you read," he said. ‘You just have to learn what to trust and learn the processes by which information flows.’” Well, I have learned to distrust everything I read in Western media; it has been a propaganda outlet for Ukraine.

“DIY laptop offers Apple-like looks with PC repairability,” The Age, 18/10. This looks interesting – a laptop that can be modularly upgraded and repaired. More affordable than the ridiculously overpriced Apple products. The Framework laptops can be installed with Linux. I have yet to try this operating system, but it is an option if Windows and Apple become unaffordable and unavailable for me. I don’t game, so that is not a concern; my main worry is disk format compatibility – my backup drives with all my years of personal files are NTFS-formatted; can Linux distros read and write to this? My main computer activities are Internet browsing, maintaining and writing for my website (a suitable text editor is a must – I currently use Notepad++, which is Windows-only, and VSCode); and some graphical work (I am familiar with the open-source image editors Gimp and Inkscape).

Thursday 20/10: Billionaire gods; necessary screening refugees; some Libertarians for Russia

Fine and warm again. So tired, though, I can barely function.

“These billionaire preppers are planning for the apocalypse. Here’s why,” ABC News, 20/10. Article mentioning Douglas Rushkoff (previously: 5/9 entry) who is no fan of their attitude. “The way to prevent the calamity, the catastrophe, is to start treating other people better now. ‘But that’s not the American way. That’s certainly not the way of the Mindset … The billionaires want to lord above the rest of humanity.’”

“The Ukrainians forced to flee their homeland through the country of their invaders,” ABC News, 20/10. Deliberately highlighing only refugees who had negative experiences regarding Russia. “As Ukrainian refugees have made their way across the border into Russia they have been subjected to punitive security checks conducted by Russian forces. The practice, known as filtration, has been described by Human Rights Watch as ‘a form of compulsory security screening, in which they typically collected civilians’ biometric data, including fingerprints and front and side facial images; conducted body searches, and searched personal belongings and phones; and questioned them about their political views.’” Of course the refugees need to be security screened – there may well be terrorist types amongst them.

“Kremlintarians: Russia’s war on Ukraine exposes great libertarian divide,” The Age, 20/10. “However, for many American libertarians, Russia’s actions are no reason to back the United States’ support for Ukraine. In fact, sometimes, they’re a reason to troll Ukraine’s leader. […] In April, Liberty International, a libertarian group with members worldwide, held an online meeting on the issue. Poland-based president Jacek Spendel said that as libertarians who loved freedom, of course they would side with the Ukrainians who were being invaded by Russia. But ‘apparently big libertarian media outlets, especially in the US, have a different opinion on this,’ Spendel said. These outlets and institutions sought to place blame for the invasion outside the Kremlin.” Because there is truth in that?

Friday 21/10: Humid season begins; Wired another Ukraine propaganda outlet; conflict-inspired art; The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5

The weather is becoming warm but wet; too warm for the heater, but too damp to hang washing outside. Hate this kind of weather! I actually miss the drought and dry hot weather; would prefer those to the nasty mess of the floods.

Saw the latest edition of Wired magazine in a newsagency today, and who should be on the cover but the grifter president. The company is yet another shill for Ukraine, so I will not buy it. The relevant articles:

“Rhymes from the frontlines: How the Ukraine conflict has inspired a new wave of patriotic poetry in Russia,” RT, 20/10. Artistic responses to the SMO, including some from unexpected creators: “These are the first lines written by a Ukrainian artist Akim Apachev who believes the special military operation is justified and is ready to fight alongside Russia for peace for all – a Ukrainian who has a right to his homeland, his culture, his vision of a future for his country and who is ready to give his life for it. […] Bardash had to move to Moscow because of his political views and now his former Ukrainian fans wish him dead. The story of Yuri Bardash sets a unique precedent: he’s the first well-known Ukrainian figure who spoke up for Russia openly. He wasn’t afraid to say what many wouldn’t dare out of fear of persecution by the SBU (the Security Service of Ukraine).”

Been watching some of the 5th season of The Handmaid’s Tale on TV. (I have yet to watch the first, or read the novel; more added to my very long “to read/watch” list!) The episodes are slow in parts, and I am obviously jumping in late, but I generally like them. Elisabeth Moss as the main Handmaiden character has a compelling screen presence.

Saturday 22/10: Avatar merchandise appearing; U.S. Republicans aiding Putin (supposedly); Russia confiscating company profits

Humid today with heavy morning rain – yuck!

Some merchandise for the long-awaited James Cameron sequel movie, Avatar: The Way of Water, is appearing in stores. I bought a model Banshee in Big W today (there are a few figurines there). 12/12/2022: Returned it; not that interested.

“Putin’s Last Hope to Win in Ukraine Is a GOP Victory in November,” Daily Beast, 21/10. A pathetic attempt to blame Putin yet again, though it is an opinion piece so not objective, and the author obviously hates the “Russian dictator,” using heavily loaded language: “Although the resilience, courage, and skill of the Ukrainian military has driven Putin to increasingly desperate and depraved measures to avoid further battlefield humiliation […] a reeling and isolated Putin […] Putin’s macho nativist authoritarianism.” The U.S. politicians criticized in the article quite sensibly do not want more funding to vanish into the Ukraine money pit. “In the face of this, rather than hailing the progress being made by Ukraine (with the support of the U.S. and many Western allies) against a sworn American enemy, Republican leaders are choosing now to question that support. The sentiment on the right that Ukraine is a minor concern and a waste of American taxpayer money has been steadily growing.” There is the much-repeated assertion that Russia somehow interfered in the U.S. elections (as if the U.S. itself had not interfered in those of other countries).

“Putin has hammered the final nail in the coffin of Russia’s financial future,” The Age, 22/10. On Russia seizing the assets of Western companies that are closing due to the Ukraine SMP: “Dmitrii Medvedev, the former Russian president, has described its actions as a ‘symmetrical response’ to the sanctions imposed by the West. He also told overseas firms planning to flee: ‘it will not be easy to return to our market.’” Yes, in response to Russian assets seized by Western governments, the actions are a fair response. And Russia is finding other markets. “A more rational approach is needed in which the West runs in the opposite direction and cuts the Kremlin out of the system entirely. Of course it will be painful but with replenished gas storage facilities, ramped up LNG supplies from North America and Qatar, and energy efficiency measures, it can be done.” Very conveniently, the USA may profit from the desperate European market.

Related to the previous article: “EU wants to use frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine,” RT, 21/10. “Legally, the frozen funds in the amount of over €300 billion ($292 billion) still belong to Russia or its citizens. In order to spend those assets, the EU needs to find a way of confiscating them. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was looking to provide Ukraine with about €1.5 billion each month. The bloc’s finance ministers have been tasked with pulling together the money.” So, blatant theft, then. Russia can’t be faulted for retaliating.

Sunday 23/10: Nephew visit; demonizing Putin; Wagner Group profile; Arctic antics

My sister’s eldest son is visiting Victoria (lives in Queensland); he dropped in for a visit today. He works in a bicycle store.

“Media Hate Speech: A Rant,” Julian Macfarlane. On the media demonization of Vladimir Putin.

“Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as Vladimir Putin’s chef, revealed as Wagner Group mercenary boss,” ABC News, 23/10. Or, more speculative fiction masquerading as reporting. Plots and sinister schemes in the Kremlin! Including a mention of the mythical Russian “troll farms.”

“The Arctic ice between Russia and the US is melting. What’s at stake at the top of the world?” The Age, 23/10. Lengthy article on the maneuvers of various countries surrounding the Arctic region. Of course, Russia only gets mentioned disparagingly: “Longer term, the US is shifting its eye from Russia to China – a common view being, Bouffard explains, that once the war is over, ‘and Russia has to basically go home and rebuild, it’s not going to be as big a threat as it was,’ including in the Arctic. ‘China is a different story.’ Townsend agrees that we should treat Chinese Arctic ambitions seriously. ‘I think China wants to corner the market up there, on those Russian resources and the Northern Sea Route … They don’t want to alienate the West either by becoming too buddy-buddy with the Russians, but they want to make sure that they can take advantage of Russia’s dire situation right now.’ Buchanan notes that Russia is lobbying hard for other investment partners in its Arctic development, from India to the United Arab Emirates, to limit China’s stranglehold and ‘debt trap diplomacy.’ Indeed, Bouffard says China is no longer cosying up to Russia so much as bullying it. ‘They’re in charge. They’re gonna help them out but on their terms, with bad deals for Russia.’” More wishful projection? I get the impression from alternative news that Russia is doing quite well, and that its relationship with China is that of equals and mutual benefit.

Monday 24/10: Mourning Mir

Utterly sick of the online drama and Russophobia; it is doing me in mentally. Did a little work on my Mir space station page. A lot of broken external links. Yet again I miss the station and those years (18/6 entry), when Russia had its own independent station and was not beholden to other countries in operating it. And again I will highlight that marvelous National Geographic article, “Soviets in space: are they ahead?,” when the USSR space program of then was an intriguing mystery to outsiders. Note the tone in which the article was written: a contrast to the usually-disparaging articles published today when mentioning Russian spaceflight.

Tuesday 25/10: Power outage; Ryan rants again

Warm today and rather humid again.

Had a thankfully brief power outage last night, for less than 30 minutes or so. Don’t know why, as the weather was calm. I checked on my mobile phone network (NBN router was, being mains-powered, unavailable) and there was an unplanned outage listed around where I live. The power company was inspecting overhead powerline transformers nearby today, so perhaps that is related. My main concern in such a situation is refrigerated/frozen food spoiling.

“A new Russian strategy is emerging in Ukraine – but alone, it’s not enough to win the war,” ABC News, 25/10. Another delusional opinion piece from paid Ukraine shill Mick Ryan (previous mentions: 11/10, 12/10 entries). “Therefore, Surovikin's immediate focus appears to be the destruction of the will of the Ukrainian people. Surovokin, who knows he cannot defeat the Ukrainian army in the field, has turned to an old doctrine aerial bombardment and destruction of power and water infrastructure to terrorise and cow the Ukrainian people instead. […] But now Surovikin commands an invading army which is exhausted, has a significant morale problem and has seen constant attrition of its manpower and best equipment.” He seems to be reporting a different reality from the alternative sources I read – the extract can instead be applied to the Ukrainian forces, which have lost thousands of combatants.

Wednesday 26/10: Headache; finished I Will Die in a Foreign Land; unproven Russian war crimes; Ran Prier appreciation

Had a mild headache during the late morning, so I did not go out on a walk. Weather is damp, drizzly and dreary in any case.

Surpisingly, I finished the novel I Will Die in a Foreign Land (10/10 entry), but it was a relatively short and slight read, so not a great effort required. Very short chapters interspersed with excerpts from news articles and poems, giving the story a disjointed feel. Author was making an effort to be deep and meaningful, but she is no comparison to Tolstoy (as most modern novelists are not). A very one-sided portrayal of the Ukraine situation, predictably (extremely Russophobic, in other words).

“International Mobile Justice Team building war crimes cases in Ukraine targeting the Kremlin,” ABC News, 26/10. “Allegations” and “stories” of supposed Russian war crimes (never mind those perpetuated by the Ukraine side!) – no actual proof.

I visit Ran Prieur’s website daily (1/10 entry). I find it restful and mellow, with a lot of interesting posts on various eclectic topics, some of the counterculture. He is very much into music, and has a few pages describing his favorite songs and artists (it is quite difficult to express music in words!) – which makes me realize how I have pretty much stopped listening to any music for quite a few years now. I used to like trance and similar music when I first began using the Internet, but have long since lost interest. I also still like Enya.

Thursday 27/10: Australia throwing away more money; Russian yacht in safe harbor; disempowering Russia

Miserably wet and rainy again.

Australian troops are to help train Ukrainian forces in fight against Russia, as more Bushmaster vehicles are sent to war (ABC News/The Age). “Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko welcomed the new tranche of assistance, which will take Australia’s total military contribution to Ukraine to $475 million.” Unbelievable and dismaying – more money down the Ukraine drain. This when much-needed funding for health care gets cut.

“South Africa to let Russian billionaire’s $500 million superyacht dock, despite mayor’s request to block entry,” ABC News, 27/10. “South Africa has adopted a neutral stance on the war in Ukraine, frustrating Western partners, who had hoped that Africa’s most-developed economy would also condemn Russia’s invasion and act as a leading voice for the continent. The country abstained from a UN vote condemning Russia’s actions and called, instead, for dialogue and diplomacy.” Good – at least their government seems to be resisting the Russia hate (so far).

“The endgame of Western policy is the dissolution of Russia,” East & West, 20/1/2019. Article from a few years ago, but more relevant than ever. What does the West want to see Russia become? To be rendered neutered, powerless, exploited for its resources, in the name of so-called “democracy.” The article referred to: “Managing Russia’s dissolution,” The Hill, 9/1/2019. “Engagement, criticism and limited sanctions have simply reinforced Kremlin perceptions that the West is weak and predictable. To curtail Moscow’s neo-imperialism a new strategy is needed, one that nourishes Russia’s decline and manages the international consequences of its dissolution. […] Given Russia’s ailments, an assertive Western approach would be more effective than reactive defense. Washington needs to return to core principles that accompanied the collapse of the Soviet Union by supporting democratization, pluralism, minority rights, genuine federalism, decentralization and regional self-determination among Russia’s disparate regions and ethnic groups.” With that attitude, Russia is right to be suspicious of the West, and to disengage from it.

Friday 28/10: Underwhelming and overpriced new iPad; no-nonsense general; based President Putin

My birthday is approaching, and I was considering trading in my current 8th Generation iPad for the latest model (10th Generation, recently released) but decided against this upon reading the unenthusiastic reviews and the much-increased price for the so-called “entry-level” model (the more expensive models are not an option as all are over $1000). It is not realistically affordable even with a trade-in reduction, and the improvements are only incremental. My current iPad works just fine and suits my usage model (mainly Internet browsing, reading ebooks, writing notes) so there is hopefully a few years left in it yet. My desktop PC is my main work computer and my preferred option. I am not alone in feeling Apple has lost its way in recent years, both with hardware and increasingly buggy software.

“Vladimir Putin sends Sergei Surovikin, who unleashed terror in Syria, to lead war in Ukraine,” ABC News, 28/10. Predictable character assassination attempt of a no-nonsense general.

“Vladimir Putin says ‘West’s undivided dominance’ will end in the most dangerous decade since WWII,” ABC News, 28/10; “Putin blasts West, says world faces most dangerous decade since WWII,” The Age, 28/10: “Russian President Vladimir Putin said the world faced the most dangerous decade since World War II as Western elites scrambled to prevent the inevitable crumbling of the global dominance of the US and its allies. In one of his longest public appearances since he sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, Putin signalled he had no regrets about what he calls ‘a special operation’ and accused the West of inciting the war and of playing a ‘dangerous, bloody and dirty’ game that was sowing chaos across the world.” He simply speaks the truth.

Saturday 29/10: Zelensky nonsense; more on the desired breakup of Russia; Russia allied with China

Weary today as usual, so just a few Russia links.

“Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses Russians of stealing Ukraine’s medical gear, as Moscow says mobilisation campaign is over,” ABC News, 29/10. “Ukrainian officials have regularly accused retreating Russian troops of widespread looting.” Still trying to demonize Russia by reporting blatant nonsense such as this – because the pretend president states it, the accusation is unquestioningly true? What a farce.

“Washington’s Plan to Break Up Russia,” Mike Whitney, 27/10. As noted in my 27/10 entry, the ultimate aim of the USA and the West is to disempower and exploit Russia. “The ‘loosely confederated Russia,’ that Zbigniew Brzezinski imagines, would be a toothless, dependent nation that could not defend its own borders or sovereignty. It would not be able to prevent more powerful countries from invading, occupying and establishing military bases on its soil. Nor would it be able to unify its disparate people beneath a single banner or pursue a positive ‘unified’ vision for the future of the country. A confederal Russia – fragmented into a myriad of smaller parts – would allow the US to maintain its dominant role in the region without threat of challenge or interference.” One of the articles linked to there: “Decolonize Russia,” The Atlantic, 27/5. “As Bush’s National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft later said about the Soviet collapse, ‘In the end, we took no position at all. We simply let things happen.’ We no longer have that luxury. The West must complete the project that began in 1991. It must seek to fully decolonize Russia.”

“‘No one can sit out the coming storm’: Putin’s milestone Valdai speech,” RT, 27/10. A summary of President Putin’s speech at the annual multinational meeting.

China and Russia, two articles from RT: “China will support Russia in ‘overcoming difficulties’ – Wang Yi,” 27/10 – “China has pledged to support Russia as it faces the combined power of the West, Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov during a phone conversation on Thursday, in which the two officials vowed to back each other in their geopolitical endeavors”; “Xi’s third term: Here’s why the Chinese leader's reelection is good news for Russia, but ominous for the US and Taiwan.” “Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of the CCEIS, believes the US has abandoned Henry Kissinger’s concept of trying to keep relations between Russia and China worse than these countries’ respective relations with the US. ‘Instead, the US has been lately trying to portray the Russia-China relationship as a tandem and a source of global threat and evil. By doing this, Washington is rallying its allies and partners, or, in other words, is restoring, rebuilding, and strengthening the new collective West,’ Suslov explains.”

Sunday 30/10: Deluded elites

A fine day – but yet more rain on the way for most of this week, frustratingly. I would rather drought and heat!

“Russia’s elite begins to ponder a Putinless future,” The Economist, 26/10. Again pushing the false narrative of President Putin blundering and failing. The “elites” referred to are some businessmen and such. There is also a link to an earlier article, “Much of Russia’s intellectual elite has fled the country,” 9/8. “Like those crammed into the Vakke apartment, the diaspora consists largely of young, well-educated, politically conscious, active, articulate and resourceful people – in other words, Russia’s intellectual elite. The exiles have taken with them their habits, their networks, their ability to self-organise and their values. That will have profound effects on both the country they have left behind and the countries they have settled in.” Not a new trend; such types also fled to Europe after the Russian Revolution. They are rightly regarded as cowards and troublemakers – fifth columnists, in other words (President Putin himself described them as “national traitors”). They have been seduced by Western propaganda, its illusion of “freedom” and its seeming opulence, and will end up sorely disappointed.

Monday 31/10: Ingratiating ambassador; Big Serge post; more replacing Putin plots

Very windy – gale-force winds – and unsettled overnight and into this morning. There was a brief electricty brownout yesterday also, which was anxiety-inducing.

“To the Australian people, thank you from all Ukrainians,” The Age, 31/10. The Ukrainian ambassador thanks Australia for its support (and money). The feeling from me is most assuredly not mutual. “It’s Putin’s war that is driving up petrol prices and the cost of living across the globe, including Australia. It’s Putin’s war that is creating food shortages in the world’s most vulnerable countries for the first time since the 1980s. It’s Putin’s war that is leading to nuclear threats we haven’t seen since the 1960s. It’s Putin’s war that blocks progress on issues such as global climate change.” Utterly delusional!

“Sound and Fury,” Big Serge, 29/10. Long post but worth reading. I also agree that Russia is unlikely to use nuclear weapons first – but only in response to use by enemy combatants: “The use case is fairly straightforward. Nuclear use would be authorized in cases where Russia is losing a war that threatens to either destroy the state or strip its territories. Putin’s statement is entirely consistent with this and does not reflect any sort of revision or escalation of Russia’s approach to nuclear weapons - his statement represents little more than a reminder that Kherson, Zaporozhia, Donetsk, and Lugansk Oblasts are now, in the eyes of the state, subject to that territorial integrity clause. It does not raise the prospect of nuclear weapons use unless Russia was irretrievably losing the conventional war. This, of course, did not stop western media from spinning Putin’s statements as a “threat” to use nuclear weapons. The narrative that Putin was making threats almost immediately prompted people to put words in his mouth and deduce that he was intimating at the use of a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine.” So I am not losing any sleep over the prospect of nuclear war – using such weapons would be a massive escalation (literal and symbolic) that I do not feel any country would wish to initiate.

“‘Putin won’t survive’: Top spy chief’s prediction as Putin warns West is playing deadly game to maintain ‘global domination’,” Herald-Sun, 31/10. Of course, being from the Ukrainian head of intelligence discredits this claim immediately (as well as the excreable tabloid newspaper reporting it). “‘And currently, there’s active discussions happening in Russia about who’d be there to replace him.’” Well, President Putin will not live forever, so discussion by his fellow politicians and such of who might follow him is merely prudent.

November

Tuesday 1/11: Third module of Chinese space station launched; B-52s to be in Australia; letter opposing Australia in Ukraine

“Heavenly dreams do come true,” Global Times infographic, 31/10; “China launches Mengtian science module to Tiangong space station,” NASASpaceflight.com, 31/10. China launched Mengtian (“Heavenly Dreams”), the third module of its space station, which has been quietly successful. As I noted back in my 26/7 entry, I hope Russia can also establish its own independent space station once again.

While on the topic of China, Australia has decided to once again reinforce its subservience to the USA by allowing 6 nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to be deployed at Tindal Air Base in northern Australia. This is an intentional “provocative move experts say is aimed squarely at China.” China is obviously not happy: “US ‘fortifying Australia into a forward operating base’ with B-52 bomber deployment,” Global Times, 31/10.

Cameron Leckie at Pearls and Irritations has penned “An open letter on Australia training Ukrainian Troops.” “The West, Australia included, keeps doubling down on its attempt to weaken Russia, but is actually weakening itself whilst the emerging multi-polar world strengthens day by day. The coming winter will make this demise very clear, particularly in Europe. We have become so invested in maintaining the status quo (specifically the ‘rules-based global order,’ a euphemism for the global hegemonic ambitions of the United States, an ambition which has created so much of the instability in the world over recent decades) that we continue implementing a failed and failing strategy with seemingly no thought for the consequences.”

Wednesday 2/11: Fundraiser demonized; Potemkin prison

More awful cold wet weather yesterday and today. Better weather forecast for next week; much warmer.

“New Zealand woman raises tens of thousands of dollars for Russian soldiers in Ukraine,” The Age, 2/11. Of course, she is portrayed as a “traitor” and is unfortunately likely to be harrassed. “Her beliefs are standard Kremlin propaganda espoused by Vladimir Putin himself as a justification for the invasion and have no basis in fact.” And Ukrainian propaganda is therefore the untouchable truth? The hysterical Ukraine lobby: “Yuriy Gladun, chairman of the northern region of the Ukrainian Association of NZ, said he wanted to see New Zealand designate Russia a terrorist state so anyone financing it could be convicted of a crime. ‘Every person has got his or her moral rules. She thinks she is doing right because she is poisoned by Russian propaganda.’ Gladun said the kind of logic Ovchinnikova and Russia used to justify the invasion and killing civilians was ‘inside out, upside down.’” Absolute rubbish.

“Putin’s conscripts can end up at Ukraine’s largest POW camp. They can only hope for a trade,” ABC News, 2/11. A very carefully stage-managed visit to a Ukrainian prison holding Russian POWS; the ones interviewed are all disaffected, unsurprisingly. “‘We need to show our central camp for prisoners of war accords with the Geneva Convention,’ Public Affairs spokesman Petro Yasenko tells us. […] Even in what are almost certainly comparatively better conditions on the Ukrainian side […].” From other accounts and news I have read, Ukrainians have treated captured Russian POWs very brutally. So, the prison equivalent of a Potemkin village.

Thursday 3/11: Fatigued; fake allegations

The energy slump hit me this afternoon so I am currently lethargic. I fantasize about being by myself and just sleeping, or at least lying in bed for days, just resting.

“Inside the grim chambers where hundreds of Ukrainians were held captive by Russian soldiers,” ABC News, 3/11. Yet another thinly-veiled Russophobic propaganda piece and program promotion. A repeat of the fake news about a mass grave in Izyum. The torture chamber allegation is also fake news.

“Russian military leaders discussed use of nuclear weapons, US officials say,” The Age, 3/11. “Still, American officials said they had seen no evidence that the Russians were moving nuclear weapons into place or taking other tactical measures to prepare for a strike.” So, no actual threat then, and yet again fake news. Russia would only deploy nuclear weapons in response to first use from adversaries. Also the radioactive “dirty bomb” allegation by the Kremlin was certainly not “baseless” – “Fake: Ukraine is not preparing a ‘dirty bomb’ provocation.” “Obviously, neither the Russian minister nor his foreign counterparts would have organised such intensive talks if no threat had existed.” Larry Johnson also has thoughts on the false flag: “There is serious concern that the West is once again trying to concoct a false flag that can be used to rally a reluctant public to go to war with Russia. Instead of chemical weapons, the current scheme reportedly involves detonating a dirty nuke in territory ostensibly under the control of Russia. […] At least Russia is doing the right thing–moving preemptively to warn relevant countries that it knows what is being plotted and that it will take appropriate actions to counter such an attack if it occurs.”

Friday 4/11: Another entitled demand; BBC fake news

Feeling headachy this morning, so not functioning very well.

“Tech giants told to stop aiding Russian war effort,” The Age, 4/11. “The group called on the West to ‘block the ability of the Russian government and its partners to use or source equipment that contains software, firmware, and components that were manufactured by, or contain intellectual property from, any sanctioning nation.’ It also called for a ban on basic consumer goods being sold to Russia that are being absorbed into military equipment fabrication and repair lines.” Hopefully the tech companies will ignore this so-called “international expert group.”

“The BBC made up a story about a Russian ‘attack’ on a Ukrainian city’s water supply – where are the ‘fake news’ fact checkers?” RT, 3/11. An example of the BBC being quick to report anti-Russia fake news (“[…] that residents of the southern Ukrainian city of Nikolaev (which current officials in Kiev insist should be spelt as "Mykolaiv," in English) had been without clean drinking water for six months, due to Russian attacks on a pipeline supplying the city.”) without bothering to check its authenticity.

Saturday 5/11: Western media silence on Russian POW torture; UK meddling in Ukraine; apologist book; Russian popular culture vs. Western

I awoke feeling OK physically and mentally, but this evaporated later due to interactions with parents. I have forgotten what it is like to simply be able to have a normal conversation with someone my own age, without having to repeat myself. I have no real-world friends. At least the weather is improving for a few days ahead.

“Freed Russian soldiers recount horrors of captivity in Ukraine,” RT, 4/11. In contrast to Western media reports of supposed torture of Ukrainian prisoners (3/11 entry), the mistreatment of Russian prisoners is unlikely to get a mention (Ukrainians can do no wrong, naturally! :-S). “Another alleged that they were warned not to tell a visiting Red Cross team about the abuse they were being subjected to. The medical charity was inspecting a detention center in the eastern Ukrainian city of Poltava at the time. ‘It was impossible to talk confidentially because Ukrainians were sitting behind the wall and could hear everything. And before that, the administration approached us and told us not to tell much, otherwise, we would “pay for it,”’ he said.”

“Leaked documents: British spies constructing secret terror army in Ukraine,” The Greyzone, 3/11. The UK is also doing its share of meddling in the Ukraine conflict to combat Russia by proxy.

“‘War can never be understood’, but this account of Ukraine may help,” The Age, 4/11. Review of a memoir, Diary of an Invasion by Andrey Kurkov. Of course, it is not critical of Ukraine, otherwise it would not have been reviewed by that newspaper. He seems like something of a fifth columnist.

“Ukraine, Batman and complex identities: Key takes from Vladimir Putin’s latest speech,” RT, 4/11. A summary of a Presidential address on National Unity Day. The “Batman” reference is on Russian youth being more familiar with Western (i.e. American) popular culture figures than Russian ones – a certainly not-uncommon phenomenon in other countries (Australia has long had a so-called “cultural cringe” when it comes to its own arts culture versus the dominant imported American one). American pop culture has been marketed for decades and is seen as “cool,” and its pervasive influence on young people of other cultures is very difficut to counter.

Sunday 6/11: Another deluded Australian killed in Ukraine; USA incresingly mired in Ukraine; ABC documentary propaganda

Feeling very fatigued again today. Did not go for a long walk.

Another deluded fool killed in Ukraine while serving as a mercenary: “Brisbane man Trevor Kjeldal killed while fighting in Ukraine amid Russian invasion,” ABC News; “Australian fighter ‘Ninja’ killed in battle liberating Ukrainian town,” The Age. And the Prime Minister nonetheless offers condolences: “Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described Kjeldal’s death as ‘tragic news.’ ‘My condolences go to this gentleman’s family and his friends,’ he said. ‘I remind people that the DFAT advice is that people do not travel to Ukraine. It is a dangerous place. My heart goes out to the family and friends of the gentleman involved.’” He deserves no sympathy.

“US sets up Ukraine command, a sign the war will last years,” The Age, 6/11. In an ominious portent, the USA seems determined to try to defeat Russia, no matter what the cost. “The command will ‘ensure we are postured to continue supporting Ukraine over the long term,’ […] Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon press secretary, told reporters at a news briefing on Saturday (AEDT). ‘We remain committed to Ukraine for as long as it takes.’ […] The latest announcement brings to $US18.9 billion the amount in military assistance that the United States has committed to Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbour on February 24. The funds comprise a combination of immediate shipments from stockpiles as well as contracts for weapons to be delivered over the next three years.”

“ABC camera operator reflects on a harrowing Foreign Correspondent assignment in Ukraine,” ABC News, 4/11. Promotional article for that week’s FC documentary, predictably pro-Ukrainian, including a re-iteration of the Izyum mass graves fake news (3/11 entry).

Monday 7/11: Harassed pro-Russian woman safe in Moscow; lionizing a fool; mythical trolls

Back to warm but humidish, stormy, tropical weather.

“‘I am also smart’: Auckland woman raising cash for Russian army flees to Moscow,” The Age, 7/11 (also reported in Stuff.co.nz). The woman (2/11 entry) is probably better off in Moscow, free from Western media harassment. She was obvivously “outed” by the media scum here to make her a public target. And the article has the nerve to end with, “Her beliefs are standard Kremlin propaganda espoused by Vladimir Putin himself as a justification for the invasion and have no basis in fact.” Utter bullshit – more the opposite is true. Of course, it is perfectly acceptable to raise thousands of dollars for the (lost) Ukraine cause.

“‘Stuff this’: How an Australian answered a Facebook ad to fight in Ukraine,” The Age, 6/11. Now they are lionizing the deluded fool who got himself killed fighting for Ukraine. No sympathy from me.

“Russia fires up small troll and bot army ahead of US elections this week,” The Age, 7/11. “It is part of what the group and other researchers have identified as a new, though more narrowly targeted, Russian effort ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections in the US. The goal, as before, is to stoke anger among conservative voters and to undermine trust in the American electoral system. This time, it also appears intended to undermine the Biden administration’s extensive military assistance to Ukraine.” Mid-term elections in the USA, and the mythical Russian troll army duly appears in Western media reports again – as if the USA has not interfered in the elections of other countries (Ukraine being one).

Tuesday 8/11: US election meddling fake news; trolling the Western media; clueless experts; Christmas approaches

“Moscow dismisses claims of ‘Russian interference’ in US midterms,” RT, 7/11 (7/11 entry). “Moscow denied interfering in US domestic politics and said that it was being used as a scapegoat in US political battles.”

Breathlessly reported today in Western media: “‘We have interfered and will interfere’: Vladimir Putin’s chef admits to US election meddling,” The Age; “‘Putin’s chef’ and Wagner group mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin admits meddling in US elections,” ABC News. But according to a RT article, “‘Putin ally’ comments on US election meddling”: “Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin apparently trolled a domestic media outlet by declaring he interfered in US elections and would continue doing so, while recommending a comedy film about the ‘Russian troll farm’ that Democrats in the US insisted helped Donald Trump get elected president in 2016.” Of course, the fake news will get reported as fact in Western media.

“‘He needs the war to continue’: Why Putin can’t negotiate his way out of Ukraine,” The Age, 8/11. “Sir Lawrence Freedman, emeritus professor of war studies at King’s College London, said the eight-month campaign had shown Putin was far from the master strategist many assumed. ‘If Vladimir Putin can keep this a draw and keep the war ticking over, that’s the best he can hope for,’ Sir Lawrence Freedman says. Freedman said Chinese President Xi Jinping was clearly unimpressed with Putin and that Russia’s failure to subdue Ukraine offered China important lessons about the potential difficulty of invading Taiwan. He said he did not believe Putin could negotiate his way out of the war, even though the Russian military had suffered heavy casualties and recently lost control of vast swaths of territory.” A worthless opinion from yet another academic “expert” with no military experience and who has never met President Putin.

“Russia’s strategy in Ukraine will evolve over winter and into 2023 as Putin hopes to influence the West’s response,” ABC News, 8/11. Another worthless opinion piece from regular military “expert” Mick Ryan (previously: 25/10 entry). The only truth in this is that the gullible Western nations will continue to pour billions of dollars into the money pit that is Ukraine.

(Why do I keep posting these links? I feel like I am ranting into a void, but want to try to counter the utter bullshit the mainstream media here puts out, in my own small way. It is frustrating and distressing as I feel so isolated in supporting Russia.)

More happily, Christmas is approaching! Decorations and a large tree have been put up in Southland SC, and Father Christmas arrives there this Saturday. I still like Christmas, though family gatherings are long in the past for me, sadly – as is the feeling of excited anticipation for that night. Yes, I do miss the innocence of being a child.

I do like Ded Moroz, Дед Мороз, the Russian version who has pagan origins. I wonder if he and the Norse god Odin share some ancestry, given that both are sometimes solitary old men wanderers of the northern forests; an archetype that appeals to me. Odin has long been a favorite god, thanks to that children’s book of Norse mythology I liked to read when young (21/2/2021 entry).

Wednesday 9/11: 52 today; climate change is Russia’s fault; two dud actors meet

My 52nd year today. A full Moon sank toward the western horizon early this morning, farewelling the rising sun. (I forgot there was a full lunar eclipse yesterday evening!)

“Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says climate change policy is impossible without peace,” ABC News, 9/11. According to the puppet president, climate change is now also Russia’s fault! “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has distracted world governments from efforts to combat climate change, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said in a video message played at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt. ‘There can be no effective climate policy without the peace,’ Mr Zelenskyy said. ‘This Russian war has brought about an energy crisis that has forced dozens of countries to resume coal-fired power generation in order to lower energy prices for their people … to lower prices that are shockingly rising due to deliberate Russian actions. ‘It brought an acute food crisis to the world, which hit worst those suffering the existing manifestations of climate change. "The Russian war destroyed 5 million acres of forests in Ukraine in less than six months.’” Well, it was his actions to provoke Russia that brought on these consequences; he has only himself to blame.

“For ‘when you win’: Sean Penn visits Ukraine’s Zelensky, loans him an Oscar,” The Age, 9/11. Well, they deserve each other (and that is not a compliment!). Changing the “win” to “lose” is a more accurate prediction.

Thursday 10/11: City visit; Kherson withdrawal

I took the train to the city today (Melbourne CBD). Just visited the Minotaur Entertainment/pop culture store (bought a copy of Saving Proxima – 22/9 entry) and a secondhand bookshop (just about the only one there), City Basement Books. Feel very tired afterwards. Very windy and unsettled weather, with heavy rain and humidity forecast.

“Pulling back ‘to save lives’: Key points of top Russian commander’s Kherson speech,” RT, 9/11. Main focus is the withdrawal of Russian forces from the strategic city of Kherson. Unclear whether a defeat or part of the overall strategy. Western media is, of course, gleefully reporting that the withdrawal is a humiliating defeat for Russia: “Vladimir Putin must be getting used to military disappointment in Ukraine, but losing Kherson could his most-bitter blow,” ABC News, 10/11; “Russia says it’s withdrawing from key city in Ukraine,” The Age, 10/11. “The announcement signals another humiliating setback for Moscow’s forces in the eight-month-old war.” Alternative news points of view: “Scott Ritter Explains Why Russia’s Kherson Withdrawal is a Pyrrhic Ukrainian Victory,” Sputnik News, 10/11. “This is why the Kherson operation must be viewed not as a Russians defeat, but as a pyrrhic Ukrainian victory, that means that Ukraine may have achieved a political victory, but the military cost that they take was too high, unsustainable and ultimately will lead to the defeat of Ukraine.” Contrary to the dominant Western opinion, Russia does value the lives of its soldiers, and the withdrawal means that they will not be sacrificed to defend the city. Larry C. Johnson also has a similar view: “Ukraine Is Not An Episode of ‘Ukraine’s Got Talent’.” “General Surovikin understands that the opinions of the ‘watchers’ is irrelevant. He will fight at a place and time of his choosing, if he can. What is noteworthy about the Russian withdrawal from Kherson is that it was not done under fire or attack. It was calm and orderly an apparently was pre-planned. Perhaps this explains the rumors that circulated a few weeks back that Russia was going to leave Kherson city.”

Friday 11/11: Stop funding Ukraine? If only!; more Ukrainian propaganda

“What will happen to Ukraine’s weapons supply if Republicans control US Congress and stop the ‘blank cheque’ to Kyiv?” ABC News, 11/11. “Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, Congress has approved around $US60 billion in military, economic and humanitarian aid for Ukraine. Ukraine’s military is bolstered by billions of dollars from the US, but where is it going? The US is committing more funding to Ukraine than for NASA and climate change, but the challenge is how to keep track of where the money actually goes. Charles Miller, a senior lecturer at the ANU School of Politics and International Relations, said if the US were to pull the plug on funding, Ukraine will be ‘in a lot of trouble.’ ‘Although they fought very bravely and very effectively, there’s no question that they couldn’t have done what they’ve done without American financial and military assistance," Dr Miller told the ABC. ‘So, the consequences for Ukraine would be pretty catastrophic if it just dried up.’” Wish the USA – and other countries – would; stop feeding the Ukraine rort.

“How Putin terrorises towns after his Russian troops flee,” The Age, 10/11. The misleading title evokes an image of the President stalking the streets at night like a vampire and scaring residents in their beds … but it is a deliberate propaganda attempt at evoking sympathy for beleagured residents in a village in the war zone, as well as portraying the Russian campaign as desperate and failing.

Two level-headed posts at a blog called “The van says …”: “Ditch the Doomsday Talk”; “Doomsday Merchants.”

Saturday 12/11: G20 no-show for Putin; cyberhack an excuse to blame Russia again; Khannea’s Dreamlands

“Putin won’t address G20 summit – Kremlin,” RT, 11/11.President Putin will not attend the G20 summit in person, or address it via video link – unsurprisingly, as he would be treated rudely. Unfortunately, “Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is expected to take part in the gathering via video link even though his country is not a member of the organization.” It means that the fraudster will continue to get adoring attention.

“Medibank data breach: AFP reveals Russia behind hack,” The Age, 11/11. The linked article features a photo of President Putin superimposed over the medical insurance company’s logo – another obvious attempt at demonizing the Russian President and associating him with nefarious activities.

“The AFP believes Russian cyber criminals are behind the Medibank data hack. Here's what else we know,” ABC News, 11/11. Russian hackers are now being (conveniently?) blamed for the Medibank data breach – note the use of the words “suspect,” “believed”. Not a statement of certainty, as one Twitter post by Robert Barwick points out: “The AFP Commissioner’s statement on the Medibank hack by Russians opened with ‘we believe,’ ‘are likely,’ and ‘may be.’ With those qualifications out of the way, it was asserted as if certain, which is how the media will report it. Policing is easy when you can blame Russians.” If true, more fuel to the rampant Russophobia in Australia – but given our imposition of sanctions, one can hardly expect Russian authorities to assist.

Russophobia here is again reaching new heights (or lows): “Government ‘looking hard’ at Russia’s presence in Australia, amid diplomatic tensions and spying concerns,” ABC News, 12/11. There is a barrage of such news items today. I am in utter anger and despair, and am powerless to combat all this. I disown my government on this issue.

Some escapism (of sorts). I came across Khannea Suntzu’s Dreamlands worldbuilding project (previous mention of her: 15/2 entry). Based on H. P. Lovecraft’s Dreamlands, it is her (very grimdark!) version of a role-playing game derived from her massive, marvellous map. (Unfortunately she is very anti-Russia, going by some of her blog posts, but I will ignore that.) The Primer page is an interesting read.

Sunday 13/11: Punishing President Putin; Kherson crowd-for-hire; Rogozin running with the Wolves

The daily painful visit to the mainstream media sites – I have to, despite the barrage of Russia hate, as I do get other news for local issues from them also.

“Albanese to steer clear of Russian envoy in Bali, Ukraine asks for more aid,” The Age, 13/11. “But with the Russian leader still likely to appear by video link, the EU and Britain plan to do ‘everything possible’ to isolate the Russian delegation, the London Telegraph reported a spokesman for the EU foreign service as saying. It said they were encouraging like-minded attendees to join them in walking out when Russia addresses the gathering.” I hope karma rebounds on those countries insulting Russia. The Australian PM continues to be an international embarrassment, and to be scammed out of more taxpayers’ money by the Ukrainian grifters: “Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged Albanese to increase Australian aid to Ukraine, which has totalled $655 million since the war began in February, $475 million of it in military assistance.” And President Putin is unlikely to care that such an insignificant figure will snub him. “‘And certainly yesterday’s revelations, as well, that some of the cyberattacks that have occurred in Australia have originated in Russia are a wake-up call that Russia has a responsibility to stop criminal activity that’s having a real impact on people in Australia.’” And why should Russia feel obliged to co-operate with Australia, given that the latter has rudely “canceled” it? “Western Europeans will try to isolate Russia at G20 – Telegraph,” RT, 12/11.

Some ABC News articles:

“Former Russian space boss leads ‘Tsar Wolves’,” RT, 11/11. “The former head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, has revealed he is now leading a volunteer unit dubbed ‘Tsar Wolves’ in Donbass.” Well, can’t fault him for lack of courage! An update: “Ukrainians ‘zombified’ by propaganda – Tsar Wolves chief,” 12/11. “‘I cannot recall when Russia was fighting at once such a powerful coalition of high-tech nations [and] fighting with a population heavily poisoned by propaganda. We have a chance out there to have a look at Ukrainian TV propaganda – it’s really zombification.’”

Monday 14/11: Aches and storms; Albanese is an ass; predictable war crimes accusations

Two unwelcome but regular incidents: had a headache overnight, so I am even more debilitated than usual, and there was a thunderstorm this morning with more unpleasant and damaging heavy rain.

“‘Zelensky is not here’: Moscow’s presence hangs over Asian talks,” The Age, 13/11. “Albanese said he directly challenged Lavrov in his speech to the summit. ‘I pointed out that Russia’s actions were causing enormous human toll, that it was an illegal invasion that was having an impact on the people of Ukraine. But also it was a breach of the international rule of law, and that it was having economic consequences and rising costs of inflation, through energy prices throughout the world,’ the prime minister said.” The Australian PM continues to be rude and immature (an embarrassing contrast to the conduct of the Chinese and Russian leaders), and the economic consequences were totally avoidable if the sanctions had not been imposed. “The European Union and Britain are encouraging like-minded attendees at the G20 to snub Lavrov and walk out of the summit when it is addressed by the Russian foreign minister, or Putin by video link from Moscow. Zelensky is also expected to address G20 by video link.”

“Putin’s Kherson humiliation is no reason to ease the pressure,” The Age editorial, 13/11. More tiresome Russia-bashing, blaming Putin, lionizing Zelensky and Ukraine. No, Australia should not continue supporting Ukraine and its grifter president.

“‘Historic moment’: Banksy art sighted on walls of Ukrainian war ruins,” The Age, 14/11. A ridiculously hypobolic statement about a work by an overrated and overexposed artist (see 13/11 entry).

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses Russian forces of committing war crimes in Kherson,” ABC News, 14/11. With tedious predictability: “‘Investigators have already documented more than 400 Russian war crimes. Bodies of dead civilians and servicemen have been found,’ Mr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.”

Tuesday 15/11: Opinions on Putin G20 no-show

Cold, rainy and windy again today, though not as bad as yesterday.

Left writing a bit late today, so little to say.

“Vladimir Putin is absent from this week’s G20 summit: What does it mean for the Russian President and the event itself?” RT, 14/11. “By and large, nothing will be lost because Putin’s not going to the G20. I don’t think the Chinese will be very happy about it. They want formats like this to continue, as the leadership role will gradually shift from the West to China. It will also be a little unpleasant for Western countries that wanted to put on a show in front of the Russian president. Now the performance will be staged in front of Lavrov. Russia won’t lose anything at all because it doesn’t face any issues dependent on the G20’s cooperation. I don’t think the Indonesians will be too offended either. They rebuffed all attempts by the US to exclude Russia, but they did it for their own sake, to show that Indonesia isn’t beholden to the United States.”

Wednesday 16/11: Destroy Russia; worst-case scenario; Kherson retreat perspectives; alleged POW torture

“US goal is to destroy Russia – security chief,” RT, 15/11. Nikolai Patrushev bluntly states the West’s ultimate goal.

“What would a Russian defeat mean for the people of the West?” The Saker, 15/11. The worst-case scenario imagined for maligned Russia supporters in the West, if Russia were defeated in its Ukraine SMO.

“The Kherson question,” Nora Hoppe at The Saker, 15/11. Russia’s retreat from Kherson, controversial amongst online supporters, demonstrates that its leaders care about preserving the lives of its soldiers: “Perhaps the ‘transient’ retreat from Kherson is not a setback and can be even seen as a victory, another kind of victory – a moral victory.” Similarly at Dances With Bears: “When Marshal Kutuzov Joins General Winter And General Surovikin, What Happens Next On The Front.” The Russian approach to war is different to that of the West.

“UN investigation finds both Russia and Ukraine tortured prisoners of war, using beatings and electric shocks,” ABC News, 16/11. Of course, the Ukrainian captors are presented more favorably. “She lamented that neither side in the war appeared to be adhering fully to that principle, although she said the abuse meted out by Russian captors was more ‘systematic’ […] While Ukraine gave access to the prisoners while in detention, Russia did not, and the Ukrainian detainees could only be interviewed after their release, she said. […] Ms Bogner highlighted the need for accountability for such abuse, and hailed that Ukraine had launched a number of criminal investigations targeting members of its armed forces accused of abuse against prisoners.”

Thursday 17/11: Polish missile strike Ukraine’s fault (but blame Russia anyway); G20 rude guests; Artemis launches at last; Apple documentary

“Polish president says it’s ‘very likely’ missile was from Ukraine air defence, not Russia,” ABC News, 16/11. But of course the West was quick to initially blame Russia anyway, then, when that was disproven, twist the incident to still find Russia at fault! “NATO’s Secretary General on Wednesday said Russia was ultimately responsible for the blast in Poland because it had started the war. ‘They are responsible for the war that has caused this situation,’ Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference after an emergency meeting of NATO ambassadors. Let me be clear this is not Ukraine’s fault.” Utter bullshit – it is Ukraine’s fault as they fired the missile! (“Ukraine’s Epic Fail At Manufacturing a False Flag” – Larry Johnson.)

“A missile hits Poland and Russia leaves early – these were the big moments from the G20 summit in Bali,” ABC News, 16/11. Russia was shunned at the G20. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website are “Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to media questions following the G20 Summit, Denpasar, November 15, 2022.” Some harsh words about the Ukrainian puppet president and the gullible Western governments supporting him against Russia.

“The G20’s Balinese geopolitical dance,” Pepe Escobar for The Saker blog, 16/11. On the great embarrassment the churlish behavior of the Western nations of the G20 in snubbing Russia caused their Indonesian hosts. “Indonesian President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo was dealt a terrible hand: how to hold a G20 to discuss food and energy security, sustainable development, and climate issues, when everything under the sun is polarized by the war in Ukraine. […] The traditional group photo ahead of the G20 – a staple of every summit in Asia – had to be delayed. Because – who else – ‘Biden’ and Sunak, US and UK, refused to be in the same picture with Lavrov. Such childish, un-diplomatic hysterics is profoundly disrespectful towards ritual Balinese graciousness, politeness and a non-confrontational ethos.” Add our sycophantic Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, to the rude guest list.

“Putin outlines vision of Russia’s national identity,” RT, 15/11. “The basis of Russia’s national identity is respect for the past and loyalty to long-standing traditions, President Vladimir Putin has suggested, accusing a number of states of aggressively attempting to rewrite world history.”

“Liftoff! NASA’s Artemis I Mega Rocket Launches Orion to Moon,” NASA, 16/11; “SLS makes successful debut flight, sending Artemis I to the Moon,” NASASpaceflight.com, 16/11. NASA’s Artemis Moon rocket launched at long last on its first test mission, carrying the currently-uncrewed Orion spacecraft. In my current dulled and depressed mood, though, I do not feel very interested, given other world events.

I watched some of an episode in a documentary series, Land of the Giants: Titans of Tech – “‘Apple: Think Different’ – the story of how Steve Jobs took Apple to new heights and died an icon, with products that have rewired people’s brains and remade society.” I am certainly not the only one to feel that the company has lost its way since his untimely death (and seeing film and photos of an emaciated Steve in his last months was still upsetting). Having such a strong (and abrasive!) personality in charge is both a bane and a boon: they will keep the company on track, but the danger is the company falls apart once its founder leaves for whatever reason. I still like Apple products despite everything (and the company still has a cult-like following), but they are pretty much a luxury item, sadly.

Friday 18/11: Scott the Ukraine shill article; MH17 defendents found guilty; more cannon fodder for Russia; Forrest funding folly

“‘Putin needs the ISS’: US astronaut Scott Kelly on future of space cooperation – and chasing UFOs,” Euronews, 17/11. As I have noted earlier in disgust (29/4 entry), Scott Kelly is a relentless Ukraine shill so his opinion on Russia is to be discounted.

“‘Anyone that believes in freedom and democracy, I think needs to be standing with Ukraine, because if Russia gets away with invading a European country, why would they stop there?’ he told Euronews Next.” Bullshit – one reason Russia began its SMO was the threat of encirclement from NATO. It has no desire to invade Europe.

“He told Euronews Next that among his friends are former and current cosmonauts, and people working in the Russian space programme, as well as Russian friends who are not involved with the space programme. ‘At least the people I know that I’ve talked to, most of them feel exactly the same way I do about this, with one addition, I would say, and that is embarrassment. They feel that this is disgusting, immoral, and illegal. They can’t believe this is happening. And they are also very much ashamed.’ But he also said he had spoken to some people he was involved with on missions who ‘believe that Russia had no choice to invade Ukraine because they are defending themselves from the Nazis and NATO.’” Well, news to him that there are patriots who do genuinely support Russia’s actions.

“MH17 verdict ‘politically motivated’ – Russia,” RT, 17/11. Not surprisingly in the current tense climate, the three men were convicted, but “The men were tried in absentia – a criminal proceeding when the defendant is not present in the court – since they are still at large. They are all believed to be in Russia or Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine and are unlikely to face jail unless they travel abroad.” Russia certainly will not extradite them. “The Dutch court was ‘under unprecedented pressure’ during the hearings, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated, commenting on the verdict. ‘There can be no talk of objectivity and impartiality under such circumstances,’ it added, pointing to attempts by Dutch ‘politicians, prosecutors and media to impose a politically motivated verdict’ in this case. Moscow has made it clear that, in accordance with the country's constitution, it will not be extraditing its citizens.” John Helmer at Dances With Bears has entries tagged with MH17.

“Inside the secret headquarters where foreigners go to fight Putin,” The Age, 18/11. Hopefully these deluded fools will end up as cannon fodder for Russia.

“Andrew Forrest pledges $744 million towards rebuilding Ukraine, aims to attract investors,” ABC News, 18/11. “Speaking to ABC Radio National, Dr Forrest said he wanted to make sure the people of Ukraine knew there would be ‘a bright future when they do expel the Russian forces. Investing in Ukraine, once they expel the Russian forces to the satisfaction of the Ukrainian government, will be I believe a good investment, and therefore I’m prepared to lead that,’ he said.” A bit of premature optimism there? And his wealth could be directed toward far more worthy causes.

Saturday 19/11: Russian mysticism book; blame Russia for Nord Stream; drone operator; wargaming Ukraine conflict

I have begun reading a book called The Return of Holy Russia by Gary Lachman, on the unique form of spiritualism throughout Russian history. From the introductory chapter:

But in Putin’s Russia, the extreme liberalism and permissiveness that characterize Western society – its “anything goes” sensibility – smacks of little more than decadence, and our commercialization of practically everything reeks of selfishness and ego gratification, Rudolph Steiner’s independent Western “I” turned into a gluttonous, consuming “me.” Nothing seems to resist the spread of the “me” economy, in which everything is yielding and negotiable, even reality. To this Putin’s Russia upholds more “traditional” standards, and its attitude toward sex, family, and gender roles seems to the “progressive” West highly conservative, if not repressive. […]

Before the journey of Princess Olga from Kiev to Constantinople in 957 – the beauty of which overwhelmed her and made certain her conversion – the Russian people had a rich pagan tradition full of gods and goddesses, elemental forces, and nature spirits. As with other pagan people converted to Christianity – of whom the Russians were one of the last – this tradition did not die out but was maintained alongside the new Christian belief, an arrangement known as dvoeverie, “double faith,” an example, perhaps, of the ability of the Russian soul to hold contradictory ideas simultaneously, and of the tensions at work in doing so.

The central aim of Russian philosophy, that strange hybrid, which appeared in the nineteenth century seemingly without precedent, was to rectify the imbalance that Western thought, with its emphasis on materialism, positivism, and utilitarianism, had created, through its rejection of inner, spiritual reality. […] The kinds of questions that obsessed Russian thought in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, such as the “meaning” of history, seem to the Western positivist mind nonsensical. Yet it was precisely because the West rejected any notion of meaning – something that the East possessed, while lacking Western science – that the idea of Russia being able to offer a “third way,” partaking of both East and West, came about.

I have previously mentioned Cosmism (18/4 entry), a merging of spirituality and the cosmos, of mysticism and science, with particular relevance to the Soviet and Russian space program, and its appeal to me in contrast to those of the West (NASA and ESA) with their drearily utilitarian mindset (emotional appeal vs. reductionalist reason). There is a book called Russian Cosmism by Boris Groys; a relevant paragraph from its introduction: “Today, the imperial or expansionist undertones of space colonization make the utopian or metaphysical aims of the early Russian Cosmists stand in stark contrast to the brute resource-plunder of European territorial expansion. It can be said that even the US space program, while being technologically more advanced, remained a spiritually impoverished exercise trapped within the same colonial drive for territorial control in the absence of any significant cultural project. A question arises concerning how non-Western avant-gardes summoned technology to serve cultural practices or spiritual cosmologies beyond the steamroller of Western industrial modernity. The eccentricity of early Russian utopianism points to a universal materialism decidedly more humane and spiritually far more encompassing than the mechanistic functionalism or free expressionism of its Western artistic or architectural contemporaries.”

Most in the Western space programs will scoff at such a philosophy as “mystical nonsense.” I don’t care – it is balm for my soul and this year in particular I am in desperate need of it. I miss the Soviet space era and wish it could be resurrected.

“Traces of explosives found at Baltic Sea Nord Stream pipelines,” ABC News, 19/11. Unbelievably, they are still pushing the notion that Russia deliberately did it: “But some Nordic and other European media outlets have pointed a finger of blame on Moscow, hosting military experts suggesting Russia has all the resources to carry out such a precise attack requiring careful advance planning. Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, said in late September it was ‘very obvious’ who was responsible of the pipeline sabotage, suggesting Russia’s involvement.” No, it is very clear that a Western nation performed the sabotage.

“‘Learn this’: Drone operator Kateryna wanted action then war came,” The Age, 19/11. Female Ukrainian drone operator profile; an obvious attempt to keep focus on the Ukrainian side with a “human interest” story. (Part of one comment on the article: “How we glorify the Ukrainians and demonise the Russians. As someone of Asian background, but Australian with no real interest in this war – I am just gobsmacked by the one sidedness of these stories.”)

“Project Convergence: US/UK Wargaming WW3 in Ukraine,” Mark Sleboda, 19/11 (and the archived The Times article: “Elite UK troops prepare for Russian invasion of Europe – in the Mojave desert.” “The exercises are specifically designed to incorporate observations and lessons learned from the conflict currently occurring in Ukraine and feature a ‘land-centric fight against the type of threat the Ukrainians are facing every day now’ and include practicing to penetrate an integrated air defense system network “resembling those currently being used by Russia in Ukraine.’ Then the joint force will sustain a land campaign against a hybrid threat ‘much like the one you’re seeing in living color right now in Ukraine.’” Australian troops are unfortunately involved.

Sunday 20/11: Russian IT hardening; Applebaum the Russophobe; character assassination article

A too-rare fine and sunny day on Friday, but the bad weather returned yesterday and today, and continues until mid-week. I would be happy to never experience rain again.

I am still unable to access the Roskosmos website via a normal link, and have to resort to online proxy servers. Very frustrating as there is no guarantee they will continue to work. A pertinent news item was published there on 19/11 on protecting IT infrastructure (computer translation follows):

Under the “digital” armor

How to protect the IT infrastructure of an enterprise from computer attacks and sabotage? This and other issues, especially relevant in the new world realities, were discussed by the guests of the 6th Conference on Information Security in the Rocket and Space Industry, which was recently held in Moscow.

The conference participants were heads and employees of information security departments of Roskosmos organizations, representatives of regulators in this area, as well as developers of domestic information security solutions.

The traditional topics for discussion are the protection of critical information infrastructure objects, countering computer attacks and issues of interaction with the State System for Detecting, Preventing and Eliminating the Consequences of Computer Attacks on Information Resources of the Russian Federation (GosSOPKA). However, the current tense situation in the world has adjusted the program of the forum.

Possible risks

First of all, the problem of shortage of personnel has aggravated, and the withdrawal of many suppliers (vendors) of Western software (SW) from the Russian market has brought the problem of import substitution to a completely new level. According to the Federal Service for Technical and Export Control, foreign software is used at many industry facilities (about 80%). Its continued use in the current environment significantly increases the risk of disruption to the functioning of critical information infrastructure facilities.

In general, according to representatives of the National Coordination Center for Computer Incidents, almost all possible risks related to the infrastructure of the Russian segment of the Internet have appeared since February this year. Among them are mass revocation of certificates, the appearance of malicious code in software updates, the termination of the functioning of protection tools of foreign vendors, the embedding of malicious content in widely used elements of web pages, and others.

At the same time, massive coordinated hacker and DDoS attacks have become a particularly disturbing factor.

Ivan Grigorov, acting Director of the Scientific and Technical Center Zarya (the parent organization of Roskosmos for information protection), drew attention to the evolution of modern cyberspace and the landscape of threats to objects of the critical information infrastructure of the industry. He cited generalized statistics of computer attacks on the information resources of Roskosmos and industry enterprises and noted that DDoS attacks are the third most common among computer attacks (in the first places are attempts to introduce malware and network scanning). The dynamics are noteworthy: over the past six months, more of them have been recorded than in the whole of 2021.

Respond to calls

As Russian Space found out, Russian developers of software and information security tools are aware of the problems and are trying to quickly respond to the challenges of the time.

“For the market, the current situation also brings additional opportunities. The departure of Western vendors creates a void that will be filled by Russian companies. Nevertheless, risks in the field of information security (IS), on the contrary, are growing. It is difficult to painlessly replace the entire infrastructure, while maintaining the same level of protection and functionality during the transition,” said Ivan Melekhin , director of the IZ:SOC cyberattack monitoring and countermeasures center at Informzashchita.

According to Ivan Melekhin, the process of import substitution is difficult. There are a lot of problems, starting from the pricing policy of Russian developers, who were covered by a wave of demand in the face of reduced competition after the departure of Western vendors. And ending with a lower level of functionality and performance of domestic solutions, the lack of domestic hardware, and the discrepancy between the declared characteristics of hardware that is supplied as part of parallel imports.

At the same time, the shortage of qualified personnel, always inherent in the information security industry, is now becoming even more tangible. Under these conditions, external companies that provide security on a service model can come to the rescue.

“The departure of foreign vendors does not pose any significant dangers. The same goes for sanctions. By and large, the market has been under certain sanctions pressure since 2014, and in eight years everyone has learned to adapt to such conditions. As for import substitution: if you look at the manufacturers and the state, then, probably, the process is not going as fast as we would like. But on the side of the customers of information security solutions, development is happening faster: companies are trying to do everything possible, rebuilding many components of the IT infrastructure,” said Fyodor Dbar, commercial director of Security Code.

According to Fyodor Dbar, both his company and the market as a whole have almost complete analogs of foreign solutions that have left Russia. Of course, the market does not yet replace 100% of departed vendors, but there is no such thing that nothing works for customers due to the installation of domestic products. Certain problems exist, but they are solvable.

At the same time, the needs of the rocket and space industry in the field of information security do not differ much from other industries. It also requires traffic encryption, firewalls, that is, NGFW (Next Generation Firewall,) and UTM class devices (Unified Threat Management, Universal Comprehensive Protection Device), protection of workstations and virtual environments.

Understanding the importance of information security

The events of recent months have forced even the most inveterate skeptics to recognize that ensuring information security is a vital necessity, and enterprises and organizations in the rocket and space industry have many critical infrastructure facilities that need to be protected every day, confronting a smart and organized adversary. At the same time, the last six months have also shown the possibilities of self-organization of the market, prompt response to the emergence of new threats, and real assistance from the regulator. There will be no fewer threats, but since security is a continuous and constantly evolving process, it can be assumed that Russian security officers will eventually turn out to be one of the most “toothy” and savvy.

Anne Applebaum is a staff writer at The Atlantic magazine, and a rabid Russophobe as her articles indicate. The latest, published in the December 2022 issue: “The Russian Empire Must Die.” An extraordinarily patronizing opinion piece, saying that Russia should change to fit Western (and, more specifically, American) ideas and values. The Russian “dissidents” quoted are the fifth columnists that President Putin has criticized.

“Igor Girkin was one of three convicted of murder over the MH17 attack and is the elusive figure behind Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine,” ABC News, 20/11. Character assassination as is typical for this news site when Russia is the topic. “In the eyes of the Netherlands and Australia, all roads lead back to Russia.” Comments from the Tweeted article by Cameron Leckie: “Right to be highly sceptical. @BecArmitage @luciastein_ @lucysween are 3 ‘digital producers’ mostly Oz-based often spruiking on Russia and Ukraine. Mostly off AP/Reuters feeds. Mostly supposition and he said/she said without any first hand attribution. Usual topsy one sided @abcnews article provides a great example of what Patrick Lawrence describes as the ‘power of leaving out’ where important context/timelines etc. are omitted leading the reader to draw false conclusions. Another way of putting it: lying by omission.” The Bellingcat organization mentioned is a Western state funded investigative group that has been blacklisted by Russia: “Russia labels Bellingcat ‘undesirable’,” RT, 15/7.

Monday 21/11: Fatigued; more Ukie human interest shilling; Ukie fatigue

Have not been out on a walk today or yesterday as weather is inclement and I have been feeling very fatigued. The rain and wind give me a feeling of impending doom.

“‘This is hell. They torture us’: The town Vladimir Putin desperately wants,” The Age, 21/11. Still trying to keep Ukraine in public view with another human interest story (sympathetic Ukrainians, demonizing Russians).

“War ‘fatigue’ arrives with winter,” The Age, 21/11. Grudgingly recognizing that Russia is not defeated in its objectives, and that quite a lot of people in the West are getting fed up with the unneccessary economic sacrifices. “Meanwhile, the early European unity is beginning to fragment. […] Meanwhile, in the United States – which has supplied the Ukrainians with arms and aid worth about $US25 billion – we are beginning to see what some commentators are calling Ukraine fatigue. Two events last week are likely to weaken America’s will: the Republican Party’s success in taking control of the House of Representatives, and the announcement by Donald Trump of another presidential run. […] In the longer term, beyond the presidential election in two years’ time, there is a significant possibility of an isolationist Republican administration, unsupportive of Ukraine and, if Trump himself is once again in the White House, a president dangerously sympathetic to Putin.” In that case, one hopes that Trump will be re-elected!

Tuesday 22/11: Sunak the sucker; more baseless Russian torture allegations; Twitter turmoil

The weather was a little better today, but still gloomy and overcast, with light drizzle. It really affects my mood negatively.

“British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visits Kyiv, announces new $89 million air-support package,” ABC News, 20/11. Yet another politician gets conned out of taxpayers’ money by the Ukraine grifter – when will they come to their senses?

“Ukraine prosecutor says four suspected Russian torture sites found in Kherson,” ABC News, 22/11. “Ukrainian police and prosecutors have identified four places in Kherson where they suspect Russian forces tortured people before the troops abandoned the city.” “Suspect,” no actual proof. And no mention in the mainstream media here of the execution of Russian POWs by Ukrainian troops, which have been verified as authentic (but the US has typically downplayed). Edit: ABC News has mentioned that “Ukraine to investigate videos of alleged war crimes against Russian prisoners. Here’s what we know about the footage,” and of course the article tries to cast doubt on the footage in Ukraine’s favor.

“Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover could lead to the social media giant’s collapse, some fear. What would it mean for the war in Ukraine?” Mick Ryan, 22/11. Stupidly inane opinion piece. “But the war in Ukraine has seen a Cambrian explosion in the use of social media – especially Twitter – to share images and stories from inside Ukraine, disseminate situation reports on the war, build crowdfunding efforts, track war crimes, and for government and non-government entities to conduct strategic influence activities. […] The Ukrainian Government has implemented a continuously evolving program to influence Western governments and solicit aid since the invasion in February. Twitter has tens of millions of users in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. These are two important targets for official Ukrainian influence operations.” Well, Twitter seems unlikely to implode so far (despite the current hysterics over Elon Musk’s acquittal), but if it did it would be one less outlet for the barrage of Ukraine propaganda (and the odious Ryan) which he reports approvingly.

Wednesday 23/11: Unreasonable demands; State election; repurposed photo

Had a headache overnight and into this morning; feeling debilitated.

Victorian State election upcoming this Saturday. I am completely disengaged and could not care less about it.

Khannea Suntzu (previously: 12/11 entry) has a new, very Russophobic blog entry: These are demands of the West – “The Russian Despotic Federation is dying. Population growth numbers have crashed completely since the 1990s. Large swathes of the people in the Russian Federation are cripplingly poor, destitute, catastrophically undereducated, morally bankrupt.” Followed by surrender terms for Russia. Uh, no, Russia would fight to the last citizen without even considering such extreme demands. These would ensure the utter humiliation and destruction of Russia, and there is no way their government or people would stand for such terms.

“How two Australian soldiers became unwitting poster boys for Russian mercenary Wagner Group's Ukraine recruitment drive,” ABC News, 23/11. As one Twitter commenter says, “Western military forces propaganda photo used as Russian military forces propaganda photo. Nobody is expecting any honesty anymore.” “Having served for 46 years himself, Mr James said it was disappointing to see the likenesses of Australia’s elite soldiers being used to recruit mercenaries for an invasion that Australia has repeatedly condemned. ‘To some extent, it just shows the desperation of the Russian government and its puppets,’ he added.” Barely worth the bother of reporting this, considering the photo has been available on the Internet, and Russia certainly will not feel obliged to recognize copyright? Hardly “desperate” – and Western countries are having their own issues with recruiting.

Thursday 24/11: Over Japan; what Russia wants; NATO’s Russia paranoia; targeting churches; vaping linked to tooth decay; suburban nostalgia book

Felt OK this morning; no headache and mood was reasonably good, though the latter soon fades as the day progresses.

I have lost interest in Japan; in my 27/11/2021 entry I remarked it was one of my “comfort places,” but no more. There is a real fetish for its popular culture and design aesthetic in Western culture, though, as evidenced by the many books on various related topics in bookstores. I am very tired of the now-ubiquitous anime and manga style that saturates Western pop culture; the big-eyed, stylized figures are very overused and overexposed.

“The OUN-Russia war (no longer an SMO): What do the parties want and what does the future hold?” by Eric Arthur Blair for the Saker blog, 23/11. An overview of Russian and its opponents’ aims for Ukraine.

“Red tape, potholes and politics hamper NATO’s defence efforts as threat from Russia rises,” ABC News, 24/11. I doubt Russia wants to invade Europe (in past history, the opposite – refer to Napoleon), so this level of paranoia is absurd. And Europe only has itself to blame for the “growing Russia threat” for imposing ridiculously harsh sanctions against Russia.

The Ukrainian SBU has resorted to raiding Russian Orthodox churches for supposed subversive items: “Ukraine’s security service raids Kyiv monastery, suspects Russian sabotage,” ABC News; “In hunt for Russian spies, Ukrainians raid monasteries,” The Age (if the situation were reversed, Western media would be quick to condem these actions as religious persecution). Yalensis at his Awful Avalanche blog has commented: “Ukraine War Day #273: Kiev Regime Searches Monastery.” “In all, an amazing number of 350 church properties were subjected to this search. It’s almost like the SBU has nothing better to do, even when they are steadily losing the war and Russian spies are falling out of every tree! More ominously, 850 citizens of Ukraine, Russia, and other countries, were drawn into this dragnet; of which 50 were subjected to intensified interrogations with the help of polygraph machines.”

“Vapes, e-cigarettes linked to higher risk of tooth decay and cavities, study finds,” ABC News, 24/11. An actually useful article from that site, and a strong reason to not take up vaping.

I bought a little photography book called The ’Burbs by Kim Walvisch. A nostalgic record of ordinary suburbia of Melbourne, familiar to me as it is where I have lived all my life so far. Intellectual inner-city elites like to sneer at such places, but I will defend these to my last breath. There is beauty and comfort in the ordinary; the familiar streetscapes and architectural styles. Sadly such places are disappearing in the mania of demolition and redevelopment that seems to be never-ending now, with the humble weatherboard or brick houses being replaced with monolithic monstrosities (“McMansions” – see 31/7 entry). I’ve taken quite a lot of photos around my neighborhood over the years on my walks.

Friday 25/11: Russian exiles harassing Embassy staff; targeting power and hypocrisy; Dreamlands dreamed images

“Vladimir Putin’s allies target Australian group that fights Russian propaganda,” ABC News, 25/11. And rightly so, given these are 5th columnists harassing Embassy staff. Russia is right in banning the Svoboda Alliance members from travelling there; they are no loss to Russia. “Commission chairman Vasily Piskarev claimed, without evidence, that ‘all these structures are controlled by authorities from NATO member states and are aimed at undermining our country (Russia) from within.’” I have no doubt that they would receive covert funding, or at least encouragement, from Western authorities and government organizations.

“Ukrainians suffer in cold, darkness as Zelenskyy implores UN Security Council to punish Russia,” ABC News, 25/11. No sympathy – their corrupt grifter president brought this punishment upon his country. “Moscow acknowledges attacking basic infrastructure, saying its aim is to reduce Ukraine's ability to fight and to push it to negotiate. Kyiv says the attacks are clearly intended to harm civilians, making them a war crime.” From a Moon of Alabama post, “Ukraine – Switching The Lights Off,” 18/11: “Isn’t it a war crime to destroy the infrastructure that supplies civilians? It depends. If the infrastructure is used exclusively for civilian purpose the destruction is illegal. But the electricity and transport infrastructure in Ukraine is used for civilian AND military purposes.”

A surprisingly reasonable letter published in The Age today, calling out the hypocrisy over attitudes towards China (the “Yellow Peril” bogeyman resurrected) as opposed to the USA, in another ill-informed opinion piece by Mick Ryan:

So harsh on China, yet so soft on the US

How much longer will the mainstream media, including The Age, stoke fears about China? The latest is the warmongering article by Mick Ryan – “We can’t wish away a China war” (Comment, 24/11) – following on from Kevin Rudd’s warning (The Age, 22/11).

Yes, there are problems with China and it has a fundamentally different political system than us, which always makes for good criticism. But why is so much angst directed against China while, so often, the United States gets away scot free? In its more than 240 years of independence, the US has been at war much of the time, and has invaded about half-a-dozen countries since World War II, usually on the basis of false, if not illegal pretences.

In addition, it has the largest prison population in the world, huge economic inequalities and a democracy that is now in a very fragile state. American culture has utterly permeated Australia for the past 50 years, not necessarily for the good. So, while we may justifiably express criticisms of certain aspects of China’s polity, can’t we begin to see the US for what it really is as well?

– Greg Bailey, St Andrews

Regarding Khannea Suntzu’s Dreamlands RPG/worldbuilding project (12/11 entry), I was thinking that the AI-generated images of Petar Milivojevic’s “Guests of Light” ArtStation album (screenshot of the album’s thumbnail images, 781 KB, mentioned in my 8/7 entry), with their disturbingly unfocused faces and impressionistic style, are a perfect representation of the baroquely macabre and surreal setting she envisages.

Saturday 26/11: State election day; surviving in a war zone; a pointed present; Putin is in ill health (again! Not!); meeting mourning mothers

Voting today for the Victorian State election. I am indifferent to it.

“Awaiting Liberation: A Report from the Front and a Warning,” by Batiushka for the Saker blog, 20/11. On what trying to continue Ukrainian town life in what is now a war zone is like.

Someone in Ukraine posted in the r/Preppers forum, “20 hours without electricity and water experience”:

So missiles hit again (I’m from Ukraine) and almost all of my big city was without electricity for 20 hours and water for 30 hours (for now, there’s still no water here). Here are some observations:

  1. You cannot hear air raid alerts because all sirens are electric
  2. You cannot get any info from FM radio because all retranslators are down too..
  3. You have no internet and even no cellular after hour or two after blackout starts bbecause the base station generators ran out of fuel I believe or UPS lost their charge.
  4. Huge crowds in 10-15 working supermarkets for all 2M+ people count city
  5. Huge crowds for water, when I walked with my dog at the morning I didn’t see any person walking on the streets without a gallon bottle or two (empty, they took it with them to fill it up on the way)
  6. You cannot get cash from ATMs because in all country (not my city but the whole of Ukraine) you have like 3000 working ATMs from a total count of 30 000 or so.
  7. Scanning some LPD/PMR channels: some increase in communications between usual citizens. I even heard some explanations from father I believe to his like pre-teen son about how to use the radio and etiquette and rules of communication on the radio.
  8. Nights are REALLY DARK without illumination of neighboring or distant buildings, street lighting, etc.
  9. I do have electric-dependent gas heating boiler so I was withour heating and after 20 hours inside my house temperature drops from 20-22°C to 14-15°C.

So that’s how partial blackout looks. Maybe this info will be helpful.

Reddit is infested with pro-Ukraine shills, so I will not read the comments.

“Putin’s chef sends ‘bloodied’ weapon in violin case to EU parliament,” The Age, 26/11. “Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries have sent a ‘bloodied’ sledgehammer in a violin case to the European Parliament after members started proceedings to label them as terrorists. Sledgehammers have become an unofficial symbol of the Kremlin-linked group because its fighters have used them to kill during overseas missions.” The EP gets justly trolled for their stupid stunt of declaring Russia a terrorist state for invading Ukraine. The self-righteous EP deserve it!

“‘Critically ill’ Putin wheezes through meeting,” Herald-Sun, 26/11. “New concerns have arisen around Vladimir Putin’s health after the Russian leader appeared to wheeze and gasp through a meeting with grieving mums whose children were killed in Ukraine. Russia’s president – who is reportedly ‘critically ill’ – met with a carefully selected group of parents as he sat down with them to have tea, cakes and fresh berries, The Sun reports.”Proof of why this tabloid news service is an absolute joke! What passes for “reporting” there (and it is regurgitating news from a UK tabloid).

A reply to my Tweet about the article linked to a sardonic Moon of Alabama post from earlier this year: “50 Sick Headlines About Vladimir Putin’s Health,” 22/7.

“Vladimir Putin meets with mothers of Russian soldiers killed in his war against Ukraine,” ABC News, 26/11. And still the article finds an angle to criticize. “But some relatives of soldiers killed in the war said the Kremlin had ignored their pleas for a meeting. ‘The mothers will ask the “correct” questions that were agreed beforehand,’ Olga Tsukanova, head of the Council of Mothers and Wives, said in a message on Telegram before the meeting.”

Sunday 27/11: Unwilling converts; Holodomor controversy

“In a foxhole with outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian soldiers,” The Age, 27/11. Another “human interest” article to keep the conflict in the public eye. This statement is quite disturbing: “He says part of his brigade’s task is trying to win over the predominantly Russian-speaking local population, but only about half of them are more loyal to Ukraine than Russia. He says many aren’t actively sabotaging the efforts of Ukrainian soldiers, ‘they are just waiting’ for Russia. ‘These people have a Soviet mentality. This region is not very pro-Europe, they lag in development compared to the rest of Ukraine,’he says. ‘There were some attempts to provide information about our military positions to the Russians, but these attempts have been stopped.’” Yes, as the Russian-speakers are persecuted by such as the soldiers profiled, they not unreasonably want to be part of Russia. As is usual in this news service, only one side’s view is presented.

“Exodus of civilians from Kherson after days of shelling from Russian forces,” ABC News, 27/11. “Ukrainians were marking the 90th anniversary of the start of the ‘Holodomor,’ or Great Famine, which saw the deaths of more than three million people over two years as the Soviet government under dictator Josef Stalin confiscated food and grain supplies and deported many Ukrainians. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz marked the commemoration by drawing parallels with the impact of the war on Ukraine on world markets. […] Mr Scholz spoke as a cross-party group of politicians in Germany are seeking to pass a parliamentary resolution next week that would recognise the 1930s’ famine as ‘genocide.’” Whether the Holodomor was deliberate is contentious, as there was a wider famine in many countries at that time. The Myth of the Holodomor source list provides some links against it being intentional. One article by Grover Furr, 3/3/2017: “The ‘Holodomor’ and the Film ‘Bitter Harvest’ are Fascist Lies.”

Also, a relevent 26/11 Tweet thread from Mungus Talkin’ Revolution:

90 years ago, there was a famine which spread throughout Eastern Europe, affecting both regions which had been part of the Russian Empire for hundreds of years (and were by then under Soviet control) like Ukraine, and lands belonging to other countries.

Those lands were the sole source of grain to the burgeoning industrial cities of Europe, including, as an apropos example, Moscow and Berlin, as well as to the people who lived on the land.

The Soviets had decided that the best way to ensure that everyone got fed was for a central government to collect the grain from the farmers and to distribute it among all its people and the people of Eastern Europe who were Soviet allies.

However, there were three big problems. The first was the famine itself, which was starving millions of people in both Soviet and non-Soviet Eastern Europe. The second was that, in Berlin, there was this guy named Adolph Hitler who figured out that, if he could get his hands on this grain, he could starve out the people who eventually prevented him from taking over the World, the Soviets. The third was that the wealthy landowners in the Ukraine region of Russia, the Kulaks, refused to participate in the Soviet government’s collection and distribution of grain because they thought they should determine who received grain and what they should get in return. These three ingredients were a recipe for disaster in a famine. When the Kulaks refused to allow the Soviets to feed their people, the Soviet leader, Stalin, had them arrested and sent people to the Ukraine region to run the farms. Then the Kulaks and their supporters among the political and academic elite of the region attempted to get the common people of the region to rebel against the Soviet government. The elites declared the region was independent and turned to the person they thought could stop the Soviets, Hitler. Hitler, who saw this as the perfect opportunity to kill off the Soviets, told the elites that he would let them start their own country.

In the meantime, the famine had resulted in there not being enough grain to feed the Soviets and their allies. In fact, there was not enough grain to feed the people of Eastern Europe at all. People throughout Eastern Europe (both Soviet and non-Soviet areas) began to starve to death in huge numbers. This was compounded by the fact that the people Stalin had sent to run the farms were not that good of farmers AND the Kulaks were sabotaging their efforts, resulting in the famine becoming even worse. Faced with Ukranian elites’ rebellion and alliance with the Soviet’s (indeed the world’s) enemy, Adolph Hitler, AND a horrible famine now killing millions, Stalin cut the share of grain going back to Ukraine.

During the 1932-33 famine millions of people died, including in the Ukraine region, regions where Stalin had not cut the share of grain AND places not even under Stalin’s control. This indisputable fact proves that Stalin neither caused the famine, nor did his decision to cut the share of grain going back to the region cause all of the deaths. How many MORE people starved in the Ukraine region whose leaders were aligning themselves with Hitler, when compared to the number of people who were starving in other places has only rarely been discussed. The reason for this is seen in @DefenceU tweet.

Acknowledging that the famine was not “man-made,” that the Kulaks made it worse by refusing collectivization, that the political and academic elites behind that refusal were aligning themselves with Hitler against their own country, that millions of the people who died from starvation in the Ukraine region, like the millions that died from starvation elsewhere in Eastern Europe, were going to die from starvation regardless of whether Stalin cut the Ukraine region’s share of grain, destroys the “Stalin was worse than Hitler” narrative, undercuts 90 years or propaganda blaming the famine on “communism,” removes Ukraine’s excuse for collaborating with murderous Nazi war criminals (just like they did 90 years ago), and explains why a huge majority of the PEOPLE (not the elites) of Eastern Ukraine wanted to maintain close relations with Russia, the country which defeated Hitler, rebuilt its agricultural and brought it into the industrialized world at the same time the elites (like elites 90 years ago were willing to starve Moscow and help Hitler carry out the REAL Holocaust to “stop communists from taking their land”) joined Western neocons in the Maidan coup to “defeat Russia.”

Ukraine is a country built on lies. Its nationalists are the descendants of Nazi collaborators, and its government is forcing the same common people who paid the price for the elites’ desire to beat the Russians at any cost in the 1930s to pay that price again.

Monday 28/11: Another Ukraine propaganda documentary; Putin as cartoon villain

Upcoming SBS TV Ukraine propaganda documentary, demonstrating its usual bias:

Ukraine: Life Under Attack

When Russia began its attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, in February of 2022, many people expected the city to fall in days. But the Ukrainians refused to surrender.

Ukraine: Life Under Russia’s Attack offers a dramatic and intimate look inside the Russian assault on Kharkiv, told by the people living through it – the displaced families trying to survive underground, the civilians caught in the fight, and the first responders risking their lives to protect them.

Filmed on the ground over the first three months of the war in Kharkiv, a city just 25 miles from Russia, the documentary is filmed, produced, and directed in Ukraine by Mani Benchelah and Patrick Tombola with producer Volodymyr Pavlov, with additional direction by Teresa Smith and executive production by Oscar-nominated filmmakers Ben de Pear and Edward Watts, and Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett.

In vivid and indelible scenes, the documentary tells the story of the battle for Kharkiv through the experiences of those who stayed in the city, despite the ever-present threat of the war.

In fairness – if they claimed to be impartial – SBS should screen documentaries with opposing views, such as Oliver Stone’s 2014 Ukraine on Fire.

“Debunking the myth of ‘Holodomor’,” He Zhao, 8/12/2020. Another addition to yesterday’s topic (27/11 entry).

A new Putin-bashing graphic novel is being published, Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin by Andrew Weiss (saw it mentioned on the very biased PBS Newshour). “But what we shouldn’t forget is the level of opportunism and the extent to which Putin twists things around about Russia’s history, particularly the relationship with Ukraine, in ways that are entirely self-serving and that basically allow him to justify the course he's taken Russia down.” Well, that attitude discredits the book right there.

Tuesday 29/11: Terrorist state? Donbass defence; anhedonia; collective malaise

“What does the EU Parliament’s designation of Russia as a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’ mean?” RT, 24/11. Both the EU and NATO have designated Russia thus, intending to demonize it even more.

“Maligned in Western Media, Donbass Forces are Defending their Future from Ukrainian Shelling and Fascism,” Eva Bartlett for CovertAction Magazine, 19/11. A point of view that won’t be portrayed by pro-Ukraine Western mainstream media, who usually refer to the Russian-speaking people of the Donbass region in a negative manner as “Russian-backed separatists”

“Holodomor 1932-33: Genocide or unfortunate famine?” Post at the Russia Defence Forum, continuing the topic (28/11 entry).

I have lost interest in so much in the last couple of years: the books I read and enjoyed a few years ago (mainly fantasy genre, some reviewed on my Books read page) no longer interest me; my creative projects are effectively abandoned; I have no interest in movies or much of anything (see anhedonia). I do passively consume some worldbuilding by others, but am not a fan of any. (I have been purging – donating to charity shops – more of my books and DVDs that I simply don’t look at now.) Only my old enthusiasm for Russian spaceflight still persists, despite the frustrations of being regionally locked out of the main Russian sites (such as Roskosmos) due to events this year.

In my 4/9 entry I mentioned my impression of a broader collective malaise in society; I came across a blog entry expressing a similar feeling (quoted below):

Something Is Wrong – Beginning

Date: 2022-January-30

Most of the time, I’d rather write about what I’d like to see more of in the world, rather than what’s wrong with it, but I worry that much of what I’d like to share won’t mean much without setting up a few things. In short: something deep and widespread is wrong with the world. It’s hard to spot if you go looking for it straight-on, but you catch glimpses of it here and there from the corners of your eyes.

It is the thrown-out plastic water bottle in an otherwise spotless stream. It is the streaming comedy that rings brittle and hollow. It is the buzzing of a notification for a social media app. It is the sneering look of cynical contempt that curdles a young face.

Call it ennui. Call it anomie. Call it nihilism. Call it by whichever French philosophical word you like. It is an Immoral Maze. It is Uruk. It is Moloch.

It is all around us, and most of the ways put forward to deal with it are wholly lacking.

So what might we do about this, whatever it is? I hope that pinning it down a bit might give us a few ideas of what is to be done, and then we can go onto the more welcome work of fleshing those out.

Jeff Russell comments frequently at John Michael Greer’s Ecosophia blog and Dreamwidth blog (mentioned in my 16/8 entry), which is how I found the above quote. One can dismiss much of what JMG, an ordained “Grand Archdruid,” writes there as “woo,” but strict scientific rationality does not have all the answers, either.

Wednesday 30/11: General Winter approaches; baseless rape accusation; why the West hates Putin

The weather has been relatively calm and mostly sunny, thankfully.

“NATO says Russia is using ‘winter as a weapon of war’ as air raid sirens sound across Ukraine,” ABC News, 30/11. So what else is new? “He the told reporters Mr Putin was ‘trying to use winter as a weapon of war’ as Moscow’s forces lose on the battlefield, and that Western allies would step in to help. Mr Stoltenberg said escalating attacks from Russia were a sign that Mr Putin is failing in his war, especially with Russia losing ground around Kyiv, Khakriv and Kherson.” Uh, no, the NATO chief is delusional; Russia is far from “failing.”

“Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska calls for action on sexual violence in Ukraine war,” ABC News, 30/11. Baseless accusation of Russian soldiers raping Ukrainian women, and who would believe anything she would say (outside of the gullible Western media)?

“Why the Deep, Visceral, Crazy hatred of Putin?” Larry C. Johnson, 29/11. The Russian President has been so relentlessly demonized over the years in the West that his image here is pretty much permanently tainted. “I think there are two reasons. First, he refused to be the prison bitch of the West. He insisted that Russian national interests would take precedence over Western demands and pursued an independent path. […] Second, he is sincere in promoting Christian values, including rejecting the LBGTQ agenda to normalize homosexuality. That has really hit a nerve in the West. It is an unpardonable sin. And Putin does not care what the West thinks. He is keen on promoting traditional family values and encouraging heterosexual reproduction. Putin ain’t woke.”

December

Thursday 1/12: Dad in hospital

Dad had to get taken to hospital by ambulance this afternoon due to illness (undergoing tests) and will be in for a day or two, so I do not feel much like writing.

Friday 2/12: Dad recovering; vanishing passengers; using stolen assets; another delusional Ukraine junkie; Russia MFA Holodomor statement; Space Force base; foolish Finnish PM

Dad managed to ring me via mobile today – he is still in hospital and he has COVID! Despite having the recommended 4 vaccinations and wearing a facemask when going out. His age (89) probably contributed to it affecting him more. He is being treated with an inhalant antiviral (I think?). He feels better than he did yesterday, but will be in hospital for a couple of days yet, probably. (I did an Antigen Rapid Test yesterday and came up negative for COVID – my previous one – 28/8 entry – was different!) It was a relief to hear from him. Neither Mum nor I can drive (Mum due to age, myself not driving since my late teens and losing my nerve, and need lessons to relearn to drive) and have no friends so we are isolated, limited to walking or public transport (Mum again cannot walk far, and uses a walking stick).

It’s been an extremely stressful time and I am not really coping at all; even more exhausted than usual. My situation is very precarious.

The weather is fine and sunny, at least – into the low 30s tomorrow and Sunday!

“A man fell from a cruise ship. He miraculously survived,” The Age, 2/12. This reminds me of the creepy cruise liner death post on Reddit I quoted back in my 16/1/2018 entry.

“EU wants to confiscate Russian assets to pay for Ukraine rebuild,” The Age, 1/12. “The problem is that in most EU member states, seizing frozen assets is only legally possible where there is a criminal conviction.” Using stolen assets for a lost cause, in other words.

“Victorian mother Halleshia Rumler says she would volunteer in Ukraine again despite opposition from family and friends,” Herald-Sun, 2/12. She is volunteering for the wrong side. “As the local Australia Post agent and news agency/general store owner and avid beekeeper, she couldn’t really escape that instinct as she stacked the newspapers for sale emblazoned with headlines about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rampaging forces.” Duped by extremely biased mainstream media newspapers only presenting one side of the conflict.

“The U.S. and NATO Are Waging War With Russia in Ukraine … But Russia Is Assured of Victory – Russell Bentley,” Greanville Post, 30/11. A volunteer – “a former American soldier who has been fighting and living in the Donbas for the past eight years” – on the Russian Donbas side.

Foreign Ministry statement on the German Parliament’s resolution on the 1932-1933 famine in the Soviet Union

On November 30, the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany adopted a resolution recognising the 1932-1933 famine in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic as the genocide of the Ukrainian people and putting responsibility for it on the Soviet leadership. At the same time, it omitted to mention the fact that not only Ukraine, but the entire territory of our country was affected by the famine, which claimed millions of lives.

Closing their eyes to this fact, German MPs from the ruling coalition and the CDU/CSU opposition block have decided to vociferously support the political and ideological myth promoted by the Ukrainian authorities at the prompting of the far-right, Nazi and Russophobic forces. This is yet another attempt to provide justification and whip up the Western-sponsored campaign aimed at demonising Russia and setting Ukrainians against Russians and other ethnic groups in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

There is an obvious reason for the inflammatory Bundestag resolution, which is trying to take advantage of the terrible famine of 1932-1933. The Germans are trying to rewrite their history and to stop doing penance for the atrocities they committed during the Second World War. They seem to have regard for the ideological followers of the Ukrainian war criminals who hold annual torchlight marches under the banners of the SS Galicia Division.

The German political elite is making use of the alleged genocide of Ukrainians, which radical Ukrainian nationalists are blaming on the Soviet Union, in order to downplay Germany’s responsibility. They are trying to erode the memory of the unprecedented crimes against humanity committed by Nazi Germany during WWII, that is, the deliberate extermination of 27 million Soviet people within the framework of the “total war” on the Eastern Front, the Holocaust and the siege of Leningrad. Was that not a deliberate extermination of the Soviet people? Another element of the Germans’ moral turpitude is their refusal to make compensation payments to the residents of Leningrad, where at least 1,093,842 people died during the siege, including Ukrainians and not only Jews. It is a shame that the Bundestag has taken such an immoral decision, which is reviving the Nazi ideology of racial hatred and discrimination and is an attempt to deny responsibility for war crimes.

“US Space Force eyes ‘prime’ Australian real estate for future warfare operations,” ABC News, 2/12. Australia becomes ever-more enmeshed with the USA, to the former’s detriment. We should at least remain neutral. “Visiting senior US military officers believe Australia is a ‘pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,’ as they eye off this continent’s ‘prime’ geography for future space operations.” And that rather greedy statement is disturbing.

“Who is Finland’s prime minister, Sanna Marin? And what’s she doing during her Australian visit?” ABC News, 2/12. “Well, alongside Sweden’s prime minister, Magdelena Andersson, Ms Marin ended Finland’s decades-long non-militarily-aligned status to apply to join NATO after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” A foolish move on her part to apply Finland for NATO – it should remain neutral. Demonstrates her youthful inexperience.

Saturday 3/12: Dad still in hospital; clueless about Putin; foolish Finnish PM again

A difficult day; Dad will not be home today (he rang this morning). Mum very agitated and upset; I am not coping with her. Had a mild headache overnight and into today.

“Nothing new on the western front,” The Australian, 3/12. Some stupidly patronizing commentary by Nikki Gemmell, an Australian author. “Does Putin, with his emptying of prisons for frontline fodder and national conscription drives to feed his deluded legacy? […] All Quiet on the Western Front also rings true in terms of the brutality in Ukraine right now. Imagine a book like that written by a Russian soldier forced against his will to fight in this grubby modern war. Contrast his experience with that of Putin and cronies in their gilded compounds; imagine what a book or film like that would do to the aggressor’s frontline morale.” As the President has already met soldiers’ mothers (26/11 entry) and endured hardship growing up, he would have a good idea of suffering.

“Finland’s PM warns Putin’s ‘dark agenda’ a threat to Australia,” The Age, 3/12. More naïve stupidity from a too-young Prime Minister. “Marin said Russia must not be allowed to breach international law with impunity, must be held accountable for its war crimes in Ukraine and was wholly responsible for the energy crisis now hurting the global economy. The end of the war would have to be peace on Ukraine’s terms, she added, and other countries should do ‘whatever it takes’ to ensure that outcome.” No, the ridiculous and unnecessary sanctions imposed by the West and blowback from these are responsible for the current economic ills.

Sunday 4/12: Dad back home; new USAF bomber; refuting Russian rape allegations

Dad was discharged late afternoon yesterday (he was impatient to get home!), but did not arrive until nearly 7 p.m. due to delay in finding a patient transport ambulance. He is mostly okay – clear of the virus – but will have aftereffects for some time yet. A very distressing time for us all!

I had a mild headache in my left temple from yesterday into this morning – perhaps due to stress and the sudden heat – but it seems to have faded now. First actual hot day; 34°C today.

“United States Air Force and Pentagon unveil new B-21 Raider stealth bomber in tightly controlled ceremony,” ABC News, 4/12. The latest hugely expensive (cost undisclosed, but close to $1 billion each?) boondoggle from the USAF.

“Strange Allegations about Russian Soldiers by Ms. Zelenskaya,” War on Fakes, 1/12. Refuting the false rape accusations (30/11 entry):

Russian military wives encourage the rape of peaceful Ukrainian women! Castration and sexual abuse of children is an obligatory attribute of waging war against the Ukrainian people!

No, it’s not the dismissed Human Rights Commissioner Lyudmila Denisova who has taken up her old cause. It was the first lady of Ukraine, Elena Zelenskaya, who spoke at a press conference in London on sexual violence in military conflicts.

“In fact, the wives of Russian servicemen encourage it, they say, ‘Go ahead and rape those Ukrainian women, just don’t share it with me, just don’t tell me’ – such a phrase was uttered in the statement.

It’s hard to imagine exactly how and from where Vladimir Zelensky’s wife gets this kind of information. Proofs, or at least the results of official investigations, of course, were not provided. Apparently, the first lady of the country cannot rest in peace with Vladimir Zelensky and Lyudmila Denisova as the most scandalous disinformer.

Monday 5/12: Booked for third COVID vaccination; another negative RAT

With some trepidation, I made an appointment for my third vaccine shot/first booster tomorrow at the local chemist, the Moderna variant. I am nervous of what side effects I might have – hopefully not as severe as my first vaccine of AstraZeneca (15/6/2021 entry and second dose, 5/9/2021). Dad’s experience with COVID has certainly prompted me to get the boosters! The vaccines do not prevent vaccine transmission, but (hopefully) reduce the severity of symptoms.

I did another Rapid Antigen Test (previously: 2/12 entry) and the result was negative again, thankfully!

Tuesday 6/12: Booster done; Person Grifter of the Year

Had my COVID booster/third vaccine shot done today, so now to await any temporary side effects.

“FT Person of the Year: Volodymyr Zelenskyy. ‘I am more responsible than brave’,” Financial Times, 5/12. An utterly farcical “award.” “Written off by many Ukrainians before the February invasion as something of a joke” – he still is! “Grifter of the Year” would be a more appropriate award. Proof that this publication, like other Western mainstream media, is irredemably Russophobic.

Wednesday 7/12: Vaccine after-effects not too bad; Australia used as a USA military base; defining a Russian

My left arm, where I had the COVID vaccine injected, is a bit sore as expected, and I had a mild headache overnight, but so far no other noticeable side-effects from Moderna, though I feel fatigued as usual. Little energy to write.

“Australia and United States vow to increase military cooperation amid rising Chinese presence in Pacific,” ABC News, 7/12; “U.S.-Australia Work to Strengthen Alliance,” U.S. Department of Defense, 5/12. A very dismaying development as Australia gets ever-more enmeshed with the USA and its policies. “Australia and the United States stand for the international rules-based order where countries are free to chart their courses, and disputes are resolved peacefully and free from coercion.” Cognitive dissonance, much? The “rules-based order” is only on Western nations’ terms. There is even speculation that Australia might in the future buy the ridiculously expensive B-21 Raider nuclear-capable stealth bomber that was recently unveiled! Which would be a very bad deal.

“Are Ukrainians Russians?” The Saker blog, 6/12. An interesting read on how one defines a Russian. A tidbit is there is a word for a “self-hating” Russian: “Actually, there are PLENTY of Russians russophobes out there. Even if by any imaginable definition you are Russian (or any other nationality), you still have the free will to reject that heritage and choose another one (even a fictional one). There is even a special term for these folks: вырусь (vyrus’). In my experience, most (but not all!) folks who voluntarily emigrated from Russia fall into this category.” According to that Wiktionary definition: “(colloquial, derogatory, collective) Russians who have shed their Russian identity in favour of another; turncoats, traitors.” A fifth columnist would be one example.

Thursday 8/12: Dad recuperating; TIME Person of the Year (guess who); Mick Ryan rants; Napoleon article

One week since Dad was hospitalized (1/12 entry) with COVID. He is recovering, but will take weeks to return to normal. I still feel a persistent anxiety about things going awry.

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named TIME magazine’s Person of the Year,” ABC News, 8/12; TIME magazine article. A tediously predictable choice, and discredits the magazine even more. Amusingly, President Putin was TIME’s 2007 Person of the Year – a much more deserving recipient (though still presented in a rather negative manner in the magazine then).

The TIME article linked to the main PotY, “The Spirit of Ukraine,” is utterly delusional so-called “reporting.” “Credit the forces of light. Ukraine and allies […] Russia’s forces of darkness.”

As the world sorted itself between supporters of Ukraine and supporters of Russia, a notably reliable predictor was a country’s access to information – the oxygen of democracy. Each year the human-rights monitor Freedom House publishes a global Net Freedom map that colors countries by the level of ­access their citizens have to an unfiltered internet. This year’s map bears a striking resemblance to the maps showing each country’s position on Ukraine.

“Our brand is one of an honest nation and an honest people trying to tell the truth,” the country’s Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, told TIME in early March, when he was preoccupied with Big Tech, the supranational corporations that girdle the globe and guide events as no one government can. Fedorov wanted them to stop doing business with the invader. “They’re on the side of truth or they’re with Russia,” he said. So perhaps light is winning over darkness.

What reality are these fools living in? It is the diametric opposite of the alternate news and blogs I read.

“Why Putin’s thugs target Ukraine’s energy resources,” Mick Ryan for The Age, 7/12. The usual inanities by this idiot (note the loaded language he uses to belittle Russia: “his disastrous and brutal invasion […] vicious Russian campaign […] beleaguered and demoralised ground forces […] ghastly Russian propaganda”). Because it is a logical tactical maneuver against an enemy? And it is not illegal if it is against energy structures used for military purposes – from the Between Two Worlds blog, 29/11: “On the one hand, Ukraine and some of its western sponsors are saying that Russia is committing war crimes by depriving civilians of heat and water. Russia does not deny that civilians are being greatly distressed by the attacks on the system. Nevertheless, as I mentioned in my last blog, these facilities are ‘dual use.’ They provide electricity and water to the bases being used to attack Russian troops. Thus, it is not a war crime for Russia to destroy the grid. Russia responded to the criticisms by saying that the West continues to supply weapons that are being transferred to locations best suited to kill Russians. Russia has a right to try and stop those transfers. If the West wants the missiles to stop, then it should stop trying to aid in the killing of Russians.” “While from a Ukrainian and Western perspective, the likelihood of this campaign forcing the Ukrainians to the negotiating table is small, Putin and his thugs think differently. They threaten, coerce and terrorise their own people into acquiescence daily; why wouldn’t such an approach work on others?” Someone who obviously has no clue as to how Putin is regarded in Russia (see 7/3 entry for more about this from the Between Two Worlds blog).

“Napoleon’s Art of Warfare,” Big Serge, 7/12. A lengthy and interesting post on Napoleon’s battle tactics.

Friday 9/12: Grifter of the Year; dubious war crimes finding; Navalny propaganda documentary

“Volodymyr Zelensky, Grifter of the Year?” Larry Johnson, 7/12. I’m not the only one who thinks that’s the only title that clown should be awarded!

“United Nations report finds Russian forces killed 441 civilians in first weeks of Ukraine war,” ABC News, 9/12. Of course, no mention of Ukrainian war crimes: “Statement by the Russian Federation on the false allegations against the Russian Federation made by Ukraine to cover-up its own violations of international law and military crimes against civilian population of Donbass as well as Kharkov, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions,” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, 27/9; “UN independent expert: ‘The shelling of population centers in Donbas 2014-2022 entailed war crimes’,” The International Affairs, 18/11.

SBS TV is promoting yet another Putin-bashing documentary for next week:

Navalny

Navalny takes viewers inside the careful investigation into the shocking and brazen assassination attempt against Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, and who was behind it.

Through his years-long campaign against corruption among Russia’s elites, Navalny has developed powerful enemies.

His publicised revelations, and calls for democratic reforms, have enraged Vladimir Putin, who refuses to even say his name in public.

In August 2020, Navalny was secretly poisoned with a military-grade chemical nerve agent in an elaborate attempt on his life.

Despite denials from the Russian government, the poison was later linked to the Kremlin through investigations by international news organizations, including Bellingcat and CNN.

Directed by Daniel Roher, Navalny is produced by Odessa Rae of RaeFilm Studios, Diane Becker and Melanie Miller of Fishbowl Films, and Shane Boris of Cottage M, Amy Entelis and Courtney Sexton of CNN Films, and Maria Pevchikh, are executive producers of the documentary.

A documentary about Navalny was commented upon in my 11/6 entry. More entries tagged with his name and discrediting him at Awful Avalanche, Reminiscence of the Future …; Dances With Bears, The Vineyard of the Saker. He (and Anatoly Zak of RussianSpaceWeb.com – previous mention: 21/9 entry) fit the definition of a вырусь (vyrus’) (7/12 entry).

Saturday 10/12: Running cult; more sanctions; Russians learning to shoot

Was feeling very agitated and anxious this morning. Went for a walk as the weather was clear and sunny but not too hot. For once going out on a walk did not agitate me too much.

“‘The worst kind of torture’: Why more over-40s are taking up extreme sports,” The Age, 2/12. This article profiles some over-40s taking up ultramarathoning. I do not know where they get the energy; I can barely summon up enough to walk. I have tried moderate running in past years, but have always found it disagreeable and uncomfortable, and ended up with injury, so I simply will not do it any more. I literally could not run now without collapsing. Running seems to have an almost cult-like following (in comparison to walking).

“Wong unleashes sanctions regime for first time, targeting Iran and Russia,” The Age, 10/12; “Australia announces sanctions targeting Iran’s morality police and Russian intelligence operatives,” ABC News. “Seven Russian intelligence operatives believed to have been involved in the poisoning of Aleksei Navalny, a chief antagonist of President Vladimir Putin, will be hit with so-called ‘Magnitsky sanctions’ under the decision by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, along with six senior Iranian enforcers. […] The laws – named after Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in a Moscow prison in 2009 – allow the government to revoke visas, ban travel and seize property from individuals who might try to hide assets in Australia.” Yet another reason to feel ashamed of my country. One hopes that Australia is insignificant enough for these sanctions to be irrelevant.

“As war rages in Ukraine, Russians sign up for lessons on how to use automatic weapons,” ABC News, 10/12. And this is a reasonable enough response. Of course, the report being from the biased ABC here, they find ways to put negative phrases in: “While Western countries have condemned Russia’s invasion as a devastating post-imperial land grab […] Surveys show a clear majority of Russians support the war in Ukraine and Mr Putin’s ratings remain higher than before the conflict, however there are questions over the accuracy of the polling. Tens, if not hundreds of thousands of Russians, many of them military-age men, have fled the country to avoid being called up to serve in Ukraine, and groups representing soldiers’ mothers have been vocal in criticising the conflict and Mr Putin.” (Note that the President met with a group of mothers on 25/11: “Meeting with mothers of military personnel – participants in the special military operation.”)

Sunday 11/12: Beleaguered Belarus (not); pointless Peace Prize

Windy weather and unsettled; a cool change and more rain to come, unfortunately. Feeling fatigued as usual.

“As Vladimir Putin gets desperate in Ukraine, could he force an indebted friend to send help from Belarus?” ABC News, 11/12. “Desperate” describes the author of this sorry excuse for a news article as she tries to find a negative angle on the two countries’ alliance. Some “experts” are quoted with nothing substantial to say, just speculation. “If he throws in his lot with Mr Putin, Mr Lukashenko may watch in horror as his men stop their march towards Kyiv, turn around and head home to overthrow their despotic ruler.” And the actual evidence for this?

“Nobel Peace Prize winners blast Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,” ABC News, 11/12. Utterly useless award, only for those who oppose Russia. As if Russia or President Putin care about these fifth columnists’ opinion?

Monday 12/12: Fifth columnists and quislings; General Armageddon; HexPutin; stealth bomber boondoggle; Avatar: The Way of Water opening; Russian spaceflight book bought

I was not surprised to find that Russian exiled fifth columnist Aleksei Navalny (9/12 entry) has his own subReddit, r/Navaly. Of course it has not been banned, unlike many Russian subreddits that support President Putin and the Ukraine SMO. A couple of recent linked articles from there:

“Aleksei Navalny: This is what a post-Putin Russia should look like,” Washington Post, 30/9. In short, copy the Western system to meet their approval: “Nevertheless, the West, which has imposed sanctions both on Russia as a state as well as on some of its elites, should make its strategic vision of Russia as a parliamentary democracy as clear as possible. […] This is a simple, honest and fair approach: The Russian people are of course free to choose their own path of development. But Western countries are free to choose the format of their relations with Russia, to lift or not to lift sanctions, and to define the criteria for such decisions. The Russian people and the Russian elite do not need to be forced. They need a clear signal and an explanation of why such a choice is better.” So, to be “nudged” into such a choice by Western powers, presumably to neuter Russia and render it no longer competitive or a threat to the West’s hegemony. Russia would be no longer truly independent or sovereign.

A prime example of fifth columnists: “Anti-Kremlin exiles suggest way to tell apart ‘good Russians’,” RT, 20/5. “Veteran Russian anti-government figures have declared their intention to serve as representatives of the Russian people, ones who oppose President Vladimir Putin’s policies in Ukraine and consider his government illegitimate. These ‘good Russians’ can sign up to the cause and potentially be certified by European governments.” From that article’s comments: “ ‘Good Russian’ are those subservient to the west.” “Sure, the traitors living and working abroad with foreign companies, working with foreign and hostile intelligence agencies on pushing ‘regime change’ in Russia, THEY are the good guys … And the Russians who are fighting tooth and nail to keep Russia sovereign, to keep the people safe and well fed, THEY are the traitors? What imbecile believes this sh?! These sellouts should face charges of treason in Russia in a court of law.” Another name for these so-called “good Russians” is “quisling,” and that is not a compliment.

“‘General Armageddon’ proves to be Russia’s most competent commander so far,” The Age, 12/12. But as always, this biased “news” source finds a negative angle: “a disorganised and demoralised low […] Desperately needing to turn things around.”

“‘Fish’s head is completely rotten’: Russian soldiers reportedly unhappy with Putin, generals,” The Age, 12/12. There will always be dissent and disagreement in any military command and operation. Andrei Martyanov notes that Igor Girkin is an “open anti-Russian asset Girkin (aka Strelkov)” as does Larry Johnson (and a commenter on that post: “As for Strelkov, IMHO, he stills sees himself as the hero of Donbass and has become a very bitter man, angry to have been sidelined. He’s mostly rambling about how the Stavka and Putin and Shoigu and the Kremlin are incompetent and how he would do everything better and quicker, and how the Ukraine has to be annihilated because they’re subhumans. Sadly, I don’t think he’s worth listening to.”) But the Western media will seize upon any hint of dissent in Russia and amplify it beyond any reason.

“#HexPutin: Global Mass Ritual to Curse Vladimir Putin and Protect Ukraine,” Michael M. Hughes, 28/2. I just found out this was a trend amongst some Wicca practitioners. I guess they are not aware of the Rule of Three? Magical blowback, in other words. John Michael Greer at Ecosophia (16/8 entry) has some criticism of this practice (and the instigator): “How Not To Do Magic: A Magic Monday Addendum”; “How Not To Do Magic, Revisited,” 20/4/2018 (and the MMH post he refers to in his first entry: “A Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Those Who Abet Him: Feb. 24 Mass Ritual,” 24/2/2017). Even if one scoffs at this (and the concept of the spiritual realm in general), I believe it is best to heed the warnings and not indulge in such cursing.

“Should Australia spend $30 billion on these ‘very cool’ stealth bombers?” The Age, 12/12. No, no, emphatically not. “While acknowledging that securing a squadron of B-21 bombers would be costly and controversial, respected military analyst Marcus Hellyer said the aircraft’s potential to reach as far as mainland China from Australia would make it a highly attractive asset for the Australian Defence Force.” And why is Australia even considering attacking China? The idea is laughable.

Avatar: The Way of Water opens in cinemas this week, but I feel unenthused about it and will not go to the cinema to see it; (I have not been to the cinema since I saw Transcendence in May 2014) – in contrast to when the original was released in 2009 (22/12/2009 entry) and I was eagerly anticipating it.

I bought a book called Soviets in Space: Russia’s Cosmonauts and the Space Frontier by Colin Burgess (after seeing a post about it in the CollectSPACE forum). It is a decent overview of the Soviet and Russian space programs.

Tuesday 13/12: Magical blowback; untrustworthy UK

Magic isn’t whatever you want it to be; it has its laws and its limits, and if you ignore those you can very easily get results that are the opposite of those you intended.

– John Michael Greer

Continuing yesterday’s HexPutin topic (12/12 entry), John Michael Greer had a somewhat heated discussion with the subject of his critique, Michael M. Hughes (posting with the username michaelmhughes), in the blog entry “How Not To Do Magic, Revisited.” Hughes comes across as dangerously overconfident and dismissive of any concerns about magical blowback – the Rule of Three. Given Russia’s slow-but-steady prowess in Ukraine, it seems, as with the U.S. Presidential elections, the results were the opposite of what the would-be-hexxers intended! Which is not a bad outcome in Russia’s case.

I do disagree with his anti-vaccination stance, however (per his open posts on this topic); I don’t subscribe to the hysterical claims about the COVID-19 vaccines that have been circulating since they were introduced. I do believe most of the supposed symptoms or after-effects are psychosomatic.

“‘Patient diplomacy’: Britain’s grand plan to counter Russia, China revealed in speech,” The Age, 13/12. The “targeted” countries would do well to be wary of the UK’s advances, given that some were formerly colonized. After this year, no Western country can be relied on as a “trusted partner.”

Wednesday 14/12: Social exhaustion; Ukraine sunk cost; Putin not speaking; war dogs

“Has 2022 been more exhausting than other years?” r/Australia, 14/12. “I don’t know if you all feel the same, but everyone I have spoken to just feels tired, and has done so all year. Now it’s Christmas, no one feels in the spirit, and everything feels half-arsed. Even the shops are a bit hit or miss with the decorations. What’s going on?” A Reddit post that echoes the collective social malaise I previously noted back in my 29/11 entry.

“Ukraine can win the war, but the cost may be too high for the West,” The Australian, 12/12. “Ukraine’s battlefield fortunes rely heavily on the willingness of Western governments to continue their multibillion-dollar military assistance to Kyiv. And pushing Russian forces out of the entrenched positions they hold in more than 15 per cent of Ukraine’s territory will require an even greater flow of military support – possibly more than the West is willing and able to bear.” Good – hopefully the deluded Western nations propping up Ukraine will tire of the debacle, though the sunk cost fallacy may mean they stupidly persist regardless of the toll on their own finances.

“Struggling in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin scraps annual marathon news conference,” The Age, 14/12. The alternate reality of the mainstream media. As usual, much speculation from afar but no actual facts by biased foreign “experts.” One article commenter, “sporran,” at least disagrees: “‘… following a series of battlefield setbacks in Ukraine.’ Really? AP must be monitoring a different war than the one that is actually happening. It is the Ukraine whose military is being so severely degraded that it is only holding its territory with the utmost difficulty. It is the Ukraine that has yet to face Russian and its allied forces as they build up from a, to date, limited force to one that is being prepared to end this conflict militarily. It is the Ukrainian military that is increasingly supplementing its forces with ever larger numbers of non Ukrainian troops and yet is unable to defeat the Russians in any larger scale actions. It is the Ukrainian military that is chronically short of munitions, weapons systems, efficient logistics and increasingly, manpower. It should also be noted, Putin and Shoigu have been far from ‘avoiding’ the Russian media (a media not exactly hostile to them !) … there have been regular press conferences and interviews provided by both including recent ones that have included the widows/mothers of military personnel killed in action … not exactly a move that sought to ‘avoid’ the most sensitive part of this appalling conflict.”

“Ukraine community centre uses canine therapy for children experiencing war trauma,” ABC News, 14/12. Now they are really scrounging for stories. A “human (or dog) interest story” to obviously evoke sympathy for children traumatized by evil Russians.

Thursday 15/12: Ridiculous romanization; flag-stomping fallacy; ammo supply problems; unproven torture of children; Soyuz coolant leak

One trivial annoyance with the Ukraine situation is the convoluted romanization that has been adopted for names that previously used Russian transliterations. Vladimir Zelenskii, Владимир Зеленский (transliteration using Russian romanization of Cyrillic) is now Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Kiev, Киев, is now Kyiv. It is the same stupid virtue-signalling mentality used earlier this year by a certain supermarket (12/3 entry) in renaming a meal “Chicken Kiev” to “Chicken Kyiv.” It is only used here when copying and pasting news headlines I have linked to.

“Ukrainians Wipe Their Feet with a Flag in The US Congress,” War on Fakes, 9/12; also reported at The Saker blog “Yet another major Ukronazi ‘victory’.” As many have commented, a stupidly immature gesture.

“A tough lesson for Australia as Ukraine runs short of munitions,” Mick Ryan for The Age, 14/12. For once a more sensible opinion that Australia needs to produce more ammunition locally, given its heavy usage by both sides in Ukraine (but he inserts a little jab: “But in 2023, the Ukrainian army may run out of munitions before it runs out of fight.” Well, the only reason Ukraine is continuing to fight is due to Western support; its soldiers are getting decimated and morale is low).

“Ukraine accuses Russia of torturing children in Kharkiv region as missile attack thwarted,” ABC News, 15/12. “Ukraine’s human rights chief, Dmytro Lubinets, said in a news briefing on Wednesday that torture chambers allegedly for children accused of resisting Russian forces were found in parts of north-eastern and southern Ukraine recaptured by Kyiv’s counteroffensive.” More undoubtedly baseless accusations by Ukraine; anything to demonize Russia, especially as these claims supposedly involve children.

The already-once-delayed Russian spacewalk that was due to take place today (VKD-56) was canceled due to a coolant leak from the recently-docked crew transport Soyuz MS-22. An alarming development; and an unfortunate sign of the current acrimony that my first thought was “sabotage?” Perhaps when the spacecraft was being prepared on the ground. And of course Western naysayers will use this as yet another excuse to denigrate Russia and its space program.

Friday 16/12: Soyuz leak updates; NYT hypocrisy; Icelandic elves; JMG on RPGs

NASASpaceflight forum thread following the Soyuz MS-22 coolant leak: Soyuz MS-22 coolant leak: 14/15 December 2022 UTC; “Soyuz MS-22 suffers coolant leak, canceling Russian spacewalk.” Perhaps caused by a micrometeorite strike. Mission controllers working on a solution.

“An Alternate Reality: How Russia’s State TV Spins the Ukraine War,” NYT, 15/12. “The emails provide a rare glimpse into a propaganda machine that is perhaps Russia’s greatest wartime success. Even as the country faces battlefield losses, mounting casualties, economic isolation and international condemnation, state-run television channels have spun a version of the war in which Russia is winning, Ukraine is in shambles and Western alliances are fraying.” Perhaps because there is truth in that? Oh, the hypocrisy of such a report is unbelievable (“pot calling the kettle black”) – the pro-Ukraine propaganda churned out by the Western media has been even more relentless. (Conservapedia: Ukrainian propaganda war.)

“The Icelandic Secret to Happiness? Elf-Actualization,” NYT, 4/10. Review of a book, Looking For The Hidden Folk, about Icelanders who literally believe in elves and other little people. “Depending on which poll you consult, anywhere from half to two-thirds of Icelandic grown-ups still believe in the huldufólk – hidden folk – commonly known as elves, who live in stone dwellings, visible only to one another and to those humans known as elf-seers.” The author points out that such belief is readily mocked in our supposedly rational, modern, high-technology society – but there are scientific theories that are just as fantastical: “Brown asks those who snicker at this national predilection to examine their own assumptions: ‘Are gravity and dark matter real? What do we mean when we say something is real?’” I have mentioned earlier (23/2 and 14/7 entries) my own semi-belief in such, or at least that there might be more to life than the rather dreary surface reality.

There is an Interview with John Michael Greer recently posted on a Dreamwidth blog, “about the intersection of RPGs and Occultism, Druidry, Jungian psychology, and more.” He notes that Role-Playing Games have ritual that has been removed from mainstream religions: “ The mainstream churches got rid of ritual, of symbolism, of all the richness that made their Sunday services something other than a dull lecture and a bunch of people singing off key. Somebody had to pick up what they dropped. Occultism took on some of that job – the occult revival of the 1970s drew an enormous amount of its impetus from the failure of churches and synagogues to provide an alternative to the dreary blandness of everyday life. Imaginative fiction also played a big role in providing what the churches no longer offered. But RPGs also had a very large role in that, and it was particularly potent in that it allowed players to create their own rituals and symbolism and richness of experience. That’s not something the religious mainstream is comfortable with, though alternative religions have been doing it for a very long time.” Also that the current Age of Reason dominating our society is failing: “The thing to keep in mind about rationalism is that the world isn’t actually rational; what we call ‘reason’ is simply a set of cognitive habits in our brains, to which the universe need not conform, and so rational models never succeed in explaining the universe very well.”

Saturday 17/12: Wishing for rest; Soyuz update; Zelensky no hero; UK Royal Marines fighting in Ukraine; Ukrainian propaganda blitz; nuclear war probability

Tired as usual, and am feeling twinges of an incipient headache. I daydream frequently of being able to go somewhere to be by myself for a few weeks, to be able to relax and sleep and not have to constantly clean up. To get away from the wearisome clamor of the Internet and news. Perhaps stay at a holiday house at Inverloch and walk along the beach there, where my family used to rent one during the 1980s for a week before Christmas. But that is only a wistful dream now.

There is a short documentary series called The Beach on SBS, featuring filmmaker Warwick Thornton staying for a month or so by himself at a remote Western Australian beach to sort out his inner demons. It is quiet and oddly compelling, and sort of echoes how I am feeling and where I would like to be for a while.

An update on the Soyuz coolant leak from Roskosmos’ VK channel:

The information disseminated by RIA Novosti with reference to an “informed source” about the temperature increase in the Soyuz MS-22 to +50 degrees Celsius is not true.

On Friday, specialists from the Mission Control Center, together with astronauts on board the ISS, conducted a series of system tests of the Soyuz MS-22 manned spacecraft, including measuring the temperature in the spacecraft’s living space (descent module and utility compartment), where the temperature was about +30 degrees Celsius. This is a slight temperature change.

Currently, various options are being developed to parry the situation that has arisen, continuing the analysis of data coming from the ISS, including photo and video recordings.

Changes in the temperature regime are now not critical for the operation of the equipment and the comfort of the station crew, including according to the reports of the crew themselves, and do not pose a threat to the life and health of the cosmonauts.

The required temperature regime in the habitable space of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft is maintained by means of the ISS Russian Segment.

“Volodymyr Zelensky And Ethnopolitics,” OrientalReview.org, 14/12. The not-so-heroic aspects of TIME’s “Man of the Year.”

“Royal Marines deployed on ‘high-risk covert operations’ in Ukraine,” The Times, 14/12. “The Royal Marines have taken part in covert operations in Ukraine, a senior general has admitted for the first time. Lieutenant General Robert Magowan said that the commandos supported ‘discreet operations’ in a ‘hugely sensitive environment.’ He said that their missions carried ‘a high level of political and military risk.’” Pretty much admitting that Russia is now at unofficial war with the West.

“Fake Factory: How the Ukrainian propaganda is deceiving Russians on Telegram,” War on Fakes, 16/12. As noted yesterday (16/12 entry), the West is engaged in its own propaganda blitz.

“As Vladimir Putin hammers Ukraine’s power grid, Kyiv is preparing for a winter apocalypse while troops shoot drones out of the sky,” ABC News, 16/12. Another article blatantly garnering sympathy and attempting to make Ukraine look as though it is prevailing against the odds.

“‘Who will blink first?’ Is nuclear war between Russia and the US possible?” RT, 16/12. Not an immediate threat, and I am not too concerned as escalating to a nuclear conflict would be a monumental step. President Putin has also not “threatened” to use nuclear weapons first against the West, as the Western media has erroneously reported: “It is important to note that Moscow has repeatedly stated that the country’s nuclear doctrine does not imply preventive strikes, confirmed by the president himself. That is, nuclear weapons would only be used if an aggressor launches a nuclear attack on Russian territory, or if the very existence of the state was under threat due to a conventional assault.”

Sunday 18/12: Muse gone; swinging leftwards; vyrus’ Zak; Rogozin PR; Russia is failing (not)

I have to admit to myself that my EmGem worldbuilding project is essentially abandoned in its form there; I have lost the creative muse or urge for it due to the distressing real-world events of this year. My cosmonaut character Sergei Konstantinov (a constant in my worlds listed on the Creative page) persists in my head (as does my interest in Russian spaceflight); he may be included if I ever regain my muse.

My politics have mostly swung back to Left and socialism/Communism, and my flirtation with the opposite end of the spectrum has pretty much faded (previous thoughts on this: 16/9 entry). I still do have little tolerance for “Wokeness,” gender nonsense and other related foolishness. The events concerning Russia this year initiated this feeling, while the lockdowns of the last two years brought on the interest in the other wing. I utterly loathe monarchies and monarchism, and am neutral on religion.

Anatoly Zak of RussianSpaceWeb continues his fanatical hate for his homeland on Twitter (he is a vyrus’ – 7/12 entry), and I have lost any regard I had for him. Came across this recent Tweet, responding to one by the equally obnoxious Eric Berger on first woman cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova being sanctioned by the EU for her supporting President Putin. Berger: “Valentina Tereshkova, the first female astronaut ever, but who is now an ultra-supporter of Putin in the Russian Duma, is included in the latest round of European Union travel sanctions.” Zak: “I wouldn’t call her ‘ultra’ anything. Like most of the Russian parliament members, she is a congenital conformist without any principles or ideology, simply ready to endorse any crime or disgusting act she is asked to do by criminals in power.”

“Dmitry Rogozin may be in some trouble in Russia,” Eric Berger for Ars Technica, 6/12. A stupidly snarky article. Typical of this writer when the topic is Russia, though. Perhaps Rogozin feels he is helping to boost morale by being there? “Prigozhin said the actions of Rogozin in Ukraine are clearly being done for the purposes of public relations rather than furthering the Russian war effort. Moreover, he said, Wagner Group soldiers are well-trained to identify those attired in NATO clothing. They are prepared to kill any such people on sight.” Prigozhin trolling again? Wouldn’t be the first time (8/11 entry).

“How Putin’s War in Ukraine Became a Catastrophe for Russia,” NYT, 17/12. I don’t think I can even read through this without exploding. The alternative reality of the mainstream media, in which Russia is failing. Russia certainly did not account for the huge volume of Western support (arms, ammunition, intelligence, etc.) but as the saying goes, “no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.” It adjusted and slowly but steadily prevails. Just the article’s introductory lines are eyeroll-inducing:

Russian soldiers go into battle with little food, few bullets and instructions grabbed from Wikipedia for weapons they barely know how to use.

They plod through Ukraine with old maps like this one from the 1960s, recovered from the battlefield, or no maps at all.

They speak on open cellphone lines, revealing their positions and exposing the incompetence and disarray in their ranks.

They have trained at dilapidated Russian bases hollowed out by corruption, including this one, home to a tank division badly defeated in Ukraine.

They are given wildly unrealistic timetables and goals for taking Ukrainian territory and complain of being sent into a “meat grinder.”

This is the inside story of historic Russian failures.

Monday 19/12: Soviet positivity; monarchy is not normal or desirable

Having a fine and sunny spell of weather for a few days, at long last. Summer solstice on Wednesday (winter in the Northern Hemisphere). Hardly feels like we have experienced summer at all.

“Today’s Russia is upholding the best of the Soviet legacy,” New Cold War, 17/12. “December 2022 marks 100 years since the founding of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. There are no nationwide celebrations of this event in the Russia Federation. And yet, this is the anniversary of a fantastic victory for its people. One hundred years ago, our country became the most free, democratic and progressive state on the planet. The rights and opportunities that were won for the ordinary citizen of the USSR were simply unthinkable for the people of that time.” A positive view of Soviet achievements, for a change!

Via a Reddit community, I came across an outside one called Lemmygrad, “A collection of leftist communities, for memes, learning, news, discussion, media, or anything you like.” It seems more tolerant and less toxic than Reddit (it is more obscure and smaller), so I applied to join.

“Monarchy Is Normal,” by Walt Garlington for the Saker blog, 11/10. A peculiar guest post that riled me, given its subject. “From above, God bestowed authority on the father over the family; from above, God bestowed authority on bishops, priests, and deacons over His Church; and also, however much it rankles folks in the U.S., from above, God bestowed authority on kings over nations: All the philosophizing we can muster in the States will not annul that truth.” In other words, the author supports the so-called “Divine right of kings.” Ugh, no, no, emphatically no! My comment left there: “I strongly disagree; royalty rule by inheritance, not by merit, and are leeches and parasites on a modern society. Monarchies are an archaic institution best relegated to the past.” As I said in my 11/9 entry, I would like to see all royals meet the same fate as the Romanovs.

Tuesday 20/12: Soyuz coolant leak update; the latest Mick Ryan; more theft from oligarches; religious raids

Roskosmos update on the Soyuz coolant leak situation, 19/12 (previously: 15/12, 16/12 entries):

On the situation with the Soyuz MS-22 manned spacecraft on the ISS

Russian cosmonauts on the International Space Station continue to work according to the schedule, nothing threatens their life and health. The Mission Control Center (TsPK) near Moscow controls the systems of the Russian segment of the station, they function normally. However, a hysteria is purposefully whipped up around the situation with the Soyuz MS-22 manned spacecraft: fakes are anonymously thrown in the media and Telegram channels: “the temperature in the ship has risen to +50°C” or “cosmonauts must be urgently evacuated to Earth,” or “Earth is already preparing a rescue ship.” Let’s see what is really happening on the ISS, and how Roscosmos intends to act.

What happened to the ship?

On December 15, 2022, in preparation for the planned Russian spacewalk, a pressure drop was recorded in the external thermal control system of the Soyuz MS-22 manned spacecraft, which delivered Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitrii Petelin and NASA astronaut Francisco Rubio to the ISS in September.

A visual inspection of the ship from the station confirmed a coolant leak, so the spacewalk (VKD) was cancelled.

According to preliminary information, the damage could have been caused by the ingress of a micrometeoroid or space debris into an external refrigerator-radiator located on the instrument and assembly compartment of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft.

The ship’s thermal control system consists of two circuits – internal (contour of living compartments) and external (contour of hinged radiators). It is designed to remove heat and cool the living space (the descent vehicle and the utility compartment) and the spacecraft instrument and assembly compartment.

How did the situation affect the crew?

No way. It is worth noting that the ships of the Soyuz family have been operated in space since 1966 and have proven their reliability and survivability for half a century. Now their latest modification – Soyuz MS – is used to deliver crews to the ISS and return them to Earth, as well as a means for emergency evacuation of astronauts from the station if necessary. There is no need for emergency evacuation at this time.

After arriving at the ISS, Sergei Prokopiev, Dmitrii Petelin and Francisco Rubio, and until the moment of departure from the station, work and rest in the living quarters of the Russian and American segments of the ISS. The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft is in a mothballed state at the station, and cosmonauts occasionally visit it.

In the first days after the damage due to system tests, the temperature in the living space of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft reached +30°C, in its instrumentation and assembly compartment – +40°C, however, in recent days, with the shutdown of the ship’s systems, the temperature in its compartments stabilized at about +30°C. Exceeding the temperature regime in the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft is permissible and is not critical either for the operation of the equipment or for the health of the cosmonauts if they need to be in the spacecraft.

To maintain a comfortable temperature in the living space of the Soyuz MS-22, cooled air is supplied from the Russian Segment of the ISS using air ducts and fans.

How is the cause being determined?

Two working groups have been formed to determine the causes of the emergency situation, analyze the technical condition of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, and develop recommendations for further actions by ground specialists and the crew of the Russian segment of the station. They analyze all the information coming from the ISS and the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft.

TsPK specialists constantly monitor and analyze the functioning of the systems of the Russian segment of the station and the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft. On December 16, 2022, a number of tests of the systems of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft were carried out, including a test of its motion control system with a short-term activation of the berthing and orientation engines. Tests of the ship’s systems showed that there were no other faults in it. They are planned to be continued.

On December 18, 2022, the outer surface of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft was examined using the cameras of the station’s remote manipulator. An analysis of the data received on Earth made it possible to detect a possible place of damage to the instrumental-aggregate compartment of the spacecraft.

At the end of December 2022, the conclusions of the working groups will be heard and plans for the future will be outlined.

What are the next actions?

The special commission must make a decision on the possibility or impossibility of further use of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft for the return of astronauts to Earth, which is planned for March 2023.

In the first case, it is proposed in March 2023 to carry out a regular crew change of the ISS Russian Segment, in the second case, the Soyuz MS-23 unmanned spacecraft can be quickly prepared for launch to replace the Soyuz MS-22. The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome and has already passed part of the tests before the planned launch in March 2023.

In addition, the commission will have to make a decision on the further flight program for the Russian segment of the ISS.

The information of a number of Telegram channels about the existence of a certain reserve ship in full readiness for launch, which could be launched in a matter of days or hours to evacuate the ISS crew, does not correspond to reality.

Specialists of the Russian rocket and space industry call a ship that has already undergone part of the training at the cosmodrome and can be launched into orbit 45 days after the occurrence of an emergency at the station, a reserve ship. Baikonur has such a ship available – this is the Soyuz MS-23.

Mick Ryan’s latest inanity; taken apart by Leckie Cameron on Twitter:

Cameron Leckie: Another @WarInTheFuture @abcnews “Analysis” piece that earns a Not Yet Competent. “ANALYSIS: All roads lead to Crimea: could Russia be facing “national humiliation” in Ukraine?” Cutting right to the chase, Ryan argues “western industry needs to step up its production of munitions and transfer of armoured vehicles and other offensive capabilities to Ukraine.” There is a huge number of articles out now highlighting that the West does not have the capacity to provide Ukraine with the arms and munitions needed in a timeframe it needs. If you’re basing your hopes for Ukraine on a puff of fairy dust making many hundreds of tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery (and the spare parts, munitions etc) available then I suggest your analysis is to put it politely, unrealistic.

Ryan again: “Ukraine needs to complete offensives to recapture all of its southern territory as enabling activities.” As a Major General, Ryan is well aware of the concept of the “culminating point” Ukraine offensives have culminated at terrible cost. And nowhere did they inflict a major defeat/blow on Russia who has shown itself willing to trade terrain when the situation demands it rather than fight when the situation is not to their advantage (This is the opposite to Ukraine approach – see Bakhmut for example).

Ryan: “strategic patience is vital” Agree – but it is Russia that can be patient not the West. It is the Western economies in dire trouble, not Russia. The longer the war goes on the weaker the West becomes while the forces of multipolarity grow. (“Ukraine: The demise of the West,” Pearls and Irritations) An ideological fixation where the world can only be viewed as Western leaders want it to be, rather than the world as it is. Ryan’s flawed and illogical analysis, happily promulgated in the MSM, is a symptom of decline amongst the intellectual classes in Australia and the greater West. The decline of the West itself will surely follow. Didn’t have to be this way.

“Canada starts first process to seize and pursue the forfeiture of assets of sanctioned Russian oligarch,” Global Affairs Canada, 19/12 (of a company owned by Roman Abramovich). More government-sanctioned theft.

“Cabbage rolls and gold Santa: Ukrainian evacuees celebrate Christmas in Australia,” The Age, 19/12. Human interest story to garner sympathy for Ukraine. (Note that the Orthodox Church in Ukraine has recently been targeted by the SBU for alleged links to Russia: “Ukraine ramps up crackdown on Orthodox Church,” RT, 10/12.)

Wednesday 21/12: Russia’s aims for Ukraine and Russia’s future; fed up with Ukraine propaganda; teens rejecting smartphones

“What Does Russia Want From Ukraine?” Sputnik News, 21/12. A summary of the current situation, as well as events leading up to it, from Russia’s point of view.

“Post-Soviet Russia is dead, but what will replace the West as the country’s primary inspiration?” RT, 20/12. What might lie ahead for Russia after the momentous and “transformative” events of 2022. “The war in Ukraine, however, is just a violent element in a wider ‘hybrid’ conflict between Russia and the entire West. […] The magnitude and ferocity of those blows have been more than matched by the resilience displayed by Russia’s economy, society, and polity. […] Western restrictions and the general hostility towards Russia have helped dispel residual illusions about Western Europe and North America, and have given a powerful boost to the long-overdue reorientation of Russian foreign trade policy to Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. […] In terms of values and ideas, the culture of consumerism is being challenged by the culture of serving the common good.”

An exasperated rant by a Lemmygrad poster, which, as with a post on a blog in my 13/3 and 30/7 entries, pretty much expresses my feelings towards Ukraine:

I wish people would shut the fu*k up about Ukraine already

For roughly 10 goddamn months now, I’ve been reading constant articles, Reddit posts, tweets, and seeing news segments throwing hissy fits and slandering Russia’s anti-imperialist liberation war against Ukranazi Imperialism.

I’m fu*king p*ssed off and sickened by the amount of hackneyed overdramatic sympathy that Ukraine gets, the amount of jokes about neckbeard redditors wishing Zelenskyy would plow their wives, about how poor Ukraine just needs another few hundred billion dollars to destroy big bad Putin, about how the Russian army are monsterous rapists, and how NATO is a defensive organization, and how Putin is a dictator for setting up schools and hospitals in liberated areas in Ukraine.

It brings my p*ss to a boil. I’m just trying to read actual news, have my coffee, play Destiny 2 and Gotham Knights, but nooo.

It genuinely seems like 70-80 percent of Amerikkkans are window-licking tools that believe everything they read.

I swear to fu*king Christ, I can’t look at anything even remotely resembling the color combination of gold, yellow and blue without wanting to punch a rhinoceros.

(Of course I’d never hit or take my anger out on an animal or innocent person, I’m expressing my anger in a humorous way)

But I guess I’m an “evil tankie Putin bootlicker” for wanting the Ukranazis to get what they deserve.

Some cracker piece of shit flew into a mayo rage at me a few weeks ago because I dared to say that I wouldn’t mind Zelenskyy being killed and Ukraine being liberated and Russia returning to socialism if I had to “sacrifice” Putin for it to happen.

Also the country is irrelevant to Australia’s strategic interests (7/9 entry) so why our government is fantatically supporting it is baffling (and frustrating). We have pretty much “burned our bridges” when it comes to Russian-Australian relations for decades, sadly.

“‘Luddite’ Teens Don’t Want Your Likes,” NYT, 15/12. A profile of some teenagers in New York City who have formed a club “that promotes a lifestyle of self-liberation from social media and technology.” The main topic of rejecting smartphones aside, I find myself oddly compelled by the writing style, and the little details included: the clothing the teens are wearing (a sort of layered, oversized, faux-poverty or -distressed clothing which is no doubt expensive designer labels), the park where they meet (Prospect Park in Brooklyn – the fallen Autumn leaves look nice to sit in!); the odd names of some (Odille Zexter-Kaiser, Clementine Karlin-Pustilnik). What are their lives like? One lives in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, which looks to be a nice area.

Thursday 22/12: Conman addresses U.S. Congress; return to Red Russia

Stormy and unsettled tropical weather today.

“Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets Joe Biden as the US pledges billions more for Ukraine defence,” ABC News, 22/12 (and even a live blog coverage); “‘Alive and kicking’: Zelensky declares Ukraine will not compromise in US address,” The Age, 22/12. And, unsurprisingly, more money extracted from the gullible U.S. President by the Ukrainian grifter. The fawning over this fool (who gave a “gave a historic address” and “received a thunderous ovation during his address at the US Capitol”) by some members of Congress is nauseating.

“The Second Great Patriotic War and Russia’s Reformatting,” Dayan Jayatilleka for Russia in Global Affairs, 7/4. From earlier this year, but worth reading. “The West is waging a political-military war of total or absolute character against Russia. […] Russia is being punished by a sanctions regime that was never imposed on apartheid South Africa. The sanctions against and divestment from Russia is so massive that it could be described as ‘shock and awe’ intended to create a global system of economic and cultural apartheid, which isolates, marginalizes, and suppresses Russia. […] The West will not even be satisfied with a return to the compliant and wretched 1990s because it knows from experience that the Russian spirit could cyclically produce another strong leader. Instead, it will want permanent satellization of Russia, its turning into what the West calls a ‘normal’ country, i.e., a larger version of one of its Eastern European allies.” The author argues for the involvement of Russian Communists: “Nobody has a better fighting tradition than the Red Army and nobody has a better culture of political combat than the Russian Communists. To cope with the extreme challenge Russia is facing today, the red banner may be required alongside with the red-blue-and-white banner.”

Friday 23/12: Rogozin wounded; epic fawning; President Putin’s Defence Ministry speech; China and Russia different outcomes

Damaging storms across Victoria yesterday afternoon.

“Wounded ex-Roscosmos head claims his location was leaked,” RT, 22/12. Dmitrii Rogozin was wounded in an apparently targeted artillery strike on the hotel in Donetsk where he was staying. Not surprisingly, those in the Western space program are gloating gleefully (NASASpaceflight.com thread, NASAWatch).

The awful fawning over the Ukrainian puppet president’s address to U.S. Congress dominates the mainstream media headlines here: “The war in Ukraine is at a ‘turning point’: Why the timing of Zelenskyy’s trip to Washington is so critical,” ABC News – “When Ukraine’s president stepped onto the floor of the US Congress, he was given a reception few political leaders will ever experience. Amid rapturous applause and repeated standing ovations, Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked American politicians for the billions of dollars in assistance they have provided his country so far.”; “Fearless Zelensky lights up the joint houses of US Congress,” The Age, 23/12 – “One day he was in a war-torn city in the contested Ukraine region of Bakhmut defending his people against Vladimir Putin’s brutal war. The next, President Volodymyr Zelensky was in the US Congress, treated as a war hero and with America’s two most powerful women – Vice President Kamala Harris and departing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – waving behind him his gift of a Ukrainian flag, signed by Bakhmut’s courageous soldiers.” And so on. Of course he elicited more billions of funding from the gullible U.S. President.

“NATO’s confrontation with Moscow, army modernization, and operation in Ukraine: Key points from Putin’s speech,” RT, 21/12. President Putin’s latest speech at a meeting of the Board of the Defence Ministry.

“Why do China’s elites pay so much attention to the collapse of the USSR and the Soviet Communist Party?” RT, 21/12. A sadly cautionary tale from the point-of-view of Russia. Wonder how the world would be different if the USSR had survived, like China has? “The example of what transpired in Moscow has served as a warning against hasty political reforms and the removal of the party from the leadership of the state and army.”

Saturday 24/12: Christmas Eve; Yellow Vests

Christmas Eve. A time that used to be one of great anticipation for me when young, but now is just a dreary ordeal. So many family members have departed this world. I miss my maternal grandmother the most. Now the day has reduced to my parents and I, and we are all aging and tired (well, parents are elderly).

“Book review: France’s Yellow Vests: Western Repression of the West’s Best Values,” The Saker, 22/12. (Chapters from the book are posted under the author’s article, “Postscript: Looking back and looking forward with the Yellow Vests.”) A detailed study of France’s Yellow Vests protest movement and the history leading up to them. I am finding it surprisingly interesting, if information-dense (a lot to process!) and the author, Ramin Mazaheri, has some different perspectives on some historical characters and issues. Another article from 5/12: “The Yellow Vests at 4 years old: their 3 greatest historical achievements.”

Sunday 25/12: Quiet Christmas; 100 years since formation of USSR on 23/12

A quiet day. Weather warming up. Prepared lunch for parents, and am now so tired I am almost collapsing.

“#OTD in 1922, The Soviet Union was Created! It remains one of mankind’s greatest achievements. Here is a thread with some of the highlights.” By a user named “yogthos” on their Mastodon account, 23/12. (Found via their account at Lemmygrad. I have one there too now, incidently.)

Monday 26/12: U.S. storms, ethnic Russians persecuted if Ukraine wins; Zelensky hyperbole; Putin paranoia nonsense; Ukraine false allegations; Russia willing to negotiate; Christmas traditions in Russia

Weather is heating up. I have been feeling headachy and am still tired, so I have not been out walking.

“Deadly US winter storms leave people without power or flights, as the country faces record cold,” ABC News, 26/12. The USA is enduring what now seems to be a regular deadly winter weather event on an epic scale. Melbourne gets its own damaging weather events, but these are comparatively mild, thankfully. I do not think I could cope with the extreme cold (nearly −30°C!) being endured over there.

“What will happen to ethnic Russians in Donbass and Crimea, if Ukraine and NATO emerge victorious from the current conflict?” RT, 17/12. An issue that the Western mainstream media never highlights, though they are quick to report alleged Russian war crimes.

“Hero Worship of Zelensky in Washington Would Make for a Good Episode of the Twilight Zone – If It Weren’t Real,” Jeremy Kuzmarov for CovertAction Magazine, 24/12. A takedown of the ridiculous hyperbole surrounding Zelensky.

“Putin, isolated and distrustful, leans on handful of hard-line advisers,” The Australian, 25/12. Painting a narrative of the President as an increasingly paranoid, isolated leader. Derived from hearsay and allegations.

“Ukraine says Russian strike kills at least 10 in Kherson ‘for pleasure’,” The Age, 25/12. “‘These are not military facilities … It is terror, it is killing for the sake of intimidation and pleasure.’ A pro-Moscow official responded by saying Ukrainian forces had launched the attack in a bid to blame the Russian military.” More nonsensical allegations from the Ukraine side, obviously aimed at the gullible West.

“Vladimir Putin says he’s ready to negotiate, but blames Ukraine for not coming to the table,” ABC News, 26/12. President Putin is the voice of reason, as usual – “Mr Putin casts what he calls a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine as a watershed moment when Moscow finally stood up to a Western bloc he says has been seeking to destroy Russia since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union,” but (also as usual) the Ukrainian propaganda outlet masquerading as the Australian national broadcaster manages to word this in a negative manner. “In an interview published this month, CIA Director William Burns said that while most conflicts end in negotiation, the CIA’s assessment was that Russia was not yet serious about a real negotiation to end the war. An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Mr Putin needed to return to reality and acknowledge that it was Russia which did not want any negotiations.”

“As Putin’s army loses ground in Ukraine, he’s relying more and more on Wagner Group mercenaries,” ABC News, 26/12. “As Russia’s conventional military has struggled against a more determined, better-motivated Ukrainian army, Russia has increasingly relied on the dark arts of the Wagner Group – a group used by the Putin regime to be able to commit atrocities or war crimes with Moscow able to claim they were not authorised Russian soldiers.” The misreporting continues. The Western forces use mercenaries also against Russia, not that this is highlighted.

“In post-Soviet Russia, New Year’s remains a bigger holiday than Christmas: How did this happen?” RT, 25/12. A happier article on the mixed traditions that Christmas in Russia embodies, both from the Soviet and earlier eras. I noted in my 20/2 entry that I prefer Grandfather Frost” (Дед Мороз/Ded Moroz) to the Western Father Christmas!

Tuesday 27/12: Hot; neurotic Navalny; Sergei Krikalyov interview

Today and tomorrow are forecast to be very hot – 37°C for today.

“Jailed Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny says he’s being injected with unknown drugs,” ABC News, 27/12. Rantings of a paranoid and delusional fifth columnist, so his accusations are to be disregarded. “One note said Mr Navalny had declined a recommendation to speak with a psychiatrist.”

“Why Putin Fears My Father Aleksei Navalny,” TIME magazine, 6/12. “I am proud to be my father’s daughter and walk tall knowing that despite the inhuman prison conditions, he has been standing up against Putin’s war in Ukraine and calling on the Russian people to do everything in their power to fight it.” Well, she is his daughter so she will naturally defend him, but Navalny himself is discredited. (Previous mentions: 11/6, 7/10, 9/12 entries.)

Roskosmos posted a new interview with Sergei Krikalyov (former cosmonaut, now Executive Director of the Roskosmos State Corporation for manned space programs) (translated on my Russian space news page).

Wednesday 28/12: Putin can be trusted, unlike the West; nonsensical Nord Stream sabotage theories; Russian oil price war; Australian mercenary killed; Russia collapse fantasy

A merciful cool change has drifted through this afternoon after a very hot day yesterday, and night. Very uncomfortable in an old poorly-insulated house (my bedroom has no air-conditioning) and difficult to sleep.

“Putin can’t be trusted when he talks about negotiations,” The Age, 26/12. Conversely, the Western nations have proven to Russia that they can’t be trusted “Untrustworthy By Helmholtz Smith,” on former German Chancellor Angela Merkel describing the 2014 Minsk agreement as an attempt to give Ukraine time to build up its military against Russia, and that their ultimate aim is to destroy Russia. “Talking to Putin is useless in any case because he cannot be trusted. He has talked recently about being open to negotiating, but this is a sign of desperation rather than a serious offer of an olive branch. While Putin talks about negotiating, he showed his real agenda this week with the Russian airstrikes that killed 10 people in the southern city of Kherson. Most importantly, a decisive victory for Ukraine is still very possible. The mud will eventually dry out or freeze, and the campaigning season will restart. Providing they have the weapons, Ukrainians, incredibly, still seem to be as determined as ever to drive Russian troops from their soil.” What is their evidence he “cannot be trusted”? And another point is that Ukraine is perilously dependent upon ongoing Western support and supplies to keep fighting. “They have shown they are more motivated to fight than the raw conscripts and paid mercenaries, including freed convicts, on whom Putin increasingly relies.” Uh, Ukraine has quite a lot of mercenaries from Western countries fighting in its ranks (the so-called “Mozart Group” being one. A NYT article from 9/10: “An American in Ukraine Finds the War He’s Been Searching For”).

“How the Baltic Sea became the ideal setting for a wartime mystery,” The Age, 27/12. “Many European governments and experts see Moscow as the most likely saboteur. President Vladimir Putin of Russia has used gas as a political lever in the past, and there is evidence that he saw Europe as vulnerable.” What evidence? Unbelievably, they are still pushing the theory that Russia self-sabotaged the Nord Stream II pipeline. “Whodunnit? Facts Related to The Sabotage Attack On The Nord Stream Pipelines,” Moon of Alabama, 28/9. “Russia has no motive to destroy the pipelines it owns. These are valuable, long term assets and the gas that escaped from them yesterday was on its own worth some $600 to $800 million.”

“Vladimir Putin bans Russian oil exports to countries that imposed price cap over Ukraine war,” ABC News, 28/12. As he is justified in doing so! If Australia had remained neutral and not slavisly followed the USA on this issue in imposing sanctions, we might not be affected (or so badly affected).

“Australian man killed fighting in Ukraine just before Christmas,” ABC News, 28/12. Another deluded fool killed for nothing. Working as a mercenary.

“Preparing for the Final Collapse of the Soviet Union,” Luke Coffey for the Hudson Institute, 14/12. With thinking like this, no wonder Russia distrusts the West. “When the war in Ukraine will end is unknown, but it will likely mark the dissolution of the Russian Federation (the legal successor of the Soviet Union) as it is known today. Russia has undeniably suffered a major blow to its economy, devastation to its military capability, and degradation of its influence in regions where it once had clout.” A thought exercise in how to “contain” Russia – a delusional fantasy, hopefully.

Thursday 29/12: A wasted life; banned books

Blessedly cooler today; felt much better.

“Australian man killed ‘defending the freedom of the Ukrainian people’,” The Age, 28/12. Of course he is lauded as a so-called “hero”. MEMORIAL ILDU – International Legion Defence of Ukraine looks to be a mercenary recruiting site for those who want to fight for Ukraine.

“Ukrainian Publishers Fight On,” Publishers Weekly, 16/12. “Russian soldiers have also seized and destroyed Ukrainian literature and Ukrainian-language books from public libraries in numerous cities, according to the PEN report.” This from the same country that banned War and Peace – “Kiev has banned Russian works of art – and language instruction – long before the current conflict, however.”

Friday 30/12: Rogozin update; Russia’s year in space; shilling for Ukraine

Weather warming up again.

“Ex-Russian space boss injured in Donetsk shares post-surgery photo,” RT, 29/12. Update on Dmitrii Rogozin’s condition.

Roskosmos published a summary of their year in spaceflight, so I posted a translation on my RuSpace news page.

“I saw Ukraine up close. We mustn’t look away,” The Age, 30/12. Still shilling for Ukraine. “Ukraine fatigue is real, and some people are losing interest in the war, but Australians are usually ready to help those in need.” Certainly not me for this cause.

Saturday 31/12: Year lookback; Ukraine war parallel narratives; Russia and China united against the West

An attempt at a summary of the year for me personally. For me, 2022 has obviously been dominated by following the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and the extent of the hate directed against Russia has been deeply distressing for me, affecting my mental health even more so than the pandemic lockdowns of the previous two years. In retrospect I would rather endure the lockdowns again than what has transpired this year (it has consumed my attention to the exclusion of most other things). I have certainly learned much this year: of how insidious and powerful propaganda is; new phrases such as “fake news,” “false flag,” “fifth columnist”; the concept of military tactics such as a “cauldron” and that artillery and missiles dominate in a land war – “Since the mid of the year it has become clear that the war in Ukraine is one that is mainly fought by artillery” – as well as drones; that tanks are still relevant. I utterly despise Ukraine more than ever; and now realize how much Russia is still feared and hated by the West (i.e. Western Europe, USA, UK, Canada, Australia) – this year has simply brought this out into the open and become acceptable – and that Russia’s attempts to befriend and engage the West have been betrayed, and the breach between it and the Western nations now seems irrepairable.

In Australia, the mainstream media (MSM) has been unprecedented in its unity in favor of Ukraine and against Russia; not one news outlet has published any articles presenting Russia’s side of the conflict. The media’s supposed impartiality is clearly a lie. Similarly with politicians here from all major parties; all supported Ukraine.

Some alternative news blogs I found and followed this year are listed in the Russian section on my Links page. One of these, The Vineyard of the Saker, listed some of these in an entry, “More signs of the coming storm.” These provided me with some psychological support, though some of the commentators were … eccentric, to put it politely (many rambling and nonsensical conspiracy theories posted), and I did not agree with all that was said on those sites, though that is to be expected. They presented a parallel and diametically opposite view of the Russian Special Military Operation to the negative narrative of the Western MSM.

A minor achievement for me this year is managing to write an entry almost every day in this Journal (I might have missed a day or two early on, but have written something every day since). Can I keep this up in the coming year? My creativity is pretty much now dormant; my worldbuilding projects abandoned. My interest in Russia’s spaceflight program resurged, though I have struggled to add more to my RuSpace website due to distress over the war, and many Russian space sites becoming inaccessible via normal channels due to DDoSing from Western hackers. Western space program professionals and enthusiasts were also mostly pro-Ukrainian to my disgust; they and the popular spaceflight forums are not worth engaging with. Some of the most egregious examples from the spaceflight community are Keith Cowing of NASAWatch (who has long snarked at Russia on his site) and former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who has turned out to be a Russophobic Ukraine shill, as his Twitter account demonstrates; Anatoly Zak of RussianSpaceWeb who was always cynical about his country’s space program, but the Ukraine situation brought out his fifth columnist inclinations in full; a self-hating (вырусь/vyrus’ – 7/12 entry) Russiaphobe. (Comments about them in my 17/3, 29/4, 12/7, 21/9, 18/11, 18/12 entries.)

My political inclinations have swung mostly Leftwards again – Communist – after a flirtation with the opposite side (admittedly initiated by the shock of the unprecedented pandemic lockdowns) There is too much virtual hostility between both sides on the Internet and it wears one down mentally. Ironically, a lot of the Left side with Ukraine (but not all!) and some of the Right (but not all!) support Russia, so this becomes very complicated.

The mainstream media is going overboard with lauding Ukraine and demonizing Russia. “The Bravery and the Recklessness of Ukraine’s Improvised Army,” WSJ, 29/12. A “human interest” story of “heroic resistance” fighters (or the writer is trying to push that angle). Note that foreign soldiers (mercenaries) are advising them, no doubt with covert approval from Western militaries.

Three utterly delusional articles from The Australian newspaper, examples of the parallel narrative this Ukrainian propaganda outlet (like all of Australian mainstream media) are feeding the public:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin says Chinese President Xi Jinping will make state visit in early 2023,” ABC News, 30/12. A positive sign of unity against the West, though the article portrays their relationship differently (Putin is “flailing to find support” according to one ABC newsreader) – “The visit would be a public show of solidarity from Beijing, amid Russia’s flailing military campaign in Ukraine.”.

Moon of Alabama provides a rejoinder to the above: “Lack Of Good Analyses Contributes To The Decline Of The ‘West’,” 30/12. “What really hit me last year was the dearth of correct analyses in main stream media and in politics with regards to the war in Ukraine. Little if anything is based on facts. More than 90% of the published output is propaganda.”

“Evidence of US-Backed Coup in Kiev,” Consortium News, 29/12. Some historical background. “NewsGuard gave Consortium News a red mark for ‘publishing false content’ on Ukraine, including that there was a U.S.-backed coup in Kiev in 2014. Here is CN’s detailed proof.” Evidence, again, that the the U.S. has been interfering in Ukraine’s politics for many years.