Genocide in Ukraine

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There doesnt seem to be any doubt that some sort of ethnic cleansing is going on in Ukraine.  Maybe it will be necessary for the United Nations and/or NATO to take action.  Europe did not stop the genocide against the Jews and others, nor is it totally clear that they could have done much in the 1938-1945 period.  But that was then and this is now and we have options today we did not have then.  No one wants war with Russia but ultimately you have to make a stand and there has been ample provocation.  Is this the start of WW 3 or 4? I think it might be.  Again, what are your principles, what do you really stand for?   

 

By the way, the ISW, quoted below, has demonstrated that they are a reliable source of information.  All of their analysis is based on open source intelligence.  They are not using any secret intelligence.  

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 26, 2023

Apr 26, 2023 - Press ISW

Russia appears to be continuing a deliberate depopulation campaign in occupied areas of Ukraine in order to facilitate the repopulation of Ukrainian territories with Russians. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar stated on April 26 that Russia is trying to change the ethnic composition of Ukraine by actively conducting a large-scale resettlement of people mainly from poorer and remote regions of Russia into Ukraine. Malyar noted that the most intensive efforts are ongoing in occupied Luhansk Oblast and remarked that Russia is also deporting Ukrainians and forcibly resettling them in Russia. ISW previously reported on specific instances of Russian authorities overseeing the depopulation and repopulation of areas of occupied Ukraine, particularly in occupied Kherson Oblast over the course of 2022. Ukrainian sources remarked in October 2022 that Russian authorities in then-occupied parts of Kherson Oblast deported large groups of Ukrainian residents to Russia under the guise of humanitarian evacuations and then repopulated their homes with Russian soldiers. Russia may hope to import Russians to fill depopulated areas of Ukraine in order to further integrate occupied areas into Russian socially, administratively, politically, and economically, thereby complicating conditions for the reintegration of these territories into Ukraine. ISW has previously assessed that such depopulation and repopulation campaigns may amount to a deliberate ethnic cleansing effort and apparent violation of the Geneva Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

A Preface to the Online Draft

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Lets say I was writing some sort of "book", as distinguished from a blog, and this so-called book might be "published" one day, perhaps in a more classical form.  For a variety of reasons there are times when writing in blog format has turned out to be very useful in a mechanical way.  It lets me get ideas out there, forces me to edit them, and then abandon them.  In other forms of writing, I dont get to do that. Instead I mess with them, editing endlessly and then give up.   So, for part of this project, I will write little sections and post them on this blog.  There is no guarantee that any particular post will make sense out of context, or be incorporated into the final, and so forth and so on, and you are therefore warned. 

A Crypt of My Own

How I dream of that basement, that attic, that crypt where I can live serene, diligent, with my computers, untriggered.   How happy I would be.

On the Street Where You Live but in Vegas with Showgirls

There are many nice touches in the Paramount series The Offer.  How much of it is true is another matter that is above my pay grade. In one episode, Al Ruddy flies to Las Vegas to recruit Vic Damone to play the role of the fictional Frank Sinatra-like character for the Godfather.  Ultimately although Damone was offered the role he chose not to play it for fear of pissing off Sinatra.

As part of this sequence we are all comped into a show with Damone as the headlining act and we are treated to an unforgettable rendition of "On the Street Where You Live" which is from the musical My Fair Lady.   In the original stage production and movie of Lady, the young swain belts out his love song in Victorian dress in England and he is so sincere.  

 

But in The Offer, we are on stage in Vegas with Showgirls.  It is also sincere!  And authentic.  It captures the essence of Las Vegas and our culture.

Tempus Fugit

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This blog was started as an act of faith and in the hope that certain long-standing goals could be achieved. To my surprise, quite a few of them were.  Not all, but many. 

On the positive side, I can not emphasize enough how much it helps with the chronology of events in my life and the world.  Time flies whether or not you are having fun.

 

Home Fries

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Whats the point of home fries if you cant make them at home.  The following recipe almost works.  All times and amounts are approximate.

 

Take a small number of red or white potatoes.  Cut into quarters and boil for about 10 minutes, let them sit in hot water for another 5 or so.  Rinse in cold water and wait for them to cool.  The idea is that they are not completely cooked and excess moisture is allowed to evaporate.  Slice with a food processor or by hand.  The potatoes should be still firm, not too soft.  The slices should be of a constant thickness so that the cooking can be even.

 

Fry paprika, cumin, and chile powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of Chipotle powder in olive oil with two types of peppers (1/2 anaheim pepper and 1/2 jalapeno will do, deseeded) and 1 stalk of green onion chopped fine.  Add salt, pepper and potatoes.  I also add about one cobs' worth of corn, usually frozen, brought to room temperature.  Fry for about 10 minutes or until suitably crispy and cooked.  Scrape the potatoes off the bottom of the pan as they cook.  Dont be too shy with the olive oil, the salt, or the pepper, etc.  Faint heart never won fair lady.  The oil should be hot when you add the potatoes.

 

The trick seems to be that you dont want the potatoes too soft when you start frying.  Yet they can not be completely uncooked either.

Makes enough for two people.

The Mandalorian, Children's Literature and Boring Adults

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So now here we are in the third season of the Mandalorian, episode 6, and what do we find?  Boring so-called adults judging what is essentially fun-loving children's literature.  That's what.  

 

Instead of enjoying this episode for what it is, a goofy serial episode leading inexorably towards its climax, we have nattering nabobs of negativity complaining about sub-plots that no 12 year old would condemn.  Perhaps these old grouches should go away and watch their 70's sitcoms that they all adore and leave the current children's literature to those of us who can appreciate it.

 

 

 

More Rendering Tests

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The following are more tests of various abstract creatures and rendering techniques.  

 

 

Why this Indictment of Donald Trump is the Right Indictment

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Against all expectations, one of the many grand juries that have been convened to review the evidence of the crimes of Donald Trump have voted to indict and to our amazement an actual district attorney did so.  The Republicans are going nuts and many Democrats are too. "Oh how awful, if only they had indicted him for homicide or attempting to overthrow the government of the united states.  Now we are doomed!" 

Actually I think this is exactly the right crime to indict Donald for because it is somewhat banal.  Yes instead of our failed justice system getting him for something huge, like killing American citizens, they are getting him for misrepresenting the accounting records of his hush payments to a former mistress.  Trump is banal and so is this.  Symmetry is preserved.

There is no dignity in the US government justice system and you shouldn't expect any.  We should be grateful for what we get.