American Hegemony will not just quietly dissolve like the Soviet Union did. The more pessimistic and fearful the US becomes the more dangerous and unpredictable it will be, ready to do “stupid stuff” out of desperation to hold on while it can or poison the waters of the well (so to speak) if it can’t undermine the expressive powers . (The US expected the Soviets to act the same way though they didn’t because they had better things to do, like ensuring their own post-collapse survival) That means the US, (in denial of its decline) can and likely will (try to) continue to exercise its full capacity to create misery and inflict destruction on its “opponents” ….
There’s a reason it’s called the Empire of Chaos, The Great Satan, The USSA and as well as The Empire of Death. It seems the converging unifying east understands this well and have made their policy to simply thwart the moves the US makes, in order to stymie it, (Bombing Syria for example). This line of policy by the east became prevalent with the lie about Libya and what the west wanted to accomplish there, using the UN as a tool of deceit. Russia was burned by a flagrant in your face lie, in that situation. A lie that cannot be forgiven…
But alas, even a simplistic policy of Chess movements by the east, playing defensively, will be interpreted by the US as intentional offensive provocation, not of her doing, nor her flawed decisions and makings. Such as recent escapades proclaiming China as the terror of the “cyber world” and the only recourse is the US as the savior…
Although it saddens me to say it, I suspect we are entering very volatile and dangerous times until a new effective cold war style “balance of power” that the Americans will “accept” is achieved…
Thus, with the continual American chant by her people, “We are number One! We are number One!”
The world seems to be in for a very long, winding and bumpy road…
I became grouchy yesterday, for we have a large family in the village (actually two large families) and they, as all large groups, abuse everyone everywhere. They take all the water, they scream, they yell, they party all night and most of all they try to tell everyone what they can do and not do. So after twice being told, that “I” was too noisy and can not work, for people are sleeping during the day. This is not at night, but during the day, like 4 o’clock in the afternoon. This statement is after I spent all night being kept up listening to a party and children screaming most of the night, decided to leave and walk to Vova’s and complain. These people will be here for a month, this could be a long month and a grouchy bear to boot… 🙂
The water issue is the worst problem. It takes tons of water and our pump is dying, thus they empty the wells as fast as we can fill them and they even station guards to grab water when it gets full enough. The term, “rude, crude and socially unacceptable,” comes to mind…
I got up at 3 a.m. and went to get water. At 6 a.m. they emptied the well again. Nikolai is smart also and he grabbed his big water cart and filled it up at 4 a.m. Nikolai is the one who gave me water when the party group stole it all…
I just a few minutes ago watched the group from above higher in the village, get cranky with the group near me. The well on top of the village is out of water also, they came down to steal our water and the guards of our well for “their water” tried to interfere. Water war anyone?
“The wars of the twenty-first century will be fought over water.” Ismail Serageldin Just do not taint the wells with blood!
This has made me think and as I sip coffee, I realize that water is what people will kill for. Not money, not gold, not silver but, water. Water to bathe, clean, drink, and most of all have my coffee. I am cool though, I have two huge barrels full of rain water and will have my coffee, thus the neighbors will be safe from war with me… 😉
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Fence…
Windows fixed completely…
Zucchini…
Garden…
The fence is only 12 meters from being finished. I had lots of clearing to do and still have a mess for the last 12 meters. This is the scariest part of the fence, for I had to cut through a jungle to get it put in. Actually my brave Sveta, helped me to slice and dice the jungle; I think she did a great job…
The windows on the side of the house are officially done. I will now cut some new glass and putty the window panes. I do not have to do this, but I want them fresh and new for the winter. I have the windows sealed in place with foam and secured with screws and nails. I am not a carpenter, but I still do the best I can. Painting the house around the windows is next. I have white paint and will do with that…
Zucchini: Our neighbor has grown incredible Zucchini and he gave Sveta and I two of them. I have eaten one of them and have my eye on the biggest one in the next few days. Oh yummy yummy for my tummy…
The garden has carrots that are almost three inches across at the top exposed from the ground. These carrots are huge and when I pull them, I will take some pictures. The beets need to be harvested, but I am trying to figure the best way to store them. I will study a few more days, I am thinking of pickling a bunch of them for the winter. I simply love pickled beets…
In that garden is five potato plants and I still have plenty of time to get a good crop of potatoes. If you look close, you will see two of the potato plants right in front of the carrots. This is an experiment and we will see. The last potato plant was a success… (Link)
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Some last thoughts for today…
I eat nothing but Russian black bread now. I am not able to eat white bread anymore, unless it is doctored up, like in making a pizza bread, garlic bread or something. It just does not taste right and Russians do love white bread also. Black bread is just better for you and me…
I also have stopped using two slices of bread for a sandwich. I am now officially making buterbrot as the Russians do. They take a slice of bread and put something on it and eat it. That simple and no extra bread on top. What a way to cut calories instantly and easily…
I also have stopped using butter and cook with very little oil, just water mainly. As per butter, you have to be an avid consumer of it in Russia, or do not buy it. Butter has no preservatives, like almost all food in Russia, and as such, it always goes rancid when I buy it and not use it. I watch Russians use butter and when they use butter, they slab it on their bread in a thick layer. So butter does not last long doing that. Sveta use to do that also and she has stopped eating butter too… Good girl…
It is raining today and has put a halt upon my fencing escapades, maybe I will just read a good book today, for the rain is pitter-patting in the leaves of the rose bushes and sings a sleepy tune…
The Washington Post’s descent into the depths of neoconservative propaganda – willfully misleading its readers on matters of grave importance – apparently knows no bounds as was demonstrated with two deceptive articles regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin and why his government is cracking down on “foreign agents.”
I have six potato plants. I have kept silent about them, because the last time we tried potatoes they were terrible. Nothing produced…
I dug up one plant today, my first plant that I planted at the same time as the beets. I planted five more a few weeks ago, but this plant was a total experiment. Stuck near the apple trees, with the soil full of rotted apples. I cared for it, but basically ignored it…
This is what I just dug up, from one plant…
One potato plant…
Twenty eight potatoes from one plant…
I hope Sveta is surprised, I did not tell her about my one plant. I told her that I planted six others, but one died and the others are doing okay. But this one plant was in the apples trees and I have potatoes…
What a wonderful day this is…
Yes Svetchca, next year we will supply your whole family with potatoes, fertilized with rotted apples… 🙂
I received a very hateful e-mail. The biggest issue is that this e-mail came from a governmental server, in the USA. It was a disgruntled employee of the American government and they sent an e-mail to express their unbridled anger at the fact that I would dare ever proclaim that Russia is as good or better than the USA. It was a commie hating, death threat and hope I rot in hell e-mail. The anger and hatred was so vile that it is scary we have people in our government that can be this loose of a canon and allowed to be public servants…
They did say one thing that caught my attention; They said, “How do you know that the @%$#&^* commies ain’t going to kill you by a mafia tie, as you sleep?” **
Seriously; they said those very words, quote … endquote… (minus the cuss word)
The word I have come to associate with the U.S. is the term sadness; “Sad as an eagle without wings, sad as a violin with only one string — Jean Rhys”
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Therefore, How do I know they won’t? 😐
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Well maybe it is the fact that I have the blessing of a woman who loves me, the most wonderful woman in the world and she is a Russian and she is communist! OMG…
Well maybe it is the fact that I have a buddy who would do anything for me and he is Russian, but Vodka is his political affiliation! OMG…
Well maybe it is the fact that I spent almost three hours last night talking to a Master Degree Journalist and she has a son who is 17 years old and desires to become a journalist also. They, exactly like my sweetie are intellects. They are well educated common folk, who had opportunities to get free education at all levels of schooling and they used that availability and expounded on it. They are thinkers and learners…
From which Russia has an abundance of intellects and it makes for a wonderful country…
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Most of all, I know they are not going to cut my head off in the middle of the night, because, last night a Russian commie came into our yard and filled up two buckets with cool fresh water from somewhere… Explain please… 🙂
Okay; something has happened to our well, we have no water and I was getting ready to make a run to the source to get some water. Water is important and we need it to live. Well, last night while I slept, one of them sneaky damn communist, those type that want to take over the world, filled up my water buckets and the wells are still dry. This act of filling the water buckets with dry wells is a major ordeal and to fill someone else water buckets and not tell who, is a act of true friendship. This is not a facade of friendship it is a reality of such friendship. This involved kilometers of travel to bring water to my home, if by foot it is unbelievable, if by car, still a hardship…
To be honest, I am not sure who brought the water, I have suspicions, for you see, I am known to drop things off at peoples places, things they need and have to have to have a better life. I do not intrude, I just drop things off. Thus, last night someone returned a favor and if one thing I know, Russians return what they have been freely given. It may be fresh chicken eggs, it may be a sack of potatoes, it may be a beam of wood that they know you need, but they will return to people who care, the same care back…
Thence, two buckets of cool cold water, sitting on my table outside this morning, looking at me with it’s shimmering smile of a surface, tells me that, these Russian Commies are most likely not going to cut my head off or slit my throat in the middle of the night or for that matter; anytime soon…
** – Mafia tie: The act of slitting open the neck, just above the Adam’s apple, and pulling the person’s tongue out through the hole, making it look like a little necktie…
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Onions are all harvested and I am second stage drying 50 nice size onions. They are not too hot and are very edible raw, but they really come to life when put in a soup or other food item for the flavor…
The beets are almost ready to harvest, I pulled these three, as they were the biggest of the beets. Two are Detroit Beets and one is a Classic Red Beet. They all grew the same size and I counted 60 total beets to be harvested. They will all be this size, by the time I get them out of the ground and stored. I ate one already and it was sweet… YUMMY…
I have five potato plants that are getting ready to blossom and we will see if I get potatoes or not. I am also thinking about putting in garlic. It will be perfect right now and Sveta and I just love garlic. Yes, it is time to plant garlic and more onions at the same time…
The whole garden has been pesticide free and just cow manure for fertilizer. I have to give credit to the bird brains in the yard, they have worked overtime to eat all the bugs and with thirty plus baby birds, they ate a bunch of bugs…
Vova my Russian buddy was dancing on his big rock and I took a picture of him. Then he asked, “On Internet?”
I smiled and said, “Yes!”
Therefore, for all of you Russian haters and Russian lovers; Vova waves hello and to your health from his humble Russian abode. Then without farther attestation, Vova and I went into his home and had rabbit stew, hot tea and pickles. Then Vova showed me his new bottle of vodka, a vodka that is healthy for you. That is what he believes and thus I do also… 😉
How can you go wrong? Russian made, Birch charcoal filtered and firewood ecological vodka. If this stuff is not healthy for you then nothing is! Right?
As always his stew is perfect and he takes great pride in making rabbit stew from his own farm raised rabbits. These rabbits are fat, happy and sassy; well at least until stew day comes. I counted 15 rabbits yesterday and they are fat! I can attest that they taste delicious…
I took a few images of inside his home and next time I will see if he will allow me to take pictures of his farm area. I know he will and he has plenty of ducks, chickens and rabbits to eat healthy all year around…
Vova’s home…
Vova’s Family, children and such…
Vova and wife and family…
Russians have a corner for Icons
Vova’s dad, they be fishing… 🙂
Vova has a fence war now going… 🙂
Oh! Did I mention? Vova says hi to all you internet people. He said, “ne lyubite nenavist” kinda rough translates to dislike hate, or love is better than hate! Roughly translated, but he means to all you readers, he is just like you and he loves all you. For Vova is a great guy and has lots of room in his heart for many people, except when he is in a fencing war with the Orthodox church, neighbors and everyone else…
This is why I love Russia and I wish my sweetie could be here with me right now. The weather is perfect and the villagers are happy…
The US Army Human Terrain System (HTS) will become a “shining star, you’ll see” said a music critic, part-time divinity professor, retired military officer, and former HTS contractor. He was incensed that with the alleged demise of the US Army program, it having been murdered, killed and defeated, the HTS suddenly has new life thanks to “those pro-HTS intellectuals authorized, by somebody higher up in their organizations to take up the HTS cause. Hey! Shining Star. Do you know that song by Earth, Wind and Fire?” the former HTS contractor said. “That should be the theme song for the new HTS ramp-up. And you know what? The HTS rebirth will be like the story of that guy from Greek mythology who was crucified, died, buried and then came back to life. What was his name, again?”
The former contractor went on. “Where were those people when we needed them…You know they were all hiding in the Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict shop in the Pentagon and didn’t want to go public with their support of HTS? Now they work for all kinds of contractors and think tanks and whatever having spun through the revolving door. Man! Can you say that anymore or do you have to say Woman too….Sorry. I got off track there. Anyway they are cashing in big-time now making as much money as they can and just waiting for the next real war—like Iraq–that involves lots of contractors, media analysts, tanks, trucks and troops. Think of the armor battles we could have with the Russians and Chinese! I miss those days” groaned a former HTS staffer who rode along with combat hardened American soldiers who protected him while he asked questions and handed out lollipops, and other types of candy, sure to rot the teeth of the children in Afghanistan and Iraq.
An HTS staffer who works with the former HTS contractor cited above: “You know that song by Earth, Wind and Fire, right? Shining Star is the one I am referring to like my colleague said. The lyrics that go ‘You’re a shining star, no matter who you are, shining bright to see, what you can truly be…That really applies to HTS because, really, it was never given a chance to be what it could truly be. But now we are seeing what it could have been thanks to articles in Foreign Policy, Bloomberg and Front Page Magazine. There will be more to come. Just wait and see.”
Indeed. The woodwork has produced a flurry of pro-HTS articles ever since USA Today broke the story of its apparent demise on June 29, 2015. The most recent is in the increasingly belligerent publication Foreign Policy owned by Graham Holdings Company. The Grahams sold off the Washington Post to Jeff Bezos of Amazon fame preferring to focus on its Kaplan education and standardized testing preparation businesses. The Grahams have an interesting mix of companies engaging in health care, meeting planning (Foreign Policy), social media and combustion and lifting equipment.
But what of the mysterious fate of HTS? “It’s like Big Foot,” said a veteran correspondent. It’s true. The US Army and PACOM will not respond to media queries from anyone. Nonetheless, the demonic media, which is always at the ready to hear-out any source with verifiable information that can’t be found in normal channels, is on the case with the help of US Army and PACOM insiders. “We’ve conducted a number of séances with members of the media,” said insiders. We know that HTS still lives in pieces but will reassemble. Think of the second Terminator and that liquid metal creature that is chasing Arnold and John Conner and Conner’s mom. There is a scene in the movie where the liquid metal thing is frozen then blown apart, its pieces are scattered all over the floor but they reunite into the creature and it is reborn! That’s HTS! And I tell you what! HTS is going to come back like that bad-ass metal creature.”
If that were not enough to make former HTS staffers and proponents jump for joy, they have received significant support from the Dentists for the Resurgence of the HTS (DRHTS) who want to get in on the ground floor of any new HTS, particularly since US soldiers and contractors hand out so much candy to the conquered.
According to a DRHTS spokesperson, “We want to get in on the action too. There are a lot of teeth and gums in the AOR’s [area of responsibility] of the COCOMS [combatant commands] that need fixing. We can synthesize [sic] with the anthropologists: While they are questioning the locals, we can be fixing their teeth and gums. I know this sounds terrible but as we probe inside the villager’s mouths we can aggressively poke around in there causing not insignificant pain which may yield some useful information for the HTS people. You know kind of like that scene in the movie the Marathon Man where Olivier, playing the Nazi dentist, abuses the cavities in Hoffman’s mouth saying, ‘Is it safe.’ Dentists are patriots too,” he added.
Alas, as Whitney Kassel of the Arkin Group laments, “With the quiet death of the military’s controversial Human Terrain System, America’s soldiers have lost a guiding light that is needed now more than ever.” No question about that. She is right. HTS has its parallel of course. The television soap opera the Guiding Light ended in 2009, a year that saw two beginnings: The catastrophic success of HTS and the failure of the United States to murder, kill and defeat insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.
John Stanton is a Virginia based writer. Reach him at captainkong22@gmail.com
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I just love John Stanton’s satire about the Human Terrain System, because I am living proof of the make up of that system and its dismal messed up lifespan…
Yesterday I was off to the big village and along for the ride was an 80 plus year old man, who was going to get supplies cheaper, than we can get locally at the avto market. It saved him at least 500 rubles and to a pensioner that is a bunch of money. It was a morning exactly like son taking dad to the store and since this man would be the same age as my dad would be if he had lived; It was nostalgic to say the least…
Realization came to me that my dad would be 84 right now if still alive. I believe that Nicolai is 83 and thus the comparison. My dad died at 50 years old, thus my brain kept telling me grandpa, instead of dad, as I talked and interacted with Nicolai. It just mentally could not be helped, for I had two grandfathers who lived to 80 plus, but a dad, who did not. I guess it was natural, but Nicolai could be my dad…
Nicolai taught me things yesterday, I learned that the fields are full of хлеб grain (bread grain and a special short type,) I learned about the monastery we live at and the monastery in the church village, I learned about the lakes that the fish are in around us and most of all I learned that listening to an old person is a wealth of information, that never should be passed up…
I taught him something and the joy was carried all the way to his arm; Russians do not wave, unless I am around. I may not smile, but I acknowledge that you are around by nodding and waving to you as I drive by. It is an old farmer tradition and I can not help it out in the country. I wave to the guys working the fish farm and have been doing it to the point that they all wave first at times. The first wave had Nikolai stunned, then as he saw everyone wave back and even smile at us at times (something Russians and I do very little of.) He started to wave and before I knew it, he waved all the way to the Big Village. He smiled like a little kid seeing a piece of candy in the store window. Nikolia waved to beat the band and we were just waving fools as we went to town. Now that was something to see… 😉
Why do we pass such information up all the time? Why do we allow them to rot in homes for the elderly?
Russians 90+ % of the time care for their elderly at home and respect them. Not always, for there is bad apples everywhere, but the elderly are revered in Russia most of the time…
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Nicolai and I tried the market of babushkas first. He got in arguments with them all, for in his eyes they were charging a price way to high; and they were in my eyes also. I stayed silent and let him argue. We left and he grumbled about rip off babushkas… 🙂
Then we went to the big store called Magnet and he was happy as a pig in a mud waller. He shopped for over an hour and during that time, I shopped, moved the car and came back to push his cart basket around, like a good kid would do. We filled a basket up with produce, canned goods, cheeses and dairy products. He had a list and he checked it twice and then a third time. Yes, he had all that he was told to get…
We left happy, fat and sassy…
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Then on the way home he told me about his family, his life and he forgot I have weak Russian and am an American. I did not even hint at the flow of words were coming to fast for me to decipher and I let him talk, for you could see it made him happy. We got to the fish village and passed through to the lakes. As we came upon a spot where the workers were pulling fish to sell, he got all excited and wanted to stop to get some fish. I gave one of my buddies a hundred rubles, without Nicolai knowing it. They told him to grab two of the biggest fish he could find in the net and Nicolai had so much fun chasing, that I swear he looked like a kid again. He tried to pay, but they said, “Net!” and Nicolai looked at me kinda funny. My fish buddy and actually one of the managers, motioned for me to grab one and with that, Nicolai and I went on our way with our prizes…
So you know, a fish is called, “рыба” Reba in Russia. Fish from these ponds is a prize worth crowing about…
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We got home with our bounty from our trip and later after the day had cooled somewhat; for it was super hot. Nicolai came over and thanked me profusely for taking him to the Big Village. I could tell he had had a blast and I will see if he wants to go every week with me. It saves them a bunch of money and I go anyway. Why not give him a chance to chatter and teach me new things?
Strange how in the village, I have brothers my age such as Vova and if we accept such things, I have a dad in the village such as Nicolai and friends of all ages, who are just plain good people…
No need to wonder why I love the village and never a reason to question why I love Russia. For I have found the home for my soul…
“To be an enemy of America can be dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal!” – Henry Kissinger…
The United States has the most deceitful, treacherous and duplicitous behavior of any regime in known history. Iran as the latest instrument of deceit is starting to understand this complexity and the world should heighten their security efforts because a US attack in multiple forms is inevitable, now that the Americans have said they want to be friends with foes of the past. The issues with Cuba and Iran are just smoke to set the stage…
American Hegemony will not just quietly dissolve like the Soviet Union did. The more pessimistic and fearful the US becomes the more dangerous and unpredictable it will be, ready to do “stupid stuff” out of desperation to hold on while it can or poison the waters of the well (so to speak) if it can’t undermine the expressive powers . (The US expected the Soviets to act the same way though they didn’t because they had better things to do, like ensuring their own post-collapse survival) That means the US, (in denial of its decline) can and likely will (try to) continue to exercise its full capacity to create misery and inflict destruction on its “opponents” ….
