My daughter spent her school holidays in Kyiv, and then returned to Berlin with her grandmother. The next day, the three of them descended on my flat to clean my daughter's room. Her mother and grandmother scolded her for letting it get so messy while I laughed in the next room. They estimated that it would take three hours, but after five hours they were just about finished. Meanwhile, my daughter was yelling at her grandmother who was giving her a Soviet scolding over her failings as a child. I laughed some more, and then my daughter's mother came down the corridor with the vacuum heading for my bedroom. I stopped her there. No way she's cleaning my flat. Altogether it was an hilarious experience. I poked my nose in once or twice.
My only duties were to wash everything that my daughter owned. Her mother even started telling me where to fold and put the clothes when they were dried, but I stopped her once again. My duties end with washing and drying. I don't clean my daughter's room, I don't iron, I don't fold, I don't put away her clothes. The only thing I do in her room is find the dirty glasses and dishes which have vanished in there, and we get along great, my daughter and I. We don't quarrel. I don't care what her room looks like.
After my daughter came back from Kyiv, she went on a picnic with some Ukrainian kids and then brought a passel of them home with her to stay the night. I bought an extra mattress when the war started because I thought it would be handy and it has proven to be useful. I'm often cooking for the refugee kids from Ukraine, some of whom are orphans and some of whom are living here without parents. I have extra bedding and use the cushion on the sofa as an extra bed. This time we had six refugee kids. The most we've had are seven, and I cook pancakes for them, plus scrambled eggs, sausages, and avocado toast. All those years when I worked as a fry cook in various restaurants when I was going to college is now paying off. I still know how to crack an egg with one hand.
The news is filled with doom and gloom about the war. Ukraine is doing to lose, they all say. Well, I guess we're going to have to wait until the end to see the result. Ukraine has been written off several times by the pundits and phony generals who get interviewed by various media types. A friend sent me an interactive map of the Korean war and it was fascinating. I recommend this map. It shows the vagaries of war in visual perfection. Looks like they fought all the way to the Chinese border and then all the way back down to the bottom of the Korean peninsula before the invasion by Douglas MacArthur at Inchon which broke the North Korean forces and created two fronts which led to the stalemate. I expect NATO countries, but not NATO, to send troops to Ukraine so that it becomes an international war before they let Putin take all of Ukraine. Macron already stated it, and it appears that British troops are already on the ground in Ukraine. It may be a long way from over.
Now, I wonder what these Ukrainian kids are going to do after the war. All of them are attending school here in Germany (the highest calling according to the Germans), but will they return? This is the question. As I said, some of them are orphans already, but they all love Ukraine. And what do Ukrainian kids do in Berlin. They have formed a book club and they read things like 1984, they meet in the parks for a picnic, and sometimes they go to a café and eat a meal. These are the Nazis of Ukraine, kids that are polite, reading good books, and spending time in the parks. They are a great danger and are a threat to civilization which is why Putin is destroying their homes. If you listen to some people, all Ukrainians are Nazis. The crazy part is that I lived in Ukraine for 9 years and I never once saw a Nazi or heard about them, except on YouTube. I meet wholesome kids from decent families who want to go home.
When I read Bret Weinstein on English Wikipedia, he is still labeled as a misinformation person. The Wiki text appears to be written by a Ghost Writer who was paid by someone.
Thanks for the insightful updates Graham - yes laughter likely best way to go - and the good info. The BW interview was on my list. Will start while I make some bread this morning Best.
My daughter spent her school holidays in Kyiv, and then returned to Berlin with her grandmother. The next day, the three of them descended on my flat to clean my daughter's room. Her mother and grandmother scolded her for letting it get so messy while I laughed in the next room. They estimated that it would take three hours, but after five hours they were just about finished. Meanwhile, my daughter was yelling at her grandmother who was giving her a Soviet scolding over her failings as a child. I laughed some more, and then my daughter's mother came down the corridor with the vacuum heading for my bedroom. I stopped her there. No way she's cleaning my flat. Altogether it was an hilarious experience. I poked my nose in once or twice.
My only duties were to wash everything that my daughter owned. Her mother even started telling me where to fold and put the clothes when they were dried, but I stopped her once again. My duties end with washing and drying. I don't clean my daughter's room, I don't iron, I don't fold, I don't put away her clothes. The only thing I do in her room is find the dirty glasses and dishes which have vanished in there, and we get along great, my daughter and I. We don't quarrel. I don't care what her room looks like.
After my daughter came back from Kyiv, she went on a picnic with some Ukrainian kids and then brought a passel of them home with her to stay the night. I bought an extra mattress when the war started because I thought it would be handy and it has proven to be useful. I'm often cooking for the refugee kids from Ukraine, some of whom are orphans and some of whom are living here without parents. I have extra bedding and use the cushion on the sofa as an extra bed. This time we had six refugee kids. The most we've had are seven, and I cook pancakes for them, plus scrambled eggs, sausages, and avocado toast. All those years when I worked as a fry cook in various restaurants when I was going to college is now paying off. I still know how to crack an egg with one hand.
The news is filled with doom and gloom about the war. Ukraine is doing to lose, they all say. Well, I guess we're going to have to wait until the end to see the result. Ukraine has been written off several times by the pundits and phony generals who get interviewed by various media types. A friend sent me an interactive map of the Korean war and it was fascinating. I recommend this map. It shows the vagaries of war in visual perfection. Looks like they fought all the way to the Chinese border and then all the way back down to the bottom of the Korean peninsula before the invasion by Douglas MacArthur at Inchon which broke the North Korean forces and created two fronts which led to the stalemate. I expect NATO countries, but not NATO, to send troops to Ukraine so that it becomes an international war before they let Putin take all of Ukraine. Macron already stated it, and it appears that British troops are already on the ground in Ukraine. It may be a long way from over.
The Korean war in ten minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJx6M7SqkvI
Now, I wonder what these Ukrainian kids are going to do after the war. All of them are attending school here in Germany (the highest calling according to the Germans), but will they return? This is the question. As I said, some of them are orphans already, but they all love Ukraine. And what do Ukrainian kids do in Berlin. They have formed a book club and they read things like 1984, they meet in the parks for a picnic, and sometimes they go to a café and eat a meal. These are the Nazis of Ukraine, kids that are polite, reading good books, and spending time in the parks. They are a great danger and are a threat to civilization which is why Putin is destroying their homes. If you listen to some people, all Ukrainians are Nazis. The crazy part is that I lived in Ukraine for 9 years and I never once saw a Nazi or heard about them, except on YouTube. I meet wholesome kids from decent families who want to go home.
When I read Bret Weinstein on English Wikipedia, he is still labeled as a misinformation person. The Wiki text appears to be written by a Ghost Writer who was paid by someone.
"They dropped smallpox – too dangerous."
Smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980.
Thanks for the insightful updates Graham - yes laughter likely best way to go - and the good info. The BW interview was on my list. Will start while I make some bread this morning Best.