laughingwolf_qh33q8 – Page 24

Preserving Knowledge

Today is going to touch on how to preserve books and such, and part is going to touch on what to save. Now, this is advanced preparation and is designed not for inconveniences or emergencies, but full-up disasters. Just keep in mind that it is duration that counts, and that it doesn’t matter if the cause is natural, natural stupidity, or politics (which I do count as different from natural stupidity).

A while back, I did several posts on long-term storage (LTS) and talked a bit about the need to tuck away books and such just in case. Let’s start with book preservation.

For the books that are truly important, allow me to suggest individually bagging in food-grade mylar storage bags, and sealing after getting out as much air as possible and with an oxygen absorber inside. Getting out the air will inhibit the operation of the absorber, but it also helps with packing the individual bags into other containters. If things are tight, omit the absorber and press on. My suggestion is to put the individually-bagged books into a larger mylar storage bag, such that you can drop two or three such bags into a five gallon bag, and then into a 5-gallon bucket with mylar liner as discussed in the LTS section. Oh, this is also where you should have copies of important legal documents and such.

Again, again, and again, it is all about layers and levels of containment. The more the better, as the last thing you want is a single failure to take out your efforts.

Now, that’s expensive, time consuming, and not necessarily going to be something everyone can do. While less secure in the long term, you can also simply place a 5-gallon mylar bag inside a 5-gallon food-grade bucket with mylar liner, load as much inside as you can fit (including oxygen absorbers), seal the good mylar bag, tie off the liner, then seal the bucket. That gives you three levels of containment, which can work even for a disaster.

Now, some quick thoughts on what to save. These are some personal suggestions, and I hope they give you some food for thought.

In terms of literature, I’m going to want to save books and series that I have enjoyed. Personally, I’m not inclined to save the ‘great works of literature’ which in many cases I don’t consider that good, great, or literature. That’s a discussion for another day, but how we treat literature in school is an abomination. While I would tuck away a tome with Shakespeare’s works, I’m more inclined to tuck away the works of David Weber and others. I would very much want to tuck away John Ringo’s Black Tide Rising series as it focuses on dealing with a true disaster in very practical terms, as does Eric Flint’s 1632 series (which is excellent in terms of gearing down to build back up). And you can bet Lewis and Tolkien will be in there too.

Now, for a disaster, I would also recommend two levels of reference books. The first would be things like the Foxfire series that detail how things were done in the past (and up to the present day) including home remedies and more. There are a number of good books that contain old recipes and formulas for everything from toothpaste to food preservation. These are all very good and practical things to have, and I suspect one could write a book or two on the options. In a disaster, having access to the old ways may be a very good thing.

However, the second level is one that is often ignored. These are the old reference books that contain calculations, tables of data, and the steps to derive information for everything from engineering to basic production. These are the old reference books that detail drugs and usages (PDR, etc.). These are the books no longer being printed (or if printed rarely bought) because the information is all on the internet. Yes, it is now. There are multiple causes of disaster that can take out the internet, temporarily or permanently. A lot of these types of books are being thrown away or given away by libraries of all types. You can find them for pennies in second-hand stores and even garage sales. In a disaster, they may well be worth their weight in plutonium. If you get the chance, tuck them away.

Finally, I do recommend tucking away religious books, particularly Christian and Jewish books. Why? Look at the news. If that doesn’t tell you why, ya need help. If you think the war on Christianity, and the rampant antisemitism, are just going to magically go away in a year or two, I think you are dreaming. I actually expect to see the war on Christianity and Jews get much worse. My thought on that is to tuck away as many copies of bibles, prayer books, reference books, etc. in multiple containers and multiple locations as possible. I would also work to make them hard to detect as well, just in case. It may sound paranoid, but I’m not sure we are being paranoid enough on this score. I’d far rather have such things tucked away at need, than to find we need them and not have them.

Just a few quick thoughts this morning, and I really should do a post on libraries and another on literature (even though Larry Correia and others have been doing a good job on same). Also, more thoughts on what to store for a disaster are coming. More soon.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Dealing With Dying

No, everything is okay here, but it is an important topic. I’ve been blessed to have had access to an amazing Hospice organization for both my parents. Having their help and support made a very difficult time much easier, including on levels I didn’t fully appreciate at the time.

There is a new blog/substack out from a Hospice nurse called Life During Death. Please allow me to commend it, and the discussions therein to you. There is already a lot of hard-learned and much needed food for thought there. Yes, the topic is one that can make many shudder or want to turn away, but it is important. Don’t turn away, and use it to have some conversations that are needed with family and friends. Much better that way.

Monday Musical Madness

While I have several posts I want to get to this week, Monday is an odd day for posting because of my guitar lessons. Before I forget, thank you to everyone who has helped with those efforts! It truly is a neat and fun way to explore if I can learn new skills after the lightning strike. I’ve had six lessons so far, and I’m not totally horrible and having a lot of fun with it.

The lessons are every Monday morning, barring days where there is lightning or heavy rain. I’ve sprayed commercial waterproofing on the case to beat the band (ba-da-boom), but still don’t want to expose it to the wet if I can help it. If there is lightning around, well, I’m not going out. Heck, I don’t even like to go near a window. 🙂 It is almost exactly 1.75 miles to the lesson, but have found a (mostly) nice route to get there and back. I’m actually using my bus-compliant rolling grocery cart to hold the guitar for the walk. If the weather is iffy, I can take one bus downtown, switch to another, and get fairly close to where I’m going. For now, the walk does me good and gets the week off to a good start.

While the jury is still out on my ability to learn a new skill, my instructor has made it fun to try. He knows about the lightning strike and the issues, so in terms of memorizing he tends to come at it a bit sideways. He warned me today there was some rote memorization coming up, but he’s also found a way to make part of it practicing notes and techniques, which may help with getting some of it into long-term memory.

Rather than rote scales and drills (which made piano and other instrument lessons such a joy when I was a child), he’s got me doing “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” “Wipeout,” “Tom Dooley,” and “The Star Spangled Banner” to work on everything from techniques to scales. We are working on chords as well, and I’ve got the feeling that the chords are going to be combined soon into some well known music just because he is sneaky like that. Within those songs and such, I’m learning a lot and practicing transitions until my fingers can’t take it any more. When I do practice “rote” things, he has found ways to make it interesting, and even a challenge. Boring it is not.

If I didn’t mention it before, my landlord has donated a music stand to the effort. I need to get a guitar stand, and want to get a swivel-top stool for practice as the wooden chair in my room slopes funny and makes it fun to hold the guitar properly. Nothing too expensive, but not in the regular budget. Been looking for used on both, but no joy so far. A couple of big-box music stores have gone out of business here, but they mostly shipped things out to other stores rather than putting a decent price on them. Oh, not sure I ever showed you all a photo of the guitar you helped me get.

It is an Alvarez, and it was one of many owned by my barber, who actually has encouraged me to take up guitar for a number of years. He got into playing as a way to help his arthritis, and he really got into it — and into collecting guitars. I bought it from him, and my lessons are taught by a buddy of his in the barber shop while it is closed. I’m apparently one of several who come in on Monday’s when it’s closed. The buddy is a professional musician who, at 70 or 70+, is still playing at a number of venues around town. I suspect he’s forgotten more about playing guitars than I may ever learn. He makes it look so easy…

He’s also already dangled a couple of other guitars in front of me. One is a nicer acoustic, and one is an electric. On the latter, I was a bit surprised as there is a (vintage?) Stratocaster in baby/robin-egg blue but he says the other one is the better guitar and the better buy. Basically, if I keep going and get good, I might get a good price on either (or both). Good incentive as while I do have a good guitar, I’ve also learned to appreciate even better ones. If I can learn this new skill, it would be a good reward.

The only issue with the lessons is that with the time to get there, when the lesson is scheduled, and then the walk back, it does make posting on Monday’s a little bit of a challenge. Especially as I am usually having to deal with calls, follow-ups, and other delights on most Mondays. It’s not that I’m forgetting you, it’s just a busy if fun (the guitar part at least) time.

More soon!

Italian Food

Okay, I screwed up a bit today and overdid it. Part involved missing a bus while the bread was on first rise and betting I could walk to my destination before the next bus got there. Did it. Then walked back. Then took another walk later. If I thought I was tired before…

So, wanted to do a real post but decided to do a semi-funny story because a post on X reminded me of it. The post was a joke about the mafia running a pizza chain and giving up crime as the pizza paid better. Which reminded me of some really good Italian food that came to Huntsville many years ago.

It was the first time I did work for NASA (sub sub contractor??) and several of us were into food. When word came of a new Italian place that was supposed to be fantastic, I was a bit skeptical. Keep in mind that I lived a summer in northern Italy with an Uncle stationed there a while back, and had gotten to travel a bit besides. On top of that, I’ve had some of the best Italian in Boston and NYC (when the undercover cops tell you that X has the best Italian food in the city, and the restaurant is essentially neutral ground between the Mob and the cops, trust me it is indeed quite good).

So, some of us went to check the place out. Going in, you had to actually go through the kitchen to get to the dining area. Part of which was inside, part of which was outside and included a Bocce Ball set-up. Going through the kitchen I looked at what was being cooked, how it was being cooked, and did a bit of sniffing. Think my comment was along the lines of ‘this is going to be good.’

Yes it was. In fact, I would have stacked it up against almost any Italian food I’d had in the U.S. It was really good, and the rather flamboyant and loud owner and host was a bit of a hoot. He taught people how to play Bocce Ball, how to eat certain dishes, and have a good time. I really enjoyed the place despite his over-the-top antics. The food was just so good.

Then reality hit. Word went out quietly that the restaurant had closed. Louder words soon followed, and the true story came out.

Turns out Mr. Flamboyant had been in the Witness Protection Program, and had testified against the Mob. Accountant type, not a Pistol Pete or more. Don’t know for sure, but got the impression it was the Sicilians though some plumped for the Irish Mob. The attention coming to the restaurant, even in Huntsville, was not good. His not paying taxes or any withholding on his employees got the IRS involved, and well, they apparently had to move him again. Still wonder if the prime protection for so doing was in regards the Mob or the IRS. Prefer to deal with the Mob than the IRS to be honest. Seem to remember that he gave investment advice to employees and others too. Ah well.

I had some dealings years before that with someone else who had been in the WPP. Don’t remember why she was in the WPP, but do know that when they had to do an emergency relocation on her because of her being a ***** to so many people, and stiffing so many people, no one was surprised at her being in the WPP. That person was such that many felt she should have just been left hanging in the breeze. By this point, she’s long gone, and I’ve said a prayer for her soul.

It was a loss to culinary Huntsville, and frankly a bit more given just how good it was. Right now, can’t think of a place in NYC that matches it (even in the new Little Italy) and only a couple in Boston. As much as I do love Little Italy in the Bronx (Little Italy in Manhattan is mostly a tourist place now IMO), they would be hard pressed to match it. Sometimes wonder what happened to Mr. Flamboyant, but if he is still around and they relocated you to Indiana, drop me a line. I won’t say a word.

Thought I would share a funny and mostly pleasant memory this Friday evening. May your weekend be good, and tasty.

More Soon

Today I’m back to regular baking, which got put on hold because of kitchen access issues and my being under the weather. In fact, I’m still feeling the latter as I am exhausted already. That said, got a dozen sourdough English muffins made, and the sourdough bread is almost finished with stretch and folds. Actual baking of the bread is early tomorrow morning, as it needs to rise overnight in the refrigerator.

If not too tired, hope to get a post up later today. Way I’m feeling, no promises but will try. Could be tomorrow. Either way, more is to come.

Marooned

I’ve not said a whole lot about the fiasco that is Woeing’s Starliner and the crew stranded on the ISS so far, but the cartoon I saw yesterday with Starliner as the SS Minnow and Gilligan in a space suit knocking on the hatch of the ISS was a good push. Besides, I had promised to write something in this post, and it is past time.

I’ve been worried about the Starliner effort for a while, as it has had far more problems than I would have liked from the start. Now, any new effort is going to have things crop up, as it is never as easy as people make it out to be to go from paper to actually bending metal. The best laid plans, and blue prints, rarely get everything just right; tech, particularly new or upgraded tech, rarely works as planned; and, I think the only time one sees complex systems flawlessly integrate at first try is in the movies.

Space is hard and harsh. Spacing is even harder.

That said, a lot of the basics are known and should — at this point — be well understood. The basics can, and should, be tweaked at need, but such shouldn’t be that difficult. Now, developing totally new systems, trying new things, and facing a huge amount of regulation (call it that for now) from an agency that is one of the most risk-adverse on the planet, and things can and do get interesting.

It can be done, if one has a “can-do” attitude and is willing to innovate, take risks, and even on occasion “discuss” things with said agency. Just look at Space X for what happens then.

When you have a company, however, that is “old-school” in many respects as to innovation, risk, etc.; and, said company has gone woke and turned away from what made it successful to start with, well, you get the current mess with Starliner.

Which is why I also keep hearing the voice of Martin Caidin pop up every so often. People have brought up his book and the movie Marooned in regards the current situation with the crew trapped on the ISS. A few have pointed out that he also wrote the book Cyborg which became the television series The Six Million Dollar Man. Few realize the sometimes pivotal roles he played in aviation and space over the years.

In the interest of full disclosure, Martin and I were friends and I acknowledge he was a better friend to me than I was to him. We even waged a futile effort to save the old Aviation/Space Writers Association at one point, an organization which I had joined in part because of Martin. If you cover aviation, particularly aviation accidents, you really should try to find a copy of the AWA guide to covering air accidents as it is still fairly spot on. I will also acknowledge that Martin was a bit of a character.

He was also one heck of a practical engineer who had a gift for science. For those of a nuclear war bent, you might want to notice who was heavily involved in exploring (and more) the concept of firestorms from nuclear blasts. Martin also was involved with a number of aviation advancements, as well as with historical preservation. Space also has his imprint upon it. Some of the books (and stories) he wrote were done as a way of exploring topics that certain establishments didn’t want to explore or were reluctant to explore. Fairly common in some ways for science fiction, but Martin truly ran with it.

Martin also understood that advancement (literary, scientific, or engineering) means risk. He understood calculated risk. Which is why I suspect some of his commentary on the current situation might veer a touch towards the pungent. Especially in regards the possibility of the crew being told to ride the capsule down. Marooned was fiction (and a bit of a push towards developing a rescue capability), and should stay that way.

Right now, the capsule is blocking some urgently needed real estate, namely one of two docking ports. If the software got changed to remove the remote/independent separation ability because of NASA “regulations” the situation is even more rich in irony. That said, it needs to be cleared. That said, with the cascade of failures in Starliner, I would not ride it down nor would I order anyone to ride it down. Frankly, I think the best option right now is to try to update the software and risk bricking it. If it works, port cleared and the capsule can be sent back to Earth where if it survives re-entry it can be studied. Medium case is clearing the port and adding a rather large chunk of space debris to LEO. Worst case is that it bricks and the port remains blocked. It’s blocked already, so not seeing a true downside to trying.

I’m not going to say that Woeing needs to go completely back to the drawing board, but I think they might want to consider going pretty close to it. They may also want to look at adopting the old model of operations from when they were Boeing (and successful) and putting the engineers back in charge. Radical, I know, but it is what is needed.

If they do, expect support from me and from elsewhere I suspect we might hear some clapping and some pithy comments about it taking long enough, get to it.

By the way, I would commend almost any of Martin’s fiction and non-fiction (!!) to you. Among other things, he wrote a guide to surviving nuclear war that is not only good, but also applicable to general preparedness if I remember correctly. Heck, I need to try to find a (reasonably priced) copy if I can. If you haven’t seen it, the movie Marooned is pretty good. Again, read his works as he was more of a key figure in modern aviation and space than many realize.

Also, while I’m thinking about it, Stephen Green at PJ, and both David Strom and Jazz Shaw at Hot Air are doing some really good space and science coverage. Check them out.

Layers

In the comments to yesterday’s preparedness post, longtime reader/commenter GWB makes some good points but I have to disagree with him on a definition of terms, and on a couple of very minor points. The term of discussion is “preparedness” and we do seem to have a different definition of same.

He makes the point that preparedness means stocking up on the manual items, which in many households are the backups to regular use items. I did touch on the need to stock up on the manual items, but since I’ve covered that topic before I did not get too far into it. I think it is important to have them, especially if things go south for an extended period of time. In fact, having multiples of critical items is a very good idea.

However, my definition of preparedness revolves around layers and durations. As in I plan and prep to have as many layers in place as possible, in order to handle a variety of durations with as much comfort as possible. Having a single layer for any point makes that layer a potential single point of failure. I want as many layers (and as many steps between pure electronics and pure manual) as practical (or possible if cost no object) in place.

Much depends on duration, or rather durations, of the things that happen. As I noted in the Preparedness Pays series, there are three types/levels of emergency and they are based on duration. The book-in-progress (sigh, still) breaks it down very nicely, but a rough idea is that 1- to 3-days is an annoyance; 3-days to 4-weeks (or so, forget the exact time frames I used) is an emergency; and anything beyond 4-weeks is a disaster.

In the case of yesterday’s post, I’m actually optimistic about the potential disaster (really disasters) that I see as possible. As Sarah oft says, Be Not Afraid. For all that I think things are going to get more than a little bumpy, I think the odds are that we bounce back sooner rather than later. Lots of reasons for that, and frankly Sarah is doing a good job of analyzing a lot of the reasons why. If you are not reading her, you should be.

What wasn’t obvious yesterday, though, is that I think that for about 90 percent of what could happen, we should bounce back to reasonable levels within 4- to 6-years. Now, I want shoes, batteries, and electronics that are going to give me the best they can during that time. For the products I mentioned, keep in mind that newer batteries will hold charge longer, are easier to recharge, and generally they will operate at maximum efficiency for a good period of time. The non-electronic parts of the system should last a good long while as well. With solar chargers and other means of recharging, I keep their ease-of-use and comfort for the longest possible time.

If I get new shoes next month, I should be good for at least 4 years on the main shoes, and I bet I can get almost that out of the tennis shoes at need. At which time, I would hope that we are back to where such things are once again widely available. Same holds true for several of the other items I mentioned.

Semi-aside, it used to be one of the hallmarks of a good barber was being able to keep not just your razor sharp, but all of your scissors and clippers sharp as well. If you’ve never had a haircut where the barber used dull manual clippers and/or scissors, count yourself lucky. For such biteth mightily and well beyond a mere ouchie. It’s why I want to keep the ease of use of the electric trimmers/clippers and other implements around as long as I can. For me, I think it important to maintain some levels of presentation, for reasons of physical and mental hygiene. Such is much easier and less painful with modern conveniences, so I want to be sure what I have will work and work well for an extended period.

Also, don’t throw or give away anything you do replace. Clean them, charge them, and tuck them away appropriately to have as backups. Stuff happens, and having extra layers keeps it from being a Hoover moment. If also gives you potential trade goods at need. Just a thought.

Yesterday’s post was about the need to stock up on critical items (shoes, edged items, etc.) that may have components from overseas, as well as some important comfort items (and, in some ways, I do count phones, laptops, etc. as comfort items). It is also a suggestion to add layers where you can to your preparations, and that this too shall pass — possibly like a kidney stone and sadly over years not weeks. But it will pass.

Thing is, be prepared for anything that comes, from any source. Keep your family and friends close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.

Preparedness Thoughts

A week or two ago I promised to share some thoughts on current preparedness needs/recommendations. Given all that is going on in the world, it is far better to be prepared for the worst even as we hope and pray for the best.

Once I get my stipend, my hope this month is to buy new shoes. The current shoe is about four years old, and sadly Red Wing is slipping a bit on the quality front as they used to last five to six years. I’m semi-smiling as I type that, but it’s not fully a joke and yet not fully a complaint. One of the reason I want new shoes is that if things do go really far south, as they easily could, good shoes are a necessity and likely to be in short supply. They may also have to last a while.

As with a number of items, even if the shoes are made in the U.S., some of the critical materials and/or components are not. My Red Wings, for example, are composite-toed safety shoes and some of the most comfortable for walking and general activities I’ve ever had. I even wear them to Church as they look nice. A number of the components are not made in the U.S. (not sure about the shoes right now and too lazy to take them off to check) and are from locations where shipping could get iffy in certain circumstances (Pacific region, cough). So, new shoes are on the menu if I can squeeze the money out of the budget. They were $90, but with inflation may be up towards $120 now. Grumble.

In fact, with the edema under control for now I would also like to get a new pair of tennis shoes as well. The previous pair is at least two years old and they do not hold up nearly as well as the Red Wings. Again, even ordering online, a good pair that can handle walking and even some light hiking is going to be around $100. But, having something light and comfortable for general wear and use is a good idea.

If you don’t have a good pair of boots, allow me to highly recommend getting some. Me, I’ve got one or two pair of uniform boots left, along with some hazmat-rated work boots in very good shape, and possibly a couple of other odd pairs of boots that should be in good shape. Think I’m set, at least for now. A pair of insulated or plain rubber farmer boots might not be a bad investment too, and you can get them at some place like TSC or Rural King for about $40.

On boots, get some that can be used for work, but are also comfortable for walking or even hiking. Boots are good protection on more than one level, so look at the area you where you live and get boots that will work for you. Having the waterproof farm boots comes in quite handy for dealing with rain, mud, and more. Good idea to keep the feet dry as much as you can.

This might be a good time to replace some electric/electronic items as well. In this case, I’m talking about things like beard and hair trimmers, razors, toothbrushes, and such. Again, most of those come in whole or in part from overseas. If your phone and computers are more than two or three years old, you may want to consider upgrading while you can. Me, I may look at a new beard/hair trimmer here soon.

I’m also looking to restock razors and razor blades a bit. Again (and again) most of these are made overseas. Having a good supply on hand is just a good idea and not necessarily a major expense. Cost more than they should, IMO, but not totally outrageous.

Now, me personally I’m looking to stock back up on olive oil as I use a lot of it. Also avocado oil. Keeping a good supply of fats on hand is a good idea, as if things get really interesting fats are some of the hardest things to find. I’m even looking into rendering and storing my own tallow, and upping the amount of lard on hand.

Also, if anyone wants to hit the Wish List and get me some 5-gallon or 2-gallon food buckets, I would love to stock away more flour. And wheat berries for grinding. However much you have, you almost can’t have enough flour on hand. Got a couple of other things I would love to put away in bulk, but flour is something I see as a particularly good idea. It has a tendency to be very needed, and to get scarce very fast.

A final thought for a quick post: Look to your edged weapons right now too. Many knives, and even swords and axes, are either made overseas or use materials made overseas. Have noticed that even on some knife brands that boast “Made In The USA” the blades are from China. Knives, hatchets, axes, machetes, and even swords are very useful tools in everyday life, and become even more important in emergencies. Prepare accordingly. And, yes, I’m still annoyed at having to throw away my pocket knife at the hospital. Dang things have gotten expensive to replace.

Just a few thoughts on things I think might be a good idea to acquire and/or put away right now. If you sew, fabric is something to think about too.

The ride is likely to get very bumpy. Be prepared, and try to avoid the bumps you can. So, be prepared. And keep your friends and family close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.

England, Free Speech, Elections, & More

Okay, I first gave a brief mention here, then a longer post on England here. Couple of things have come up, and here are some fuller answers before we get into some broader concerns about free speech and the upcoming election.

First, I am indeed serious about not traveling to or through England. Never mind the ongoing unrest with two more stabbed today in a major tourist area, most Americans really just don’t get how different current English law is from American. You have no right to self-defense there, and if you do defend yourself you will be the one arrested and it is guaranteed you will get a far harsher sentence. Pocket knives or even picnic knives are deadly weapons, and even common first-aid items, such as ointments, are prescription only (and even then often banned). Ware what you take overseas.

Now, add in the slavering joy at going after compliant subjects who are not likely to fight back, and the clear desire to put a beat-down (figurative or literal) on Americans who have dared post memes or otherwise point out the two-tiered war on real/original British, and I think it would be foolish to give them any funds or opportunity to use you as an example. And, yes, given the brain-trust that is two-tier keir and his administration (not to mention the leadership and even membership of the met police), they are going to be stupid enough to try to find an American of whom to make an example.

And, yes, they can get you in transit through any port in England. Most likely is an airport, but it is not limited to such. Theoretically, when one lands somewhere and does not go through local Customs, but instead catches another flight, boat, etc., you do not technically enter that country. International transit corridors are indeed a thing, and I think even bound by a solemn treaty or three. Free travel, no hassle, and most countries have at least pinky sworn to honor such. Of course, I suspect you will find that such has never been fully honored and interesting things have happened in that area before. Besides, it’s not hard to set-up a situation that pushes a target out of the area and onto sovereign soil.

So, you have a group of particularly stupid authoritarians of the socialist/communist (there being no real difference between socialism, communism, and fascism) type in the two-tier keir administration with “law enforcement” of the weak type being given power like they’ve only dreamed of before. Do you really think they will get a brain, much less anything else, and not do something stupid? Part of me wants to put money on a flat-out kidnapping from the transit corridor, as that would be about the speed of Mark Rowley’s intellect and honor. If they have a brain, a “detour” around a spill or plumbing emergency that takes an unsuspecting foreign Citizen out of the designated transit corridor and at least makes the kidnapping sorta legal. The other option is to hide the British arrest warrants until a tourist has gone through Customs then arrest them, which would technically be legal but would also open up several diplomatic cans of worms. Then again, given the worms for brains of Keir and Rowley they may not care or even think about such.

Then again, much depends on the U.S. election. Let’s face it, Harris and company would probably be glad to honor an extradition request if it were for the “right” people. Lawfare is part and parcel of what they have been doing against targets large and small. The fact that it would be illegal (can’t extradite for a crime that is not a crime here) would have to be worked out in the courts and oh my, too bad so sad, by the time that happens the person is overseas and probably already finished a multi-year sentence. If you think that’s crazy, just look at the J6 defendants among others. Yes, there are others and plenty of other examples.

Which leads to another complication. Before I go any further, may I suggest you read this post and then this (more detailed) post. Before you go congratulating yourself on living in the U.S. where we have freedom of speech, think back to the last election and COVID. An election where we had social media, search, and other corporations illegally working with the U.S. government to censor information and discussion. Not mis-information or treason, but accurate information, discussion, and other protected speech. Skanky-Janky and all the others involved broke the law, but don’t ever expect to see them so charged. Especially since both Harris and Walz have both called for that level and more. In fact, they have both called for the effective repeal of the First Amendment (repeat, effective for the idiots). So, we’ve sorta got it now, but can we keep any vestige of free speech?

I think so, despite the fact I have zero faith and confidence in this election. In fact, I agree with Sarah in that I think Trump and Republicans up and down the chain will lose this election — on electrons. I fully expect the fix is in (Pennsylvania, cough, cough) and what matters now is the margin of “fortification” of the vote. It’s why you see the traveling canned audiences, the AI generated crowds, and the interesting polls putting Harris well ahead. It matters because if you are one of those who is into politics, monitors closely, reads statements, and truly is informed: congratulations, you are the one percent. Probably more like ten percent, but the vast majority of voters don’t do that and only pay attention to the polls and words of corporate media, which is fully in the tank for Harris. Oh, those claims of fraud again, well, the polls said…

Unless people get involved and there is some success in protecting the election against “fortification” then what worked before will be done again. There will be no red wave, no nothing. Now, I think it can be prevented if we take the right steps but it will be hard and tight. I hope it is done, I just won’t bet on it. Nor do I think we should give up. In fact, start with this post by Sarah and work your way up. They are desperate, and the stupidity seen in England is but one symptom of that desperation. Things are indeed falling apart for them, and they are frantic to try to hang on.

Grease the poles, the railings, and anything else they can cling to. Do what you can to ensure a free and fair election. Point out the gas lighting going on in the corporate media and in most social media. Call out the lies and rebut the bots. If we don’t try, it’s done. If we do try, they may can fortify but I will bet it doesn’t go the way they think it will. Screw the pills, particularly the black. To quote a man: fight, fight, fight. If we fight and fight hard, the ride will be more than bumpy but they can’t win in the end. Keep that in mind.

Keep your friends and family close, and your things where you can find them in the dark. Be prepared.

Kursk

If you follow some of the, ah, more seasoned milbloggers and such, yes there has been a bit of snickering and odd jokes. And, to be honest, there is a part of me that suspects that somewhere Guderian is smirking if not smiling. I know I smiled a bit at hearing Marders had broken through in Kursk. If you are a student of military history, you pretty much could not help it. Not because of sympathy for the Germans in WWII, but for the rich, deep irony of the situation.

Two good pieces on Kursk are up here and here. There is a lot of fragmented info coming in via OSINT. To call the situation fluid is an understatement on par with referring to the Sun as warm. Ukraine has wisely not said a lot and apparently not shared a lot. For all that many suspect the U.S. knew and said nothing, I’m getting suspicious that we may have known and been told far less than that, and that Ukraine has learned a lesson about sharing plans and info with the U.S. Nothing concrete, just odd bits of data that don’t fit the pattern. Then again, most of our allies learn that lesson, sometimes painfully, as sharing with our politicians is pretty much a bad idea. Yes, there are a couple of exceptions, but note that they are exceptions.

Now, lots of people are noting the railway lines and logistics. True, and very important. As is how an already strapped Russia is going to deal with the loss of more vehicles, tires, and other things in short supply. Heck, even their ability to respond with artillery is limited by the frantic need for replacement liners for the tubes they already have. Even with U.S. and European companies selling them chips, equipment, and more, they can’t keep up with the losses (and yes, these companies are indeed helping the enemy).

Many of the Russian troops involved are conscripts, without a good leavening of combat-experienced leadership. From reports from Russian channels, this is not working out well. I also note, as do some others, that reports of riots and looting are not calling out if they are the result of civilians, troops, or both. Chaotic is a polite descriptor and efforts to flee the growing zone of occupation are creating gas deserts and other problems.

Now, on top of the logistics mentioned above, which are critical to supplying troops and civilians in previously seized and recently seized areas, take a look at the gas pipelines. Guess what country appears to be sitting in control of up to fifty percent of the natural gas going to Europe? That brings in hard cash and more to Russia? Guess how much more is possibly within drone or artillery range?

Now look at energy, which is needed for logistics, industry, and more (keep in mind, energy for civilians will be a low priority at this point for Russia). Look at what nuclear plant just got taken out of the game (and the games being played by Russia burning tires in the cooling tower of one plant they hold in Ukraine. And, yes, that was a game and a threat). The ability to use railways still under Russian control, power airfields and other military bases, and critical industry and support just got taken offline (effectively). Heck, if Ukraine destroys about ten or so key transformers it could be years before power is restored without Ukraine getting within a mile of the plant. To replace them faster would mean taking them from other areas and depriving those areas of power until new ones could be manufactured. Also, look at what countries would be involved in that manufacture.

Oh, and don’t forget power is sort of critical to data, and access to data is a key to modern warfare. Drones, smart bombs, and more depend on data and taking out power reduces or eliminates local data transmission. You need that local data rather badly for all phases of the process. If properly prepared and with the right gear, it’s not a problem. What do you want to bet about such in regards Russian troops and the Ukrainians?

I agree very much with those who are pointing out that this is in some ways a mirror-image of ’43 Kursk. The Russians are scrambling to get troops headed towards the breakthrough. Not only are they pulling border troops from all over, they are pulling reserves (and possibly more) from the previously stalemated battle zone. Now class, can anyone tell me what happened when Hitler pulled reserves and even troops from the assault back in 1943 in response to Sicily and other pressures? Bueller? Bueller?

So, I find myself wondering about several things. How many of the Russian troops in the Kursk region were ghost troops? That is, they exist only on paper so that officers up and down the line can pocket the pay of soldiers that don’t exist? How many of the troops in surrounding regions that are now being sent to deal with the breakthrough (and I do call it that deliberately) are also ghosts? It is a large and ongoing problem for the Russians (and even the Soviets before them).

Another good question is how many of the so-called second-line troops that people are claiming were moved into the stalemated battle lines were indeed second-line? What is going to happen once the Russian reserves and even line troops are pulled back to deal with Kursk?

Also, there are interesting reports/rumors of movements elsewhere. What if there is another incursion in a strategic area, one that has the potential to become a full breakthrough?

Interesting and interesting. Given the limitations on Russia’s conventional assets (and critical items within same), it could set the stage for two to three different options if things stay conventional.

Now, Russia may well threaten again to go non-conventional. So far, it’s all been threats and that is exactly what the apparent tire burning in the cooling tower in Russian-occupied Ukraine yesterday was: a threat. Do I still believe that Vladimir would torch Ukraine if he can’t have it? Yes. Do I think that if he gives the order it will be carried out? Insufficient data, but I’m starting to get the idea that at least some people within a certain red-brick fort may have figured out that it might not be a good idea to do so. For all there are those fanatical and ignorant of operational realities that would try to go unconventional or scorched-earth, there may be reason to believe that at least some may be getting a glimpse out of the bubbles. We can but hope.

Meantime, given that no one outside of Ukraine really seems to know what is going on and what is planned, I plan to sit back, relax as much as I can, and wait. This has been an incredibly smart operation so far, and I hope it continues to be so. Let’s see what happens.

UPDATE I: Given a discussion with Francis in the comments, thought I should link to my posts on nuclear war and preparedness. In those posts, there is discussion on reliability and more from myself and others who know of which they speak. Some of it is in the comments, and some are posts. Enjoy.