Author: laughingwolf_qh33q8

Answers, Ramblings, And A Bit More On Vladimir And The Ukraine

Accuracy, Reliability, And More

Putin, Trump, And The Coming Storm

Three Futures For Russia

Quick Thoughts

Saturday Update

Mismatched Locomotives

War, Ag, Demographics, And The Worst Is Yet To Come

Past, Present, And A Hungry Future

Huge Grain Of Salt

The Moskva

Retribution Inbound

Uncertainty And Preparation

Honest Question

Monday Morning Quick Brief

War Of The Memes

A Little Free Ice Cream

Rumors Of War

Three Times Is…

If It’s Wednesday, This Must Be Moldova

Going Nuclear

How To Spy On The Russians

Here’s Hoping I’m Wrong

Pins And Needles Time

Mock Away

Intel Wars

The Revenge Of HUMINT

A Funny Thing Happened

Rumors of Rumors

Ukraine, Uvalde, Oh My

Very Interesting

A Quick Russia/Ukraine Update

*****

If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the tip jar in the upper right or the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo. Getting hit by lightning is not fun, and it is thanks to your help and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Re-Imagining Space Stations, Pt. 3

A few more background thoughts for our thought experiment. To build the future, we must know the past and understand why some of it was done the way it was done.

NASA has hated the idea of building anything in orbit. One of the things I heard mentioned about any of the ideas on using the Shuttle external fuel tanks was that it was too dangerous. To say that NASA was risk averse is an understatement of several orders of magnitude. If something didn’t work/didn’t work right, you most likely never saw it again. I think the only reason the Tethered Satellite System got a second flight was because the first flight didn’t work because of an idiotic (and unnecessary) change by NASA safety to the mechanism, and the blow back to not giving it a flight would have been huge. As it is, losing the satellite on the second mission guaranteed that NASA won’t touch tethers/tethered satellite again for a century or three. That will be up to industry (and I suspect NASA may try to block such).

Doing things like space walks are inherently dangerous. You are in a vacuum, with radiation, changing lighting (plus a freeze/thaw cycle) as you get a sunrise/sunset about every 90 minutes as you orbit, and require stability to get anything done. The first time I did work for NASA, I worked for a company that helped develop the “SX” wrench, which was actually a ratchet that could be used in microgravity. Add to it the fact that the spacesuits NASA uses for “extra-vehicular activities” aka EVAs, aka space walks, have issues. If you’ve been following recent news from the ISS, the last two or three EVAs had problems with water building up in the helmets to the point it was a real issue for the astronauts in question. They are actually not doing any EVAs right now while they try to figure things out.

There’s also the little matter of not wanting anyone to go Dutchman. Without tethers or some form of thruster pack, it would not be hard for someone to take a one way impromptu tour of low-Earth orbit. Dutchman is bad, okay? We don’t want anyone to go Dutchman.

So, no surprise that for the most part NASA has gone for the big module system, with as much automation as possible. Never mind the big contracts for the defense companies that build them, or the companies that spend thousands if not millions designing suits, etc. Leaving that aside, NASA has avoided doing anything that would require large amounts of EVA. EVAs are risk, and NASA wants no risk, zero defects, etc. They’ve worked hard to keep the need for EVAs on ISS to a minimum.

But, developing new structures, systems, and related infrastructure in orbit is going to require EVAs. Lots of them, and probably long ones. That means as the thought experiment progresses, we need to be thinking about new and improved spacesuits, new or novel means of safety to augment or potentially replace current tether systems, and even means of rescuing that person who goes Dutchman because you know someone will. Sooner rather than later most likely. Space is even more unforgiving that the ocean, so keep that in mind as the thought experiment unfolds.

Now, a few thoughts on what types of structures or facilities are going to be needed. We are going to need human habitation, and as we start to build orbital facilities or put together missions to the Moon and Mars, we might find ourselves actually needing something like bunkhouses. Specialized research facilities? You bet, all types including platforms for astronomy, space exposure, and remote sensing. Slips for assembling those missions elsewhere, from LEO to the Moon or Mars? Yep.

The only limits to this thought experiment are your imagination and that at first everything will have to come up from Earth. So, keep in mind current launch capabilities and near-term capabilities. All the more reason for creating industry in orbit ASAP.

So, let’s look at getting this underway. If you want, reply in the comments. If you come up with something larger than a comment, we can look at guest posts. If you want to take just one part of something, go for it. The idea is to get lots of ideas and innovations so that we can refine, expand, tweak, and otherwise help plot the next generation of orbital facilities.

Previous Articles In This Series:

Space Memories And The Future

Re-Imagining Space Stations, Pt. 1

Re-Imagining Space Stations, Pt. 2

*****

A Quick Russia/Ukraine Update

As I said a while back, I am happy to have been wrong about May. That said, while I have dropped the use of special weapons to 40 percent, I am not inclined to drop lower yet. Why? Internal rhetoric and the fact that things stood up have not been stood down. Until I see the internal discussions change, and things stood down and locked back up, I have to consider such things as still on the table. Not likely currently, but things change and they can change in a heartbeat.

The demented meat puppet is NOT helping things. Someone yesterday said he was trying to finesse things, which scares the everliving out of most sane people as he and his handlers don’t have a clue of how to do that. He and his administration continue to both needlessly antagonize Vladimir (and miss a lot of what is needed to deal with him and the situation) and present challenges to our allies.

In other words, pretty much same old, same old. No real change over the last few weeks. As for the actual combat, it is the grind previously discussed. The OSINT crew out there is doing an amazing job of not only covering the combat, but also the history, cultural, and other factors that go into this conflict. If there is an interest, I will put up a list of the OSINT people I follow. I will also say (again) that back in the early 80s I would have just about killed for some of the resources OSINT has today. And, not surprising, OSINT is largely beating the various agencies and organizations on a consistent basis. Only other thing is that so far the Ukraine has fought very smart. Conventional wisdom and a lot of current military planning is getting stood on its head and smart people are paying attention.

Some Previous Posts:

Answers, Ramblings, And A Bit More On Vladimir And The Ukraine

Accuracy, Reliability, And More

Putin, Trump, And The Coming Storm

Three Futures For Russia

Quick Thoughts

Saturday Update

Mismatched Locomotives

War, Ag, Demographics, And The Worst Is Yet To Come

Past, Present, And A Hungry Future

Huge Grain Of Salt

The Moskva

Retribution Inbound

Uncertainty And Preparation

Honest Question

Monday Morning Quick Brief

War Of The Memes

A Little Free Ice Cream

Rumors Of War

Three Times Is…

If It’s Wednesday, This Must Be Moldova

Going Nuclear

How To Spy On The Russians

Here’s Hoping I’m Wrong

Pins And Needles Time

Mock Away

Intel Wars

The Revenge Of HUMINT

A Funny Thing Happened

Rumors of Rumors

Ukraine, Uvalde, Oh My

Very Interesting

*****

Re-Imagining Space Stations, Pt. 2

Yesterday, I said that today we would look at some of the specialized facilities needed for orbital operations. Well, I was wrong. Before we get into that, I think we need to do a bit more background for the thought experiment.

Right now, pretty much everything we put up is cylindrical, for aerodynamic reasons. While aerodynamics don’t matter in orbit, they do on the way up because all the different stations have had to have their components made on Earth and carried up on rockets. Hence, cylindrical shapes. Even non-cylindrical items have to be carried up in cylindrical containers.

Now, in orbit, particularly the lower orbits, you do get drag. It’s why the ISS has a power module to raise it back up to altitude every so often. It’s why things dropped in orbit, be it a camera (butterfingers!) or something else, do eventually de-orbit and (hopefully) burn up on the way down. Problem is, the smaller/lighter the object, the longer it stays in orbit. Once you get up to GEO, that ceases to be a major issue, which is why all the big plans for space stations/colonies have focused on being built there.

Let’s revisit that debris for a moment. In the original post that sparked this thought experiment, I mentioned that someone could make a fortune devising a way to collect that stuff. It’s not just that a good bit of it could be recycled in orbit for other projects, it’s because it is a menace to ongoing low-Earth operations. That chip of paint is moving at a speed where it will do a fairly good imitation of a bullet if it hits something. That bolt floating around? It could do some serious damage to anything it hits. Many of the micropunctures experience by ISS and other structures don’t come from meteorites but from other space debris.

Keep that in mind because until someone does get the financial incentive to clean things up, the problem of debris is only going to grow. Especially if the Russians keep testing anti-satellite systems by taking out dead satellites in low-Earth orbit. That’s another reason the ISS has a power module: sometimes you need to change orbit to avoid that debris so the crew is not having to make emergency repairs. Or worse.

There have been a number of suggestions over the years to protect orbital facilities, from electrostatic means to actually building modules like submarines with inner and outer hulls. One of the more, er, interesting proposals was to put a big slab of something out a distance from a module/structure in the most likely direction for debris. The problem with that concept were/are: the cost to launch the big slab of something; and, it can only protect in one direction and you have debris coming front, rear, side, top, etc. There are some other minor issues of orbital mechanics and such, but those can wait.

So, let’s start making this a real thought experiment by considering the following information.

Initially, what gets built will have to come up from Earth. However, we are not necessarily constrained to cylindrical. What goes up will have to go up in a cylindrical container, but we could send up carbon-fiber or other advanced material trusses, frameworks, etc. that can take on pretty much any shape. Cubical, open framework, or even say a frisbee-like shape that could have significant safety advantages for in-plane orbital debris strikes. The only limits are our imagination and the constraints imposed by the height of orbit. Once you are at GEO, there’s pretty much no limit.

Now, add in two other factors. One, if one of the first things up is some sort of foundry operation, you can collect some of the larger chunks of debris and melt them down, reform, and start building. Admittedly, there are some legal challenges as various countries and others still claim ownership of dead satellites, major chunks of debris, etc. Though I will not that even though they don’t want anyone else touching their stuff, they also don’t claim liability for any damage caused in orbit or via re-entry by their stuff. For our purpose, let’s just treat it as a law-of-the-sea issue and plan on using/reusing the materials.

Second thing to consider is that lunar soil/dust is reported to make excellent concrete. If it is reductive concrete (or can be made so cheap and easy) all the better. Great for building a lunar base, and if someone developed a robotic system to grab such, get it to orbit, and send it to the appropriate orbit, who says your structures have to be metal? Add in spin-casting and you’ve opened up a new range of possibilities.

And, I’m going to throw in a third thought for the day. There are other resources available in/near Earth orbit. Start with meteorites and asteroids for metal, but keep in mind that depending on composition even non-metallic asteroids could potentially provide other advanced materials as well as base components.

Rant/ The STS/Shuttle system made use of an external tank that contained tons of oxygen and hydrogen, even after hitting orbit. There were several proposals made to use those tanks as the basis of a space station. NASA said it wasn’t possible, they weren’t interested, and they very much didn’t want anyone else (particularly a commercial operation!! Commercial was and is in many quarters a nasty word to NASA) to do anything with them so they actually expended energy to de-orbit the tanks during the launch process. Yes, the Shuttle actually went down, released the tanks, and then climbed back up to a higher orbit. Which is sad as there were proposals to instead raft the tanks together, inter-connect them, attach thrusters to keep them in a good stable orbit, and have those tons of oxygen and hydrogen available for future use. For now, we are going to need such until orbital and extra-orbital operations can secure those resources via other means. /Rant

So, we have options in regards materials, shapes, and more. We are not limited to low-Earth operations in anything except the short-term. So, are there any other pre-conceived notions we can and should stand on their head before we get started? Who knows, find out tomorrow on the next episode of “As The Satellite Tumbles”

Previous Articles In This Series:

Space Memories And The Future

Re-Imagining Space Stations, Pt. 1

*****

Re-Imagining Space Stations, Pt. 1

Sorry to be offline a few days, again allow me to recommend not getting hit by lightning. Even with things going well, it doesn’t mean smooth sailing.

The other day, I shared some thoughts and memories about space. Part of that was a far too brief coverage of space stations. To be honest, I think we need to consider re-naming such as the “space stations” of the future are not that likely to look anything like what we are used to from Mir, Skylab, ISS, et al. In fact, I think we are going to see a range of highly diversified facilities rather than the all-in-one packages that we’ve had so far and that have been a staple of speculative fiction.

There are many reasons for this, and we are going to start today by exploring the problems with humans. Yes, we are problematic as a species on many levels and in space human physiology and the efforts to maintain it are extremely problematic for most non-human research.

Why, you ask? Let’s explore.

Right now, gravity is pulling a lot of the fluids in your body down. That why you can have swollen ankles and other edema, sometimes it shows in your abdomen, and it’s responsible for an extra pound or two on your weight. On Earth, the amount of fluid in our bodies is perfectly normal.

When you go to orbit and are in microgravity, gravity is no longer pulling that fluid down, so it shifts. If you go back and look at photos of various Shuttle crews, you will notice that for the first few days, their faces can look puffy to bloated. Then, over time, they return to something close to normal. What happens is that baroreceptors in the aortic arch and carotid sinus detect the “excess” fluid and kicks the kidneys and other systems up to get rid of it. Which is great as long as you are in microgravity.

The problem is, once you start to return to Earth, gravity becomes a thing again and begins to pull fluid down away from your brain. It’s even possible to pass out because not enough blood is getting to your brain. Something contra-indicated for pilots, mission commanders, and such.

Now, add to that the fact that being in microgravity also causes your muscles to atrophy. Most of our musculature developed both to deal with gravity, and to deal with doing labor in full gravity. In microgravity, you don’t have to fight gravity simply to take a step, so the body begins to get rid of “unnecessary” muscle mass. The longer you are in orbit, the worse it can get.

Combating these issues has been interesting. To be polite.

Both the Soviets and NASA experimented with negative pressure on the lower torso (see LBNP/Lower Body Negative Pressure experiments on Spacelab, and Soviet pneumatic trousers) along with fluid intake to try to get fluids back to “normal” before returning to Earth. If you are a geek like me, also look at the specialized systems tested and developed to deliver IVs on orbit, since gravity isn’t going to do the job. Other ideas have been considered, but it is still an issue.

Exercise is needed to combat muscle atrophy, and may also help a bit with the fluid situation (the data I remember was sort of iffy, and don’t recall LBNP to worked well for anyone). Exercycles and/or treadmills have both been used in orbit, and they do help with the muscle atrophy. If you want to have healthy people in orbit, no matter how long they are up there, they need to exercise.

Humans (and other animals) also need to go to the bathroom. Skylab reportedly had a good system. The Shuttle had a system that required its own dedicated training facilities as if you don’t get it right every time there was a mess to clean up. Heard of someone bragging about the high-tech toilet to one of the German researchers who helped design Skylab. The older engineer let the guy brag, then simply said “Ours worked.” Also was told flat out that the fecal matter floating about during an early Spacelab did not come from the primate facility as claimed.

Also, let’s face it, if it hasn’t already happened, humans will have sex in space. Because microgravity can prohibit a certain amount of, er, normal operations (every action creates equal and opposite reaction, tight confines, be it a sleeping pouch or space, are needed. For what happens if a participant is fertile, look to the Frog Embryology Experiment that flew on Spacelab J.

Point is, all of these things, along with just normal activities, create vibrations that mimic gravity. Some of the spikes are considerable. If the data is available online, look at the huge spikes recorded by the accelerometers in Spacelab when crew members were using the bike in the orbiter. I still remember sitting in Spacelab Mission Operations Control and, along with everyone else from the science teams on up, going WTF? at the data. It did impact the research, though I think NASA hates to admit that to this day.

So, while there are a variety of biological and physiological research that would not be impacted by such, a great majority of materials and other research would. So, future facilities in space are likely to be centered around a human-rated facility from which astronauts can go to unmanned facilities dedicated to different types/fields of research if and as needed. I personally think a lot of things can be handled by both onboard automation and robotic “ferries” rather than by humans, but smart money says always plan for a human to be able to get in to make repairs if needed.

Next, let’s look at some of the specialized facilities that are going to be needed to take orbital operations to the next level.

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Space Memories And The Future

Yesterday, John Ringo read this thread from Trent Telenko about the Ukraine and Spacelink and had a few words to say. Others, myself included, added more. If you haven’t read it, take a moment because it is a bit mind boggling to realize that in many respects, Elon Musk is the most powerful man in space from a military point of view.

I would expand on Trent’s ideas by pointing out that Elon also controls a variant of Project Thor, an idea discussed by the late Jerry Pournelle in his columns and in some small group discussions. Thor, as envisioned by Jerry, would be ‘flying crowbars’ in space. Simple iron rods fitted with a nosecone/seeker and guidance fins on the rear.

When needed, de-orbit so they come in over the needed area (Fulda Gap for instance), the seeker heads look for Russian tanks (which from the top do look very different from Allied tanks) and the crowbars maneuver to hit them at very high velocity. No more tanks. Iron because the things are going to vaporize and it is best if something that could potentially be ingested by our troops can also be handled/metabolized by the body.

I’m not recommending that Starlinks be used to take out individual tanks. I will note though that they could be used on launch facilities, command and control facilities, and even bunkers. In fact, it could be useful for Elon’s safety, and that of his family, to let the word go out that something like that is set up if anything happens. Might be bluff, might be real, not even Vladimir would want to find out for sure.

When you look at all he controls, and that some of that could potentially double as an ASAT or KEV, he truly is the most powerful person in space. And, he’s only going to get more powerful as his ventures expand.

One of the things I noted was that there have been calls for Elon to take over the Russian module and associated items as they pull out. I think building a replacement under contract to NASA would help hone his own operations while improving the ISS. I think going in as a partner would prove limiting.

I have no idea of what is on Elon’s drawing board for getting to Mars, but here are a few thoughts. Some of these may have originated at a dinner hosted by Jerry and Roberta Pournelle at a AAAS convention many years back. He invited myself, Fred Pohl, and two others who’s name I can’t remember (stupid lightning). While we touched on many topics, we also discussed Jerry’s plan for a private/private enterprise moon colony.

If SpaceX had been around back then, I think Jerry could have pulled it off. It doesn’t matter where you are going, you have to have the proper launch capability and you have to have a reasonable cost for the launch. Elon and SpaceX have both and are looking to bring the cost per pound to orbit down further.

Since doing almost anything to scale is going to require staging areas and such, a commercial space complex would seem a reasonable start. All-in-one stations like the ISS really aren’t optimal for quite a bit of research. Set up a manned operation with unmanned modules nearby, and you have a place where you can ramp up orbital operations, including assembly and even manufacturing, while earning at least some return from leasing out portions to researchers.

Second, there are a lot of dead satellites and debris up there. Come up with a way to collect the debris, and not only is your place in space safe, you should be able to make some money off it. Satellites have a lot of interesting materials in them, and some of it can be repurposed into new items/structures without the need to lift materials into space. A few legal issues would have to be explored, but between the dead satellites that are parked and abandoned, along with larger debris (boosters, panels, etc.) you could save a lot of expense in going elsewhere.

Now for the Boring Company. Any habitat on Mars is going to need to be underground. I suspect that is one reason for the Boring Company. Be a pity if some of that boring and sealing tech were leased to someone wanting a lunar base to use before the Mars missions. I will also note that lunar soil makes excellent concrete according to reports, which raises some interesting possibilities. Practice on the Moon, send robotic missions to Mars and there is a habitat ready and waiting for the first mission. Be a pity if there was an orbital component waiting as well.

It would also be a pity if the melting/smelting of the satellites/debris led to some ongoing resource extraction and manufacturing in orbit here or elsewhere. Not to mention the science fiction standbys of pharmaceutical R&D and manufacturing, and other profitable operations that could become viable.

Nor would it all be on Elon and his companies. Other companies will want to be a part of things, just as they did early on with NASA. A good chunk of change could have been saved on the Shuttle galley, as a company offered to design and build one at no charge to NASA, as long as their logo (small even) would be on it. Of course, NASA said no. I think we can be reasonably sure Elon’s not averse to partnerships, joint ventures, and other such smart things.

Years back, when I left working for NASA the second time, both John Ringo and David Weber said I could do a lot better. Things haven’t gone as planned, but who knows, someone might have need for a slightly singed writer and planner.

*****

Very Interesting

The Russian Orthodox Church has removed it’s chief ecumenical official and effective foreign minister Metropolitan Hilarion. He’s to take over the Diocese of Budapest and Hungary.

It is worth noting that he came out against war just before the invasion. It should be noted that Patriarch Kirill (who I think had input to Russkiy Mir and has endorsed it) is pro war and pro Vladimir. Probably a good thing I’m not a good Catholic these days, as my thoughts on Kirill are not kind. There is already schism brewing in the Russian Orthodox Church over the war, with the Ukranian branch declaring themselves independent of Moscow and a surprising number of priests within the Russian Church that have not only come out against the war but condemned Patriarch Kirill.

I noted a couple of months ago that had seen a change in Vladimir a couple of years ago. Formerly he was (coldly) calculating, sharp, and a master manipulator of people. More than ever I’m convinced that something happened 2-5 years ago that changed that. When you see a change that big, it most often involves something that makes you face your own mortality. In Vladimir’s case, I also admit it could be demographic and other data that shows the window rapidly closing not only on Russkiy Mir, but Russia itself.

I mention this because the removal of Metropolitan Hilarion would not have happened without Vladimir’s full knowledge and approval. I also think this shows his decline as a manipulator of people even more than the way he’s been treating subordinates in public and in private.

I also noted the other day that there was a lot of jockeying around in the Kremlin. More than ever, it looks as if people are trying to shore up positions and prepare for the departure of Vladimir. It is going to be very interesting to see how this plays into that, and the impact on the Russian Orthodox Church’s relations with the world and with its own discontent.

Some Previous Posts:

Answers, Ramblings, And A Bit More On Vladimir And The Ukraine

Accuracy, Reliability, And More

Putin, Trump, And The Coming Storm

Three Futures For Russia

Quick Thoughts

Saturday Update

Mismatched Locomotives

War, Ag, Demographics, And The Worst Is Yet To Come

Past, Present, And A Hungry Future

Huge Grain Of Salt

The Moskva

Retribution Inbound

Uncertainty And Preparation

Honest Question

Monday Morning Quick Brief

War Of The Memes

A Little Free Ice Cream

Rumors Of War

Three Times Is…

If It’s Wednesday, This Must Be Moldova

Going Nuclear

How To Spy On The Russians

Here’s Hoping I’m Wrong

Pins And Needles Time

Mock Away

Intel Wars

The Revenge Of HUMINT

A Funny Thing Happened

Rumors of Rumors

Ukraine, Uvalde, Oh My

*****

D-Day

Remember them all. The picture is of both the old (right center) and new (left) memorials at Omaha Beach. The new memorial is amazing, and made of polished metal which is reflecting the sunrise.

*****

Wild Food

This started yesterday with a thread on Twitter about the wildest game you had eaten. Now, this was more of a challenge than I would like thanks to the stupid lightning. There are 5 or so areas of cognition, and in testing I still come in above average in all. That said, there is one area where there are issues, which include fun with short term memory, issues working through things when there are distractions, and the fact that memories and data are scrambled. I’ve been told that most of them are still there, but that it will be three years before the brain heals and we can fully access what, if anything, has been lost. I’ve likened it to reaching for something in the drawer where it used to be, and it not being there.

So, the challenge has allowed me to do some exploration and I’m delighted with some of the results. I grew up eating venison, love quail, not so fond of dove, brown and rainbow trout, and have had bream, perch, and a variety of fish. I’ve eaten elk, bison, kangaroo, wild boar, octopus in various forms, squid, whelks, eel, alligator, rattlesnake (I think), goat, lamb, mutton, squirrel, rabbit, snail, brains of various types, and I know I am forgetting some. Now, for some fun.

I’ve always been a foodie, and even worked in a nationally rated restaurant for a while to learn more about cooking. Long before the Food Network existed, I watched cooking and food shows on PBS, which led me to two excellent restaurants in Seattle when I first visited there. I can’t remember the names, and it is frustrating because at one place my compliments earned me a standing invitation to eat at the Chef’s table in the kitchen.

I can still remember that table, and a bit about the layout of the kitchen. I also remember that when you ate at his table, there was no menu. Instead, the Chef and his line cooks prepared things based off of what was fresh, etc. It might start with a golden mouthful of deliciousness or three, or be a larger portion. No set number of courses, and everything was delicious. Sadly, I also seem to remember that the restaurant is no longer there as the Chef passed away.

Seattle was the site of several tasty adventures. The Athenian in Pike Place Market was amazing. When I traveled, I tried to avoid eating at the same place twice. After my first breakfast there, I went back the next day — it was that good. Not only tasty, but huge portions and great coffee. I didn’t feel like eating again until dinner. When I arrived that next morning, I was disappointed to see a reserved sign on the booth where I had eaten the day before, as it had a great view of the harbor. The waitress who had waited on me just smiled, told me not to worry, she had known I would be back and had reserved it for me.

Some of the best Russian food I’ve had outside of Russia was at Kaleenka in Seattle. The best Russian food I’ve had in Russia was at Podvorye in St. Petersburg. I had my driver and translator join myself and a young lady, and we feasted family style there, trying many different things. My inner Hobbit was delighted at the Russian love for mushrooms. Pity I’ll never be allowed to go back to Russia, as would not mind eating there again.

I had heard that it was one of Vladimir’s favorite places, and then either Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern went there and ate for their show. While I enjoyed both shows, it seems that I’ve gotten more good steers from Mr. Zimmern. I love him for introducing me to a cheese monger in Paris, though my wallet continues to curse him every time I go there. Yes, I did indeed meet Anthony Bourdain. The man had his demons, and I ask you to pray for his soul. I can’t remember the name of the cheese monger, but pretty sure I can look it up if needed, and that I may even remember how to get to his shop.

Paris. Ah, Paris. Two quick rules for eating well anywhere in the world. First, if the restaurant has a busker, run. There’s a reason they don’t have repeat business. Second, follow your nose. I’ve had a number of excellent meals in Paris that came from myself or a companion going “That smells good” and tracking down the source of the smells. I remember one night doing that and ending up sitting at a counter watching the mad ballet that is restaurant cooking and having the chef working about two feet away from me. We got to talking and he gave me his list (sadly lost) of the top ten places to eat in Paris.

His name and the list got me into Le Pantruche for lunch the next day. Absolutely the best sweetbreads I’ve ever had. Would love to eat there again one day. The best mussels I’ve had were in Paris. Again, can’t remember the name of the place though I do remember quite well how we ended up eating there. The rule against buskers does not apply to having a companion all but tackled by a member of the restaurant staff because they are wandering around Paris with an antique film camera and the staff member is a photography buff. After a nice discussion on photography, we decided that we would just eat dinner there. Mussels with a bleu cheese sauce was my choice, and they were delicious. Best mussels I’ve had in the U.S. were in Baltimore at a place called Bertha’s.

I also have to admit that one of the worst restaurant meals I’ve ever had was in Paris. I have no desire to remember the name of the place in question, since the meal was not only not good, I had to go back to where I was staying and brush not only my teeth, but my tongue, cheeks, etc. to get the taste out of my mouth. Went to a good place and had oysters from Brittany to have a last good meal before leaving Paris that time.

I remember a LOT of good meals on the local in Iraq. Both embeds saw me eating on the local a fair bit, from Ramadan feasts to one of the most amazing Christmas dinners I’ve ever had. An Iraqi family had adopted some of our troops, and told them that since they were giving up their homes, holidays, and families that they would give them their holidays back. I’m told Thanksgiving had no turkey, but great food. I was invited along for the Christmas dinner, and have photos of the feast in one of my photo books. Pro tip: If in the Middle East, don’t drink three cups of the concentrated coffee and eighteen chais and expect to sleep anytime soon.

Japan was an adventure. When traveling somewhere, I try to learn to say please, thank you, and ‘what would you have’ in the local language. In Japan, I also had to include no shellfish as I am unfortunately allergic to shrimp, crab, and lobster (actually the iodine in them, makes imaging contrast fun). In Tokyo, I wandered into an area that didn’t see many tourists and found my way into a restaurant where if they could get it on a skewer, they would grill it for you. We went from ‘we don’t get many tourists (gaijin) here’ to ‘oooh, try this’ in near record time.

At another establishment, also well off the tourist path in another city, I had either the strangest fowl I’ve ever had or roof rabbit (cat). I decided I didn’t really want to know, and instead focused on the fact it was tasty. Don’t know what it was marinated in, but the smell when it cooked on a small grill at my place was amazing and it delicious. The owner spoke zero English, and my Japanese was/is limited, with a fair bit of it technical from working a joint American/Japanese shuttle mission. Probably for the best.

I also did something on that trip I didn’t think was possible: I unagi’d out. Unagi is a sushi featuring grilled/smoked eel. I probably ate my body weight in it while there. I have not eaten it again, ever, since that trip.

The final restaurant adventure I remember from Japan was eating sushi at a place not too far from the conference where we were presenting papers. The sushi chef was a character, with being grumpy a trademark. Challenge accepted. As soon as he could, he moved me from the side to directly in front of the fish case. I would point and hold up one or two fingers, to indicate how many pieces I wanted. Sometimes, he would shake his head, and point to something else in the case and hold up one or two fingers. Not a clue what they were, but his suggestions were amazing. By the time I was done, he had his hand up more than once to cover a smile.

Best Korean I’ve had was at the much missed Seoul House in Chicago. A nice older Korean couple ran it, and she admitted to me that they served American-Korean until they got to know you (or you were part of the Korean community). Once they knew you, and they knew you could handle it, you would get Korean-Korean. As she put it ‘When we open, we fixed Korean-Korean — customer never come back. We make American-Korean, much business.’ I can’t remember the name of the dish, but it was fire meat with pickled veggies and marinated buckwheat noodles. Seem to remember that there was an egg in there too.

Best Mexican, so far, was at the Cafe Florida in Juarez, Mexico, many, many years ago. It was my first taste of real Mexican cooking, though my real (not official) godmother could do a great job cooking Mexican.

Most interesting food I’ve had recently was at Smoke’N Ash BBQ in Arlington, Texas. American BBQ, Ethiopian cuisine, and some amazing fusions between the two. She’s from Ethiopia, he’s from here, and between them they do some truly amazing food. Highly recommended.

Best pulled pork barbecue is Bar-B-Cuties in Nashville; best ribs belong to Fresh Aire barbecue in Jackson, Georgia; and, honorable mention to Fincher’s Bar-B-Que in my hometown of Macon, Georgia who saw it’s work fly in space as the late Sonny Carter’s special meal. Not sure about now, but back in the day the astronauts got to request one meal per flight, and Sonny wanted Fincher’s — and got it.

Best Indian I’ve had was in Pitlochry, Scotland at a mom&pop place who’s name I can’t remember. Best German is split between two places in/near Landstuhl, Germany. Best Greek was a mom&pop who’s name I can’t remember in Salt Lake City. If you ever head to Normandy, can recommend a couple of places near/on Omaha Beach.

This has been fun, and while not remembering all the names, I’m delighted with how much I do remember. Thinking back on this has made me smile more than once. Good way to start the day.

*****

Ukraine, Uvalde, Oh My

Just a quick update today, more regular posting soon I hope as the medical sagas seem to be slowing down. We are working to take care of everything that can be taken care of, and ensuring no new problems, so I can move in the best possible health. Also, want everything done that can be done as both I will have to get new docs and my insurance will not transfer so will have to find new insurance as well.

As for the Ukraine, it remains and looks to remain, a long brutal slog. The people I recommended last time are offering a lot of good insights into the war I highly commend. As for the long-term intentions of Russia they remain the same: Russkiy Mir. If Vladimir can’t take the Ukraine now, he’s going to go for all he can and wait for another chance. Don’t expect a change in leadership to change that goal. Even the loyal opposition there tend to be in the nationalist camp, and some names popular in the West are bigger nationalists than Vladimir.

As before, rumors continue to swirl. It’s interesting that there are suggestions that some of the more interesting ones come from Vladimir’s office — which means I trust them not at all. Others are clearly trying to push people into making moves or stands that can be exploited in the Russian version of the Great Game that is politics. Others are clearly aimed at a Western audience. Forget a grain, treat them all with a tun of salt.

For now, I expect Vladimir to continue with the long campaign. The worst part is that the Russians have learned some lessons and gotten in some good leadership that are adapting. Now, the Ukraine is having to adapt and react. It truly sucks when your enemy gets smart, for all that the Ukraine has rather gleefully potted as much of that leadership as they can. Both sides are fighting smart now, which is only going to make a long campaign even longer if all things stay equal. Unless the Ukraine significantly screws up, I see internal Russian issues being what causes any change to the long campaign.

With one exception: outside aid to the Ukraine. Vladimir hates it, blames all his military problems on it, and it could end up changing some of the internal calculus in Moscow. Also, don’t expect all the losses, corruption, and other minor issues like Sweden and Finland asking to join NATO to force a retreat. A double-down perhaps, but not a retreat.

I am unsurprised to read that the Uvalde LE, local and school, are no longer cooperating with the State probe. I also expect to find out that all of them are lawyering up, which I reluctantly must admit would be the smart thing to do. Well, the truly smart thing to do would be to quit and move, and armor up, as the local citizens are a bit irked with them, especially since there appears to be confirmation that some of kids bled out while they waited. I also note that in more than one society/civilization, when one screwed up this badly, one was expected to fall on a sword and explain the failure to one’s ancestors.

More soon.

Some Previous Posts:

Answers, Ramblings, And A Bit More On Vladimir And The Ukraine