truthseeker

robe warrior

iran says hits source of israeli aggression against lebanon

https://kerykeion.substack.com/p/iran-says-hits-source-of-israeli

Armenia’s ‘Trump Route’ widens the fault line between Washington, Tehran, and Moscow

https://thecradle.co/articles/armenias-trump-route-widens-the-fault-line-between-washington-tehran-and-moscow

Mr P & amarynth,

i’ve shared my remembrances of russia during the 90s.  i witnessed a small part of these desperate years, aware i was a witness to something historical, simply that, moreover while i had no earthly notion of the magnitude yet even i could sense some of its importance, i only knew it was extraordinary & that for whatever fluke or reason i was a witness.   other than here, i’ve never shared these remembrances b/c i knew whatsoever had occurred was far & away from whatsoever i might make of it.   my beloved husband (from here on simply ‘bh’) understandably was sworn to silence.   so without words, within the moment of what we were witnessing, we both knew that the truth would be revealed in good time.

this may sound irrelevant, but it provides a sense of the way & how i came to witness what i did.   during our visits, we lived primarily in what was russia’s equivalent to america’s MIT.   ‘bh’ had been granted leave from stanford to work @ mit for nearly a decade year.

‘bh’ told me this was one of the most prestigious if not the most prestigious research centre in the world.  i didn’t doubt it, but it was remarkable for its lack of every shred of academia’s usual pretension, save the woods of poplar surrounding the buildings. the admissions office had one elevator & 4 typewriters, its elevator could hold 2 people & one suitcase or 3 people & no suitcase.  in order to be assigned lodgings we had to take the elevator to the lodgings office & from there would be assigned our rooms.  in the elevator on our way to receive our keys, i fixed my attention on the electrician’s tape encircling the elevator’s control panel to fix it to the wall, pondering how they’d made it to moon, ‘bh’ enjoying my dismay quietly responded…’on the strength of their scientists alone!   russian scientists are unequalled, that’s why i have an entire library devoted to their papers.’

our lodgings were in the married quarters & situated on the tenth floor.  the apartment was home to a couple of graduate students, both working on their thesis’.   they had 3 children, an infant & 2 children under the age of 5.   all had been shunted way 0ff  campus for the duration of our stay.   the ‘apartment’ was small, it contained a bed (1), a hotplate & a desk, the bathroom was on the ground floor, ten flights down.  the 2 students worked on their thesis’ while caring for their children.   they greeted us as we arrived to help us get settled & learn the ‘apartment’s’ nuances:  how to coax the hot plate plug without causing it to spark or short, how to open & close the window without losing a window pane.  after much polite discussion the couple allowed us to assist them in their exodus, carrying luggage, toys, papers & texts up 10 floors down floors to & from the main floor, where their bicycles were safely stowed.

as our quarters were small & the research team, including their family members, was large, so in order for the more the merrier to enjoy a healthy meal we often had our dinner ‘parties’ or luncheons @ their homes.   food was not only expensive, but  scarce, the lines outside the shops required infinite patience.   as we provided the cash, one or two family members would accompany me on shopping excursions, to chat up the butcher/baker, & guide me through the neighbourhoods to the markets  which might have some of the ingredients we needed.   it was on these trips that  i got to know the wives/kids/elderly parents, often standing in line sometimes 4 or more hours for our turn to go in & pick from what may be left.  here cash wasn’t simply handy but miraculous.    ‘bh’ formed lasting friendship with his colleagues & the friendships i’d established our time in russia (saint petersburg or moscow, most often novosibirsk) were relaxed, intimate & lifelong.

it was during one such dinner, late in the night long after the children had gone to bed, the dishes washed, after the heated intense arguing, tearing apart one theorem or another had calmed down, after vodka & most of the party had left, out host took ‘bh’ to a far corner & lifted a couple of boards.  i couldn’t tell what it was we were looking @ but from ‘bh’s gravity it was obviously shockingly significant.   neither spoke a word, the boards were returned the rug as well.  when we’d returned to our lodgings i inquired.   he shook his head & we never spoke or referred to it again.  i was quick enough to know my suspicions were confirmed, the details were not vital, & when our friend suddenly departed, abandoning his position, his research & family without a word, no one especially his family ever spoke of it or him again.   all would say a little prayer & return to work.

thanks Mr P for this string of dots, good to know, whadya know & a head’s up.  amarynth thank you for the chiapas water falls.

The Tragedy in Yorubaland: Elders fiddle while the land burns

https://www.modernghana.com/news/1495803/the-tragedy-in-yorubaland-elders-fiddle-while.html