A tip for us older people: "Keep trying; don't give up, unless...!"

 The most important lesson my health aide teaches me--whatever you did that was easy for you to do, and you find it almost impossible to do now, keep trying, you'll likely find a way (unless you simply can't)!

My health aide was on vacation this holiday season.  With her gone, I could have let things I found difficult to do pile up to become the evaluation, I can't do it!  To prevent that evaluation of my sequence of performances, I simply kept trying and trying and trying--using ingenuity to accomplish the task!

It's important to believe in yourself even when it's so easy to lean on another person to do it for you!  

By the way, it's very, very useful to have a health aide at your side at least sometime during each day.  I use the phone to augment my sessions with her!  (In my opinion, they're indispensable for a full life.  It should become clearer as more people live longer, I hope.)   

HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2023!

Major problem for international politics: No leader is held responsible for his actions by an international body!

The leader does what he wants as long as he secures support from his country to remain in power.  That leads to permitting him to whatever he wants--engage in hostilities, produce citizen flight from the country, make his subjects into virtual slaves, make treatises with international criminals and rogue countries.  

International organizations can have no say over him.  The only real threat to his exercise of will is possibly the will of his citizens or his military.   

And so, the world over suffers from his heinous acts that go unchecked or overridden, because he doesn't need to think what havoc he creates, given his continued base of support within his country.

So it seems.

Phone is out of service. Verizon notified.

 Phone is out-of-service.  Verizon notified, 12/26/22.

Thanks, as always!!  

Sierra Leone has mired in educational poverty, claims those in the know!

 "Its schools, few of which have electricity, are among the world's worst." Economist, December 10, 2022, p. 44.  

But now, the government is trying various approaches to change things--in the quality of offerings and ease of accessibility--spending over 20% of its budget on schooling: abolishing tuition, etc. free or nearly making it overall much less; improving the content of the classes; and hopefully, raising significantly the test scores of students attending, etc.

Indeed, the Sierra Leone educational system, such as it is, is fostering different approaches to innovation that should bear results in improved student performance!

My impression: the state educational system is trying hard, much harder--for the sake of the students' careers!          

Democracies should help establish democracies world-over!

I've been apprised on several occasions that the Commonwealth of Nations, the English group of  democracies who are linked together in trade and related issues, could be of assistance to countries that might consider going from autocracy to democracy.  The former Prime Minister Mr. Johnson headed that organization.

Is it possible that this group could be of assistance in President Biden's drive to establish more democracies in this period when there are fewer?  In particular, has the Biden Administration touched base with this organization or with Mr. Johnson?

Just a thought, since it's been mentioned to me several times as possibly a useful avenue!

US is making a terrible mistake in not having diplomatic contacts in Eritrea, Africa

My information, just received yesterday, is that the US doesn't have an embassy in Eritrea.

It is my understanding that the government there is supporting the President of Ethiopia's attempts in the Horn of Africa.  Russia is there due largely to the China military base.  To my mind, the area is hot with gunshot.  My sources may be overplaying it as Egypt is trying to control the Red Sea.  Sorry, for any informational gaps, but that's a long way away!

I recommend that any movement toward democracy in Africa must be coordinated with helping the African Union in their efforts along with the United Nations to stabilize an area strongly engaged in trying to cope with the Continent's poverty, fueled by Muslim extremists, jihadists, aimed at establishing caliphates.  This is a tall order to come to their aide after a century of the Continent's neglect. 

Placing the Africa Union in G-7 seems wise. 

My thoughts on the major problems there amassed over years in El Paso.

My opinion (P.S.  My health aide is from Sierra Leone!  Have had her for a year and a half.)

 

Unskilled in technology, people in many nations are standing in line for education!

They need jobs and they need to learn how to use the computers--including the hand-held kind! 

President Biden is holding an African Summit right now where he's explaining how the entire continent of Africa can be educated in today's tech world, so they can participate in modern living and send their goods around the world to be sold.  

It would seem to me that before investors the world over would be interested in helping a nation to educate its people in the ways of Advanced Nations, they would have to know that anything they would help build--a school or university; an industrial building or office complex--wouldn't be destroyed by war or civic unrest.  Primarily, they would need assurance a group like the jihadists would not target their edifices, in which they have put their own capital money to educate and train the people to work in the ways of modern society.

At the US southern borders, Latin Americans are knocking on US doors to get into the United States.  They want to learn how they can get jobs and live in today's tech world!

Because so many Latinos can travel to our southern border, they are anxiously hoping they can live here at least temporarily while they learn contemporary skills in technology and get hired by modern businesses.   A lot are looking for work and a place to live, too.  Once they settle in, they are anticipating going to school to upgrade their skills and to send their children to school, also, so their kids can qualify for good jobs--indeed, everybody in their family to become trained, skilled workers!

         

PBS interview of Ms. Mingrida Simonyte, Prime Minister of Lithuania on Ukrainian End-Of-War

Today on the PBS Newshour, 12/7/22, the Prime Minister of Lithuania presented a plan to end the war.

First off, she recommended that what inhibits Russia to the extent it is under some constraint in its aggression on Ukraine is reluctance to act in such a way as to rile NATO. Visible NATO strength straight ahead! 

The second point she raised is that the European nations ought not to wait around for Russia to offer some hiatus to the conflict--which is exactly how Russia is coaxing them to act--but move ahead with Ukraine in the forefront to force its own solution upon the conflict.

I have in the past been awed by her rational, purposive discussion of the War--aimed at ending in Russian defeat at the expense of denying Putin's dream for a Russian Empire in its current primordial design.

I commend her thoughts for the West's serious consideration. 

My opinion.     

Locking out Russia as major supplier of oil and gas to EU, Biden looks to Maduro for Venezuelan oil.

Chevron to extract the Venezuelan oil and export it to the US, providing that the outrageous President Maduro starts talking to his opposition, hopeful leading to Maduro's departure as President (long overdue).

Well, that may be the only way he goes--he's had control of the military that keeps him in office.

My opinion.

Wake up, women! Your right of privacy is being denied, the world over!

Indonesia is the latest to pass a slew of laws aimed at denying your right of privacy.

But then there's Iran and even the United States through its Supreme Court challenging that you have a right to your own privacy.'

Some critics of the laws being codified to make sure you don't claim this right contend no government official or religious cleric could really enforce society's refusal to permit women to claim this right.  But in any case, women would have a difficult time to fight for a right that the laws of state denies them, i.e., tells women they don't have.

What a legal mess is being perpetuated on women by their governments, today.    

Ukraine may be developing its own long-range weaponry arsenal

General Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense, US, claims that the US isn't supplying weaponry with long-range capability, so if Ukraine is privy to such an arsenal, it's likely of their own making.

After all, Ukraine is merely defending its own territory, some of which Russia has already tried to make its declared land through seizure.       

Economist confirms what think-tanks have said: Russia is using gold as its mineral for investment and trade as if its own "money"

 See Economist, December 3rd issue, pp. 64-65.  It is the "money" in financial transactions that may be inadequately recorded.

And thus, there may be no reliable knowledge of what Russia is paying for whatever it has in gold, taken from its own mines, the world over and bartered!  That is to say, the sanctions of the West pertaining to Russia's payments from its gold reserve may be ineffectual: Data regarding the value of Russia's gold may not be dependable.

For example, Putin's friend is helping mine precious minerals of the Central African Republic by using Russian mercenaries, no doubt providing Russia with a storehouse of minerals to take home!  (See Economist, December 3 2022 issue, p. 10.)  

Ukraine boldly strikes within Russia today!

The Ukrainians have suffered and watched their land crumble with the bombing of the Russians.

Suddenly, they have woken up to the idea of hitting at the installations in Russia where the bombs and drones are housed that inflicts such devastation; and they are striking back.

They have to--for Ukrainian self-preservation and self-protection.  It's obvious, the Russians won't leave Ukrainian space, if not chased out in battle. 

My opinion

Just a thought!

What if strong winds would blow leaflets--like in the Second World War, bombers dropped leaflets over enemy territory--telling the truth of how Ukraine was invaded by Russia.  And the papers blew into former Soviet territory!  Couple months of that, and President Putin might feel ashamed of what havoc the world has permitted him to do on Ukrainian land.

Just a thought.

 

Great Britain is a natural for solar energy farms!

Economist reports (November 26th, 2022 issue) one farm off of Yorkshire, can power over 1 million homes on a really windy day.

Huge success in England, it would seem.