Haircuts & Ukraine

Yesterday was haircut day for both of us. We have been going to the same stylist for four or five years now. The best haircut I can remember was in Spain, 5 years ago. Thanks to my friend, Radek, who told me about Markus at LeGrand Salon in Poznan. After the first haircut, we have continued using him. He also did an excellent cut of Joan's hair, so that solidified him as our stylist in Poznan. 

The weather has been more like early Spring instead of Winter. 55-60 F is way too warm for the middle of December. More than likely, it will be another Christmas without snow. I suppose it's my age that makes me want snow.

Meanwhile, Ukraine.

Ukraine's domestically produced cruise missiles could help deal a devastating blow to Russia's air defense production, enabling increasingly effective long-range drone strikes against other targets inside Russia, a new report published on Dec. 12 says.

The report from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and titled "Disrupting Russian Air Defence Production: Reclaiming the Sky," identifies "significant vulnerabilities" in the production process of several of Moscow's most important air defense systems.

Alongside stricter export controls on critical Western machinery and sanctions on raw materials used in radar production, the report calls for prioritizing strikes on "critical nodes within air defence production that are vulnerable to deliberate attack."

It highlights the concentration of facilities used to manufacture and assemble the Pantsir air defense system in Tula, Russia, just 350 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Source-Kyiv Independent

A leading German research center and think tank, the Kiel Institute is closely affiliated with Kiel University but is organizationally independent. Analysts in and outside Ukraine generally consider The Institute’s meticulously-researched Ukraine Support Tracker be the gold standard information platform recording foreign assistance promised and delivered to Ukraine since Jan. 2022.

According to the Kiel Institute’s most recent findings compiling data through end of Oct. 2025, since the US ended military and financial support to Ukraine in Feb. 2025, Europe has allocated only about €4.2 billion ($4.92 billion) in new Ukraine assistance – a cash flow not nearly compensating for the support yanked away by the Americans.

Probably even grimmer for Ukraine’s future, non-US assistance to Ukraine following a White House policy shift towards supporting the Kremlin against Europe appears to be plummeting, having fallen from a wartime three-month peak €20 billion ($23.44) from April through June 2025 to €11.5 billion ($13.48 billion) for July through September 2025, new Kiel Institute data showiv Posted. Source-Ky

Can you handle the truth?

Like it or not, this is what we are facing. It is NOT Donnie Trump. Read it all!

 

Stop Waiting for Trump to Die

US Fascism doesn't end with him.

Christopher Armitage

Dec 09, 2025

 

Bottom Line Up Front for the Hardcore Activists (BLUF-HA): The GOP has spent 50 years building a machine to end democracy, funded by oligarchs who will outlive any single president. They want us to believe this ends with one man. It doesn’t. We don’t need false comfort right now; we need real clarity. That means acknowledging that as long as the seditious and openly criminal Republican Party exists, we are fighting the same machine that built him, protected him, and will replace him the moment he’s gone.

 

We have spent ten years personalizing a systemic crisis around a single figure. That personalization is itself a form of control. It lets us imagine that removing him solves the problem. It lets us fantasize about accountability and a soft landing. It lets us wait for rescue instead of doing the work.

Robert Reich recently argued that Trump’s end is imminent. The MAGA base is falling apart, he wrote. Congressional Republicans are finding their backbones. The ground is finally shifting.

 

I respect Robert. He’s been a consistent voice on the proper side of this fight for decades. So let’s take his argument seriously. Let’s look at the evidence he’s citing and ask what it actually tells us.

The polling decline is real. Trump’s approval has hit 36% in Gallup tracking, his second-term low.¹ A CNN poll found 61% of Americans say his policies have worsened economic conditions.²

 

These numbers are bad.

 

But context matters. Trump’s all-time low was 34%, right after January 6. His first-term average was 41%. He never once reached 50% approval in his entire first presidency.³ The mid-30s is not a collapse. It is his floor, and the floor is holding.

 

But context matters. The Republican Party’s project is not to be popular or win elections. It is to make elections unnecessary for holding power. Gerrymandered maps, voter suppression, a captured judiciary, and the procedural stranglehold of the Senate filibuster all serve the same function: insulating Republican rule from democratic accountability. Trump’s approval among the broader public matters only if that public can translate disapproval into political consequences. The party has spent decades building the infrastructure of preventing democratic functioning.

 

The November 2025 elections were a Democratic sweep. Spanberger won Virginia’s governorship by 15 points.⁴ Sherrill carried New Jersey by 13.⁵ Mamdani became New York City’s first Muslim mayor.⁶ Exit polls showed 55-69% disapproval of Trump across every major race.⁷ These results are significant.

But this is swing voters responding to chaos. This is the suburbs recoiling. This is not the MAGA base defecting. The coalition that carried Trump to victory in 2024 has not abandoned him. Voters at the margins have. That matters electorally. It does not mean the movement is collapsing.

Reich points to Republican fractures. Some are grumbling about the budget. Some reject the tariff dividend proposal. Some want to extend ACA subsidies. Hawks dislike the Putin courtship.

 

But grumbling is not governing. When it came time to vote on the Big Beautiful Bill, two Republicans out of 273 voted no. That is a 1% defection rate. The tariff dividend was never even brought to a vote. 

The ACA subsidy debate remains unresolved because leadership won’t allow a floor vote. The fractures are nonexistent in practice. The grumbling itself is the performance, a way to maintain the fiction that Republicans aren’t voting in lockstep while they vote in lockstep.

 

And then there is Marjorie Taylor Greene. After Romney. After Cheney. After Kinzinger. After the party systematically destroyed every Republican who broke ranks. After years of enforcing total loyalty, his most devoted defender finally walked away. One more name on a short list that keeps getting shorter as the party purges dissent.

 

She was his most loyal defender. She voted with him 98% of the time.⁹ She spent millions on his campaigns. She flew from her father’s brain surgery to vote against his second impeachment.¹⁰ And when she broke with him over the Epstein files, he called her a traitor within days. She also announced her resignation, timed to within a few days of her congressional pension beginning.¹¹

This is not a crack in the foundation. This is the foundation demonstrating how solid it is. The apparatus that destroyed Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, and Mitt Romney’s political future did exactly what it was designed to do: enforce total loyalty and obliterate dissent.

 

So let’s say Reich is right about all of it. Let’s say the polling collapse accelerates. Let’s say 

 

Republicans lose the House in 2026.

 

Let’s say Trump’s health fails, his mind deteriorates further, or he simply dies. He is 79 years old. It could happen tomorrow.

 

Here is what does not change:

 

The 43 Republican senators who acquitted him after he incited an insurrection remain in office or have been replaced by others who would have done the same. The Supreme Court that ruled him above the law serves for life. The federal judiciary, packed with Federalist Society judges, will shape American law for decades. The 47% of Project 2025 already implemented does not reverse itself.¹² The 200,000 federal workers fired or forced out do not return to their jobs.¹³ The gutted agencies do not rebuild overnight. The dismantled regulations do not reassemble themselves.

 

The Varieties of Democracy Institute, the world’s leading authority on measuring democratic health, identified the United States as undergoing the fastest episode of autocratization in modern American history.¹⁴ Director Staffan Lindberg stated in March that if the current trajectory continues, the United States will no longer qualify as a democracy when they assess 2025.¹⁵ That trajectory is not about one man. That trajectory is about captured institutions and a party apparatus committed to single-party rule.

 

We tried the institutional remedies. We impeached him twice. The Senate acquitted him twice. A jury convicted him of 34 felonies. No judge sentenced him. The Supreme Court granted him immunity.

 

We voted him out in 2020. He came back and won by a wider margin.

Four years of Biden have changed nothing structurally. The courts remained captured. The gerrymandered maps remained intact. He was able to make marginal progress that was obstructed at every turn, overturned by SCOTUS, or immediately undone by Trump. The filibuster remained in place, allowing Republicans to block voting rights legislation with unified opposition. We followed the rules. They ran out the clock. And at the end of it, we got a second Trump term that has done more damage in ten months than his entire first four years.

 

Trump did not build this. The Heritage Foundation wrote Project 2025. The Federalist Society built the judicial pipeline. The Republican National Committee enforces party discipline. The conservative media ecosystem manufactures consent. State legislatures draw maps that let them choose their voters. 

 

Dark money networks fund the whole operation.

 

Trump is their most effective instrument. He normalized what was previously unthinkable. He proved what was possible. He moved the ball further down the field than anyone before him. But he is still an instrument. When he is gone, everything he proved remains proven. Every precedent he set remains set. 

Every norm he shattered remains shattered.

 

The Republican Party has been building toward this for 50 years. The Powell Memo.¹⁶ The Heritage Foundation. The Federalist Society. Gingrich is burning down congressional norms. The Southern Strategy. Gerrymandering. Voter suppression. McConnell is holding a Supreme Court seat hostage for a 

year.¹⁷

 

Trump did not break the system. He is the product of a party that spent half a century crafting the tools to end American democracy.

 

As long as the Republican Party exists, our democracy remains under threat. That was true before Trump and will remain true after him. The party must be dismantled. Not defeated in one election. Not moderated. Dismantled and its leaders incarcerated for sedition and corruption.

So when the headlines tell you the ground is shifting, maybe something is happening. When pundits tell you the MAGA base is cracking, maybe the margins are eroding. When Trump eventually leaves the stage, it will feel like relief. We will want to exhale. We will want to believe the worst is over.

 

Do not exhale.

 

The day after Trump is gone, we have the exact same work to do. The same captured courts. The same gerrymandered maps. The same consolidated media. The same oligarch class. The same party apparatus that protected him through everything will find another vehicle for their project before his body is cold.

 

And the next vehicle will be less repugnant. Someone who passes the same fascist laws and strips away the same freedoms but with less spectacle, someone who makes it all look more professional, and then people stop paying attention. Trump’s repulsiveness keeps people in the streets. But the Republicans are the ones passing the policies anyway. They’re the ones telling him what to support. A polished version pushing the exact same agenda without the daily outrages will be far more dangerous. The next one gets a grace period while the world celebrates, and the fascism continues while everyone exhales.

He covered a lot of ground for them. That doesn’t all reverse with him gone. The project does not end with him, and if we act as if it does, we hand Republicans a free pass for everything they built while we were staring at one man.

 

We have spent ten years personalizing a systemic crisis around a single figure. That personalization is itself a form of control. It lets us imagine that removing him solves something. It lets us fantasize about accountability that will never come through the institutions they have captured. It lets us wait for rescue instead of doing the work.

 

Stop waiting for Trump to die. The fight is the same either way.

 

So what actually works? Three things. First, states must investigate, prosecute, and criminally indict corrupt politicians at every level and refuse to hand those cases up to federal jurisdiction. If we don’t hold these people accountable ourselves, no one will. This should be done through an interstate anti-corruption compact where states work together to rid our federal government of criminal actors. Second, states must build social safety nets at the state and multi-state levels that actually improve residents’ lives, because the federal government has been captured and isn’t coming to the rescue. Third, multi-state non-compliance with bullshit SCOTUS and federal decisions. That’s it. That’s what needs to happen. It takes political will, and it takes us demanding it from every state official we can reach.

Heroine.

·Friends, this is the Heroine. Real Ukrainian Heroine.

Friends, this is Natalia.

She is a mother of four!! ️children and she absolutely voluntarily went to the Front.

Natalia comes from lysičanskaya. When the full-scale invasion began, she realized that her place was where the country was protected.

Thanks to her determination, the woman managed to get into the combat unit.

After learning about her medical education, the command offered Natalia to become a combat medic.

She has saved hundreds of lives in that position!! ️of our Warriors.

She had to drag the fighters 12 kilometers!! ️ to save their Life.

Just an incredible Woman.

Absolutely unbreakable, strong and Brave.

Our Ukrainian girl. Our Guardian Angel.

Honor and respect to Mrs. Natalia.

Honor and respect to the incredible Ukrainian heroine

Gabriela=Paige

Gabriella couldn't come today because she had a class, so I called her alternative caregiver, Paige, and she arrived at 10:30. It has been about a month and a half since we last saw her because she was on vacation in the United States visiting her family. John likes both of them, so it wasn't a problem.

Gabriella called later in the afternoon, and said that she was ill and didn't think it was a good idea for her to come on Wednesday. I called Paige, and she said she would be here.

After she arrived, I took my phone, my Spanish book, and my glasses, and I drove to Radek's house for our time together. We usually alternate meetings, so this week it was time for me to go to his house for the meeting. I spent the usual first hour speaking in Spanish English, and then the second hour was only Spanish. It helps a lot that I recorded the lesson, because sometimes I get a little foggy, and it's good for me to be able to listen to the lesson again. It's also good to have the lessons recorded because there are times when he's gone for a week or two, and we have no lesson. I usually that I usually spend that time re-listening to the old lessons. We are almost done with the first Spanish book, and probably, we will go in start it all over again just to keep refreshed on things that have been forgotten.

Earlier this morning, I woke up at 6:30, and made the usual trip to Carrefour to do the weekly food shopping. The cost this week was 220 PLN. ($61).

In the evening, we watched highlights of several of the NFL football games that were played yesterday, and unfortunately, are Chicago Bears team lost. However, later I read that there were several calls by the referees that were incorrect, and it was so severe that when complaints were made to the commissioner, all seven of the referees were suspended. Now, there is to be an investigation into the complaints. It will be interesting to see if anything happens because of it.

Meanwhile: Ukraine

During a state visit to India on Friday, Putin declared that Russia would seize Donbas and other land “by force” if Ukraine refused to withdraw.

But the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has projected that, at the current pace of operations, it would take several more years for Russia to fully occupy the entire region and Moscow’s victory is still far from guaranteed. 

In remarks published Monday, Zelensky told Bloomberg News that negotiations over the US-led peace proposal remain blocked on “sensitive issues,” especially security arrangements and control of the Donbas.

He added that the negotiators still lack a common stance on Donetsk and Luhansk.

“There are visions of the US, Russia, and Ukraine – and we don’t have a unified view on Donbas,” Zelensky said.

“There is one question I – and all Ukrainians – want to get an answer to: If Russia again starts the war, what will our partners do?” he added, arguing that Kyiv needs strong assurances of security. Source-Kyiv Post

Join or Die.

 

My friends, read closely, because this moment demands our full attention.

There’s an old drawing from 1754, a simple cartoon by Benjamin Franklin. You’ve probably seen it before: a snake cut into pieces, each part representing a colony, with the words “Join, or Die.”

That warning echoed across the colonies then, and it echoes across our country now.

Franklin drew it to remind people that division is deadly. That, when our future is on the line, unity isn’t optional; it’s everything. And today, as resistance movements rise across the United States, I can’t stop thinking about that image.

Because let’s be honest: we have so many groups, so many movements, so many organizations fighting for justice, for rights, for truth, and yet, we’re fractured. We’re passionate, but we’re scattered.

If Franklin’s cartoon were redrawn today to represent the modern Resistance, that snake would have dozens of parts. Maybe hundreds. And the threat we face wouldn’t be a faraway king. It would be right here at home, embodied in the rise of Donald Trump and the powerful influence of the Heritage Foundation.

The message is the same now as it was then:
Join together, or watch democracy die.

And make no mistake, our democracy is already in serious danger.

But let me be clear: I’m NOT asking you to leave your group, your cause, or your community. Your group is part of who you are. Your work matters deeply.

What I am asking, what I am urging, is that we recognize a simple truth:
When we stand together, we are powerful. When we act as one, we are unstoppable.

A general strike, a coordinated effort across groups and causes, becomes world-changing when enough people take part. Research shows that when about 3.5% of a population participates in sustained nonviolent action, a society can shift. Governments can change. Futures can be rewritten. And we have seen it happen in country after country.

But we cannot reach that level alone. Divided, we are weakened. Divided, we lose ground. And we’ve already witnessed the damage: to Medicaid… to scientific research… to foreign aid… to immigrant families… to climate protections… to our alliances… to the integrity of our judicial system. The list is long, and it keeps growing.

So I am asking, no, I am calling on you:

If you are an administrator, ask your members to join a general strike coalition like GeneralStrikeUS.
If you are a member, urge your admins to join, or step forward and join yourself.

This coalition already has more than 402,000 people. That’s powerful. But it’s not enough. We need more voices, more courage, more unity. We need you.

Furthermore, we are not one single organization, but rather a network of groups committed to a General Strike once we reach 11 million Americans committed. Our goal is to unite the movements for racial, economic, and climate justice under a shared, collective action so that we may revolutionize this country. We believe that if working people went on strike together, we could achieve all our demands for a just economy, a truly democratic political system, and a safe planet for all.

If you are an organization or influencer fighting for change, follow these instructions to add a Strike Card to your website and track incoming data in real time. Folks who sign up via your website will be visible to you. If we work together, we’ll get to 11M strikers in no time. Email info@generalstrikeus.com for more info on how to join this coalition.

The message from 1754 still speaks the truth today:

Join, or die.
Not as a threat, but as a warning. A reminder. A call to action.

Our democracy is worth fighting for.
Our future is worth uniting for.
And together, we can rise to this moment.

Thank you.

Boots & Revolution

 Because I'm always thinking of Joan, I thought I'd take her to buy a pair of boots today. It wasn't because she needed them to walk in the snow; it was more about her feet staying warm when she was outside. You know she doesn't do much walking anymore because most of her life is either in the recliner or in the wheelchair. But, nevertheless, I'm always concerned about her warmth when we are outside. So, I took her to the little shopping mall called Pestka, and there we went in to try on different kinds of boots.

She picked up one pair that seemed would look good on her, but when she tried them on it was too difficult to get them on. So we went back to the shoe racks, and she looked at another pair. The first pair were kind of short boots, but the second pair were higher up her leg. The last time I bought her any shoes, she wore what's called a size 39. However, when I tried either pair in size 39, neither one of them would fit. I went back to the racks, picked out a pair of size 42, and took them back for her to try on. They both fit much more easily, and since she didn't really need them to walk on, she decided they were a good fit. And she decided that a taller pair of boots would be better, which I was happy about. Originally, they were 179 PLN, but when I took them up to the cashier, the price was 125 PLN. So I was happy about that. Now she has new boots.

Back at home, we started a new documentary series developed by the documentarian, Ken Burns. It is called the American Revolution, and it has 12 parts. Each part is 1 hour long, so we decided to watch one party today. After watching the first part tonight, I think it is something all Americans should watch. I think it would be especially good for anyone who voted for Trump to see how the country began, the struggles they had, the difficult times ahead, and the problems they had to solve to form a democracy. You can find it on the YouTube channel. All 12 parts are available.

The Tree.

 Maybe it's too early to put up your Christmas tree, but ours is now up. I escaped having to decorate the tree by asking Gabriella to put up the lights and ornaments. She did a pretty good job, except she didn't put all of the lights on that we have. So later in the evening, I brought out the other lights and added them to the tree. I guess we're ready for Christmas.

Earlier, before Gabriella came, I did a little vacuuming and put up the ornaments, well, not really ornaments, more like decorations around the house. It does make it look a little more festive now.

During my 3-hour break, I went to Auchan to check if they had dates for sale. The last time I was there, on Tuesday. They had dates, but the price for 1 kg was 27 PLN. Normally, I can buy them for 10 PLN You can buy them for 10 PLN, but you have to go on Thursday or Friday before they are sold out. This time I bought 2 kg. When I told Gabriella I could buy one kilogram of dates for 10, she didn't think it was possible. So, when I returned home, I showed the packet to her. It's a little strange because the same company that sells them for 10 PLN, also has a 1 kg pack next to it for 27 PLN. I don't see what the difference is in the dates. They both look the same to me.

After I was done, I went to Cafe Locum, and had a coffee latte while I read the latest garbage news about the United States. I'm trying to pull back a little from my involvement because I don't know if it makes a difference.

John's been going to bed early. Tonight, she said she was ready for bed at 7:30. I told her that was a little early and because of it she would probably wake up too early, so, she stayed up for another hour and a half and went to bed at 9:00. She's losing more of her sense of logic in conversations and her short-term memory is really getting bad. I noticed this week, even her long-term memory is starting to disappear. 

Sleepy & Ukraine

Another sleep in day, this time until noon. I don't know if it is because I am so tired, or whether it is my life doesn't change much day to day.

The sun was shining today and a little warmer, so I took Joan out for a little while to break the monotony of sitting at home every day. 

We visited Kandulski and had what has become our usual pastry there. It's called Migladowa. The components sliced pecans on top of a creamy substance sitting on top of a layer of Carmel. Below low that is a bed of cake mix. The coffee is better than at Sowas, so that's also a plus.

The snow is gone now, and one can only hope it will return for Christmas. 

Concerning Ukraine:

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte insisted on Wednesday that the alliance has no reason to contemplate a “Plan B” in the event that talks collapse and Washington halts weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

“I don’t think we have to think about that,” he replied when pressed by a reporter during a Brussels news conference following a gathering of NATO foreign ministers convened after pivotal US-Russia discussions.

Rutte underscored that the US remains “very consistent” in backing Kyiv, while stressing: “We expect Europeans and Canadians to step up when it comes to paying for it.”

He also voiced confidence that Ukraine’s partners will have amassed $5 billion in commitments by the year’s end for the purchase of US-manufactured arms – funding intended to keep matériel flowing to Kyiv despite Washington’s freeze on direct military aid. Source-Kyiv Post

Future Ukrainians.

This project began with the messages you sent to me in April of 2025. Back then, it was your commitment that gave this work its shape. People from different countries, different ages, different lives, all choosing to stop for a moment and write something for children you will never meet. The care you placed into your words gave this project a soul. Every message is an act of courage and a way of saying that the world still has people who stand with Ukraine, even from far away.

 

This book is dedicated to everyone who lives far from Ukraine yet carries our pain as if it were their own.

 

To those who cry with us, hope with us, and stand with us, even from distant places. Your hearts have never been far from

this land.

 

Viktor Krachuk

 

To the Ukrainians of the Future

 

We are speaking to someone who will be holding this book in the year 2045. Someone who was not alive when these words were written. Someone living in a Ukraine that exists because people fought for it twenty years before you took your first breath. Not only the people here on this land, but people from all over the world who chose to stand with your country.

 

The world you know was not guaranteed. The peace you live in was not automatic. Many of us did not know what the years ahead would bring. We did not know what your life would look like, or what kind of country you would inherit.

 

We only knew that one day a young Ukrainian would open this book and find us here. So this work is dedicated to you.

 

To the child who grew up in a nation rebuilt by the courage of your parents and grandparents. To the one who needs to understand that your country survived because Ukrainians refused to lose themselves.

 

And also because people far from here refused to look away. They pressed their governments. They marched in the streets. Not only that, but they placed Ukrainian flags in their windows. They supported Ukrainian writers and artists. They gave to Ukrainian causes they barely knew the names of, but were critical of so many times. Furthermore, they did all this because they felt that your country deserved to live.________ _______________________________________________________________________ I was happy to see my letter included. If you want a copy of the book, go to this URL

https://buymeacoffee.com/vikvkravchuk/e/484087

 

David Piekarczyk

Late sleep & Ukraine

I was up until 3 AM last night and didn't wake up until noon today. I tried going to bed before midnight, but a few things popped up, and I had to answer. It's just in my nature to procrastinate and put things off until tomorrow.

I gave Joan three choices for breakfast, and she chose a smoothie. I thought it was a little cold for now, but I complied with a banana/strawberry smoothie. 

In the afternoon I took her to see the Christmas fair in Plac Wolnosci. The Ferris wheel is working, and I thought it would be a good idea for me to go on it one sunny day this week, if there is one, and take pictures as it revolves. I would have to do it without Joan while Gabriela is sitting with her. It would just make it easier.

Meanwhile, the WAR.

 In an ambitious, complex strike operation simultaneously hammering targets hundreds of kilometers apart, dozens of Ukrainian drones and missiles overnight Monday-Tuesday hit and damaged a Russian military airfield, a bomber repair plant, a kamikaze drone factory, a high-tech air defense unit and a pair of oil refineries.

The long-range air raids carried out by Bars jet-propelled drones, Neptune cruise missiles and unnamed propeller-driven drones struck facilities in the Russian Azov Sea port city Taganrog, the Black Sea port city Novorossiysk, and the Black Sea port city Tuapse, a Ukrainian General Staff Tuesday morning statement said.

In Taganrog, according to sources reviewed by Kyiv Post, drones and possibly missiles struck and damaged the Beriev TANTK aircraft plant, a repair facility for long-range Tu-95MS (NATO: “Bear”) bombers and Beriev A-50 AEW&C (airborne early warning and command) surveillance planes. The independent Russian news agency Astra reported explosions and large-scale fires on those facilities’ premises.

Ain't no sunshine!

A little more snow last night, but today it is almost gone.

Karolina came at 12:00 to shower Joan and take care of her hygiene while I went out to take care of some things.

Later I made spaghetti with mozzarella meatballs, and a salad for dinner. It was good. Joan liked it. 

I passed by Plac Wolnisci and saw that the Christmas market is already set up There is a collection of kiosks set up where you can but various handmade Christmas presents, wines, different foods, and some Christmas clothing. Of course, there are a few kiosks where everything was made in China. If it isn't made in Poland, it shouldn't be included.

I just wanted to scream today. I felt like beating my head against a wall or jumping off the balcony. Being a 24/7 caregiver just gets harder and harder. Of course, I would never do those things. I promised years ago to always take care of Joan and I will. I just need a break. 

Mass Blackout.

Well, today starts the mass blackout experiment. It's going to last for one week, in which time it hopes to have some effect on the US economy. I have my doubts it will because there are not many or not enough people who are going to participate. I know it would take millions of people to make a real dent in the US economy. However, I still hope it is successful.

I received some sad news last night that an old friend of ours in the United States is not doing well, and his future does not look too bright. So, Joan and I have known him for over 40 years, although we haven't seen him in probably 35 years. His brother emailed me last night and told me the sad news. I waited until this morning, when Joan was awake, had breakfast, and was dressed, before I told her.

Yesterday we had a little snowfall, not a lot, probably not even 2 in. It did cover the ground and lasted until this morning. The world seems more peaceful when it snows. Unfortunately, that's not the case.

There was a report in the Financial Times that Ukraine has agreed to cap its military at 800,000 men. Originally, Russia wanted it to be 600,000. However, when the war started, Ukraine's Army was 900,000. So, the 800,000, even though it's 100,000 less, it would not be as bad as 600,000. So there is still no deal, there's no peace plan signed, and Trump is still demanding to have it done by Thursday, two days from now. Maybe it'll be the turkey that Trump has to eat if it doesn't get done by then.

Sunday

 It's supposed to be a day of rest. However, when you're a caregiver 24/7, even a day of rest isn't really a day of rest. There are always so many things you have to do during the day, including preparing your loved one for the day by getting them dressed, cleaned up, out of bed, and put in her recliner, where she stays most of the day. The only actual time off from caring for her for me is those two days when Gabriella comes to sit with her while I go out into the world and attend to things that need attention. And it may sound like a complaint, but it's not really a complaint because I have loved this woman for so many years, and it's unthinkable that I would not continue to care for her and love her just because she is ill.

Around 4:30 this afternoon, our friend, Marcin, came over and brought us two jars of honey, one is a spring honey, and the other is made from Linseed. I believe. It's a welcome addition to my pantry because I do use honey in our smoothies, and I try to use it as a substitute for sugar when I bake something.

He stayed for about half an hour and left just in time for me to talk to my friend in Spain, Carmelo.

Conversations with Carmelo are getting easier; some of the Spanish I retained from studies comes out a little more often now, almost spontaneously. I have to admit I haven't been spending enough time on my Spanish learning because I get so involved with this group I'm in to try to curtail the damage done by Donnie, also known by some as the president of the United States. Although I would hardly call him a president. 

Since I've been using this voice-to-conversation program on my computer, it's been much easier to write my blog and to carry out correspondence in emails. It doesn't put in punctuation, so I have to make sure that I look at what is written and put in the necessary punctuation. Nevertheless, it does make writing on this laptop much easier.

Our Loss.

 At 81, I'm old enough to remember the only great president in my lifetime. That President was named John Fitzgerald Kennedy. He was the president who gave hope to the country, prosperity to the country, and a good outlook for the future. I remember this day especially, because it was on this day that he was assassinated. Of course, no one can tell you who did it, the reasons for doing it, or the culprits brought to Justice. The Warren Report, many years ago, gave its opinion, which I do not believe. In my humble opinion, I believe it was a conspiracy involving the US government and other characters or figures.

Nevertheless, on this day, I find it strange that no one remembers the date of his assassination, so I thought I would put his picture up just to remind those of you who are old enough to remember him. Especially, in the times we live now, when what we have in the United States is called a President, but he is far from being a president. The poor man is only a wannabe dictator. Whether he becomes one or not, it's up to We the People.

Today I'm just grateful that I have known what a president could be.

Putin & Trump vs. Ukraine

 Honorable Senator Durbin,

I am writing to you today with a profound sense of urgency and alarm regarding the reported draft agreement, the so-called "28-Point Plan", that is being negotiated through private channels between U.S. and Russian envoys without the participation or consent of the sovereign government of Ukraine.

If the details of this leaked plan are accurate, this is not a path to peace; it is a thinly veiled blueprint for surrender and an egregious act of geopolitical betrayal. I urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to use every tool at your disposal to vehemently oppose this plan and prevent it from gaining any traction within the U.S. government or becoming official policy.

The reported demands of this draft are staggering and completely unacceptable:

Territorial Surrender: Forcing Ukraine to cede control over the eastern Donbas region is a clear violation of international law and rewards Russia’s aggression. It is an amputation of a sovereign state's territory.

Military Disarmament: The demand to halve Ukraine’s Armed Forces and severely restrict its key weapons systems is a catastrophic security risk. It would deliberately gut the military that has successfully prevented a complete Russian takeover, leaving the nation permanently vulnerable to future, inevitable Russian attacks.

Internal Subversion: Mandating the official status of the Moscow-aligned Orthodox Church and Russian as a state language embeds Moscow's influence directly into Ukraine's most sensitive cultural and institutional structures. These are not peace terms; they are demands for political and cultural subordination.

Cutting Off Lifelines: A sharp reduction in U.S. military aid, coupled with a weakened Ukrainian military, is the definition of setting a former ally up for failure and future conquest.

Senator, this plan, negotiated in backrooms and absent of Ukrainian representation, does not serve U.S. interests in global stability or the rule of law. It sacrifices a brave, democratic ally and sends a chilling message to every nation that relies on American commitment: that their sovereignty is merely a bargaining chip to be traded away for political expediency.

To coerce President Zelensky into accepting terms that amputate his country, disarm its defense, and embed the aggressor's influence is morally indefensible. We must not allow Ukraine to be treated as a hostage whose life is negotiated by its captor and a third party.

I implore you, as a principled leader in the Senate, to:

 Publicly denounce this 28-Point Plan and the use of private, unauthorized back-channels to conduct   foreign policy.

 Actively investigate the source and motivation behind these negotiations, and ensure all U.S.               diplomacy is conducted transparently and directly with Kyiv.

Mobilize Senate opposition to any proposal that would coerce Ukraine into territorial concession, military disarmament, or political submission to the Kremlin.

The future of Ukraine’s freedom and the credibility of U.S. global leadership are at stake. Please do everything in your power to stop this plan.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this critical matter.

Respectfully,

David Piekarczyk

Shopping.

Yesterday was shopping day. I spent  160 PLN($44) for the week of food.

Today was a free day. That means nobody was coming for Joan. Gabriela will come tomorrow and Karolina on Friday.

For the last few months, I have been staying up until 2 or 2:30 in the morning. Mainly because of my work with resistance groups in the U.S. I know, it'seems a little crazy that I am involved in that, living where we live now. However, we do have adult children and grandkids there and are concerned for their welfare.

Poland is now following the U.S. in TV commercials. Already there are Christmas ads on TV and the  stores are filled with Christmas items for sale. 

You may be wondering why I am always adding news about the war in Ukraine to my blog. It is because there is so little of it now in the daily news outlets. EVERY day it's the same old shit, Trump, Trump, Trump. I am so tired of it.

Monster of War.

A Russian ballistic missile attack killed 17-year-old Ukrainian kickboxing champion Karina Bakhur. She lived in a town of Berestyn, Kharkiv region, which came under heavy shelling last night. Karina was at home and reportedly running toward the basement when the blast hit. She died in the hospital from her wounds.

 

Karina was both World and European medalist in kickboxing, Master of Sports of Ukraine and current champion of Ukraine in both Cossack duel and kickboxing. A life of talent, discipline, and dreams ended by a Russian missile.

Interesting?

An interesting story. When I was in third grade in a one-room schoolhouse of grades 1-6, every row was a higher grade. There was one teacher for all. Where we lived was so small it wasn't named a village, town, or city. It was Clark Station near Gary, Indiana, even though there was no bus or train service. 

One day, 3 men and a nurse came in and said they were going to tattoo our blood types on our bodies. They had what looked like a drill with a box full of different blood type medal markers. A desk was set up in the entrance way where the "nurse" sat. One man was in our room calling out a row number. 

The children would line up in front of the nurse, she would prick the index finger, determine the blood type, we would be separated by type, and each row would be added. When all was done, another man fixed a marker on the "drill" and drilled it into our side. I don't remember if it hurt or not. Just remember being scared. 

My mother was told it was the government's idea to protect the children in case of an atomic bomb attack. It was in the early 50s. 

So, since third grade, I knew my blood type, B+. The mark only faded away after 50+ years. The strange thing for me was that no other school had done it.

Yesterday, a reader sent me this:

https://www.amusingplanet.com/2020/04/operation-tat-type-why-some-american.html

Operation Tat-Type: Why Some American Kids Got Tattooed With Blood-Type

If you're curious.

Friday-Saturday

Yesterday, I had a little break time while Karolina was here, so I went to Solacki Park, and I sat down to listen to my book, Big Sir, written by Jack Kerouac. I've been reading and listening to Jack Kerouac since I was 16. My brother Walter, or Wally as we called him, turned me on to Jack many, many years ago. I still find comfort in the words that he wrote. Of course, the first book I read by him was On the Road, probably his most famous book. His style was so unusual back in the 1950s, and I think that's what brought him a lot of interest.

After I was done in the park, I went to the Apteka, because it was time to buy another vitamin for Joan.

Back at home, Karolina was just finishing up giving Joanh a shower, and when she was done, we talked for about 20 minutes.

Last night. I stayed up until about 2:00 in the morning answering emails and doing some postings to various resistance groups I belong to. Today I didn't wake up until 11:00. That's 9 hours, a lot of time for me to sleep.

In the afternoon, John and I listened to various classical guitar players on YouTube.

When it was time to make dinner, I chose the easy way out and defrosted some frozen chili I still had left over.

Ukraine.

Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) forces overnight Sunday to Monday launched amphibious and airborne kamikaze drone strikes against targets in southwest Russia, with the main effort concentrating on a Black Sea oil tanker loading terminal critical to the Kremlin for export.

Sea-launched robot boats hit the Russian port city of Tuapse, one of Russia’s two main terminals for oil export via the Black Sea. Initial reports of an attack in progress reached local news platforms shortly after 1 AM on Monday. Video uploaded from viewpoints inside the city documented two explosions in the central port area, and fires.

With a capacity to trans-ship around 17 million metric tons of oil products/year, Tuapse is Russia’s second-biggest oil products export transshipment facility on the Black Sea.

Ukrainian robot boats had previously attacked Tuapse on Sept. 24 and overnight on Nov. 1-2. The latter raid damaged two tankers, halted fuel exports and refinery operations for days, caused an oil spill and forced tankers to abandon the port.

[UPDATED: Nov. 11, 12:37 pm , Kyiv time. Updated with reports from the General Staff of Ukraine and the Forces of Unmanned Systems confirming their involvement in the attack.]

A series of explosions rocked the Russian cities of Saratov and Engels early on Tuesday, Nov. 11, with social media reporting a fire at the Saratov oil refinery.

According to Russian Telegram channels, air defenses were on high alert in both cities amid the threat of drone attacks. Local residents reported hearing between five and seven loud explosions after 1 AM.

Independence?

The annual march organized in Warsaw by nationalist groups to celebrate Polish Independence Day passed peacefully through the city.

Among the participants, whose number is estimated at around 150,000, was recently elected right-wing President Karol Nawrocki, whose conservative predecessor, Andrzej Duda, had avoided attending the event.

However, members of Poland’s more liberal government stayed away from the march. Prime Minister Donald Tusk, attending a separate Independence Day celebration in his hometown of Gdańsk, declared that “no one has a monopoly on patriotism” and called “diversity a source of our strength”.

Joan and I stayed at home and celebrated the day by eating four of the famous Rogala pastries.

It seemed odd that Poland is celebrating its independence while in the United States there is a struggle to keep its independence from becoming a dictatorship, and Ukraine is fighting a war to save its country.

NOV. 25 to DEC. 2.

What exactly am I supposed to stop doing? 

 

During the Mass Blackout (Nov. 25–Dec. 2), we’re asking participants to:

– Stop working (see below)

– Stop spending at corporations

– Cancel streaming/digital subscriptions

– Avoid travel, restaurants, and normal consumer behavior

– Stay off ad-driven platforms unless organizing

If you must spend, use cash at small local businesses. Small Business Saturday is exempted.

 

What if I can’t take off work?

Not everyone can. You can still:

– Cancel subscriptions

– Halt spending

– Log off entertainment platforms

– Share the campaign

– Donate to Feeding America to support those walking out

Choose the form of resistance that’s possible for you — and do it proudly.

 

Should I support small businesses during the blackout?

Yes. This action exempts small businesses. If you need to spend, use cash at locally owned or worker-led shops. Avoid corporate chains and mega-platforms.

 

Does this mean I shouldn’t use social media?

Use social media intentionally. Don’t scroll for entertainment — organize, agitate, spread the message. Use hashtags. Share visuals. Mobilize your people.

 

How can I help spread the word?

– Use campaign hashtags:

#MBO #MB #BlockParty #MassBlackout #BlackoutForDemocracy

– Send this campaign to 5 people

– Organize your network — online or off

Independence Day.

Poland will mark Independence Day today with wreath-layings, a state mass, presidential honors and an Independence March in Warsaw, with parliament buildings open to visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

President Karol Nawrocki and his wife will lead the main ceremony at Piłsudski Square, where the president will also present state decorations and deliver remarks.

Earlier, top officials will lay wreaths at Warsaw monuments to Wincenty Witos, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Ignacy Daszyński, Roman Dmowski, Wojciech Korfanty, and Józef Piłsudski, all key figures in the country’s struggle for independence.

Nawrocki and First Lady Marta Nawrocka, joined by Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, will attend a mass for the homeland at the Temple of Divine Providence. At noon, senior officials will take part in a ceremonial changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Piłsudski Square.

Later in the day, wreaths are planned at monuments to the victims of the 2010 Smolensk tragedy, President Lech Kaczyński and Marshal Józef Piłsudski, near Piłsudski Square.

On Monday evening, the eve of the holiday, a Capstrzyk Niepodległości (“Independence Tattoo”) ceremony took place at the Józef Piłsudski monument, with Kosiniak-Kamysz and military commanders laying wreaths at memorials to the Fathers of Independence.

The Sejm and Senate will open to visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering access to normally restricted areas such as the Sejm chamber and corridors. Around 10:50 a.m., visitors can meet Senate Speaker Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska on the Senate’s first floor.

Why?

 If you've been a reader of my blog for some time, maybe wondering why I've had so many one-day or two-day breaks, I'll tell you. Due to the situation in the United States with the current president and his bogus Administration, I've been involved with a movement in the United States promoting a general strike. The organization has the idea that if 3.5% of the population goes on strike, it will severely affect the economy and therefore affect the administration and its oligarchs who support it.

Much of my evening now is spent communicating with them because, being far away as I am, it's the only form of resistance that I can offer. I know this blog started out as a research blog, and for many years, I've been telling our tales of living in Poland.

However, I feel it's important for me to at least try to do what I can to help stop some of the damage that is being done to democracy in the country where I was born. So, after Joan goes to bed in the evenings, I spend much of my time communicating with them and doing what I can to support and help them progress.

I feel the goal of 3.5% while it may be effective in small countries, in the United States, it is going to take a long time to accomplish that, and I don't feel we have that much time before the dictatorship is complete.

So that's what's been happening at these times when I don't write anything or say anything about life in Poland, because I'm busy trying to do whatever I can to help recover the United States from this catastrophe of a presidency.

Because I have a deadline on this blog of midnight to publish by the day and I don't always see it because I'm too busy talking with someone, writing to someone, emailing to someone, writing to a Senator or House Representatives for various things that I think may help somewhat and that's the reason I've been absent on those days when I don't write.

Break day.

Gabriel arrived at 1:30 today. So, after she got here, I picked up my bags, got the keys to the car, and drove off on my way to the Apteka. I needed to buy some vitamin D and vitamin C for Joan. Fortunately, we have an Apteca very close to the house, about three blocks away, actually, so it doesn't take long to get there.

After I left yet I drove to care for because I needed to pick up some bacon for the potato and baking soup that I was going to make for dinner. It's a good, tasty soup. 

Meanwhile in Ukraine:

Ukraine is targeted brush and oil strikes throughout the war but it has sharply intensified attacks in the recent months driving up fuel prices. 

Ukraine has carried out nearly 160 strikes on rational facilities at the start of 2025 significantly, cutting into the kremlin's energy revenues used for. 

The head of the security service of Ukraine also known as SBU, told Zielinsky that drone and missile operations had successfully targeted refineries, depots and pumping stations deep inside of Russia.

The Kremlin seems to be visibly panicking because of Ukraine's Precision drone strikes as they are overwhelmed. 

Russian insiders report evacuation plans are forming is fear spreads through the Russian President Putin's Inner circle. 

Ukrainian soldiers confirmed that drones are now giving Kyiv an undeniable strategic edge and fundamentally changing the way wars are fought. The Kyiv Post reports exclusive first-hand evidence that Putin's regime is in a deep crisis. They are failing to defend Moscow's airspace against Ukrainian strategic strikes, and despite waves of Russian counter-attacks, they are unable to slow down Ukraine's offensive capability.

Shopping day.

Okay, today was shopping day, so I got up at 6:30 this morning, dressed, took my list, and then I was off to the store at Carrefour. I needed to buy enough food for the next week, and I had my list with me. It only takes 15 minutes to get to the store.

I didn't have a lot to buy because I planned on having soup during the week, so that takes care of two days, and then there's always Pizza as a backup in case I don't feel like cooking. The total cost was $39. However, the vegetables at care for are not the best because it's so early in the morning because it is so early in the morning they don't have time. So, I had to make another stop on the way home at Lidl. That is the supermarket closest to our flat. There, I had to pick up four different vegetables and some baking soda. I needed the soda because I was going to make blueberry pancakes today for breakfast. So, adding the cost at both stores, my total was $45 for food next week.

I got back home by 8:30, put everything away, and then it was time to get Joan out of bed. Today, being Tuesday, Gabriella was scheduled to come over at 11:30 and sit with Joan while I took a 3-hour break.

I was back at home by 2:30, Gabrielle stayed until about 3:00, and then she left.

For dinner, I prepared chicken with rice, red peppers, onions, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. I have used this recipe before and assumed dinner was going to be good. However, neither Joan nor I liked the taste, and it wasn't that good. We were both disappointed. Oh well, what are you going to do?

The weekend is over?

For some unknown reason, this was the longest two-day weekend ever. Finally, it's Monday, not that it matters.

I made strawberry pancakes for breakfast, and Joan was happy. Actually, I made too much batter, so tomorrow I will buy blueberries and have those for breakfast. 

We watched the NFL highlights and returned to the series, Lincoln Lawyer, that we started watching yesterday.

It was a lazy day for us.

Lately, I have been having trouble with Grammarly connecting to websites for corrections. A human could correct whatever the problem is, but a Bot cannot. I'm now using another program, LT, to check for mistakes. I'm also considering using a Voice to Text program, Wsprflow AI.

 Okay, I typed in WhisperFlo AI, downloaded it, but then after trying it out, it doesn't work in Blogger, so the only thing I can do is try another program. I went to Google Docs Voice-in. It seems to be working fairly well, but it doesn't have any punctuation or grammar checking. Still, now I see my Google application for Grammarly is working, so at least I can get my punctuation and grammar checked, and I can do this all while I'm just speaking what I want to write about. It's much easier that way for me.

 

Sunday?

The last two days have seemed like Sunday and now, Sunday seems like Monday. How crazy is that?

I had a problem with Joan earlier, but now she is fine.

Meanwhile: Ukraine

The Pentagon has approved the potential delivery of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, determining that the move would not harm U.S. defense readiness.

According to CNN, the final decision now rests with President Donald Trump.Sources told the network that the Joint Chiefs of Staff informed the White House in early October that a limited transfer of Tomahawks would not weaken America’s military capabilities.

The assessment was presented just before Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington.While Trump initially supported the idea, officials say his sudden hesitation surprised both American and European partners.

Nonetheless, the Tomahawk transfer remains under active consideration.Administration officials have already prepared plans for rapid delivery to Ukraine should President Trump authorize the move, marking a potential escalation in U.S. military assistance to Kyiv.

Oct.31 & Nov. 1st.

Compared to the Divided States of America, Poland has more Holidays. No doubt, Christmas and Easter are the most important. However, for me, the most beautiful one is tomorrow

All Saint's Day is an annual national holiday in Poland to celebrate the saints on November 1. It is also known as the Day of the Dead, as many people remember dead family and friends on this day. It is normal for families to travel back to the village, town, or city of their families history. 

The preparation for this day begins several days before it. Cleaning materials are brought to clean the headstones, and rakes to take away the leaves. Each family member brings beautiful flowers, and candles to illuminate the graves at night. The cemeteries everywhere are a beautiful scene of a myriad of color.

Usually, it is a time for families to meet again with other relatives they may not have seen in months, or even years. When the visitation at the cemetery is over, it is also a good time to gather in a relatives house to continue conversations.

Joan and I would make a trip each Nov.1st for that event. Unfortunately, since her stroke in 2025, we haven't made a return.

For us, it was also a time to visit with dear cousin Kazia, and her son Andrzej. I miss seeing and talking with them in person. 

All Saint's Day>> I waited until late in the day until I went to the cemetery. I wanted to make sure the lighting was dark enough to see the candles bit light enough to see the sky in the background. I only stayed 30 minutes because Joan was home alone and that worried me. The pictures turned out good.

Solacki Park at night.

Karolina came late today, but it allowed me the time to something I have wanted to do, tale pictures of Solacki Park at nightfall. The park is only 15 minutes from our flat.

Very  few people were in the park so I was able to mainly take pictures with no people. I didn't need 20-30 pictures, so I took about ten and then selected the best ones to post. The building you see see is the church in the round.

My dear friend, Joanna has/had a house on the left side of the street. It will be three year next month since she departed this world. I really miss her. 

Break Time

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Uu12zY01ts   Use stereo headphones if you have them.

What day is it?

Another typical day of chilly weather with off and on showers of rain. Not a good day to be outside, so we went nowhere. It seemed like Sunday. Especially since we watched highlights of yesterday's football games and Sunday back in the states was normally football day for us.

Tomorrow is shopping day, so it's off to bed before midnight in order to woke up at 06:30. Gabriela won't be here until 2:30, and then I go to Radek's for another English/Spanish meeting. He will be gone for two weeks to Spain, lucky guy, so I will miss two weeks without his help.

I made a nice potato soup for dinner with a salad and some good bread from the bakery. Breakfast was lemon-rricotta pancake with blueberry syrup. Yummy.

Ukraine

The past two days has been cloudy with rain, and in general, rather boring. 

I did take Joan out today for a little while just for coffee. 

Meanwhile in Ukraine,

Russian soldiers executed five civilians in the village of Zvanivka, Donetsk region, the Regional Prosecutor’s Office reported Thursday, referencing a Gestapo-like family massacre by Moscow’s occupiers on Oct. 20.

A married couple and their elder son were hiding in the basement of a private house, state-media Ukrinform elaborated, while their younger son had gone to a neighbor’s house to fetch water. Russian soldiers stormed the home and found where the family was hiding and then began interrogating them about the whereabouts of Ukrainian defenders in the village.

After receiving no information, they left, prosecutors described.

Later, one of the occupiers returned to the home and opened fire on the family with an automatic weapon. Believing all three to be dead, he left the scene.

In fact, one person – the mother – survived with a gunshot wound to the jaw.

Worried about her younger son, the official account continued, the wounded mother went to a neighboring basement, where she found his body alongside those of their neighbors – a 62-year-old woman and her 30-year-old son.

The injured woman managed to reach Ukrainian-controlled territory, where she was hospitalized and provided testimony about the war crime committed by Russian forces. Source Kyiv Post

Autumn in the Botanical Gardens

 Karolina

Poland warns Russia.

 

Ok, today, was shopping day. Gabriela was coming to sit with Joan at 2:30 so I didn't have to wake up at 06:30 to do the shopping. That was good for me. Total cost for next weeks for was $36. NO, the prices haven't come down, I'm just making 2 of my dinners that will be good for 2 days each. Joan doesn't mind because she can't remember what she had for dinner yesterday/ Sad, but true.

Radek came at 11:00, bring a cheesecake with him. The English conversation was about his time spent in Warsaw and what is happening now in the U.S. 

After that, we spent another hour going over a Spanish lesson.

There is this news about Poland.

Poland Cannot Guarantee It Won’t Ground Putin’s Plane for ICC Arrest — Sikorski

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, in an interview with Radio Rodzina, commented on whether Warsaw should allow a plane carrying Vladimir Putin to fly to Budapest for a potential summit with Donald Trump:

 

“We cannot guarantee that an independent Polish court would not order the landing of a hypothetical plane carrying Putin in order to hand the suspect over to The Hague.”

Sikorski added that “the fact that an EU member bound by the International Criminal Court invites Putin is disgusting. It also shows that Hungary positions itself not as part of the West, but somewhere between the West and Russia.”

 

“There are those who would like Ukraine to surrender. Ukraine has no reason to do so,” he emphasized.

 

Background: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has expressed readiness to host a Putin–Trump meeting in Budapest, despite Hungary’s obligations under the Rome Statute to arrest the Russian dictator under an ICC warrant.

Protest or party?

This protest against the Trump Administration was not confined to the United States. It also took place in London, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Tokyo, Melbourne, Copenhagen, Brussels, and in cities in Sweden, Ireland, and South Korea. They all marched to show their solidarity with anti-Trump Americans.

  

The No Kings 2.0 march drew an enormous turnout last Saturday, with nearly seven million Americans taking part across the country. That is about two million more than the first one, a clear signal that the momentum is building as people are getting fed up with Trump’s draconian deportation program, and sending our own military into our cities to police American citizens. And this movement will grow every day that this sniveling loser of a man tries to anoint himself America’s new king. 

Speaker Mike Johnson tried to dismiss the event, calling it a “hate America rally,” but he couldn’t be more wrong. The crowds were filled with regular people who work hard, pay taxes, and genuinely love their country as much as they hate what Trump is doing to our country. 

 

In Washington, DC alone, the turnout was a staggering 200,000 people. That’s twice as many people as attended Trump’s second inauguration if anyone happens to be keeping score. The day remained entirely peaceful, despite Republicans spending all week painting it as a hotbed for “pro-Hamas and radical left violent extremism,” but there was no violence today. There was no unrest. Just actual American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights, but I guess that is something today’s MAGA movement can’t understand. Today was empowering, and hopefully this will build to something bigger! Keep on. You are not alone. There are millions of us.

 

For me, the biggest surprise came during the speech of Chicago's Mayor, Brandon Johnson. Close to the end of it, he called upon Chicagoans to participate in a General Strike. 

 

As a member of The General Strike US, that is exactly why we have gained 386,426 committed members.

Be on Guard!