I don’t subscribe to the school of criticism that values authorial intention above all. The way a work of art impacts me is of a greater interest than what the author might have wanted. And this stone pleases me.

Here are also some spring flowers:

Not as patriotic as the stone but still pretty.

The Kremlin is flipping out in a major way over the US-Iran deal.  Even just to stick it to Putin, it would make sense to ensure the deal happens.

And it’s not only that the Kremlin fears that the oil prices will continue to stagnate if the deal is made. Russia sees the Middle East as one more of their “areas of influence” (and I cringe even to use this Putinoid terminology). Any departure from the US being massively hated in the region bugs the Kremlin to no end.