On the positive side: Ukraine is managing to pull through its desperately needed post-Soviet anti-corruption reforms. It’s a slow and infuriating process but it’s underway, and what a miracle that it’s finally happening. Ukraine is actually starting to produce and export things, which is huge.
The propaganda war with Russia has pretty much been won by Ukraine. This goes to show that money cannot defeat sincere conviction. The army of Putin’s paid propagandists has been defeated by passionate volunteers.
Seeing that the propaganda war had been lost and the military invasion of Ukraine did not achieve its goals either, the Kremlin tried to change tack and started peddling the narrative of, “Our dearly beloved Ukrainian brothers and sisters! The evil Americans almost managed to break us up and destroy our historic brotherhood! But we still love you! And we forgive you! Let’s get over this minor disagreement and keep loving each other as we always did.”
First, this narrative was hinted at in some of Putin’s speeches, and then it started appearing massively in mainstream media and social networks. Yes, Russians really seemed to think this would work. Yes, they are really that clueless.
After Ukrainians suggested many inventive ways for Russians to stick their brotherly love deep into their anal cavities, there’s been a momentary lull in the propaganda wars.
Ukraine is trying to rebuild in many different directions right now. It’s hard because it’s a lot of work with very little immediate gratification. But there is progress. There are even interesting albeit timid developments in the art world, and that’s always a great sign.
Clarissa's Blog 
Please remove this if not appropriate – but I got the impression that you live somewhere up north along the East Coast – and…
This is a bit low-tech – but maybe someone along the US East Coast could find a tip? WINTER DRIVING IS EASY-PEASY! Mansplaining! Short checklist. Get a good shovel and a bag of cat sand and keep it in the car, along with fluorescent warning triangles. All the time during the cold season! If the car is exposed to freezing temperatures, add anti-freeze to the radiator water so ice won’t crack it. (Expensive repair!) Check the condition of the car battery – water, acid – charge if necessary. Buy new one if it is on its last legs.
Old fashioned snow-chains work very well everywhere, anytime, but you must practice putting them on in daylight. There are a sort of plastic mats sold in pairs put them in front of the powered wheels so the car will run over them and pick up a little speed. Don’t forget to attach the strings to the car so they are dragged along until a good place to stop. They work for temporary stops, but the chains works all the time. Some noise, though. But macho!
The windscreen washer water should be of the winter type with defrost that stops the tank from freezing and bursting. Bug removal additive you could forget for some time. Also, the defrost stops ice forming on the windscreen when driving. Keep the tank filled up – passing and meeting trucks will spray your windshield with dirty slush at the freezing point temperature and higher – and lower if the city mix salt in the sand that they possibly are spreading. (High-school chemical lesson!)
Listen to the weather reports. Silicone could prevent the doors to freeze shut, or that the rubber strips are torn lose when you open the door. Spray special oil in locks if you got such a car, heating the key with the cigarette lighter could make it possible to insert the key if the lock is full of ice. Don’t try to remove ice from windscreen by running the windscreen wipers – they get brittle in cold and are torn and getting useless. If it’s snowing you could use them, while driving, make sure that they works good, Windscreen could be “oiled” with chemicals sold at gas stations that prevents ice to stick and makes the water removal easier.
Try to park the car without using the parking brake – on some cars they freeze stuck in the brake position, making driving impossible! Bricks or such in front of the wheels could keep the car from rolling. Or blocks of compressed snow.
Scrape off ALL snow and ice from all the windows, the headlights and taillights, and the number plates. Snow left on the roof will slide down in front of the windscreen when you brake.
Pack a bag, keep it inside your front door and bring it every trip – warm outdoor clothes, hiking boots, exchange socks and T-shirt, bottles of water, biscuits, 2 good flashlights, a working cigarette lighter, a small radio and don’t forget your cell-phone. Charged! Phone number to towing service. If you’ll get stuck in the snow, so have thousands of others, so help could delay for many hours. Toilet paper! The trip could take all day. Don’t forget medicine if you are on it. You might have to stay away from home over night!
If stuck, by pushing the accelerator and letting go, repeatedly, you could put the car in a sort of rocking motion, that could be enough to get it unstuck. Sand must be under BOTH wheels, otherwise one wheel will spin and the other won’t rotate.
Also, if you get stuck, make sure that the exhausts won’t enter the cabin!!! IMPORTANT! Carbon monoxide poisoning sneaks up on you and is of course, deadly. Snow can plug the pipe if you have backed into a snow heap. Most people keep the engine running to keep up the temperature in the cabin. Also, the radiator water can get to boil if you run the engine for some time, the car standing still. A can of extra gas could come handy – you might have to make detours, and during a blizzard isn’t a good time to visit the gas station – if not for emergency shelter.
If stuck, try to get some people to help you to get the car off the runway, so you won’t block the road for others, among them snowplows, police and paramedics. If you have to leave the car – don’t forget to put off the lights so the battery won’t be drained. Keep the gears in “neutral” and brakes off – so if they tow it, the gearbox, the brakes and the tires won’t get destroyed,
Don’t forget the dangers of mad drivers, who drive too fast to avoid getting stuck, those who don’t believe in Isaac Newton, and jack-knifing trailer trucks. Of course, follow policemen’s instructions, and deputies.
Don’t you wish you’d bought a Hummer? 🙂
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This is very detailed and helpful. Especially to a new driver like me. I never heard of any of these tricks. Thanks!
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