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Originally posted by Brenda:
The heat is really derailing fruit crops up here. All cherries I have seen in stores are from Washington State, Chelan to be specific and California. No Rainier cherries though.

No grapes from the Okanogan. They are being imported from Mexico this year.

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
I think the grout stain marker FINALLY did the trick.

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Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

THUGR posts about Putin so much, he must be in love.

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Originally posted by 1KIKI:

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
I think the grout stain marker FINALLY did the trick.

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!!!

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
I think the grout stain marker FINALLY did the trick.

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It only took about 7 applications over a week!

Now hopefully the paint doesn't have a worse reaction to the grout marker than it did the stain, right?

There will be a slight elevation on that door where the marker was applied unless the paint evens it out, but that's not really that big a deal since it's at the bottom of the door and won't be easily seen. Obviously, I won't be sanding it down before paint.



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And he who is not sufficiently courageous to defend his soul — don’t let him be proud of his ‘progressive’ views, and don’t let him boast that he is an academician or a people’s artist, a distinguished figure or a general. Let him say to himself: I am a part of the herd and a coward. It’s all the same to me as long as I’m fed and kept warm.

Quote:

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:

Quote:

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Originally posted by Brenda:
The heat is really derailing fruit crops up here. All cherries I have seen in stores are from Washington State, Chelan to be specific and California. No Rainier cherries though.

No grapes from the Okanogan. They are being imported from Mexico this year.

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Seemed to me like the cherry season was unusually short this year. Normally they get picked from up and down the coast and it extends the season somewhat.

I feel sorry for the farmers. It takes a lot of land and patience to grow fruit trees: a lot of $$$ invested, but after planting and waiting crops get obliterated by late frost, or hail or, in this case, unseasonal heat.

Too bad for the forests and wildlife, too. I hope the rest of the summer isn't as bad as it is now

*****
I hope your experiment goes well, BRENDA!


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Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

THUGR posts about Putin so much, he must be in love.

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Originally posted by 1KIKI:

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It's finally supposed to start cooling down there on the west coast, isn't it?

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Crap. I just looked. It was supposed to happen Monday, drop to 85, and last for 6 days. Now it's not happening till Wednesday, and Thursday ... and then it starts going back up again. By Sunday it'll be back up to 95F which - if it works out like last time - means ~110F at my house.

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Now that I've been doing a much better job of just taking a little extra time to do a bit of tidying up in the kitchen and bathroom as I use it, my "chores" have become somewhat less of a chore. If I can keep that habit up this time, the days of letting those two rooms go until they're gross to walk into and take two days to scrub clean should be over.

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I read somewhere that if it takes a minute or less to do, then it's worth doing right then. I've been following that, and it really seems to help.

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I'm not going to say anything about the moles because I don't want to jinx myself, but I'll just say that you haven't heard me talking about moles for a while.

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My issue is with gophers. And when I get rid of them, they repopulate from the hill across the street. The coyotes are slacking off! And oh, I'd prefer moles because they only eat bugs. But gophers will eat the roots right off a large tree.

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There's still two fairly small yet stubborn stains that continue to bleed through the paint on one of the doors directly below the sink. I even put an extra dab of paint around the general area of them in between coats and it's still showing through. There's also a some on the inside border of the frame on the inside of the door that won't go away either. Kind of insane considering they've now had 3 coats of (supposedly) stain sealing primer

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Zinsser? oil based?

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with two coats of cabinet/trim enamel paint that also calls itself a paint and primer in one.

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Any idea what the stains are?

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... I'll probably just hit those two doors with an extra coat or two of paint and hope that it finally seals everything in.

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After I stripped the lead paint off the outside of my house, I found out the siding was made of cedar which bleeds tannins through. Aside from the Kilz (water based is all you can get here, and the ppl at Lowes told me Zinsser was better when I asked a few weeks ago) it took 4 coats of exterior paint to (mostly) get rid of the stain. If I was going to do it all over again, I'd try for Zinsser oil-based stain-blocking primer.

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Originally posted by 1KIKI:

"Mueller Investigation Is Over / Part two are the trials that begin in 2021 / tick tock"


Are these trials supposed to be about the non-existent "Russia collusion"?

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Originally posted by THG:

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Originally posted by 1KIKI:

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It's finally supposed to start cooling down there on the west coast, isn't it?

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Crap. I just looked. It was supposed to happen Monday, drop to 85, and last for 6 days. Now it's not happening till Wednesday, and Thursday ... and then it starts going back up again. By Sunday it'll be back up to 95F which - if it works out like last time - means ~110F at my house.

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Now that I've been doing a much better job of just taking a little extra time to do a bit of tidying up in the kitchen and bathroom as I use it, my "chores" have become somewhat less of a chore. If I can keep that habit up this time, the days of letting those two rooms go until they're gross to walk into and take two days to scrub clean should be over.

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I read somewhere that if it takes a minute or less to do, then it's worth doing right then. I've been following that, and it really seems to help.

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I'm not going to say anything about the moles because I don't want to jinx myself, but I'll just say that you haven't heard me talking about moles for a while.

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My issue is with gophers. And when I get rid of them, they repopulate from the hill across the street. The coyotes are slacking off! And oh, I'd prefer moles because they only eat bugs. But gophers will eat the roots right off a large tree.

Quote:

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There's still two fairly small yet stubborn stains that continue to bleed through the paint on one of the doors directly below the sink. I even put an extra dab of paint around the general area of them in between coats and it's still showing through. There's also a some on the inside border of the frame on the inside of the door that won't go away either. Kind of insane considering they've now had 3 coats of (supposedly) stain sealing primer

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Zinsser? oil based?

Quote:

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with two coats of cabinet/trim enamel paint that also calls itself a paint and primer in one.

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Any idea what the stains are?

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... I'll probably just hit those two doors with an extra coat or two of paint and hope that it finally seals everything in.

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After I stripped the lead paint off the outside of my house, I found out the siding was made of cedar which bleeds tannins through. Aside from the Kilz (water based is all you can get here, and the ppl at Lowes told me Zinsser was better when I asked a few weeks ago) it took 4 coats of exterior paint to (mostly) get rid of the stain. If I was going to do it all over again, I'd try for Zinsser oil-based stain-blocking primer.

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Originally posted by 1KIKI:

"Mueller Investigation Is Over / Part two are the trials that begin in 2021 / tick tock"


Are these trials supposed to be about the non-existent "Russia collusion"?

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T

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T

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Originally posted by Brenda:
Back from my walk and so much more comfortable out.

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Originally posted by Brenda:
Down to 19C where I am. A much more doable temperature than the last few days. Heading out for a walk in a bit. Grocery store takes back empty pop bottles and I've got a few to get rid of.

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:

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Originally posted by Brenda:
Back from my walk and so much more comfortable out.

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Good to hear!

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Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

THUGR posts about Putin so much, he must be in love.

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

Quote:

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Originally posted by Brenda:
Down to 19C where I am. A much more doable temperature than the last few days. Heading out for a walk in a bit. Grocery store takes back empty pop bottles and I've got a few to get rid of.

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We seem to be on almost the same weather pattern this year.

It started out hot and muggy this morning, but the humidity that has hung over us like a dark cloud for the last week and a half disappeared by mid-afternoon and it's almost downright chilly outside tonight.



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And he who is not sufficiently courageous to defend his soul — don’t let him be proud of his ‘progressive’ views, and don’t let him boast that he is an academician or a people’s artist, a distinguished figure or a general. Let him say to himself: I am a part of the herd and a coward. It’s all the same to me as long as I’m fed and kept warm.

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Originally posted by 1KIKI:

I'm expecting local temps to be in the 90-100F range for the next 10 days at the nearest reporting station. If that's anything like how it's generally been going, that's an additional ~10F+ at my house.

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Still waylaid by that pinched nerve-lower back to thigh pain. It's amazing how many things require bending down to the floor!

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You're telling me. When I jacked my back up late last year I was hardly able to do anything for 3 weeks. And when I pushed it one day I probably set the recovery back a week or two and made things worse. You use your back for EVERYTHING.

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I hope you all are doing better than I am!

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Hope you're feeling better.

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BRENDA, SIX, KIKI? How're things your way?

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Originally posted by 1KIKI:

Hey Brenda - just saying hey. Yeah your low temps (I'm guessing roughly lower 60s) are quite chilly for this time of year!

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SIGNYM:
Still waylaid by that pinched nerve-lower back to thigh pain. It's amazing how many things require bending down to the floor!

1KIKI:
Well dang, Signy. I'm sorry to hear about your back. What in general makes it worse or better? For example, do you wake up OK but then it gets worse during the day? Do particular things makes it worse? Is it pretty random ... ???

SIX:
You're telling me. When I jacked my back up late last year I was hardly able to do anything for 3 weeks. And when I pushed it one day I probably set the recovery back a week or two and made things worse. You use your back for EVERYTHING.

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SIGNY: BRENDA, SIX, KIKI? How're things your way?

SIX: Good. Busy. Been helping friends and family out with things and had little time to do anything on my own work that needs doing besides keeping up with the yard and a little keeping up with the inside looking at least livable.

The plan is to at least get the rest of the bottom of the cabinets trimmed out, spackled/caulked and painted over the next two days as well as putting the final coat on the last two doors today and hopefully hanging all of them tomorrow.

I also need to take photos and make some measurements and diagrams of my back porch. It looks pretty likely I can get my friend and his dad to help me put legit windows on the front in a day or two and finally get that plastic down. They've both got a lot of work coming up that they could use my help on and we should be able to barter for the work.

Fingers crossed.

It would be a major upgrade to the curb appeal of the house and if I can get that porch properly framed out I can finally start working on remodeling the inside of it at my leisure once the kitchen is done.

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:
I was wondering what happened to your steady list of accomplishments.

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Well... I finished trimming out the cabs, putting the spackle on and painting the last two doors so far today.

Play my cards right, I might be able to find time to paint the bottom cabinets one final time after sanding down the spackle and putting the caulk on and giving it some drying time. (all of that needs to be done today if I'm going to hang the doors tomorrow).

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It's good to build up social capital with trustworthy people! I hope it comes back to you reliably, because it sounds like you have Big Plans for your front porch!

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Yeah. Fingers crossed.

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BTW I like your new signature:

And he who is not sufficiently courageous to defend his soul — don’t let him be proud of his ‘progressive’ views, and don’t let him boast that he is an academician or a people’s artist, a distinguished figure or a general. Let him say to himself: I am a part of the herd and a coward. It’s all the same to me as long as I’m fed and kept warm.

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Quote:

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:

Quote:

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Originally posted by Brenda:
Back from my walk and so much more comfortable out.

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Good to hear!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

THUGR posts about Putin so much, he must be in love.

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:

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Article by Sergey Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, “The Law, the Rights and the Rules”, Moscow, June 28, 2021
amarynth
27 - 34 minutes

https://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02
Bw/content/id/4801890

The frank and generally constructive conversation that took place at the June 16, 2021 summit meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Joseph Biden in Geneva resulted in an agreement to launch a substantive dialogue on strategic stability, reaffirming the crucial premise that nuclear war is unacceptable. The two sides also reached an understanding on the advisability of engaging in consultations on cybersecurity, the operation of diplomatic missions, the fate of imprisoned Russian and US citizens and a number of regional conflicts.

The Russian leader made it clear, including in his public statements, that finding a mutually acceptable balance of interests strictly on a parity basis is the only way to deliver … The Russian leader made it clear, including in his public statements, that finding a mutually acceptable balance of interests strictly on a parity basis is the only way to deliver on any of these tracks. There were no objections during the talks. However, in their immediate aftermath, US officials, including those who participated in the Geneva meeting, started asserting what seemed to be foregone tenets, perorating that they had “made it clear” to Moscow, “warned it, and stated their demands.” Moreover, all these “warnings” went hand in hand with threats: if Moscow does not accept the “rules of the road” set forth in Geneva in a matter of several months, it would come under renewed pressure.

Of course, it has yet to be seen how the consultations to define specific ways for fulfilling the Geneva understandings as mentioned above will proceed. As Vladimir Putin said during his news conference following the talks, “we have a lot to work on.” That said, it is telling that Washington’s ineradicable position was voiced immediately following the talks, especially since European capitals immediately took heed of the Big Brother’s sentiment and picked up the tune with much gusto and relish. The gist of their statements is that they are ready to normalise their relations with Moscow, but only after it changes the way it behaves.

It is as if a choir has been pre-arranged to sing along with the lead vocalist. It seems that this was what the series of high-level Western events in the build-up to the Russia-US talks was all about: the Group of Seven Summit in Cornwall, UK, the NATO Summit in Brussels, as well as Joseph Biden’s meeting with President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

These meetings were carefully prepared in a way that leaves no doubt that the West wanted to send a clear message: it stands united like never before and will do what it believes to be right in international affairs, while forcing others, primarily Russia and China, to follow its lead. The documents adopted at the Cornwall and Brussels summits cemented the rules-based world order concept as a counterweight to the universal principles of international law with the UN Charter as its primary source.

In doing so, the West deliberately shies away from spelling out the rules it purports to follow, just as it refrains from explaining why they are needed. After all, there are already thousands of universal international legal instruments setting out clear national commitments and transparent verification mechanisms. The beauty of these Western “rules” lies precisely in the fact that they lack any specific content.When someone acts against the will of the West, it immediately responds with a groundless claim that “the rules have been broken” (without bothering to present any evidence) and declares its “right to hold the perpetrators accountable.” The less specific they get, the freer their hand to carry on with the arbitrary practice of employing dirty tactics as a way to pressure competitors. During the so-called “wild 1990s” in Russia, we used to refer to such practices as laying down the law.

To the participants in the G7, NATO and US-EU summits, this series of high-level events signalled the return by the United States into European affairs and the restored consolidation of the Old World under the wing of the new administration in Washington. Most NATO and EU members met this U-turn with enthusiastic comments rather than just a sigh of relief. The adherence to liberal values as the humanity’s guiding star provides an ideological underpinning for the reunification of the “Western family.” Without any false modesty, Washington and Brussels called themselves “an anchor for democracy, peace and security,” as opposed to “authoritarianism in all its forms.” In particular, they proclaimed their intent to use sanctions to “support democracy across the globe.” To this effect, they took on board the American idea of convening a Summit for Democracy. Make no mistake, the West will cherry pick the participants in this summit. It will also set an agenda that is unlikely to meet any opposition from the participants of its choosing. There has been talk of democracy-exporting countries undertaking “enhanced commitments” to ensure universal adherence to “democratic standards” and devising mechanisms for controlling these processes.

The revitalised Anglo-American Atlantic Charter approved by Joseph Biden and Boris Johnson on June 10, 2021 on the sidelines of the G7 Summit is also worth noting. It was cast as an updated version of the 1941 document signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill under the same title. At the time, it played an important role in shaping the contours of the post-war world order.

However, neither Washington, nor London mentioned an essential historical fact: eighty years ago, the USSR and a number of European governments in exile joined the 1941 charter, paving the way to making it one of the conceptual pillars of the Anti-Hitler Coalition and one of the legal blueprints of the UN Charter.

By the same token, the New Atlantic Charter has been designed as a starting point for building a new world order, but guided solely by Western “rules.” Its provisions are ideologically tainted. They seek to widen the gap between the so-called liberal democracies and all other nations, as well as legitimise the rules-based order. The new charter fails to mention the UN or the OSCE, while stating without any reservations the adherence by the Western nations to their commitments as NATO members, viewed de facto as the only legitimate decision-making centre (at least this is how former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen described NATO’s role). It is clear that the same philosophy will guide the preparations for the Summit for Democracy.

Labelled as “authoritarian powers,” Russia and China have been designated as the main obstacles to delivering on the agenda set out at the June summits. From a general perspective, they face two groups of grievances, loosely defined as external and internal. In terms of international affairs, Beijing is accused of being too assertive … Russia stands accused of adopting an “aggressive posture”in a number of regions. This is the way they treat Moscow’s policy aimed at countering ultra-radical and neo-Nazi aspirations in its immediate neighbourhood, where the rights of Russians, as well as other ethnic minorities, are being suppressed, and the Russian language, education and culture rooted out. They also dislike the fact than Moscow stands up for countries that became victims to Western gambles, were attacked by international terrorists and risked losing their statehood, as was the case with Syria.

Still, the West reserved its biggest words to the inner workings of the “non-democratic” countries and its commitment to reshape them to fit into the Western mould. This entails bringing society in compliance with the vision of democracy as preached by Washington and Brussels. This lies at the root of the demands that Moscow and Beijing, as well as all others, follow the Western prescriptions on human rights, civil society, opposition treatment, the media, governance and the interaction between the branches of power. While proclaiming the “right” to interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries for the sake of promoting democracy as it understands it, the West instantly loses all interest when we raise the prospect of making international relations more democratic, including renouncing arrogant behaviour and committing to abide by the universally recognised tenets of international law instead of “rules.” By expanding sanctions and other illegitimate coercive measures against sovereign states, the West promotes totalitarian rule in global affairs, assuming an imperial, neo-colonial stance in its relations with third countries. They are asked to adopt the democratic rule under the model of the Western choosing, and forget about democracy in international affairs, since someone will be deciding everything for them. All that is asked of these third countries is to keep quiet, or face reprisals.

Clearheaded politicians in Europe and America realise that this uncompromising policy leads nowhere, and are beginning to think pragmatically, albeit out of public view, recognising that the world has more than just one civilisation. They are beginning to recognise that Russia, China and other major powers have a history that dates back a thousand years, and have their own traditions, values and way of life. Attempts to decide whose values are better, and whose are worse, seem pointless. Instead, the West must simply recognise that there are other ways to govern that may be different from the Western approaches, and accept and respect this as a given. No country is immune to human rights issues, so why all this high-browed hubris? Why do the Western countries assume that they can deal with these issues on their own, since they are democracies, while others have yet to reach this level, and are in need of assistance that the West will generously provide.

International relations are going through fundamental shifts that affect everyone without exception. Trying to predict where it will take us is impossible. Still, there is a question: messianic aspirations apart, what is the most effective form of government for coping with and removing threats that transcend borders and affect all people, no matter where they live? Political scientists are beginning to compare the available toolboxes used by the so-called liberal democracies and by “autocratic regimes.” In this context, it is telling that the term “autocratic democracy” has been suggested, even if timidly.

These are useful considerations, and serious-minded politicians who are currently in power, among others, must take heed. Thinking and scrutinising what is going on around us has never hurt anyone. The multipolar world is becoming reality. Attempts to ignore this reality by asserting oneself as the only legitimate decision-making centre will hardly bring about solutions to real, rather than farfetched challenges. Instead, what is needed is mutually respectful dialogue involving the leading powers and with due regard for the interests of all other members of the international community. This implies an unconditional commitment to abide by the universally accepted norms and principles of international law, including respecting the sovereign equality of states, non-interference in their domestic affairs, peaceful resolution of conflict, and the right to self-determination.

Taken as a whole, the historical West dominated the world for five hundred years. However, there is no doubt that it now sees that this era is coming to a close, while clinging to the status it used to enjoy, and putting artificial brakes on the objective process consisting in the emergence of a polycentric world. This brought about an attempt to provide a conceptual underpinning to the new vision of multilateralism. For example, France and Germany tried to promote “effective multilateralism,” rooted in the EU ideals and actions, and serving as a model to everyone else, rather than promoting UN’s inclusive multilateralism.

By imposing the concept of a rules-based order, the West seeks to shift the conversation on key issues to the platforms of its liking, where no dissident voices can be herd. This is how like-minded groups and various “appeals” emerge. This is about coordinating prescriptions and then making everyone else follow them. Examples include an “appeal for trust and security in cyberspace”, “the humanitarian appeal for action”, and a “global partnership to protect media freedom.” Each of these platforms brings together only several dozen countries, which is far from a majority, as far as the international community is concerned. The UN system offers inclusive negotiations platforms on all of the abovementioned subjects. Understandably, this gives rise to alternative points of view that have to be taken into consideration in search of a compromise, but all the West wants is to impose its own rules.

At the same time, the EU develops dedicated horizontal sanctions regimes for each of its “like-minded groups,” of course, without looking back at the UN Charter. This is how it works: those who join these “appeals” or “partnerships” decide among themselves who violates their requirements in a given sphere, and the European Union imposes sanctions on those at fault. What a convenient method. They can indict and punish all by themselves without ever needing to turn to the UN Security Council. They even came up with a rationale to this effect: since we have an alliance of the most effective multilateralists, we can teach others to master these best practices. To those who believe this to be undemocratic or at odds with a vision of genuine multilateralism, President of France Emmanuel Macron offered an explanation in his remarks on May 11, 2021: multilateralism does not mean necessity to strike unanimity, and the position of those “who do not wish to continue moving forward must not be able to stop … an ambitious avant-garde” of the world community.

Make no mistake: there is nothing wrong with the rules per se. On the contrary, the UN Charter is a set of rules, but these rules were approved by all countries of the world, rather than by a closed group at a cosy get-together.

An interesting detail: in Russian, the words “law” and “rule” share a single root. To us, a rule that is genuine and just is inseparable from the law. This is not the case for Western languages. For instance, in English, the words “law” and “rule” do not share any resemblance. See the difference? “Rule” is not so much about the law, in the sense of generally accepted laws, as it is about the decisions taken by the one who rules or governs. It is also worth noting that “rule” shares a single root with “ruler,” with the latter’s meanings including the commonplace device for measuring and drawing straight lines. It can be inferred that through its concept of “rules” the West seeks to align everyone around its vision or apply the same yardstick to everybody, so that everyone falls into a single file.

While reflecting on linguistics, worldview, sentiment, and the way they vary from one nation or culture to another, it is worth recollecting how the West has been justifying NATO’s unreserved eastward expansion towards the Russian border. When we point to the assurances provided to the Soviet Union that this would not happen, we hear that these were merely spoken promises, and there were no documents signed to this effect. There is a centuries-old tradition in Russia of making handshake deals without signing anything and holding one’s word as sacrosanct, but it seems unlikely to ever take hold in the West.

Efforts to replace international law by Western “rules” include an immanently dangerous policy of revising the history and outcomes of the Second World War and the Nuremberg trials verdicts as the foundation of today’s world order. The West refuses to support a Russia-sponsored UN resolution proclaiming that glorifying Nazism is unacceptable, and rejects our proposals to discuss the demolition of monuments to those who liberated Europe. They also want to condemn to oblivion momentous post-war developments, such as the 1960 UN Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, initiated by our country. The former colonial powers seek to efface this memory by replacing it with hastily concocted rituals like taking a knee ahead of sports competitions, in order to divert attention from their historical responsibility for colonial-era crimes.

The rules-based order is the embodiment of double standards. The right to self-determination is recognised as an absolute “rule” whenever it can be used to an advantage. This applies to the Malvinas Islands, or the Falklands, some 12,000 kilometres from Great Britain, to the remote former colonial territories Paris and London retain despite multiple UN resolutions and rulings by the International Court of Justice, as well as Kosovo, which obtained its “independence” in violation of a UN Security Council resolution. However, if self-determination runs counter to the Western geopolitical interests, as it happened when the people of Crimea voted for reunification with Russia, this principle is cast aside, while condemning the free choice made by the people and punishing them with sanctions.

Apart from encroaching on international law, the “rules” concept also manifests itself in attempts to encroach on the very human nature. In a number of Western countries, students learn at school that Jesus Christ was bisexual. Attempts by reasonable politicians to shield the younger generation from aggressive LGBT propaganda are met with bellicose protests from the “enlightened Europe.” All world religions, the genetic code of the planet’s key civilisations, are under attack. The United States is at the forefront of state interference in church affairs, openly seeking to drive a wedge into the Orthodox world, whose values are viewed as a powerful spiritual obstacle for the liberal concept of boundless permissiveness.

The insistence and even stubbornness demonstrated by the West in imposing its “rules” are striking. Of course, domestic politics is a factor, with the need to show voters how tough your foreign policy can get when dealing with “autocratic foes” during every electoral cycle, which happen every two years in the United States.

Still, it was also the West that coined the “liberty, equality, fraternity” motto. I do not know whether the term “fraternity” is politically correct in today’s Europe from a “gender perspective,” but there were no attempts to encroach on equality so far. As mentioned above, while preaching equality and democracy in their countries and demanding that other follow its lead, the West refuses to discuss ways to ensure equality and democracy in international affairs.

This approach is clearly at odds with the ideals of freedom. The veil of its superiority conceals weakness and the fear of engaging in a frank conversation not only with yes-men and those eager to fall in line, but also with opponents with different beliefs and values, not neo-liberal or neo-conservative ones, but those learned at mother’s knee, inherited from many past generations, traditions and beliefs.

It is much harder to accept the diversity and competition of ideas in the development of the world than to invent prescriptions for all of humanity within a narrow circle of the like-minded, free from any disputes on matters of principle, which makes the emergence of truth all but impossible. However, universal platforms can produce agreements that are much more solid, sustainable, and can be subject to objective verification.

This immutable truth struggles to make it through to the Western elites, consumed as they are with the exceptionalism complex. As I mentioned earlier in this article, right after the talks between Vladimir Putin and Joseph Biden, EU and NATO officials rushed to announce that nothing has changed in the way they treat Russia. Moreover, they are ready to see their relations with Moscow deteriorate further, they claimed.

Moreover, it is an aggressive Russophobic minority that increasingly sets the EU’s policy, as confirmed by the EU Summit in Brussels on June 24 and 25, 2021, where the future of relations with Russia was on the agenda. The idea voiced by Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron to hold a meeting with Vladimir Putin was killed before it saw the light of day. Observers noted that the Russia-US Summit in Geneva was tantamount to a go-ahead by the United States to have this meeting, but the Baltic states, siding with Poland, cut short this “uncoordinated” attempt by Berlin and Paris, while the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the German and French ambassadors to explain their governments’ actions. What came out of the debates at the Brussels summit was an instruction to the European Commission and the European Union External Action Service to devise new sanctions against Moscow without referring to any specific “sins,” just in case. No doubt they will come up with something, should the need arise.

Neither NATO, nor the EU intend to divert from their policy of subjugating other regions of the world, proclaiming a self-designated global messianic mission.The North-Atlantic Treaty Organisation is seeking to proactively contribute to America’s strategy for the Indo-Pacific Region, clearly targeted at containing China, and undermining ASEAN’s role in its decades-long efforts to build an inclusive cooperation architecture for Asia-Pacific. In turn, the European Union drafts programmes to “embrace” geopolitical spaces in its neighbourhood and beyond, without coordinating these initiatives even with the invited countries. This is what the Eastern Partnership, as well as a recent programme approved by Brussels for Central Asia, are all about. There is a fundamental difference between these approaches and the ones guiding integration processes with Russia’s involvement: the CIS, the CSTO, EurAsEC and the SCO, which seek to develop relations with external partners exclusively on the basis of parity and mutual agreement.

With its contemptuous attitude towards other members of the international community, the West finds itself on the wrong side of history.

Serious, self-respecting countries will never tolerate attempts to talk to them through ultimatums and will discuss any issues only on an equal footing.

As for Russia, it is high time that everyone understands that we have drawn a definitive line under any attempts to play a one-way game with us. All the mantras we hear from the Western capitals on their readiness to put their relations with Moscow back on track, as long as it repents and changes its tack, are meaningless. Still, many persist, as if by inertia, in presenting us with unilateral demands, which does little, if any, credit to how realistic they are.

The policy of having the Russian Federation develop on its own, independently and protecting national interests, while remaining open to reaching agreements with foreign partners on an equal basis, has long been at the core of all its position papers on foreign policy, national security and defence. However, judging by the practical steps taken over the recent years by the West, they probably thought that Russia did not really mean what it preached, as if it did not intend to follow through on these principles. This includes the hysterical response to Moscow’s efforts to stand up for the rights of Russians in the aftermath of the bloody 2014 government coup in Ukraine, supported by the United States, NATO and the EU. They thought that if they applied some more pressure on the elites and targeted their interests, while expanding personal, financial and other sectoral sanctions, Moscow would come to its senses and realise that it would face mounting challenges on its development path, as long as it did not “change its behaviour,” which implies obeying the West. Even when Russia made it clear that we view this policy by the United States and Europe as a new reality and will proceed on economic and other matters from the premise that we cannot depend on unreliable partners, the West persisted in believing that, at the end of the day, Moscow “will come to its senses” and will make the required concessions for the sake of financial reward. Let me emphasise what President Vladimir Putin has said on multiple occasions: there have been no unilateral concessions since the late 1990s and there never will be. If you want to work with us, recover lost profits and business reputations, let us sit down and agree on ways we can meet each other half way in order to find fair solutions and compromises.

It is essential that the West understands that this is a firmly ingrained worldview among the people of Russia, reflecting the attitude of the overwhelming majority here. The “irreconcilable” opponents of the Russian government who have placed their stakes on the West and believe that all Russia’s woes come from its anti-Western stance advocate unilateral concessions for the sake of seeing the sanctions lifted and receiving hypothetical financial gains. But they are totally marginal in Russian society. During his June 16, 2021 news conference in Geneva, Vladimir Putin made it abundantly clear what the West is after when it supports these marginal forces.

These are disruptive efforts as far as history is concerned, while Russians have always demonstrated maturity, a sense of self-respect, dignity and national pride, and the ability to think independently, especially during hard times, while remaining open to the rest of the world, but only on an equal, mutually beneficial footing. Once we put the confusion and mayhem of the 1990s behind us, these values became the bedrock of Russia’s foreign policy concept in the 21st century. The people of Russia can decide on how they view the actions by their government without getting any prompts from abroad.

As to the question on how to proceed on the international stage, there is no doubt that leaders will always play an important role, but they have to reaffirm their authority, offer new ideas and lead by conviction, not ultimatums. The Group of Twenty, among others, is a natural platform for working out mutually acceptable agreements. It brings together the leading economies, young and old, including the G7, as well as the BRICS and its like-minded countries. Russia’s initiative to form a Greater Eurasian Partnership by coordinating the efforts of countries and organisations across the continent holds a powerful consolidating potential. Seeking to

Efforts to bring more democracy to international relations and affirm a polycentric world order include reforming the UN Security Council by strengthening it with Asian, African and Latin American countries, and ending the anomaly with the excessive representation of the West in the UN’s main body.

facilitate an honest conversation on the key global stability matters, President Vladimir Putin suggested convening a summit of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council that have special responsibility for maintaining international peace and stability on the planet.

Regardless of any ambitions and threats, our country remains committed to a sovereign and independent foreign policy, while also ready to offer a unifying agenda in international affairs with due account for the cultural and civilisational diversity in today’s world. Confrontation is not our choice, no matter the rationale. On June 22, 2021, Vladimir Putin published an article “Being Open, Despite the Past,” in which he emphasised: “We simply cannot afford to carry the burden of past misunderstandings, hard feelings, conflicts, and mistakes.” He also discussed the need to ensure security without dividing lines, a common space for equitable cooperation and inclusive development. This approach hinges on Russia’s thousand-year history and is fully consistent with the current stage in its development. We will persist in promoting the emergence of an international relations culture based on the supreme values of justice and enabling all countries, large and small, to develop in peace and freedom. We will always remain open to honest dialogue with anyone who demonstrates a reciprocal readiness to find a balance of interests firmly rooted in international law. These are the rules we adhere to.

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Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

THUGR posts about Putin so much, he must be in love.

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Originally posted by Brenda:
Out for my walk.

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Originally posted by 1KIKI:

Brenda, I had one really stellar doctor, but then he got promoted. Replacing doctors can be hard.

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Originally posted by Brenda:
Back from my walk and vacuuming done. Picked up the mail with some bad news in it. My family doc is retiring at the end of September, so I need to find a new one.

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:

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Originally posted by Brenda:
Back from my walk and vacuuming done. Picked up the mail with some bad news in it. My family doc is retiring at the end of September, so I need to find a new one.

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It seems that a LOT of doctors are retiring now. I got three letters from my HCP about doctors leaving. Two of them I only saw as same-day and don't really deal with them, but I really liked the cardiologist.

My allergist is retiring too, in August.

And, to my shock, we got a phone call from dear daughter's/hubby's neurologist office, telling us he had died. I REALLY liked him and trusted him a lot. He was very observant and listened carefully and sometimes dx'd things out of his specialty, like when he dx'd hubby's sphenoid sinus infection.

Too sad. He will be missed by many, I'm sure.

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Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

THUGR posts about Putin so much, he must be in love.

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