Red state invasion

The National Guards, sent from red states far away, in DC, are spreading mulch around our cherry blossom trees and picking up garbage. Since our crime rate was already at a 30 year low, there isn’t much else for them to do and this is very nice. It would have been cheaper to not fire park service employees. We went from 200 to 20. I suspect those 180 employees who lived locally would have been cheaper than 2000 National Guardsmen but hey, I don’t understand Republican economics. I’d much rather have them picking up garbage than harassing people. 

Dictatorship:  Lisa said we’re going to be ok. She said there are so many protests, all the time, in DC, with people furious, and so many people participating who have never protested before in their lives, that we are resisting. Everyone is filming. We will be ok. 

I made pesto this morning. I was excited this year because I saw pesto recipes for smoothie makers and proceeded to try a few months ago. That was when my smoothie maker died. Did the pesto kill it? Or was it the final straw? My current smoothie maker has a blender attachment and that was amazing. Then every piece is dishwasher safe! 

It is delicious.

My concern about access to the next Covid vaccine has been borne out. They are only approved for people 65 and over or those with underlying conditions. Obviously Karen can get one. I might have to get “off-label” use which means it won’t be covered by my new insurance. It means even fewer Americans will get them. It means everyone will be at risk as we will have less herd immunity. It means, again, our own government is hurting us. 

Ukrainian sea drones called “sea babies” have done a great job forcing Russia’s Black Sea fleet to retreat. They’ve also successfully attacked the giant bridge Putin built, the Crimean Bridge. Russian helicopters started hunting sea babies. The sea babies have only worked by crashing into the Russian ships and exploding. Ukraine has now upgraded the sea babies. Authorities launched a fundraising campaign in Feb 2024 to raise money. They raised over $7 million in 48 hours and bought 35 new drones. They integrated large caliber machine guns and advanced targeting systems. They have artificial intelligence. They can shoot back now. 

Ukrainian drones hit key Russian refineries in Krasnodar and Samara. They are both on fire. The Krasnodar one produces petrol and diesel, some of which is for the Russian occupation forces. This destroyed another 4.7% of Russia’s fuel capacity. Some gas stations in Russia, like the far east and occupied Crimea, are now dry. Ukraine also hit Russian ammunition storage points and several logistical facilities.