Izvinite!

 (Translation: “Sorry!”)

As the fog rolled in off the ocean and the temperature dropped by one-third (25 degrees) around here, it was a reminder that this the northern part of California, not the southern.

One of the first surprises when I landed in San Francisco 50 years ago was that this corner of the state isn’t exactly a tropical paradise so much as a place where you better always have a sweater or jacket close at hand because the local conditions in each of our micro-climates can change several times a day.

The weather here is just like the news, if you pay close attention. Case in point: The showdown on three sides of the Ukraine generates many of the headlines these days as Europe holds its breath for the authoritarian Putin’s next move.

As I follow each twist and turn, I can’t help wondering whether something isn’t being lost in translation in the talks between Russia, the U.S., the Ukraine, and various NATO countries’ leaders.

S.I. Hayakawa, the former senator and president of San Francisco State University who was hated by student activists of my generation, was nonetheless a gifted linguist who on occasion recounted a fascinating story about an international incident that was barely averted during the Cold War after a series of mis-translations between English and Russian officials.

Like most languages, the two do not translate literally back and forth; ultimately it is a matter of interpretation what certain words and phrases mean in the other tongue. This basic fact about languages has caused many problems throughout history and it may still be happening now.

But one thing speaks louder than words and that is the massing of some 130,000 Russian troops on the Ukraine borders. If Putin wants this to end peacefully, it’s unlikely that any words he can utter will do the trick.

So...Izymat'!

(Withdraw!)

TODAY’s NEWS (40):

1. Canada Opens Blockaded Bridge, but in Ottawa, Truckers Won’t Budge — Amid progress at a border bridge, Ottawa remained frozen by an antigovernment protest. There were signs of a slight thaw, with truckers said to be weighing pulling out of part of the capital. (NYT)

2. Canadian police seize guns, arrest 11 in ‘Freedom Convoy’ protests (WP)

3. The Next Pandemic Could Start With a Terrorist Attack — Nations around the world should come together now to determine how best to protect humans from biowarfare. (Atlantic)

4. ‘Freedom Convoy’-style protests against vaccine mandates reach Europe and beyond (WP)

5. Canada protests sound common refrain: ‘We stand for freedom’ (AP)

6. The COVID Strategy America Hasn’t Really Tried — The clearest way to reduce deaths is to push to vaccinate more of the elderly—yes, still! (Atlantic)

7. After chasing variants, scientists seek a universal vaccine — To many scientists, developing variant-specific vaccines is a short-term, shortsighted and unsustainable strategy. (WP)

8. Inside McConnell’s Campaign to Take Back the Senate and Thwart Trump — Senator Mitch McConnell is working furiously to bring allies to Washington who will buck Donald J. Trump. It’s not going according to plan. (NYT)

9. A weakened Trump? As some voters edge away, he battles parts of the GOP he once ran. (WP)

10. Former President Donald Trump's longtime accounting firm has dropped the Trump Organization as its client amid New York prosecutors' multiple investigations into whether Trump overvalued his assets in financial statements. Mazars USA also disavowed financial statements it prepared for Trump between 2011 and 2020 and said they “should no longer be relied upon.” [HuffPost]

11. GOP Rep. Jim Jordan says a Trump statement that suggested the execution of former Hillary Clinton campaign aides was 'right on target' (Business Insider)

12. People Are Going Out Again, but Not to the Office — Only a third of U.S. employees have returned to the office, as workers prefer remote work and companies fear ordering them back. (WSJ)

13. SEC, states hit crypto lender BlockFi with $100M penalty (Politico)

14. Ukraine invasion could be imminent, says foreign secretary (BBC)

15. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan was asked whether the U.S. is dangerously sparking panic in Ukraine about a potential Russian invasion. “Only one country has amassed more than 100,000 troops on the border of Ukraine. It’s not the United States. It’s Russia. That is the source of the alarm,” Sullivan told CNN. [HuffPost]

16. Tracking cyber’s role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict (Politico)

17. European, U.S. leaders race to defuse Ukraine crisis amid warnings of imminent Russia attack (WP)

18. US: Over 130,000 Russian troops now staged outside Ukraine (AP)

19. Ukraine’s President Tries to Avert Panic as Pressure Mounts — With Ukraine at the center of Europe’s most intense security crisis of the post-Cold War era, President Zelensky is driving home his message of optimism. (NYT)

20. Ukraine crisis: miscalculation could trigger unintended wider conflict (Guardian)

21. Russian foreign minister stresses ‘a way forward’ for diplomacy in Ukraine crisis (Financial Times)

22. Talks to salvage Iran's 2015 nuclear deal are not at a dead end but key outstanding issues require political decisions by the West, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said. He also said a prisoner swap deal with the United States was on the agenda in parallel with the talks in Vienna. (Reuters)

23. Unpaid and Potentially Stateless, Afghan Diplomats Seek Permission to Remain in U.S. — American banks have suspended government accounts to prevent the Taliban from gaining access to funds, suspending the salaries of many workers. (NYT)

24. Estimated one million Afghan children engaged in labour: NGO (Aljazeera)

25. World shares skidded as warnings that Russia could invade Ukraine at any time drove oil prices to seven-year peaks, belted the euro and sent investors scuttling back to the safe-haven government bonds they have been dumping all year. (Reuters)

26. Study finds Western megadrought is the worst in 1,200 years (NPR)

27. Flourishing plants show warming Antarctica undergoing ‘major change’ (Guardian)

28. As few as three major criminal groups are responsible for smuggling the vast majority of elephant ivory tusks out of Africa, according to a new study.

    Researchers used analysis of DNA from seized elephant tusks and evidence such as phone records, license plates, financial records and shipping documents to map trafficking operations across the continent and better understand who was behind the crimes. (AP)

29. DNA detectives use elephant tusk analysis to track ivory smugglers (Financial Times)

30. How states are scrambling to find new teachers (Politico)

31. Earth's Core Is in a Weird Superionic State: 'Quite Abnormal' (Newsweek)

32. After Nearly 58 Years, Pennsylvania Police Solve Killing of 9-Year-Old Girl (NYT)

33. Judge to dismiss Sarah Palin’s libel case against New York Times (WP)

34. The Chesa Boudin recall stopped being only about San Francisco a long time ago. (SFC)

35. Fewer small businesses are opening in S.F. The pandemic is only part of the problem (SFC)

36. Heartbreak can literally break your heart, a comic! (NPR)

37. The Paradox of Slow Love — No one formula can guarantee love and lasting commitment, but “taking it slow” may be a losing strategy. (Atlantic)

38. The two songs Bob Dylan said it “doesn’t get any better than” (Far Out)

39. Pandemic love, lost and found (WP)

40. Artificially Intelligent Amazon Supercomputer Stuck In Dead-End Retail Job (The Onion)