Way back before the pandemic, when I lived alone in a flat in San Francisco, I used to stockpile reserves of canned foods, bottled water, candles, pain meds and emergency supplies.
The ostensible reason I did this was for earthquake preparedness, but really I just liked to have extra stuff around, figuring it might turn out to be useful someday somehow.
Then Covid came along and everybody became aware of how quickly basic supplies could fly off the shelves — something people in hurricane country have known forever.
When I moved in with my daughter and her family in March 2020, I brought along some stuff deemed useful — toilet paper, coffee filters, canned soups — because I had it on-hand and she wanted it.
And since then we’ve all become familiar with supply chain shortages and how minor perturbations in shipping or trucking lanes can create big distribution problems in the store closest to you.
Anyway, this is all a long-winded way of noting that the era of pandemic panic buying has now officially been replaced by the era of survivalist buying in preparation for global war. As the Times reports, “Bunkers, survival guides and iodine pills are flying off the shelves.”
So that’s progress I guess. Or as one guy put it to me recently. “You know, I was just thinking we were over with that one darned thing (Covid) when this new one (nuclear war) came along.”
Yep. Life seems to be working that way these days, sort of like we’re all living in some old Bod Dylan song.
Well, you can visit me in my bomb shelter if I can visit you in yours…I said that.
Today’s News (47):
Pandemic Fears Give Way to a Rush for Bomb Shelters — Since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, European anxiety has shifted from Covid to nuclear annihilation. Bunkers, survival guides and iodine pills are flying off the shelves. (NYT)
Russian foreign intelligence leaders reportedly placed under house arrest (NHK)
Fighting grows more intense as Russian forces advance toward multiple cities (WP)
Ukraine’s New Foreign Legion Takes the Fight to Russian Forces (WSJ)
‘He's lashing out’: U.S. sees ‘broadening’ of Putin strategy in Western Ukraine strike (Politico)
American journalist killed in Ukraine, Kyiv region police chief says (Reuters)
Journalist risking jail to report from inside Russia speaks out (CNN)
Russia sanctions: How the measures have changed daily life (BBC)
Taiwan demonstrators show solidarity with Ukraine (NHK)
National security adviser Jake Sullivan to meet with Chinese counterpart amid Ukraine invasion (CNN)
China faces consequences if it helps Russia evade sanctions over Ukraine, White House adviser says (Reuters)
U.S. to Send Arms to Ukraine, as Russia Intensifies Campaign of Destruction (NYT)
Russian strike on military site near Poland kills at least 35, injures 134 (WP)
Russia widens assault on Ukraine with deadly hit on military base near Poland (BBC)
Protests over suspected Russian plans to turn occupied Ukrainian province into breakaway state (CNN)
Sullivan confident military supplies are reaching Ukraine's front lines (Politico)
Ukraine refugees tell harrowing tales even as numbers ease (AP)
Ukraine war becomes a cudgel in Republican Party's internal conflict (Reuters)
Russia’s Bombs Force Ukraine Into War Economy: ‘Plants That Made Sweaters Are Making Weapons’ (WSJ)
Russia faces brain drain as thousands flee abroad (BBC)
Visual Forensics: Russian attacks struck at least 9 medical facilities, visual evidence shows (WP)
Russians advance in Ukrainian cities as war deepens and diplomatic efforts fail (WP)
Hundreds of Planes Are Stranded in Russia. They May Never Be Recovered. (NYT)
Ukraine President Foresees ‘New Stage of Terror’ as Russia Steps Up Strikes Near Kyiv (WSJ)
The Democracy Turning Its Back on Ukraine — For reasons to do with history and strategy, India will not abandon Russia. (Atlantic)
Official: Drone that crashed in Croatia carried a bomb (AP)
Vladimir Putin now among most hated world figures in recent U.S. history (WP)
U.S. Won’t Negotiate Ukraine-Related Sanctions With Russia to Save Iran Nuclear Deal (WSJ)
In Russian invasion of Ukraine, Cold War echoes reverberate (AP)
Assassinating Putin Won’t Work. It Never Has for America. (Politico)
‘A serious failure’: scale of Russia’s military blunders becomes clear (Financial Times)
Ballistic missiles hit Iraq's Kurdish capital, Iran's Revolutionary Guard claim responsibility (Reuters)
Iran claims responsibility for missiles that struck near a U.S. consulate in Iraq (NPR)
Peru’s ‘worst ecological disaster’ slams small-scale fishing (AP)
We’ve Got 13 Years To Find ‘Another Earth’ In The Closest Star System To Us And This Is What It Will Look Like Say Scientists (Forbes)
This Year's Flu Vaccine Was Basically Worthless (Gizmodo)
China battles worst Covid outbreak for two years as cases double in 24 hours (Guardian)
After 2 Years of Pandemic Life, Turn Toward Normalcy Is a Shake-Up (NYT)
New ‘Deltacron’ Covid-19 Coronavirus Variant Is A Recombinant Of Delta And Omicron (Forbes)
Why Florida is ground zero for America’s ‘culture war’ (Politico)
Not enough Wordle in your life? Try these 10 word game spinoffs (USA Today)
Writers Retreat Gives Aspiring Novelists Opportunity To Receive Critical Feedback From Other Nobodies (The Onion)
Lyrics:
“Bob Dylan’s Dream”
While riding on a train goin' west
I fell asleep for to take my rest
I dreamed a dream that made me sad
Concerning myself and the first few friends I had
With half-damp eyes, I stared to the room
Where my friends and I spent many an afternoon
Where we together weathered many a storm
Laughin' and singin' till the early hours of the morn
By the old wooden stove our hats was hung
Our words was told, our songs was sung
Where we longed for nothin' and were satisfied
Jokin' and talkin' about the world outside
With hungry hearts through the heat and cold
We never much thought we could get very old
We thought we could sit forever in fun
And our chances really was a million to one
As easy, it was to tell black from white
It was all that easy to tell wrong from right
And our choices there was few
So the thought never hit
At the one road we travelled, we ever shatter or split
How many a year has passed and gone?
Many a gamble has been lost and won
And many a road taken by many a first friend
And each one I've never seen again
I wish, I wish, I wish in vain
That we could sit simply in that room again
Ten thousand dollars at the drop of a hat
I'd give it all gladly if our lives could be like that
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