Afghan Conversation 27: Land of Trapped Girls

 This is the latest in a series of conversations I have been having with an Afghan friend since the Taliban took power last year. I am not revealing his identity out of concern for his safety.

Dear David:

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, they’ve consistently banned secondary schooling for girls. Recently they suddenly announced that girls would be allowed to go to secondary school,  but then quickly rescinded that announcement.

Let me describe the situation for girls in rural Helmand province, which is typical of most of Afghanistan.

On a recent trip to one of Helmand's districts called Sangin, I talked with many people and asked them to describe their lives. A young man who appeared to be in his late twenties told me about his family. His father had two wives, and 15 children, six  girls and nine boys. None of them are educated. 

The young man said that there is not any active school in their village, but one former school, now a damaged skeleton of a building, that is occupied by the Taliban. The Talibs tell the people of the village that if they send their children to school they will become infidels. The people believe them so they send their sons not to school but to the seminary. No one talks about the girls going to school because it is considered shameful to even talk about women there. 

Women have no rights in Helmand. A woman is considered to be her husband's possession. If a suitor comes for a girl, she has no right to accept or reject him, she must submit to whatever her father decides. The groom is expected to pay between $10,000 - $20,000 to his father-in-law, which in Afghanistan is an enormous sum of money.

Sometimes, girls are sold as second or third wives for large sums of money, even if the man is very old. When a girl goes to her husband's house, she has no right to protest her situation. Nor can she get a divorce. If she protests against her conditions, she will be beaten. Outside of the home, her name is never even spoken.

The Taliban are using the issue of improving the lives of girls as a weapon to try and get the rest of the world to recognize them as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan. The girls are pawns in this game.

Meanwhile, the progress made before the Taliban took over has been reversed and now girls are trapped in their homes. They have little hope that the situation will improve anytime soon.

Today’s News (43)

1. Biden travels to Poland as the country struggles with Ukrainian refugee influx (NBC)

2. Biden meets Polish leader on NATO’s eastern flank (WP)

3. Biden’s Poland Visit to Underline Backing for Ukraine (WSJ)

4. Russia's army says the first phase of its military campaign in Ukraine is over. It will now focus its efforts on the eastern Donbas region, it says, which contains two pro-Russian breakaway republics. Western officials believe the announcement implies that Moscow knows its pre-war strategy has failed. (BBC)

5. U.S., EU strike LNG deal as Europe seeks to cut Russian gas (Reuters)

6. Ukraine tells Russia 'die or surrender' as its Kyiv counterattack pushes back invaders (NBC)

7. Ukrainian troops are recapturing towns east of Kyiv and Russian forces who had been trying to seize the capital are falling back on overextended supply lines, Britain said, one of the strongest indications yet of a shift in momentum in the war. (Reuters)

8. Ukraine says 300 died in theater attack, hunger grips cities (AP)

9. Ukrainian Refugees Find Easier Path to Enter U.S. at the Mexican Border (WSJ)

10. How the false Russian biolab story came to circulate among the U.S. far right (NPR)

11. Russians have rushed to stock up on anti-depressants, sleeping pills and contraceptives among other products since the conflict in Ukraine began, with people buying a month's worth of medicine in just two weeks. (Reuters)

12. Biden and his allies vow to take a tougher stance; Ukraine counteroffensive enters its second week (NYT)

13. War in Ukraine could lead to food riots in poor countries, warns WTO boss (Guardian)

14. Russian precision-guided missiles are failing up to 60% of the time in Ukraine, three U.S. officials with knowledge of intelligence on the issue told Reuters, a possible explanation for the poor progress of Russia's invasion. (Reuters)

15. Europe wants to cut Russian energy. Climate policies can help. (WP)

16. Biden Embraces Longstanding U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy Amid Pressure From Allies (WSJ)

17. Russia states more limited war goal to 'liberate' Donbass (Reuters)

18. Ukraine claims that Russia is using white phosphorus (WP)

19. Too big to fail': White House careful not to target food companies as it pressures Putin (Politico)

20. Russia in push to take control of Mariupol (NHK)

21. VIDEO: NATO Braces for Russian Biological, Chemical or Nuclear Threats (Reuters)

22. How US is expanding aid to Ukrainian refugees (AP)

23. Ukrainian military clarifies which Russian landing ship it destroyed (The Hill)

24. NATO unite behind Ukraine at Brussels summit (Reuters)

25. Some prominent Russians quit jobs, refuse to support war (AP)

26. VIDEO: ‘Is There Shooting Here?’ Ukrainians Find Refuge in Moldova (NYT)

27. Finland's national railway operator will suspend services between Helsinki and Saint Petersburg in Russia on Monday, closing one of the last public transport routes to the European Union for Russians. (Reuters)

28. Putin’s war in Ukraine nearing possibly more dangerous phase (AP)

29. China threat to Taiwan highlighted by Ukraine war, warns US admiral (Financial Times)

30. Manchin says he will vote for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson (CNN)

31. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), who helped inspire Trump supporters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, said Trump “always brings up ‘We got to rescind the election. We got to take Joe Biden out and put me in now.’” Trump on Wednesday said he was withdrawing his endorsement of Brooks in his Alabama Senate race because the lawmaker had stopped calling for tossing out Biden's presidential victory. [HuffPost]

32. Ginni Thomas reportedly pressed Trump's chief of staff on overturning the election (NPR)

33. Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, sent nearly two dozen text messages urging former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to aggressively move to overturn the 2020 presidential election. “The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History," she wrote. Meadows has turned in a total of 2,230 messages to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. [HuffPost]

34. A group of Georgia voters asked state officials to block Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from running for reelection, alleging she is unfit for office because of her support of rioters who attacked the Capitol. (Reuters)

35. A Bomb Crater as Business Partner for a Pit Stop on an Afghan Highway (NYT)

36. India said ties with China could not be normal until their troops pulled back from each other on the disputed border, but Beijing struck a conciliatory note during a meeting of their foreign ministers in New Delhi. (Reuters)

37. Satellite data shows entire Conger ice shelf has collapsed in Antarctica (Guardian)

38. A coalition of four Native American tribes is lobbying for the establishment of a sweeping new national monument surrounding a Navy bombing range in central Nevada in order to permanently protect the area’s cultural and natural resources. The Numu Newe National Monument would span nearly 3 million acres of federal lands that are the ancestral home of the Paiute and Shoshone people, and would be the largest national monument on land. [HuffPost]

39. Cities Lost Population in 2021, Leading to the Slowest Year of Growth in U.S. History (NYT)

40. Kit Daniels, a longtime employee for the conspiracy website Infowars, broke down in tears during a deposition when he was confronted with the damage his article misidentifying the Parkland school shooter allegedly caused. His testimony reveals the rickety ethical workings of the conspiracy outlet. [HuffPost]

41. POLITICO-Harvard poll: 40 percent of parents believe masks at school harmed their kids (Politico)

42. Paralyzed man with brain chip says first words in months: ‘I want a beer’ (NY Post)

43. Ant Flees Across State Line Carrying Big Crumb (The Onion)

Dueling Fairy Tales

 [A 1913 illustration from Russian folk tale ‘At the Pike’s Behest,’ also known as ‘Emelyan the Fool.’ В. Курдюмов]

One thing about the current war that has surprised much of the world is how well the smaller and outgunned Ukrainian army has fared against the massive and well-armed Russian force since the latter invaded in February.

But two scholars who were not quite so surprised both happen to be experts on the psychology of children’s literature and how such stories influence our behavior as adults, especially in times of crisis. 

Social scientists Sophia Moskalenko and Mia Bloom published an article called “How fairy tales shape fighting spirit” in an academic journal called The Conversation that compares the differences in Ukrainian and Russian folklore as reflected in their respective children’s fairy tales.

Their conclusions are provocative:

• The master narratives that Ukrainian children grow up with – which serve as the dominant cultural script – are radically different from the ones Russian children absorb.

• Traditional Ukrainian bedtime stories, such as “Kotygoroshko,” “Kyrylo Kozhumyaka” and “Ivasyk Telesyk,” all portray unassuming characters persevering against insurmountable odds.

• In Ukrainian children’s bedtime stories, the main characters often start out as unlikely heroes, but their courage, cleverness and grit help them succeed against the odds.

• In contrast, Russian children’s stories often revolve around a central character named Ivan Durak – Ivan the Stupid.

• In Russian fairy tales such as “By the Pike’s Wish,” “Princess Frog” and “Sivka Burka,” the main character eventually prevails. He doesn’t win through his own virtues, though, but through the intervention of a magical being – a fish, a frog, a horse – that does all the hard work while the main character claims credit.

• These Russian folk tales seem to suggest that the recipe for success is not to be too smart or work too hard, but to sit tight in hope that magic will take care of everything.

Nobody would suggest that the entire explanation for the Ukrainians’ surprising success against the Russians will boil down to which fairy tales they learned as children, of course, and the authors of this article are suitably modest in their claims.

But they may be on to something extremely significant here.

[Thanks to my friend Laurie Sigillito, founder and CEO of Local News Network, for alerting me to the fairy tales article.]

Today’s News (65):

1. How fairy tales shape fighting spirit: Ukraine’s children hear bedtime stories of underdog heroes, while Russian children hear tales of magical success (The Conversation)

2. One month into the Ukraine war, a defiant nation is forever changed but adapting (WP)

3. Biden promises new Ukraine aid, warns Russia on chem weapons (AP)

4. U.S. announces new Russian sanctions, plans to admit thousands of Ukrainian refugees (NBC)

5. Ukraine Strikes Russian Navy as War Enters Second Month (WSJ)

6. As Biden Visits Europe Over Crisis, NATO Says It’s Doubling Eastern Flank Forces (NYT)

7. Nato Has Never Been More United - Biden (BBC)

8. Putin Doesn’t Realize How Much Warfare Has Changed — The Russian president’s obsession with World War II is hindering his invasion of Ukraine. (Atlantic)

9. Reporter describes an astounding amount of military hardware going in to help Ukraine (NPR)

10. Bulgarians protest Russia’s war in Ukraine (AP)

11. Biden Calls for Russia to Be Expelled From G-20 (WSJ)

12. Defiant Ukrainian troops tell Russians: 'Go home while you're still alive' (BBC)

13. Biden warns Russia of ‘response’ if it uses chemical weapons (Financial Times)

14. Biden to hold NATO talks as Ukraine war hits one month (WP)

15. US To Welcome 100,000 Ukrainian Refugees (CBS)

16. Western leaders meeting in Brussels will agree to strengthen their forces in Eastern Europe and increase military aid to Ukraine as the Russian assault on its neighbor entered its second month. (Reuters)

17. For Years, Poland Warned of the Russian Threat. Now, the West Is Listening. (WSJ)

18. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the world to remain steadfast in its support one month after Russia began its invasion. “Come from your offices, your homes, your schools and universities, come in the name of peace, come with Ukrainian symbols to support Ukraine, to support freedom, to support life," he said in a video message. Biden is in Europe this week for a summit with NATO allies and the European Union to hash out new sanctions against Russia and discuss further military aid. [HuffPost]

19. Zelenskiy urged world leaders for a no-fly zone over his country, where thousands of people have been killed, millions become refugees, and cities pulverized since Putin unleashed his invasion on February 24. (Reuters)

20. What Türkiye can teach Europe about handling a refugee crisis (Al Jazeera)

21. Russian military ship destroyed in Berdyansk, Ukrainian Navy claims (CNN)

22. Fed Up With Deadly Propaganda, Some Russian Journalists Quit (NYT)

23. U.S. intelligence shows that Russia has committed war crimes in its assault on Ukraine, harming civilians and violating international law, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Blinken highlighted a Russian attack on a maternity hospital in Mariupol and a United Nations estimate that the war has killed at least 2,500 Ukrainian civilians, and likely many more. [HuffPost]

24. Ukrainian authorities in besieged Mariupol said about 15,000 civilians had been illegally deported to Russia since Russian forces seized parts of the southern port city. (Reuters)

25. Top Russian military leaders repeatedly decline calls from U.S. (WP)

26. VIDEO: NATO Boosts Presence in Eastern Europe Ahead of Ukraine Summits (Reuters)

27. U.S. to sanction over 300 Russian elites and block Russian central bank gold (CNBC)

28. Madeleine Albright had a lot to say about Putin — and she didn't mince words (NPR)

29. Ukraine is using facial recognition software to identify the bodies of Russian soldiers killed in combat and to trace their families to inform them of their deaths, says Ukraine's vice prime minister (Reuters)

30. Zelensky Doesn’t Know the End of His Story. Churchill Didn’t Either. (NYT)

31. Russian journalist Oksana Baulina killed in shelling incident in Kyiv (CNN)

32. BlackRock's chief executive, Larry Fink, said that the Russia-Ukraine war could end up accelerating digital currencies as a tool to settle international transactions, as the conflict upends the globalization drive of the last three decades. (Reuters)

33. G-7 leaders pledge action to address food shortages caused by war (Politico)

34. Ukraine says Moscow is forcibly taking civilians to Russia (AP)

35. Britain sanctioned another wave of Russia's banks, critical industries and a host of members of its elite, including Gazprombank, Alfa Bank, and a woman they said was the stepdaughter of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. (Reuters)

36. How Russia and Right-Wing Americans Converged on War in Ukraine (NYT)

37. Russia state media turn to Rumble to get out their word (Politico)

38. The Biden administration warned Beijing not to take advantage of business opportunities created by sanctions, help Moscow evade export controls or process its banned financial transactions. But Washington may put down its sanctions bazooka when it comes to China, says Breakingviews columnist Gina Chon. (Reuters)

39. Ukraine refugees’ hopes of return wane after a month of war (AP)

40. How the Ukraine war could go nuclear (Politico)

41. A Town on Ukraine’s Edge, Determined to Escape Its Past (NYT)

42. Uber Reaches Deal to List All New York City Taxis on Its App (WSJ)

43. Snake Island sailors are freed as Ukraine and Russia conduct a prisoner exchange (NPR)

44. Russian spies indicted in worldwide hacks of energy industry, including Kansas nuclear plant (Politico)

45. GOP senators grilling Ketanji Brown Jackson this week have been critical of what they deem to be her "activist" tendencies. But they are also advocating for the Supreme Court to reverse historic decisions to shift the country back decades in a more conservative direction. It starts with Roe v. Wade, but there are many other rights that Republicans would like to see taken away from Americans, writes Amanda Terkel. Today is the last day of Jackson's confirmation hearing. [HuffPost]

46. House Republican Says Trump Asked Him to Illegally ‘Rescind’ 2020 Election (NYT)

47. Prosecutor who resigned over stalled Trump probe says ex-president committed felonies (WP)

48. Why Trump Is Losing His Grip on the GOP (Politico)

49. Jobless claims fall to lowest level since 1969 (The Hill)

50. Many baffled by Taliban reneging pledge on girls’ education (AP)

51. The toll of the COVID-19 pandemic was reflected in a natural decrease last year in the population of nearly three-quarters of U.S. countiesversus the two previous years, the census bureau said. (Reuters)

52. Do you need a second booster for the BA.2 variant? It’s complicated, says UCSF’s Monica Gandhi (SFC)

53. Rich countries getting new COVID vaccine before poorer ones (AP)

54. U.S. alcohol-related deaths hit highest rate in decades during coronavirus pandemic, study shows (WP)

55. Wall Street Has Been Betting Billions on Crypto. Here’s Why. (WSJ)

56. Comet Leonard has broken into pieces as it rounds the sun: report (Space.com)

57. Dense Bones Allowed Spinosaurus – The Biggest Carnivorous Dinosaur Ever Discovered – To Hunt Underwater (SciTechDaily)

58. Dinosaurs: Jurassic giants emerge from Wyoming badlands (BBC)

59. This trick keeps snakes from suffocating as they squeeze and swallow their prey (NPR)

60. Mysterious 'odd radio circles' seen in space, new image shows (CNN)

61. Spacewalking astronauts restore radiator, replace space station camera after wardrobe malfunction (Space.com)

62. The California State University system is dropping its SAT and ACT admissions requirement (Associated Press) 

63. A new report finds that Los Angeles has the worst air quality of any major U.S. city (LAist)

64. Foreign internet entrepreneurs are profiting off U.S. political divides (SFC)

65. Study Finds Suspicious Circumstances Still Leading Cause Of Death In Russia (The Onion)

Stayin' Alive

Chandler, Arizona

Talking with other retired people is giving me a new perspective on the issue of work/life balance in the post-pandemic era.

Like many other (men) of my vintage, I made a habit of going years at a time without using any of my “sick days” or vacation time during my working years. I thought I was being smart by saving it up for later use but in fact I was cheating myself while not doing my employers any good either.

Hopefully people like me learned a lesson or two from the pandemic. The past two flu seasons have seen very low rates of illness and death, no doubt because of the masking and social distance measures we had to take for Covid. Accordingly, thousands of people are still with us who otherwise would have perished from the flu.

Countless times over my half-century career, I went to work when I had cold or flu symptoms, thinking how tough I was or least how smart I was by not wasting my sick time allotment.

False on both counts.

A friend who is a retired minister tells a story that brings all of my assumptions from then into sharper focus. One time years ago, he had a bad cold when he learned that an aged parishioner was ill and he decided he should pay her a visit.

He bundled up against the weather, all the time congratulating himself for being such a good servant of God and for taking yet another selfless action in his lifetime of service. But when he got to the woman’s house, she didn’t looked at all pleased to see him.

“Let me get this straight, young man,” she said. (He was maybe 60 at the time.) “You thought it was a good idea to visit a 101-year-old woman when you were sick yourself, am I right?” 

My friend nodded sheepishly while she paused. Then she continued.

“You know, Father, people ask me all the time how I have been able to live this long. Well, it’s simple — by not letting people like you in the house when you’re carrying germs. So kindly go on home and pray I’ll still be here next time you come around.” 

He did and she was.

Amen.

Today’s News (60):

1. Biden heads to high-stakes NATO summit amid showdown with Putin over Ukraine (ABC)

2. Four weeks into a war that has driven a quarter of Ukraine's 44 million people from their homes, Russia has failed to capture a single major Ukrainian city, while Western sanctions have ostracized it from the world economy.(Reuters)

3. NATO Estimates Steep Russian Losses in Ukraine (WSJ)

4. Putin Adviser Chubais Quits Over Ukraine War, Leaves Russia (Bloomberg)

5. Ukrainians Try to Push Back Russian Forces Pummeling Their Cities (NYT)

6. Nato to boost forces in eastern Europe as Ukraine war rages (BBC)

7. Ukrainians have pushed Russian forces back to the east of Kyiv, US official says (CNN)

8. West warns of increased Russian brutality (WP)

9. US finds Russian troops have committed war crimes in Ukraine (AP)

10. Biden, Allies Aim to Project United Front Against Russia at NATO Meeting (WSJ)

11. Russia's combat power in Ukraine has declined below 90 percent of its pre-invasion levels for the first time since its attack began, a senior U.S. defense official said, suggesting heavy losses of weaponry and growing casualties. (Reuters)

12. What the city of Mariupol means for Ukraine — and for Russia's military campaign (NPR)

13. Kremlin press secretary Dmity Peskov parroted talking points and refused to rule out nuking Ukraine in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour. President Vladimir Putin “intends to make the world listen to and understand our concerns” about the perceived “anti-Russia” threat from the West, said Peskov. [HuffPost]

14. Ukrainian leaders accused Russia of seizing 15 rescue workers and drivers from a humanitarian convoy trying to get desperately needed food and other supplies into the bloodied port city of Mariupol. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy estimated that 100,000 civilians remained in Mariupol, scene of some of the war’s worst devastation. [AP]

15. Russia condemned what it called a "reckless" Polish proposal to send international peacekeepers into Ukraine and warned that it could lead to a direct clash between Russian and NATO forces. We look at how NATO's bi-annual Arctic drill is taking on a new significance. (Reuters)

16. Ukrainian President Asked U.S. Not to Sanction Abramovich )WSJ)

17. AP-NORC poll: More support for Ukraine, concern about Russia (AP)

18. How one of Ukraine's top young golfers escaped the war (CNN)

19. Russia’s Oil-and-Gas Industry Is Starting to Feel the Bite of Sanctions (WSJ)

20. How Ukraine’s Outgunned Air Force Is Fighting Back Against Russian Jets (NYT)

21. Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to attend the next G20 summit in Indonesia later this year and received valuable backing from Beijing in a pushback to suggestions by some members that Russia could be barred from the group. (Reuters)

22. Ukraine says it has retaken key town outside Kyiv as defenses hold against Russian onslaught (WP)

23. How Russia's invasion of Ukraine rocked commodity markets (DW)

24. Kremlin: no one thought Ukraine operation would take just a couple of days -Tass (Reuters)

25. Historic synagogue in Kyiv has spent $2 million evacuating Ukrainians from war’s hot spots (WP)

26. VIDEO: Biden to Press Allies for Stronger Sanctions Against Russia (NYT)

27. As many as 15,000 Russian troops have been killed since the invasion of Ukraine began, NATO says (USA Today)

28. As Russia Stalls in Ukraine, Dissent Brews Over Putin’s Leadership (NYT)

29. A sanctioned Russian oligarch's superyacht hurriedly left port in Montenegro without refueling shortly before a wave of EU sanctions were announced - report (Yahoo)

30. Amid Russia’s new crackdowns, small signs of defiance emerge (AP)

31. As war rages in Ukraine, Nestle suspends sales of KitKat and Nesquik in Russia (CBS)

32. UN: Over 3.6 million people have fled Ukraine (NHK)

33. Twitter sleuths emerge as Ukraine war intelligence analysts (WP)

34. Ukraine War and Pandemic Force Nations to Retreat From Globalization (NYT)

35. Biden tells governors to 'take urgent action' to protect infrastructure from Russian hackers (Politico)

36. A new fund directs its support to Ukraine’s long-term needs (AP)

37. A Month of War Has Transformed Ukraine (Atlantic)

38. Capitol riot suspect who fled to Belarus granted asylum, state media says (WP)

39. In a reversal, the Taliban bars Afghan girls from attending school beyond 6th grade (NPR)

40. Taliban Blocks Secondary Education for Girls in Last-Minute Reversal — So Much For Progress (Daily Beast)

41. The Taliban backtracked on their announcement that high schools would open for girls, saying they would remain closed until a plan was drawn up in accordance with Islamic law for them to reopen. (Reuters)

42. Silence replaces old folk tunes in historic quarter of Kabul (AP)

43. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson faced hours of grilling from the nearly two dozen senators on the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. She projected a measured, thoughtful demeanor, even as Republicans tried to find a line of attack that would stick. “Do you agree … that babies are racist?” asked Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), referring to a children's book about racism. The hearing continues today. [HuffPost]

44. What GOP senators seem to mind most about Ketanji Brown Jackson is what I most admire (KC Star)

45. Judging a Judge on Race and Crime, G.O.P. Plays to Base and Fringe (NYT)

46. Jackson defends her record against Republican criticism (WP)

47. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) said that he believes interracial marriage should not be legal nationwide and that individual states should decide whether to allow it. Braun later walked back his comments, claiming he misunderstood the question. Braun isn't on the judiciary committee, but he will get to vote on whether to confirm Jackson as a Supreme Court justice. Jackson herself is in an interracial marriage. [HuffPost]

48. Biden's public approval rating fell to a new low of 40% this week, a clear warning sign for his Democratic Party as it seeks to retain control of Congress in the November 8 election, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. (Reuters)

49. Scientists worry virus variant may push up COVID cases in US (AP)

50. About one-in-three COVID-19 cases in the United States are now caused by the BA.2 Omicron sub-variant of the coronavirus, according to government data that also showed overall infections still declining from January's record highs. (Reuters)

51. As BA.2 spreads, Biden administration officials call on Congress to pass Covid-19 funding (Politico)

52. VIDEO: New York City to End Mask Mandate for Preschool Children (NYT)

53. Astronomers see massive debris cloud in space after 2 objects collide (CNN)

54. Climate change is causing Michigan dogsledders to shift gears from snow to dry land (WP)

55. Largest Meat-Eating Dino Was a True Swimmer and Had the Dense Bones to Prove It (Gizmodo)

56. Great White Sharks May Befriend Each Other in Hopes of Getting a Larger Meal, Research Finds (People)

57. The Threat to Free Speech, Beyond ‘Cancel Culture’ (Atlantic)

58. Tree rings from centuries past may help reveal a warming planet’s future (WP)

59. How 'magic mushrooms' could follow in the footsteps of cannabis (Politico)

60. Whimsical NASA Launches Single Balloon Into Outer Space (The Onion)

Lyrics

“Stayin’ Alive”

By Bee Gees

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk
I'm a woman's man, no time to talk
Music loud and women warm, I've been kicked around
Since I was born
And now it's alright, it's okay
And you may look the other way
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive

Well now, I get low and I get high
And if I can't get either, I really try
Got the wings of Heaven on my shoes
I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose
You know it's alright, it's okay
I'll live to see another day
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive 
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive (ohh)

Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah 
I'm stayin' alive

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk
I'm a woman's man, no time to talk
Music loud and women warm
I've been kicked around since I was born
And now it's all right, it's okay
And you may look the other way
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive

Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah
I'm stayin' alive

Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah (ah, ah, ah)
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah
I'm stayin' alive

Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah (ah, ah, ah, ay)
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah
I'm stayin' alive

Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah (ohh)
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah

I'm stayin' alive 

Family Reunion

 Our first in three years, we met this week in Chandler, Arizona: My three sisters and two brothers-in-law.

Aback Taken

After lunch at a restaurant overlooking Lake Saguaro in Arizona, not all that far from the ghost town of Sunflower, a fellow guest approached me and spoke with an impeccable British accent. “Excuse me, I was seated at an adjoining table to yours and I must say you have the best American accent I have ever heard.”

Momentarily taken aback, I could only mumble in response, “Thank you. I’ve been working on it for a long time.”

It is rather uncommon in America to speak of an “American” accent. More likely is we will take note of regional differences (Southern, Midwestern, the Bronx) or foreign accents such as British, Chinese, or Indian.

But American — that was indeed a new slant. It certainly struck my brother-in-law as strange. “What’s wrong with *my* American accent?” he asked no one in particular. I took his point.

But as I was also taken aback, I failed to inquire as to what the British man had meant, exactly, or why he would take notice of such a nuance to begin with. Alas, he’d disappeared back into the desert, perhaps on his way to Sunflower or thereabouts.

Was he a linguist? An anthropologist? An ancient explorer?

Well, I thought, I do tend to speak somewhat slowly and clearly relative to other people, pronouncing words carefully, probably due to my training as a TEFL teacher in the Peace Corps half a century ago.

Ever since those days, I’ve tended to speak as I did in Afghanistan, later reinforced by years of delivering speeches overseas. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I’ve also fallen into a number of relationships with non-native speakers — it doesn’t seem to bother me if my partner is also learning the language I love, though it *is* a lot of extra work, come to think of it.

Anyway, here in the land of retirees, it could be that I’m also speaking a little more loudly than usual, enough so to be overheard at the next table. Hearing aids are almost as common as cacti, cataracts, tumbleweed, canes, walkers or roadrunners around here.

Just like accents.

_______________________

NOTE: “Taken aback” was originally a nautical expression describing that moment when a sudden wind change flattens the sails, stopping all forward momentum. Back on land it‘s rather more pedestrian, like being stopped in your tracks.

Today’s News (77):

1. Ukrainians Flee Mariupol as Russian Forces Push to Take Port City — Russian airstrikes, artillery and mortar rounds have gutted entire neighborhoods in the strategically important Ukrainian city (WSJ)

2. Ukraine thwarts Russian advances; fight rages for Mariupol (AP)

3. Thousands remain trapped as Mariupol attacks continue (BBC)

4. Ukraine retakes key Kyiv suburb as battle for Mariupol rages (ABC)

5. Zelensky says Mariupol is 'just ruins, like Armageddon' (CNN)

6. Russians Pound Ukrainian Cities, as Biden Rallies Anti-Kremlin Alliance (NYT)

7. Zelensky says some cities bombed beyond recognition (WP)

8. Belarusian dissidents fight against Russia in Ukraine (BBC)

9. Biden to Sanction Hundreds of Russian Lawmakers, U.S. Officials Say (WSJ)

10. Jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny found guilty of fraud and sentenced to another nine years in prison (CNN)

11. US, Ukraine quietly try to pierce Putin’s propaganda bubble (AP)

12. Moscow's claim about firing hypersonic missiles could be more hype, experts say (NBC)

13. Ukraine’s Troops Fight War of Ambush and Skirmish Against Russian Invaders (WSJ)

14. Life underground: Ukrainian families make new homes in the subway (WP)

15. The Smaller Bombs That Could Turn Ukraine Into a Nuclear War Zone (NYT)

16. Russian journalist will auction his Nobel peace medal for Ukrainian refugees (CNN)

17. Ukraine War’s Spillover Swamps Poor Countries Still Reeling From Covid-19 (WSJ)

18. WWII Holocaust survivor killed in Ukraine's Kharkiv (Reuters)

19. Russian oligarch stashes second yacht in Turkey, apparently to beat Ukraine-linked sanctions (CBS)

20. As Mariupol Is Bombed and Besieged, Those Trapped Fight to Survive (NYT)

21. Biden tells CEOs they have 'patriotic obligation' to guard against Russian cyberattacks (The Hill)

22. Russian forces now shelling Mariupol from the sea (WP)

23. Here are the CEOs who were briefed by the White House on the war in Ukraine (NPR)

24. An Ancient City Transformed by War (NYT)

25. ‘I am enemy No. 1’: Protester on Russian TV speaks out from hiding (CNBC)

26. How 'shock therapy' created Russian oligarchs and paved the path for Putin (NPR)

27. Military briefing: how the battle for Ukraine became a battle for its cities (Financial Times)

28. UN head says time for Russia to end ‘unwinnable’ Ukraine war (Guardian)

29. Ukraine shopping mall destroyed in Kyiv by Russian shelling (USA Today)

30. Australia understands India’s stance on Ukraine, after talks (AP)

31. Biden says India 'shaky' in acting against old Cold War ally Russia (Reuters)

32. Why Biden can't help Europe rid itself of Russian gas (Politico)

33. Pressed to choose sides on Ukraine, China trade favors the West (Reuters)

34. Israeli prime minister rejects Zelensky comparison of Russia's invasion to Nazi genocide (The Hill)

35. UN refugee agency: 10 million people displaced in Ukraine, or have left country (Fox)

36. More than 3.5 million people have fled abroad from the war in Ukraine, United Nations data showed, leaving Eastern Europe scrambling to provide them with care, schools and jobs even as daily numbers crossing borders ease. (Reuters)

37. Russians opened fire on civilian protesters in Kherson: Ukraine armed forces (NY Post)

38. Biden flags ‘clear sign’ Russia considering chemical weapons (Guardian)

39. No indication of imminent Russian chemical weapons attack in Ukraine -U.S. defense official (Reuters)

40. U.S.-made Javelin missiles are ‘vital’ to Ukraine’s fight against Russia, experts say (NBC)

41. Some Chernobyl Staff Freed After Three Weeks on Duty at Gunpoint (WSJ)

42. Egyptian pound drops as Ukraine war prompts dollar flight (Al Jazeera)

43. Russia Warns Poland in Lengthy Letter Days Before Joe Biden's Visit (Newsweek)

44. On 'War Criminal' Putin, Obama-Biden Vet Says Putin’s Wrong But This is Not Time to Indict (MSNBC)

45. EU to establish rapid reaction force with up to 5,000 troops (Reuters)

46. Xi ‘can’t stomach doing something that might make Putin look bad,’ says political analyst (CNBC)

47. New Russian asset tracker details oligarchs' mansions and yachts (CNN)

48. Russia chokes major oil pipeline in further threat to global supplies (Financial Times)

49. EU Support Grows for Russia Oil Ban Over Ukraine War (WSJ)

50. Sanctions on Russia Pit the West Against the Rest of the World (WSJ)

51. Pentagon's Kirby pressed on Russian involvement in Iran deal talks, says 'clear evidence' of Putin war crimes (Fox)

52. As Ukraine burns, UN Security Council watches Russia halt group's action with its veto power (Fox)

53. Ukrainian refugees speak of bombs, half-empty cities, hunger (AP)

54. Japan reacted angrily after Russia withdrew from peace treaty talks and froze joint economic projects related to the disputed Kuril islands because of sanctions imposed by Tokyo. Russia and Japan have still not formally ended World War Two hostilities because of the standoff over islands just off Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido. (Reuters)

55. Defense Official Says Ukrainians Continue Strong Resistance Against Russian Invaders (US Dept of Defense)

56. Ukrainian children are in 'imminent danger' amid Russia's invasion, humanitarian organization warns (Fox)

57. Former President Donald Trump suggested that the U.S. threaten Russian President Vladimir Putin with American nuclear submarine patrols, which would likely dramatically escalate global tensions amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine. “You should say: ‘Look, you mention that word one more time and we’re gonna send [submarines] over and we’ll be coasting back and forth, up and down your coast,’” Trump pontificated. [HuffPost]

58. Clues to Covid-19’s Next Moves Come From Sewers (WSJ)

59. If You Think Republicans Are Overplaying Schools, You Aren’t Paying Attention — The culture wars over schools have produced an unlikely coalition: populists on the right and affluent, educated white parents on the left. (NYT)

60. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson faces intense questioning on second day of confirmation hearings (CNN)

61. History unfolds at Jackson’s hearing with glory, insults, comfort and patience (WP)

62. Black women rallied outside the Supreme Court to show their support for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as her confirmation hearings began before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Her confirmation would make her the first Black woman and first public defender on the Supreme Court. She has already faced racist lines of attack from Republicans and conservative pundits, which supporters said they expected. [HuffPost]

63. Jackson defends her record from Republican attacks (WP)

64. Durbin, defending Jackson, says Congress has failed to do its job on sentencing guidelines (Politico)

65. Save the Forests—Especially the Five Biggest Ones — If we lose too many trees, everything changes. (Atlantic)

66. Bitcoin just isn't anonymous enough for a growing cohort of crypto users who are seeking greater seclusion. A volatile class of crypto known as privacy coins, created with the primary aim of masking the identity of users and details of transactions, has quietly been gaining ground this month. (Reuters)

67. If you thought NFTs were crazy, wait til you see how they’re taxed (Politico)

68. What happened to the world's ozone hole? (BBC)

69. There are more than 5,000 confirmed planets beyond our solar system, NASA says (NPR)

70. We’ve Found 5,000 Exoplanets and We’re Still Alone — So far, the search for a truly Earth-like world has turned up empty. (Atlantic)

71. Not a single country managed to meet the World Health Organization's air quality standard in 2021, a survey of pollution data in 6,475 cities showed, and smog even rebounded in some regions after a COVID-related dip. (Reuters)

72. BuzzFeed is cutting jobs and top editors are leaving its news division (NPR)

73. There are more than 5,000 worlds beyond our solar system, NASA confirms (CNN)

74. Russia’s snub sends satellite company OneWeb into the arms of Elon Musk’s SpaceX (WP)

75. Is Geometry a Language That Only Humans Know? — Neuroscientists are exploring whether shapes like squares and rectangles — and our ability to recognize them — are part of what makes our species special. (NYT)

76. Don’t blame bail reform for higher crime, NYC watchdog says (AP)

77. Senate Republicans Attack Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Lack Of Experience On U.S. Supreme Court (The Onion)