by Hannah McCall | Jun 28, 2024 | Berlin's Wall
All,
Back home in time to watch the debate last night.
I usually stay out of politics. Not because I don’t follow it, but because after being VERY involved in it for years, I’ve made it much more of a “spectator sport” for me, than being on any field of play.
I made an observation the day this debate was proposed (proposed by Biden, which I thought was odd for the incumbent):
I believed that they wanted this early so that if (IF) Biden clearly came across as too old and frail, and no longer up to the job, it would give the Democratic Party time to get Joe to bow out/pass the baton either before, or at the convention in July.
That’s not a sure thing by a long shot. It may or may not be right, and it may or may not happen.
But…from my own pained observations (a very sad day for Biden and for America, and probably the world as well) EVERYONE this morning is talking about the need for Biden to step aside for another candidate. So it actually might happen.
Would be tricky as hell (Who becomes the new candidate? How does it get decided?) But I do think it’s safe to say that:
IF President Biden stays in as the Democratic nominee, Donald Trump will be the next US President.
I’m not saying that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I do think that will be the case for sure.
I don’t think that after last night, Biden can win the election.
Of course, Donald Trump completely dodged many of the questions, said all kinds of things that were untrue, or at best half true, and was full of bombast and confidence especially since he quickly realized in the opening minutes that Biden was not up to effectively calling him out/cutting him down. (Honestly, the debate was more like 2 kids pissing all over each other in the school playground much of the time than any real, substantial “debate”. Childish. Golf game? Handicap? 50 yard drives? Club champion? WTF???)
But the good news for those of you who don’t like Trump–is that I think that almost any younger, sharper, ready to take him on could easily win, I think.
I believe that with so many Americans who don’t really want either guy to win, the contrast with someone younger would become more evident, and people would realize that the next generation needs to lead us into the future (for instance–90 minutes and not even a single mention of AI–the new technology that is/will soon be changing the world), not 80-year-olds.
So, back from Ukraine and the Berlin conference and smack dab into the US elections.
There’s an old saying, that many consider a wry curse: “May you live in interesting times.”
We sure do.
Onward!
JB
by Ryan Markiewicz | Jun 27, 2024 | Berlin's Wall
A wonderful visit. Thanks to all who made it such a memorable experience. One that I won’t forget.
We were always in good hands with Zoryana.
With Ole (and his son, Sviatoslav) and OD in Odesa, sharing a meal after THEIR hard day’s work.
Odesa. Life goes on. Even with the war and constant air raid sirens.
A special treat meeting Pasha’s Mom and Dad.
Top row, left to right–Sergio Kovalchuk, Oleksandr Zatsarnyi, Sergii Sous (birthday boy ; ), Petro Onyshchuk, JB, Olesya Tatarinova, Oleksandr Kutsevol, Alina Lozinska. Bottom row, from left–Svitlana Korzun, Cool, Derek (also Cool ; ), Yulia Grischenko (behind), Oksana Onoprienko (in front).
Thanks everyone.
There’s an old trucker saying and since I am an old trucker–to ALL of you who made this such an unforgettable experience for Derek and me—
See you on the flip side. 😉
Onward! 💪
JB
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by Ryan Markiewicz | Jun 26, 2024 | Berlin's Wall
Our last day in Kyiv was another special treat.
First, we stopped back at the office It was our colleague Sergei Sous’ birthday, and (lucky for him, they sell alcohol at those roadside gas stations, remember? 😉) We were able to pick him up a bottle of vodka (his favorite) and present it to him as his birthday gift. Also, everyone loved the LP Hawaiian shirt, so we are ordering a bunch of them. 👍
It was our colleague Sergei Sous’ birthday!
The next morning, I was honored to have breakfast at the home of Pasha’s parents, Anatoliy and Anna. If you look closely, you can see behind us are dozens of hockey pucks Anatoly played for the Soviet National team against the NHL and the other top teams in the world (he even had a Buffalo Sabres puck from when he played vs. the Sabres in the 90’s in Buffalo. Still a big, tough guy 🙂
Pasha’s parents, Anatoliy and Anna.
Andrii and his lovely wife, Radmila (and baby Adrian), joined us. Check out the spread—and this is only HALF the table. What a feast! It was all prepared by Pasha’s Mom, Anna.
Afterward, Anatoly and I took a shot of his Mom’s homemade vodka. Pretty damn good!
And then Andrii and I took a dip in their pool, joined by their beautiful dog, Afina.
No words necessary here–The picture is worth 1,000 words 😊
It is clear to me what wonderful parents Pasha has, why he is such a good “kid,” and what a wonderful family Andrii and Radmila will build.
Did my heart/all our hearts good, I believe.
A(nother) special day!
Onward!
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by Ryan Markiewicz | Jun 25, 2024 | Berlin's Wall
We bid a fond farewell to Odesa and our LP colleagues. Odesa is a BEAUTIFUL city, and (other than the constant air raid alarms) life goes on there pretty normally. It’s hard to imagine, but I think that’s true most of the time in a situation like this.
My Dad was a US Army Air Corps (the predecessor to the US Air Force) airplane mechanic during WW2 and was based at Sudbury, Suffolk. He (like most WW2 vets) never talked much about the war, but I remember him telling me that he was amazed that when Hitler’s bombs started dropping, and the alarms sounded, everyone quietly, casually went into the bomb shelters. The famous British “stiff upper lip.” And then, when it was over, life resumed as usual. I also remember him telling me about his experience in Suffolk that “the Vicar’s daughter was lovely” 🙂
So, in Zoryana’s capable hands we head back to Kyiv to say goodbye to the gang and to get a special treat before we head to Berlin.
Onward!
In Zoryana’s capable hands
Passing one of our loads of pipe heading from the port to the well sites on our way out 👍
And, of course, we stopped for another Road Dog
And Derek had to show us up 😀
I found it funny that besides the road dogs, the roadside gas stations sell all this, too. Shelves and shelves of alcohol at rest areas–what could go wrong? 🤪
And as beautiful as the drive was, there are still occasional reminders that the nation is still under attack by Russia.
Beautiful poppy fields appeared now and then along the highway. What a beautiful country!
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by Ryan Markiewicz | Jun 24, 2024 | Berlin's Wall
We had a lovely evening with the Odesa team. Shared some good stories, had some good laughs, and learned a bit about everyone’s personal history.
Walking to dinner on a beautiful Odesa night
A lovely restaurant. Ole’s son, Sviatoslav, joined us for the evening. I hope we didn’t bore him TOO much with all our old stories 🙂
Ole (I call him the The Professor. I hope he takes it as the compliment it’s meant) had some interesting conversations about our past lives. Interesting points of connection.
OD telling me about life in Odesa during the war. A quiet guy, but worlds of experience and knowledge. Both guys are total gems!
Next, we’re heading back to Kyiv (and ready for more Road Dogs 🤪)
Onward!
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by Ryan Markiewicz | Jun 21, 2024 | Berlin's Wall
It really has been go-go-go (a good thing), but it really has been non-stop. So, with an evening free, Zoryana, Andrii, Derek, and I did what people have done for centuries in Odesa. We went to the beach!
Zoryana leading the way 🙂
And maybe if Derek and I didn’t deserve the break, Zoryana surely did. Lots of driving and running around.
But we got to take a break too. And, honestly, it sure felt good.
While we were there, the air raid sirens went off again. It’s a weird feeling. You know something is coming–cruise missile, ballistic missile, hypersonic missile, drone. But these warnings go off very often in this part of the country. It has been hit more than Kyiv has. Plus, its proximity to the sea (cruise missiles can be fired from ships/subs, though the Ukrainian forces have largely driven the Russian fleet out of the Black Sea), as well as its proximity to occupied Crimea, means that a hypersonic missile will hit in 3-5 minutes. They are launched from that close.
And what do you do? There are no bomb shelters on the beach, and it would take more than five minutes to get to one.
Most people just stay. These are mostly (mostly) false alarms, or the missile/drone is shot down by air defense. But a sort of fatalism sets in. The odds of the missile striking where you are are low (but not 0), but you just kind of “take the chance.” Almost no one left the beach. They just enjoyed the beautiful spring day despite the alarms.
Just a small sample of what the people in Odesa live through every day.
We went out to a nice dinner, went to bed, and got awakened several times during the night. The first one, we all trudged down to the bomb shelter (except for Zoryana—she’s a badass). We hung out there for awhile with some of the other guests. We discussed it a bit, and one by one, we went back to bed.
After that, we just rolled over and went back to sleep for the other air raid sirens. Nothing hit while we were there, though we did hear one explosion that was anti-missile batteries taking one out. But it becomes a way of life that is hard to picture when you’re not there but easy to understand if you live through it. After all, what are the options?
Onward!
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