Ehlana and Ethan:
This update is coming to you live from the ferry we’re on heading back to the mainland and Vancouver from Victoria and Vancouver Island! We’ve had an awesome work and play day on the island with a mix of work that included a boat ride with a partner marine biology and conservation group that is a mix of scientific grant and charity funding. No, I am not looking to bio-engineer our way back to having Megalodons, but don’t let that keep you from making those types of jokes! The play time on, in, and near the water were highlights of our day, but we loved the work related to First Nations and island conservation projects and partnerships; and there was a bit of history learning that Ethan loved the most, but was great for the rest of us too. The evening ferry ride that heads east instead of west feels different – and not just because we’re down to hours left in Canada before we head back to the United States tomorrow. The sunset reflecting on Vancouver and the mountains ahead of us is awe-inspiring; and yet another experience that we are very glad to have perfect memories for to keep these experiences available to replay anytime!
We wish that the rest of the world could have this much love and joy in their lives, but the world news is far from full of roses and puppies. Ukraine got hit hard again with Russian missile and drone attacks on Odessa, Kiev, and beyond; they don’t seem to have any air defenses left; so those Russian attacks are devastating when everything gets through to targets. That’s a problem on the front lines too, since the Russian air force can now bring in close air support without serious danger to jets or attack helicopters; and that is decimating the Ukrainian forces. The western and Ukrainian leaders continue with their meetings, speeches, and promises that all mean nothing while the country is destroyed and their people are killed; and nothing changes except that life gets worse for the people on the ground. There are reports about Turkey looking to both get Russia to end the blockade of the Ukrainian ports while also potentially closing their Black Sea strait access to Russian ships. That isn’t going to happen without major concessions to Russia; and Turkey’s leaders will join the club of insane leaders if they put a naval blockade on Russia.
There is a Middle East story that involves Turkey too – a NATO-like defense pact that they’ve made with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that is aimed at containing Iran, but is also insane; since now they are adding in a nuclear weapons power – if a comparatively-minor one – into the mix. Maybe that’s what the major world leaders want – for Pakistan to nuke Iran so they can take the blame. That is really dark, but then that’s true for everything going on around both wars. Israel continues to break the Lebanon truce; there doesn’t actually appear to be any deal for Gaza or the West Bank as President Trump claimed; and the battles roll on between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis – and probably with the Iraqi militias too.
If all of that wasn’t enough, China has already retaliated to new trade tariff and sanctions restrictions placed on the by our country, and now, in addition to rare earth minerals restrictions; they’ve added licensing restrictions on drone components that will restrict sales for any military purposes. There are sure to be work-arounds for that, but it will disrupt supply chains in the near to mid-term; and the combination could make production some high-tech weapons more challenging for western countries. That is bad news when ‘our’ stockpiles of those weapons are being used up in those wars.
As we wrap this up, we want to point out that these new alliances and trade provocations are setting things up for wider wars; and we can only hope that our world leaders will collectively step back from the brink they are hurtling us all toward before it is too late. We don’t expect peace to break out between right now and our next update; so that’s all we have for today. Stay tuned; since our next report will be coming at you live from our own country and Seattle! That might sound more-impressive than it is; since we’re only a few hours away from Seattle; and we actually cross the maritime border in and out of American territorial waters on this ferry ride due to a strange little quirk of how these international borders between our countries was done. No, we do not have to deal with customs for that little cross-border incursion, but that would be funny if there were customs stations or maybe boats to do checks at just for spending a few minutes in those ‘American’ waters!
We obviously need to stop this update now to avoid more silliness; so we are out of here and back to enjoying the boat ride and amazing scenery!
Until next time, live with love, fellow Magi of the Light!
