Ehlana and Ethan:
We skipped mentioning Cassie and Michael’s work and travel adventures news yesterday; so let’s start with the weekend update for them. They spent most of the weekend in and near Brazzaville, the Capital of the Republic of the Congo; and then they took one of the last ferries of the day across the Congo to the Capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo – Kinshasa. They’ll be spending the coming week in the DRC, since it will take a week to work and drive their way across the country to the Rwanda border. They’d done a lot of work – and g00d – in Brazzaville; and the mix of sun, hot temperatures, and rain continued and is still going on now that they’re in Kinshasa. They knew what to expect for the weather this time of year, but still find it very different compared to their Northern-Africa trip where they spent a fair bit of time in desert regions! That is part of the reason for why there are differences for some of the needs for the Central African countries, but there are a lot of factors; and the bigger issues include the fighting over resources that are often stoked by ‘western’ countries that do not want to give up control of former colonies.
While Cassie and Michael have done more work than sightseeing, here at home we’ve been having more fun than work – at least since we finished our chores yesterday! The Pizzeria pizza dinner was at our house and included a gang of friends and cousins; we had a large gang go to the Pumpkin Patch farm; and everything we did there was amazing from the haunted hayride and house to the games, treats, and other activities that included a live band playing Halloween-themed music that a lot of people danced to while waiting in lines or just enjoying breaks from the rest of the action. We didn’t get home until after midnight; stayed up too-late with a Halloween movie and the co-ed cuddle and chat time; and then we managed a few hours of nap time before needing to get up and going again this morning.
Today started with a group fatigue healing session that included Dad; Tai Chi was outdoors, but frosty; and then we had a hot breakfast before heading to church. The service felt different without some of our favorite Moms, but there were some cameo moments of fun related to the fathers surviving a weekend without female support; and we had fun at Sunday school too. Ethan and I were on our own for lunch with Dad and then we worked at the lab or archives all afternoon. Just to prove that we can, we cooked dinner at home with Dad instead of going to the late buffet; enjoyed that meal; took care of the clean-up; and then we all did a bit of work in the office until Dad was ready for his trip to Crystal Springs. Bath or Jacuzzi time followed; and now we’re winding down fast toward nap time because we’ll be up early to see Dad off on his trip in the morning.
That brings us to the world news of the weekend; and it has been a busy news cycle. The biggest stories might not be the ones that are getting the most attention in our national media; so we’ll offer at least some of them in our own choice for order of importance. We think that the protests and riots in France and other European countries could be the most-dangerous because some of them are getting out of control. Rioters are setting a lot of fires – including one that destroyed a historic city hall; looting is becoming rampant; and the government is losing control as the size of the mobs grows and the police can’t get control – and only infuriate more people when they do deploy heavy-handed counter-measures. Governments could fall if this doesn’t get resolved by negotiations.
The war in Ukraine could be near a tipping point, and while Ukrainian forces continue to attack into Russia; they are losing more ground on the front lines; more troops are being surrounded by new cauldrons; and the airstrikes throughout the country are taking out critical infrastructure and shutting down the economy. If their military collapses this winter; the war will be over and surrender terms will not be good for what little will be left of Ukraine. We hate seeing all of that destruction and death happening; and it is disgusting to see how the Ukrainian leaders and their western backers are acting while their people suffer and die pointlessly.
There aren’t many reports coming out of the Middle East this weekend, but more ships have been targeted or have hit sea mines and been damaged or sunk; the Saudi-Yemen war rages on; and Israel continues their atrocities against everyone they consider enemies – including a group of European diplomats that were visiting the West Bank and were attacked by a gang of Israeli settlers. Beating up some diplomats is minor compared to the true atrocities, but that story will get more attention than the stories about killing Palestinians, Lebanese, or Syrians. Israel better keep hoping that their neighbors will keep fighting each other too, since if they ever get a clue and stop; they are likely to join forces and put a stop to the ‘Greater Israel’ project!
While the man-made wars continue to get attention; natural disasters are happening all over the world. Our media covers the California wildfires, but the aftermath of the earthquakes in Central America could take years to recover from; parts of South America are dealing with floods and mud-slides and have major dams at-risk due to the extreme flooding. Ditto that for Asia with everything from monsoons to glacier collapses; and humans have more problems than we can handle. Maybe this would be a very good time to stop the insanity that can be controlled and focus on saving lives instead.
Finally, for tonight, since we were just in Canada this summer; we want to mention a story from Alberta at a Canadian Armed Forces base that is only a few hours away from Calgary where there appears to have been a live-fire incident that caused a major gas explosion and wildfire that killed at least seven and injured dozens. There has been a media black-out, but news is still getting out; and it sounds terrible. We won’t get into any speculation on what happened, but if rumors prove true; we do wonder why any military base would set up a live-fire training ground on land that also has major gas pipelines and even well-heads! That sounds like a disaster just waiting to happen. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families – just as we pray every day for everyone in the world in danger, need, or mourning.
That’s a too-solemn note to end this update on, but I’m feeling a bit somber tonight; so it is appropriate for my mood. Ethan is happier, but maybe that’s because he’s still getting over his last good-bye hug and kiss with Naomi – even though that happened between Sunday school and lunch! That’s also a happier thought to leave you with as we wrap this up; so that’s all for tonight.
Until next time, live with love, fellow Magi of the Light!
