NorCal woman.
I'm into Pith,
Creative Musings,
Previously Unnoticed Connections,
Expanding Points of View.
Rule of law? Sounds like a good dream, at this point.
Newsom wants billionaires to stay in California because they can bribe anyone they want at any second of the day or night and SOMEHOW - Newsom finds that attractive and wants them to stay near to him and his,
Newsom says that passing a national wealth tax will be better than state level due to interstate $ flight, because it'll be more difficult for billionaires to renounce citizenship.
They go where they like, pay what it takes to get their way already. I think that argument is complete and total BS.
Passing a national wealth tax is pie-in-the-sky BS - but Newsom says that pie-in-the-sky-never-gonna-happen is "more effective" than passing it at only at state level. Especially HIS state. It will never pass at the national level without civil war, so he is bullshitting and thinks we are stupid.
The Storm Shadows sent by the UK last week have been rapidly put to good use.
The Proton plant in Oryol and the Energia plant in Yelets, which both produce missile components, were hit this week.
Thank you to our UK allies for helping us cut Russian missile production.💙💛
💥🚀 New footage released by local residents shows strike by eight Ukrainian Storm Shadow cruise missiles during the October 25 attack on Russia’s Energia plant in Yelets.
Missiles slam into the same factory with no visible air defense response. Witnesses claim eight missiles struck the facility.
‼️Russian Media: “Former Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated that the Student List, which won the country's parliamentary elections, will impose sanctions against Russia in the near future.”
👉 “He believes this will happen as early as March or April.”
www.kommersant.ru/doc/9060274
🇺🇦 If you need some good news and a reason to smile today 🔽
“They got their asses kicked! They’ve been pushed back, and they’ve suffered staggering losses.”
— Ukrainian journalist and serviceman Kyrylo Sazonov, responding to Russian claims that their forces had encircled Dobropillia.
“Russia is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
— Donald Trump
October 18, 2026
“Never in our history have Iran and Russia worked as closely as now.”
— Abbas Araghchi, Iranian Foreign Minister
October 20, 2026
He also raises the possibility that the attack could affect Russia’s diesel deal with Trump and echoes the Kremlin narrative suggesting the drones may have come from Estonia or Latvia.
🇷🇺 This is a very interesting clip in which Russian journalist Maksim Shevchenko discusses the latest Ukrainian drone attack on St. Petersburg.
Shevchenko questions why Moscow has air defenses while Russia’s “second capital” doesn’t.
🇷🇺 Oh, how the narrative has shifted.
“We underestimated them as a powerful state, a military power with a certain level of capability and training.”
— Major General Vladimir Popov on how the Russian army’s understanding of Ukraine has changed since 2022.
Popov also talked about how the Russian army has improved over the years. Notice what he doesn’t say—or rather, what the interviewer, Anton Krasovsky, doesn’t let him say.
🇷🇺 “Yes, with rifles, with assault rifles, with guns, tanks, but we were still on our knees.
We’re saying that they had the advantage in terms of training, combat experience, and adaptability.”
— Major General Popov on how the Russian army compared to Ukrainian forces at the beginning of the war.
“They’ve been so thoroughly indoctrinated over the past 30 years, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, that they believe they’re basically in the right.”
— Russian Major General Vladimir Popov explaining why, in his view, Ukrainians are motivated to fight.
“If we launch another mobilization now, we’ll just inject negative energy into society.”
— Russian Major General Vladimir Popov discusses potential mobilization, in an interview with journalist Anton Krasovsky.
🇷🇺 A revealing clip in which Russian Major General Vladimir Popov says it’s shameful to call the war an “SMO,” discusses the Russian generals Ukraine has allegedly eliminated, and mentions Belarus in a particularly interesting context.
Notice how Anton Krasovsky deliberately interrupts Popov just as he starts naming the generals who were killed.
Also, pay attention to what Popov says about Belarus. Which conflict in Belarus is he referring to?
🇷🇺 Krasovsky: “So where is that line of [our] moral superiority?”
Major General Popov: “Probably, it lies in the fact that we still think about the other side, to some extent. Even now!”
They’re just such great humanitarians, as Witkoff would put it. 🙄
🇷🇺 An absolutely fascinating clip in which Major General Popov admits that the Russian military was unprepared for war.
Just don’t tell anyone!
It’s a secret! 🤐
‼️Popov’s description of the Russian mindset explains why Russia keeps waging wars instead of focusing on building prosperity.
“My emotions cannot be put into words. Finally, this exchange that I had waited for so long has happened.”
I’m not crying.
You are. 🥹🇺🇦
270 Ukrainians are home! 💙💛
🇺🇦 Imagine waiting 1,620 days for the person you love. Imagine not knowing if you’ll ever see them again.
I don’t know Anyuta, but my heart rejoices with her. 😭❤️
“1,620 days in captivity ended with one word — HOME.
My beloved has returned.
I waited [until he came home].”
From Threads.
😭💙💛 Make sure you have some tissues handy before watching this video.
“We come out and rejoice for every mother who has finally seen her son return. For every wife who has been reunited with her husband. For every child who waited for their father to come home.”
📹 Suspilne
— Do you know where my home is?
— In Mariupol?
— No. My home is wherever my flag is. This is where my home is.
He survived the Olenivka prison massacre and spent 4.5 years in Russian captivity.
💙💛Now, he’s finally home.
Fellas, this one’s for all of you who need a laugh right now.
I’m sure you know how Putin insists that all sitcoms on Russian TV are wholesome and instill traditional Russian values in their audiences. 😁
🔽🔽🔽
The young man has no family, but she was there to welcome him home!
Because family isn’t always about blood. Sometimes, it’s about the people who stand by us in the darkest moments.
💙💛
🇺🇦 This is the story of a mother waiting to welcome home a young man who became like a brother to her son while they were in Russian captivity together.
Her son was exchanged in 2024, but his friend remained in captivity until yesterday.
“The most interesting thing is that the toothless, provincial Russian masses are absolutely convinced that they’re wanted everywhere and that people dream of Russkiy Mir coming to their countries.”
— Ukrainian political analyst Borys Tizengauzen explains Russkiy Mir in simple terms.