Must be in Ottawa today.
Paying a visit to our nation's capital.
Someone want's my opinion .... which tells me how screwed up our (Canada's) foreign policy is.
:)
Will be stuck there all day and evening.
Blogging will return tomorrow morning.
Update 00:25 EST. November 30, 2016: I just got back. I wish I was not bound by confidentiality agreements .... because what I saw and heard today makes me shudder knowing that Canadian foreign policy is being formulated on an important European issue by extremely well paid people who have no clue on what is happening there.
Sighhh ....
I never drink alone but tonight is going to be an exception. A good shot of Johnnie Walker Blue .... and I am going to hit the sack. Blogging will return tomorrow.
Dear Mary
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that beautifull story of you, and I truly happy of your glowing (or gloaming) relationship, however I doubt that WNU Editor was summoned because of marital problems of someone in the Canadian government. But even if so is true, and Canada's foreign policy related to a pregnancy or love afair, it's my scepticism that bad, and Dr Unity is the one our true Deau need, instead of WNU. In any case I wish you all the greatest on your way of support your childs grow up, I'm sure he or she will be a great use for this world, and I belive it's already served such efforts by the story you shared.
With honor, your's always, an Assadist terrorist.
PS: WNU Editor, don't you plan writing a book? It's would be great to get a look what your previous and current jobs actually look like.
Laszlo,
ReplyDeleteHeh!
True, Deau, and WNU. Alliteration for the ages!
Laszlo,
ReplyDeleteLOL
You kill me!!!!
As for a book. My father was the one who should have wrote one.
A brief family history.
My great-grand father was one of Russia's industrialists. He was also the first Russian to have a car in the country. Lost everything in the revolution .... but became a major minister under Lenin (for industry of course). His daughter (my grandmother) married a top Russian-Ukrainian communist (my grand-father). Had a whole bunch of kids .... my father included .... and they saw it all. Ukraine famine. Stalin purges. Second World War. The end of Stalin. The rise of Khrushchev. The rise of Brezhnev. etc. etc. etc.
And that is just my father's side .... on my mother's side .... the story is even more remarkable that I do not even know where to begin. But that is for another time.
And as for little old me. I have been incredibly blessed and lucky. Protected by family, I lived in my little world of music, books, chess, and trying to be the best in school to please my parents. As a young adult I did well in university, and after university I found myself in the shadows of older men who needed someone like me to organise their thoughts and to write it down on paper in a concise and literate form that made sense .... and to keep it all confidential. My young age also benefited me .... they never felt threatened by me .... and they had no reason to .... and like the character of Forest Gump .... I saw it all. My reward was diplomatic posts and the freedom to travel .... which I took advantage of. But I liked the West .... specifically Canada .... resulting in my decision to become a Canadian citizen. And unlike my cousins and uncles back in Russia and Ukraine where some of them are well known .... I love my simple life .... and when I get bored I go back to Russia for a few weeks .... and when I get my fill on what is happening there .... I rush back to Canada where I enjoy my anonymity and the freedom that it gives. But the best is when I am in my chalet in the Laurentians. Its isolation helps me see the world in a completely different perspective .... like an observer looking down and not only seeing what is happening .... but also being able to predict with a certain degree of accuracy on what will be happening next week/month/year/and beyond. When I am in that zone I feel so connected with the universe .... what can I say .... that is when I have complete "peace of mind".
But being able to get that "peace of mind" has come with a price. It has not been an easy journey. No. I experienced many years of hardship .... specifically when the Soviet Union collapsed and the financial crisis that it produced. The scariest moment in my life happened during this time .... when the old guard tried to overthrow Yeltsin during the constitutional crisis of 1993. I was there when that happened .... the T-90 tanks bombing the White House and the Alpha special forces units moving in after that. I will never forget that.
And back to your question .... a book? This blog is in a certain way a book .... a collection of thoughts and observations over the years. I post a story that is interesting to me .... and I read the commentary that occurs. Sometimes the commentators of this blog are successful in changing my opinion .... and sometimes they reinforce it. I guess that is why I treat you .... and everyone else who reads this blog .... with the utmost respect and consideration. The audience of this blog is this blog's most valuable asset .... and I will admit that when I am posting something .... catering to this audience is always on my mind .... because the feedback that I get from you and everyone else is what givers me the "juice" to keep on posting.
And as for what said before about my dad .... sighhh .... he is definitely the one who should have wrote a book .... because I know that in today's Russia it would be a best seller.
WNU Editor,
ReplyDeleteAre you familiar with Gad Saad or Jordan Peterson?
If so, I think it would be valuable to hear your take on such folks.
Thanks,
Nikant Sanue
WNU:
ReplyDeleteYes, this blog does actually have all of your notes and marks, but the knowledge is shattered to thousands of articles, posts that were made during the years. A book would be a perfect collection of all these information and more, so everyone who is interested could read them, not just those who follow your works day-by-day basis. You said you are about to desert the web related busines thing you do, this more time you would have is right there for writing. I hope in the future you will consider making a book.
No No No Laszlo .... the web business is what I am going to expand. It is the other mundane stuff that I do in my life that I want to end. Being a part owner of a real estate company in Russia when you live in Canada is a pain in the butt. And helping clients do business in Russia and China .... a double pain in the butt. But writing a book is a good idea .... maybe in a year.
ReplyDeleteWNU,
ReplyDeleteIt would seem most basic for someone formulating any kind of policy on anything would be to first try and ascertain a clue on what is happening in the situation they are trying to formulate policy on. Any businessperson has to take time to "find out" about any number of things such as the market, the competition, the regulatory environment, what problems your organization faces, and a host of other factors. As a business person, one is required to do these things. Whatever flaws Mr. Trump may have, as a business person, he does this sort of thing very well as does his team.
I think I can hazard an educated guess on the European issue. The European issue probably has to do with the Russia/Ukraine situation or perhaps BREXIT. I'm going to go with Ukraine but I do understand the confidentiality issue. I face these things regularly as well.
As stated, with regards to Mr. Trump he has taken the time and effort to cultivate team members who have good relations with Russian leadership. This should help in the negotiating process to find a solution. It is going to be important to establish an attitude of trust. Having team members who Russian leadership has relations with and trusts should be extremely helpful. (The Ukrainian position seems already well represented, at least in the halls of government.) Fruitful negotiations will require a multifaceted approach that respects all sides.
With this said we could all be disappointed. I believe, at a minimum, in order to secure better relations with Russia we are going to have to 1.) lift all economic sanctions against Russia and 2.) adopt a non pro-Ukrainian government position. Even if America changes its positions, the Western Europeans are not going to change just because America does.
Perhaps the "European issue" is not about this at all. Just an educated guess. In any event, please continue the excellent work on the blog and if you write that book I certainly look forward to reading it.