<div dir="auto">Steve:<div dir="auto">Given today's reports of the SCOTUS decision on guns, do you think the Dutch would accept two refugees from the U.S.?</div><div dir="auto">TJ in Malta <br><br><div data-smartmail="gmail_signature" dir="auto">=======================<br>Tom Johnson<br>Inst. for Analytic Journalism<br>Santa Fe, New Mexico<br>505-577-6482<br>=======================</div></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Jun 23, 2022, 7:34 PM Steve Smith <<a href="mailto:sasmyth@swcp.com">sasmyth@swcp.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Phellow Phriammers -<br>
<br>
I haven't heard much discussion of the ongoing tragedy in Ukraine on the <br>
list, not that it is our charter...<br>
<br>
I don't know if we have another Euro on our list besides Jochen, there <br>
must be some? Lurkers? Jenny, of course, but she is a lurker (hi <br>
Jenny!) in Alaska for the summer while we keep her house warm for a bit.<br>
<br>
After 5 (of 7) weeks in UK/EU I am really amazed and impressed by the <br>
very expansive support for Ukrainian refugees. This of course flies <br>
somewhat in the face of those other refugees who do not have as much <br>
popular support, yet overall northern Europe seems ever so much <br>
welcoming and conscious than the US (on average) to refugees of all <br>
kinds. There *does* seem to be a modest populist <br>
anti-muslim/anti-immigrant movement even here in uber-tolerant Holland, <br>
but where we have been, we have not seen that evidenced openly. The <br>
professional/liberal people we discuss such things with assure us that <br>
such an undercurrent is here, but in my own life I only have to go one <br>
degree of separation in family and neighbors and two in friends to find <br>
significant anti-immigrant sentiment, including Ukrainian. I guess <br>
Fox-News broadcasts don't reach Europe?<br>
<br>
Meanwhile, Vlada, Mary's Nephew's (early 30s) Ukrainian-of-interest has <br>
progressed from merely escaping Ukraine in the first month to Poland to <br>
finally being allowed/offered entry to the US under Wil and his wife's <br>
sponsorship. She had been an exchange student with them a few years ago <br>
and they stayed in touch, and jumped to her aide when this came down <br>
(spent their own funds, organized a kickstarter). She has yet to be <br>
able to obtain a Ukrainian passport, but that is scheduled through the <br>
Ukrainian Embassy in Poland. It sounds as if the delays are entirely <br>
bureaucratic and (for the moment) the US programs are ready to allow her <br>
in with their sponsorship. Perhaps the queues to resolve Ukrainian <br>
passports are prioritized to support those who do not have a safe place <br>
to land already (in this case Poland where she is now).<br>
<br>
I had thought that perhaps we could personally do something to help <br>
while here, though it is not obvious what. Meet her and escort her <br>
back on the plane, hand-walk her paperwork with her? I have not met or <br>
spoken with her but her year in Wisconsin as a teen a few years ago <br>
tuned up her American English and some understanding of our systems and <br>
culture. it looks every so much better for her now than it did the <br>
first month or so... even if the grind IN Ukraine is as bad or worse <br>
than ever.<br>
<br>
Tomorrow we take a train in the rain to The Hague to visit the Het en <br>
Paleis where a large collection of Escher's work sit and given the rain <br>
I went to schedule a taxi or uber and found that Uber has a <br>
Uber-for-Ukraine choice where EU$1 goes to a fund with every ride. <br>
Again I am astounded by the level of support here. Perhaps UberUSA does <br>
the same?<br>
<br>
We have seen no shortages of anything in our travels but a *modest* <br>
awareness that roughly 40% of every liter of petrol or aviation fuel is <br>
funding Putin to continue. We hear that there is fear of grain <br>
shortages, but it seems that the worst of that will hit north Africa and <br>
the middle East first (since Europe proper has pretty strong agriculture <br>
themselves?)<br>
<br>
The Netherlands (as at least DaveW will likely attest from his time <br>
here) is an amazing study in calm, quiet, positive joyfulness for the <br>
most part. We have not heard a raised voice, and even the (many) dogs <br>
hardly bark! Downtown Amsterdam (and esp the Red Light District) is of <br>
course a Disney/LasVegas tourist sh*tShow but outside of that are it <br>
seems at *worst* like a clean and *flat* version of the Bay Area. And <br>
here: Stuff like this gives me the warm-fuzzies:<br>
<br>
<a href="https://www.repaircafe.org/cafe/repair-cafe-weesp-muiden/" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.repaircafe.org/cafe/repair-cafe-weesp-muiden/</a><br>
<br>
I can just see the in-person FriAM crowd huddled around a rocking chair <br>
or a computer needing a fresh battery or memory upgrade!<br>
<br>
I think the ThurAM vFriAM crowd is online as I type this and I suppose I <br>
could dial in there, but instead I'll just sign off here. This <br>
latitude (52N) makes for some damn-long days around Solstice.<br>
<br>
Welcome Back to a keyboard/screen Nick, I hope you sort the Monsoon <br>
Season question. I'm bamboozled by the EU weather patterns with no <br>
reference for where the hot/humid masses are coming from and what things <br>
(e.g. Rocky Mountains) they are hitting and how the Jet Stream streams <br>
here. There has been a mild heat-wave but really it is the *constant* <br>
humidity that I notice, even though that is not overwhelming... I hear <br>
there are pre-monsoons in NM this week or are they proto-Monsoons?<br>
<br>
- Steve<br>
<br>
<br>
-. --- - / ...- .- .-.. .. -.. / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. .<br>
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv<br>
Fridays 9a-12p Friday St. Johns Cafe / Thursdays 9a-12p Zoom <a href="https://bit.ly/virtualfriam" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/virtualfriam</a><br>
to (un)subscribe <a href="http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com</a><br>
FRIAM-COMIC <a href="http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/</a><br>
archives: 5/2017 thru present <a href="https://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">https://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/</a><br>
1/2003 thru 6/2021 <a href="http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/</a><br>
</blockquote></div>