[FRIAM] Ukraine and more...

[Steve Smith]

Phellow Phriammers -

I haven't heard much discussion of the ongoing tragedy in Ukraine on the 
list, not that it is our charter...

I don't know if we have another Euro on our list besides Jochen, there 
must be some?   Lurkers?  Jenny, of course, but she is a lurker (hi 
Jenny!) in Alaska for the summer while we keep her house warm for a bit.

After 5 (of 7) weeks in UK/EU I am really amazed and impressed by the 
very expansive support for Ukrainian refugees.  This of course flies 
somewhat in the face of those other refugees who do not have as much 
popular support, yet overall northern Europe seems ever so much 
welcoming and conscious than the US (on average) to refugees of all 
kinds.   There *does* seem to be a modest populist 
anti-muslim/anti-immigrant movement even here in uber-tolerant Holland, 
but where we have been, we have not seen that evidenced openly.  The 
professional/liberal people we discuss such things with assure us that 
such an undercurrent is here, but in my own life I only have to go one 
degree of separation in family and neighbors and two in friends to find 
significant anti-immigrant sentiment, including Ukrainian.   I guess 
Fox-News broadcasts don't reach Europe?

Meanwhile, Vlada, Mary's Nephew's (early 30s) Ukrainian-of-interest has 
progressed from merely escaping Ukraine in the first month to Poland to 
finally being allowed/offered entry to the US under Wil and his wife's 
sponsorship.  She had been an exchange student with them a few years ago 
and they stayed in touch, and jumped to her aide when this came down 
(spent their own funds, organized a kickstarter).   She has yet to be 
able to obtain a Ukrainian passport, but that is scheduled through the 
Ukrainian Embassy in Poland.  It sounds as if the delays are entirely 
bureaucratic and (for the moment) the US programs are ready to allow her 
in with their sponsorship.   Perhaps the queues to resolve Ukrainian 
passports are prioritized to support those who do not have a safe place 
to land already (in this case Poland where she is now).

I had thought that perhaps we could personally do something to help 
while here, though it is not obvious what.   Meet her and escort her 
back on the plane, hand-walk her paperwork with her? I have not met or 
spoken with her but her year in Wisconsin as a teen a few years ago 
tuned up her American English and some understanding of our systems and 
culture.   it looks every so much better for her now than it did the 
first month or so... even if the grind IN Ukraine is as bad or worse 
than ever.

Tomorrow we take a train in the rain to The Hague to visit the Het en 
Paleis where a large collection of Escher's work sit and given the rain 
I went to schedule a taxi or uber and found that Uber has a 
Uber-for-Ukraine choice where EU$1 goes to a fund with every ride.   
Again I am astounded by the level of support here. Perhaps UberUSA does 
the same?

We have seen no shortages of anything in our travels but a *modest* 
awareness that roughly 40% of every liter of petrol or aviation fuel is 
funding Putin to continue.  We hear that there is fear of grain 
shortages, but it seems that the worst of that will hit north Africa and 
the middle East first (since Europe proper has pretty strong agriculture 
themselves?)

The Netherlands (as at least DaveW will likely attest from his time 
here) is an amazing study in calm, quiet, positive joyfulness for the 
most part.   We have not heard a raised voice, and even the (many) dogs 
hardly bark!   Downtown Amsterdam (and esp the Red Light District) is of 
course a Disney/LasVegas tourist sh*tShow but outside of that are it 
seems at *worst* like a clean and *flat* version of the Bay Area.  And 
here:  Stuff like this gives me the warm-fuzzies:

     https://www.repaircafe.org/cafe/repair-cafe-weesp-muiden/

I can just see the in-person FriAM crowd huddled around a rocking chair 
or a computer needing a fresh battery or memory upgrade!

I think the ThurAM vFriAM crowd is online as I type this and I suppose I 
could dial in there, but instead I'll just sign off here.   This 
latitude (52N) makes for some damn-long days around Solstice.

Welcome Back to a keyboard/screen Nick, I hope you sort the Monsoon 
Season question.   I'm bamboozled by the EU weather patterns with no 
reference for where the hot/humid masses are coming from and what things 
(e.g. Rocky Mountains) they are hitting and how the Jet Stream streams 
here.   There has been a mild heat-wave but really it is the *constant* 
humidity that I notice, even though that is not overwhelming...  I hear 
there are pre-monsoons in NM this week or are they proto-Monsoons?

- Steve