Another bulb

The squirrel has eaten another bulb. 
The squirrel left the rind on my deck. 
The little

Otherwise, truly excellent day at work. 

Also, I reached out to a friend of mine who lives in Seattle and let her know i was thinking of coming out this summer. Did you know that not everyone plans their vacations half a year to a year in advance? Ok, but look, flying across the country is expensive and I think it takes forethought. I could fly into Seattle, we could have a glorious blipmeet, and then I could go to the beach and drive south to Portland, and fly home from there. 

The photographer I met three weeks ago has Covid. 

One of my employees has Covid. 

Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte of Lithuania said there was a broad agreement among NATO members not to pressure Ukraine to negotiate, and called on NATO to provide air defenses to Ukraine. (Me:  The headlines in the US news are deliberately misleading. "Biden Says He Is Willing to Talk to Putin About Ukraine" Inside the articles they make it clearer that he would be willing IF Putin were interested in ending the war, which he has shown no indication of being. It was for a choreographed, political meeting to show unity with Macron (I am speaking as an individual, not a representative of my employer and I am basing this on what I've read in the news, not on anything I learned at work). In short, the US remains as committed to Ukraine as before and will not pressure Ukraine to negotiate.) In fact, we are considering a dramatic expansion in the training we provide to Ukrainian forces, both the number and the type. 

Americans still support US backing Ukraine. 57% of Americans say we must continue providing weapons and funds. Although Americans are concerned about nuclear war, Americans are afraid that the war will lead to instability in Europe and to authoritarian regimes (ex China) attacking their democratic neighbors (ex Taiwan). We therefore support Ukraine. 


The number of Russians in favor of continuing the war has fallen. According to leaked Russian polls only 25% still do. In July it was 57%. It is a wonder what having it more directly impact you will do. 


When Putin met with the carefully chosen group of mothers, he said, on camera, that it was better for their sons to die in Ukraine than from vodka. That isn't happy news, it is just shocking to me that he could say something so stupid on television. 


Sweden, Finland, and Turkey have made progress on NATO membership. 


A large oil tank in Russia's Bryansk region was on fire early yesterday. The region borders Ukraine. I did notice on Ukraine's twitter a comment that someone must have been smoking nearby. No casualties and no official cause.