so interesting

Leadership training today was super interesting, which isn't a surprise since the pre-work was so interesting. Some tidbits
- you may think you are engaging in one type of leadership style, but your employees may think something completely different, and their perception impacts the effectiveness 
- a wonderful thing about international development is that people are dedicated to the mission, but everyone has been having a rough time for the past however many years, and it is hard to exemplify an organization's values when you are barely making it through the day
- because we are committed to the mission, it can be harder on us when we can't exemplify excellence due to budget shortfalls or staffing shortfalls

I'm working on the travel bureaucracy. Exchange with my boss:
me - I hate forms!
him - You work for government!
This process, you have four steps, except each step has multiple forms behind it. <whine> You know, an adult would just be happy she gets to go to South Africa. 

Ukraine shot down another Russian alligator helicopter and two recon drones. 

The US ambassador and the prime minister of Ukraine met about increasing Ukraine's energy resilience in light of Russian attacks.

Lithuania will send air defense and anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said that while there are political disputes in Lithuania, there are none about helping Ukraine. "All political parties fully agree that the aid should be maximal and victory should be as quick as possible." 

Britain is considering supplying Ukraine with advanced battle tanks.

The US has supplied enough LNG (liquid natural gas) to keep Europe ok this winter. Putin's attempt at energy blackmail has failed. Some energy analysts thought oil would be at $400 a barrel when Europe rolled out the price cap. Some insisted that the gas storage tanks were empty - they are 91% full, 50% higher than last year. Putin is so weak now that when Russia banned exports to countries that accepted the price cap, OIL PRICES FELL. Putin is having trouble selling oil at 50% below market prices. Global LNG supplies are growing quickly. There are huge investments in green hydrogen in Egypt. 

Ukraine's electricity repair crews are heroes to Zelensky and other Ukrainians. They are under constant threat. They are working non-stop. Some are coming out of retirement to help. One of the guys who is in charge of fixing and maintaining the electrical supply has stopped drinking alcohol so he will always be available. People move their vehicles to the side to let them pass. People come to them with coffee and hot food. There are installations of enormous concrete blocks to protect electrical equipment. Ukraine's electrical system is old and weird and requires weird equipment. Last month Hitachi Energy Ltd donated 52 transformers that it had manufactured in Poland. CEZ Group donated more than 30 pieces of old equipment, including transformers.