Yes, it is true, there are still some flowers

It is the end of December. Pansies are still around but pansies are tough. I also see sprouts coming up. I feel like I was aghast at that happening last year too. 

What a wonderful week. I made great progress on a paper I never wanted to write and could not focus on and I learned a lot while doing it. 

Britain is sending around 200 air defense missiles to Ukraine. 
For your gut-wrenching laugh of the day, the headline that reads, “ Putin's spy chief vows to prevent foreign meddling in presidential election”
The largest microelectronics factory in Russia, which makes equipment for the military, is on fire. This happened in September too.