Finally an abstract!

This is my painting from Saturday. 

I wish we had a big roll of paper so we could play more and see what we liked and then do the canvas but this is the sort of thing one could actually choose to do on one’s own. It was body paint, so it was easy to wash off and it doesn’t smell. 

No one was fired last night. I am nervous because the rumors are the gender folks (folks who work to make sure our programs benefit women as well as men and don’t make existing inequalities worse) are next in line. 

And possibly the LGBTQ folks.

I figured out how to download my personnel papers. One of my friends in the agency reached out to offer me the advice and walk me through it. Yesterday my new boss urged me to take the guidance to download any files I might have on my computer that I want to keep. 

Monday 60 of the top people in the agency were placed on admin leave with an email to the whole agency claiming they were trying to subvert the executive orders. We were told that this wasn’t true, that they’d actually been working diligently to try to comply and go beyond. Today I learned that the director of employment law had declared this illegal and reinstated them, knowing he’d be next. He was next, two hours later. This is what integrity looks like. 

Just hypothetically - if you put a massive pause on every segment of the government BEFORE doing a review, it might be that some segments are already understaffed with people already working six days a week and 10 hours a day. Maybe a hiring freeze would make that worse. Theory - it could be that firing the leadership suddenly might decrease the ability of those left to do their jobs. Maybe, just maybe, bear with me, disbanding a security advisory group isn’t the best of ideas. But, in this hypothetical situation, if there is then a catastrophe, do something to make it clear that it is not your fault. Example - go on a prolonged rant against hiring people with disabilities. 

 The Ukrainian national guard raised the Ukrainian flag behind enemy lines in Donetsk overnight. 

If there were a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia who would monitor it? Lithuania has just said they’d discuss it. Having a NATO member there would mean the consequences of Russia invading again would be all out war against Russia by NATO ie the consequences would be so dire that Russia would not. This would make a ceasefire possible for Ukraine by offering assurance that they won’t just be invaded again.

Kim Jong-un has withdrawn his soldiers from the front line due to the high number of casualties. They haven’t been seen at the front for two weeks. Ukrainian presidential advisor Mikhail Podoliak says that this means he considers the 40% loss of troops unacceptable.