RichC | June 27, 2023
This past weekend I started a new book that I’ve been looking forward to reading since “Saved: A War Reporter’s Mission to Make It Home” was released in March 2023. Benjamin Hall’s book is one I should have purchased in the spring, but since I had a pile of reading to get through, I opted […]
RichC | March 26, 2022
The “pain at the pump” is definitely real if you are buying fuel and if you have spend the last decade with gas and diesel at 40+% lower than we are seeing today. That said, in inflation-adjusted dollars, we are still off the highest per barrel prices that we have seen (chart below). Most oil […]
RichC | March 21, 2022
Old black and while films have never been top picks for Brenda and me when selecting a movie for the weekend, but as the Coronavirus pandemic shutdowns started, we decided to add a few classic movies as a way to broaden our life experience. Like reading classic literature as part of a higher education, watching a […]
RichC | March 2, 2022
I’m not an expert on how the events in Ukraine will impact the world, but I do pay close attention to geopolitical events, the financial markets and the economy … and can’t help but wonder how this will reshape our future. For the past year or so I’ve been grumbling about how the Biden administration’s […]
RichC | February 24, 2022
Russia, lead by the wicked Vladimir Putin, has invaded and attacked their neighbor on February 24th after massing their military around Ukraine this past year. They started the invasion with missiles and air strikes to all but eliminate Ukraine’s air defenses and are currently crossing borders from all directions with overwhelming military force. For students […]
RichC | May 3, 2019
You are not alone in wanting the Trump-Russia collusion story and investigation to end. Americans in both parties are tired of this investigation and "thought" that after finally getting the summary from the US Attorney General William Barr (right), and the release of the full $30 million Mueller investigation report (with security redactions), that it […]
RichC | April 7, 2019
The Antonov An-225 is one big aircraft … a strategic airlifter built in the Soviet Union in 1985 with a first flight in 1988 with the designed purpose of airlifting Energia rocket’s boosters and the Buran orbiter for the Soviet space program in the 1980s.
RichC | January 16, 2019
Although we hear (or at least I read) about cyber attacks to the U.S. electrical grid and utilities on a regular basis … but I’m not sure we take these events seriously enough? I’ve blogged on this ever since reading One Second After, a detailed factual-fiction story about just how devastating, vulnerable and dependent we […]
RichC | December 19, 2018
On the political front, special council Robert Mueller has been digging into President Donald Trump’s campaign and practices since May of 2017 (officially: coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign) . His department has unlimited resources and likely can turn over rocks that are not flattering to anyone associated with […]
RichC | June 12, 2018
Archiving a video segment (Dutch but Jerry’s comments are in English) from my brother-in-law Jerry Skinner talking about Malaysia Airlines MH17 and Russia (previous posts). The case is still moving forward and Tuesday the Dutch MPs approve Ukraine treaty on MH17 trial. The “treaty sets in stone that the prosecution of suspects will take place […]
RichC | March 7, 2018
The long time investigative correspondent for CBS, Sharyl Attkisson did an excellent job of “fairly” building a timeline in the “Collusion against Trump” details on her website. If you really want to understand what we know so far regarding the Russian connections, it is worth at least skimming the points below. On a separate note, […]
RichC | February 22, 2018
Previously I’ve detailed a bit about the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and some of what I have learned … here is a National Geographic channel video that summarizes what we know in 44 minutes.
RichC | October 14, 2017
Having a couple of connections to U.S. submariners, I found this bit of Akula-class Soviet Navy submarine history interesting and a great read. How The Soviet Akula Changed Submarine Warfare In late 1984, when the first Akula submarine of the Soviet Navy put to sea, it immediately changed the way anti-submarine warfare would be conducted. […]
RichC | November 10, 2016
A mockup weapon seen at a Ukrainian trade show appears to use a Raspberry Pi micro PC as the basis of a guidance system—probably not at all what the inventors of the hobby computer had in mind when they introduced their affordable wonder to the world. The weapon was reportedly sighted at last month’s Bezpeka […]
RichC | July 18, 2016
Two years has passed since a missle downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, yet 298 families are still without closure. In the US we’ve heard the slogan “too big to fail” when giving a pass to big banks, companies or their decision makers. When it is the powerful like Vladimir Putin and Russia, one wonders if […]
RichC | June 8, 2016
As the second anniversary approaches of the downing of #MH17 by Russian missiles over the Ukraine, my brother-in-law Jerry Skinner is doing what he can to keep the tragedy in front of the public eye. Pressure on politicians for them to pursue justice, compensation and a admission from Russia and Putin (a long shot) is […]
RichC | September 29, 2014
You might want to think twice before criticizing drivers in your neck of the woods … and be glad you are not driving in Russia (YouTube video below).
RichC | March 29, 2011
Although many in our government advocates for green or sustainable transportation, something tells me that driving a sailboat on the roadways around here … with sails up … would not be applauded by our city police or state highway patrol. This nationalclass.ru YouTube video clip made me smile 🙁 Content removed
RichC | January 28, 2011
In the State of the Union address this past Tuesday night, President Obama reflected on the space race as a time American’s found themselves behind in technology and rose to the occasion as Americans competed with the Russians in the frontier of space. “This is our generation’s Sputnik moment,” Obama said. As a result, we […]