LJ Will Survive!!!!
Mar. 10th, 2022 07:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mallorys_cameraRegarding those rumors about Russia’s imminent breakaway from the global Internet, my long-time Russki DW flister chum reports:
11 March may be a little pessemistic, but they do try to create locked-up segment, separated from Internet backbones. A boon to state security, obviously. We already face a push to switch to state-backdoored Yandex Browser and Atom, because of government sites switching to security certificates Chrome etc. don't care for.
The fun part will come when they try to move everything to Russian hostings. It will almost certainly kill off everything web-enabled for a few weeks here.
So, LJ will survive!
Following a seizure or two.
###
Meanwhile, we got enough snow to be picturesque but not enough to be inconvenient:
I TaxBwana-ed. I finished the Remunerative Project. (16,000 words, 57 pages!)
I got rejected by the Stegner Fellowship folks.
That was always a long shot, and probably is a good thing since I wouldn’t have been able to spend June traveling if I’d been accepted. And I want to travel.
I will have to spend some time thinking through a plan for finishing the Work in Progress. It is difficult to write creatively when my brain is cranking out economic analyses. But obviously, one must have $$$$ to pay the bills.
And I’ll have to spend some time thinking about a plan for marketing the Work in Progress—since given the current state of publishing, it seems unlikely it will be picked up by a mainstream publisher. But I do see an audience for the novel. So, I’ll probably have to do the stealth Internet treasure hunt marketing thing—Instagram, Twitter, dedicated blog, Substack, etc. etc. etc.
Fortunately, I do not have to come up with either plan today!
###
Was I dejected by the Stegner rejection?
Of course!
My sense of myself depends wholly upon the validation of others!
###
And every day, I grow more and more dejected about the Forever War, currently focusing its laser-like intensity in Ukraine.
The bombing of that Mariupol maternity hospital.
I literally cannot imagine anything more horrifying than going into labor with mortar shells detonating all around me.
And that beautiful blonde woman and her two children lying dead on that partially destroyed bridge. With that green pet carrier beside them. (The tiny Yorkie survived but it had to have one of its legs amputated.)
I wonder whether that’s the thing that grips me about the War in Ukraine? And failed to grip me about similar wars in Syria, Yemen, Rwanda?
The Ukrainians all have pets!!!
This, of course, is an incredibly ridiculous and superficial reason to be moved by the plight of one set of people over another set of people.
Particularly since there’s no reason to believe that Syrians, Yemenis, and Rwandans don’t also have pets.
But then, I’m a ridiculous and superficial person. I own it. Yup, I say. C’est moi. Catch me if you can!
11 March may be a little pessemistic, but they do try to create locked-up segment, separated from Internet backbones. A boon to state security, obviously. We already face a push to switch to state-backdoored Yandex Browser and Atom, because of government sites switching to security certificates Chrome etc. don't care for.
The fun part will come when they try to move everything to Russian hostings. It will almost certainly kill off everything web-enabled for a few weeks here.
So, LJ will survive!
Following a seizure or two.
###
Meanwhile, we got enough snow to be picturesque but not enough to be inconvenient:
I TaxBwana-ed. I finished the Remunerative Project. (16,000 words, 57 pages!)
I got rejected by the Stegner Fellowship folks.
That was always a long shot, and probably is a good thing since I wouldn’t have been able to spend June traveling if I’d been accepted. And I want to travel.
I will have to spend some time thinking through a plan for finishing the Work in Progress. It is difficult to write creatively when my brain is cranking out economic analyses. But obviously, one must have $$$$ to pay the bills.
And I’ll have to spend some time thinking about a plan for marketing the Work in Progress—since given the current state of publishing, it seems unlikely it will be picked up by a mainstream publisher. But I do see an audience for the novel. So, I’ll probably have to do the stealth Internet treasure hunt marketing thing—Instagram, Twitter, dedicated blog, Substack, etc. etc. etc.
Fortunately, I do not have to come up with either plan today!
###
Was I dejected by the Stegner rejection?
Of course!
My sense of myself depends wholly upon the validation of others!
###
And every day, I grow more and more dejected about the Forever War, currently focusing its laser-like intensity in Ukraine.
The bombing of that Mariupol maternity hospital.
I literally cannot imagine anything more horrifying than going into labor with mortar shells detonating all around me.
And that beautiful blonde woman and her two children lying dead on that partially destroyed bridge. With that green pet carrier beside them. (The tiny Yorkie survived but it had to have one of its legs amputated.)
I wonder whether that’s the thing that grips me about the War in Ukraine? And failed to grip me about similar wars in Syria, Yemen, Rwanda?
The Ukrainians all have pets!!!
This, of course, is an incredibly ridiculous and superficial reason to be moved by the plight of one set of people over another set of people.
Particularly since there’s no reason to believe that Syrians, Yemenis, and Rwandans don’t also have pets.
But then, I’m a ridiculous and superficial person. I own it. Yup, I say. C’est moi. Catch me if you can!
no subject
Date: 2022-03-10 11:59 pm (UTC)This, of course, is an incredibly ridiculous and superficial reason to be moved by the plight of one set of people over another set of people."
No it's not. It's entirely human and understandable. Even my left-wing, "woke" son acknowledges as much.
I think it's heartbreaking that so many people manage to bring their pets along only to realize that they can't keep them here. They can't keep them in most of the termporary accomodations, and for the most part, they won't be able to find apartments that allow pets. Oh, Germans love their own pets, but they don't like renting houses or apartments to people with pets. A few local Facebook pages are already looking for people willing to take in a "refugee pet" "temporarily". Riiiiiight.
I know this is a ridiculous thing to be outraged about, but, yeah.
Also, social media is a complete nightmare of hatred and blindness here. And I sure wish Facebook would ban that goddamn laughing smiley already.
I'm in deep admiration of the Ukrainian people. It seems like every single politician or government official they have, is AWESOME. How can this country have so many amazing people?
And how is it possible, that WE are paralysed by fear, and a nation that is suffering so horribly, is telling US: "Don't be afraid!"
Honest to God, Zelensky's nightly speeches are the ONE thing that make me feel hopeful and optimistic. Seems everyone around me is in "the sky is falling down!" mode, and his speeches make ME (of all people!!! I'm usually a walking collection of anxiety and fear!) feel positive and optimistic. He's a fantastic motivator. I'm completely in awe of the fact that every night he talks about how they're going to rebuild the country, and how it will be beautiful and peaceful again. Every night. Some Germans are starting to hate him and the ambassador, because they're asking for so much - and we're worried about the price of gas and bread, and throwing tantrums. All we're talking about, is how horrible everything is going to be, and HE talks about how beautiful everything's going to be! He's teaching us a lesson.
The ambassador said that he "cried" after his phonecall with our (liberal democrat) minister of finance. And Zelensky said that talking to Olaf Scholz felt like talking to a wall. Yeah, we suck.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-11 01:47 pm (UTC)I suspect because Germany lived through the post-WW II nightmare and humiliation. And doesn't want to have to go through something similar again.
And personally, I am glad that Zelensky's military demands are not being met. I am not willing to endure WWIII so that Ukraine can retain its sovereignty.
That doesn't mean I don't feel immensely for what people there are going through. I'm donating to relief organizations. I wish there was more I could do.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-12 12:10 am (UTC)So, since we're not ever going to use nuclear weapons, AND aren't willing to die "for freedom", we rely on OTHER people to be willing to die. Right now, it's Ukrainians.
Ugh.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-12 11:23 am (UTC)https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/11/podcasts/transcript-ezra-klein-interviews-masha-gessen.html
Yes, it is very long. But well worth reading. Gessen is the West's leading expert on the psychology of Vladimir Putin.
The chilling part comes near the end:
MASHA GESSEN: ...it’s pretty clear he takes Ukraine up to say Kyiv. He imprisons or more likely kills Volodymyr Zelensky. The West sort of negotiates a cessation of the war in exchange for letting him take most of Ukraine. And then the optimistic part — I mean, that’s the best case scenario in the short-term because at least the killing stops — and then the optimistic part is he dies soon after. Because if he doesn’t, it happens again and again and again.
EZRA KLEIN: And you mean here in places like Moldova?
MASHA GESSEN: Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, the Baltics, Poland — they’re all on notice.
EZRA KLEIN: Well, that’s a chilling answer.
MASHA GESSEN: That’s the best case scenario. In the worst case — I mean, the worst likely case I think is we’re talking about a tactical nuclear weapon aimed at military airports in Poland.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-11 07:46 am (UTC)In short, these people are fools who don't recognise your genius! But they will!
I'm very much looking forward to buying my copy of The Work in Progress.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-11 01:40 pm (UTC)It was a longshot. Plus, if I'd gotten the fellowship, I wouldn't have been free to travel this June. So, it's all good.