Is The World Going up in Smoke

Hi Everyone

My main blog page says, “I Support Ukraine.”  That was put on my webpage in the first week that Russia illegally invaded an independent, democratic country. I am proud to have been involved in three small projects to help the people. Now four years on, Ukraine is still fighting for its future and as well as receiving help from its allies across the world, it has made great strides to help itself with homegrown drone and military technology. All this despite Trump's insults and helping Putin by cancelling oil sanctions, something Zelensky openly condemned saying “Russia played the Americans again, played the president of the United States”.  Ukraine’s answer is to cooperate with Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, who also need to project themselves from attacks by Iran. Now apparently, on the battlefield, they have regained the initiative, causing more casualties than Russia can replace and taken back more territory than Russia has seized.  No doubt Ukraine would welcome all the help America could give them, but their ability to adapt even without Trump's America has been startling. They have even claimed to have seized a Russian position, capturing a number of Russians using drones and unmanned ground vehicles alone. Now with Trump on another failing escapade, do not forget Ukraine.

It seems incredible that in my lifetime our High streets have gone from being full of shops selling Fruit and vegetables, fish, shoes, groceries, hardware, dresses and suits, toys and gifts, in fact everything you needed. Nearly all those shops had plate glass windows, and in our case, game, rabbits and chickens hung on hooks in the street outside. The money received was in a wooden drawer under the counter top with no lock and we could leave the shop open but unattended while the Junior Partner had his lunch. Now that same street is full of shutters, CCTV, sophisticated locks, and fire alarms. In addition, all those shops have been replaced with food takeaways, Turkish barbers, betting shops, vape shops, nail bars, more food takeaways and convenience shops. This week a BBC investigation team has reported that the convenience stores are run by organised criminal gangs selling illegal vapes and cigarettes along with cannabis, cocaine and nitrous oxide (laughing gas) canisters. Surprise, surprise. We have known all this has been going on in these shops for months. We have two of these shops within a couple of miles, with the nearest one being raided by armed police officers in the last couple of weeks. It is still open, probably with just different faces behind the counter, and it is right opposite a large school with about four hundred teenage pupils. Then a member of Parliament appears on TV to say that it is shocking and appalling and that something needs to be done immediately. Has he been living under a bush for the last two years and, in any event, we do not do “immediately” here in the UK. At best it will take six months or mre likely a year to see any improvement. What also needs to be said is that we have many wonderful immigrants from across the world who contribute to our economy but nearly all these dodgy shops appear to be run by legal or illegal immigrants. Every political party would agree that something has to be done but if the party currently in power does not do something decisively and quickly, our politics will lurch to the far right to become something like Trump UK. Is that what we really want?  

Our King and his wife are off on a state visit to America this week. I just hope that he is able to use all his experience and diplomatic skills to prevent Trump from stealing the show to further expand his already massive ego. Good luck to them both.  

Just a Thought:

My friend got a job at Manchester airport patrolling the runways on a horse to shoot down any illegal flying devices. Now he is known as The Drone Ranger. 

My friend tried to quite vaping but he found it a real drag.

My friend is such a big fan of the Royal family that he named his four sons after a king - Henry, George, Charles and Burger.

Brian