Talk
January 1, 2026 – "Stormy II"
One year ago, on January 1, I wrote
It is now 1 pm on that day (January 1). Where I am it is grey. The wind is roaring with brutal force in trees which are waving and bending over. It is not a day to go outside.
Now one year and two hours have passed (it is 3 pm) – yet the weather outside my window is exactly the same as it was then: brutally grey (no snow), roaring wind, cold and unpleasant outside. But why care about the weather? It's a diversion. Much has happened outside during this past year which I don't want to talk about. At least not now. I hope for better climes. And indeed: the last days of 2025 were sunny.
January 4, 2026 – "Commando"
I mostly abstain from commenting on politics and news here, but what happened yesterday when the US bombed Venezuela and commandos then kidnapped their president and brought him to New York – is really scary. Maduro is a terrible dictator, no doubt about that, but this action, including the build-up, is very similar to what the Russian dictator had planned for Ukraine – only this time the execution was better. What the Russian dictator got yesterday was visual confirmation that his ideas about spheres of influence (in which a great power should have freedom to do what it wants to smaller countries within its sphere) are shared not only with China, but with the US as well. International law be damned, only power and ruthlessness counts. What will be the next step? Where? Who?