Awesome class

Today’s class was on asking questions when having “conversations” and it was outstanding, demonstrating clearly how open ended questions and safe environments can elicit information that is invaluable to preventing future problems. 

I played a role in a tough case where my character had screwed up and everyone was terribly impressed by my not getting defensive, owning it, and asking how I could fix it. (This is, of course, much easier to do when everything is fictional.)

I took another security training. I now have online training in how to check my car for bombs and how to report someone suspicious doing things like following me. I think it is irresponsible to send me some place where I have to check my car for bombs and make guesses as to someone’s age, height, and weight.

Russia has been putting up statues and plaques in nearby countries for ages to suggest they had the same history and heroes. Ever since their invasion of Crimea in 2014, Ukraine has been removing some. It now it is accelerated. Mr. Pozdnyakov created an online map of thousands of these and dozens of activists added data. The goal is to use it to remove memorials. 

Berlin is putting three Patriot missiles in Poland near the border to help secure air space in case the war spills over. 

Ukraine has enough coal and gas for the rest of winter. The state oil and gas company is receiving a $205m grant from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Partners have helped speed up repairs and implement energy efficiency. 

South Africa’s government may not be criticizing Russia, but the foundation of the late South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu is, as is the main oppositional party. 

The head of Wagner, nicknamed “Putin’s Chef” because he became a restauranteur after prison, has been sued 560 times for supplying the army with rotten food. I guess that is how he became a billionaire. 

The big news of the evening - both the US and Germany will send tanks. Our tanks are not a great choice. They use a lot of fuel, they use a fuel that is hard to get, they need a lot of maintenance, and they are heavy so they probably can’t be used on Ukrainian bridges. BUT Germany insisted that the US provide tanks if they were going to provide the more useful Leopard tanks. Now Poland can send them too. This will hopefully make a big difference in Spring.