It’s Been a Year Since Russia Invaded Ukraine

The anniversary of the beginning of a war is nothing to celebrate. Lives have been lost, property has been destroyed, and people have been displaced.

This week is the one-year anniversary of Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine. To say that it has been a trying time is an understatement. Mainly for the citizens of Ukraine, but also for the rest of the world. Gas prices went up last year, forcing the price of everything else to go up. I know it sounds like a first-world problem and inconsequential compared to those who have been killed, but the world relies on gas for almost everything.

Vladimir Putin believed that he could take over the country and that would be that. He depended on the rest of the world looking away or just giving him what he wanted (a la the Germans being given a portion of Czechoslovakia in hopes of preventing World War II). Instead, the Ukrainians and their President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have miraculously persevered, in spite of the odds.

One of the cliches about life is that our true character is revealed when times get tough. The Ukrainian people have proven to be stronger and more capable than I think many assumed they were. I fully believe that they will win. It is only a matter of time and the question of how many more will be slaughtered before peace occurs.

May the memory of those killed be a blessing. Z”l.

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Flashback Friday: A Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

*I’m aware that we are well past the Christmas season. Helping our fellow human beings when life has handed them shit is not just limited to the end of December.

Human beings are capable of change. It is just a matter of whether or not they actively take on that change or they are forced to by unforeseen circumstances.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) is an adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel, A Christmas Carol. Michael Caine plays the main character,Scrooge, a businessman whose only concern is profit. On Christmas Eve, he is visited by three spirits: one from the past, one from the present, and one from the future. By the end of the night, he has to make a decision. He will either embrace the spirit of the season and his fellow mortals or die as a lonely old man.

Caine was the perfect actor for this part. Though we all know the story, he brings the gravitas and life experience needed to fully play the role. Add in the muppets with their usual humor and it makes for a pretty good film.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.