During the Second World War, Allied bombing was responsible for over 500,000 deaths in Europe. The bombing was one part of a war to defeat Nazi Germany and is little appreciated for its impact on the course of the war.  Stalin constantly wanted a second front to help his war, and little understood how the air war contributed to his ability to defeat the Nazi war machine.  As usual, Richard Overy has provided us with the one book we would recommend for anyone to understand the Allied air war.

China, as outlined in “Unrestricted Warfare” by Col. Qiao Liang and Col. Wang Xiansui , recently translated from the original People’s Liberation Army documents, is willing to commit to warfare by any means; conventional, biological, hacking, etc. Becoming the world’s dominate currency, especially through cryptocurrency provides China with the ability to strangle any economy. The article linked below points out that possibility and what it can mean to the world. China already is beginning to use non-cash transactions to control its population and stands ready to build a wall of immunity to foreign sanctions for human rights abuses and foreign actions. Is the U.S. taking this threat seriously? https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17487/china-digital-currency

In the year 1683, a vast Ottoman army is laying siege to Vienna, the heart of the Hapsburg Empire. The Ottoman army was subsidized in part by the king of France, who although Catholic, opposes the also Catholic Hapsburg Emperor. Then, from the wooded heights, the famous Polish winged hussars smash into the Ottoman army and from another direction troops from Franconia, northern Italy, Bavaria, and Saxony break the Ottoman flank. Vienna was saved and from that day forward the Ottoman Empire begins to degenerate and weaken until at the end of World War I it finally falls.

For anyone who has read books which deal with how men react in wartime, this novel is often referred to as a realistic description of military life. In a sense, it could in certain parts, be an English version of Joseph Hellers novel, Catch-22 with better character development and a darker form of humor. Evelyn Waugh is best known for his novel, Brideshead Revisited, but this novel is a semi-biographical account of his war time experiences as well as his relationship with his Catholicism (he converted to Catholicism in 1930 after the failure of his first marriage).

As Europe has been closed for quite a while (glad it is opening), Carolyn and I have taken four short trips in the U.S. this year; New Orleans, one to Las Vegas and Utah, another to Williamsburg VA and we have just returned from Miami (in July? Are you nuts)? Well, I had a free trip from a company and decided it was an excellent opportunity to revisit some haunts that we have not seen in a number of years.

Now summer is not exactly the primo time for visiting Miami; it is hot, humid, subject to hurricanes and can be quite buggy. Aside from that, it is terrific. So, we decided to make the best of it, and we stayed at the beautiful Ritz Carlson in Coconut Grove, just a block from the bay. The hotel only had about 25% of its staff and was 30% full, so it was great; the staff was friendly, no hassles about getting pool time, etc. Dewey, one of the front door men was a fount of information and tips on sites to see, restaurants, etc. He made getting back into the Miami mindset easy and fun! A real pro! He was not alone, as the friendliness of Geovanny, Evan, Pilar and many others made us feel right at home. Of course, the hotel itself is beautiful but there are numerous interesting places to stay in Coconut Grove, which is a small island of nice shops, restaurants, etc. without the glitter of South Beach. Think of a warm, smaller Carmel. Plus, it is in easy reach of some of the wonderful places to visit, such as:

Isn’t it funny that when the true cost of a program is known, it suddenly is not as attractive. For years, the failed “green” programs of Germany have been there for all to see; electricity costs that are 3x the rest of Europe, dependence on fuel from a state run by a dictator, slow growth, etc. but it never dawns on people that replicating some of those very policies in their back yard will cost them without any noticable improvement in their lives; in fact, those failed policies will end up decreasing their standard of living. Follow the link below to an article on how reality is posing a problem for the “green” agenda. Altruistic ideals are fine until they hit you in the pocketbook. https://www.wsj.com/articles/climate-change-summit-cop26-cost-esg-carbon-11626297240?mod=opinion_featst_pos1

Harrison Salisbury was the first NY Times correspondent stationed in Moscow after World War II and wrote a number of both fiction and non-fiction books about life in the Soviet Union, including a classic on the siege of Leningrad, The 900 Days. Unlike Walter Duranty, the besotted and compromised NY Times reporter who won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Soviet regime, Salisbury was not compromised by the system and was often criticized by the Soviets.

This novel tells a familiar story; a young Soviet citizen who somehow runs afoul of the Soviet system. He is pulled from front line service against the Germans and run through the hands of the Soviet secret police (including at Lubyanka prison, also known as the gates of hell) and the Gulag system. Along the way, his life is destroyed; his wife (at his request), divorces him so she may continue her schooling (being married to an enemy of the State would hinder her), his best friend after serving his time becomes a supporter of the State, his dreams of a better world are destroyed.

Despite it all, the main character survives and becomes a major dissent against the system. With the publication of his main book outside of the Soviet system, and, given the timing of its publication, he manages to salvage his dignity and resurrect his dreams of a better world.

Is this book a thinly covered version of the life of Solzhenitsyn (written in a clearer manner than Solzhenitsyn would have ever done)? More likely it is a composite character of survivors of the Gulag system who were able to maintain their humanity and hope for the future.

If you are not familiar with novels about the Soviet system, this is an easy read and should give you an idea of the brutality and craziness of a system which promised utopia but neglected to remember human nature.

The link at the end of my comments will take you to a proposed “solution” from a group of university researchers who believe in global warming (or is it global climate change?). In the end, they believe that all we need do is cut our energy usage by 90%, wash less frequently, have fewer clothes, and give up much of international travel. The problems with their “solution” are many, such as for example, with less international travel, millions will be thrown out of work for in the service and hospitality industries and how will they earn a living; does the decrease in international travel mean decreased manufacturing and longer lead times with the resulting decline in the maintenance of equipment which will lead to a further decreased standard of living. They also base their projection of energy production to include nuclear power, but that source is condemned by most of the environmental movement. It is easy to “solve” a problem if one ignores the impact on real world individuals. It seems that their “solution” in the end flies in the face of all human history, in which humanity has endeavored to improve its standard of living and refused to accept failure. Perhaps their “brave new world” is based on a model of humanity that has only been dreamed of by totalitarians. https://reason.com/2021/07/02/to-stop-climate-change-americans-must-cut-energy-use-by-90-percent-live-in-640-square-feet-and-fly-only-once-every-3-years-says-study/

In December 1936, the United Kingdom was rocked by the abdication of King Edward VIII.  Shortly thereafter, he married a twice divorced American woman, Wallis Simpson. For decades, the former King was viewed as a weak-willed man, dominated by a self-centered gold digger who thought she could marry the King and become Queen of England.  The story is much more complex, and Anna Pasternak takes a much different view of the entire episode; fortunately, she provides excellent support to her contention that Wallis Simpson was battled to keep the King, who was weak willed, on the throne.

After spending over $21,000,000,000,000 (Trillion) on the War on Poverty, and having not shown much for the effort, spending additional dollars as proposed by the Administration certainly would seem to fufill the definition above. Government policies which lead to a lack of individual responsibility cannot be solved by spending alone; there is a direct link between certain personal values and success or failure. This is nothing new and was pointed out fifty-six years ago by Daniel Moynihan in The Moynihan Report, yet we continue to see policies which create generations of despair. The numbers do not lie, nor does history; it is time for a change of policy regarding poverty in this nation. https://nypost.com/2021/07/02/helping-poor-kids-takes-more-than-money-they-also-need-stable-homes/