Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

Trump should be leading, not lying.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

75% of people clapping liked the show!

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

White supremacy is terrorism.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War for Ukraine Day 569: It’s Quiltin Time!

War for Ukraine Day 569: It’s Quiltin Time!

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A cube shaped box sitting on a bed.

You may or may not remember about a year ago someone decided it would be a nice idea to give me a quilt as a thank you gift for doing these updates. Which was very thoughtful of everyone. Except, because of the work I do, I’m not allowed to accept gifts. After a number of emails back and forth I ultimately offered to just purchase it so that there wouldn’t have to be any additional paperwork on my end of things. Well at the beginning of the week QuiltingFool emailed to let me know it was done. As you can see from the picture above the quilt is now on the bed.

Pictures of the unboxing and the quilt actually on the bed after the jump. The thing is absolutely amazing!

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

Europe always wins when treaties work and promises are kept – address of President of Ukraine

15 September 2023 – 21:05

I wish you good health, dear Ukrainian men and women!

I had a phone call with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Restrictive measures against our agricultural exports by the European Union have been cancelled. Now, it is important that European unity works on a bilateral level – with the neighbors. That the neighbors would support Ukraine during the war. Europe always wins when treaties work and promises are kept. Well, if the neighbors’ decisions are not neighborly, Ukraine will respond civilly.

I held a lengthy meeting with government officials and the Office regarding our further tactics in protecting our agreements and free trade with the EU. By helping each other and safeguarding our shared freedom in Europe, especially economic freedom, we strengthen everyone in Europe. And this is particularly important now in the face of the genocidal aggression unleashed by Russia.

I held a new meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff today. First and foremost is the front. Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny, commanders – reports on the situation in the main directions.

Chief of Defense Intelligence Budanov – a separate report.

Minister for Strategic Industries Kamyshin – substantially about the production of weapons and rounds in Ukraine. Every week we record the progress of the state in its own defense production.

There is a significant and much-needed result for Ukraine near Bakhmut – our soldiers liberated Andriivka. The 3rd assault division, all involved forces, headquarters, commander –General Syrsky. Guys, thank you all!

Our active actions continue near Klishchiivka and Kurdiumivka.

The 36th separate marine brigade operates strongly near Opytne and Vodiane. Thank you, guys!

Near Verbove – our unyielding warriors, thank you! Near Novoprokopivka – well done!

I am proud of all the warriors who bring our victory closer!

Today, on the eve of the Rescuer’s Day, I congratulated the team of Ukraine’s State Emergency Service and thanked them for their courageous and selfless work. I took part in awarding laureates of the Ukrainian action “Hero – Rescuer of the Year”. And this event is much more than one of the official events. Our gratitude to the employees of the State Emergency Service. Every state and departmental award for rescuers is a reflection of the fact that people’s lives are protected.

I had a meeting with Karim Khan, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

We talked about the approach of justice for Ukraine and for all people who suffered from Russian war crimes.

The responsibility must be clear, concrete, completely fair – just like the warrant for Putin’s arrest issued by the International Criminal Court. What the Russian dictator was really afraid of. And now, he tries not to leave Russia, because the force of law exists, and it is strong. And the world has every opportunity for the law to overcome the aggression of the bandit force.

We are preparing for important international events scheduled for the second half of September. I had several long meetings about this today. We are doing everything to ensure that there are significant results for Ukraine – both in new defense packages from partners and in the decisions of international institutions.

We also work to strengthen Ukraine’s institutions, for the ability of our state to finally destroy oligarchic and corrupt influences. Influences that, in particular, Russia used for so long to weaken Ukraine, to constantly “eat away” the sovereignty of our state.

Today, I held a broad and meaningful meeting with representatives of law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the government, and the Office. We are preparing conceptual steps that will give Ukraine and our entire society more justice, and democracy in our state – guaranteed sustainability.

One more.

Today, the Ukrainian Jewish community, together with all the Jews of the world, celebrates Rosh Hashanah. I congratulate everyone who is celebrating, and I wish the next year will be peaceful – finally peaceful for all of Ukraine, for all our people. Ukraine deserves peace because it is doing everything for victory.

I thank everyone who fights for freedom and independence! I thank everyone who helps!

Glory to Ukraine!

President Zelenskyy also congratulated the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and presented awards to some of its members today.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated the employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on their upcoming professional holiday and took part in the awarding ceremony of the Hero – Rescuer of the Year nationwide action.

The Head of State thanked the employees of the State Emergency Service for maintaining the viability of the entire Ukrainian society, cities and villages amid the war unleashed by Russia.

“Eliminating the consequences of Russian shelling, extinguishing fires, rescuing people from under the rubble, demining our Ukrainian land, destroying Russian unexploded ordnance, delivering humanitarian aid to the de-occupied territory, restoring critical infrastructure and networks – all this is your job. All this is everyday life for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President emphasized that the daily work of the State Emergency Service employees resulted in thousands of lives saved, over 100,000 fires extinguished, and over 430,000 explosive devices disarmed.

“Ukrainian invincibility is literally the result of your work, in particular. It is often extremely risky, but heroic, when a bulletproof vest becomes a mandatory element of a rescuer’s overalls, when it is necessary to save people, and the shelling continues. When you work in the cities and districts shelled by Russia every day,” the Head of State noted.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, 435 Ukrainian rescuers have been awarded state awards, and three SES employees have been awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.

“287 employees of the State Emergency Service were wounded while performing their duties. 80 Ukrainian rescuers were killed,” the President said.

The Head of State emphasized that our warriors often do impossible things to chase away the occupiers and bring the Ukrainian victory closer.

“This heroism at the front should be based on the dedication and focus of people in the rear. Everyone who works for the sake of our country. Those whose profession is to save and help, and those who feel life in such a way, respect life so much that they become the rescuers of other lives,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President emphasized that today the bravery of not only professional employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, but also ordinary people who saved the lives of others is being honored.

“I thank all of you – all of you who are rescuing – for setting this kind of example – an example of dedication and focus on the interests of the state and people,” he added.

The audience observed a minute of silence in memory of the fallen heroic Ukrainian rescuers.

The President presented the Orders “For Courage” of the II and III degrees to the employees of the State Emergency Service.

In the presence of the Head of State, the winners of the Hero – Rescuer of the Year nationwide action were also awarded. The award was given to Ukrainians who demonstrated courage and heroism while saving lives in the face of a full-scale Russian invasion.

Here’s the video:

Oy vey!

In addition to Prigozhin, The Jerusalem Post‘s list includes Russian oligarch and Putin catspaw Roman Abromovich, Israel’s two most influential neo-fascist Members of Knesset Smotrich and Ben Gvir, and the international Chabad movement, which, as we’ve discussed here before, is used by Putin to launder money and influence. You know who was NOT on the list: Zelenskyy!

Kurymivka:

Tatarigami has all the details on what is going on in Kurdyumivka. First tweet from the thread and the rest from the Thread Reader App:

2/ Kurdyumivka, a small town situated to the south of Bakhmut, holds a tactical advantage due to its elevated position. It offers crucial control over vital roadways connecting Horlivka and Bakhmut, encompassing both highways and railway lines.Image
3/ As illustrated in this image, maintaining control over Kurdyumivka and the eastern heights affords the ability to establish effective fire control and disrupt the enemy’s logistical route from Horlivka and Svitlodarsk to Bakhmut, which passes in close proximity to KurdyumivkaImage
4/ Kurdyumivka presents a formidable challenge as a target due to its elevated position in relation to advancing Ukrainian forces, as well as its separation by bodies of water, including this channel, with a restricted number of bridges available for crossingImage
5/ During June and July 2023, the 28th brigade exerted substantial pressure, forcing russian retreat across the channel and setting the stage for further advances towards Kurdyumivka. This time-lapse video documents the progress 
6/ In a successful June operation, the 28th brigade’s mechanized battalion destroyed the enemy battalion and captured fortified positions, bolstering security for the advancing northern sector forces.Image
7/ Upon seizing fortified positions, navigating minefields, and crossing a water channel, the 28th brigade faced formidable resistance from the 1428th Rgt, the 57th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Bde, and elements of the Akhmat-North Rgt and St. George Reconnaissance Assault BdeImage
8/ The area north of Kurdyumivka has transformed into a fierce battleground, with the russians heavily fortifying their defenses to halt any northern advances. The vivid imagery highlights the intense combat that unfolded, with every meter of land fiercely contested.Image
9/ The stark comparison between August and September reveals the extent of destruction in the area, which was liberated from the russians despite their numerical advantage and the support of Lancets, FPV drones, artillery, and Ka-52 helicopters providing cover.Image
10/ This brief video offers a general overview of the 28th’s summer campaign, starting with the clearance of defensive lines along the eastern side of the channel, which forced elements from multiple brigades and regiments to retreat. It then secured a land route into Kurdyumivka 
11/ The second phase involved a northern push, with support from neighboring brigades. This enabled the 28th to engage the enemy from both the northern and eastern flanks simultaneously, forcing the enemy to abandon their positions and retreat beyond the railroad to higher ground 
12/ Lancets, as well as the Ka-52 helicopters, located around 105km from Kurdyumivka, pose a significant threat due to the absence of good AD cover. With a substantial supply of Vikhr AT-missiles at their disposal, these Ka-52s compel our units to heavily rely on infantry on footImage
13/ Despite adversity and against all odds, the 28th Brigade forced the 1428th Rgt and units from the 51st, 31st, and 7th (assault-recon) brigades to retreat across the railroad, abandoning their positions north of Kurdyumivka. The brigade still controls the dam in Kurdyumivka.Image
14/ Naturally, the 28th brigade does not operate in isolation; it receives support from other units. These forward advances often come with losses. However, in comparison, russian forces bear an even heavier burden of losses and continue to retreat 
15/ While artillery remains crucial, drones are vital for fire correction, reconnaissance, assaults, defense, and maneuvers. Given the high drone casualty rate in this war, brigades rely on a constant supply from civilian organizations 

16/ This is an excellent example fundraiser currently raising money to assist the 32nd and 28th brigades with drones. Feel free to check and contribute to support them:

17/ Thank you for reading. If you found this thread interesting, please assist by liking and sharing the first message of the thread, as it greatly contributes to improving the post’s visibility via the algorithm.

Here’s tweet 10 with the video that didn’t load from the Thread Reader App:

And a couple of follow ons:

Bakhmut:

Klischiivka:

Andriivka:

Kherson:

KHERSON THEATER /1400 UTC 15 SEP/ UKR authorities order a mandatory evacuation for families
with children from settlements along the Dnipro River. The removal of civilians from the front maybe indicative of UKR’s intent to initiate a wide-based offensive operation in the Dnipro river basin. RU movements are also being monitored to determine if the evacuation is the result of an increased RU threat.

Zaporizhzhia:

Russian occupied Sevastapol:

BROKEN BORAS: Overhead imagery provided by @MT_Anderson reveals that two RU missile corvettes were damaged by a UKR naval drone attack on 14 SEP. Previously, RU sources claimed that a pair of Russian corvettes had destroyed six UKR naval drones during an encounter in the roadstead west of Sevastopol. RU sources claimed neither vessel was damaged.
Last night, Ukraine released a video of the engagement, which clearly showed explosions, indicating at least one UKR naval drone closed with and struck a RU warship.
The following morning, a Bora class hovercraft missile corvette, (Samum, Hull 616) was reported to be listing heavily while under tow back to Sevastopol.
Overhead imagery posted by MT Anderson now shows Samum and her squadron mate, also a Project 1239 Hovercraft missile corvette Bora (ex-Sivuch, Hull 616) undergoing urgent repairs at the Sevastopol naval station.
This brings to four the number of Russian warships damaged by UKR in the Sevastopol missile attack and subsequent engagements.
Damaged and likely destroyed in the missile strike were the Kilo class missile submarine Rostov and the amphibious landing ship (LST) Minsk.
Video and overhead imagery reveal that both Minsk and Rostov are unlikely to be return to service. Damage to one of the Bora class missile corvettes [Hull No. unknown] was sufficiently severe to require immediate transfer to a floating dry dock, indicating major damage to her hull.

Mykola Oleschuk, Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Has confirmed that Russian “Minsk” large landing ship and “Rostov-on-Don” submarine were destroyed by the British and French cruise missiles – Storm Shadow and SCALP!
🇫🇷🤝🇺🇦🤝🇬🇧

Full statement by Mykola Oleschuk:
“🇬🇧British and 🇫🇷French mass media are interested in what type of cruise missiles the Ukrainian pilots sent to the vessels “Minsk” and “Rostov-on-Don” after “Moscow”.

It is quite logical, because you cannot think of better advertising for a national arms manufacturer.

I report!

Aviation ✈️ Air Force has two types of cruise missiles provided by partners to fight the occupier.

We hang the British “Storm Shadow” under the left wing of the Su-24M, the French “Scalp” – under the right))

Both missiles work great, no chance for the occupier!

Under the wings of our bombers there will be a place for the German “Taurus”. Then it will be possible to continue the “city game” (Referred to the dact that Russian ships are named after cities) even more effectively.

🤝 Once again, I thank our Western partners for the weapons and equipment that help destroy the aggressor and liberate Ukrainian land!”

https://t.me/MykolaOleshchuk/129

Russian occupied Nova Khakovka:

For you acquisitions and logistics enthusiasts:

OpenDemocracy has published an expert from Christopher Miller’s book on Ukraine and its defense against Russia’s genocidal re-invasion. The excerpt focuses on the days before the genocidal re-invasion began. Here’s some of it:

In his new book ‘The War Came to Us: Life and Death in Ukraine’, American journalist Christopher Miller chronicles life in Ukraine in the run-up to Russia’s invasion – and after.

Miller first came to Ukraine in 2010 as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bakhmut, a city that has been turned into a wasteland by Russia’s invasion. He then became a journalist, and has broken a number of vital stories – covering the 2014 Euromaidan revolution, annexation of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine.

In this excerpt, Miller writes about how Ukraine’s top officials interpreted the ‘warning signs’ that immediately preceded Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Kyiv, early 2022

Volodymyr Zelensky paced across the ornate parquet floors of his office, the clack of his black, size 8½ oxfords echoing through the cavernous building, as he studied the contents of a red folder.

A stamp at the top read “top secret.” It was for the Ukrainian president’s eyes only. Inside was an intelligence briefing compiled by his National Security and Defense Council. The information contained within was so urgent and alarming that the secretary of the NSDC, Oleksiy Danilov, had rushed across town in his aging Audi to deliver it himself.

“Sir, information from our Western partners indicates your life is in grave danger,” Danilov told Zelensky. The document outlined a Russian capture-or-kill operation targeting the president.

Zelensky furrowed his brows and scrunched up his face.

“Hmm,” he grumbled. “Thank you.”

He left the folder on his desk, dismissed Danilov, and headed down the hall to another meeting.

It wasn’t the first time Zelensky had been warned of such a thing and he was, frankly, tired of hearing about it – even if he was finally beginning to believe it.

For weeks, the United States and other Western nations had been alerting him to the threat of a Russian invasion, the goal of which, they said, was to capture Kyiv and install a pro-Russian puppet government. On a secret visit to the Ukrainian capital in mid-January, CIA Director Bill Burns had also told Zelensky that there was a threat to life, my sources in the president’s office would later tell me.

Burns warned that the Kremlin had compiled a “kill list” of Ukrainians who were to be assassinated or sent to prison camps. The list included government officials, journalists, activists, ethnic and religious minorities, and LGBTQ Ukrainians. But Zelensky himself was at the top. And shortly before the intelligence report landed in Zelensky’s hands, Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, had been briefed in Washington. “I was received by President Biden. And then we had a meeting with Secretary Blinken. We delivered our comment to the press and then I was asked to go to a separate room,” he told me later. “And in that room I received an update, a pretty detailed update on the Russian preparations. And the guys who were speaking with me said the invasion was likely to begin within like 48 hours.”

The Biden Administration was especially and unusually vocal about the looming Russian threat. It had first sounded an alarm in March and April 2021, when Russia began massing thousands of personnel and military equipment near its border with Ukraine and in occupied Crimea. Russia withdrew some troops that summer but left the equipment in place. Then, in October 2021, Washington sounded a second alarm when it noticed Russia was moving its forces back toward the border and deploying more units on new fronts. By December, US intelligence was saying that roughly 120,000 Russian troops, along with fighter aircraft and ballistic missiles, were in place, and that the troop numbers were likely to increase to 175,000, maybe more. American General Mark Milley, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Russia’s troop build-up “larger in scale and scope… than anything we’ve seen in recent memory.” President Joe Biden showed solidarity with Ukraine, warning the Kremlin of severe consequences should Vladimir Putin give the order to invade.

Zelensky’s annoyance was evident to the public three weeks before Danilov walked into his office, when the president held a press conference on 28 January. Foreign media, myself included, gathered at the baroque-styled Mariinsky Palace, the official residence of the President of Ukraine, designed and built in the eighteenth century. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling of the gilded room. There were samovars filled with coffee and tea. Servers dressed in uniform and white gloves opened doors for us and offered pastries and fruit. The mood among us journalists was tense. We had, of course, been the ones writing about the Western intelligence warnings. Some of us had received off-the-record briefings ourselves from our respective government sources, who said that it might be a good idea to leave Kyiv and head west, where Russia was unlikely to invade. “I know you probably want to be in the thick of it when it happens, but I’m telling you this isn’t going to be like 2014,” a senior US official who I’d known for many years told me. But the Ukrainians appeared less anxious. I chatted on the sidelines with Zelensky’s press secretary, Sergii Nykyforov, before the event. He was calm and reassuring. “I think it’s possible Russia might do something, but I’m not sure it will be like they are saying,” he told me.

He wasn’t saying Russia couldn’t or wouldn’t invade. He was saying that it already had, back in 2014. “Escalation already happened,” he explained. “The [Russian] threat is imminent. The threat is constant.”

While he respected Biden and appreciated his support, just like the American president knows better about what’s happening in Washington, he said, “I’m the president of Ukraine and I’m based here, and I think I know the details better here.”

And he had one more thing to say. He was unhappy about the US, the United Kingdom, and Canada evacuating its embassy staffers. “Diplomats are like captains,” Zelensky said. “They should be the last to leave a sinking ship. And Ukraine is not the Titanic.”

Several months after the invasion, Zelensky would defend his words to me in an interview, saying that despite the public warnings by US officials, Kyiv was never given intelligence it could act on about the impending Russian attack. “Nobody showed us specific material saying it would come from this or that direction,” he said. A US official would tell me otherwise. “We told them exactly where the Russians would come from and how they would do it,” the official said.

But by the time Zelensky had received the intelligence briefing from Danilov, he had finally started to come around to the US assessments and believed, at the very least, that Russia would invade Ukraine again – he just thought it would be an incursion aimed at seizing more of the Donbas.

Hours before Danilov placed the folder in the president’s hands, Putin had gone on Russian state television and recognized the “independence” of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in eastern Ukraine, all but confirming attacks there. Citing false and unproven reports as a justification, the Russian strongman said he would heed the appeals of his puppet leaders in the occupied parts of those regions, who had asked for military support, and deploy his troops there under the guise of a bogus “peacekeeping mission.”

Zelensky was looking for more details on that when he walked into his next meeting late that evening. He had called to his fourth-floor office the leaders of all the political parties serving in parliament, so that they, too, could be brought up to speed.

Knowing they were on the verge of renewed all-out war, he asked them to set aside their differences now and unite for a common cause: the defense of the country. Also present were Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s prime minister; Valery Zaluzhny, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Ivan Bakanov, Zelensky’s childhood friend who’d been tapped without any relevant experience to head the Security Service of Ukraine; defense minister Oleksiy Reznikov; and General Kyrylo Budanov, a former special-forces operator who was still new in the role of head of the Defense Ministry’s Military Intelligence Directorate.

There was a conversation about whether to announce mobilization in response to the latest US intelligence. But Bakanov and Reznikov said that wouldn’t be necessary, because there’d be no full-scale invasion and another incursion in the Donbas could be met this time around with Ukraine’s reformed military that it already had entrenched there.

Then Budanov, the youngest among the officials at 36 years old, stood up and quieted down the room. He spread a map across the large table in the middle of everyone before calmly and clearly delivering a message that one person present would later tell me “drained the blood from their faces.” The Russians would invade in the Donbas from the east, yes, Budanov told the group. But Putin’s army would also attack military targets across the country with missiles and rockets. Attack aircraft would follow. And ground forces would invade with tanks and other armor from Belarus in the north, Russia in the east, and occupied Crimea in the south.

Drawing his fingers across the map to show which routes the Russians would advance on, he detailed an invasion plan more ambitious than anything seen since the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939. What Russia had in store would reorder the post-World War II security architecture and reshape the global order.

Much more at the link!

For those interested, here’s the link to Miller’s book The War Came to Us.

Here’s the quilt pictures. I cannot emphasize enough how absolutely amazing it is! The gold and yellow really pop! It is huge; 116 by 116. QuiltingFool has informed me it is a tumbling blocks quilt: I’ve re-read her email and, apparently, the solid blue quilt I have on my bed, which you can see under the box in the picture up top, is a tumbling blocks quilt. I apologize for the confusion.

Love the cascading pattern of a tumbling blocks quilt? We do, too! The artfully arranged light and dark diamonds appear to be cubes stacked in vivid three-dimensional lines. Piecing tumbling blocks quilts remains among quilters’ favorite challenges, arranging the colors to form the elusive blocks and sewing the sharp-toothed diamonds together.

The Tumbling Blocks quilt is one of the earliest quilt patterns, featuring geometric forms of light and dark that tumble across the quilt. The design is cleverly constructed to appear three-dimensional. These quilts, with their varied colors and fabrics, are reminiscent of colonial times when housewives saved every scrap of fabric that came into their homes and then used those scraps to make quilts.

She also told me it is dog safe. I’m sure the dog lanterns will be the judge of that. The Flooferina, Rosie, has already been up on it in one of her usual spots. Right now I have it folded up and off the bed as I need to strip the linen, remove the mattress to put the skirt on the foundation, put the mattress back on, put clean linen on, and then I’ll put the new quilt back on the bed.

This is how it came out of the box.

Folded up quilt with an eight sided star panel centered in the picture

Here it is on the bed:

A blue, yellow, and gold tumbling blocks quilt on a king sized bed.

Found the tryzub!

A Ukrainian Tryzub block sown onto the underside corner of a blue, yellow, and gold tumbling blocks quilt.

I believe the gold threading underneath and next to the tryzub says Slava Ukraini.

For those of you that want to order your own quilt, QuiltingFool’s online storefront is at this link.

That’s enough for today.

Your daily Patron!

A new video from Patron’s official TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@patron__dsns/video/7279064059675168006?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7278826699293279787

Here’s the machine translation of the caption:

This trend touched me 🥹❤️

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

82Comments

  3. 3.

    Chief Oshkosh

    Thanks for all of the ENORMOUS amount of time and effort you put in on these updates.

    And I like the photo of the box on the bed; “The quilt is on the bed.”  Droll, very droll. ;)

    That may be the most beautiful quilt eva!

  4. 4.

    Yarrow

    I saw this today, which seemed good.

    The US last month provided Ukraine with an “industrial-sized 3D printer” that it can use to print spare parts for equipment that breaks down or needs maintenance, and the Ukrainians completed training on it within the last week, per DoD acquisition chief Bill LaPlante
    — Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) September 15, 2023

    The printer was the size of a “truck,” and “is changing the ball game” of how quickly the Ukrainians are able to repair their equipment, LaPlante told CNAS today.

  6. 6.

    Edmund dantes

    Wow. Truly amazing quilt. Is there a way to get in contact with quilting fool? I have a very good Ukrainian friend that would love something like that who is going through some rough times. I’d love to brighten his day.

  7. 7.

    oldster

    That quilt is so beautiful!! If you send it to the Zelenskyis then it might find its way onto their bed!

    (But you might want to keep it for yourself!)

  8. 8.

    Anonymous At Work

    Now that Sevastopol is under attack, what happens to a “fleet-in-being” when it can’t even “being” safely?  What does it mean to the defense of Crimea when the fleet has to retreat to the eastern shores of the Black Sea?

  9. 9.

    Anonymous At Work

    I saw Pfarrer’s evaluation of the Dnipro evacuation order earlier.  How much PsyOps and how much real anticipation?

  12. 12.

    Ruckus

    I have two of QuiltingFool’s squares and they are unique and beautiful. As is the quilt you have.

    Actually as I’ve had artists in the family and so have been exposed to a lot of different types of art, including my grandmother who crocheted many beautiful items and Quilting Fool is a great artist. I prize my quilting blocks highly and am (slowly! very slowly) working on frames out of maple for them. Hey, I have the maple…… I’ll send pics when I get them done.

  15. 15.

    wjca

    two RU missile corvettes were damaged by a UKR naval drone attack on 14 SEP. Previously, RU sources claimed that a pair of Russian corvettes had destroyed six UKR naval drones during an encounter

    Well, yeah.  When the naval drone explodes upon hitting a corvette, that does indeed destroy the drone.  However not exactly a win for the corvette now, is it?

  17. 17.

    Quiltingfool

    @Edmund dantes: If you want to get in touch with me, you can click on my nym and it will take you to my Etsy store and you can send me emails through it; or you can ask Watergirl for my direct email!

    We can discuss what you think your friend would like; I enjoy quilt design.

  18. 18.

    Alison Rose

    The quilt is absolutely beautiful. QF, you outdid yourself! But, Adam — “Except, because of the work I do, I’m not allowed to accept gifts.” — like, ever? For any reason or occasion? Honestly asking, because the updates here aren’t part of your paycheck, but does that distinction perhaps not matter in your fields?

    I suppose if one bizarrely wanted to, one could view prigozhin as having had “influence”, but like…so did Charles Manson. It’s not always something deserving of recognition! Also, it was prig’s father who was Jewish, and normally I don’t care about the matrilineal aspect, but in his case, fuck him, not a Jew.

    I don’t recall if this was in yesterday’s update or comments, but Chef José is now a United24 ambassador!

    Thank you as always, Adam. L’Shanah tovah u’metukah.

  20. 20.

    japa21

    As usual, thanks for the update.  Once again more positive news than negative.

    Appreciate your integrity.  Justice Thomas would have just taken the quilt.

    And the quilt is absolutely beautiful.

  21. 21.

    Ruckus

    @zhena gogolia:

    We may have the same squares, I have a Patron and 3 cats.

    I have 3 wood projects to finish and then it’s frames! Unfortunately for project completion, I am retired, after 60 yrs of jobs so I work when I feel like it. Which is not 40 hrs a week…..

  22. 22.

    Quiltingfool

    I hate to correct Adam, but the quilt under the “quilt in a box” is a Tumbling Block!  I don’t know what name could be given to the quilt I made, as it is my design, not a purchased quilt pattern — it has lots of different blocks, so I call it “Adam’s Quilt” or “Stars Over Ukraine”.   (Gin & Tonic, a Ukrainian translation would be great, if you would be so kind!)

    The blocks in the outer border of the quilt are from a quilt book, State Stars; each state has a block.  Florida is represented!  Not because Adam lives there, but because it was a very cool block.  Serendipity!

  23. 23.

    Quiltingfool

    @oldster: It would be an honor to make a quilt for President Zelenskyy, but I’m afraid anything I could make would be a poor effort compared to the fabric artistry of Ukrainian women.  Their work is beautiful!  Traditional Ukrainian clothing are works of art.

    I very much appreciate your compliment!

  25. 25.

    Villago Delenda Est

    The quilt is STUNNING!  As mentioned above by Mel, heirloom material.  To be treasured for generations.

  26. 26.

    Quiltingfool

    @zhena gogolia: Speaking of cat blocks, I experimented with reverse appliqué (think Hawaiian quilts) https://pin.it/1mWIZpz

    I went to the quilt fabric town (Missouri Star Quilt) this week and purchased some fabric to make the block I linked to — in Ukrainian colors – blue and yellow.  Gotta get a few customer request quilts done first, though!

    So many projects, so little time!  At least I don’t have to clean house, I hire my niece to do it, yay!

  27. 27.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Quiltingfool: While I can’t gainsay your tribute to Ukrainian fabric handlers (that seems so pedestrian for true artists) I think you underestimate the extent of your skills.  Truly a work of art.

  30. 30.

    Andrya

    @Alison Rose:   When I was an aerospace statistician, at a far lower level than Adam, I was required to report gifts above a certain (fairly low) dollar limit.  There were some people I absolutely could not accept gifts from (employees of suppliers to my employer).  I retired 7 years ago, so I don’t remember which restrictions were from my employer and which were from the government.

    However, it’s gratifying to reflect that our Supreme Court is SO INCORRUPTABLE that they can accept goodies and gifties galore, no problem!

    The quilt is gorgeous!

    ETA:  Rats, japa21 beat me to the Justice Thomas snark.

  32. 32.

    Dan B

    The quilt seems a bit bold or brazen.  Those are synonyms for dazzling, right?  And I’ll add another WOW for the quilt and the huge post on Ukraine!!

  33. 33.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Alison Rose: If I’m on a full time equivalent assignment, which I was at the time this was proposed, then I cannot accept gifts.

    I’m currently back to consulting, so I could now, but that’s neither here nor there from a year ago. It is also one of the reasons I’m looking to make something of a career change.

  40. 40.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Alison Rose: With the company I worked for until I retired, the ironclad rule was you could not accept gifts of anything above “nominal value.” That meant things like a coffee mug or a t-shirt from a vendor; anything more than that and you’d be fired. I think that’s pretty commonplace.

  43. 43.

    Prescott Cactus

    Adam, thanks for all your time and effort. I’m green  ah, blue and gold with envy !

    Quiltingfool, fine artwork is a salve to the eyes and yours also reached my soul, along with a few goosebumps.

    Much thanks to everyone too. Your learned discussion and the additional informed commentary expand the amount I am able understand.

    Much peace.

  46. 46.

    Traveller

    I feel a little foolish being compelled to say what is obvious and what everyone else has said…but the Quilt is beautiful,  so intricate and perfect in design, it is necessary to give all possible kudos and praise to real Artists…which QuiltingFool obviously is….just….a person is left speechless….in the face of such fabulous work by you. Best Wishes, Traveller

  49. 49.

    Carlo Graziani

    Interesting about Budanov’s role on the eve of the invasion. He really seems to have been the necessary tough-minded and clear-eyed person in the right place at the right time.

  51. 51.

    Prescott Cactus

    @Adam L Silverman:

    It is also one of the reasons I’m looking to make something of a career change.

    Prospective Boss: As you can see we have great health and retirement benefits and our salary is very competitive. . .

    Adam: Yes, they are. . . Can we talk about quilts for a moment. . .

  52. 52.

    Steeplejack

    @Gin & Tonic:

    I get that in the job context, but what about if you and your spouse go to dinner with your neighbors and they pick up the tab? Or a buddy buys you a beer while you’re watching the NFL game at a bar?

    Does Adam’s voluntary, unpaid contribution of his expertise to Balloon Juice count as part of his job? Or is it part of his private time?

  56. 56.

    YY_Sima Qian

    OT: Here is a good thread from Lyle Morris concerning the reports Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu being under investigation.

    In recent posts there have been suggestions that China’s recent economist weakness may prompt Xi to wage “diversionary war” to distract the domestic population. Here is a good article by M . Taylor Fravel published at Foreign Affairs that delves into the history of PRC foreign policy practice & explains why that is not the case.

    The Myth of Chinese Diversionary War
    Domestic Turmoil Won’t Make Beijing Launch an Attack—but Will Make It More Likely to React to External Threats

    By M. Taylor Fravel
    September 15, 2023

    Here is a slightly different take from Van Jackson that explains why the current geopolitical context (of Great Power Competition on the verge of new Cold War) has dangerously heightened the risk of hit war, whatever the proximate cause or motivation, despite the history that Fravel has described.

    Disentangling Chinese Ethnonationalism and Jingoism

    …

    While I think diversionary war is a useful concept to have in your sense-making toolkit, and diversionary foreign policy is much more common than diversionary war, I agree with Fravel’s argument as it applies to China.

    But, as Un-Diplomatic readers know, I recently said:
    it’s not implausible that a declining China could be more aggressive than a rising one…

    This is entirely compatible with the point Fravel is making, but we should all be clearer about how interlocking concepts of ethnonationalism, jingoism, risk propensity, economic decline, and political legitimacy relate to each other.

    …

    Fravel does not address the question of CCP legitimacy. And while he correctly notes that China has a history of restraint and accommodation abroad amid domestic turmoil, 1) China was much less capable of conquest in past periods, 2) China has, since the ‘80s, been on a high-growth economic trajectory overall, which is no longer the case, and 3) the larger context was not one of Sino-US rivalry but rather detente.

    So the way I think about all this, war comes out of a context of boiling rivalry—the valence of foreign relations makes war more or less thinkable at any given time. We’re in a relational moment where war is far more thinkable than during past periods of Chinese domestic turmoil.

    That boiling rivalry owes partly to US choices, of course, but also partly to Xi Jinping’s wilful stoking of blood-and-soil rhetoric. His regime represses Chinese workers to sustain his oligarchic economy. In the past, that was only sustainable without domestic instability as long as China’s economy had a long shadow of the future.

    …

  59. 59.

    wjca

    @YY_Sima Qian:

    For anyone with an enthusiasm for the diversionary war concept, note that there was no (visible from the outside) sign of domestic turmoil, or even stress, in Russia when Putin attacked Ukraine.  Whereas Ukraine had serious domestic unrest, but didn’t try to foment even non-military hostilities with any of its neighbors.

  60. 60.

    Lyrebird

    @Steeplejack: ​
     

    When I was working on government (DOD) contracts a long time ago, our program officers could not take gifts valued above $25 from anyone outside of their immediate family iirc.

  61. 61.

    Quiltingfool

    Thank you to all for the wonderful compliments!  I enjoy designing and making quilts, makes me very happy.  I have, though, made some quilts that just ain’t right — the construction is good, but my color choices were questionable!  I look at those and wonder, “what the hell was I thinking!”

    I had a customer who wanted a quilt made of camouflage fabric squares, with hunter orange star blocks.  She loved it, but it was hideous.  I hated working on it, it was boring and ugly.  Worst part?  She ghosted me, never bought it (I don’t ask for deposit) so I was stuck with the damned thing.  Well, thankfully, a member of my quilt guild asked for a quilt donation to the Elks Club to raise money for scholarships.  I gave it to them, and they were thrilled.  I was equally thrilled to get rid of it.  If the sale helps a kid go to college, hooray!

  63. 63.

    dr. luba

    @Quiltingfool: There is some appliqué in Ukraine, but quilting?  Not really.

    Where Ukrainian women excel is with needlework, especially embroidery. Traditional garments are amazing, but many designers have been creating amazing works of ethnofashion.

    UCARE will be hosting a fashion show as a fundraiser on the 28; this is one of the designers coming from Ukraine (Facebook page).

  64. 64.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Steeplejack: I will not go into the permissions I had to get and the hoops I had to jump through to be allowed to keep doing these. Just know that it was a lot of pain.

  67. 67.

    Anoniminous

    Col. Glantz Explains Why Bakhmut Mattered in WW2

    Also dispenses some other wisdom.

    “Is the Donbas good tank country? Yes is the general judgement. That’s bullshit. It isn’t good tank country. It’s awful. And all you need to do is read … the reports of the commanders who lead their tank and mech corps across that area in 1943.”

    Very much worth the 4 minutes and 31 seconds.

    Col. Glantz is a highly respected military historian of the Soviet Union in World War 2.

  68. 68.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Prescott Cactus: Has nothing to do with quilts. Has everything to do with no longer believing that doing the work I’ve been doing matters. That what I do makes no positive difference.

  71. 71.

    way2blue

    Wow.  Your new quilt is incredible.  Hat’s off to Quilting Fool!  (I have a half finished quilt that’s been languishing for years.  My sewing machine is tuned up, so no excuses to finishing the bloom’n thing.)

  73. 73.

    Torrey

    Coming in late, as usual, but cannot resist remarking on the quilt. It is truly a work of art! QuiltingFool, you are indeed amazing.

  75. 75.

    Sebastian

    @YY_Sima Qian:

    Not at first glance but it could be interpreted that way (although it’s a bit of a stretch). The primary reason for occupying Donbas and Crimea is control over the gas fields in the Black Sea.

    Putin’s scheme only works as long as Russia has access to cheap natural gas. Unfortunately for Russia, all the easy explorable deposits are more or less depleted and the remaining deposits are in very remote areas that require a) a lot of expensive infrastructure (roads, airports, railways, ports, very long pipelines, etc), b) are in very harsh environments like close or above the Arctic Circle, and c) require Western know-how and technology for exploration and access.

    But not so the huge gas deposits in the Black Sea.

  78. 78.

    TS

    I live with/near a group of quilters and this quilt is just exquisite to the extreme in comparison to most that I see – have never seen the like – will be sharing the website.

    I lurk on this thread because I have yet to come to terms with what Putin is doing and fear my sanity in trying to talk about it – but I appreciate very much the information from Adam – which provides much more explanation than anything I read elsewhere.

  79. 79.

    tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)

    That quilt is gorgeous!

    Adam, I hope you find a place that can use your skill set and provide you with some sense of personal satisfaction at the end of the day.  As others have said, your work here has been tremendous in keeping us informed daily. Thank you for investing your time and effort in this BJ community.

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