I had to work from home today because of the mom’s social worker visit in the middle of the day. Now, at half past seven, I am trying to work on ten things that are so overdue that I am afraid to think about them. I have a live election results map on my external screen, and I try not to look at it all the time. I still want it to be visible, even though the prevailing red is frustrating.
I remember that we survived one term of Trump, even though it was extremely challenging, and I believe that even with the worst possible outcome, the world won’t end tomorrow. However, I can’t work on certain things “until it is over.” It does not make sense because I will still need to work on these things regardless, but …
That was the first time in a while that I traveled together with Boris and had a connection in London. Actually, since I had a connection in London on my way to Helsinki, I had three London connections in a week!
The first one was just me, and there was a very long wait, and no priority line was opened.
The second one was with Boris, and we had it all:
Interrogation at the passport control in Helsinki
Interrogation at the boarding gate (the gate attendant started checking the regulations for transfers – as if Boris was the only one transferring person without a UK visa)
Interrogation in Heathrow
Long lines at security without a priority lane
Barely made it to the gate
The third one, again with Boris, on our way back from Athens
The online check-in didn’t issue a boarding pass for him
In the Athens airport, a BA counter attendant went to check the regulations (as if Boris was the only person connecting without a UK visa).
Then he called another associate, and this whole process took twenty minutes, and for some reason, they asked for my passport as well. They finally issued boarding passes for both of us, adding that Boris “can’t step out from the airport” in London (as if it was ever different). Then they tried to convince us to check in our carry-on (we refused because we didn’t want to wait for our luggage at 11 PM)
We finally made it to the lounge, which was not very impressive (fun fact: you had to go to another lounge for a toilet)
Interrogation at the border control, however – no lines!
Surprise: no lines at the security check!
We were absolutely sure we wouldn’t have time to go to the lounge, but because of zero wait time in the security line, we had it!
Completely unexpected:
When we arrived in Helsinki and had to go through passport control again, they figured out that “we were together,” and despite my protests, they sent me to the same officer who talked to Boris. I should have said that “we are not traveling together,” not “we have different passports,” but I didn’t realize it right away, and then I was a subject of interrogation. They assumed that I wanted to stay longer and asked whether I had a residential permit, and then when I said I didn’t they asked to show my returning ticket.
Summary: it was so good to finally be home, and before midnight!
P.S. Just to be clear: I understand that the suspicions against Russian passport holders are completely justified, and that post is not a protest.
A recent Time Magazin article talks about the anti-Russian sanctions and how they didn’t work. Unfortunately, nothing in this article is new to me: for several reasons, I have been well aware of a “shadow fleet” and other ways to get around the embargo. The horrifying numbers from this article basically say that about half of the Russian war is funded by EU countries. Again and again, the economy rules and there is not enough political will to change the course … although as I just said, I have hope!
The petition I mentioned a couple weeks ago didn’t succeed. However, ironically, the talk didn’t make it to the conference after all because the speaker didn’t get a visa to the UK. This was a mixed result: all of us felt like it was not the result that would satisfy us, but on the other hand, it was a relief not to see the name “PostgresPro” in the conference schedule. I felt physically uncomfortable while it was there.
However, we didn’t want to leave it like this, and we (all of the petition signers who were in London) got together after the conference and agreed to continue our fight.
We are going to send a letter to the Code of Conduct and to the Core Team, and we want to make sure we do not allow people to misinterpret our demands. During these two weeks, it was so many times that people would tell us that we were “discriminating on the basis of nationality” and that “not everybody can emigrate,” and all other nonsense. I coopted a couple more supporters, and I really hope things will move along. I also spoke to one of the Core members who said “he was not looking forward to that,” but also “was surprised it didn’t happen earlier.”
I will provide updates as long as there are any. As I already said multiple times, I regret I didn’t stir things up earlier.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration spent $814,000 on a giant fence as part of an effort to shut down one of the city’s largest and most visible homeless encampments ahead of the Democratic National Convention, City Hall records show.
The massive barrier was part of an “emergency” effort to permanently lock out unhoused people from the location near the United Center, where the convention was held, the records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times show.
The Johnson administration had refused to say how much taxpayer money went toward blocking off the green strip of land between the 1100 block of South Desplaines Street and the Dan Ryan Expressway just north of Roosevelt Road, until after the nationally televised gathering was over. The Sun-Times has been asking for those records, which should be public under state law, since July, when that tent city was cleared of its residents, the tents and the items they left behind.
I talked to a co-worker the other day. He is not Russian, not Eastern European – nothing that would make him especially sensitive to the current political situation. I do not recall what prompted his comment about “as a Russian,” but I replied as usual that “it is not what defines me.” He proceeded with, “You are not denouncing your Russianness” and “It has nothing to do with this political situation.” It started to be more serious than a breakfast conversation in the cafeteria, but I couldn’t drop it at that point. I replied that I felt like I had everything to do with the situation because it’s my generation that didn’t follow up after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dissolving of the Communist Party. It was my generation that let it go, and thereby I do feel responsible.
He said: I have Ukrainian neighbors on one side and Russian neighbors on the other side, and my Russian neighbors are afraid to speak Russian. And then he talked about his closest friends who are Russian and about some bets and about drinking. The latter one is a serious trigger point for me, so I said that this conversation was making me uncomfortable.
We both had to go to our desks, but I hope to continue this conversation with him. I want to ask him whether his Russian friends feel that they have something to do with what the Russian government does or if they do not think it is related to them. As for speaking Russian, I am acutely aware that at this moment in history, the Russian language for Ukrainians sounds like German during WWII for many European nations, so I do not think it’s appropriate to speak Russian in their presence (unless it’s their initiative).
Recently, I read an essay by Michael Shishkin – a Russian writer who is not at the top of the list either in Russia or internationally. I was deeply moved by this essay – my thoughts and words exactly. I agree with him that it is extremely important to understand that everybody born and raised in Russia, no matter how progressive or even radical was their upbringing, carries the baggage of imperialism. The paragraph which particularly struck me was this one:
Throughout my life, I felt I could stand steadily on the foundation of the great Russian Culture. Nowadays, there is emptiness under my feet.
Also, the way he describes the silence of the Russian writers and other intelligentsia as “hosting regular events” and “pretending that nothing is happening.” That’s exactly how I feel when I read about cultural events or new productions in Russia: I can’t take it in that people “do normal things.” And yes, I am hypocritical, I know. And yes, I understand that living under permanent pressure is impossible, and a person’s mind finds ways to accept reality as a norm. And yes, I understand that I am making many people upset. And no, I do not think I am always right, and I do not think I have any moral right to criticize others. Still, I want to be honest and convey how I feel.
Igor was at Union Park on the last day of the DNC and took lots of pictures. Usually, I post the link to his album and also post selected photos in my blog, but this time, I do not want to post any. Here is a link you can check out. And if you click it, you’ll probably realize why there are no pictures here.
I always strive to present an objective picture, and this time, an objective picture is not appealing: I do not want to multiply any Palestinian propaganda here. If you do not see these people and their posters, you might think there is some truth in what they say. But if you just take a look, there will be no mistake. That proves my point that these days, anybody who agitates people against Harris is an enemy of good. I do not know how else to put it – it literally means that this individual is on the dark side of things. And since I know that Igor captures such events with all possible objectivity, I can tell that there were way more supporters of the Palestinian extremists than anybody else. Ukrainians and their supporters, pro-choice activists and pro-life activists, communists, and socialists, all of them combined, made a lesser crowd than pro-Palestinian protesters. And I can’t get over it.
On a separate (but still DNC-related) topic, there were lots of comments about “CTA has done a great job keeping the stations clean.” I do not disagree with that; it was hard not to notice the unusual cleanliness. However, the immediate questions are: 1) why does it have to be a convention to make this change? 2) what did it cost in terms of time, labor, etc? I do not like shows like this, and I genuinely want these questions to be answered.
I was not in the office that only day when the actual clash with police happened. And yes, it was indeed right by our office, this only serious one. The pictures made by a photographer whom I know look horrific. To be clear, I have no pity for these pro-palestinian demonstrators. I think the way they are acting, the slogans they chant, and the posters they carry – all do a great disservice to everybody, including themselves. I do not even want to copy the pictures I saw. On the one hand, they look a lot like Soviet propaganda from the 1970s: police in a capitalist country assault the workers fighting for their rights. On the other hand, the posters which protesters carry, tell a different story.
Anyway, it was a huge mess, and over 50 people were arrested (and again, I have no pity). But since it happened literally in from of our office (the Israely consulate is located on the thrid floor of the train station) many people in the office were scared, and on Wednesday and Thursday, even fewer people were in the office.
Today, one of my co-workers told me that his friend who works for Chicago Police told him that there would be even worse tonight, so if I was staying late… I told him that I have a journalist son who has a little bit different information, and I was right. I still do not have details from Igor from the Union Park, and possibly he will blog about details himself.
I only took some pictures when I was walking around Monday night waiting for the Planned Parenthood fundraiser to start.
Finally, I went to reception.
It was crowded, as you can see, and loud, as you can imagine.
From the official event photo gallery
Also, it was scheduled very late, and the talks started even later, because the speakers couldn’t get from the United Center to Carnival, where reception took place. I didn’t see a single person I would know (although the guest list promised some familiar faces). I left at ten, because otherwise, I won’t have even five hours of sleep, and before I left, one guy started to hit on me (out of all events in the world, at the Planned Parenthood event!). Now I think that it would be better if I would just donate money and not show up!
One positive thing: I wore a dress which I bought for Vlad’s wedding, and ended up not wearing, but liked it enough not to return to the store. So here is it:
My friend who lives on the West Side was planning to visit me the upcoming Saturday. We planned this day several months in advance: my schedule is busy, and it’s a long way to her. She uses paratransit, so she needed to arrange a ride. On Monday she texted me: sorry, I won’t be able to come. When we talked the next day I asked her what happened. She said: I know we planned this visit several months ago, and I know that it might mean I won’t see you for several more months, but the there will be protests because of the DNC.
I told her: wait, the DNC does not start until Monday. She though for a moment, and then said: I know for the fact, that there will be protests over the weekend. She continued: you know how they sometimes go wild, and if the car happen to be in the middle of it, they might encircle the car, and then the passengers will be in trouble, and I do not want to end up in jail. I paused for a moment to process and said: you are right. I have nothing to say.
I managed to find an alternative time for her visit, so we will see each other before fall, but it looks like the prevailing mood in Chicago for the next week is worry about what is going to happen. It’s sad, but not unjustified.
Hettie's Reflections 