The Eastern Mediterranean Changing

Image courtesy of Aris Messinis / AFP

Earlier this month, the United States surprised Greece and its two primary partners in the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, Israel and Cyprus, by withdrawing its backing for a natural gas pipeline that would have connected them to Europe. 

The American change of heart was ostensibly justified by the need to focus on clean energy sources and that this project did not align with Europe’s green energy plan.

Instead, Washington urged the countries to consider two alternative electricity transmission projects; the EuroAfrica interconnector intended to deliver electricity from Egypt through Cyprus and then onwards to Greece and Europe via Crete, and its sister EuroAsia project that starts in Israel and connects to Europe through Cyprus. 

Both projects integrate these countries’ electricity grids with Europe’s.  The EastMed gas pipeline idea emerged after significant findings of gas deposits in the territorial waters of Cyprus, Egypt, and Israel. 

The pipeline, which would have cost an estimated $6-7 billion, was seen by many as an unrealistic project given the potential changes in the European energy consumption patterns, its sheer complexity and cost and the financing needs. Chances were that it would not get off the ground much less be completed by 2025 as projected.

The US State Department withdrew support for the project through the delivery of a non-paper – an informal manner of expressing a government’s preferences or requirement without direct attribution. Presumably the content could have been delivered orally except that Washington may have tried to avoid a situation where its message was diluted.

Even if the US may have thought it had a responsibility as part of the 3+1 mechanism of meetings with Cyprus, Greece and Israel designed to encourage regional cooperation, the fact remains that the decision to build a pipeline rests with those three countries and the Europeans and not Washington.  READ MORE...

Who You Were Meant To Be

 Are you too FAT?

Are you too THIN?

Are you too BLACK?

Are you too WHITE?

Are you too STUPID?

Are you too SMART?

Are you too TALL?

Are you too SHORT?

Are you too RICH?

Are you too POOR?

Are you too AGGRESSIVE?

Are you too WITHDRAWN?

Are you too OUTSPOKEN?

Are you too SHY?

Are you too LIBERAL?

Are you too CONSERVATIVE?

Are you too Northern?

Are you too SOUTHERN?

Are you too EASTERN?

Are you too WESTERN?

Why are you trying to be something that you are not?

YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE...  nothing more...  and, certainly nothing less...

BUT ABOVE ALL ELSE...  you are an AMERICAN...  a citizen of the U.S.A.

• Not an European
• Not a Russian
• Not a Chinese
• Not a North Korean
• Not a Japanese
• Not an African
• Not a Mexican
• Not a Brazilian
• Not an Egyptian
• Not a Middle eastern

You are protected by all the FREEDOMS that Americans have...

You are protected by the RIGHTS all Americans have...

You are protected by the JUSTICE all Americans have...

You are protected with:

• Life
• Liberty
• Pursuit of happiness

no other country in the entire world has what americans have...  you should never forget that...

ISS Takes Evasive Action

The United States denounced Russia on Monday for conducting a "dangerous and irresponsible" missile strike that blew up one of its own satellites, creating a debris cloud that forced the International Space Station's crew to take evasive action.

Washington wasn't informed in advance about the test, only the fourth ever to hit a spacecraft from the ground, and will talk to allies about how to respond, said officials.

The move reignites concerns about the growing space arms race, encompassing everything from the development of satellites capable of shunting others out of orbit to laser weapons.

"On November 15, 2021, the Russian Federation recklessly conducted a destructive test of a direct-ascent anti-satellite missile against one of its own satellites," said Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in a statement.

He added the test had generated over 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris and will likely create hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris.

The crew aboard the orbital outpost – currently four Americans, a German and two Russians – had to take shelter in their return ships, the standard "safe haven" alarm procedure in the event of an emergency that might force evacuation.

The station later returned to a "green" alert level, tweeted Russian space agency Roscosmos.

But in his strongly-worded remarks, Blinken said the danger was far from over.  READ MORE...

Back Porch Written Reflections

Americans are different from the rest of the world because we live in a Democratic Society with a Democratic Republic form of governments that values FREEDOMS above all else except for maybe GREED and MONEY.

Many people on the LEFT SIDE of our freedom fence are saying that ALL WHITES are bad, evil, and OPPRESS all other races and ethnic groups, especially BLACKS and that this practice MUST STOP,

Many people on the RIGHT SIDE of our freedom fence are saying that we value of freedom, especially our freedom of speech that allows the LEFT to say whatever it is that they want to say.

These two views are so different that we are tearing ourselves apart because of our DIVISION; and, while that concerns me a little, what concerns me more is that our global enemies will take advantage of that divide.

While there are BAD PLAYERS in America on both sides of our Freedom Fence, we should be more concerned about the following:

1. Our quality of education or the lack thereof
2. The care we give our disabled veterans
3. A growing economy with less than 3% inflation
4. An economy that has close to FULL EMPLOYMENT
5. A strong global military presence
6. An open immigration program
7. Equalizing the salary/wage scales
8. Keeping all taxes as low as possible
9. Reducing to the point of eliminating debt
10. Ending our dependence on illegal drugs
11. Becoming and maintaining energy independence
12. Having politicians everyone can trust again
13. Having leaders everyone can trust again 
14. Having managers everyone can trust again
15. Having supervisors everyone can trust again

What Do Ya Need?

Many of us Americans as well as those immigrants who have entered this country
illegally want the SAME THING....   MORE...  MORE...  MORE... of everything, such as:

• more money
• more food
• more alcohol
• more drugs
• more sex
• more clothes
• more fun

I was going to add more education but that thought got me to thinking about my previous students who only wanted to memorize what they needed to know for the test and not what they needed to know to retain knowledge...  some would argue that those two statements are not mutually exclusive.

I remember a very wealthy man telling once that all he wanted to do was just earn one more dollar...

What is this obsession with MONEY?

I had a conversation yesterday with a legal immigrant who has become a US citizen and he lives two doors down from me and when we are out mowing our yard at the same time, we always stop and talk...

He is 61/62 years of age and I am 73 years of age, and we both at at that point where we are no longer interested in having the desire to acquire more money...  but instead, have acquired the desire to enjoy the live around us...  that is to say:

• enjoy the sunrises
• enjoy the sunsets
• enjoy the warm weather
• enjoy the birds singing
• enjoy watching the rabbit in the yard
• enjoy the beauty of trees

My fellow American was a builder of homes and rented out my other homes and/or apartments and owns all sorts of equipment that he during his lifetime purchased for cash because of his wealth...  and, while he enjoy being able to do that, his life was not rewarding or satisfying as he expected it to be.

SOUND FAMILIAR???