11 Comments
User's avatar
Sheri Sidwell's avatar

Guys, it's VOLODYMYR (extra syllable), and check out his middle name: Oleksandrovych. Man, did his parents ever give that kid a mouthful! Oh, and I think it was Josh Marshall over at TPM who spelled the last name Zelen"skyy. Got me, must be Cyrillic.

Expand full comment
Steve Radlauer's avatar

Transliteration is a tricky thing, and we are often tricked by it. Therefore, next week we are moving to the Cyrillic alphabet, assuming our Cyrillic computers arrive on time.

Expand full comment
Sheri Sidwell's avatar

Lol, Steve; back in the olden days I took a couple semesters of Russian History (loved it), and the only thing stopping me from taking Russian was that damned alphabet. The final paper was "Will Glasnost Succeed?" and I argued Yes. See? Olden days, indeed.

Expand full comment
Steve Radlauer's avatar

I took Russian the first semester of my freshman year in college. The alphabet wasn't the problem--I liked that alphabet. My problem was the insane inflections. It seemed to me that every word needed to be inflected for some reason or other, and I thought this was stupid and probably explained the various flaws in the Russian culture and character. Also, my professor wore a United States Air Force uniform and presented himself as a former military attaché (wink wink nudge nudge) at the American Embassy in Moscow. So I was outta there after one semester. Do I regret it? Not really. What I regret is not switching to French. Now, a hundred years later, all I want to do is study French, inflections and all. Quel dommage!

Expand full comment
Worriedman's avatar

“make it easier, in the US, to catch measles while dying in a plane crash.”

That's a funny line!

I've been hoping for a change in fortune so I can subscribe. I'm due to get my first social security check this month and one of the first things I've been meaning ....meaning to do..... When I get my check.... My social security check. The one I paid into since I was 16......

Goddammit.

Hey, I'm a horticulturalist. You guys want to swap a little something something for a subscription let me know!

Anyway, nice work!

Expand full comment
Steve Radlauer's avatar

We are happy to offer free subscriptions, which (shh, don't tell anyone) are exactly the same as our paid subscriptions except: free! My advice is to save your money for our book (The Split! In one E-Z to read package!), which will be available within the next couple of weeks, we hope. And don't think we're not thinking about some horticultural horse trading.

Expand full comment
Elaine Berman's avatar

Can we get back to the Splitsville idea again? Just think about it: Our own Blue States of America. We would be rid of Trump; he would be a foreign enemy instead of a domestic one.

I would so much prefer him that way.

We'd have gun laws, we'd be inclusive, we'd have civil rights...ah, just like in the old days in the USA-- when was that? October 2024? (*Nostalgic sigh*).

Or we can become another Canadian province. Either one. You pick.

Expand full comment
Steve Radlauer's avatar

Is "all the above" a choice?

Expand full comment
joni boyer's avatar

Trump has been Putin's bitch for a long time, but you knew that....

Expand full comment
Steve Radlauer's avatar

People--and not just you, Joni, and us--are starting to say that whether or not he is actually "Putin's bitch," as you so cool(u)rfully put it, he's behaving exactly as if he is, which means he is, whether or not he thinks he is. Now say that fast three times.

Expand full comment
vonkob's avatar

interesting and glad you noted that line...re: WWIII...it struck me too and for the same? reason...who was it threatening to be between? ...if Ukraine kept fighting to survive, who would be lobbing nuclear warheads at who? The only reasonable reading, (though not something he's capable of) is that Russia would eventually use nukes against Ukraine to finally annihilate it. The horror is that clearly by stating that, it was a warning, from Putin through his puppet Turmp. It's like Turmp's, "Hey, I'm just telling you what I heard..." With the equally implied "and he'd be right".

"You're out there alone, buddy...kiss your ass good-bye."... it warms the American heart to hear such courageous words.

Expand full comment