Politics And Geography Make For Strange Bedfellows

No!  I Am Not Talking About Albania's Love Of Norman Wisdom

Which was a real thing, back in the days of Enver Hoxha, when Norm was known affectionately as "Pitkin" and seen as the valiant underdog struggling against the system - much as Enver saw himself and Albania.  Art!

Proof I am not raving

     "Shqiperia" is Albanian for "Albania" and I think translates as "Land Of The Eagles".

     And there we go again, rattling on about what the blog doesn't intend to cover.  For I was struck by an article on Facebook under the rubric "Caspian Report", which is created and narrated by 'Shirvan' - an Azeri by some reports.  His command of English is awesome and better than a lot of native speakers in Salford.  Art!

Shirvan

     His article was "Crimea is running out of water", and was a very interesting combination of today's title, politics and how geography affects same.  Normally we here at BOOJUM! avoid Politics like a poisoned polony, but this is vaguely historical and also interesting, and - if it makes Dimya cry, then my job here is done.
     Now for a map.  Art!

     With howling irony, a map from 2014, the year Tsar Putin "annexed" (for which read "invaded") Crimea.  Cue Ruffians dancing in the streets, flags waving, candles lit for the Tsar, much vodka drunk*.  This partying has led to a seven-year long hangover, because once Dimya got his hot sweating hands on Crimea, they were only ever going to be pried off when he was dead, regardless of what it cost.  The Crimea Bridge, for example, which spans the straits at Kerch (see above), and which cost £3 billion.  Since the Ukrainians immediately cut off all utilities, Ruffia has to supply all the power to Crimea via undersea cables.  Ooooh that'll cost yer!  Not only that, international sanctions immediately kicked in and the important cash-crop of tourists to Crimea also dried up, going down to nothing (apologies for mixing metaphors).

The fair city of Sevastopol

     As of today the Ruffian economy is in the toilet, helped there by those post-Crimea sanctions, and kept there by low energy prices - oil and gas being big Ruffian exports - and Covid-19, which means if Dimya squanders roubles by the billion on 'his' acquisition, he has to steal them from someone else.  Like the Ruffians themselves, whom might feel the shine has come off the Crimea somewhat by now.

     Then we come to the question of water.  The Crimea hasn't got any.  Or very little.  85% of it used to come from the Dniepr River, which is in - Ukraine.  You can probably see where this is going, can't you?  The Ukranians put up a concrete dam to block water flow into the Crimea, replacing a temporary sandbag one, which gives you some idea of how intransigent they intend to be.

Water flow before -

- and after.

     This has caused a chronic lack of water in the Crimea, all the more so since Moscow has been importing Ruffians, swelling the population to four million from the 2014 total of two million, in order to thoroughly colonise the place.  Double the population, double the water requirements, which is why there is now rationing across the peninsula.  Local rainfall is unreliable and way, way down o what it used to be: this is either global warming in action, or the eeeevil CIA manipulating the weather (Dimya's preferred option).  Domestic agriculture has also collapsed, down to one-eighth of the acreage** before 2014, which is bad enough, except back in Sinister times production was twenty-three times larger.  

Shoreline on the Sea of Azov

     So, Dimya wants to spend another £500 million on drilling for water on the peninsula, and building desalination plants.  This latter project answers your questions on why a peninsula surrounded on almost every shore by water, is short of that one resource - it's all salt-water.  Desalination is an extremely expensive process in itself, let alone adding in the cost of building enough plant to supply four million people and the agricultural sector.  
     Your average Ruffian might be thinking about now "You know what? Let them have it back," but remember Tsar Putin's determined to hold onto that peninsula, regardless of costs.  It will be interesting to see where this imbroglio (not a word you expected to hear today) leads in a year or two ...

     Motley, I've filled the paddling pool.  Let's go have a splash!

     Wowsers, I didn't realise I'd written that much!  Quick, bring on Light And Frothy subject matter!

"The Mandalorian"

Here be SPOILERS.

SPOILERS!

I WARNED YOU.  PROCEED AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

Okay, Your Humble Scribe just watched the last episode of Season Two, without knowing anything about it, although Degsy did suck his teeth a bit when I mentioned being about to watch it.  "What?  What? OMG Baby Yoda's going to die, isn't he?" I nightmared to myself.  "Or Mando, or both of them, or Moff Gideon's going to triumph and kill them. "

     Well, no.  Instead, as an army of killer droids are demolishing the last blast-door, a single X-wing fighter turns up, apparently to help.

     Not much use inside an Imperial cruiser.  Complement: one pilot and one droid.  However ...

Luke flippin' Skywalker!

     ... when the one pilot is also a Jedi, and Luke Skywalker at that, the killer droids end up as Major Repair Projects, and Baby Yoda Grogu exits the series.  The End.  Literally, that's the end of the episode and the season.  WHAT!?  HOW CAN YOU - don't tell me, I have to wait until Season Three <exits grumbling>.

Conrad Is ANGRY!

No, not at "The Mandalorian", for that would be silly.  Maybe a bit cross, even possibly tetchy, yet not angry.

     No, I reserve my Frothing Nitric Ire for Codeword solutions.  Conrad knows you are with him on this, because you're going to get the details willing or not.  

     So.  "HAWAII".  I ask you, is that fair?  Your Modest Artisan had figured out the "HAWA-" part, although that double letter at the end had me doubting the "H".   Art!

A bit more touristy than Sevastopol

     I have more to say on this and you WILL get to hear more on this subject, O yes indeed!

Finally -

Okay, now that I've finally finished "The Mandalorian" I may have time to devote to watching "Wolf Hall", as Wonder Wifey has been pestering on it's behalf for weeks.  Not sure why a documentary about a lupine sanctuary is so enthralling, but we'll see.

10,000 years later - Edna!

*  Well, more than usual.

**  NO YOU WILL NOT GET THIS IN HECTARES.  Thank you.