Welcome to Gorilla Radio, recorded October 8th, 2024.
October marks the Olive Harvest throughout the Mediterranean. That essential tree is revered there not only for its place at the centre of the Mediterranean Diet, but also symbolically as the herald of peace and prosperity nearly everywhere else. One must, you see, have faith in the future to nurture and bring a slow-growing olive orchard to fruition. But today is too October 7th, and there's little optimism for replacing the orchards torched in Gaza and West Bank, or in dousing the fires defining our times.
The other major war, still fought but largely forgotten in the Western presses, grinds on in Ukraine; though there is some hope the talks begun in Istanbul in 2022 may yet resume, promising perhaps a peace of a sort to come before Christmas.
John Helmer is a journalist and author who’s spent decades living in and reporting from Russia. He serves as principle behind the web news site, Dances with Bears, has been a professor of political science, sociology, and journalism, and advised governments politically at the highest levels.
Among his many book titles are: ‘Skripal in Prison,’ ‘The Man Who Knows Too Much About Russia,’ ‘The Lie That Shot Down MH-17’, ‘SOVCOMPLOT: How Pirates Tried to Capture the Treasure of the Russian Seas, and Were Caught Out’, and his lately released autobiography, ‘Dunce Upon a Time: A Life of Mistakes’.
His recent article at Dances with Bears, 'SENDING A BOY TO DO A MAN’S JOB – VLADIMIR MEDINSKY TO NEGOTIATE ISTANBUL II' examines the failure of Istanbul in the first instance, and prospects for a peace agreement in a renewed process.
Today, John Helmer and planting again the seeds for peace in Ukraine.
Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, at: GRadio.Substack.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/
Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, John Helmer Stand Alone October 8th, 2024