Dear friends,
For the past couple of years I had the following basic “rhythm” of work: once a week I would write an analysis roughly ranging from 1500 to 3500 words, typically around 2000-3000 words. The rest of my work would involve research (especially parsing as much of the Russian blogosphere and news media as possible), contacts with my guest authors, collaboration with our translators, etc. Please keep in mind that I did that while also working with my wife on our small business. This worked pretty well, but now three reasons are forcing me to change the pace:
- The C19 pandemic has forced my wife and I to basically almost shut down our small business (which represented a major financial loss for us) and now we have to change the way we will be working. I will spare you the boring details, but that means that I now have to spend more time working on my “day job” and help my wife.
- I have some health issues which limit the number of hours I can work in a day (6-8 hours is my current max).
- Frankly, I am very close to burnout and I need to pace myself.
I have therefore decided to change the way I work on the blog. The main difference will be these:
- I will write full-length analyses only once every two weeks.
- Instead, I will write more, shorter, items like comments, quick reports, reactions to current events, etc.
A good example of this quick reaction post is yesterday’s post about the US Embassy in Moscow flying a “rainbow flag”: 305 words only, but a good basis for a discussion in the comments section.
In this way, I will write more often, but shorter items, and keep the (much more labor intensive) full-length analyses to a much more sustainable once every two weeks pace.
Of course, and as always in the past, if important events happen, I will immediately react to them, as will our community’s translators.
I have been running this blog for 13 years now, mostly all by myself and I am rather exhausted (try churning out a, say, 3000 words analytical paper every week for over a decade and you will see for yourself). The one great thing which has developed over time is that I have a fantastic assistant, Amarynth, which helps me a lot with the day-to-day work on the blog, which frees me more time to do other things (mostly research). My main goal now is to ensure that the blog continues in a sustainable pace and my main hope is that this new rhythm will be better both for you and for me.
Hugs and cheers to all
The Saker
Hi take care of your health, because without health nothing is possible. A loyal reader.
Thanks very much to you, to your wife, to Amarynth, to the translators, to the moderators. Yes, I know from my own experience that research work, if properly done, is very hard, in particular on the long run. From time to time, you have to respire and to recharge the batteries. And this year 2020 is indeed very special. You have many friends around the world who will certainly help in order to keep the mission going.
You’re doing a great job here. Thank you so much. Thank you for that. Don’t use yourself unnecessarily and don’t work more than is good for you. Your work here is precious. May it continue.
Your reports are very appreciated and please take care of yourself and your family.
You are a treasure to us all. I’ll put you and wife in
my prayers….every day. Wonder if I should find your
real name to send up or will The Saker do.
I am pretty sure God knows who the Saker is.
I am an artist/authour and about 75 and last night as I was trying to fall asleep I tried to remember the road I travelled to school. The landmarks, houses, bends etc. … sadly there were large gaps. Next I tried to remember the details of the families of my 4 ex-wives, little came to me, then the wives themselves disappeared! Fortunately I suffer a little incontinence so I woke from the nightmare. God knows where I might have ended up? I wonder did Rembrant or Shakespeare suffer so in his final years. There is a little corner of me that hopes they did.
Enough of that. I know Saker that this is in no way commensurate to your situation which is much more alive and productive. I just hope you continue your excellent prose and the necessary project that gives us all a reason to live.
cheers,
John
Thanks for your comment John. All these things come and go…and leave us to wonder what really matters. I sometimes feel like a ghost revisiting my own past but fortunately dont do that often!
Hello Saker,
Please take care and get rest!
Regarding the blog, this actually seems to be a good format. I.e. As we see events unfolding with accelerating pace, short & brief posts are exactly what is needed. You will then have more time for full length analysis which will also be more dense. Sounds like a win-win to me.
Dearest Saker,
Do not worry as you have now already cultivated this vineyard from once a desolate terrain. The desert and the arid horizons were there when you have just arrived.
Patiently and with much effort you have provided the soil for the vineyard and all the juicy grapes to grow. Now it has matured to a full grown vineyard where heavy clusters of grapes are hanging and wait to be picked, giving life to another and another and another harvest.
Above – not only the Sakers, but birds of all kinds and imperial eagles are flying.
We needed you as we were just the little chick raptors from all over the planet and we needed you to feed us from your beak while we were hungry with our beaks open and helpless.
All over the world, in EU, USA, Africa, Balkans – we were everywhere and we flocked to here.
And you have fed us for years while you were flying high and coming back down to earth to us to give us the little warms of wisdom and the prey you have caught right into our beaks. In your nest you have built for as…
We have grown up meanwhile, and now we can help keeping your ( 0-ppppppppppppppp43]]]]]]]]]\ cat walked over the keyboard, for a change :) vineyard together.
I wish I was rich, but I can hardly keep my ends meet as am actually rather poor. If I was not, I would have sent the fortune your way. It might change, though, so…
It is OK, you will retreat slightly , but you will be in the background like a big ‘mother Saker’. You now have Amarynth, you have us others.
Us chicks you have groomed in your nest are now having to face the responsibility to have this site go on.
It is very precious. We can help.
Just another stage of life.
With my love
Take care of yourself, Saker! Your blog is indispensable, but your health comes first.
Saker,
About time, my friend, that you embraced change for yourself. Adaptation is normal. Particularly when external circumstance alter finances.
You have finance and health to manage. The blog will continue. History comes here to write itself as current events, and analysts clearly are disposed to contribute their efforts to the content. What you have created is special.
Health first. Always.
The economics will come to work themselves out.
For the thousandth time I will encourage you to do audio content. It is perfect for brevity, no need to manicure your reasoning, no typing and correcting, etc. It’s a phone call.
You can record on a phone with a podcast app.
Finally, as you know I regard your wife as a ‘saint’ for putting up with you (she must be).
We wish you both the very best and easiest of transitions to your new necessary actions to maintain your household and support your family.
Get rest every day, built into the schedule. Stay close to nature, schedule it if you have to.
Lean on us before emergencies arise.
—Larchmonter445
Dear Saker, take care of your health first. Best wishes for you and your family.
I’m a long-time reader, Saker, but have never commented. Really appreciate the humanity & humour in your writings — they come across in everything you write — and given the serious, even occasionally depressing, topics you write about, some humour & humanity are welcome things. Please do whatever it takes to carry on with your blog in some capacity — you’re making a real contribution to our civilization (if we can still reasonably call it that). Take care.
Dear Saker
I am with all the above commenters, especially azra
We are in hard times. The screws are tightening on all of us.
Please take good care of your health, as without good health, the struggle becomes unmanageable.
My prayers are with you and your family
And all in the precious Vineyard
A Sanskrit poem:
“Slender at first, they quickly gather force
Growing in richness as they have run their course
Once started, they do not turn back again
Rivers and years
And friendships with good men”
God is with us
Peace and Blessings to all
I pray for your health and the maintenance of The Saker blog- maybe we can have both.
Hello Saker,
I am indebted to you big time as I have been reading your blog right form day one. Above all, I trust you and rely on your analyses to enrich my understanding of contemporary events. This blog is indeed a treasure because it attracts many knowledgeable readers whose comments I enjoy immensely. Your articles belong to the pages of top newspapers and magazines, but sadly, your truthfulness is feared and shunned. It is their loss.
Take care of yourself and all the best to you.
Dear Saker and others (please continue reading), I want to write the following.
Saker, the health and well-being of your family goes first imho. So, if that means that you will give only once per two weeks an analysis that’s it. I won’t leave this site because of that.
There are many more people who keep this blog running. The mod team, the people who take care about the server(s), and people I forget. I’m part of another internet community, so I know a littlebit about that. All you, maybe you will not be recognized a s such – my sincere thanks.
In the meantime, I want to propose the following – for anyone to read.
There are great comments on this site. Some are quite long, hitting my TL;DR border sometimes. Isn’t it an idea that some commentators here write an article themselves? You have to pass a sniffing test, but okay. Let me add this: the length of the article doesn’t matter to me (again, I’m speaking only for myself). Churchill once wrote a lengthy letter and in the end he apologized with that he didn’t have time to write a short one. Now, I have mixed opinions about Churchill while he was also a darn racist, but he also wrote wise things.
There may be more. Just as Pepe Escobar publishes articles here parallel to The Asia Times, I would invite other authors to have the guts to follow that suit. If I may promote a very personal choice: Paul Craig Roberts, F. William Engdahl, and Tom Luongo. To those authors: you will receive a comment section with quite a reputation, why hesitate?
At last. I hate the word ‘assistant’, but Amarynth, thank you for all your work. Be good.
And to all: all the best and stay healthy.
Cheers, Rob
Dear Saker,
Keep up the Good Work. May you find joy and health in the lightened blogload.
We are with you, Saker.
Don’t kill yourself. We won’t recover from the madness of lockdown for many years, if ever. You might want to concentrate on Russia and forget everything else.
Thanks for starting and maintaining the blog.
Discovering the Saker blog was the first time I understood that there was a connection between events in Syria and the Ukraine!
Katherine
Saker you are an absolute genius. Love your work and the website, and your passionate discourse has helped to inform my own ramblings and opinions. How you do that weekly for 13 years is testament to your genius.
Also agree with the perceptive Larchmonter445 time to ease up and do a podcast of sorts.
Thanks mate.
Relax. Take a big breather.
Burnout is a killer, so don’t let it happen.
We appreciate all you do and will continue to support you.
Dear Saker,
Please take care of your health. I sure hope all works out well with your financial circumstances with you and your family.
I certainly enjoy reading your blog…every day I come here to your site.
I appreciate your hard work.
Thank you so much for all your efforts my friend
Dear Saker,
my very best wishes to you for the health and wellbeing of your family.
I agree with all my co-commenters, and especially want to add my respect and heartfelt gratitude
to your family, and very much to the community of selfless Saker helpers that make this all possible.
My highest regards and gratitude to you, your family and the whole Saker Community.
Rest easy, my brother in arms, take the time off that you need. We’ve got your six and blog will continue.
Auslander
Hi Saker, I just want to thank you for the great work you’ve done with your blog. I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of years now and I have to say it’s been a very enriching experience. Keep up the good work and I hope you can have some rest.
https://toranja-mecanica.blogspot.com/
Dear Saker
Take care of your self and family, they are what matter most. We all struggling in different ways so stay strong and take all the time you need… the blog community will be here.
Dear Saker, since I read the first article on your blog… sometime early 2014, you have very regularly added perspectives and insight that were not to be found elsewhere. Your thoughts have also enriched me spiritually as well, as your stance is often an ethical and moral ground.
Thank you go all this. I have bought your books but feel bad not to have contributed regularly. Now this is painful to hear
Especially that your health is suffering. In USA I guess medical health is expensive too…
Patreon is strangely suspicious. I tried with different accounts, credit cards and browsers. Still i get the message below.i will try to find another way to contribute.
I would encourage other readers too. I’m sure not the only who checks in daily here, with a weekly highlight of a Saker analysis. I’m sure if all us freebies contributed as much as a netflix subsc… well you understand.
Thank you again and sorry for the spelling! :)
Oh no! It looks like you don’t have permission to pledge to TheSaker – Bird’s Eye View of the Vinyard. The most common reasons for this are due to previous payment declines or suspicious activity. If you feel this block was in error, we suggest reaching out to TheSaker – Bird’s Eye View of the Vinyard on another platform.
VN, if you write to me (email is at the bottom of each page), I’ll check what the issue is.
wishing you health and strength.
Take care Saker. Your health is precious.
Dear Saker
You have been a breathe of fresh air in the world suffocating with vile indecency, and ever since I discovered your blog it has been an experience I will forever cherish. I got my first taste of similar writing from a blog run by Hillary Man Leverret and her hubby goingtotehran until they suddenly stopped, I really missed the blog dearly but then I discovered your blog and it was even more exhilarating going forward.
I pray that Almighty Allah grant you good health and economic wellbeing. Even if you write once a month I still consider it a super effort on your part as you’ve taken a huge burden in the battle to prevent the sodomization of human. Thank you Saker.
Here is wishing you and all your loved ones the very best.
Take rest and recharge. I feel you. I am really sorry I can’t support you in anyway. I personally live off-grid and out of the system. I have no bank accounts nor anything in the system. My only contact is through my phone, which has voice and data and the internet provider has a local m-banking service which I use to pay for my internet. Unfortunately it’s only local. I did all that for operations security as you are well aware. I am starving the beast in my own little way which unfortunately is a double-edged sword as I can’t support those really needing it internationally -‐ not that I am wealthy or anything, I just have all I need. Living a spartan fulfilling self sufficient life. But I am grateful for the Vineyard and pray for you. God bless.
Thank you too @Amarynth
A few things to check out …
Wireless wake-up call | Jeromy Johnson | TEDxBerkeley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0NEaPTu9oI
Very sensible!
Best wishes to you and your family.
Dear Saker,
you and your Blog helped many of us to become “adult” and you deserve, after all the difficulties you are now experiencing, the right to continue to help us here at the pace is better for you. Knowing that you already obtained on (the greatest part of) the readers the most outstanding result: allowing us to analyse and understand the current World events in the correct perspective, light years far from what the MSM is telling.
Il Discobolo
Hi Saker,
I’ve been reading your blog for a few years now and want to thank you for your enormous work effort & bringing us the benefit of your special insight. I’ve been able to join so many dots between different issues and events that I wouldnt have otherwise – so I personally have been enriched and helped to escape the monstrous matrix of lies we’ve lived in unknowingly for all these years.
Be well proud of your achievements at the assembly of like-minded souls who have been drawn here to this site – as well as the communities overseas.
For you now, it sounds like its time to re-wind, re-treat (i.e., treat yourself again), re-charge – and when you feel ready – re-fire – not retire!
I’m a big believer in – if we dont have our health, we have nothing.
Btw, you are on the *right side of history. This has been revealed more than a century ago in private revelation. I happen to know from my own personal experience that the revelation is Truth.
Mighty blessings.
T
Thanks & my sympathies!
A lot of us in Your community of “reply commentators” appreciate the efforts You’ve put in.
I wonder how Nabucow would have fared was he not a genius tottally blind to how “Amerika” had blighted and blinded him. Am therefore busy at translating and transluseing “Pale Fire” into the two nordic language it has not yet become truely visible in — but with two further sets of annotations!.
A lot of us commenting here seem to have a pure lot of life experiance to draw on. Also, I surmise that they being for now the mayjor part retirees is due to their not being under threat of expulsions from their academies or other businesses/workplace jobs. (Just hope it can cause a “butterfly” effect!)
“Ya gavaryû Vam: zhyzn krasnà — v-stranìx bolshòi bottèllak!” (Pardon my French!)
Saker,
I didn’t find your site; it found me. About a decade and a half ago I ran across an elderly retired US Air Force Intelligence officer working as a “guide” in the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB near Dayton Ohio. During his active duty phase he briefed the top US officials on the Soviet’s latest aircraft. At one point he was tasked to report on a new aircraft. It required a NATO designation and he had little time to come up with a “name”.
He quickly came up with “FOXBAT” which was the Mig 25, first flight March 6, 1964. This plane was developed to “kill” the us X-B70 supersonic Bomber that was being developed at that time. Two working examples were in flight testing and one was destroyed in a photo op near Edwards AFB in a collision with a “chase” plane. The program was scrapped and the remaining example is now in the AF Museum at Wright Patterson in Ohio.
During an extended conversation and subsequent e-mail exchanges and stay at his home he recommended your Saker Vineyard to me. It is only in the last several years that I have begun commenting, mainly in the Cafe.
I comment on several sites and like the “debate” forum on the Cafe. The Cafe has at minimum two types of posters.There are many types but, from my point of view there are those who comment on history that they glean from their favored sources and those that have LIVED history. I believe that I am one of those who combine both. I’m not saying I’m the only one. We ALL have experienced “history” in some manner. In war there are very few who experience mano e mano combat. I am one. On your site I don’t right offhand see others who have such experience. If I’ve slighted someone I am sorry. My war was the debacle called the “Viet Nam War”. My heart goes out to the Vietnamese who were killed and to this day harmed by the “Deep State” war foisted on them. I’m still and forever affected. Physically from wounds and mentally from the memories. The humans who reside in “America” didn’t vote for what happened. But we get blamed. I’ve stated several times on this site that we cannot paint with a broad brush and condemn the “American” people for what vile miscreants have wrought.
The World, because of technology controlled by a certain “level’ of humans is at a dangerous juncture that will determine the future of “mankind”. “Know thee by your enemies”. I personally think Mr. Putin is a natural ally of Mr Trump. A book could be written about that statement, but, we do not have the luxury of time. There is a saying; “Always follow the money”. It’s true and always was. Get the “money” right and the rest takes care of itself.
I am at peace. I hope you are too.
Dear Saker,
I have been a long time fan of your blog and always find time to read your very interesting and informative analysis. I only recently started to participate in the commentary. The reason why is because I felt I had something to contribute as far as uncovered material that needed to be heard, at least to small yet intelligent audience. I hope your economic and health conditions improves and thanks again for your input.
Get well soon,
Allen
Hug and cheers from me also.
Hats off to you Saker. You have been sprinting a marathon for a long time. While you are talented and persistent and insightful and smart and astute and all that… you are still only a human being … with two hands, two feet, two eyes, etc.
Sorry to be selfish: but we need you to be here for another 13 years, at the minimum. So take the time to take care of yourself … and your family.
We know you will be here when needed. We will be here, too!
Sounds good, in a world where everyone shouts & twitters factopinions faster than one can start up his old school desktop PC to write two coherent sentences after, checking facts, verifying writing style, spelling mistakes you too and especially you have established your rights to minimize effort and maximize impact.
May you reach a new audience with the short attention span!
They are out there, more numerous than the regular readers but who says they are not interested?
I can’t bring up the screen time to read all articles on theSaker blog. But I do use reading aloud tech while preparing a healthy meal.
Also being listened too recently is Fault Lines, on Sputnik: the fault line has broken apart into an ocean in the midst of COV-19/BLM discussion and the regular hosts are replaced: people do call in , and they have their regulars Like Econ Professor Richard Wolf, “Syrian Girl”.
Some repeating same thing over & not all of your quality.
Since the new hosts (Thomas & Shanahan) One regular caller stated: this is the first time since I call into your show that I haven’t been interrupted during my 3 paragraphs.
In contrast to local readio over here, the hosts have the professional attitude to summarize who’s who and where to look for further information the contact interviewed.
If people tell you “stay healthy” => where to start when you’re sacrificing your time with “negative world events”, forced to sit in front of LED displays, … meanwhile some USA (brain health) preachers of the “new” integrated medicine kind are all for NOT doing exactly that. (Dr Perlmutter, Hyman, Gundry, they take the luxury to not care about hybrid wars against the middle east, Elections food supply chain impact politics and COV-19 protection by nutrition & excersise an exception) That said, they are onto something. Get off the sugar. Get of the”fake healthy food”, de-gadgetize, get 8hrs of restorative sleep, get plenty of exercise not over the top, de-stress etc..easier said than done for an aware person with only so much time to divide and give..
Thank you so much for all you’ve given to us readers so far.
Thank you for all your work, please take care.
Dear Saker and family,
In my prayers be well. Pacing yourself is also a blessing for us all as your site will remain active and viable.
peace,
william
Dear Saker…it is not the number of words but the quality. Please take care of yourself
Assalaamu Alekum dear Saker,
I hope that this email find you in the best mood and health.
It’s sad that such a great analytical and truthful talent like the saker be wasted in a “survival income producing job”
If each and every one of us contributes $20 a month to his Patreon then we will not only solve this issue but enable the saker to reach his full potential and provide us with real news!
God bless you all.