Speaking Of The 1930s....

      ...Who's up for another Dust Bowl?  The last time farming in Ukraine was disrupted by Russian activity, farmers in the U.S. stepped up grain production to meet the increased demand.  Aided by a remarkable intersection of advances in mechanized farm machinery, expanded land grants for homesteaders and a stretch of unusually wet weather, farmers put much of the Great Plains under the plow for the first time.

      When drought hit in 1930 and stayed, the land dried up and blew away.  Eventually, a lot of the people left, too, short on money, paying work and food.  Meanwhile, Ukraine stayed hungry and got hungrier, thanks to Russian politics. 

      Bad things happening a long way away echo around the world.  You can bet none of the political leaders missed a meal or had to face a dust storm without adequate shelter back then, and they don't now, either.