U.S. measles hit a 35 year high fueled by a sustained outbreak. Data from the John Hopkins University U.S. Measles Tracker shows as of yesterday, 2,295 cases reported for the year thus far. That number surpasses last year’s high of 2,289.

Thank you Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for your negative support of vaccines. You are the blame!

Hegseth says the Iran War has cost $37.5 billion. Claims he needs $67 billion more.

We have a bridge over troubled waters. The new bridge between the U.S. and Canada. Trump cannot leave well enough alone. He claims he will impose a 50 percent tariff in 30 days. The man is a ball breaker!

The Qatari plane gifted to Trump has problems. Dangerous even after millions poured into it to update. Dangerous for a U.S. President to fly on. Trump should give it back!

Enough of Trump issues. Moving on.

I wrote two days ago of the three Key Westers who drowned looking for the Atocha. Jean Thornton telephoned me to advise that Mel Fisher discovered the Atocha exactly 10 years to the day following their deaths.

Jean an Atocha/Mel Fisher expert. She dove later with Mel Fisher and discovered some gold coins and other artifacts, some of which she was permitted to keep. Jean and husband Joe travel often. Top shelf, first class. Jean merely sells a few of the gold coins to finance the trips.

Lighters are older than matches . Would you believe? Lighters were invented before modern matches. Interesting! Some lighters were invented in the 17th century. Matches came along in 1805.

Today Bic lighters sell big time.  Estimated that 3.9 million are sold per day.

The Catholic Church has recognized 10,000 saints. Hard to believe!

Smallpox was declared eradicated by the White House in 1980.

Crayola Crayons! We all used them! The first colored ones were sold in 1903. The first box contained 8 colors.

The daily wage of a Ford factory worker in 1913 was $2.34. Things got better. One year later it had risen to $5.

There are currently 9 Ford assembly plants in the U.S.

The largest lobster ever caught weighed in excess of 44 pounds.

The first cook book by an American was published in 1796.

Irving Berlin wrote 17 complete musical scores.

Purdue founded the first U.S. computer degree program in 1962. By 2020-21, computer science was big time popular in the U.S. It had reached the Ph.D. level. Universities awarded 2,562 Ph.Ds. 

Computers are almost as popular as TV sets and radios in American households. Presently 95 percent of U.S. households have at least one type computer.

Adjusted for inflation, “Gone With the Wind” remains the highest grossing film of all time.

Interesting numbers re the Papacy. There have been 266 Popes. Pope Pius IX had the longest Papal reign, 31 years. Pope Urban VII the shortest, 7 days.

Remember Paul Revere and “To arms, to arms, the British are coming!” Revere’s occupation was as a part time dentist.

The cost of producing a single nickel is 13.8 cents.

The smallest coin the U.S. minted was not the “penny.” It was the “half-penny” in 1792 when the U.S. Mint was established. The Treasury Secretary was Alexander Hamilton. He thought the half-penny was required to keep the cost of goods down. Another reason was so merchants could price the cost of goods sold more competitively. In 1792  the average yearly wage was $65 a year so the half-penny made sense.

The modern Bible contains 1,189 chapters.

The year 1957 was a peak baby birth year. Births totaled 4.2 million.

Seventy plus countries were involved in World War II. The biggest war ever. In excess of 200 million miliary personnel served. The Medal of Honor was awarded to 473.

Ronald Reagan won a huge number of electoral votes in 1984. He was elected with 525 electoral votes.

Few are aware Reagan was first a Democrat. He switched from Democrat to Republican in 1962.

“Genghis Khan” was not his name. It was his title. His name was “Temujin.” He has 16 million direct male descendants alive today.

Who says the U.S. did not and does not need immigrants? Chinese immigrants built the transcontinental railroad. Some 15,000-20,000.

Photo taking a major event these days. It is estimated 4.7 billion photos are taken per day.

The number of troops in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War was astounding. The number 231,000!

Tea consumption is big time! Statistics reveal five billion cups of tea are consumed daily world wide.

Enough of the mundane for today. Interesting material however.

I did not write a blog yesterday nor attend The Grand for Happy Hour. Felt shitty.

I return to the dermatologist again today. Another cancer cell to be removed. This one no big deal.

Car went caput again yesterday. Key would not turn. It will be taxis for me today.

Enjoy your day!

Two nursery rhymes as openers! Why not! We all sang them as children. Each an intrinsic part of our upbringings.

The origin of “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” dates back to 1744, though the rhyme was much older. The nursery rhyme itself goes back to 1275 and alludes to a protest against a medieval wool tax that existed in England.

The source of the rhyme as we learned it strange. Makes one wonder how it became a “child’s rhyme” in later years and in our lifetime.

Then there is “Ring Around the Rosie.” I can recall singing it in my very early years outside with my neighborhood friends. We would sing Rosie and Black Sheep on the sidewalks in front of our homes. 

“Ring Around the Rosie” was born in 1665 during the Great Plague of London. Perhaps even earlier during an English bubonic plague. “Rosie” represented the rash, “posies” the flowers that carried too much of the smell of death, and “all fall down” symbolizing the widespread fatalities.

I and my youthful compatriots recited and danced to “Ring Around the Rosie’s” and “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” for years on the sidewalks in front of our homes. There were no backyards available to the poor to play on.

Caitlin Clark had a 45 point scoring day yesterday. Her most points in a professional game ever.  She scored them in a game against Seattle which her team won 110-107. I watched the game. The closing 5 minutes were fantastic! Actually the last 30 seconds. Great basketball!

Vance and family moving to Middleburg, Virginia. An enclave near Washington, D.C. The present inhabitants are said not to be happy with Vance’s move.

The “hot” continues in Key West. Wow! Horrible!

I took a drive to get away from the heat in the afternoon. Even with three “coolers” in my apartment, it still gets warm. I sought the cool of my car’s air conditioning.

First thing I did was to buy a chocolate ice cream soda to cool my internal body. Then drove to Smathers Beach. Remained in the car. Not a body anywhere on the beach. Could have been the heat or perhaps the green algae which had driven up on the beach. Whatever, the place was deserted.

Hemingway Days begin Sunday July 26. Always an exciting time in Key West!

On this day in 1975, the Treasure Salvor’s tugboat Northwind sunk drowning Rick Gage and Dick and Angel Fisher. They had been searching for the Spanish treasure ship Atocha. Found several years later by Mel Fisher.

The three most popular Christmas presents 100 years ago: Wrist watches for men, Chanel Number 5 for women, and Radio Flyer wagons for children.

A very big day! This day in 1969. John Glenn was the first man to set foot on the moon. Recall his words: “This is one small step for man, one great leap for mankind.”

Lincoln Memorial designer Henry Bacon was inspired by the lines of the Parthenon in Athens. Interesting! Two of my very favorite places! Both I have visited more than one time.

Just a touch of Trump.

The booing he received yesterday at the World Cup. Big time booing! From people from all over the world. The man is disliked everywhere.

Spain beat Argentina 1-0. I found the Spanish victory interesting. Trump has a vehement dislike for two nations. Spain and Canada. And yesterday he was required to give the victors award to Spain! Following handing over the award, it appeared Trump was in no hurry to leave the stage. He had to be taken by the arm and walked off.

My arm is healing. I changed the bandage yesterday for the first time. A big deal for me. I have to do it again today and every day for two weeks.

Enjoy your day!

Happy Sunday!

On this day in 1845, tiny Seneca Falls, New York went on the map for all time because of a significant event which occurred there. The Seneca Falls Convention. A women’s rights convention. It was the first such ever event in the United States. Roughly 200 women attended.

The Convention was chaired by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. It was held in the Wesleyan Chapel.

A two day event. Women only the first day.

Its purpose: “A convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious conditions of women.”

A follow up event was held two weeks later in nearby Rochester. Thereafter a meeting was held annually.

Seneca Falls is located in Upstate New York. Just off the New York Thruway which I drove frequently. The signage on the Thruway indicating Seneca Falls, because of the Convention of course.

The phrase “God bless you” is connected to a Papal Decree issued in 600 CE. By Pope Gregory I. Gregory believed a sneeze itself was the sign of bad health and perhaps imminent death. So on February 16, 600 CE he issued an edict that God Bless You “was the correct response if any Christian was in close proximity of a sneezer.”

Migrant detainees are treated like animals in a Miami federal jail. Cells are cramped, sorely hot, men sleep in their underwear to keep cool. They watch vermin scuttle through their cells amid the smell of feces and urine overflowing from broken toilets.

Christion National is not necessarily healthy though it may sound so. It is the voice of religious mongers who are pushing it today. It is an ideology that asserts national identity should be defined by Christianity, seeking to merge religion and civic life.

No way! Could kill democracy as we know it. Never forget the U.S.is grounded in separation of Church and State. Recognize also that three persons pushing Christian Nationalism in form perhaps without identifying it as such are Trump, Vance and Hegseth. Who are they kidding!

The U.S. has bombed Iran for 8 consecutive days. 

This day in 64, Rome began burning. Nero’s Rome. History is uncertain whether Nero was responsible for the burning and whether he fiddled while Rome burned. Nero was 35 miles away from Rome during the burning. The fiddle did not yet exist.

Ancient Rome built a vast network of roads. Some 200,000 miles worth. The quality such, that many still exist to this day and are in use.

I drove on some very close to Rome and others father away during my Italian trips. The Ancient Italians used huge flat stones for road beds.

Much Greece of yesterday and today will be in the media for a while. Caused by the epic movie “Odyssey” which was released Friday.

Great! I love Greece! I have spent huge amounts of time there. Forget not that Greece is so old and most of it still preserved that much you will see media wise is accurate.

The best I can wish for you is that you see the movie and it tantalizes you sufficiently that you visit Greece.

A strange one. Ants are increasing in popularity as pets. Especially a giant African one. Of course, costs for such as the African favorite are as high as $200. They are not small.

Raw milk is not healthy for humans. Drinking raw milk can cause tuberculosis in humans. However, the tuberculosis bacteria is killed during the pasteurization process so pasteurized milk creates no danger.

Cancer appears not to be a new or recent malady. Early evidence of cancer has been found in an ancient human foot.

As we all know, U.S. gas prices are affected by the global price of oil. 

The way it works. The price of oil is measured by the cost per barrel. A barrel contains 42 gallons of oil. 

Oil is used to produce most kinds of fuel and the building blocks for plastics, fertilizers and other items.

Consumers around the globe use 104 million barrels of oil a day. Because oil is a global market, a supply change anywhere moves the price in the U.S., even though the U.S. is a net oil exporter.

Amazing! Anesthesia was marketed after a laughing gas party in 1799. An English chemist began experimenting with nitrous oxide – better known as laughing gas. Prior thereto, getting a person drunk or using nothing at all was the preliminary act to surgery. Pain a huge factor in surgeries!

Did King Arthur really exist? No one knows for sure. Yes and no answers accepted today.

I trust you noted I have not mentioned Donald Trump up to this point. Many of you criticize me when I give him so much time. The reason is he is the news big time! Whether you agree with him or not. Ergo writing about him cannot be avoided.

Today such an example. At 3 this afternoon the Finals of the World Cup will be held in New Jersey. Trump announced earlier in the week he would be going. Of course he would! He is giving the trophy to the winning team.

I make one observation, he is going to be booed big time! The fans are from all over the world. Everyone dislikes him. Following which, Donald will be unhappy. Tough! Too bad! He has earned all the negative attention he receives because of his own conduct!

Interesting. International football and its World Cup event is a major world sporting event. Perhaps the biggest. And poor Donald is going to receive a major boo from all the world wide fans in attendance. Ho, ho, ho. He bought and paid for it. He deserves it!

Enjoy your Sunday!

Abraham Lincoln in the first major speech he gave forewarned of a Donald Trump.

He warned Trump’s type would be the undoing of the Republic: A demagogue of overwhelming ambition, who, “nothing left to be done in the way of building up, he would set boldly to the task of tearing down.” The only remedy Lincoln added was for the people to be united with each other, attached to the government and laws, generally intelligent, to successfully frustrate his designs.”

Trump is building a White House Helipad. He sought no approvals.

Hitler published his “Mein Kampf” this day in 1925. Note that Trump’s wife at the time claimed he kept a copy of the book on the nightstand next to his bed and frequently read from it.

Trump says 278,000 non-citizens are on voting rolls. Experts say he’s wrong.

Trump wants to impose tariffs on Canada in retaliation for wildfire smoke. Trump claims Canada has been faulty in control of its wildfire response. Not the way to make for a good neighbor relationship.

Trump is attempting to bend history to his will.  He will fail.

Moving on.

The first female Army officer was commissioned this day in 1947. Today, they are generals and admirals. The ladies have come a long way!

Three great American Presidents were poor students. Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. Kennedy the worst. He flunked French and Latin as a freshman at Choate Prep School. He also was briefly expelled for his part in a planned prank as a senior.

On this day in 1940, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was nominated for an unprecedented third term.

Vehicle driving. The death of the stick shift is almost here. Only 0.6 percent of cars sold in 2025 contained stick shifts.

I learned how to drive on a stick shift. No choice involved. The person teaching me to drive had a car only equipped with stick shift.

Mary Baron, CEO of General Motors: “Do every job you’re in like you’re doing it for the rest of your life.”

More young women today “sell their souls to strangers constantly.”  Do not mean prostitution.  Reflects on social media where young women portray themselves as “perfect.” Young women feel they must generally sell themselves in this regard.

Experts claim the Reflective Pool’s peeling is being caused by application flaws.

Busy yesterday. Drug store early on to pick up a prescription for my left arm cancer removal post treatment.

Paige at noon. Great physiotherapist. She’ll have me walking straight in about a month. I hope! She showed me how to change my bandage. I was trained to be a lawyer, not a doctor or nurse!

Grocery shopping later in the day. Too expensive. The less I buy the more it costs. God help families!

This will be a quiet day. Nothing scheduled. 

Enjoy your day!

Donald Trump’s address to the Nation last night added nothing new. It was as they have been. Repetitious.

He opened with his alleged successes and victories. Moved quickly to elections and his usual rendition of the 2020 election.

He lacked his usual loudness.

His address was short. He generally read.

A waste of my time listening. A waste of America’s time.

Trump is preparing his usual election lies, misrepresentations and bullshit for the coming mid-terms. Last nights words will be heard again and again between now and November.

The way it has been. The way it will be.

Sicko at it again! Hegseth wants to test the testosterone levels of all troops over 30. Including women. He believes the government “has a sacred duty to maintain….. advantages.” He wants a “High-T Department of War.”

Trump will address the Nation at 9 tonight. The thrust of his talk will involve elections and again the 2020 election. He never gives up! Trump also advised he has a “very big announcement” to make. Can’t wait to hear the surprise!

U.S. support for Israel is waning. Could be this is the time toi cease all financial aid. Israel’s interests and our ownhave been separating. Distancing. Iran the example.

George Washington was inaugurated in 1789. His first inauguration.! The U.S.’ first Presidential inauguration!

What was the formality involved? Actually none till a few days before scheduled. A first and no one really paid any attention to formalities and the like.

Only five days before was it decided to hold the inauguration in New York City. It took place at the Federal Hall on Wall Street. 

Five hundred escorts, persons from all positions, preceded Washington in the march to Federal Hall. Washington immediately behind them. 

Washington was sworn in in the Senate Chamber of the Federal Hall. On the second floor balcony of the Senate.

Washington’ address following was short. James Madison helped him with he wording of the final draft of his speech.

Washington spoke with humility. He revealed his feelings of inadequacy to handle the job. He also requested no pay for his services to be rendered. His words overall were described as “touching.”

The swearing in was followed by a religious service at St. Paul’s Chapel. Later that evening, fireworks exploded all over New York City in celebration of Washington having been sworn in.

Wendy’s is cutting back. Plans to close 360 locations by year end.

Forget not that ICE killed two people in one week recently. One in Texas and the other in Maine.

Yesterday July 15th was National Hot Dog Day. Hot dogs are All-American favorites. They stretch back thousands of years before even ancient Rome. From their beginnings as  sausages to Nathan’s Famous on Coney Island.

Nero’s cook Gaius enjoyed making them. He referred to them as “wienerwarts.” The hot dogs popularity grew especially in Germnay. Went well with a beer! 

It is generally agreed that German immigrants to New York were the first to push wieners in the U.S. The time the 1860s.

I made hot dogs. Over a period of four years in a large meat packing house in Utica while working my way through college and law school. One of my many jobs.

Since I worked as a fill in at erratic times in the meat packing house, one of my duties on occasion was making hot dogs. The experience left me with a huge distaste for hot dogs.

Every left over scrap of meat went into the composition of a hot dog. There were several bathtubs set aside where the leftovers were dumped. Everything. Tails, eyes, etc. At some point all thoroughly mixed together and eventually ended up in a casing to be sold.

Turned me off from hot dogs for the rest of my life.

Saw the dermatologist yesterday. Two cancer growths on my left arm. One removed yesterday. The other next week.

It was merely a hard tiny knob under my flesh. It ended up receiving a two inch cut and burning. A bad one!

Changed my Denny’s meal yesterday. Instead of eggs, enjoyed an order of pancakes. Excellent! I now have two Denny choices to select from.

I will be watching Trump tonight. I am a political freak. I may totally disagree with the man. However, I will enjoy listening to him and criticizing him in tomorrow’s blog.

Enjoy your day!

Where and why Trump comes out with many of his plans confuses me. His most recent involves birth control. Trump apparently is anti-birth control. Even to the extent of destroying $10 million in contraceptives already paid for. Trump will be promoting natural birth control methods such as period tracking.

I do not understand. Where did this anti-birth control thing come from? Whose idea to begin with?

Trump finally paid up! E. Jean Carroll has received the $5.6 million awarded her in her civil sexual assault and defamation case against Trump. Trump was able to delay paying her for more than 3 years. He finally ran out of appeals or any other legal gymnastic to avoid making the payment.

Trump has withdrawn his plan to impose a 20 percent sanction on those using the Strait of Hormuz. With one exception. It will still apply to Iranian vessels. Makes sense. The U.S. is at war with Iran.

There are those in the U.S. concerned with our Navy. They feel it requires a rebuilding. The Iranian War has stripped it of certain necessaries. It should be attended to immediately. In the war atmosphere existing everywhere and with Trump threatening wars, we must be prepared. Right or wrong.

Why does Trump continue the Iran War? Is he Netanyahu’s bitch? Tough language, but it fits. Recall Netanyahu conned Trump to join him in the war against Iran.

Trump is planning a prime time address Thursday evening. He will be attacking the U.S. election structure. He will return to the 2020 elections. His thrust will involve elections in general and voting machines.

Trust him not! We must save ourselves and our country from his erroneous rants. All Trump cares about is doing whatever is necessary to insure his continuation in office. President forever! King forever!

Trump has not had problems invading countries with one exception. Iran. A tough society. He misread Iran’s toughness and don’t screw with me attitude. 

Enough of the Donald for today. Moving on to other matters.

A T. Rex fossil recently sold for $50.1 million. Per a Sotheby’s auction. The price allowed the T. Rex to take the title of the most valuable on the commercial fossil market. 

I wrote about this a few days ago. GreenWise Organic Frozen Blueberries sold by Publix which caused certain diseases.  A South Florida couple became infected. They had purchased the product at a Publix.  Ate the blueberries and became infected with E. coli. The wife the sicker of the two.

Both developed bloody diarrhea, severe abdominal pain , stomach cramps, dehydration, and fever. The wife was hospitalized at Jupiter Medical Center for 10 days. Then referred to a nursing facility where she has been for 3 weeks.

This is wild! People are smoking more! A rebirth. Don’t all the throat and lung cancer cases scare the shit out of them?

Hegseth is blocking female promotions in the military.

Remember Chesley Sullenberger? He was the “Minute on the Hudson” pilot who saved a plane load of passengers. He is reported to be coming down with Alzheimer’s.

I have always thought that Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address on the train while riding to Gettysburg. Further that he wrote it on a paper bag with a pencil. 

Not true.

Gettysburg was fought in July 1863. The Gettysburg Address was delivered on November 19. Lincoln prepared several drafts. Five still remain.

Another Presidential falsehood involves George Washington.  The one about his cutting down his father’s cherry tree and not lying about it: “I cannot tell a lie…..I did it with my hatchet.”

We learned truthfulness and the cherry tree story early in grammar school. 

The story was “invented” in 1800 by Mason Locke Weems shortly after Washington’s death. Weems sole concern was to create a fable, which turned out to be the cherry tree story, to celebrate Washington’s honesty. Instead it became one of Presidential history’s longest and most believable lies. 

That the guilty were burned at the stake during the Salem Witch Hunt trials a falsehood. None were burned at the stake. Nineteen of the 20 involved were hung. One was stoned to death for refusing to plead.

The story’s roots are found in Europe where witch trials were also held. Europeans burned their guilty at the stake.

A biggie! Cleopatra was not an Egyptian. She was actually Greek. She learned the Egyptian language however and made significant efforts to adopt Egyptian culture.

I have a late morning visit with a dermatologist. I have two cancer growths on my left arm. One comes off today and the other next Wednesday. These growths have become commonplace in my old age. Recall the one on my left ankle last year that took seven months to remove and heal. And the small dot that became a rather large extraction on my forehead.

Such is life.

I never made it to The Grand yesterday. Got tired in early afternoon and decided to remain in bed. Slept right through what would have been Happy Hour.

Enjoy your day!

Trump does it again! Brings a stupid baseless lawsuit that a federal judge throws out.

Trump brought a lawsuit against the IRS for a $1.8 billion payout fund. The judge said the suit was filed for an “improper purpose.” U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams also referred Trump’s attorneys for potential disciplinary proceedings.

To place this case in proper perspective, Trump was suing himself to get to get out of the IRS problem. Crazy! No way could it be legal!

Will Trump ever learn?

Another Trump will he ever learn.

Trump announced he will impose a 20 percent fee on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz despite official assertions that such fees would violate international law.

I ask again. Will Trump ever learn?

Lindsey Graham’s sister Darline Graham was picked by South Carolina Governor Mc Master, a Republican, to serve her brother’s term into January. 

“The happiest boy in the hospital.” Senator Mitch McConnell. He has been in the hospital and rehabilitation for one month. A recent photo shows him sitting up and smiling. Why did it take all this time for the public to be made aware he was recovering, etc. Why the silence? Why no news till now? 

We still have not been told what was wrong with him.

An ICE officer shot and killed a 26 year old Columbian national in Maine. Maine is investigating.

Contrary to a federal decision, Trump’s appointed Kennedy Center leaders are “rushing” corrective work to the facility. They are being told, “We’ll deal with the lawsuit later.”

Enough of federal faux pas, mishaps and wrongdoings.

King Charles’ cancer not curable. He will die because of it. Soon.

He is presently bed ridden because of cardiac arrest and must remain there. His situation has been described as an “emergency one.”

Prince William will soon be required to step in. 

A sad situation for the English Nation and Charles’ immediate family. Harry is present. The King’s sister Anne also. 

The West Palm Beach Airport has been renamed after Trump. Not a popular move.

The crew neck triangle on sweatshirts and hoodies are for absorbing sweat. Not decoration.

Paper towel rolls and toilet paper. My father was Production Manager in a Utica plant that produced both. The Doeskin Company. He considered the position a major responsibility. Especially the toilet paper.

AI did a detailed study to determine the worst President in the last 100 years. The winner with little competition was Donald Trump. The result did not require a detailed study.

Theodore Roosevelt wrote 30 books.

The Trojan horse is rarely mentioned in the Odyssey. Barely mentioned by Homer in his epic poem. Its mention was limited to “a bag of bones,” “hidden in the horse,” and “the great horse of wood.”

The Trojan horse is mentioned to a great degree in Latin in Virgil’s “Aeneid.” In Latin in Aeneid the famous line: “Timeo Dansas et dona fererentes.” Translated into English: “I fear the Greeks even when bearing gifts.”

“Streaking” became popular in the U.S. in the early 1970s. Nudity was in vogue! Even at an Academy Awards ceremony.

Oh well, crazy is crazy! Streaking ended in the 1970s in the same decade where it began. Short lived, but funny!

Invasive lizards are moving into Central Florida. A bit different than those that have settled in the Keys. Long in many instances. Up to six feet. Differently colored.

They may be here to stay. They have been seen in Orlando, Disney’s Magic Kingdom and the University of Central Florida.

Their source…..Hitching rides on international ships and through exotic pet trading.

The hashtag “Black Lives Matter” first appeared in Facebook on July 13, 2013.

On July 13, 1960 John Fitzgerald Kennedy received the Democratic nomination for President.

Word is the Reflective Pool will be drained again.

Needed groceries yesterday. Stopped at Publix. Purchased little. Walked out with little. Still spent more than previously when I bought one or two more items.

How do families do it?

Trump not really concerned. Forgets. His responsibility are the people of the U.S. Few have the kind of money to survive easily today.

Tonight, The Grand. Hopefully I am well enough later today to go.

Steve and Cindy will not be there. It was Cindy’s birthday yesterday. Their children rented a house in the Orlando area and are all spending the week together to celebrate her birthday.

The heat continues to be a killer.

Enjoy your day!

Years were spent to achieve a reduction in smokers in the U.S. Trump has thwarted the process. Slowed it down, turned it around.

The Centers for Disease Control and Protection has been shut down for more than a year. Noteworthy is that tobacco companies last year gave millions to political organizations supporting Trump. Proving again money talks. Big time!

Tons of interesting things to share with you this morning.

Senator Mitch McConnell is out of the hospital. Now in a rehabilitation facility. The claim is he had a fall and then contacted pneumonia. Obviously McConnell is not yet well enough to return to the Senate.

Senator Graham died of “aortic dissection.” A problem that is deadly, sudden and difficult to treat. “Like a knife in the back,” one expert said. It is a rip in the aorta, the main artery carrying blood from the heart to the rest of the body. An unquestionable emergency! Fifty percent make it to a hospital and only half of them survive.

One reason college graduates are without jobs is there has been a mismatch between the skills they learned in college and an employer’s needs. An example being there are many jobs available in the medical field, yet an insufficiency of educated persons for them.

Interesting. The Mafia ran an entire American city, Providence, Rhode Island, for more than 30 years. Their power ran to Las Vegas as well as the Rhode Island state government.

The U.S. and China race for biotech superiority continues. China may be moving ahead. The U.S. falling behind under Trump.

With the U.S. and Iran fighting again, the cost of oil is rising. Gasoline pumps may soon reflect the trend.

Word is Putin has turned Japan into a den of spies.

Other nations in the world are cutting ties with the U.S. It is already causing us to suffer financially. It will get worse. Thank you, Donald Trump!

Barry Goldwater: “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice; moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Words contained in Goldwater’s 1964 Convention speech. Strong words. I was watching Goldwater on TV with my father. We had to rerun his words several times to grasp what we assumed was the intent of his words.

Humans, especially Americans, are becoming “touch starved.” Researchers claim our health can suffer when we don’t experience enough physical contact. I buy it! I feel it! I do not get enough physical contact at my age.

Modern cemeteries bury the coffin a mere six feet down. Not six feet actually. As a practical matter, a mere three feet when you consider the size of the coffin and a concrete vault.  Rather shallow!

Desserts my grandmother made. My father’s mother was born in Italy. Her cooking talents were the best! She could make a tough piece of round steak taste like filet mignon. Her deserts were top shelf. They are long gone today.

Like junket. Something between pudding and a giggly gelatin. Unfortunately disappeared from Italian tables in the 1970s.

Then there was potato candy. Potatoes and pounded sugar. A flexible dough the result. Unfortunately, no more.

Names of people, places and things change with time. For example, the Rocky Mountains were once called the Stoney Mountains. The Rockefeller name was once spelled with an n: Rockenfeller.

What U.S. city suffered the largest snow blizzard ever? Saratoga, N.Y., in 1888. Nearly five feet of snow over a period of three days. Wow!

The New York City subway opened in 1904.

Booze up the young! Until 1956, French children attending school were served wine  with their lunch.

“Senator” comes from the Latin word “senex. “Strictly interpreted means “old man.”

The first Black U.S. Senator was Hiram Rhodes Revels of Mississippi. He was elected in 1870. The U.S. has had 14 Black Senators in its history.

Winston Churchill was hit by a car in New York City in 1931. Churchill’s fault. He was looking the wrong way. He was hospitalized and regardless of fault collected $2,500. He took the money and went to the Bahamas to recover in style.

Interesting blog today.

The heat in Key West still a killer.

Enjoy your day!

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham died last night. He was 71. His death “brief and sudden.” He served four terms in the U.S. Senate. He was in the process of running for his fifth term. Prior to being a Senator, he was a member of the House of Representatives for several terms.

He also served in the U.S. Air Force. A member of JAG.

He was a strong supporter of President Trump.

A Republican, Graham’s political philosophy a simple one. His goal always to sit next to the seat of power. Whoever was the Republican President. I would describe him as a “black hearted Republican.” Not meant in an insulting fashion. He was a Republican!

May he rest in peace.

This Mitch McConnell thing is frightening. He has been in the hospital just 2 days short of one month. And the public does not know why!

My cynical nature is at work. Are the Republicans keeping his condition secret for political reasons. Should the Senator die, his Democratic governor would be able to appoint a Democrat to McConnell’s Senate seat. It would affect the balance of power in the Senate. Especially with Senator Graham’s death last night.

Pope Leo XIV a tough guy! A good man! The Catholic Church, especially the Papacy, are in turmoil. Has been for many years. Even before Leo. Cardinals like U.S. Senators want to exercise power beyond what they should. Leo will not stand for it. He is Pope and he calls the shots!

Mae West: “I’ve been rich, I’ve been poor. Rich is better.”

A disgrace. Only half of Americans have a retirement account in their current jobs.

The U.S. and Iran are keeping at the warfare. Shooting at each other on a constant basis again.

Iran insists on controlling the Strait of Hormuz. Why not? It’s their property.

The mighty U.S.is no longer respected by the rest of the world. Trump blew the U.S.’ stature.

I worry about today’s college graduate. Most cannot find jobs. And if they are fortunate to do so, the first year is referred to as an “internship” and they are not paid. My grandson Robert is still looking. Interviewing across the country. In his free time, he is working at a rum parlor in Key West.

He did not go to college to remain n Key West. His goal is to move on.

The roaring ’20s in the U.S. was a period of economic prosperity and social change. The Second Industrial Revolution had made the U.S. a global economic powerhouse. Many Americans were living in cities, many had electricity, the economy was booming.

U.S. forces have spent the past two days attacking Iran. The attacks the most recent of the war. In the two days, the U.S. hit more than 170 targets.

Job finding a difficult task in the U.S. these days. Especially for the young. A third of young adults, especially recent college grads, still live with their parents.

On this day in 1804, Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Burr was Vice President at the time. Political antagonists. Hamilton had been vehemently opposed to Burr’s election. Hamilton savagely attacked him. Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel. An “affair of honor” from Burr’s perspective.

One rendition of the duel is that Hamilton intentionally shot upward wasting his shot. Burr did not waste his. Shot Hamilton, the bullet entering near his spine. Hamilton died the next day.

Burr was not the best of Americans as history has proven. The U.S. lost a good man in Hamilton.

Enjoy your Sunday!