Happy Sunday my friends!

A special day. A laid back do nothing one for many. Enjoy it accordingly!

A bit of confusion exists as to whether it is the first or last day of the week. What difference does it make. It is still a relaxing day for many.

The most expensive supermarkets/grocery stores in the U.S. in order are U.S. Whole Foods Market, Shaw’s, and Albertsons. The least expensive are Costco Wholesale, BJ’s Wholesale Club, and Walmart’s.

There is a most trusted classification also. The most trusted supermarket is Aldi.

Independent international bodies, human rights organizations and investigative reports have advised systematic violence and brutality by Israelis against Palestinian medical personnel. Over 1,700 health care workers to date have been killed. Even more detained.

Why?

Jews of all people suffered the worst at the hands of others. Now they are imposing that “worst” on others. Does not make sense to me.

Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert Todd Lincoln was closely connected to three Presidential assassinations during his life. His father’s, James Garfield’s and William McKinley’s.

When Garfield was shot, Lincoln was Secretary of War and was with Garfield at Washington’s railroad station.

Lincoln had arrived in Buffalo by train when he received a telegram advising McKinley had been shot. McKinley was already in Buffalo at an exhibit. Lincoln rushed to McKinley’s side.

Celery is 95 percent water.

Executive assassinations attempted are many…..per person. Queen Victoria survived seven in the 63 years she reigned.

Bolivia’s population is 12.7 million persons.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is suspending Medicare payments for California and Minnesota purportedly to stop fraud. I am not sure this is the smart way to solve the problem. Those that will suffer are the patients. It is the doctors who do the billing. Note also that the two States involved are Democratic ones. Is Trump’s hand involved in the suspensions?

The back of a T-shirt wore by a man on the internet: “TRUMP Supporters: 1. Billionaires 2. Idiots.”

As U.S. weapons decrease in number because of the Iran War, Russia and China must be smiling all the way to the bank so to speak. God help us if there is another conflict and we have insufficient weapons to oppose it.

The Strait of Hormuz is the stumbling block to a U.S./Iran peace deal. I do not see how Trump can come out ahead on this portion of the deal.

Heat, fire and airport chaos. A Summer vacation ruination.

Biden’s cancer is spreading. The prostrate cancer has spread to his bones and causing him pain. Sad. A good man hurting.

Scientists have found smallpox DNA hidden in 500 year old Chilean mummies.

Singles are ditching expensive dates. Economics are affecting every phase of life today. Everyone except Trump and his family and friends. Their cash flow not only sufficient, but endless also.

Roman emperors once banned men from having long hair. Long hair was considered “barbaric.” Germans, Franks and Goths were immigrating into Rome with their long hair which the Romans found distasteful. The Roman elite were especially offended. So it had to be cut off.

Ancient Roman bone penises were commonplace 1800-2000 years ago. Romans were not scandalized by nudity in art work. Especially the male genitalia. Penises structured from bones were hung over the entrances to homes. Their purpose to ward of the “Evil Eye.” They were even used to adorn male and female jewelry.

The male cock was a winner!

China continues to buy U.S. farmland. I have mentioned this fact several times in recent years. China’s purpose in so doing is to ultimately control America’s food supply. What if anything is our government doing to protect us from this impinging danger?

Probably nothing. We hear nothing about it from Trump and his cohorts.

Yesterday was Saturday. Corey drove me to get my car from the repair shop. The place was closed. I am still without wheels. Difficult and becoming depressing.

Enjoy your Sunday!

There’s a $100 hot dog on the market. Becoming increasingly popular in high cost restaurants and eateries. The hot dog is becoming part of haute cuisine. All it takes is creme fraiche, mascarpone, 30 grams of Ossetra caviar, and 24 karat edible gold leaves.

Jobs dropped 23,000 in July.

Will the Justice Department prosecute Anthony Fauci? I suspect so. They are all Trump’s people. Birds of a feather flock together.

Fredon Fuel is selling “cheap gasoline.” How? Is Trump involved?

Japan has built the largest battleship ever. Trump wants to build even larger ones. The U.S. has not constructed a battleship since 1944. They were thereafter deemed obsolete. I would assume obsolete even today.

Democrats should elect a new Senate Minority Leader. Chuck Schumer has outlived his time.

The U.S. and Canada are two weeks from resolving the 50 percent tariff Trump has imposed. The two countries are talking. To any resolution? Who knows! I stand with Canada.

Progressive Democrats. A new Democratic Party in the making?

Trump is increasing U.S. pressure on Cuba. Donald picking on a little guy again.

Hegseth continues to block military promotions to women.

Why do “chicken eggs” dominate the egg market? Productivity the primary reason. There are many chickens in the U.S. They generally produce 280-320 eggs per year. No other egg source produces any where near that number.

There is a 50 percent chance of rain today in Key West. Rain has been persistent the past few days. Cooled things down. We needed the cooling down.

Puerto Rico is suffering a water drought. San Juan cut 180,000 customer water accounts for 48 hours. This is the island’s largest drought since 1899. It is expected to last into September.

Roger Federer: “Negative energy is wasted energy. You want to become a master at overcoming hard moments. That is to me, the sign of a champion.”

Thomas Edison patented the mimeograph this day in 1876.

President Richard Nixon announced his resignation this day in 1974.

One proof of poor economic conditions is the record number of adult children who have returned home to live with their parents. Rising costs responsible. In 2025, 25.2 million adults under 35 were living at home with their parents. The number is higher even than what it was during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Ancient Rome, tax fraud was punishable by death.

Why do we say “Pardon my French” when we swear? The phrase is a Victorian etiquette rule that became an English favorite. A matter of manners. The phrase came into increasing use in the 18th and 19th centuries. A primary reason was the French wanted to teach the English a thing or two. The English turned it to their advantage.

On this day in 1945, the Soviets declared war on Japan. The next day, the Soviets poured more than one million soldiers into Japanese occupied Manchuria.

The Soviets were whores. They were aware of the Hiroshima atomic bomb being dropped. Russia wanted its piece of the action when Japan surrendered, which was imminent. It was. Japan surrendered to the U.S. and effectively everyone else one week later on August 15. 

Yesterday a big one for me exercise wise. Did my required exercises and walked in the early morning. Walked again with Nurse Paige later in the day. Though I did the exercises, I was exhausted each time.

Still no car.

Enjoy your day!

Trump says the U.S. economy is the best by far. He insists it. Repeatedly.

How can anyone be so wrong?

He should buy groceries and pay for gasoline fill-ups himself. He is hurting the U.S. big time. How can he not understand it?

Trump wants to build new battleships. I thought they were obsolete. My recollection is the last U.S. battleship constructed was in 1944. He also wants his name on one or more of them. A waste of money in every regard.

Trump spoke Wednesday in Las Vegas. Typical Trump, including a gigantic pack of lies.

Trump and Hegseth were at it yesterday at Camp David re the extreme munitions shortage.

Trump is taking on the Supreme Court again re birthright citizenship. He issued a new Executive Order similar to the one the Supreme Court shot down. Trump added some minor adjustments to make the Order appear different. 

The Donald is abusing the court system. There are people and businesses who need the courts for their problems, not Trump’s bullshit previously defeated ones. Trump generally losses in court. His track record proves it.

Word is Trump is privately telling donors to back Vance in 2028 while making it appear to the contrary. He is playing a strange game.

Canada’s Carney is consistently making Trump look like an ass. A loser. Trump does not see it. As with many other things, the blind cannot see and Trump is definitely blind.

Enough of Trump. On to other matters.

The Senate’s Homeland Security Committee voted to hold Fauci in contempt. Each Republican who so voted should be ashamed. Eight of the thirteen Republican members voted for contempt. Five saw the truth and refused to cooperate in the disgraceful conduct of the majority. 

Republican Committee Chairman Rand Paul said he intends to send the contempt resolution directly to the Justice Department as a referral. He obviously is wasting no time in going after Fauci,

I say Fauci will never see a day in jail. The Rand led Republicans are totally off base. The matter will bounce round the courts for several years. Period.

Fauci is not the first to plead the Fifth Amendment before a Senate Committee. Hundreds have done so before him. The Fifth Amendment is one of the Constitution’s most sacred protections.

Want to see a long term example of cursive writing? Take a look at Coca-Cola’s flowing cursive name which has barely changed in more than 130 years. It is one of the most enduring designs in commercial history. Coca-Cola is a “steady Eddie.” Whereas, Pepsi Cola has redesigned its logo more than a dozen times.

Twins, even identical ones, do not have the same fingerprints. No two people have ever had matching fingerprints.

Rained big time yesterday. Steve and I sat on his front porch watching the downpour. We agreed it was the biggest and heaviest we had ever seen in Key West. So heavy that the ground could not absorb it fast enough. A steady 4 inches or so remained sitting on top of the ground.

The Miami Herald in yesterday’s newspaper advised South Florida to be prepared for king tides which may flood their streets next week.

Amazing! First South Florida was hit with a period of too much heat. Now, too much rain?

Ten percent of people world wide are left handed.

Steve Jobs: “If you are working on something that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.”

Why won’t the U.S. pay off its debt? Not because it cannot afford to do so. Which I believe is the case at the present time. The real reason is if the U.S. paid off the debt, it would disrupt the entire bond market. Blow it!

Treasury bonds are among the most common bonds for investors and the majority of the national debt is in Treasury bonds.

Senator Mitch McConnell has been discharged from rehabilitation to continue his recovery at home. We are finally sure he is alive. May he continue to be.

The question which remains is whether he will be able to proceed as a Senator.

Paige will arrive at 11:30 to work me. Can’t wait. I am always anxious to see her. I sense she is helping me.

Still without a car. It was supposed to be ready yesterday afternoon. It was not. Difficult to live without a car.

Enjoy your day!

The World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated in 1980. However and surprisingly, the basic concept behind a smallpox vaccine goes back to at least 1549.

How interesting! A small amount of the virus was taken from the sore of an infected person, then either scratched into a person’s skin or inhaled through the nose. 

Sounds gross, but it worked! The disease was less fatal in people who got smallpox after such an inoculation.

It is estimated there are 62 million cats in the U.S. Wow!

Marilyn Monroe was found dead this day in 1962. Some claim from an overdose of sedative drugs. Others believe she was killed. Doubt we will ever know the real cause/reason for her demise.

I doubt the “Little Orphan Anne” comic strip is still published. It was first published this day in 1924. I recall reading the comic strip daily when I was a young boy.

Abraham Lincoln needed money to fund the Civil War. He was forced to impose a federal income tax this day in 1861 in order to finance the War.

Reagan was a “tough President.” He screwed around with no one. He was a my way or the highway type.

Air traffic controllers went on strike through out the country. Reagan ordered them to return to work. They refused. He fired 11,359 this day in 1981.

Walgreens is closing stores as part of a multi year downsizing effort. Two were closed in Missouri recently. Walgreens plans on closing more stores by year end.

Overall, Walgreens is planning on closing 1,200 underperforming stores over a three year period as part of its turnaround strategy. The Key West stores are not on the list of projected closings.

The Secret Service gives each President a “code name.” The code name system began with Harry Truman. Truman was “General.” Other examples: Eisenhower “Providence,” Kennedy “Lancer,” Reagan “Rawhide,” and Clinton “Eagle.”

Miami has changed in appearance over the past 50 years. Back then, a beach town. Today, a metropolis. Tall buildings. Miami has 18 of the 100 tallest buildings in the U.S.

Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to swim the English Channel. She was 18 years old. The day was August 6, 1926. Exactly 100 years ago today. She swam the 35 miles in 14 1/2 hours. Her body covered in grease. She ate chicken legs along the way.

The source of the idiom “It’s Greek to me.” Shakespeare popularized the phrase in Act 1, Scene 2, of “Julius Caesar.” Published in 1599. Spoken by Casca: “It was Greek to me.”

Florida’s invasive lizards are now threefold. Burmese pythons, green iguanas and now the tegu-lizard.

Florida is committed to reducing its python population. They are too numerous to totally eradicate. Can only be downsized in number. Florida instituted a Python Challenge several years ago to assist in the reduction. The most recent 10 day Florida Python Challenge resulted in 280 pythons being captured. Considered to have been a good number.

Trump wants to know why Hegseth apparently misled him on the munitions shortage. The American people want to know too. A typical Trump foul up. He picked Hegseth. Everything Trump does one way or another gets screwed up.

Judges who rule against Trump thereafter threatened. Most require federal protection as a result. Not the U.S. we knew.

A new type flu shot is on the way. It will be available in a few weeks. As expected, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is skeptical of the value of the new vaccine.

Lincoln initially was not viewed as Presidential material. Amazing! Our best President ever!

A volcano erupted on Guatemala. Many families had to flee.

Andy Warhol: “You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you.”

The first written history of Key West was published this day in 1884 by Walter C. Maloney. He was at different times Key West Mayor and a member of the Florida State Legislature.

I spoke with Guy deBoer by phone yesterday. He was someplace in Europe. He leaves on September 6 for an 8 month sailing trip. What a life!

Should we be concerned about “Progressive Democrats” winning primaries? I’m not sure who may be worse. MAGA Republicans or Progressive Democrats. My problem I suspect is I do not know enough about Progressive Democrats. I must learn more before expressing a firm judgment.

Greece is my favorite country to visit! I can’t say it enough. My best vacations were the month long ones I spent in Greece.

Corfu, Greece is one of the places I have yet to visit. Relatively cheap. The Canal d’Amour is located on Corfu. Legend has it that couples who swim the length of the canal together will be in love forever.

A stinking place to work! Questic Diagnostics laboratory. Thousands of feces sample tested daily. For parasites, including Cyclospora. Truly a brown onslaught. Laboratory technicians work with face masks and other attire to vent the fumes, etc.

A Senate Republican Committee is on Fauci’s ass. A major wrong. He appears before the Committee again today. They may attempt to hold him in contempt because he invoked the Fifth Amendment before them many times during his last visit.

Trump is quietly pressuring Cuba. Don’t we have enough problems on our backs without adding Cuba on?

Key West has experienced a several week record breaking heat wave. Other places in the world also. Most recent is South Korea.

The world is screwed up temperature-wise. Why?

It is reported the “vanity dressing table” is making a return to the bedroom.

More women, especially young ones, are developing heart disease.

There is an article in this morning’s New York Times: “Should I Wear Deodorant or Antiperspirant?” I was not aware there was a difference.

Trump is sometimes described as a “smiling liar.”

Today is haircut day. Will not be, however. Lori called. She’s sick.

Corey took me grocery shopping last night. I am still without my car. And yes, I believe groceries increased a bit in cost since a few days ago when I last shopped. Sickening!

Enjoy your day!

In 1790, the United States was having difficulty with smugglers. Something had to be done. The relatively new little nation was getting no respect. Alexander Hamilton was Secretary of the Treasury. On this day in 1790, he had Congress authorize ten small vessels to combat the smugglers. Such was the birth of the U.S. Coast Guard. Alexander Hamilton is recognized as the Father thereof.

Someone is suddenly attacking U.S. water systems. In Minnesota and elsewhere. Saturday Michigan reported 9 attacks. Federal investigators believe the problem is cyberterrorism linked to Iran. Trump disagrees. He says it is Minnesota.

We should know definitely in a few days.

Something bothers me. It is a growing concern. We are supposedly the strongest nation in the world. If so, why the news now that we lack sufficient power militarily to continue the Iran War. If our military were required against another nation while combatting Iran, our power would be lacking. If such is the case, be certain other nations are aware and if certain nations so desired, they would be encouraged to push us so we would be strained fighting another encounter at the same time as Iran.

Recall that some of our military advisers recommended against a war with Iran questioning our military power sufficiency.

Smart ass Trump said no, go ahead, bomb Iran. He saw it as another Venezuela and did not want to listen. He also had brilliant military advisers such as Hegseth agreeing so he felt secure.

What a mess has and is developing!

An interesting comment by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: How to become a billionaire. Inherit a billion dollars.

Another Kareem Abdul-Jabbar comment, this one specifically stated: “What happens to a democracy when vengeance, rather than law, begins juggling the keys to the kingdom?”

Black Jesse Owens won the long jump at the Olympics in Berlin this day in 1936. He won a total of four gold medals in the Olympics. By so doing, he won the respect of Germany who prior thereto had reflected negatively upon people of color.

Would you believe? Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a food show: The Real Food Show. His first show was last Thursday. He made salmon cakes and an arugula salad with a guest.

Confucius believed in ethics and etiquette. He believed they were the glue holding families, friendships, and nations together.

Right he was!

During the Gilded Age, New York Society was shaped by the notion of the “Four Hundred.”

Why the number 400? In the late 1880s, New York’s social arbiter was Ward McAllister. He said the place to be was Caroline Astor’s ballroom. It only held 400 people. Since McAllister was the gate keeper of New York’s high society, he decreed only that number – 400 – could be members of “High Society.”

A rumor suggests the most powerful men in America eat only steak and sauerkraut. I am not certain whether such is true. If the rumor said “cheeseburgers,” I might agree. After all, their noble leader Trump gouges himself on them.

Airport lines are grueling. Airports are working to change that.

Two U.S. Presidents had no formal education at all. Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson.

James Madison wanted to be a clergyman. Instead he became a statesman, diplomat, U.S. founding father, and President of the United States.

Kansas is the geographic center of the U.S., if Hawaii is not included.

Alcohol did not always exist. Surprising! It had to be invented like many other things. 

Alcohol was discovered by Paracels, a chemist, in the 14th century. By accident. When he tried it, he boasted he had found “the essence of life, the power to cure the weak, and the great benefactor of mankind.”

The first white child of English parents born in America was Virginia Dare at a temporary settlement on Roanoke Island in 1587.

Henry Clay: “I would rather be right than be President.” And so he turned out to be.

To whom did the honor of having first established religious freedom in America belong? To the Roman Catholics of Maryland by the “Toleration Act” of 1649.

The first shopping carts were rolled out by grocery owner Sylvan N. Goldman in 1937. Initially, they were unpopular. It took time for them to be accepted.

Surprise! Baby Ruth bars were not named after the baseball player. Even though at the time the candy bar debuted in 1921, Babe Ruth the baseball player was popular. The bar was named after a different Ruth. Baby Ruth Cleveland, the daughter of former President Grover Cleveland.

Toni Morrison: “Correct what you can; learn from what you can’t.”

Ohio State leads the Preseason College Football Coaches Poll.

Seriously. A New York Times article this morning titled: “Change Your Toilet, Change Your Life.” Recommends you get rid of the ghost of your past. All it takes is a new design. Especially where the seat is concerned. A new toilet costs $500. A new seat $35. It’s all in a toilet’s appearance and design. 

A short Trump.

Why is it just about everything he begins has to be done over because of mistakes? Now it is the helipad he is building on the White House lawn. Tilted and the wording on it not to his liking. The helipad he is building without Congressional or other approvals. His baby! His idea! His fuck-up!

Glad Pirro straightened Trump out re the Reflective Pool. Does not appear he is listening to her, however.

I never made it to The Grand yesterday for Happy Hour. My body faded as the afternoon wore on and I lacked the energy to even get ready.

Nothing on the agenda for me today. Hope I get my car back.

Enjoy your day!

Anne Frank and her family were denied a chance at U.S. immigration prior to World War II. Three reasons. One was American bias against accepting Jewish refugees. They were stalled in effect at the beginning of the application process. The other two reasons involved the war itself and bombings.

Anne Frank: “No one has ever become poor by giving.”

Anne Frank and her family were captured after two years of hiding from the Nazis. Subsequently, they were executed.

Surprising. Monkeys sometimes have pets as humans do. Like dogs and pigs.

The Zac Brown Band gave free cruises to 37,000 Fenway Park concert fans Saturday night. It was the bands 15th sold out concert!

The cruise tickets were a huge surprise. Everyone in the audience received a free cruise for two aboard Margaritaville at Sea. The cost of the gift more than $40 million.

It was Zac Brown’s way of saying “Thank You!” to fans. A good man! 

The Historic Strand Theatre is located at 527 Duval Street in Key West. Not the Strand Theatre any longer. Now a Walgreens. Such is life. Things come and go.

I recall my first trip to Key West some 25-30 years ago. I was alone. The Strand was running some sort of sex show at midnight. The pervert in me went to watch.

The rows of seats had long been removed. The center of the theatre was empty. Fold out seats were added along the walls intermingled with bars.

I got there a bit early. I was seated on one of the pull out benches swinging a bottle of beer between my legs. Two gay guys dressed as nuns came up and asked if they could hold “my nuts.” Scared the shit out of me! I was not yet familiar with Key West or its ways. I said a firm no and got up and left. Fast!

The first “Broadway musical” occurred on September 12, 1866 at a packed theater on Broadway and Prince Streets. The show was the six hour debut of the “Black Crook.” 

New York City presently has 41 “Broadway theaters.”

The Phantom of the Opera set a record for performances at 13,981. I saw three of them. Different casts, of course.

The current life expectancy in the U.S. is 77.5 years.

The 26th Amendment was passed in 1971 lowering the voting age to 18.

Martin Luther King Jr. was prematurely smart. He enrolled at Morehouse College in 1944 at the age of 15.

Being a proponent of things good and black placed a person in position to be arrested. King was arrested 29 times.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech enjoyed a huge attendance. Two hundred fifty thousand people.

John Steinbeck’s dog ate the first draft “Of Mice and Men.” Actually half of the draft. Two months work had to be rewritten from memory. Steinbeck felt bad for the dog whose name was Toby. Toby got sick from eating all that paper. Toby’s punishment was limited to one swat with a flyswatter.

Hong Kong has one of the highest life expectancies: 85.6 years. Global life expectancy is 73.3 years. 

The oldest person to live was Jeanne Calment. She reached 122 years.

The Rocky Mountains are 3,000 miles long. Include U.S. and Canada groupings.

The New York City subway opened in 1904.

The highest global temperature ever recorded is 134.1 degrees F.

Arica, Chile was once without water for 14 years. No rain, no moisture of any kind.

For real. Antarctica is the world’s largest desert. The reason is it only receives 2 inches of precipitation a year.

The French produce 3,000 types of wine a year.

Senator Robert Kennedy of West Virginia served the most years of any senator: 51.

Winston Churchill was not that popular with the ladies when he was a young man. Three women rejected his proposals of marriage. 

Great Britain took a beating during World War II. Germany dropped 450,000 bombs on Britain.

There have been 142 Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Trump will never be one. Guaranteed!

The top speed of a 1908 Model T Ford was 42 miles per hour.

As of 2020, 41 million Americans wore dentures.

A locally acquired case of dengue fever has been confirmed in South Florida. Palm Beach County to be exact. Make sure to use mosquito protection.

Trump time.

I was concerned Jeanine Pirro was a Trump wannabe and prepared to sell her soul to the country store. Turns out not. She stood up to him!

Her position re the Reflective Pool is that bad construction was the cause. Not the vandalism Trump has been selling. She discharged the case against one person and will discharge the remaining ones. Trump furious, but has not fired her…..Yet

Trump says the U.S. and Iran are talking. Iran says no. Who is lying? Could be both. Could be the Iranians want to embarrass Trump any way and any time they can.

This IRS immunity thing has Trump coming out a winner. The media is not telling the whole story. Rather not explaining it well.

Trump, his family and their companies will continue to have immunity. Limited. Only to returns already filed. Not to future ones.

Experts project such will provide the Donald with an estimated $100 million boon.

Wrong, wrong, wrong! Everyone pays taxes! Even Presidents!

The play out nothing more than a Republican Senate sell out!

Yesterday’s blog receiving a huge reaction! Everyday Americans being screwed big time financially. The 3-4 year old sex prostitution items shocking. I was surprised many were not already aware.

Hopefully I will make The Grand tonight for Happy Hour.

Enjoy your day!

Nicholas Kristoff has and is one of America’s finest news writers. I have referred to him several times in the past.

An Opinion Piece written by him appeared in the Sunday edition of the New York Times on August 2, 2026. Quite lengthy. I paraphrase and otherwise share it with you. Adding my own comments occasionally.

MEET THE AMERICANS WHO CAN’T AFFORD HAIRCUTS OR TOILET PAPER

The column is the result of a one week one thousand mile road trip that took Kristoff through the States of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Kristoff first wrote of Trinity Goodman, a 44 year old Oklahoma woman. She wore a bandage on one arm. She sells blood plasma two times a week. She had $3.78 in her checking account, one cent in her saving account, and six pennies in her piggy bank. “Her assets.”

She had recently lived with a man for 5 years who only kept her for sexual reasons.

Presently a local non profit was recently paying her $150 per month for housing. Resolved the sex problem she had for five years.

She is also getting $298 a month in food stamps. A problem exists nevertheless. The $298 cannot be used for toilet paper or personal hygiene items. She also has no funding for a haircut. She has never had her hair professionally cut.

Though many Americans are thriving, many have been left behind. We are blind as to the number left behind.

The problem has been magnified by Trump initiated cuts in food stamps, Medicaid, health funding for children, pregnancy preventive initiatives, and other social programs. On top of which Americans are experiencing very high gas and food prices.

Republicans are imposing tougher work requirements for benefits. Creates problems, however. They are costly to administer and drive people deeper into poverty.

Many require food stamps. They are desperate. Desperately hungry. Two thirds of Americans consider groceries unaffordable.

Normally Kristoff takes this trip in the Summer in Africa. Things have become so bad in the U.S. now that he opted for the U.S. trip this year. America has to be made aware! Pressure has to be imposed politically!

Getting back to Trinity Goodman, she reported she was raped and sexually abused beginning at the age of 6 or 7.

Sounds shocking! It is.

A change from 10 years and longer ago when our concern was with teenagers being forced into prostitution. The pendulum has swung. I find in my readings an increasing number of minors beginning at age 2 and 3. Being sold into prostitution by their parents. Hard to believe. Nevertheless for real. 

Returning to food. A major problem. As a result of Trump’s cuts, 1.5 million children have lost food availability. Also 3 million Americans have lost Obamacare health insurance since the beginning of this year because of Republican cuts to the subsidies used to pay for the coverage.

People overall finding it harder to pay for food and rent. One woman said, “The more I work, the harder stuff gets.”

The cut in benefits for struggling Americans is a desire to trim all federal spending. Hard to square it with the expense of the Iran War and subsidies for private planes and tax cuts for the rich. Poor Americans get the spending blame when a huge part of the spending is for and on behalf of the extremely wealthy.

Kristoff suggests it is the rich who are guilty of the manipulations.

Tax audits are inflicted mostly on the poor than the rich. An example is Humphrey County, Mississippi, with a majority black population and a median household income of $26,000. Humphrey County has the highest percentage of audits in the U.S.

The age group nationally most likely to live in poverty are children. Especially those 2 years old and under. The U.S. is failing them.

Trump tried to eliminate Head Start, the federal program with bipartisan support. He backed off the idea when it became obvious he could not get the votes. However the sneak Trump is, he withheld $12 billion from the program for several months causing great hardship.

Democrats are failing also. They talk a good game, but talk is not enough. Correct action is. The three States with the largest rate of  unsheltered homelessness are blue ones: California, Oregon and Hawaii.

Democrats must look in the mirror to see their own failures when it comes to helping those left behind.

Many working Americans feel left behind, betrayed. Our politicians are looking at the wrong things. For example, they have been complacent about 1.3 million Americans who have died of overdoses since 2000. That is roughly the number of American service members who have died from all wars in American history.

Homelessness begins with foster care. Which Kristoff views is a government system of child abuse. One 31 year old Oklahoma woman he interviewed shared her earliest memory with him. Men sexually abusing her when she was 3 or 4. There it is again! A for real problem! Her first pregnancy was at the age of 12.

Some Southern blacks think back 100 years or more. And believe things were better then for blacks than today. Would you believe? Some believe civil rights were even better back then. They are still seeking to find “opportunity” in 2026.

The U.S. military was long considered a place of opportunity by blacks for blacks. No more under Hegseth.

A longer than normal blog today. Kristoff’s Opinion Piece extremely long. Worth the length. Interesting and precise issues raised.

I hope your attention has been specifically aroused by some of the the issues touched upon.

Enjoy your day!

My last name is Petrone. How I got it interesting. It goes back to my grandfather on my father’s side.

Lets begin this way. My parents named me after my two grandfathers. My father’s dad was named Louis. My mom’s dad Silvio. I was named Louis Silvio Petrone.

Grandfather Louis’ middle name was Ulysses. I assume he picked it up in Italy when he was born.

Grandfather Louis was a sheep herder in Italy. Somewhere near Naples. He came to the United States around the turn of the century. The 1900s. At the that time, he was a boss of sorts with the younger persons helping to care for the sheep. My grandfather was referred to as a “patron” which is Italian for boss. 

He was 12 years old when he arrived in the U.S. Ellis Island, of course. Spoke no English. The police officer and immigration official doing the paperwork for his admission spoke little Italian.

They asked his last name. He did not understand. Thought they were asking what he did for a living so his response was “patron.” The immigration official wrote down “Petrone” and that is the way Petrone became our family name.

I never asked what granddad’s real last name was. Not even from my father. Never seemed important. By the time my curiosity had gotten the better of me, my grandfather had died.

Why this historical litany? I came across a statement on the internet this morning…..”It’s a likely myth that inspectors at Ellis Island changed immigrants’ names.” Based on my story, the Petrone story, not exactly true. The screwup with our last name occurred with the official at Ellis Island.

The Declaration of Independence was passed/adopted on July 4, 1776. However, it was not signed on that date. It was not signed till this day, August 2, 1776.

Mosquitos are the world’s deadliest animals. They kill about 760,000 persons annually.

James Baldwin: “The longer I live, the more I deeply learn that love – whether we call it friendship or family or romance – is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other’s light.”

The International Space Station produces oxygen from recycled water.

An 1844 chess match “via telegraph” anticipated the board game’s online popularity.

A concerned biologist spearheaded a project to build rope bridges for wildlife in the Amazon. Lead to 15,000 safe wildlife crossings and zero roadkill.

It is easier to spot a liar by listening rather than looking. Generally always better to listen first.

Interest in a 4 day school week is growing in many States. Already 2,100 schools nationwide are following the abridged 4 day school week. 

Lab studies show dandelion extract triggered death in a variety of cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unharmed. Human trials are being conducted to verify if such is correct.

My family’s experience with dandelion consumption.

When I was young and into my high school years, the eating of dandelions was big time. We were always off to the park or a large field to pull dandelions, bring them home, wash them good, and then consume in various fashions. Note they were free. We were relatively poor in the earlier years. So it was natural to eat dandelions.

Having read about dandelions and cancer this morning, I gave the issue some thought as regards my family. Taking into account the wide arena of relatives, all who were economically similarly situated and ate dandelions big time, I could only think of two who died of cancer.

Must be some truth to the lab studies report.

On this day in 1943, PT-109 sunk. Its “Captain” Lt. John F. Kennedy was instrumental in saving his crew.

On this day in 1934, Hitler became dictator of Germany. German President von Hindenburg died and Chancellor Adolf Hitler became “absolute dictator” of Germany under the title of “Fuhrer” or “Leader.” The Third Reich was born.

Trying to move my ass a bit. Began walking yesterday. Goal is to walk everyday.

Yesterday did all of 40 steps. I was exhausted! Had to be the hot sun. I walked mid day. This morning I went out to walk at sun-up at 7 a,m.. Actually no sun. Walked 160 steps.

I am proud of myself.

Enjoy your day!

How stupid is Trump? How stupid are we? There is legislation pending that would integrate portions of U.S. and Israel defense systems. Section 219 of the fiscal year 2007 National Defense Authorization Act. The House has already passed the bill. The bill faces ongoing debate in the Senate.

How can this even be considered after Netanyahu conned Trump into joining forces to attack Iran? Look at the mess such began!

The bill represents stupidity at its highest level!

Is Trump planning a ground war for U.S. troops in Iran? Something the American people do not want. What’s the matter with Trump?

Is Trump in danger of a personal significant Epstein exposure? Word is that in excess of 1,000 photos and other materials exist in the not yet revealed Epstein papers that Republicans and their noble leader are preventing from disclosure.

Are Trump and Hegseth not speaking to truth re the number of Americans killed and wounded in the Iran War? The American people are entitled to an accurate report re each. What is is and should not be hidden!

Enough of Donald.

Sleeping is a problem these hot Summer months. Even with air conditioners going full blast. The heat hangs in many homes even after the sun goes down. Makes sleep difficult. A solution has been revealed. If such is a solution. “Cool bedding.” A “bamboo sheet set.” Good idea? I don’t know. Check it out. “Quince” the manufacturer.

There is a French phrase “to comb the giraffe.” Means “to do something useless.”

Scrabble enthusiasts be aware. I came across the highest scoring word. A single word producing 1,778 letters. The word is “oxyphenbutazone.” It is an anti-inflammatory drug.

When will the truth re Senator Mitch McConnell be revealed? Is he alive?

A desert no more. Tomato soup cake. Dates back to 1922. It was popular among Irish immigrants. It became so popular that in 1960 the Campbell Soup Company printed a version of it on its Tomato Soup label. The soup did not have a tomato taste because of the cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg ingredients which nullified the tomato taste.

Herman Melville, from Moby Dick: “I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I’ll go to it laughing.”

Calamity Jane died this day in 1903.

“Bed rotting.” A phrase for spending long times in bed. From hours to days. Can be good, can be bad. For sure, it is the body’s way of resetting. Known to be helpful with mental health, or can be a sign of depression.

I spend a lot of time in bed. I consider it healthy. Dr. Norris has not made up his mind yet what it is for me. Don’t forget my age. I am 91. I am tired all the time in spite of the huge amounts of bed time I spend in bed.

About 25 years ago, there was a TV show called the Gilmore Girls. Both mother and daughter were named “Lorelai.” Today many have named and are naming their daughters Lorelai. In the year 2025, 333 out of every 1,000 baby girls were named Lorelai. 

America loves avocados. Those purchased at supermarkets are of one type: The Hass avocado. It makes up 80 percent of American avocado production.

What George Washington’s meals consisted of on a daily basis. Note first, Washington was a multi-millionaire. He had slave labor that cooked for him till he entered the White House. He did not continue with a slave labor cook while President.

Washington’s meals were consistent. For breakfast sliced cow’s tongue, hoecakes, and buttered toast.

He skipped lunch. Ate his second and last meal at 3 in the afternoon: Fried tripe, creamed cabbage, broiled bass and glazed onions. Some days he ate ham or corned beef or broiled lamb and mutton. He ate the meal with five glasses of ale or wine. Both of which he had made himself.

He ate nuts following the 3 p.m. meal and at bedtime.

The tripe meal I found interesting. My mother loved tripe. She consumed large amounts of it. Must have been some sort of Italian delicacy. I hated it! My father, too! She had to cook us separate meals when she enjoyed her tripe.

Tripe is nothing more than a pig’s stomach cooked. Tasted as bad as it sounds.

The weather is crazy. The U.S. and Europe experiencing one of the most hot and humid Summers ever. At the same time , the Antarctica has reached the Earth’s coldest temperature since 2012. Minus 119 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Nurse Paige visited me yesterday. She is the best! I am confident she will get me standing straight and walking properly when she is finished with me. Leaves me tired when she is finished with me, however. I went straight to bed!

Still without a car.

Enjoy your day!