Ukraine

With the death of Mr. Lindsey, who urged Mr. Trump to support Ukraine and be tougher on Russia, I hope Mr. Trump honors that legacy…Coincidentally, there was a meeting in Warren last night with a visit by Olga Piasecka-Niec`, who manages the Tkanka community center in Krakow, Poland for refugees from Ukraine. The center was among the first to be established in 2022 and has continued to expand its mission as the war drags on. The center helps mostly women and children heal from the trauma of the war by providing a safe place to learn new skills and figure out what to do. Men between the ages of 18-65 are prohibited from leaving Ukraine, so the separation of over 4 years in some cases has caused deep changes in the husbands, boyfriends and relatives who are still alive and the wives, girlfriends and children living in Poland-or other refugee countries; War is a terrible thing with long lasting repercussions that affect generations…The Ukraine military reports that 1,420,690 Russians have been killed or wounded since the war began, including over 1,500 the past day. Ukrainian losses are less but still decimating the smaller country. This carnage was instigated by a man who hides behind bodyguards and platitudes of empire building and cares nothing about the human beings at his disposal. It is sobering to contemplate the misery that people using nationalism, religion or bigotry as excuses have caused throughout human history… So Olga continues to do what she can to spread the better angels of human nature, but says that many of the original shelters have closed due to lack of support and funding. Here in Warren the Sokolski Family Foundation, established by Andrew Sokolski, a philanthropist associated with a local manufacturer named WhirleyDrinkWorks, is the primary supporter of Tkanka. In addition, informational fund raising visits by Olga and others help the mission survive and expand…Meanwhile, the family we are sponsoring in Ukraine have obtained paperwork to seek refuge-hopefully in Denmark. The four years of war with recent nearby missile explosions and casualties have exhausted them. We continue to support their efforts with money and moral encouragement, but it seems petty and powerless within the larger political quagmire.

Inflation, or, the rich stay rich...

Beth and I went to Walmart yesterday for some food ranging from jello to sugar to rotisserie chicken to bagged spinach to frozen bread, where the total quantity of items did Not fill two grocery bags. We were surprised to see the final cost was $85 and some change. The most expensive individual item was a gift card worth $15. Both of us wondered how anyone on a limited income could possibly afford to feed their families.The chart below tracks Walmart prices in a California store since 2024,which clearly shows that the items tracked outpaced inflation by a substantial amount-as indicated by the following data: "The cumulative inflation rate from July 2024 to July 2026 was approximately 7.2%, reflecting a steady compounded increase in consumer prices. Over these two years, trailing 12-month annual inflation fluctuated between roughly 2.5% and 4.2% as the broader economy dealt with energy price volatility." (Click on the chart to enlarge it)

Obviously the billionaires-including the Walton family and Mr. Trump- are benefitting themselves regardless of any claims to the opposite. "Donald Trump made over 1.4 billion..( closer to 2.8 counting other family members) from cryptocurrency ventures, including a massive windfall from the TRUMP memecoin launched just before his inauguration. However, the projects operated as a "rug pull," with retail investors losing an estimated $3.8 billion as the memecoin collapsed 98% from its peak." So, how his supporters maintain their unwavering loyalty is simply astonishing. Perhaps most of the support is now dependent on the fear of 'immigration/socialism' or 'fraudulent election' schemes?..At any rate, it is a common theme throughout history for those in power to blame others for the state of the world, deflecting to immigration or welfare or religion or some other fear mongering theme-often with racist overtones- so that the populace does not look Up towards them and their often corrupt ways of hoarding wealth and resources to keep the 'common folk' suppressed. This is not to denigrate capitalism, just the moral and ethical failures that sustain parts of human nature.

Everywhere U.S.A.

...News report from 2020: >"WARREN, Pa. – Bluestem Brands announced Monday, in a letter to employees, it would be discontinuing warehousing and fulfillment operations at the Irvine Distribution Center by the end of April 2021. In the letter, obtained by Your Daily Local, the company said it would be moving operations to its Eatonton, Ga. location. The move means positions in Irvine will be eliminated. “This was a difficult decision based on reduced inventory levels that have been years in the making and an expensive lease with limited options,” the letter said. The company went on to say that termination dates are likely to begin in March and that employees would be provided at least 60 days advance notice of their termination date as required by the WARN. Bluestem filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March, and a plan was approved in a Delaware court in August that would allow the company to continue operations." ...

...This abandoned warehouse is about 8 miles west of Warren where clothing used to be distributed. The Blair corporation was originally in downtown Warren where the distribution of clothing manufactured around the world was processed. It was one of the large employers in the area, of which there are a few remaining-including a manufacturer of crankshafts for heavy industry also located in Irvine. The latter has defense and aerospace contracts that insure continuing employment. I walk around these buildings sometimes where a few of the loading docks now warehouse Cummings engine material and a local manufacturer of plastic cups. This empty warehouse is representative of many similar losses around the country,well documented in the media. If some of the environmental,security, and energy problems could be addressed, this facility would offer an isolated location for an AI data center. It is next to the Allegheny river and railroad tracks, and probably could overcome whatever local resistance would arise from the poor, Republican citizenry dominating this part of America. ... "The Bluestem Brands distribution center in Irvine, PA (located at 100 Murray Dr), originated as the fulfillment and warehousing hub for Warren-based Blair Corporation. Orchard Brands acquired Blair in the 2000s, and Bluestem Brands subsequently acquired Orchard Brands in 2015. Bluestem fully discontinued warehousing and fulfillment operations at the 240-employee Irvine facility in April 2021."

Best Purchases

After nearly 9 years of ownership and having spent only $10,000 plus tax and registration for the car new in November of 2017, I consider the Mitsubishi Mirage to have been one of the two best transportation purchases I have made in my life. The other was a Moped I bought at a yard sale for $125 that I used to commute to work for 10 years and 10,000 miles, averaging 100mpg. The Mirage has averaged 47.5 mpg and has been totally reliable for over 105,000 miles. Besides normal maintenance items like brakes, tires, and fluid changes, the only items that have broken or worn have been the driver side window motor and the passenger side sway bar. The car still has the original battery, and all electronics and powertrain components are working normally. I am considering purchasing an all wheel drive Subaru Crosstrek which will enable me to sleep in the back occasionally-and explore back roads when Beth and I are travellin- but I am tempted to keep the Mirage because it has been so economical to drive… As I consider a new car, Toyota refuses to negotiate when selling its hybrid SUVs, and other hybrid makers do not have the same experience, efficiency and reliability. The difference in gas costs between a 30mpg car and a 45mpg car over 100,000 miles at $4 per gallon is some $4,500-hardly worth the exaggerated prices charged for some hybrid vehicles. As for carbon emissions, I am quite sure that after a lifetime of driving motorcycles, driving small gas efficient cars, using bicycles and walking thousands of miles,I have emitted less than half that of the average American. More carbon than many in the world no doubt, but I forgive myself the indulgence.

A June Walk

....(click on pics to enlarge)...This is an oil/gas/logging access road near Marienville, one of thousands in the Allegheny forest and one of hundreds that I have walked or explored on bicycle over the years. The National forest abuts with state game lands in places to create one seamless forest delineated by signs and gates. The second picture is the road about a mile in from the gate, showing the dense vegetation of a Pennsyvania woods. Multiflora rose is blooming abundantly along the road, as are daisies, a few buttercups and other small flowers. The fallen leaves indicate that, although most leaves drop in autumn, they in fact are dropping continously all summer, knocked down by wind or animals and rain...This was an uneventful walk as walks go, humid and necessitating insect repellent for gnats and a few deer flies. I always hope to see animals while walking, but it has been several years since I have seen a bear on a walk. Ironically, friends who live in the woods a mile from town cannot maintain a birdfeeder because of bears raiding them,and they also have had to put spikes on their porch to deter bears from trying to enter the house. Black bears are not particularly dangerous, but can be a persistent nuisance.

AI

Jack Clark-cofounder of Anthropic AI…the most ethically responsible of the AI companies thus far-which is one reason Mr. Trump fired them- said recently: "My prediction is by the end of 2028, it's more likely than not that we have an AI system where you would be able to say to it: 'Make a better version of yourself.' And it just goes off and does that completely autonomously"…’Lots of bad things can happen (cyber meltdowns and biological attacks). And lots of good:’ ….Years ago I was optimistic about AI as I witnessed the decline of critical thinking and the profound distractions in the lives of many people. I hoped that at least some AI would encourage greater attention to the outside world and force people to focus more on both the present and the future. That possibility has not been totally lost, but I am increasingly wondering if a pandora's box more lethal than nuclear weapons has been created. Along with AI’s potential to imagine new medicines and energy sources and provide other benefits, human history has shown that

bad leaders can infect the entire world with their contagion. When an AI system that humans can not fully understand begins to outthink its creator and infiltrate whatever safeguards we erect, that can be dangerous stuff. If AI builds self preservation deep into its own code while formulating ever more sophisticated biological weapons or infiltrating the nuclear arsenal, that can be dangerous stuff. Human nature being what it is, I fear that it is too late to put AI back into the box.

Turning 70 Years Old

..Reaching 70 years old this January, the changes from aging have been noticeable both mentally and physically although in my case not nearly so impactful as changes I have seen in others my age. That is, I know of people suffering from colon diseases and joint ailments and all manner of problems, yet for reasons I cannot fully explain, I feel healthy. A few childhood friends have died of self-inflicted diseases related to alcohol or tobacco, and my diet has always included sugar and processed foods, so I can only assume regular exercise and genetics and maintaining a proportional body weight as reasons for my relative longevity. Sheer luck also seems to be a factor in human lifespan, considering that random accidents on the highway or being struck by lightning or having a tree fall on one’s house kills some people. Near death experiencers sometimes claim that a voice tells them it is ‘not their time’, so lifespan may be partially beyond our control despite our faith in free will… Generally, the longer one lives the more one becomes conscious of limited future years, although because I have thoroughly examined my own mortality, death does not alarm me. I have known states of mind that indicate a kind of immortality-if not literally-then in a universal sense of being connected to a transcendent reality from which we can never detach ourselves. At root my inner experiences have exposed the paradox between belief is seeing and seeing is believing, where reality becomes as unintuitive as quantum particles being waves and particles at the same time. Human consciousness seems to be able to perceive that duality inherent in its own fabrication….Regarding the perception of time, occasionally I see a child walking or playing and think to myself that ‘I was that age once’, and marvel that, despite changing perceptions, time still passes the same for both of us. In behavior I notice myself being a little more obsessed with sweeping the sidewalk clean of snow or doing dishes as if I am needlessly trying to keep ahead of the accumulation. My short term memory has declined to the point that a ‘ten second’ rule now applies to thoughts rather than dropped food. Out of sight out of mind sometimes means that something I had been engaged in only a minute before is forgotten as I become distracted by something else. In one case I searched for ‘lost’ glasses for a full minute before Beth noticed that they were on my face all the while. Physically, I see and hear and read and write and walk and bike and golf and play guitar and do all the other things I have always done with as much satisfaction as ever -just a little more slowly. I have not noticed any hearing loss, although I seem to be startled a little more easily-as if I am absorbed within an inner bubble more than when I was when younger… Lately I have become concerned with politics- perhaps because the people in power are my peers, and I find many of them lacking in the wisdom and compassion and morality that they should have learned by now. To that end I write to my representatives frequently… Economically, Beth and I have accumulated a modest portfolio through disciplined contributions to retirement funds and lifelong, budgeted lifestyles. That money, combined with social security and working together ten or fifteen hours a week at Beth's cleaning business, provides us with everything we need and want-including winter travel…The Toccata and Fugue in D minor by J.S. Bach continues to impress me as the best piece of music ever written, and The Beatles and other bands from the 1960’s/70’s are my primary listening. My journal writing has declined substantially after decades of writing that was first inspired after reading Thoreau; the blog and emails are my primary outlet these days. Writing is the sole inborn talent that has been my lifelong obligation to pursue regardless of its commercial fruition. In truth, I have only earned some two to three thousand dollars directly and indirectly from writing, mostly in relation to my association with Walkfit…For my entire adult life,I have found that walking in nature in solitude cures many ills-both mentally and physically- a remedy particularly vital in this modern age when social media and other distractions are compromising peoples wellbeing.