Ukraine

After over four years of war the family that Beth and I have been supporting with money and hope since December, 2023 have finally managed to find refuge in Denmark. The Danes have been and will be welcoming of refugees from dangerous areas in Ukraine- like Kyiv where this family is from- until next year. So they fortunately managed to beat that deadline and are in disbelief that they will be able to sleep in peace for the first time since their house was destroyed during the initial 2022 attacks. In the United States the president has falsely degraded immigrants and closed the border to even desparate people like this family. Instead he is threatening Denmark. We are materially the wealthiest nation in the history of the planet but have slipped into moral decay under this administration, which now questions fair elections, prosecutes free speech, praises dictators and ignores rules of law to enrichen themselves. In 2026 the sex abusers of children have the power to pardon themselves, and if that does not disgust people enough to vote them out, you get what you deserve. That is not my America and they do not represent me. So Mr.Trump dangles the scam promise of $5,000 to buy their votes, and many will acquiese because 3rd world antics have so diminished our reputation for freedom and justice that we may never recover.

Kenny's Music

These were Kennys latest gigs, an outdoor bluegrass session with some musicians he threw together a couple of weeks prior to rehearse material, and a gig in Jamestown with his rock band "Royal Tea Service". Bluegrass is not his primary interest, but all of these musicians are longtime players who can chameleon themselves as needed to serve the venue. The bluegrass bass player, Addison, is a decades longtime friend and accompanist who now teaches at the local music conservatory, and the fiddle player, Rachael, is a local musician who performs with whomever requests her skills. The rock band is comprised of old and new friends, so through many musical styles he has been true to his inborn talent. Often Kenny performs solo,performing original material by incorporating a loop track to which he adds live harmonies and guitar or trumpet...Outside of music,he and his girlfriend Maddie have moved into his deceased fathers house, and he also cooks for a local restaurant for steady money. Anyone familar with music and artists in general knows that it is extremely difficult in this society to earn a living...>"On average, online music streaming platforms pay rights holders between $0.001 and $0.015 per stream... platforms do not pay a fixed, flat rate per play. Instead, they pool their monthly revenue and distribute it based on "streamshare"—the artist's percentage of total plays on the platform. Furthermore, the gross payout goes to the rights holders (labels, distributors, publishers) first, who then take their cut before paying the artist"<

Reality

Just thought I'd post these bed head photos I woke up with this morning. Despite the sometimes serious tone of my blogs, I do laugh at myself, as does Beth. Much of our relationship is laughter, which helps us to defuse the state of the world around us.

More Summer Flowers

....These flowers were alongside a short dead end road near the lake, in the woods but with enough sunlight to give them time and room to grow. The false purple thistle had four bees on it at once, which meant that it was one of the most nutrient rich blossoms there, but I also was surprised to see how popular the more abundant cow parsnip was. Both honey and bumblebees rushed over it in an agitated manner as they collected pollen to their pollen sacks. The commom mullein did not have bees on the flowers although the blossoms were jut emerging, and there was also some red bee balm, fleabane,goldenrod and black eyed susans. It was apparent that that small patch of roadside had been well utilized within the dense forest... While some of the lakeshore too has flowers, much of the surrounding land is wetlands, so the bees take advantage where they can.

July Woods

I started what would have been a 4 mile loop hike in the forest today, circling along a route that I have not travelled in 8 years. My memory of the path, which began on an oil lease road before diverging onto lesser used jeep and ATV trails,was accurate, but time had overgrown one section so much that I doubted my progress. So I retraced my steps and took another path that I hoped would intersect with the original route on top of a ridge. Unfortunately, that trail ended at an old pumpjack-as many paths in the Allegheny forest do. Because it is unwise to bushwack in these woods due to the many old oil and logging roads where it is easy to become lost,I backtracked the full distance to the car. It is possible to approach the loop from the opposite direction, so I will do that someday to complete the circle...Despite not having finished my original intention, a walk is never a failure regardless of it's direction. Along the way I was distracted by a green crab spider that had caught a...parasitic wasp? on some flowers. I had made a conscious effort to look closely at the blossoms rather than simply glancing as people often do, and so this prey and predator drama was unfolding as unceasingly as on any African plain. Thoreau had once written, "Thus each wind is self registering", one interpretation being that we have to look to see. Elsewhere,the bumblebees were pollinating the obscure flowers mid-woods,even when single blossoms were separated by 15 yards or more. They are an adaptable species that seem to be attracted to nearly every flower-much more generalist feeders than honeybees. The prominent woods butterflies now are Tiger Swallowtails and Fritillaries, and even on a mountaintop one sees dragonflies and frogs in the puddles.

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 claiming nationalism, religion or bigotry 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.

Spring

...Coltsfoot and a few crocus and daffodils and the first spring peepers have announced the arrival of spring, and the temperatures are finally beginning to moderate. The east coast has endured a cold winter while the west has set records of warmth..."Certain areas, like Allentown,PA and Atlantic City,NJ recorded their coldest first 9 days of February since 1934... it was actually the 2nd warmest winter nationwide, with massive heat records broken in the western U.S..." So, contrary to climate change deniers, the atmosphere and oceans Are absorbing more carbon dioxide and other human related gases and these extremes of weather have been predicted by scientists for decades. The argument is not about the reality of climate change but the consequences and whether humanity will do anything to change their present course. It does not appear that we will. So, as has happened in the planets history, the ice will eventually melt and Florida and Manhatten and other low lying coasts around the world will be inundated, and planetary species-including us- will either be able to adapt or we won't, and new extinctions will occur. There is nowhere to hide and moving to Mars is a delusion favored by those who want to live in caves again,and then only if all the problems of radiation and resources can be solved. The next 100 years are critical-not for natures survival, for Creation will find a way- but for human civilization as we know it...I am now 70 years old and I have passed many years observing nature, where I have witnessed large depletions of fish and insects and habitats in my hometown. That trend is being replicated worldwide. Perhaps I am being overly pessimistic, but do we really want to be the cause of the next extinction?

Broken Down Cars May-2026

Whenever Beth and I take a road trip, we record the makes of the cars we see broken down beside the highway. We update after every trip and will continue to do so.. As of the date in the title these are the totals: Chevrolet-183 Ford-174 Dodge/Jeep-109 Honda/Acura-49 Toyota/Lexus-37 Nissan/Infiniti-37 Kia/Hyundai-32 VW-12 Subaru-12 Mazda- 11 BMW-6 Mitsubishi-5 Suzuki-3 Range Rover-2 Volvo-1 Also over a dozen unidentified vehicles of which we could not determine the manufacturer so do not include them here. This is by no means a scientifically accurate indication of the reliability of these brands, because we do not know the age and maintenance records of the broken cars and other important information. But generally speaking, foreign cars have a much better reliability record than domestic vehicles per units sold, and that pattern shows up in our informal observations.

A long time ago I heard people ask, "should the U.S.A. be the policeman of the world?", and along the way that question has defined wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and many others. Claims that we needed to save the world from communism, authoritarianism, socialism, hunger, or to preserve the flow of oil or some other commodity have been used to keep Americas 'military industrial complex' financed for decades. In this modern age the justification is fighting 'terrorism', and so the United States, or a few men anyway, declared war on Iran, and so it continues...Anyone who has read about Iran knows that it is run by brutal men who, in their lust for power, have suppressed women, free speech, and other human 'rights' that most Americans take for granted. Their ideology has been the spread of Islamic influenced ideas in opposition to notions of democracy-to the point that, according to ideology expert Hannah Arendt, "'orthodoxy' becomes a kind of logical certainty—a fixation on a pseudo-scientific conception of reality as an ultimate, unquestionable truth. It is at this point that ideology “ruins all relationship with reality.” So, like a fundamental Christian who is unable or unwilling to consider any possible description of reality other than the bible inspired depiction of God, Jesus or Creation, there is little argumentative reasoning with such a one minded person, religion,or government...Unfortunately, there is no changing human nature either, and no international fight against "terrorism" will succeed any longer than temporarily, in any more than a few places; all of the policemen in all of our American cities and all the laws of civilization have not stopped crime. The people in power here and in Iran-or anyone who wants to challenge 'authority'- simply make up their own rules if what they want to do is not sanctioned by normal rules of behavior....So I have no solutions for human nature, and simply killing everyone eventually becomes 'whack-a-mole' unless some fundamental evolution of the human psyche is attained. I do not imagine anyone alive today will witness that. But I am not hopeless, and to behave well in your own life and resist those who would oppress you is honorable. It is too early to tell what the "excursion" in Iran will solve, or not solve, except perhaps to make the violence and destruction so complete that everyone grows tired of it, or is unable to wage it for awhile, and peace is achieved until next time.

Tucson, Sedona and Beyond

...When Beth and I left Pennsylvania on February 27th, we were suffering from colds/coughs and driving through snow and below freezing temperatures-conditions in Warren that had persisted almost continuously since Thanksgiving. We proceeded south to the Florida panhandle and through Texas and New Mexico to an Air B@B near Tucson for two weeks, then north to Sedona and another Air B@B where we are now. As our illness subsided we hiked various trails along the way, including in Bowie Fort monument, Chiricahua Monument, Saguaro National Park,Tonto National Monument and a half dozen or more obscure places we discovered on the map. The western deserts are filled with so many inspiring views and rock formations that one begins to expect them as normal entitlements that accompany every hike. The crowded trails here in Sedona are because of Redrock unique to the area (...such as the 'Bell Rock" in the picture) and supposed spiritual energy emanating from "vortexes" of energy near here. We cannot attest to the latter, although I do recall feeling something positive when I walked through here in 2007, and had even commented on it to a resident despite having known nothing about its history. The weather has been mostly sunny and 60 to 80 degrees since we crossed the Mississippi, so after exploring this area we will be travelling north to explore Utah depending on how the weather unfolds in March.

Marjorie Taylor Greene's finally awake look from the inside:

>> from her interview with Kim Iverson>> ..."Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said President Trump’s Make American Great Again slogan was a “lie,” saying his first year back in office was focused on obliging wealthy supporters. “I think people are realizing it was all a lie. It was a big lie for the people. What MAGA is really serving in this administration, who they’re serving, is their big donors,” Greene said in a Wednesday interview with radio personality Kim Iversen. “The big, big donors that donated all the money and continue to donate to the president’s PACs and donate to the 250th anniversary and are donating to the big ballroom,” she add "The former Georgia representative recently resigned from Congress, after airing concerns over the future of health care premiums and the war in Gaza, citing fractures within the GOP and falling out with Trump and MAGA, despite years of loyal support for the president. On Wednesday, she said the people who truly benefit from backing Trump are financial benefactors, telling Iversen: “Those are the people that get the special favors. They get the government contracts, they get the pardons, or somebody they love or one of their friends gets a pardon.” Since the start of the second Trump administration, the president has encouraged wealthy sponsors to provide private contributions for his political endeavors, including the construction of a White House ballroom and the celebration of the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. Greene criticized the favoritism for Trump’s wealthy allies and also slammed the president for focusing on foreign policy rather than problems at home in her interview. “It’s the foreign countries. They are running the show here. It’s the major big corporations and what is best for the world. That’s really what MAGA is. We are seeing war on behalf of Israel, we are seeing the people in Gaza, innocent people in Gaza, hundreds of thousands of them completely murdered so that they can build some new real estate development. Money can pour in and everybody can get rich there in the new Gaza,” she told Iversen. “And we’re seeing a whole plan play out, which is really a new world order. It’s a new way of doing business. And that’s the — it’s kind of like the ‘Scooby-Doo’ meme where … they pull the mask off the bad guy,” Greene continued. The former lawmaker alleged that the MAGA movement “isn’t really about America or the American people.”