George Washington's thermal bathtub and sending out all the best Father's Day wishes.

 

Well folks, today's entire blog post just vanished, poof!, perhaps from an electrical glitch. Or has a computer virus invaded?  Whenever that happens, I feel like just giving up altogether. But once a blog draft has actually been posted on the internet, it remains there even decades later. 

Starting over once again today, I recall posting a photo of the stone bathtub here in Berkeley Springs where our first president, George Washington, used to bathe. It was filled with a constant flow of natural thermal spring waters. You can dip your hand in to feel the warmth. Other states have spring waters, but ours are perhaps the most famous because George Washingon himself would come here regularly, seeking relaxation from the rigors of his office.

                           

President George Washington would arrive here in his own horse-drawn carriage.

Alas, the vanished first version of this post did not have so much empty white space before. The blog deities keep on changing the rules. But let's not tarry with laments. Let's face the world as we find it now and finish this post before dark, when the blog's atmosphere starts to change.

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Kennedy Center says it isn't required to reschedule shows after judge blocks 2-year closure

If Donald Trump isn't allowed to put his own name on the venue, then like a great big crybaby, he doesn't want any shows appearing there--so petty and childish. What if he tried being nice and generous for a change? Or does he feel more powerful by throwing a tantrum and being mean, just like a spoiled baby? He might try being cooperative to see how far that gets him. He might even find that he actually does better then. Or at age 80, is it too late for him to learn anything new? Perhaps his parents indulged his every whim. He just never has grown up. 

Wash. Post, Iran says it is closing Strait of Hormuz, testing fragile agreement with U.S.

Iran cited Israel’s attacks in Lebanon as the reason it would close the strait again.

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The world has had some really extraordinary dads. My own Dad, Leonard J. Currie, born in Stavely, Alberta, was one. Here he was in 1940 in Honduras, putting a Mayan statue together in Copan. He had trained as an architect, but had many other talents. My earliest memories are of that time in 1940, when he was putting an ancient Mayan statue together. I was age 2 at the time, just learning to speak both Spanish and English. And, yes, I knew to keep them apart. 

And there you see me at age 2, being bathed then in Honduras by a servant as my (late) younger brother looked on.

My Dad, Leonard J. Currie, stood on top of the John Hancock Center in Chicago, 

while visiting the building with the future President of Peru, a fellow arquitect,

 Fernando Belaúnde, in May 1969.

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Here's an active foster dad of today, who has been a father to so many, 

My son Jon was riding a bus here with his children years ago. Now the kids are much older and living far away, so he only talks with them by phone or via the internet. His youngest, the baby in his arms in the photo, is now 12 years old. 

Now with
Father's Day coming up,  

I've asked my son how he'd like to celebrate, though he will have to work that day.  

Happy Father's Day

 

Happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there, including to my own dear son: 

And also, 

which actually is today.

What is Juneteenth? The meaning behind the June 19 holiday and how it's celebrated.

Juneteenth celebrations include cookouts and community gatherings like parades and festivals.

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After so much empty white space had appeared on the last posting, I'm hoping my daughter, soon visiting here from Hawaii, can advise me on how to fix that and prevent it from ever happening again.

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Hegseth was planning to celerate Father's Day with his blended family. 

Although we may question his military credentials and his moral judgment, let's wish him the best now on his special day. 

The infamous war criminal Pete Hegseth has just scolded NATO allies for failing to keep up with defense spending--this is a guy who enjoys no credibility whatsoever on military matters, either with Americans or our with our allies. (His own military service had consisted just of National Guard duty.) Why Trump ever named him to be War Secretary and still keeps him on, even now. after he had ordered the illegal killing of surrendering Caribbean boaters, remains a mystery. The speculation is that his family must have given a particularly large donation (bribe?) to the president to name him in the first place. 

Wash. Post, Senators target Hegseth’s travel in standoff over apparent Iran school attack, boat strikes

Pete Hegseth certainly deserves more than just a curb on his official travel. 

Hegseth has hardly helped keep Trump's voter support from plummeting.

 A June 2026 CNN/SSRS poll reveals that 57% of Americans hold a favorable view of Obama, compared to just 34% now for Trump.

Trump had actually reached his peak popularity when he was elected this last time. In 2020, he won 49.8 percent of the vote, not quite winning 50%. Yet Mr. Trump boasted that he had won in a "landslide." Hardly a landslide, but still a respectable win, certainly better than his last presidential victory when he "won" without even winning a majority of votes cast. But that very first Electoral College victory had then put him on the path to the US presidency, apparently much to his own surprise. And here he is now, back once again. 

According to Google, Trump's current job approval has been steadily declining ever since his election this time around.

President Donald Trump's job approval rating hovers around 38% to 40% nationwide, with his disapproval rating ranging from 56% to 61%. His net approval now sits at approximately -18 to -20, driven by voter concerns over high inflation, gas prices, and economic issues.

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Now let's completely change the subject.

An in-vitro clinic mixup has sparked headlines.  

A couple said they are keeping the baby whose embryo was implanted in a clinic mixup, although  

she is not genetically related to them. Still, the couple and their child have bonded and actually have become quite famous now. 

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Changing the subject here once again.

Back in 1798, Thomas Malthus wrote An Essay on the Principle of Population. It posed the conundrum of geometrical population growth outstripping the arithmetical expansion of resources. Thomas Malthus, an Anglican clergyman, recommended late marriage and sexual abstinence as methods of birth control. Now various other methods are usually used. While some couples, like the one just described above, will go to great lengths just to have a child, others use commonly available birth control methods to prevent or delay the path to parenthood. Or they may even undergo voluntary sterilization, as is often done in Latin America after a woman has gives birth to 2 or 3 children. Female sterilization is more complicated than a male vasectomy, yet in my experience in Latin America, men there are reluctant to ever undergo the procedure because of unfounded fears of it affecting their sexual performance. Also, some men consider their ability to have many children living proof of their sexual prowess.  

After facing a shrinking workforce and a rapidly aging population, China scrapped its one-child policy in 2016, first by allowing couples to have two children, then three in 2021. But birth rates there have continued to slide. The population has now been shrinking for three consecutive years and is still top-heavy with elders, also with men, leaving too many men seeking mates among too few women.

The global average Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is approximately 2.3 births per woman, so is now approaching the 2.1 births per women needed just to keep world population steady. Only African women are still having higher than average birthrates.

U.S. fertility has also dropped to an all-time low of 1.57 births per woman, falling now below the 2.1 level needed for population replacement.

The average American woman between ages 15 and 44 has given birth to less than 2 children, raising concerns about a potentially shrinking population. Some women have put off having children to first advance in their careers, only to find they may have waited too long. 

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Now for some stories about our canine best friends.

A red wolf pup has been found alone without his mother. 

He will now be raised by humans and become domesticated. Is that how we humans first acquired our current dog companions? Or maybe some wolves had approached outdoor fires, lured by the smell of cooking meat. Eventually wolves became our dogs that now have become man's (and woman's) very best friends.

Genetic and archaeological evidence indicates that dogs were domesticated between 26,000 and 40,000 years ago, coming from an extinct lineage of gray wolves. As humankind's oldest non-human companions, they were the first wild animals to be domesticated, even before the rise of agriculture. 

Does our own dog Willow actually have some wolf genes?  She can become fiercely protective of us. 

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Several young giraffes had been on display in a private zoo in Virginia. People paid to see them.

Then 2 baby giraffes from that private zoo went missing, but were found again after about a year. 

The zoo's owners were then charged with animal cruelty for their negligent care. Some of the giraffes were subsequently relocated to the Georgia Safari Conservation Park in Madison, Georgia. where they now roam safely and freely. 

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Israeli Supreme Court rejects appeal for release of Gaza doctor held without charge

The reasons for that dccision reportedly are confidential. So how can the doctor's lawyers possibly argue against them? Israel has been rapidly losing credibility from virtually all quarters. Even Donald Trump seems to have cooled somewhat in his support. Without a regular infusion of US money, Israel cannot survive. So how about seeing Israel's leadership show some better cooperation with the rest of the world? 

Add Yahos ao preferred 

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Finally on now to the ubiquitous cellphone. 

A cellphone is just a mini computer, right there at the owner's fingertips. For many folks, it is an alter ego, an essential part of their personal identity. Last night, when my son came home from work without his phone, he panicked, rushing right back to find it.

Unfortunately, I was never able to master a cell phone. I first tried in my mid 80's, which may have been too late. To me, it looks too small to master all the functions of a computer. 

My sister and her husband get along just fine with being totally off-the-grid, without a cellphone or even a computer. They do write snail-mail letters and still make phone calls, while also avoiding the constant bombardment of on-line advertising. For birthdays and holidays, they mail out actual paper cards. Without even a credit card, they buy their groceries locally, paying only in cash. A newspaper is delivered daily to their front door. It's the way we all used to live, really not so very long ago. 

Add ahoo as a preaa.ferred soAdd Yahoo as a preferred sou