Win some, lose some
Last year, if you had invsted $10,000 in American Bitcoin Corp, the Bitcoin mining company co-founded by brothers Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., that position is worth approximately $260 today--a loss of sme 97 percent in just 12 months, certainly nothing to sneeze at!
But just remember, win some, lose some, as you won't win all the time,
Enough of this aphorism, what is actually happening right now in our turbulent world?
Iran says it hits U.S. military targets in Gulf, buries slain leader Khamenei
Khamenei has finally been buried now, rather long after his death. But is the Iran war over yet? It had been launched by President Trump for no particular reason, just at the urging of Bibi Netanyahu, who sought to postpone his own corruption trial. His trial already has been postponed, so the war did achieved that objective.
Peace talks with Iran had even been well underway until recently, but now seem to have stalled. In fact, Iran seems to be on the warpath again.
Iran supreme leader vows revenge for father's killing
So what will Trump do now?
President Trump appears to have incompetent advisers and his own thinking seems quite befuddled now, making it really hard for him to make any sort of deal at all. He often appears confused and distracted. Because of his apparently progressive dementia, he may yet get our country into World War III. So now neither Israel nor the US is getting any safer as Trump becomes unable to think strategically or even to speak clearly..Voters who may have been concerned about Joe Biden's mental acuity, now are getting really worried about Donald Trump's own cognition,
NATO Summit Gaffes: During a July 2026 press event in Turkey alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump referred to the "Islamic Republic of Japan", also asked reporters, "Do you have a question for President Putin?" while gesturing toward Zelenskyy. Trump misnamed the JCPOA Iran nuclear deal "JCPOC" It was just one mistake right after another.
ials
When Trump's eyes remain closed during a daytime meeting, is he actually sleeping or merely "just resting" his eyes? Not so long ago, voters seemed concerned that Joe Biden was "losing it." Now such concerns are being raised about Donald Trump.
Former Massachestts Governor Mitt Romney, age 79, has weighed in, saying that 80-yea-olds should not be running the world or the country. (Trump is now 80.) Romney, who recently retired from the U.S. Senate, announced that he won't be running for president in 2028, as he doesn't believe that an 80-year old should occupy that position. By that age, he declared, "the human brain has shrunk by 20%." (Yikes, has my own brain really shrunk that much? I do keep on forgetting things!) Bravo for Romney for suggesting upper age limits for public officials, as while life spans have been extended, mental and physical abilities may not have kept pace.
As has been discussed already on these pages, besides specifying minimum ages for public offices, should there also be upper age limits and, if so, what should they be? The question had arisen during the tenure of Senator Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who became a central figure in a national debate regarding upper age limits and mental fitness for political office. Serving as a U.S. Senator for California from 1992 until her death in September 2023 at age 90, Feinstein was the oldest sitting member of Congress during her final years. when she seemed inscreasingly out-of-touch.
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is now the oldest member of Congress at age 92. First elected to the Senate in 1980, his current term ends in January 2029.
Concerns have now been raised about Kentucky's Republican Senator Mitch McConnell. age 84, hospitalized since mid-June. His last vote on the Senate floor was on June 11, 2026, so he's already been gone a whole month.
==========================================================
Men who witnessed deadly Houston shooting say ICE statement is false, attorney says
===========================================================================================================
Back to the question of whether age is just a number.
Regarding the effects of age-related decline, whether in an elected official or in myself and my friends, Google says: Raw brain processing speed begins to slowly decline in a person's 30s or 40s. However, overall mental functioning—such as vocabulary and wisdom—often peaks much later, between 55 and 60. Severe decline or dementia typically does not appear until ages 79 to 83, on average. (Trump is now age 80.)
As for myself at age 88, I hope I don't yet have dementia, though admit to not being quite as sharp or alert as before. However, I find that I can still understand, speak, and read Spanish. I had no problem at all speaking Spanish on my mission to Honduras 2 years ago, nor more recently with online or phone conversations with Spanish-speaking friends. I also still speak Spanish occasionally with the proprietors of the local Mexican restaurant. Because I had first learned Spanish at age 2, when also learning English, I am told that while I don't have a Honduran accent, I don't have a gringo accent either. Yet President Richard Nixon's right-hand man Henry Kissinger, who arrived in the United States at age 15, never lost his German-inflected accent.
Of course, every person is unqiue, with a very particular history. In retirement, I had been working part-time as a Spanish interpreter and translator before moving to West Virginia to live with my son in a house I'd bought here after selling the one in DC. There are no opportunties locally for working in Spanish. I could still do on-line written translation but don't find that very satisfying nor do I now care to stick to a regular schedule. So finanally, I am now fully retired at age 88.
Son Jon and I go out every morning to take the dog to a park, pick up a few groceries, then greet local friends. After that, Jon goes to work and I start connecting with family and friends all around the country and the world via phone and email, also checking out various news sources, maybe then writing on this blog (like I'm doing right now). Later in the evening, when Jon comes home, we have supper together. It's a fairly simple, rather routine life.
Thank goodness for the New Yorker, with a subscripton being provided by daughter Stephanie. It's quite refreshing to see issues being explored in depth there. Other publications all run the same celebrity photos of marriages or new romances, or of couples being shown with their children, who are sometimes facing away from the camera.
Here now is part of an exchange with a friend staying in Arizona to volunteer there during the hot summer months. I don't always agree with his assessments, but find them informative and provocative. As for his speaking Spanish with errors, at least he is making the effort and is still communicating, Here now he is what he says:
Summer is usually my busiest season as a volunteer. Most of my meal deliveries are in a rather affluent area of Tucson, although one woman told me that without the meal I brought her that day, she would have had nothing to eat except for a few pieces of candy. The agency that I volunteer for, Interfaith Community Services (ICS), has a number of activities besides a food bank & meal deliveries, including job counseling, taking people to doctors' appointments & home repairs.
I haven't had many occasions to use Spanish while working for ICS. My ability to read Spanish remains nearly fluent, but I find speaking Spanish more difficult due to a lack of practice. I make myself understood when speaking, but with grammatical errors.
I wish I could be more optimistic about conditions in the U.S. & the world, but I think the future looks rather dismal. The quality of the politicians of both parties we have in this country is dreadful. Among many other problems, the burgeoning national debt is not only growing but is actually accelerating. I think we old folks will probably escape the consequences of our national bankruptcy, but God help the younger generation! Worst of all, in my opinion, the press refuses to even ask our politicians questions abt the approaching financial catastrophe. And the same situation exists for most of the other countries in this sad world. As the saying goes, "God helps those who help themselves," and we ain't doing nothing whatsoever to address this overwhelming issue. But enough of my pessimistic predictions now for the time being.
Here then is my reply:
Amigo Roberto, Thanks for your informative email. Local residents are very lucky to have you there volunteering for the summer. It's good that you keep on speaking Spanish. Folks will appreciate it even if it's not totally correct. I am fully bilingual in terms of reading, writing, and speaking Spanish--I worked as a medical interpreter and translator in DC. But here in West Virginia, I don't have much chance to speak Spanish, only at the local Mexican restaurant whose proprietors are from Guadalajara. Folks in Honduras have said I don't have a gringo accent. I wasn't able to teach Spanish to my kids, including to son Jon adopted from Colombia, with whom I live now. They just resisted learning and are sorry now. as I've probably told you before.
As I've said, I was last in Honduras 2 years ago, but now my passport has expired. I'd like to go back to Cuba again, just to see what it's like there these days, but am a little hesitant, even now. At age 88, I can still can walk upright, but am not as quick on my feet as before and not sure if I could react appropriately or quickly enough in case of a problem. I wonder if there are still any records on us there? Could the authorities even find them any more?
Guess you've never heard from Marcelino again. Neither have I. I had to cut him off because I wasn't interested in him in a romantic way and he kept on pressuring me. I hope he's doing well. He did lose quite a bit of weight after making considerable effort. Bravo to him for doing that.
Here is our local weather forcast for the next few days, so not so terrible, as you can see: We often don't turn on the A/C in our house, just keep the windows open.
Expect highs and lows as follows:
- Friday, Jul 10: 83° F (High) | 68° F (Low) - Scattered thunderstorms
- Saturday, Jul 11: 82° F (High) | 66° F (Low) - Light rain
- Sunday, Jul 12: 84° F (High) | 62° F (Low) - Light rain
- Monday, Jul 13: 86° F (High) | 64° F (Low) - Sunny
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
=============================================================
Now it's been getting even hotter in Phoenix.
