Apologies for various mix-ups on the last posting. Without guidance from Blogspot, a free platform, all corrections here are made by trial and error, often error. A shorter post this time may help.
Re the title of this post, Armageddon is the location of a prophesied biblical battle to take place during the end times. Will those times be coming sooner than we think? The Trump administration seems to be propelling the whole world headlong in that direction. Mr. Trump needs to go to Mar-a-Lago for a break on the links to try to settle his mind. Many disasters facing the world have been created by Trump/Musk. Even if funding for some federal programs is restored, serious damage will already have been done.
For example, the president doesn't recognize global warming and also has slapped 25% tariffs on products from neighboring Canada and Mexico, countries whose economies are closely intertwined with ours, affecting both sides. Trump also wants to eliminate birthright citizenship, a longstanding policy. He seems to think his mere word is law, not recognizing that the federal government is an integral part of our own and the whole world's political and economic system, not his private fiefdom, meaning that whole aspects cannot be eliminated with the stroke of a pen. Courts will be kept busy, as well as international bodies.
Wash. Post, Washington now ‘largely aligns’ with Moscow’s vision, Kremlin says Moscow’s vision, which has focused on a push to reclaim influence over much or all of the former Soviet Union and defeat liberal democracy, has made Russia a pariah to the West.
NY Times: Trump Cuts Protections for Haitians, Putting Them on Track for Deportation The decision is the latest in President Trump’s sweeping crackdown on immigrants, including people whom the Biden administration had authorized to remain in the country.
Trump is quite short-sighted, not realizing that our country actually needs more immigrants!
Wash. Post, ICE memo details how officials will try to deport more than 1 million migrants
Instead of viewing immigrants as essential to our country's growth and well-being, especially with our low national birthrate, now the Trump administration wants all immigrants deported, though not necessarily back to where they came from. Some Chinese deportees are ending up in Latin America, which is much closer and where receiving countries have been caught off-guard.
Meanwhile, Peace in Ukraine is looking elusive.
Trump has accused Ukraine of starting the war with Russia and has paused military aid.
In acrimonious meeting, Trump berates Zelensky.
Wash. Post, Fiery meeting with Zelensky upends Trump’s Russia-Ukraine peace deal
U.S. officials gave conflicting signals about the future of an agreement to end the three-year war, while European allies struggled to make sense of the tense Oval Office encounter.
NY Times,
U.K. Prime Minister Pledges More European Support for Ukraine
The Israel-Hamas conflict has not been resolved either. I was sorry to hear that a little red-haired Israeli boy, once featured on this blog, has been killed.
On average, American women visit the doctor more often than men, generally drink less alcohol, use less tobacco, and eat a more healthy diet. Life expectancy statistics also include suicide, which is significantly more common in men than in women. There may also be a genetic component that helps women live longer. The advantage for women may be the double X chromosome, while men have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. Important genetic information on the X chromosome is duplicated in women and can compensate for possible gene mutations and defects on the other X chromosome.
The Trump administration is wasting no time putting its stamp not only on foreign policy but on all government functions, including the health system, with some disastrous results. Elon Musk's DODGE has been making many questionable moves, though not a congressionally approved agency. Protests have been erupting at Tesla dealerships. Republicans did not vote for Musk and his extreme views--
nor for RFK Jr. either.
Wash. Post, Rise of pediatric flu cases is sending more children to the hospital This flu season has been particularly bad for children, with more experiencing severe complications such as pneumonia, dehydration and organ failure.
Many members of the public have, unfortunately, been heeding the call from RFK Jr., Trump's new Secretary of Health and Human Services, to avoid vaccines.
Wash. Post, Child in West Texas is first US measles death in a decade
At least one unvaccinated child (maybe even 2) has already died of measles, while many others have fallen seriously ill either from measles or other avoidable diseases, often leaving them with lifelong disabilities. Kennedy has said that measles outbreaks "are not unusual." That was true back when I was a child.
Wash. Post, Amid West Texas measles outbreak, vaccine resistance hardens
RFK Jr. has still been standing firm against vaccination, even in the wake of illness and death, though may have started to slightly modify his stance on his website. He advocates giving sick kids Vitamin A, not really a vaccine substitute. He is also a raw milk enthusiast. In his new government position, Kennedy has a bully pulpit to advocate for various contrarian health practices. He has barred all public comments about his HHS rule-making.
RFK Jr. is a son of assassinated Robert F. Kennedy, a brother of President John F. Kennedy. I once shook hands with RFK's father in Sacramento, California, where he was campaigning for president.
RFK, Jr. has used his membership in the Kennedy family for career advantage and for the promotion of a wide range of fringe ideas. He has a personal history of drug addiction. He is now on his 3rd marriage. His second wife committed suicide, though after the couple had separated.
Meanwhile, many government agencies are already being downsized or eliminated.
Wash. Post, Trump officials start dismantling civil rights offices, as part of DOGE’s secret plan
So far, Marco Rubio, now US Secretary of State, with whom I once had a quite cordial and rational conversation on a flight from Florida to DC, has failed to provide any respite from Trump's onslaught. To the contrary, like most Trump appointees, he has doubled down in support of whatever Trump seems to favor.
Moves to Extradite Man Accused of Killing Iowa Woman The government of Honduras said it had begun the process of extraditing to the United States an undocumented immigrant who was accused of killing a young Iowa woman in 2016, a case that President Trump made a focal point in his first presidential campaign. The move to fulfill a U.S. request to extradite Eswin Mejia comes as Honduras and other Latin American countries have sought to demonstrate their willingness to cooperate with the Trump administration.
Mr. Mejia was allegedly driving drunk when he crashed into Sarah Root’s vehicle at a stoplight in Omaha in January 2016, which resulted in her death. He was detained and charged, but fled the country after being released on bond. He was arrested last Thursday in a town about 125 miles northwest of the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa, where he appeared before a Supreme Court judge on Friday, according to Honduran officials.
Guardian, Trump is making Central America become a dumping ground for US immigrants | US immigration |
Deportees from China are ending up there, cheaper and easier than sending them back to China
Worldwide, 105 boy babies are born for every 100 girls. Yet this male to female ratio does not hold up over time and women around the world live, on average, longer than men. Life expectancy statistics also include suicide, which is significantly more common in men than women. However, there may also be a genetic component that helps women (and many female animals) live longer. The advantage for women may be the double X chromosome. While women have two X chromosomes, men have only one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. Important genetic information on the X chromosome is therefore duplicated in women and can compensate for possible gene mutations and defects on the other X chromosome. So those living longest anywhere typically are women. Eighty-five percent of centenarians in the US are women and 15% are men. Among supercentenarians (110+), the female prevalence increases to about 90%.
NY Times, Rose Girone, Oldest Holocaust Survivor, Dies at 113
Rose Girone fled Nazi Germany in 1939 with her newborn daughter and husband, arriving initially in China and coming finally to the US. She had witnessed a broad sweep of history during her very long life. 
At almost age 87 myself, I've already witnessed quite a swath of history. With Trump now in office once again, I'm remembering attending a Carter inauguration ball with my late former husband and being unable to move on the very crowded dance floor. Then we all sent up a loud cheer when the Carters appeared briefly on a dais above to greet us.
Here are a few current population figures: World population, 8 billion;
India, 1.43 billion, China, 1.41 billion, US 340 million, Mexico 130 million, Canada 40 million.
Population estimates may fluctuate, but the US comes in 3rd in any case.
I'd like to take a break now from all our dismal news to highlight an upcoming fair in Coral Gables, FL, where some good friends live. I wish I could attend.
Feria de Sevilla en Miami/Fair of Seville in Miami, will be celebrated March 8, 2025 in Coral Gables.
Feria of Seville 2025. 
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