So much is happening, and some of it is good! Lots to watch on Netflix, etc. RIP, Clive Davis. Cryptocurrency is interesting. Don’t forget to support NPR and PBS.  We need them more than ever.  What do you know about Gonawanda?   Sometimes a threat is enough.  Summer music!!!  When did the truth become radical ideology?  Is Mitch McConnell still alive? 936 more days; check out the Presidential Term Countdown Clock. 

Kintsugi  7/6/26

 

Before their wedding, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce donated a combined $26 million to more than 20 charities across the United States.  (more)

 

“Nearly 1 million people who bought President Trump’s memecoin have lost money through the end of June, according to a report by the cryptocurrency analytics firm Nansen. Their losses total $3.81 billion,” write Eric Lipton and David Yaffe-Bellany. The president walked away with a $636 million payout.  (more) How much has the current president profited since taking office?

 

Unpleasant smells in your bathroom can – and should – be dealt with.  (more)

 

The common thread in our search for a calmer, less stressful life is paying closer attention to what we’re already experiencing. Here are 5 research-backed ways to do that. (more)

 

Hot Honey Baked Beans

 

 

Here is a new collection of cookout music to be played in the park, backyard, or at the kitchen table. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3OmhrukcN2TNOXYFfSd43T?si=55a0d608ac194f79. This is from Good Black News.  My summer-starting jam? Before I Let Go.

 

Netflix has you covered this July, with everything from creepy thrillers to charming comedies. (more)

 

 

The breakup of Gondwana over 100 million years ago may be why Antarctica has ice today. Do you care?

 

 

The View, which has become a must-visit campaign stop for politicians over the last few decades, hasn’t hosted a candidate in a competitive race since February, when the FCC began investigating the show’s compliance with the agency’s “equal time” rule, a Semafor analysis shows.  

 

 

On July 4, the White House’s Domestic Policy Council released a report attacking the Smithsonian Museum for being anti-American and having a “radical, leftist ideology.” 

 

 

The original source documents at The Avalon Project are available to all of us. I was reading the constitution written by the Confederate States as they attempted to withdraw from the United States in the 1860s.  I read about and listened to the political spin on today’s SCOTUS decisions (and earlier decisions) this morning. The only way to know what was really said is to read the decisions for yourself and look to non-partisan resources for clarity if you need it. The geese and turtles are having a field day with the ripe, fallen peaches in my yard. I didn’t know turtles could run, until I saw one running back to the lake with a peach in its mouth! 

Wild Cooking Woman  6/30/26

 

Reliable non-partisan political analysis can be found on sites like:

• The Cook Political Report
• Sabato’s Crystal Ball
• FiveThirtyEight
• Knewz
• PolitiFact
• AllSides  
• Fact Check
• Tangle News
• Pew Research Center

 

What most bothers Americans about federal taxes is that billionaires don’t pay their fair share. What should be done about that?  ” The richest 1% of Americans paid, on average, about 31.5% of their income in federal taxes and about 7.2% in state and local taxes. That is more than eight percentage points less than what they paid at the turn of the century.” writes Eduardo Porter on theguardian.com.  Rather than taxing wealth or raising income tax rates sky-high,  close the elaborate array of loopholes in the current tax schedule that reduce the 1%’s tax liabilities. (more)

 

Thinking about traveling? Is Michigan on your list of possible destinations?  “If bed bugs had a summer bucket list, Michigan would apparently be at the top of it,” a report from Casino.ca, a Canadian online casino review site, noted.  “Hawaii is the state with the lowest bed bug risk.”

 

Are Americans one people, or many? Read “The ‘Two Ships’ Theory of American History” by James Traub in theatlantic.com  (paywall). Historians often contrast the Mayflower (1620) and early slave ships—like the White Lion (1619)—as two rival founding symbols representing America’s core divide. The former represents the origins of democratic ideals, while the latter marks the introduction of chattel slavery into English-speaking North America. If you are inclined to spend money, and are thinking academically, read “The Mayflower and the Slave Ship: Pilgrim-Puritan Origins in the Antebellum Black Imagination” by Kenyon Gradert, MELUS: Multi-Ethnic Literature of the U.S., Oxford University Press, Volume 44, Number 3, Fall 2019, pp. 63-90 HERE. 

 

Fast-growing poison ivy vines can grow 20 feet each season along fence lines and in landscaped beds.  When removing and disposing of poison ivy, take proper care to protect your skin from contact with the plant.  If you live in the western USA, you probably have poison oak. Same method. (more)

 

The Pew Research Center just published its ninth political typology, the latest portrait of the groups that make up America’s political landscape. The typology reveals nine distinct groups, each defined by its own mix of values, beliefs, and experiences. Take the quiz and see where you are. (This is an old video, but it is useful for understanding the thinking behind the quiz.) Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank. As a neutral source of data and analysis, Pew Research Center does not take policy positions.

 

 

I need a new passport. I don’t want to travel and find myself sent home because I have less than 6 months before it expires. So…I need a new passport. I saw these tips about taking acceptable photos.  I also saw a link for renewing my passport online. Watch out for companies that promise to do it all for you, and fast, too! Here are the criteria:

• Age: You are 25 or older.
• Passport Validity: Your current passport was issued for 10 years.
• Expiration Date: It is either expiring within 1 year or expired less than 5 years ago.
• Possession: The physical passport is in your possession, undamaged, and has never been reported lost or stolen.
• No Changes: You are not changing your name, sex, date of birth, or place of birth.
• Location: You are physically located in a U.S. state or territory.
• Travel Timeline: You are not traveling internationally for at least 6 weeks

BTW, given our current international political and economic relationships, don’t forget to check for visa requirements immediately!