Monday Musings - April 28, 2025

 

1. Happy Monday. It is the final Monday of April. The year is about 1/3 over and there are 35 Mondays remaining.

Gardenia Bush in Bloom
Tequesta, FL
April 27, 2025

2. I am very concerned about the Orioles. They are on pace for a 100 loss season and there seems to be no way to get the club into the win column. They were just swept by Detroit and the Yankees come to town tonight! Ugh. 

3. I managed to get an image of blooming gardenia bushes yesterday. The sweet fragrance remains hanging in the air. I enjoyed my almost 18-mile ride yesterday. The traffic is lighter on Sundays although there were many more people out walking. I got out a bit later than normal. 

4. There is no plan! Typically when the U.S. sets a policy or chooses a course of action there is a plan, a playbook, which has both short-term and strategic goals. It becomes clear last week that with regard to Ukraine-Russia, the economy, tariffs, immigration, foreign policy, and whatever else I can think of that there is no plan. We are at the mercy of the gray matter inside of one person's head. We have seen regular flip-flops which leave everyone wondering--what's up? All that I can discern is that a failed 19th century solution is being applied blindly to a 21st century problem and it is floundering just as badly now as it did back then. The world is very different now and more interconnected than it was in the 1800s. 

5. Today in History. April 28, 1789. Three weeks into a journey from Tahiti to the West Indies, the HMS Bounty is seized in a mutiny led by Fletcher Christian, the master’s mate. Captain William Bligh and 18 of his loyal supporters were set adrift in a small, open boat, and the Bounty set course for Tubuai south of Tahiti.

In December 1787, the Bounty left England for Tahiti in the South Pacific, where it was to collect a cargo of breadfruit saplings to transport to the West Indies. There, the breadfruit would serve as food for enslaved passengers. After a 10-month journey, the Bounty arrived in Tahiti in October 1788 and remained there for more than five months. On Tahiti, the crew enjoyed an idyllic life, reveling in the comfortable climate, lush surroundings and the hospitality of the Tahitians. Fletcher Christian fell in love with a Tahitian woman named Mauatua.

Hispanic voters helped Trump retake the White House. Now their support is waning - Reuters

Risk of global economic recession surges on US tariff shockwaves - Reuters

Putin declares 3-day May ceasefire to mark 80 years since World War Two victory - Reuters

Suspected US airstrike hits Yemen migrant centre; Houthi TV says 68 killed - Reuters

Analysis How Trump’s big bet on tariffs went bad - CNN

Canadians vote in election overshadowed by US tariff and annexation threats - CNN

New estimates suggest Elon Musk's DOGE has been a self-sabotaging project - MSNBC

Debt crisis deepens as 1 in 4 Americans forced to choose between bills and basics - FoxNews

Putin thanks North Korea for sending troops to fight Ukraine: 'Will never forget the heroism' - FoxNews

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - April 21, 2025

 

1. Today is Easter Monday and the third Monday of April. There are 36 Mondays remaining in 2025. 

Me, Dad, Chris
Easter Sunday in Texas
Weston Lakes, TX
April 20, 2025

2. The news of the death of Pope Francis is the lead story this morning. The 88 year old Pope died overnight of pneumonia. 

3. Chris and I were excited to have spent part of Easter Sunday with Dad. We had a great day and enjoyed a fantastic dinner prepared by my sister Pennie with help from Chris. 

4. I have wondered why the Easter Bunny is depicted with eggs and more importantly why the eggs are decorated. Now mind you, this was not something that I  ever spent much brainpower thinking about, but I mentioned it to my sister yesterday and she offered a potential explanation. It seems that the Easter Bunny stole the eggs from the hens and then dyed them so the hens would not recognize them. The Easter Bunny then distributed the eggs to the unsuspecting. I guess that makes the Easter Bunny a thief! For an alternate reality, Good Housekeeping has a more plausible story. 

5. I am holding my breath concerned about what Executive Branch inspired travesty will occur this week. I would hope for a quiet week where the markets recover, tariffs are terminated, and concern for the hard-working American people outweighs the need for splashy headlines. 

6. What is up with the Orioles? They lost 24-2 yesterday and position players pitched the last two innings giving up 9 runs. The team, which was projected to be in the World Series by multiple sports writers, seems to be sinking into irrelevancy. 

Colosseum
Rome, IT
May 11, 2024

7. Today in History. According to tradition, on April 21, 753 B.C., Romulus and his twin brother, Remus, found Rome on the site where they were suckled by a she-wolf as orphaned infants. Actually, the Romulus and Remus myth originated sometime in the fourth century B.C., and the exact date of Rome’s founding was set by the Roman scholar Marcus Terentius Varro in the first century B.C.

According to the legend, Romulus and Remus were the sons of Rhea Silvia, the daughter of King Numitor of Alba Longa. Alba Longa was a mythical city located in the Alban Hills southeast of what would become Rome. Before the birth of the twins, Numitor was deposed by his younger brother Amulius, who forced Rhea to become a vestal virgin so that she would not give birth to rival claimants to his title. However, Rhea was impregnated by the war god Mars and gave birth to Romulus and Remus. Amulius ordered the infants drowned in the Tiber, but they survived and washed ashore at the foot of the Palatine hill, where they were suckled by a she-wolf until they were found by the shepherd Faustulus.

Pope Francis, whose tenure was marked by turbulence and division, dies at 88 - Reuters

Pentagon chief Hegseth shared sensitive Yemen war plans in second Signal chat - Reuters

Harvard says Trump administration doubled down after sending letter reported as unauthorized - Reuters

As Trump eyes coal revival, his job cuts hobble black lung protections for miners - Reuters

Trump's threat to block international students is a terrible own goal - MSNBC

International students are being told by email their visas are revoked and they must ‘self-deport.’ What to know - CNN

-- Bob Doan, Weston Lakes, TX

Monday Musings - April 14, 2025

 

1. It is the 2nd Monday of April. Welcome to Holy Week! There are 37 Mondays remaining in 2025. 

Rino on the Road
Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa
February 25, 2025

2. Chris and I are finding it hard to believe that we were in South Africa two months ago! It seems like yesterday that we were sampling wines and enjoying the wildlife while riding through a National Park in South Africa. 

3. In the land of tariffs and confusion we are not too sure what is and is not going to be exempted from tariffs. 

4. Congratulations to Rory McIlroy on winning the Masters on a sudden death hole and completing a career Grand Slam! It was exciting to watch. 

5. Today in History. President Abraham Lincoln is shot in the head at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865. The assassin, actor John Wilkes Booth, shouted, “Sic semper tyrannis! (Ever thus to tyrants!) The South is avenged,” as he jumped onto the stage and fled on horseback. Lincoln died the next morning.

Booth, who remained in the North during the war despite his Confederate sympathies, initially plotted to capture President Lincoln and take him to Richmond, the Confederate capital. However, on March 20, 1865, the day of the planned kidnapping, the president failed to appear at the spot where Booth and his six fellow conspirators lay in wait. Two weeks later, Richmond fell to Union forces. In April, with Confederate armies near collapse across the South, Booth hatched a desperate plan to save the Confederacy.

Tariffs on imported semiconductor chips coming soon, Trump says - Reuters

Russian missile strike kills 34 in Ukraine's Sumy, Kyiv says - Reuters

Rory's time! McIlroy wins Masters to complete career Grand Slam - Reuters

Trump administration says it is not required to help wrongly deported man return to US - Reuters

White House's new policy to ignore reporters who share their pronouns sparks debate - FoxNews

Five missing and one dead after boat capsized off coast of Florida, authorities said - CNN

No evidence linking Tufts student to antisemitism or terrorism, State Dept. office found - The Washington Post

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - March 24, 2025

 

Happy Monday!

1. It is the penultimate Monday of March! There are 40 Mondays remaining in the year. 

Samoyed
Tiki52, Tequesta, FL
March 19, 2025

2. March Madness is living up to its name. I read that CBS reported that there are no perfect brackets remaining in the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament. My bracket is a mess and I had St Johns going to the final four--well that's not happening. 

3. Chris and I went to dinner at Tiki52 on Wednesday evening and it was doggie night, apparently. There were many dogs of so many different breeds. It was fun watching them and enjoying their antics. For the most part, all of them were well behaved and a joy to be around. The star of the night, however, was the Samoyed. He was beautiful and still a puppy at heart. 

4. Be afraid! The administration's attacks on the judiciary and on law firms is very dangerous. With the Congress already in his pocket, if Trump can neuter the judiciary then there will be no checks on his ability to destroy the country and do away with the rule of law. Additionally, the money angle is working on the education system as well--colleges are supposed to be institutions free to explore the world without being forced to accede to partisan politics. The stifling of research and thought is equally dangerous. 

5. Chris and I went out for breakfast a week ago. We paid a 50 cent surcharge on each egg due to the bird flu. 

6. Today in History. March 24, 1989: One of the worst oil spills in U.S. history begins when the supertanker Exxon Valdez, owned and operated by the Exxon Corporation, runs aground on a reef in Prince William Sound in southern Alaska. An estimated 11 million gallons of oil eventually spilled into the water. Attempts to contain the massive spill were unsuccessful, and wind and currents spread the oil more than 100 miles from its source, eventually polluting more than 700 miles of coastline. Hundreds of thousands of birds and animals were adversely affected by the environmental disaster.

It was later revealed that Joseph Hazelwood, the captain of the Valdez, was drinking at the time of the accident and allowed an uncertified officer to steer the massive vessel. In March 1990, Hazelwood was convicted of misdemeanor negligence, fined $50,000, and ordered to perform 1,000 hours of community service. In July 1992, an Alaska court overturned Hazelwood’s conviction, citing a federal statute that grants freedom from prosecution to those who report an oil spill.

US retailers haggle with suppliers after Trump tariffs - Reuters

US turns to Brazil for eggs and considers other sources during bird flu outbreak - Reuters

Some Europeans reconsider trips to US in protest against Trump - Reuters

Concerns about espionage rise as Trump and Musk fire thousands of federal workers - AP

Man drives car into protesters outside a Tesla dealership, nobody hurt, sheriff says - AP

‘The Americans didn’t learn their lesson’: Meet the Europeans boycotting US goods - CNN

Greenland slams planned visit by US officials - CNN

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - March 17, 2025

 

Happy St Patrick's Day!

1. It is the third Monday of March. Wow! The month is screaming past at an alarming rate. There are just 41 Mondays remaining in the year. 

Downed Crossing Sign
Tequesta, FL
March 16, 2025

2. Coming to the end of my 18 mile ride yesterday, I was stopped by a freight train and had the opportunity to examine a downed railroad crossing pole. It had been down for a couple weeks now and I wonder how someone managed to hit it since it is somewhat protected. Weird stuff continues to happen.

3. I read an interesting article about America's brand being destroyed. A paragraph is quoted: One way to think about this is to say that Trump is doing to America what Elon Musk is doing to Tesla, destroying a valuable brand through erratic behavior and repulsive ideology. Did I mention that Tesla sales in Europe appear to be cratering? (Destroying America's Brand)

Box Delivered by UPS
Tequesta, FL
October 15, 2025

4. Is America's Golden Age turning into a pile of rusted bad intentions?

5. I received a case of wine, delivered by UPS, which made me wonder how the bottles arrived without being broken. The box was a disaster. I am not sure if it was rough handling or a packing problem. 

6. Nothing displays the lawlessness and failure to abide by there rule of law than the Executive Branch ignoring a lawful order by a judge to turn planes around and noon deport Venezuelans. Then they snickering about it. Constitutional crisis? I believe so! Can the president be held in contempt?

7. Today in History. On March 17, 461 A.D., Saint Patrick, Christian missionary, bishop and apostle of Ireland, dies at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland. Today he is honored with the annual holiday of St. Patrick's Day.

Much of what is known about Patrick’s legendary life comes from the Confessio, a book he wrote during his last years. Born in Great Britain, probably in Scotland, to a well-to-do Christian family of Roman citizenship, Patrick was captured and enslaved at age 16 by Irish marauders. For the next six years, he worked as a herder in Ireland, turning to a deepening religious faith for comfort. Following the counsel of a voice he heard in a dream one night, he escaped and found passage on a ship to Britain, where he was eventually reunited with his family.

Trump administration deports Venezuelans despite court order - Reuters

Russian troops battle last Ukrainian forces in Kursk region - Reuters

US piles pressure on Yemen's Houthis with new airstrikes - Reuters

Trump is ignoring markets at his own peril. Just ask former British PM Liz Truss - CNN

Trump’s tariffs are inflicting serious economic damage and reigniting inflation, OECD says - CNN

SpaceX’s Crew-10 arrives at ISS, paving way for NASA’s Wilmore and Williams to return - CNN

Timeline: Deportation flights landed after judge said planes must turn around - The Washington Post

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL 

Monday Musings - March 10, 2025

 

1. Hold on--it is already the second Monday of March! There are only 42 Mondays remaining in the year! 

Zebra Grazing
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

2. I have been going back through my images from South Africa. While I took a lot during the wine tour, it seems the ones that I like the most are from Pilanesberg National Park. Like today, I was working on this Zebra image. Something about it just makes me happy. The image brings back many exciting and wonderful memories. 

3. Roughly 6,000 veterans have been laid off in recent weeks by the U.S. DOGE Service, according to federal data compiled by Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee. A spokesperson for the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee said that number is probably understated amid ongoing job cuts at the Social Security Administration, the General Services Administration and other agencies. Veterans Affairs, where military veterans make up about 26 percent of the workforce, announced plans Wednesday to cut 80,000 jobs.

Veterans make up about 30 percent of the federal workforce, serving in every department. (The Washington Post)

4. While enjoying high-70s and low-80s degree days it is sometimes hard to remember how cold it is not so far away. 

5. It became clear the other day why the Executive Branch is firing so many employees--the plan is to privatize services. What does that mean? Contractors owned by the President's friends will begin to rape the government for billions, possibly trillions of dollars. The American people suffer a politicized workforce providing less services while the rich get richer on our taxpayer dollars. This is just wrong. 

6. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made it clear that the Trump administration’s goal is to slash the federal government and to privatize its current services. As the stock market has dropped and economists have warned of a dramatic slowdown in the economy, he told CNBC “There’s going to be a natural adjustment as we move away from public spending to private spending. The market and the economy have just become hooked, we’ve become addicted to this government spending, and there’s going to be a detox period.”  (CNBC) (Letters from an American)

7. Today in History. On March 10, 1959, Tibetans band together in revolt, surrounding the summer palace of the Dalai Lama in defiance of Chinese occupation forces.

China’s occupation of Tibet began nearly a decade before, in October 1950, when troops from its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) invaded the country, barely one year after the Communists gained full control of mainland China. The Tibetan government gave into Chinese pressure the following year, signing a treaty that ensured the power of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the country’s spiritual leader, over Tibet’s domestic affairs. Resistance to the Chinese occupation built steadily over the next several years, including a revolt in several areas of eastern Tibet in 1956. By December 1958, rebellion was simmering in Lhasa, the capital, and the PLA command threatened to bomb the city if order was not maintained.

GOP says funding bill gives more time to codify Musk's cuts - CNN

Canada’s next leader takes aim at Trump - CNN

Veterans flocked to government jobs. Now thousands are being fired. - The Washington Post

 ‘A disruptive effect’: How slashing staff at the Social Security Administration is sparking fears the system could collapse - CNN

Europe faces stark choices over Russian asset seizure - Reuters

Farmers put plans, investments on hold under Trump USDA spending freeze - Reuters

China vows utmost efforts for 'peaceful reunification' with Taiwan - Reuters

israel-cut-off-electricity-gaza-hamas-ceasefire-negotiations - The Guardian

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - March 3, 2025

 

Old Washer Fill Valves
Tequesta, FL
March 2, 2025

Monday Musings is Back!

1. Overnight, it seems, March arrived and with it the promise of springtime. This is the first Monday of the month and there are 43 Mondays remaining in the year. 

2. I had success fixing a problem that has been nagging us for well over a year--the washer! IT was filling slowly--too slowly. I had taken the hoses off to ensure that they were clean and running freely and I cleaned the screens on the fill valves--but no joy. Yesterday, the new fill valves I ordered arrived and after about a 30 minute job they were installed and, amazingly, the washer now works perfectly. A 27 minute cycle took 27 minutes and not the 1h12m cycle that I measured before we left on our trip. I can even hear the water rushing to fill the tub now! It was a $27 repair and saved about $1500 for a new washer/dryer pair.

3. It was different being an American in South Africa. Questions about politics came up often with the other people I met and I have to say that while I am a proud American, I am embarrassed by the un-American turn in our foreign policy. Many don't realize it, but South Africa has been in the president's sights as he tries to recruit white farmers to come to America because he believes they are being persecuted. One thing I took away from my visit was that while our elected leaders are turning away from diversity and inclusion--South Africa still embraces it and it is working for them. Take note.

4. Where are our elected representatives who support the freedom loving peoples of the world? How can we turn our backs on Ukraine? How can we suggest that Ukraine started the war? How could we vote with Russia on the U.N. resolution? We are seeing, people, the very definition of "high crimes and misdemeanors!"

5. Wouldn't we feel better if J.D. Vance's threats about Harris getting elected and $4 dozens of eggs came true? Look where we are now--and they fired all the researchers trying to stop the bird flu!

6. Today in History. On March 3, 1887, Anne Sullivan begins teaching six-year-old Helen Keller, who lost her sight and hearing after a severe illness at the age of 19 months. Under Sullivan’s tutelage, including her pioneering “touch teaching” techniques, Keller flourished, eventually graduating from college and becoming an international lecturer and activist. Sullivan, later dubbed “the miracle worker,” remained Keller’s interpreter and constant companion until the older woman’s death in 1936.

Sullivan, born in Massachusetts in 1866, had firsthand experience with being disabled: As a child, an infection impaired her vision. She then attended the Perkins Institution for the Blind where she learned the manual alphabet in order to communicate with a classmate who was deaf and blind. Eventually, Sullivan had several operations that improved her weakened eyesight.

Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880, to Arthur Keller, a former Confederate army officer and newspaper publisher, and his wife Kate, of Tuscumbia, Alabama. As a baby, a brief illness, possibly scarlet fever or a form of bacterial meningitis, left Helen unable to see, hear or speak. She was considered a bright but spoiled and strong-willed child. Her parents eventually sought the advice of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone and an authority on the deaf. He suggested the Kellers contact the Perkins Institution, which in turn recommended Anne Sullivan as a teacher.

UK, France propose partial one-month Ukraine truce - Reuters

Zelenskiy says he can salvage relationship with US - Reuters

Trump trade threats compound global ocean shipping uncertainty - Reuters

Israel says it will block Gaza humanitarian aid until Hamas agrees to new conditions - CNN

Pope Francis is in stable condition but ‘risk of crisis’ remains, Vatican sources say Mar 3, 2025 - CNN

‘They are harming ordinary people’: Trump’s funding cuts are taking a toll in North Carolina - CNN

Government shutdown looms as Trump tries to assert new spending powers - The Washington Post 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - February 10, 2025

 

1. Welcome to the second Monday of February. It is also the Monday after the Super Bowl--which wasn't all that super. There are 46 remaining Mondays in the year 2025!

2. Yawn, such was the Super Bowl. Apparently the Chiefs stayed in their hotel for the game. The final score of 40-22 Eagles over the Chiefs, was much closer than the game actually was. For a while, I thought we were preparing for the first shutout in Super Bowl history. I guess I won't be seeing the Chiefs players in so many commercials now. As for the halftime show, I am not the demographic to which the show was designed to please. 

Limestone Creek Trail
Jupiter, FL
February 8, 2025

3. While shopping for our Super Bowl party, I ran across the strangest sale. It was buy 2 and get 3 free on 12 packs of Pepsi products! Wow! When it was all done I was able to by Pepsi for pre-pandemic pricing. It worked out to $4.12 per 12-pack. WooHoo! I still can't believe it--but it happened! However, I got gouged for the potato chips.

4. I enjoyed a 19-mile plus bike ride on Saturday. I rode a circuit that I infrequently use. I like it because I have added in a short trail that takes me through a forested area and provides a nice change of pace from riding on the streets. It is a short, but pretty ride and in some ways reminds me of the ride I took with Patrick and Jeremy last summer as we completed the GAP. 

4. Save your pennies! Production of the, in my opinion, most useless coin in the world, is about to stop. 

5. Today in History. On February 10, 1996, after three hours, world chess champion Garry Kasparov loses the first game of a six-game match against Deep Blue, an IBM computer capable of evaluating 200 million moves per second. Man was ultimately victorious over machine, however, as Kasparov bested Deep Blue in the match with three wins and two ties and took home the $400,000 prize. An estimated 6 million people worldwide followed the action online.

Kasparov had previously defeated Deep Thought, the prototype for Deep Blue developed by IBM researchers in 1989, but he and other chess grandmasters had, on occasion, lost to computers in games that lasted an hour or less. The February 1996 contest was significant in that it represented the first time a human and a computer had duked it out in a regulation, six-game match, in which each player had two hours to make 40 moves, two hours to finish the next 20 moves and then another 60 minutes to wrap up the game.

Trump set to announce 25% tariff on steel and aluminum - CNN

Trump instructs Treasury to halt penny production - CNN

Exclusive: U.S. funding freeze threatens investigations of alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine - Reuters

The stark divide that South Africa's land act seeks to bridge - Reuters

Australia says its steel, aluminium exports create American jobs - Reuters

trump-proposed-land-grabs-mean-us-now-seen-as-a-risk-munich-security-report - The Guardian

trump-electric-vehicle-charging-station-program - The Guardian

Farmers on the hook for millions after Trump freezes USDA funds - The Washington Post

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - February 3, 2025

 

1. And it has arrived, the shortest month of the year. Welcome to the first Monday of February. There are 47 Mondays remaining in 2025!

Tulips on the Table
Tequesta, FL
February 1, 2025

2. Yesterday was a strange day in that there were no NFL games for the first Sunday since September. The Pro Bowl doesn't count as it is not full-contact. The Super Bowl is set for next Sunday and it should be super as the match-up looks like it is very even. Will the Chief's three-peat? 

3. I bought Chris some tulips, just because, the other day and then I tried to do some creative imaging of them. I kinda like what I came up with. I do enjoy playing with the depth of field to create a sense of depth. 

4. Well, the new administration in Washington is off to a great start between igniting worldwide trade wars and firing federal employees it is hard to keep up with the confusion and chaos. Here come higher prices and less income for Americans. To my Canadian and Mexican friends, all I can say is, I'm sorry and we are all caught in the crossfire. 

5. Today in History. February 3, 1959, Rising American rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, along with the pilot, are killed when their chartered Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashes in Iowa a few minutes after takeoff from Mason City on a flight headed for Moorhead, Minnesota. Investigators blamed the crash on bad weather and pilot error. Holly and his band, the Crickets, had just scored a No. 1 hit with “That’ll Be the Day.”

After mechanical difficulties with the tour bus, Holly had chartered a plane for his band to fly between stops on the Winter Dance Party Tour. However, Richardson, who had the flu, convinced Holly’s band member Waylon Jennings to give up his seat, and Ritchie Valens won a coin toss for another seat on the plane. 

USAID workers at Washington HQ told to stay home - CNN

South Africa denies ‘confiscating land,’ after Trump threatens to cut off aid - CNN

Trump’s under-the-radar Alaska order has environmentalists on edge - CNN

Europe braces for Trump trade tariffs, as levies on Canada, Mexico, China roil markets - Reuters

Canadians cancel trips, ban American booze after Trump's tariffs - Reuters

Trump tariffs trigger stocks slump, dollar rise on trade war fears - Reuters

UN body reports 'alarming rise' in Russian execution of captured Ukrainian soldiers - Reuters

europeans-democracy-advice-trump-americans - The Guardian

Markets in Asia, Europe slide as investors brace for potential trade war - The Washington Post

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - January 27, 2025

 

1. Already, the last Monday of January has arrived. This then is the fourth Monday of 2025 and there are 48 Mondays remaining in the year. 

2. Family NFL Report. One family team remains and is playing for its third consecutive Super Bowl championship: the Kansas City Chiefs! The Commanders fell short in valiant effort against the Eagles. The Super Bowl scheduled for February 9th will be the Chiefs vs the Eagles. 

Mango Tree in Bloom
Tequesta, FL
January 26, 2025

3. Spring is arriving in South Florida. As I was cruising the neighborhoods on my bike yesterday, I noticed that the mango trees were in bloom. Now, mind you, mango trees are not the prettiest trees when they bloom, but they bloom prolifically. 

4. It has been a week since the inauguration and I have to say, the newly reinstalled president is living up to his word. Chaos and confusion reigns. Amid the actions, individual human rights are being obliterated. I read in the news the deportees being flown in military aircraft to their destinations are handcuffed and not being given water or allowed to use restroom facilities. That is what the President of Colombia objected to and was soundly thumped by the administration with sanctions and tariffs. We can remain decent people and treat people humanely even when deporting them.

5. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. Wow!

6. Look out--it is likely to be a blood bath in the stock market today. 

7. Today in History. On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops enter Auschwitz, Poland, freeing the survivors of the network of concentration camps—and finally revealing to the world the depth of the horrors perpetrated there.

Auschwitz was really a group of camps, designated I, II, and III. There were also 40 smaller “satellite” camps. It was at Auschwitz II, at Birkenau, established in October 1941, that the SS created a complex, monstrously orchestrated killing ground: 300 prison barracks; four “bathhouses” in which prisoners were gassed; corpse cellars; and cremating ovens. Thousands of prisoners were also used for medical experiments overseen and performed by the camp doctor, Josef Mengele, the “Angel of Death.”

After forcing Colombia to back down, White House claims America is respected again - CNN

‘Nothing will be easy about returning:’ Survivors mark 80th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation - CNN

A shocking Chinese AI advancement called DeepSeek is sending US stocks plunging - CNN

Gaza residents stream home to the north after hostage breakthrough - Reuters

Thirty-seven suspected terrorists arrested in East Africa, says Interpol - Reuters

Putin says he and Trump should meet to discuss Ukraine and energy prices - Reuters

Ukraine says it hit Russian oil refinery in big drone attack - Reuters

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL