I saw that Kennedy stated the children didn’t die of measles but some other factor. It’s my understanding that compromising the immune system can cause other health issues that can result in death. Take for example AIDS. People don’t die from AIDS per se, they die from complications which may be a result of AIDS. Anyone with medical knowledge would know this.
I have to say I love that you share the positive things about your family as well as some of the challenges.
While the politics of the day are what we know them to be, I take every chance that presents itself to really enjoy the reading, the discovery and the casual elegance that your page offers your readers. I have missed many of your daily post and this is my personal loss.
In spite of the negativity of many platforms, I still find so many that are essential to my needs to stay informed and keep a smile for the day. Thank you.
Your researched essays clarify what is happening in our country and around the world. They help me to see the bigger picture and add up facts versus alternate reality. Sharing your personal story and challenges drawing the parallels to our government make things real. I appreciate your essays tremendously (I’m up the road in Washington state, just across the river from Portland) and share your views. Keep them coming!
This is not a dig, I think you do a great job with your reporting and sharing of opinion, but as an Anglo Australian I just want to say that it feels more and more that the US is turning it’s attention to personal survival. You talk a lot about the US. This Orwellian state of war that’s now consumed our world (while it’s not actual, the concept has now been developed that the west is somehow in a weapon less state of conflict with China) affects us all, the US is not the centre of universe, all parts are connected. The US entering into some kind of “deal” with Venezuela makes the rest of world even more isolated and vulnerable. Since the Hormuz blockade, a direct consequence of reckless antagonism by the US, is less of concern to the US if they can tap into a vast well of oil just down the road we, the rest of the world, are left high and dry, to find our own solution. The monstrous behaviour of your president and his cronies is self centred for sure but, heaven forbid, he manages to somehow rebalance the status quo in the US by putting fuel back on the roads, we outside will be left to freeze in a winter not of our own making. It bothers me. Do I make sense?
You make complete sense, and I genuinely don’t take this as a dig. I actually think you’ve identified something important that I could do a better job of pulling into the frame.
I write heavily about the United States because it is where I live, it is the government I am most directly accountable to, and much of our readership is here. But that absolutely doesn't mean the United States exists in isolation, or that what happens here stops at our borders. Quite the opposite, in fact. One of the defining problems with American power is that the United States is often able to make decisions domestically while exporting enormous portions of the consequences elsewhere. And Venezuela may be a very good example of exactly what you are describing.
If the United States manages to secure a massive new source of oil in its own hemisphere, it may eventually give Americans some insulation from instability in the Middle East. But insulation isn't resolution. The Strait of Hormuz still matters enormously to the rest of the world. Shipping, energy prices, fertilizer, food production, manufacturing and transportation still matter. Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa and everyone else don't suddenly stop experiencing those consequences because Americans found another place to fill the tank.
In fact, I think there is something particularly troubling about a powerful country helping destabilize the global system and then using its power and wealth to build itself an escape hatch while everyone else remains inside the burning building. That is probably something I should have made more explicit.
I also think your larger point is important. We are increasingly being encouraged to think in terms of national survival, American survival, Australian survival, European survival, when nearly every major problem confronting us is interconnected. Energy, climate, war, trade, migration, food, disease and economic instability don't recognize the neat borders politicians draw around their constituencies.
So no, the United States is not the center of the universe. But unfortunately, it possesses enough political, military and economic power that its decisions can rearrange a significant portion of it. Thank you for pushing me to widen the lens. I mean that sincerely.
Unfortunately, lots of sense. I look at resort developments in Albania and Vietnam Ñam, it seems like there is an international movement to exploit common goods for the benefit of oligarchs. Which oligarch gets the most really isn’t that important to the rest of us.
Be wary of someone who says they’ve never failed. That they are the greatest business person ever. When facts prove they have had “six major corporate bankruptcy filings and more than a dozen high-profile business and product failures”.
Too good to be true usually is.
Based on the Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, the countries perceived as the most corrupt are those with the lowest scores on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
Here are the Top Three Most Corrupt Countries
South Sudan (Score: 9)
Somalia (Score: 9)
Venezuela (Score: 10)
Yea Venezuela is #3 being the most corrupt nation.
Now you may ask - What exactly is Transparency International (TI) to do these rankings?
It’s is a global, non-governmental organization dedicated to fighting public sector corruption and preventing criminal activities driven by illicit wealth.
The “Core Focus Areas” are as follows:
* Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI): Their most famous publication, which scores and ranks countries annually based on perceived public sector corruption.
* Advocacy and Reform: Working with governments, businesses, and civil society to design and implement anti-corruption laws and policies.
* Global Network: Operating through more than 100 national chapters worldwide to tackle corruption on both a local and international scale.
* Accountability: Focusing on transparency in political financing, public procurement, and international financial systems to prevent money laundering.
Now Transparency International Organizational Structure is that it was Founded in 1993 by former World Bank officials. its Headquarters is in Berlin, Germany. The Nature of their work is an Independent, non-profit, and non-partisan organization.
So to recap a 34 count convicted Felon, who just so happens to be the President of the USA because you know some people voted for this fiasco has somehow entered a deal involving seventeen Venezuelan oil fields with an estimated sixty-five billion barrels of proven reserves.
Meanwhile all major U.S. oil companies remain cautious about investing in Venezuela following the Trump administration's announced deal to secure control over billions of barrels of the country's oil reserves.
ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips which are both major firms plan to “stay on the sidelines”. (Meaning they don’t buy this propaganda, and think it’s crap.) They cite a fraught history of asset nationalizations by the Venezuelan government in the 2000s and are still seeking billions of dollars in unpaid restitution. ExxonMobil executives have previously labeled the country "uninvestable" without massive legal and economic overhauls.
Chevron who’s is an established operator already present in Venezuela, Chevron is in advanced talks to expand its production, though it is navigating the complex new terms carefully. Are cautious moving forward to the infrastructure in Venezuela is non existent to pull this off.
Then there’s those “Smaller and Independent Firms”. While oil majors have hit obstacles over infrastructure deficits, high extraction costs ($70–$75 per barrel), and political risk, they all are not interested in even going into this deal.
“It’s not merely misinformation, though it is certainly that. It’s the systematic replacement of expertise with suspicion, evidence with insinuation, and governance with vibes. If every uncomfortable reality can be waved away as fake, manipulated, exaggerated, or invented, then leadership no longer has to lead. It only has to cast doubt. “ This recalls “Merchants of Doubt”, where Naomi Oreskes showed how the doubt-casting strategy has been used to defend acid rain, tabaco, and greenhouse gases. It isn’t necessarily a conspiracy, but certainly a community of interests. By the way, “Merchants of Doubt” was made into an entertaining and informative movie, featuring Penn and Teller.
I saw that Kennedy stated the children didn’t die of measles but some other factor. It’s my understanding that compromising the immune system can cause other health issues that can result in death. Take for example AIDS. People don’t die from AIDS per se, they die from complications which may be a result of AIDS. Anyone with medical knowledge would know this.
I have to say I love that you share the positive things about your family as well as some of the challenges.
A nice almost-end-of-this disastrous month and I thank for your time and talent.
A California reader.
Wow. You guys are the most amazing family! I bet that attic was an archeological dig of memories.
And your hike with your big brothers will make good memories for all of you.
A shame our current regime doesn't have any moral fiber. Reading your analyses always grounds me. Thank you!
Shanley, thank you for pulling this all together again.
I hope that your family pilgrimage went well for you all.
While the politics of the day are what we know them to be, I take every chance that presents itself to really enjoy the reading, the discovery and the casual elegance that your page offers your readers. I have missed many of your daily post and this is my personal loss.
In spite of the negativity of many platforms, I still find so many that are essential to my needs to stay informed and keep a smile for the day. Thank you.
Your researched essays clarify what is happening in our country and around the world. They help me to see the bigger picture and add up facts versus alternate reality. Sharing your personal story and challenges drawing the parallels to our government make things real. I appreciate your essays tremendously (I’m up the road in Washington state, just across the river from Portland) and share your views. Keep them coming!
I'm a little farther up the road, near Seattle, and fortunate to be in a state that is governed by Bob Ferguson and Nick Brown as AG.
This is not a dig, I think you do a great job with your reporting and sharing of opinion, but as an Anglo Australian I just want to say that it feels more and more that the US is turning it’s attention to personal survival. You talk a lot about the US. This Orwellian state of war that’s now consumed our world (while it’s not actual, the concept has now been developed that the west is somehow in a weapon less state of conflict with China) affects us all, the US is not the centre of universe, all parts are connected. The US entering into some kind of “deal” with Venezuela makes the rest of world even more isolated and vulnerable. Since the Hormuz blockade, a direct consequence of reckless antagonism by the US, is less of concern to the US if they can tap into a vast well of oil just down the road we, the rest of the world, are left high and dry, to find our own solution. The monstrous behaviour of your president and his cronies is self centred for sure but, heaven forbid, he manages to somehow rebalance the status quo in the US by putting fuel back on the roads, we outside will be left to freeze in a winter not of our own making. It bothers me. Do I make sense?
You make complete sense, and I genuinely don’t take this as a dig. I actually think you’ve identified something important that I could do a better job of pulling into the frame.
I write heavily about the United States because it is where I live, it is the government I am most directly accountable to, and much of our readership is here. But that absolutely doesn't mean the United States exists in isolation, or that what happens here stops at our borders. Quite the opposite, in fact. One of the defining problems with American power is that the United States is often able to make decisions domestically while exporting enormous portions of the consequences elsewhere. And Venezuela may be a very good example of exactly what you are describing.
If the United States manages to secure a massive new source of oil in its own hemisphere, it may eventually give Americans some insulation from instability in the Middle East. But insulation isn't resolution. The Strait of Hormuz still matters enormously to the rest of the world. Shipping, energy prices, fertilizer, food production, manufacturing and transportation still matter. Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa and everyone else don't suddenly stop experiencing those consequences because Americans found another place to fill the tank.
In fact, I think there is something particularly troubling about a powerful country helping destabilize the global system and then using its power and wealth to build itself an escape hatch while everyone else remains inside the burning building. That is probably something I should have made more explicit.
I also think your larger point is important. We are increasingly being encouraged to think in terms of national survival, American survival, Australian survival, European survival, when nearly every major problem confronting us is interconnected. Energy, climate, war, trade, migration, food, disease and economic instability don't recognize the neat borders politicians draw around their constituencies.
So no, the United States is not the center of the universe. But unfortunately, it possesses enough political, military and economic power that its decisions can rearrange a significant portion of it. Thank you for pushing me to widen the lens. I mean that sincerely.
Unfortunately, lots of sense. I look at resort developments in Albania and Vietnam Ñam, it seems like there is an international movement to exploit common goods for the benefit of oligarchs. Which oligarch gets the most really isn’t that important to the rest of us.
Totally.
Some perspective.
Be wary of someone who says they’ve never failed. That they are the greatest business person ever. When facts prove they have had “six major corporate bankruptcy filings and more than a dozen high-profile business and product failures”.
Too good to be true usually is.
Based on the Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, the countries perceived as the most corrupt are those with the lowest scores on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
Here are the Top Three Most Corrupt Countries
South Sudan (Score: 9)
Somalia (Score: 9)
Venezuela (Score: 10)
Yea Venezuela is #3 being the most corrupt nation.
Now you may ask - What exactly is Transparency International (TI) to do these rankings?
It’s is a global, non-governmental organization dedicated to fighting public sector corruption and preventing criminal activities driven by illicit wealth.
The “Core Focus Areas” are as follows:
* Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI): Their most famous publication, which scores and ranks countries annually based on perceived public sector corruption.
* Advocacy and Reform: Working with governments, businesses, and civil society to design and implement anti-corruption laws and policies.
* Global Network: Operating through more than 100 national chapters worldwide to tackle corruption on both a local and international scale.
* Accountability: Focusing on transparency in political financing, public procurement, and international financial systems to prevent money laundering.
Now Transparency International Organizational Structure is that it was Founded in 1993 by former World Bank officials. its Headquarters is in Berlin, Germany. The Nature of their work is an Independent, non-profit, and non-partisan organization.
So to recap a 34 count convicted Felon, who just so happens to be the President of the USA because you know some people voted for this fiasco has somehow entered a deal involving seventeen Venezuelan oil fields with an estimated sixty-five billion barrels of proven reserves.
Meanwhile all major U.S. oil companies remain cautious about investing in Venezuela following the Trump administration's announced deal to secure control over billions of barrels of the country's oil reserves.
ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips which are both major firms plan to “stay on the sidelines”. (Meaning they don’t buy this propaganda, and think it’s crap.) They cite a fraught history of asset nationalizations by the Venezuelan government in the 2000s and are still seeking billions of dollars in unpaid restitution. ExxonMobil executives have previously labeled the country "uninvestable" without massive legal and economic overhauls.
Chevron who’s is an established operator already present in Venezuela, Chevron is in advanced talks to expand its production, though it is navigating the complex new terms carefully. Are cautious moving forward to the infrastructure in Venezuela is non existent to pull this off.
Then there’s those “Smaller and Independent Firms”. While oil majors have hit obstacles over infrastructure deficits, high extraction costs ($70–$75 per barrel), and political risk, they all are not interested in even going into this deal.
Transparency International
https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2025
Trump says US has entered deal with Venezuela to take control of 65 billion barrels of oil reserves
https://abc7news.com/story/trump-says-us-has-entered-deal-venezuela-take-control-65-billion-barrels-oil-reserves/19754218/
Chevron, Other U.S. Firms Near Deal to Invest Billions in Venezuelan Oil Fields
https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/chevron-other-u-s-firms-near-deal-to-invest-billions-in-venezuelan-oil-fields-55739e38
US, Venezuela announce 'historic' oil deal
https://www.dw.com/en/us-venezuela-oil-deal/a-78553607
Thank you. It is nice to read sanity. The business with RFKjr is shocking.
He shouldn't be there at all, but LEAVING him there is a tragedy.
Everything Admin is doing involves DEATH. Unnecessary death.
Congress has betrayed us.
Leaving us to absorb the madness.
Trump has no idea about anything, but IRAN has been around for a LONG time.
In 800 BC there were 2 tribes of Aryans, North and South.
By 400 BC the two tribes had merged. They called the area of the combined tribes of Aryans:
IRAN.
🗽🇺🇲🇨🇦🇺🇦
If you haven't read it, I would recommend Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. It's fairly short and incredibly powerful.
“It’s not merely misinformation, though it is certainly that. It’s the systematic replacement of expertise with suspicion, evidence with insinuation, and governance with vibes. If every uncomfortable reality can be waved away as fake, manipulated, exaggerated, or invented, then leadership no longer has to lead. It only has to cast doubt. “ This recalls “Merchants of Doubt”, where Naomi Oreskes showed how the doubt-casting strategy has been used to defend acid rain, tabaco, and greenhouse gases. It isn’t necessarily a conspiracy, but certainly a community of interests. By the way, “Merchants of Doubt” was made into an entertaining and informative movie, featuring Penn and Teller.