The U.S. is tapping in to its national stocks of crude with abandon. The withdrawals are taking a toll on the strategic reserve system.

While the administration has pledged to replenish the SPR, the president has tapped the reserve to cushion consumers from price shocks caused by his war of choice in Iran.
...
"Last week, the Energy Department revealed that stocks of crude ​oil in the ‌Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) fell to 316.5 ​million barrels, its lowest since April 1983.
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Mounting infrastructure issues have also plagued the SPR."

"Under the supervision of our world-class medical professionals, war fighters age 30 and older are going to be tested annually for testosterone levels as part of their periodic health assessment,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a video posted to X captioned: “The High-T Department of War.”
...
"He framed the annual screening test as part of an investment in “the individual warfighter,” calling the service members “our most decisive tactical advantage.”

Aren't there women in the military?

The testosterone craze fuels fear — not masculinity.
"The resurgence of masculinity as a cultural value, combined with the various struggles of modern males, has contributed to a new obsession among some men: a desire for higher testosterone. But this trend misunderstands what the hormone actually does."
...
"most traditionally manly men — husbands, dads, hard workers, soldiers — often have low testosterone."

The Trump administration on Tuesday asked for public suggestions on overhauling Medicare’s decades-old system for paying physicians, advancing officials’ long-running efforts to shift financial incentives toward primary care and prevention instead of costly procedures.

Trump officials are also seeking potential alternatives to the billing-code system — the Current Procedural Terminology, or CPT...

In the comments of the article, "Why oh why do we think that a team of yokels, quacks, liars and thieves who can’t manage renovation of a reflecting pool are going to be our best hope at revising and improving the health care system? Please, please Congress get off your duffs and bring some sanity and representation to Washington!"

I couldn't say it better.

Then there was this in the article, "The coding system tends to reward health care providers for surgeries and other costly procedures. It has been accused of steering physicians into lucrative specialties, reinforcing a health care system that pays more to treat diseases than prevent them."

As many WP commenters have been saying, you can tell the Trump bias in the Washington Post since Bezos, the owner, has become a huge MAGA.

I trust the AMA any day over the current Administration.

Why the internet is becoming so infuriating to use?
With chatbots now flooding the web at every corner, humans are in the minority.

More frequently when signing on to a website you get a new step that needs to identify you are human. I thought it was an additional security step only to find out the hosting site is trying to prevent chatbot access.

Then there are the requests to allow cookies. Most sites have required cookies and allow you to opt out of other cookies used for marketing, etc. Basically selling your usage data to anyone and everyone.

In addition, there are the site terms and conditions. Who takes the time to read and analyze the terms and conditions? What are we agreeing to? What rights to privacy, etc. are we giving up?

Cyclosporiasis is an illness you get from the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. It causes watery, and sometimes explosive, diarrhea and other stomach problems. It usually spreads from contaminated water or food. Treatment typically includes antibiotics.

health officials in Michigan identified a possible source of an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an illness resulting from infection with the parasite cyclospora, which is transmitted through food and water contaminated with feces.

“Current results point to lettuce or salad greens as a potential source for this outbreak,”
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Lettuce and salad mixes, as well as other types of fresh produce including raspberries, basil, cilantro, fruit mixes, snow peas and snap peas, have been implicated in previous cyclospora outbreaks in the United States.
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As of Monday evening, July 13, 2026, health officials in Michigan had reported 2,640 cases and 44 hospitalizations — a 69 percent increase in cases from those reported on Friday,
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The C.D.C.’s latest figures include at least 843 confirmed illnesses across 31 states, and 86 hospitalizations.

Getting more up-to-date information from Michigan and the New York Times than the Federal Government's CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Cyclosporiasis outbreaks are occurring in approx. 30 states, including Tennessee.

A recent study by financial network CNBC determined Tennessee has the worst quality of life in the country.

America’s Worst Place to Live in 2026: Tennessee.
Strength: Air Quality
Weaknesses: Crime, Inclusiveness, Worker Protections

In a separate CNBC study, Tennessee ranks 9th best state for business.
Strengths: Infrastructure, workforce, business friendliness
Weakenesses: Quality of life, technology & innovation

In 2026 our Medicare supplement insurance increased by nearly 30%. In the 7 years we have had Medicare the annual increase has been 15% or less.

Now, "For the second year in a row (2027), premiums are likely to rise as climbing medical costs impact the economy and taxpayer spending." This is for any health insurance (private, employer sponsored, ACA/Obamacare, etc), not just Medicare supplements.

*Monthly premiums for both employer-provided and individual insurance are likely to climb due to rising hospital and drug spending, the use of AI in medical billing, labor shortages, federal policy changes, general inflation and more.

*The ACA market is experiencing turbulence, with millions of consumers dropping coverage, insurers exiting the market, and premiums spiking, which could lead to further problems and reduced access to health care.
...
Innovations in technology and medical care are other reasons premiums are rising.
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Recent pharmaceutical advances also led to higher costs. ...driven in part by high-cost specialty drugs and GLP-1 weight loss drugs. For instance, cancer drugs are evolving and raising the cost of care.

Storm warning for ACA shoppers: Double-digit premium hikes are coming.

Every spring, health insurance companies file state-by-state rate forecasts, an early warning system for premium hikes we can expect to see the next year in the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

The median proposed increase is 14 percent...

Consumers will have to wait for broader insurance coverage of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs until prices come down and clear evidence emerges that they will reduce health care costs, the CEO of CVS Health, which includes Aetna insurance, said in an interview.

ACA Marketplace insurers are proposing a median premium increase of about 14% in 2027...second-highest requested rate change since 2018,

A national day of protest against data centers is planned across the U.S. for July 18, as community backlash over the development of artificial intelligence (AI) centers continues to grow.

Humans First, a conservative advocacy group, says the demonstrations are intended to pressure local, state and federal officials to protect communities from rising utility costs, water demand, noise, land-use changes and what it describes as national security risks tied to rapid AI expansion.

Maps Show 40 Cities Taking Stand Against AI Data Centers Draining Resources.

No protests scheduled in Tennessee. Nashvillian's are fighting against a data center next to the Nashville Zoo.

California attracted more than $335 billion in venture capital funding this year...

Its next biggest competitor, New York, raised less than a tenth of California’s total. Texas raised 1/40th of the amount.

The state’s economy grew 5% last year to a record $4.25 trillion, making it larger than every country other than the U.S., China and Germany. It is home to nearly 400 billion-dollar startups — more than any other state, according to CB Insights.

Blue states rule!

I hear and read about the complaints on Californian's moving to Tennessee. Yes, well, it is not progressives moving here and buying up properties, it's MAGA conservatives. Happy now?

I walk the same walk nearly every morning, a loop around the neighborhood. Yikes! Yesterday I started to get dive bombed by swallows. I could hear them buzz by my ear. It happened again today.

I finally looked it up.

Barn Swallows are fiercely territorial and will dive bomb anyone who gets close to their nest site. They have been known to hit people while doing this and yes, it may hurt you when it happens. But they won’t hit you on purpose as it will hurt them even more than you, birds being very fragile animals.

Chances are, if the swallows are dive-bombing you, it is because they have eggs or young in their nest. Relocating the nest and young is not a good idea so for this year, I would suggest trying to access the garage through another route. This may well be an inconvenience but it won’t be for long as the swallows will stop defending their nest as soon as the young have fledged and are able to fly on their own.

I don't know if it's barn swallows harassing me. Either way, I'll avoid the area for 2-3 weeks.

In her latest campaign television ad, Sen. Marsha Blackburn destroys a large number of fortune cookies, an act of wonton destruction.

Taxes are one of the most expensive ingredients in beer, according to the Tax Foundation.
...
Federal, state and local taxes equal about 41 percent of the overall cost of beer, according to a 2025 study for the Beer Institute and the National Beer Wholesalers Association.
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Buying a 12 pack in D.C.? That’s an extra $0.90 included in the price tag, before sales tax. Tennessee comes in with the steepest state levy at $1.50.

It’s easy to be fooled by AI photos, so in an effort to help Tennessee travelers verify where online photos were taken, the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development has launched its new “It’s Real” campaign. It’s a program that promises that the photos you see on its website – TNVacation.com – are not AI-generated, but the real thing.

“It’s a commitment to authenticity and a promise to travelers that, when it comes to Tennessee, what you see is what you get..."

Bill Clinton.

“Today, we celebrate this milestone amid another period of deep division, renewed questions about America’s future and role in the world, and serious threats to our own institutions and to our democracy itself,”
...
“Their New Deal is socialism for the super-rich (and their own enrichment) even if it means increasing poverty, inequality, and illness at home and around the world. They also want to rewrite history to ignore and outright deny our past flaws while banning books that say otherwise from our libraries. And they select even our military leaders based on their version of political correctness over ability.

Former presidents reflect on America at 250.

Barack Obama.

America is, and always has been, a constant work in progress,” Obama wrote...
...

Every generation must take up the unfinished work of the last and carry it further — protecting what’s right, fixing what’s wrong, and making our union a little more perfect.

Joe Biden.

calling the Declaration of Independence “a promise” to the nation from the Founding Fathers that Americans have spent more than two and a half centuries trying to fulfill.
...
“Now it’s our turn. There’s nothing guaranteed about our democracy,” he wrote... “We have to fight for it, defend it, and earn it. Over and over, year after year. That’s not a burden. That’s what it means to be an American.”

George W. Bush.

Americans need to take an active interest in the health and wellbeing of the country and democracy.

“It requires Americans to vote, to be involved in the democratic process,” the Republican said, adding that while “you may not like outcomes of the elections,” one must focus on the fact that the capacity to vote and determine the country’s future is a “powerful freedom.”

While the current President warns about "a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success."

This is the new GOP talking point for the midterms. Watch and listen. Hopefully, a majority of Americsn voters don't fall for it.

We watched the PBS July 3, 2026, "A Capitol Fourth – 250th Weekend Celebration." It was a wonderful production. Brought tears to my eyes once or twice

We also watched a lot of the Macy's fireworks, Boston fireworks with the Boston Pops Orchestra, Nashville's fireworks and entertainment.

Across the country so many people and organizations did so much to celebrate our independence and Democracy.

This land was your land.

the first thing I learned from spending a morning at the Great American State Fair is that there’s no way in hell I’m bringing my kids to see this.

Meanwhile, this end of the Mall is sparse because it’s so insufferably boring. And if you have small children, you can hear the whining start without them even being there.

Yesterday we went up to the Smokies for a cooling reprieve. It was hot up there. It was around 87 degrees in Cades Cove. Even though it was about 10 degrees cooler than Alcoa, it was hot.

We stopped at Abrams Falls trailhead just to mosey around. There were people returning from their hike to the falls and they looked pretty bad. They did not look happy. One family of three said they drank 5 bottles of water on their hike. They have signs for a lot of different things preparing people for the hike, but they don't say carry a lot of water.

We saw Mama bear and a cub 15 or so feet up in a tree. They were lolling around. Avoiding the heat I would guess.

This is the second time we have been to Cades Cove in the past 3 weeks. We went on a Thursday both times around 11:30am. Neither time was it too crowded. If you get a chance we recommend the trip.

Released by the State of the Nation Project, a group of scholars from across the political spectrum, the “State of the States” report analyzed 31 measures of national well-being across 14 topic areas, from mental health and education to income, violence, and trust. A picture emerges of a country where economic growth has become untethered from actual human happiness, and where not a single state is improving on life satisfaction.
...
New England and the western Midwest consistently topped the charts, while the South posted the lowest average rankings across the board.

8 of the bottom 11 states are in the South. Tennessee ranks 41st in national well-being.

AI Bubble Burst: Meta Admits 'Excess Compute Capacity.

Meta has to monetize this excess capacity - and that's why Meta is forced to enter the cloud computing business, directly competing with Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, and also neocloud companies.

Meta, like SpaceX, looks to turn excess AI compute into cash

Meta’s decision to sell off excess compute comes weeks after SpaceX, via xAI, announced similar plans. In early May, SpaceX signed a deal with Anthropic to buy out all of the compute capacity at SpaceX’s Colossus 1 data center. SpaceX has signed similar leases since with Google and Reflection AI.

Could this mean there is not the demand for data centers as expected?

Trump: "I even had a conversation with Theodore Roosevelt. I said, 'What do you think about the Panama Canal? Do you consider that your greatest achievement and how do you feel about the fact that the Democrats gave the Panama Canal away to Panama for $1?'"

Say what?