TRUMP-PUTIN ALASKA SUMMIT: CEASEFIRE ONLY
This Friday’s high-stakes meeting between President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska could bring real relief to Ukraine – but only if it stays laser-focused on one goal: an enforceable ceasefire. No redraw of the map. No "land for peace" concessions that reward Moscow’s aggression and punish Ukrainian sovereignty.
A United Front
Over the weekend, Vice President JD Vance convened a secure call with European and Ukrainian officials. The message from allied capitals was blunt: halt the fighting first, then negotiate the rest – without giving up an inch of Ukrainian land. European leaders have repeated it publicly: "Peace cannot be decided without Ukraine".Why Now Matters
On the ground, the war’s toll is rising. Russia is pushing hard in Donetsk and Luhansk, pounding civilian infrastructure and displacing thousands. Ukrainian officials report hundreds of daily clashes, rising casualties, and failing power and water systems. A ceasefire won’t end the war, but it would stop the bloodshed and open humanitarian corridors.Putin Under Pressure
THE QUIET POWER OF KINDNESS
For some, happiness is a word that conjures up visions of selfish people concerned only with their own pleasure; but this sort of hedonistic approach to happiness is a recipe for serial bursts of pleasure at the expense of long-term happiness.
When I speak of happiness, I am describing a much richer concept; more akin to what the ancient Greeks called eudaimonia or “success at being human.”
One of the central elements for living well is how we relate to other people. In this regard, happiness is literally the opposite of self-centeredness or self-absorption.
In fact, contrary to many Las Vegas advertisements or Hollywood-lifestyle fantasies, self-absorption is a key ingredient for depression, and single-minded focus on personal pleasure is a recipe for long-term misery.
So here’s the single most effective thing we can do to get an immediate and significant boost to our genuine happiness – and to set the stage for a deeper, long-term happiness as well.
THE BORU HARP
The Boru Harp, attributed to the one and only High King of the entire island of Ireland, Brian Boru (941-1014), is the only musical instrument that is the national symbol of a country - the Republic of Ireland. It is also on the label of Guinness beer. Beautifully and exquisitely made, the Boru Harp is on display in the famous Long Room of the Trinity College Library in Dublin. You’ll experience a sense of awe when you see it for yourself. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #219 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE RUSSIAN OBSESSION WITH ALASKA
Russia’s Siberia and America’s Alaska seem almost to touch, with the tips of the Chukotka and Seward Peninsulas only 55 miles apart across the Bering Strait.
The scene of the planned Aug. 15 meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin — the U.S. state of Alaska — has played an outsized role in Russian propaganda and mythology.
The choice of Alaska for the summit has re-ignited imperialist narratives, with Kremlin propagandists emphasizing again that the peninsula used to be a Russian territory.
Some imperialist Russians have perceived the sale of Russian Alaska to the U.S. in 1867 as treason or a tragic mistake, while others have dismissed the transaction as illegal.
For years, Russian propagandists and officials have been obsessed with Alaska and called for returning it to Moscow. In their mindset, it is part of the mythology where Alaska, Finland, Poland, and Ukraine are "historical Russian lands" that were unfairly separated from the homeland.
AN HONEST HOUSE? THE END OF RACIAL GERRYMANDERS
Is the US Supreme Court about to disenfranchise black Americans and other racial minority voters?
You would think so, given the hysterical hyperbole found in the progressive press. “The Supreme Court Prepares to End Voting Rights As We Know Them,” shrieks the headline in the Left-wing journal Mother Jones.
Is the Republican majority on the Supreme Court really about to strike down or eviscerate the Voting Rights Act of 1965? Will the Court legalize the outlawed methods used by Southern segregationists to deny the right to vote to black Americans, like literacy tests and poll taxes?
Of course not. The occasion of these alarms is the willingness of the Court to consider a Louisiana case – Louisiana v Callais -- involving the use of race by state legislatures in drawing congressional districts.
What is at issue is the question of whether the half-century-old practice of racial gerrymandering – drawing congressional districts in such a way as to elect representatives of a particular race to the House of Representatives – is compatible with the Voting Rights Act or the US constitution.
BUYI KIDS AT THE LUOPING FLOWER FIELDS
The Buyi are the indigenous people of Luoping in northeast Yunnan, having lived here for many thousands of years. A peaceful agricultural people, for some 2,000 years they’ve been growing what we call rapeseed for vegetable oil. (Actually, we call it canola oil as “rapeseed” has unfortunate connotaions.)
Their multilevel terraces of bright yellow rapeseed flowers blooming in early spring (February-March here) – the Luoping Flower Fields – are world wonders of natural art.
They are marvelously friendly and hospitable – watch out for drinking rice wine with them, though, it’s seriously strong! These two Buyi kids exemplify what a joy they are to be with amidst their astounding fields of beauty. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #276 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
MORE THAN YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT PATERNITY
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Anna Nicole Smith November 28, 1967 – February 8, 2007
[It’s August. Let’s take a break from anything political. This Monday’s Archive was originally published in TTP on April 11, 2007. Everyone back then knew of notorious Anna Nicole whose life had tragically ended two months earlier. Yet her promiscuity turned out to be quite instructive. It still is.]
TTP, April 11, 2007
I can't pass this one up. DNA testing that shows among Anna Nicole Smith's multiple lovers, a fellow named Larry Birkhead is the father of her daughter provides such an exquisitely teachable moment about paternity – well, it's simply impossible for me to resist.
This is going to be fun. We'll start with a discussion of what scientists delightfully call "sperm wars." Let's first discuss those conducted by chimpanzees. They give the phrase "flooding the zone" a whole new meaning.
Chimpanzees are our closest primate relatives with whom we share a common ancestor. That common ancestor lived a long time ago. The human-chimp split took place around 5 million years ago (5 mya).
Chimps and humans have, however, retained certain basic behavior patterns in common – such as patrilocality. But for other behavior patterns, chimps and us are really different. Like sex.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY – A FIRST CONTACT WITH THE NAKED AUCAS
July, 1972. That’s what these people were known as back in 1972 who lived in the Amazon forests south of the Napo River in Ecuador killing anyone foolish enough to enter their territory. The Quechuas living along the north bank of the Napo were terrified of them, calling them “Aucas” – naked savages. I found them, as you can see, naked but not savage.
This was a true first contact. A helicopter pilot friend, Tony Stuart, and I chanced upon them, landing in their clearing. We were literally space aliens in a space ship from outer space, for all they knew was the jungle. They had nothing from the outside world. I gave them a box of matches which was the most exciting thing they had ever seen. Despite their fearsome reputation for killing outsiders including missionaries, they smiled and laughed like anyone else.
They also understood trade and exchanging gifts. Beside the matches, we gave them some rope and a small machete (first metal they had ever seen). They gave (without our asking) Tony a hand stone axe, and me a blowgun. After a few hours it was time to go. Our goodbyes to each other were with huge smiles. I will never ever forget them. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #113 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE AMERICAN EAGLE
HALF-FULL REPORT 08/08/25
AG Bondi made the announcement last night. Sounds like a job for ace private operator Erik Prince. No one in the US government can participate in the reward. But anyone in the Venezuelan government sure can.Today, @TheJusticeDept and @StateDept are announcing a $50 MILLION REWARD for information leading to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. pic.twitter.com/D8LNqjS9yk
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) August 7, 2025
The number of people whom Maduro can trust to have close access to him is shrinking fast. The message to them: bundle him up, put him on a plane for a quick 865-mile flight Caracas to Guantanamo, collect 50 mil. Gotta be sufficient motivation for those who can pull this off.
Nicolás Maduro and his cronies think they’re untouchable. They’re wrong. We’re increasing our reward offer for Maduro to up to $50 million. https://t.co/mEomEgWLcT pic.twitter.com/ltq1cdMUji
— US Dept of State INL (@StateINL) August 8, 2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio Press Statement, August 7, 2025
This is just for HFR openers. A lot going on internationally this week right up to today. Let’s start with an amazingly important yet unknown bit of political geography called the Meghri Strip in a land that goes back to the time of Noah, where there’s a road to be named after President Donald Trump..