THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

Politico: “Trump keeps escalating his trade threats. This time, Europe isn't biting.” In these Donald Trump years, anything and everything is super-underscored, bloated, exaggerated as darts of insult against him. Anyhow, what is so big a deal with tariffs? Tariffs are as old as organized trade itself, dating back to the Bronze Age in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE. Early merchant records from ancient civilizations show that local rulers and city-states imposed levies, taxes, or tolls on traveling caravans and imported goods.

       Meanwhile, the destructive tariff wars of the 1930s led to modern cooperative agreements like the World Trade Organization to lower trade barriers globally. But when China joined the WTO in 2001 and the BRICS bloc was born in 2009, as Asia and the Middle East flourished, thereby balancing G7’s global trade dominance, tariff chess moves pumped up the economic joint big time. So what’s the fuss about, eh? 💸🏢💸

USA Today: “Trump says he's 'not happy' that oil giants Exxon and Chevron are reporting massive profits.” Of course, a Trump quote is “exploited” per the demonization/insult grade, although The D’s “not happy” quip conjures multiple meanings. Anyhow, who’s happy with Big Oil’s massive dough, uh huh? This current war in Iran or tempest in the Strait of Hormuz is used to manipulate oil prices and stuff, as we all know it. They know when to start the drama, resume/continue, and when to stop. 

       This: Top U.S. oil and gas corporations generate hundreds of billions in annual revenue. Leading producers like ExxonMobil report trailing 12-month revenues around $326 billion, while Chevron brings in approximately $185 billion. Other major domestic energy refiners and producers like Phillips 66, Marathon Petroleum, and Valero Energy pull in between $120 billion and $136 billion each year. ⛽️💰⛽️

Reuters: “U.S. has used 'virtually all' of its long-range missiles during the Iran war, sources say.” Do you believe that? LOL! I don’t. You see, the top 3 largest arms manufacturing companies in the world are U.S.-owned: Lockheed Martin,  RTX Corporation, and Northrop Grumman. At #5 is General Dynamics. Boeing and L3Harris Technologies are #6 and #10.

       Meanwhile, the current (2026) U.S. military budget totals approximately $1 trillion, combining about $838.7 billion in base defense appropriations with an additional $150 billion from reconciliation legislation. America’s military spending has been exponentially increasing since the 1950s. So no more missiles? I don’t think so. ☮️☮️☮️

AFP: “The rush of migrants into Spain's Ceuta enclave is over. The political fallout isn't.” / BBC: “Spain attacks the 'selfish' response of some EU countries to Ceuta migrant crossings.” Politics politics politics! Remember, the EU/Turkey deal to help ease the migrant surge in 2016 was stopped by European politics. Current remedial moves to fix the record number of border crossings in the U.S. from 2021 to 2024 is eerily complicated by politics. Yet if we view the immigration/asylum or refugee issue as more a humanitarian matter and crime imperative (per human trafficking), I am certain governments and NGOs can forward solutions. 

       Meanwhile, less war means less people fleeing a country. More trade talks on the table means less military alternatives in the field. A nation with a better economic life means less domestic strife. Etc etcetera. Sadly, as I always reiterate, the media’s narratives are a huge contributory factor to the escalation of hostilities rather than as a bridge to more negotiations, compromises and mutual peace. (Photo: Euractiv.) 🏃‍♀️🏃🏃‍♀️

CNN: “Russia's new target: Ukrainian civilians filling up at gas stations.” Wild. But I definitely don’t believe it. The sort of news or media rabble-rouse that dubiously, desperately “influences” readership to look this way. Yup, just a few days after Volodymyr Zelensky visited White House albeit with less fanfare this time. Anyhow, figure this one out: Prior to the meeting, the Trump administration planned to stretch the delivery of $400 million in authorized Ukraine security assistance across several years, delaying final spending until fiscal year 2029. This rollout timeline contrasts with congressional authorization and separate legislative efforts by lawmakers attempting to fast-track aid.

       I don't know what transpired in last week’s Don/Volo chat, but I guess, Kyiv got a new rationale to get the $400 million, faster. You see, since February 2022, the U.S. Congress has made available roughly $195 billion in total appropriations related to the conflict in Ukraine. The question that hangs in my mind: If Z gets the money, would this mean the end of the war? (Note as well that Ukraine has made it known that it is putting more money into its “drone and robot warfare” business. No war doesn’t mean no arms manufacturing, uh huh?) 🇷🇺☮️🇺🇦

THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

USA Today: “Why Nolan Wells's unexplained death resonates far beyond Mississippi.” Or the tragedy, or how it is bloated as a race-howled tragedy, resonates on this side of the divide? Before any finality in a centralized police investigation is out, the media has already trumpeted that the black youth was a victim of foul play, allegedly perpetrated by white kids. Same news trajectory angle of so many past cases. Seldom do we read a white individual wasted by a black cop etcetera. It’d seem only African-Americans and Latinos get the "raw end of the law" or the “short end of the stick.” So I understand the indifference of law enforcement to really pursue a case that has already been “decided” by the media and this side of the political debate. 

       Meanwhile, whatever happened to the Nancy Guthrie missing case? The 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie hasn’t been found following her February 1, 2026, disappearance and suspected abduction from her Tucson, Arizona home. I guess we will just have to wait for the Netflix true-crime version to “know” the lowdown? Anyhow, we will never know because many things blur the truths, such as your fact and their fact, and my fact? ☮️🗽☮️

BBC: “Saudi Arabia and Houthis exchange fire as U.S. disables a tanker in the Strait.” / Associated Press: “11 killed in new Russia-Ukraine strikes as Zelensky warns of bigger attack.” Of course the convenient road is to point at Mr Trump as the “cause” of these wars. Yet we both know the Middle East is the most conflicted region on earth. Years before the West’s discovery of oil in 1908, the ensuing “arms for oil” bilateral deals, conflicts following birth of Israel in 1948, Suez Crisis, spread of Arab/Muslim terrorism, Sunnis vs. Shiites etc etcetera. 

       Regardless of Iran’s membership to the BRICS trade bloc in 2024, with UAE and Egypt, which it harbored adversarial relationships for years, there’s still so many issues that surround these situations. Meanwhile, the Ukraine crisis could have been stopped months after 2022, before it escalated to this hell, especially that there was already a Euromaidan tempest or fighting in Donbas from 2014. 

       Clearly, Don’s current work is a continuation of what other POTUSes left him. Anyhow, the eerie divide in both the government and society at large in the U.S., and the hate-Trump howl irrelevant of what policy that he applies, make things worse. ☮️☮️☮️

Reuters: “Tehran tests Trump's recent pause with drone strikes on neighboring countries.” Maybe this is a conspiracy theory, but I insist, my take is based on historical facts. There is a higher, hawkish power that keeps this war raging. Of course, Iran has been in war for most of its existence but the war in the 21st century has evolved into a complex bitch that, it’d seem Tehran’s entry to the BRICS trade bloc isn’t helping. Etc etcetera. Meanwhile, Defense chief Pete Hegseth has got to go. He is apparently a hawk, which doesn’t really meld with President Trump’s foreign affairs playbook. But POTUS gets the heat, of course. ☮️☮️☮️

The Independent: “4 men shot trying to break up a fight between a man and woman in San Francisco.” Then, it was instinctive to me to break up a fight. I did it several times–in New York City, Los Angeles, Asheville. Not anymore. While I knew then that I could be “sued” for my chivalrous interference, whether I was on the right (or wrong), I still did it anyway. Not anymore, I guess? These days, you could be shot for peacefully or calmly "meddling" in a fight. ☮️🗽☮️

Deseret News: “Teen takeovers are causing chaos in U.S. cities. Experts see a deeper problem.” Teen takeovers are large, flash-mob-style gatherings organized via platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. I don’t go out as much anymore so I haven’t seen one. Reports say that these convergences start to overwhelm U.S. cities, sparking extensive property damage, violence, retail disruption, and harassment of bystanders. 

       The spark or trigger here is apparently the resulting (or simultaneous) online/Social Media feed. Although violent hooliganism (sic!) isn’t new among sports fans, I tend to blame the internet as well as the provocation that escalates the celebration into mayhem. Meanwhile, experts argue that “teen takeovers” signal deeper systemic issues in youth development. Of course, but do we need to justify the chaos with youth’s innate recklessness? 🤨😞🤨

THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

Associated Press: “Traditionalist Catholic bishops rebel against Pope Leo XIV with 'schismatic act'.” A schismatic act is a deliberate action that causes a formal split within a religious body, and so on and so forth. I was born Catholic in a predominantly Roman Catholic country, but I am not a religious person.

      Yet I do respect the religion, as I respect other religions as well. Meanwhile, I have, time and again, reiterated my displeasure with Pope Leo’s political side or his elongated interaction with President Trump’s policies. The Church could be the one remaining bastion of unity in America, and I see it crumbling because of the Pontiff’s political angst. So tell me about the separation of Church and State? ✝️💝☮️

The Athletic: “Caitlin Clark condemns harassment after Alyssa Thomas reveals threats.” Caitlin’s response: “None of that is OK.” That is maturity. Instead of stoking or inflaming hate into the drama, which isn’t even that huge in terms of an incident in a sport, the Indiana Fever appeals for calm. Unlike how today’s media rabble-rouses or contributes to escalation of Left vs. Right catfight or the “culture war” caterwaul. 

       In the internet/Social Media “environment,” use of language is imperative, significant, and should be handled with super-sensitive care. Not like how many, including some of my longtime friends, who zealously thumb-up a hateful meme et al just because the snide or slur feeds their partisanship angst or massive rage vs. you-know-who. A major reason why I blurred my ideological paradigm years ago. I do respect Left or Right protestations vs. powers that currently rule, but I don’t concur with how they carry out their dissent. 🏀⛹️‍♀️🏀

BBC: “Crowds chant revenge as Iran begins Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral.” Iran’s population is 93.2 million. Who are the mourners of the Supreme Leader and who are the mourners of the thousands who were massacred by the IRGC (on Mr Khamenei’s command) before this war? Both? I don’t know. People, cultural truths and political realities–still confound me big time.

      Iran is majority Shia, the more hardline Muslim humanity, or should we say Western-hating people. Militant Shias operate under Iran's transnational "Axis of Resistance" network. Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and various Iraqi militias. But the less rageful Sunni, which is essentially the Arab League, also has radical armed organizations—such as the Islamic State, Al-Qaeda, and regional affiliates, notably the Hamas.

      Given all these, I must say the Middle East is the most conflicted region on Planet Earth. But it doesn’t mean Peace can never be achieved out there. Longer peace is possible. The League’s economic priorities and significant interface with Western-styled influences + China and the BRICS trade bloc’s increased investments in MENA signal a road to less hostilities in favor of business agreements. Still, I believe the dove will prevail in the open bright light, even as the hawk lurks in the shadows of darkness. 🇮🇷🇮🇷🇮🇷

JULY 4th THOUGHT. Classic definition: Countries celebrate Independence Day to commemorate their liberation from colonial rule, occupation, or oppressive regimes, marking the birth of their sovereignty and right to self-governance. Yet people from countries that weren’t “colonized” still exude nationalism or patriotism, such as Thailand, Japan, Ethiopia, Nepal, and Bhutan.

       Definitions of “nationalism” and “patriotism” shouldn’t be confused with individual politics. Nationalism is an ideology that emphasizes collective loyalty, devotion, and allegiance to a nation or nation-state. Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and attachment to one's country or homeland. How do we differentiate those two feelings or beliefs? Ergo, love for a country and its people has nothing to do with political partisanship or how we feel/think about the government or its (current) leadership. HAPPY JULY 4th TO Y’ALL! ☮️🗽☮️

Yahoo: “LeBron James's agent shares what ultimately drove his Lakers departure.” Nope! LeBron has not retired. He just plans to move to another team. Meaning, he’ll just  “relocate” his $52.6 million salary (2026 rate). Mr James is already worth an estimated $1.4 billion! The first active NBA player to reach billionaire status, building his wealth through historic league contracts, a lifetime Nike deal, and a diverse portfolio of business ventures and investments.

      But if you are thinking that at age 41, he is the oldest dude ever in the league? Nah ah! The NBA's oldest ever in an active roster was Nat Hickey of 1948’s Providence Steamrollers; he was 45 years old. But then those names that are familiar with us? Kevin Willis was 44 when he retired in 2007, and Robert “The Chief” Parish was 43 in 1997. So, maybe LeBron has four more years to earn $50+ million a season? 🏀⛹️🏀

Yahoo: “Democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeats 15-term congresswoman in Colorado.” Too much ado about all these Soc-Dem stuff. All I see is a political novelty, especially to the young who haven’t seen many. If we are in a generally socialist government, such as in Nordic leadership, I’d say this would make a lot of sense. But America stays as a highly capitalist society, a major reason why the U.S. is the world’s #1 economy. This warrants a lot of discussion though. Meanwhile, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is The Measure. But we still have to see how all these pan out. 🏛🗽🏛

ME ME ME or All About Me.

I am (mildly) claustrophobic. My fear of enclosures, rooms with no windows, or caves and undergrounds. A long drive under a tunnel/ed road also quietly freaks me out as well. However, when around people, I am good at “hiding” my abnormal fear. The reason why I fantasize living in a ranch or in an apartment with high ceilings, or the size of a basketball court. Wide, open space. Anyhow, I don’t recall any childhood backstory for my claustrophobia. 😧😮😲

I was initiated to Ananda Marga in the early 1990s via the invitation of my close friends Arnel (Ajiir) and Duwi (Subrata). My Sanskrit name is Devabrata, and my dada/guru is Dada Satyananda. Ananda Marga is a global socio-spiritual organization founded in India in 1955 by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, which provides a spiritual philosophy and practices, including meditation and yoga, for achieving self-realization and promoting universal welfare. 🧘☮️🧘‍♂️

I enjoy conversations about politics, literature, sports, music, culture etcetera. I grew up listening to discussions in the barbershop, park gatherings, and after-farm bonfires. Or conversations of adult relatives in the house when I was a little boy. In school, in vacant hours before the next class. I was part of political think-tanks in my mid-20s; listened to thoughts and insights from those who were much older than me. Listening is an integral part of conversation. 🗣👥📲

I am kind of iffy with hugging or my skin touching another person’s skin, unless of course she’s a romantic partner. I feel awkward when hugged by friends, especially those who hug really tight and long. And during long bus rides, I wear a long-sleeved shirt or jacket so my (bare) shoulder doesn’t touch my seatmate’s. I don’t know how this “weirdness” developed or evolved in me. I’ve always been like this since I was a little boy. Of course, my mom held me as a child. ✋🫂🖐

I don’t ride ferris wheels, rollercoasters, or engage in any x-treme sport. Or activities characterized by high speeds, height, natural challenges, and a high dosage of physical risk. Also known as "action sports" or "alternative sports," they often operate outside traditional mainstream sports. But it doesn’t mean I lack courage or something. As a journalist, I’d rather cover a war or coup d’etat (which I did) and pursue fugitives and guerrillas for an interview (which I did). 🥹✍🥹

Extreme phobia of snakes. “Extreme phobia.” I’d like to reiterate that. No other wild animals terrify me other than a snake, all sorts of snakes. Non-poisonous, poisonous–I don’t care. I haven’t actually touched one although I encountered quite a few in the backyard when I do my usual spring/summer gardening. But most of these snakes are the black rat-hunting snakes that they say are “harmless.” I can probably hang with lions, crocodiles, or dragons. But no snake! 🐍😱🐍

I am non-social, not anti-social. My life’s contradiction. I formed and led organizations, organized community events, and worked for NGOs most of my life, but I am not into socializing. I mean, parties and similar “meet strangers” gatherings. I was born into a culture that converges as a reflex and raised by a family with obligatory weekend barbecues so I am exposed to a lot of people around me. But still, I prefer aloneness and peace and quiet. 🏕😌🏝

Hankies. Or bandannas. Always been a personal clothing accessory. I was “worse” when I was in the Philippines, when I used to "ornament" my body with colorful bandannas or “tubaw,” a traditionally handwoven headscarf–though I don’t mostly wear them in my head. And since there’s a lot of dust and pollution in Manila, I carried hankies on a daily basis. Then it is a habit. Now hankies are a regular thing in my pocket, 24/7. So I have a collection, all colors. 🧣😎🧣

Socks all day, everyday, almost 24/7. Not when I was still in the Philippines when 6 months of “dry” season meant 100+ degrees temp, but the moment I landed in America, my feet automatically were “clothed” in socks. And that’s it. My feet have never gotten naked since then. Winter, spring, summer, or fall. Only moment that I am without socks is when I am in the shower. I don’t know why, really. I feel so exposed when my tiny feet are bare and all. Just the way I am. 🧦🧦🧦

No spicy foods. I used to love spicy foods, especially “kinilaw” or the Filipino ceviche. Another favorite was the Bicol Express and “sinilihan,” which feature flaming chilis on coconut milk. Of course, with white rice! Spicy foods are a family dinner staple. My dad used to cook a lot of those. No entree (“ulam”) is without a tiny saucer for soy, vinegar, and “siling labuyo” or hot chili pepper. But as I get older and older, my stomach starts to resist those peppery dishes. 🌶🥹🌶

Words to my son on his recent marriage.

For Duane and Daiva.

"Planning" for/in marriage isn't really a plan. It's an interplay, an interface of energy--as situations evolve. Mystery to familiarity, enthusiasm to intrigues, excitement of discovery to obligatory boredom--as people around that matter and society moves along, we try to fit in. We don't know how things would play out. It's not an individual ideation anymore. Because of my childhood experience (in a huge family), I never planned to have kids then or even get married or be in a relationship at all.

 

       I was a late bloomer, even in sex. All my relationships essentially evolved from friendship. I didn't know courtship or flirting, believe it or not. I was totally clueless, especially when I was a teenager to my 20s. I wanted to travel and seek the world as a young man. Far away. But life happened when my "first-born," around circumstances that challenged my being more than I rationalized it. 

       And then those were dictatorship  years. I got involved more than I could give. And my life suddenly was different from how I planned it. I tried my best to be what I was as a father and partner but idealism was misunderstood more than realized in those days. I wish I could go back and rework my life. But all I say, I rode with how reality wind was as I held on to my valued principles. 

       But life isn't that way. Never. But we only realize it after the facts. Not before or during. 👩💝👨‍🦰

MORNING THOUGHTS. Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

News: “`'Influencer fatigue' is real and young people are getting tired of it.” What do we expect? They are all over the internet: Facebook, Twitter/X, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, WeChat, Telegram, Snapchat, and many more. True, it’s a “legit” job for mostly the young. Seated 24/7. And “influencing” is bound to be The Job as A.I. implements a.k.a. robots accomplish most of the physical/manual duties. “Future shock” is an understatement. 🤖📱📲

Kiss had sold their catalog etcetera in a deal estimated to be over $300 million. That is not big news. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, and Joni Mitchell are a few of huge names in music who sold their songs. Major reason: “Public domain.” Copyrights are forfeited after 70 years of the license. In most countries, the term expires 70 years after the death of the author. May as well sell them now. Also saves stress from A.I. freely stealing them, anyways. 🎼💲🎼

“NBA player misses free throws so Clippers fans get free chicken.” He is 7’4” Boban Marjanovic. Anyhow, the game was his team’s last for the season since Houston Rockets was already out of the playoffs. The Serbian giant is fun. More famous for his funny TV commercials, he was also in some movies. He is the assassin Ernest who quotes Dante's “Divine Comedy” in “John Wick 3,” who fought Mr Wick (Keanu Reeves) in the NY Public Library. 🍗⛹️🤣

We get older. And I think about my dad, who inherited properties. He could have allotted us, nine children, enough cushion to start the pursuit of life. But dad and mom were consumed with our present then over the future. They instead raised us as it was. Live life. Not perfect. But we evolve in a sense of independence in unity. Tight. Now I see my grown up children. Not perfect but they are individual energies, self-sufficient. What they gained, they worked for them. 🌬🌦☀️

CNN. “Biden unveils new plan to forgive student loan debt for up to 70 percent of borrowers.” Meanwhile, those who already paid their loans after years of 3-jobs toil and those who didn’t go to college will help cover for those billions$ via taxes–while they struggle with mortgage payments, credit card woes, and car dues. Gargantuan taxpayer money, for the meantime, is tossed to two ongoing wars as President Biden’s military aid to his favored side. 😵😵‍💫😵

I always read “Only in America!” and “Only in the Philippines!” and those are negative retorts. Seldom, people post good stuff about their country? Many post the bad to be cool? Really. Or because when people praise their home country, they’d be stereotyped as nationalists or conservatives? Influencers on this side of the political narrative would consign you as evil because you love your country? You see, our country is not necessarily the government. 😧😵😵‍💫

News: “Actress recalls Johnny Depp berating her on set for laughing.” Not that I am saying Johnny is some “good boy.” Yet this same bloated drama is common these days. Kids are told that being castigated by a teacher for undone homework or guilt from being late by 15 minutes to walk a dog means additional dosage of antidepressants. Ah. To think that I was trained by an editor whose famous temper and bad words would make Gordon Ramsay an altar boy. 😼😭😼

Unlike most who obviously enjoy them, I don't share hate memes or insulting GIFs that mostly pertain to partisan politics and religion or Christianity. I don’t also respond (to Facebook chats/posts) with a link to an article although reading stuff online (and offline) is a daily regimen. I don’t deepfake myself. I don't tweet/X or Tiktok. I don't share TMI family dramas or talk about my ex’es. Yet I obviously post a lot on a daily basis. Just being me. 😼😾😼

New York Times: “The Raunchy Christians Are Here.” Really? Although advocates of Christianity in America have dwindled to 210 million or 63 percent (from 90 percent in the 1970s), the global community sees the U.S. as a Christian nation. Yet I get the reasons why many give up the religion. But do we need to malign Christianity per se just because we hate some of the Faithful? Due to the overkill of insults, I see the evil in those who slur than the slurred. ✝️💖☮️

AFP: “`Real threat': Presidential long-shot RFK Jr. alarms Democrats.” Democratic Party hardcores or Joe Biden zealots should ease hate Trump fireballs and instead worry about Bobby Kennedy’s son. The Junior embodies ideals that the Old Left espoused and got lost in the New Left’s blurry paradigm. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s faithful stay solid as rock. And so as Joe loses the Blacks and the young, which he gained in 2020, RFK Jr. could gather those votes for him. 🏛🗽🏛

About Dogs and Cats and their Buddies. And other quick jokes.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

PEW Research says most U.S. parents pass on their religious faith and ideological beliefs to their children. Not me. My most virulent activism years were when my kids were little. I never brought my Leftist angst home but I provided tools (movies, books, music) of their choosing. They evolved into adulthood pretty much different from me yet each shows parts of what I am. Like, my son can go naked on Facebook. Me, I don’t even show my nekkid feet, LOL! 👶👧🧒

WHY do dogs take so much space in bed? Experts say it could be love and affection and a sign that you are part of their pack and family. It could also be dominance and a way for the dog to tell you she's in control of the space and control of you. But if you really want your space back, as I do, Fizz The Wiz, who acts as bedroom President, told me: “You may type up a formal complaint, then we will discuss–you, Arrow, Ching, and me. Let’s do this peacefully and as grownups.” 🐕🛌🐈

DOGS can feel a wide range of emotions, from fear and love to anxiety and contentment. Having a calm dog is something many people wish for, but it is important to remember it's just one of many different behavioral traits and emotions they can display. Just like humans. Just like you and me. Although you don’t have to smell another human’s butt to say “Hello, there!” That is inappropriate. Shake hands. 🐕🐩🐕‍🦺

MOST dogs can't recognize faces on phone screens or tablets. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't FaceTime or Skype with your pets while you're out of town! It won't harm them, and they may even recognize and be comforted by the sound of your voice. Now, have you upgraded your dog’s iPhone? Y’know, iPhone 15? 🐕📲🐕

HUNTING dogs, which are innately interested in moving objects, can get more captivated. Hound Arrow hasn’t been watching dog shows though after she finished these: It’s Bruno, Gunther’s Millions, Pet Stars, Dogs in Space, Phantom Pups, Sharkdog etcetera. Fizz and Ching? Their laptops are set to bird and fish videos, 24/7. In fact, I think we’ll bring Ching to a shrink to treat her bird/fish video addiction. She watches a lot! And I always catch her watching at 4 AM! 🐈📺🐕

HERBAL teas are known to bring calm to daily life. Tea ingredients like rooibos, rose petals, lavender, passionflower, and chamomile reduce stress and mild anxiety when taken in certain doses. My friend Booma is perennially stressed out so she drinks lots of herbal tea but it doesn’t work unless she also smokes lotsa weed. Her “destress” budget for a week or so: $22.80 for tea + $318 marijuana. That’d be excluding insurance-covered antidepressants. True story. 🎋🫖🍃

CAN you teach your dog how to drive a car? Cute, clever, and memorable. What you might not know or might not remember is that there were three dogs that were trained on driving a car and had their moment of unveiling in December of 2012 when they were showcased by driving a car on an outdoor track (the YouTube posted video has amassed millions of views). Now, okay–let me remind you, you are a 7 year old in the body of a 38 year old person. Don’t do that at home!!! 🐕🚘🐕

WHY do dogs steal shoes? Attention seeking. It's a form of play (to them). If still, your dog doesn’t get your attention, she will conspire with the cat to either hide them “Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototypes” and Brunello Cucinelli Cordovan “dress shoes” in the attic or ruin them totally. Totally! Or they will snap a picture of you while you sleep with a wide-open mouth, “decorate” crazy emojis and stickers around it, and post it on Facebook. So pay attention to your dog. (And cat.) 🐕👟🐈

RECENT survey says 42 percent of kids have a phone by age 10. By age 14, cellphone ownership climbs to 91 percent. But that doesn’t really make them smarter. They just learn how to google info as “weapon” to tell you house rules are bad, reading books is incorrect, or dating at 11 years old are fine because that’s what they say in social media; and how to type cryptic words, complete with emojis and enhanced by TikToks. By the time they reach 16 or 17, they’d have their own A.I. versions. 👶📱📲

DOGS do not have the instinctive behaviors of cats per litter box. While many succeed with litter box training, you need to be aware of the risk: some litter box-trained dogs may continue to have "accidents." Fizz The Wiz: “Fake news! Some dogs are smart. Arrow has an IQ of 136. She knows the box isn't hers. You dig? But cats have an IQ average of 256. I explained to Arrow the scientific reasons why she needs to go out for bathroom routine. Besides, she loves snow.” 🐕📦🐈