Great Adventures - Great Reviews!!

 

“Blue Jasper” has recently joined the thousands of books available to readers all over the world.

I am pleased that many are enjoying these stories. 

If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited all my books are free to download.

See Amazon to order your copy.

“Thanks for the copy. 
I was hoping you would share more of the tales of the team as they dodged in and out of the shadows. Wonderful stories. 
I’ve been to Kyiv. The story of visiting Babyn Yar was very moving. I visited the memorial some years after the team. I honored those who had died while at the newer monument.
Oh, Bela. What a story-”Jean M.

“Assassination, chicanery, espionage, deception, fantastic characters, beautiful stories, intriguing locations, and Holy Moly – nonstop action.” James Freeman“Thanks for the advanced copy.
I read all four of your “Life in the Shadows” books. I loved them, wishing for more. 
This collection of short stories, vignettes, is a perfect companion and further look into the characters and their exploits. Well done.” Ralph Cooper

“Some may disagree, but I like how you’ve let the covers convey the mood—no clutter – just Picasso’s Shepard and Smith’s painting of the Red House.
Ok. I loved the stories. I felt like I was walking with Mick, Jack, Walking Bear, and Mahaney.
Oh. After reading “Taipan,” I have determined to never be in the bush in the Cape York Peninsula. My oh my!”J.B.R.

“I loved each story. I laughed at some antics and then cried when I read Emma’s letter.
Nitara was unforgettable. Terrific.” Magdela I.

Walk with the team, Jack, Mick, Walking Bear, and Mahaney, along with support from various agencies, as they confront multiple challenges in this collection of adventures.
Visit Babyn Yar in Kyiv.
Meet Maximón, a Mayan God, as the men take out a troublesome Russian agent.
Meet Glances Twice as she fires an arrow into Walking Bear’s heart.
Nitara, Emma, and Bela are special memories that readers will hold in their hearts.

Reviewed by JV
5.0 out of 5 stars on Amazon – January

 Unexpected setting in Guatemala

Reviewed in the United States 

“Good book for fans of espionage and intricate plot lines. I was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected setting in Guatemala, which added an intriguing layer to the narrative. The author’s attention to operational details and espionage tactics is impressively thorough, making the story both authentic and captivating. It’s a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat, with its well-crafted characters and masterful storytelling.”

Why Isn’t the Price of Oil Even Higher?

 

Paul Krugman -13 August 2026

"Donald Trump is not a well man. He is, unfortunately, also President, which means that we all pay a price for his inability to accept reality. Notably, while he insists that he has “total control over the Strait of Hormuz,” shipments of oil through the Strait will remain minimal unless Trump can find a way to smuggle oil out in catering carts — or until he makes a deal with Iran. And we won’t have such a deal until he faces up to the reality that he lost his war of choice.

The Hormuz closure means, in turn, that oil prices — which briefly fell most of the way back to prewar levels on hopes that a deal was really coming — will remain high for the foreseeable future. Here’s the price of Brent crude:

Source: Trading economics

But here’s the puzzle: Why aren’t oil prices even higher? They were over $100 a barrel before markets began betting on an end to the war, so why aren’t they back above $100 again? Also, why are they “only” about $25 a barrel above prewar levels, when many analysts — myself included — suggested that they might go much higher?

A large part of the answer is that oil prices actually are higher — if you look at the right numbers.

Today’s post will be short and wonkish, because I’ve been overwhelmed with real-life responsibilities. I have had enough time, however, to put together a few charts.

So, what do I mean by looking at the right numbers? Nobody burns crude oil directly. Instead, they burn products refined from crude, mainly gasoline and diesel. And these prices, after falling for a while on fake news of peace, are back most of the way to their recent peaks. Here, for example, are wholesale diesel prices:

Source: Haver Analytics

The difference between the price of a barrel of crude and the price of the products refined from that barrel — the “crack spread” — has exploded, rising about $35/barrel since the eve of the war:

Source: RBN Energy

So while the price of a barrel of crude is up around $25, the price of the products refined from that barrel is up about 25+35=60 dollars per barrel, putting it in the range of middle of the road predictions of what would happen as a result of a long-term Hormuz closure.

Why has the crack spread widened so much? The main answer is that a lot of the world’s refining capacity is either trapped inside the Strait or offline as a result of Ukraine’s drone campaign against Vladimir Putin. So it’s not all about Iran. Indeed, one indicator of how much the other war matters is that JD Vance reportedly had to plead with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt attacks on oil tankers using the Russian port of Novorossiysk.

The shortage of refining capacity has, in turn, held crude prices down: Buyers aren’t willing to pay extremely high prices for crude oil they can’t refine. Or to put it a different but equivalent way, the cutoff of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz in effect required a large rise in global oil prices to ration demand, but much of that rationing has taken place through a rise in the crack spread rather than a rise in crude oil prices.

What does all this mean for the United States? Most immediately, inflation — which was held down for the last two months by falling fuel prices — is set to rise again in next month’s data. And everyone can see that gasoline is back above $4 and diesel back above $5.

So those obsessed with the midterm elections — which means everyone who is paying attention to the crisis of American democracy — should realize that the blue line at the bottom of this chart this is unlikely to turn around significantly before November:

2% of the State of Washington has Burned!!!!

Kai Uyehara

Seattle Times breaking news reporter

WA’s third-worst fire season in past 20 years burns 1,125 square miles

Three wildfires across the state are burning more than 100,000 acres each, as Washington experiences the third worst fire season it has had in the past 20 years. 

More than 720,000 acres, or 1,125 square miles, have burned this year so far, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, putting it behind record years in 2015 and 2020, said the state’s Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Thomas Kyle-Milward. 

The figure represents nearly 2% of the state’s total land area. There are still about two months left for the state’s fire season.

On Monday, more than 555,000 acres, or nearly 900 square miles, were on fire across the state among dozens of large wildfires, the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center said. 

But despite the sheer acreage burning, fireside communities are seeing evacuation orders reduced. A strong system midweek could bring gustier winds and thunderstorms but also showers, cooler temperatures and higher humidity in Northern Washington, which has seen heavy fire activity, fire officials said.

Evacuation orders have been downgraded to Level 1, “Get ready to leave,” around the trio of wildfires in Spokane, after the Old Trails, Autumn Lane and Fairview fires tore through more than 900 structures and caused more than 60,000 people to evacuate. 

Areas in and around the fire’s path of devastation are still under Level 3 evacuation orders, the Spokane County sheriff’s office said. For those returning home, the city warned residents to wear personal protective equipment and offered guidelines on what to do once they reenter their homes. 

The Autumn Lanes fire, the biggest of the three, was the most under control on Monday with 73% containment at 5,776 acres or 9 square miles, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. The Old Trails and Fairview fires were both 53% contained at 3,176 and 992 acres respectively. 

South of Spokane in Malden in Whitman County, where the Wells Road fire sparked up over the weekend, immediate evacuation orders were downgraded to level 2 “Be ready” to leave, and level 2 orders in Rosalia were downgraded to level 1, according to the fire management team.

The Wells Road fire was 0% contained at about 2,000 acres Sunday evening, the management team said. Fire crews were aiding the fire in natural progression as it consumed interior islands and old burn scar areas, six years after the Babb Road fire destroyed 80% of the homes in Malden in 2020. 

Northwest of Spokane, evacuation orders were also reduced around the Sinlahekin fire which was 42% contained at 141,411 acres, or about 220 square miles, on Monday morning. Residents are still asked to be ready to evacuate if conditions change. 

Further northwest, near the Canadian border and 20 miles outside of Mazama in Okanogan County, the Ptarmigan fire grew moderately to 23,467 acres or about 36 square miles by Monday morning and was 8% contained, according to the fire management team. The blaze was stared by lightning.

Though no one has been evacuated because of the fire, parts of the Okanogan‑Wenatchee National Forest are closed including Harts Pass Road at Monument Creek Trailhead and the Pacific Crest Trail from the West Fork Methow Trail to the Canadian border, the management team said. The public is asked to avoid Forest Service Road 5200. 

Also near the Canadian border, a couple dozen miles west near Ross Lake, the Border 2 fire was burning 10,582 acres or 16 square miles on Monday, according to the North Cascades National Park Service Complex, growing thousands of acres since Friday. 

Several hiking trails and campgrounds were closed in response. 

Heading south, 30 miles northwest of Leavenworth, the Little Giant fire reached 111,429 acres, or about 170 square miles, on Monday and was 2% contained after burning for nearly a month and causing 255 people to evacuate. 

Cure Cancer Faster!!! Obiteride 2026 - 8 August 2026 with Photos

 Obliteride is an annual community bike ride and 5K walk/run in Seattle that raises money for the Fred Hutch Cancer Center. The "26" refers to the 2026 event, which takes place on Saturday, August 8, 2026, starting at the University of Washington and ending at Gas Works Park. 100% of participant-raised funds go toward cancer research, prevention, and cures.

Fred Hutch Cancer Center unites innovative research and compassionate care to prevent and eliminate cancer and infectious disease. We’re driven by the urgency of our patients, the hope of our community and our passion to pursue discoveries, scientific breakthroughs and healthier lives for every person in every community. 

Options: Participants can choose cycling routes of 25, 50, or 100 miles, or join a 5K walk/run.

Impact: Over its history, the movement has raised tens of millions of dollars for breakthrough cancer innovations at Fred Hutch.

Best Ever Song for Cancer Patients

 

            Keep Going - Jada Monroe

ICE Comes to the Neighborhood - Wedgwood in Seattle

ICE roared into sleepy Wedgwood, Seattle, this morning to take a fella who told the crowd he was here legally.

Fortunately, an immigration support group was given his name and phone number, which he was able to share before being taken away to God knows where for God knows what kind of treatment.

Great reaction from a crowd of about fifty who were very vocal on ICE’s actions, their wearing of masks, and driving vehicles with no license plates.

One brave young woman pulled her car in front of one of the ICE vehicles to block it from cowardly disappearing. 

They prevailed, and off he went...

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote in The Gulag Archipelago about secret police coming at night: 

“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family?” 

 

How China Won the Iran War

 

Paul Krugman - 3 August 2026

"Make America Great Again? Hah. Donald Trump has weakened us with astonishing speed. Under his “leadership” America’s influence, reputation and credibility have peeled away like the liner in the Reflecting Pool.

The disintegration of U.S. power was well underway before Trump started his war on Iran, but the pace of decline has accelerated sharply since the magnitude of our defeat started becoming apparent.

And when future historians write about this tale of self-immolation, they may well do so in Mandarin.

China hasn’t been a direct combatant in the third Gulf war, and its support for Iran has, until recently, been discreet. (China is now reportedly preparing to send Iran advanced munitions — Phillips O’Briensuggests that it is “going in for the kill.”) But China has clearly relished our humiliation. And both the way the war has played out and China’s role have drastically shifted the global balance of power in China’s favor.

China has been a serious geopolitical rival to the United States for some time. China’s manufacturing sector overtook the US in 2010, and the gap has continued to grow (I’ll explain the line labeled “US+EU” shortly):

And China’s role as the workshop of the world inevitably gives it a great deal of geopolitical influence.

However, there were a number of factors that, two years ago, arguably still gave an America a power advantage despite China’s economic weight and manufacturing prowess. These factors included:

· America still led the world in science and cutting-edge technology

· The U.S. military appeared to have vastly better weapons and leadership than any other nation’s

· The dollar’s dominant role in international transactions gave the United States enormous financial clout, including the ability to cut other nations out of the global payments system

· Above all, the U.S. wasn’t alone. We were the leader of history’s most successful alliance system, nations bound together not just by mutual interests but by shared democratic values

Yet Trump and his lackeys have quickly squandered all of these advantages.

A great deal has been written about the Trump administration’s attack on science, which is a topic largely separate from the Iran war. As one recent discussion put it, Trump officials

have orchestrated a series of attacks on scientists and their laboratories, implemented through funding cuts, grant interruptions, and immigration restrictions. Scientists are gravitating to Canada, Europe, and China, and we are rapidly losing the depth of our innovative and essential scientific community.

The undermining of other U.S. sources of strength was also underway before the Iran war, but the war has accelerated the downward spiral.

Even before the bombing of Iran began, some observers worried about the state of the U.S. military. Had U.S. military leaders adapted to the new world — revealed by the war in Ukraine — of cheap, ubiquitous drones? How much damage had the pro-testosterone, anti-intellectual leadership of Pete Hegseth already done? Now we know the answers to these questions, and America’s military reputation has nose-dived.

Oh, and as a December 2025 report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies points out, a Chinese supply chain underpins “the architecture of modern drone warfare.”

America’s dollar-linked financial power has also sharply declined. True, as I wrote a month ago, “The dollar’s role as the dominant currency for ordinary business is not under threat.” However, the war has demonstrated that, thanks in large part to China’s underlying economic power, America’s ability to weaponize the dollar has been greatly reduced:

Iran was able to continue selling oil (until the U.S. temporarily imposed a military blockade) and buying essential imports, despite U.S. financial sanctions, by taking payment in yuan and using those yuan to buy Chinese goods. Ships that paid Iran for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz also paid in yuan (or in cryptocurrency, whose only real use case remains criminal activity.) The details are complicated, but using yuan essentially allows those designated by the U.S. government as rogue actors to fly under our financial radar.

Finally, the war has really put the nail in the coffin of the U.S.-centered alliance system.

America’s alliances have been a fundamental source of global strength since World War II. The line labeled “US+EU” in the chart on manufacturing value added is an indication of how much these alliances used to strengthen us: It shows that even now the US and the democracies of the European Union combined produce more manufactured goods than China, a lead that would be larger if I included the UK, Japan, Canada, etc.

But Trump began torpedoing our alliances on day one. Discussions of the Trump tariffs, even critical ones, don’t emphasize enough the fact that every one of these tariffs broke international agreements made by the United States in the past. So Trumpian tariff policy, by itself, was an announcement to the world that agreements with the U.S. government are worthless. Add to this the demands that Canada become the 51^ststate, that Denmark hand over Greenland, and so on, and America had thoroughly lost the trust of its former friends even before the Iran war.

Then came the war. And in the past five months the U.S. has shown itself both erratic and ineffectual. Trump launched a war that, in addition to creating death and destruction, cut off much of the world’s oil supply without so much as consulting other nations. Once the war began, America proved both incapable of imposing its will on Iran and unable either to open the Strait of Hormuz or to protect regional allies.

So now the world neither trusts nor fears us. The chart at the top of this post, drawn from the Pew survey of global attitudes, shows views of the US and China in multiple countries. Even many of our oldest allies, the nations that helped us win World War II and the Cold War, now have a more favorable opinion of China than they do of us.

Let’s be clear: The end of U.S. leadership and China’s growing geopolitical ascendancy are bad things. China is a corrupt autocracy, with little respect for human rights and none at all for democratic values.

But people around the world have concluded that the Chinese are serious people, and that we are not. So America lost the war — and China won."

A Modest Proposal for Democratic Presidental Hopefuls

How does this sound?

Let’s say that there are five or six of you vying to be President in 2028.

You all meet, now, August 2026, confer, argue, and agree among yourselves to hit the road together, tour America, and share your collective plans for fixing the jackpot we find ourselves in at present.

This could be the most popular road show ever!!!!

Don’t upstage, don’t command, don’t showboat - talk collectively on the plans you agree on, going so far as to express precisely what you’re going to do.

Focus, and speak to, how you are going to help lift the challenges of inflation, health care, housing, education, etc., zeroing in on exact solutions, including raising taxes to furnish Americans with the peace of mind that they have a future.

For instance: ( just a couple of ideas/examaples )

We will return the 40 billion-plus and the 86% of programs eliminated by the Trump administration from USAID.

We will re-fund Biomedical Grants: Competitive grants awarded by the NIH dropped by more than half during the administration’s push, reducing support for thousands of active scientific and medical projects. 

Support Disease and Demographic Fields: Major disease areas and targeted study fields saw sharp reductions, including a 31% drop in newly funded projects related to women’s health, alongside cuts to cancer and mental health research. 

Support Global and Infectious Disease Programs: International initiatives, such as USAID and PEPFAR HIV/AIDS treatment and research sites, faced widespread closures and funding terminations. 

Of course there are a lot of other issues. Gaza, Ukraine, NATO, etc. etc., but stick to domestic issues as much as possible.

Okay, I suggest you all agree on Cabinet positions. 

Example: Talk to Jack Smith to ensure he wants to be AG. If he does, you all agree to give him that position?

You can see where this is going... figure this out now, and, if able, name the people you want to work with in 2029.

Let America see your plans.

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”

We Have the Power to Make Changes!!! - “Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” Cherokee Nation

Quite a while before now, I lived in Moscow, Russia. I was there when the godless communists were in charge of every layer of society. 

Everybody worked, everybody had medical care, everybody had housing, and everybody spent endless hours slogging through their days in pursuit of basic staples at the state-run shops. Everybody carried a “just in case” bag in case a particular product popped up for sale.  Men usually carried mostly empty briefcases and women carried string bags, “just in case.”

Everybody was extremely cautious about expressing opinions, as the legacy of informers and punishment had touched most people directly or indirectly. Everywhere, and I mean everywhere, Lenin looked down from building facades, from park and square pedestals, and up from the money in your hand.  

“Lenin lived, Lenin lives and Lenin will live,” called out to remind the citizens that their sacrifice for the motherland was well worth the few challenges. 

I didn’t think the Russian people would ever demand a better life! 

I traveled through the wall in Berlin confident that the East Germans would never give up that slice of power.

I read about Nelson Mandela feeling secure in my oft-voiced opinion that he would die in prison. I never thought Idi Amin Dada would be chased from his murderous ways in Uganda. I never thought peace would come to Northern Ireland. 

Well, I was wrong about all those closely held beliefs.

 

When I walk along the parade in Fremont, a Seattle neighborhood, looking at a statue of Lenin, I can only shake my head in wonderment, as his step down in history was an impossible consideration when I walked various streets across the Soviet Empire. 

I hear a lot of talk today that we are in an impossible situation here in America. Yes, we have challenges, but we also have opportunities few referenced above ever had - we can speak up!

We can organize. 

We can call on elected officials, reminding them of who they work for- 

We have the right to run for office or support any candidate. 

Most importantly, we can educate ourselves rather than being fed government speak!   

Times change.  

Don’t look back wishing you had done something.