Sherpa 2010-2024

This might be the most unusual post that I've ever published.  I've made many obituary posts over the years, but not for any of our furry companions.  Sherpa was a dog that I have watched on YouTube since early 2022, who lived in the English county of Cornwall.  He was named after the people who live in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet, and are known for hauling supplies up Mount Everest, although not all of them are involved in such mountaineering.  According to a DNA test, he was half Siberian husky and half Alaskan malamute.

Sherpa's human (or "hooman", as it's sometimes spelled), known as Jamie, set up two channels, named Sherpa and Sherpa's Day, the latter being used for longer videos.  Jamie recorded their home life, interactions with friends, and travels around Great Britain.  He would often have Sherpa pose in front of a landmark such as a cathedral or a statue, and get a still photo.  They were successful enough online that from time to time, they would encounter people who recognized them from their videos.  "Hey, it's Sherpa", we would sometimes hear.  Sherpa was very friendly and quite vocal, although he seemed to have lost his voice late in life.

When I started watching Sherpa, he was already several months past his 11th birthday, so I knew that he wouldn't be around for too much longer.  He lived a total of 13 years and 9 months, a pretty good run for a large breed dog.  I'll spare you the details, but earlier this month, his condition deteriorated to the point where putting him to sleep was the most merciful thing that could be done.  Since then, some tributes to him have been posted on YouTube, which shows that many people, of which I am merely one, have been saddened by his passing.  As someone noted in the YouTube comments, a dog will give you a thousand of your best days, and then one of your worst.  Too see Sherpa, click on the two links above and browse around.

Saturday Stuff

As I rest here in my undisclosed location, here are some things going on:

From National Review, the mental gymnastics over President Biden and Vice President Harris.

From FrontpageMag, the FBI wants to interview former President Trump about his almost assassination.

From Townhall, the FBI finally admits something about the attempt to assassinate Trump that we already knew was true.

From The Washington Free Beacon, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has an uneasy path to peace.

From the Washington Examiner, Harris polls better than Biden against Trump in some swing states.

From The Federalist, the media don't want you to know the corruption involved with Harris's affair with California politician Willie Brown (D).  (As far as I'm concerned, if Trump's alleged affairs with women such as Stormy Daniels are fair game, then so is Harris's affair with Brown.)

From American Thinker, Hezbollah kills 10 Israeli Druze civilians.

From NewsBusters, the media try to cover up Harris's assignment as "border czar".

From TCW Defending Freedom, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has taught new U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer how to ruin a country.  (Perhaps appropriately, my spellchecker rejects both their last names.)

From Snouts in the Trough, U.K. energy secretary Ed Miliband seeks to reduce energy bills by making energy cost more.

From The Jerusalem Post, a Palestinian man stops three anti-Israel protesters from disrupting a performance of The Trial of Eichmann in New York City.  (The play is about Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi official who helped organize the Holocaust.)

From OpIndia, a man in Pakistan allegedly chops off his daughter's legs when she seeks a divorce from her abusive husband.

From Gatestone Institute, the Biden administration is empowering the Houthi terrorists in Yemen.

From The American Conservative, Trump is right to pull out of debates with Harris.

From BizPac Review, congresscritter Dean Phillips (D-Min) takes a victory lap after being proven right about Biden.

From the Daily Caller, Trump plans to play at his rally in Minnesota a video of then-Senator Harris (D-Cal) pushing for bail money for criminals.

From the New York Post, New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) signs an order to stop a ban on solitary confinement in the city's jails.

From Breitbart, congresscritter Dan Kildee (D-Mich) has his own take on Harris's previous call to defund police.

From Newsmax, according to former acting Department of Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf, Harris's inattention to the border is "almost unforgivable".

And from SFGate, an overlooked trail in Yosemite National Park has some of its best views.

Lake Laura

Today I got a bit of sunshine and exercise around Lake Laura, which is within the limits of a place named Basye.  The lake extends roughly northeast to southwest, with a dam at the northeast end.  A short walk connects a parking lot to the top of the dam, which is seen here.

Friday Phenomena From The Middle Of Nowhere

Once again I have scampered off to an undisclosed location, this one somewhere in the mountains of northwestern Virginia.  Let's just say that whoever coined the phrase "middle of nowhere" might have passed through this area.  Naturally, travel reports will come in due course.  Meanwhile, here are a few things going on:

From National Review, former President Trump did not back out of a debate scheduled for September, President Biden did.

From Townhall, what Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu when he visited Mar-a-Lago.

From the Washington Examiner, congresscritter and former White House doctor Ronny Jackson (R-TX) puts out a letter confirming that Trump was shot in the ear.

From The Federalist, Blacksburg, Virginia Town Councilman Liam Watson (D) is arrested for alleged election fraud and illegal voting.

From American Thinker, her pro-Israel platitudes notwithstanding, Vice President Harris is really pro-Iran and pro-Hamas.

From TCW Defending Freedom, will U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer bring "assisted dying" to the U.K.?

From Gatestone Institute, why "moderate" Muslim Ed Husain can't honestly discuss Muslim hatred for Jews.

From The Stream, the house built by Democrats with their DEI.

From The American Conservative, the Democrat narrative about Harris is different from her record.

From The Daily Wire, Harris's niece teams up with fake female Dylan Mulvaney to produce a one-man show with a vulgar name.

From the Daily Caller, Trump announces that he will hold another rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

From Breitbart, actress Jennifer Aniston wrongly claims that Senator and vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance (R-OH) wants to ban in-vitro fertilization.

And from the Genesius Times, to secure the endorsement of former President Obama, Harris sacrifices two babies to the ancient deity Moloch.

A Few More Thursday Things

Besides the previously posted vandalism in Washington, D.C., here are a few things going on:

From FrontpageMag, the website Politico worries about Senator (R-OH) and vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance's views on gender.

From Townhall, with President Biden deciding not to run for reelection, Russia is "suddenly" open to peace talks with Ukraine.

From The Washington Free Beacon, Princeton University is ready to promote a professor who helped anti-Israel protesters occupy a campus building.

From The Federalist, Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark) introduces a bill to deport who deface monuments in the U.S.

From American Thinker, blame the shooter, not the rhetoric.

From TCW Defending Freedom, the BBC is surprised by heat waves in India.

From Voice Of Europe, climate protesters disrupt airports in Frankfurt, Germany and Oslo, Norway.  (Are they ready to try that in Beijing, China?)

From Gatestone Institute, the real reason why Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th.

From The Stream, highlights from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech to the U.S. Congress.

From The American Conservative, Vice President and presidential candidate Harris is reportedly vetting 12 possible running mates.

And from the New York Post, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) apologizes to Mountain Dew after mocking the aforementioned J.D. Vance for his taste for it.

Vandalism In Front Of Union Station

Earlier today during my wandering around, I got to pass through Union Station in Washington, D.C., where a bunch of anti-Israel protesters had defaced some nearby structures.  Although a cleaning crew had removed most of the damage, some of the vandalism could still be seen.  If you look closely, you can see it on this replica of the Liberty Bell.  One entrance of Union Station is in the background.

Wednesday Wanderings

On a warm and cloudy Wednesday, here are some things going on:

From National Review, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray, the would-be Trump assassin researched the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

From FrontpageMag and the "what a concept!" department, how about letting the voters decide?

From Townhall, with their lies and incompetence, Democrats "make conspiracy theories great again".

From The Washington Free Beacon, congresscritter Madeleine Dean (D-PA) meets with supporters Hamas and then boycotts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to congress.

From the Washington Examiner, three Democrats decline to become Vice President Harris's running mate, one of whom is my governor.

From The Federalist, Democrats try to force illegal aliens on the town known for the "headless horseman".  (For anyone unfamiliar with this infamous equestrian, Wiki has a brief summary of his story.)

From American Thinker, democracy is indeed under attack, but not from former President Trump.

From MRCTV, Senator Socialism (I-VT) calls the aforementioned Benjamin Netanyahu a "war criminal".

From NewsBusters, fact-checkers alleged that Harris was never a "border czar".  (I suppose you could say that she was given that designation but never really did anything to protect the border.)

From Canada Free Press, as a certain saying goes, Democrats go "from the frying pan into the fire".

From TeleSUR, Venezuela activates a security plan for its elections.

From TCW Defending Freedom, a speech from new U.K. parliamentcritter Nigel Farage.

From Snouts in the Trough, Harris's deification has begun.

From EuroNews, ecologists are outraged as the Slovak government allows the killing of several dozen "problem" bears.

From Voice Of Europe, an Islamic center in Hamburg, Germany is shut down for alleged radical activities.

From ReMix, a German court rules that Syria is a safe country, which could enable deportation of Syrian migrants in Germany.  (Considering that Syria has been a cluster[bleep] for over a decade, I find this development hard to believe.)

From Balkan Insight, the Greek Council of State approves a previous court decision to extradite a wanted Turkish businessman.

From The North Africa Post, Morocco and Burkina Faso sign a military cooperation agreement.

From The New Arab, Human Rights Watch condemns the UAE's "abusively fast" trial of 57 Bangladeshi defendants for protesting.  (What is this "freedom of speech" you speak of?)

From The Jerusalem Post, the terrorist group Hezbollah has become a problem - in Brazil.

From RAIR Foundation USA, terrorists threaten the Paris Olympics.

From Gatestone Institute, the Biden administration gives $100 million more to terrorists.

From The Stream, why Islam was, is and will always be the "most formidable and persistent enemy" that Western civilization has ever had.

From The Daily Signal, maggots are released onto a table at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., where Netanyahu's delegation is staying.

From The American Conservative, California Republicans warn the whole country about a Kamala Harris presidency.

From The Western Journal, Trump shows off his golf skills.

From BizPac Review, the would-be Trump assassin reportedly got off 8 shots before being killed.

From The Daily Wire, Democrats and the media "sound the alarm" on Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D) due to his support for Israel.

From the Daily Caller, Democrats going to their convention in Chicago might encounter some illegal aliens.  (Considering that Democrats generally have no problem with illegal immigration, this meeting might be rather appropriate.)

From the New York Post, two Christian universities invite Jewish students to enroll at their campuses amid anti-Israel protests.

From Breitbart, 17 facts showing that Harris is on the far left.

From Newsmax, police have to use pepper spray to keep anti-Netanyahu protesters in line.

And from The Babylon Bee, Democrats flee the U.S. Capitol building in terror as a visiting Jew stands up to give a speech.

Tuesday Tidbits

Now that I'm getting back towards feeling like myself again, here are some things going on:

From National Review, Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle resigns.

From FrontpageMag, who is Vice President/former Senator (D-Cal)/former state Attorney General Harris?

From Townhall, Republicans should not overthink the case against Harris, because it's straightforward.

From The Washington Free Beacon, a transgender health group claims that hormones and surgeries were "medically necessary" in order for insurance companies to cover them.

From the Washington Examiner, protesters planning to march to the Democratic National Convention still intend to do so despite President Biden dropping out of the presidential race.

From The Federalist, the top 30 reasons why Harris "would be a terrible president".

From American Thinker, despite their alleged "disarray", the Democrats have one thing that the Republicans don't.

From MRCTV, Biden and Harris snub visiting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

From NewsBusters, the worst moments from CBS after Biden announced that he's not running for reelection.

From Canada Free Press, the Democrat leadership has turned Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. into a ghost.

From TeleSUR, according to Spanish writer Ignacio Ramonet, Venezuela's electoral system has made fraud impossible.

From TCW Defending Freedom, get your tickets for the Jam for Freedom Festival.

From Snouts in the Trough, as SitT warned the people of the U.K. a while back, the government is coming for their pensions.

From Arutz Sheva, a female terrorist who disguised herself as a paramedic is killed by an IDF strike in Tulkarem, West Bank.

From Gatestone Institute, no, the Islamic conquest of Palestine starting in 634 A.D. was not a "liberation".

From The Stream, why placing term limits on the Supreme Court is impossible, but desired by the left anyway.

From The Daily Signal, the Republican National Convention misses an opportunity.

From The American Conservative, "the great immigration experiment" has failed.

From The Western Journal, the violent Marxist group Black Lives Matter is not pleased with the Democratic Party nominating Vice President Harris for president.

From BizPac Review, Democrats prepare to give Harris the presidential nomination before holding their national convention.  (Formalities, who needs formalities?)

From The Daily Wire, an elderly supporter of former President Trump is attacked in Hancock, Michigan and is in critical condition.

From the Daily Caller, Harris painfully tries to tie herself to pop star Charli XCX.

From the New York Post, Pennsylvania police take some of the blame for the attempted Trump assassination, but point out that protecting him was the Secret Service's job.

From Breitbart, Harris's staff has had a 92 percent turnover since she became vice president.

From Newsmax, congresscritter Elise Stefanik (R-NY) introduces a resolution "strongly condemning" Harris's role as "border czar".

And from Fox 5 Atlanta, reports of the death of former President Carter have been greatly exaggerated.

Back From The Hospital - Again

It seems that I've had another medical episode, but now I'm again back home.

While at the hospital, I learned that President Biden has decided against running for a second term, which is what President Lyndon Johnson did in 1968.  The Democrats will have to decide whether to nominate Vice President Harris in his place or pick some other candidate.  Either way, this year's presidential race just got a bit more interesting.

Blogging might be light for the next few days as I recollect myself.  See youz soon.

Thursday Tidings

On a not-too-warm and cloudy Thursday, here are some things going on:

From National Review, six beaches in Nantucket, Massachusetts are closed after a blade brakes off a bird chopper, sending pieces of fiberglass into the Atlantic Ocean.

From FrontpageMag, the left is "the mother of big lies".

From Townhall, the real reason why former President Trump choose Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) to be his vice presidential running mate.

From The Washington Free Beacon, Vance easy exceeds the low bar set by Vice President Harris.

From the Washington Examiner, President Biden will earn more after he leaves office than while in office.

From The Federalist, why would any legitimate Democrat presidential prospect jump into this year's race, should Biden drop out?

From American Thinker, the "bookends" from JFK to Trump.

From MRCTV, the U.S. military scraps the "national embarrassment" of the Gaza pier after four months.

From NewsBusters, MSNBC host Joy Reid calls Biden coming down with the coronavirus the "same thing" as Trump getting shot.

From Canada Free Press, there are "too many unanswered questions" about the attempt to assassinate Trump.

From TeleSUR, Venezuelan women's organizations express their support for President Nicolás Maduro.

From TCW Defending Freedom, doctors admit that a 26-year-old man who died after receiving a coronavirus vaccination was not correctly informed about the risk.

From Snouts in the Trough, Biden's doctor calls him "a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male".

From EuroNews, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wins reelection.

From Voice Of Europe, Slovakia and Hungary stop receiving oil from the Russia producer Lukoil due to Ukraine's ban on transporting Russian energy products though its territory.

From ReMix, two migrants who tried to enter Poland illegally from Belarus successfully sue the Polish Border Guard over their injuries.

From Balkan Insight, Albanian parliamentcritters pass a declaration asking Greece to abolish the law declaring war between the two countries, which was made in 1940.  (At the time, Albania was occupied by Italy.)

From The North Africa Post, the E.U. is asked to increase its financial aid to North Africa to help deal with its migration crisis.

From The New Arab, according to police, the attackers at the Shiite mosque in Muscat, Oman were Omani citizens.

From RAIR Foundation USA, Islamic threats target a church in Paris and a statue of Mary is knifed in the throat.

From Gatestone Institute, the Israeli response to terrorism.

From The Stream, a Catholic Cardinal restores an excommunicated anti-fascist priest who had shamed the church's alliance with Italian dictator Mussolini.

From The Daily Signal, author and radio host Sebastian Gorka reminds Americans of what Biden said he would do if he disagreed with former President Obama.

From The American Conservative, Vance is a "foreign policy realist".

From The Western Journal, retired neurosurgeon and former HUD Secretary Ben Carson shows how every Democrat scheme has backfired in Trump's favor.

From BizPac Review, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), convicted of bribery charges, denies claims that he will resign.

From The Daily Wire, Speaker Johnson (R-LA) calls on Biden to fire Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.

From the Daily Caller, retired professional wrestler Hulk Hogan will reportedly speak at the Republican National Convention before Trump accepts its presidential nomination.

From Breitbart, Vance points out that America is not just an idea, but a nation of citizens.

From Newsmax, a federal appeals court blocks Biden's latest attempt at student loan bailouts debt relief.

And from the New York Post, according to the owner of a boutique in Lenoir City, Tennessee, the Biden campaign sign above her store has not been good for business.