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1. Bindu's Corner: Bindu gets us started this week with a poem by Swami Vivekananda, written on July 4th, 1898, praising liberty and the freedom of mankind.
2. Volcanoes: The spectacular eruption of Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala earlier this week was caught on video and live-streamed on YouTube.
3. The Outdoors: I have some photos from Michael and Mikey's fly fishing excursion last weekend and some info on getting started in the sport.
4. Sharks: for an upcoming episode in Discovery Channel's Shark Week, a wildlife biologist went diving alongside two massive 35 to 40 foot basking sharks off the coast of Massachuttes.
5. The Next Gen: William George was interviewed on a recent episode of The Hinrich Foundation Trade Podcast to discuss the impact the Strait of Hormuz blockade has had on Asian nations.
6. America Turns 250: During the keynote speech at last weekends Salute to America 250 on the National Mall President Trump honored over 200 veterans and 11 Gold Star family members.
7. Reaching High: Iris Pessey, a French climber set a new women's record for the ascent of Western Europe's highest peak, Mont Blanc.
8. Bragging Rights: This week, I have a brag of my own: I celebrated my 78th birthday with my two favorite men on the planet.
9. Hayward M. Fox, Ph.D.: This week, I have another video featuring Dr. Fox from the Institute of Personal and Transpersonal Knowledge.
10. Bonus Video: Michaels Favorite Dance
| | Now, to this week's Flock. | | 1. Bindu's Corner: Swami Vivekananda | | Swami Vivekananda penned the following poem on July 4th, 1898, to commemorate the United States' independence as a universal milestone in the progress of human freedom, while also expressing his own aspirations for India's eventual self-governance and release from British colonial rule. | |
2. Volcanoes: Volcán de Fuego
| | The Volcán de Fuego in the Sierra Madre mountains near Antigua, Guatemala, one of the most active volcanoes in Central America, erupted spectacularly earlier this week. Watch the video below for an eruption that rivals any fireworks display. | | |
Volcán de Fuego (Spanish for "Volcano of Fire", often shortened to Fuego) or Chi Q'aq' (Kaqchikel for "where the fire is") is an active stratovolcano in Guatemala, on the borders of Chimaltenango, Escuintla and Sacatepéquez departments.
Part of the mountain range of the Sierra Madre, the volcano sits about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) west of Antigua, one of Guatemala's most famous cities and a tourist destination. It has erupted frequently, most recently in June and November 2018, 23 September 2021, 11 December 2022, 4 May 2023, and 4 June 2025.
Fuego is famous for being almost constantly active at a low level. Small explosions of gas and ash occur every 15 to 20 minutes, but larger eruptions are less frequent. Andesite and basalt lava types dominate.
The volcano is joined with Acatenango volcano to its north and collectively the complex is known as La Horqueta. Between Fuego and Acatenango is La Meseta, a scarp marking the remains of an older volcano that collapsed around 8,500 years ago. Fuego volcano started to grow after the collapse of La Meseta.
| | Jul 6, 2026: Yes, this happened last night... | | 3. The Outdoors: Fly Fishing in Aspen | | This last weekend, while the family was together in Aspen, Michael and Mikey had some father-son time on and in the Roaring Fork River, getting a little fly fishing in. In fly fishing, part of the goal is to get in tune with the flow of nature around you and gently cast out decoys, called flies, that mimic the local insects that fish, especially trout, feed on. Below, I have an article and a video that will cover the basics of getting started with fly fishing. | | “Fly-fishing isn’t just about catching fish. It’s about the cast, the drift, the connection with the water, and the respect for the life that thrives beneath the surface.”
— Unknown Author | | “There’s no taking trout with dry breeches”
— Miguel de Cervantes | | “A trout is a moment of beauty known only to those who seek it.”
— Arnold Gingrich | | Fishing 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Fly Fishing | | |
Just like most people, I started fishing with a spinning rod. I still like to use spinning tackle in some situations, but the majority of my fishing is now done with a fly rod. I will be the first to admit that fishing with a spinning rod is a lot simpler, usually cheaper, and often more successful. So why fly fish?
The answer to that question is different for everyone. But there’s something about fishing with flies that seems to provide a more intimate connection to the fish and to the water you are fishing. Delicately landing an imitation fly above a feeding fish and enticing it to eat it is one of the most rewarding feelings an angler can have. In addition, fighting and landing a fish on a fly rod is more challenging and exciting, partly because the fish is hooked on a small, single hook, and it takes some finesse to bring it in. During the fight, you’ll feel every surge, leap, and turn of the fish as the movement is transmitted through the flexible rod to your hands. It’s a great rush!
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What You’ll Need
Flyfishing gear may look complicated (and it can be), but there are really only a few basic things you need to get started: a fly rod, a reel, a line, and a few basic flies. It’s very important that the reel, rod, and line are of matching weights. The “weight” of a fly rod denotes the overall strength or size of the rod. Smaller-weight rods are better for smaller fish, so a 3-weight, for example, is a great choice for small trout and panfish, while an 8-weight rod is used for large trout, bass, or salmon. A 5-weight rod (which is a good all-round choice for most fishing) should be matched with a 5-weight reel and line.
| | Learn to Fly Fish in One Video — A Complete Beginner's Journey! | | Mickey Finn Black Nose Dace Black Ghost Grey Ghost | | The flies themselve can be small works of art and many anglers spend hours designing and tying their own flies. | | The 4 Horsemen of Classic Trout Streamers | | |
A Long Hook Odyssey
Streamer Fly: feathers and fur bound by thread to a long fish hook portraying the appearance of a minnow, the preferred prey of large trout.
“And So big Trout,” the old angler continued “have inherited the ability to use a minimum of energy to acquire a maximum food to the exclusion of all others. We have to conclude that streamers and buck tails usually are by far the best flies for taking big fish. They represent the main course… the meat and potatoes in the diets of lunkers.” Joseph Bates, Streamers and Bucktails, The Big Fish Flies, 1950.
Streamers have been cast into the waters for a very long time. Brief accounts have been witnessed and documented for hundreds of years. The wet fly, tied on large hooks have been fished as a minnow replica, but the proper streamer tied on a long hook had its beginnings in New England, particularly in the Catskills and in the North Woods of Maine…
On the banks of Mooselookmahuntic Lake in Rangely Maine, Herb Welch the famous hunting and fishing guide designed the Black Ghost Feather Wing Streamer in 1927, becoming a favourite fly used all over the world with great success.
Hatmaker and wife of a Maine fishing guide, Carrie Stevens began tying the Feather Wing Streamer, tying some of the most well known patterns worldwide, her most famous and venerable, The Grey Ghost.
| | 4. Sharks: Basking Sharks | | A wildlife biologist got in the water with two gigantic basking sharks off the coast of Massachusetts for an upcoming episode on Discovery Channel's Shark Week. These sharks look like they could eat you whole, but no worries; basking sharks are filter feeders and, like many whales, live off zooplankton, copepods, krill, and small fish. | | Massachusetts takes center stage in Shark Week, as biologist swims with ‘big as hell’ sharks: ‘A Jaws moment’ | The massive sharks were spotted off the South Shore | | |
They’re gonna need a bigger boat.
A wildlife biologist recently went diving for massive sharks off the South Shore, and his footage of the 40-foot behemoths will be featured in a Shark Week show later this month.
Forrest Galante — who has more than 2 million YouTube followers — was a few miles off Plymouth when he got into the water with two gigantic basking sharks. Baskings are the second largest fish in the world, and they weigh several tons.
“They were big as hell, 35 to 40 feet,” Galante told the Herald. “When you see some of the drone shots next to the boat, it’s like a Jaws moment.
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“It was this absolute Hail Mary,” he added about filming the sharks and diving with them, noting how weather conditions made it difficult on certain days. “It all came down to one day, and it was one of those things where the stars just aligned.”
Galante, who has hosted shows on the Discovery Channel, will be part of Discovery’s Shark Week at the end of July.
His show “Alien Sharks: Untamed America” will explore his nationwide quest to find the country’s “most bizarre and dangerous alien sharks” in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
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5. The Next Gen: The Latest from William George
| | At the end of June, Research Director for ImportGenius and frequent Flock contributor, William George, was the featured guest on a timely episode of The Hinrich Foundation Trade Podcast where he discussed the impact of the Strait of Hormuz blockade across Asian economies and how China has best positioned itself to weather the disruption to the petrochemical supply chain while also strengthening its influence in the region by helping to mitigate some of the economic hardship the region is experiencing. | | What Hormuz Means for Asia's energy security | | |
The Strait of Hormuz blockade has exposed how a single maritime chokepoint can unsettle energy security, petrochemical supply chains, and manufacturing resilience across Asia. The disruption has not affected countries evenly. China entered the crisis with large crude stockpiles, some access to crude outside seaborne routes, and a coal-to-chemicals industry that has helped cushion the loss of Gulf-linked petrochemical inputs. Japan has avoided sudden shortages so far, but only by drawing down strategic reserves, turning to more expensive stopgap crude supplies, and absorbing rising prices for petrochemicals, plastics, aluminum, and construction materials.
Vietnam faces a different challenge. Its dependence on Kuwaiti crude and Gulf-linked petrochemical feedstocks leaves it exposed not only through energy imports but also through export sectors such as plastics, electronics, apparel, and machinery. Together, the three cases show how the Hormuz disruption is testing national buffers, supply chain flexibility, and the trade-offs countries face as they seek greater energy and industrial resilience.
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6. America Turns 250: Veterans Honored
| | Clockwise from top left: Lt. Arthur Rose: A 107-year-old Navy veteran and D-Day survivor who commanded 36 landing craft during the Normandy invasion, Capt. Ken Schubring: A 104-year-old retired Army veteran who survived Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona, Cpl. Donald Graves: A 101-year-old Marine Corps veteran who witnessed the raising of the flag over Iwo Jima, and Col. Paris Davis: An Army Medal of Honor recipient recognized for his immense courage and leadership in Vietnam. | President Trump honored military veterans and Gold Star families during the “Salute to America 250” keynote address on the National Mall, marking the United States' 250th Independence Day. He paid special tribute to over 200 veterans, highlighting centenarians and members of the Greatest Generation who fought in major global conflicts. | | Trump mixes patriotism with partisanship as he celebrates America’s ‘joyous’ 250th anniversary | | From: WBTV, By: The Associated Press, July 4, 2026 | | |
President Donald Trump mixed partisan politics with patriotic appeals on Saturday as he commemorated the 250th anniversary of American independence, a moment he declared “one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time.”
Speaking in Washington after storms prompted a roughly two-hour evacuation of the National Mall, Trump honored veterans, including several from World War II and one of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in combat in Vietnam. They appeared before flags that symbolized some of the most significant and challenging moments in American history, from the one that was draped over Abraham Lincoln’s casket to the one that flew on the plane piloted by the Wright Brothers.
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7. Reaching High: Mont Blanc Speed Record
| | This is the second hike-and-fly story I've posted in the last month. Back in June, I posted about Aaron Durogatis's world-record 19,424m of elevation gain in 24 hours, hiking up and paragliding down Mount Slogen in Norway. In this instance, French climber Iris Pessey wasn't going for a hike-and-fly record; she was after the fastest ascent of Mont Blanc by a woman, which she achieved. When she paraglided back down, she became the first woman to summit and descend by paragliding. | | Iris Pessey Sets New Women’s Speed Record on Mont Blanc | | From: Gripped, By: Chic Scott, June 24, 2026 | | |
On June 18, French climber Iris Pessey set a new Fastest Known Time (FKT) on Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe at 4,810 metres. Starting from the church in Chamonix, she ran approximately 16 kilometres to the summit, gaining around 3,800 metres of elevation before completing a paragliding descent back to the valley as part of her “Mont Blanc Express” project.
Pessey reached the summit in 5 hours and 2 minutes, improving the previous women’s benchmark set by Hillary Gerardi in 2023 by 10 minutes. Including the paragliding descent, she completed the full route in 5 hours and 34 minutes. The send is notable not only for the new ascent record but also because it combined a summit push from Chamonix with an aerial descent, a first-of-its-kind performance by a woman on Mont Blanc.
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8. Bragging Rights: My Birthday Party
| | I had a birthday this week and want to share this picture of me celebrating 78 with my family. | |
9. Hayward M. Fox, Ph.D.: A Video from Dr. Fox
| | Below is another video I have not previously posted from the Institute of Personal and Transpersonal Knowledge video collection. Please watch and enjoy. You may also like to visit Dr. Fox's YouTube channel for more videos, and don't forget to like and subscribe. | | But Don't I Need to Express Myself? | |
10. Bonus Video: Michael's New Favorite Dance
| | This Instagram video from the Füchse Berlin Football Club is Michael's new favorite dance. | | These Flock regulars are always here for you: | | Don't Be Shy: Share Your Stories! | | I'm looking forward to sharing more of your personal stories - oral, written, or otherwise, as we enter our third year. I'd so love to present them to The Flock, hit a mailbox below to share your story. | | Subscriptions & Idea Submissions
Reminder: Your submissions are always welcomed. | | |
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Your fan and friend,
Beth
| | | The information and materials contained or referenced in this newsletter are for informational purposes only and not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a physician or other qualified medical professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before beginning a new health care regimen. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical advice or care based on anything contained in this newsletter. | | | | |
