Way back 45 years ago when I was working in the U.S. Senate, I overheard Senator Scoop Jackson talking to Senator Bill Bradley about problems in the Middle East.  This was a time when the second energy crisis was at its worst, with gas lines.  I remember the look on Jackson's face exclaiming that this is Ramadan, so what can we do? Ramadan?  What was Ramadan?  Since then I've educated myself.  My blog site has covered this topic numerous times.   In 2019 I posted on WHAT IS RAMADAN? How many of you knew that the 1.5 billion Muslims are currently fasting, in their most sacred month, Ramadan, marking when Allah first gave chapters of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad in 610?  The consumption of food, sex and smoking of course are allowed after sunset to  sunrise.  Mind you, not even drinking of water during daylight.  This year, it began around May 5, depending on the sighting of the moon, and will begin to end tomorrow ( in the USA ), when you finish the fast by eating dates dur

Why is the number 58 important this year?  This happens to be Super Bowl LVIII, roman numeral for 58.  Try to find Super Bowl 58 on any logo.  Maybe on a jersey. Alex Barrett of the 49ers will be the only #58 on the field.  Why does the NFL want to confuse people with a numbering system no one really knows? “The Roman numerals were adopted to clarify any confusion that may occur because the NFL Championship Game — the Super Bowl — is played in the year following a chronologically recorded season,” the NFL once wrote in a   postseason media handout . The thing about the Super Bowl is that it is not just a football game.  I went to a theater for the very first after the pandemic when I saw a double-bill of  Barbie  and  Oppenheimer .  I would never go to see  Barbie , which for me was colorful, and that was about it.  Loved  Oppenheimer  because that's the kind of film I like.  I predicted it would someday win a bunch of Oscars, which will no doubt occur on March 10.  Why I took a ri

I readied another Trump piece for today, but I'm getting tired of him.  Yesterday featured the final weekend of the National Football League and the Golden Globes, while today we have the NCAA football championship, so I'll instead report on them. There was a time before the pandemic when I went to films virtually every Saturday, and sometimes saw two.  This past year I went out only once for  Barbenheimer .  They both did well at the Golden Globes last night: Barbie  got 9 nominations and  Oppenheimer  8. O  beat  B,  winning the Best Motion Picture-Drama, Best Director for Christopher Nolan, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey, Jr., and Best Score for Ludwig Goransson. Here is what I said on July 23rd after seeing both : Christopher Nolan was nominated in 2017 for   Dunkirk , and four other times for lower categories.  Best Film?  Best Director?  Should get both nominations, but winning?  Maybe, and even perhaps both. However, the film is mo