As the USA will be 250 years old on July 4 this year, I asked Google AI, how old is China? Only 76 years old as the People's Republic of China, founded by Mao Zedong on October 1, 1949. As a Unified Imperial State, 2247 years old.  Qin Shi Huang in 221 BC unified the country. However, widely cited figures trace the roots of Chinese civilization back to the semi-mythical Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, starting with the Yellow Emperor around 2698 BC.  Or 2724 years. Dating back to the Shang Dynasty, between 3200 and 3700 years old. Analyzing archeological culture, sites like Liangzhu show complex societies and evidence of rice farming in the Yangtze River valley 8000 years ago.  This was perhaps 2000 years after very early evidence.  So, 10,000 years? Oxford University considers China to be the world's oldest continuous civilization. Watch a video  suggesting wars in ancient China going back to 10,000 BC.  Thus, perhaps 12,000 years old? Then, of c...

I did say I would post more about the Doomsday Clock today, but I'll wait till a later date to instead write about more topical matters. First, about that horrible  Reagan National Airport air collision  between an American Airlines flight holding 64 passengers and crew from Kansas and an Army helicopter manned by three.  There were no survivors. I still remember a  similar incident on 13January1982  when I was working in the U.S. Senate.  On a cold and snowy day in the later afternoon, Air Florida 90 left Washington National Airport, but crashed soon after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge, killing 78.  Five on the flight survived, but four motorists on the bridge died.  An unrelated accident shut down one of the Metro lines at around the same time, and it took me till midnight to get home. Why he does this is really inexcusable, but...the  New York Times  this morning  said: Trump, Without Citing Evidence, Blames D.E.I. and Demo...

Yesterday was maybe Donald Trump's last best day, save for that announcement about his New York Hush Money criminal trial, which was confirmed to start on March 25.  Today, however, was a lot worse.  Several key late-breaking news stories occurred just about when I this morning sat before my computer. Just as I'm typing this,  Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Donald Trump must pay $355 million in penalties , is banned from doing business in New York for 3 years and will get an independent monitor and compliance director to oversee Trump's businesses. Each of his two sons, Don Jr. and Eric, were ordered to pay $4 million each, so the judgement is $363 million.  To quote: "Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological," Engoron wrote. "Instead, they adopt a 'See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' posture that the evidence belies." The  Fani Willis disqualification hearing Atlanta provided two strong witnesses to back Willi...