I've watched a lot of films this past month.  Went through two franchises: Jaws . Began with  Jaws  in 1975, based on the novel by Peter Benchley, directed by Steven Spielberg and featuring that  theme song of John Williams , just an alternating pattern of E and F notes, which won an Oscar, and now is the standard sound of sharks. There were three sequels, earning $800 million for the entire franchise. Only the original  Jaws  movie did well by  Rotten Tomatoes , given a 97/90 scores by reviewers. However, the best shark film of all time was a Canadian documentary,  Sharkwater Extinction , which got a 100 score.  All about the illegal trade in shark fins. The  other Jaws films  got 62% ( #12 of all shark production s), 11% and 0% ( Jaws the Revenge  in 1987 got this rating, and ranks #39, the lowest of all shark flicks ).  In other words, don't bother to watch these sequels.  On the other hand, I did stay for the  Revenge , starring Lorraine Gracy, Mario van Peebles and Micha

This is our nation's 247th birthday.   Time  magazine this morning had two articles providing a slightly different view of what really happened in 1776: July 1776 Was a Shotgun Wedding .  In effect, the Continental Congress saved Democracy from almost certain civil war by finding a way to cooperate. America's "Real" Independence Day is not July 4 .   That day should have been 2 July 1776.  Why?  Read the article. The  New York Times  this morning said: Drones and lasers are becoming   more popular as an alternative to fireworks , minimizing wildfire risks.  Also pet friendly and will not cause any air pollution. Coco Gauff lost in the first round of Wimbledon. Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo are favored to win today's Nathan's hot dog eating contest. There was a two-hour delay because of weather, but Chestnut ( only ate 62, not the record 76 ) and Sudo ( 39.5, before the delay ) did win their Mustard Belts.  I find this competition too nauseating.  But if you want

On Saturday, my posting was entitled,  Here We Go Again , referring to Vietnam in 1975.  Today, NBC News reported: U.S. to send 1,000 more troops to Kabul in scramble to evacuate Video: Panicked crowds descend on Kabul airport after Taliban take city Afghan women fear 'dark' future, loss of rights as Taliban take over 'Blood on his hands': Republicans criticize Biden   Analysis: Afghans were promised the U.S. would not abandon them. Now they have .   Man and nature can indeed be cruel.  Yesterday I reported in this blog that a 7.2 earthquake struck Haiti.  While this was twice as strong as the 7.0 that devastated the already poorest country in the Americas in 2010, killing 220,000, this time "only" 1200 or so died, although there surely will be more.  However, Grace makes landfall today.  Fortunately, she is now "only" a tropical depression, not the Category 5 Hurricane Matthew that creamed the nation in 2016. Finally, been swimming lately?  7-year o