March 9 is the 68th day of this year,  and 297 days remain until the end of 2026. Going back through known history, what in the past happened on March 29? 1044:  The people of Constantinople rioted against emperor Constantine for preferring his mistress over the empress. 1766:  Scottish philosopher Adam Smith publishes  The Wealth of Nations . 1796:  Napoleon Bonaparte married his first wife, Josephine.   Annulled in 1810 for no children.   So he then married Marie-Louise of Austria, who gave birth to Napoleon II in 1811. She was the first child of Maria Theresa ( photo to the right ), my selection as the  Most Extraordinary Female in History.    Never heard of her?   Read my posting . She had 16 children, and her youngest daughter, Marie Antoinette, became Queen of France and guillotined. While all that was happening, she became the first female empress over the Austria-Hungarian Empire at the age of 23.  She wa...

 Vienna:  Early on was a Celtic settlement, and became Roman in the first century AD.  Has a metro population of 2.9 million, nearly one-third the population of Austria and the 5th largest city in Europe. Lies on the Danube, on the eastern edge of the Vienna Woods. 582 miles from Amsterdam and 152 miles from Budapest.  7616 miles from Honolulu. I was first in Vienna nearly a decade ago  and toured Shonbrunn Palace (above--a stop you should make if you ever get here), hearing about Maria Theresa who once lived there, and a person I claimed to be the  Most Extraordinary Female in History.   Why? Was active around the time of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Blond, blue-eyed and short, at the age of 23, pregnant with her fourth child, her father, Emperor Charles VI (right) of the House of Hapsburg, suddenly died. The emperor not having a son, Maria Theresa became the first female ruler of the empire, which included Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemi...

Some latest news of today from the  Sunday New York Times : What about the latest advice on booster shots? One thing is generally known:  these vaccines all protect you from dying.  But there remains a lot of confusion. First, no doubt these vaccines all lose effectiveness over time.   But how much?  A lot of conflicting info. Pfizer's vaccine drops from 96% to 84% after four months, but a third shot could bring effectiveness up to 95%.  No mention yet of how this figure drops at eight months. The panel advising the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended booster shots, and it's as clear as muddy water: For healthcare workers and those who are 65 and older, or at high risk of severe illness from infection, yes, you're eligible. For some reason, they specifically indicated those 16-64 not be given a booster shot.  What then about those 12 to 15? Moderna individuals will need to wait, but can they get the Pfizer as the third shot? No decision ...