As the World Turns . Sure, there was a TV soap opera from 1956 to 2010 on CBS that had 54 seasons and 13,858 episodes. About a fictional town in Illinois on the tribulations of upper class families. Produced mostly female stars, like Meg Ryan, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei and Amanda Seyfried. Was not the longest running, for that title belongs to Guiding Light . In London, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer ( on the right ) is expected to resign tomorrow. Andy Burnham ( on the left) will probably be the next PM.  Who is he?  Another day. Brexit has seriously hurt the economy,   Hate crimes have increased in England and Wales. But London remains very safe for visitors.   Just use common street sense, as you should anywhere you go. About homicide, London is 3 times safer than New York City, 5 times better than Los Angeles and 15 times lower than Philadelphia and Chicago. About that Memorandum of Understanding discussion between Iran and the USA: Has n...

But I'll start with the New York Knicks.  According to the New York Times , the Knicks gave their city something new, IMPOSSIBLE JOY .   It is different because New York’s mass unifying events tend to imply unbearable tragedy: 9/11, Sandy, Covid. Their best player, Jalen Brunson, was small (for basketball), underestimated (by his last team), conditioned (by his father, a former Knick) to know that winning here would mean more than winning anywhere else. This place has cheated bankruptcy, built (and rebuilt) towers, raised Jay-Z and J. Lo and J-Seinfeld. It has been told to drop dead and refused. It has elected a billionaire and a socialist and a Bill de Blasio. It has processed Donald Trump as a 20-something curiosity, a chattering pooh-bah, a steak salesman, a defendant and a president whose attendance in Game 3 had Knicks maniacs of all political persuasions wondering about an executive curse. Then from Sports Illustrated : Some of the greatest athletes in sports history hav...

I'll start with the San Antonio Spurs beating the Oklahoma City Thunder last night, a tense finish, because the game at the end was much closer than the score of 111-103.  Want to see emotions?   Watch how Victor Wembanyama reacted .  The Spurs now play the New York Knicks beginning Wednesday.  First team to win four games becomes the NBA champion. That was only a game.  In Laos, five gold miners were rescued yesterday .  However, two remain missing. Moving on to my topic of the day, we had dinner with another couple in the dining room of 15 Craigside last night.  As this was our first meal together, we shared what we all did to get us here.  That made me further reflect on my life, especially, what turned out to be three 27-year periods leading to what I am today. I was born in 1940 at Queen's Hospital in Honolulu.  That's a more modern sign to the right.  The first five years of my life were okay, but I don't remember much. My mot...