Well,  Time  magazine was right.   The Trump-Putin summit fizzled, and ended earlier than expected .  Worse,  Putin won .  Their next session will be in Moscow.  When?  And, in case you were wondering, Putin is 5'7" and Trump 6'3". Way back in 2014,  Guinness World Records deemed the Got Talent franchise the most successful reality TV format worldwide.   At that time, there 58 countries showing their own version of the program.  The whole concept began with  Britain's Got Talent,  created by Simon Cowell.  However, disputes delayed their release, and the first to air was  America's Got Talent  in 2006.  They both run during the summer. The latest ranking  (13August2025) , however, shows the following: #    1  Idol franchise  3.2 billion, 23 years,  2002 to 2025, but did not air in 2017. #    2  Got Talent franchise  500 million in 190 markets, 20 ye...

I said yesterday that I would provide more details about China's new covid crisis today.  Well, I couldn't find anything more, so will continue my search and lay out the situation on Thursday, my day for this virus. Instead, a little bit of everything to bring you up to date on even the most eclectic of topics, like the National Hockey League Stanley Cup Finals.  The only ice hockey games I watch are during some of the Winter Olympics. I begin with what the  New York Times  sends me every morning, a summary of what happened and will.  To begin, this is their expectation of a very hot summer: Hawaii looks to be great, so come over if you have a lot of money.  Also Blowout win:   The Miami Heat   beat the Boston Celtics   in Game 7. They will face the Denver Nuggets in the N.B.A. finals. Golden Knights advance, too:   Las Vegas is back in the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in the franchise’s six-year history after a   6-0 rout ...

  Some good news.  According to an article in   Forbes ,   both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines may offer years-long protection against COVID-19 , including variants.  Even mixing the two--one dose each--should be equivalently good.  There could be other vaccines with similar immunity power, but the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was not expected to be as durable. One more tidbit:   is Kim Jong-un on a diet or seriously ill?   At one time he was supposed to be 5'6" tall and more than 300 pounds.   When he took control nearly a decade ago at the age of 27, he was less than 200 pounds.  He proceeded to gain 14 pounds/year.  Not anymore.  He is said to be emaciated, putting his followers in despair.  Who will replace him?  Children too young.  He does have an older brother, and, of course, a sister, who is a lot more prominent, but said to be scared for her life. America's Got Talent is well-into its  ...