A few newsworthy topics of the day before COVID-19. In Apalachee High School, around an hour outside of Atlanta, 14-year old  Colt Gray  ( photo was taken in 2022 ), yesterday killed four and injured 9 with an AR rifle.  Why?  To come.  Political advantage?  To Harris/Walz. Ceasefire and hostage return in the Gaza Strip?   Two problems .  Netanyahu and the Hamas.  When will Iran take revenge?  Political advantage to Trump/Vance. The  Department of Justice indicted two Russians  accused of attempting to influence the November 5 election against Harris/Walz.  This is just the proverbial  tip of the iceberg .  Of course, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva are in Russia and can't be arrested.  Advantage to Harris/Walz. Barron Trump enrolled this week at New York University.  Where will he live?  Advantage to Trump/Vance. Guess who will be in Kansas City for the opening NFL game at 8:20 EDT tonight?   Taylor Swift .  Her  Eras Tour  resumes at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on

Today,  December 21, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere , which makes it the longest day of the year for places below the equator.  The winter solstice occurs at 10:27 PM ET.  Some countries celebrate this day: Iranians celebrate Yalda, meaning birth or rebirth.  Something to do with the sun god Mithra.  Families gather to eat, drink, read poetry through the night and welcome the sunrise. It's called Dongzhi in China, meaning winter's arrival.  Again, family time, with a hearty meal of glutinous rice balls or dumplings. The Native American Hopi tribe in the Southwest has a Soyal ceremony lasting up to 16 days.  A time for prayer and purification. Japan has Toji, a custom involving taking a hot bath with yuzu, a citrus fruit, and eating kabocha, winter squash, plus foods that contain the "n" sound, like udon.  Why?  Brings good luck. In a  July posting , I said: FAT? SKINNY? NORMAL? APPARENTLY, NO EFFECT ON LONGEVITY. By long-established Body-Ma

From  Worldometer  (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):           DAY    USA    WORLD      Brazil      India      South Africa 2020 June     9     1093     4732         1185        246       82 July    22      1205     7128         1293      1120     572 Aug    12      1504     6556        1242        835     130 Sept     9      1208      6222       1136       1168       82 Oct     21      1225      6849         571        703       85 Nov    25       2304    12025        620        518      118 Dec     30       3880    14748       1224       299      465 2021 Jan      14       4142      15512       1151         189     712 Feb      3       4005    14265       1209       107      398 Mar      2       1989     9490        1726       110      194 April     6        906    11787         4211       631       37 May     4        853     13667        3025      3786     59   June    1        287    10637         2346      3205      95  July    7         251      8440        1595        817