Criticize Donald Trump all you want, but the stock market keeps breaking all-time highs . Yesterday the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 875 points, or 1.73%, to 51,562.  Well, actually, the Dow dropped today.  But Monday? Why the stock market is doing so well is kind of a mystery. There are no sure signs of greater peace in Iran and Lebanon. Initial jobless claims unexpectedly rose 6.1%, first quarter productivity was revised sharply lower and corporate layoffs jumped 11% in May to 97,000. 40% coming from AI expansion.  But I did ask Google AI, did the stock market rise when Donald Trump was president from 2016 to 2020? True, the stock market experienced significant growth during the 2016 to 2020 timeframe of the Donald Trump administration . During his first full term from January 2017 to January 2021, the S&P 500 generated a total return of over (67%). [ 1 , 2 ] I further inquired about his current term. Since the 2024 presidential election, the U.S. stock marke...

 I retired in 1999 at the age of 59, so I've had a quarter century of bliss.  But more about that later. Then there is Bette Nash.  She passed away last month at the age of 88.  She was an avid New York Yankees fan, and last lived at a retirement community in New Hampshire. Was born in 1935. Hired in 1957 by Eastern Air Lines as a legal secretary, but attended its charm school and became a stewardess in 1958, the year I graduated from high school. Kept working as a flight attendant through her marriage to James Nash in 1973, and had a son, who has suffered from Down syndrome.  She continued working. Switched to Trump Shuttle in 1989 after Eastern's shuttle and 17 aircraft were sold to Donald Trump. But, as most of Trump's enterprises fizzled, including this one, she moved to U.S. Airways Shuttle, which became American Airlines Shuttle in 2015 when those companies merged. Honored by American Airlines for 60 years of service , given diamond earrings by chairman CE...

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 LONGEVI...