This is our nation's 247th birthday.   Time  magazine this morning had two articles providing a slightly different view of what really happened in 1776: July 1776 Was a Shotgun Wedding .  In effect, the Continental Congress saved Democracy from almost certain civil war by finding a way to cooperate. America's "Real" Independence Day is not July 4 .   That day should have been 2 July 1776.  Why?  Read the article. The  New York Times  this morning said: Drones and lasers are becoming   more popular as an alternative to fireworks , minimizing wildfire risks.  Also pet friendly and will not cause any air pollution. Coco Gauff lost in the first round of Wimbledon. Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo are favored to win today's Nathan's hot dog eating contest. There was a two-hour delay because of weather, but Chestnut ( only ate 62, not the record 76 ) and Sudo ( 39.5, before the delay ) did win their Mustard Belts.  I find this competition too nauseating.  But if you want

Yesterday was about my good 2022 year.  Today, a summary of  Dave Barry's humorous view of the world in 2022 ,  who began with   2022  could have been worse...we could have had nuclear Armageddon .  Before I continue, I'll first segue into what to do today.  Save money, time and agony....watch television: Certainly, all those fireworks the world over, as in  Sydney , which already is into 2023: Taiwan's Taipei 101 building and Bangkok:  Hong Kong and Mumbai: Here is a  video . Of course, there will be our USA, but where?  One list of the  10 best 2023 New Year's Eve TV specials .   CNN with Anderson Cooper, of course.  He began doing this 20 years ago.  Loved it when his partner was Kathy Griffin.  She began in 2007 with dirty jokes and cursing, but had to go when in 2017  she posed with a fake severed head of then-President Donald Trump . Then, of course, the NCAA football semifinals are on today:  #2 Michigan vs #3 TCU, Fiesta Bowl, 4PM ET, and #1 Georgia vs #4 Ohio S

I spent hours last night watching the July 4th fireworks.  I took these photos off the TV set.  It again occurred to me that these displays are blatantly terrible for the environment.  Why do current air pollution laws allow this to happen? We can begin by blaming the Chinese .  They accidentally invented fireworks  around 200 BC.  The story goes that it took them another millennium for an alchemist to mix sulfur, charcoal and potassium, and again accidentally, invent gunpowder, which became the major ingredient for fireworks and bullets. The records are not totally clear, but enter Great Britain around 1600 when King James II's firemaster was awarded knighthood for developing modern fireworks.  I again as yesterday  quote John Adams  on this 2July1776 letter to his wife Abigail: "This day will be most memorable in the history of America," he predicted. "I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival... It o