Today was a glorious day for the Middle East.   As Donald Trump stated, this might be the moment to bring true peace to the region in 3000 years . I asked Google AI, when did the Jews and their neighbors first have problems: Conflict between Jews and other groups has a long and complex history, with roots in ancient, religious, and political tensions.   The first notable conflicts are recorded in the   6th century BCE , involving ancient empires like the Babylonians, though the nature of these conflicts has evolved significantly over time .   3000 years  is a period even longer that the 2600 years noted above. In any case, what happened today is not quite peace, but more a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, compounded by the return of all 20 living hostages, providing a platform for truce in the Middle East, a situation almost unique in history.  Here is what the  New York Times  sent me this morning: They’re free. Two years — 737 days, to be ...

A Profound Mystery is not a song.  Tried You Tube and found one video on the subject .  However, not worth your while to click on it.  No dictionary even defines Profound Myster y, but that is because it only does this for an individual word.  Appropriately enough, as this is Sunday, most of the reference to this term comes from religious sources. God is a Profound Mystery.  So is the Big Bang.  Experts dally around the term, but no one can pin down the reality or unreality. Similarly, I don't know why my favorite song is  Wakare No Isochidori .    It is distinctly possible that of the 7.6 billion people living on Planet Earth, I am the only person who has it as #1.  WNI is the only song that was written and first popular in Hawaii, then gained some fame in Japan.  When?  Not sure, but probably in the 1930's.   Here is a quote from a posting of a decade ago , when I traveled from Sapporo to Wakkanai, the northern mo...