Today could well be the beginning of the end of Donald Trump.  Closing arguments began with his defense, and he went on for almost three hours.  At the end,  Judge Juan Merchan scolded Trump's attorney Todd Blanche for outrageous comments  about "prison time."  Blanche ended calling Michael Cohen ( in reference to Tom Brady being the Greatest Of All Time, or GOAT ) the Greatest Liar Of All Time ( GLOAT ). Prosecution lawyer Joshua Steinglass ( on the left, with Susan Hoffinger, who did most of the prosecuting, and Alvin Bragg ) is now making his closing arguments, but his presentation is expected to go on for four and a half hours, so maybe the Judge might cut him off for finish tomorrow.  If this happens, this gives the prosecution some time to better prepare for a more convincing conclusion.  When will the jury be given instructions to have them deliberate on the verdict?  Chances are there will be a break for the end of the prosecution case, so...

Today is Memorial Day, a national holiday to remember those who died in our wars, since the Revolutionary War, nearly 1.2 million military personnel.   Nearly half from the Civil War .  In comparison, those Covid-19 deaths passed 1.1 million in four years.  This day is a good time for you to reflect on their ultimate sacrifice as we continue to fight for freedom and justice around the world.  This not a happy day, but a meaningful one. From  Time  magazine : After the Civil war, was called Decoration Day to honor the graves of fallen Union soldiers at the end of May because of springtime blossoms. The holiday only became official in 1968. The day has shifted from solemnity to celebration, with American flags at half-mast and a moment of silence at 3PM. Finally, the price of freedom is expensive.   The USA spends more on defense than the next 9 countries, combined . There will be ceremonies at military graveyards, parades, barbecues and the li...

Chances are that a lot more people in the world believe that God had some role in the creation of Humanity than the scientific version, which begins with the Big Bang.  As such, then, God is the most popular choice for First Contact, or interaction with an extraterrestrial.  Actually, he has no competition in this vote because no intelligent life form has yet ever made contact, as confirmed by any reliable source. This might well be my shortest posting, for what would be the point of confirming or refuting the title?  Well, this gives me another opportunity to compare religion with science. I start with  Global Religion 2023 , a 26-country Global Advisor survey by Ipsos. These countries were all reasonably developed, with 46% of the respondents believing in some form of Christianity.  Only 7% Buddhist, 6% Muslim, mostly Sunni, and 4% Hindu.  Interestingly enough, 29% with no religion or not religious. India, Turkey, Japan and Thailand were surveyed, but the...