While reading the New York Times this morning I noticed that each article is followed by the time it will take to read it.

Such as: 2 Min Read or 5 Min Read.

I have also noticed that LinkedIn lets my readers know my blog is a 1 Min Read.

In todays time-crunched world it’s a great servive to let readers know what their time investment will be.

I’ve noticed most other news organizations don’t offer such a service.

I guess that’s one of the reasons the Times is the Times!

It may seem like an awful long time since the Founding Fathers took steps toward creating the United States by signing their names to the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

And 250 years of nationhood is definitely something to celebrate.

Yet the history of the land — and the people who have resided on the vast expanse that became the United States — stretches back much further.

It includes colonial times and the pre-Columbian era with its mosaic of Native American cultures, plus the long-ago days when giant reptiles roamed the Earth and the first humans made their way onto the North American continent across the Bering Land Bridge.

And in southern New Mexico, fossilized footprints in a remote corner of White Sands National Park attest to human movement long before the colonists. Embedded in hardened gypsum soil, the footprints were surrounded by ancient grass seeds radiocarbon dated to between 21,130 and 22,860 years ago.

Both discoveries are part of the rich history behind the place now known as America. (CNN)

Checks sent through the Postal Service have become targets for criminals in recent years.

While fewer people write checks, the checks haven’t disappeared.

Two-thirds of adults say they rarely or never use paper checks.

But more than a fifth either have experienced check fraud or know someone who has, according to a poll in 2025 by the Independent Community Bankers of America, a trade group.

Many thieves remove outgoing mail from your mailbox and change the payee.

Pay your bills online. It’s much safer.

An old saying, but always relevant.

We must always remember what UNITES US rather than the opposite.

Today’s society has many challenges.

Another saying that comes to mind is, “It takes a village.”

Raising a child has never been more difficult than it is now.

The basic unit of society is the family and it is in turmoil.

We can help lift the load by becoming a good neighbor1

If not today, when?

One of the biggest events of the summer has been a mystery: When and where are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce getting married?

And when does everyone get to celebrate?

New details confirmed by The New York Times suggest a multiple-day event at Madison Square Garden, which an entertainment industry executive said Ms. Swift had rented.

The entertainment industry executive and another person with knowledge of the matter described the anticipated festivities:

On July 2, the plans call for an intimate gathering of about 100 people at the Garden.

The next day on July 3, about 1,000 guests would gather there for a splashier celebration, with possible stage appearances.

The preparations extend beyond the arena:

A permit was filed with New York City to close the streets around Madison Square Garden from July 2 to midday July 4 for the events, according to three people who have knowledge of the matter. (NYT)

Stand By!

Coming out of the pandemic, Broadway was awash in new musicals. Fourteen opened during the 2024-25 season, and 15 the season before that.

But almost all of them were flops, and the industry took note.

This past season, only six new musicals opened, two of which (“The Queen of Versailles” and “Beaches”) quickly imploded.

The anemic stretch seems likely to continue.

Just two new musicals have announced Broadway runs before the end of the year: “Wanted,” about a pair of outlaw sisters, and “Galileo,” about the astronomer accused of heresy.

It didn’t have to be this way.

Circling Broadway, hoping for a place to land, are musicals featuring the songbooks of Prince and Dolly Parton; musicals about murder and mythology; musicals encouraged by runs Off Broadway, at regional theaters or in London.

So what happened? How did the new musical — long Broadway’s fundamental building block — become so scarce that the New York Drama Critics’ Circle opted to forgo an award this year for best musical. (NYT)

Some things change. Some remain the same.

I hope musicals make a comeback!

When the pandemic came to an end, many people who had been working from home assumed they would be allowed to maintain that habit at least a few days a week.

But today in the U.S., a third of companies have forced everyone back to the office full time and have banned remote and hybrid work.

Some leaders say they insist on full-time in-person work because it boosts productivity, despite clear evidence that it does not.

Others claim it’s about collaboration, creativity or culture.

Our new research reveals that the objection to any work from home is more likely to be driven by something else entirely: ego.

It’s purely an attempt by those in charge to elevate their status in the workplace. (NYT)

Well, what did you accomplish last year?

We’re half way through 2026.

So, how is this year going?

I really believe in the power of a goal oriented life!

And the attainment of small goals can lead to a lifetime of achievement.

I also believe there is a direct linkage between setting goals and self esteem.

Achieving goals leads to a CAN DO attitude!

Try it. You’ll like it.

If not today, when?

It’s like a scene from a Hollywood movie:

A major earthquake along the San Andreas fault ripples through Los Angeles, decimating infrastructure, sparking fires and triggering landslides.

For decades, scientists have been investigating when and how this disaster could unfold.

Now, researchers report that such a quake could be more widespread and damaging than previously thought. 

Their study found that southern portions of the San Andreas fault and parts of the adjacent San Jacinto fault line are locked and loaded to their highest stress levels in 1,000 years.

This increases the probability of a significant earthquake.

If a strong earthquake hits either fault zone, the researchers say the seismic rumbles could cascade into its neighbor through an “earthquake gate” and spread damage from north of Los Angeles through San Bernardino, Riverside and the Coachella Valley simultaneously. (CNN)

Unlike the song by Ella Fitzgerald, livin is not easy!

Actually, millions of American families are struggling together.

And there seems to be no end in sight.

The presnt situation reflects the precarius balancing act that the majority of families must endure.

Neither the Administration nor Congress seem to be capable or willing to right the ship

If not today, when?