The Elusive Blood Moon

Those of us who set our clocks to wake up early this morning were witness to a sight we will not see again in the United States until December 31, 2028.

The "Blood Moon" is a total Lunar Eclipse which occurs when Earth moves directly between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow on the satellite’s surface and causing it to appear crimson, according to NASA.

This eclipse is the last of three consecutive total lunar eclipses, said Dr C Alex Young, associate director for science communication in the heliophysics science division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The first of these total lunar eclipses occurred in March, 2025 and the second took place last September.

It was certainly one to behold for essentially one-third of the Earth's population, as it was seen in North and South America, the Pacific Islsnds, Australia and a large swath of Asia. 

Even when it is not a blood moon, the March full moon goes by many names, which can reflect seasonal changes or animals, according to the Farmers Almanac. Some of these are the "worm moon" and the "snow crust  moon".

This year, sky-gazers will get to see two full moons in May, making thirteen full moons for the year. Because a full moon happens every 29.5 days and most months are longer than that, sometimes two full moons occur in one month, creating the "blue moon" phenomenon roughly every two and one-half years. But it does not actually turn blue.

So make your plans now for New Year's Eve in 2028 and get ready to celebrate the next time you will see the next  beautiful blood moon.

A New Chapter in US-Cuba Relations?

​For most of us, we have never really known a Cuban government which allowed relations with the United States to truly defrost. Prior to January 1, 1959, Cuba had a dictatorial government which allowed US businesses to operate provided that a costly “vig” was paid  directly to the Fulgencio Batista government.

And prior to Batista, the Cuban government was deep into graft with all sorts of criminal enterprises for its  own gain and not for any benefit for the Cuban people. This was revealed in many “entertainment” outlets in books and movies, most notably The Godfather.

Hence, the Cuban Revolutions throughout the 1950s led by Dr Fidel Castro and others.

We all know about the Bay of Pigs fiasco and the Cuban Missile Crisis which occurred during the Kennedy Administration. And subsequently, until 2015, when President Obama tried to normalize relations, this island ninety miles from Key West was essentially a true adversary.

Many Cubans have come to the US to live freely, giving much to this country, but wishing for the same freedoms for the countrymen they left behind.

Now, it is possible to see those dreams to come true. Especially in light of the fall of the Maduro regime in Venezuela.

For over sixty-five years, the Soviet Union, and then Russia, had been the Cuban government’s “protector” and sponsor, militarily and economically to prop up the Cuban government. But the cost to Russia to continue this relationship has proven costly, and impossible, as it continues to fight its war with Ukraine.

As well, the Chavez and Maduro regimes in Venezuela provided economic assistance in exchange for Cuban intelligence capabilities and other benefits. But no longer.

Curiously, we saw the Cuban government fire on an American fishing boat with no response by the US government. The battle is discussed among other issues in Saturday’s  Miami Herald and other media sources. Then, when asked about it, President Trump would only say, “They’re talking with us, and maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.”

And in light of other recent developments with Iran, and by extension, China and Russia, we may bear witness to a major shift in US-Cuba relations. 

It would be a huge foreign policy accomplishment by President Trump. Time will tell, for sure.

The Justification to Help Free Persia From An Intolerable Yoke of Opression

​If one looks at the “Big Picture” with a discerning eye for fairness and humanity, you would agree that what happened in Iran yesterday was done for the good for ALL the oppressed people in Iran. Surgically, with a real goal to protect the women and men who are ordinary citizens.

One with a brain, with the ability to see  that reasoning would be able to make the distinction.

But for those blinded with anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic hatred, or raging, incurable Trump Derangement Syndrome, those irrational mindsets are too overwhelming and too difficult to overcome.

You will find either of these mental illnesses prevalent in many Democrats, with the likes of Mayor Mamdani, Minority Leader Jeffries, Senator Schumer and Governor Newsom, among others, But you will also find all rampant in the “Hollyweird Glitterari” like Mark Ruffalo, Jane Fonda, John Cusack and Rosie O’Donnell.

While we in America believe in our right of Free Speech, to say what is on one’s mind, we also agree that we should ignore those who speak from their mental illness. 

Apparently, these individuals are so close-minded with their diseases, they are unable to recognize that the attacks on Iran were NOT against the Iranian people, who implored President Trump  to free them from the misery of the oppressive regime who have made their quality of decent, humane life intolerable. Instead, it was an answer to their supplication to liberate them from an intolerable life which offered little hope for everything WE take for granted.

You know, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

We are about to celebrate our country’s 250th anniversary of OUR freedoms from what our ancestors felt was Absolute Tyranny. And they were helped by those people who agreed that THEIR cause was just.

How could America AND Israel, two countries founded with the beliefs that ALL people should be free to chose their own destinies, stand by and ignore those who beseeched us to help them achieve the same? The leaders of these two countries, Trump and Netanyahu, heard those pleas and answered no matter what would happen to their own reputations.

Because they knew it was RIGHT!

As for those countries who saw what was happening and did nothing to help the people of Iran, when you saw and heard the conditions they lived under, you are now in no position to judge. You have earned only enmity of the oppressed for your silence and inaction.

Soon, the people of Iran will be free of the yoke of the Islamic Republic and will once live in a free Persia, which gave the world so much and will roar again with the Heart of the Lion.

It can’t come soon enough.

Will the Regime Meet Its Deserved End??

​In a stunning, but not unexpected move, the US and Israel made good on their promises to the oppressed people of Iran to remove the demonic and barbaric dictators who stole their freedoms forty-seven years ago. 

After months of negotiations by the US, only to be driven to exasperation by the Mullahs and their IRGC stooges, the time for tolerance of the delay tactics the IRGC employed to test the patience of the entire world, finally ran out.

Apparently, the terrorists which ruled Iran with impunity did not believe President Trump would come to the aid of the Iranian people. They continued to torture and massacre those who opposed the regime, believing no one would come to their aid.

Much like his predecessors, Obama and Biden.

So many nations fretted over the potential outcome of the ongoing cruelty, but stood by and did nothing to stop the regime from attacking their own people. And now, when the US and Israel followed through on the promises each made, the first countries to call for emegency meetings with the inept UN are the United Kingdom and France.

In addition, in a Telegram statement, Russia's Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on Iran as “a preplanned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent UN member state.”  The People’s Republic joined in a call for an immediate end to hostilities.

Coincidentally, Congressional Democrats and their press agents in American media are calling for President Trump to stand down and return to the negotiation table. Are you surprised?

Rather than stand for freedom and liberty for the Iranian people, the Democrats, the LSM and many countries want to continue to allow the current rulers a free rein to continue with their evil. All with false indignation. While the Iranian people would continue to suffer.

At the present time, it is certain Ayatollah Ali Khamanei was killed in the first wave of attack. And many key leaders of his regime are meeting with their Maker to discuss their final judgement and eternal sentence.

It is not yet certain whether this will be a long conflict or one which could come to an early end.  But certainly, the support for American troops in harm’s way is paramount. It should be the first order of business which guides your conscience.

The IRGC and the current Iranian regime is the modern-day equivalent to that which tried to obliterate Europe during the era of Adolph Hitler and his Nazi Party, causing many deaths in World War II. The tactics are the same. And the world would be better off once it was gone.

Since January, 1979, the world has dealt with an Iran which has brought terror to its neighbors in the Muslim world, to Israel through its proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, and many other nations, including the United States. Now finally, the terror it caused will  hopefully and mercifully come to an end, while the legitimate leadership returns to transition Iran to a normalized and civil society once again.

Unlike the endless wars which began the twenty-first century, the goal now is to give the Iranian people a chance to reclaim their country from those evil and demonic thieves who stole their long-standing, respected and peaceful country from them. They just needed the chance.

They learned that the government they enjoyed under the Shah before it was ripped away by those who brought harm was a truly benevolent society with so many liberties and freedoms to live their lives with peace. As we enjoy, take for granted and should appreciate here in America.

May the next few days, or weeks, bring the promise of  liberty and freedom to the Iranian people to enjoy forever, and bring peace to the entire region which has lived so long under the threat and brutality of violence. And may God Bless the United States and Israel for keeping their promises to the Iranian people. 

The Wrecking Crew Finally Is Recognized

​Those of us of a certain age grew up listening to the greatest music ever to have been played and enjoyed by so many. We could not believe that we were privy to some of the best musicians ever to grace the varied genres of the art ever.

But we were wrong.

Other than the Beatles and Rolling Stones, and perhaps a few others, the music credited to the front men and women of those great songs was actually played by the same unknown men and women with the credit they truly deserved. And did not get until much later.

We all know that the Monkees were a result of actors playing musicians in a television show. Certainly, they could all sing, even write some of their own songs. And perhaps, over time, they learned to play the instruments they pretended to play each week for several years.

Instead, the music was played by a group of session musicians aptly named, The Wrecking Crew. They were all accomplished musicians which played on the records of not only the Monkees, but also on some of the greatest artists of the 60s and 70s.

You would be surprised to learn that they were the music we enjoyed credited to the Beach Boys, the Carpenters, the Tijuana Brass, the Association, both Frank and Nancy Sinatra, Dean Martin, Elvis, the Mamas and Papas, Simon and Garfunkel, the Ronettes, Sonny and Cher, the Shirelles, Ricky Nelson, Jackson Five, Michael Jackson, and countless others. There was no harm to these musicians as they were paid very well for their talents, although they did not get the recognition or credit they deserved at the time.

Key members included drummer Hal Blaine, guitarist Tommy Todesco, bassist Carol Kaye and keyboardist Leon Russell. Other members included Plas Jackson, Glen Campbell, Bill Pitman, Steve Douglas and Lew McCreary.

Producers like Herb Alpert, Lou Adler, Phil Spector, Richard Carpenter, Brian Wilson, Lionel Ritchie, Jerry Moss, Quincy Jones and Todd Rundgren used the same Wrecking Crew members consistently.

And when you watch the TV shows of the time, the theme songs of Bonanza, The Dating Game, Batman, The Monkees, MASH,  Get Smart, Hawaii 5-0, Green Acres, Mission:Impossible, and Twilight Zone feature their music. The same is found in the movies like The Pink Panther, Viva Las Vegas,  Midnight Cowboy, Romeo and Juliet, A Little Less Conversation,  MASH (again) and many others.

So when you listen to the 60s; 70s and even 80s music, and the varied styles of music being played, remember that these were the men and women who created some of the best music ever. And while the credit was given to those who fronted that music, they never would have been noticed or succeeded without those people who backed them. 

There was a little-remembered documentary called The Wrecking Crew which was released in 2008 with some of the many members of legendary Wrecking Crew who reminenced with us giving their perspectives of the time they lived, and played, with fondness of their experiences. It is an enjoyable discovery of how we all enjoyed the greatest music of our time.

It was a well-worth one hundred one minutes which brought back how wonderful that music really was. And it was done before it had even begun.

Take the time to watch it on Netflix or Tubi and learn how it all was produced. For so many generations to enjoy.

An Alternative Guide For Spring Break 2026

​

As you consider your Spring Break destination this year, it might be wise if you cross Acapulco and Cancun off your desired dream spots. It has become increasingly risky to take that trip “south of the border, down Mexico way.”

It would be in your best interest to find a place you always wanted to see, right here in the good old USA.

Travellers have begun canceling their spring break plans to Mexico after cartel violence engulfed Puerto Vallarta following the killing of the country’s most brutal drug lord “El Mencho” last weekend, according to a top travel security expert.

The violence could even impact the World Cup this summer, with games scheduled for Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, and the home base of El Mencho’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), William Ruiz, Senior Security Manager for Latin America at International SOS.

“My advice is if the spring break destination is in those affected areas, and they already have the tickets purchased, they should strongly reconsider the travel plan for now, until officially informed that the security environment has improved significantly,” Ruiz said.

Sounds pretty reasonable. Yes? Perhaps this would be a good year to visit spot closer to your home. A place where you don’t need expensive airline tickets or immunizations.

There is so much to see all across this beautiful country of ours. Some examples include Historical Williamsburg, our newly safe Nation’s Capital, Pennsylvania Dutch Country in Lancaster, PA, the Alamo, the Grand Canyon, or even the Disney Parks in California and Florida.

If you are looking for a more wintry view, think about the snow-filled Northeast. Nature even filled in many of those locations this past weekend.

The point is to keep your family and yourself safe this season. So much better for your wallet and your peace of mind, for sure.

And you help to keep our economy in a much more robust chance to continue its rebound from the last few years of decline. Why give your hard-earned dollars to businesses who don’t really care about you, when you can help grow American businesses!

These are all valid points to consider as you plan to get a few days away from your winter doldrums. And stay safe in the process.

And soon enough, you will be looking forward to planning for that hard-earned summer vacay. With a few extra bucks in your pocket.

Have a goad, fun and SAFE Spring Break, My Friends!

A Testament to Champions

Forty-six years. Almost a half century. So many things to consider with numbers of years between events of history.

For example, it was forty-four years which elapsed between Stanley Cup championships for the New York Rangers. And they are well on the way (thirty-two years) to make that number again.

Or forty years, since the New York Mets, with all their pitching history, won the World Series.

Or, forty-seven years since Iran celebrated real freedom, without the dictatorial rule of criminals, who have no problem killing the people who protest for their freedom from bullies who dress up in robes and pretend to worship God.

How about the years many of us lived through the forty-five years of the Cold War, from the end of World War II, until the Soviet Union took its last breath on Christmas Day in 1991. 

All long times, yes?

Well, this period of years is recognized and celebrated again today. It has been forty-six years since the USA last won a Gold Medal in Men's Olympic Hockey. To the day, or at least to the days. And the USA Women's team joined in the celebration by winning the Gold Medal in THEIR event two days earlier!

Neither these women or men were gleams in their parents' eyes when the USA last won the gold. In fact, some of their parents may not have been born yet either. It was so long ago.

But now, the Women showed the Men how to do it, and both teams are destined to live in History. Because of one magical week in February, 2026. 

And it is a good feeling to write something positive of a time which spans years, decades, even an almost half century to celebrate happiness for today's men and women destined to be our future. Maybe not tomorrow, but certainly within the next forty-six years.

Continue with your upward climb to succeed in all you do for the betterment of all yet to come. And may your next forty-six years be better than what came before.