Third Leg of Racing (158th annual Belmont Stakes)

 Three weeks after the PREAKNESS will be

at a different location :

Saratoga Race Course,

Saratoga Springs, NY

shorter length this year :

from 1 1/2 miles to 1 1/4 since the

BELMONT PARK is undergoing

massive renovations.

Shavuot

 Festival of

"Weeks" -- to be precise

50 days : 7 weeks plus 1

since

PASSOVER annually.

a Jewish holiday observed

in the home / synagogue

commemorating the

giving of the LAW 50 days

after the exit - escape from

slavery in Egypt's oppressive

rule under Pharaoh.

When does the FESTIVAL of WEEKS begin?

 Shavuot or

"WEEKS" began at sunset on 

May 21, 2026 (Western calendar)

commemorating Wheat harvest

and the giving of the Law

from Mt. Sinai

__________________________

that celebration involves staying up

all night / sharing of dairy - themed

refreshing foods such as

Blintzes,

Cheesecake,

Savory quiches,

Flaky bourekas.

Also -- reading of

the Book of Ruth.

May 2026 blog statistics 262K +

 May 1 - 31, 2026

First Friday

5/1/             6,516

Sat. 5/2         6,491

5/3            17,468

5/4 (Monday)    18,565 

5/5              5,283

5/6              5,619

5/7              5,616

5/8              5,531

5/9 (Sat.)   20,101 [4th place,visits/views ]

5/10         19,454 

5/11             19,693 

5/12             20,041 [5th largest day ]

5/13             11,619

5/14              4,331

5/15              31,047 [largest VISITs/views]

5/16              29,388    (2nd most)

5/17 (Sunday)        1,904

5/18                  1,949

5/19                  2,935

Wed. May 20           2,749

5/21                  3,824

5/22                21,618 [ 3rd most views ]

Sat. 5/23

Sunday 24th PENTECOST

Memorial Day 25th

5/26

until 

Fifth Monday (5/31)

Total for entire month =

262,002

________________________

Last month April 1 - 30

was 

246,825

Hegseth's management of the world's most powerful military: WASHINGTON_WEEK_IN_REVIEW (tonight)

 PBS.org/weta/washingtonweek/

article/2026/05/coming-up-on

-washingtonweek-with-the-atlantic-0522

HOST

Jeffrey Goldberg

PANELISTS

Helene Cooper, NY TIMES

Jonathan Karl, ABC News co-anchor, THIS WEEK

Missy Ryan, staff writer The Atlantic

Vivian Salama, The Atlantic

Tonight

8 p.m. (check local listings)

30-minute program weekly on PBS (Public TV)

Only 4 references to God - Supreme Deity

July 4, 1776 

"Declaration"

has more focus on

Tyranny and Harm

to the Populace 

(27 complaints) than on

how United colonies agreed

on God - Supreme Being (4

terms used separately) . . .

What the Declaration of

Independence does and

doesn't say about God

Thomas Tweed for

National Catholic Reporter

online dot-org

May 17, 2026 online article

Maria Melmer Stenergard

 Sweden's Foreign Minister

It is confusing indeed

and

not always easy to navigate

______________________

Friday a.m.

Helsingborg, SWEDEN