Today is July 4th, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the USA! It reminds me, somehow, of the last time I was in New York City. My wife had to go there for a national convention of Poison Control Centers, where she learned about Anthrax, and other global risks of Terrorism. My son and I came along to see the sights of NYC, including the Statue of Liberty: I thought that the Shadow of Liberty was kind of interesting..., and I got a good picture of the front of the Statue of Liberty on that March day: But my favorite picture was this one: My take on it changes from time to time. At first, I thought it represented the United States of America as holding up a light in a dark time. It was not many years after the attack on the Twin Towers changed so many things in the USA, and globally. Today, looking at the picture again, I see it as America going through a dark time, still trying to hold up the torch, and hopefully rea...