.......and anyway, the town I live in celebrates its 750th this year

Trump can puff his chest out all he wants on July 4th, especially if he’s still compos mentis, but to paraphrase a former Senator from Texas, “you, sir, are no Thomas Jefferson.”

In recent years, I have often been in the States on July 4th. Not so this year. My work schedule determines my summer trip to North America, and this year, I will be in EU-land until mid-July. So, instead of being in the States for July 4th, I will be in my adopted home town of Ratingen, which is celebrating its “official” 750th anniversary. In fact, the town was a settlement way before that. The castle, which is practically next door, has a cornerstone with the year 973, and it is NOT missing a “1” as a first digit. It used to be a major stopping off point for medieval trade caravans, as it was the half-way point between Paris and the Hanseatic League of Baltic city-states.k