Monday Musings - May 10, 2021

 

1. It is the second Monday of May--but the weather makes it feel more like March. There are three Mondays remaining in the month.

2. The temperatures have been in the 40's overnight. The arrival of Brood X of the 17 year Cicadas has apparently been delayed due to the cold temperatures.

3. There is a chlorine shortage for residential pools developing. Chris and I were able to secure enough chlorine tablets for the entire pool season. 

4. Dogs get on a very regular schedule. I no longer need an alarm clock in the morning. Makayla wakes me so she can go out and get fed.

5. The light is returning in the morning. By 6 AM it is light enough to see. I believe that I will be playing racquetball in the mornings again, soon. 

6. Today in History. On May 10, 1869, the presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads meet in Promontory, Utah, and drive a ceremonial last spike into a rail line that connects their railroads. This made transcontinental railroad travel possible for the first time in U.S. history. No longer would western-bound travelers need to take the long and dangerous journey by wagon train.

‘Why Do We Deserve to Die?’ Kabul’s Hazaras Bury Their Daughters.‘Why Do We Deserve to Die?’ Kabul’s Hazaras Bury Their Daughters. - The New York Times

Kentucky Derby Winner Medina Spirit Fails Drug Test - The New York Times

Consumers Feel the Pinch as Prices Rise - The Wall Street Journal

U.S. Pipeline Shutdown Exposes Cyber Threat to Energy Sector - The Wall Street Journal

Slowing population growth raises questions about America as a land with unlimited horizons - The Washington Post

Hundreds of bodies of covid-19 victims are still in New York’s refrigerated trucks more than a year into the pandemic - The Washington Post

United StatesBoyfriend kills 6 people and himself at Colorado birthday party; children not shot - Reuters

Health & PharmaceuticalsCOVID-19 cases and deaths fall further in the UK, vaccinations rise - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

The economic challenges faced in the southern half of this hemisphere appear as monumental as those in the political arena. Yet there's reason for hope. For the three decades after the Second World War, substantial economic progress was made in Latin America. Growth rates, in fact, matched those in the industrialized democracies and improved the standard of living of a significant proportion of the population. At the same time, however, a rapid increase in the population strained resources and left many in dire poverty. The leap in energy prices and the onset of global recession in 1979 was felt the world over. Few places experienced more pain than Latin America and the Caribbean.

While coping with worldwide economic currents must be the primary responsibility of each country, we're doing what we can to help. We increased by over 50 percent the level of bilateral economic assistance over the previous administration. We've continued to support contributions to the World Bank, the Inter-American Bank, and IMF programs, all of which are vital to Latin America. Discreetly, with much care and consideration for political, social, as well as economic consequences, we worked with leaders in government and the private sector to encourage the refinancing of international debts. And your cooperation has been indispensable in this effort.

Remarks at a Meeting of the Council of the Americas, May 8, 1984

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD