Monday Musings - October 8, 2018

1. The second Monday of October has arrived. We are enjoying warm days in the 80's and no rain. I wish the mosquitos would go away, however.

2. Happy Columbus Day, or Indigenous Peoples Day depending on your point of view.

3. The recent Brett Kavanaugh partisan confirmation hearings have demonstrated that the United States is becoming a tribal society. The polarized I am afraid of where this is all heading.

4. Family Football Results:
    Ravens (3-2) lost to Browns 9-12 in overtime
    Steelers (2-2-1) defeated Falcons 41-17
    Cowboys (2-3) lost to Texans 16-19 in overtime
    Redskins (2-1) are at the Saints on the Monday Night game

5. The NHL is back. The fastest game on ice. The Penguins are off to a 2-1 start including a thrilling win over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals.

6. Why does the traffic always seem to be the worst in the direction that I am traveling?

7. The early-October get away was much needed and enjoyed. And we restocked our white wines for the coming winter season.

8. Today in History. On this day in 1871, flames spark in the Chicago barn of Patrick and Catherine O’Leary, igniting a two-day blaze that kills between 200 and 300 people, destroys 17,450 buildings, leaves 100,000 homeless and causes an estimated $200 million (in 1871 dollars; $3 billion in 2007 dollars) in damages. Legend has it that a cow kicked over a lantern in the O’Leary barn and started the fire, but other theories hold that humans or even a comet may have been responsible for the event that left four square miles of the Windy City, including its business district, in ruins. Dry weather and an abundance of wooden buildings, streets and sidewalks made Chicago vulnerable to fire. The city averaged two fires per day in 1870; there were 20 fires throughout Chicago the week before the Great Fire of 1871.

Headlines

Bitter partisan battle wounded Kavanaugh and the Supreme Court he’s joined - The Washington Post
Disappearance and alleged killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi could complicate U.S.-Saudi relations - The Washington Post

Why Italian-Americans Still Fiercely Defend Columbus Day - The New York Times

Pompeo visit to China kicks off with frosty exchange - Reuters

Pompeo says North Korea ready to let inspectors into missile, nuclear sites - Reuters

Ronald Reagan's Tomb
Reagan Presidential Library
Simi Valley, California
November 4, 2016

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph,. And there's purpose and worth to each and every life.

  --  Speech at the Dedication of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, November 4, 1991 (Inscription on Reagan's Tomb)


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD