Monday Musings - January 21, 2019

1. It is the third Monday of January and the month is really flying by as is the new year.

Palm Trees in Jupiter, Florida
January 20, 201 9

2. I was appalled at the poor refereeing during the NFL Championship games yesterday. There were too many missed or inappropriately made calls which, in my mind, changed the course of both games. It almost seemed as if the fix was in. The NFL must do something to reduce the impact that referees have on the game in critical situations.

Jupiter Sound, Jupiter, Florida
January 20, 2019

3. Today we remember the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was assassinated during 1968.  Despite all of the efforts in our country since then to ensure civil rights for everyone, I have come to believe that America is more divided now than at any time in its past and we still are unwilling to ensure equal rights for everyone.

4.  Arriving in Florida was provided a great respite form the cold of Baltimore. Yesterday's activities included walking outside without a coat, sitting at a restaurant alongside the intercostal having a relaxing drink, and seeing a movie before watching the NFL championship games. It was a great way to start a get-away-from-winter vacation.

Blue Pointe Bar and Grille
Jupiter Sound, Jupiter, Florida
January 20, 2019

5. The cold weather followed us from Baltimore. It was 45 degrees here this morning as I walked Finnegan! But the sun was shining and we are hopeful of getting about 70 degrees today.

6. Flying was not as bad as I expected. The TSA agents were great and we appreciated that they were still on duty even though they are not getting paid, allowing us to head off on our mid-winter vacation.

7. I do enjoy seeing bright sunshine and clear blue skies in the morning. What is that bright orb in the sky?

8. Today in History. On this day in 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter grants an unconditional pardon to hundreds of thousands of men who evaded the draft during the Vietnam War.

Headlines

Moscow Skyscraper Talks Continued Through ‘the Day I Won,’ Trump Is Said to Acknowledge - The New York Times

A tribal elder and a high school junior stood face to face, and the world reacted - The Washington Post

U.S. calls on Russia to destroy new missile system - Reuters

Iran satellite launch fails after U.S. warning - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders. – Ronald Reagan



-- Bob Doan, writing from Tequesta, Florida