Monday Musings - March 28, 2022

 1. Welcome to the last Monday of March. The year has 39 Mondays remaining. Federal income tax deadline is next month.

2. Taxes! Don't forget to do your taxes!

Orchid at Flamingo Gardens
Ft Lauderdale, FL
March 26, 2022

3. On a return trip to Flamingo Gardens, the Happy Hour group was able to enjoy an extensive Orchid display. Fun fact that we learned: Orchids comprise about 10 percent of all plant species on the planet. Also, orchids are the world's largest plant family. We also spied many other flowers, trees, plants, and animals. It was another great day and even though it was my third trip to the "gardens," I found many new things to enjoy.

4. I guess I am a foreign relations neophyte because I applaud the President for stating the obvious during his speech Saturday in Poland: “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.” Those words do not suggest that the U.S. is supporting or actively planning regime change in Russia, but I question the motives of anyone who disagrees with the President's sentiment. I reference an article in my Headlines section which explores the impact of those words, but in my mind they are not too far removed from President Reagan's proclamation: "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall." Those words foretold the end of the Soviet Union and the President's words on Saturday are looking for the end of tyranny and an inhumane war against the peace-loving people of Ukraine. 

5. Apparently a second coronavirus booster will be authorized for those of us over 50 years of age! I will be one of the first in that line. I have been enjoying the relative freedom from masks and COVID-19 fear these past months here in Florida.

6. Today's weather:

    Tequesta, FL - High 80, Low 56

    Hilton Head Island, SC - High 73, Low 51

    Elkridge, MD -  High 37, Low 20

    Ithaca, NY - High 20, Low 15

7. Today in History. At 4 a.m. on March 28, 1979, the worst accident in the history of the U.S. nuclear power industry begins when a pressure valve in the Unit-2 reactor at Three Mile Island fails to close. Cooling water, contaminated with radiation, drained from the open valve into adjoining buildings, and the core began to dangerously overheat.

The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant was built in 1974 on a sandbar on Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River, just 10 miles downstream from the state capitol in Harrisburg. In 1978, a second state-of-the-art reactor began operating on Three Mile Island, which was lauded for generating affordable and reliable energy in a time of energy crises.

Ukraine Seeks to Exploit Shift in Russia’s Military Strategy - The Wall Street Journal

Biden’s Remark on Putin Stirs Anxiety Among Western Allies - The Wall Street Journal

How Russia’s Central Bank Engineered the Ruble’s Rebound - The Wall Street Journal

Russian troops’ tendency to talk on unsecured lines is proving costly in Ukraine - The Washington Post

The factors that could alter Putin’s course in the war - The Washington Post

FDA expected to authorize second coronavirus booster for those 50 and older - The Washington Post

Ukraine insists on territorial integrity as talks to resume - Reuters

China's Shanghai launches two-phase lockdown as COVID surges - Reuters

North Macedonia declares five Russian diplomats personas non grata - Reuters

Analysts investigate possibility of North Korea missile test 'deception' - Reuters

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL