Monday Musings - May 29, 2023

 

Memorial Day 

1. Remember those who gave their last full measure of devotion for this country. Thank a vet or active duty service member for their service.

Virginia Mountains
Afton, VA
May 25, 2023

2. It is the last Monday, of 5, in May 2023. It is also Memorial Day. There are 30 Mondays remaining in the year.

3. I realized that as a retired person I really don't take vacations anymore. I am on vacation every day. When I leave home I am simply traveling as part of my retirement, like a business trip. 

4. The weather in Maryland has been unseasonably cold since our arrival here. Today we are attempting golf with forecasts for continued cool temperatures and a threat of rain.

5. It is a Monday holiday. I made have erred in getting a tee time. The course likely will be extremely crowded resulting in a 5-hour round of golf.

6. Today in History. At 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa of Nepal, become the first explorers to reach the summit of Mount Everest, which at 29,035 feet above sea level is the highest point on earth. The two, part of a British expedition, made their final assault on the summit after spending a fitful night at 27,900 feet. News of their achievement broke around the world on June 2, the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, and Britons hailed it as a good omen for their country’s future.

Mount Everest sits on the crest of the Great Himalayas in Asia, lying on the border between Nepal and Tibet. Called Chomo-Lungma, or “Mother Goddess of the Land,” by the Tibetans, the English named the mountain after Sir George Everest, a 19th-century British surveyor of South Asia. The summit of Everest reaches two-thirds of the way through the air of the earth’s atmosphere—at about the cruising altitude of jet airliners—and oxygen levels there are very low, temperatures are extremely cold, and weather is unpredictable and dangerous.

4 great white sharks detected in waters off New York and New Jersey - CNN

Police: 7 children found in home with padlocked fridge, caged rats, never attended school and lacked basic knowledge - CNN

Iran will face consequences after Kyiv was targeted with Iranian drones, Ukrainian official warns - CNN

Biden says final US debt ceiling deal ready to move to Congress for vote - Reuters

North Korea to hold key ruling party meeting in early June - Reuters

Nigeria's Tinubu gets his turn as president, familiar problems await - Reuters

Explosions rock Kyiv as Russia launches new attack - Air Force - Reuters

Japan puts missile defences on alert as North Korea warns of satellite launch - Reuters

Disney’s Orlando Campus Cancellation Is a Blow to Neighboring Projects - The Wall Street Journal

Texas Republicans pass bills changing election policies for large Democratic county - The Washington Post

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD