Monday Musings - December 4, 2023

 

1. Welcome to the first Monday of the last month of the year. There are three Mondays remaining in the year and, well, Christmas is three weeks away.

2. Family NFL Report. It was a rough week for the family teams with only one win. 

Cowboys (9-3) out-dueled Seattle (6-6), 41-35

Commanders (4-9) were drowned by Dolphins (9-3), 45-15

Steelers (7-5) got pooped on by Cardinals (3-10), 10-24

Ravens (9-3) had the week off (thankfully)

Egret on Post
Tequesta, FL
November 9, 2023

3. Riding through Tequesta and across the bridges, we often see birds perched. The other day, this egret stood out against the green background.

4. I must report that my bike now has over 3,000 miles on it. I crossed that threshold on Saturday during a 23 mile ride. Who knew that I could ride that far in almost two years without really trying. 

5.  I have been watching Christmas movies--they almost invariably have happy endings. I wonder if that really translates to real life. 

6. Today in History. On December 4, 1991, Islamic militants in Lebanon release kidnapped American journalist Terry Anderson after 2,454 days in captivity.

As chief Middle East correspondent for the Associated Press, Anderson covered the long-running civil war in Lebanon (1975-1990). On March 16, 1985, he was kidnapped on a west Beirut street while leaving a tennis court. His captors took him to the southern suburbs of the city, where he was held prisoner in an underground dungeon for the next six-and-a-half years.

Anderson was one of 92 foreigners (including 17 Americans) abducted during Lebanon’s bitter civil war. The kidnappings were linked to Hezbollah, or the Party of God, a militant Shiite Muslim organization formed in 1982 in reaction to Israel’s military presence in Lebanon. They seized several Americans, including Anderson, soon after Kuwaiti courts jailed 17 Shiites found guilty of bombing the American and French embassies there in 1983. Hezbollah in Lebanon received financial and spiritual support from Iran.

Israel kills top Hamas commander, IDF says - CNN

Turmoil at pro-DeSantis super PAC hits at critical moment - CNN

Trump is showing how a second term would rewrite the rules of presidential power - CNN

Western start-ups seek to break China's grip on rare earths refining - Reuters

Morning Bid: Buoyant markets hold near year's highs - Reuters

White House says it is nearly out of money to help Ukraine fight war with Russia - Reuters

South Korea flies solid-fuel rocket amid space race with North Korea - Reuters

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL