March 16, 2019
Dearest Readers,
Good morning. Today, On This Date makes trips to Vietnam and Beirut, and Top of the Charts investigates 1985 and in today’s episode of Philosophy 101, we chat you and me being the only thing new in the long progression of days.
Many thanks for reading,
xoxoxo
Kaitlyn
On This Date:
In 1968 – What History refers to as the Mai Lai Massacre occurs in northern South Vietnam when between 350 nad 500 Vietnamese civilians are slaughtered by elements of US Army’s 23rd Infantry Division. The cover-up, of course, began immediately and the story was not broken until November 1969 in an Associated Press story by Seymour Hersh. 26 soldiers would ultimately be charged though only Lt. William Calley would be convicted. His life sentence was eventually reduced to twenty years to life and then, in 1974, time served.
In 1985 – Associated Press reporter Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut after, kidnapped on the street and thrown into the trunk of a car following a game of tennis. Anderson was held captive for six years and nine months, released on December 4, 1991. He was captured by militants attempting to urge the United States to stop butting in in the Lebanese Civil War.
Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1985:
Hot 100 – Can’t Fight This Feeling…REO Speedwagon (2nd of three weeks)
Soul Chart – Nightshift…The Commodores (1st of four weeks)
Country Chart – Crazy for Your Love…Exile (only week)
Album Chart – Make It Big…Wham! (3rd and final week)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.
Numbers Racket
10,675: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
22.127: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
606: days until Election Day 2020.
Philosophy 101
In this old world, there is nothing new but ourselves.
Gore Vidal
Creation
It may seem that life is merely a long progression of days that tend to look an awful lot alike, but the good news is we can make a new version of ourselves every day. We all have 24 hours every day, the only commodity every human is issued in equal measure, and what we get out of our lives depends on how we spend those 24 hours. Do we spend them in activities that yield a dividend, or do we squander them doing things that provide no long-term benefit?
Those that get on in this world put their 24 hours to work for them, taking advantage of what nature and circumstance put in front of them and making their time serve them. Those that spend their lives marking time squander their 24 hours.
Which are you? Are you looking back on and forward to time well spent, or are you not entirely pleased
If the former is your answer, good work and carry on.
If your answer, however, is the latter, don’t fret, because a new you is there for the taking. All that is required is to take some time to look inside yourself, inventory your talents and ambitions and know what you are about. Then all you need is the courage to maximize these talents and the patience and diligence to do this every single day. When you do this, you will be on your path, living the life you were meant to live, life’s great prize.
Both you, your loved ones and this old world will benefit.
Gore Vidal (1925-2012) was an American was an American writer. He is quoted regularly in this feature.