January 14, 2019
Dearest Readers,
Our government shutdown is over three weeks old and is now the longest such shutdown in American history. We here at Morning Coffee are not surprised by this and you shouldn’t be, either. Two years ago we elected a petulant and vindictive man as president and this past November we reelected 90 percent of a partisan, fractured and bickering Congress. This wasn’t a bulletin, either because our country right now is also a partisan, fractured and bickering mess; a government and its people are merely a reflection of each other.
We elected everyone there. Republicans can blame Democrats and Democrats can blame Republicans but the real blame belongs with us: we declined to demand better this past Election Day.
MORNING BRIEFING
Here are some things you may find interesting to know:
Almanac
In 1943 – President Franklin Roosevelt completes the first airplane trip by a US president, completing a three-day journey from Miami to Casablanca, Morroco to meet with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Roosevelt flew a commercial Boeing 314 flying boat and the flight was made in three legs: Miami to Trinidad, Trinidad to Brazil and Brazil to Africa.
In 1952 – The Today television program debuts on NBC, with Dave Garroway as host. The show was originally two hours long, though today the weekday edition is four hours long. Still on the air 66 years later, it is the fifth longest running TV show in American history and is the longest running morning show. This morning’s broadcast was the show’s 17,636th episode.
Your Hit Parade
#1 songs on this date in 1984:
Hot 100 – Say, Say, Say…Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson (6th and final week)
Soul Chart – Joanna…Kool & the Gang (1st of two weeks)
Country Chart – Slow Burn…T.G. Sheppard (1st and only week)
Album Chart – Thriller…Michael Jackson (24th of 37 non-consecutive weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.
Numbers Racket
10,618: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
$21.938: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
661: days until 2020 election.
Philosophy 101
She was as easily and automatically contented by herself as a pussycat…
Sinclair Lewis
Arrowsmith
Being content with ourselves is one of life’s great prizes. This isn’t always easy. Each day there are 70 times seven things to distract us from our path. When we spend our time grasping at things that are out of our control we are living life from the outside in. Mindlessly responding to external forces does not do anyone any good and distracts us from our quest to get in touch with ourselves.
Those that get on in this world are content with themselves. They live life from the inside out, answering to their heart, which tells them where to go, and following their instincts, which tell them how to get there.
Every day we are given 24 hours – the only commodity each of us is issued in equal measure – to either kill or put to work for us, and every day the choice is ours. What we get out of this life depends on the choice we make.
We are choosing to write and make our time serve us today. What are you choosing to do?
Have a good day, and many thanks for reading.
Kaitlyn