Kaitlyn's Reading Salon

January 31, 2019
Good morning friends.
Today on the Almanac we have some hot US Constitutional amendment action, the Top of the Charts is from 1982 and Philosophy 101 talks about the impostors known as success and failure.

THE DAILY ALMANAC
On This Date:
In  1865 – The United States House of Representatives passes the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution. This followed the amendment’s passage by the Senate the previous April and sent the measure, which abolishes slavery in the United States, to the several states for ratification. The following day Illinois would become the first state to ratify the amendment and it became law after Georgia ratified it in December.

In 1945 – US Army Private Eddie Slovik is executed for desertion in France. The soldiers that shot Slovik weren’t Marksmen of the Year. Of the eleven bullets that hit Slovik (one soldier fired a blank), only four were close enough to the heart to do fatal damage, and the squad was actually preparing to load further rounds in their weapons. Slovik was one of 21,000 soldiers convicted of desertion during War II and one of 49 sentenced to death and the only one to have his sentenced carried out. It was the first execution by the Army for desertion since the Civil War

Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1982:
Hot 100 – At This Moment…Billy Vera and the Beaters (2nd of two weeks)
Soul Chart – Candy…Cameo (1st of two weeks)
Country Chart – You Still Move Me…Dan Seal (only week)
Album Chart – Slippery When Wet…Bon Jovi (4th of eight non-consecutive weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,634: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
21.968: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
647: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
A man’s life is interesting primarily when he has failed — I well know. For it’s a sign that he tried to surpass himself.
Georges Clemenceau

Failure and success are interesting animals. They are, to a great extent, how we measure the worth of our lives or, more accurately, how we are conditioned to measure the worth of our lives. You set a goal and don’t make it you’ve failed. You reached that goal, your a success.

Us humans, every one of us, were meant to do things. Now, those things differ based on our talents and ambitions, but those that get on in this life try things; they set goals and try to reach them. Sometimes they reach those goals – life’s great prize. Sometimes they don’t – life’s great lesson. And dreams some they will chase until the day they die – life’s great challenge. Their lives transcend the usual measures of success and failure because success and failure are impostors, the construct of outside influences that exist only in relation to one another. Take away the relationship and neither exists.

We dismiss success and failure, too, when we are on our path, when we have the wisdom to know what we were meant to do with our lives and the courage to go and do it and the patience to see it through to the very end. When our time comes to look at our lives all we are left with are the talents we were issued at the birth and the work we put into maximizing those talents. When we’ve done this, we will be looking back on time well spent and a life well lived, the ultimate success.

Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929) was prime minister of France from 1906-09 and 1917-20.

Many thanks for reading, and have a good day.
xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

January 30, 2019
Good morning dear readers. Today in the Almanac, it’s tough at the top, as King Charles I and Andrew Jackson show in On This Date, Hall and Oates dominate Top of the Charts, while Philosophy 101 offers a discussion on the difference between genius and talent, with a quote from Schopenhauer providing the impetus.

THE DAILY ALMANAC
On This Date:
In  1649 – Charles I, the king of England, is beheaded in London, punishment following his conviction for treason. Charles had declined to enter a plea or, for that matter, acknowledge that any earthly court had jurisdiction over him. Justice was swift back then: his trial had begun on the 20th and he was found guilty on the 26th. The English were so displeased with the monarchy they would remain a commonwealth until restoring the throne, to his son, Charles II, in 1660.

In 1835 – The first assassination attempt against a president of the United States occurs when one Richard Lawerence attempts to shoot Andrew Jackson. Jackson was leaving the US Capitol building at the time and Lawrence tried to shoot him twice in the back, but both pistols misfired. After the attempts, Lawerence was subdued by the crowd, including President Jackson, who beat him with his cane. Lawerence would later be found not guilty by reason of having lost his marbles, and spent the remaining 26 years of his life in asylums.

Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1982:
Hot 100 – I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)…Daryl Hall and John Oates (only week)
Soul Chart – I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)…Daryl Hall and John Oates (only week)
Country Chart –  I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)…Daryl Hall and John Oates (only week)
Just kidding. The soul chart listing is legit, but we are just funnin’ you with the country chart listing. The real #1 country song is this one:
Country Chart – The Sweetest Thing (I’ve Ever Known)…Juice Newton…(only week)
Album Chart – 4…Foreigner (10th of ten non-consecutive weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,633: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
21.966: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
648: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; genius hits targets no one else can see.
Arthur Schopenhauer

One of the life’s greatest lessons is all of us can do something well, and it’s a lesson we were fortunate enough to be taught very early in our lives. We were all issued varying measures of assorted talents and ambitions at birth and what we get out of our lives depends on how much we maximize and utilize those talents. Often the difference between success and failure is the amount of work we were willing to put into something.

Now, our talent is not exclusive to us, lots of people can do lots of things in this world, but what we get out of that talent is exclusive to us. We must have the wisdom to know what we are about, the courage to live the life we were meant to live and the wisdom to see our paths through to the very end.

Only we can make our mark on this world: nobody else can do it for us because no one else sees the same targets we do. If we follow our genius, if we live the life we were meant to live, then the targets we were meant to hit will be plain for us to see.

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was a German philosopher. 

Many thanks for reading, and have a good day.

xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

January 29, 2019
Hello readers, many thanks for stopping by this morning.

Today in the Almanac we have The Raven and the Rubik’s Cube headlining On This Date, Top of the Charts is from 1994 and Barry Manilow provides the ballast for Philosophy 101 with a quote about believing in yourself.

THE DAILY ALMANAC
On This Date:
In  1845 – The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe is published in the New York Evening Mirror. The Raven is about a raven who visits a distraught lover and follows the gentleman’s fall into madness. It made Poe famous but did not bring much financial success and while The Raven’s place in history remains the topic of some discussion, it remains one of the planet’s most famous poems.

In 1980 – The infernal Rubik’s Cube makes its international debut in London. The standard 3×3 cube has, more or less, 43 quintillion goddamn possible combinations and remains one of the most popular, not to mention frustrating, toys in history. It has become so popular it even has its own international governing body for contests and the acknowledgment of records, the World Cube Association.

Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1994:
Hot 100 – All For Love  – Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting (2nd of three weeks)
Soul Chart – Cry For You…Jodeci (2nd of three weeks)
Country Chart – Live Until I Die…Clay Walker (only week)
Album Chart – Music Box…Mariah Carey (6th of eight non-consecutive weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,632: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
21.965: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
649: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
I believed in what I did so much, I couldn’t believe there were people who couldn’t hear it.
Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow is an interesting person to utter something like this. A critical and commercial success like few others, Manilow was also one of those artists it was popular for certain people to say they didn’t like. Not everyone heard Barry’s voice.

We must believe in what we are doing. There is no substitute for this because no one, no one, will believe in us like we do. Your mother and a good spouse will try, but no one has the vision for your life and how your time must be spent than you do. And this is true for whatever you may be doing in this life. A carpenter must put his heart and soul into every project. A writer must believe in every word they put down, that they are saying what they feel must be said every time they sit down to ply their trade.

When we believe in what we do because it is coming from the very depths of our being, the very core of what we are about, good things will follow. Not everyone on the planet may hear our voice, but that’s their loss. As long as we hear our voice, that we are on our path and living the life we were meant to live, that is all that matters.

Thank you for reading. We will see you again tomorrow.
xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

January 28, 2019
Good day, readers. I’m glad you’re here.

Today the English monarchy and the last flight of the Challenger are featured on On This Date, Top of the Charts highlights this date in 1978 and Virgil, an old Roman poet, has the quote that provides today’s Philosophy 101 lesson.

THE DAILY ALMANAC
On This Date:
In  1547 – Edward VI becomes king of England, following the death of his father, Henry VIII. Edward was nine at the time and only reigned until his death at age 15. When it became clear he was going to die, Edward declared in his will the throne pass to a cousin, Lady Jane Grey, but she only lasted nine days before being overthrown and replaced by Mary I, the second child of Henry VIII to wear the crown. The third and final child would be Elizabeth I, who assumed the throne following the death of Mary’s husband, Philip.

In 1986 – The space shuttle Challenger lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on a routine mission to release a satellite, observe Halley’s Comet and have schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe conduct lessons from space. Challenger never left Earth’s orbit, however, exploding 73 seconds after take off, an investigation showing primary and secondary O-rings on a solid rocket booster failed. It is not known exactly how or when the crew died, though the impact of the crew cabin crashing into the ocean would have killed anyone who was still alive. It was the first American manned spaceflight not to make it to space and the second ever, following a 1975 Soviet mission where the two-man crew survived.

Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1978:
Hot 100 – Baby Come Back– Player (3rd of three weeks)
Soul Chart – Our Love…Natalie Cole (2nd of two weeks)
Country Chart – Out of My Head and Back in My Bed…Loretta Lynn (1st of two weeks)
Album Chart – Saturday Night Fever…Various artists (2nd of 24 weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,631: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
21.963: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
648: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
They can because they think they can.
Virgil

To an extent that may surprise or even astonish us, we tend to get the lives we expect. Those that expect a good life, those that know what they are about and maximize the talents they were born with at birth, generally get the lives they were expecting. Similarly, those with low expectations for their time on this planet usually get that, too.

Now, just because thinking you can doesn’t mean you will. There are other factors involved, not the least being what you want must be attainable and it must be something you have a knack for. For example. if we were to try to win an Olympic sprinting medal, we would not succeed. Certainly, this is attainable because Olympic sprinting medals are issued every four years, but no matter how much we want it or how much we think we can do it, we don’t do it because we are not cut out for high-speed foot travel. Plus, it is useful to remember there are billions of people on this planet all leading random lives and sometimes things are out of our control.

However, if you think you can do something you have a knack for, if you are reacting to something emanating from the very core of your being, and you put in the work required to make it happen and you have the patience to see it through to the very end, you may very well climb your mountain. And if you don’t, the very fact you were on your path doing what you were meant to do with your life ensures an equally satisfactory result will present itself.

Thank you for reading. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

January 27, 2019
A good Sunday morning to you, many thanks for stopping by.

Today we have a rather poignant On This Date for you. Sometimes we try to funny up this segment a little bit, but that is not possible today. Elsewhere, Top of the Charts investigates 1973 and a quote from Roots provides the fodder for today’s edition of Philosophy 101.

THE DAILY ALMANAC
On This Date:
In  1945 – The 322nd Rifle Division of the Soviet Red Army liberates the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. It had been in operation for five years and was responsible for killing over one million Jews.

In 1967 – Three American astronauts, Gus Grissom, Ed White Roger Chaffee are killed when the command module they were testing catches fire at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An investigation concluded the fire was caused by a spark in some faulty wiring, aided by the pure oxygen atmosphere in the spacecraft. Manned flights were suspended for almost two years, and the first manned Apollo mission, Apollo 7, was not launched until October 1968.

Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1973:
Hot 100 – Superstition– Stevie Wonder (only week)
Soul Chart – Why Can’t We Live Together…Timmy Thomas (1st of two weeks)
Country Chart – (Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine…Tom T Hall (only week)
Album Chart – No Secrets…Carly Simon (3rd of five weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,630: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
21.961: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
649: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
Would he spend the rest of his life here…watching hope slip away along with the years until there was nothing left to live for and time had finally run out?
Alex Haley
Roots: The Saga of an American Family

Roots, of course, is a story of Haley’s ancestors, one of whom was captured in The Gambia and shipped to America for duty as a slave, and today’s quote is about one of these ancestors, though we neglected to note which one. Roots remains one of the finest books we’ve ever read and we were dismayed to find out Haley plagiarized some of it.

If you are reading this you are not subject to being a slave, unless your master provides you with Internet access, but today’s quote is as relevant to us as it was to Haley’s ancestors because we must ask ourselves these questions every day: Are the years slipping away? Will time finally run out? And the only question that really matters: will we make our time on this planet serve us, or will we squander our time here?

We must always have something to live for. Slaves only had more forced labor to live for, but we have 24 hours every day – the only commodity each of us is issued in equal measure – to make something good happen for ourselves. Those that get on in this life are the ones who take advantage of those 24 hours. They make their time serve them, whether it’s a champion athlete you see on television or the mechanic who expertly fixes your car, know what they were meant to do with their lives, they have the courage to go and do it and they have the patience to do it every day. Not some days and not others, not some years and not others, but every day, from the time they make the commitment until the day they die.

We can be no different; The life we were meant to live is there for all of us, but we have to go and get it; it’s not going to fall in our laps. We must pursue our path with diligence and courage.

Thank you for reading. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

January 26, 2019
Good morning dearest readers, I’m glad you stopped by today.

The almanac for today features the world’s largest diamond and a fibbing president, the Top of the Charts highlights 1952 and Philosophy 101 talks about overcoming ourselves.

THE DAILY ALMANAC
On This Date:
In 1905 – The world’s largest diamond, known as the Cullinan diamond, named after the chairman of the South African mine where it was found, is discovered. It would later be cut into nine separate games, two of which are in the British crown jewels and the rest of which are owned by Queen Elizabeth.

In 1998 – President Bill Clinton goes on national television to announce he did not have sex with a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky. He was just kidding, of course, and in December 1998 Clinton was impeached by the United States House of Representatives, though in early 1999 he was acquited in a trial held by the United States Senate.

Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1952:
Best Sellers In Stores – Cry– Johnny Ray and The Four Lads (5th of eleven weeks)
Soul Chart – Weepin’ & Cryin’…Griffin Brothers Orchestra (3rd of three weeks)
Country Chart – Slow Poke…Pee Wee King (13th of 15 non-consecutive weeks)
Album Chart – An American in Paris…Soundtrack (3rd of 16 non-consecutive weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,629: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
21.959: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
650: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
…yet McGary loved the church, as a comradely gathering of people alike hungry for something richer than daily selfishness…
Sinclair Lewis
Elmer Gantry

From time to time in this feature we talk about overcoming human nature and, by extension, ourselves. It isn’t easy. The daily selfishness that Mr Lewis refers to often stems from our deepest instincts: self-preservation, the sometimes goatish urge to reproduce, the need to look after ourselves before we do anything else.

It’s not easy overcoming these instincts, but it is necessary because we cannot get on this life, we cannot maximize the talents we were issued at birth, we cannot live the life we were meant to live unless we do. It takes wisdom, courage and patience to overcome ourselves: the wisdom to know the life we were meant to live, the courage to go and live that life and the patience to see it through to the very end.

Sometimes those traits aren’t enough because selfishness presents itself every day. However, are our talents and ambitions preset themselves every day, too, and we are not going to get the most out of these if we spend our days succumbing to daily selfishness. We must have the fortitude to overcome ourselves.

xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

January 25, 2019
Good morning dearest readers.

Henry VIII and The Guiding Light star in On This Date while Your Hit Parade spotlights 1986 and Philosophy 101 features Herbert Spencer talking about how our thoughts are our gift to our fellow beings. Well, I actually talk about that, but a quote from Spencer is the inspiration.

THE DAILY ALMANAC
On This Date:
In 1533 – English King Henry VIII marries his second wife Anne Boleyn. This was actually the second time the two had been married, the first was the previous November. Both were in secret because ol’ Henry was still married to his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Henry was no more pleased with Anne than he was with Cathrine and would have Anne beheaded in 1536.  Their only child Elizabeth would reign as queen of England from 1558-1603.

In 1937 – America’s longest-running soap opera, The Guiding Light, debuts on NBC Radio. The show moved to CBS Radio in 1947 and CBS Television in 1952 and left the air in 2009 after 18,262 episodes. On the air for 72 years, The Guiding Light remains the fifth-longest running show in worldwide broadcasting history.

Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1986:
Hot 100 – That’s What Friends Are For– Dionne and Friends (2nd of four weeks)
Soul Chart – That’s What Friends are For…Dionne and Friends (1st of three weeks)
Country Chart – Never Be You…Rosanne Cash (only week)
Album Chart – The Broadway Album…Barbra Streisand (1st of three weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,628: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
21.957: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
651: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
His thoughts are as children born to him, which he may not carelessly let die.
Herbert Spencer

Our thoughts should be cherished because they are some of the few things we cna truly call our own. Others have thoughts, of course, but those are their lookout; our thoughts belong exclusively to us. Sometimes, out of insecurity, we may try to compare them to the thoughts of others, but while in step with human nature, it is not fair to us. Our thoughts stem from what we’ve been and lay the foundation for what we will become.

This is especially true for a writer because your characters become so real to you you can picture them sitting at your desk when you are writing about them. This is the way it should be, too, because there is no way you are going to make them real to a reader if they are not real to you.

But today’s quote is true even if you are not a writer. So don’t be afraid of your thoughts. They are your mind’s gift to you and your gift to the word. There is no reason to fear them. Nurture them and let them grow.

xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

January 24, 2019
Good morning dearest readers.

Our government’s shutdown is now five weeks old, and workers who need the money are about to miss their second straight paycheck. There is no end in sight as everyone continues to give a clinic in circling the wagons. The usual people are saying the usual things but we elected everyone there. This is all our fault. We elected it and we are tolerating it.

THE DAILY ALMANAC
On This Date:
In 1972 – Japanese Army Sergeant Shoichi Yokoi is found by two fishermen in the Guam jungle he’d been hiding in since the end of World War II. His unit had reported to Guam in 1943 and had gone into hiding with nine others after the US took control of the island. The other nine had either left Guam or died there and Sgt Yokoi would later say he knew the war was over, but he thought it dishonorable to surrender. He died in 1997 at the age 82.

In 1989 – Serial killer Ted Bundy is executed in Florida for the 1987 murder of a 12-year-old girl. Bundy had two other death sentences pending and in his final days began singing like a canary about other murders he’d committed in the hopes of putting off his death. Bundy passed on eating his final meal of steak and eggs and reports indicated he had spent his last night weeping and praying, neither of which did any good and Bundy was ashen and scared when we walked into the death chamber. The exact number of girls and women he killed will never be known.

Your Hit Parade
#1 songs on this date in 1981:
Hot 100 – (Just Like) Starting Over – John Lennon (5th of five weeks)
Soul Chart – Celebration…Kool and the Gang (6th of six weeks)
Country Chart – 9 to 5…Dolly Parton (only week)
Album Chart – Double Fantasy…John Lennon and Yoko Ono (5th of eight weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,627: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
21.956: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
652: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
No man’s knowledge here can go beyond his experience.
John Locke

There are a variety of ways to learn in this life. We can educate ourselves or we can utilize the resources of a great university. However, we can only write so many notes and take so many tests: there comes a time when we have to start our journey. This where real learning begins. You can gather all the theoretical knowledge there is, but until you’ve applied it in your daily life, until you’ve tested whether it’s true or not,  until you know, you won’t be certain because a burnt hand remains the very best teacher.

For example, I can tell you about wisdom, courage and patience being keys to success with modest authority not because I read it somewhere, but because I’ve learned it myself over the years, mostly from assorted failures, but also from some modest attainments.

Of course, we can learn a lot in school. But all education is self-education. What’s important is being on our path, living the life we were meant to live and putting nature and circumstance to work for us so we can learn, and apply, the lessons life has for us.

xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

January 23, 2019
Good morning dearest readers.

I’m glad you stopped by today. Today on Morning Coffee, On This Date features horses winning naval battles and the Frisbee, plus Your Hit Parade has the #1 songs from this date in 1965 and Philosophy 101 features a quote from Hitler, no first name required.

THE DAILY ALMANAC
On This Date:
In 1795 – In one of the few instances of horses winning a naval battle, French cavalry overtakes elements of the Dutch navy. 14 Dutch ships were frozen at anchor in the harbor at Den Helder, which is a bit north of Amsterdam. The battle was part of the War of the First Coalition, fought between April 1792 and October 1797 and won by the French. The war would resume the following year.

In 1957 – Walter Morrison sells the rights to what would become one of the world’s most popular toys, the Frisbee, to the toy company Wham-o, who had just bought the rights to the Hula-Hoop and would later be responsible for, among other things, the Super Ball. Morrison originally called his invention the Whirlo-Way and, later, Pluto Platters.

Your Hit Parade
#1 songs on this date in 1965:
Hot 100 – Downtown – Petula Clark (1st of two weeks)
Soul Chart – No chart
Country Chart – You’re the Only World I Know…Sonny James (1st of four weeks)
Album Chart – Beatles ’65…The Beatles (3rd of nine weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,626: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
21.995: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
653: days until 2020 election.

Philosophy 101
I didn’t know how or when, but I have waited for this day, and tonight I am here.
Adolf Hitler

Today’s quote is from a very good biography of Hitler by John Toland and, yes, we know Hitler was an evil a man as our species has produced. This doesn’t mean we can’t quote him.

What has always struck us in our reading on Hitler is how he always believed what he was meant to accomplish in his life was there for the taking. All he had to do was go and get it. Today’s quote reflects that and there is a lesson there for us because what we are meant to accomplish in our lives is there for the taking, too.

We must be on our path, though. We must put nature and circumstance to work for us and we must live the life we were meant to live. We must have the wisdom to know what we are meant to do with our lives, the courage to go and do it and the patience to do it every day of our lives. When we do that, we will have moments like this, moments we may not have been certain how or when they would come, but nonetheless certain they would come.

But we have to earn these moments and we can only do that by being on our paths.

xoxoxo
Kaitlyn