Good Morning All!
Only 13 days until Thanksgiving! Even with all of the trials and tribulations of the coronavirus pandemic, we all can think of things for which to be thankful. Perhaps we should focus on those things to get us through the challenges ahead…
Speaking of thanksgivings, I’m sure thankful for my son-in-law and mechanical engineer extraordinaire David, who just celebrated his 40th birthday! Here’s to you, David, and for all you do for our family! I understand that he received some write-in votes for President this past election (no foolin’!) and that really didn’t surprise me given his ability to “fix things.” He’s got a lot of common sense to boot. Good combinations for an effective leader, don’t you think?
While we’re on the subject of birthdays, here’s to my dear friend Keith, who celebrates his birthday tomorrow (Nov. 14th). He turns 68 years young tomorrow and is an inspiration to all who know and love him. He’s one of two dear friends (the other being my friend Jeff) who is a heart transplant recipient. Keith is going strong and enjoying a second chance at life. You could find no better friend on Earth than Keith (he can also offer numerous golf tips (and fantastic golf stories) if you need them!). Happy Birthday Keith!
Happy Birthday wishes also go to my niece, Annie, who is celebrating her birthday today in Portland, Oregon. Here’s to you, Annie! Have fun on your special day of celebration! Also, Happy Birthday to actor Joe Montegna, who is 73 today; to football star Vinny Testeverde, who turns 57 today; actor Chris Noth of “Law & Order” T.V. series fame, who is 66 today; and actress Jean Seberg, who turns 82 today! Here’s to all of you!
Well, I imagine you are as happy as I am that the long “COVID Election Saga” is now pretty much behind us. Although, thanks to a handful of states that seem to have difficulties with their election systems, we’re still suffering from “an election hangover,” so to speak.
I came across a recent post-election editorial in the “Journal Of Business,” a bi-weekly business oriented newspaper out of Spokane and one of the finest newspapers on the planet (yes, there are still some top quality newspapers to enjoy!), that I thought was worthy of sharing with you. Here are some excerpts…it’s entitled “Unity, collaboration should be the post-election focus”:
“With the divisive election season behind us, now is a time to come together, to heal, and to start the difficult, but entirely admirable, task of finding some common ground…
…our eyes are looking toward a challenging future that will require unity. In the next four years, we’ll need to overcome a pandemic and its related recession, address a ballooning deficit, and find a way to add civil discourse to political discussions once again.
If calls for unity sound too touchy-feely, here’s a hard truth: Regardless of whom you voted for, roughly half of your fellow Americans disagree with you. Many of those on the other side of the political fence see the nation and the direction it needs to head much differently.
Those in the other half? They aren’t all greedy. They aren’t all clueless. Or racist. Or naive. Or stupid. Or in some sort of intellectual bubble. They’re Americans who, for the most part, care about their country and want to see it thrive, just like you.
Coming together will require us to step outside of our silos and acknowledge simple truths. The left doesn’t have the market cornered on compassion, and the right doesn’t own exclusive rights to patriotism.
In Spokane, we’re ideally suited to lead by example. As one columnist recently put it, we’re a light-blue city and a deep-red county. We’ve seen county and city leaders from divergent political backgrounds come together around common goals of creating jobs and increasing tax revenues through development.
Of course, the business community can, and should, play the role of convener in such conversations by championing causes that lead to prosperity for many…
…We have an opportunity to come together now and should endeavor to do so, regardless of which candidate has prevailed.”
—“The Journal’s View: Unity, collaboration should be the post-election focus,” “Journal of Business, November 5, 2020, page 39.
The “Journal of Business” puts it pretty well, don’t you think? In the interest of unity of purpose, one thing that needs to happen as a consequence of this most recent election is to get Congress to approve legislation to require that all states adopt a uniform method of processing and counting ballots in federal elections (i.e. elections for President, U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative) and that one reliable computer/software system/program be used to accomplish that purpose, preferably by a provider that is based in the United States. We need this to happen quickly in order to give all Americans confidence that ballots are being processed and recorded correctly and that the integrity of the election system is assured. The State of Washington’s election system could be used as the example for all other states to follow. Washington has had a mail-in voting system for some time now and it has proven to work and has the proper protocols in place to prevent any irregularities that might taint the integrity of the election system. Whatever happens with the final vote count, both Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden need to abide by the outcome and provide for a orderly and civil transfer of power for the sake of our democratic republic. Let’s do all we can to eliminate the “last minute suspense” engendered by chaotic ballot processing and counting in certain states and cities such as Michigan (Detroit); Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), Arizona (Phoenix); Nevada (Las Vegas). The integrity of our election system depends on it! What do you think???
No matter who ends up winning the Presidential election this time around, we are due for a change in leadership in the U.S. Congress. None of the major party leaders in Congress have done the kind of job for which they can be proud and of which we can applaud. We need to “turn over a new leaf” as they say, and have Congressional leaders who are committed to finding bi-partisan solutions to the pressing problems of our time. Senators McConnell & Schumer need to go, as do Representatives Pelosi and McCarthy and be replaced by younger, more visionary leaders who wish to move our country forward together. Our beloved democratic republic needs this “house cleaning” now! What do you think???
I came across a collectible card from the late 1950s or early 1960s that featured the Boeing B-52 Bomber with the North American X-15. This particular card was put out by the Revell company, manufacturer of airplane model kits, among other model kits. I remember breathing in the intoxicating fumes from the glue that we used to put the model kits together…perhaps the most memorable experience of my model kit building years as a boy of 10-13 years old! As the cards says…
“The X-15 project is one of the major steps in America’s program to conquer space. Goals of the project are to discover how well an aircraft can be controlled in near-space environment, and what problems are inherent in re-entering the atmosphere in a piloted aircraft. In order to gain as much altitude as possible without expending fuel from the X-15’s limited supply, the aircraft is carried aloft nestled under the wing of a modified B-52 jet bomber (I remember when Fairchild Air Force Base just outside of Spokane housed a number of these B-52s)…
…When the B-52 reaches the drop altitude of about 40,000 feet, the X-15 drops free of its mating pod, and as the pilot cuts in the rocket engines, it noses up to is programmed objectives…The X-15 is capable of altitudes approaching 100 miles, and speed of 4000 miles per hour. This mother ship combination is one of the most significant steps in aviation history.”
Here’s to the X-15 for its role in developing the capability for travel in outer space!
Here is the trivia question for the day:
Q: Who was the first cartoon character to get a star on the “Hollywood Walk of Fame”? Was it Bugs Bunny…Mickey Mouse…Popeye…or Snoopy?
A: In 1978, Mickey Mouse had his very own star added to the “Walk of Fame.” This occasion marked Mickey’s 50th “birthday,” and it was the first time an animated character had ever received a star on Hollywood Boulevard.
Here is the word definition for the day:
“Adynaton”: A mid-17th century word meaning “A figure of speech by which an impossible (or highly unlikely) situation is used for emphasis.” A highly embellished “campfire story” is a good example of using an “adynaton.”
Here are some thoughts for the day:
“You may forget with whom you laughed, but you will never forget with whom you wept.”
“Those who race through life finish first.”
“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
Here’s to a great Friday and lots of love and good wishes to all!
GO SEAHAWKS! GO PACKERS! GO COUGS! GO WOLF PACK (University of Nevada-Reno that is!)…and GO HUSKIES (because they aren’t playing the COUGS)!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)