CURRENT EVENTS
I’m not sure everyone is aware of the original purpose of today’s USA holiday, so here is a little background.
Washington’s Birthday is a United States federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday of February in honor of George Washington, the first President of the United States, who was born on February 22, 1732. It can occur on the 15th through the 21st of February inclusive.
Colloquially, the day is also now widely known as Presidents’ Day and is often an occasion to honor all persons who have served as president, not just George Washington.
PHYSICAL TRAITS
Honor Thy Temple
Please don’t let this happen to you.
CHARACTER TRAITS
The Foundation for Being Extraordinary
It is nice to be with someone, but the person you are with the most is yourself.
There are five frogs on a log. One decides to jump off.
How many are left?
If you responded with four, you’re wrong.
The correct answer is five, because remember—deciding isn’t doing.
SOCIAL TRAITS
Getting Along with Others
I don’t know if this is true or not; but if it isn’t true, it should be.
LEARNING TRAITS
Growth Keeps You Extraordinary
MISCELLANEOUS
The Odds & Ends of Being Extraordinary
There are many kinds of addictions.
You can never be extraordinary if you allow yourself to be controlled by something outside of yourself.
SELF-HELP BOOKS
The Accidental Buddhist
by Dinty W. Moore
The Accidental Buddhist the funny, provocative story of how Dinty Moore went looking for the faith he’d lost in what might seem the most unlikely of places: the ancient Eastern tradition of Buddhism. Moore demystifies and explains the contradictions and concepts of this most mystic-seeming of religious traditions.
This plain-spoken, insightful look at the dharma in America will fascinate anyone curious about the wisdom of other cultures and other religions. (Source: Goodreads)
MOVIES OF THE WEEK
The Girl on the Train
I was a bit disappointed in this movie, perhaps; because my expectations were too high having seen Gone Girl and being a fan of Emily Blunt.
A recent divorcée (Emily Blunt) fantasizes about a couple (Luke Evans and Haley Bennett) whose house she passes each day on her commuter train ride. Soon, she becomes entangled in a mystery involving not only the couple, but her former husband (Justin Theroux) and his new family. A psychiatrist treats a most unusual patient, only to find that the doctor is the one who gains the most from their sessions … (Source: Fandango)
Sense and Sensibility
I watched this 1995 film again and I still enjoy it every time I watch it.
In this costume drama, based on the novel by Jane Austen, Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters are left with almost nothing after Mr. Dashwood’s death. They move into a cottage and sensible eldest daughter Elinor attempts to keep things running smoothly, in spite of her free-spirited sister’s efforts to the contrary. (Source: Rotten Tomatoes)
MUSIC OF THE WEEK
Happy Birthday Mr. President
Marilyn Monroe
LAST WEEK’S POLL – How will or did you spend Valentines Day?
37.5% – Doing something special with someone
37.5% – Giving someone a Valentine card
15% – Giving someone a gift
15% – Doing nothing out of the ordinary
Last year I had a similar poll regarding your Valentine Day plans.
That poll results were that 49% of us are doing something special with someone, 33% of us are giving someone a card, 11% of us are giving someone a gift and the remaining 7% are doing nothing out of the ordinary.
THIS WEEK’S POLL – Do you trust the mainstream news media to report honestly and fairly? 
ART OF THE WEEK
Ever wonder what Mona Lisa looks like on a Monday morning? The answer is below.
The Monday Lisa
EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE
George Washington
by Gilbert Stuart
George Washington was unique among people, he willingly gave up power.
What many do not realize is that Napoleon, who came after Washington, took control of France and made himself Emperor of the French; whereas, earlier Washington stepped down from office.
THIS WEEK’S JOKE
PLEASE CONSIDER
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BLOG & FACEBOOK
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http://www.amazon.com/Tired-Being-Ordinary-Are-You/dp/0990388697
Harmony Books & Films, LLC 
Re poll on media’s credibility……. I wanted to vote No, but decided ( and I did ) to vote Not Sure, instead. The print media is a bit credible but those from the networks’ are zilch,, zero…. a big, fat, one. They are the reason why someone is at the White House.
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It looks like you’re getting interesting results on your poll today! I’m a fan of the movie Sense & Sensibility too. I find it provides a nice escape from the current day (the irony of it being President’s Day is not lost on me!). I laughed at the “Monday Lisa” image 🙂
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Thank you so much for comment Christy. I appreciate hearing from you. I normally don’t even look at the poll results until I’m just about ready to publish, but since you mentioned them–I had to take a quick look.
So many people in that version of Sense and Sensibility went on to other major roles.
I have used different versions of Mona Lisa so many times–I guess there is just something about her. Decades ago I saw the picture in the Louvre, what an amazing museum. If you haven’t been to it, you really should make a point to do so. One can’t even begin to absorb it in a day.
Once again, thank you Christy for commenting
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If people stop trusting media people will end up completely uninformed, making them highly manipulable. ONLY LISTEN TO ME — and ME gets you to believe whatever he wants.
It’s terrifying.
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I’m looking forward to seeing how the results of the poll turn out, but so far I can’t say I’m surprised. I think a number of far more scientific polls are showing about the same as my little informal poll. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. And as always, I appreciate your perspectives.
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Looks like Trump warning us against the media is having the opposite effect. Americans trust the media more than him.
Thankfully. Because the plan looks like govern however (anti-labor labor secretary) then tell everyone that everything is perfect.
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Thanks very much Georgia for commenting and I always appreciate your perspectives.
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Haven’t watched Girl on a Train but found the book worth the read.
And good point above on media. While I don’t always trust the message, the voices are key!
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Thank you for commenting. I always find comments very encouraging.
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We don’t have this holiday in Canada so this was an interesting read! Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you very much for commenting Rose. Perhaps, Canada may want to have a Prime Minister Day.
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Haha, that would be cool. We have Family Day here! Not sure if that exists in the U.S.
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Family Day sounds a bit more meaningful than Presidents Day or Prime Minister Day.
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Oh, I love your jokes as always. You got me with the frogs, though D:
Also, I hope the story about Denmark and Canada fighting is true, lol. Would make no sense, but still.
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Thank you, I’m delighted you like the humor. And yes the story of Denmark and Canada fighting is true; it is referred to as the Whiskey war.
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And what a name for a “war”, too!
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Samantha, “The Whiskey War” is probably a more appropriate name of a war than “The Soy Latte War” 🙂
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I meant it in a good way. Whiskey is nice, it takes out the fighting of the war part, lol.
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