CURRENT EVENTS

It is time to bring our soldiers home

and I hope this agreement accomplishes that task.

Afghanistan

On Saturday, more than 18 years after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. made a bid to end America’s longest war.

… the United States and the Taliban signed a landmark agreement that paves the way for U.S. troops to begin withdrawing …

“The Taliban will not allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including Al Qaeda, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies,” the agreement states.

Under the pact, the U.S. would reduce its forces to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next three to four months. Remaining U.S. forces would withdraw in 14 months, although a complete pullout would depend on the Taliban meeting commitments to prevent terrorism.

Speaking to reporters, Pompeo said the United States was “realistic” about the deal it signed, but was “seizing the best opportunity for peace in a generation.”

Source: NBC News

Daylight Savings Time – Spring Forward

Most of the United States begins Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March

Maybe this will help

There are a number of these little Shambhala Pocket Classics around and they are easy to read or give to people as a gift. This particular book was given to be by a friend back in October 1996 and I still have it and review it every so often.

 

These inspirational teachings show that the real way of the warrior is based on compassion, wisdom, fearlessness, and love of nature. Drawn from the talks and writings of Morihei Ueshiba, founder of the popular Japanese martial art known as Aikido. (Source: Amazon)

MOVIE, PLAY OR TV SHOW OF THE WEEK

He was “Mr. Entertainment,” a show-business meteor who blazed across the twentieth century. Sammy Davis, Jr. had the kind of career that was indisputably legendary, yet his life was complex, complicated, and contradictory. (Source: PBS)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

I Love Rock ‘n Roll

By Joan Jett

ART OF THE WEEK

Topiary  Art

No doubt most of you have seen this art form, but in addition to an example, I thought I would provide some history on Topiary Art.

Written records about topiary recorded by Pliny the Elder of ancient Rome date to sometime between 38 B.C. and A.D. 14. However, the Topiary Organization notes that the practice probably was adopted from earlier cultures in the Mediterranean and Asia. By the A.D. 1, topiary was a common sight in the gardens of wealthy Romans. Pliny the Younger, who may have lived as late as A.D. 110, wrote about animal-shaped topiary in the gardens of his Roman villa.

The art of topiary survived inside monasteries and walled castles after the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 4th century. It emerged again among wealthy Italians following the chaotic Middle Ages, which ended around 1485, then spread throughout Europe. The practice reached North America by the 1700s. It remains common today, but primarily in public gardens that once were part of private estates. (Source: SFGATE)

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

Sammy Davis Jr.

Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, musician, dancer, actor, vaudevillian, comedian and activist.

 Davis Jr.’s film career began as a child in 1933. In 1960, he appeared in the Rat Pack film Ocean’s 11. In 1966, he had his own TV variety show, titled The Sammy Davis Jr. Show. While Davis’ career slowed in the late 1960s, his biggest hit, “The Candy Man”, reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1972, and he became a star in Las Vegas, earning him the nickname “Mister Show Business”.

Davis had a complex relationship with the black community and drew criticism after publicly supporting President Richard Nixon in 1972. One day on a golf course with Jack Benny, he was asked what his handicap was. “Handicap?” he asked. “Talk about handicap. I’m a one-eyed Negro who’s Jewish.”

Davis Jr. was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for his television performances. He was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987, and in 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. (Source: Wikipedia)

  WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

You are never going to resolve a problem,

if you can’t admit what the problem really is.

CHARACTER TRAITS

SOCIAL TRAITS 

I see way too many people on FaceBook sharing things that are simply not true.

LEARNING TRAITS

Even small acts can have huge consequences.

MISCELLANEOUS

LAST WEEK’S POLLS