Happy Irish Coffee Day 2022!

Happy Irish Coffee Day! I skipped celebrating it on this last year, posting Talk show nominees at the 2021 Critics Choice Awards here and Celebrate Coffee Party USA's 11th birthday by giving a gift of $11.00 at Coffee Party USA's website instead.* I've decided to return to observing it here this year, especially since National Day Calendar just uploaded National Irish Coffee Day on January 25 today.

On a cold, wet day in 1942 weary travelers to the small Shannon Airport in southwest Ireland found their way to a restaurant and chef Joe Sheridan. To warm his guests, he served them hot coffee, spiked with whiskey and topped with whipped cream. The passengers asked if the beverage was Brazilian coffee. Sheridan responded that it was Irish coffee.

As soon as I saw this video in my search results, I subscribed to National Day Calendar's YouTube channel. I love holidays!

*The past four years, I've used today to fundraise for the Coffee Party. That's no longer my focus for today, as I explained in Colbert and Meyers take closer looks at the Taliban taking over Afghanistan.

Today is National Nonprofit Day, but beyond asking my readers to donate to their favorite nonprofit, I'm just not feeling it...That's because I'm no longer a director of a nonprofit and that nonprofit is no longer an independent organization with its own fundraising. If my readers want to support the Coffee Party and its parent organization Bridge Alliance, they can become a Friend of Bridge, contributions to which are tax deductible. They can also donate to whichever member of Bridge Alliance strikes their fancy. There, that's the pitch.

Since tomorrow is Coffee Party USA's 12th birthday, I recommend a donation of $12.00 to the Bridge Alliance Education Fund or whichever Bridge Alliance member strikes their fancy.

PBS NewsHour reports on Bridge Alliance members and others trying to build bridges across political divides

The second video I embedded in PBS NewsHour on voting rights mentioned a segment by Paul Solman. Here it is: Political polarization prompts efforts to bridge the gap through shared experiences.

PBS NewsHour spent much of last week trying to examine what still divides our country and the deep polarization that preceded the Jan. 6 riots. Now, Paul Solman looks at multiple efforts to bridge those major political and cultural fissures in the U.S., beginning with smaller steps forward.

I took particular interest in it because it mentioned Bridge Alliance members Braver Angels, BridgeUSA, Civic Health Project, and Common Ground Committee and showed their logos while explaining their work. That's because, while I'm no longer a director of Coffee Party USA and it's no longer an independent organization with its own fundraising, I'm working with its new parent organization Bridge Alliance promoting their work on Coffee Party USA's Facebook page. I couldn't resist noticing PBS featuring their work and sharing it with my readers. As much as outrage drives readership, I'd like to devote some energy to activism that lowers the emotional temperature. I hope at least some of my readers do, too.