Life to the fullest

Morning all!
While waiting for the morning coffee to move from the ‘smell’ to the ‘taste’ phase, and prior to settling in to pen and poke The Ramblings, I got to thinking. It’s probably partly an aging thing but focusing on the bedroom wall color I understand that while Black is comforting it simultaneously creates a Cave vibe.

Probably not good.

However, I don’t understand why these hand-gesturing interior designer types are so opposed to Yellow or Red, two of my favorite colors; now crossed out for 2024. This brings me to my question, how about mixing the two to bring about my absolute favorite color, Orange? Huh?

Ok, let’s get started. Writing that is.

Day of Infamy – Thursday was the 82nd remembrance of December 7, 1941; “a day which will live in infamy” — President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Thursday evening, I took a 2-hour class covering the lead-up of that early Sunday morning event using documentation from both our and the Japanese sides as well as from the events at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii itself.

One of the guests in the class was a retired military member who was there at Pearl Harbor, who heard explosions, who saw the planes coming at him. For me it was oh so enlightening and a memorable evening. It was an honor to hear the shock still in that centenarian gentleman’s voice as he relayed (for probably the umpteenth time) what he experienced on what seemed to start out as a calm Sunday morning.

What I learned was that our intelligence network was nearly nonexistent. Our reliance on status and personal ‘priorities’ exceeded our duty; Dorothy Edgers, Saturday December 6, 1941, came across a message that Japan was targeting Honolulu complete with airfield and ship locations. Wildly concerned she went to her superior and was told; “Mrs. Edgers, why don’t you run along now, we’ll get back on this on Monday.”

Four very senior US military officers and bureaucrats were pulled in for dereliction of duty. Any real punishment did not happen.

The officially accepted numbers were 2,403 dead and 1,178 wounded. Japan – 129 dead. The US lost 188 planes, and 159 were severely damaged. Japan lost 29 planes.

The similarities to the lack of intelligence leading up to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor is eerily similar. The absolute certainty that Iraq had “weapons of mass destruction” proved totally wrong; but off to war we went. The lack of intelligence, by possibly the world’s most intelligence savvy nation, Israel’s October 7, 2023, massacre is equally puzzling. Why is that? Ineptitude or purpose?

A quote – The Zuber family was making Pork roast for a summer Sunday lunch when mother Alice spotted a rising column of black smoke and heard explosions. They hid under tables. Alice began to pray; “Dear God please let my children die instead of being maimed.” She then told her daughters; “Don’t cry…..don’t cry. Don’t ruin the morale of our dads and soldiers.”

Mid-week — Was an outstanding evening. Beginning with a small-bite reception catered by a local creole restaurant, a full house of 550 of us enjoyed ourselves on spicy shrimp, sausage, and gumbo. The whole time a show band, The Hot Magnolias, played some funk, blues, jazz, and long-play ‘70s rock. It didn’t take long for us to get into the mood!

Right at eight o’clock, in the theater area of Memorial Hall, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band came on stage for their “Creole Christmas” evening. It was everything we could have wished for. Enjoy their final number prior to the short ‘encore’ set. Of course, the encore closed out with a rousing variation of their iconic; “When the Saints go Marching in….”:

Our Memorial Hall – is a Beaux-Arts style beauty that was built in 1908 by the Grand Army of the Republic. Thus, it began as primarily a fraternal place for survivors of the Civil War to socialize. Over the years, privately held for community purposes, it’s always done service to things military.

In fact, in 1919, at a gathering at the Hall discussions turned to the needs of the 200,000 returning WWI veterans just back from the ‘great’ war, many carrying lifelong disabilities and illnesses. Those discussions turned into something more formal and thus, Memorial Hall became the birthplace of the Disabled American Veterans – the DAV. The DAV quickly spread nationwide and in its 100 years of service has had over 1,000,000 members.

Seeing the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in this historic venue made the whole event even more special. Even more memorable.

WWI Victory Parade

9th-regiment-ohio-voluntary-infantry-50th-anniversary-reunion

Fun? – Our town way up the ranks as a FUN town? That’s what the dear folk at WalletHub said. They ranked 182 cities including the 150 most populous cities plus at least two of the most populous cities in each state.

The evaluation consisted of three elements; 1) Entertainment & Recreation, 2) Nightlife & Parties and 3) Costs. Since I am usually in bed hours before these ‘elements’ were added, I was absolutely oblivious to any rankings (being asleep I didn’t care much either).

But, let it be said that the ‘Naty came in at position …… drum roll please …… number 11.

Yup, the beat continues – Of the many new religions which have cropped up these days, inconceivable Covid restrictions, LGB……+, death by nature’s CO2, plus a few I’ve probably missed, remember, this month on the front burner (pun) is the COP 28 (UN Climate Change Conference – “UNFCCC COP 28”) confab in Dubai.

84,000 people dealing with an essential plant food, CO2.

84,000 people from 196 ‘parties’ along with 475 lobbyists stormed into Dubai for COP28. Simple Flying’s headline shouted: “Private Jets Flock To Dubai For COP 28: Event Set To Have Biggest Carbon Footprint In History”

If their nonsensical mumbo-jumbo verbiage, filled with horrid edicts, weren’t so abhorrent I’d laugh. Currently Dubai airport is filled with private aircraft – except for the REALLY important cadre of the most elite who flew in trailing aircraft loaded with the largest SUVs on the planet (required since these have the best necessary AC systems).

Probably not to be found on any of the COP 28 Power Point discussions is this slide from the CO2 Coalition of US-EPA Temperature Readings on hot days. Of the 1,066 weather stations in the US, 863 (81%) reported either a decrease or lower number of hot days. Nevertheless their ‘holy’ drum will keep on beating for panic.

Hannukah – Happy Hannukah to Cathy and her whole family. May joy be with you this year. As the blessing states, Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light.

Make it a great week. Now I best get organized and go about the neighborhood a bit and show a little rizz. (“rizz” – the Oxford University Press word of the year in 2023). Treat life as a sacred gift.

May Peace prevail! Shalom. Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Which of these U.S. President had the most children:
1) Franklin Roosevelt
2) William Henry Harrison
3) John Tyler
4) US Grant
5) Theodore Roosevelt
6) Thomas Jefferson
7) James Garfield