What Would Jimmy Do?

Today is Labor Day — to some people, this is kind of the official end of summer. In some ways, I guess that’s kind of true, because Labor Day has become all about BBQs, beaches, ballgames, shopping and things like that. It’s also a big weekend for travel — I just read that almost 60% of Americans planned to “get out of town” for Labor Day weekend. There a lot of college football games scheduled and many/most people will participate in some kind of a cookout.

But Labor Day didn’t start out to be a relaxing, late-summer weekend. 
The holiday grew out of the organized labor movement in the late 19th century — in September, 1882, the unions of New York City decided to have a parade to celebrate their members being in unions, and to show support for all unions. From what I’ve read, the event attracted at least 20,000 people and the workers had to give up a day’s pay to attend. It seems like there was also a lot of beer involved with the event. 
Well, this inspired other unions in other regions to have parades, and by 1887, Oregon, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Colorado made Labor Day a state holiday. 

No one’s exactly sure who should get credit for that first “Labor Day Parade” in New York City. Depending on who you talk to, two people get credit for that event. Matthew Maguire, a machinist, and Peer McGuire, a carpenter — both are sometimes listed at the organizer. The two men were from rival unions, and in 2011, Linda Stinson, a former U.S. Department of Labor historian said she didn’t know which man should be credited — partially because people over the years confused them because of their similar-sounding names.

In 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed an act establishing Labor Day as a federal holiday — by then, most states had already passed laws establishing a Labor Day. But Senator James Henderson Kyle of South Dakota introduced  S.730 to make Labor Day a federal legal holiday on the first Monday of September. It was approved on June 28, 1894.

Today, there are fewer parades on Labor Day and the day is set aside to honor organized labor — and — it marks the perceived end of the summer season.
So today we celebrate labor and those that work to make our country great. Some say that “work” is a four-letter word — and that’s true, but Confucius said, “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
Happy Labor Day.
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On this date last year, I wrote that it was a very special day for Emily — it was her 12th birthday — the last year before becoming a teenager.

Today she’s no longer a pre-teen — she’s now a full fledged teenager! And — Kelly and Chris are now officially the parents of a teenager. Congratulations or condolences, or maybe both, to them.
Anyhow, it’s hard to believe our granddaughter is 13 years old. Seems like just a few days ago I wrote about her being born….

As Emily is about to find out, being a teenager is an amazing time — and a hard time. I know the one thing that she doesn’t need is advice from a grandparent — of course that’s never stopped me before, so here goes….
Being a teen can be tough, Emily. Just try to surround yourself with really good friends that have your back, and be a really good friend. If you’re not sure about something, talk to your friends that you trust , and your parents.

Thirteen years ago today, I wrote that you were no ordinary baby — obviously, I got that right. 
I’m looking forward to your teenage years and all your accomplishments to come.
Someone said that with confidence, you have won before you have started.
Go get ‘em, my favorite teenager!!
Happy Birthday!
Love you bunches!!!
Poppi
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This past weekend, I almost got involved in a discussion that had the potential to go very bad, very quickly. Luckily, I was in a position to quickly and quietly walk away. The discussion, as you might have guessed, involved politics. One MAGA guy was very loud and a little aggressive and his “opponent” was getting a little ticked. 

Just before I made my escape, someone said that MAGA is a cult. Thankfully, I didn’t hear the response….. but a few days later, I got to thinking about that remark. You don’t hear the term cult too much anymore, but I’m pretty sure cults are just as prevalent as they ever were — maybe more so. 
Anyhow, a bit of extensive research on my part uncovered some interesting information. 

Although I haven’t read it, someone by the name of Steven Hassan wrote a book titled, “The Cult of Trump” back in 2019. Hassan describes a “BITE” model of cult mind control —behavior, information, thought, and emotional control. He says that the MAGA movement checks all the boxes of the model. Hassan argues that Trump restricts the information his followers are allowed to accept. He also demands purity of belief (beliefs that can change from moment to moment, as per his whims and needs.) Additionally, he appeals to his followers through the conjuring of primal emotions — not just fear, but also joy. I hadn’t thought about it before, but maybe cult isn’t a  particularly bad description for that group of followers. Cult members feel empowered and special — they consider themselves one of the elite and close to the person who has all the answers. Cult members enjoy knowing that they, and their  friends, are the ones that are right about everything. A lot of this sounds familiar to me from my younger days when cults like Jonestown were making the news.

My extensive research found that followers of Trump had one source of information they trusted — not the (conservative) media, the clergy or family members — only Donald J. Trump. From what I can tell, no-one can be reasoned, or argued out of Trumpism.

I found one article that was interesting about cult rules…
The first rule of cults is: you’re never in a cult
The second rule of cults is: the cult will forgive any sin, except the sin of leaving
The third rule of cults is: even if he did it, that doesn’t mean he’s guilty

It appears that cults today don’t end by everyone drinking the kool-aid — they probably die out when they can’t continue to recruit members. 

I ran across an article that listed phrases that cult leaders almost always use. The list is fairly long, but here’s a few examples…
“Don’t question my authority…”
“This is okay for me to do because…”
“Don’t talk to those people because…
”You need to give me your money because…”
“Outsiders hate me because…”
“If you leave, you are turning your back on me and horrible things will happen to you…”
And the list goes on — I’ll leave it up to you to decide if any of these sound familiar.

I’ve heard it said  that almost any cult will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. 
I guess there always has been, and always will be, cults. When one dies out, another seems to take its place — so whatever is next, we might as well get ready for it…..
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Continuing this year’s tradition of talking about each upcoming month when it arrives, today is September 1, and the topic is September….

September is one of those transition months — summer is kind of in the rear view mirror, the leaves are starting to change colors (and fall off the trees) and the days are getting shorter. But September is one of the better months — lots of history, holidays and activities…. and, of course, football!!

September comes from the Latin word “septum” — meaning seven. It’s the only month not named after a Roman deity. It’s also the only month with the same number of letters in its name as the number of the month — 9. And if that’s not enough, the autumnal equinox occurs in September, marking the start of fall.
Maybe it alway has been, but recently September has become a month of remembrance. It’s become a time to honor and remember those who have made sacrifices for their country, community or loved ones. Some observances during September include Labor Day, Patriot Day, POW/MIA Day and Gold Star Mother’s Day.
On a lighter note, fans of McDonald’s may celebrate the fact that in September, 1960, the famous “Golden Arches“ logo was introduced — and — the first McDonald’s restaurant in Europe opened in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

September is also National Chicken Month — that’s good, I suppose, if you’re not a chicken. I don’t think a month long celebration recognizing all the ways to prepare and enjoy chicken probably appeals to many chickens
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but September is the month with the most songs with its name in their titles. One of the most famous, if maybe not the most famous is “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire. Earth, Wind & Fire was the group we saw on our first date, so I guess that makes September a little special for us. 
Although June is considered the “wedding month,” September seems to be catching up in popularity. Some say the weather is better in September and some believe it’a a time of new beginnings and fresh starts and that makes it a meaningful time for couples to start their lives together.
September marks the start of the Judaism High Holy Days. It begins with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and ends with Yom Kippur, the Dy of Atonement. These are some of the most important holidays in the Jewish calendar.

September ranks as the second most common birth month — behind August. Some believed that’s because September falls nine months after the holiday season and colder winter months, and some believe that being born with the Zodiac signs of September (Virgo and Libra) will ensure success in life. 
The early medieval societies in England, the Anglo-Saxons, referred to September as Gerst Monath, that translates to barley month. The name signifies the integral role of agriculture in their life, especially the harvesting of barley. During this month, barley was ripe and ready to be harvested and processed into a variety of goods, including bread and beer — essential staples in the Anglo=Saxon diet. 

So September is an interesting month and has lots of things to celebrate, like National Grandparents Day, Talk Like a Parrot Day, Labor Day, the autumnal equinox and more. — off we go…..
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We have a store in Shepherdstown that I call the “witch’s store.” Of course, it’s not a witch’s store, but it sells all sorts of kind of neat stuff,and it has all kinds of “crystals.” Lots of people believe in the power of crystals — healing and otherwise. 

Crystals and stones have been used in the art of alchemy and magic for ages.
A lot of people, including some that I know, believe in the healing power of crystals, so I thought that might be an interesting topic for today. What are crystals? Well, they’re rocks. If you’re a believer in crystals, there are thousands of different crystals, and the process by which they’re formed and the minerals they’re composed of creates their different physical and energetic properties. 

As I mentioned, the use of crystals for their healing properties isn’t anything new. Crystals have been used for thousands of years, dating as far back as the ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia and their use has been identified in cultures throughout the world, such as ancient Egypt and Greece.

Crystals have become indispensable in our world — much of our modern technology is made possible by crystal technology and their ability to transform pressure into an electrical current — without them, we wouldn’t have LCD (liquid crystal display) TVs, or quartz watches or a lot of other electronic equipment.

As for the theory behind crystal healing, things aren’t quite so straightforward. Even though alternative medicine experts believe in the power of crystals to positively influence the body, no one has scientifically linked crystals to improved heath and well-being. 

It’s thought that there are three main “channels” through which crystals operate: vibration, color and as talismen —objectst believed to hold magical properties that offer luck and protection to the owner. The vibrational theory has never been proven, but, supposedly, it has been scientifically documented that colors have different effects on your emotional and mental well-being. Since crystals come in unique, beautiful colors, having one in your physical space brings that color — and benefit — into your space. As to the use of a crystal as a talisman, that requires a little more imagination, or faith — one example given is that if you want to heal from a breakup, you buy a rose quartz, which is the most popular “love” crystal. Every day when you see the crystal, your subconscious is reminded that you deserve to be loved and love is coming — and that changes your vibration. 

So even with all that science has discovered about crystals, they remain a mystery. The properties of crystals vary among the different types of crystals. That “mystery” of crystals is what has led some people to believe that crystals have special powers.
But whether or not you believe crystals have special powers, they are still extremely beautiful, interesting objects that we can all appreciate.
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I guess we’ve all heard the phrase “once in a blue moon” — meaning that something happens not very often. In the context of astronomy, a blue moon is most commonly used when there’s a second full moon within a single month. If August hasn’t been as messed up for you as it has been for me, you probably remember the first August supermoon, called the full Corn Moon or Sturgeon Moon, happened on August 1. 
So tonight, we can witness another astronomical phenomenon — not only will there be a blue moon, but it will be a supermoon blue moon, and the biggest and brightest full moon of 2023.
The “blue” supermoon’s name has nothing to do with the moon’s color — in fact, it will actually be orange.

There are two types of blue moons — the August blue supermoon falls into the first category — two full moons occurring in the same month. That always happens occasionally, because a new full moon rises every 29.5 days. Given that the Sturgeon Moon occurred on August 1, the August 30 full moon will be a blue moon…. blue moons of this type are called “calendar blue moons,” and occur every two or three years. (The next one will occur on May 31, 2026.)

The second type of blue moon, called a “seasonal blue moon,”describes the third full moon of four during one astronomical season. This occurs when a calendar year has 13 full moons instead of the typical 12. A lunar year — 12 orbits of the Earth by the moon — takes 354 days. The Earth’s solar year is 365 days. The next seasonal blue moon, that also happens every two or three years, will occur on August 19, 2024.

The next full moon will also be the Harvest Moon, on September 29. It’s one of the best known full moons of the year, and this year, it’s the last supermoon in 2023.

I’ve mentioned several times that one of by brothers-in law puts a lot of stock in the various phases of the moon, so I read a little about how the August supermoon might make an impact our our lives — most of the literature points to specific astrological signs and goes into detail about each of those signs, but I did run across some generalities….

New moons signify the beginning of a cycle and push us into the new and the unknown, but full moons allow us to “cut loose any old paths or baggage.” So this full moon could be the inspiration you need to let go of what’s draining your energy — ultimately leaving you with more room to be in your power and experience joy. 
Around the time of the full moon, you might finally gain insight into your emotions and know what you need to do to move forward and be the most liberated, authentic version of yourself. Full moons typically offer moments of extreme clarity, because the sun (your identity) starkly lights up the moon (your emotions.)

I don’t know if my brother-in-law is in to this, but it might be something that interests him — moon water. Moon water is created to essentially “capture” the energy of the full moon and offer an extra boost of that energy when you need it most. Drink it anytime you need an intuitive message to come through. 

As a public service, here’s how to make moon water….
1, get a jar.
2. fill with water (any water.)
3. Add crystals or herbs to the water to enhance or focus on the kind of energy you’re seeing from the full moon. If you’re hoping to deepen your intuition, for example, amethyst or mugwort would be great additions.
4. Leave the jar out overnight to “charge” under the light of the full moon. 
5. Store in a protected area and drink it when you need an intuitive message.

Astrology experts say the supermoon at the end of the month is a great opportunity to get clarity about what you want and let go of what no longer serves you. Sounds like good advice anytime, but maybe tonight is the time to just do it!
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For the first 16 or 17 years of my life, I never heard of butterflies being associated with death. The first time I heard someone associate the two, I thought it was an interesting concept, but it was just that. But over the years, I heard it more and more and began to believe there might be something to it. 
Often times we’d be somewhere and someone would see a butterfly and say there’s “such and such” or “such and such” is sending us a message. I always thought that was nice and it made me feel good.

Last week we attended a memorial service for Bobbie the Nun at Chardon. It was very nice, and afterwards, we visited the gravesite and one of the Nuns released 3 or 4 butterflies from a container near the headstone. A couple of the butterflies fluttered about a bit, but one flew directly to a flower on Bobbie’s headstone and another flew directly to Terry’s shoulder — there was no circling or complicated flight pattern. From the container, it flew directly to Terry’s shoulder. There were lots of people standing around, but the two butterflies went directly to the flower and Terry — and stayed there. I believe the one was still on the flower when we left. 

 I read a little on the subject today and it seems that many people associate the appearance of butterflies with messages beyond death. When people suffering from the loss of loved ones have this kind of unique experience with a butterfly, they feel it is their loved one communicating with them. They interpret the appearance of the butterfly as a message that the deceased is okay and continues to live in another realm.

Butterflies have been around for 150 million years. There are over 20,000 types of butterflies, they live on every continent, except Antarctica and they only live a few weeks.
They can only see the colors red, green and yellow — Terry’s dress was black with white dots (??!?)

Believe what you do — or don’t — what I described is exactly what happened. I’ve heard about things like this, but it’s the first time I’ve experienced it…. it made an impression.
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Both faithful readers know that we don’t go out on Valentine’s Day (February 14) because the restaurants are always too crowded, many have limited menus and we just find it generally more trouble than its worth. We usually go out a day before or after to celebrate the day in February.

But luckily, come August, Chinese Valentine’s Day appears — and we can go out without those “maddening crowds.”
Actually yesterday was the Qixi Festival  or Double Seven Festival and has always been the most romantic of traditional Chinese festivals, and especially since China’s globalization, it’s become known as Chinese Valentine’s Day. The day falls on the 7th day of the 7th Chinese lunar month. This year, in 2023, that was yesterday — August 22.

Today in also sometimes referred to as The Daughter’s Festival — a day dedicated to unmarried young girls looking for love.If you’re interested in the detailed background for this celebration, you can check the archives of this blog. But basically, this festival began because of an old Chines love story about the 7th daughter of the Emperor of Heaven and and an orphaned cowherd (someone that tends grazing cattle.) The emperor separated them and the 7th daughter was forced to move to the star Vega and the coward moved to the star Altair. They are allowed to meet only once a year on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month.

This festival is celebrated in China, but it’s not a public holiday. And unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, even in China, Western Valentine’s Day in now more popular than the Qixi Festival.
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We’ve been gone and I didn’t get around to posting this yesterday…but I figured I shouldn’t let this kind of day go by withough mentioning it. So it’s a little late, but….They’re annoying summertime pests, but mosquitoes are also responsible for spreading malaria — a disease that kills over half a million people every year. 

Today, August 20 is World Mosquito Day — it honors the date when Sir Ronald Ross — a British army surgeon, working in India, proved that mosquitoes transmit malaria by identifying pigmented malaria parasites in mosquitoes that fed on an infected patient. The discovery revolutionized our knowledge of the disease and led to preventive measures. Ross won the Nobel Prize in 1902. 

Worldwide, there are nearly 16,000 mosquitoes for every human.
One of the deadliest animals on Earth (search the archives of this blog for more,) mosquitoes cause the deaths of more than 725,000 people every year. 
There are more than 3,500 species of mosquitoes, but only about 6% of them bite humans — the rest feed on other animals or plants.
Only female mosquitoes bite, because they produce eggs from blood proteins.
The only place mosquitoes don’t exist is Antarctica.
The lifespan of a male mosquito is 6 or 7 days — but — the lifespan of a female mosquito can be up to five months.

So even though it sounds like we’re honoring mosquitoes today, we’re not. The day is set aside to honor Sir Ronald Ross. There are a lots of quotes about mosquitoes about their size, irritation, persistence, and so forth. But I think the one I like the best is by Benito Mussolini, who said, “The best blood will at some time get into a fool or a mosquito.”
So I hope you celebrated World Mosquito Day appropriately…
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Yesterday, 17 August was Indonesian Independence Day — I didn’t get around to mentioning it, I guess because I was pre-occupied with “Cat Nights.”

I’ve mentioned before that I was in Jakarta one year for Independence Day and I usually remember it around this time of year. Indonesian Independence Day is known locally as Hari Merdeka and is observed every August 17 to celebrate the nation’s declaration of independence from Dutch colonization — in 1945.

Indonesia is the largest island nation on Earth, and Java is the world’s most populous island. There are a lot of volcanos in Indonesia, some of them pretty famous — the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 is believed to be the loudest sound ever heard in recorded history. Mount Tambora erupted in 1816 and the eruption was so intense, it altered the climate so much it was incredibly cold throughout the year — 1816 is known as “The Year Without A Summer” and there’s a volcano in Indonesia that erupts blue lava. 

Even though two-thirds of the 17,508 islands that make up Indonesia are uninhabited, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country on Earth.
Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple in the world. It was built in the 9th century and was constructed using over two million stone blocks.
The national animal is the komodo dragon — the world’s largest lizard. The national mystical animal of Indonesia is the Garuda — it is a golden bird that can be seen on Indonesia’s national emblem. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Indonesian Airlines airplanes…. the airline? Garuda.

Unlike the American Declaration of Independence, which contained over 1,000 words and contained 56 signatures, the Indonesian proclamation, when translated to English, consisted of only 45 words and contained two signatures — Sukarno, the new president, and Mohammad Hatta, the new vice president. It was drafted the night before declaring independence.
Happy Independence Day to Indonesia.
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