1 Apr

 

Week 14  Day 91 Flag Today  57°/38°                             Wind 17 mph Gusts - mph

Active Fire: 347 miles away Risk of fire: Very Low     Nearest Lightning: 276 miles away

Air Quality: Moderate Sunshine Mostly Cloudy

April Averages: Temps: 60°\35°

Monthly Observations

Adopt A Ferret Month Adopt A Horse Month (4/26 - 5/31) Adopt A Greyhound Month Atlanta Food & Wine Month Arab American Heritage Month Link

ASPCA Month  Link  Link Alcohol Awareness Month Amateur Radio Month April is Azalea Month Autism Acceptance Month  Link

Weekly Observations

3/22-4/4 Passiontide 1-7 APAWS Pooper Scooper  Week Golden Rule Week Laugh at Work Week Medication Safety Week Testicular Cancer Awareness Week (aka Get A Grip Day!)  Link

1-8 Explore Your Career Options Week

Daily Observations

April Fools  or All Fools Day Apple Computer Founders Day Boomer Bonus Days Childhelp National Day of Hope International Energy Drink Day  Link (Red Bull) International Tatting Day Link Library Snap Shot Day Myles Day National Fun Day

National Fun at Work Day National Walking Day Link   Paraprofessional Appreciation Day  Passover Reading is Funny Day Sorry Charlie Day St. Stupid Day Link Take Down Tobacco Day Link  (Formerly Kick Butts Day) US Air force Academy Day

Today’s Quotes                                                                 

Today’s Memes

Today’s Thoughts

I’m wondering what will be this year’s April Fools Day viral video. This year is so bizarre, I wonder if April Fool’s Day jokes will even happen.

I have an upcoming Medicare Annual visit. That means another blood test. Sadly my Dr. sent the request to the wrong lab, and I had to call to get it to the only place that offers ultrasound draws. This morning I did the draw. Had I known this last week, I could have had it done when I did another one. I’m tired of the jabs.

I am hoping that April will indeed bring showers. The forest I live in is very dry and needs lots of moisture. It was a nice mild winter, but has put our forest at risk.

I was excited to read that there were over 8 million who participated in the No Kings Demonstrations. That is a lot of people, but only a drop in the bucket of the 350 million Americans.

I am shocked that Pete Hegseth was giving a press conference about the war and chose to quote the Bible. I do not think he should be trying to make this a religious war. Our country is based on Freedom of Religion, and his belief is fine, but it does not represent the America I know.

The administration has a case before the Supreme Court to change birthright citizenship. If the court changes that, one group has not been considered. As an adoptee I have no idea who my birth parents were, let alone if they were ‘real’ Americans at the time of my birth. All I know is that I was born in a hospital in Southern Colorado. I have done Ancestory.com and I have only European DNA, will that be enough?  I can hope that the Supreme Court does not change birthright citizenship. 

Real Hoaxes

The Tasaday Stone Age Tribe (1971)

In 1971, officials in the Philippines introduced the Tasaday as an isolated Stone Age tribe untouched by modern society. Photos and documentaries showed cave living, simple tools, and gentle harmony with the forest.

The story captivated global media and aligned with romantic ideas about noble isolation.

After regime changes, journalists and anthropologists revisited and found signs the narrative was staged or heavily managed. Some Tasaday members reportedly wore modern clothes off camera and had contact with nearby communities.

Political incentives during the Marcos era likely shaped access, presentation, and messaging.

While debates continue about the extent of fabrication, the core claim of pristine isolation did not hold. The case underscores how gatekeeping, staged access, and selective filming can craft persuasive fictions.

Ethical fieldwork requires long-term observation, triangulation with local knowledge, and independent oversight. When an extraordinary anthropological discovery arrives via tightly controlled tours, skepticism is healthy.

Respect for communities and truth both demand careful, transparent methods.

 

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (early 1900s)

Published in the early 1900s, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion claimed to reveal a secret Jewish plot for world domination. Investigations quickly showed it was a plagiarized forgery assembled from earlier political satire and fiction.

Despite exposure, it spread widely and fueled antisemitic propaganda for decades.

The text’s power came from conspiratorial structure and adaptable vagueness, allowing readers to map any event onto its claims. Governments and extremists used it as a propaganda tool, reprinting and translating it for new audiences.

Each crisis became proof, rather than a test, of the document’s false theories.

Responsible scholarship and court rulings in multiple countries dismantled the text’s credibility. Yet the Protocols demonstrate how forgeries can outlive debunkings when they meet ideological needs.

The lesson is stark: evaluate sources, demand provenance, and understand rhetorical tactics. Conspiracy literature rarely invites falsification.

Healthy skepticism pairs with empathy to resist narratives that target whole communities. 

Rare Native American Facts

The Hopi Have Lived in the Same Place for Over a Thousand Years

The Hopi people have lived in northeastern Arizona for more than a millennium, and they established the village of Oraibi around 1100 AD-it's one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the United States! Even all these years later, the Hopi have preserved their way of life, with the same ceremonies & traditions of days gone by. They also follow some of the same agricultural practices like dry farming and continue to live on their ancestral lands.

 

Ancient Puebloans Built Homes in Cliffs

In places like Mesa Verde, Colorado, the Ancient Puebloans built more than 600 huge homes into cliff faces. They did so between 1190 and 1300 AD and used sandstone, mortar & wooden beams to build structures that include one-room houses and multi-story complexes. Some of them have over 150 rooms! The most famous is Cliff Palace, which archeologists believed was once an important cultural & administrative center for the community. 

Historic Events

 April in History

Birthdays

Ali MacGraw (87 years old) 1939 American actress (Love Story, Goodbye Columbus), born in Pound Ridge, New York ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ Paul Manafort (77 years old), American political consultant (Trump campaign chairman), born in New Britain, Connecticut ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ Samuel Alito (76 years old), U.S. Supreme Court Justice (2006-), born in Trenton, New Jersey ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ Susan Boyle (65 years old) Scottish pop singer (Britain's Got Talent, 2009 -"I Dreamed A Dream"), born in Dechmont, West Lothian, Scotland ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ Rachel Maddow (53 years old) American radio and TV personality and political analyst (MSNBC), born in Castro Valley, California ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ Taran Killam (44 years old)  American comedian, actor, and writer (Saturday Night Live, 2010-16; Single Parents), born in Culver City, California ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

William Harvey, English physician (discovered blood circulation), born in Folkestone, Kent (d. 1657; @79) ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898; @83) German chancellor (1866-90) who helped unify Germany, born in Schönhausen, Prussia ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943; @69, melanoma) Russian-American piano virtuoso, conductor, and composer (Aleko; Piano Concerto No. 3, Vocalise), born in Oneg or Semyonovo, Russian Empire ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ Edgar Wallace (1875-1932; @56, double pneumonia) English novelist, jornalist, playwright, and screenwriter (The Terror; The Four Just Men) who co-created King Kong, born in Greenwich, England ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ Wallace Beery (1886-1949; @64, heart attack) American circus performer (Ringling Brothers Circus) and actor (Alias a Gentleman, Dinner at 8), born in Kansas City, Missouri ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ Abraham Maslow (1908-1970; @62, heart attack) American psychologist (Maslow's hierarchy of needs), born in Brooklyn, New York ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ Toshiro Mifune (1920-1997; @77, organ failure) Japanese writer and actor (Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Shogun), born in Tsingtao, China ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ Anne McCaffrey (1926-2011; @85) American sci-fi author, first woman to win a Hugo and Nebula Award (Dragonflight, Dragondrums), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ Debbie Reynolds (1932-2016; @84) American actress and singer (Singin' In The Rain -"Kathy Selden"; The Unsinkable Molly Brown), born in El Paso, Texas ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ Gordon Jump, American actor (WKRP in Cincinnati - "Arthur Carlson"; Growing Pains - "Ed"; Maytag Repairman), born in Dayton, Ohio (d. 2003; @71, pulmonary fibrosis) ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ Wangari Maathai (1940-2011; @71, ovarian cancer) Kenyan environmentalist and political activist, founder of the Green Belt Movement, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (2004) and Indira Gandhi Peace Prize (2006), born in Ihithe village, Kenya ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

 

…The End for today…

               

 

Week 14  Day 90 Flag Today  66°/48°                             Wind 15 mph Gusts 37 mph

Active Fire: 310 miles away Risk of fire: Extreme   Nearest Lightning: 398 miles away

Air Quality: Moderate Sunshine Partly Cloudy Windy

Mar. Averages: Temps: 54°\24° Moisture: 12 days

Weekly Observations

3/22-4/4 Passiontide 25-31 National Farm Workers Awareness Week Link Link National Physicians Week  Link

3/29-4/4Holy Week

Daily Observations

Anesthesia Tech Day Link Bunsen Burner Day US Border Control Day Link  Link International Hug A Medievalist Day International Transgender Day of Visibility  Link National Crayon Day Link Link

National "She's Funny That Way" Day National Tater Day  Link Prom Day Link Starbucks Day Terri's Day  Link World Backup Day

Today’s Quotes                                                                 

Today’s Memes

Today’s Thoughts

I’m ready for a new month, I’m tired of the wind.

Watch not what Trump says, watch what he does. He keeps railing against mail-in votes. He says they are riddled with fraud. While he has been in office, every time he has voted, he has done so with a mail-in ballot. I guess what’s bad for the goose is good for the gander. It seems so insane. 

Real Hoaxes

The Great Manure Crisis

A widely repeated story claims 1890s cities faced an unsolvable horse manure apocalypse that would bury streets under feet of waste. The tale cites a supposed 1894 Times of London prediction and a failed conference that ended early in despair.

In truth, historians find no primary source for the dramatic quotes and timelines.

Urban filth was real, but the extreme doomsday framing appears to be a modern exaggeration that grew online. It compresses complex sanitation history into a neat parable that flatters progress narratives about cars saving cities.

The myth persists because it is tidy, vivid, and easy to share.

Careful research shows multiple solutions emerged over time: better street cleaning, changes in stabling, and gradual transport shifts. Electric trams, bicycles, and later motor vehicles reduced reliance on horses, but there was no single dramatic turning point.

The episode is a meta-hoax, reminding us to check citations, not just vibes. When a historical claim includes precise numbers and tidy endings, ask for scans and archives.

Verification beats virality, especially for stories that confirm modern superiority. 

Rare Native American Facts

Ancient Villages Lie Beneath Los Angeles

Most people don't realize that there's an ancient village lying under the streets of modern Los Angeles-yes, really! It's where the Gabrielino-Tongva people used to live and the village dates back thousands of years. Archeologists have found signs that point to these people having quite a sophisticated society, including trade networks reaching as far as Arizona & Baja California.

 

Oklahoma’s Name Comes from Choctaw Words

The state name “Oklahoma” comes directly from the Choctaw language-the word “okla” means “people” and “humma” means “red.” Together, they mean “red people,” and Choctaw Chief Allen Wright first suggested the name during treaty negotiations in 1866. It took until 1890 for the Oklahoma Territory to be established and for the government to officially adopt the name. These days, Oklahoma is home to 39 federally recognized tribes. 

Historic Events

 March in History

 

Birthdays

Shirley Jones (92 years old) American Academy Award-winning actress (Elmer Gantry; Oklahoma!), and singer (Partridge Family), born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Herb Alpert (91 years old) American Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz trumpeter and bandleader (Tijuana Brass - "This Guy's In Love With You"; Whipped Cream and Other Delights), and record executive (A&M), born in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Barney Frank (86 years old), American politician (Rep-D-MA, 1981-2013), born in Bayonne, New Jersey φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Michael Savage [Michael A Wiener], (84 years old) American talk radio host and commentator, born in The Bronx, New York φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Gabe Kaplan (81 years old), American comedian and actor (Welcome Back Kotter), born in Brooklyn, New York City φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Al Gore (78 years old) 1948 American politician and environmentalist (Vice President: 1993-2001), born in Washington, D.C. φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Rhea Perlman (78 years old), American Emmy Award-winning actress (Taxi - "Zena"; Cheers - "Carla"), born in Brooklyn, New York φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Ed Marinaro (76 years old), American actor (Hill Street Blues - "Ofc Joe Coffey"; Laverne & Shirley, 1980-81 - "Sonny"), and NFL running back, 1972-77 (Minnesota Vikings and 2 other teams), born in New York City φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Angus Young (71 years old) 1955 Scottish rock guitarist (AC/DC - "Highway to Hell"), born in Glasgow, Scotland φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Ewan McGregor (55 years old) Scottish actor (Trainspotting, Star Wars Episodes I, II, III), born in Perth, Scotland φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Chloé Zhao (44 years old) Chinese filmmaker and director (The Rider, Nomadland, Hamnet), born in Beijing, China

René Descartes (1596-1650; @53, pneumonia) French philosopher (he thought, therefore he was), born in Descartes, Indre-et-Loire, France φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750; @65, stroke) German composer (St. Matthew's Passion; Brandenburg Concertos; Toccata and Fugue) [OS 21 Mar], born in Eisenach, Duchy of Saxe-Eisenach, Holy Roman Empire φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Joseph Haydn (1732-1809; @77) Austrian composer of the classical period (The Creation; Trumpet Concerto), born in Rohrau, Austria φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Arthur Griffith (1871-1922; @51, stroke) Irish writer and politician who founded Sinn Féin (President of Ireland 1922), born in Dublin, Ireland, United Kingdom φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Jack Johnson (1878-1946; @68, stroke) American boxer (1st African-American world heavyweight champion 1908-15), born in Galveston, Texas φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Octavio Paz, Mexican poet (Salamandra; Topoemas), writer and diplomat who won the 1990 Nobel Prize laureate, born in Mexico City (d. 1998; @84) φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Henry Morgan, American comedian and TV panelist (I've Got a Secret, Arena), born in New York City (d. 1994; @79, lung cacer) φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Patrick Magee [McGee], Northern Irish actor (A Clockwork Orange; Barry Lyndon), born in Armagh, Northern Ireland (d. 1982; @60, heart attack) φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Cesar Chavez (1927-1993; @66, natural causes) Disgraced American farm labor leader (United Farm Workers), born in Yuma, Arizona φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Gordie Howe (1928-2016; @88) Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame right wing (23-time NHL All Star; NHL: Detroit Red Wings; WHA: Houston Aeros), born in Floral, Saskatchewan φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Liz Claiborne (1929-2007; @78, cancer) American fashion designer, entrepreneur and founder of Liz Claiborne Inc, born in Brussels, Belgium φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ Richard Chamberlain (1934-2025; @90) American stage and screen actor (Dr. Kildare (TV series); Shōgun; The Thorn Birds), born in Beverly Hills, California  φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ φ

 

…The End for today…