The last day of November 2022 is today. In my reality, it’s been a good month. We’re now in the countdown to Christmas. My memories of Christmas past go back 7o years. They are some of my most treasured. I’ll do my best to add a few more over the coming weeks. The 30th day of November is Choose Women Wednesday, Cities Against the Death Penalty, Computer Security Day, National Mason Jar Day, National Mousse Day, National Personal Space Day, Perpetual Youth Day, and Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Day. Now to our history and I hope it’s better than yesterday. On this day in 1487 the 1st German Beer Purity Law went into effect. It stated that Bavarian beer should be brewed with only three ingredients: water, malt, and hops. In 1648 on this day, Roman Catholics were banned from being in the English Parliament. On this day in 1731 an earthquake hit Beijing killing about 100,000. On this day in 1786 Leopold ll established penal reform and made Tuscany the first state to abolish the death penalty. On this day in 1902 Butch Cassidy’s Wild bunch gang’s second in command, Kid Curry Logan, was sentenced to 20 years hard labor. In 1907 on this day Pike Place Market was dedicated in Seattle. On this day in 1938 Jews were banned from being lawyers in Germany. In 1942 German U-boats sunk or damaged 142 allied ships this month. On this day in 1950 President Truman threatened China with atomic bombs. The Korean war was hot and Turman responded to a question at a press conference and stated that we were considering using nuclear weapons. Today’s dose of wisdom comes from Oscar Wilde who died too soon in 1900 at the age of 46. He said, “We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars.” “An optimist will tell you the glass is half-full; the pessimist, half empty; and the engineer will tell you the glass is twice the size it needs to be.” “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you place the blame.” “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” Enough for today. Abide.
