Monarch Butterfly Is Now An Endangered Species!

A monarch butterfly drinks nectar from a flower in the Pollinator Habitat bed near the Chicago Park District storehouse in August.

Every winter, millions of monarch butterflies journey thousands of miles across North America to spend winters in the forests and mountains of central Mexico.

But over the years, the beloved butterfly has seen such a troubling decline in its population that US wildlife officials on Tuesday announced a proposal to protect with the Endangered Category.

Growing threats such as habitat loss from illegal logging, exposure to insecticides, and the climate crisis have dramatically shifted the monarch’s breeding and migratory patterns.

The law states that a species is labeled “threatened” when it is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. (CNN)

Be Careful of Charities: Beware!

It’s the holiday season and many of us give to charities.

You probably receive three to four solicitations every day in your mail.

But, we must be careful when selecting who we give our money to!

Even if a charity is called a non-profit, the chief executives may be highly compensated.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, CEO $8,104,960 Year-2022

American Heart Association, CEO $4,145,055 Year-2023

City of Hope & Affiliates, CEO $3,684,871 Year-2022

These statistics and more are available from a watchdog service called CHARITY WATCH.

A good practice is to give to local institutions whose work you can observe in your community.

blog.charitywatch.org

Joe Burrow’s House Broken Into During MNF!

Joe Burrow’s house was the target of a break-in while the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback was in Texas facing the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, according to CNN affiliate WLWT.

CNN has reached out to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio, Burrow’s representative and the Bengals for comment.

The NFL told CNN that the league has been in touch with the Bengals but declined to comment further.

According to WLWT, the sheriff’s office confirmed the break-in, which the TV station says is in Anderson Township, but did not provide other information.

Last month, the NFL – as well as the NBA and NHL – warned teams that organized and skilled groups are targeting the homes of athletes for break-ins, including while the players are away at games.

Joe Burrow’s house was the target of a break-in while the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback was in Texas facing the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, according to CNN affiliate WLWT.

CNN has reached out to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio, Burrow’s representative and the Bengals for comment.

The NFL told CNN that the league has been in touch with the Bengals but declined to comment further.

According to WLWT, the sheriff’s office confirmed the break-in, which the TV station says is in Anderson Township, but did not provide other information.

Last month, the NFL – as well as the NBA and NHL – warned teams that organized and skilled groups are targeting the homes of athletes for break-ins, including while the players are away at games. (CNN)

It’s become obvious high earning athletes must have guards protecting their homes while at “away games.”

Mistakes Keep You Humble!

Minor car accident Stock Photos, Royalty Free Minor car ...

Today’s photo is a sample of what I did to my car when pulling into my garage.

I’ve driven into the garage hundreds of times w/o a problem.

But, for some unknown reason, I went a little wide and hit the edge of the opening.

Sometimes we make mistakes.

Mistakes we didn’t think we were capable of.

It’s frustrating, but we must acknowledge it and move on.

And speaking of mistakes, our loved ones make mistakes too.

Of course, they are embarrassed and don’t need us making it worse.

DELOAD WEEK A Must!

Group of people exercising together outdoors

If you were to think about the key to getting fit, you’d probably imagine you need to spend plenty of time in the gym.

But many fitness influencers assert that taking time away from the gym every six to eight weeks — known as a “deload week” — is actually the key to improving fitness gains.

Deload weeks mostly involve toning down the intensity of your workouts.

These are typically done during periods of heavy training.

The express aim of a deload week is to give the body time to recover from the fatigue and damage that can be caused by periods of intense training.

Intense training or high volumes of training cause us to accumulate damage in our muscle tissues.

While this damage is an essential part of the process in improving fitness gains, these improvements can only happen if the body has time to recover. (CNN)

Detroit Lion Gives Back!

David Montgomery is the starting running back for the Detroit Lions.

He is also a former Eagle Scout and current Scouting Ambassador.

When he scores a touchdown, he holds up three fingers in the classic Boy Scout pose.

Boy Scout Ambassadors conduct entertainment at nursing homes in addition to many other activities.

Despite his financial success, he continues to give back to the Boy Scouts! (Detroit Free Press)

Big Jobs Bounceback?

A job and resource fair in Hendersonville, North Carolina, on November 19.

In October, the initial estimate for the month’s employment gains was a scant 12,000 jobs.

Economists are expecting 17 times that total for November.

When the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the November jobs report at 8:30 am ET on Friday, it is wholly anticipated that the data will reflect a sharp rebound.

When plugging those striking and weather-waylaid workers back in, November’s report is expected to show a net gain of 207,500 jobs, according to consensus estimates on FactSet. (CNN)

Let’s hope the projection is accurate!

Playing Piano from A Pickup!

Dozens of internationally renowned recording artists give concerts in Vegas every year, but the musician who connects best with people might be a local troubadour who improvises on a piano in the back of his pickup.

The maestro, Danny Kean, calls his setup The Traveling Piano, and he has traversed North America sharing music for nearly 20 years.

Kean’s home base is Las Vegas now, and every time he plays, he invites passersby to climb aboard the truck and tickle the ivory for themselves.

Even if people are shy or say they can’t do it, Kean usually convinces them to give it a try, inspiring total strangers to express themselves through the common language of music. (CNN)

A beautiful “Slice of Life!”

 

General Who Oversaw Afghan Withdrawal Promoted!

Christopher Donahue speaks to journalists after a US Air Force transport plane transporting military equipment and troops arrived at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in southeastern Poland on February 6, 2022.

An Army general who oversaw the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was promoted to a four-star officer after a Republican senator dropped a hold on his nomination, according to a Senate aide.

The Senate on Monday confirmed Lt. Gen. Chris Donahue to be the commander of US Army Europe-Africa by unanimous consent, meaning no senator objected to his approval.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, had previously blocked the promotion, despite the Senate Armed Services Committee advancing 984 other military promotions. (CNN)

I don’t understand why they promoted him.

Do you?

Do You Take Your Eyesight For Granted?

Elton John, pictured in London on October 10, 2024

Elton John says he still cannot see, months after suffering a severe eye infection.

Speaking on stage at a gala performance of the “The Devil Wears Prada” musical in London on Sunday, John thanked his husband, David Furnish, saying he “has been my rock.”

“I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I have lost my eyesight.

So it’s hard for me to see it.

But I love to hear it and, boy, it sounded good tonight,” said John, who wrote the score for the show. (CNN)

Do you take your eyesight for granted? Do you take your ability to hear for granted? Do you take your ability to taste for granted? Do you take your ability to walk for granted?

Well, do you?