We are all here because our ancestors made the perilous journey to a new world filled with hope. My grandmother lost a sister on the crossing from Ireland.

Here is another Immigrant’s Thoughts:

“My family’s journey is very much a part of American history, part and parcel with the Vietnam War, a singular event that caused a dispersion of ripples. I am one of those ripples.

All immigrant and refugee narratives, including my parents’ stories, contribute to the unfolding of American history.

Like most survival stories, my family’s journey didn’t end with the sighting of land.

It encompassed the grit of the travelers but also the profound humanity of a host nation lifting up newcomers fleeing a bleak existence.

Americans pause in reflection during holidays such as Independence Day to celebrate this very same ethos.

It would be a good thing if Americans were also taught more about the histories, cultures and experiences of marginalized communities.

That would only help us better understand our friends and neighbors.”

The US General Services Administration is giving away or auctioning lighthouses in New England.

Like the small towns in Italy selling off houses for just 1 euro, these lighthouses come with stipulations.

A handful of them – five as of Friday afternoon – will be given away for free to local governments, nonprofits or community organizations.

The others will be auctioned off to the public.

But they’re going fast.

As of Friday afternoon, there were still two “on the block” with bids of $60,000.

The idea is that the cost and work of fixing up these lighthouses will be the responsibility of the new owner, not local taxpayers.

Also, any of the lighthouses that aren’t given to a nonprofit or community organization within lighthouse season will then be offered up for public auction, too.

As the GSA’s website puts it: You can’t get more waterfront than this.

Regardless of age, most men still like to play with toys.

It may be a motorcycle, sailboat, fast car or whatever.

It’s just a passion that never leaves them.

I saw an old friend I haven’t seen for a few years yesterday.

Yep, he and his buddy are off on another trip next week.

He showed me a map of all the places he has been in the U.S. and Europe.

Incredible!

My favorite toys are sailboats.

My first sailboat was a little 14′ wooden sailboat with a hole in the bottom.

When my brother and I sailed together, one would sail and one would bail.

I’ve been in over 100 yacht races since then.

Unfortunately, I’ve had to walk away from my sailing days.

There is always a time when we must set our toys aside.

This is one of those times!

In Sardinia, where one of the first groups of centenarians was studied, garbanzo and fava are the legumes of choice.

Also known as chickpeas, garbanzos are the prime ingredients of a minestrone that is usually eaten at more than one meal, allowing the residents of Sardinia to get the benefits of beans at least twice a day.

There you have it!

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy;

O divine master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Humans’ unquenchable thirst for groundwater has sucked so much liquid from subsurface reserves that it’s affecting Earth’s tilt, according to a new study.

Groundwater provides drinking water for people and livestock, and it helps with crop irrigation when rain is scarce.

However, the new research shows that persistent groundwater extraction over more than a decade shifted the axis on which our planet rotates, tipping it over to the east at a rate of about 1.7 inches per year.

That shift is even observable on Earth’s surface, as it contributes to global sea level rise, researchers reported in the study published June 15 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

“Earth’s rotational pole actually changes a lot,” said lead study author Ki-Weon Seo, a professor in the department of Earth science education at Seoul University.

The redistribution of groundwater actually has the largest impact on the drift of the rotational pole.”

You might not be able to feel Earth’s rotation, but it’s spinning on a north-south axis at a rate of about 1,000 miles per hour.

Humans’ unquenchable thirst for groundwater has sucked so much liquid from subsurface reserves that it’s affecting Earth’s tilt, according to a new study.

Groundwater provides drinking water for people and livestock, and it helps with crop irrigation when rain is scarce.

However, the new research shows that persistent groundwater extraction over more than a decade shifted the axis on which our planet rotates, tipping it over to the east at a rate of about 1.7 inches per year.

That shift is even observable on Earth’s surface, as it contributes to global sea level rise, researchers reported in the study published June 15 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

“Earth’s rotational pole actually changes a lot,” said lead study author Ki-Weon Seo, a professor in the department of Earth science education at Seoul University.

The redistribution of groundwater actually has the largest impact on the drift of the rotational pole.”

You might not be able to feel Earth’s rotation, but it’s spinning on a north-south axis at a rate of about 1,000 miles per hour.

(A quote from Confucius)

No truer words were ever spoken!

And there are still many jobs available.

Every business you walk into today is short staffed.

So, if you are unhappy with your present employment, look around.

With the Internet, job hunting is easier than ever.

Life is hard enough even if you are happy with your job.

You spend most of your life at work.

Take that time commitment and make it something you look forward to.

If you love your work, you’ll advance more rapidly than if you don’t.

Don’t be one of those people who is unhappy but afraid of change.

Change leads to personal growth.

Go For It!

If not today, when?

Justin Albertynas, a travel industry expert has some good news for US travelers who might be a bit self-conscious about the “ugly American” stereotype.

His opinion: “It’s not true at all.”

“Europeans in general, and all the European businesses that I’ve made contact with during my years in the industry, they’re always welcoming to Americans,” explains Albertynas.

He is CEO and co-founder of Ratepunk, a startup whose browser extension scans major travel booking sites to uncover the lowest price on hotel rooms.

“Especially when they are from New York or LA, everybody is kind of putting them on a pedestal.

So, actually on the contrary to the ugly American fad, everybody loves Americans.” (CNN)

Nice to hear some GOOD NEWS!