An Afternoon Tea- Another Enjoyable THD Activity

Last April 8th, Tuesday at @2PM about 25 THD residents enjoyed a selection of Fine Teas, Finger Sandwiches and delicious bake goods ( see brochure above).  This is another activity that enhanced our well being and sense of belonging here at THD. 

Kudos to the Activity staff-Ted, Monica and Rhyann.   I asked Ted whose idea was this and he said this was planned when Cydney was still here. I talked to several residents during this event and they want more of it the future.  I echo that sentiment. 

I took photos during the event and very delighted to share it with you in this blog. The tea service was excellent and the finger sandwiches were yummy.    The table decorations were perfect featuring pink and yellow mini-roses- just gorgeous and fits the spring-time💙 theme of the occasion.  

💜Meanwhile, here are some photos I took of the spring blooms in our Court Yard- the Venue of this Activity. Please note this is the first rose bloom and bud for this 2025 season. Also the two animals ( heron and the two does) from the Wall Mural again attracted my attention  again.

Lastly, the Above THD Activity reminded about the Philosophy of Drinking Tea in Japan

Drinking tea in Japan is not just a habit but a reflection of deep life values:

1. Wabi-Sabi (侘寂) – Finding beauty in simplicity and imperfection.

2. Ichi-go Ichi-e (一期一会) – Appreciating each moment as a unique and unrepeatable experience.

3. Wa-Kei-Sei-Jaku (和敬清寂) – The principles of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility in the tea ceremony.  

Tea Drinking in Japan is rooted in Zen, and this tradition teaches mindfulness and serenity in every sip. It has to be drunk slowly and mindfully using the best teapot and cups that the family own or possess.

Personal Note:  From my Financial Advisor the Other Day:

"The market reaction to the tariffs is terrible.  No niceties there to speak of.  No one likes to see deep red across the board.  It takes fortitude to stay invested when things are so crazy.  I share this often and can’t think of a more perfect time to revisit it.  I don’t have a crystal ball.  I do have knowledge and experience to draw on.  2022 was the fourth worst year in the stock market since Pearl Harbor.  It was followed by two great years in the markets.  Maybe the worst of the pain is behind us.  Hoping cooler heads prevail.  As the CEO of JP Morgan said today, “America first…fine.  America alone…dangerous.”

 

Friendly Reminder:  We believe a portfolio commensurate with your goals, objectives, risk, and time horizon is the recipe for success.  It is never fun, in fact, it’s quite unsettling to watch the markets flounder and see your portfolio suffer losses.  The markets don’t always go up.  Diversification, patience, and perseverance are keys to long-term success.

  

The 2025 Global Indigenous Data Sovereignty Conference, Canberra, Australia

 Ditas ( my youngest daughter) was one of the panel speakers💚 at this Conference held from March 31 to April 3, 2025 in Canberra, Australia.   She will be back to US to visit me on April 17 and give a talk on her experiences in her Census Work for the State of California and from her former job at the Unites States Bureau of Census, Washington, DC.    Here's Ditas short bio:  

Ditas Katague

Former Associate Director for Communications & Engagement, United States Census Bureau

Ditas was most recently Associate Director for Communications and Engagement at the U.S. Census Bureau appointed by President Biden. She led the internal and external communications activities of the nation’s largest statistical agency including oversight of marketing, public affairs, congressional and intergovernmental affairs, customer service, stakeholder engagement, and media relations. She developed a stakeholder engagement framework and logic model to help organizations determine the most strategic approach to invest limited resources to build coalitions and engage key audiences. Prior to joining the Census Bureau, Ditas was Director of the California Complete Count – Census 2020 Office, the outreach and communications campaign that worked to ensure a complete population count of historically undercounted Californians. This built on her experience leading the most diverse and populous state’s decennial census outreach efforts in 2000 and 2010. Appointed by 4 Governors of California, she led all three decennial groundbreaking multilingual, multimedia outreach efforts that resulted in response rates that outpaced the national rate. She also served as chief of staff to the California Public Utilities Commission, where she improved public participation and access to the energy and telecommunications utility rate and regulation process. Ditas served on the US Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations, from 2012 to 2018, including three years as its chair. She is an expert in multiethnic outreach and civic engagement. Ditas holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree from University of California, Berkeley.

💚About the Conference: The first two days of the Conference are exclusively for Indigenous peoples. The Conference Organizers are welcoming governments and other non-Indigenous organisations and individuals to join the conference on the third day, to discuss how they are supporting the enactment of IDSov and IDGov through the governance of Indigenous data. While we also offer formal and structured sessions for delegates to attend, we have intentionally created space and opportunity for unstructured networking and yarning to take place. Session details are listed below.  A vibrant cultural program has been curated for delegates - engage in weaving workshops, enjoy film screenings, and take part in cultural walks - details are available on Conference apps.

💚Panel: How national statistical agencies are enacting IDS and IDGov (since 2015)

Panel session followed by an audience Q&A.

Panelists: 

1. Cyril Mako

2. Ditas Katague

3. Michael Smedes

Discussants: Ray Lovett and Tahu Kukutai

Speakers

Michael Smedes Ditas Katague Ray Lovett Tahu Kukutai Cyril Mako  

For Details

https://gidsov.com.au/Speakers    https://www.maiamnayriwingara.org/

Meanwhile, Did you know that.....

Our national hero, José Rizal, was a simple eater who enjoyed home-cooked meals? His usual breakfast included rice, hot chocolate, and sardinas secas—or simply tuyo!

While studying in Madrid, he requested bagoong and native fruit jellies from home. In Hong Kong, his Chinese cook noted that Rizal ate everything but in moderation. In Dapitan, he loved having sinigang, a Spanish dish, and a mestizo meal all in one sitting!

Even his loved ones played a role in his meals—his sister Narcisa made him pancit luglog, and Josephine Bracken prepared his favorite chili miso sauce.

Finally, Did you know that.....

Giant tortoises once roamed Luzon? These massive reptiles, called Megalochelys sondaari, lived about 2.58 million years ago and disappeared around 1.7 million years ago.

Fossils found in Rizal and Cagayan suggest they shared the land with ancient elephants called stegodons.

Scientists believe their extinction was caused by drastic climate changes that reshaped the environment. Imagine spotting a giant tortoise in the wild today—Luzon’s landscape would look very different!

Personal Note: Ditas is scheduled to talk here at THD on April 17, at 11AM.- THD Speaker Program Activity Series.

America's Presidents-What your History Teacher Never Told You

I attended last Sunday( April 6) one hour lecture at our Cinema( see brochure) above. It was one of the best lecture I have attended here at THD. It was informative, funny and Emeritus Professor Gerald Henig's cited a few scandalous stories about our previous Presidents. Some of the details in his lecture, I already know specifically the rankings since I have written a previous article on this subject.💚 Some of the other details I also have read previously. However, I learned a few new entertaining tidbits on the personal lives of some of our previous Presidents. There was no mention of our current president idiosyncrasies, except that he is listed currently as the WORST President in the United States. 

The author has no intention on writing about Donald Trump since there are already numerous books about him. 

💚https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2020/12/us-presidential-ranking-based-on-cbs.html

In the above article, the current Occupant in the White House is listed as the Worst President in the US.

Lincoln, Washington and F D Roosevelt are rated #1, 2 and 3 respectively.   

Dr Henig's book was available for purchase at $20 each.  Here are some reviews of the Book.

1. “A trove of entertaining stories about the drama, pratfalls, and sheer weirdness of presidents.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

2. A colorful US history book for adults that reveals little-known accounts, outlandish stories, and 70+ all-too-human fun facts about presidents.

3. "A dazzling and beguiling study of the nooks and crannies of the American Presidency. Read this book. Enjoy. And plan on winning your trivia bouts and bar bets."

4. —John A. Farrell, Pulitzer Prize finalist for Richard Nixon: The Life and author of Ted Kennedy: A Life

5. Go beyond chopping down cherry trees and Marilyn Monroe serenading happy birthday.

6. In this collection of interesting facts about presidents—some pivotal, others less so—learn about the real-life idiosyncrasies of the people who held the highest office in the United States.

7. Gerald S. Henig is professor emeritus of history who has been collecting facts to startle his students for over four decades—and has the Outstanding Professor Award and four Pi Kappa Delta Best Lecturer Awards to prove it.

8. His fully-documented revelations provide insights into the character and conduct of America's presidents—and how they were influenced by the same flaws and foibles as every Tom, Dick, and Harry.

Ranging from the startling to the scandalous, discover which president:

• built a tennis court—and then refused to be photographed in his tennis whites,
• privately admitted on more than one occasion that he was not fit for the job,
• ordered three bells to be rung when he walked the halls of the White House so the staff would stay out of sight,
• called his penis Jumbo (and was not shy about exhibiting it to justify its name),
• had to be restrained from beating his would-be assassin,
• claimed that he needed sex every day to avoid a severe headache.

9. A great book for history buffs, Hamilton fans, and anyone looking for fodder for their next dinner party, America's Presidents is full of unknown facts that are easy-to-digest, rarely spoken of, and as entertaining as they are educational.

10. Even "leaders of the free world" have their embarrassing, entertaining, and altogether shocking moments—and this book flings the doors of the White House wide open.

11. "America's Presidents is filled with fun stories and insightful anecdotes. We learn that presidents have peculiarities. More importantly, we are reminded that their peculiarities can shape the world."

In my previous US presidents Rankings Readings:  Can you Guess which President has the lowest IQ? For Details read:   

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-lowest-IQ-of-any-US-President-What-is-the-highest-IQ-of-any-US-President

About the Author: Dr. Henig is emeritus professor of history at California State University, East Bay, 

where he has taught  for 39 years. He has written numerous articles on the political and military history of the Civil War

 and is the author of Henry Winter Davis: Antebellum and Civil War Congressman from Maryland 

(New York: Twayne Publishers, 1973) and co-author with Eric Niderost of Civil War Firsts: 

The Legacies of America's Bloodiest Conflict (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2001),

 now available in paperback under a new title: A Nation Transformed: How the Civil War Changed

 America Forever. (gerald henig)

Meanwhile, enjoy this photo of a rock garden:

Lastly, Did you Know That.....

China recently discovered a massive oilfield named Huizhou 19-6 in the South China Sea, 

with proven reserves exceeding 100 million tons of oil. The China National Offshore Oil

Corporation (CNOOC) accomplished this breakthrough, showcasing China's advancements

in deep-sea exploration and resource extraction. 

Located 170 kilometers off the coast of Shenzhen, this oilfield lies entirely within China's

Exclusive Economic Zone, eliminating territorial disputes and ensuring full control over its

resources. The discovery bolsters China's energy security and positions the country as 

a global leader in innovative exploration techniques.

Japan Has the Highest Average IQ Nation in the World

From My Readings This Week!

Japan leads with the highest average IQ, blending tradition and innovation to shape the future.

Japan leads the world with an impressive average IQ of 106.48, a reflection of its rich culture of discipline, innovation, and education. From the technological marvels of Tokyo to the timeless traditions of Kyoto, this intellectual prowess drives Japan's global influence in science, art, and philosophy, shaping a society that harmonizes ancient wisdom with modern progress.

Meanwhile, Did You Know that.....

The Philippines has a complex colonial past — one that saw three different flags raised over its islands in just a single lifetime.

First came Spain, which colonized the Philippines for 333 years, bringing Catholicism, Spanish surnames, and centralized governance.

Then the United States took over for nearly 50 years, introducing English, public education, and American-style democracy.

During World War II, Japan occupied the country for a brief but brutal period.

Lastly, Did you Know that.....

The Spratly Islands, a tiny, scattered group in the South China Sea, are at the heart of a massive territorial dispute. Multiple nations lay claim to these islands, including:

China

Vietnam

Philippines

Malaysia

Brunei

Taiwan

What’s at stake? Beyond the islands themselves — vital shipping lanes, fishing rights, and potential oil and gas reserves. The dispute has sparked tensions, military standoffs, and complex international negotiations.

Who controls them? Still up in the air.

Personal Note: Will Trump put his dirty hands and also claimed these islands?

Lastly, here are three photos of the Baby Shower held last Saturday for my first great grand son expected the first week of May. I will be a Super Lolo.