Learn About Life in the US of A.

December 17, 2016
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...but today let's talk about something less merry.

There is a page on the usa.gov site called Learn about Life in the United States for kids.  It's like a little civic lesson.  While browsing through the site, I that I am not sure most Americans (those of us born and raised here) know.  Here is DYK list compiled by this intrepid blogger.

 DYK that--

the United States has no official language?  While English is the most common language spoken, there are better than 300 different languages and dialects of languages heard from sea to shining sea. 

if you wish your language to be considered the official language of the US, you can contact your elected officials?  Don't get your hopes up, but it never hurts to ask, right?

the bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to the Irish?  If you follow the link fun facts link under STATE AND STATE CAPITALS, you can learn interesting facts about all 50 states along with the basics: when the state became a state, its nickname, and state capital.

there are 10 federal holidays?  Yep, that means that 7 days through out the year most of us will have to go to work while the government offices, banks, and post office shut down. Okay, so must us knew that one, it just seems a tad unfair IMO.

the continental United States spans 5 time zones?   Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaska.  If you expand the borders to include Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands there are 9 time zones.

there are still $10,000 bills in circulation?  The government no longer prints denomination larger than $100, but you could (in theory) come across a $500, $1,000, $5,000, or a $10,000 bill, all of which are still considered legal tender.  Boogles the mind, doesn't it.  Trying to get change of a hundred is bad enough.

That's Samuel Chase, the 6th Supreme Court Justice, in case you didn't recognize him.

the Welcome to America packet available to new immigrants can be downloaded in 14 different languages?  Refer back to DYK #1.  Shouldn't that packet be available in 300+ languages if we aren't going to declare an official language?

As interesting as all these things are to a small clutch of people, there is some gossip brew on the streets of Miller.  This blogger needs to get off the internet and get busy sniff out all the juicy details.  More later.

Meanwhile, there are only 9 days until Christmas, so get your Christmas shopping down, ya hear?  Nuff said.

Three for Less than Three

Revised and Edited and ready for you to enjoy:  Book 1, Book 2, and Book 3 of the
@the Double D Series.

If you have not been introduced to the men and women of Miller, Texas, there will never be a better time. 

This Friday and Saturday Only

December 16 and 17, 2016

Buy for FREE

Alden and Ben

Plus, for 99¢

Chloe and Dean

And for $1.99

Erlyne and Finnley

That’s 3 great reads for less that $3.00.

Can't beat that with a stick!

Always FREE on Kindle Unlimited

We'll get back to gossip and goings on in Miller, tomorrow.

The Plight of the Wild Giraffe

That's one huge steak!  Google Photos.

December 8,  2016

According to African conservationists, or at least scientists that pay attention to the wildlife in Africa, giraffes in the wild are headed toward extinction.  Not that we need to worry about these long necked iconic creatures disappearing from the plains of Africa in the way that dinosaurs have.  Not yet anyway.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist, which this blogger does not purport to be, to understand
that man has a hand in this decline.   Diminishing habitat, poaching, and tribal wars are a big part of the problem, as you would expect.  Apparently, one giraffe can feed a lot of people, and for war ravaged villages that have few resources, it makes sense to take what nature provides.  It brings to mind the American West and the plight of the buffalo, only the situation in Africa is not being romanticized.   It would definitely would be a sadder world if the giraffe did go the way of the dodo bird, yet one has to wonder if extinction is the natural order of things.  Can we truly save all animals?  Should we even try?  Before you freak out and start hate bombing, remember questions bring answers.  If no one ever raises questions, then no one ever looks deeper than the surfaces of the an issue.  Despite the dire tone of the article ( Giraffe), the amazing animal will not disappear in our lifetime.  Just another problem we are leaving for our kids and grandkids to solve.