Tomorrow is a day that I look forward to all year. It’s the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, Calif. This year the theme is “Hats off to entertainment.”

For two hours you can watch beautiful, one-of-a-kind floats, all made from flowers and other natural substances, roll down the parade route.

I used to drag the children out of bed and force them to watch with me. They’re grown up and gone, now, so I call them and wake them up.

The parade starts at 8 a.m. Pacific time, which is 7 a.m. here. Or 9 a.m. Maybe 10 a.m. I can never figure that out. It’s like military time only worse.

Gretchen Mayer

If you’re able to stay awake until midnight (many of us aren’t) you might find yourself singing this traditional Scottish song written by poet Robert (Rabbie) Burns. Literally translated, it means “old long since,” and is a way to remember old friends who have died or with whom we may have lost contact. If you’re at a gathering, it’s also a way to appreciate the friends you’re with at the time.

Rabbie Burns was an amazing poet, born in 1759. He lived only 37 years but left such a legacy. It’s sort of embarrassing. Most of us live twice as long as he did and have little to show for it.

So drink a cup of kindness yet for auld lang syne.

Gretchen Mayer

The United Nations declared December as Human Rights month in 1948 as a response to the holocaust. The result was to set a standard by which the human rights of all nations could be measured:

No one shall be subjected to cruel and inhumane punishment

All shall be entitled to a fair and public hearing by an impartial tribunal, a speedy juried trial and the right to legal counsel

The right to feel secure in homes, papers and effects

The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion

The right to basic necessities - food, clothing, housing, medical care and social services

The right to education and to participate in the cultural life of the community

The right to not be arbitrarily deprived on one’s property.

If a tradition is something that comes about by repetition, and is strengthened by mass participation, then the last week of December and the first week of January should be national “Everyone Diets” tradition.

Without even a master plan, everyone begins a diet of one sort or another. Businesses recognize it will happen - gyms have special sign-up plans, the cover of every magazine list diet and exercise articles and television talk shows feature diet doctors.

Participants spend money on weight loss programs, books and equipment and there are even traditional foods = low cal-this and lo-carb-that, cabbage soup, egg-white omelets, etc.

Now all we need is for the UN to recognize it as an International Event.

The article featuring Bea Premack in Monday’s paper was very interesting. The topic was on the eight-day Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. Her recipe for potato Latkas inspired me to make some last night and, man, were they good. For those of you who think, like I did, that they are just a version of hash browns will be pleasantly surprised, as I was. Ever so much better. More like a potato pancake than a hash brown.

I served them with fried pheasant. Perhaps I’ve created a new tradition: South Dakota-Jewish feast celebrating the survival of a blizzard.

Gretchen Mayer

Check out this cool site - takes about three minutes. Unless you run the video more than once. Like I did.

(click the arrow button to make it load.)
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/12/flowing-in.html

Our calendar of cultural events is a little empty right now. There are plans in the works for upcoming events and when I have solid details, I’ll post them. But this is certainly a slow time of year.

Please, if you know of anything that’s going on, e-mail me at diverse@nvc.net. I’ll be glad to list it.

Also, please feel free to send blog entries and articles. The best ones would be ones you’ve written. Otherwise we have to be careful of copyright laws.

Stay safe, the weather is beginning to look hinky. Gretchen Mayer

The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah runs from Dec. 22 through the 29th. Something that always confused me was Chanukka versus Hanukkah - I’ve seen both words used in different calendars and stories. Are they two separate celebrations? Local member Bea Premack cleared this up for me. They’re  both the same. Hanukkah is the literal translation. The ch sound does not translate well to English because it’s a German, gutteral sound, more like clearing your throat than the ch you’d say with words like Charlie or champion.

 So, go ahead and file this under “things you probably already knew but I didn’t.”

Gretchen

There are some exciting things coming down the pike for the AADC: We’re working on setting up a Diversity Regional Outreach Center. Initially we’ll be having orientation classes for newcomers. Additional plans will depend on what future needs are.

I’ll post more on this later as it comes to fruition.

We’re also going to be adding an “About Us,” page to this site with more information about what the AADC has done, is doing, plans to do.

There is a link for financials. It’s empty right now. That will be completed after the first of the year and updated annually.

As always, we welcome co-bloggers. E-mail your blog to diverse@nvc.net

Gretchen Mayer, Executive Director

Tomorrow has been declared International Anti-corruption Day by the United Nations. Do we even NEED a day for this? I mean, who ISN’T against corruption. Those who are corrupt, I suppose.

 Met with a Lantino man from Venezuela the other day. He spoke of the corruption there by Hugo Chavez. The man said that people who left Venezuela were considered traitors.

 El Presidente Chavez despises America and has close relationships with Iran and China.

 I asked Jesus if corruption was more common in Latino countries and he said he felt it was. The two Castros - Fidel and Raul are a case in point as is Evo Morales of Bolivia. So sometimes people flee their home country not simply for financial reasons, but also to save their lives.

 Latino countries certainly don’t have a monopoly on corruption, as we all know. North Korea (Kim Jong-Il,) Zimbabwe and, of course, Iran, all have dictators abusing their power.

 So to answer my own question, I guess we do need an anti-corruption day. Or maybe 365 of them.

Gretchen Mayer, Executive Director