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English is my first language, but I have always called my grandparents by the Greek terms. Pappou for grandfather and Yiayia for grandmother.

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At least 1.2 million people have died fighting for America during its wars dating back 241 years, according to Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs data.

Most died in battle, while many others never landed abroad but are no less honored on this Memorial Day.

Here’s a by-the-numbers breakdown of when and where they died, as of May 27, starting with the American Revolution:

American Revolution (1775-1783) Battle Deaths: 4,435

War of 1812 (1812-1815)Battle Deaths: 2,260

Indian Wars (approx. 1817-1898) Battle Deaths (VA estimate): 1,000

Mexican War (1846-1848) Battle Deaths: 1,733

Other Deaths (In Theater): 11,550

Civil War (1861-1865) Battle Deaths (Union): 140,414

Other Deaths (In Theater)(Union): 224,097 Battle Deaths (Confederate): 74,524 Other Deaths (In Theater)(Confederate): 59,297

Spanish-American War (1898-1902) Battle Deaths: 385

Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater): 2,061

World War I (1917-1918) Battle Deaths: 53,402

Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater): 63,114

World War II (1941 –1945) Battle Deaths: 291,557

Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater): 113,842

Korean War (1950-1953)Battle Deaths: 33,739 Other Deaths (In Theater): 2,835

Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater): 17,672

Vietnam War (1964-1975) Battle Deaths: 47,434 Other Deaths (In Theater): 10,786

Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater): 32,000

(These cover period 11/1/55 to 5/15/75)

Desert Shield/Desert Storm (1990-1991) Battle Deaths: 148 Other Deaths (In Theater): 235 Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater): 1,565

Global War on Terror, including Iraq and Afghanistan (Oct 2001 - present) Total Deaths: 6,888.

In addition to those, the State Department Office of the Historian lists the Philippine-American War, 1899 to 1902, citing the deaths of more than 4,200 U.S. combatants.

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Let’s toast the professor tonight!

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Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year! May 2025 bring new joys and blessings! 😊🎊🎆🎉

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The reason for the season.🙏🏼🎄

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Absolutely! And just as often happens in real life, nothing happens to the “bad guy.” Potter is never found to have kept the money. He is still the richest person in the town, who will probably keep harassing the Baileys and the rest of Bedford Falls for the rest of his life. The only thing that we “know” will happen to him will happen off-screen, when he realizes that George was pulled out of it after all, by the very people Potter thought would abandon him. The thought of his rage and disappointment is nice for the audience to consider, but it’s not nearly as satisfying as the typical ending for those fluffy Hallmark type stories that end with a real punishment for the evil character. As in real life, you are left with the thought that the bad guy will only get the treatment he deserves after he dies and has to account himself to God. But the story is not about Potter. It’s about George Bailey and how, in his darkest moment, at the end of a series of sacrifices that seem to have amounted to nothing, he is pulled back into the joy of life precisely because of the love he gave and the love he inspired. It’s a beautiful story, and definitely one of the best movies ever made!

Pop culture reduces It's a Wonderful Life to that last half hour, and thinks the whole thing is about this guy traveling to an alternate universe where he doesn't exist and a little girl saying, "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings." A hokey, sugary fantasy. A light and fluffy story fit for Hallmark movies.

But this reading completely glosses over the fact that George Bailey is actively suicidal. He's not just standing there moping about, "My friends don't like me," like some characters do in shows that try to adapt this conceit to other settings. George's life has been destroyed. He's bankrupt and facing prison. The lifetime of struggle we've been watching for the last two hours has accomplished nothing but this crushing defeat, and he honestly believes that the best thing he can do is kill himself because he's worth more dead than alive. He would have thrown himself from a bridge had an actual angel from heaven not intervened at the last possible moment.

That's dark. The banker villain that pop culture reduces to a cartoon purposely drove a man to the brink of suicide, which only a miracle pulled him back from. And then George Bailey goes even deeper into despair. He not only believes that his future's not worth living, but that his past wasn't worth living. He thinks that every suffering he endured, every piece of good that he tried to do was not only pointless, but actively harmful, and he and the world would be better off if he had never existed at all.

This is the context that leads to the famed alternate universe of a million pastiches, and it's absolutely vital to understanding the world that George finds. It's there to specifically show him that his despondent views about his effect on the universe are wrong. His bum ear kept him from serving his country in the war--but the act that gave him that injury was what allowed his brother to grow up to become a war hero. His fight against Potter's domination of the town felt like useless tiny battles in a war that could never be won--but it turns out that even the act of fighting was enough to save the town from falling into hopeless slavery. He thought that if it weren't for him, his wife would have married Sam Wainwright and had a life of ease and luxury as a millionaire's wife, instead of suffering a painful life of penny-pinching with him. Finding out that she'd have been a spinster isn't, "Ha ha, she'd have been pathetic without you." It's showing him that she never loved Wainwright enough to marry him, and that George's existence didn't stop her from having a happier life, but saved her from having a sadder one. Everywhere he turns, he finds out that his existence wasn't a mistake, that his struggles and sufferings did accomplish something, that his painful existence wasn't a tragedy but a gift to the people around him.

Only when he realizes this does he get to come back home in wild joy over the gift of his existence. The scenes of hope and joy and love only exist because of the two hours of struggle and despair that came before. Even Zuzu's saccharine line about bells and angel wings exists, not as a sugary proverb, but as a climax to Clarence's story--showing that even George's despair had good effect, and that his newfound thankfulness for life causes not only earthly, but heavenly joy.

If this movie has light and hope, it's not because it exists in some fantasy world where everything is sunshine and rainbows, but because it fights tooth and nail to scrape every bit of hope it can from our all too dark and painful world. The light here exists, not because it ignores the dark, but because the dark makes light more precious and meaningful. The light exists in defiance of the dark, the hope in defiance of despair, and there is nothing saccharine about that. It's just about as realistic as it gets.

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You there, tumblrina, what day is it?

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Noel by Prof. J. R. R. Tolkien

Grim was the world and grey last night: The moon and stars fled, The hall was dark without song or light, The fires were fallen dead. The wind in the trees was like to the sea, And over the mountains’ teeth It whistled bitter-cold and free, As a sword leapt from its sheath.

The lord of snows up-reared his head; His mantle long and pale Upon the bitter blast and spread And hung o’er hill and dale. The world was blind, the boughs were bent, All the ways and paths were wild: Then the veil of cloud apart was rent, And here was born a Child.

The ancient dome of heaven sheer Was pricked with distant light; A star came shining white and clear Alone above the night. In the dale of dark in that hour of birth One voice on a sudden sang: Then all the bells in Heaven and Earth Together at midnight rang.

Mary sang in this world below: They heard her song arise O’er mist and over mountain snow To the walls of Paradise, And the tongue of many bells was stirred In Heaven’s towers to ring When the voice of mortal maid was heard, That was the mother of Heaven’s King.

Glad is the world and fair this night With stars about its head, And the hall is filled with laughter and light, And fires are burning red. The bells of Paradise now ring With bells of Christendom, And Gloria, Gloria we will sing That God on earth is come.

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I HAVE WAITED ALL YEAR TO POST THIS

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My Top 3 Animated Christmas Specials

3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)- Nothing beats the original! Great short film, with awesome narration and a great message!

2. Arnold’s Christmas (Season 1, Episode 11)- This episode makes me cry every time! It is one of the most moving cartoons I’ve ever seen, by far. Beautiful message about sacrifice and giving and the true miracles that come from love!

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)- A true classic! And it doesn’t forget the real meaning of the holiday! (Below is best clip I could find from YouTube)

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Being respectful and joining in the celebration is one thing, and I don’t have a problem with that. But being mocking and derisive of Christians and still wanting to take part is another thing all together. Great poem!

A Secular Christmas Carol

How we love the Christmas season With its quaint old-fashioned ways Though religion is outdated We will keep the holy days Who could care for stale theology With all these gifts and toys? You can keep the Christian duty We'll just take the Christian joys

How we love the Christmas carols With their angels, snow and bells Why, it doesn't even matter That we doubt the tale they tell There's no need to make suggestions That our worldview might be wrong We don't like the Christian message But we'll take the Christian songs

How we love the Christmas dinner With its turkey, ham and pies We will gladly stuff our faces With the food and drinks we prize We'll ignore the rules and rituals Avoid the prayers and priests We've no time for Christian fasting But we'll join the Christian feast

How we love the Christmas trimmings All the tinsel, trees and lights Countless costly decorations That adorn the winter nights Don't destroy this time of beauty With the word of God who came We'll take all the Christian comfort And deny the Christian name

Do you dare find this offensive? Why it almost sounds like greed To keep all these Christian customs For those of the Christian creed We don't ask for controversy There's no reason to get riled We enjoy the Christmas season! Just leave out the Christmas child

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It's that time of year again when everyone's gonna celebrate a birthday while conveniently ignoring the birthday boy.

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My Top 5 Christmas Movies

5. The Santa Clause (1994)- I love Tim Allen as the obnoxious businessman turned (literally) into Santa Clause due to an accident and a magical contract. This movie is both funny and heartwarming.

4. White Christmas (1954)- I love the relationships in this movie; both the friendships and the romances. Amazing musical with great actors!

3. Scrooge (1970)- The musical is hands down my favorite version of A Christmas Carol! Albert Finney (actually 33 in this movie) did an amazing job portraying Scrooge’s character and his change of heart. And the songs were really fun!

2. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)- Nothing beats the original version. Amazing actors, especially Edmund Gwenn (Santa), and the court scene has some of the funniest moments ever! I also love the message of the film.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)- I watch this movie every year! It shows that one person can make a difference to so many people, and that “no man is a failure who has friends.” It is the most beautiful and touching Christmas film of all time!

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Watch me get progressively lazier with the backgrounds on this one 🙈

Read “How to be a Dragon” on Webtoon!