January 18 2022 Update

Welcome to a new week - at least for many of us.  I hope you enjoyed the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday yesterday.  It was a good "catch up" day for me in many respects, and it was also good to take some time to evaluate my own efforts at promoting respect for diversity and inclusion.  All of us can do better, and can better follow Dr. King's efforts at service to others.

On a somewhat related note, I had a proud dad moment a week or so ago.  As you probably know, my youngest son Grant is a petty officer in the U.S. Coast Guard.  He and his shipmates, along with two other coast guard cutters, were involved in a rescue off the coast of Africa.  They were able to rescue 103 migrants who were in two inflatable boats that were sinking, and with several of the migrants in the water.  This article from the United States Africa Command shares some of the details.  It is inspiring to me that no matter where our military is located, they can be counted on to save lives.  And here are a couple of photos of Grant on the small boat where he was involved in pulling these victims out of the ocean and transporting them back to the main Coast Guard cutter.

UPCOMING CITY EVENTS

COPA AF MDT Concert I January 18 - January 20

Learn It: Macrame for Beginners I January 18 7:00 pm

Teen Dungeons & Dragons Club I January 20 6:30 pm

Library Ballroom Book Sale: Preview Sale I January 21 3:00 pm

Library Ballroom Book Sale | January 22 10:00 am

Family Movie Night - Kung Fu Panda | January 24 at 7:00 p.m.

No-Pressure Book Club I January 25 7:00 pm

Girls Read Book Club: Everything On a Waffle I January 25 7:00 pm

Guys Read Book Club: Icefall I January 27 7:00 pm

Teen Book Club: No Shakespeare I January 27 7:00 pm

Vision Boards I January 29 2:00 pm

Cahill Smith and Quartet Excellence Concert | January 31

A Night of Disney Music with the Utah County Flute Choir I January 31 7:00 pm

The Alibis I February 7:30 pm 

Paint Night I February 1 7:00 pm

Teen Volunteer Board I February 3 6:30 pm

Gallery Talk: Dragonology and Fantasy Origins I February 4 7:00 pm

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• The Utah legislature kicks off its annual 45-day session this morning. The pomp and ceremonies begin at 10 am, and here's an article on how to get involved in the Utah Legislature, whether you have 5 minutes or all day. Tomorrow will be appropriations meetings at 8 am: Business and Labor, Infrastructure and General Government, Public Education and Social Services. Floor time: 11-11:50 and 1:30-2:00.
• A "potentially hazardous" asteroid more than twice the size of the Empire State Building will make close pass by Earth.
• There was a large tsunami that devastated Tonga over the weekend, it was due to an underwater volcano erupting. Here are some of the first images of the damage, and they show entire communities covered in thick ash.
• With Omicron going around a lot, here is a list of some of the symptoms you can expect.
• Here is a list of four reasons we are once again seeing empty grocery store shelves. Some reasons are ones we've seen before, and some are new.

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

YOUR VOICE

Have any exciting news? Birthdays, babies, weddings, fur-babies, graduations? Share about it in the section on the right --> and upload pics below!

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TUESDAY TIP

How to complain effectively / Toxic Positivity: Keeping It Real in a World Obsessed with Being Happy

Complaining is considered bad but can be productive when done correctly, writes Whitney Goodman, owner of the Collaborative Counseling Center, who offers several tips. "The goal is not to eliminate complaining, because when we complain effectively, we can achieve the closeness, support, and change that we all crave," Goodman writes.

FUN STUFF

Some of you will remember my eclectic music tastes, which includes (remarkably) K-Pop.  The group BTS is one of my favorites, and I loved this music video of BTS singing "Permission to Dance" in, of all places, the United Nations.  Enjoy a little upbeat music to brighten your day.

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Hope you have a great day.   We'll be back tomorrow with a review of Council meetings and more!  

Wayne