Remembering Theodor Seuss Geisel (Born ON THIS DAY IN 1904): Tuesday's Truths WK 207

Welcome to my 207th episode of my Tuesday's Truths series, which is coinciding with the day Dr. Seuss was born (117 years ago.) As I've mentioned in prior posts about this author/illustrator, my admiration for his storylines and his talents as an illustrator go hand in hand with my admiration for  his perseverance, which is evidenced in his getting his first book published. 

That book, as you may know, is And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street and a photo of the book can be seen in the image entry. It was Theodor Seuss Geisel's first children's book published under the pen name Dr. Seuss. 

As I've mentioned in a number of posts here on Blogger, "at least 20 publishers rejected the book before Geisel ran into an old college classmate, who had just become juvenile editor at Vanguard Press. Vanguard agreed to publish the book, and it met with high praise from critics upon release."

Sadly today I learned that And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, and other select Dr. Seuss books will no longer be published as some images in them are now considered to be racist. Reports of this latest news can be found in a number of places including The New York Post, as well as in The Associated Press, and in a clip from CNN.

This news is kind of hard to believe and I think any slurs towards any group were never part of Seuss's intent. Hopefully his legacy will be untarnished and people will focus on the joy and insights he brought to countless readers.

March 2021 is here!

March 2021 didn't come in like a roaring lion or a docile lamb, at least in my garden, but it did come in with a visit from a Northern mockingbird which I always appreciate.

#ShowYourStripes but Show Your Spots Too! It's Rare Disease Day!

One of the things, worldwide, that people will be doing on February 28th, is "showing their stripes" in honor of it being Rare Disease Day. As a way of paying homage to it, I've posted a "promo" image atop this entry.

According to a number of sources, including NORD (The National Association for Rare Disorders), "In the U.S., any disease affecting fewer than 200,000 people is considered rare. This definition comes from the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 and is slightly different from the definition used in Europe. There are more than 7,000 rare diseases affecting 25-30 million Americans. In other words, one in ten Americans are suffering from rare diseases and more than half of them are children."

The striped animal known as the zebra is the official symbol of rare diseases because this creature's black and white stripes are part of what makes the animal to its unique.

NORD wants to remind the general public of these facts: "Everyone has his/her own stripes, those characteristics that make each individual distinct. While each of the more than 7,000 rare diseases are unique, there are many commonalities that unite the rare disease community. In the spirit of raising awareness regarding rare disease issues, people with a rare disease or have a loved one with a rare disease are being asked to SHOW THEIR STRIPES."

However, even zebras have a rarity within their own community. In 2019 Earth Touch News reported, "a plain's zebra in Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve dared to be different. A foal, sporting a unique brown coat accented with a smattering of white polka dots, was spotted by Maasai guide Antony Tira."

The creature can be seen in the next image.

This spotty zebra was evidently named Tira by the guide who first found him.

It's Pokémon's Anniversary

The creation of Pokémon took place on this day of February 27th in 1996. I confess that I don't know anything about Pokémon or the character Pikachu, but I recognize the fact that there is a huge community out there who apppreciate this phenomenon, and so I'm sharing what I know about it, which is limited to my seeing Pikachu in a few Macy's Parades. 

I first saw the character in this venue when I attended the 2014 Macy's Parade and took note of how he could be considered a voyeurs. This is something as you might also surmise from the photo-op atop this entry, but Pikachu is certainly not the only one to be a Peeping Tom when participatingin the parade.

Friday's Fact: I often give into a Blue jay's wide-eyed look...

During last week's snowstorm, a young Blue jay visited the Smoke Bush which I have in  my garden. From the vantage point of that shrub's branches, this bird seemed to be giving a wide-eyed look, as seen in the images atop this entry.

This is something cats and dogs also do when they want something to eat).... 

It's a look I find hard to resist and I want to oblige so I was most thankful to still have seed (from the generous MFH and her husband RH) at my disposal.

Pretty Handsome In Pink

Nearly two weeks ago, here on Blogger, I posted something regarding the fact that the bird type known as Mourning doves (both genders) have blue eyelids, which can be seen in the image atop this entry.