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We Mourn the Loss of Leonard Dreymala

  • Feb 11, 2024
  • 1 min read



Mr. Dreymala was an active member of the party and attended our meetings when he could. He was kind and generous and will be greatly missed.


Rosary:

Visitation will be held Monday, February 12, 2024 from 6:00PM - 8:00PM with a rosary to be recited at 7PM at Grace Funeral Chapel, 1604 W. Austin St., Port Lavaca.



Funeral:

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at 10:00AM at Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church, 415 W. Austin St., Port Lavaca with Father Tommy Chen to officiate.


Internment:

Interment to follow at Six Mile Cemetery, 345 Royale Rd., Port Lavaca. Full Military Honors under the auspices of the Honor Guard of the American Legion Post 167 and V.F.W. Post 4403.


In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Knights of Columbus at Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church, at 101 Timberline Dr., Port Lavaca, TX 77979 or Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic School at 301 S. San Antonio Street, Port Lavaca, TX. 77979.

Thoughts and memories may be shared online at www.gracefuneralhome.net.

Grace Funeral Chapel, Port Lavaca, 361-552-1705.




Grace funeral home has an option to have a tree planted in memory of someone. I paid for one to be planted in Mr. Dreymala's memory. I think he would enjoy that.

 
 
 

Happy Lunar New Year!

  • Feb 8, 2024
  • 6 min read

It is the Year of the Dragon!


Lunar New Year Day is Saturday February 10th!





What does that mean? What does a Lunar New Year mean? What is a LunarSolar calendar?


A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures, combining lunar calendars and solar calendars. The date of Lunisolar calendars therefore indicates both the Moon phase and the time of the solar year, that is the position of the Sun in the Earth's sky. If the sidereal year (such as in a sidereal solar calendar) is used instead of the solar year, then the calendar will predict the constellation near which the full moon may occur. As with all calendars which divide the year into months there is an additional requirement that the year have a whole number of months. In some case ordinary years consist of twelve months but every second or third year is an embolismic year, which adds a thirteenth intercalary, embolismic, or leap month.
The Five Phases and Four Seasons of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, with English translation.
1729 Japanese calendar, which used the Jōkyō calendar procedure, published by Ise Grand Shrine
Their months are based on the regular cycle of the Moon's phases. So lunisolar calendars are lunar calendars with – in contrast to them – additional intercalation rules being used to bring them into a rough agreement with the solar year and thus with the seasons.
The main other type of calendar is a solar calendar.

~

The Chinese, Buddhist, Burmese, Assyrian, Hebrew, Jain and Kurdish as well as the traditional Nepali, Hindu, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Tibetan, and Vietnamese calendars (in the East Asian Chinese cultural sphere), plus the ancient Hellenic, Coligny, and Babylonian calendars are all lunisolar. Also, some of the ancient pre-Islamic calendars in south Arabia followed a lunisolar system.[1] The Chinese, Coligny and Hebrew[a] lunisolar calendars track more or less the tropical year whereas the Buddhist and Hindu lunisolar calendars track the sidereal year. Therefore, the first three give an idea of the seasons whereas the last two give an idea of the position among the constellations of the full moon. The Tibetan calendar was influenced by the Buddhist calendar. The Germanic peoples also used a lunisolar calendar before their conversion to Christianity.

Lunar New Year is the beginning of the new year based on the lunar calendar or lunisolar calendar. Lunar calendars follow the lunar phase while lunisolar calendars follow both the lunar phase and the time of the solar year. The event is celebrated by numerous cultures in various ways at diverse dates.

In many Asian cultures, the Lunar New Year is a celebration marking the arrival of spring and the start of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. It's the most important holiday in China where it's observed as the Spring Festival. It's also celebrated in South Korea and Vietnam.
It begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends 15 days later on the first full moon. Because the lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, the dates of the holiday vary slightly each year, falling between late January and mid-February.
Each year honors an animal based on the Chinese zodiac. The circle of 12 animals — the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig — measure the cycles of time. Legend has it that a god beckoned all animals to bid him farewell before his departure from earth and only 12 of them showed up. 2024 is the Year of the Dragon. The Vietnamese zodiac is slightly different, honoring the cat instead of the rabbit and the buffalo instead of the ox.

~

Nancy Yao, President of the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) in New York City, says welcoming the new year with a clean home, new clothes and a fresh attitude is an essential part of Lunar New Year.
"Clean up before the Lunar New Year," Yao says. "But don't lift a hand on New Year's Day. Don't do it." 
"If you start the new year in debt, you're going to be in debt for the rest of your year," Le said.
It is also common to fill your home with fresh flowers and fruit to usher in the spring, as well as preparing a new set of bright clothes to wear while meeting family and friends for the new year. 
Both the flowers and clothes should be bright – red is a safe choice, or yellow and pink – but not dark, black or white. 
"Here in Western culture we attend funerals wearing black," Le said. "In Vietnam and in China, when there's a funeral, people wear white." 

~

Lunar New Year decorations are normally awash in red as a shorthand for many important aspects of traditional culture. Red symbolizes the color of the sun which gives life, Zhu said, as well as the color of blood that circulates that life in a human body. And it is easy to see what money symbolizes – wealth, prosperity, luck and good fortune. 
When you put a gift of money inside a red envelope and seal it, you are essentially wrapping a symbol of prosperity within the symbol of life. This is to make sure good fortune stays locked in and cannot escape. 

~

Yao recommends $2, $6 or $8 in new bills, wrapped and sealed inside new, never-before-used red envelopes. Receivers closest to the gifter may receive more – $20, $50 or $108 – as a sign of well wishes or affection. 
But whatever amount you choose, do not choose $4. 
"Four is the homonym for death," Yao said, "Anything associated with death is not good [for the new year]."

~

Traditional foods that appear during a Lunar New Year dinner tend to be homonyms of words related to luck, fortune and family, or foods that resemble beloved symbols of wealth and prosperity. 
That's why you might see a whole fish served on Lunar New Year's eve. The word for fish in Chinese, yu, has the same pronunciation as the word for abundance, according to Zhu. Eating an entire fish on new years symbolizes abundant food, money and luck for the new year. 
"You cannot cut [the fish]," Zhu said. "Have the whole fish on the table." 
Tang yuan, a soup of sticky rice flour with a black sesame filling, is another traditional food that may be eaten by anyone who wishes to keep their family together and whole for the following year.
Some families may also serve noodles, which, according to Yao, denotes a long life. Oranges and tangerines for goodness and gold. Candy and sweets as a sign of hope for the days ahead. 
The most beloved meal for Lunar New Year's, however, may be the dumpling – the food that looks closest to the yuanbao, or the Chinese gold ingot. 
There is a small tradition with the dumplings in particular, Zhu says. The person making the dumplings may put a small coin in one of the dumplings – and whoever eats the dumpling with the coin gets the best luck for the new year. 



Traditionally fireworks are set off to mark the new year and ward off monsters. According to legend, the origin of the practice goes back to a story about a monster called Nian, who is believed to have been causing great harm to some villages. In response, the villagers are said to have set off explosions to scare off the monster. Since then, it has become a tradition for Chinese New Year.


The Chinese zodiac year is usually said to start from Chinese New Year, whose date ranges from late January to mid-February. Therefore, if you were born in January or February in one of the above years, you might be a Dragon, or possibly a Rabbit.

Dragon Years

Dates

Element

2024

February 10, 2024 – January 28, 2025

Wood Dragon

2012

January 23, 2012 – February 9, 2013

Water Dragon

2000

February 5, 2000 – January 23, 2001

Gold Dragon

1988

February 17, 1988 – February 5, 1989

Earth Dragon

1976

January 31, 1976 – February 17, 1977

Fire Dragon

1964

February 13, 1964 – February 1, 1965

Wood Dragon

1952

January 27, 1952 – February 13, 1953

Water Dragon

1940

February 8, 1940 – January 26, 1941

Gold Dragon

Wood, Fire, Earth, Gold, and Water Dragons

In Chinese element theory, each zodiac sign is associated with one of five elements: Gold (Metal), Wood, Water, Fire, or Earth. So there are five types of Dragons, each with different characteristics. A person's characteristics are decided by their birth year's zodiac animal sign and element.

Element of Dragon

Personality

Wood Dragon (1964, 2024)

Introverted, less enthusiastic, and lacking in good relationships

Fire Dragon (1916, 1976)

Smart and easygoing, agile and flexible

Earth Dragon (1928, 1988)

Smart, ambitious, and hardworking

Gold Dragon (1940, 2000)

Natural and straightforward, talent and desire to be seen

Water Dragon (1952, 2012)

Persevering, farsighted, and vigorous


Compatibility

Sign

Best Match/ Balance (1st Trine Group)

Match

No Match/ Rival-Enemy-Obstacle (Opposite Sign)

Dragon

Monkey, Rat

Rooster, Snake, Pig, Horse

Dog, Ox, Goat

Cycle: (Trine Group) Dragon needs Monkey, Monkey needs Rat, Rat needs Dragon, (Opposite Sign) his rivalry needs to oppose the Dog.


Basic astrology elements

Earthly Branches:

Chen

The Five Elements:

Earth

Yin Yang:

Yang

Lunar Month:

Third

Lucky Numbers:

3, 6, 7; Avoid: 2, 8, 9

Lucky Flowers:

hyacinths

Lucky Colors:

yellow, green; Avoid: blue, red

Season:

Spring





 
 
 

Letter to Potential Voters

  • Feb 5, 2024
  • 8 min read

Updated: Apr 19, 2024

Calhoun County Democratic Party

PO Box 1012 | Port Lavaca, TX 77979

 

           

Dear Voters,

           

There are many forms of democracy in this world and contrary to some people's beliefs, the United States of America is a democratic nation.

 

We choose to vote for those we feel will represent our best interests and advocate for our needs. They represent us locally, in state government, Congress, and even the White House.

 

Democracy is something priceless which our ancestors have fought and died for and our duty as citizens in this nation is to either go into some form of public service or vote.

 

2024 is the most clear election in our history.

 

One party is actively fighting to protect and preserve democracy and expand civil rights to all citizens of this nation.

 

The other party is choosing to actively support a man who has said that he will be a "Day One Dictator," a man who believes as President that he is completely immune to criminal law even if he decides to assassinate his political opponents as his lawyer argued in court on Jan 9, 2024. A man who supports the most draconian form of Christianity that is being pushed by his supporters, even though, he himself, is an atheist.

 

Vote your conscience, choose your path. Do you vote for Democrats who want to help your fellow man? Or do you vote for Republicans who want to help install a Trump Dictatorship and have their Christian beliefs be the law of the land and the only acceptable religion in America?

 

The choice and its consequences are yours.

 

Choose wisely. Our democracy and our rights hang in the balance.

 


If you want to help save our democracy, I have seven suggestions:

 

Number One is VOTE.

Every single vote matters, especially now. Texas is the most anti-voter state in the nation. Texas Republicans have made it nearly impossible for every single legally able citizen to vote. That shows how much they are terrified of you. They will do whatever they can to keep you from voting because they need to keep you from voting because you vote has the POWER to kick them out of office and change Texas from ′Republican Christian Theocratic′ dreamland to one in which we have equal rights no matter our race, creed, religion, sexuality, sex, gender, age, wealth, social status, and so forth.

 

Number Two is Donate.

Donate to our local party. We are the grassroots of the Texas Democratic Party. Building local county parties builds up the state and national party. It’s easy to donate through our official Act Blue account (https://secure.actblue.com/donate/calhouncountytxdems). Or use our QR code.


            Or mail your donation to:

 

            Calhoun County Democratic Party

            C/O Brandelyn Wiser

            PO Box 1012

            Port Lavaca, TX 77979

 

Number Three is attending meetings, volunteer, & get involved however you can.

We meet on the 1st Tuesday of each month (except holidays and elections), 6 pm at Calhoun County Public Library in Port Lavaca 200 W Mahan Street Port Lavaca, Texas. We have the social/potluck portion which begins at 5.30.

 

Letter writing, postcards, phone banking, text banking, registering voters, working elections, being a precinct chair, organizing events, and more. Let us know what YOU are ready to do.

 

Number Four is to talk to people you know how Trumpism is a danger to the Republic, to America, and to Democracy here and across the world.

 

When you see an issue that needs to be addressed, don’t be intimidated by loud bullies or keyboard warriors. You will be surprised by the support you will receive here in our community.

 

Number Five is Run for Office.

There are no special qualifications to run for office in Texas. Sometimes all it takes is a high school diploma. There are organizations and people who are standing by to support you as you run for school board, city council, county commissioner, navigation district, Justice of the Peace, district or county clerk, judges, Sheriff, constable, county treasurer, State Representative, State Senate, and so forth.

 

Whatever you are interested in, there is room for you at the table. You can find more information and resources in our brochure or here: https://www.calhountxdemocrats.org/run-for-office 

Reach out to us and we will talk to you about what you need to know if you plan on running for office locally, county-wide, or a higher form of office. We are here to help you in any way that we can.

 

Number Six is to respond to this letter by letting us know if you are still a Democratic voter, if you are interested in joining the Calhoun County Democratic Club, if you are interested in attending our meeting, in donating to us, in running for office, or so forth. Most of all, it is to let us know if you wish to be removed from our lists and want us to no longer contact you.

 

Number Seven is to be optimistic.

Like President Biden said last year on August 25, 2022:

"Look, I believe America is at a genuine inflection point that occurs every six or seven generations in world history — one of the moments — one of the moments that changes everything. And Americans are going have to choose.  You must choose.  Will be it — will we be a country that moves forward or backward?  Will we build a future or obsess over the past? Will we be a nation of unity, of hope, of optimism — not a nation of anger, violence, hatred, and division?
Trump and the extreme MAGA Republicans have made their choice: to go backwards, full of anger, violence, hate, and division.
But we've chosen a different path: forward, the future, unity, hope, and optimism.  (Applause.) I mean it sincerely.  We choose to build a better America."

 

If we all work together, we can change the course we are on and to save American Democracy and in turn help save democracy across the world. Every generation has a call to duty, and this is ours.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Brandelyn Wiser

Calhoun County Democratic Chair

 

 

Partido Demócrata del Condado de Calhoun

Apartado postal 1012 | Port Lavaca, TX 77979

 

Estimado Votante ,

​

Hay muchas formas de democracia en este mundo, y contrariamente a las creencias de algunas personas, los Estados Unidos de América son una nación democrática.

 

Elegimos votar por aquellos que creemos que representarán nuestros mejores intereses y defenderán nuestras necesidades. Nos representan a nivel local, en el gobierno estatal, en el Congreso e incluso en la Casa Blanca.

 

La democracia es algo invaluable por lo que nuestros antepasados ​​lucharon y murieron y nuestro deber como ciudadanos en esta nación es realizar algún tipo de servicio público o votar.

 

2024 son las elecciones más claras de nuestra historia.

 

Un partido está luchando activamente para proteger y preservar la democracia y ampliar los derechos civiles a todos los ciudadanos de esta nación.

 

El otro partido está optando por apoyar activamente a un hombre que ha dicho que será un "dictador el primer día", un hombre que, como presidente, cree que es completamente inmune al derecho penal incluso si decide asesinar a sus oponentes políticos como su abogado argumentó ante el tribunal el 9 de enero de 2024. Un hombre que apoya la forma más drástica del cristianismo que está siendo impulsada por sus seguidores, a pesar de que él mismo es ateo.

 

Vota con tu conciencia, elige tu camino. ¿Vota por demócratas que quieren ayudar a sus semejantes? ¿O vota por republicanos que quieren ayudar a instalar una dictadura de Trump y que sus creencias cristianas sean la ley del país y la única religión aceptable en Estados Unidos?

 

La elección y sus consecuencias son tuyas.

 

Elegir sabiamente. Nuestra democracia porque nuestros derechos están en juego.

 

 ​Si quieres ayudar a salvar nuestra democracia, tengo siete sugerencias:

 

El número uno es VOTAR.

Cada voto importa mucho, especialmente ahora. Texas es el estado más contrario a los votantes de la nación. Los republicanos de Texas han hecho que sea casi imposible que todos los ciudadanos legalmente capacitados puedan votar. Eso demuestra lo mucho que quieren aterrorizar a las personas. Harán todo lo posible para impedir que usted vote, porque su voto tiene el PODER de expulsarlos de su cargo y cambiar a Texas de la tierra de los sueños "drasticos cristianos republicanos" a hacer Texas  una en la que tengamos los mismos derechos. importa nuestra raza, credo, religión, sexualidad, sexo, género, edad, riqueza, estatus social, etc. https://www.calhountxdemocrats.org/voter-faqs 

 

El número dos es donar.

Done a nuestra fiesta local. Somos las bases del Partido Demócrata de Texas. La construcción de partidos locales en los condados fortalece el partido estatal y nacional. Es fácil donar a través de nuestra cuenta oficial de Act Blue (https://secure.actblue.com/donate/calhouncountytxdems). O utilice nuestro código QR.

 

​O envíe su donación por correo a: 

 

​Partido Demócrata del Condado de Calhoun

​C/O Brandelyn Wiser

​P.O. Box 1012

​Port Lavaca, TX 77979

 

Número tres es asistir a reuniones, ser voluntario e involucrarse en todo lo que pueda para ayudar al partido.

Nos reunimos el primer martes de cada mes (excepto feriados y elecciones), a las 6 pm en la Biblioteca Pública del Condado de Calhoun en Port Lavaca 200 W Mahan Street Port Lavaca, Texas. Tenemos la porción social/comida compartida que comienza a las 5:30.

 

Redacción de cartas, postales, banca telefónica, banca por texto, registro de votantes, elecciones operativas, presidencia de distrito electoral, organización de eventos y más. Háganos saber lo que USTED está listo para hacer.

 

Número cuatro es hablar con gente que conoces de cómo el trumpismo es un peligro para la República, para Estados Unidos y para la democracia aquí y en todo el mundo.

 

Cuando vea un problema que deba abordarse, no se deje intimidar por los matones  o los guerreros del teclado. Te sorprenderá el apoyo que recibirás aquí en nuestra comunidad.

 

El número cinco se puede postular para un cargo.

No existen requisitos especiales para postularse para un cargo en Texas. A veces todo lo que se necesita es un diploma de escuela secundaria. Hay organizaciones y personas que están listas para apoyarlo mientras se postula para la Junta Escolar, Consejo Municipal, Comisionado del Condado, Distrito de Navegación, Juez de Paz, Secretario de Distrito o Condado, Jueces, Sheriff, Alguacil, Tesorero del Condado, Representante Estatal. Senado Estatal, etc.

 

Lo que sea que te interese, hay lugar para ti en la mesa. Puede encontrar más información y recursos en nuestro folleto o aquí:https://www.calhountxdemocrats.org/run-for-office 

Comuníquese con nosotros y le hablaremos sobre lo que necesita saber si planea postularse para un cargo local, en todo el condado o para un cargo superior. Estamos aquí para ayudarle en todo lo que podamos.

 

Número seis es responder a esta carta haciéndonos saber si todavía es un votante demócrata, si está interesado en unirse al Club Demócrata del Condado de Calhoun, si está interesado en asistir a nuestra reunión, en donarnos, en postularse para un cargo público y así sucesivamente. También, es para informarnos si desea ser eliminado de nuestras listas y desea que ya no nos comuniquemos con usted.

 

El número siete debe ser optimista.

Como dijo el presidente Biden el año pasado el 25 de agosto de 2022:

​"Mire, creo que Estados Unidos se encuentra en un verdadero punto de inflexión que ocurre cada seis o siete generaciones en la historia mundial, uno de los momentos, uno de los momentos que lo cambia todo. Y los estadounidenses tendrán que elegir. Deben elegir. ¿Seremos un país que avance o retroceda? ¿Construiremos un futuro o nos obsesionamos con el pasado? ¿Seremos una nación de unidad, de esperanza, de optimismo, no una nación de ira, violencia, odio y división? ?

​Trump y los republicanos extremistas del MAGA han tomado su decisión: retroceder, llenos de ira, violencia, odio y división.

​Pero hemos elegido un camino diferente: hacia adelante, hacia el futuro, hacia la unidad, hacia la esperanza y el optimismo. (Aplausos.) Lo digo sinceramente. Elegimos construir un Estados Unidos mejor".

 

Si todos trabajamos juntos, podemos cambiar el rumbo que estamos tomando y salvar la democracia estadounidense, y a su vez ayudar a salvar la democracia en todo el mundo. Cada generación tiene un llamado al deber y este es el nuestro. Es nuestro momento.

 

 

 

Atentamente, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brandelyn Wiser

Presidente demócrata del condado de Calhoun

 

 
 
 
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