The Foothills Focus 122822 Zone 1

Veteran details journey to Emmy-winning career

The Foothills Focus, in partnership with the Anthem Veterans Memorial, will honor a local veteran each month.

This is the story of Phil G. Giriodi.

As a young boy who grew up in Angels Camp, California, Phil Giriodi often walked the slope above the town.

It once brought miners and employment to the stamp mills, but now was left with a logging mill, a few ranches, a school, a theater and his father’s pharmacy.

Unlike his friends, who “didn’t seem to have any goals or plans for their future,” see GIRIODI page 4

Voters’ tax defeat leaves fire districts in

BY ELIZABETH TURNER Anthem Veterans Memorial BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Foothills Focus Staff Writer

State firefighter organizations lobbied the Legislature this year to put a question on the Nov. 8 ballot asking voters to approve a 20-year, 0.1% sales tax that would generate revenue for fire districts across the state.

The Legislature obliged, but in a 52-48% vote — 1,230,042 against to 1,144,495 for

— Arizona voters shot down Prop 310, sending fire officials back to the drawing board to address a funding problem they say isn’t going away any time soon.

Firefighters also noted that at the same time as Proposition 310 failed, voters approved another legislative initiative that requires ballot questions posing tax increases to pass with at least a 60% approval.

Approval of Prop 132 by a 50.7% to 49.3% — 1,210,702 votes in favor and 1,176,327

against — means it will be even harder to get a tax passed in the future.

“We were obviously disappointed. Like the air came out of our sails,” Daisy Mountain Fire District Chief Brian Tobin said.

“My firefighters worked very hard on their days off to try and get as much education and information out about 310, but we came up short.”

Phil Giriodi enlisted in the Air Force with a desire to travel and film what unfolded in the world. (Phil Giriodi/Submitted)

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Giriodi envisioned a greater world, one that called him to explore. He traced outlines of states on a tattered atlas, wondered about life in other lands and couldn’t understand how his friends didn’t want to “embark on one adventure after another.”

On Saturday afternoons, he and his friends paid 20 cents at the local theater to see Hollywood’s latest films, but more importantly to watch the news reels. He thought about those who lugged their cameras from one place in the world to another, traveling to far-off places and creating visual masterpieces. One day, he thought, he would be one of them.

His father was not terribly pleased with his worldly aspirations, his deep Italian voice booming, “You can’t do that! You have to have a secure future.” While he respected the hard work and struggles his father overcame in the 1920s and 1930s to get an education and do well for his family, the boy’s dream was too vivid to ignore.

By age 9, he bought his first 8-millimeter camera with allowance he saved. In those days, he filmed and then sent the footage to San Francisco for developing. When the footage was returned, he edited his program, wrote the copy and stood at his father’s Lions Club meetings narrating his creation to a captivated — perhaps captive — audience.

promised he could be a cameraman in their branch, he enlisted in the Air Force, believing what he was told.

He remembers living in tents during basic training and a drill sergeant who “seemed to be as large as a gorilla with arms the size of palm trees. He enjoyed pushing buttons, intimidating each of us and testing our obedience.

“In the middle of the night we were awakened to his yells, ‘Fall out! The wind is blowing; secure the tents!’ We scurried out to follow the commands, returned to our beds only to be awakened an hour later to loosen the ties as the wind had stopped or to be told to ‘sweep the floors clean,’” he said.

“That was the most difficult order to obey as the floors were made of dirt. However, there is something about the mindless obedience that I came to like, as life was simpler when always being told what, when and how to do things.

“My favorite part of training was racing through the obstacle course. I knew it would be good training for eventually becoming a photojournalist. I was even promoted before leaving for military school. It was then I realized the recruiter had lied to me, as the school I would attend was not for photography but for learning the fine art of aircraft electrical circuits. Photojournalism was nowhere near the Air Force plans for me. Or, so they thought.”

and my transfer was made.

“I often look back on that moment and his willingness to help me build my dream and wonder if he ever knew the impact that decision had on my life. Without him, the journey could have been quite different.”

First assignment

Giriodi’s first assignment was to capture four F-86 Sabre jets in tight formation for a recruitment poster.

He shot the photo from the rear of a T-33 Shooting Star jet that “rocketed into the air at an exhilarating speed.” He remembers as they soared above the Louisiana bayous that day.

“The clouds looked as though they were tumbling over our wingtips, casting a soft suffusion of light until we ascended above them,” he said.

“There was an intensity of the sunshine that one rarely sees except from the highest mountain peaks. After my pilot assisted in securing different angles for my shots, I was satisfied with what I had captured and we peeled off for a fun flight around the clouds, followed by a few barrel rolls and eventually arriving back at the base.”

After more challenging assignments, Giriodi was asked to film the landing of a USAF jet and pilot attempting to set an air speed record from the East Coast to March AFB in Riverside, California.

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He sold his saxophone to purchase his 16-millimeter camera for shooting movies, some of which were hits, while others missed the mark. It was all part of his plan to learn everything he could about shooting photos and film to tell the untold stories that awaited him.

After college, as the Korean War began, Giriodi knew he had the basic skills required to shoot motion pictures, but needed a new adventure to advance his filmmaking goals. He was classified 1A by the military draft board and knew the Army was about to take him. As flying fit, his desire to travel and capture what unfolded in the world, and a recruiter

Assigned to Alexandria Air Force Base, Louisiana, he worked on the electrical systems of multiple aircrafts. To stick with his goal, he befriended those in the photo unit, who agreed to let him know if there was a photographer opening in the division.

“When the day arrived and my friend told me of the opening in his unit, I went to my superior to ask for the reassignment. ‘No, Giriodi! You’re doing too good of a job here, and I don’t want to lose you.’ I quickly responded rather brashly, ‘Sir, are you going to punish me for doing a good job by not granting my request?’ Fortunately, he saw my point

“I shot footage of the landing and the pilot emerging to cheers and accolades and handed the film to a military messenger who raced away with it,” he said.

“Much to my surprise, a friend of mine said he saw the footage in a newsreel at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Two days later in the same theater, I sat and watched the film I shot projected onto the wide screen. I sat through two showings of the main feature just to see my 30-second film three times. It was then I considered myself a newsreel cameraman.

“I volunteered to go to Korea during the war, as I felt that was

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where I needed to be to capture the action. But my base commander insisted my skills were more important to shaping the squadron’s image,” he said.

“In my free time, I spent the weekends with the kind-hearted Louisiana families, attending barbecue dinners at their homes and picnics in the bayous. With each gathering, I shot footage and shaped each into mini films, giving the films to the families to thank them for their southern hospitality.

“Sometimes, I was sent on some special assignments, like filming Gen. Dwight Eisenhower as he campaigned for the presidency in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was larger than life on the screen, yet somehow

school had closed. The base commander, unwilling him to send him back to Louisiana, gave him three options, one of which was to attend intelligence training.

“I was deflated. I actually thought about washing out and leaving the Air Force,” he said.

“But an older and more experienced sergeant and I started studying together. He was the reason I kept going. He told me we need to

36 who started the program to graduate. That was the best advice I had ever been given.

“I completed my service at the Strategic Air Command under Gen. Curtis LeMay at March Air Force Base in California. It was there I honed my photographic skills while gaining college credits at night. I received a number of commendations for my work, and four years to the day after I enlisted, I received an honorable discharge and shifted to

The skills and life lessons Giriodi

secured through his time with the Air Force were just what were needed for him to follow Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words, “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

Kicking off career

His career began as a page at NBC, alternating as a security assistant, for a whopping $1.22 an hour. It was enough to allow him to get a small apartment and eat meals from a toaster oven. It also was enough for him to start opening the doors for

his next journey.

From a radio station talk show host in Hawaii to a programming job at another, Giriodi’s first film assignment came as news of a military transport plane carrying military families was in serious trouble. The plane had lost two of the four engines while heading from California to Hawaii and was past the point of return to the mainland. A friend working at the NBC studio in New York recommended Giriodi to cover the breaking news.

Giriodi promised NBC he would get the landing, grabbed his camera, purchased four 16-millimeter rolls of black-and-white film, headed to the general aviation of Honolulu airport, secured a pilot and a twin-engine plane, and took off to find the plane in distress heading to Hilo.

“My pilot understood the urgency, and as we flew to find the transport

plane, we listened to the chatter over the radio,” he said.

“As we approached Hilo, I could see the plane flying low over the water, looking as if the skilled Air Force pilot’s plane was touching the water surface only to rise again to the air. From the copilot’s seat, with my camera in hand, we had permission to fly behind the tail of the military plane at a safe distance.

“I had a fairly good shot of the plane, the approach and the safe landing. My pilot landed our plane, and I jumped out, ran up the runway as the military plane taxied in front of me in a full screen, and then ran to the back of that plane and cap -

tured the families as they disembarked, concentrating on their facial expressions.

“My film aired on NBC the next night and on ‘Today’ the next morning. I was formally thanked in a letter, reimbursed for my expenses and paid for my time. ‘I might make it in this field, after all,’ I thought.”

During the next 15 years, Giriodi worked as a staff photojournalist for CBS. He traveled the world covering stories for ‘60 Minutes,’ working with Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Leslie Stahl, Bob Schieffer, Diane Sawyer and Ed Bradley, to name a few. He

then ran his own film company in Hawaii for another 15 years.

His footage of President Nixon shot during a rally was later used at a Four-More-Years re-election campaign for national television.

He filmed President Ford and Henry Kissinger. He covered Reagan’s road to the White House, traveled on Air Force One and covered history as it unfolded through the world.

Two days after Mount St. Helens erupted, he shot footage seen around the world from inside the crater. “It looked like the cracked crust of a loaf of baked bread, the dome under enormous pressure. It was primeval in appearance with acrid smells.”

Years later, he ran with camera in hand, to capture lava pouring down the sides of Kilauea during the height of an eruption, only to take a helicopter 2,000 feet over it to secure a different angle.

He won an Emmy for filming LAPD’s largest shootout, as 9,000 rounds were exchanged at the hideout of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), who had kidnapped Patty Hearst. He then covered the Hearst trial with interviews of her attorney F. Lee Bailey broadcast on the evening news.

He traveled with doctors and nurses to Mongolia to film their work teaching surgery techniques to local doctors in conditions far from sanitary.

“Flies covered the makeshift operating room, one bar of soap and an old towel that was washed every third day served to sterilize the surgeons’ hands, and nothing sterile surrounded my camera that overlooked a patient opened on the table,” he said.

He flew in the eye of a hurricane on a C-130 Hercules responding to a distress call from an American oil tanker loaded to capacity that had lost power putting the crew in danger.

“The hurricane winds whipped us around the sky like a derailed roller coaster, until, as rapidly as it began, a calm fell over us,” he said.

“We were in the eye and told to suit up for the rescue operation. I was strapped into a nylon safety harness attached to a long nylon cord secured to the floor of the Hercules. The rear doors of plane opened, and I was given the perfect platform on which to stand while looking straight down to the ocean below.

“As we circled above the ship listing dangerously in the water, two

crewmen threw a weighted rope attached to rubber inflatable lifeboat. The rope landed perfectly; the lifeboat containers fluttered in the air to a perfect bullseye. I had it all on videotape and continued filming as the crew scrambled for the lifesaving equipment. The Coast Guard was on its way to the ship as we headed home, back through the turbulence of the hurricane.”

He also filmed the Hollywood greats and greater-than-life athletes like Billie Jean King and Muhammed Ali. His pocket notes from his journeys of world leaders and international events could fill books for years to come.

It was the footage shot over the years of the homeless crisis in this country and around the world that touched his heart above all else. He remembers vividly days spent with a homeless man on Skid Row.

“The living conditions in flophouses, alleyways and vacant buildings were filthy, unsafe and rodent infested. The cage hotels spelled of spoiled

food and urine with shouts of anger flung from behind closed doors,” he said.

“Rescue missions in the area provided limited lodging, food and sermons, but the air of hopelessness was all pervasive. I was never so calloused as to believe that despite their situation they could emerge from these dreadful conditions under their own strength.”

From a small hill overlooking his small town to life lessons learned in the Air Force and fearlessly traveling the world filming events broadcast to our televisions nightly, he retired confident he had blazed new trails.

Giriodi now enjoys quieter times volunteering his time and talent with Chaplaincy for the Homeless, producing pro bono videos to help bring attention to the homeless crisis in the Valley.

“At age 90, my phone no longer rings at 3 a.m. for a new assignment to lands far across the globe. Instead, my days are devoted to assignments with eternal value.”

Tobin and Superstition Fire District

Chief John Whitney said Arizona’s urban departments also lost with the defeat of 310.

They said Arizona’s robust “automatic mutual aid” system among first responders stands out among states and helps all of the various police and fire departments to function as one large emergency department for the state.

If a five-alarm fire breaks out on the edge of a city, resources from surrounding departments are deployed in an efficient system.

With a more resilient source of funding, Arizona fire districts would have been able to bring more to the table in the mutual aid system.

Fire districts are special taxing districts governed by an elected board that provide fire service to areas where none exists, such as areas not covered by a municipal fire department.

Arizona’s 154 fire districts provide emergency fire and medical service over huge swaths of the state, including major transportation corridors like I-10. In terms of the number of firefighters the districts employ, they aren’t as large of municipal departments.

About a third of the state’s professional firefighters — or about 2,500 of 7,500 — work for districts.

But many of those fire districts, especially those serving the urban-wildland interface, provide fire protection to dynamic areas as residents move into rural areas, recreation and traffic swells, and wildfire risk grows.

In all, the districts employ over 4,000 trained personnel to provide fire, rescue and emergency medical services to roughly 1.5 million Arizona residents every day, protecting over 15,000 square miles from fires and covering 27,000 square miles with emergency medical services.

Outside Mesa, for example, the Superstition Fire and Medical District serves communities east of Meridian Road, Apache Junction and the State Route 60 corridor in Pinal County.

The Daisy Mountain Fire District serves the area north of Phoenix along

the busy I-17 corridor as far north as Sunset Point.

“Every weekend it’s a (expletive) show” along the I-17 corridor, Tobin said.

One contemplated project using Prop 310 funds was a fire station at Sunset Point, a major rest area for northsouth travelers in the state.

“We’ve just had a need in rural areas that are close to urban areas where people hike, bike and ATV, and we don’t have the technical expertise to respond to those incidents. We rely on our partners to respond to those incidents,” he said.

Tobin said fire districts took a major hit in funding when property values plunged during the Great Recession because property taxes are their main source of revenue. The impact was so significant that many fire districts are still trying to get back to pre-recession levels of service.

Fire Ground Survival is an extensive training through which all the members of the Daisy Mountain Fire District company learn techniques for saving themselves if they become lost or trapped in a life-threatening situation during a fire. “Crews learn many techniques to give them the best preparation for these high-risk/ low-frequency events,” a district spokesman said. (Facebook)

“So the citizens of the community continue to shoulder the burden for anyone who uses the services of the district,” he said.

Whitney was disappointed by the defeat of Prop 310, but he said he isn’t angry at voters and knows they still support their firefighters.

“We understand that there’s a lot of fear about recession and inflation, and people are very conscientious right now about what they’re spending in taxes,” Whitney said. “We understood the challenges all along.”

Whitney thinks the task of convincing voters was made harder by the complexity of the topic and confusion about the difference between fire districts and other fire departments.

With costs and call volumes still growing for fire districts, what’s next after Prop 310’s failure?

“Plan B is to reconvene the stakeholders and find our way down to the state leadership and try to figure out a solution, whether that’s through surplus funds, … alternative funding mechanisms, something to help offset,” Whitney said.

Whitney predicted that in the short term, many fire district property owners will see increases in their fire service levies. Last year, the Legislature raised the cap on these levies as part of a larger tax reform package.

Daisy Mountain, for example, has fewer firefighters per capita than it did before the recession, according to Tobin.

“It’s been a very slow process to build back out of that,” Tobin said. “We were hoping to at least get ourselves back up to where we were before that time” with Prop 310 funding.

Tobin said there was “excitement” in the department about some of the lifesaving equipment it could buy with the funding. An example, he said, is telehealth equipment on ambulances that would allow medics to coordinate with doctors more closely on long rides to hospitals.

Unlike municipal departments, fire

districts say they are especially challenged because they are almost totally dependent on property taxes.

They saw Prop 310 as a way to diversify funding streams.

Whitney said that because the state limits annual increases in property valuations for taxation, his district has only just now crawled back to its funding levels of 10 years ago even though call volume has seen a “dramatic jump” in recent years.

“At the end of the day, we don’t have access to state shared revenue, we don’t have sales taxes, we don’t have all the different mechanisms available to municipal fire departments,” Whitney said.

The tax reform lowered the state’s commercial property tax rate but approved a phased increased in the maximum levy that local fire district boards can set and to help districts compensate for lost revenue from commercial owners.

The previous cap was 3.25% and will go up to 3.75% by tax year 2024.

Whitney said the change will help, but districts don’t like having to hike levies.

“The problem is most of the citizens don’t know about the commercial decrease. All they see is us raising their taxes,” Whitney said. “Great, then we get to take the beating for that.”

“My district board chose not to increase the level,” Tobin said, because the increased revenue from higher property valuations will be just enough to cover recent cost increases.

AROUND THE BLUHMIN’ TOWN

year offers new opportunities

BY JUDY BLUHM Foothills Focus Columnist

’

Tis the season of giving. As we approach a New Year, Americans are unified through one common bond over the holiday season. We give generously to those in need, to the tune of over $484.85 billion a year! The largest source of charitable giving comes from individuals like you and me. And while donations may not fix the ills in our society, we still try.

Giving matters. The dollars you donate to your favorite nonprofit can

help the orchestra keep playing beautiful music, feed the hungry, clothe the poor, heal the sick, house the homeless. The bicycle you donated to the child who never had one may not change his economic living situation, but it gives him transportation. And it just might bring him joy. We don’t “cure” poverty, but we help kids (and families) one bike, meal and blanket at a time.

Time is the currency of volunteering. We do that, too. Right now, there are volunteers driving meals to homebound and senior folks, people dishing out meals at the food bank, gathering up toys for children and blankets for kids. We read to lonely folks in nursing homes, play with doggies in shelters, spend time with teens, hold babies in hospital nurseries.

We can all do something, and it seems we all do, because we are a force of doers when it comes to helping others in our community.

Hope is one outcome of giving. It is the sparkling glimmer that helps a disadvantaged child see a possible future of a better life. A doll can become a surrogate friend, a ball a chance to play with, a book an opportunity to explore,

and new clothes to boost self-esteem.

Some give all. A teacher wrote to tell me that she was given a special gift from a first grade student name Anna, who thought that she had “nothing to give.” The little girl separated out all the colorful tiny marshmallows from her school breakfast box of Lucky Charms cereal. Anna then placed these marshmallows in the plastic that was wrapped around the utensils and left them with a note for the teacher, saying, “Happy Christmas.” The teacher said that this gift touched her the most, since it was from the “purest part of a child’s heart.”

Generosity is kindness. An elderly woman who fell on hard times went to a jewelry store to sell her wedding ring. Her husband was in a nursing home, and she needed money to make ends meet. The jeweler offered her $300 for her well-worn, 50-year-old gold band. She reluctantly agreed. Then a man stepped up and gave the lady $400 and told her to keep her ring, which she tearfully accepted.

As this year ends, let’s not focus on the news of crime, conflict and sadness but the generosity that restores

our faith in humanity. And if you think you have nothing much to give, don’t forget those marshmallows. A new year gives us another chance to plan, dream, live and give.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local Realtor. Have a story or a comment? Email Judy at judy@judybluhm.com.

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Linus told us what Christmas is all about

BY J.D. HAYWORTH Foothills Focus Columnist

You can’t say you weren’t warned.

A year ago in this space, as the glad tidings were reported that “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was airing again on national television for the 56th straight year, there also came a warning that the Peabody Award-winning “Peanuts” special might not be seen for a 57th consecutive Yuletide broadcast on conventional “over-the-air” TV.

Sadly, that has come to pass.

In their beneficence, the fine folks at Apple TV+ say instead that their platform will provide a free window for streaming video viewing of the show from Dec. 22 to Christmas Day.

Of course, that free stream of video won’t mean much to the technically and economically challenged among

us… But hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?

Your initial reaction to this Apple TV+ corporate decision could very well be, “Where have I heard this before?” Stop. Think. Remember.

You first heard this notion when you were old enough to understand the

plot of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

Our forlorn hero is even more forlorn as Christmas Day approaches; Charlie Brown bemoans the commercialization of the Christmas season.

Thankfully, there’s good news, but more on that in a moment.

First, a word not from but for Apple. Sure, corporate executives made a business decision. After spending big bucks for exclusive rights to the “‘Peanuts’ Gallery” of TV specials, those rights aren’t exclusive if you share freely of the one special that’s most special in a way that insures the widest possible distribution.

But maybe you should listen to the question asked by the star of the show.

Charlie Brown shouts it out of exasperation, in a volume that can be heard even in a soundproof Executive Suite: “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

Linus answers him, quietly, effectively and movingly from the Gospel of Luke: “For unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

Linus then concludes, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

That’s what Christmas is all about, Apple executives.

That’s what Christmas is all about, dear reader.

Our Creator loved us enough to send His most beloved creation out of the splendor of eternity and into the squalor of a sinful world to give us the gift of eternal life, if we accept it.

“Peanuts” creator Charles Schulz accepted that gift and chose to share it with others.

That’s why he insisted that the passage from Luke be included in “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

A

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Foothills Focus Columnist

It was a Christmas morning a half-century ago in a cramped second-floor apartment in New York. The little boy, 6 years old, had done everything save petition his parents and Santa for a “big-boy bicycle.” Something without training wheels. A bike he could pedal like the wind.

The boy awakened at dawn to gifts spilling out from under the tree, but no bicycle in sight. There was a bulging stocking with plastic soldiers, a new football, some toys he’d break in hours, but nothing with wheels and pedals.

This would have been the holiday that dashed the boy’s heart for eternity. But then his mother made a magical statement.

“Did you look in the shower?” she said. “Maybe it didn’t fit under the tree.”

Hollywood has never done a grander reveal. There it was: a Huffy bicycle in a shade of gold like bars of bullion. With high handlebars and a banana seat that was all the rage in 1971. The boy immediately would have ridden through the living room and down the dozen steps to the sidewalk had the golden machine not come with a list of rules, including no stunts like Evel Knievel.

The boy rode that bicycle for years, until he was 12 and he couldn’t pedal it without his knees threatening to clock his jaw. The golden bicycle took him on so many adventures. It remains the single greatest Christmas surprise of his lifetime.

Now it’s 50 years later. The boy sits with his fingers on a keyboard, pondering another Christmas morning. He has every material thing he could ever want, plus his health, a warm home and love in his heart. There is a tree in the other room with presents spilling out.

What more could he — could I — possibly want?

For a few days, I have not been able to escape a gnawing in my heart. It started, strangely enough, when I walked into the grocery store and saw a winding line of humans waiting for a self-service checkout machine to come free. The registers were all closed, not a cashier to be seen, just one harried employee scurrying around trying to coach a half-dozen people checking out themselves.

I used to joke about my hurry to leave the grocery store. “Hello,” the cashier would say, all chummy. “Plastic,” I would bark, because, haha, I was too busy to spare a moment for human interaction.

Now — be careful what you wish for — we have machines incapable of chat.

Later that night, I turned on the news to a photo op from Sky Harbor Airport. Courtesy of Waymo, Phoenix is the first city in the world where driverless taxis will take you to the airport. As Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego put it at a press conference, “The future is here.”

Indeed, it is. And I’m not all that psyched about it.

On this Christmas, all I have is a simple ask, as much a gift for you and yours as me and mine. At no time in history have there been more ways to remove humans from life’s many equations — drone deliveries, automated checkouts and ordering kiosks, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence. We can chat using Snap and Zoom into meetings. We can be everywhere, all without being physically present to those with whom we live and love.

It is cold. It is a poor substitute for the one thing I want this holiday sea-

son. For us to be a little more present, a little more kind, a little more human.

It is a simple thing to wish for, though like that bike, it would not fit under the tree. Merry Christmas, friend. I hope you have love and everything else you desire.

But other members of his creative team were skeptical, even way back in 1965.

“You can’t put the Bible on television,” one told him.

“If we don’t do it, who will?” Schulz responded.

The passage from Luke remains, even if the annual nationwide telecast has now ended.

The same Bible that motivated and inspired Charles Schulz also warns us of the tackiness, trendiness and, yes,

sinfulness of this temporal world.

Charles Schulz was called from this temporal existence into eternal rest more than two decades ago.

The Bible in which he believed also said of the Savior in whom Schulz believed that He “is the same yesterday, today and forever” and that His gift of salvation is available to all.

You can’t say you haven’t been invited.

May you and yours celebrate a peaceful, joyful and meaningful Christmas… Whether or not you watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

True lies create false lives

CHURCH COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Pastor Ed Delph Foothills Focus Columnist

As we enter 2023, let’s look at what made the news in 2022. Perhaps the most memorable news people heard about was “fake news.” To understand fake news, let’s explore the concept of white lies.

“Little white lies. We all tell them. We do it to be kind: ‘I love this gift!’ We do it to protect ourselves: ‘I’m leaving in five minutes.’ We do it because it’s an uncomplicated way out of something awkward: ‘I didn’t see your text.’ White lies are the kinder, gentler fibs about less important things.” (Author unknown.) Dictionary.com defines the white lie as a harmless or trivial lie, especially one told to avoid hurting someone’s feelings.

DIRECTV surveyed 2,000 United States adults to find out what white lies they told the most and to whom. The survey yielded some fascinating results if the respondents were telling the truth.

Here’s a list of the top 10 most frequently told white lies and the percentage of people who have used them. 1. “I’m fine.” (92%) 2. “I love this present!” (80%) 3. “Sorry, I’m sick.” (78%) 4. “I didn’t see your text.” (72%) 5. “Let’s keep in touch!” (70%) 6. “This meal you made is delicious.” (70%) 7. “Leaving in five minutes.” (69%) 8. “On my way.” (66%) 9. “I’ll be ready in 15 minutes.” (65%) 10. “No, you don’t need to lose weight.” (63%)

Speaking of white lies, the biggest lie I tell myself is, “I don’t need to write that down. I’ll remember it.”

Here’s a list of the top groups of people to whom we use white lies: 1. Co-workers. (26.99%) 2. Family.

(23.95%) 3. Friends. (22.06%) 4. Significant other. (10.78%) 5. Parents. (8.71%)

6. Other. (7.51%)

So, white lies are justified by people to not hurt others. I guess I get it. However, could there be a danger in developing a habit of telling white lies? I think so. First, little white lies are often a way of avoiding responsibility. The “I didn’t see your text” is more of a shame-based response of the sender than not hurting someone’s feelings. Wouldn’t telling yourself and them the truth be more authentic and constructive?

Secondly, habitually telling white lies often transforms into more significant, intentional and often destructive lies. It’s not about protecting the recipient. It’s about justifying the sender’s words or actions no matter the cost to themselves or others. The result is exaggeration, spin, fibs, halftruths, partial truths, manipulation and fake news. Fake news comes from fake views. It’s “true lies.” So here’s a lesson we can glean from Adam and Eve about lying. Lies have to be covered up, but the truth can run around naked.

The Bible has much to say about this. The Apostle Paul outlines the seven progressive downward steps leading to cultural disintegration in Romans, Chapter One. Then he reveals how it happens. The influencers of culture exchange truth for lies by suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. Paul means that people who influence others through “fake news” started by telling people white lies. Then, they progress from white lies to intentional lies and partial truths because of their social, political or personal biases. That’s called “spin.”

Might I say the world is spinning

out of control because of spin? And remember, the first casualty in a military or cultural war is the truth. George McDonald says, “When a person argues for victory and not for truth, they are sure of just one ally, the devil.” So I suggest being careful about who you listen to and who you hang out with.

Spin is more intellectually deceptive than white lies. Wikipedia’s definition of spin in public relations and politics is a form of propaganda achieved through providing a biased interpretation of an event or campaigning to persuade public opinion in favor or against some organization or public figure.

What’s the problem here? How can receivers of the spin gang make an informed decision based on facts? For example, let’s say your foot is standing in a fire. Then the nerves (your internal informer) in your foot mislead you by reporting you are not standing in a fire. So your foot becomes a victim of fake news.

How can you make an informed decision that has future consequences, whether kindly intentioned or intentionally misled? Nerves are created to report the news, not spin the news. When someone tells you a white lie, you are uninformed. When someone lies or spins the truth, you are misinformed. The worst thing about being deceived is you are deceived.

As we step into 2018, let’s be aware, alert and intelligent. Invest in investigating the news. Don’t let your easily manipulated feelings rule you. Let truth lead you. There’s a difference between credibility and plausibility. Credibility means something is true. Plausibility seems true, and for the moment, it seems like it’s working.

Hint: Just because it seems true doesn’t mean it is true. Truth is always strong, no matter how weak it seems, and falsehood is weak, no matter how strong it looks.

Here’s a resolution for 2023. Realize real lies downgrades both the sender and the receiver. If we stop telling white lies habitually, we will probably stop telling real lies. The only thing that can set us free to make informed decisions is the truth. Living by lies and lying to make a living has a limited shelf life. That’s called truth or consequences.

As the title of this article says, true lies create false lives. Do we get any better in 2023, or is this it? I think we will get better.

Ed Delph is a noted author of 10 books, as well as a pastor, teacher, former business owner and speaker. He has traveled extensively, having been to more than 100 countries. He is president of NationStrategy, a nonprofit organization involved in uplifting and transforming communities worldwide. For more information, see nationstrategy.com. He may be contacted at nationstrategy@cs.com.

BY KEITH JONES Foothills Focus Contributing Writer

Three of the top five New Year’s resolutions this year were for better health, according to data website Statista. Whether it’s overindulging during the holidays, the annual New Year’s resolution, or years of unsuccessful dieting, many individuals are motivated this time of year to lose weight.

Earlene Miranda can relate. After years of yo-yo dieting, the Buckeye resident decided it was time for help in achieving her weight loss goals. She reached out to the Abrazo Medical and Surgical Weight Loss Program. It’s a comprehensive pro -

gram with physicians specializing in obesity medicine and bariatric surgery, as well as dietitians and others who provide support and education.

“Through the years, I have had many friends and co-workers have bariatric surgery. I researched the Abrazo Health website for information on the surgery and services. My initial consultation showed me that the program is geared for long-term success,” Miranda said.

As a nurse, Miranda understood that choosing the right team would be a key factor in a successful outcome. Through her job, she knew of Dr. Daniel Fang at Abrazo Scotts -

Earlene Miranda of Buckeye chose the supportive, team approach with the Abrazo Medical and Surgical Weight Loss Program to help achieve her weight loss goals. (Abrazo/Submitted)

dale Campus and was encouraged by what she saw.

“I chose Dr. Fang based on my observations of him in my work as a registered nurse. He and his team treat staff and patients with the utmost of respect and professionalism. His credentials are second to none and his actions are proof! His patients did great post-op,” Miranda said.

According to the National Institutes of Health, rising rates of obesity are an alarming trend considering the risks and costs of treating its associated diseases.

“Weight loss surgery is designed to help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight, and it can help alleviate many other obesity-related conditions like heart disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, depression and more,” Fang said.

Weight loss surgery is considered safe, but like any surgery, it does have risks. Those who are considering surgical weight loss are encouraged to consult with their personal physician about the risks and benefits, he said.

“Regardless of which bariatric surgery procedure you and your surgeon decide is best for you, it is important to remember that bariatric surgery is a tool. Weight loss success also depends on many other important factors, such as nutrition, exercise, behavior modification and more,” Fang said.

Miranda agreed: “They clearly communicated the weight loss center’s

services and expectations, dieting, exercise programs and education with each available option. I knew, though, that I had to believe in myself to do this. They were professional and courteous and listened to all my concerns and questions.”

A year after the procedure, her results are 89 pounds lost so far. “Things went extremely well after surgery. I followed all the education and instructions outlined by Dr. Fang. It was difficult at first to change my eating and activity habits, but with the monthly check-ins and nutritional counseling, it became easier. I felt great and empowered on my journey to regain my health.”

Miranda offers these words of encouragement for anyone considering bariatric surgery. “Do the research and understand that the surgery is a tool of the overall path to weight management and health.”

For more information, online health assessments or a physician referral, visit abrazohealth.com.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity

• Almost 3 in 4 men (73.7%) were considered to be overweight or have obesity; and about 2 in 3 women (66.9) were considered to be overweight or have obesity.

• Obesity was higher in women (about 40%) than men (35%).

• Extreme obesity was higher in women (9.9%) than men (5.5%).

Source: National Institutes of Health

The Birthing Cave is a worthy stop in Sedona

TOLD BY KUMA AND WRITTEN BY LORRAINE BOSSÉ-SMITH Foothills Focus Contributing Writer

Ilove this time of year when the mornings and evenings are cooler, don’t you? Ah. We survived summer so we can enjoy fall and winter. We haven’t been to Sedona in quite some time, and to be honest, it has become overcrowded for us. However, we thought we would try a weekday and headed up I-17 North through Cottonwood to the 89A North.

Dad read about the Birthing Cave, and

you follow directions to the Long Canyon trail head: Turn left on Dry Creek Road, and take another left on Long Canyon until you see the trail head parking lot on your left. It is a very tiny dirt lot with limited spots and no human restroom. We arrived early but still had to park along the street.

Note: In many places in Sedona now, parking along the street is forbidden. This particular trailhead has some dirt pullouts that work, but you will want to watch where you park.

We couldn’t believe how busy it was

for a Tuesday! Thankfully, almost everyone was coming down the trail as we headed up, so we did have some peace and quiet. To get to the Birthing Cave, you follow the Longs Canyon trail past the “area closed” section on your right and then veer to the left when you see a wood fence for the Longs Canyon trail. The trail is flat and easy for a mile. As you approach the red rock on your

right, you will see a trail that goes up to the Birthing Cave. We read that the Indigenous Hopi women would birth their babies in this cave as a spiritual experience. Hmm. As steep as this last section gets, we couldn’t imagine a pregnant woman making the trek up. It is bouldering! I love boulders, but alas, daddy

The views of Sedona are breathtaking. (Lorraine Bossé-Smith/Submitted)

Kuma needs help bouldering. (Lorraine Bossé-Smith/Submitted)

had to help me on one big step. With a little push, I was on my way again. Small dogs would have a difficult time climbing up, and mom was glad she had her hiking pole with her.

We were grateful the traffic was gone so would go at our own pace. Once at the cave, we had views of Sedona. Unfortunately, the view will be changing soon. They are building a huge condo complex that will ultimately ruin the view from the cave. The price of progress, I guess.

As we took our pictures, we noticed the “V” shape of the cave opening. The cave is shaded, cool and quiet… except for the construction noise! Doh. We had a nice picnic in the cave before heading back down. As you know, going down a steep, rocky trail can be more challenging than going up. Daddy ended up carrying me most of the way, and his back did fine. Yippy! Mom was worried I would fall and hurt myself since I am 14 now with some arthritis in my hips.

The rock was slick as it was covered in dust, and as we were back to the trail, more people were going up. Perfect timing. Hiking back to the car was quick and totaled two miles. We decided we would stop in Cottonwood on our way

home. We’ve driven through a bazillion times but never walked Downtown.

Downtown Cottonwood is cute and is full of quaint shops and restaurants. Dad and I found a bench in the shade while mom popped into a few places. Once again, people had to stop and admire me. “No, I am not a Husky!” “Yes, I know I am adorable.” Another day in my life.

The drive home went smoothly, and I was home napping before I knew it. Should you be in Sedona and want to do a short but interesting hike, the Birthing Cave might fit the bill. Now that we’ve done it once, we don’t need to do it again. The red rock never disappoints, though, and Sedona was as beautiful as always. We are fortunate to live so close to an amazing place.

My mom, Lorraine Bossé-Smith, is kind enough to help me share my Great Adventures, big and small. My mom is a motivational speaker, corporate trainer, executive recruiter, business consultant, coach, fitness expert and author of nine published books. More importantly, she’s the best doggy mom ever.

Enjoy my blog at https://bit.ly/ kuma0901, and follow me on Facebook @kumathedog or Instagram @kumaitothedog.

Cottonwood is worth a visit. (Lorraine Bossé-Smith/Submitted)

Lorraine Bossé-Smith and Kuma enjoy a beautiful day in Sedona. (Lorraine Bossé-Smith/Submitted)

The Birthing Cave in Sedona is a popular stop. (Lorraine Bossé-Smith/Submitted)

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

Sibish Neelikattil Basheer Ahammed of Phoenix earned a Master of Science in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. Neelikattil Basheer Ahammed was among approximately 1,660 undergraduate and graduate students who earned degrees during the summer 2022 semester. The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is one of the top public research universities in the United States, developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts and sciences degrees. Its more than 46,000 students, representing 50 states and more than 150 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online

learning. Info: gatech.edu

Anthony Casarella of Phoenix was accepted for enrollment for the fall 2022 trimester in the Doctor of Chiropractic degree program at Palmer College of Chiropractic’s Florida Campus in Port Orange, Florida. Palmer College of Chiropractic, the first and largest college in the chiropractic profession, has campuses in Davenport, Iowa; San Jose, California; and Port Orange, Florida. Info: palmer.edu

Fatima Saucedo of Phoenix graduated from Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa. Founded in 1857, Upper Iowa University is a private, nonprofit university providing undergraduate and graduate degree programs to about 4,500 students — nationally and internationally — at its Fayette, Iowa, campus and over 20 U.S. locations. Info: uiu.edu

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