Today marks both the 134th birthday of Adolph Hitler (1889-1945), the evil totalitarian of Nazi Germany who was the primary cause of the outbreak of World War II in Europe, and the 111th anniversary of the death of Bram Stoker (1847-1912), the Irish author of Dracula, a Gothic novel that drew inspiration from the cruel ruler of Wallachia (a region of present day Romania), Vlad the Impaler (1431-1476). On a different ‘dark‘ note, today is also the day that the moon will block out the sun during what is known as a hybrid solar eclipse, a rare celestial event that only happens, on average, a few times per century. This rare type of eclipse transitions from a total solar eclipse into an annular (ring-shaped) eclipse as the moon’s shadow moves across the surface of the Earth. Insofar as the path of the rare eclipse will cross the South Pacific, it will be visible only to South Pacific islanders – but the rest of the world can watch a livestream of the event on YouTube beginning at 9:30 p.m. EDT, which is 6:30pm in Las Vegas! Speaking of magical celestial events, David Copperfield will not be the only shooting star in Vegas this weekend! The Lyrid meteor showers will be also visible to the naked eye in the Northern Hemisphere (including most of North America) from April 16-25, with the spectacle reaching its peak on April 21 and 22nd. With the first recorded sighting by Chinese skywatchers in 687 BC, the Lyrids have been enjoyed for 2,700+ years. So, for DSD owners interested in partaking in that ancient experience, hope for clear skies and find the darkest spot possible to witness approximately 10 shooting stars per hour over this convention weekend. Do you like magic? If so, would you pay $89 and up for a seat to see David Copperfield perform tricks, or $0 for a front row seat to Nature’s magic? Do you believe that the institutional memory of an organization, be it a governmental, commercial, or non-profit community, can be used to prevent a despot from successfully crushing others? If not, perhaps your answer may change after the POAA Convention 2023!

On a much ‘lighter‘ note, the 35th POAA Annual Convention and Leadership Conference begins today at the Downtown Grand in Las Vegas. The April 20-23 formal itinerary is detailed in our Agenda video and outlined below:

TeamPOAA is hopeful that attendees will also be prepared to engage in lively informal discussions about the efficacy of both the new PF Collection Policy and PNC Bank Portal Initiative for payments from PF IDPs to CPB/PF (for reasons that are still unclear to TeamPOAA). For those DSD owners who are too busy to network with DSD owners and participate in the discussions this weekend, stay tuned for more news from the POAA Convention 2023!