BISBEE WIRE #104/the 12th anniversary issue/the ongoing saga of city marketing/maybe the city will be a new landlord?/bisbee economy/ and lots more
- fred
- Dec 5, 2025
- 25 min read
BISBEE WIRE |
editor: fred Miller December 5, 2025 #104/Dec.2025 Hello, With this issue I'm embarking on the 13th year of publishing the Bisbee Wire. A very short history....well it started out short... In 2010, I helped organize a group of hospitality business owners, we met, and I began a sporadic newsletter to help communicate our joint efforts to address problems with tourism marketing. When that group merged into a larger business group that had formed, Better Bisbee, in 2011, I continued putting out a sporadic newsletter to extend communication among that organization. Better Bisbee as an organization faded-with the exception of an excellent map of downtown OB put out for several years by business owners Cristina and Maralyce-because efforts to bring some cohesion to marketing and reforming the visitor center/tourism shifted to the iBisbee economic development committee. In the wake of that transition I began the the Wire in late November, 2013 concentrating on economics and city politics. Some factoids...Over the years the Wire mail list has slowly grown to the current 1,030 subscribers. According to Mailchimp, a free service I use for these email issues, I have an 'open' rate of about 55-60% of the newsletters I send. I also have some access to see what is clicked on, what device, what time of day, whether a subscriber has opened the email, and a few other things. I also have a website, bisbeewire.com, that I 'store' back issues. They are about the same words, but because Wix does not use the same formatting as Mailchimp, when I transfer my newsletter into Wix, the format is missing graphics and the sentence structure is kind of loosey-goosey. Over the years, I've also expanded the content to include more county, state, and national items in addition to the main focus of the Bisbee economy and related city issues. It takes me about 20 hours per issue to piece it together over roughly a couple weeks. Anita helps with proofing-if I ask her before publishing, which I should do every issue because when I don't, there are far more typos. I subscribe to some 25 publications, mostly paid, mostly electronic. Over the past few years I've had a few suggestions from readers and I have thought about improving the formatting options-graphics/photos/vids-by upgrading to a paid service, about $200-$300 +/- per year. But that would mean taking the time to learn how to format and the ins/outs of a new system. Sigh, another fuckin thing to learn. But basically I'm a word guy and I put out information for consumption for people that read. For now, I have decided against it. Long form, wordy, you're stuck with it. We now live on a fixed income which though comfortable, means a leaner lifestyle. About 6 months after I retired from Cafe Roka, Anita sat me down and mentioned in a stern voice, that since I had retired, we do not have that extra dough coming in any more, so I had to stop spending money like a fuckin drunken sailor. Aye aye Cap! I've thought about and wrestled with, charging for the Wire. Decided no. But, after some urging by one particularly dedicated reader, (thank you KC!) I have put in a donation option-see below. The response has been very gratifying with more than 60 people have donating in support of my work on the Wire. I am very appreciative for that support. The views and opinions in the Wire are solely mine, developed and changed over 30 years of being involved in businesses, non-profits, and tourism efforts. I have tried to not denigrate people, although a little snark is enjoyable I admit. Almost all the economic/political things I write about are issues that concern me and I want readers to understand some of the what/why/when/who stuff. In Bisbee there is a strong tendency to personalize issues and attack the people involved. I really try not to do that. When I differ with people, such as below with what Bisbee Vogue is doing, it is not personal, it is a difference of opinion about the issue. I do give more credence to folks that have been doing the work in organizations, rather than those who talk about doing the work or talk about what the work should be, or just talk, without helping with the work. When I first came to town 31 years ago there was bumpersticker that I snickered at, but have come to find out there is quite a bit of truth to it. Bisbee: All Gurus, No Students. I have lived a significant portion of my life working to change conditions in communities I've lived, in order to help people have more and better opportunities to live a productive, fulfilling, and creative life. Inevitably a part of my work, has been a long term battle against the excesses of capitalism, exploitation of working people, destruction of the environment, and arrogant twits that sometimes inhabit public office. I, along with many other people, have tried to do that work in Bisbee and will continue, I hope, till the day I die. We live in a wonderful place because we have picked up the banner of the people before us and have continued to try and improve our city. Let's continue together. (Cue the swelling orchestral music that has finally, finally! reached a crescendo!) fred ...............AROUND TOWN................ SUPERMOON BE MOONING US Well this is a bit late, but still mooning...Get out and look up on the night sky. The moon will be closest to Earth in its orbit, creating a supermoon that appears larger and 30% brighter than the ‘average’ moon. ++++++++++ NO AUCTION FOR THE WARREN HOTEL The Warren Hotel will not be auctioned. The auction scheduled to pay off a loan has been cancelled because the $50k loan has been paid by Frances Wright, the personal representative of the estate left by Steve Burnett. No public decision about what she will do with the property at Congdon and Arizona street. ++++++++++ WARREN PEACE CAFE OPENS WALLS TO WARREN DISTRICT ARTISTS For the rest of the month, Warren Peace Café is inviting Warren-based artists to showcase one piece of their artwork on our WPC Art Wall. 100% of the sale goes directly to the artist. No commissions. No fees. You set the price. You bring the art. We’ll help you get it hung. Due to limited wall space, this special opportunity is exclusively for Warren residents and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the wall is full… that’s a wrap! Bring your artwork to the 123 Arizona St. ++++++++++ A THOUGHTFUL DISCUSSION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSICIANS, BUSINESSES, AND MUSIC IN BISBEE This discussion on facebook, begun by Stevey Peavy of the Us Two music duo, is informative for everyone. She contends that musicians should be paid commensurate with their experience as working artists and the value they bring to a venue. Many, many thoughtful comments that touch on the viability of bars/cafes/restaurants if they have to pay musicians, the value of music, the fiscal needs of musicians, consumers of music should pay/not pay, and much more. As you will see if you read through, this is one of the most thoughtful discussions of the relationship between music, musicians, and businesses I’ve seen in many years. Thanks to Stevie for initiating. ++++++++++ FEDS THREATEN TO WITHHOLD FOOD STAMPS TO ARIZONA Arizona is one of 20 states at risk of having SNAP benefits withheld. They are in a group of 21 Democratic-led states that have not provided the USDA requested personal data, such as immigration status and Social Security numbers, for food assistance recipients to the federal government. The dem-led states are fighting the order in court arguing that the demand overreaches federal authority and violates privacy. ++++++++++ SEVERAL SUCCESSFUL EVENTS LAST WEEK St. John's hosted a community dinner. For the 16th year I was helping carve 17 turkeys, along with Mike, faithful partner of artist Judy Perry, who is pictured here mixing six gallons of gravy. HOME TOUR AND ART AUCTION One of the wonderful historic events has been the Home Tour and Art Auction sponsored by the Bisbee Women's Club. They sold out of tickets for this 41st annual event and had some 900 or so people taking the tour and looking at the art. A few pics here. Charlie Onehorse creates beautiful chairs and this year won the people's choice award. The sculpture was donated by artist/ceramist/gardener Bari Read, unsure who did the AZ chair.. |
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BISBEE MEDIA MENTIONS
Artists, music, musings
Go here
Artsy town
Best Downtown
Forget Tucson
Lizards in the Mules
I very much appreciate the people who have supported the Wire with some bucks. Thank you very much. If you find it useful and would like to donate to offset the cost of news subscriptions, use the QR code for Zelle with my email bisbeewire@gmail.com or send a check made out to fred miller, 39 Hazzard, 85603. Thank you.
.............. EVENTS...............
(Compiled from various sources including TWIB)
We got ART in this burg....
Until December 7…Last weekend to see the ReMake Art show at Central school more go info here. A few of the images; Road trip, Furcates
December 6... last day for The Infinite Face", an international portrait show with 100 works from 40 artists. Carriage House Studios, 308 Powell St in Warren. noon-4 pm. For more info go here
December-January 4...Artemizia Gallery has an exhibit of Jessica Gonzales, a Tucson-based artist and muralist whose work explores the layered spaces between identity, culture, and authenticity. Gallery 818, Artemizia Foundation, 818 Tombstone Canyon, hours: Thur-Sun 11am-4pm. More info here
December 6... 1 pm to 4 pm the Muheim Heritage House Museum annual Holiday Open House. Mike Anderson-a fellow Wobblie (look up IWW)-will speak at 2 pm about the history of Christmas in Bisbee during the 30's and 40's. Music by Christa Leigh as well as food and free tours. MHHM, located at 207 Youngblood Hill,
December 6...5 pm. Christmas caroling singalong. Baptist church 1173 W. Hwy 92. free
December 6...Friends of the Furr Ball (the FB it was postponed) can still party like the 80's at Santo's 76 Main (Mike Clement's kissin cousin to his Taqueria Outlaw) 7:00. Donation bucket, portion of the proceeds all go to the wonderous non-profit Friends of the Animal Shelter. Knock a greet to Liz of Mike if you go,
December 7, 14 Bisbee Community Chorus presents
“From Laughter to Light: A Holiday Journey” 3:00 pm Presbyterian Annex 24 Howell, OB. $15 tix at the door
December 9… The Bisbee Science Exploration and Research Center (BSERC),located on Melody Lane, will present the designs for the Bisbee Backyard Project. The open house is at the Legion Bar and Grill at 3 pm. They are looking for feedback about their plans. Light bites, will be served during a question and answer time after the presentation.
December 12, 19…Come make a lantern for the New Year's Eve parade with artist Rose Hall! This workshop is happening at Copper Queen Library. For more details about the New Year's Eve event, click here: https://www.facebook.com/events/697189633414480
December 31...Lots happening, but the main event will be Flam Chen's music/parade/aerial arts @ city park, free. Go here for more listings. https://bisbeeaz.com/
January 3, 2026...Power To The People Resistance Music Festival. Oldfield Mile-high Oasis. More into with Scott at 520 321-5579
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BISBEE FOUNDATION MISSING BANNER FOUND!
An 8'x4' Bisbee Foundation banner that I had hung on the vista tennis court fence (school approved) in June was stolen the next day by some lowlife mf. It has been found! Brenda Morales, BF prez, spotted the telltale blue in the drainage that runs behind the ole gas station on the roundabout and Lowell school. I went into the ditch, recovered it, and here it is. The perp was not discovered.
..............DEALS.............
Bloomberg.com...Until Dec 5, Bloomberg News has a special rate of $139 for a year. call 833 850-4950. This is $150 off their regular subscription. Bloomberg is one of the best traditional economic reporting sources.
HBOMax...Go here to sign up for 12 months at $2.99 p/m
Apple - 11-inch iPad...A16 chip with Wi-Fi - 128GB $274 $75 off. Go here for info
..............BISBEE ECONOMY..............
(I have written about of the visitor center/bed tax saga before, so this may be redundant for some readers, but I thought that including the context would help understand where why the city is where it is currently.)
In the treasurer's report for October, sales tax revenue is down almost $400,00 from budget projections. Visitor center is down about $22,000 under what was expected at this point in the year.
There is negative amount of $162,000 in the visitor center fund because of the transfer of $33,000 a month into the capital improvements fund. The viz center budget for the year is projected to transfer $400,000 into the capital improvements fund by the end of the FY year in June. You might reasonably ask why?
During the budget hearings I had suggested that kiosks could replace a visitor center. Much of the subsequent discussion, led by the city manger revolved around how great a visitor center is and that Bisbee should have a visitor center and kisoks were souless and sucked. Very little discussion about $400k to build a viz center at 30 Main, in fact I'm not sure that address was even mentioned let alone a discussion of why a viz center could not be in a leased building rather than spending dough to build one.
The purpose of the ill-named visitor center fund is to bring people to Bisbee. Not to provide services once they are here. It is funded solely by bed taxes that are paid by visitors. (It should actually be named a tourism marketing fund or some such equivalent. )
The viz center generates no income and does, in fact, take a significant budgetary chunk of the fund for the cost of the staffing/operating the visitor center. The advertising/marketing budget has only risen from $73k to $80k in the last decade. The $80k is a paltry one fourth of the vc budget. Ya wonder why there are problems?
That short visioned mindset revealed in the budget hearings, along with mismangement of the viz center/marketing, and lack of oversight by the city manager of the visitor center manger-now resigned, has led to the current situation. Which is...
...the formation of the business group, Bisbee Forward (BF), who are now negotiating with the city to become the Destination Management Organization (DM0). A work session in November revealed some tensions around the contract negotiations mainly articulated by mayor Budge. However at the end of the hour long meeting, there was a clear sense from the council that they wanted funds to be given to BF as requested, and to move forward with approving a contract. (The council cannot vote during a work session.)
Although a visitor center came up tangentially, and the city indicated they would continue to run it, BF has proposed an 'ambassador' program that would enlist businesses to become flag-marked buildings with visitor information. Scottsdale was given as an example of a city that ceased having a visitor center 4 years ago and instituted a successful ambassador program.
There was a last minute objection to the process at the work session and, later spelled out in a letter in last week's Bisbee Observer and HR by Cynthia Conroy and few board members of Bisbee Vogue. Their objections centered mainly around the procurement process. It was not made clear publicly or to BV apparently, that the mayor had, in an email, asked BF if they wanted to be the DMO!
(And BV has is a small lack-of-paperwork problem in that three board members listed on their website are not listed on their official Arizona Corporation Commission filing. And one person listed on the ACC filing is not listed on their website.)
Although this process has been publicized in the media and at council meetings during the past several months, this was the first time an objection was raised. And in fact Ms. Conroy nor board members of Bisbee Vogue in the past many months have commented on the problems with the marketing of the city, nor the lack of oversight by city manger Pauken and the wrong opinion he gave to the council about what advertising purchases over $5k are necessary for the council to vote on. And in fact, BV has never expressed any interest in becoming a DMO. So wtf?
The situation currently is that contract negotiations with BF has halted, a review of the visitor center, the Fair bldg, and the contract process is underway by the city, and likely no action of any kind till the first of the year.
My opinion is that the city is in a serious deteriorating economic situation. The mayor and council are looking a gift horse in the mouth and dilly- dallying with Bisbee Forward. They are making a huge mistake by not accepting the free help of BF to market the city. I would hope that the members of the council will vote for BF, against the city taking over a building, and leave the visitor center alone for a year.
The attractiveness of BF is that the organization has several people with marketing backgrounds, they would not be making money on their DMO, there would be checks and balances in the contract, and best of all, they want to see a successful Bisbee for all of us, not just businesses.
If proper marketing of the city is not done soon, I fear with currently depressed tourism and visitation, the competition for visitors, and the concomitant drop in sales tax, the next couple year's budget hearings are going to have painful cuts in services.
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The City Council agenda for Dec 2 did not include any agenda items related to Bisbee Forward and a DMO contract. However there were two non-public executive sessions; one for "...for discussion or consultation for legal advice with the City Attorney and consideration of employment, assignment, appointment, promotion, demotion, dismissal, salaries, disciplining or resignation regarding the City Manager position." And a second one was, "...for discussion or consultation for legal advice with the City Attorney regarding the Visitor Center. "
I have asked the city clerk on Thursday, what were the results of these two sessions, but was told there was no statement, explanation, or information about the meetings issued by the City.
I don't have a crystal ball, but it is widely known that the Restoration Museum (Fair Dept store building) at 37 Main, would like to gift or sell their building to the city. City council members have been given tours of the building. Especially since the idea of building a new viz center at 30 Main has been so widely panned. Getting the restoration museum site would be the home of a visitors center and maybe other city functions. But that's a guess.
I think it is a bad idea for a several reasons. One, given the recent problems with some city properties it is clear that the city should not be a in the real estate business. Two, commercial buildings on Main st. should remain in the private or non-profit sector. Three, taxpayers should not bear the cost of decisions to take on the burdens of yet another historic building with all the problems that will entail. Four, the city has gotta stop beating that horse...attempts to continue treating a visitor center as a jewel that must be kept, reveals a closed mindset that has ignored and/or not understood the changes of how visitors get information and the necessity to adapt to those changes. They are making decisions about the future of tourism blindly, without the data that should be coming from a sound marketing program that would tell them where people are coming from, how long they stay, where they get their information, and much more. This is not sound economic planning.
There is no reason for an 'executive session' to discuss anything but the strict legal implications of proposals and employee issues. I would hope the members of the council will continue finding their voice and insist on public discussions, before the city commits to accept or buy any property, especially a 1907 building. There should be ample opportunity for public comments and discussion.
On Mike Thornton's KBRP program this morning that I was on, we discussed an idea of a public forum where the city, Bisbee Forward, and Bisbee Vogue as well as the public could talk about what exactly is going on. We're working on it.
And just as an aside, I would like to know exactly what the city owns; buildings and real estate. I can't find it on the website so I'll look into it and let you know.
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OCTOBER SALES TAXES (For actual spending in September)
Bed taxes were up about $6,000 over the previous month, while bar/restaurant sales were down about $11,000 over the September report. Retail sales, as well as food for home consumption were a down just a bit over the past month, while internet sales had a whopping jump of $14,000+ over the past month.
Over all sales taxes in the first 9 months of this year are down compared to the same months last year. Bed taxes are downs-13.8% (-$36,907); hotel taxes down -18.3% (-$35,372);Bar/restaurant down-18.3 (-$66,304); retail down less than 1%; Grocery is up +6%; Internet sales up 14%.
**** Bed Hotel bar/restaurant retail grocery internet
2025 $231,039 $158,167 $396,558 $1,130,203 $529,837 $321,283
2024 $267,946 $193,539 $462,682 $1,138,688 $498,596 $281,696
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HOUSES SOLD
Five of the 14 houses sold were bought by Bisbee buyers. Eight of the house sold were owned by people not living in Bisbee.
Address original/list /sell seller buyer DoM Loan type
105 Bornite $85k/85k/$55,000 Tucson SV 43 cash
469 Santa Cruz $ 120,000 Lk Havasu Bisbee 112 VA
70 Pittsburg 220k/155k/$150,000 Bisbee CA 345 conv
10 Azurite 170k/170k/$166,000 Bisbee Bisbee 19 cash
108 Graham Dr $185,000 Bisbee Bisbee 80 VA
11 Bornite $196,000 Tucson Hereford 30 Conv
312 E. Vista #1 345k/275k/$264,000 Bisbee Bisbee 606 cash
433 Crestview 315k/315k/$285,000 Bisbee Bisbee 260 FHA
201 B. St 349k/309k/$285,000 Huac Cty Phoenix 133 cash
164 Quality Hill 350k/350k/$330,000 Texas Gilbert 8 cash
514 Brophy $305,000 Las Cruces Tucson conv
4515 N. Rose Ct. $375,000 Bisbee El Mirage 36 VA
724 Tombstone 365k/365k/$380,000 Scotdle Peoria,AZ 43 conv
828 Sims Rd 450k/450k/$433,000 Phoenix Virginia 28 other
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BUILDING PERMITS
Commercial work took off in October, $831,168 worth. A large project at the Copper Queen Hospital, and a few other projects at the Lyric, and AT&T antenna removal boosted the usual maintenance/replacement permits. Residential work permits totaled $361,576 and were mainly roof replacement, electrical work, rock work, and plumbing.
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AUCTIONS
311 A Street
Jan 20, 2026
CC Court house/100 Quality Hill
104 Black Knob
Jan 27, 2026
CC Court house/100 Quality Hill
710 Pittsburg
Februrary 11, 11:00
CC Court house/100 Quality Hill
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ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
Copper State Baptist Church
208 N. Cleveland
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..............COCHISE COUNTY................
On Thursday two of the three county commissioners considered, in another of seemingly endless executive sessions where the public is excluded, the demand from Tom Crosby for the county-read taxpayers-to pay $300,000 for his legal fees. The demand originated when he ignored the county attorney's advice and the insurance pool representative advice that he was obligated to approve the results of the 2022 election. He refused and subsequently was charged by the AZ AG with two felonies. His trial, set to begin last month, was delayed until Februrary.
The state pool insurance has already declined to cover the $300,000 demand.
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At another Thursday meeting a former legislator, representing Audit USA, is presenting a plan for more 'transparency' in elections. Of course that means making voters cast vote public! It is another in a long line of proposals and plans that cast doubt on election integrity . However, in case after case, in state, after state, it has been shown that the integrity of elections and votes are very good and that attempts to cast doubt on elections simply work to undermine the whole process which seems to be the goal. There is something extraordinarily anti-democratic about election 'doubters' efforts.
..............STATE................
PHONY ELECTORS MAY STILL BE BROUGHT TO TRIAL
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is pushing forward with her case against 11 Arizona Republicans and top Trump aides who tried to overturn his 2020 election loss in the Grand Canyon State. She is filing an appeal to the state Supreme Court that aims to revive the case against the fake electors. AZ Mirror go here for the article.
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CORPORATION COMMISSION GETS SPANKED
The AZ Court of Appeals has said that the Arizona Corporation Commission’s (ACC) allowance of expedited utilities rate increase (with no hearings, and a yearly hike without comment) is not a policy change, but is a rule change. That necessitates public hearings so interested parties can comment on whether a rate hike is necessary or needed.
Last year the commission adopted "formula rate plans,'' allowing for annual adjustments based on a pre-established formula.
This is a win for a win for the Residential Utility Consumer Office, known as RUCO and will likely affect APS 14% rate hike in 2026.
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EARLY LEGISLATIVE FILINGS HARBINGER OF THINGS TO COMEMarxist Librarians! Ballot Bungling! Rep. John Gillette Jihad! Young marrieds tax deals! Voucher students using public school facilities! Go here for the full article in the Arizona Agenda about the legislative session to come. As usual the repugnicans are whining about cultural issues while the big economic issues, such as $1 billion bucks in vouchers, is ignored. ++++++++++RIGHT TO SPEAKOne of the many things you can do in your home to affect positive change or to halt dippy ideas-in the form of bills going through hearings-coming from AZ legislators in Phoenix. This is not jive. You really can affect the bills going through the legislature. It takes as much time as you have to give. The best way to do this is through Request to Speak. A very short form to fill out on the state website to establish an account and then have at it. There is a short primer by CEBV (citizen engagement beyond voting) that will give you how, where, what and more, to guide you to the most effective use of your time. Go here for the info. CEBV also has a substantial list of vid trainings for many kinds of engagement. Go here for that.
................EVERYTHING ELSE.................
MORE AG VISAS…WITH LOWER HOURLY PAY
To ease labor shortages on farms and ranches, the administration (under heavy ag corporations pressure) last month made changes to the federal H-2A visa program, which allows employers to hire foreign workers for temporary agricultural jobs when there aren’t enough U.S.-born workers available. Under the new rule, the Department of Homeland Security will approve H-2A visas more quickly.
The new H-2A rule also includes new hourly wage guidelines that vary by state but are lower than previous wages, and allows employers to charge workers for housing that used to be free. Hourly wages are reduced as much as 12-20%. In North Carolina, for instance, the new rate is $11.09 for unskilled workers compared with $16.16 last year. In California, the rate is $13.45 for unskilled workers compared with $19.97 last year, though minimum wage laws in California and some other states would apply to those jobs, according to a Cornell University analysis. Go here for the AZ Mirror article.
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EPSTEIN’S VICTIMS
These 80 women have been ignored in the media scrum about Epstein's emails. These are the people who suffered when they were young women. Give a look.
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THE RAW FACTS ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS OF AI
“In an internal memo from September, CEO Sam Altman said that OpenAI’s “audacious long-term goal is to build 250 gigawatts of capacity by 2033.” If Altman achieves this goal, OpenAI will need almost exactly as much electricity as India’s 1.5 billion people, and is likely to emit nearly twice as much carbon dioxide as ExxonMobil, the world’s largest non-state carbon emitter.” From an article in truthdig go here to read
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GIVING GIFTS
If you are a gift giver, some advice From Better Brain Go here for the full article.Think about the person you want to give a gift to. Imagine living a day in their life.
How do they spend their free time?
What makes them laugh or brings them joy?
What are problems they face?
What do they get excited about? What makes them light up?
What makes them feel loved? (The 5 love languages can be helpful here: gifts, acts of service, quality time, words of affirmation, physical touch)
Thinking through these questions may help spark some gift ideas.
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TRUMP DISSES ANOTHER FEMALE REPORTER
Unhappy with an article talking about his aging and schedule cutbacks, the president insulted a female reporter’s appearance on Wednesday when he called The New York Times’ Katie Rogers “ugly,” marking the third time in recent weeks that the president has criticized a female reporter in personal terms.
In a post on Truth Social, the president called Rogers, “a third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out,” one day after Rogers and a male New York Times data reporter co-authored a piece saying there were signs of Trump aging in office. In the post, Trump also disputed the accuracy of the story, writing, “They know this is wrong.” He did not mention the male. This from an aging, bloated, man who wears makeup to hide his ugliness.
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HEALTHY PRODUCTS: SKINCARE HAIR MAKEUP AND MORE
EWG acts as a scientific clearinghouse for products that can be used safely free of harmful additives. They have a free, searchable database of personal care products helps you identify these ingredients and find safer alternatives. It is worthwhile to check it out, especially during our dry winter. For a list of types of products, e.g., face and body care, sun, babies, fragrance, makeup, and more go here
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ICE USING BOUNTY HUNTERS TO LOCATE IMMIGRANTS
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is expanding plans to outsource immigrant tracking to private surveillance firms, scrapping a recent $180 million pilot proposal in favor of a no-cap program with multimillion-dollar guarantees. Contractors may now earn up to $281.25 million individually and are guaranteed an initial task order worth at least $7.5 million.The lucrative program is almost the same as that pushed by a group of private contractors including trump donor eric prince former head of the notorious firm Blackwater. Go here for an Intercept article and here for an updated Wired article.
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PASSKEYS ARE BEST FOR ONLINE SECURITY
With so many leaks of passwords by corporations, it almost a sure thing that if you use passwords, they have been stolen. One way to check is to use https://haveibeenpwned.com/Passwords that will tell you if your password has appeared in a data breach. The site has been vetted by numerous security professionals and seems safe to use.
This article on passkeys in Wired mag is a good explanation of why using passkeys are better than what you (or I) are currently using. I’ve been exploring it and am switching to passkeys when I can.
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AI PATIENT BOTS FIGHTING HEALTH INSURANCE AI BOTS!
In recent years, as more health insurance companies have turned to AI to automate claims processing and prior authorizations, the share of denied claims has risen. This year, 41% of physicians and other providers said their claims are denied more than 10% of the time, up from 30% of providers who said that three years ago, according to a September report from credit reporting company Experian.
Several businesses and nonprofits have launched AI-powered tools to help patients get their insurance claims paid and navigate byzantine medical bills, creating a robotic tug-of-war over who gets care and who foots the bill for it.
Sheer Health, a three-year-old company that helps patients and providers navigate health insurance and billing, now has an app that allows consumers to connect their health insurance account, upload medical bills and claims, and ask questions about deductibles, copays and covered benefits.
“You would think there would be some sort of technology that could explain in real English why I’m getting a bill for $1,500,” said cofounder Jeff Witten. The program uses both AI and humans to provide the answers for free, he said. Patients who want extra support in challenging a denied claim or dealing with out-of-network reimbursements can pay Sheer Health to handle those for them. Go here for the full article.
.............. WORD...............
The Oxford University Press announced on Dec.1 that it had selected “rage bait” as its word of the year. Ummm you would think that an informed word arbitrator would see that two words is not one word. The standards are slipping for sure.
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GROANERS
Anti-stalking…Learning a person’s routine in order to avoid them
Whoever put the ‘S’ in fastfood is a marketing genius
I only type in lower case because I hate capitalism…Karl Marx
Restaurant sign: Eat Here or we will both starve.
I asked the Bisbee Safeway person where the nuts are, she said, pretty much every aisle.
I just realized that the word ‘seven’ has ‘even’ in it. That’s odd.
Einstein developed a theory about Space. It was about time too, although that’s relative.
The adjective for metal is metallic, but not so for Iron which is ironic.
My friend ordered liver and onions from Door Dash, but they only brought the onions. I said it’s probably because you asked for it to be delivered.
Real Eyes
Realize
Real
Lies
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WORD ODYSSEY
About words, their origins, and the stories behind them.
(Former City of Bisbee attorney and Chief Civil County Attorney Britt Hanson wrote several columns about the origins of words or phrases, which appeared in the Tucson Weekly and the Sierra Vista Herald Review a few years ago. They are too good to be forgotten, so I will include them in most Wire issues.)
By Britt Hanson
Origin of the Almighty “Dollar”
A lot of books and blogs on etymology target odd words, many that you’ve never heard of, nor ever will again. These can be provocative. But for Word Odyssey I prefer common, everyday words, words we take for granted, but which carry a rich history that is not commonly known. So for my very first column for the Herald/Review, it’s fitting that I start with one of the most common words in American English: the almighty dollar.
Day in and day out, dollars fly in and out of our wallets—mostly out, it seems. But what the heck is the origin of that word? The “doll” in dollar doesn’t sound like anything familiar, except a plastic toy baby, which wouldn’t be a likely candidate to have led to the ubiquitous unit of American currency. And the “ar” ending of dollar isn’t a very common suffix, either. So what’s up with the dollar? Here’s the story…..
In the mountains of Bohemia that separate Germany and the Czech Republic there is a splendid valley—in German, “thal” means valley, which shares a root with the English dale—known as Joachimstal. That name comes from St. Joachim, who was named in the apocryphal Gospel of James—which is not included in the Bible—as the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus. After silver was discovered in the hills surrounding Joachimstal, in 1516 Count von Schlick, a local strongman, began minting silver coins with St. Joachim pictured on one side. These coins soon became known as “Joachimstaler Groschen”, with “groschen” meaning “unit.” Well, that’s a mouthful, so before you can say
Joachimstaler these coins came to be called simply thalers. Silver thalers circulated throughout Europe. In England the spelling and pronunciation
was Anglicized to dollars. Other European nations minted their own silver coins, similar in size and shape to the thaler. One such coin was the Spanish piece of eight, which was minted in Mexico and South America, and which became widespread as an international currency. In the English-speaking world, these pieces of eight were called “Spanish dollars”, and were the most popular form of currency in England’s North American
colonies. In fact, during the American revolution, Spanish dollars were used to back paper currency issued by the Continental Congress. So naturally, when the United States was established, the currency was given the familiar name dollar, and it’s been known as that ever since.
But what about that ubiquitous dollar sign: $, which looks like a capital “S” with two vertical bars through it? There are several stories as to how that came about, but the two most likely explanations revolve around the Spanish dollar. The coat of arms of the Spanish Holy Roman Emperor Charles V included the twin pillars of Hercules, which were entwined with an “S” shaped ribbon. This coat of arms was depicted on the reverse
side of the Spanish dollars.
One theory is that the dollar sign derived from a shorthand notation for these twin pillars, with the “S” shaped ribbon turned right side up. A second, better documented theory is that the dollar sign comes from a shorthand for pesos, which was symbolized with a “P”with an “s” beside it—overlap those two letters and you get something like $.
In either case, $ first appears in the 1770’s. After the U.S. was established, in short order the dollar sign became the customary symbol of the almighty dollar.
As a coda, I’m going to return to the home of the dollar: the mines of Joachimstal. The silver eventually played out, but it was discovered that the mines contained uranium. In fact, Marie Curie isolated the element radium from ore taken from Joachimstal. After World War II, Joachimstal became a part of Czechoslovakia, but was dominated by the Soviet Union, which needed uranium for atomic weapons. To mine the uranium, thousands of political prisoners were put to the task, and thousands died. Finally, in 1963, the mine was mercifully closed. Today, Joachimstal has once again become a quiet valley.
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