Happy Valentine's Day

The History of Necco Sweethearts Conversation Hearts

These tiny Necco hard colorful heart shaped candies are one of the things I look forward to around Valentine’s so I decided to look into them and see what their story is all about.

The first thing I found was that they’ve been around since the Civil War. They started out shaped like a seashell with a long noted word written on a piece of cloth and stuffed into the shell itself. The messages weren’t the short “Love You” type of sayings. Instead they were long worded sayings like “Married in satin, Love will not be lasting” “Married in Pink, He will take to drink” and “Married in white, You have chosen right.”

In 1902 the seashell shape was replaced by the heart along with other shapes such as a baseball, horseshoe, postcard and a watch. In time, only the heart would be continued to be made.

Each year the little sayings on the hearts all have a related meaning. In 2007 the sayings were all animal related and we saw “Cool Cat”, “Bear Hug” and Top Dog”. This year they’re weather related and we’ll see “Melt My Heart”, “In A Fog”, “Chill Out” and “Cloud Nine”. But there are classics that appear every year such as “Be Mine” and “Kiss Me”. Some sayings are retired because of changing times such as “Dig Me” and the ever popular “U R Gay” (no joke).

Over 8 billions little hearts will be sold this season alone. The stay fresh for a surprising 5 years and even though they only have a 3 week mass selling window it takes around 11 months to make a single years batch.

This year's sayings:

• MELT MY HEART
• IN A FOG
• CHILL OUT
• CLOUD NINE
• HEAT WAVE
• SUNSHINE
• GET MY DRIFT
• WILD LIFE
• NATURE LOVER
• DO GOOD

How To Be A "Perfect" Wife in 1965

I was doing some research online for a new blog posting I'm working on and I came across this old article from 1965 on "How To Be The Perfect Wife." No in NO WAY am I agreeing with this article so don't attack the blogger here. I just thought everyone would get a kick out of it and how much the world has changed in the past 40 years.

This was taken from Helen B. Andelin's Fascinating Womanhood, published by Pacific Press in 1965. The course was designed to teach women how to be happy in marriage.

GET YOUR WORK DONE

Plan your tasks with an eye on the clock. Finish or interrupt them an hour before he is expected. Your anguished cry, "Are you home already?" is not exactly a warm welcome.

HAVE DINNER READY

Plan ahead, even the night before to have a delicious meal, on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

PREPARE YOURSELF

Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. This will also make you happy to see him instead of too tired to care. Turn off the worry and be glad to be alive and grateful for the man who is going to walk in. While you are resting you can be thinking about your Fascinating Womanhood assignment and all you can do to make him happy and give his spirits a lift. When you arise, take care of your appearance. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

CLEAR AWAY THE CLUTTER

Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. in a bucket or wastebasket and put them in the back bedroom for sorting later. Then run a dustcloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order and it will give you a lift too. Having the house in order is another way of letting him know that you care and have planned for this homecoming.

PREPARE THE CHILDREN

Take just a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small) comb their hair, and if necessary change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them look the part.

MINIMIZE ALL NOISE

Especially give heed to this if your husband has to join rush hour traffic. At the time of his arrival eliminate noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet at the time of their father's arrival. Let them be a little noisy beforehand to get it out of their system.

BE HAPPY TO SEE HIM

Greet him with a warm smile and act glad to see him. Tell him that it is good to have him home. This may make his day worthwhile. If there is any romance left in you, he needs it now.

SOME DON'TS

• Don't greet him with problems and complaints. Solve the problems you can before he gets home and save those you must discuss with him until later in the evening.
• Also, don't complain if he is late for dinner. Count this as a minor problem when compared with what he might have gone through that day.
• Don't allow the children to rush at him with problems or requests. Allow them to briefly greet their father but save demands for later.

MAKE HIM COMFORTABLE

Have him lean back into a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to massage his neck and shoulders and take off his shoes. Don't insist on this however. Turn on music if it is one of his pleasures. Speak in a soft, soothing, pleasant voice. Allow him to relax - to unwind.

LISTEN TO HIM

You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first, then he will be a more responsive listener later.

MAKE THE EVENING HIS

Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and to relax. If he is cross or irritable, never fight back. Again, try to understand his world of strain.

THE GOAL

Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit. Then add to this the application of all the principles of Fascinating Womanhood and your husband will want to come home. He will rather be with you than with anyone else in the world and will spend whatever time he can possibly spare with you. Try living all of these rules for his homecoming and see what happens. This is the way to bring a man home to your side, not by pressure, persuasion or moral obligation.

Fox News Host Mocks Heath Ledger's Death

Tuesday afternoon Heath Ledger was found dead in his New York City apartment from what is now believed to been an accidental overdose of sleeping medication.

Ledger first made a name for himself in the Mel Gibson movie "The Patroit" but will probably be best known for his Oscar nominated performance as a gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain and as the Joker in the upcoming Batman movie "The Dark Knight". Heath Ledger was 28 and leaves behind a two year old daughter and a heart broken, devestated close knit family.

On January 23rd FOX News right wing, anti-gay radio host John Gibson decided to express his ignorance and hate to the nation through FOX News and mock the death of Heath Ledger just because Ledger portrayed a gay cowboy in BrokeBack Mountain.

Opening his radio show with funeral music, Fox News host John Gibson callously mocked the death of actor Heath Ledger, calling him a “weirdo” with a “serious drug problem.” Playing an audio clip of the iconic quote, “I wish I knew how to quit you” from Ledger’s gay romance movie Brokeback Mountain, Gibson disdainfully quipped, “Well, he found out how to quit you.” Laughing, Gibson then played another clip from Brokeback Mountain in which Ledger said, “We’re dead,” followed by his own, mocking “We’re dead” before playing the clip again.

GIBSON: Maybe he had a serious position in the market.
TOM SULLIVAN: And possibly today, he looked at the window and said…
GIBSON: “Oh my God.”
SULLIVAN: His name’s not Keith Bledger, right?
GIBSON: He was depressed about yesterday’s downturn in the world stock markets. On the Democratic debate in South Carolina:
GIBSON: Apparently Heath Ledger was suicidal and his friends saw it coming. I think he watched the Clinton-Obama debate last night. I think he was an Edwards guy, cause he saw his Edwards guy was just completely irrelevant.

In reality, New York City Police spokesman Paul J. Browne told the New York Times that there was “no obvious indication of suicide.”

Gibson gave a robotic like apology along with a smirk for his hate filled bias comments the following day.

Fox News once again shows the nation it stands by ignorance and hate by staffing the likes of John Gibson. It's a sad day for the family and friends of Heath Ledger. It's also a sad day for Fox News. You lost my trust and you lost me as a viewer.

It took pure courage for Heath Ledger to play a gay character in a film industry where an actor would usually be black balled after such a role.
It took pure cowardliness for John Gibson to hide behind a microphone and mock a man after he has died and not be able to defend himself.

If anyone is interested in sending your comments to Fox News here is the contact information:

Mr. Mitch Davis Vice President Fox News Radio Network
1211 Avenue Of The Americas 18th Floor
New York, NY 10036-8701
Direct Phone: *212-301-5800
Outlet Fax: *212-301-5455
Outlet Phone: 212-301-3000
Email: mitch.davis@foxnews.com

Mark Bingham Documentary

I have posted here in the past that a personal hero in my life is a man named Mark Bingham who was one of the passengers on United Flight 93 and was one of the people believed to have stormed the hijackers on the plane that day.

In the past year Emmy award winning director and producer Scott Gracheff has been working closely with Mark's family and friends to bring his story to the big screen in a documentary about his life. I had the honor to be interviewed by Scott on camera and I actually am in the film's preview which could be seen on line. (I'm the guy in the blue baseball cap at the rugby game).

I can't tell you how much this means to me to be part of this film. Even though he gave his life on September 11, 2001 stopping the hijackers on Flight 93, Mark managed to change my life for the better long after he was gone. Mark's mother Alice and his friends Joe and Todd really played key roles in helping me and I'll always be thankful for that.

I explain it better in the film and you could see that in the trailer so check it out here and find out who this man was and why he's loved by so many people:
http://www.markbinghamdocumentary.com/
(you could cut and paste it to make it work or look at my links on the left side of my blog and click the active link there)

Blog Makes the Newspaper

I received an email from a reporter last week from the New Haven Register last week. He told me he was doing a story on local Blogs and wanted to interview me.
Well today the story was in the paper along with a big dorky picture of me.
The article was pretty neat. So for my fellow bloggers out there I want to say that someone is actually reading what we write about so keep it up.

Here's the article for those who are interested:

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Even the guy next door who grows catnip and the kid who collects dust has a blog By Jim Shelton, Register Staff

Will the last person in Greater New Haven without a blog please turn off the lights on your way to the 21st century?
A decade after they first hit the Internet, digital diaries and compendiums continue to multiply and flex their muscles in the national discourse. It’s common now for people to check in with various blogs as part of their daily or weekly routine. Meanwhile, New Haven’s little corner of the blogosphere keeps growing. There are students with blogs, parents with blogs and citizens of all ages posting their thoughts about life, work, politics and the latest installment of “American Idol.”
For instance, readers far and wide can visit “Yankees Tonight,” at yankstonight.blogspot.com, for sports analysis from an East Haven man in his 20s; they also can surf over to “Derailed,” at bobbyderailed.blogspot.com, to read the ruminations of a 40-something Metro-North conductor from Clinton.
Then you have “For God, For Country and For Yale,” at ivycatholic.blogspot.com, written by a Yale University football player; and “This Blog Is About What?” at rochpunk.blogspot.com, compiled by an avid triathlete in Branford.
Some bloggers keep at it for years, while others post their musings for a few months and then move on to something else. Heck, even a passel of Register editors and reporters have blogs at nhregister.com.
“You want your voice to be heard, even if it’s only lighter stuff that you’re writing about,” says Rick Clark, a 42-year-old hospital lab technician from East Haven.
Clark is the author of “Rick’s Time On Earth,” at rickstimeonearth.blogspot.com. It’s got Clark’s movie reviews, thoughts on Paris Hilton and travelogues about weekend trips. He started it last year.
Although it focuses on ordinary life, “Rick’s Time On Earth” was inspired by one of the biggest events in American history — the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Specifically, the story of Mark Bingham, a passenger on United 93 who is thought to have been one of the people who attempted to storm the cockpit to wrest control of the plane from hijackers.
Bingham’s bravery, and his openness about being gay, led Clark to come out of the closet in 2006. Clark also developed a friendship with Bingham’s mother, Alice Hoagland, who gave Clark this advice: “Document your life on this earth.”
So that’s what he’s done, despite the fact that Clark had never read a blog. He’s had more than 1,400 visits to his blog since October, when he finally put in a counter.
“It shocks me,” Clark says of the number of people reading his posts. “I didn’t think anyone other than my friends would want to look. Actually, my friends don’t look very often. It’s mainly people I don’t know.”
Then you have blogs that evolve. For example, New Haven resident Judi Janette started writing a blog four years ago called “Escape to Elm City” at escapetoelmcity.blog-city.com. It was prompted by Janette’s move from Guilford to New Haven.
She updated “Escape to Elm City” faithfully for years, until she felt it had run out of steam. Then she created a new blog, “So Whay Sonata,” at sowhaysonata.blog-city.com. Its name is an abbreviation for her neighborhood, south of Whalley Avenue.
“Blogging gives you a freedom to write what you want and hash out your own ideas,” Janette, 44, explains. Her blog posts include everything from local politics to satire. Once, after she drove an SUV as a loaner vehicle while her car was in the shop, she posted her “TOP TEN REASONS TO DRIVE A BIG-ASS SUV.” Number seven was: “Personalized invitation to OPEC ‘Holiday Meet & Greet’ party.”
Now she’s taking her blogging in yet another direction, as an online diarist for the Web site New Haven Independent, at newhavenindependent.org. The venue may be different, but she says her writing sensibility remains unchanged. Like the time she wrote about cleaning up for Passover, for instance. That blog post hit a nerve with the public, apparently, because Janette started getting 1,000 hits a day after she wrote it. “I would get e-mails from people I know, saying, ‘Hey, you really should read this,’ and it was my post,” she laughs.
For a collegiate view of the city, there’s “Elightenment,” at andyatyale.blogspot.com, written by Yale freshman Andrew Feldman of Framingham, Mass. It’s a fresh take on the trials and tribulations of leaving home, coming to a new city and learning the rituals of a storied institution. He’s posted about attending a Master’s Tea, going to the Halloween concert at Woolsey Hall, enduring Parents’ Weekend and experiencing the annual Freshman Dinner in December.
“Some of my friends are amazed by all the Yale traditions,” says Feldman, 18. “Before I left for college, I talked with my parents about how often we’d keep in touch, and I thought it would be nice to have a record of freshman year. I’d say my most avid readers are my parents and grandparents.”
But they aren’t his only readers. Recently, Feldman struck up a conversation with a young woman in one of his classes. “She said, ‘My mom reads your blog,’” Feldman says.

Jim Shelton can be reached at (203) 789-5664 or jshelton@nhregister.com.

COLD and FLU

It winter and the cold and flu season are here. I was surprised at how many people didn't know the difference between the cold and the flu. Here's a list of the differences in the two.

FEVER: (COLD)-A fever is very rare with a cold. (FLU)-Fever is usually present with the flu. 80% of the flu cases include a fever. A temp of 100 degrees or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.

ACHES: (COLD)- Sight body aches or pains can be part of a cold. (FLU)- Severe aches and pains are common with a cold.

CHILLS: (COLD)- Chills are uncommon with a cold. (FLU)- Chills are fairly common in most flu cases. 60% of flu cases include chills.

TIREDNESS: (COLD)- Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold. (FLU)- Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.

SUDDEN SYMPTOMS: (COLD)- Cold symptoms are not sudden and develop over a few days. (FLU)- The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.

COUGH: (COLD)- A hacking, productive (mucus producing) cough is often present with a cold. (FLU)- A nonproductive cough that does not produce a mucus is usually present with the flu. Dry cough is present in 80% of flu cases.

SNEEZING: (COLD)- Sneezing is commonly present with a cold. (FLU)- Sneezing is not commonly present with the flu.

STUFFY NOSE: (COLD)- A stuffy nose usually accompanies a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week. (FLU)- Stuffy noses are not common with the flu.

SORE THROAT: (COLD)- Sore throat is common with a cold. (FLU)- Sore throat is not common with the flu.

CHEST DISCOMFORT: (COLD)- Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold. (FLU)- Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.

HEADACHE: (COLD)- A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold. (FLU)- A headache is very common with the flu.

Flue Facts:

• The flu is a contagious virus that is spread from one person to another through tiny droplets that are released into the air when a person infected with the flu coughs or sneezes. Sometimes, people can become infected by touching their nose or mouth after touching something infected by the flu virus.

• Most healthy adults can infect others one day before they begin experiencing symptoms and up to five days after they become sick. That means you can pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

• A typical case of the flu can last up to one week.

• The flu can be a serious illness, particularly for mature populations aged 50 and older, and those with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and asthma.

• Flu season can begin as early as October and last as late as May. Track the flu in your area.

As for the "starve a cold, feed a fever..or is it feed a cold..??" there is no evidence that not eating with shorten a cold. A cold is a virus and the only thing that will get rid of that virus is time. Bottom line is you have to wait it out. Drinking lots of warm fluids like tea and soup will help with the congestion and some research suggest high amounts of vitamin C may help also.

But be it a cold or the flu, rest and plenty of fluids are very important.

Happy New Year 2008

My 2008 Prediction

Once again we face a new year full of uncertainty and unknown so I decided to make a connection to the spirit world and ask for some guide in what's to come in 2008. Here are some of my predictions.

Apple's big seller in 2008 will be the I-Shoes : A Built in mp3 player in a pair of shoes that makes even the worst dancer move like they're on Dancing with the Stars.

Speaking of Dancing With The Stars. The star studded reality program will try something new by casting its next show with washed up animal actors such as The last living Lassie, One of the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz, Cornelius from the Planet of the Apes and Willy from Free Willy.

Britney Spears' oldest child gets custody of her.

Oprah gets so caught up in the 2008 election that she dumps Obama and declares herself the first Queen of The United States Of America.

We discover that global warming is actually being caused by a galaxy sized microwave oven.

The stalemate in the writers strike in Hollywood will continue far into 2008 as the writers demand more profits from the studios and the studios demand writers with talent.

Bin Lauden is captured while trying to pick up men in a Minneapolis, Minnesota, airport bathroom.

After gas prices rise drastically in 2008 the Ford Motor Company will introduce their latest fuel efficient car: The Flintstones Foot Mobile.

After discovering that she was adopted from the family of an lesser motel chain, Paris Hilton takes back her real name: Paris Motel 8.

WalMart decides to combine all of the end of the year holidays into one huge holiday that will last from September to January calling it Hallowthanksmas Year.

Merry Christmas to all.
From Rick's Time On Earth.

The Great Gingerbread House Contest 2007

Yet another contest is in full swing at the hospital I work for. Last year we swept the "Decorate A Mini Christmas Tree Contest" with are replica of Rockefeller Center in NYC. Then we moved into victory with the "Paint A Halloween Pumpkin Contest" with our Cinderella Coach pumpkin. Now a whole new challenge is upon us with a "Decorate A Gingerbread House Contest". This time our team leader is the soon to be famous Marsh BonTempo (seen with her masterpiece design Reindeer Ski Resort). Supplied with a generic pre made gingerbread house Marsha skillfully began to slap a shapeless blog of frosting and cookies together and came out with a resort. The resort is a gingerbread Christmas wonderland with a snow frosted mountain for skiing, a steaming hot tub for the vacationing reindeer, dazzling and sparkling Christmas trees and a toasty Pez fireplace to keep you warm on those chilly nights. Rumor has it that the likes of famous cookies such as Shrek's very own Gingie and the singing Chips Ahoy, along with the Keebler Elves and even Hansel and Gretel have vacationed at this chilly hot spot. Lets give a hand to the talented Marsha and let's see how the cookie crumbles for this contest!!! UPDATE 12-21-2007 : WE WON 1st PLACE!!!!!

Christmas In NYC 2007

I went to NYC this weekend and checked out one of the most famous Christmas Trees in the world, the tree at Rockefeller Center. One thing NYC could do is decorate the city for Christmas. Here's a peak at Christmas in NYC for those who aren't lucky enough to see it in person. Thanks to Kenny once again for these great pictures!
(Click On Picture To Enlarge)

"Rudolph the Red Nosed FREAK and the Shame of Santa"

(take this all in fun)
Tonight I watched "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer", what some people consider a classic Christmas cartoon. I'm here to let the truth be known about this "holiday classic"

This cartoon has so many hidden messages of hate and prejudices . It's a story about a small reindeer (Rudolph) that's born into the world with what some other reindeers and SANTA would call a deformity. A shinny nose that glows a bright red hue.

Rudy's parents are horrified when they realize their son is "different" and they try to hide his glowing beak from the world by making him wear this ridiculous looking black casing over it. Now Rudy fits well into society and is popular and excels in sports such as flying and other events in the Reindeer Games.

Things go terribly wrong for Rudolph the second his light bulb like nose is exposed to the world. His "friends" look at him in horror, staring at the red nose pulsating in front of them. Then Santa walks up to Rudolph's parents and says, and I quote, " Donnor (Rudy's dad), you should be ashamed of yourself!" What kind of man is this Santa??? Telling a parent he should be ashamed of himself because his son was born deformed! Who's he to talk, after all the man is a walking heart attack with that huge gut and don't even get me going about sneaking into children's rooms at night while everyone is asleep... the sicko.

Any how, we then have this little elf named Herbie. The guy hates working in this sweat shop like factory making toys. I'm sure the money sucks, if they get paid at all. The guy dreams of becoming a dentist and for that he's ridiculed by the forman and ends up running away because in the North Pole it's obvious it's a communist state and you're not allowed to follow a dream.

While running from the horrors of Santa's workshop Herbie meets Rudolph who has ben shunned from society and is now on his own in the freezing cold. The pair end up on an island. This is the worst part of the entire story. It's an island where civilians are sent that don't fit into the "normal world" to live out their lives in isolation. Kind of a leper colony of sorts. On this " Misfit Island" the duo meet toys that were banished after they didn't meet the evil Santa's standards. This menacing bunch would wait day and night for someone to come rescue them from the hellish prison and dreamed of a world where they would be a welcomed without prejudice.

We quickly learn that on Christmas Eve night the world is covered with some eerie fog and Santa realizes that his super race of reindeers are pretty much useless because they can't find their way through this heavy cloud cover. This is the point where Santa shows his true colors and hits an all time low. He decides to use his physically deformed freak reindeer Rudolph because his glowing nose would light the way. Because Santa needs Rudy, because he has no where else to turn, he allows Rudolph to live among the "normals". WHAT A LOW LIFE USER!" If I was that reindeer I would fly Santa's fat butt smack into an iceberg and let him sink like the Titanic.

The message of this story is if you don't fit into society. If you're different in any way it's o.k. to be ridiculed and shunned until you're needed to save everyone's butts.

Christmas kickoff 2007

To kick off the Christmas Season on my blog I thought I'd let Linus tell all of you what Christmas is all about (this speech is classic). We hear what Christmas is all about to Linus now drop me a message if you have time and tell me what Christmas is all about to YOU.

History of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

The first Parade in 1924 was called the “Macy's Christmas Day Parade” although it took place on Thanksgiving Day. In the early 1920's most of Macy's employees were first generation immigrants from Europe. To show their pride in America the started celebrated Thanksgiving in a European festival fashion by marching down the streets dressed as clowns, knights and other costumed characters. In 1927 it was renamed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Live animals including camels, goats, elephants and donkeys were a part of the Parade that inaugural year.

The original Parade route started at 145th Street and Convent Avenue and traveled 5.5 miles to 34th Street and Herald Square.

In the first Parade horses pulled the floats. A particular white steed, that was to aid in the Ben-Hur float, disappeared at the last minute before the start of the Parade.

In 1925 and 1926, bears, lions and tigers were added to the live animals used but this had to be discontinued because they scared the children along the line of march.

In 1927, Macy's replaced the live animals in the Parade with its now signature giant helium balloons. The first balloons included Felix the Cat, The Dragon, The Elephant and Toy Soldier.

1928 saw the first release of the giant Balloons into the air at the end of the Parade. Equipped with a return address label, in 1929, Macy's began offering prizes for the return of the giant balloons.The practice of releasing the Balloons was discontinued in 1933.

The Parade was canceled in 1942, 1943 and 1944 due to World War II. At the start of the war, Macy's donated the Balloons (that where made of rubber at the time) to the government’s rubber scrap heap in a ceremony held at New York’s City Hall.

In 1947, the holiday classic, Miracle on 34th Street, brought the Parade’s magic to theatres worldwide.

In 1948 NBC began telecasting the Parade nationwide, as spectators from coast-to-coast began referring to the Parade as the “Macy's Day Parade.

Macy's is the world’s second largest consumer of helium. The United States Government is the first.

In its 77-year history more than 300,000 Macy's employees have participated in the Parade. More than 50,000 clowns have delighted millions of children along the Parade route.

(click on pics to enlarge them)

Thanks to www.nyctourist.com for the cool history lesson!

Optical Illusions

Hi! I thought I'd have some fun with your brains and eyes. Check out these cool optical illusions. Remember, nothing on the page is actually moving. They're kind of wild.
(click on the image to make it bigger)

Cool Thanksgiving Facts

After doing some research on the web I came across this cool site that listed these Thanksgiving facts. So to start off the month of November on my blog I thought I'd list them.

(Thanks to http://abigslice.typepad.com for the info)

Some Cool Thanksgiving Facts

There are a lot of misconceptions about the first thanksgiving. The image that we grew up with was a bunch of pilgrims, clad in black with hats and large buckles on their shoes. They gathered around a table laden with pumpkin pies and turkeys and joined the indians in giving thanks for the bountiful harvest. This does paint a pretty picture, but not a very factual one. Here are the facts.

1621 is but the first of many holidays
Fact : Actually the first thanksgiving feast was not repeated. It was not the beginning of a long tradition of family meals. What's more the puritans would not have called the day "Thanksgiving." That term would have been applied to a religious holiday and such a day would have been spent in the church and not at a table feasting. Journals from the time tell of dancing, singing and playing games all of which would not have been allowed in a religious celebration. So the first Thanksgiving was secular in nature and therefore, in the minds of the pilgrims, it would not have been considered a day to give thanks to God.

The first Thanksgiving was the fourth Thursday in November
Fact : Although the exact date of the first Thanksgiving is not known, it probably occurred sometime between September 21 and November 11. More than a meal, the first Thanksgiving was really a festival lasting three days. The English had a centuries old tradition of harvest festivals and the first Thanksgiving was an extension of those. It wasn't until 1817 that New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom. Slowly other states began to do the same. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln assigned the last Thursday in November as a National Day of Thanksgiving. But it was not official and was up to each subsequent president to renew the appointment. Not until FDR was the date officially set. In 1939, the fourth Thursday in November was approved by the president as the official date of Thanksgiving. Congress ratified in 1941. So in the big scheme of things, Thanksgiving is actually a very modern tradition.

Pilgrims wore big buckles on their shoes
Fact : It was not until much later into the 17th Century that buckles came into fashion. As English Puritans the pilgrims only wore black and white on Sunday and formal occasions.

The feast included pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes
Fact : Of course, no one knows exactly what was on the menu at that first feast but, it is known that pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes were not there. It is almost certain that the pilgrims had no pies and no sweets on the table. They came to america with a limited amount of flour and sugar. After their first year in America the supplies of both were probably long exhausted. There were no ovens so breads and cakes, as we know them, were impossible. What it certain from written sources is that the pilgrims did enjoy lots of venison and wild fowl. According to Puritan custom, the first feast would have been eaten in shifts. In Pilgrim households the adults ate first while the children and servants stood by.

The Indians were in attendance
Fact : This one is true. According to Edward Winslow in A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth: "many of the indians came amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some 90 men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted." However the myths have grown, it is clear that life for these settlers was grim at best. Many of them perished en route to America, and more were to die during that first harsh winter. Their diet would seem to us today as very heavy and fatty, but the pilgrims needed that additional protein for their strenuous lives. You may not know that the only furniture they brought with them on this voyage were storage chests and boxes. Everything that they needed was constructed once they arrived in the New World.

We have come a long way since that first festival and Thanksgiving has taken on a whole new meaning. We are truly blessed with plenty. The tables are piled high with all sorts of dishes as we come together as families to enjoy the food and fellowship. We don't depend on a successful harvest to get us through the winter and as such modern Thanksgiving has evolved. Today we allow ourselves this one day to slow down and gather around the family table. In our opinion, that spirit, in and of itself, is worthy of a holiday.

Halloween Wrap-Up

Halloween has come to an end and I figured I should end it with a Halloween wrap up. I received a lot of fun feed back on the scary ghost video. That's what Halloween is all about. Some scary fun.
We WON for Best Original Pumpkin in the 2nd Annual Hospital Of Saint Raphael Pumpkin Contest with our Cinderella Coach pumpkin!

So with all the Halloween candy collected and the Thanksgiving approaching fast here's some pics of my nieces and nephews and friends in their Halloween costumes.

Horror Movie Quotes

Guess The Horror Movie Quotes:
(The answers are posted in the "comments". Tell me how many you got or any ones you know that I didn't post.)

1. "We all go a little mad sometimes."
2. "I want to see what your insides look like."
3. "Heeeeeere's Johnny."
4. "He never got out of the cocking doodle car!"
5. "Get out...GET OUT!"
6. "They're heeeeere."
7. "Stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors."
8. "He gets wolfier as the moon get's fuller."
9. "Hi, I'm Chucky. Wanna play?"
10. "To die..to be really dead, that must be glorious."
11. "You can't kill the Boogyman."
12. "I see dead people."
13. "Your gonna need a bigger boat."
14. "Kill her mommy. Kill her!"
15. "Have you checked on the children?"
16. "What ever you do, don't fall asleep."
17. "Help me. Help meeeeeee."
18. " They're coming to get you Barbara! They're coming to get you."
19. "Sometimes dead is better."
20. "They're all gonna laugh at you. They're all gonna to laugh at you!"

GHOST CAUGHT ON VIDEO!!

INCREDIBLE footage of what appears to be a ghost caught on video by a news film crew in England. This is frightening footage!!! Watch upper part of screen very close right after guy walks out of room. Happy Halloween!!

Pumpkin Contest

Today at work we created the most awesome pumpkin design for the 2nd Annual Pumpkin Contest at the Hospital of Saint Raphael (where I work). One of the rules of the contest is that no one could actually carve the pumpkin so we went with the theme of one of the most famous pumpkins of all (no...not The Great Pumpkin)... Cinderella's Pumpkin Coach. Here's the progress pics. (click on pics to enlarge)

The competition :

Ghost Photos

As Halloween gets closer I thought I'd throw more creepy things your way. I've uploaded a few pics where some believe ghost have been captured on film. I didn't take these pictures but after viewing dozens and dozens of images I was most impressed with these.

1. In 1995, as the town hall in Shropshire, England was being engulfed in flames, a man snapped several pictures of the burning building. After he developed the photos he notices standing amongst the raging fire was a little girl staring back at him. You could see her on the right side of the photo.
In 1677 on this very spot, several timber houses burned to the ground. A small girl was one of the victims of that fire. Could this be the same little girl? (click on picture to enlarge it)

2. Gettysburg, PA. was the site of one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War. Thousands upon thousands of men lost their lives in the three day battle in this tiny town. Since the following days of the battle, people began reporting images of ghost of Civil War soldiers. It is now believed to be one of the most haunted placed in America.

In this photo, a person took a picture of a group of people standing on the rocks in what is now called "The Devil's Den". After the picture was developed it showed a figure standing on the left side of the rocks. When the area was blown up for viewing you could see what apears to be a man dressed in a Civil War uniform. (Click on picture to enlarge it)




3. The town of Amityville, NY was thrown into the spot light after a family claimed their Long Island house was haunted by ghost of the previous family who were all murdered in the house. During the investigation of the haunting hundreds of pictures wee taken. While studying the photographs they came upon this single shot of a little boy staring back at them through a bedroom doorway. The same doorway where the children where shot to death. (Click on picture to enlarge it)

Gettysburg Ghost Video

I went to Gettysburg, PA. with my friend Dan on Saturday.
Walking the grounds where one of the bloodiest battles on American soil was fought was almost surreal.
The stories of the three days of fighting in this small town tell the tales of war and how devastating it could be.

Thousands of men lost their lives on these grounds.

While we were touring the battlefields of Gettysburg we realized that the grounds haven't changed much since that bloody day.
One thing I did learn was that many people claim these grounds are haunted. Some people show photos of what appears to be ghostly images of Civil War soldiers. The more I looked into these stories the more I found.

I'm posting a video that was shot a couple years ago in the heart of the battlefields of Gettysburg.

It shows what appears to be soldiers coming in and out of the woods just as they would have during this desperate battle. The woods were used as cover from gunfire because Gettysburg was made up of huge fields and rocky hills. Watch close and make up your own mind!

Halloween Cards

In the early 1900's it was very common to send Halloween greeting cards through the mail. This trend was as popular if not more popular then sending Valentine's cards. Most of the Halloween cards (Halloween spelled "Hallowe'en") focused on romance and good luck.
The act of sending cards at Halloween time faded away after the telephone caught on in the late 1930's. Here's some actually Halloween cards dating back between 1910 and 1925. (click on the card for full size)

History of the Jack-O-Lantern

Throughout the month of October I'm going to try to bring some interesting things about Halloween. I hope you enjoy.

My first Halloween post is the legend of the jack-o-lantern.
The Jack-O-Lantern is a classic Halloween pumpkin with a face carved into it and a candle inside that lights it up.

The story of the Jack-o-lantern has many origins but the most popular is about an Irishman named Jack. Jack was a drunk and a mean one at that.

On Halloween night Jack once again got himself drunk. He was said to be so drunk that his soul began to leave his body.

The Devil saw this happening and grasp at the opportunity to claim a victim. Jack was so desperate to save his soul from the Devil that he came up with a plan.

He begged the Devil to join him in one last drink. The Devil agreed but stated that being the Devil that he carried no money with him.

Jack, who claimed to have only enough money for one drink talked the Devil into changing himself into money.
When the drink was paid for the Devil could change back into himself, have the drink and take Jack's soul.
When the Devil changed into the coins, Jack picked them up and put them in his wallet which had the symbol of the cross on it. This trapped the Devil.

The Devil pleaded with Jack to be freed and promised Jack he would leave him alone for an entire year. Jack agreed.

The following Halloween the Devil returned in which he found Jack once again drunk and mean.
The Devil told Jack he came for his soul and Jack quickly came up with another plan.

He told the Devil that he would like an apple before he was taken. the Devil agreed and Jack lifted the Devil into an apple tree so he could retrieve an apple for Jack.

As the Devil stood in the tree Jack carved the symbol of the cross in the tree, trapping the Devil. The Devil bargained with Jack and promised if he was set free he would never bother with Jack again. Jack agreed and let the Devil free.

Jack lived out his life as a mean drunk and one day passed away. When Jack went to heaven he was turned away at the gates because of his life of hate and drunkenness.
Jack then went to the gates of hell where he was turned away by the Devil, stating their agreement that he would have nothing to do with Jack.

As Jack walked away the Devil tossed jack a burning lump of coal which Jack placed inside a hollowed out pumpkin which he would use as a lantern as he wondered Earth for eternity.

People would place hallowed out pumpkins with candles in them and place them on their front doorsteps in hope that Jack would take the light if needed instead of bothering anyone in the home.