Veterans Day: How to say thank you
November 9, 2007
November 11th is Veterans Day, a day to honor the sacrifice and service of all who have served in the United States military.
At one time, Veterans Day was Armistice Day. On November 11, 1918 both sides of World War I agreed to a cease fire known as armistice. In November 1919 President Woodrow Wilson officially proclaimed November 11th Armistice Day — a day dedicated to the cause of world peace.
In 1954, Armistice Day became Veterans Day. After World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day was changed to Veterans Day to honor all men and women who have served in the the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard, during peacetime and war.
In 1968, the Uniforms Holiday Bill changed the traditional day of observing Veterans Day on November 11th to the day closest to a weekend, thereby insuring the national holiday would fall on a three-day weekend. This change from November 11th as the absolute day to observe Veterans Day to a movable holiday caused confusion. Some states chose not to follow the change and kept November 11th as Veterans Day, regardless of what day of the week November 11th fell. Due to the historic significance of November 11th, President Gerald R. Ford returned the observance of Veterans Day to November 11th.
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Veterans Day: In Flanders Fields red poppies tradition
November 9, 2007
In the US, red poppies are most associated with Memorial Day, the day to remember and honor those in the military who have died while serving their country in time of war. The tradition of red poppies to honor veterans who have sacrificed their lives serving our country originated with a poem written by a surgeon with Canada’s First Brigade Artillery Colonel John McCrae during World War I titled In Flanders Fields.
During World War I, many soldiers died on the Flanders battlefields in western Belgium and northern France. As McCrae looked over the rows of soldiers graves, his grief compelled him to write the poem In Flanders Field.
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Veterans Day: Jennifer Love Hewitt video message
November 9, 2007
Veterans Day is the day we set aside to honor the men and women who have served, during peacetime and war, in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. Our servicemen and servicewomen sacrifice the comfort of home and family to protect democracy and freedom. During war, they put themselves in harm’s way so that we can continue to enjoy our way of life and the principles on which this country was founded.
Whether you support the current war in Iraq, or are in the majority of Americans do not, we all support the men and women serving in the Middle East and hope for their swift and safe return.
My great-great uncle served in World War I, my father served 22 years in the Navy, and my nephew was killed while serving in Iraq. Most Americans have family members who have served in the military. Jennifer Love Hewitt’s grandfather served in World War I and recently she visited veterans who were wounded in the war in Iraq.
As a result, Hewitt has taped a Veteran’s Day video message.
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World Kindness Week and World Kindness Day
November 6, 2007
Being kind is as easy as complimenting someone on a job well done or donating cans of food to a food drive. This year, November 12th through November 18th is World Kindness Week. World Kindness Day occurs during World Kindness Week on November 13th. To help celebrate both World Kindness Week and World Kindness Day, the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation provides a great list of kind acts that all of us can do to extend more kindness to others.
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Guy Fawkes Day
November 5, 2007
Remember, remember the fifth of November,
The gunpowder, treason and plot,
I know of no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
On November 5, 1605, a plot to blow up Parliament and kill the king was stopped when a group of armed men found Guy Fawkes underneath Parliament with barrels of gunpowder after an anonymous letter warning of the attack eventually made its way to the king.
The Gunpowder Plot was an attempt to kill King James I by a group of Catholics who where angry about how harshly people of the catholic faith were being treated in England at the time.
Today, November 5 is known as Guy Fawkes Day or Bonfire Night and is celebrated by lighting bonfires and setting off fireworks. It is mostly celebrated in Britain but festivities are also held in parts of Canada and New Zealand. The tradition started the same day as Guy Fawkes was found and arrested when Londoners lit bonfires in celebration of the king’s safety.
Daylight Savings Time: Change in time delayed
October 27, 2007
Slightly bad news for those looking forward to getting an extra hour of sleep this Saturday night.
The switch from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time — the time each year in the last weekend of October when the hands of the clock are turned back one hour — has been delayed a week. This year, the move back to Standard Time from Daylight Savings Time will occur the first weekend of November.
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Halloween Safety Month
October 25, 2007
It’s October and that means Halloween. People are carving pumpkins, putting together costumes, and stocking up on candy in preparation for this spooky holiday. While you are getting your trick-or-treat bags ready, the people at Prevent Blindness America want you to remember to be safe this Halloween.
Prevent Blindness America has created a fact sheet with tips for Halloween safety. The fact sheet has a list of Halloween safety recommendations. Some of the recommendations are:
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The Sweetest Day: Act of sweet kindness
October 20, 2007
The Sweetest Day is observed each year on the third Saturday in October as an act of kindness and an opportunity to remember orphans, the sick and the homebound. Today, the Sweetest Day has evolved as a means of expressing our appreciation for family, friends and coworkers in addition to remembering the less fortunate and perhaps disenfranchised members of our community.
A candy company employee named Herbert Birch Kingston is attributed with the origin of the Sweetest Day. In 1922, over 20,000 boxes of candy were given to street urchins, newsboys, orphans, the aged, and the poor in Cleveland, Ohio.
According to Wikipedia, the origin of Sweetest Day attributed to Kingston may not be as accurate as believed.
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Great American Beer Festival
October 11, 2007
Listed as one of the 1,000 places in the US to visit before you die, the annual granddaddy of all US beer fests Great American Beer Festival will serve over 1,800 beers from 474 American breweries to this year’s 40,000 plus attendees.
The beer festival hosts a tasting competition. Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded at the end of the three-day festival. A few of the new entries this year include Pumpkin Beer, Other Low Strength Ale or Lager, Gluten Free Beer, American-Style Sour Ale, Wood and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer, and American-style Imperial Stout.
In addition to beer taste testing, celebrity chefs will hold seminars and demonstrations on the culinary art of cooking with beer.
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Mushroom Festival: Mushroom Soup and Chanterelle Pasta Recipes
October 10, 2007
Mushrooms. A magical fungi with the ability to help you enter the realm of Gods? Mushrooms. The food offering immortality? Mushrooms. A food attributed with super human strength and in addition, could help you find lost objects? In ancient times, mushrooms were so prized as to inspire mushroom rituals.
September is National Mushroom Month. In these modern times mushrooms are still held in high regard. In the Mushroom Capital of the World, a two-day celebration of mushrooms is hosted in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The 22nd annual Mushroom Festival features a mushroom soup cook-off, mushroom farm tours, and a variety of live entertainment — all to raise public awareness about the tasty goodness and health benefits of mushrooms.
Following is a bit of mushroom folklore, mushroom fact and a delicious mushroom soup recipe.
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