It occurred to me that today is the oldest I have ever been and the youngest that I will ever be.
I am young enough to enjoy, and old enough to appreciate a Happy Friday!
Dec 17, 2010
Four Christmas Song Authors
Interesting that four popular Christmas songs were actually written by Jewish authors. "White Christmas" was written by Irving Berlin in 1940. "Silver Bells" was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans in 1951. "Let it Snow. Let it Snow. Let it Snow" was written by Jule Styne with lyrics by Sammy Cahn in 1945. "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was written by Johnny Marks in 1949.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
The most famous reindeer of them all. The song is one of the best selling of all time as sung by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry. It is also on albums by the Supremes and the Jackson 5.
Rudolph was created ten years before the song in 1939, by Johnny Marks' brother-in-law Robert L. May for Montgomery Ward. The store wanted something to bring in holiday shoppers and the story/poem was given out to children as an advertising gimmick.
Modern reaction to this song about a reindeer, written by a Jewish author - "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" caused a stir at a New Hanover County school at Christmas time in 2008. A parent complained about the song's religious reference and got it pulled from her child's kindergarten Christmas show at Murrayville Elementary School. The song was pulled “because it had the word Christmas in it,” said Rick Holliday, assistant school superintendent. A Jewish mother, who didn't want her name published, objected to what she called "religious overtones" in the song. So the principal agreed to pull it from the program. Luckily the board and attorneys reviewed it and decided the song was not religious and had it reinstated into the kindergarten program.
Rudolph was created ten years before the song in 1939, by Johnny Marks' brother-in-law Robert L. May for Montgomery Ward. The store wanted something to bring in holiday shoppers and the story/poem was given out to children as an advertising gimmick.
Modern reaction to this song about a reindeer, written by a Jewish author - "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" caused a stir at a New Hanover County school at Christmas time in 2008. A parent complained about the song's religious reference and got it pulled from her child's kindergarten Christmas show at Murrayville Elementary School. The song was pulled “because it had the word Christmas in it,” said Rick Holliday, assistant school superintendent. A Jewish mother, who didn't want her name published, objected to what she called "religious overtones" in the song. So the principal agreed to pull it from the program. Luckily the board and attorneys reviewed it and decided the song was not religious and had it reinstated into the kindergarten program.
New Traffic Light Idea
Here is an ingenious idea that I saw on the web. Traffic lights that work like hour glasses. Eliminates the guess work of wondering when the light is going to change.
Ranch Dressing
It really did get its name from a ranch. Steve and Gayle Henson opened a dude ranch in California in 1954, and they served a delicious dressing that Steve made up while the couple was living in Alaska.
They did a nice business at their Hidden Valley Ranch, but guests were always complimenting them for the tasty dressing. The Hensons started bottling the stuff, and the popularity grew so quickly that they had to hire a crew to help mix up each batch. Steve’s creative dressing turned out to be quite lucrative and in 1972 Clorox paid $8 million for the recipe.
They did a nice business at their Hidden Valley Ranch, but guests were always complimenting them for the tasty dressing. The Hensons started bottling the stuff, and the popularity grew so quickly that they had to hire a crew to help mix up each batch. Steve’s creative dressing turned out to be quite lucrative and in 1972 Clorox paid $8 million for the recipe.
McGill University Study
Results from Canadian McGill University study, found that images of meat actually calmed men down and made them less aggressive.
The actual result of less aggression might reflect a genetic disposition to feel comfort at the sight of meat, with it being associated with gatherings of family and friends, the study's authors said.
Speaking of how ancient ancestors might have adapted their responses to the sight of meat ready for consumption, Kachanoff said "It wouldn't be advantageous to be aggressive anymore because you would've already used your aggression to acquire the meat, and furthermore, you'd be surrounded by people who share . . . your DNA."
The research was conducted with 82 male subjects who were asked to inflict varying degrees of punishment on actors if they made errors while reading scripts. It was presented as a multi-tasking study to the subjects, who were sorting various pictures while the actors read.
The punishment was made by subjecting the script reader to various volumes of sound, with the highest levels believed by the subjects to be painful for the reader. The subjects were less likely to attempt to inflict pain on the reader if it was an image of meat they were looking at while the mistake was made.
Bruce Friedrich, vice-president of policy for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), called the study's results "interesting." "Clearly, eating meat does support horrible violence, but apparently somebody seeing meat that is not directly relatable to the animal does not cause people to become more aggressive," Friedrich said.
Kachanoff said his group had some vegetarians in the test group, and no major differences were found in their responses. Studies like this prove that academics will go to great lengths to get their school to ante up for a barbecue.
The actual result of less aggression might reflect a genetic disposition to feel comfort at the sight of meat, with it being associated with gatherings of family and friends, the study's authors said.
Speaking of how ancient ancestors might have adapted their responses to the sight of meat ready for consumption, Kachanoff said "It wouldn't be advantageous to be aggressive anymore because you would've already used your aggression to acquire the meat, and furthermore, you'd be surrounded by people who share . . . your DNA."
The research was conducted with 82 male subjects who were asked to inflict varying degrees of punishment on actors if they made errors while reading scripts. It was presented as a multi-tasking study to the subjects, who were sorting various pictures while the actors read.
The punishment was made by subjecting the script reader to various volumes of sound, with the highest levels believed by the subjects to be painful for the reader. The subjects were less likely to attempt to inflict pain on the reader if it was an image of meat they were looking at while the mistake was made.
Bruce Friedrich, vice-president of policy for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), called the study's results "interesting." "Clearly, eating meat does support horrible violence, but apparently somebody seeing meat that is not directly relatable to the animal does not cause people to become more aggressive," Friedrich said.
Kachanoff said his group had some vegetarians in the test group, and no major differences were found in their responses. Studies like this prove that academics will go to great lengths to get their school to ante up for a barbecue.
Global Health Video
This guy is fantastic. He has a unique way of showing data with living charts. Here he shows global health for the world during the past two hundred years. Four minutes of fascination. LINK
Dec 14, 2010
Call for Free
The free Vonage Mobile application for Facebook lets you call your Facebook friends anywhere in the world if they have the same app downloaded in their iPhone or Android.
It is available for Android phones in 48 countries and in 87 countries for iPhone or iPod Touch and is available from Vonage Facebook fan page. You can also invite your friends to download the mobile application.
After downloading this app, you enter your Facebook ID and password for the first time.
The software then automatically loads your Facebook contacts and separates them into two groups. One with friends who downloaded Vonage mobile app and you can call them for free. Other group shows Facebook friends who are available for instant messaging.
Just, touch the friend’s name from the Call Free list and your free call is connected.
It is available for Android phones in 48 countries and in 87 countries for iPhone or iPod Touch and is available from Vonage Facebook fan page. You can also invite your friends to download the mobile application.
After downloading this app, you enter your Facebook ID and password for the first time.
The software then automatically loads your Facebook contacts and separates them into two groups. One with friends who downloaded Vonage mobile app and you can call them for free. Other group shows Facebook friends who are available for instant messaging.
Just, touch the friend’s name from the Call Free list and your free call is connected.
Another Google Search Tip
Use a minus sign right before a word to eliminate it from your search results. For example, if you are looking for cowboys, but not the team, you would type "cowboys -dallas -football" without the quotes. This trick goes a long way toward eliminating information that you are not interested in reading.
Saint Nikolas and Santa Claus
Though they have similar outfits, Nikolaus is not to be confused with Santa Claus, who Germans call the Weihnachtsmann, or Father Christmas. They are two different people. In fact, many religious families try to focus more on Nikolaus earlier in December to insure that Christmas is actually about Jesus’ birth, and not presents from an Americanized and commercialized Santa.
Each year on December 6, Germans remember the death of Nikolas of Myra (now part of modern Turkey), who died on that day in 346. He was a Greek Christian bishop known for miracles and giving gifts secretly, and is now the patron saint of little children, sailors, merchants and students. Known as Nikolas the Wonderworker for his miracles, he is also identified with Santa Claus. Beliefs and traditions about Nikolaus were probably combined with German mythology, particularly regarding stories about the bearded pagan god Odin, who also had a beard and a bag to capture naughty children.
The custom of leaving shoes out began because the historical St. Nicholas had a reputation for leaving secret gifts, such as coins, in people’s shoes overnight. Kids traditionally put out their boots, though shoes or stockings will suffice for those without boots. Dirty boots are unacceptable. Children polish their boots to show they’ve been good. They usually place just one boot outside their door so they don’t appear too greedy.
Each year on December 6, Germans remember the death of Nikolas of Myra (now part of modern Turkey), who died on that day in 346. He was a Greek Christian bishop known for miracles and giving gifts secretly, and is now the patron saint of little children, sailors, merchants and students. Known as Nikolas the Wonderworker for his miracles, he is also identified with Santa Claus. Beliefs and traditions about Nikolaus were probably combined with German mythology, particularly regarding stories about the bearded pagan god Odin, who also had a beard and a bag to capture naughty children.
The custom of leaving shoes out began because the historical St. Nicholas had a reputation for leaving secret gifts, such as coins, in people’s shoes overnight. Kids traditionally put out their boots, though shoes or stockings will suffice for those without boots. Dirty boots are unacceptable. Children polish their boots to show they’ve been good. They usually place just one boot outside their door so they don’t appear too greedy.
This Week in 2008
President-elect Barack Obama said job creation and a stronger economy are the yardsticks against which his economic recovery plan should be measured.
Dec 10, 2010
Happy Friday!
Man is in possession of his own life when he can control his thoughts, rule his passions, and govern his habits.
I think I can hardly control my passion for the habit of making a Happy Friday!
I think I can hardly control my passion for the habit of making a Happy Friday!
Deep Fried Onion Rings
According to most sources, the onion ring was invented when a careless cook at a Pig Stand in Dallas accidentally dropped an onion slice in some batter then pulled it out and tossed it in the deep fryer. The Pig Stand also claims to opening America’s first drive-in, inventing Texas toast, and being one of the first restaurants to advertise using neon signs. After consuming a batch, you might consider the following post.
Listerine
Listerine was the first over-the-counter mouthwash sold in the United States in 1914 and by 1921 it was already falsely marketing its product. Declaring itself a cure-all for common cold ailments like sore throats and coughs, a dandruff preventative, an anti-shave tonic, and a safe way to protect yourself from cuts, bruises, wounds, and stings, Listerine was slapped with numerous false advertisement lawsuits.
In 1975, the Federal Trade Commission ordered the company to spend $10 million in corrective advertising, as their product was no more effective in treating colds than gargling warm water. In 2005, the company was slapped with another lawsuit. This time because Listerine claimed it was as “effective as floss” after rigging clinical trials.
In 1975, the Federal Trade Commission ordered the company to spend $10 million in corrective advertising, as their product was no more effective in treating colds than gargling warm water. In 2005, the company was slapped with another lawsuit. This time because Listerine claimed it was as “effective as floss” after rigging clinical trials.
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