Black History Month!

Of course February is Black History month here in the United States. What I didn't know was that Black History month is celebrated in Britain in October! It is also celebrated in Canada as well!

You learn so many new things on the Internet!

Black History month is a time to acknowledge the contributions of African Americans to America's history and development.

We Are DEFINITELY In The Middle Of The Winter Season Here!

It has definitely been cold for the last few weeks here in the Philadelphia area! In my own local area which is just outside the Philadelphia city limits, our temperatures tend to be a little bit more colder than what the temperatures are in the city.

We have just had a bout with some snow but mostly the problem is the ice! It is thick! And I even remember hearing on the news that many people have had accidents slipping on the ice! The ice outside my front door is more treacherous than it is in the street!

The temperatures haven't gone above freezing in the last few days so the ice is still there. While we had some sun during the day, when the temperatures dropped and the sun went down, the ice became a problem again!

For Sunday and Monday we're supposed to have temperatures in the 40's so hopefully that will melt all of the ice!

I mean I know that we are in the middle of the winter season but that ice is just something!

I think that this is one of the colder winters that we have had!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Here is a list of what is opened and closed on this day

What's open and closed today, the holiday honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:

• Most schools and government offices will be closed, but many businesses will be open. Many workers do not have the day off as a holiday.

• Most Metro buses will operate with a reduced weekday schedule, featuring more services than on weekends but somewhat less than normal weekdays, with some route or individual trip cancellations.

• State ferries will be on regular weekday schedules.

• Some basic services, such as garbage pickup, will be on regular schedules, and some transfer and recycling stations will be open.

• Most banks and credit unions will be closed.

• Post offices will be closed; no home delivery except for express mail.

• Public libraries and state-owned liquor stores will be closed.

January - Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

"Governor Blagojevich (Illinois)Urges Women to get Screened During January - Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today declared January Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in Illinois and is urging all women, especially women who smoke, to get screened regularly for cervical cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, women who smoke are almost twice as likely as non-smokers to develop cervical cancer."

Hanukkah

Hanukkah begins at sundown today. Special Hanukkah Prayers will also be used over an eight day period!



Hanukkah (Hebrew: חנוכה‎, IPA: ['χanuka], alt. Chanukah), also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, and may occur from late November to late December on the Gregorian calendar.

source

Wikipedia

A special candelabrum called the Menorah is used.

Special Hanukkah prayers are recited.

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This version includes both the English and Hebrew translations!

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Latke Recipes!

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These Ebooks are in .pdf format!

Thanksgiving

Here is a link to a very heartwarming story about a woman who opened her home to others for Thanksgiving!

In the article she has said that her and her family faced a lot of hardship in the past and were very nearly homeless (I don't know if this had anything to do with their home being foreclosed on or whether or not their home was in the foreclosure process) but her life has turned around and she wanted to show her gratitude by helping others!

Veterans Day!

This is the day that we celebrate all veterans - both living and deceased!

There are lots of Veterans' Day activities going on all over the United States today and you can find out more about this day by clicking here

Time To Turn Your Clocks Back One Hour Tonight!

I don't know if this is when daylight savings time ends or begins but I do know that tonight (at around 2am) is when we are supposed to turn our clocks back one hour - thus gaining an additional hour of sleep!

I'm all for that!



Just found out that since we are turning our clocks back that means that we are going back to standard time!

Columbus Day - Some Thoughts / Opinions....

Why is it we celebrate Columbus Day??

They forced their way into native settlements, slaughtering everyone they found there, including small children, old men, pregnant women, and even women who had just given birth. They hacked them to pieces, slicing open their bellies with their swords as though they were so many sheep herded into a pen.
They even laid wagers on whether they could manage to slice a man in two at a stroke, or cut an individual's head from his body, or disembowel him with a single blow of their axes. They grabbed suckling infants by the feet and, ripping them from their mothers' breasts, dashed them headlong against the rocks. Others, laughing and joking all the while, threw them over their shoulders into a river, shouting: 'Wriggle, you little perisher.'

Ya' know, I was afraid someone would ask that question.

No doubt, there's no call for celebration in the Father's testimony of the shameful deeds that occurred during that chapter of human history, or in the years that followed on this continent. As a member of the Pagan community, reading them drives home the point of how important it is to respect and honor the preservation of all native cultures.

There's also the fact that Columbus wasn't the first to 'discover' the New World. Far from it.



But...I think most people celebrate the spirit of the holiday, which marks the first voyage across the Atlantic. At least that's how I look at it.

If anyone were to ask me, and I'm sure that won't happen, I'd suggest the holiday be revamped into a memorial day instead of a celebration...for the plight of our Native Americans and a truthful understanding of their 'history' and culture. - That's an excellent idea! I'd suppport it. Should we write to our congressmen? Seriously. - That's a good idea as I was serious.

Especially IF you have any congressmen in your state that care. Unfortunately there are none of those sorts here. But I would gladly write to others---if there are any of that nature left in Congress thesedays. I only know of one or perhaps 2 that might consider it and the gathering of support of their peers (for the little people) has been what they did well in the past...perhaps you are aware of others?

Why not try?

Enjoying Halloween At ANY Age!

I don't believe that Halloween is just for the kids!

In my own local area, there are quite a few events going on during the Halloween time and they are not just for kids!

I have noticed that there are less and less areas that give trick-or-treat candies out to kids now a days! I guess people are just trying to be more cautious.

Although I do admit that its nice seeing kids (and adults too) trick or treating. I mean that is what this holiday is about right?

Labor Day!

Surprisingly enough Labor Day falls on the first day of September - which happens to be a Monday! I don't think I ever recall Labor Day coming so early!

If I were a suspicious kind of person I would think President Bush had something to do with it just to get people back to work!