Fact Friday : 06/15/12

Welcome to "Fact Friday"


On Fridays here on House-Wise, we list a week-full of facts. You may find important facts, observances, famous birthdays, trivial facts, information, or interesting tid-bits about this & that.  You never know what facts you'll find here on Fridays!

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I should have posted this at the beginning of the month.......

Here's just some of the holidays & awareness' for the month of June

June 7th is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day.
June 9th is Donald Duck Day.
June 14th is Flag Day
June 15th is National Bug Busting Day.
June 16th is Fudge Day.
June 16th is National Nursing Assistants Day
June 17th is Father's day.
June 18th is International Picnic Day.
June 19th is World Sickle Cell Day.
June 20th is the Summer Solstice.
June 27th is National HIV Testing Day.
June 30th is Meteor Day.
June 30th is National Ice Cream Soda Day.

The First Week of June is National CPR & AED Awareness Week.
June 3-9 is Rip Current Safety Awareness Week.
June 10-15 is Arizona's Monsoon Awareness Week.
June 10-16 is Cervical Screening Awareness Week.
June 12-15 is National Cyber Security Awareness Week.
June 11-17 is National Glaucoma Awareness Week.
June 9-17 Michigan's Aquatic Invasive Species Awareness Week.
June 24-30 Is National Camping Week.
June 20–26 is Carpenter Ant Awareness Week.
June 22-28 is Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week.

Vegetable of the Month: Okra.
Fruit of the Month are Cherries, Plums, and Pluots.
Flower of the month is the Rose.
June Astrological Signs are Gemini (till 20th) & Cancer (beginning 21th)

June is National Hunger Awareness Month.
June is Goat Trauma Awareness Month.June is Cataract Awareness Month
June has been declared “International Surf Music Month” by a coalition of international surf bands.
June is National Adopt-A-Cat Month.
June is National Zoo & Aquarium Month.
June is Fight the Filthy Fly Month.
June is Dairy Month.
June Is Lane Courtesy Month.
June is National Aphasia Awareness Month.
June is National Candy Month according to The National Confectioners Association.
June is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month.
June is National Migraine Awareness Month.
June is Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month.
June is National Scleroderma Awareness Month.
June is National Osteoporosis Month (UK).
June is ALS Awareness Month (Canada).
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader declares June Bathroom Reading Month.
June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month (Well, in 2009 it was. Read it: here).


Whew!

....and that's not even close to all of them!

House-Wise

"Make yourself at home"

There's no "Happy" in Memorial Day

The real Memorial Day

A day for remembrance

Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed annually in the United States on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day, which was first used in 1882, is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. 

Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died in all wars.

Many people visit cemeteries and memorials, particularly to honor those who have died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries.

The practice of decorating soldiers' graves with flowers is an ancient custom. Soldiers' graves were decorated in the U.S. before and during the U.S. Civil War.

On Memorial Day the flag is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day. The half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all.

A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 pm local time.

Civil War vets. Memorial Day 1920

On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars, among other groups, has sought to restore the May 30 date for Memorial Day. The VFW has said, "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."

Information obtained from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_day, and other sources. No copyright infringement intended. For educational purposes only.

House-Wise

"Make yourself at home"

Finally, a skin cream that works - too bad they don't make it anymore!

Argh!

Just my luck. I FINALLY find a hand cream that actually WORKS on my hands, and it's been discontinued!!!!! 

See this stuff? I LOVE it.
See this stuff? They've discontinued it!

Ever since moving to the VERY dry Colorado air, my hands get chapped, split, and peel. Bad. They bleed. It's horrible. It's painful & sometimes I can't even use my hands for days. I was like this evening. I mean, cant click a mouse, pick up a fork, or even make coffee!

For the last two winters, I have been using O'Keeffe's Working Hands, as it was the first thing I found after 3 years of searching, that worked. I have tried everything on the shelves. Everything from Oil of Olay to Jergens, to the stuff in Bath & Body Works, I also ordered stuff with big promises online....but nothing really helped. I even tried Vaseline, Shea Butter, Glycerin, and Aloe. Prolly spent a hundred or two on products. Nothing worked great. But Working Hands worked the best. So I continued to use it. But, even after applying it, I couldn't use my hands for a while. That plus the stearic acid made it sting...but it was also what heals. I dealt with it.

I also use Gold Bond Ultimate Healing formula lotion for after hand washing, since it's water that drys out your skin the most in winter. And I wash my hands ALOT. It's a pretty good product. One of the best I found on my search. It doesn't stink perfumy, isn't oily, greasy, or slimy.


On one of my shopping trips, I had found this little travel tube of something called Pacquins at Big Lots, and grabbed it...like I said, I was trying EVERYTHING on the shelves.

Well this stuff is AWESOME! You put it on, and the pain is gone. It's not sticky or slimy like Vaseline. Didn't give me headaches like scented lotions. I mean, it's PERFECT! I've been using this little tube for a while, and went online to see where I could buy more. Seems it was discontinued in 2008. No stores carry it anymore. I just happened to find it at a store that carries discontinued items. ;-)

I mean sure, you can find it on ebay....for $85 -$150 a jar! No freakin' way!

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Not fair! Something that has been around since the 30's and they discontinue it! Grandmothers, great grandmothers, they've been using this stuff since THEY were young. It's a PROVEN product. Yet, Johnson & Johnson, who bought the product line from Pfizer, stopped production. They have umpteen million lotions on the market, yet none of them that I've found, has a formula that works. It's a shame.

I've looked at the ingredients, and many of the other lotions have the same. But they just don't work.

I'm just.........ARGH!!!


In my research I've found two products that people who used to use Pacquins say is close. Not as good, but that's what they use now that Pacquins is unavailable. I'll give them a try. They are Curel original formula & Herbacin Kamille + Glycerin

Thank you for listening to my venting. :-)

House-Wise

"Make yourself at home"

Can you pass the US Citizenship Test?

Honestly. If you weren't born here, would you, could you, be a citizen? Sure, if you studied the given questions like pending citizens are, but what about those of us who went to public school and learned (or was supposed to learn) this stuff in class?

This blog post has nothing to do with politics - really! This post has to do with schooling.

I'm not political. I hate politics. I stick my fingers in my ears and say, "nah, nah,nah" anytime anyone starts talking politics. Government and history were my hated classes. I failed video class at a tech center because I would not give political opinions on a 'skit' we were doing. Have I mentioned I hate politics?

I homeschool my son. We recently started government (blech). In chapter two of his college course textbook (2004), it gave a sample citizenship test. Get 18 of 30 correct, and you would pass. He gave me the test. Whew! Thankfully I was naturalized when I was 15! ...Just kidding. I passed with flying colors. *doing the happy dance* I may hate politics, but I know my shit....errr government! ;-)

However, I did some research. And it's quite depressing.

About 92 percent of the people who take the citizenship test pass on their first try, according to immigration service data. Well, good...but then again, they are given the questions up front & told to study. :-\

There are 100 questions on the new citizenship's oral exam. All applicants are given all 100 questions, as well as the answers, in advance, and they are encouraged to study. When they sit down for the test, they are asked 10 at random; they have to get six of them right to pass. Question....could you? Sure if I was given the questions to study beforehand, but what about just knowledge from school. Could ya? Honestly?

The test was given to Oklahoma High school students. They didn't fare as well. Only about 3 percent of the students surveyed would have passed the citizenship test.  They were not given time to study. They should know this stuff! They live here. They just 'learned' it in school...didn't they? Yet, 97% didn't. That's sad. Only 1 in 4 of the students knew who the first president of the US was. Really?

In another bit, Newsweek gave 1,000 Americans the test. 38% failed. 38% of Americans couldn't pass the citizenship test! Appalling!

In their article, it states:
29% couldn’t name the vice president.
73% couldn't correctly say why we fought the Cold War.
44%  were unable to define the Bill of Rights.
6% couldn’t even circle Independence Day on a calendar.

Wow. Just wow.  I had my last civics class in 9th grade. That was.......1985, and I retained most of that knowledge. Huh. Of course, I was also taught it. Are these kids?

My son was able to answer every single question in his book, and he elaborated on most of them. :-) And his civics teacher was giving him bad grades? What? Ugh. Anyway....this is why I homeschool.

Interested in knowing if you could pass? Here are some of the questions given.  How many do you actually know? Have fun. ;-)

 How many stars are there in our flag?

 What do the stars on the flag mean?

 How many stripes are there in the flag?

 What do the stripes on the flag mean?

 What is the date of Independence Day?

 Independence from whom?

 What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?

 Who was the first President of the United States?

 Who is the Vice-President of the United States today?

 What is the Constitution?

 What do we call a change to the Constitution?

 What are the three branches of our government?

 Who makes the laws in the United States?

 Who elects Congress?

  How many senators are there in Congress?

  For how long do we elect each senator?

  What is the supreme law of the United States?

  What is the Bill of Rights?

  Who becomes President of the United States if the President and the Vice-President should die?

  Can you name the 13 original states?

  Who said, "Give me liberty or give me death."?

  What are the 49th and 50th states of the Union?

  How many terms can a President serve?

  Who selects the Supreme Court justices?

  What holiday was celebrated for the first time by American colonists?

  Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?

  Who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner?

  What is the minimum voting age in the United States?

  Who signs bills into law?

  Who was President during the Civil War?

  What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

  What is the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America?

  What were the 13 original states of the U.S. called?

  Who has the power to declare war?

  Which President freed the slaves?

  What is the supreme law of the land?

  Where does Congress meet?

  What is the introduction to the Constitution called?

  What is the United States Capitol?

  Which President was the first Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?

  In what month do we vote for President?

  How many times may a Senator be re-elected?

Interested in more? Here is the official USCIS website with the study materials given to immigrants before taking their test: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.749cabd81f5ffc8fba713d10526e0aa0/?vgnextoid=982a309186e89210VgnVCM10000025e6a00aRCRD&vgnextchannel=c242df6bdd42a210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD

House-Wise

"Make yourself at home"

AAA offers free 'tipsy tow' service on New Year's Eve

Once again, this New Year's eve, AAA is offering Tipsy Tow.

AAA Tipsy Tow drivers are ready and waiting to assist drivers who are the worse for wear between 6pm New Year's Eve 2011 and 6am New Year's Day 2012.  If you or someone you know over-indulges this New Year's Eve, don't try to navigate the roads on your own -- here's the info on your free ride home this holiday season.

The AAA Tipsy Tow program is running throughout a good chunk of the United States, in an effort to keep drunk drivers off the road and accidents down on New Year's Eve.

The AAA Tipsy Tow number is 1-800-AAA-HELP, or 1-800-222-4357.

Just call in and tell the operators you need a Tipsy Tow.  AAA will drive you and tow your vehicle up to ten miles for free.  For tows that exceed 10 miles. Motorists will be charged the towing company's standard rate if the milage exceeds 10 miles, which is about $3 per mile. You don't have to be an AA member, and you won't have to show any identification.  Tipsy Tow's service will not take the driver to another drinking establishment, a repair facility, or any other location besides their home. The only exception is a hotel — as long as the driver is or plans to become a guest there.

In 2010, AAA received 2,400 calls; nearly 14,000 intoxicated drivers have used Tow to Go since the program began in 1998, according to a press release.

House-Wise

"Make yourself at home"

Twelve Days of Christmas (song)

The Twelve Days of Christmas" is an English Christmas carol that enumerates a series of increasingly grand gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas. Textual evidence suggests the song, first published in England in 1780, may be French in origin.

History....

The twelve days in the song are the twelve days starting Christmas Day, or in some traditions, the day after Christmas, to the day before Epiphany (January 6). The eve of the Epiphany is formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities.

    On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
    12 Drummers Drumming
    11 Pipers Piping
    10 Lords-a-Leaping
    9 Ladies Dancing
    8 Maids-a-Milking
    7 Swans-a-Swimming
    6 Geese-a-Laying
    5 Gold Rings
    4 Colly Birds
    3 French Hens
    2 Turtle Doves
    And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

Variations....

There are many variations of this song. A version considered by many to be the authoritative, traditional version of the chant in England appears in The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes. There are some regional variants of the verb. In the US the true love sometimes "gave" the gifts to the singer. In the British version, the true love "sent" the gifts to the singer, but "said" is also found. Some misinterpretations have crept into the English-language version over the years. The fourth day's gift is often stated as four "calling" birds but originally was four "colly" birds. The fifth day's gift of gold rings refers not to jewelry but to ring-necked birds such as the ring-necked pheasant. A minor variant includes the singing of "golden" rather than "gold" rings, to avoid having to stretch "gold" into two syllables.

Meaning....

The lyrics of The Twelve Days of Christmas may have no meaning at all. Its meaning, if it has any, has yet to be satisfactorily explained. Regardless of the origin of this idea, a number of Christians give the following meanings to the gifts:

A partridge in a pear tree - Jesus
Two turtle doves - The Old and New Testaments
Three French hens - The three kings bearing gifts
Four calling birds - The four Gospels
Five gold rings - The Torah or Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament
Six geese a-laying - The six days of Creation
Seven swans a-swimming - Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
Eight maids a-milking - The eight Beatitudes
Nine ladies dancing - Nine fruits of the Holy Spirit
Ten lords a-leaping - The Ten Commandments
Eleven pipers piping - The eleven faithful Apostles
Twelve drummers drumming - The twelve points of the Apostles' Creed

Some noted accounts of the song....

In 1951, Burl Ives recorded a traditional version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas".

In 1963, Allan Sherman released—two different versions of "The Twelve Gifts of Christmas," in which the gifts are tacky early 1960s items, such as a cheaply-made Japanese transistor radio. Also that year, Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their album Christmas with The Chipmunks, Vol. 2, in which they grow tired in the middle and accidentally flub on the eleventh day.

In 1968, Frank Sinatra and his children, included their own version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" on their album, The Sinatra Family Wish You a Merry Christmas. This version features items that Frank himself would like, such as "Five ivory combs, Four mission lights, Three golf clubs, Two silken scarfs, and a most lovely lavender tie.

In 1979, The Muppets and singer-songwriter John Denver performed "The Twelve Days of Christmas" together on the 1979 television special John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together.

In 1982 On the late-night sketch-comedy program Second City TV in 1982, released a version on the SCTV spin-off album Great White North, in which the gifts included eight comic books, seven packs of smokes (cigarettes), six packs of two-four ("two-four" is Canadian slang for a case of 24 bottles of beer), five golden toques, four pounds of back bacon, three (pieces of) French toast, two turtlenecks, and a beer in a tree (identified early on in the song merely as "a beer"). They did not get past the eighth day; Bob wanted to include a dozen (12) doughnuts on the twelfth day.

In 1996, Jeff Foxworthy released the parody, "Redneck 12 Days of Christmas," on his album, Crank It Up: The Music Album.

In 2006, Twisted Sister made a parody named "Heavy Metal Christmas" in their album A Twisted Christmas.

Via Wikipedia

House-Wise

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Winter Solstice 2011

Via http://earthsky.org, http://www.timeanddate.com and http://www.huffingtonpost.com

The 2011 December solstice takes place on Thursday, December 22 at 5:30 Universal Time. That’s Wednesday, December 21 at 11:30 p.m. CST. Officially the first day of winter, the winter solstice occurs when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun. This is the longest night of the year, meaning that despite the cold winter, the days get progressively longer after the winter solstice until the summer solstice in 2012.

What is a solstice? The earliest humans knew that the sun’s path across the sky, the length of daylight, and the location of the sunrise and sunset all shifted in a regular way throughout the year. They built monuments, such as Stonehenge, to follow the sun’s yearly progress.

The end of the world in 2012? The 2012 December solstice will be on December 21, 2012. Many prophecies about the end of the world surround this date because it corresponds to the last day of the Mayan calendar.

Celebrations The winter solstice is celebrated by many people around the world as the beginning of the return of the sun, and darkness turning into light. The Talmud recognizes the winter solstice as "Tekufat Tevet." In China, the "Dongzhi" Festival is celebrated on the Winter Solstice by families getting together and eating special festive food.

One of the most famous celebrations of the winter solstice in the world today takes place in the ancient ruins of Stonehenge, England. Thousands of druids and pagans gather there to chant, dance and sing while waiting to see the spectacular sunrise.

Until the 16th century, the winter months were a time of famine in northern Europe. Most cattle were slaughtered so that they wouldn't have to be fed during the winter, making the solstice a time when fresh meat was plentiful. Most celebrations of the winter solstice in Europe involved merriment and feasting. In pre-Christian Scandinavia, the Feast of Juul, or Yule, lasted for 12 days celebrating the rebirth of the sun god and giving rise to the custom of burning a Yule log.

In ancient Rome, the winter solstice was celebrated at the Feast of Saturnalia, to honor Saturn, the god of agricultural bounty. Lasting about a week, Saturnalia was characterized by feasting, debauchery and gift-giving. With Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity, many of these customs were later absorbed into Christmas celebrations.

House-Wise

"Make yourself at home"

Twelve Days of Christmas

So, my family. We're non-traditional. Of course, that's pretty obvious. But I'm talking about Christmas.

See, I was an only child. And a very spoiled one at that....especially at Christmas. Under the tree was always packed with gifts. All for me. Of course, to be honest, I never got anything anytime during the year. Only Christmas. If I wanted something in March.....I had to wait 'til Christmas. So anyway, Christmas morning. Boatload of gifts. All wrapped up for me to open. Hundreds! ....OK, not literally, just kidding. Maybe. ;-\

 No, no Santa gifts. Why? When I was 6 or 7, I had a friend, Kim. She informed me there was no Santa. I was devastated. I mean, really, devastated. To learn that there was no Santa Clause! Would that mean I got less gifts? Why did they lie? But, but... So, my parents let me choose. Wrapped "Santa" gifts, or unwrapped ones like the years before when I thought there was a Santa. I chose wrapped (mostly-a few unwrapped). It's just funner that way. (Yeah, I know that isn't a word. It just sounded good.)

So. I had LOTS of gifts on Christmas morning. Open, open, open. Paper & ribbon everywhere. Gifts strewn here & there.  A mess.  My mom would clean up the wrapping & boxes. She would pile up all the gifts (now opened) back under the tree. I would pick a couple throughout the day & play with those. The rest, stayed under the tree for a couple days until my mom took them to my room. Ah Christmas. Here & gone.

Yes, I was spoiled as a child. But, I am happy to say I did not turn out into one of those greedy, have to have everything adult. Actually, I live pretty frugally. I recycle/reuse. I make many things instead of buying them. And when I do buy stuff, I never pay retail! I think I turned out pretty good for being spoiled.

Fast foreword to being a mom, with two kids. The only thing that I carried on to adulthood from the experience is that I spoil my kids. Yep. Sure do. I admit it. They are sooooo spoiled at Christmas. And birthdays too.

But, I have learned alot from my childhood, and have changed a few things. First, my kids get gifts throughout the year. Occasionally I'll come home & just out of nowhere give them a gift. Everything isn't saved for birthdays & Christmas. Showing you care is something for everyday, not just holidays. At least that's how I feel. Second, we never did the Santa thing. I know, I know, you may think me cruel. I thought it best to just tell my children of the "story" of Santa (and the Easter bunny, etc.). Yep. Let them know it's a fun story, but that there isn't a fat guy who comes down our chimney and eats cookies & leaves gifts on Christmas eve. Not that we had chimneys in south Florida....a window? *shrug* Anyway, I thought it best to give them the fun of the story without having to be hurt when they learned Santa never existed and I lied to them. It's worked out fine. They still get tons of gifts. They're happy little children.

So where does the Twelve days of Christmas come in? Well, on Christmas morning, the kids would have all these gifts. Wrapping, ribbon, boxes...a mess. Just like I did when I was a kid. And like my mom, I would gather up the wrapping & stack the gifts under the tree. And just like me when I was young, my kids picked a couple toys to play with all day on Christmas. The rest, forgotten under the tree. .....For days. About a week after Christmas, I would gather up the gifts and put them away in their room. When cleaning their room months later, I would notice some of the gifts still weren't used. And I remembered back, the same thing as a child. Gifts went forgotten, and never used.

So, since I just cannot, not spoil my kids at Christmas, we had to figure something out. Yes, I know it would be best to not spoil them, but I just can't! I see something, I know they'll like it, it ends up coming home. Sorry. It's the one time I spend money (of course still not at retail price!). So, what to do?

Well,  a couple years ago when I came home from Black Friday shopping, my hubby is like, "Why can't we just have Christmas now? Why wait? You're gonna make the kids wait until half their winter break is over to get their toys. If they got them now, since you're done shopping, they can have the entire two weeks to play with their new stuff." I agreed with much of his logic. However, my argument was, it loses the 'Christmas feel' if we opened gifts now. And, come Christmas, they wouldn't have anything to open, and would feel disappointed. They wouldn't understand they had Christmas early. So, we thought about it. We also talked about how the gifts often go forgotten because they got so many. Thats when we decided to do the "Twelve days of Christmas". Even though I am aware that the Twelve days of Christmas is actually AFTER Christmas, we chose to have the kids open one gift for twelve days leading up to Christmas (sort of like Hanukkah). This way, they had time to play with their toys, they wouldn't get overwhelmed, and the Christmas spirit would be alive for almost two whole weeks.

We've been doing this for a few years now, and I have to say it has worked out really well. The kids still get a full stocking, and some presents on Christmas to give that special 'Christmas morning' feel. But gifts don't get lost in the mess, unused, and forgotten. Each gift is special on it's own day.

We love being a non-traditional family.

House-Wise

"Make yourself at home"