Posts by bobcaat

Anyone who does not like Captain America

Centuries before the arrival of Jesus, early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many peoples’ rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.  In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year.  The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. For many, it was the only time of year when they had a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking.  In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Oden, as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his people, and then decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside.

In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, Saturnalia—a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture—was celebrated. Beginning in the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a hedonistic time, when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down.  Also around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome. In addition, members of the upper classes often celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun, on December 25. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans, Mithra's birthday was the most sacred day of the year.

In the early years of Christianity, Easter was the main holiday; the birth of Jesus was not celebrated. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Unfortunately, the Bible does not mention date for his birth (a fact Puritans later pointed out in order to deny the legitimacy of the celebration). Although some evidence suggests that his birth may have occurred in the spring Pope Julius I chose December 25. It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century. By the end of the eighth century, the celebration of Christmas had spread all the way to Scandinavia.

By holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would be popularly embraced, but gave up the ability to dictate how it was celebrated. By the Middle Ages, Christianity had, for the most part, replaced pagan religion. On Christmas, believers attended church, then celebrated raucously in a drunken, carnival-like atmosphere similar to today's Mardi Gras. Each year, a beggar or student would be crowned the "lord of misrule" and eager celebrants played the part of his subjects. The poor would go to the houses of the rich and demand their best food and drink. If owners failed to comply, their visitors would most likely terrorize them with mischief. Christmas became the time of year when the upper classes could repay their real or imagined "debt" to society by entertaining less fortunate citizens.

In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday.

The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.

After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under America's new constitution. Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870. 

It wasn't until the 19th century that Americans began to embrace Christmas. Americans re-invented Christmas, and changed it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and nostalgia. But what about the 1800s peaked American interest in the holiday?  The early 19th century was a period of class conflict and turmoil. During this time, unemployment was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted classes often occurred during the Christmas season. In 1828, the New York city council instituted the city's first police force in response to a Christmas riot. This catalyzed certain members of the upper classes to begin to change the way Christmas was celebrated in America.  In 1819, best-selling author Washington Irving wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, gent., a series of stories about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house. The sketches feature a squire who invited the peasants into his home for the holiday. In contrast to the problems faced in American society, the two groups mingled effortlessly. In Irving's mind, Christmas should be a peaceful, warm-hearted holiday bringing groups together across lines of wealth or social status. Irving's fictitious celebrants enjoyed "ancient customs," including the crowning of a Lord of Misrule. Irving's book, however, was not based on any holiday celebration he had attended – in fact, many historians say that Irving's account actually "invented" tradition by implying that it described the true customs of the season.

Also around this time, English author Charles Dickens created the classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol. The story's message-the importance of charity and good will towards all humankind-struck a powerful chord in the United States and England and showed members of Victorian society the benefits of celebrating the holiday.  The family was also becoming less disciplined and more sensitive to the emotional needs of children during the early 1800s. Christmas provided families with a day when they could lavish attention-and gifts-on their children without appearing to "spoil" them.  As Americans began to embrace Christmas as a perfect family holiday, old customs were unearthed. People looked toward recent immigrants and Catholic and Episcopalian churches to see how the day should be celebrated. In the next 100 years, Americans built a Christmas tradition all their own that included pieces of many other customs, including decorating trees, sending holiday cards, and gift-giving.

Although most families quickly bought into the idea that they were celebrating Christmas how it had been done for centuries, Americans had really re-invented a holiday to fill the cultural needs of a growing nation.

We have two Caviliar King Charles Spaniels from the same litter and we love them.  Our prevous dog was a Husky; we loved him and he was good with us but he was agressive with strangers.  So after he passed and we decided to get another dog we wanted a dog that was very friendly with everyone.  Caviliars love everyone; everyone is their friend.  We both work and we did not want our dog to be alone all day so we decided to get two dogs.  Since we were getting two dogs we decided to get smaller dogs as two large dogs could be a bit much and we went with the Caviliars.  The big surprise to us is how LOUD they snore.   

I want an English Bulldog!

Original Post by bettymilo:

Wait a minute.... wine from Juicy Juice??  I gotta hear more about this....

 Also known as - Prison Hooch!

I agree with Pgeorgian.   

Congratulations on giving blood.  I always gave blood and felt really good about it; it is a good way to do something good and give back.  Unfortunately since I lived in Germany in the early 80's I am no longer eligible to give blood; I believe it is related to the risk of mad cow disease.  I would think by now my risk of mad cow is pretty small; I hope they change their policy and allow me to give blood soon.

Where you are leaving from and what month you want to go will have a big impact on the cost.  Is the $2K the total cost or just airfare and hotel?  You can use Apple Vacations and/or FunJet Vacations websites to get an idea of what a vacation package will cost; I have not used either to book a trip but it will give you an idea on the prices.  These firms and travel consolodators can save you money with a package as they often get very good deals on airfare.  Also use tripadvisor to read about the various resorts or hotels; I like the see the photos from travelers rather then photos from the resort to get an idea of what the resort is really like.

Are you set on the Bahamas or open to other islands?  You may get a better price at one of the other islands. 

 That one didn't pop into my head, likely because I can never understand what the chick is saying.  Not that it matters.  It's damn catchy. 

The original by Nena was sung in German (saw her in Germany in '83); it was recorded in English but with different lyrics. It is damn catchy. 

You may find this interesting as a data point; the link below is the Army PT Test 2-mile run times standards.  If I remember correctly 60 points was the minimum to pass.

http://www.apft-standards.com/run.html

I am very pro-military but I believe money could be saved in the military pension system.  Currently if you serve 20 years active duty you receive 50% of your base pay for the rest of your life with cost of living increases annually. 

So you could enlist at 17; retire at 37 and receive military retirement pay for the rest of your life (almost 40 years with male life expentency at about 76; even longer for a female.)  A college graduate that goes in at 22 can retire at 42.  If they serve 30 years they draw 75% of their base pay.