How many do you have in your wallet or purse right this second? In your junk drawer or glove compartment? How many have you forgotten you have or never used and had to throw away? Too many, would be my guess.
Since before many of us can remember, the cornucopia has been a symbol of autumn and has adorned many tables in celebration of our Thanksgiving holiday. From the Latin Cornu Copiae meaning “horn of abundance” the item is traditionally pictured or modeled as a horn-shaped wicker basket overflowing with produce, flowers, fruits or nuts. In centuries past, baskets of this form were used in Asia and Central Europe by workers during harvest season, worn strapped and slung around the shoulder and then filled with picked bounty.
It’s October … the month of ghosts and goblins, vampires and werewolves. On Halloween night, we are bound to see terrors of all types walking around neighborhoods from door to door on a quest to fill buckets and bags with candy and treats. There are spooky costumes galore, but most can not live up to the reputation of the classics. A few monsters are considered horror royalty and one, bigger than the rest, is Frankenstein’s monster.
When Billy Durant took a call from Ben Briscoe, President of the Maxwell-Briscoe Company, a chain reaction started that has yet to end. That simple conversation and the in-person meeting that followed at Buick planted the seed of consolidation in Durant’s mind that would lead to the formation of General Motors and the triumph of Flint.
Since the beginning of civilization, people have been telling, writing and enjoying stories. Dramas, comedies, mysteries, epic poems and more have entranced us with dreams beyond our tangible world. We all have memories from our earliest days of parents or teachers reading the simplest books to us while our eyes grew in wonder at the characters and colorful pictures. Classic children’s books such as The Poky Little Puppy, Where the Wild Things Are, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and countless others got us interested (and many of us hooked) on the tales crafted by our storytellers.
Whew! Looks like it’s going to be a hot one this year and as summer heats up, the local beach becomes a popular family attraction. Enjoying a few hours in the sand and the waves is a beloved pastime for kids and adults alike and to do it right, there are many essentials. Towels, radios, inflatables, a football or frisbee, sunblock and cool shades are definitely on the list. To truly enjoy the beach properly, however, you can’t forget a pail and shovel. These simple tools are absolutely a must for the construction of an amazing, well-fortified, moat-surrounded, finely-detailed, triple-decker sand castle.
Do you love summer in Michigan? Do you love Thanksgiving in November? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then you need Summersgiving in your life! It combines the best of sunshine and Thanksgiving in one neat little package and is the perfect excuse to throw a party with family and friends.
Written between 1755-1750 BC in Babylon, the Code of Hammurabi is one of the earliest and most famous examples of early law. The definition of law is fluid but may be defined as a set of rules that are created and enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior. The development of law mirrors the development of civilization itself. Ancient Egyptian law dates back to 3000 BC and its pronouncements are based upon the concepts of truth, harmony, order, morality and justice. The first known law “code” was started in approximately 2200 BC by Sumerian King Ur-Nammu. It consisted of simple “if … then …” statements, usually doling out harsh consequences for those who deigned to “break” the law. When Hammurabi came to power around 1760 BC, he built upon the statements made by Ur-Nammu by adding to, codifying and inscribing them in stone. The 282 “laws” are now known as the famous Code of Hammurabi.
Every mid-March, the world turns green and the mythical leprechaun is in the thick of it. Known the world round, a leprechaun is defined as a type of solitary fairy that hides in the hollows, caves and tree trunks of Ireland bestowing wishes and wealth upon those who are lucky enough to find and catch him. Don’t look away once you have him, though – he’ll vanish in a flash, leaving you empty handed and forlorn … or so the legends go.
In February of 1909, a group of prominent African Americans including W. E. B. Du Bois, Archibald Grimke, Mary Church Terrel, and Ida B. Wells met in New York with White progressives Henry Moskovitz, Mary White Ovington, William English Walling and Oswald Garrison Villard, with the goal of creating an organization to champion equal rights, eliminate racial prejudice and advance voting rights, education, employment and legal justice for colored citizens. The effort was made as a response to continued unfair treatment and segregation of the African American population and was in part a result of the 1908 Springfield race riot when a white mob burned down 40 Black homes in the area and murdered two Black citizens.
