In 1971, Memorial Day was designated by Congress as a national holiday to honor all Americans who died while defending the United States and its values. However, before Memorial Day was declared a national holiday, Americans had been honoring fallen soldiers for many years. In May 1868, three years after the Civil War ended, the Grand Army of the Republic established this day as a way to honor those who died in the war by decorating their graves with flowers. Originally it was called Decoration Day. The month of May was a natural choice as most of the country has flowers blooming in May.
The bees’ll buzz. Kids’ll blow dandelion fuzz … and people will look to buy a new house in Suummmmerrrrr! I live in Michigan and my daughters have made me watch “Frozen” over ten times, so I thought a quote from Olaf’s song was appropriate. It’s that time again – when people give in to their itch to put the house up for sale and upgrade their castles!
Philanthropy is not the act of a rich person helping a poor one, but a private initiative for public good, for the dignity, liberty and happiness of individuals at large. It supports institutions essential to human growth and upward mobility like schools at any level, museums, high art, religion … all to enrich the human spirit.
For me, spring officially kicks off every year with Humane Society of Genesee County’s “Paws on Parade” champagne brunch. As I was getting ready for this year’s event, I suddenly realized it would be my tenth time serving as emcee. I am honored to be asked to return every year, but what is most humbling about this annual Sunday outing are the people who repeatedly turn out to support it.
The unofficial anthem of North American baseball was written in 1908 by lyricist Jack Norworth and composer Albert Von Tilzer, neither of whom had ever seen a professional baseball game before penning it.
Film is supposed to entertain and enlighten; it isn’t created to make you hungry, although with The Search for General Tso, that is a plus.
I love it when Mother Nature melts away the wintery blanket of snow on my lawn to reveal all of the stuff I should have cleaned out of my garden before the first flake flew. I always have the best of intentions for a fall clean-up in preparation for winter. Somehow, it always magically seems to snow before I get around to clearing away the dead flowers and cleaning out the large planters on my deck and front porch.
In a written letter, Benjamin Franklin quipped, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Surprise! Tax time has rolled around again.
When I set my mind to thinking of a night out in Ireland, I think of a cozy pub and a tall pint of dark stout. I think of warm sweaters, scarves and caps and perhaps a crackling fire. In my mind is the singing of wild Irish songs of love lost and legends of kings of old. To me, this is Ireland … the pub life, the community, the gathering, the kindred-ness.
Which car DOES stop first at a four-way stop? The general rule is that four-way stops always operate in a clockwise direction. The driver furthest to the right always has the right of way, and then cars take turns in a clockwise direction. If multiple cars approach a four-way stop at about the same time, the driver who comes to a complete stop first proceeds first. If two or more cars arrive at a four-way stop simultaneously, the driver furthest to the right always proceeds first, and each next driver in the clockwise direction follows. If four cars arrive at a four-way stop simultaneously, drivers going straight should proceed first. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, I have a few rules that I found to be necessary when I encounter a four-way stop.
First of all, the government gives us a small window of time from January 1 through April 15 during which we can actually make contributions in the current calendar year for last year. So if you forgot to make your 2014 full contribution, it’s not too late to get it in. Actually, you could even contribute after April 15 if you file an extension on your taxes, but that’s getting into it more deeply than I’d like to at this point.
If you’re Steve Carell, and you’ve done the sitcom thing and played the funnyman on the big screen, you’re savvy enough to disappear into the scary persona he takes on in Foxcatcher. Carell spent about three hours daily in the makeup chair to become John E. du Pont, the real-life multi-millionaire who becomes a financially generous – but mentally unstable – mentor to Olympic wrestler, Mark Schultz (played by Channing Tatum).
