What Would Jimmy Do?

The practice of marking worshippers’ foreheads with ashes in the  shape of a cross is one of Christianity’s most visible rituals. Ash Wednesday is important because it marks the start of the Lenten period leading up to Easter, when Christians believe Jesus was resurrected. The ashes symbolize both death and repentance.

The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are meant to represent dust. When receiving ashes on their foreheads, parishioners hear the words, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” This is a  reference to what God says to Adam when exiling him from the Garden of Eden.On Ash Wednesday, the saying is a reminder to be humble in the face of mortality.

The history of Ash Wednesday is less than 1000 years old. It’s never mentioned in the Bible, but there is a verse in the Book of Daniel that links fasting to ashes, and some scholars believe this is the origin of the Lenten practice. Ash Wednesday didn’t gain mainstream popularity with Christians in the U.S. until the 1970s.

Not all Christians observe Ash Wednesday — the day is probably most closely associated with Catholicism, but there are many Christian sects that recognize it, including Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians and even some Baptists. There are also Christians that refrain from Ash Wednesday celebrations — Mormons, Evangelicals, and Pentecostal Christians are some of the denominations that don’t take part in the holy day.

I ‘ve mentioned this in past years, but a lot of parishes have started offering “ashes to go” on Ash Wednesday. In some places, priests and pastors will station themselves in public places, like street corners, parking lots or metro stops and administer ashes to whoever asks to receive them. You don’t need to be a church leader to administer ashes. Some churches give parishioners the option to take packets of ashes home with them to apply to family members or loved ones who couldn’t make it to church.

There are rules about what you can eat on Ash Wednesday because it’s a day of fasting…. it’s interesting that McDonald’s sells more Filet-o-fish sandwiches on Ash Wednesday than any other day of the year.
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Mardi Gras is a 300-plus-year-old holiday — one of the longest, most widely celebrated holidays across the world, bringing together countries with vastly different cultures and backgrounds to celebrate in their own unique ways. 

Better known as “Carnival” in much of the world, countries like Belgium and France use the holiday as a celebration to welcome spring with symbolic flowers and seasonal fruits. Other countries stay true to their respective cultures and throw massive parties in the name of the holiday.

Mardi Gras is more than just a day, it’s an entire season. The Mardi Gras season technically begins on the Christian holiday of January 6, known as Epiphany, or “Three Kings Day” or “The Twelfth Day” and ends on Fat Tuesday.

The biggest Mardi Gras celebration I’ve ever been to is in New Orleans. Elaborate, colorful ladders have lined the streets of New Orleans during Mardi Gras parades for years. The tradition caters to the younger audience attending Mardi Gras for pure entertainment. Since kids are usually too short to catch the parade from ground level, the ladders are equipped with a small ledge at the top, making for the best seat in the house.

Mardi Gras concludes on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Lent. For 40 days, Christians voluntarily abstain from a number of vices and privileges as a symbol of sacrifice. So Mardi Gras is considered the last chance to participate in absolute gluttony and indulge in the variety of foods unique to the Carnival celebration.

Masks are a tradition at Mardi Gras — they were first implemented as a way of evading social constraints and stereotypes to provide Carnival goers the freedom to be whomever they want to be and socialize with whomever they wish. That tradition has held strong and added to the excitement of the celebration over the years and all Carnival goers are encouraged to wear a mask on Fat Tuesday. Float riders are required — by law — to wear masks throughout the parade.

To officially end Carnival celebrations, New Orleans police officers on foot and on horseback move through the crowds on Bourbon Street at Midnight — usually accompanied by the Mayor.
So happy Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Pancake Day, or whatever you call it — just  a few more hours ‘till the party ends.
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President’s Day is celebrated every year on the third Monday of February. It’s a day to remember all the presidents in American history — today’s the day to honor them for their work in making America the great country it is today.

After the death of George Washington in 1799, his birthday was unofficially celebrated as a day of remembrance called Washington Day. Throughout the 1800s, people used this day to honor our first president and the legacy he left. In 1832, a resolution permitted the internment of George Washington’s body in the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. The Washington Monument was erected in 1848.

It wasn’t until the 1870s that Steven Wallace Dorsey proposed that Washington’s birthday should become a national federal holiday — President Rutherford B. Hayes signed it into law, and it joined the four existing bank holidays that had been previously approved.

Because of Abraham Lincoln’s legacy and since his birthday was on February 12, very near Washington’s birthday, it was proposed that Washington Day should become President’s Day to celebrate both men — but the idea was rejected by Congress. 

In the late 1960s Senator Robert McClory of Illinois concocted a plan to move key bank holidays to Mondays to increase the number of  of three-day weekends for workers. His plan became known as the Uniform Monday’s Act. The idea was that it would increase productivity and decrease employee absenteeism. Of course, the labor unions agreed with the idea. 

In 1971, Ricard M. Nixon signed the executive order to pass the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which shifted Washington’s Birthday, Columbus Day, Memorial Day, and Veterans’ Day to Monday. The date of “Washington Day”  landed in the middle of Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays, so it became known President’s Day. Since then, President’s Day has become a common term, honoring all presidents.

Since it’s now President’s Day and not Washington’s Birthday….
There are 3 universities named after George Washington.
There are 5 national parks named after Roosevelt.
President William Henry Harrison passed away 32 days after becoming president.
President James Madison was only 5 ft., 4 in. tall, making him the shortest president ever.
President Teddy Roosevelt took office at the age of 42 — making him the youngest to hold that office.
Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4th, 1826, which was the 40th anniversary of the approval of the Declaration of Independence.
George Washington was the only president to be unanimously elected by all of the state representatives. 

Out country was founded on the idea that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is meant for all people. Today’s a good day to decide that it’s up to all of us to make sure it happens.
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There’s a lot of special days in the month of February, but today is one of my favorites — it’s National Drink Wine Day! It’s celebrated every year on February 18.

National Drink Wine Day was started to celebrate the love of wine. Drinking wine not only leads to great times with friends, but there at at least 8 possible benefits from drinking one or two four-ounce glasses of wine a day. I found this on the Internet, so it must be true….
• Longevity (wine drinkers have a 34 percent lower mortality rate than beer or spirit drinkers)
• Reduces Heart-Attack Risk (moderate drinkers suffering from high blood pressure are 30 percent less likely to have a heart attack than nondrinkers)
• Lowers Risk of Heart Disease (red-wine tannins contain procyanidins, which protect against heart disease)
• Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes (moderate drinkers have 30 percent less risk than nondrinkers of developing Type 2 Diabetes)
• Lowers Risk of Stroke (the possibility of suffering a blood clot-related stroke drops by about 50 percent in people who consume moderate amounts of alcohol)
• Cuts Risk of Cataracts (moderate drinkers are 32 percent less likely to get cataracts than nondrinkers; those who consume wine are 43 percent less likely to develop cataracts than those drinking mainly beer)
• Cuts Risk of Colon Cancer (moderate consumption of wine (especially red) cuts the risk of colon cancer by 45 percent)
• Slows Brain Decline (brain function declines at a markedly faster rate in nondrinkers than in moderate drinkers)

There are 8 types of red wines: Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet sauvignon, Malbec, Pinot noir, Zinfandel, Sangiovese and Barbera.
There are 7 types of white wines: Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Semillion, Moscato, Pinot grigio, Gewürztraminer, and Riesling. 

Claire cooks with wine — sometimes she even adds it to the food.
So how to celebrate this day should be obvious, but sometimes the best way to celebrate National Drink Wine Day is to just kick back and relax with a glass of your favorite wine.
A good day starts with good coffee and ends with good wine.
So raise a glass and cheers to National Drink Wine Day!
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The word “bard” came up the other day — I’d remembered hearing the term, especially associated with Shakespeare. But I looked it up to be sure it really meant what I thought it did. Here’s the dictionary definition:
(formerly) a person who composed and recited epic or heroic poems, often while playing the harp, lyre, or the like.
one of an ancient Celtic order of composers and reciters of poetry. 
I’d have to mark myself correct as to knowing what a bard is, but that got me to thinking…. 

For most of human history, storytellers passed everything there was to know from one generation to the next — “out loud.” Rhyme and rhythm made things easier to remember, so the stories were usually told in poems and songs.
During the Middle Ages in Europe, singing storytellers were the keepers of information. In 13th century Ireland, these storytellers were called “bards.”  The really good ones got to sit next to the king in his court. Then along came the troubadours — singers who wandered around the countryside, telling stories in the form of ballads. That’s the way the everyday news got passed along, too. 

So this gets me to what I actually wanted to write about today….
Because of these bards, troubadours, storytellers, etc., when people first started to read, most of them couldn’t understand the words unless they said them out loud. Since they’d been “listening” to all this information, when they started to read, it was usually out loud and to each other — just like stories had always been told. 

These new readers needed to hear the words as well as see them. My extensive research on the subject found out that it was probably into the 15th century before people got the hang of reading silently. 
After people started to read, the default assumption was if you were reading around other people, you’d read aloud and share it. Today, our default assumption is we’ll read it silently and keep it to ourselves. 

That strange new trend of reading to yourself obviously drew some criticism — some skeptics thought  it attracted daydreamers and the “sin of idleness.” And even worse, it let people learn and reflect without religious guidance or censure.

I think it’s lucky people learned to read to themselves — can you imagine what the library would be like if they hadn’t?
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Today is Valentine’s Day. There are differing opinions as to who or what we are celebrating on February 14. Before I get too far into this subject it’s worth noting that Valentine’s Day is banned in some countries because it’s deemed to be pagan or not a part of the country’s cultural identity. 

There are several different Saint Valentines. The Catholic church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine, each of who were martyred and honored on February 14th. Most/many historians believe that the holiday was originally created to celebrate one or more of these saints and the romantic association with the day developed later. 

A lot of people believe that Valentine’s Day was created (by the Catholic Church) as a Christian replacement for the pagan festival of Lupercalia. Lupercalia was celebrated in mid-February and was also associated with fertility and love and purification. The festival involved the sacrifice of goats and dogs, as well as the exchange of gifts and love notes between young men and women. So Pope Gelasius declared February 14th as Saint Valentine’s Day to separate the church from Lupercalia.

But today, all across the world, Valentine’s Day is thought of as a time to celebrate what is called love. And it’s a booming multimillion-dollar industry. The greeting card industry sells approximately 190 million cards, it’s the number one holiday for florists, and the candy manufacturers flourish. And restaurants are packed. 
If you follow this blog, you know that we don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day on Valentine’s Day. We celebrate the day before or the day after — those days offer a much more relaxed dining experience.

But today love is in the air, as they say… but so are germs. 
Lewis Black said, “What I find most disturbing about Valentine’s Day is, look, I get that you have to have a holiday of love, but in the height of flu season, it makes no sense.”
They also say that love conquers all, so go ahead and celebrate, but be safe — Happy Valentine’s Day.
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First off, congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs for winning Super Bowl LVII. It was a great game — one of those that you hate to see either team lose.

Now that that’s out of the way, here’s my gripe of the day. Let’s get this out of the way right now — I’m a curmudgeon and I grumble about lots of things, but one thing that I used to like and don’t anymore, is the singing of the national anthem before the start of sporting events. 

The singing of the national anthem prior to a game like the Super Bowl is a great gesture of patriotism — but why have a pop singer perform it? For some reason, pop singers seem to think they have to perform their own “interpretation” of The Star Spangled Banner, and often times those interpretations make the song unrecognizable. 
All the military bands, and choral groups, perform the song with elegance and simplicity — the way it should always be performed.
I don’t question that pop stars are very accomplished musicians, most with extraordinary talent. But show that musical innovation somewhere else — not singing our national anthem. That song deserves a great deal of respect. 

The national anthem is supposed to arouse our patriotism, stir us from the inside and make us feel the spirit of the nation as a single entity. 
It should be sung in its true spirit and meaning — not as a musical rendition to show off someone’s talent.
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When I was growing up, Lincoln had his very own birthday — nowadays, he’s been kind of pushed aside and his birthday is lumped into President’s Day and has just kind of gotten lost in all the February holidays. (This year they even scheduled the Super Bowl on Abe’s birthday — traditionally, the game has been played on the first Sunday in February, but due to the fact that an extra game was added to the schedule, the Super Bowl was moved back to the second Sunday.) 

But there’s not too much danger that people will forget about Abraham Lincoln. More than 15,000 books have been written about him — not including U.S. history textbooks. He’ll always be remembered for his leadership during the Civil War.

Of course there are lots of “Lincoln things” that don’t make it into textbooks or biographies….
We know that Lincoln was one of the tallest presidents, but his voice seemed inappropriate for his height. Lincoln’e voice has been described as “high-pitched and reedy.” People that heard him speak often described his voice as “unpleasant.” For most people, however, the power of his words usually outweighed unpleasantness in his delivery.

Lincoln was acknowledged as a powerful writer and speaker but he had a weakness in spelling. Interestingly, the word “inaugural” was a problem — he wrote “inaugeral” on his handwritten copy of his second inaugural address. Even though he was president and gave inaugural address, he routinely misspelled “inaugural.” He probably would have loved today’s spell check apps.

The Lincolns left the White House during the summer and lived in a cottage at the Soldier’s Home. The Soldiers’ Home is just three miles from the White House and in the city now, but in Lincoln’s day, it was out in the country. Abe commuted to and from work on horseback — sometimes riding alone. His wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, reportedly wasn’t happy about that.

Lincoln was invited to the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. But the main speaker was to be Edward Everett — one of the best known and most regarded orators of the day. Lincoln was invited to make “a few appropriate remarks.” Everett spoke for about two hours, and Lincoln spoke for about two minutes….

Here’s a few interesting things about Abe — starting with the fact that he didn’t like being called Abe. He preferred that people call him Abraham.
He loved animals and had a cat named Tabby and a dog named Fido. He liked the cat so much she ate dinner at the White House table.
Lincoln was the first president to be born outside the original 13 colonies.
He never slept in the Lincoln bedroom. 
Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, held séances in the White House.
He lost five separate elections before he became President of the U.S.

So let’s all remember Abraham Lincoln today on his 214th birthday. He’s often quoted, but today, especially, remember that he said, “I want it said of me by those who knew me best, that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.”
Happy Birthday Abe!
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Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday — the game will take place tomorrow at 6:30 (ET) at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals, in Glendale, Arizona. This will be Super Bowl number 57 (LVII.)

The “home” team will be the Philadelphia Eagles. The designated home team alternates each bear between the NFC and AFC champions. If it is an odd-numbered Super Bowl, the NFC team is the designated home team. If it is an even-numbered Super Bowl, the AFC is the designated home team.

The Green Bay Packers were the first team to ever win a Super Bowl — in 1967. The Packers won over the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10. The MVP of that game was Bart Starr, the Packers quarterback. The game was played was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 

Twelve NFL teams have never won the Super Bowl, and four teams have never even been to the game. The four teams that have never been to the Super Bowl are the Houston Texans, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cleveland Browns. The other seven teams that been to the game but never won are the Minnesota Vikings (4 appearances,) Buffalo Bills (4,) Atlanta Falcons (2,) Carolina Panthers (2,) Arizona Cardinals (1,) Tennessee Titans (1,) and Los Angeles Chargers (1.)

So who’s won the most Super Bowls? The Pittsburg Steelers and New England Patriots are tied with six championships apiece. Interestingly, The New England Patriots have also lost the most Super Bowls — along with Denver…. they’ve both lost five apiece.

The winning team will receive the Lombardi Trophy — it weighs seven pounds and costs $50,000. 
More than 100 million people worldwide watch the Super Bowl every year. In fact, Super Bowl XLIV, in 2010 unseated M*A*S*H’s series finale as the most-watched show in television history.
So the odds are, you’ll be watching tomorrow night…..
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The last issue of TIME magazine had an interesting article on quantum computers — the acknowledged future of computers. IBM is the recognized leader in the development of these machines and a number of IBM employees were interviewed for input to the article. IBM was once synonymous with computers, but over the years kind of got left behind by companies like Apple and Microsoft. During their interviews, they acknowledged that IBM had fallen behind by not seizing the initiative with cloud computing and Artificial Intelligence and said, “It’s no secret that we let things slip by not jumping on the cloud.”

Of course we often don’t see the future clearly. I remember a famous quote made by Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM in 1943 — “I think there is a world marked for maybe five computers.” 
But Watson wasn’t alone — I dug up a few more quotes from fairly knowledgeable people, not that many years ago:
“But what … is it good for?” Those words were spoken by an engineer at the Advanced Computing System Division of IBM in 1968 (commenting on the microchip.)
Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, in 1977, said: “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.”
From an article in a 1949 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine — “Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.”
In 1981, Bill Gates said, “640K ought to be enough for anybody.”
And Steve Jobs wrote about attempts he and Steve Wozniak made to interest Atari and Hewlett-Packard in the personal computer that they created….
“So we went to Atari and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we’ll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, and we’ll come to work for you.’ And they said ‘No.’ ‘So then we went to Hewlett-Packard and they said, “Hey, we don’t need you. You haven’t got through college yet.’”

So I guess even those who should know, don’t always. Someone once said that prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.
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