The Thursday Thought for today comes from a man whose philosophy and achievements are celebrated today, Cesar Chavez:
“History will judge societies and governments — and their institutions — not by how big they are or how well they serve the rich and the powerful, but by how effectively they respond to the needs of the poor and the helpless.”
To all my readers and friends: I wish you a very happy Hanukkah for the remainder of the 8 days!
To my non-Jewish readers and friends: Hanukkah is a wonderful celebration. I like one of it’s names, “The Festival of Lights,” both for the history behind the name and for the joyous picture it calls to mind. If you don’t know what this ages-old, 8-day holiday is about, you’re missing something. Go to “Hanukkah 2015: When Does The Jewish Holiday Start And How Is It Celebrated?” and read about this significant, family (in every sense)-oriented celebration. It’s a breath of fresh air in our troubled world.
President Nixon invented the pardon–at least for Thanksgiving turkeys. In the midst of controversy about pardoning people involved in the Iran-Contra scandal, he joked about granting a pardon for that year’s turkey that was slated to be sent to the petting zoo instead of the dinner table. And the term “pardon” stuck.
The whole tradition has an interesting history. Read about it at “Why Presidents Pardon Turkeys–a History.” As you gobble up the historical facts, remember this: they don’t have any calories, as opposed to the 4000 or so you may have consumed yesterday.
President Nixon invented the pardon–at least for Thanksgiving turkeys. In the midst of controversy about pardoning people involved in the Iran-Contra scandal, he joked about granting a pardon for that year’s turkey that was slated to be sent to the petting zoo instead of the dinner table. And the term “pardon” stuck.
The whole tradition has an interesting history. Read about it at “Why Presidents Pardon Turkeys–a History.” As you gobble up the historical facts, remember this: they don’t have any calories, as opposed to the 4000 or so you may have consumed yesterday.
In honor of our nation’s birthday coming up on Friday (I’m taking a blog-day off), here’s some offbeat American history.
What was personal hygiene like in early America? For one thing, a person took a bath only semi-annually, in May and October. Also, because bugs and lice were a problem, women wore head-coverings and men who could afford it wore wigs over shaved heads.
But the wigs couldn’t be washed (the more expensive ones were wool). When it was time to clean his wig, a man would place it into a loaf of hollowed-out bread, and bake it for half an hour. Although it worked great for cleaning (and bug-killing), the wig came out fluffy and big.
Yes, that meant that it became a “big wig.” As a result, today that term refers to a person who seems to be rich and powerful.
Happy birthday, America!
D-Day was the largest-scale over-water attack in the world’s history. Today is its 70th anniversary. Read other interesting facts about this historical event by going to an article in the Constitution Daily.
You MUST see the movie “The Butler.” It’s an historical drama based on the life of Eugene Allen, who spent 34 years as a White House butler for 8 U.S. Presidents. Forrest Whitaker plays the man who starts his life on a cotton farm and spends much of his adult life watching civil rights history being made and the Vietnam War take its toll on our country. We see how his wife (Oprah Winfrey) and two sons are affected by his job and historical events as they unfold. It’s also interesting to watch how the various presidents are played by actors like Robin Williams (Eisenhower), John Cusack (Nixon), and James Marsden (Kennedy).
I don’t recommend movies often—I think the last one was “Lincoln”—but this one really affected me. Maybe because it basically covers my lifetime and reflects my prejudices (I worked for civil rights and protested the Vietnam War). But it’s more than that. The emphasis isn’t so much on the history as it is on how people are touched by it. That appeals to me. And makes for an engaging story.
As I said, you MUST see this movie.