The weather is unreal! Alsmost hot and today guess what today lunch was?
I am off to a family party on the harbor in Portsmouth ... will post pics soon!
GAWD I hope it is not more lobster!! (yum)
Saturday, April 25, 2009
New England
Life is tough here visiting the New England coast line! All there is LOBSTER! hehehehe .... OK yesterday's lunch was to die for!! The best Lobster roll I ever had ... and guess what they served at the party last night ... lobster rolls ...
The weather is unreal! Alsmost hot and today guess what today lunch was?
I am off to a family party on the harbor in Portsmouth ... will post pics soon!
GAWD I hope it is not more lobster!! (yum)
The weather is unreal! Alsmost hot and today guess what today lunch was?
I am off to a family party on the harbor in Portsmouth ... will post pics soon!
GAWD I hope it is not more lobster!! (yum)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Earth Day History!
How the First Earth Day Came About
By Senator Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earth Day
What was the purpose of Earth Day? How did it start? These are the questions I am most frequently asked.
Actually, the idea for Earth Day evolved over a period of seven years starting in 1962. For several years, it had been troubling me that the state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the politics of the country. Finally, in November 1962, an idea occurred to me that was, I thought, a virtual cinch to put the environment into the political "limelight" once and for all. The idea was to persuade President Kennedy to give visibility to this issue by going on a national conservation tour. I flew to Washington to discuss the proposal with Attorney General Robert Kennedy, who liked the idea. So did the President. The President began his five-day, eleven-state conservation tour in September 1963. For many reasons the tour did not succeed in putting the issue onto the national political agenda. However, it was the germ of the idea that ultimately flowered into Earth Day.
I continued to speak on environmental issues to a variety of audiences in some twenty-five states. All across the country, evidence of environmental degradation was appearing everywhere, and everyone noticed except the political establishment. The environmental issue simply was not to be found on the nation's political agenda. The people were concerned, but the politicians were not.
After President Kennedy's tour, I still hoped for some idea that would thrust the environment into the political mainstream. Six years would pass before the idea that became Earth Day occurred to me while on a conservation speaking tour out West in the summer of 1969. At the time, anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, called "teach-ins," had spread to college campuses all across the nation. Suddenly, the idea occurred to me - why not organize a huge grassroots protest over what was happening to our environment?
I was satisfied that if we could tap into the environmental concerns of the general public and infuse the student anti-war energy into the environmental cause, we could generate a demonstration that would force this issue onto the political agenda. It was a big gamble, but worth a try.
At a conference in Seattle in September 1969, I announced that in the spring of 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment and invited everyone to participate. The wire services carried the story from coast to coast. The response was electric. It took off like gangbusters. Telegrams, letters, and telephone inquiries poured in from all across the country. The American people finally had a forum to express its concern about what was happening to the land, rivers, lakes, and air - and they did so with spectacular exuberance. For the next four months, two members of my Senate staff, Linda Billings and John Heritage, managed Earth Day affairs out of my Senate office.
Five months before Earth Day, on Sunday, November 30, 1969, The New York Times carried a lengthy article by Gladwin Hill reporting on the astonishing proliferation of environmental events:
"Rising concern about the environmental crisis is sweeping the nation's campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam...a national day of observance of environmental problems...is being planned for next spring...when a nationwide environmental 'teach-in'...coordinated from the office of Senator Gaylord Nelson is planned...."
It was obvious that we were headed for a spectacular success on Earth Day. It was also obvious that grassroots activities had ballooned beyond the capacity of my U.S. Senate office staff to keep up with the telephone calls, paper work, inquiries, etc. In mid-January, three months before Earth Day, John Gardner, Founder of Common Cause, provided temporary space for a Washington, D.C. headquarters. I staffed the office with college students and selected Denis Hayes as coordinator of activities.
Earth Day worked because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. We had neither the time nor resources to organize 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated. That was the remarkable thing about Earth Day. It organized itself.
Significance of April 22
Senator Nelson chose the date as the one that could maximize participation on college campuses for what he conceived as an environmental teach-in. He determined that the week of April 19-25 was the best bet. It did not fall during exams or spring breaks, did not conflict with religious holidays such as Easter or Passover, and was late enough in spring to have decent weather. More students were likely to be in class, and there would be less competition with other events mid-week, so he chose Wednesday, April 22. Asked whether he had purposely chosen Lenin's 100th birthday, Nelson explained that with only 365 days a year and 3.7 billion people in the world, every day was the birthday of ten million living people. “On any given day, a lot of both good and bad people were born,” he said. “A person many consider the world’s first environmentalist, Saint Francis of Assisi, was born on April 22.
By Senator Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earth Day
What was the purpose of Earth Day? How did it start? These are the questions I am most frequently asked.
Actually, the idea for Earth Day evolved over a period of seven years starting in 1962. For several years, it had been troubling me that the state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the politics of the country. Finally, in November 1962, an idea occurred to me that was, I thought, a virtual cinch to put the environment into the political "limelight" once and for all. The idea was to persuade President Kennedy to give visibility to this issue by going on a national conservation tour. I flew to Washington to discuss the proposal with Attorney General Robert Kennedy, who liked the idea. So did the President. The President began his five-day, eleven-state conservation tour in September 1963. For many reasons the tour did not succeed in putting the issue onto the national political agenda. However, it was the germ of the idea that ultimately flowered into Earth Day.
I continued to speak on environmental issues to a variety of audiences in some twenty-five states. All across the country, evidence of environmental degradation was appearing everywhere, and everyone noticed except the political establishment. The environmental issue simply was not to be found on the nation's political agenda. The people were concerned, but the politicians were not.
After President Kennedy's tour, I still hoped for some idea that would thrust the environment into the political mainstream. Six years would pass before the idea that became Earth Day occurred to me while on a conservation speaking tour out West in the summer of 1969. At the time, anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, called "teach-ins," had spread to college campuses all across the nation. Suddenly, the idea occurred to me - why not organize a huge grassroots protest over what was happening to our environment?
I was satisfied that if we could tap into the environmental concerns of the general public and infuse the student anti-war energy into the environmental cause, we could generate a demonstration that would force this issue onto the political agenda. It was a big gamble, but worth a try.
At a conference in Seattle in September 1969, I announced that in the spring of 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment and invited everyone to participate. The wire services carried the story from coast to coast. The response was electric. It took off like gangbusters. Telegrams, letters, and telephone inquiries poured in from all across the country. The American people finally had a forum to express its concern about what was happening to the land, rivers, lakes, and air - and they did so with spectacular exuberance. For the next four months, two members of my Senate staff, Linda Billings and John Heritage, managed Earth Day affairs out of my Senate office.
Five months before Earth Day, on Sunday, November 30, 1969, The New York Times carried a lengthy article by Gladwin Hill reporting on the astonishing proliferation of environmental events:
"Rising concern about the environmental crisis is sweeping the nation's campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam...a national day of observance of environmental problems...is being planned for next spring...when a nationwide environmental 'teach-in'...coordinated from the office of Senator Gaylord Nelson is planned...."
It was obvious that we were headed for a spectacular success on Earth Day. It was also obvious that grassroots activities had ballooned beyond the capacity of my U.S. Senate office staff to keep up with the telephone calls, paper work, inquiries, etc. In mid-January, three months before Earth Day, John Gardner, Founder of Common Cause, provided temporary space for a Washington, D.C. headquarters. I staffed the office with college students and selected Denis Hayes as coordinator of activities.
Earth Day worked because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. We had neither the time nor resources to organize 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated. That was the remarkable thing about Earth Day. It organized itself.
Significance of April 22
Senator Nelson chose the date as the one that could maximize participation on college campuses for what he conceived as an environmental teach-in. He determined that the week of April 19-25 was the best bet. It did not fall during exams or spring breaks, did not conflict with religious holidays such as Easter or Passover, and was late enough in spring to have decent weather. More students were likely to be in class, and there would be less competition with other events mid-week, so he chose Wednesday, April 22. Asked whether he had purposely chosen Lenin's 100th birthday, Nelson explained that with only 365 days a year and 3.7 billion people in the world, every day was the birthday of ten million living people. “On any given day, a lot of both good and bad people were born,” he said. “A person many consider the world’s first environmentalist, Saint Francis of Assisi, was born on April 22.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Photo
OK I have been bad ... can I blame it on spring cleaning .... hmmmm I doubt that ... my social calendar has just been so full and I am off again in a few days!
I thought I would share this photo with you, everytime I look at it makes me laugh ... my daughter encountered this bird in one of her travels and it really did not seem to like her!!!
I thought I would share this photo with you, everytime I look at it makes me laugh ... my daughter encountered this bird in one of her travels and it really did not seem to like her!!!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Birthday Danielle!!
What a better way to do a Blog for April 13th then to dedicate it to my daughter on her speical day!!
My child number three, the baby.
My baby, now a lady, all grown!
Where did those years go?
A gift of love,
A joy forever,
you may have outgrown my lap,
but you will never out grow my heart.
You were loved as the little girl you were,
And still as beautiful young woman you have become.
You have given me memories from the past,
Excitment and knowledge in the present,
and hope and promise for the future.
We have expressed our love
with words, hugs and tears
And we have grown as friends.
I love you and wish you a
Happy Birthday!!!
My child number three, the baby.
My baby, now a lady, all grown!
Where did those years go?
A gift of love,
A joy forever,
you may have outgrown my lap,
but you will never out grow my heart.
You were loved as the little girl you were,
And still as beautiful young woman you have become.
You have given me memories from the past,
Excitment and knowledge in the present,
and hope and promise for the future.
We have expressed our love
with words, hugs and tears
And we have grown as friends.
I love you and wish you a
Happy Birthday!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANNI
Friday, April 10, 2009
Some Easter Bunny History
The Easter bunny has its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore. The Hare and the Rabbit were the most fertile animals known and they served as symbols of the new life during the Spring season.
The bunny as an Easter symbol seems to have it's origins in Germany, where it was first mentioned in German writings in the 1500s.
The first edible Easter bunnies were made in Germany during the early 1800s. These were made of pastry and sugar.
The Easter bunny was introduced to American folklore by the German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 1700s. The arrival of the "Oschter Haws" was considered "childhood's greatest pleasure" next to a visit from Christ-Kindel on Christmas Eve. The children believed that if they were good the "Oschter Haws" (Ostara, Goddess of Spring and the Dawn) would lay a nest of colored eggs. The children would build their nest in a secluded place in the home, the barn or the garden. Boys would use their caps and girls their bonnets to make the nests . The use of elaborate Easter baskets would come later as the tradition of the Easter bunny spread through out the country.
Ostara,
Goddess of Spring and the Dawn (Oestre / Eastre)Easter is named for a Saxon goddess who was known by the names of Oestre or Eastre, and in Germany by the name of Ostara. She is a goddess of the dawn and the spring, and her name derives from words for dawn, the shining light arising from the east. Our words for the "female hormone" estrogen derives from her name.Ostara was, of course, a fertility goddess. Bringing in the end of winter, with the days brighter and growing longer after the vernal equinox, Ostara had a passion for new life. Her presence was felt in the flowering of plants and the birth of babies, both animal and human. The rabbit (well known for its propensity for rapid reproduction) was her sacred animal.Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny both featured in the spring festivals of Ostara, which were initially held during the feasts of the goddess Ishtar Inanna. Eggs are an obvious symbol of fertility, and the newborn chicks an adorable representation of new growth. Brightly colored eggs, chicks, and bunnies were all used at festival time to express appreciation for Ostara's gift of abundance.The Goddess Ostara and the Easter BunnyFeeling guilty about arriving late one spring, the Goddess Ostara saved the life of a poor bird whose wings had been frozen by the snow. She made him her pet or, as some versions have it, her lover. Filled with compassion for him since he could no longer fly (in some versions, it was because she wished to amuse a group of young children), Ostara turned him into a snow hare and gave him the gift of being able to run with incredible speed so he could protect himself from hunters.
In remembrance of his earlier form as a bird, she also gave him the ability to lay eggs (in all the colors of the rainbow, no less), but only on one day out of each year.Eventually the hare managed to anger the goddess Ostara, and she cast him into the skies where he would remain as the constellation Lepus (The Hare) forever positioned under the feet of the constellation Orion (the Hunter). He was allowed to return to earth once each year, but only to give away his eggs to the children attending the Ostara festivals that were held each spring.
The tradition of the Easter Bunny had begun.
Easter eggs, the Easter Bunny, the dawn that arrives with resurrection of life, and the celebration of spring all serve to remind us of the cycle of rebirth and the need for renewal in our lives. In the history of Easter, Christian and pagan traditions are gracefully interwoven.
Easter eggs, the Easter Bunny, the dawn that arrives with resurrection of life, and the celebration of spring all serve to remind us of the cycle of rebirth and the need for renewal in our lives. In the history of Easter, Christian and pagan traditions are gracefully interwoven.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
My Daughter's Blog
I want to do a little blog on one of the most amazing woman I know, my daughter Regina! At forty-one – soon to be forty two (I was ten when I had her- hahahaha) she decided she wants to run in the Danskin Sprint Triathlon in NYC. She has always been into sports since she was a wee child. Our years were fun filled with sports of all kinds, from standing on the sidelines (in sometimes bitter cold weather or sweltering heat) or sitting in the bleachers cheering her and her team-mates on. (here are some Old High School Team Pictures).
There was softball season to summer softball leagues, from basketball, to soccer, to indoor soccer, swimming, etc.!! She started about age 7 in elementary school playing T-ball, and played sports right into college. When she graduated from college and moved to NYC I thought wow, no more sports, what can you do in NYC. How wrong I was!! Then came bike riding in Central Park, and karate, (yes, she’s a black belt) and more soccer. So, as you can see she has been into some form of athletics her whole life.
OK, so now she has her mind set on doing this Sprint Triathlon thingy. So I figure I better read up on this a bit, then as a mom I begin to worry, is she working out to hard, is she eating right, will she fall and hurt herself. Just when I get all “settled in” on this Sprint Triathlon thingy race, she decides now she is not doing the Sprint race, (phew, I thought) …now instead she is has joined the NYC Triathlon Team In Training. This is an Olympic Distance triathlon, slightly longer in length. A TRIATHLON!!!
Hmmmmmmmm Triathlon, I have heard of them but only saw one on the “Biggest Loser” on TV a few seasons back and they all looked as though they were going to keel over and die. OK, a Triathlon … hmmmmm swimming, biking, running. Then I thought, where in the hell do all these folks swim in a Tri in NYC??? Surly there is no pool big enough even in NYC. Then it came to me, DON’T even tell me!!! NOT THE HUDSON!!! So after a few weeks of pestering her, the “jig” was finally up and she needed to spill the beans … Yes, Mom I will be swimming in the Hudson River!! HOLY CRAP was my first reaction!!! The freakin Hudson River, do you know there are bodies in there (I grew up hearing that all the mobs ditched their dead in there), and planes are know to land there also!!! UGH!!!
OK, I have settled myself now. I know this Tri is going to happen, swimming in the Hudson River, and then biking and then running. So I have resigned myself to the reality of it all, and have chosen to steal my grandson away for a few days prior to her race so she can rest up or train or do what ever you do before a triathlon. Oh yes, did I mention, she is also the mother of a three year old!!
So now that I have your attention I would like you to go over to her web site and cheer her one!! Leave her a note or better yet you can donate to her cause!! She is training to participate as a member of
“The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training.”
http://www.chiu-on-this.blogspot.com/
All of those on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin Lymphoma and Myeloma from taking more lives. She is also doing this in honor one of her dear friends Rosaria Usini, who has battled with Hodgkin’s disease twice in her young life.
Regina says, the people battling these disease are the real hero’s!! Regina and all the “Team in Training” need folks like us to help support them to cross the ultimate finish line – with a cure!!!
Regina you are my hero!!!! Love mom xoxo
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Binghamton Massacre
My condolences go out to my friends, neighbors and community and all who are suffering through this horrid time in our community.
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