Hereunder is a list of minor holidays and occasions in the United States. Some of them are virtually unknown, and others are quite obscure.
April Fools’ Day – (April 1): the day for practical jokes (only before noon in the UK). Its origins are obscure, but it bears a similarity to an ancient Roman festival for the goddess of nature.
Arbor Day – (last Friday in April): devoted to trees and their preservation. It is held on December 22 everywhere else in the world.
Armed Forces Day – (third Sunday in May): a day to honour the US armed forces.
Citizenship Day – (September 17): replaced Constitution Day in 1952 by presidential proclamation.
Daylight-Saving Time: was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, but became the Uniform Time Act in 1966. It is not observed in Hawaii, the Eastern Time Zone of Indiana, most of Arizona (except on the Navajo Reservation), American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam.
Election Day – (Tuesday after the first Monday in November): presidential elections are held in years divisible by four and elections for all members of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate in years evenly divisible by two.
Fathers’ Day – (third Sunday in June): was first observed in West Virginia in 1908, but this uniquely American holiday was not made official until 1972.
Flag Day – (June 14): was first observed in 1877, which was the centenary of the adoption of the modern design. Truman approved the Flag Day Bill in 1949.
Groundhog Day – (February 2): on this day the groundhog looks out of his burrow. If he sees his own shadow there will be six weeks of Winter to follow, otherwise Spring is just around the corner.
Halloween – (October 31): All Hallow’s Eve is the day before the feast of All Saints. It began as a pagan custom honouring the dead and a celebration of Autumn. ‘Trick or Treat’ is purely American with no historical foundation.
Kwanzaa – is a secular celebration by African-Americans to commemorate their African heritage. It commences on Dec.26th when a candle in a candelabrum is lit every day for seven days. It was first observed by Maulana Karenga in 1966.
Mothers’ Day – (second Sunday in May): was thought of by Anne M. Jarvis of Philadelphia as a way for children to pay homage to their mothers. It received presidential proclamation in 1914.
National Maritime Day – (May 22): was initiated in 1935 to commemorate the SS Savannah’s first successful transatlantic voyage by a steamship in 1819. It is also a day of remembrance of merchant mariners who died in defense of their country.
National Teachers’ Day – (Tuesday of the first full week in May): is when pupils are meant to honour the teaching profession.
St. Patrick’s Day – (March 17): has been borrowed from Ireland where it is their national saint’s day.
St. Valentine’s Day – (February 14): was originally to honour two saints martyred by Emperor Claudius (214 – 270), but has been devoted to lovers since the Middle Ages.
Susan B. Anthony Day – (February 15): Anthony (1820 – 1906) worked for women’s rights and suffrage.
United Nations’ Day – (October 24): commemorates the endorsement of the UN Charter in 1945 by the then five permanent members of the Security Council.
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Filed under Uncategorized by on Dec 21st, 2011. Comment. 
St Croix, in the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean has been a stylish honeymoon location for newly married couples for decades, because the weather there is bright all year round and you can get pleasure from any number of wonderful vacation activities together.
Things to do include hiking, exploring, taking tours, horse riding, water sports like diving or sailing or just and lying in the sun. However, in the past few years, it has also become very popular to travel to St Croix for the actual wedding ceremony itself, not just for the honeymoon. However, there are both advantages and disadvantages to getting married abroad.
First, you have to think about who you want to have present at your wedding. St Croix is governed by American law, so you will be obliged to have a certain number of witnesses. You can use local volunteers but you may not be able to envisage your wedding without your family or your best friends being in attendance.
It is worth remembering that every guest you want to be at your wedding will have to be flown to the island and in many instances, the guests will not be able to afford this trip themselves, which means that you will have to pay for all or at least some of the cost of the flight and the stay. If you cannot afford this, it may not be possible for you to have everyone there at your wedding ceremony that you would want. The cost of a Caribbean wedding on St Croix is a distinct disadvantage.
Bear in mind also that you will almost certainly be spending your honeymoon wherever you hold the wedding and although it may be nice to have friends and family around you for the wedding, you might wish they would leave for the honeymoon.
However, your guests may want to take a vacation while they are in the Virgin Islands, so if you want some time to yourselves, book them into a package holiday deal which will keep them busy in order to give you some breathing space. Try to make a block booking and ask for a big discount.
However, one of the main advantages is that you are already in the location where you will be honeymooning. Travel is stressful and tiring, although St Croix, USVI is less than 1,300 miles from Florida, so being on the spot for your honeymoon will spare you all that.
Not only that though, your wedding will be an even more memorable event because an idyllic beach setting with a sunset backdrop is really very moving. Most couples adore the island scenery, so a Caribbean wedding in St Croix may be just right for you.
When planning your marriage in St Croix, remember that the US Virgin Islands are a legal part of the USA, so US laws and marriage laws relate there. You also do not have to have a passport to go to St Croix, although you are allowed $1,600 worth of duty free goods per person per 30 days. This can make up quite a saving.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with St Croix Hotels. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.
Filed under Uncategorized by on Dec 21st, 2011. Comment.
Well, do you know right now it is possible to watch movies online with just a click of your computer mouse? Not many are aware of the potential of having the ability to watch an unlimited amount of down-loadable films on the web. Everyone currently possess everything it will take to enjoy all the movies that are out there on the net. Below you will learn tips on how to watch all the shows you choose to.
The truth is, all you’ve got to do is become a VIP member with a film membership web site and you’ll get a hero’s welcome. You are likely to get immediate access to countless movies, televisions shows and much more all from the convenience of your house. Technology has changed the way the common person spends their weekend nights in front of their tv set. You can have instant access to all the flicks that you previously couldn’t obtain.
By purchasing a membership you will get limitless downloads, that is right, you can watch as many films as you like. Several websites may promise you a good variety of movies you would love to see, on the other hand they might have a limit regarding the number of movies you can watch each and every day. Many will actually make an effort to charge a fee per movie download. You must never sign up for movie download site that has you pay for each movie that you’d like to download and watch.
Undeniably you might already be a member with video websites which include Blockbuster online or perhaps Netflix, all the same these video web sites, you still have to fork out for each video that you see. Additionally, you will be unable to find any completely new motion pictures till you return the video which you already have got. These internet sites are incredibly well-known and do supply excellent high quality films.
Nonetheless, you’ve still got the potential of coming across damaged DVD’s that will not play on your DVD player. Few things are much more annoying and bothersome than putting a motion picture in your DVD player only to discover that it won’t play because it has been damaged. Just by becoming a member with one of the many movie websites, you will no longer have to worry about broken DVD’s any longer.
Yet an additional benefit with this royal treatment is should you see a movie and you want to add it to your own movie collection. You’ve full legal rights to achieve it. You won’t need to panic about breaking the laws of copyright or obtaining a pirated copy of a film. The caliber of the burnt disc is going to be just as if you purchased it from your community store. You won’t need to have to pay those excessive ridiculous prices, simply to increase your movie archives.
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Filed under Uncategorized by on Dec 19th, 2011. Comment.
There are lots of destinations for people interested in sailing and if you are tired of the Virgin Islands then try the rest of the Caribbean.
The Caribbean islands are part of an island chain stretching 2,500 miles. Given the enormous distance, it is no wonder that tourists spend weeks out there in order to get pleasure from the magnificence that it has to offer.
Just like in the Virgin Islands, there are lots of charter firms you can go to. for a range of hobbies. These companies come in different sizes, but perhaps the best is the yacht charter.
When you charter a yacht, apart from the yacht, the other elements and benefits that come with it are meals, separate guest rooms, a galley, toilet and shower.
Since you are the paying guest aboard the boat, you can modify the menu by telling the crew before the voyage what you want to eat. You can help out by buying the provisions yourself, having someone from the crew do it for an additional fee or choose a set menu from one of their pre-composed packages.
Since most of the islands in the Caribbean are small and uninhabited, you are certain to explore places that not many have seen. But if you can’t afford to rent a chartered yacht, don’t worry because you can probably get one that will cost as little as $50 if you are able to book a pre-arranged trip with several other guests to split the cost.
One thing you ought to be prepared for during you sailing holiday is the likelihood of a storm. These generally occurs in the months from June to November. If you are not sure that this is the best time, book the trip on another date.
But if you are adamant about going on your dates, there are some online tools you can utilize to check if the area you will be sailing in has ever been hit by a storm before.
The other option is to plan your itinerary to the Caribbean islands further south because they are less likely to be affected by a hurricane. These places include the islands of Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Curacao, and Turks and Caicos.
If you like the idea of going sailing around the Caribbean there are ample opportunities. You could do far worse than start in St Croix in the US Virgin Islands and travel south or west. If you start in St Croix, which the pirates of old used to call Santa Cruz, you will not need a passpert and can take your pets with you, but you will need more ID if you call into foreign islands.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with St Croix Hotels. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.
Filed under Uncategorized by on Dec 19th, 2011. Comment.
The simple truth is, the movie entertainment business is beginning to change. Just 30 years in the past it absolutely was not even possible to watch movies at your home except in cases where they just happened to be shown on a tv network. Although as technologies improved, we could make the most of betamax after which videos and VCRs, DVDs and DVD players and these days Blu-ray in order to enjoy films in the comfort of our own houses.
Having said that the technology and also the approach we take to get our motion pictures are continuing to change. A nearby mom and pop video stores of the past soon evolved into the big retailers, for instance Blockbuster, which itself evolved in to the mail-in subscription services like Netflix, along with a popular movie delivery system which is popular now is the area kiosk, where you could grab a movie for less than $1.00 per day.
And today you’ll be able to actually download movies straight away to your pc in the comfort of your own home. Afterward you have the option to burn the film to a DVD to watch it on your tv or you may also just watch it on your computer monitor. It is probably the most efficient movie delivery system of the past thirty years.
No longer will you ever need to bother about getting the movie back to the store, kiosk or in the mail. No longer will you ever have to worry about late fees or missing the movie that you want because if the movie has been released on video it is usually accessible. You can download it anytime and after that it’s yours.
You’ll own the movie once you download it to your computer so that if the DVD happens to get scratched or broken, you won’t need to buy it again but you can just produce a new DVD. Most services work on a subscription fee with unlimited access so anytime you want a fresh movie it is as simple as clicking a button.
Typically the collection of films to select from is practically infinite. Since there is no need for physical space to store the films, the download providers can keep any and all the films which were ever obtainable. Just how fantastic is that? To be able to receive a classic film from years ago or even a sleeper hit from recent years. Almost any film that you would ever want to see can be obtained at your fingertips.
You will have to have a high-speed connection to the internet together with a lot of memory on your computer in order to store the films but actually downloading films can be simple and hassle-free. You will also need to make sure that you are working with a completely legal and reliable site so that you can avoid bootleg movies. Downloading authorized movies is affordable and convenient and there actually is no need to put yourself or your computer at risk by downloading pirated films. Downloading videos right to your pc is the simplest, most convenient and exciting way to get motion pictures in history. Look into how you can start utilizing this amazing technological innovation today.
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Filed under Uncategorized by on Dec 18th, 2011. Comment.
For most individuals, purchasing a hot tub spa, also known as a gazebo, a hot spa or a Jacuzzi, is a first time event. This makes it quite a daunting undertaking, because they are not cheap and there are numerous variables.
You have to do research on the different types of jets, the power of the pump that is best for you, the location, whether to install a deck around it or not et cetera, et cetera. In this piece, we will take a look at a few of these points to make buying a hot tub easier for you.
The first thing to think about is size. This usually depends on two items: where you are going to put the hot tub and how many individuals are going to be using it at a time. If you are hoping to put it above the ground floor inside your home, you will have to check the weight of the spa while it is full of water and people to see whether your floor will take that weight without reinforcement. If the climate is decent where you live, the garden is the best place to put it.
The next deliberation is price. There is a vast choice of hot tubs and a wide span of prices too. If you find that the price of a new hot tub is just out of your range, what about purchasing a second hand one?
There is rather a large second hand market in Jacuzzis because hotels, health spas and some home owners have to renew their models. You might be lucky enough to find quite a luxurious second hand model for less than the price of a new cheap one. Enquire at a local installer’s for details.
The next thing is the material that the actual tub is made from. This is not inevitably the same as the housing or cabinet that goes around the tub. Traditional-style hot tubs are made from local hardwoods such as cedar, oak, redwood or teak, but they are heavy and leak a little.
Contemporary materials used are a mixture of plastic and fibreglass moulded into comfortable seating arrangements. They are lighter and do not leak (or should not).
Then you can think about the housing. Is the hot tub going to stand on its own somewhere or is it going to be built in? if you are going to build it in, what are you going to build it into? A deck? Hardwood, softwood, concrete and tiles?
Then there is the routine maintenance of the tub. This is not difficult but it is essential, so if you are building your tub into something, remember that you will have to have access to certain parts of it. Read the instruction manual of the tub that you buy to learn which parts will require maintenance and cleaning.
Usually, this involves cleaning the jets, adding chemicals to the water, renewing filters and maybe renewing a seal on the pump, which could be assigned to an engineer in an annual service contract.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a variety of topics, but is now concerned with second hand hot tubs. If you would like to know more, please visit our site at Hot Springs Spa Parts
Filed under Uncategorized by on Dec 16th, 2011. Comment.
Do you like the idea of manufacturing a doll’s dress for your own doll or a friends? Or how about some other articles of clothing like a trouser suit, pyjamas or a night shirt?
If you have never done it before, it is not that difficult to create a decent job of making dolls’ clothing, but you will have to take measurements, just as in real life.
It is a good idea to know the full length of the doll, but there are no garments that actually cover from head to toe unless you are designing a ghost’s fancy dress costume for the doll. Be cautious with the chest measurement too.
You cannot guess it because dolls, both male and female, tend to have larger chests than proportion would imply that they ought to be. Just look at Barbie and Ken, they could probably hold their breath for ten minutes!
Likewise, the inside leg measurements tend to be exaggerated and the waist way undersized. This is why it is so essential to measure the doll or if the dolls’ clothing is to be a surprise, measure one like it. From waist to the hem is enough for a skirt or from neck to the hemline for a dress.
If you are manufacturing trousers, you will require the inside leg and the outside leg to the waist band or hips, depending on the fashion. Then you will also need the waist or the hip measurement and the combined thigh measurement for skirts and dresses or individual thigh measurements for trousers or slacks.
If you are measuring for a top or the top of a dress, you will need the measurements from the sternum to the centre of the armpit and from there to the centre of the other armpit.
In many ways, measuring a doll for clothing is equivalent to measuring humans, but on the other hand, the dimensions can have a great deal more tolerance because seams do not come under stress from movement with dolls. It is fairly easy to merely use common sense when measuring dolls for clothing, but practice will make perfect.
One of the best habits that you can get into is keeping notes and making sketches. After you have become proficient enough at making dolls’ clothing, you might be able to sell your produce and maybe even sell your pattern book too, if they are all your original concepts.
Tailoring or dressmaking for dolls can be great fun and children will certainly appreciate a new, unique costume for their doll, but then you will see that for yourself the first time you present your little niece, nephew or friend with one of your latest creations.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a variety of topics, but is now concerned with Silver Cross Dolls Prams. If you would like to know more, please go over to our web site at Doll Prams.
Filed under Uncategorized by on Dec 13th, 2011. Comment.
Today, each schoolboy knows the story of William Webb Ellis, the Rugby School pupil “who with a fine disregard for the rules of football as played in his time, first took the ball in his arms and ran with it”. The presentation trophy for the Rugby World Cup is named the Webb Ellis trophy in his honour, and his “achievement” is commemorated by a plaque at the school
There is only one thing wrong with this story. It simply is not a fact. It was not until four years after the death of Webb Ellis in 1876 that the story first saw the light of day and its source is thought to come from a local antiquarian and former Rugbeian Matthew Bloxam.
He was not a contemporary of Webb Ellis but says that the story was told to him by an unnamed source some 53 years after the incident is alleged to have taken place.
In 1823, when the event is alleged to have happened, the rules of rugby had yet to be formulated and any alterations, such as the legality of carrying or running with the ball, were frequently agreed on an ad hoc basis a short time before the beginning of a game.
There were therefore no official rules for football during the period William Webb Ellis was at the school (1816?25). It was not until 1845, some 200 years after football was first played at Rugby School, that three pupils published the first written rules of the game.
For many years it had been the boys, and not the masters who had set down the rules which were frequently modified by every new generation of students.
Guy’s Hospital Football Club, formed in London in 1843, by old boys from Rugby School, has strong claims to be the oldest football club in the world. It definitely predates by 14 years the creation of Sheffield FC, believed to be the oldest club playing association football.
In 1871, after a number of contentious disputes with the Football Association, 21 clubs met in London to form an association of those clubs ‘who play the rugby-type game’.
And so the Rugby Football Union (RFU) was formed. The first International rugby game was played on 27 March 1871 between England and Scotland. The English team wore white shirts ornamented with a red rose and the Scots brown shirts with a thistle. (Scotland won the match).
The worries and conflicts regarding amateurism and professionalism had long proved a thorny topic. The representatives of Yorkshire and Lancashire are accredited with bringing in rules concerning amateurism in 1879.
These rules were finally formalized by the RFU in 1886. It is broadly believed that the northern clubs were in favour of the professional game whereas these northern bodies were strong advocates of amateurism,
However, conflict arose over the controversy regarding ‘broken time’, the topic of whether players should receive reimbursement for taking time off work to play.
The northern clubs had a large number of working class players who had either to miss games due to working commitments, or give up their wages in order to play rugby. By 1892, this subject of broken time payments was a problem not just for northern clubs such as Bradford and Leeds but also for clubs in the south.
It became an anxiety of the RFU: these broken time repayments would become a quick path to professionalism.
On 29 August 1895, 20 clubs from Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire met at the George Hotel, Huddersfield and decided to resign from the RFU and create the Northern Rugby Football Union, which from 1922 became the Rugby Football League.
The dispute about compensation was one which at the time was also upsetting soccer and cricket. Every game had to work out a compromise; rugby’s stance was the most extreme. Amateurism was strictly enforced, and anyone accepting payment for playing rugby league was banned.
However, on 26 August 1995 the International Rugby Board declared rugby union an “open” game and thereby removed all restrictions on payments or benefits to those connected with the game.
It did this because of a committee’s decision that to do so was the only manner to end the hypocrisy of sham amateurism and to keep control of rugby union. The wheel had turned full circle.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently concerned with the London 2012 Olympics mascot. Click a link if you are interested in the 2012 London Olympics Volunteers.
Filed under Uncategorized by on Dec 4th, 2011. Comment.
Meditation has always proved well-liked. Monks and yogis have enjoyed practicing it for thousands of years and students of the East, usually younger Western people seeking their way in life, have frequently practiced it too. Monks of the east and the west have studied meditation as a method of enlightenment, although most people associate Buddhist monks with the chief proponents of this type of study and introspection.
In order to meditate for a protracted period of time, you need to be seated comfortably otherwise you may be distracted by soreness or numbness. In the East, people sit in the Lotus position from a very early age right up to the day they die, so meditating in the Lotus position, that is with crossed legs, is perfectly normal – most people sit crossed-legged each day of their lives, but we do not in the West.
Therefore, when a Westerner wants to meditate, it is frequently better to use a cushion or a mat, as you would when doing yoga or palates. A meditation cushion is meant to help you preserve the correct posture, with a straight back, while keeping you comfortable. A meditation cushion might help novices at meditation get used to sitting for long periods of time without moving. It could be useful in helping to train children particularly.
The name frequently given to a meditation cushion is ‘zafu’. It is usually handmade and attractive, but it has the function of lifting up the sitter so that the knees point downwards. This helps the sitter keep a straight back, which yogis believe is important to free the Kundalini which resides there.
Frequently this meditation cushion is credited with some status, so some people put it on a mat known as a zabuton rather than place it directly on the floor.
Traditional meditation cushions are round and manufactured from cotton. There are many designs, but they are often quite ornate. The stuffing for the cushion is normally natural kapok, cotton batting or buckwheat hulls. All of these natural fibres offer a quite stiff, yet comfortable support. Most meditation cushions have removable covers so that they can be laundered without getting the stuffing wet.
There is some deviation in the diameter and thickness of these cushions so that the user can get one to suit his or her girth and weight, although the majority of cushions of this nature will improve anyone’s experience of their meditation sessions. The diameters range from roughly twenty to roughly forty centimetres and are roughly twenty centimetres in thickness.
These meditation cushions are definitely an invention for the Western meditator since an Easterner would have no need for them, but having said that they can make your meditation session a lot more comfortable.
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a variety of topics, but is now involved with Marriott bedding. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Modern Throw Pillows For Sale.
Filed under Uncategorized by on Dec 4th, 2011. Comment.
Anthropologists say that man evolved out of the sea and it is absolutely a fact that our prehistoric ancestors swam according to interpretations of cave drawings in Sura, Egypt. However, the earliest written references to swimming are from about 2000 BC, but people should have been bathing, swimming and fishing long before that.
Swimming competitions began in Europe around the turn of the Nineteenth Century, but there are sure to have been swimming competitions long before that in Europe and in other continents in the world. John Arthur Trudgen made the front crawl famous in 1873, although it is likely that this style was being used in other parts of the globe.
Until 1873, the breast stroke was the favourite style of swimming in Europe and America. The crawl, which was first known as the Trudgen, became an Olympic sport in 1896, the first of the modern Olympics, which were held in Athens. The butterfly stroke was introduced in 1952, before which it was considered as a variation of the breast stroke.
The vast bulk of our bodies is made up of water and there is a lot of oil as well. This means that the body is less dense than water, which also means that the human body floats under regular circumstances. So, the body will float in fresh and salt water at or 50%-ish below the surface.
You can go above this level by paddling water downwards, which will push the body up or you can go forwards by pushing water behind you. A blend of both of these actions will propel a swimmer forward at or above the surface of the surrounding water.
It is easier to swim in salt water than fresh water, because the salt makes the water denser which has the effect that your body will float higher in it. Good swimmers or rather fast swimmers have subtle hips.
Swinging from one arm to another in the crawl, which is the fastest stroke, depends on hip action not on substantial arm muscles. After all, the amount of water that you can move with your hands is not that heavy.
Thigh muscles are significant for a continuous, rhythmic beat and co-ordination is equally important. There are diverse styles of swimming the crawl, some swimmers like to to draw the water back with cupped hands, others with flat hands and yet others with fingers slightly spread.
Breathing is essential for any form of continuous exertion. It is best to control the breathing so that you breathe in on one stroke, hold it for a stroke and breathe out over the next two strokes. This means that you just have to raise your mouth out of the water every four strokes.
Swimming is a fantastic exercise because it exerts many muscles at the same time, but does not put pressure on hip, knee or ankle joints. It also increases the amount of oxygen in the blood., as do most exercises, but swimming encourages the participant to hold in breath which means that the swimmer gets all the advantages from that air.
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on various topics, but is now concerned with Speedo Swimming Costumes. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Swimwear For Big Busts.
Filed under Uncategorized by on Dec 3rd, 2011. Comment.