Happy Memorial Day

Ahh...Memorial Day. Those two little words invoke images of cookouts in the backyard, trips to the beach, all the traps and trimmings of the beginnings of summer. For all intents and purposes, Memorial Day is traditionally seen as the beginning of summer.

But wait...Memorial Day...doesn't that mean that we should be remembering something??? Oh yeah, those amazing heroes who gave their lives for the freedoms that we enjoy in this country, to ensure that we have the kind of nation where we are able to get away with cookouts and trips to the beach.

Memorial Day- AKA Decoration Day- began after the Civil War. By May 1868, just 3 years after the end of the war, family members of Union soldiers began putting American flags on their loved ones' graves, honoring not only their sacrifices for this country but also to remember the fact that the United States was put back whole in May 1865. (People in the South put flags on their loved ones' graves too, just a different flag and at a different time of year.) Memorial Day wasn't really official at this point. It was just something that grieving families did.

Within a decade, it was more than just a family thing. Big celebrations were held at major Civil War cemeteries like Arlington and Gettysburg. Speeches were held, people gathered together to talk about their lost loved ones, the sacrifices they had made, all that good stuff. By this point, a lot of the Yankee/Rebel hatred had faded and people on both sides could gather at the cemetery without anyone having to worry about gunshots breaking out.

As more decades passed, Memorial Day sort of fell out of prominence. Yes, family members still went to the cemeteries the last week of May each year but this was to honor the Civil War dead. By this time, we also have Spanish-American War dead, World War I dead, World War II dead. It was hard for the entire country to get excited about honoring Grandaddy or Great-Grandaddy when Daddy or husband or brother had died since. Also, Veteran's Day, in November, honored all American soldiers who had served- whether they died on the battlefield or not. By the 1960's, more people turned up for the Indianapolis 500 than for all the Memorial Day celebrations in the country added together.

Then, in 1980, Ronald Reagan becomes President. Under Reagan, Memorial Day was brought into prominence once again. Memorial Day is an official federal holiday, taking place on the last Monday in May each year. It honors all soldiers who gave their lives in service to this country. A huge concert is held on the west lawn of the Capitol and a nation-wide moment of silence is observed at 3:00P.M. EST. I just watched coverage on CNN of the moment of silence at the Vietnam Memorial. Three different bugle players played Taps. I'm still a little teary-eyed.

So when you are enjoying your hot dog or floating on your raft in the pool, please remember to give a moment to thank those who have died to give us the right to do stuff like this.

Cleopatra's Palace Explored

Throughout history, people have had a fascination with anything Egyptian (especially yours truly). There have been movies, books, specials on all the smarty-folks channels, hell I even saw King Tut bookends in Barnes and Noble the other day. But no Egyptian woman has captured human imagination like Cleopatra. One of the best movies of all time had the illustrious Elizabeth Taylor playing her and Richard Burton as Mark Antony (hence the pic above).

We have always wanted to know more about Cleopatra. How did she die for real? Shakespeare's version with the suicide by asp doesn't necessarily ring true does it? The hardest part about finding info on Cleo is the fact that #1- she lived such a long time ago and #2- her kingdom was destroyed by the Romans. We know where her palace was but the site in Alexandria is completely under water, too difficult to explore. Until now (don't you love those two little words!)

Archaeologists are using the newest diving technology to allow them to explore the sunken ruins of Cleopatra's palace. The entire site sank into the Mediterranean over 1600 years ago when the area was rocked by a series of strong earthquakes and tsunamis.

The first thing the archaeologists/divers had to do was to rig up some sort of vacuum system to Hooverize the silt away from the ruins. Then all the silt had to be examined for small artifacts and shards of pottery. And believe me, they found all sorts of that.

Now that they have it cleaned out and visibility is much better, the joint French/Egyptian team has determined that the palace is very much like all of the descriptions that have been handed down. This was surprising because people have always believed that Cleopatra's power, riches and palace were sort of blown out of proportion (think about how fishermen describe the "one that got away").

In addition to the small statues, the scientists have found several statues of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra's father Ptolemy XII and some of Caesarion, Cleopatra's son with Caesar. More discoveries are found every day. One of the cornerstones that they found this week was a huge piece of pink limestone with an inscription dating it to the time of Seti II, centuries before Cleopatra reigned.

What makes this even cooler (as if it needed to be puh-leeze) is the fact that all of these artifacts are being put on display at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute from June 2010 through January 2011. How cool that they are only a few hours away! Fingers crossed that I can swing it to go see them!

Goodbye Jack!

For the second time in as many days, I'm having to say those words as I watch one of my favorite shows end. First Jack on Lost, now Jack on 24. I'm really glad that both shows went out on good terms but can I just tell you, it sucks to think no Lost or 24 next season. Complete case of the sads.

When comparing one Jack to the other, I have to admit that I'm Team Jack Bauer! If you have been in one of my classes during the presidential election season, you know I was pushing Jack Bauer for President!!! He would be like Teddy Roosevelt without all the elegance and polish. Ahhh imagine it!

Like Lost, 24 was cool in it's own unique kind of way. It always blew my mind that one man could get caught up in such craziness all in a single day. And poor Jack, he had 8 of them! Even when he was going off half-cocked and half insane, Jack was always doing what was best for the country he loves...even if it meant losing those closest to him.

The best thing thing about the 24 finale was the last scene. Jack said goodbye to his long-suffering sidekick Chloe (my 2nd fave character on the series BTW) and then the camera panned in really tight on his face. He gave a small smile and then he was gone. IMDB keeps hinting at rumors of a 24 movie somewhere down the road. With that last scene, the producers left that possibility open. *Fingers crossed, fingers crossed*

The worst thing about the 24 finale was the fact that the clock, which always counts through the show showing that "events occur in real time," got to the very end and counted down to 0:00:00. So sad. It's over.

But hey, now Jack can concentrate on the 2012 election.

I am Lost!

OK, so after 6 seasons of harrowing adventures and questions without answers, the greatest show on television has now gone out...without the traditional "boom" at the end I might add.

I told myself I wasn't going to cry. Yeah right, I'm sitting on the couch at Dawn's house, with her and Caitlin (and Kaiser of course) on pins and needles waiting for the end and the next thing I knew, there was 2 minutes left and we all had tears flowing. I'm not going to give away any spoilers right here for those who haven't watched it yet but suffice it to say, great ending!!!

If you never got into Lost, what's wrong with you?!?!? If you have, you're in good company. They did leave a few things hanging (Walt for example) but hey, not every question gets an answer.

It will be hard to find a show that challenged me like Lost did. What I appreciated the most about this show is that they didn't dumb it down. They actually made it where you had to think, you had to speculate. We actually used to have big conversations next day at school...what did this mean? what do you think will happen next?

I wonder if there will be another show as intriguing as Lost. There will be plenty that try but I don't think they will succeed. At least not any anytime soon.

Goodbye Lost. Thanks for 6 great seasons!

The Empire Strikes Back turns 30!

If you have no idea what this is, run, run as fast as you can for your nearest Blockbuster store and tell them that you are woefully ignorant of one of the greatest movies in cinematic history. You can tell them that Ramona Shelton diagnosed you as such.

This movie literally changed my life. It is the very first movie that I ever saw at the movie theaters, just a wee little lass of 7. I thought that it was the most amazing thing that I had ever seen. I wanted to be Princess Leia. I wanted my own Han Solo to face death and say "I know" when I told him I loved him. Still do.

Seriously, Star Wars put the franchise on the map, but Empire made it a phenomenon. Quintessential heroes vs. villians, good vs. evil, romance, revelations, war, OMG what happens next kind of stuff.

Everybody join me in singing a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday" to the movie and let's pop the DVD into the player and celebrate the monumentous occasion by watching it (for about the millionth time for me!)

Robin Hood's Hideout?

Since the 13th century, the Western World has had a fascination with Robin Hood. The idea that a nobleman-turned-outlaw would rob from the rich and give to the poor because he himself was screwed by the powers that be is an intriguing thought. It's kind of morally ambiguous if you think about it. Stealing is bad right? But stealing and then giving the loot away to those in need sort of cancels out the sin doesn't it? That's what we tell ourselves anyway.

With the new Robin Hood movie coming out, the History Channel, Discovery Channel and anything historically related have been on the Robin Hood bandwagon. (I don't blame them, I can't wait to see the movie myself) But the big question is...was Robin Hood a real person? Or his he just a made-up figure, designed to give the oppressed people in Medieval Europe and later in history hope?

Something tells me the answer is a little bit of both. When looking at the timelines, the idea that there was just one Robin Hood doesn't really hold water. My two cents- take them for what they are worth- is that yes, there was a nobleman who got the short end of the deal and was branded an outlaw. In the Middle Ages, this was a horrible thing. You had a price on your head and anybody would likely sell you out for the bounty.

I'm assuming that this nobleman, always referred to as Robert of Locksley, realized the plight of the common people once he became an outlaw. One way to keep the wolves away from your door is to feed them. Hence the rob from the rich, give to the poor thing. If you are helping them, they aren't going to be as likely to rat you out.

Over time, other men took up the idea of the big-hearted outlaw and they all got lumped together under the name "Robin Hood," Robin being a nickname for Robert back in the day.

Robin Hood's hunting ground was the Nottingham area and it's nearby Sherwood Forest. Sherwood Forest was a royal forest so it was even illegal for Robin Hood and his Merry Men to hide out there. Some researchers today are questioning whether or not Sherwood Forest was his only hideout. Archaeologists have been studying the system of caverns under Nottingham Castle (as seen in the pic above) and are wondering whether or not Robin and the crew might have been using them as a base too. Interesting thought- imagine pulling off a huge black market organization in the sheriff's basement because if the theories are true, this is exactly what it all boils down to.

Will we ever really know for sure? Doubtful.

Does it make wonderful story material for a history buff/conspiracy theorist like me? Abso-frigging-lutely!

Wedding Bells

I know that June is the traditional time for weddings but hey, in my family we like to buck the system. I'm sure my Franklin folks thought I was crazy Friday when I came in dressed in pearls, panty hose and real shoes (who am I kidding? My Franklin folks already KNOW I'm crazy) but I had to high-tail it out of there as soon as everybody got done with their finals because my baby brother Andrew tied the knot with his lady love, Haley. I love it when we add new folks to the family...ahh young love!!!

In the pic you get to see baby sister Sarah, little sister Savannah, Cruz (Savannah's boyfriend), my Daddy (if you have been in one of my classes, you've heard about him, now you have a face to go with the stories), the happy couple Andrew and Haley, yours truly, Caitlin and little brother Ti (yes ladies, he's single!)

Congratulations to my brother and new sister! Best wishes for the future!

Happy Mother's Day

Even though this isn't really historically significant, I can't let Mother's Day pass without discussing it.

Well maybe it has a little bit of a history...the Ancient Greeks set aside a day in early spring to honor Cybele, one of the goddesses of motherhood. Once the Romans took over the world, celebrations on that day transferred to Juno, the queen of the gods. Since Juno was the protector of wives and mothers, people also began honoring their own mothers on Juno's day.

Flash forward to 1870 America...Julia Ward Howe wrote a "Mother's Day Proclamation" discussing how women should be honored as the peacemakers of the world (remember, this is a world coming out of the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War so a little peace was probably a good thing).

By the early 1900's, Mother's Day was seen as a holiday in the US. To Catholics, it has a religious significance because it is seen as a day to honor the Virgin Mary. However, to most other people, it has much more of a commercial significance. Greeting card companies were the first to jump on this bandwagon, marketing pre-printed Mother's Day cards in the 1940's. This didn't go over well with etiquette mavens who said that the use of such cards was irresponsible- a hand written letter was much more meaningful.

I'm thinking that they were right. According to 2008 data, Mother's rings constituted nearly 8% of all jewelry sales and people spent $2.6 billion on flowers, $1.5 billion on pampering gifts like spa treatments and at least $68 million on Mother's Day cards.

Regardless of the commercialization, as a mother myself, it is nice to have a day dedicated to me. Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there!

Attn: Columbia Students

Nothing has changed since last night's post about the weather and the final exam. With the exception of the Franklin campus, Columbia State is officially open. That means that the test will be given as scheduled.

I have had a few people already contact me last night and this morning about the conditions in their particular areas. I'll make specific arrangements with folks if you absolutely cannot be in class at 2:00 for the test. Be aware that you must get in touch with me BEFORE missing the test to arrange alternative measures. If you miss the test and then decide to get in touch with me, you better have a damn good reason for not being there or you'll get a 0 on the MC part of the final.

Otherwise, I'll see you all this afternoon for the review (for those of you who want to come in before the test and ask questions) and then the test. Don't forget your pencils.

Attn: Columbia Students

Have you felt like singing "Rain, rain go away. Come again some other day" all day long? I'm beginning to hope that they really have found Noah's Ark because we may need it to save our Franklin colleagues.

Seriously though, I have already gotten emails about class tomorrow. As of this posting, the only campus that is closed is the Franklin campus (and that is only for Monday). As long as school is officially in session, we will be having the final tomorrow afternoon as scheduled. And as I said before I'll be there around 12:30 or 1:00 to have a study session with anyone who wants to ask questions.

I know that a lot of the outlying areas are flooded so use your brains in this situation. Do not put yourself at risk just to get to school for a test. Now that doesn't mean "whoo-hoo free pass"- it means that if anyone feels that it is too treacherous to get to school tomorrow afternoon, you need to get in touch with me BEFORE 2:00 tomorrow afternoon to make arrangements to take the test. If you miss the test and I find out that your area isn't dangerous (and believe me, I'll find out) I will consider that an unexcused absence and you will receive a 0 on your final. Don't try to play me.

If things change and the school is officially closed, I'll post another message later. Otherwise, see you all tomorrow afternoon.

Happy May Day (belated)

Please forgive me for being a day late in discussing the May Day celebrations, but I was a bit busy doing a little celebrating of my own.

May Day doesn't mean much for folks around these parts but around the world, it is actually a pretty big holiday. In ancient times, May 1 was officially the first day of Summer. The flowers were blooming, the days were milder and the hard work of Summer and Fall were ahead, so most leaders allowed their workers to have a holiday from work on May Day. Believe me, celebrations abounded.

The oldest May Day celebrations occurred before Christian times. They were actually festivals honoring Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers. Once Christianity became the predominate religion and the old pagan gods faded from memory, May Day celebrations continued. Rather than celebrating Flora, May Day honored the Virgin Mary (May is often seen as a diminutive of Mary). Young girls would participate in the Queen of the May pageants. The winning young lady would be crowned with a garland of flowers and would be the most important person in town that day. She would lead the dancing and the festivities.

May Day revelers would get up early, before the sun rose, to gather flowers still covered with the morning dew. The dew was considered to be magical. Rub it on your face, and May Day dew would help you look youthful and beautiful for another year. Then you would take the flowers and little gifts of sweets and leave them anonymously on people's doorsteps (sort of like the way we give secret Valentines today).

For the rest of the day, there would be dancing and feasting in the village. One of the biggest traditions was to dance around the Maypole. A large garland-covered pole would be put in the center of the village. Ribbons would stream from the top of the pole. Young men and women would hold the ribbons and dance around the Maypole, interweaving with each other until the ribbons were tightly wrapped around the Maypole, covering the garland. An example of a modern-day Maypole in Sweden is in the picture at the top. I'm sure you can figure out that this is all a fertility festival. Revelers are hoping for a bountiful crop of food, goods and babies in the next year.

For me, May Day has an extremely important significance. May Day happens to be my wonderful baby's birthday. I say baby but she turned 20 this year (God I feel old!!!)
Coincidentally, Caitlin's first name is actually Mary. Fitting, isn't it considering the day. So Happy Birthday to my Caitie Bug and Happy May Day to my friends. Next year, we all need to have our own big May Day celebration!