When Is Nevada Day

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Celebrating Nevada Day!

The state of Nevada is one of many that celebrate its admission into the United States. Nevada was admitted to the Union on October 31, 1864. As such, the ‘Silver State’ celebrates with parades and events that can match few others around the United States.

Carson City, the state capital, hosted the first ever celebration in honor of the day on October 31, 1889, upon the twenty-fifth anniversary of Nevada’s becoming the 36th state, and has continued to do so ever since. In 1891, the first governor of Nevada signed a bill that stated that ‘No court business was to be transacted on Admission Day’, which was what they called the date. Carson City, as well as nearby Reno, celebrated in grand style for the times. Because the state population was spread out, local celebrations and events were not common until well after the turn of the century.

During the early years following statehood, several attempts were made to officially designate a date to honor the inclusion of Nevada into the United States of America, including a huge effort in 1908 by the State Federation of Women’s Clubs in Reno. They went so far as to pass a resolution calling for a legislative bill, but their efforts failed.

In the early part of the 20th century, the celebration of Nevada’s admission into the Union would have been considered boring to entertainment standards today, but in 1914, the nonofficial day was observed by a free public tour of Reno’s States Historical Society, where the focus of attention was on a Civil War era Gridley sack of flour.

Such efforts to institute a state holiday didn’t pay off until the 1930’s. The first official observance of Nevada Day, as it is now called, was not celebrated until 1933, when that year finally saw the efforts of generations of Nevadans to see an official day set aside to recognize and honor Nevada’s official status. However, the day produced lackluster efforts until, in 1938. The size and popularity of future Nevada Day celebrations has continued to grow in size. The second Nevada Day event in 1939 drew almost 40,000 citizens from around the state to celebrate its 75th Anniversary, and Native American Indian tribes from surrounding areas also participated in the event. Since then, Nevada Day has become one of the biggest celebrations in the state.

Over the next two decades, Nevada Day continued to draw more and more people to its events, but not until the popular television show, ‘Bonanza’ aired, did Nevada see the huge influx of celebrants, both native Nevadans and those from other states. The saga of the weekly television show about the Cartwright family, who owned the famous Ponderosa ranch on the outskirts of Carson City, brought Nevada into the national spotlight every week. Their yearly Nevada Day parade in 1964 made parade marshals out of the stars of the immensely popular show, including Lorne Green, Michael Landon and Dan Blocker. That year, nearly 70,000 people were either in attendance or watched the parade on local television channels.

Nevada Day and its parade and celebrations have become a tradition in Nevada, and school children are taught their exciting and unique history as the Silver State. One of its favorite cities, Las Vegas, is now the focal point for another famous television show, CSI, which continues to throw the spotlight on the illustrious state. Nevada continues to see an influx of inhabitants as its dry, warm climate beckons to those from colder climes.

Over the years, the Nevada Day celebrations have gained national attention, and travelers from across the United States venture to the Silver State to help her celebrate her very special birthday every year.

What Is Earth Day

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Celebrating Mother Earth on Earth Day

April 22nd is a special day in America. It’s the day we celebrate Mother Earth and our environment. It’s a day set aside to help initiate laws and habits that protect our planet from further pollution, global warming, deforestation and all the other things that human habitation has done to hurt her. It’s a day to replenish and renew, a day to try to heal the scars that mar her surface and appreciate what she has to offer.

For centuries, man has abused the Earth, but in the 1960’s, people began to notice what human habitation had done to lands, rivers and oceans. America took notice and attitudes began to change. Attention was focused on the devastating effects of toxic waste and pollution, brought about mostly because of the photographs taken in space for the first time as man orbited the globe and stepped on the surface of the moon. In 1968, the very first photograph of earth taken from space showed Mother Earth as we had never seen her, or appreciated her before, and the image stuck in the minds of billions of earth dwellers. Future oil and chemical spills were no longer shrugged off or ignored, nor were the sufferings of millions of animals caught in such spills. The 1960’s were a time of public demonstrations, not only against the war in Vietnam, but also focusing on the results of pollution. Movements that saw thousands of people living off the land became all the rage.

Gaylord Nelson, a senator from Wisconsin, was the first to address the issues of the environment on a public level, and he felt that education on the environment should be addressed on college campuses throughout the nation. He promoted the concept of an Earth Day to his colleagues, as well as governors, mayors and college newspapers, right on down to the elementary school level. In 1970, his efforts began to pay off and national newspapers wrote about his concept. By December of that year, Nelson was forced to open a separate office to deal with the influx of telegrams, letters and telephone calls about his plan to institute a national Earth Day in the United States. Finally, in 1970, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was founded, followed a couple of years later by the Clean Air Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. While Earth Day had yet to be nationally recognized, it’s concept grew until organizations promoting Mother Earth, especially Greenpeace, established in Canada in 1971, began to promote peaceful protests against a multitude of anti-earth practices followed by global corporations and businesses.

Recycling of trash became popular in the 1980’s and continues to this day, and in 1990, Earth Day seemed to make a huge impact around the world as more than 200 million people joined in efforts to clean up local towns and cities, planted trees, cleared riverbanks, and other efforts to protect the land. The 25th anniversary of the very first Earth Day in 1995 was celebrated with reports of cleaner air, expanding forests and a decline of the number of endangered species.

Earth Day is a day for every American to do their part to ensure that the United States of America continues to monitor its own use of valuable land and water resources. It’s a day when school children, parents, business owners and farmers unite to protect a limited resource. Our environment counts on every American to do his or her part to make sure that we protect forests and waterways that will insure continued life. While our environment is a global concern, America, as one of the richest nations in the world, must be a leader and an example to the rest of the world when it comes to being environmentally friendly.

How To Celebrate Parents Day

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Celebrating Mom and Dad on Parents Day

Parents around the country share many commonalities, one of which is devotion to their children. Children, grown or not, are able to recognize and honor and thank their parents on Parents Day.

Parents Day was officially proclaimed to be a national and recognized day in 1994, when President Bill Clinton signed a resolution that established the fourth Sunday of every July as Parents Day, a day that recognizes and focuses on the efforts, sacrifices and unconditional love that parents bestow on their children. The day honors parents of all ages, races, beliefs and backgrounds. A parent provides children with the love, understanding and support that are unique to the family unit, and each parent is as unique and different as their children.

Churches, schools and community organizations take advantage of the day to recognize the efforts of parents everywhere; their dedication, loyalty and focus on duty when it comes to raising happy, healthy children. The day encourages parents everywhere to celebrate and strengthen the basic family unit in every community within the United States. Many communities celebrate the occasion by holding community dances and events that are geared to place the spotlight on parents who have gone beyond the call of duty, as it were, in providing nurturing, support and teaching to not only their own children, but others within a community. Family is the basic unit of every town in America, whether it’s small or teeming with millions of inhabitants. The most powerful bond in the world is that between parents and children.

Today, more than ever before, the idea of family is held in high esteem, as the twenty-first century brings with it single parent households, rising divorce rates and broken lines of communication. Family is the root of childhood upbringing, and many children only realize the sacrifices and efforts of their parents after they themselves are grown and have children of their own. Being a parent isn’t easy, nor is it a position that offers monetary gains. Parenthood is the ultimate in self-sacrifice and duty, a position that doesn’t end when the children move away from home. Parents will always be parents, no matter how old their children get.

Parents Day is a day when children throughout the country make cards and gifts for their Mother’s and Father’s, and a day when schools have special events to honor those parents. In many school districts around the country, Parents Day is a cause for celebration, and children perform in plays and musical displays meant to honor parenthood in a variety of ways.

Grown children often celebrate the day with phone calls, if they live away from home, and many parents are treated to flowers, candy, and a dinner on their kids. No matter how anyone decides to celebrate Parents Day, it is a day to offer displays of love and affection for the efforts parents have put into child raising. Parents are always there to kiss skinned knees or to lend a supportive shoulder during times of hardship or crisis. Parents will sometimes do anything in their power to help their children through difficulties in life, and in return, children can show recognition of that fact on Parents Day.

Millions of children, whether they’re five or fifty, take the day to thank their parents for all they have done, and many take the opportunity to celebrate the bonds that were begun at birth. Parents are a constant in the lives of many children, and since its inception in 1994, Parents Day has served as an opportunity for children throughout the country to personally reflect on role of parents, not only in their own lives, but in the lives of future generations.

How To Celebrate Valentine’s Day

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Celebrating Love on Valentine’s Day

Love is in the air every February, especially leading up to February 14th, officially recognized as Valentine’s Day in the United States and throughout much of the world. It’s a day for romance and the expression of love in many shapes and forms. It’s a day for candy and flowers, for heartfelt sentiments and dreams of finding true love.

Several legends exist which claim to know how the exchange of love tokens and words became known as Valentine’s Day. The first is that during the Middle Ages, it was believed that birds would first find a mate for spring around the middle of February. Others go back even further, to the times of the ancient Romans and Greeks. In one Roman festival and feast, the names of young women and men were placed in a container. The name of one man would be drawn, followed by the name of a woman to whom he was destined to protect for the following year. He wore her name on his sleeve and she became his valentine. This custom generally took place on February 14th.

As time progressed, the exchange of gifts was added to the drawing of names, and later still, it was the male who presented the female with gifts. From this came a custom of sending a greeting or small gifts. Others believe that the celebration was created to honor St. Valentine, a priest who served at a temple in the time of the Roman emperor Claudius. He was very popular, and after the emperor declared that no more marriages were to be performed due to his needs for men in the military, St. Valentine nevertheless continued to unite young couples in the holy state of matrimony. St. Valentine was thrown into prison, where he died, but his spirit to help young couples in love lives on to this day.

The first postal services in the American colonies were inundated with such greetings and cards on February 14th, and over the years the tradition grew until local businesses began to carry collections of pre-designed cards for the young people to purchase for a penny. In the Victorian era, Valentine’s Day became quite the rage, with elaborate cards and parties designed to keep the youth entertained. In the United States, Valentine’s Day has always offered quite a challenge to the postal service, and in the early 1900’s, over a million Valentine greetings were mailed. Candy favors made an appearance soon after, and young suitors offered their ladies sweet concoctions designed to melt their hearts and flowers to encourage their spirits toward the return of such affections. Today, school children as well as adults traditionally exchange Valentine cards, sweets and flowers in tokens of love and affection that has not waned since the first Valentine’s Day was celebrated. Red hearts and white lace doilies make an appearance in supermarkets and card stores throughout the country well before the date, as do tokens of affection such as stuffed animals and trinkets designed to bring a smile to lovers everywhere.

Many American towns and cities host Valentine’s parties and get-togethers, complete with decorations, beverages and foods from all over the world. Valentine’s Day in America is a time to cherish those close to your heart. It’s a time when matchmaking between couples heats up, as do blind dates and others in search of their soul mate. Valentine’s Day is a time for couples and those hoping to find their better half, and Cupid and his arrows aimed at the hearts of unsuspecting, but potential, lovers, flit around with reckless abandon. Valentine’s Day is set aside for romance and togetherness between couples of all ages, a day when love is truly in the air.

What Truman Day Means To History

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Celebrating History on Truman Day

Harry S. Truman was the thirty-third President of the United States. The end of World War Two was a time of great difficulties for the citizens of not only America, but also the world, and his legacies are honored on Truman Day, celebrated every May 8th.

Succeeding to the presidency upon the death of President Franklin Roosevelt in April of 1945, it was President Truman who was burdened with the responsibility of leading lead domestic and global postwar adjustments in civilian and military life, not only in the United States, but in post-war Europe and Japan as well. Truman’s most difficult job as new president was to prevent full-scale nuclear war with other nations, but it was his decision to launch a nuclear attack on Japan in an effort to bring the Second World War to an end. Immediately following the conclusion of the war, the Truman Era began; an era that saw the proliferation of the Cold War, spies, espionage and the threat of global nuclear attacks. Children in schools were taught to drop under their desks in the case of an nuclear attack, and citizens around the country were building bomb shelters in their back yards as the nuclear age threatened the stability and peace of every nation in the world.

Truman himself was a soldier during World War One, and was discharged from service at the end of the war as a major. He married his childhood sweetheart immediately after the conclusion of that war. Of humble origins, Harry S. Truman was a simple man, but one who felt deeply loyal to his country. His presidential administration saw the institution of the United Nations, whose efforts to promote a lasting peace after the devastation of the First and Second World Wars, which left billions of the world’s population without fathers, brothers, uncles or sons. Truman envisioned a peaceful world, one that worked together for the betterment of mankind. The creation of the United Nations will perhaps be remembered as his crowing achievement. The United Nations is still in existence today, a collection of leaders and representatives from nearly every nation around the globe, dedicated to preserving peace and preventing another world war from occurring.

Truman Day is a day set aside for generations of post-war baby boomers to remember the President who brought the country into a new era, a time rife with uncertainty and fear. Immediately after he attained the presidency following the death of President Franklin Roosevelt, Truman uttered a few words to those gathered at a press conference. “Pray for me,” he said. “I mean it.”

Most Americans today remember President Harry Truman as a balding man with round, wire-rimmed glasses, forever immortalized in photographs in history books and lesson plans. President Truman will be long remembered as a simple man, but one who attained the greatest position of power within the United States because of his steadfast loyalty to cause and country, and his firm resolve to bring American soldiers back home after long, bloody years at war. Coming from humble beginnings, Truman’s background somewhat resembles that of another favorite American president, Abraham Lincoln. Son of a farmer, the young Truman worked odd jobs until the advent of the First World War, and upon his release from military service, Truman entered a life in politics.
Truman Day is a day in which all Americans can reflect on the contributions and hardships faced by many presidents in American history, and the legacies that have been left for examples to future generations. A plate on President Harry S. Truman’s desk read, “The buck stops here.” President Truman indeed took responsibility for his actions as president, and while many of those decisions weren’t popular, or easy, he will always be remembered as the president who brought the Second World War to a conclusion.

How To Celebrate National Grandparents Day

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Celebrating Gram and Gramps on National Grandparents Day

There’s nothing so nice as visiting grandparents, and no matter what their nicknames, they almost always offer nothing but hugs and love for grandchildren all over the United States. It doesn’t matter if they’re called Gram or Gramps, Nana or Opa, a grandparent is a special person in any child’s life.

National Grandparents Day is a day set aside to honor those grandparents for everything they do. Some grandparents raise their grandchildren like they are their own, while others come to visit only once or twice a year. Whether grandparents live down the street or across the country, a grandparent nevertheless offers children a greater sense of family, belonging and understanding. Grandparents often act as a buffer between parents and children, and come in handy on occasions when rules and expectations confuse and frustrate children of all ages. At two or seventeen, children almost always seem to have a special place in their hearts for their grandparents, and take the opportunity on National Grandparents Day to show them how much they’re appreciated.

The idea to have a day set aside especially for grandparents was designed by a West Virginia housewife named Marian McQuade in 1970. Though only begun as a local effort, the idea soon spread reached the state legislature. The first Grandparents Day was officially celebrated locally on the first Sunday after Labor Day, in September 1973. The day was not nationally known and recognized until 1978, when the United States Congress passed legislation officially declaring the first Sunday after every Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. Why September? According to the founders, the autumn season was meant to symbolize the later years of a grandparent’s life. Today, National Grandparent’s Day is celebrated by millions of children, and it doesn’t matter if those children are toddlers or adults.

While Grandparents Day is meant to be a family day, hundreds, if not thousands, of miles, separate many parents and children. A card, letter or phone call is often the only way in which children can show their appreciation for their grandparents, but there is much they can do in their own neighborhood to honor that bond even more. Many school children make crafts and gifts for their grandparents with old mementoes or photographs, while older children and adults often volunteer their services at local retirement communities and long-term health care facilities in their town or city. Other groups of children often take to the streets and offer to clean senior citizen’s homes, yards and garages for them.

Children or adults who no longer have a living grandparent often visit homebound or shut-in senior citizens in their neighborhood, offering them company, food and the knowledge that someone cares about them. Many states offer ‘Adopt a Grandparent’ programs, which serve the needs of both young and old. Grandparents are meant to spoil their grandchildren, and young children need an older adult to offer the patience and love of an adult that isn’t in charge of daily child rearing tasks. Grandparents bring the experience of maturity and patience, gained after having raised their own broods. Grandchildren everywhere seem to be able to sense that in them.

National Grandparents Day also serves as a prime learning opportunity for younger generations, and listening to tales of what life was like during prior decades often provides hours of entertaining instruction to youngsters. Seniors, no matter whether they’re family or not, have the ability to pass on their experience and wisdom to younger generations, if they but care to sit down and listen. A grandparent is a treat to children from every race, faith and geographic area. It doesn’t matter if they’re rich or poor, stooped with age or still active. A grandparent is love and compassion, understanding and patient. A grandparent’s smile will never age. Remember your grandparent on National Grandparents Day every September.

What Is Juneteenth

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Celebrating Freedom on Juneteenth!

Sure, it’s an odd name for an event that had serious ramifications in American History, but for many, it’s easier to remember than Emancipation Day or Freedom Day. Of course, this day is celebrated on June 19th of every year, a day that commemorates the abortion of slavery in the state of Texas.

For more than a hundred years, Texas has honored this special day, and in 1980, the day became recognized statewide as an official holiday. Thirteen other states within the United States also celebrate this holiday, including Alaska, New York, New Jersey and California. Most government offices remain open, however, but such depends on where you live.

The Emancipation Proclamation, delivered and announced by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, had little effect on the lives of slaves in the United States at that time, and indeed, the War Between the States had just suffered through one of its most costly battles at a place called Gettysburg the month before Lincoln proclaimed that all slaves were for forever more to be considered and treated as free men. Since its inception, the Emancipation Proclamation has gendered mixed views between Northerners and Southerners, and for many years, and even decades, attitudes were slow to change. Nevertheless, slaves everywhere celebrated the day with music, family and laughter. Within a short matter of time, such celebrations were held all across the nation, commemorating that day in June when every man was considered free to pursue his individual rights.

In some parts of the country, Emancipation Day is celebrated in different months. In Washington D.C., Emancipation Day is celebrated in April, in honor of the month in 1862, when President Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act for slaves living in the District of Columbia.

In January of 2005, the Mayor of Washington D.C. signed legislation that officially designated the day an official public holiday. Each year, events have been held to commemorate the event, with gatherings, speeches and seminars designed to educate and inform the public at large on the history, issues and ramifications of slavery as practiced in the United States since it’s inception to the day it officially ended in 1863. Before 2005, the day was nevertheless celebrated in Washington D.C. yearly from 1866 to just after the turn of the 20th century.

In other scattered states throughout the union however, Emancipation Day is called ‘Juneteenth’ and is celebrated on the 19th of June. The day is a day that brings civil rights’ activists and organizations to the forefront, and schools everywhere learn about slavery and it’s effects upon the nation. While mainly observed by African Americans, many other races and cultures join in remembering the occasion, as freedom is an issue that is one that is ingrained in the heart of every American, young or old. The day offers opportunities for teachers and civic leaders to celebrate the diversity of African-American history and accomplishments, and to further exploration into the contributions of specific men and women whose efforts, ingenuity and pride in America has continued to carry the United States into the forefront of global economics, technology and civil rights.

No matter by what name the day is called; Emancipation Day, Freedom Day or Juneteenth, every June 19th is a day to be remembered by every American. Freedom is the basis on which the United States was founded and for which millions have shed their blood and died. Freedom is not something to be taken for granted, but something that is to be honored, appreciated and protected at all costs. Emancipation Day is not a day just for African-Americans. It’s a day for every American.

How To Celebrate Easter Sunday

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Celebrating Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday is the day Christians all over the world celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The day is honored and observed by millions of people throughout the world as one of the greatest events in the history of mankind. It was the Saxons who first applied the term ‘Easter’ to commemorate Christ’s rising from the dead, although not without some argument from the early Christian community, who debated about the particular day the event should be celebrated.

While most Christians celebrate Easter on a Sunday, Jews who converted to Christianity preferred to celebrate Easter on the same day as they had observed the Jewish feast of the Passover. While no church body has ever officially designated a specific day to celebrate Easter, the matter was brought up to the League of Nations in 1923. In any case, it’s unknown who actually designated the second or third Sunday every year to celebrate Easter, though Constantine the Great ordered his court to dress in their finest clothes to honor the day with feasting and celebration so many hundreds of years ago. During the early years of celebrating this very Holy of holidays, religious leaders and church congregations somberly recognized the events leading up to Easter Sunday, including Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, the Passover, the Betrayal and the Crucifixion, followed by Christ’s hurried burial in the sepulcher and then, finally, the discovery of His empty tomb. Many countries celebrated the religious holiday in different ways, and in Greece and Italy, athletic games followed religious services and ceremonies. In early Russia, everyone was welcome to ring the church bells.

According to historical records, it is believed that the first Easter Sunday sunrise service was observed in Germany in 1732, while one of the first such services occurred in early Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1741. Today, sunrise services on Easter Sunday morning are observed across the United States. One of the major ways in which modern Americans celebrate Easter these days is to purchase new dresses, suits and hats, enjoy colorful parades and dye and hunt Easter eggs and eat candy. Eggs especially have become closely connected with Easter in America, and are recognized as a symbol of the resurrection in many faiths, representing new seeds of life and fertility, the continuation of the human species. The Easter bunny as well has roots in tradition and history, as the early Germans believed that the rabbit also personified new life. In ancient times, eggs were rare, and gifts of eggs were considered precious gifts, as when eggs were dyed for spring festivals.

Over time, eggs, rabbits and bright, new colors have become symbolic with the Easter event, especially in the United States, accompanied by the Easter baskets that all these gifts can be carried and collected in. Egg hiding and egg rolling events became a popular game in England, and then the United States. Some claim that the game symbolizes the actions of the first arrivals to Christ’s tomb that first Sunday morning as they rolled the stone away from the entrance. Perhaps no national event is so beloved as the egg rolling tradition on the White House lawn that takes place on Easter Monday morning every year. The custom was begun by President James Madison and continues to this day, though it was suspended briefly during periods of war.

Easter Sunday is one of the most important religious holidays to be celebrated in the United States, a time when millions of people don their finest and reflect on their beliefs. For some it’s one of the most joyous religious celebrations of the year, while for others, it’s a time to look forward, to shake off the chill of winter and look forward to new growth, new life, and new hope.

What Is Asian Pacific Heritage Month

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Celebrating Diversity during Asian Pacific Heritage Month

May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month. What does that mean? It means that Asian Americans around the United States celebrate ethnic heritage, customs and traditions throughout the country. Whether they are first generation Americans or have been here for a hundred years or more, Asian Pacific Americans are part of the American patchwork quilt of history.

The origins of Asian Pacific Heritage Month began back in the 1970’s, during the administration of President Jimmy Carter. In October of 1978, President Carter signed a resolution that officially designated one week in May as Asian Pacific Heritage Month, a time period that celebrated Asians, and Asian communities, around the country. May was selected as an appropriate month to celebrate such culture and heritage for two specific reasons. The first was that Japanese immigrants first arrived within the United States in May of 1843. The second was that the Transcontinental Railroad was completed in May of 1869, which would never have been completed if it were not for the efforts of thousands of Asians who worked on the railroad, sometimes as indentured servants or virtual slaves. The vast majority of laborers who completed laying the tracks that spanned thousands of miles across the American plains and mountains were Chinese.

While New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles support large numbers of Asian populations, growing numbers of immigrants from all Asian Pacific countries are flocking to the freedom and democracy enjoyed by the United States. They bring with them a wealth of heritage and customs that go back thousands of years. Such traditions are celebrated throughout the United States during the month-long events that are held in both large cities and small towns across America.

Asian Pacific Heritage Month was enacted into law in 1992, and extended the weeklong observation to a month-long event in order to honor and recognize the contributions of Asians in the United States throughout her history. Today, many popular Asians forge the way for further generations in honoring and representing their native homelands. Such popular figures as newscaster Connie Chung and author Amy Tan have brought Asians to the forefront of the media. Ice skater Michelle Kwan, a silver medalist in the 1998 Olympic games, has done much to illuminate the contributions of Asians in the world of sports, as has Kristi Yamaguchi.

Asian traditions and customs are still widely followed, even here in the United States, and every Chinese New Year sees Dragon Dances, foods and fireworks that offer a unique view into different cultures and traditions, more than most Americans are accustomed to. The Asian community is huge in large cities, and the popularity of Asian food has gone a long way in smoothing the paths of communication and cooperation between not only Asians and Americans, but other cultures and countries as well. School children across the country are offered lessons and activities during Asian Pacific Heritage Month that create interest and knowledge about distant lands and distant people, many of whom have immigrated to the United States to pursue freedom and democracy.

Asian Pacific people come from Japan, Hawaii and China. They come from distant places like Thailand and Vietnam, Indonesia and Korea. Asian Pacific people come from Malaysia and Taiwan, as well as the Philippines and the Marshall Islands. They bring with them their history, their language and their unique customs and beliefs. America is truly the land of opportunity for many immigrants who brave new horizons to come to this country. The contributions of Asian Americans in history as well as their current contributions are what make America so successful in fields of science, technology and medicine. Asian Pacific Heritage Month is a time for all Americans to stop and appreciate the efforts of Asian Americans throughout history that make this country what it is today.

What To Do On Father’s Day

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Celebrating Dads on Father’s Day

The third Sunday in June of every year is set aside to honor fathers all across the United States, whether they’re new to fatherhood or already a Grandpa. It’s a day when the male head of the household gets to be ‘King for the Day’.

After church services, during which the state of fatherhood is often touched upon, Dad’s everywhere can expect to go home, be waited on hand and foot and treated to a special dinner… well, some fathers can. Others, especially raising children by themselves, celebrate in other ways, even if it’s just to stare at their children and smile. Father’s Day doesn’t have to mean fancy dinners or cards; it can also be recognized in a child’s smile or a tiny hand holding onto your little finger.

No one really knows who started the concept of Father’s Day; though some believe that it originated with a certain good woman from West Virginia who thought that setting aside a day to honor fathers was a good idea. At her request, a special Father’s Day service was conducted at her local church in 1908. Another young woman from Florida wrote to her state governor asking that he proclaim a Father’s Day. Regardless, it seems that a number of like minded women felt that fathers everywhere needed to be officially recognized for their parts in raising children, providing for the family and generally trying to keep order in households across the nation, to varying degrees of success. However, it is generally accepted that a woman in Spokane, Washington was the driving force behind such a declaration, after she petitioned her local minister to ask congregational members of her church to select one Sunday in June to remind churchgoers of the “appreciation owed to fathers.” Mainly remembering her own father and his sacrifices on her behalf, this woman asked that the day be celebrated on her late father’s birthday, hence the date. On that first Father’s Day, on June 19, 1910, local newspapers ran the story. During following years, neighboring communities also observed the day, but it wasn’t until 1924 that President Calvin Coolidge suggested that the day be recognized and honored throughout America.

On Father’s Day, fathers are gifted with t-shirts, ties, bathrobes, pipes and whatever else tickles the fancy of children offering their own idea of thanks for their Dad’s. School children make crafts geared to please, from homemade cards to clay ashtrays and table decorations. Older children often make a gift for Dad as well, whether it’s a crocheted pair of slippers or a knitted sweater, the gifts and mementoes always appreciated, even if they’re the wrong size, color or shape. Gifts of pipes and cigars have long been traditional throughout the history of Father’s Day, though these days, more health conscious fathers receive gift certificates to gyms and golf courses. But our favorite is a t-shirt that shows how much you love your dad or maybe a funny novelty shirt to make him laugh.

Father’s Day also allows fathers everywhere to reflect on their own task of providing examples and lessons for their children, and also to remember that they’re not in this business of raising children alone. Millions of fathers throughout America all face moments of self-doubt or uncertainty, but being a father never came with an instruction book. Every father raises his own children to the best of his ability, and mothers and children take this very special day to recognize that fact.

Father’s Day is a day when a Dad is given the freedom to while away his Sunday doing anything he pleases, even if that means sitting in the recliner watching television all day long. On this day, no one minds if Dad stays in his bathrobe or tinkers in the garage or stays out golfing from sunup to sundown. It’s Father’s Day.

When To Celebrate Constitution Week

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Celebrating Constitution Week!

The Constitution of the United States of America is generally regarded by people around the world, but most especially by American citizens, to be the greatest document written by man that declares the rights of men everywhere to be free. Freedom is the cornerstone of the American way of life: freedom to worship whomever we please, freedom to gather, freedom to come and go as we please, and other such freedoms are ingrained into the American spirit forever.

September 17, 1787 is one of the most important dates in the history of the United States because it was on this day that the Constitution was signed by the men who wrote it. Forever enshrined in the Smithsonian, millions of Americans every year flock to Washington D.C. to glimpse this famous document that serves as a basis for everything America stands for and believes in.

The first celebration of the signing of the Constitution took place in Philadelphia, and to this day, the biggest and most festive celebrations take place in the city that served as our first capitol. In the 1900’s however, the day took on a special importance, especially when the one-hundredth anniversary of the signing approached. A national celebration of the day was celebrated in Philadelphia in 1887 with the direction of the Centennial Constitution Commission. Every state in the Union was represented at the festivities, as were territories not yet included in statehood. A parade of more than 12,000 people helped to celebrate the grand event, followed by another parade the following day, with over 30,000 participants.

Groups and organizations today, such as the Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution, often lead festivities in honor of the signing, and school plays and biographical lessons are given to honor the Founding Fathers and their ideals. Children start off their school year by learning about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere as part of their school curriculum and crafts and readings are geared toward the beginnings of our country.

Over two hundred years has passed since the signing of the United States Constitution, but the day is still honored with due pomp and ceremony in Washington D.C. and many other cities around the nation. It is a day to remember the roots of our country, our freedom and our way of life. Constitution Week is a time to remember the father of our country, George Washington, and his service as general and first president of our nation, as well as the sacrifices made by other of our founding fathers. Noah Webster said that George Washington was “the greatest political leader of his time and also the greatest intellectual and moral force of the Revolutionary period.”

Constitution Week celebrates the writing of the document that makes America what it is today. It was framed and created on principals and is worthy of acceptance by all Americans. It provides protection against tyranny and assures democracy. It allows the American people to decide the course of their future, where every citizen has the right to vote, to debate and to disagree without fear. The greatness of the Constitution is that it gives power to the people, and it is the people who decide our future. As one of the greatest documents outlining human rights and freedoms in the history of mankind, it is right that Americans everywhere should remember September 17th as the day they were given their freedoms, freedoms which are never to be taken for granted, but that are worth fighting for, and at times, dying for. Constitution Week is a period of time where all Americans celebrate America and her special place in the world, a time where American pride and spirit rings across the nation.

How To Celebrate Chinese New Year

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Celebrating Chinese New Year’s, American Style

The Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday in China, much like Christmas is to Americans. It’s the longest lasting and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar and is celebrated by millions of Chinese-Americans in the United States as well as the majority of the population of China.

This year, the Chinese New Year beings on February 18the and will be known as the Year of the Pig. Chinese legend believes that Buddha once asked all animals to gather with him one New Year, but only twelve came. Buddha named a year after each of the animals, and stated that people born during the animal year would inherit some of their traits and characteristics. Those born in the year of the Pig are known for their loyalty, hard working personalities and excellent manners. Both in China and America, relationships, work decisions and aspects of personal life choices are often made depending on such considerations. In China, the Chinese New Year is celebrated with feasts, fireworks and family reunions. In America, the same time-honored traditions are also followed, though on a shorter time schedule than that observed in Mainland China. Chinese New Year celebrations last fifteen days in China, though in the United States, it’s sometimes shorter.

Chinese-Americans celebrate the New Year with the color red; red lanterns, red ‘lucky money’ in red envelopes, red clothes and decorations. Red is a color of fire, which according to Chinese legend can drive away bad luck. The Chinese New Year is a time for family and family reunions, and banquets and feasts are held. The red packets, or envelopes, always contain money in even denominations, known as Ya Sui Qian, or ‘age suppressing money’. Firecrackers are also a common sight and sound during the Chinese New Year, and are sold in strings or by themselves. Encased in red paper, fireworks are lit to symbolize the driving away of bad luck or misfortune. Red banners are also hung from doorways.

Many Chinese-Americans visit the oldest or most senior member of their family on the first day of the Chinese New Year, and a Lion Dance is often enjoyed on this day as well. The second day finds many lighting incense at the graveside of departed family members. The second day is also reserved for daughters to visit their own families, while the third and fourth days are usually spent with one’s own family. On the fifth day of the Chinese New Year, people eat dumplings, while the seventh day is known as the ‘common man’s birthday’.

The last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations end with the Lantern Festival. A highlight of the Lantern Festival is the Dragon Dance, in which the dragon may be anywhere from a few feet to a hundred feet long. This dragon, make of silk, paper or other lightweight materials, is help up in the air by young men as they dance their way through streets, accompanied by fireworks and joyous celebrants. In the United States, the Dragon Dance is sometimes accompanied by a parade with American-style floats. In Chinese-American communities in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City, the celebration is attended by thousands of Chinese citizens, visitors and members of other cultures.

Many public schools, especially those found on the East and West coast of America, celebrate the Chinese New Year with traditional crafts, stories and food. Many school classrooms prepare traditional Chinese New Year foods to enjoy, which teach appreciation for different customs in different lands. One of the most common Chinese New Year foods eaten is called a Chinese New Year Lucky Cake, which is made of a red bean paste surrounded by two layers of flavored rice paste. Several foods are traditional and symbolic, such as fish, which represents ‘more than enough’, or prosperity, and the Chinese dumpling, which symbolizes good luck, and candy symbolizes a ‘sweet’ year.

No matter what your heritage, celebration of the Chinese New Year is a time for family and friends, and you don’t have to be Chinese to celebrate that, nor to wish for prosperity and good fortune.

What is Seward’s Day

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Celebrating Alaska with Seward’s Day

Before reading any further, keep in mind that Seward’s Day is not to be confused with Alaska Day. While the two days and events are connected, native Alaskans know the difference.

Alaska Day is celebrated every year on October 18th, as a celebration of the formal transfer of Alaskan territories to the United States in 1867. Seward’s Day, however, is a day that honors the signing of the Alaska Purchase Treaty, which took place on March 30, 1867. Seward’s Day is given special distinction in Alaska, for it was Secretary of State William H. Seward who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from her former Russian owners. As such, Alaskans honor and revere the legacy of Seward’s efforts and negotiations, as the State of Alaska is one of America’s greatest pride and joys. Today, Seward’s Day is celebrated throughout Alaska on the last Monday of every March.

Seward’s Day is not marked by huge parades and civic events, but every Alaskan knows the history of their state and discusses it with friends and neighbors wherever groups of people congregate. School children are taught the illustrious history of the Russian-American negotiations, and often reenact the event in school plays.

The odd thing about Seward’s negotiations with the Russians was that neither party seemed particularly interested in the deal. Russians were not too keen on selling and the United States government seemed rather lackluster in purchasing such a great amount of property, especially one as wild and isolated as the Alaskan wilderness. In the end, the United States Senate only approved of the purchase by one, solitary vote. If that Senator had not voted in the affirmative, Alaska could very well be Russian territory to this day. Charles Sumner, Senator for Massachusetts, cast the deciding vote and suggested that the forbidding wilderness be called, ‘Alaska’. The name stuck.

Seward had served under President Abraham Lincoln until his assassination, and had even run against him during the 1860 election campaign. He remained in his position as Secretary of State under Lincoln’s successor, Andrew Johnson. The night Lincoln was assassinated, other targets had also been singled out, including Seward, the Vice-President, and the Secretary of War. The only one actually injured was Seward, who at the time Lincoln was assassinated, lay in his bed recovering from a carriage accident several days before. Attacked in his bedroom, Seward was slashed with a knife after his assailant’s pistol misfired. He bore the scars of the attack for the remainder of his life.

Westward Expansion took America storm during the years following the Civil War, and wild, open territory seemed ready for the taking. Manifest Destiny, the belief that America would one day reach from the Atlantic to the Pacific, propelled Seward toward a ‘once in a lifetime’ chance to perpetuate that dream. The Russian with whom Seward negotiated, Edouard de Stoeckl, was very familiar with Americans and American culture, having represented Russia in the United States for a quarter of a century.

After a bit of haggling and arguing, the two men, along with their aides and secretaries, finally drafted an agreement that allowed for the United States to purchase the Alaskan territories for a little more than seven million dollars, which worked out to a mere pennies per acre.

In the early days after the purchase, Alaska was known by several names; Seward’s Folly, Seward’s Icebox and even Walrussia. It took quite a while for the United States to actually pay for the land, but eventually, America owned the territory free and clear. Despite the difficulties of the negotiators and the lackluster support of the United States Senate in 1867, Alaska has since become a beloved part of American history. Her territories, characters and landscape have offered a colorful and wild past in the fabric of American expansion and lifestyles that continues to this day. In 1959, Alaska finally became an official state within the United States of America.

How To Celebrate Alaska Day

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Celebrate Alaska Day!

Few states within America have such a wild and illustrious reputation as Alaska, and one of the state’s most popular holidays is Alaska Day, the day that commemorates the transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States territories on October 18, 1867.

Celebrated in Sitka every year, Alaska Day is a day filled with history and tradition, a celebration that honors diversity among its varied inhabitants and heritage. In 1867, the Alaska territory was officially ceded to the United States from Russia, and the documents were signed, sealed and delivered on March 29 of that year as United States Secretary of State William Henry, under President Andrew Johnson and Baron Eduard de Stoeckl, the Russian Minister to the United States, completed creation of the draft that was to prove so beneficial to America.

Sitka is the town where the illustrious event took place and continues to be the site of modern day celebrations that remember the event, keeping the history of Alaska alive and thriving in the minds of generations after its passing. Many people don’t know that the purchase was a steal at a mere two cents an acre, but Russia seemed happy with the purchase price and it was something that President Johnson could not pass up. Today, millions of Alaskan natives remember the day, though during the years immediately following the transfer, no one seemed to think it was such a big deal. The first celebration honoring the transfer was held in 1949. The day serves to not only remember the transfer of loyalties, but also the indomitable spirit that American pioneers were made of. Alaska was a land of harsh extremes and difficulties, but it is on one of the most beautiful states in the Union.

In 1954, the Alaska Day Festival became a non-profit organization whose mission and focus is to perpetuate the annual celebration of Alaska’s American birthday every year on October 18th. Millions of Alaska natives celebrate their heritage, culture and traditions, blended from immigrants from throughout the world as well as Native American tribes who made Alaska their home hundreds of years before the first white settlers stepped foot in the state.

Every year, the Alaska Day festivities grow in size and popularity, and people from around the United States venture to the still wild country to experience a bit of Alaskan flavor for themselves. Alaska has long been known as the ‘Last Frontier’ of the United States, and its millions of miles of wild lands, animals and vast wildernesses make it easy to understand why.

The day is celebrated in Sitka with parades and special civic events. Men are encouraged to grow beards during the week’s preceding the celebrations, and women to dress in 1867-era clothing to commemorate the special day in Alaska’s history. The festive events run for several days and include costume balls, concerts and performances from troupes and clubs from around the United States. The U.S. Army band has long made it a tradition to attend the festivities, and other military branches strut their stuff with demonstrations and reenactments of the transfer that took place just two years after the conclusion of the War Between the States.

Alaska Day festivities are a time-honored tradition in Sitka, and generate interest from politicians and inhabitants from far and wide. The reenactment of the transfer between Russian and American representatives is observed on Castle Hill every year, a tradition that serves to implant the love of history and pride of spirit of Alaska in everyone in attendance, whether they are an Alaskan native or not. Alaska Day is an event that has, and always will, perpetuate a great moment in American history for both natives and American citizens in the ‘Lower Forty-eight’.

What is Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day

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Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day

Millions of Americans enjoy the country’s National Park System every year, but do you realize how much trash thoughtless people leave behind? Perhaps they’ve never heard the scouting motto, ‘Leave a place cleaner than you found it’, but for whatever reasons, people litter national and sacred lands with food trash, cans, forgotten pieces of clothing, and worst of all, diapers!

A man named Carl Garner, living in Arkansas, was well known in his community for encouraging young and old alike to help keep his native Greers Ferry Lake and surrounding Little Red River clean of trash and pollutants. He became aware of how important it was to be environment friendly after he helped construct Greers Ferry back in the early 1960’s. He became an environmentalist who cared deeply about human impact on natural environments, even when being so dedicated wasn’t at all popular. He began a project called the Greers Ferry/Little Red River Cleanup, and ever since, the project has grown to become a shining example for such volunteer projects throughout the United States. Garner’s project became the model for what was to be later known as the National Public Lands Cleanup Day that was created at local, State and Federal levels some years later. This national project was created to address the growing and alarming rates of pollution, not only from vehicle emissions, but that caused by human contact with National Parks and lands throughout the United States.

Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day is observed on the first Saturday after Labor Day, and countless thousands of citizens from every state contribute hours of their day to not only clean up local public parks and lands, but also attend ceremonies and activities that are created and designed to draw attention to the fact that the land belongs to all Americans, and as such, we have a responsibility to keep it clean and as environmentally natural as possible. Created in 1985 by the Federal Lands Cleanup Act, this day used to also be known as ‘Federal Lands Cleanup Day, though it was renamed in 1985 in honor of Carl Garner’s work in Arkansas.

Nearly every citizen in the United States enjoys trips and hikes through our National Park system, to enjoy the benefits nature offers us. The National Park system attempts to ensure that every park within their domain, including memorial parks and battlefield locations, are well cared for, but their lack in budget and manpower often makes that an impractical dream. Visitors to any National Park can do their part to help Park Rangers by cleaning up after themselves and refraining from littering while they are on Federal lands. Local and state parks are even more understaffed than the National Parks and require a greater diligence from locals than ever before.

Most people know how to respect federal lands, and are conscientious and careful about cleaning up after themselves, but many people just don’t seem to realize what they’re leaving behind, and if they do, they don’t care. The shame of it is, everyone suffers from such lack of respect and concern, and our national parks take the brunt of the neglect. National Parks and lands are created to protect against overbuilding, deforestation and over population, but they’re not protected from careless people who don’t care where that McDonald’s cup or bag end up. Helping to protect our natural parks, and the wildlife within them, from the thoughtlessness of some has become a regular endeavor for many schools around the country, with classrooms taking fieldtrips to local parks every year to do their part in helping keep America clean. Many Girl and Boy Scout Troops make an effort to join in on Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day every year, and are proud to participate in such a beneficial event.

Keeping America clean is a responsibility that belongs to every American, regardless of age, race and social status. Carl Garner believed that, and so do hundreds of thousands of people who follow his example every year, on the first Saturday after Labor Day.

What Is Cancer Control Month

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Cancer Control Month

Many people don’t realize that cases of cancer are increasing every year in the United States. Cancer is a devastating disease that can strike any gender or age group, and no one is immune from it. For this reason, April has been designated as Cancer Control Month across America. Awareness of cancer and its possible causes and effects on the human body has encouraged millions of people to donate money toward cancer research every year.

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer being reported every month, in both men and women. Prostate cancer is the leading cancer reported in men, while breast cancer is the highest in women. Among those three types of cancer however, lung cancer today is the leading cause of death among both men and women. While no one is immune from being diagnosed with cancer, knowledge leads to understanding and research. The focus on cancer helps health organizations, doctors, schools and community health departments to spread the word about cancer and its causes. Some types of cancer are caused by human behaviors such as smoking and habitual sunbathing. Skin cancer these days is on the rise, mainly because teenagers who used to bake out in the sun all day are now middle aged men and women who are showing the first signs of melanoma and other types of skin cancer. While many think that because the cancer first shows up on the skin, and not in body organs such as the lung, breast or prostate, that it isn’t that serious. They are very wrong, as skin cancer is deadly. The treatment of cancer in America costs millions of tax payer dollars every year, but this cost can be reduced if citizens knew more about the early warning signs and symptoms that occur with cancer.

Cancer Control Month is a period of time when the American Cancer Society gears up for its yearly information drive, and schools across the country participate in nation-wide activities and programs designed to promote cancer awareness and also to participate and promote cancer research funding. The month enables health care providers to focus on cancer control issues such as knowledge, prevention, detection and treatment. Many independent organizations and groups throughout the country participate in nationwide initiative program that seeks to educate everyone about the causes and common misconceptions about cancer in America.

Studies have shown that nearly four thousand people are diagnosed with cancer every day, and that nearly fifty thousand die a year. In many cases, cancer can be successfully treated if caught early enough, and the American Cancer Society takes the opportunity provided by Cancer Control Month to distribute massive amounts of printed information for the general public. Grocery stores, libraries, schools, universities and corporate offices all take part in this massive information drive, as do county health departments and individual doctor’s offices, as well as hospitals. School children of all ages and states also participate not only in educational classes, but also activities that help to promote awareness and treatments of cancer. They learn that smoking is a leading cause of cancer among both men and women, and that long-term exposure to the sun can also lead to cancers.

The key to fighting cancer and increasing survival rates is preventative health care, but without adequate information and knowledge, many people don’t realize that the mole they suddenly develop on their arm is really a pre-cancerous growth. Due to the efforts of not only the American Cancer Society, but millions of volunteers throughout the United States, more and more people are seeking early treatment for cancer, and are beating the odds. Today, being diagnosed with cancer doesn’t automatically mean a death sentence.

When Is Citizenship Day

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Becoming American on Citizenship Day

Every September 17th, thousands of people from across the nation take a pledge to become United States citizens. The day is officially called Citizenship Day and marks an important moment for immigrants from around the world as a day when they become Americans, as well as a day for native born Americans to remember and celebrate our rights and responsibilities as free citizens of one of the greatest nations in the world.

September 17th is the day the United States Constitution was signed in 1787, and is a day that is also observed to honor our Founding Fathers and the freedoms to which every American citizen has been granted. Citizenship is the mortar that holds our nation together, and in the heart of every American beats the nature of a free man, one who is able to reach any goals or aspirations they seek regardless of race, faith or social status. Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world immigrate to America to enjoy the same freedom and possibilities, and citizenship naturalization ceremonies take place all across the United States on Citizenship Day as these very same people raise their right hands and swear to an oath of allegiance to the United States of America.

Citizenship Day has been celebrated since the early 1940’s, when President Harry S. Truman signed a resolution created by Congress that designated the third Sunday of every May as, “I am an American Day”. In 1952, he signed a subsequent bill that designated September 17th as a day to be observed by all Americans. He felt it was especially important for all citizens to learn and understand the rights granted to every American through the Constitution and to honor the principles that proved the foundation for our country.

When immigrants want to become officially recognized as American citizens, they must begin a long process of learning and understanding. When they’re ready, they are given tests that show their interest and their knowledge of basic events in American history and also of how the United States government is designed and how it works. A naturalization ceremony is usually held in every state on September 17th, and immigrants from every town, city, and county appear in Federal court or civil immigration services offices throughout the country to take the Oath of Allegiance. The ceremony offers these immigrants, no matter where they’re from, as true American citizens with the rights of native-born Americans, full citizenship, and its benefits.

Over a million immigrants have already become American citizens in the first years of the 21st century. It’s not only meant to be a day for those who want to become citizens of the United States, it’s also a day in which every native born American should pause for a moment or two, at the very least, to recognize how fortunate they are to belong to such a country that guarantees rights and freedoms to her citizens. Many Americans take these freedoms and rights for granted, which is why many schools around the country use the date as an opportunity to explain to students what the Constitution of the United States is, what it says, and what it means, to young people everywhere. It’s a time when both children and adults can appreciate the unique freedoms enjoyed in our country that are not approved or allowed in other countries around the world. The spirit of freedom beats strong in the heart of all Americans, to those of newly granted citizenship and those who come from Mayflower stock. Whether new or old, American citizenship offers people of all races, creeds, beliefs and social backgrounds equal rights and freedoms that are never to be taken for granted.

Automatic T-Shirt Printers

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Automatic T-Shirt Printers

For those t-shirt designers or wholesale printers who wish to get into the business of mass-producing printed t-shirts, there are several automatic shirt printers available which make the process fast and simpler than single shirt production methods.  One such machine is known as the Xpress.  The Xpress will print both shirts and paper, and it promises an output of 60-100 shirts per hour.

This printer interfaces with a Windows-based computer system, which feeds the design to the printer and designates the inks to be used and the quantity to be printed.  Up to seven different ink colors can be used to print the shirts, and these can be blended together to create additional colors as needed. Since most colors can be easily created by combining four colors, this is probably not a limitation.  The Xpress also boasts and efficient self-cleaning system ink tank cleaner which allows the operator to quickly move between shirts and paper print projects.  The price will range between several thousand and tens of thousands of dollars for this type of printer, depending on the options and quantity desired.

A lower cost alternative for those wanting to mass-produce custom designed t-shirts is the four-color automatic t-shirt printing press.  This gives the designer the option to use any four inks, or cyan, magenta, black and yellow in any combination to create the color scheme of their choice.

Mentioned above are spray-on printers for t-shirt design. There are also conveyer systems with multiple heat press arms which can be used by t-shirt producers to mass produce heat-transfer designed t-shirts. These machines are often large and heavy. However, the convenience of being able to load shirts which will be heat-pressed with the desired design will reduce the necessary handling and lower the chance of errors in the printing process for large numbers of duplicate t-shirts.  The typical multi-shirt heat press costs somewhere between five and ten thousand dollars. A conveyor belt system for moving the shirts appropriately will be much more expensive.

What Is April Fool’s Day

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April Fool’s Day

There doesn’t seem to be a consensus on when the practice of playing jokes on the first day of April began, but there is some agreement that the celebration has something to do with the recognition of the spring equinox every year. For centuries, inhabitants of India have been celebrating what is know as the Feast of Huli on the last day of March, by sending people on silly or ridiculous errands. No matter where exactly the custom of playing pranks began, it became common in France around 1564, but it wasn’t until the beginning of the eighteenth century that citizens in England began the practice of April Fooling, and early settlers to America brought the custom with them.

Everyone is prone to pranks on April 1st, the ‘official’ All-Fool’s Day. Children and adults alike indulge such pranks, and some jokes and pranks are simple while others are ingenious and complicated. No one is off limits to getting ‘fooled’. Sometimes, pranks get so out of control that many businesses simply disconnect their phone service that day, though most will just play along. A prank can be verbal or physical in nature, and most are completely harmless. No matter which type, the day itself is dedicated to the pursuit of laughter, sometimes at the expense of others. Fun is the intended outcome for this humorous holiday, which is mentioned in Poor Robin’s Almanac of 1760:

The first of April, some do say,
Is set apart for All Fools’ Day.
But why the people call it so,
Nor I, nor they themselves do know.
But on this day are people sent,
On purpose for pure merriment.

Since the first April Fool’s Day joke was unleashed upon an unsuspecting victim, fun and silly antics have been saved for this particular day all around the world. While in the United States, April Fool’s Day is usually enjoyed by schoolchildren of all ages, and many adults indulge in the holiday as well. Though April Fool’s Day is not a governmental holiday, it is a holiday in every sense of the word.
Sometimes, a prank will backfire or produce unexpected, and sometimes rather unpleasant results, but for the most part, it’s all harmless fun. This ‘silly time’ usually starts just after midnight on April 1st and continues throughout the day in schools, offices, homes and businesses throughout the United States. Everyone is on their guard this day, which is natural, since even government offices and company executive officers join in on the fun. No one seems to take anything very seriously on April Fool’s Day.
There have been occasions where embarrassment and chagrin has felled members from all walks of life. Practical jokes run rampant, and while putting salt in the sugar bowl for the next person is not a nice trick to play on a stranger, everyone seems to understand that it’s all meant as clean, good fun. More often than not, people are especially wary on this day, and double-check everything twice. College students set their clocks an hour behind, so their roommates show up to the wrong class – or not at all. These days, internet users are often the butt of anonymous emails or ‘computer crash’ jokes, that while alarming at first, almost always produce a chuckle or two after the victim realizes they’ve just been fooled. Still, many people now refuse to go online on April Fool’s Day for fear of being hit with an Internet virus or worm, which isn’t so funny.
Some practical jokes are kept up the whole day before the victim realizes what day it is. Most April Fool’s Day jokes are in good fun and not meant to harm anyone. The most clever April Fool’s Day joke is the one where everyone laughs, especially the person upon whom the joke is played.

What Is World Ocean Day

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Appreciating World Ocean Day

There aren’t many people who know that more than 90% of the world’s biomass is contained in the deep blue seas that cover almost three quarter’s of the earth’s surface, nor that in the last few years, our oceans have endured massive amounts of damage due to pollution and devastation of one type or another.

World Ocean Day, created in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, has yet to be declared a national holiday, but since its birth at the Earth Summit that year, the day provides an opportunity for all Americans and inhabitants of the globe, to celebrate the diversity that is to be found in the oceans that cradle every land mass on the planet. The ocean gives life, and without it, life would cease to exist. The ocean gives oxygen and regulates climate, as well as offering food and medicine.

Unfortunately, mankind has not been kind to her in return, and has polluted her with our garbage, killing so many different kinds of fish and mammals that make the ocean their home that they are either extinct or on the verge of extension, and we continue to destroy native habitats that affect not just one species, but multiple species in the natural food chain that have existed for millions of years. Worst of all, we have taken the ocean for granted.

The United Nations’ Earth Summit has tried to change all that, and encourage not only the United States, but also every nation in the world to start appreciating the world’s oceans as they deserve. The Ocean Project, a brainchild of the Earth Summit, encourages teachers and civic leaders around America, and the world to instruct children to become caretakers of our oceans. Together with schools everywhere, the World Ocean Network is hoping to pass resolutions to designate June 8th as World Ocean Day, a day when everyone does something to help insure that we appreciate our ocean and try to reverse some of the long term damage we have caused in a mere few hundred years.

The World Ocean Network strives to convince everyone that without our help, future generations won’t have much of an ocean to enjoy. Supporting laws and regulations that ensure that pollution is prohibited and that people respect the water is a driving force of their mission. For many decades, world inhabitants have used the ocean as a huge garbage dump, but laws have slowly reversed that tragic trend. Still, children and young adults are now being taught that it’s not just the ocean itself that we must protect, but also the lakes, rivers and streams that drain into the oceans from the Mississippi river in the Midwest to the Columbia river in the northwest and the Hudson River in the east. Studies have shown that those of us who live inland cause more than 80% of waste that ends up in the ocean.

Teachers and community leaders have encouraged children in schools and families within their communities to choose resources that are environmentally friendly to our waterways and oceans. They are taught how to properly dispose of dangerous substances that pollute, like motor oil, paper trash and industrial waste. Teaching everyone to appreciate the wealth of food the ocean provides us is another way to ensure that we do our best to protect those resources, as part of our future. Recycling is one of the best ways to help save oceans, not only those embracing both coasts of America, but around the world.

Children are the future, and the task of saving the world’s most valuable resource will fall to them. Finding renewable sources of energy other than coal and gasoline are going to be in the hands of our children and grandchildren. Encouraging legislation to designate June 8th as World Ocean Day is one of the best things that we can do to help them succeed in that task.