2013

New Year traditions to bring good luck to your home

For most of us, the New Year means hope for a new beginning, another chance to make a positive difference not only in our own lives but also to those around us. It signifies another opportunity for us to become a better, healthier, more beautiful, and more successful version of who we currently are. Typically, we’d make a list, literally or figuratively, of our New Year’s resolutions. Typically too, we’d invoke or evoke good luck to come our way to help us bring to completion what we resolve to do and/or be in the coming 12 months. Superstitious or not, we cling to certain traditional practices for inviting good luck into our homes and into our lives on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. If they work, that’s well and good. If not, there’s no harm done in having tried. Of course, the actual practices for invoking or evoking or summoning good fortune varies depending on which cultural milieu you came from. If your roots are Latin American, chances are you’d be wearing bright red or yellow underpants on your way to welcoming the New Year. If you’re from Italy or Portugal, you’d probably be eating 12 grapes from a bunch at the stroke of midnight. If you’re from the Philippines, you’d likely be in polka dots and munching on as many assorted round fruits as possible as you clink away at the coins which fill up your pockets. Among people belonging to a common nationality or culture, there are certain beliefs they usually share that doing certain things on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day will somehow affect how the coming days and months ahead will turn out eventually. Most like the Chinese employ public ceremonial dancing and fireworks displays to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. The Dutch set their Christmas trees on fire and build bonfires on the street as they light fireworks and parade about and around the town. Panamanians on the other hand prefer to burn effigies of their politicians and other well-known personalities. The Scots hold parades of men who swing fireballs attached to poles around and over their heads. The Danes throw plates and glasses against the doors of their friends and relatives while Colombians walk around their neighborhoods carrying empty suitcases. And South Africans throw old appliances and other heavy things out their windows, just as the Japanese visit their temples to hear the bells chime 108 times. For many Americans, well, their New Year’s Day [...]

By |2019-03-25T22:46:57+00:00December 27th, 2013|New Year|0 Comments

I feel for the Missouri State Fair

Okay I am sure a lot of your saw this post this morning on Yahoo Missouri Fair clown draws criticism for Obama mask. Well, if this clown was looking for attention he certainly got some. This mask and act had absolutely no business at one of our big state fairs. Yes, this was disrespectful. I am somewhat of a public person too and have been for years. Once a wise mayor said this to me as I was trying to run a large public event, "If you are going to be in the public eye, there are people that are going to love you, people that are going to hate you and people in between". Think about it, that is a very very wise statement. Being President is hard hard work. I would not want the job. The President has the responsibility of making everyone happy. Hey, folks that is not going to happen. Nor is the world going to be a perfect place in the next five seconds either. So, if you "think" you could do a better job you should run for President.

By |2023-01-08T01:19:02+00:00August 12th, 2013|Missouri, Missouri State Fair, State Fair|0 Comments

Bumble Bee Mass Poisoning

Pesticides are a problem. Like Bumble Bees, don't use them. There was a recent incident in Oregon of a mass poisoning of 50,000 Bumble Bees in Watsonville, Oregon. We have become a country of instant gratification and unfortunately that means instant insect control. Oregon has temporarily ???? banned 18 insecticides with the active ingredient dinotefuran. Apparently the mass Bumble Bee death occurred after a landscaper sprayed dozens of ornamental trees around a Target parking lot. The insecticide will be banned for at least four months while the Department of Agriculture tries to figure out exactly what happened. The Washington State Department of Agriculture decided on not banning this insecticide earlier this year . Instead, they will "urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to consider whether additional use restrictions are needed when the products are applied to ornamental plants. Excuse ME, mother nature survived for a long time without insecticides produced artificially by humankind. Chemical creations we are making are causing problems in more then one area of our life. They are affecting our food supply. They are affecting our health. This should NOT be about money. Humankind is suppose to be intelligent. Has anyone considered what happens if we kill off all the Bumble Bees? Don't say it cannot happen we have eradicated other species Remember the Passenger Pigeon?? probably NOT we managed to eradicate all of them "The Passenger Pigeon, once probably the most numerous bird on the planet, made its home in the billion or so acres of primary forest that once covered North America east of the Rocky Mountains. Their flocks, a mile wide and up to 300 miles long, were so dense that they darkened the sky for hours and days as the flock passed overhead. Population estimates from the 19th century ranged from 1 billion to close to 4 billion individuals. Total populations may have reached 5 billion individuals and comprised up to 40% of the total number of birds in North America (Schorger 1995). This may be the only species for which the exact time of extinction is known." This is from the website Chipper Woods Bird Observatory. This needs to stop or we might just as well kill off all mankind too - inevitably we probably will. Humankind is suppose to be intelligent. Really, really do you think so?? Here is another article about this subject Pesticide Causes Largest Mass Bumble Bee Death on Record

By |2019-04-11T23:30:11+00:00July 19th, 2013|Insects|0 Comments

King County Fair, WA. Features Concerts, Rides and 4-H Youth

Join the fun July 11-14 during the 151st King County Fair. Experience amazing live concerts, relish thrilling rides, including Mutton Bustin’, view livestock exhibits, and enjoy much more. The King County Fair is held in Enumclaw WA. For more information visit thekingcountyfair.com. The 4-H kids throughout King County will have prepared photography, food and clothing displays, various public presentations/performances, Lego robots, etc. and trained their dogs, cats, horses, goats, etc. in hopes of qualifying to show at the Washington State Fair in Puyallup. Hands-on projects, like dogs, robotics, etc. keep kids interested as they learn and practice leadership, citizenship, and life skills, such as public speaking. To learn more about 4-H and the many different projects, including robotics, performance arts, animal and plant science, cooking, sewing, etc., that are offered attend the King County Fair or visit 4h.wsu.edu.

By |2019-04-11T23:33:53+00:00July 9th, 2013|County Fair, King County Fair, Washington|0 Comments

George Jones, Funeral at Grand Ole Opry House

The Grand Ole Opry will honor George Jones on May 2nd with a public funeral. CMT will televise the service Thursday (May 2) at 10 a.m. CT. Was George Jones the greatest living country singer ever? George was born on September 12, 1931, in Saratoga, Texas. His family was quite poor. He was one of eight siblings. His father was an alcoholic. Many do not know he taught himself to play guitar. George has had amazing longevity in a business famous for 'here today gone tomorrow' country singers. In 1955 he made the country charts with "Why Baby Why". He sang under the name of Thumper Jones in 1956. He had a chart hit every decade since he began recording. There wer 14 total hits from 1959 to 1983. In 1980 he recorded a song called 'He Stopped Loving Her 'Today'. George was also famous for his drinking and drug habits in the 1970s through the 1990s. As we all know it takes something serious for a drinker to stop entirely drinking and that happened to George in a car crash in 1999. How many albums did George Jones make? Good question? 140 singles and 25 collaborated albums He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1957 and wrote songs in the 1980s. If you are into country music you have to honor George Jones for his contributions. He will be very missed.

By |2019-05-24T00:28:48+00:00May 1st, 2013|George Jones, Grand Ole Opry, Nashville|1 Comment

‘Big Tex’, coming back to the Texas State Fair

Big Tex was destroyed by fire last year. The 52-ft iconic host was destroyed in an electrical fire on the final Friday of the 2012 State Fair of Texas. Fair officials confirm that Big Tex will be unveiled on opening day of the 2013 season. Fairgoers want Big Tex back and a fund was established to rebuild him. Big Tex has been around since right after the 2nd world war. The merchants were looking for a big draw for the Christmas season and decided a big cowboy was in order. After all what could be better then Santa in Texas the worlds biggest cowboy? So the Kerens Chamber of Commerce, built a 49 foot one - it was suppose to attract shoppers to spent money during the Christmas season. In 1951, State Fair president R. L. Thornton purchased Santa's components for $750 and hired Dallas artist Jack Bridges to create a giant cowboy out of the material. More about the history of Big Tex can be found in the book - The Great State Fair of Texas - An Illustrated History, by Nancy Wiley. Here is an article talking about the new 'Big Tex' coming to the Texas State Fair September 27th, 2013

By |2019-05-24T00:56:30+00:00May 1st, 2013|Dallas, State Fair, State Fair of Texas, Texas|0 Comments

Bull Riders, A Tribute to Bull Riders Everywhere

This was posted April 14th on YouTube and I could really, not resist passing it on. Its way way cool. Bull Riders do not often get enough attention. Do they? This is Doug Welborn's new rodeo song. The following statement appeared on YouTube with the video. "Published on Apr 14, 2013 Bull Rider, by Doug Welborn, a tribute to bull riders everywhere. New rodeo song featuring original bullrider footage from the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado. With a tribute to Lane Frost and a scene from Bud's Bar in Sedalia Colorado."

By |2019-05-24T00:56:18+00:00April 21st, 2013|Bull Rider, Rodeo|1 Comment

Remember the Michigan State Fair

A few years ago Michigan lost its state fair and it broke my heart to report that. The first Michigan state fair was held in 1849. This state fair was claimed by Michigan to be the oldest state fair in the USA. The Michigan State Fair Agricultural Society bought the land for it on April 18th, 1905 for one dollar. The land eventually had a coliseum with seating for 5,600 and held two NASCAR races. Funding for the State Fair was cut off by the governor in Oct. 2009. There was no fair in 2010 or 2011. In 2011 Great Lakes Agricultural Fair, a 501 C (3) organization, was created to provide a resurgence and rising of an agricultural event The Great Lakes State Fair took place August 31 through September 3, 2012 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in the Detroit suburb of Novi. There is a interview on this page with Mike Watts is the Fair’s executive director. The 2013 fair won’t be held at the State Fairgrounds in Detroit. Its new home will be the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. Take a look at this article Michigan State Fair Returns For Labor Day Weekend 2013, posted March 26th, 2013. The fair also has a new website so you can see what is going on.

By |2019-05-24T00:57:14+00:00March 28th, 2013|Michigan, Novi, State Fair|1 Comment
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