Word of The Day

Abominate: To hate in the highest degree; to detest intensely; to loathe; to abhor.

Sentence:

I abominate this food!

President's Day Fun Facts (Along With PD {Pres. Day} News)

Fun Facts

Abraham Lincoln's son Tad once fired on the Cabinet after receiving a pretend military commission.

Did you know that Andrew Johnson, the 17th President of the United States, was a tailor before he was President? Or that one of George Washington's favorite foods was ice cream? These are just two of the interesting facts about past U.S. Presidents National Geographic Kids has collected.

Many Presidents had unusual careers before entering the White House. Jimmy Carter, the 39th President, was a peanut farmer. Ronald Reagan, the 40th President, was a movie actor. And Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President, once worked chopping rails for fences.

According to John Riley of the White House Historical Association, Harry Truman was a haberdasher. A haberdasher (HAB-er-dash-er) is someone who deals in men's clothing and accessories, particularly hats.

Once in the White House, each President made his mark in different ways. In fact, before Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President, came to office, the White House wasn't even called the White House! People called the building the President's Palace, President's House, and the Executive Mansion. Roosevelt officially named it the White House in 1901.

Theodore Roosevelt wasn't the only President to invent a new expression. Martin Van Buren, the eighth President, is sometimes credited with creating the word "OK." Van Buren was from Kinderhook, New York. During his campaign, Old Kinderhook (O.K.) clubs formed to support the President. Later, "OK" or "okay," came to mean "all right."

There have been many other interesting presidential firsts. James Polk, the 11th President, was the first President to have his photograph taken. Theodore Roosevelt was the first President to ride in a car while in office. His fifth cousin and the 32nd President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was the first to ride in an airplane.

What will be the next big presidential first? First to ride in a spaceship?

Fast Facts:

• At 6 feet, 4 inches (1.9 meters), Abraham Lincoln was the tallest U.S. President.
• William Henry Harrison, the ninth President, was the only president who studied to be a medical doctor.
• Millard Fillmore, the 13th President, was the first President to have a stepmother.
• James Garfield, the 20th President, was the first left-handed President.

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News

In 2007, just in time for Presidents’ Day, the United States Mint is releasing a brand new one-dollar coin that honors U.S. Presidents. It's the first in the Presidential $1 Coin Program, which is modeled after the popular state quarters series.

Four new designs will come out per year, each featuring a different U.S. President. You can start your collection this year with George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.

“Coins are history in our pocket,” said April Stafford, United States Mint education program manager. “To actually hold that coin in your hand and ask, 'Why are we honoring this President?' is a very tangible way for kids to learn about our nation.”

The Presidential $1 Coin Act was signed by President Bush on December 22, 2005. It set out all the rules for when the coins get released and who appears on them. One rule says Presidents who served more than one term get only one coin unless the terms were not consecutive (served one after the other). Can you name the one U.S. President who served two non-consecutive terms? It’s Grover Cleveland, and he’ll get two coins.

The "heads," or obverse, side of the coins will feature an image of the President, his name, the dates he served in office, and which number president he was.

The reverse, or “tails,” side will feature the Statue of Liberty. All current U.S. coins have the word "Liberty" printed on them. But the Mint decided in this case, since the picture of the statue is so big, including the word was not necessary.

Another interesting thing about the $1 coin will be its edge lettering. "E Pluribus Unum," "In God We Trust," and the release year will be written along the side of the coins, which leaves more space on the face for a larger image of the President. Edge lettering has not been used on U.S. coins in more than 70 years. This feature will also help blind and visually impaired people figure out the coin's value more easily.

The U.S. Mint estimates more than 140 million people collect state quarters. They hope as many will begin collecting Presidential $1 coins. But what the U.S. Mint really wants is for people to use them to buy things. “This is another choice that we hope Americans will use when shopping,” says Stafford.

Today In History; Jefferson Davis Inaugurated

1861: Jefferson Davis was an American soldier and politician who became the first and only President of the Confederate States of America. Elected to a six-year term, he served throughout the American Civil War and later wrote A Short History of the Confederate States of America. In 1978 Congress posthumously restored his US citizenship.

Word of The Day

Sine Qua Non: An essential condition or element; an indispensable thing.

Sentence:

Oxygen is a sine qua non.

Today In History; Giuseppe Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco Premieres

1845: Joan of Arc led the French against the English during the Hundred Years' War and was ultimately captured and executed. She is a national heroine of France and a saint of the Catholic Church. Giuseppe Verdi was only one of the many who have written about her. She has fascinated writers - including William Shakespeare, Friedrich Schiller, George Bernard Shaw, and Bertolt Brecht - throughout the ages. Mark Twain wrote a fictional biography of Joan of Arc under the pen-name Sieur Louis de Conte. To this day the French party Front National uses her image as a symbol of French nationalism.

Word of The Day

Scop: An Old English poet or a poet troubadour of early Teutonic poetry.

Today in History; 'France Tests Its First Atomic Bomb'

1960: A nuclear test explosion uses a nuclear weapon in an experiment to observe its destructive power or to demonstrate the testing nation's strength. Of the roughly two thousand nuclear test explosions in the twentieth century, about half were detonated by the U.S., followed by the Soviet Union, France, Britain, China, India and Pakistan. The documentary Trinity and Beyond (1996) by Peter Kuran has a lot of rare footage of nuclear testing as well as interviews with key figures in the U.S. program.

Word of The Day

Boycott: To engage in a concerted refusal to have dealings with (as a person, store, or organization) usually to express disapproval or to force acceptance of certain conditions.

Sentence:

The writers recently boycotted around the building.

Haruyo Morita

By Princessa

<{*Biography*}>

Haruyo Morita was born in Kita-Katsushika County in 1945. From an early age her artistic talents were evident and she came under the tutelage of Masterf Husuki. He Introduced her to the classic narratives and pictorial compositions that have made Japanese images so poular both in Japan and in the west.

While still a schoolgirl her work was accepted, in 1960 for the regional art competition, and

prizes were won at the prefecture art exhibition (1962) and the Dai-cho ten exhibition.

After serving the mandatory apprenticeships Haruyo worked as a kimono painter and designer until 1972, at which point she turned to her current medium.

Her work can best be described as a contemporaly representation of the traditional Ukiyo-e, and ranging from the Heian to Edo and Meiji periods.

The artist Haruyo Morita studied both Japanese art and kimono design, and she combines these with elements of her own Western-influenced technique. (She travelled to London in 1977, exactly the year I first came to Tokyo.)

Many of Haruyo's paintings hail from her deep appreciation of the style, flamboyance and drama of Kabuki theatre. Thus to truly appreciate and enjoy her art, and understanding of some of the special characteristics of Kabuki are necessary. Haruyo herself trained for many years as a Kimono designer under the rigorous schooling of the Master, Hasuki. This training naturally imbued her with many of the skills displayed in her art, which are so obviously redolent of a unique national heritage.

Morita is her family name: she follows the tradition of signing - and sealing - paintings with her given name only.

(|_|Bibilography|_|)

http://www.haruyomorita.com.au/

www.imaginatorium.org/shop/offers.htm ~ Over here, not all of these paintings are by Haruyo Morita, but the ' - 5% off - ' :)

http://www.imaginatorium.org/shop/haruyo.htm

http://www.imaginatorium.org/shop/haruyo3.htm

http://www.ren-art.com/preview_074.htm

http://mith.ru/treasury/natio/japan/morita.htm ~ Gallery, They don't have the Titles of the Pictures but its still a good site..

Hamster Prices Triple in China

Hamsters can have a mean streak and deliver a nasty bite

Hamsters have become the must-have pet in China since the Year of the Rat began on 7 February.

Pet shop owners say stocks are running low - and prices high - as children clamour for a furry friend.

According to the Chinese media, prices have tripled to about 30 yuan ($4.20, £2.10) per hamster across the country.

In the Year of the Rat, this tiny creature has become the most acceptable rodent, a type of animal that is not everyone's first-choice pet.

"Rats and mice have a bad image, but hamsters are gentle. You can hold them in your hand and play with them," Xinhua News Agency reported.

By bringing up a pet, my son will learn about compassion and caring for animals Chinese father

Pet stores are also reporting an increased interest in other, similar-looking creatures, such as chinchillas and squirrels.

But it is the hamster that appears to have caught the imagination at the start of a new lunar year in China.

One father told the media: "I've always wanted to buy my son a small animal and a hamster is an ideal choice.

"By bringing up a pet, my son will learn about compassion and caring for animals."

But there is a downside. Experts are warning that rodents have sharp teeth and can deliver a nasty bite.

Some could even be carrying the rabies virus.

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My Comment: Rabies Virus? Hmm, not very surprised due to all of those toy recalls from China..