A Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving

from BigThink, Bob Duggan, Nov. 22, 2011

You can have your Martha Stewart Thanksgiving(tm) with theAleppo pepper-rubbed roast turkey if you wish, but give me the good, old-fashioned, Norman Rockwell version any day. Rockwell’s classic painting (detail above, full picture here) of Grandma lugging in the gigantic bird on a platter as the patriarch awaits his carving duties and the surrounding adults and kids drool in anticipation will always be the quintessential image of Thanksgiving to me. And, yet, when Rockwell painted that iconic scene, it was March 1943—months away from Thanksgiving. The painting, titled Freedom from Want belongs to a series of works Rockwell titled the Four Freedoms after President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address in which FDR outlined what he saw as the four essential freedoms that all people in the world should enjoy. When you look for the roots of the Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving, you won’t find it in the stuffing or the cranberries (and certainly not in an Aleppo pepper rub)—they’re in the simple idea of human, not just American, freedom.

In that State of the Union address FDR gave seventy years ago, he announced the following:

In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.

The first is freedom of speech and expression—everywhere in the world.

The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way—everywhere in the world.

The third is freedom from want, which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world.

The fourth is freedom from fear, which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor—anywhere in the world.

That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so-called “new order” of tyranny....READ MORE

Happy Birthday, Mickey!

Walt Disney was born in Chicago on December 5, 1901. Mickey Mouse made his screen debut on November 18, 1928 in Steamboat Willie , a short black-and-white animated musical. So began a partnership that charmed generations and has had an amazing influence on American culture and the way the US is seen around the world. 

When TIME magazine named Walt Disney as one of the most important people of the twentieth century, they wrote, "He created Mickey Mouse and produced the first full-length animated movie. He invented the theme park and originated the modern multimedia corporation. For better or worse, his innovations have shaped our world and the way we experience it. But the most significant thing Walt Disney made was a good name for himself." 

To parents around the world Disney means clean, decent entertainment for their children. And it all started with a mouse. Happy Birthday, Mickey!!

A Brief History of Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mouse - Wikipedia

An unofficial Mickey site

Where Did Halloween Come From?

   

"Trick or treat" evolved from a notion that when hungry ghosts are trying to eat you, a person only survives with protection from the saints.

Big Think presents a video of Sharon Gannon explaining the beginnings of Halloween traditions.

Watch her explaination and read along with the transcript.

Then listen, and repeat along with the Halloween conversation on LEC.

... and have a safe and Happy Halloween !!

Why Is It Called America and not Columbusia?

from dictionary.com

Amerian place names can sound pretty confusing even to native English speakers. From Philadelphia (Greek for “loving brother”) to Chicago (Algonquian Fox for “place of the wild onion”), the map of America is an etymological hodge-podge. For a clear example, take three adjacent states in New England. Vermont is an inverted, rough translation of the French for “green mountain,” mont vert. Massachusetts is derived from the name of the Native American people who lived in the area, the Algonquian Massachusett. The word meant “at the large hill.” New Hampshire comes from a county in southern England. 

But what about America itself? Why aren’t the continents of North and South America called “Columbusia” after Christopher Columbus? The word America comes from a lesser-known navigator and explorer, Amerigo Vespucci. Who made the decision? A cartographer.

Like Columbus, Vespucci traveled to the New World (first in 1499 and again in 1502). Unlike Columbus, Vespucci wrote about it. Vespucci’s accounts of his travels were published in 1502 and 1504 and were very widely read in Europe. Columbus was also hindered because he thought he had discovered another route to Asia; he didn’t realize America was a whole new continent. Vespucci, however, realized that America was not contiguous with Asia. He was also the first to call it the New World, or Novus Mundus in Latin, in his books.

With the discovery of this “New World”, maps were being redrawn all the time. No one really knew what land was where or how big it was. Because of this confusion, maps from the 1500s are incredibly inaccurate and contradictory. (They also often feature drawings of mythical sea creatures.) In 1507, a German cartographer named Martin Waldseemüller was drawing a map of the world–a very serious map. He called it the Universalis Cosmographia, or Universal Cosmography. Comprised of 12 wooden panels, it was eight feet wide and four-and-a-half feet tall. He based his drawings of the New World on Vespucci’s published travelogues. All countries were seen as feminine (like her lady Liberty today), so Waldseemüller used a feminine Latinized of Amerigo to name the new continents, “America.” Cartographers tended to copy one another’s choices, so Columbus was left off the map. The rest is history.

Today, an original of Waldseemüller’s map is permanently on display at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Electing a US President - In Plain English

We the People - Observing Constitution Day

The United States Constitution is the most important document in the country. It sets out our form of government and enumerates rights and protections for American citizens. It was ratified in 1787, and is arguably more relevant now than ever before. Not bad for a 224-year-old. Schools across the country dedicate one day a year to teaching and celebrating the Constitution. Officially, September 17 is Constitution Day. (The Constitution was ratified on September 17, 1787.) But this year, schools are observing Constitution Day on September 16. 

A great Constitution Day resource — for students, parents, and teachers - is the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps special report Know Your Constitution. The special report brings the Constitution alive through interviews with people charged with upholding the laws and rights of the Constitution.
One of the interviews in the collection is with President Barack Obama. When the Kid Reporters spoke with the President in July, they took the opportunity to ask him about the Constitution. After all, he was a Constitutional Law professor before becoming President — and his primary responsibility as President is to protect and uphold the Constitution. His insights on why the Constitution is relevant and cool in 2011 are sure to resonate with kids — they certainly made an impression on the Kid Reporters!
Some of the other interviews in the collection are with former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts, and former Senator Robert Byrd. These are joined by stories from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and the Newseum in Washington, D.C., which put on an exhibit highlighting the First Amendment. Games and other resources for kids and adults alike round out the collection.
You can learn more about Constitution Day on the Constitution Center website. There, you can find information about the Constitution itself, the Amendments, and the Consitutition Hall webcast.
taken from the oomscholasticblog - by Dante  

September 11, 2001

Labor Day

Many people think of Labor Day as the end of summer. But what's today's holiday really about?

The first Monday in September is Labor Day, a special day to celebrate working people.

Who first came up with the idea of a workers' holiday? There is still some doubt. The idea may have come from Canada, where Labour Day parades have been held since 1872.

Some historians say a machinist named Matthew Maguire started the holiday. Maguire was a union leader in New York City. In 1882, Maguire called for the city's workforce to lead a "festive parade through the streets of the city." More than 10,000 workers marched through New York City.

Labor Day was later officially recognized by several states, beginning with Oregon in 1887. It became a national holiday for all workers across the U.S in 1894.

That year, President Grover Cleveland wanted to heal wounds from a conflict between workers and big companies that started with the Pullman Railroad Strike. During the strike, more than 250,000 railroad workers from 27 states fought with the country's biggest railroad companies for higher pay and shorter workdays. President Cleveland wanted Labor Day to recognize the contributions of workers to the American economy.

These days, Labor Day means many things to Americans. It heralds the start of the pro football season, and the start of a new school year for many students. It's also a time for parades and fireworks, and for enjoying the last days of summer.      from scholastic.com

 Hope you had a happy day!!

WATCH A SLIDESHOW

Check out these facts and figures about workers in America.