~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
December 10th, 2012

★~ Today’s Quote: I dwell in possibility ~ Emily Dickinson

★~ International Human Rights Day:

The United Nations’ (UN) Human Rights Day is annually observed December 10 to mark the anniversary of the presentation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Human rights provide a foundation for building a just and peaceful world. Every human being on the planet has the right to dignity, respect, and freedom – whatever their race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, wealth or other status.

On 10 December 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Declaration has been translated into over 300 languages and dialects – from Abkhaz to Zulu. It is the holder of the Guinness World Record for the document that has been most translated.

Click for more  information about International Human RIghts Day.

★~ National Lager Day:

Lager is a type of German beer that is bottom fermented and lightly hopped. It is usually stored for at least three weeks after brewing before it is served.

Lager is the dominant beer style throughout the world, except in England where ale is the favorite style. The only real difference between ale and lager is that ales ferment and age quickly at warm temperatures, while lagers ferment and age slowly at cool temperatures. These different types of fermentation allow for a vast difference in flavor and aroma of the different styles of beer.

The Boston Beer Co., makers of Samuel Adams Beer, is the number one craft lager in the United States.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1915 – The one-millionth Ford automobile rolled off the assembly line at the Ford Motor Co.

♥~ 1953 – With an investment of $7,600, Hugh Hefner published the first Playboy magazine. There is no date printed on the first issue — now a collector’s item. The reason, according to Hef, is that he doubted anyone would expect a second issue to be printed. Included in this first issue: A classic, nude, calendar photo of actress Marilyn Monroe.

♥~ 1988 – Chicago’s Look Away was the #1 single in the U.S. It was one of three top-ten hits from the Chicago 19 album (the others were I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love and You’re Not Alone).

♥~ 1994 – Kenny G’s Miracles: The Holiday Album was number one in the U.S. It became the best selling Christmas album in history, selling over 8 million albums as of 2000. The tracks: Winter Wonderland, White Christmas, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Silent Night, Greensleeves,Miracles, Little Drummer Boy, The Chanukah Song, Silver Bells, Away in a Manger and Brahms Lullaby.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1838 – Emily Dickinson, one of America’s greatest poets, was born at Amherst, MA. She was reclusive, mysterious and frail in health. In popular myth, she was a virginal recluse who dressed all in white and wrote passionate poems that were unlike anything being written at the time. Relatively little is known about her life, and biographers often try to use clues in her poems to guess about her habits, personality, and sexuality. Seven of her poems were published during her life, but after her death on May 15, 1886, at Amherst, MA, her sister, Lavinia, discovered almost 2,000 more poems written on the backs of envelopes and other scraps of paper locked in her bureau. They were published gradually, over 50 years, beginning in 1890. The little-known Emily Dickinson who was born, lived and died at Amherst now is recognized as one of the most original poets of the English-speaking world.

♥~ 1903 – Mary Norton author: children’s books: Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Borrowers; died Aug 29, 1992

♥~ 1952 – Susan Dey actress: The Partridge Family, L.A. Law, Love and War, Emerald Point N.A.S., Blue River, Sunset Limousine, Comeback Kid, First Love

♥~ 1956  – Rod Blagojevich, Former governor of Illinois

♥~ 1974 – Meg White musician: drums: duo: The White Stripes: Blue Orchid, Jolene Live Under Blackpool Lights, Hardest Button to Button, Hotel Yorba, Fell in Love With a Girl, Seven Nation Army

★~ Did You Know: 

Here is a fun Holiday Story: Louis Armstrong grew up very poor and celebrating Christmas with the usual trimmings was out of the question. He trimmed his first Christmas tree at the age of 40 and loved it so much that he took it on tour with him for a month. His wife tells the story:

“We finally went to bed. And Louis was still laying up in the bed watching the tree, his eyes just like a baby’s eyes would watch something… So finally I said, “Well, I’ll turn the lights out now on the tree.” He said, “No, don’t turn them out. I have to just keep looking at it. You know, that’s the first tree I ever had.”

Well, I hadn’t realized that you know. Louis was 40 years old and it seems to me that in 40 years a person would have at least one tree. I was all swollen up inside when he told me that. We were to leave the next day for Kansas City. I figured Christmas is over; today’s the 26th so I planned to leave the tree behind. Louis said, “No, don’t leave the tree; take the tree with you.” And he had me take the tree on those one-nighters. Before I even unpacked a bag I had to set that tree up, his Christmas tree….

I kept that first little tree until way after New Year’s, putting it up every night and taking it down every morning, in a dozen hotels. And then when I did take it down for the last time, Louis wanted me to mail it home. It was a real tree, not an artificial one, and I had to convince him– I really had to convince him– that the tree would dry up.

(From James Lincoln Collier’s Louis Armstrong: An American Genius, available on Amazon)

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Every Monday during the month of December, Coles school (The Chicago Waldorf School) takes a few minutes to experience the Festival of Lights and to celebrate the changing of the season. During this mornings assemble Cole’s 11th grade class will recite, ‘Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening‘ by Robert Frost. I’m looking forward to the assembly, it’s a great way to start your day and your week. Here is the poem…..in case you want to enjoy it this morn too….

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost

Enjoy your day and I will be back later to muse and perhaps show off a few pictures of our holiday decorating…

♥