Lines from Linda

Hello, World!

Today is the 35th annual World Hello Day. Participation is easy. Simply greet 10 people today. That's it. The purpose is to promote the importance of personal communication in order to preserve peace.

The event began in 1973, in response to the Egyptian/Israeli conflict. Since its inception, people in over 180 countries have participated, including a number of world leaders, organizations, and celebrities. You can read a large selection of personal World Hello Day letters, including greetings from an Antarctic Expedition team, Lech Walesa, Whoopi Goldberg, and Ronald Reagan by clicking HERE.

Brian McCormack, Ph.D., and Michael McCormack, both of Omaha, sent letters to leaders of every country in the world to let them know about the very first World Hello Day. They still work together to promote this annual global event.

Greetings!

Happy birthday to the SETI Institute! If you've seen Starman, you're familiar with SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). The institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to research, education, and public outreach. They just reach out farther than your average organization.

Although SETI is a private institute, NASA has also been involved in the search for life outside the earth's atmosphere. And still is. You may remember Voyager's launch back in 1977. The farthest man-made object from earth (more than three times more distant than Pluto), Voyager contained a gold disk that announced "Greetings" from earth in 55 languages. Voyager is still sending data back to NASA for analysis today.

SETI has been involved with many projects, the longest-running and possibly most famous being The Big Ear Observatory, a listening device once located in Ohio that picked up the "WOW Signal" back in 1977. In 1998, The Big Ear was demolished and the property sold to some developers. Today, a nine-hole golf course resides at the location.

We can thank Carl Sagan for much of the interest in life beyond our boundaries. Sagan, an astronomer and astrochemist, wrote books and television shows in order to educate the world about the possibility of life in outer space. The SETI Institute has a special center dedicated to Sagan, who died in 1992 at the age of 62 due to complications from Myelodysplastic syndrome.

Death of the E Car

Today marks the anniversary of the Edsel's demise, a vehicle launched with the most expensive marketing campaign in history. Seemingly however, the only people excited about the product itself were copywriters. Consumers ignored such advertising hype as "They'll know you've arrived when you drive up in an Edsel," commenting that the car looked like "an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon." I've never seen a lemon-sucking Oldsmobile, however, the puckered look of the front grille does lend the imagination to picture such a sight.

What went wrong with the Edsel's launch? Good question. In fact, it's such a good question that marketing classrooms have used the campaign as a classic case study of what not to do.

It's General Motors' fault, really. During the economic boom of the mid-'50s, GM had four solid lines, ranging from Chevrolet on the low end to the prestigious Cadillac. Desperate to keep up with the competition, Ford Motor Company wanted to place a line above the Ford and below the Mercury, pitting the Edsel against the popular Pontiac in hopes of pushing their top end Lincolns to compete a notch above GM's Oldsmobile. Yeah, it confused me, too.

It seemed as though Edsel designers attempted to reinvent everything Americans loved about cars. They introduced "Teletouch," a pushbutton transmission that took some getting used to, as well as a vertical grille and horizontal tail lamps--exactly opposite of what was popular at the time. Another issue was the Edsel's sticker price, which nearly overlapped the Ford and Mercury lines instead of distinguishing itself from the pack price-wise.

False advertising irritated consumers, too. Or if not blatantly false, at least misleading. Touted to be a "whole new" car, Edsels were given the code name "E Cars" to escalate the secrecy, delivered literally under wraps to dealerships, and kept covered until the great unveiling day. However, potential buyers easily pointed out that in many ways, the car was just a well-dressed Ford. And I'm sure the name Edsel, which has now become a nickname for "marketing flop," didn't help matters.

Some say the post war recession of the late '50s prompted the decision to ax the Edsel, but most analysts blame Ford Motor Company itself. Perhaps the changes were too much. Sometimes tried, true and comfortable just beats out new and improved. One thing I didn't see mentioned in my reading about the Edsel's failure was our country's whole "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" mentality. Americans don't like to be pushed into decisions.

The Legend of William Tell

According to legend, on this day in the year 1307, Austria sought to dominate parts of Switzerland and appointed Hermann Gessler to rule the area where William Tell, a mountain man and expert crossbowman, lived. Gessler hung his hat on a pole in the town square and demanded that everyone who passed bow to the hat. Tell refused and was arrested. Gessler was furious. He commanded Tell to either be executed along with his young son or shoot an apple placed on the boy's head. If Tell was successful, Gessler promised to release both Tell and his son.

Tell's shot was successful, but Gessler asked him why he had a second bolt ready. Tell replied, "Know this: if I had missed the apple and killed my son with the first bolt, I would not have missed your heart with the second." Gessler had William Tell captured, but he later escaped and killed Gessler.

The actions of Gessler sparked a rebellion and led to the formation of the Swiss Confederation.

Tag, I’m It!

Those on the NaBloPoMo blogroll have been playing tag this month. I was tagged today by Tara.

Rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.


2. Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.


3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.


4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So, here are some random and weird things about me…

1. I'm a writer. If that isn't about as weird as it gets...


2. I have a hobby farm and am "mommy" to several Pygmy goats.


3. I'm afraid of bridges. They're a necessary part of life, however, so I've learned to cross them without freaking out, but I really, really don't like them.


4. Even though I don't like heights, I went to the top of the World Trade Center before it was destroyed. It was either go up with my friends or be left alone on the streets of New York City.


5. Before you think I'm a total fraidy cat, I spent nine years in the USMC. Heights are my only true phobia. (Well, heights and bridges. But I figure the whole bridge phobia thing is probably connected to the fear of heights, so I'm counting them as one.)


6. I was a Music Ed major in college, but I don't teach music.


7. I'm the mother of two college students and I've done more "parenting" since they left home than I think I ever did while they were here. Of course, parenting never really stops...which is a good thing.

Okay, now to tag some folks...

• le pen quotiedien


• You have got to be kidding


• Meeting Myself on the Mat


• On Being a Sports Girl


• Siri's Corner


• Belinda del Pesco Fine Art


• According to Heather

Coping with Uncertainty Day?

Yes, I'm uncertain. Or at least a bit confused. According to my copy of Chase's Calendar of Events, among the events and celebrations for today is Coping with Uncertainty Day. I've searched for information about this holiday with an unusual name and found nothing. Well, maybe not nothing. I mean, all the online greeting card companies have cards to send to celebrate this day of to be or not to be with your indecisive friends. And some novelty company has produced an attractive coffee mug to add to the collection cluttering your cabinets, but the person who is supposed to be "in charge" of this event...well, they're not to be found.

According to Chase's, "this holiday commemorates and celebrates every person's ability to cope with and master uncertainty and fear." It goes on to say that observance reminds us that uncertainty is part of life, that worrying is counter-productive (they've obviously never sent a child to college), and that there are practical, easily learned techniques for restoring mind-body harmony, releasing stress, improving one's frustration tolerance, and creating meaning in one's life. There's even a contact name that Google hasn't heard of and a web address that takes you straight to the dreaded "Server not Found" page.

The entry also mentioned "alternative behavior." I always thought alternative behavior was acting the way your parents wanted you to act instead of the way you had just acted. I think that's my kids' definition as well.

Sounds like a nice holiday. I was interested to learn more about their coping techniques. I guess not. However, if you'd like to send someone an ecard to celebrate this apparently non-existent event, there are plenty to choose from.

Birth of the Blues

Back in 1873 on this date, William Christopher Handy was born in Florence, Ala. He had a special gift for music and recorded the songs of birds, riverboat whistles, and even the rhythm of the Tennessee River. A hard worker, he put back money from picking berries, nuts and making lye soap to purchase a guitar. His father, who did not encourage W.C.’s music ability, made him return the guitar in exchange for a dictionary.

The music didn’t stop, however, and by the time W.C. Handy reached his late teens, he had secretly purchased a coronet and joined a band. He did attain his teacher’s certification, but discovered teachers didn’t make much money, so he and his band worked their way to Chicago in hopes of performing at the World’s Fair only to find it had been postponed for an entire year. He traveled back through St. Louis, Indiana, and Kentucky, where he met his wife. Handy and his wife returned to Florence, where he taught at Agricultural and Mechanical College in Normal, one of the state’s two black colleges.

Handy discovered the university discouraged the study of “American” music and focused their course work toward the European classics. During their time in Florence, Handy’s wife gave birth to their six children. Eventually, however, the urge to travel and make music gnawed at Handy, and he again joined a traveling band. He later moved the band to Memphis’s famous Beale Street. While there, he composed a campaign song for mayoral candidate E.H. Crump. The tune was later titled, “The Memphis Blues.” The soulful song not only launched a campaign, it pioneered a whole new style of music, and the Blues was born.

What sets Blues apart from other music is its expressive style as well as its unique scale. The Blues Scale uses what some call “Blue Notes.” In the Blues Scale, those notes are a flattened third, fifth, and seventh.

W.C. Handy, “The Father of the Blues,” went on to live a long life and died at the age of 84.

The Forgotten Holocaust

(Warning: The content of many of today's links contains graphic images and text.)

In the name of "racial purity," Heinrich Himmler issued the Gypsy Condemnation Order on November 15, 1943, forcing all those of Gypsy descent into concentration camps. Labeled as "subhumans," the Gypsies were stripped of all human rights and were subjected to indescribable horrors before being gassed. The children, especially those who happened to be twins, were used for "scientific" and "medical" experiments without the use of anesthesia under the direction of Josef Mengele.

The Roma people called the holocaust Porajmos, the Devouring. It is estimated that at least 220,000 Gypsies were killed.

Happy Birthday to Teddy

Today marks the 105th anniversary of the introduction of the Teddy Bear. While the original Teddy Bear resides at the National Museum of Natural History, over 60 of these little creatures live on the top bunk of my daughter's bed, even though she no longer sleeps on the bottom. (Apparently college dorm room designers don't account for such collections, so the bears remain at home, looking forward to her infrequent visits.)

In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt traveled to Mississippi to settle a border dispute with Louisiana. While there, he went hunting. Locals tied a black bear cub to a tree for the president to shoot, but he refused to kill the harmless animal.

The following day, cartoonist Clifford Berryman sketched a cartoon showing the president's refusal to shoot the cub, and The Washington Post ran the cartoon on November 16. The caption read, "Drawing the Line in Mississippi," which had a double meaning--the border dispute as well as the hunting incident.

Inspired by the cartoon, Morris Michtom, a shopkeeper in Brooklyn, N.Y., asked his wife to sew a couple of plush bears for his shop's window display. Michtom requested permission from the president himself to label the new toy, "Teddy's Bear." Roosevelt agreed, and the Teddy Bear was born.

Now here's the rest of the story...

Morris & Rose Michtom had great success with the introduction of the Teddy Bear. In 1907, they launched a new company, the "Ideal Novelty and Toy Company." In 1938, the company shortened its name to "Ideal Toys." Many of their original toys are still in existence today. In fact, if you've ever played with a Slinky, you're familiar with one of their most popular products.

World Kindness Day

Today is World Kindness Day. Born in Japan in 1996, this day represents the pledge of numerous countries to join together in building a kinder, more compassionate world. Individuals and communities are encouraged to join in the kindness movement by performing random acts of kindness toward others.

The web site of the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has a variety of ways to participate. You can interact on the forums, build a free community web site, read inspirational quotes, and learn what you can do to promote kindness throughout your personal world, which can in turn, spread globally.