Agoramania Soap Box
Happy Independence Day!
The Fourth of July Fun Facts 2012
courtesy of http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb12-ff12.html
On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.
2.5 million
In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.
Source: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970<http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/HistoricalStatisticsoftheUnitedStates1789-1945.pdf>
313.9 million
The nation's estimated population on this July Fourth.
Source: Population clock <http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html>
Patriotic-Sounding Place Names
Thirty-one places have “liberty” in their names. The most populous one as of April 1, 2010, was Liberty, Mo. (29,149). Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.
Thirty-five places have “eagle” in their names. The most populous one is Eagle Pass, Texas, with a population of 26,248.
Eleven places have “independence” in their names. The most populous one is Independence, Mo., with a population of 116,830.
Nine places have “freedom” in their names. The most populous one is New Freedom, Pa., with a population of 4,464.
One place has “patriot” in its name. Patriot, Ind., has a population of 209.
Five places have “America” in their names. The most populous is American Fork, Utah, with a population of 26,263.
Source: American FactFinder <http://www.census.gov>
Fourth of July Cookouts
Almost 1 in 3
The chance that the hot dogs and pork sausages consumed on the Fourth of July originated in Iowa. The Hawkeye State was home to 19.7 million hogs and pigs on March 1, 2012. This estimate represents almost one-third of the nation's estimated total. North Carolina (8.6 million) and Minnesota (7.6 million) were also homes to large numbers of pigs.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, <http://usda01.library.cornell.edu/usda/current/HogsPigs/HogsPigs-03-30-2012.pdf>
7.2 billion pounds
Total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2011. Chances are good that the beef hot dogs, steaks and burgers on your backyard grill came from the Lone Star State, which accounted for about one-sixth of the nation's total production. And if the beef did not come from Texas, it very well may have come from Nebraska (4.6 billion pounds) or Kansas (4.0 billion pounds).
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service <http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/MeatAnimPr/MeatAnimPr-04-26-2012.pdf>
6
Number of states in which the value of broiler chicken production was estimated at $1 billion or greater between December 2010 and November 2011. There is a good chance that one of these states — Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi or Texas — is the source of your barbecued chicken.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service<http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/PoulProdVa/PoulProdVa-04-26-2012.pdf>
Please Pass the Potato
Potato salad and potato chips are popular food items at Fourth of July barbecues. Approximately half of the nation's spuds were produced in Idaho or Washington state in 2011.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service <http://usda01.library.cornell.edu/usda/current/CropProdSu/CropProdSu-01-12-2012.pdf>
Posted at 08:40AM Jul 04, 2012 by Perry (Editor@USAB2C.com) in U.S.A. Traditions | Comments[0]
This Memorial Day, Wear a Poppy to Honor our Fallen Heroes
In 1915, inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields," Moina Michael replied with her own poem:
| We cherish too, the Poppy red That grows on fields where valor led, It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies. |
She then conceived of an
idea to wear red poppies on Memorial day in honor of those who died serving the
nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her
friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need. Later
a Madam Guerin from France was visiting the United States and learned of this
new custom started by Ms.Michael and when she returned to France, made
artificial red poppies to raise money for war orphaned children and widowed
women. This tradition spread to other countries. In 1921, the Franco-American
Children's League sold poppies nationally to benefit war orphans of France and
Belgium. The League disbanded a year later and Madam Guerin approached the VFW
for help. Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW became the first veterans'
organization to nationally sell poppies. Two years later their "Buddy" Poppy
program was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans. In 1948
the US Post Office honored Ms Michael for her role in founding the National
Poppy movement by issuing a red 3 cent postage stamp with her likeness on it.
Posted at 08:46AM May 26, 2012 by Perry (Editor@USAB2C.com) in U.S.A. Traditions | Comments[0]
Very Disturbing...
Bizarre craze behind smuggling of pills containing the powdered flesh of babies
Published May 07, 2012
| FoxNews.com
SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean authorities have seized thousands of pills containing the powdered flesh of fetuses and babies that were smuggled in from China to be used as Viagara-style performance enhancers, according to multiple reports.
Nearly 17,500 of the bizarre capsules have been grabbed from tourists' luggage and international mail since last August, the state-run Korea Customs service said in a statement Monday. The capsules were made in northeastern China in a stomach-turning process in which dead babies' bodies were chopped into small pieces and dried on stoves before being turned into powder, the Korea Customs Service said. Customs officials refused to say where the dead babies came from or who made the capsules, citing possible diplomatic friction with Beijing. China ordered an investigation into the production of drugs made from dead fetuses or newborns last year.
The pills, which are typically smuggled in by ethnic Koreans living in northern China, aren't just creepy, they contain "super bacteria" that is hazardous to human health, the statement said. South Korea began cracking down on the drugs last year after a television network aired a documentary accusing Chinese pharmaceutical companies of collaborating with abortion clinics to make the pills from human fetuses and the remains of dead infants, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Twisted myths about the medical powers of dead babies have long persisted in parts of China. Consumption of human placentas is believed to help revive blood supply and circulation, and many believe the fetus is a "tonic" for disease has kept the pills in demand, according to the China Daily. But the latest use of fetal tissue is as a sexual performance enhancer, according to a report in the Global Times, a tabloid published by the official People’s Daily.
Some among the approximately 35 smugglers who have been caught told customs officials they believed the capsules were ordinary stamina boosters and did not know the ingredients or manufacturing process. Ethnic Koreans from northeastern China who now live in South Korea were intending to use the capsules themselves or share them with other Korean-Chinese, a customs official said. They were carried in luggage or sent by international mail.
The South Korean customs announcement came weeks after Health Ministry regulators in China suspended sales of 13 drugs after finding they were encased in gelatin capsules that contained excessive levels of chromium. According to China’s state broadcaster, CCTV, the toxic drug capsules were believed to originate from factories in China’s coastal Zhejiang province and had been made using scraps of leftover leather.
http://www.foxnews.comhttp://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/05/07/south-korea-finds-smuggled-capsules-containing-human-flesh/
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/05/07/south-korea-finds-smuggled-capsules-containing-human-flesh/print#ixzz1uDcN4ZcMPosted at 04:43PM May 07, 2012 by Perry (Editor@USAB2C.com) in U.S.A. Traditions | Comments[0]
Bravo, San Francisco!
saw this today:
San Francisco subway system adopts 'buy American' policy
Published April 18, 2012
| FoxNews.com
The nearly 800 trains that make up San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit, better known as BART, have reached the end of the line.
"We have the oldest cars that are currently running in the country," says Dick Wieczorek, head of BART'S procurement department.
Now, the largest public rail line on the West Coast is spending $3.2 billion to replace 775 cars with a state-of-the-art fleet made in the U.S.A.
"We are instituting a 'Buy American' policy so that we can help put America back to work," says BART board president John McPartland.
BART is the first transit agency in the nation to give preference to companies that manufacture most of their trains in the U.S., a move that makes it eligible for federal funds. At a recent press conference hailing the policy, California Congressman John Garamendi said BART's choice was simple: “It can support our foreign competitors, or help create thousands of jobs for American workers and signal to the world that American manufacturing is back in business.”
Ironically, BART is looking at three foreign train makers, all with assembly plants in the eastern United States.
The one that uses the most American-made components, from engine parts to seat cushions, will stand a better chance of winning the lucrative bid.
"If somebody offers us more than 60 percent, in terms of domestic components, we can give them a bid preference in recognition of the fact that they may be spending more money to buy those U.S. components," explains Wieczorek.
John Lohnas is among the 370,000 passengers who commute on BART each day. "Any time a company, especially a tax-supported organization, buys American-made products it's wonderful," he says.
But San Francisco economist James Forcier contends doing business in America isn't always cheap, and the result will be higher fares for passengers.
“They [BART] already admit in their paperwork that the cost is going to be 5 percent to 10 percent greater as a result of this process than it would have been otherwise," Fortier says. "Those dollars have to come from somewhere, and most likely they're going to come from the riders."
In the next few weeks, BART will decide which foreign company will be the winner of this 'Buy American' policy, with the first new trains rolling out by 2017.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/18/san-francisco-subway-system-adopts-buy-american-policy/print#ixzz1sQLbguGR
Posted at 03:59PM Apr 18, 2012 by Perry (Editor@USAB2C.com) in U.S.A. Traditions | Comments[0]
Happy Easter! Happy Passover!
Posted at 09:14AM Apr 08, 2012 by Perry (Editor@USAB2C.com) in U.S.A. Traditions | Comments[0]
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
St. Patrick and the First St. Patrick's Day Parade
Saint Patrick, who lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people. In the centuries following Patrick's death (believed to have been on March 17, 461), the mythology surrounding his life became ever more ingrained in the Irish culture: Perhaps the most well known legend is that he explained the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) using the three leaves of a native Irish clover, the shamrock.
Since around the ninth or 10th century, people in Ireland have been observing the Roman Catholic feast day of St. Patrick on March 17. Interestingly, however, the first parade held to honor St. Patrick's Day took place not in Ireland but in the United States. On March 17, 1762, Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as with fellow Irishmen serving in the English army. thanks to: http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day
Posted at 09:31AM Mar 17, 2012 by Perry (Editor@USAB2C.com) in U.S.A. Traditions | Comments[0]
Celebrating Two Great Presidents
As Presidents' Day approaches, let's take a moment to learn some interesting facts about two great American leaders. Read more about our presidents on the National Park Service website here : http://www.nps.gov/search/index.htm?query=president+trivia&sub1.x=0&sub1.y=0
George Washington, 1st President: 1789-1797
• Washington was the only American president to be unanimously elected.
• Washington never lived in the White House. The nation’s capital was located in Philadelphia, as well as several other cities, prior to its move to Washington, D.C.
• George Washington was the only president who did not represent a political party.
Abraham Lincoln, 16th President: 1861-1865
• Abraham Lincoln was a man of perseverance. Before Lincoln’s election as the 16th president of the United States he failed as: a business man - as a storekeeper, failed as a farmer - he despised this work, failed in his first attempt to obtain political office, he failed when he sought the office of speaker, he failed in his first attempt to go to Congress, he failed when he sought the appointment to the United States Land Office, he failed when he ran for the United States Senate and he failed when friends sought for him the nomination for the vice-presidency in 1856.
• Abraham Lincoln was the first president to wear a beard and the tallest president at 6’ 4".
• Lincoln was the first president to die by assassination. On Good Friday, April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.
Posted at 12:18AM Feb 13, 2012 by Perry (Editor@USAB2C.com) in U.S.A. Traditions | Comments[0]
Happy New Year!
A very happy, healthy and prosperous 2012 to all our friends from your "Made in America" marketplace!
Posted at 10:04AM Dec 31, 2011 by Perry (Editor@USAB2C.com) in U.S.A. Traditions | Comments[0]
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Posted at 02:56PM Dec 25, 2011 by Perry (Editor@USAB2C.com) in U.S.A. Traditions | Comments[0]
Happy Chanukah To All Our Friends Who Celebrate!
Posted at 09:33PM Dec 20, 2011 by Perry (Editor@USAB2C.com) in U.S.A. Traditions | Comments[0]
Pearl Harbor, December 7th: "A date which will live in infamy".
President Franklin D. Roosevelt: Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our secretary of state a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday the Japanese government also launched as attack against Malaya.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Wake Island.
And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.
As commander in chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. . .
Source: Courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, New York.
Posted at 07:43AM Dec 07, 2011 by Perry (Editor@USAB2C.com) in U.S.A. Traditions | Comments[0]
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving blessings...
...from our family to yours!
Posted at 07:44PM Nov 23, 2011 by Perry (Editor@USAB2C.com) in U.S.A. Traditions | Comments[0]
Thank You, Veterans!
Posted at 09:59AM Nov 11, 2011 by Perry (Editor@USAB2C.com) in U.S.A. Traditions | Comments[0]
Happy Birthday U.S. Marine Corps!
Happy birthday to our wonderful U.S. Marines and thank you to all our veterans for keeping us safe and free. God bless you!
Posted at 09:20PM Nov 10, 2011 by Perry (Editor@USAB2C.com) in U.S.A. Traditions | Comments[0]
Land that I Love
As we remember the attack on our country a decade ago our brave men and women fighting the war against terror and our current economic challenges, I wanted to share this inspiring e-mail received from a friend:
Cut and paste the link below to go to a video showing the very first public singing of GOD BLESS AMERICA. But before you watch, you should also know the story of the song. The time was 1940. America was still in a terrible economic depression. Hitler was taking over Europe and Americans were afraid we'd have to go to war. It was a time of hardship and worry for most Americans.
This was the era just before TV, when radio shows were HUGE, and American families sat around their radios in the evenings, listening to their favorite entertainers and no entertainer of that era was bigger than Kate Smith. Kate was also large in size, and the popular phrase still used today is in deference to her, It ain't over till the fat lady sings.. Kate Smith might not have made it big in the age of TV, but with her voice coming over the radio, she was the biggest star of her time.
Kate was also very patriotic. It hurt her to see Americans so depressed and afraid of what the next day would bring. She had hope for America , and faith in her fellow Americans. She wanted to do something to cheer them up, so she went to the famous American song-writer, Irving Berlin (also wrote White Christmas) and asked him to write a song that would make Americans feel good again about their country. When she described what she was looking for, he said he had just the song for her. He went to his files and found a song that he had written, but never published, 22 years before - way back in 1917. He gave it to Kate Smith and she worked on it with her studio orchestra. She and Irving Berlin were not sure how the song would be received by the public, but both agreed they would not take any profits from God Bless America any profits would go to the Boy Scouts of America . Over the years, the Boy Scouts have received millions of dollars in royalties from this song.
This video starts out with Kate Smith coming into the radio studio with the orchestra and an audience. She introduces the new song for the very first time, and starts singing. After the first couple versus, with her voice in the background still singing, scenes are shown from the 1940 movie, You're In The Army Now. At the 4:20 mark of the video you see a young actor in the movie, sitting in an office, reading a paper it's Ronald Reagan. Frank Sinatra considered Kate Smith the best singer of her time, and said when he and a million other guys first heard her sing God Bless America on the radio, they all pretended to have dust in their eyes as they wiped away a tear or two.To this day, God Bless America stirs our patriotic feelings and pride in our country. Back in 1940, When Kate Smith went looking for a song to raise the spirits of her fellow Americans, I doubt she realized just how successful the results would be for her fellow Americans during those years of hardship and worry, and for many generations of Americans to follow. Now that you know the story of the song, I hope you will enjoy it and treasure it even more. God BlessAmerica!
Posted at 08:25AM Sep 10, 2011 by Perry (Editor@USAB2C.com) in U.S.A. Traditions | Comments[0]
