A piñata is a container often made of papier-mâché,
pottery, or cloth; it is
decorated, and filled with small toys or candy, or both, and then broken as
part of a ceremony or celebration. Piñatas
are most commonly associated with Mexico, but their origins are considered to be in China. The idea of breaking a container filled with
treats came to Europe in the 14th century, where the name, from the Italian
pignatta, was introduced. The
Spanish brought the European tradition to Mexico, although there were similar
traditions in Mesoamerica. The
Aztecs had a similar tradition to honor the birthday of the god Huitzilopochtli
in mid December. According to local records, the Mexican piñata
tradition began in the town of Acolman, just north of Mexico City,
where piñatas were introduced for catechism purposes as well as to co-opt the
Huitzilopochtli ceremony. Today, the piñata is still part of Mexican culture,
the cultures of other countries in Latin
America, as well as the United States, but it has mostly lost its religious
character.
Postal currency, or postage currency, was a form of US Post Office paper money
printed in 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, and 50¢ denominations and issued from August 21,
1862 through May 27, 1863. They were
valid for redemption of postage stamps and, while not actually valid as legal
tender, they could be exchanged for United States Notes in $5 lots and were
receivable in payment of all dues to the United States, up to $5. Essentially, they were postage stamps printed
on Treasury paper.
Read
more and see pictures at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postal_currency
Dark leafy greens are an important part of the Mediterranean diet. Research that began on the Greek Island of
Crete in the 1940’s and later included the rest of the Mediterranean,
determined that the Mediterranean Diet contributes to living a longer life. Find award-winning horta (Greek greens)
recipes at: http://www.moderndaygoddess.com/romancing/horta-greek-greens-recipe/
The USDA National Farmers Market Directory, maintained by AMS Marketing Services, is designed to
provide members of the public with convenient access to information about U.S.
farmers market locations, directions, operating times, product offerings, and
accepted forms of payment. Market
information included in the Directory is voluntary and self-reported to AMS by
market managers, representatives from State farmers market agencies and
associations, and other key market personnel.
http://search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/
Dubbing
While stars like Deborah Kerr, Audrey Hepburn and Natalie Wood received
the applause and record royalties for their work in musicals such as “The King
and I,” “My Fair Lady” and “West Side Story,” it was Marni Nixon’s soprano who
sang their songs uncredited, often after signing a contract never to disclose
the ruse. Years ago, the secret got out
and Nixon became kind of a byword for behind-the-scenes vocal stand-ins, of the
type that is used less today. After
inserting her soprano to help Marilyn Monroe reach the high notes in “Diamonds
Are a Girl’s Best Friend” and lending her voice for stars such as Janet Leigh
and Margaret O’Brien, she got a call to do all of Kerr’s singing in the musical
“The King and I” when the star’s regular vocal stand-in died unexpectedly. She provided all the singing for Hepburn in
“My Fair Lady.” As it turned out, Nixon
was all over “West Side Story.” When Rita Moreno’s vocal stand- in, Betty Wand,
was out sick one day, Nixon was asked to change her voice enough to sing her
part of the “Tonight” harmonies — to distinguish from her voice also subbing
for Wood. “There were two different
timbres of the voices that were there,” Nixon says. “It was hard to do that
way, but it was fun, too.” Beyond that,
Nixon dubbed some of Wood’s lines as well.
“There was some dialogue at the very end where it was so emotional, but
everyone was so tired of filming at that point they would get into giggling
fits,” she says. “So when [Wood] went to record some of these emotional lines,
it didn’t come off, so I had to come and redub some of that, too.” The “West Side Story” soundtrack was a
festival of overdubs, with the marquee stars doing scarcely any of the singing.
Jimmy Bryant sang for Richard Beymer (Tony) and Tucker Smith for Russ Tamblyn
(Riff). Roger Catlin http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-06-07/entertainment/39810388_1_natalie-wood-west-side-story-my-fair-lady
Dubbing Hall of Fame Find out who sang for George Clooney,
Christopher Plummer, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Lange, Debbie Reynolds and others
at: http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-06-10/entertainment/39862570_1_singers-big-voice-debbie-reynolds
Michael Bell, mayor of Toledo, Ohio and a burly former
defensive lineman who squashed quarterbacks in college and later made a career
of rushing into burning buildings, squirmed in his chair. In front of him was a shot glass containing
something called snake blood. He didn’t
want to drink it. But the future of his
city was at stake. So down it went. Around the table eyes grew wide. Even his Chinese hosts in Shenzhen couldn’t
believe it. “We never drink that!” they
later told him, laughing. Since then a
parade of Chinese investors has been marching to Toledo, a working-class town
of 286,000 that was not even on their radar until Bell showed up pitching its
advantages: a transportation hub with a
highly skilled labor force and a relatively low cost of living. So far the Chinese have spent more than $10
million to buy private and city-owned properties, including a downtown hotel, a
restaurant complex beside the Maumee River and a 69-acre waterfront parcel
dubbed the Marina District. Another
commercial real estate deal has closed, and another is pending, and seven
Chinese companies have opened sales offices in the Toledo area. Joann
Muller Read article at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2013/06/26/chinas-rust-belt-laboratory/
Thanks, Julie
June 25, 2013 New
York City Landmarks Preservation Commission names eight individual
landmarks and expands a historic district on the Upper West Side: A Century-Old Carousel and 19th-Century High
School in Queens; a Mid-20th Century Modern Skyscraper, a 19th-Century Catholic
Church and an Early 20th-Century Library, Hotel and Apartment Building in
Manhattan and a 19th-Century Mansion in Brooklyn Are the City’s Newest
Landmarks. http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/13-04_lpc_approves_eight_landmarks_and_expanded_historic_district.pdf
See more about the Forest
Park carousel in Queens at: http://online.wsj.com/article/AP5d48bfc15f1b4b1d95c1b171d40fdeb1.html
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Park_Carousel
Gettysburg, Pa. From July 1
to 3, 1863 the battle was fought
here. The onslaught of tourists will
mark the 150th anniversary of the battle, which is seen as the point when the
Civil War began to turn against the South.
Visitors will be able to watch battle re-enactments, trod the ground
where the fighting occurred, check out dozens of monuments to soldiers, and
hear tour guides describe the intricate movements of Union and Confederate
troops over those three days. Some
local residents are planning to vacation, dine, and shop in other places until
after July 8, when the anniversary celebration subsides a bit. “We are staying away from town for these 10
days, to beat the crowds,” said Gettysburg resident Deborah Zullich, who was
taking a self-guided walking tour around downtown Tuesday with her son Russell,
12. To prepare for the unprecedented
numbers of visitors, officials from Gettysburg, Adams County, and the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently hired a private firm to do a
five-week, $36,000 study of roads and parking.
One of the plan’s major recommendations was the creation of free
park-and-ride lots at numerous sites around Gettysburg National Military Park
and the traffic circle in the town center.
A map of the shuttle lots is available at gettysburgcivilwar150.com.
Tom Barnes Link to related content and photos at: http://www.toledoblade.com/Culture/2013/06/30/Small-town-braces-for-tourist-invasion.html
See also: http://www.nps.gov/gett/planyourvisit/150th-anniversary-index.htm
Take Fourth of July quiz: http://www.parade.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/fourth-of-july-quiz-ken-jennings-op.pdf
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