David on December 31st, 2009
“We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential.”
– Ellen Goodman (B. 1941)
David on December 31st, 2009
It’s New Year’s Eve and as 2009 draws to a close, we’re counting down the final hours to a New Year and a new decade. Best wishes for a festive and safe New Year’s Eve from Jankenpon.
David on December 30th, 2009
“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.”
–T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)
David on December 30th, 2009
Today’s video is a classic featuring ABBA singing “Happy New Year.” Best wishes for a wonderful New Year to all friends and visitors of Jankenpon.
David on December 29th, 2009
“A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I’ve played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.”
–Edgar Guest (1881-1959)
David on December 29th, 2009
As the year draws to a close, it’s time to say goodbye to 2009 and to the 00’s, a decade that Time Magazine referred to as “The Decade from Hell,” in their cover story on November 24, 2009.
So what happened during the decade? Here are a few reminders:
* 9/11;
* Hurricane Katrina, which left 1,500 dead and $100 billion in damages;
* Collapse of the USA housing bubble, which was fueled by lender greed and derivatives;
* Global economic meltdown;
* Terrorist attacks around the world, including the attacks in Mumbai;
* Great Sichuan Earthquake, which killed 70,000 people;
* Cyclone Nargis, which left 150,000 dead in Myanmar;
* Bernie Madoff
To read the full article from Time.com, click here.
David on December 28th, 2009
“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”
–Edith Lovejoy Pierce (B. 1904)
David on December 27th, 2009
“Every many should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on he first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.”
–Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)
David on December 26th, 2009
Five years ago today– on December 26, 2004– a 9.2-magnitude earthquake struck underwater off the coast of Aceh, on the island of Sumatra, which unleashed The Great South Asia Tsunami, a disaster that was felt around the world, killing 230,000 people, 170,00 of whom perished in Indonesia, the region’s hardest struck area. After five years, the country’s in the South Asia region that were devastated by the tsunami are still struggling to recover. Thousands of people are still homeless.
Above and Below: Memorial services are observed in Phang Nga, Thailand, to commemorate the fifth anniversary of The Great South Asia Tsunami of 2004.
Photo Credits: Reuters
David on December 26th, 2009
“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.”
–Benjamin Franklin (1705-1790)
David on December 26th, 2009
Th Global Language Monitor has announced its annual “TOP 10 WORDS” which represent the words that have had the most impact and visibility during the year.
TOP 10 WORDS OF 2009
1. Twitter — The ability to encapsulate human thought in 140 characters
2. Obama — The word stem transforms into scores of new words like ObamaCare
3. H1N1 — The formal (and politically correct) name for Swine Flu
4. Stimulus — The $800 billion aid package meant to help mend the US economy
5. Vampire — Vampires are very much en vogue, now the symbol of unrequited love
6. 2.0 — The 2.0 suffix is attached to the next generation of everything
7. Deficit — Lessons from history are dire warnings here
8. Hadron — Ephemeral particles subject to collision in the Large Hadron Collider
9. Healthcare — The direction of which is the subject of intense debate in the US
10. Transparency — Elusive goal for which many 21st-century governments are striving
The analysis was completed in late November 2009 using GLM’s Predictive Quantities Indicator (PQI), the proprietary algorithm that tracks words and phrases in the media and on the Internet, now including blogs and social media. The words are tracked in relation to frequency, contextual usage and appearance in global media outlets, factoring in long-term trends, short-term changes, momentum and velocity.
To go to the Global Language Monitor’s official website, click here.
David on December 25th, 2009
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exists, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.”
–Editorial in the New York Sun, 1897, responding to a letter from 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon
David on December 24th, 2009
“Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!”
–Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
David on December 22nd, 2009
Peggy and Lucy wish everyone a festive holiday season! The girls are ready to party!
Peggy (left) and Lucy (right) are dressed and ready for their next holiday party!
David on December 22nd, 2009
“If we should deal out justice only, in this world, who would escape? No, it is better to be generous, and in the end more profitable, for it gains gratitude for us, and love.”
–Mark Twain (1835-1910)
David on December 22nd, 2009
“If we had not winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”
–Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672)
David on December 21st, 2009
“When Christmas bells are swinging above the fields of snow,
We hear sweet voices ringing from lands of long ago,
And etched on vacant places
Are half-forgotten faces
Of friends we used to cherish, and loves we used to know.”
–Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919)
David on December 21st, 2009
Today is the first day of Winter 2009. Happy Winter from Jankenpon.
David on December 20th, 2009
Today’s cocktail is the Poinsettia, a nice sparkling and festive-looking cocktail that is perfect for a holiday party or to kick-off your evening.
INGREDIENTS:
* 1/2 ounce Cointreau
* 2 ounces Cranberry Juice
* Champagne or sparkling wine
DIRECTIONS:
1. Chill all ingredients in advance.
2. Combine Cointreau and Crainberry juice in a champagne flute.
3. Stir well to combine.
4. Top with champagne.
5. Serve, enjoy and repeat, as needed to achieve full, festive effect.
To go to previous posts in the Cocktails category, click here.
David on December 19th, 2009
Today’s video is a nostalgic trip to Christmas in the 1970’s with a performance of “Merry Christmas, Darling,” featuring Karen Carpenter (1950-1983). The song, which was written in 1966 by Richard Carpenter to lyrics by Frank Pooler, and recorded by Karen and Richard Carpenter in 1970, has become a modern Christmas classic .
The song is available on the Carpenters Christmas Portrait CD, which is available for purchase from Amazon.com by clicking here.
David on December 19th, 2009
“The very greatest things- great thought, discoveries, inventions- have usually been nurtured in hardship, often pondered over in sorrow, and at length establish with difficulty.”
–Samuel Smiles (1812-1904)
David on December 18th, 2009
Today’s cocktail is the Peppermint Martini– a perfect addition to your cocktail menu for the holiday season.
INGREDIENTS:
* 5 ounces Vodka
* 2 ounces Creme de Menthe
* 1/2 ounce Peppermint Schnapps
DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine Vodka, Creme de Menthe, and Peppermint Schnapps in a cocktail shaker with ice;
2. Shake vigorously;
3. Strain into cocktail glass;
4. Garnish with a peppermint candy cane;
5. Serve and repeat, as needed.
To go to other posts in the Cocktail category, click here.
David on December 18th, 2009
“Life be not so short but that there is always time for courtesy.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
David on December 16th, 2009
Today’s video is an excerpt from the holiday classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas, the beloved animated TV special based on the comic strip Peanuts, which first aired in 1965. The Emmy- and Peabody-winning film was created by Bill Melendez, who also provided the voice for Snoopy. It’s one of my favorite films.
To order your copy of A Charlie Brown Christmas DVD (re-mastered 2008 edition) from Amazon.com, click here.
David on December 15th, 2009
“Look not mournfully into the past, it comes not back again. Wisely improve the present, it is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future without fear and with a manly heart.”
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
David on December 14th, 2009
All that is gold does not glitter,
not all those who wander are lost;
the old that is strong does not wither,
deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
a light from the shadows shall spring;
renenwed shall be blade that was broken,
the crownless again shall be king.”
–J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973), from The Lord of the Rings
To go to previous entries in the “Today’s Quote” series, click here.
David on December 12th, 2009
Today’s video is another wickedly funny offering from the crazy folks at JibJab.
David on December 12th, 2009
“What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.”
–Attributed to Crowfoot, Blackfoot Chief, at his death, 1890, by historian John Peter Turner
David on December 11th, 2009
“Age is opportunity no less,
Than youth itself, though in another dress,
And as the evening twilight fades away,
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.”
–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), Morituri Sautamus
David on December 9th, 2009
Today’s video is an old Christmas classic from vintage Elton John, singing “Step Into Christmas.” Enjoy!
David on December 8th, 2009
“I’m not gonna be ignored, Dan.”
–Alex Forrest to Dan Gallagher, “Fatal Attraction,” Paramount Pictures, 1987
David on December 7th, 2009
NBC’s Saturday Night Live is at it again! This time, their target is Tiger Woods and his unlucky automobile collision.
Critics are claiming the spoof makes light of a serious national problem– spousal abuse. I say “give it a rest, and have a laugh.”
David on December 7th, 2009
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
–C.D. Lewis (1898-1963)
David on December 6th, 2009
NBC’s Saturday Night Live took a comedic swipe at the recent White House State Dinner party crashers– Tareg and Michaele Salahi– in their telecast yesterday. As always, the skit hits the mark.
Congratulations to SNL on another hilarious spoof, and to the Salahis for giving us so much rich comedy content.
David on December 5th, 2009
Today’s video is another hilarious treat from JibJab celebrating the holiday season. Enjoy!
David on December 4th, 2009
“Nothing is permanent in this wicked world– not even our troubles.”
–Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977)
David on December 2nd, 2009
Today’s video is a clip from Meet Me in St. Louis, in which Judy Garland performs the holiday classic, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” which is ranked No. 1 on my list of Top 10 Holiday Songs.
To go to a previous post with the Top 10 List of Holiday Songs, click here.
David on December 2nd, 2009
“You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.”
–Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964)
David on December 1st, 2009
Today– December 1, 2009– is World AIDS Day 2009, a day dedicated to raising global awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Founded in 1987, World AIDS Day is held each year on December 1 with a variety of memorials, events, medical and scientific forums, held around the world.
AIDS has killed more than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007, with an estimated 34 million people living with HIV as of 2007, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history.
To make an online contribution to support the efforts of World AIDS Day, click here.
David on December 1st, 2009
“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring– it was peace.”
– Milan Kundera (B. 1929)
