Candlemas/Groundhog Day
"Dutch"
Manatees
"Saints"
Lithuania
Presidents' Day
High School/College Students
Term Limits for Presidents
Candlemas/Groundhog Day
05/02/02
The second day of the second month in the Gregorian calendar has a special significance to some people in the West. In certain churches, it is called Candlemas for on that day the candles used in church ceremonies are blessed. Another name of this day, 40 days after Christmas, is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord or the Feast of the Purification of Mary. According to the second chapter of the Gospel according to Luke,"when the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took [Jesus] to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord as it is written in the Law of the Lord"(22-23). Thus, on the fortieth day after his birth, the baby Jesus was offered to God in the temple in Jerusalem and the woman who gave him birth was purified in accordance with the Old Testament law. Other people in the United States of America call this day Groundhog Day. One of the traditions immigrants from Great Britain and Germany brought with them to this land was the custom of forecasting the weather for the next six weeks according to whether or not the sun was shining on February the 2nd. According to that folklore, a common rodent, known as a groundhog or a woodchuck, ended its winter hibernation on that day. It was said that if it saw its shadow when it came out of its hole, it would return to its home and there would be six more weeks of winter weather. If it did not see its shadow, however, it would not return to its winter home and spring weather would soon begin. Whether or not this day or any day is special depends on our perspective, or faith, and how we live. (826)
"Dutch"
05/02/06
The word "Dutch" originally referred to Germans, and even today, the word "Deutschland" denotes the land of the Germans, or Germany. But in present-day English, "Dutch" refers to the Netherlands, the country on the coast of the North Sea between Germany and Belgium, which is also known as Holland. There are a number of English expressions that include the word "Dutch." All of them have a negative implication that reflects the English attitude toward the people on the opposite side of the sea during the seventeenth century when the two countries became rivals in international commerce and often fought for control of the sea and parts of the New World. A "Dutch treat" is not a "treat" at all for it means that everyone pays his/her own expenses. "Dutch courage" denotes the courage stimulated by drinking alcoholic liquor. A "Dutch uncle" is a person who bluntly and sternly scolds someone and to be "in Dutch" means to be in difficulty or disfavor. "Dutch reckoning" is simply guesswork; "Dutch defense" means retreat or surrender and "to do the Dutch" is to commit suicide. There are also words in English that are derived from Dutch that have become respectable, however, including "Yankee." This word is derived from Dutch words meaning "John" and "cheese," the Netherlands' national product. Although first used as an ethnic insult by British colonists for Dutch pirates, it was later applied to American revolutionaries and now may denote a native of New England or of a Northern State or of a player on one of the country's most respected baseball teams, who are proud to be called Yankees. (827)
Manatees
05/02/09
Before entering the Penney Retirement Community in the state of Florida where my wife and I now reside, I was quite ignorant regarding marine mammals. I had only read and heard about whales and had seen otters on the western coast of North America. Although I do not recall seeing a live dolphin, a couple of large, golden dolphins are visible on the peak of Nagoya Castle in Japan and dolphins are the symbol of the Nagoya International School which my wife and I, our children and grandchildren have all been involved with over the past 40 years. Since coming to Florida, I have often read or heard about manatees, and recently, when we visited a couple of hot springs in this state, we saw some manatees for the first time. Manatees have a heavy gray body with a tail that ends in a horizontally flattened fin. They spend their entire life in water and are the only marine mammals that feed exclusively on vegetation: seaweeds and sea grasses. They are usually about two to four meters long, weigh about 225 kilograms and consume up to 45 kilograms of vegetation daily. They must surface for air every 15 or 20 minutes at which time their hairless bodies may be seen just under the surface of the water, but only the nostrils on the tip of their nose emerge from the water. Most of the manatees which we saw had large white marks on their bodies, which were the scars that resulted from clashes with boats or their motors and the dwindling number of manatees are now protected by law in Florida. On our short trip, we were reminded again of the beauty and variety of the world in which we live and of the need to protect and maintain it. (828)
"Saints"
05/02/11
Question: does any special person come to your mind when you hear or read the word "saint?" The English word is derived from a Latin word meaning "holy." In the New Testament, all sincere followers of Jesus Christ were considered "saints," or "holy people," so some letters which are included in the New Testament are addressed to the "saints" of a certain area (Romans 1:7, Ephesians 1:1, Philippians 1:1, for example). Among Christians, Jesusf disciples and writers of New Testament books are commonly called "saints," including Saint John and Saint Paul, but in present-day English, any very virtuous person may be called a "saint." In Church History, the names of certain persons are usually preceded by this word as a kind of title, including Saint Augustine and Saint Francis. In the Roman Catholic Church, persons who are considered worthy of veneration, who have been "beatified" and then "canonized" by the pope are called "saints." Each "saint" is particularly remembered on the day designated as that saintfs "feast day," and February 14 has been designated the feast day of "Saint Valentine." Although the identification of "Saint Valentine" is questionable, in the Middle Ages, the belief throughout rural Europe that birds began to mate on February 14th became associated with Saint Valentine's Day. As a result, customs related to romantic love developed in connection with this day and have been vigorously promoted by makers of chocolates and greeting cards. It would be preferable, however, to recover the original meaning of "saint" and to seek to become that kind of person. (829)
Lithuania
05/02/16
Question: do you know where the country of Lithuania is located? Is it in Asia, Africa or Europe? Actually, it is on the east coast of the Baltic Sea, if you know where that is. It borders Latvia on the north, Belarus on the east and south and Poland and Russia on the southwest. Along with Latvia and Estonia, it is one of the three Baltic States, located in Eastern Europe. It is said that there may have been Liths, or Lithuanians, living in that area as early as 1500 B.C. The country's total area is a little less than that of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, a little more than the American state of West Virginia and it has a population of over 3,600,000. Most of its citizens speak the Lithuanian language, which is considered the most ancient of the living Indo-European languages. In 1386, Lithuania united with Poland and from the 14th to the 16th century, Poland and Lithuania made up one of medieval Europe's largest empires. Later, Lithuania came under Russian influence, but after the First World War and the collapse of Russia, it declared its restoration of independence on February 16,1918. Annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, it was occupied by German troops from 1941 to 1944, when it was again annexed by the Soviets. It regained its independence in 1988 but continues to celebrate February 16 as its Independence Day. This day is also recognized in areas of the United States of America where there are many persons of Lithuanian descent. Independence is a blessing, which those who have it should use responsibly and seek to share with those who do not have it. (830)
Presidents' Day
05/02/19
The word "preside" is derived from a Latin word meaning "to sit in front of," so the person chosen "to sit in front of" an organization and exercise authority, or "preside," over it may be called its "president." There are many organizations or nations that have a "president" as their leader. In this retirement community, there is a president of the Community, a president of the Association of Residents and presidents of various groups within the association, of which I am one. But the special holiday listed as "Presidents' Day" on many American calendars is not related to such executives. Rather, it pertains to two of the most important presidents of the U. S. A., who were born in this month of February. In this republic, public holidays are determined by the individual states, but those holidays chosen by the federal government for its employees are usually observed by the states as well. Since 1971, the third Monday of February has become a holiday in all the states, although in some of them, it is called "Washington's Birthday" and in others "Presidents' Day." George Washington, the nation's first president, was born on February 22, 1732. One of his memorable sayings was: "Labor to keep alive in your heart that little spark of celestial fire called conscience." Regarding "labor," Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, born on February 12, 1809, said: "Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration." Both quotations are worth remembering. (831)
High School/College Students
05/02/22
There are interesting words to designate the ranks of students in American high schools and colleges according to their years in that school. First-year students are called "Freshmen." Among the meanings of "fresh" are: "new," "clean," "not yet soiled," "bright and clear." Although all first-year students are not "men" and do not manifest these characteristics, ideally, "freshmen" will bring some new vigor and "freshness" into the school. Second-year students are called "Sophomores," which is actually an "oxymoron," a word in which contradictory terms are combined. "Sophomore" is a combination of two Greek words meaning "wise" and "foolish." The implication is that second-year students are in the process of development from being foolish to becoming wise. In a sense, not only students in the second-year of high school or college, but all of us are in that stage of life where both wise and foolish decisions and actions are evident. Hopefully, we are continuing to make progress from the "moronic" to the more "sophisticated." The terms for third and fourth-year students, "junior" and "senior," simply indicate lower and higher rankings. Sons who are given the same name as their fathers often add "Junior" after their names to distinguish them from their fathers, who are the "Seniors." All of us, including those students still in school, recent graduates, older alumni and even those of us considered "elderly," should pause and reflect on how such terms might characterize our lives as we continue our progress in the "school of life."(832)
Term Limits for Presidents
05/02/25
The Constitution of the United States of America was approved by a majority of the original 13 colonies in 1789. The official document of this new nation specified who would be eligible to hold the office of president, outlined the manner in which he was to be elected and detailed his powers and duties, but it did not set a limit on the number of four-year terms one individual could hold that highest office. When the first president, George Washington, stepped down after serving two terms, he established a tradition that continued for the next 150 years, until the 32nd president, Franklin Roosevelt ran for a third term in 1940. Not only was this physically handicapped leader re-elected that year, but four years later, he ran for a fourth term and was re-elected. During his administration, a number of new social programs were introduced and wars broke out in both Europe and Asia. Rooseveltfs long tenure stimulated both approval and disappointment, but two years after his death, which occurred within the first year of his fourth term, Congress submitted the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution to the states for their approval. This amendment established two terms as the maximum length of time any one person could hold the office of president. It required almost four years for the amendment to be approved by the required three-fourths of the states and 54 years ago, on February 27, 1951, ratification was completed when Minnesota became the 36th state to approve it. George W. Bush is now beginning his second term as president and will seek to establish some memorable projects before his term ends. (833)