Its Fat Tuesday!
February 21, 2012Break out your masks and beads because today is Mardi Gras!
Also known as Fat Tuesday, today is the last big celebration before the Lent Season beginning with Ash Wednesday. Today, people around the world will celebrate by participating in carnivals and partaking of rich, fatty foods, like Paczkis, for instance!
Paczkis are deep fried doughnuts filled with some type of fruit filling, like cherry, raspberry, and even prune. They’re typically covered in a sugar, glaze, or something else yummy. These treats can be found year-round in some parts of the country, but for many others, they are only offered on Fat Tuesday.
There are many notable Mardi Gras celebrations throughout the world, but perhaps the most well known to us is the parade held in New Orleans, LA and the Carnivale in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Other festivities are held in Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. Each region has their own set of customs and traditions, as well as different start times and dates. Some Mardi Gra festivities start in mid-Janaury and continue after Ash Wednesday.
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Love is in the air…
February 14, 2012There are definitely mixed feelings when Valentine’s Day comes around. Some love it, others loathe it. However you feel, it’s still a major holiday, celebrated not only here in America, but also in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
So how did Valentine’s Day begin and evolve into the celebration of romance we know today? It’s not an easy question to answer. The origins of the holiday are a bit unclear. There was a St. Valentine, three in fact, all recognized by the Catholic Church and all martyrs. Which one is directly responsible for St. Valentine’s Day is a mystery, but there are a couple of different legends people attribute to him and his association with romance. Both stories take place in Roman times. In one version, St. Valentine is a priest who conducted secret marriages after Emperor Claudius II declared only single men could serve in the army. He is eventually found out and put to death for his actions. In the second version, St. Valentine was caught and imprisoned for trying to help Christians escape Roman prisons. While awaiting his death, he fell in love with the jailor’s daughter. Allegedly, he left a note for her right before his death, signed ‘From Your Valentine’. The phrase should sound familiar; it’s still in use today.
However, before St. Valentine, February was believed to be a month to celebrate love and fertility. The Roman festival of Lupercalia took place in the middle of the month on the ides of February. The ceremony began in a cavern where the Romans believed Romulus and Remus, the founding figures of their city, were taken in and cared for by a she-wolf. A goat and a dog would be sacrificed and skinned. The Luperci, a specific order of priests, would then use the goat hide to slap blood onto women and crop fields. It was believed the blood would increase the fields’, and the women’s, fertility. The day would end with all the names of young women being randomly picked by the town’s bachelors. They would be paired together for the following year, a match that more often than not ended in marriage.
It is thought that at the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius decreed St. Valentine’s Day to be celebrated on February 14th in an effort to outlaw the Lupercalia festival. However, St. Valentine’s Day would not become completely associated with romance until the Middle Ages. Valentine greetings were exchanged then, but it wasn’t until after the year 1400 that written greetings appeared. The oldest Valentine on record was from Charles, Duke or Orleans, written in 1415 to his wife during his imprisonment in the Tower of London. Despite the romantic notion, Valentines Day still would not be widely celebrated until the 17th century. Then, halfway through the 18th century, it was commonplace for friends and couples to give small tokens and handwritten notes to show their affection. After vast improvements to printing technology, ready-made cards became the easiest way for people to communicate how they felt. The tradition remains in place today; it is guessed that over 141 million cards are sent annually on Valentine’s Day, second only to Christmas, when 2.6 billion cards are thought to be sent.
Fun facts:
85% of Valentines are purchased by women.
50% of Valentine cards are bought within a week of the holiday.
Over half of Americans celebrate by sending or giving greeting cards.
The most common Valentines gifts? Chocolate, Flowers, and Jewelry!
Superbowl Sunday
February 6, 2012We’re sure many of you tuned into Superbowl XLVI last night. Regardless of the outcome, it’s a tradition for many families to come together and watch ‘The Big Game’. However, do you know the origins behind it?
The idea for the Superbowl as we know it was conceived in the 1960s when the NFL began talks to merge with the AFL. The agreement made between the two leagues was set to take effect in the 1970 season and included a championship game to be played between two teams. The title ‘Superbowl’ was coined by Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs (AFL). It was inspired by two things: the first being a toy his children played with, and the second being the term for post-season college football games, such as the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, and the Orange Bowl.
Super Bowl I was played on January 15th, 1967 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. The Green Bay Packers went on to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10. They also won Super Bowl II against the Oakland Raiders 33-14 in Miami, Florida on January 14th, 1968. Two more Super Bowls would be played before the NFL and AFL merger was completed. After the merger, the two leagues transformed into two different conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The champions from each conference would then be the ones to meet at the Super Bowl. Winners receive the Vince Lombardi Trophy, which was named after the Green Bay Packer’s coach. Lombardi’s team also won the league championship three times prior to the two Super Bowl victories, in 1961, 1962, and 1965. The trophy wasn’t named for him until after his death in September of 1970. The first team to receive was the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V.
The Pittsburgh Steelers hold the record for most Super Bowl wins (6), with the Dallas Cowboys and San Franciso 49ers following with five. The Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills have played in four Super Bowls without winning a single one. Teams that have never been to the Super Bowl include the Cleveland Browns, the Detroit Lions, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Houstan Texans.
The game itself is important, of course, but how about the advertising? The Super Bowl is typically the most watched television program of the year and averages close to 80 or 90 million viewers. The last Super Bowl in 2011 had about 111 million viewers, a record that made it the most viewed television broadcast in American history. That kind of publicity is a gold mine for advertisers but comes at a price. In 2009, a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl cost $3 million! Perhaps one of the most well known ads was Apple’s ’1984′ commercial and set a trend for companies to create expensive, high-concept commercials.
Though we know where the next Super Bowl will be held (New Orleans, LA), we don’t know who the two lucky teams will be. Good luck to them all as we look ahead to the 2012 football season!
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl#cite_note-8
Happy Groundhog Day!
February 2, 2012It’s February already, and for a lot of us, that means looking ahead to spring! The weather here in Wisconsin has been pretty mild, but we’ll see what Punxsutawney Phil has to say about that.
Groundhog Day actually began in the 18th-19th century and was celebrated in certain regions of Pennsylvania by those of German descent/ethnicity. The idea was that if the groundhog saw its shadow, it would go back to sleep for another six weeks. But, if it saw nothing, it would remain awake. Since then, there are multiple celebrations held each year, the largest being in Punxsutawney, PA. People also gather to celebrate Groundhog Day in Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Georgia, and in Wiarton, Ontario, Shubenacadie, and Nova Scotia in Canada. It’s even an official university holiday at The University of Dallas in Irving, TX.
Mission to Colombia
January 26, 2012We love stories like this:
Maureen McBeth of Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, MD will be going to Cali, Colombia in March of this year on a medical mission. She and others will be training 20 healthcare professionals in CDT (Complete Decongestive Therapy) in partnership with Norton School of Lymphatic Therapy. We donated some ReadyWrap units to take with them and give to their trainees.
Thanks Maureen and Norton School for heading out on this trip! We’re glad to help in any way we can.
Maureen McBeth packing for March
The Tribute Outer Jacket Update
January 20, 2012
UE-OJ Updated
In addition to updating our Velcro modification codes, we’ve also updated the Tribute Outer Jacket design!
The new design is approximately an inch shorter than the actual garment and features a hook and loop or Snap Tape attachment to adhere it to the outside of the Tribute garment. This prevents slipping or shifting throughout the night.
We started implementing the design January 1, 2012. All Outer Jacket orders will now be made according to the new specifications. Feel free to call or e-mail us with any questions or concerns you might have. Customer Service is always ready to help out!
Check out our Facebook page to see pictures and close-ups of both the UE-OJ and the LE-OJ.
We’ve updated our Tribute modification codes for Velcro!
January 17, 2012Now when you order Velcro for your patient’s garment, we have two versions you can pick from.
MO-VC stands for Velcro Closure modification. This type of Velcro serves as an open/close option that can be used for small areas of the garment under 10 centimeters. If you need to alleviate any pressure on the medial or lateral aspect of the fingers or on the anterior portion of the foot, this option is for you!
MO-AP stands for Adjustable Panel modification. This type of Velcro is an adjustable version for larger areas that may have girth fluctuations, or areas that you need to tighten or loosen at any point. This modification is priced per 10 centimeters. MO-AP is similar to our previous MO-V3 option however, the Velcro adjustable material that we use is only on one panel of the garment, rather than both panels in the previous version.
If you have any questions on ordering either of these Velcro modifications for your patient, please contact our Customer Service team at 414-892-4140. As always, we’re here to help!
Have you ever wondered why Friday the 13th is so unlucky? The Customer Service department did a little digging, and this is what we found
January 13, 2012The origin of fears surrounding Friday the 13th is unclear. There is reportedly no written evidence of Friday the 13th superstition before the 19th century, but superstitions surrounding the number 13 date back to at least 1700 BC. Friday has also long been considered an unlucky day. One theory hypothesizes that Friday has been considered unlucky because Jesus was crucified on a Friday according to Christian Scripture. Another states that the superstition regarding Friday comes from Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales,” published in the 14th century, where Friday is considered a day of misfortune and ill luck. In numerous publications in the 17th century, Friday the 13th was outlined as an unlucky day to take a trip, to begin a new project or to have a major life change (such as a birth, a marriage, among other events).
The fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia (Frigga being the name of the Norse goddess for whom “Friday” is named and triskaidekaphobia meaning fear of the number thirteen). It is also sometimes called “paraskevidekatriaphobia,” from the Greek “Paraskevi” for Friday, “Dekatreis” for thirteen and “phobia” for fear.
There will be three occurrences in 2012, exactly 13 weeks apart. According to some sources it’s the most widespread superstition in the United States today. Whether there is any merit to the superstitions surrounding Friday the 13th will remain uncertain, but that will not stop millions of people across the world from worrying about the unlucky day.
There are a number of popular myths and superstitions surrounding the day, most famously:
- If you cut your hair on Friday the 13th, someone in your family will die.
- If a funeral procession passes you on Friday the 13th, you will be the next to die.
- Do not start a trip on Friday or you will encounter misfortune.
- If you break a mirror on Friday the 13th, you will have seven years of bad luck.
- A child born on Friday the 13th will be unlucky for life.
- Ships that set sail on a Friday will have bad luck.
- If you walk under a ladder or if a black cat crosses you on Friday the 13th, you will have bad luck.
How many Americans at the beginning of the 21st century suffer from this condition?
According to Dr. Donald Dossey, a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of phobias (and coiner of the term paraskevidekatriaphobia, also spelled paraskavedekatriaphobia), the figure may be as high as 21 million. If he’s right, no fewer than eight percent of Americans remain in the grips of a very old superstition.
I hope we were able to add a little superstition knowledge to your day!
Make (and keep) Your Resolutions
January 10, 2012So have you heard that statistic that’s been floating around that 75% of us have already broken our New Year’s Resolution? Researchers say that’s because most of us are setting ourselves up for failure from the start by picking goals that are too big too soon or too vague. However, it’s not a bad thing to have a bigger idea in mind, then setting smaller goals under that idea’s umbrella.
So what are the top five resolutions we’re blowing off? According to Katie Campbell, Editor at Bestcovery.com, they are as follows:
1) Get in Shape
2) Eat Right
3) Save Money
4) Quit Smoking
5) Volunteer
So how does she suggest we go on to become the precious 25% who actually keep their resolutions?
1) Get in Shape: Don’t get sucked into the gym membership hype. Yes, rates are reduced right now to get people motivated, but if you know you’re not going to be able to maintain that motivation and dedication, even the reduced cost isn’t worth it. If the deal is too good to pass up, consider scheduling yourself to meet a trainer. Not only does it commit you to going to the gym, the trainer will be able to give you a head start at completing your goal.
Not everybody likes the gym atmosphere. What about those of us who would rather exercise in the comfort and relative safety of our homes and neighborhoods? Campbell suggests trying out the kind of exercise you’re thinking about before buying the equipment. Want a treadmill? Go for a walk or run around your community or a mall. Like your friend’s new stair climbers? Try it out on a free set of steps prior to purchasing one for yourself. If you continue to stick with your choice, then it may be a good idea to consider adding new equipment to your home.
2) Eat Right: Dieting seemingly has become just another part of our lives. Many people wake up one morning and decide that today is the day they’re going to throw themselves into an all new eating plan. The problem is, eating, like many other things, is a habit for us. You’re very likely to experience strong cravings for the foods you’ve given up if your body is used to consuming them. Try a better goal of simply eating better. Making small, healthier choices will begin to add up and make the transition almost painless. Are you a fast-food kind of person? Think about the menu choices carefully before ordering. Campbell points out that “McDonald’s Premium Crispy chicken Classic Sandwich has 510 calories and 22 grams of fat. However, by having it grilled, the calorie count drops to 350 with nine grams of fat.” Most restaurants provide nutritional information, so keep yourself informed of what’s going into your mouth.
Of course, it’s always better if you can cook your own meals as opposed to catching something on the go. Replace certain items in your kitchen with others like whole grains, oils, flavored water, and organic meats. We’ve all seen the commercials touting the wonder that is whole grain, but this selling point is actually true. Dr. Alan Greene, author of ‘A Family’s Guide to Healthy Food Substitutes’ on CNN Health, says that at least 50% of the grains we consume should be whole grains, but not many of us are getting that. Whole grains can be found in a variety of places, like breads, bagels, pasta, and cereals; but buyer beware! Read your labels and make sure that the product earns that ‘Whole Grain’ status. If ‘refined wheat flour’ is listed as an ingredient, try again.
3) Save Money: The key term for saving money is ‘start small’. You don’t have to start pulling $100 out of every paycheck and stuffing it into the bank. Instead, see if your bank can set up your accounts so that each months, a certain amount of money from your checking is automatically transferred to your savings. You probably won’t even notice that extra $10 disappearing until a year has passed and you have an extra $120 already stashed away.
There are other methods too, besides just not spending your cash. Try simple things, like cutting coupons out of the daily paper. You might not always find one for items you purchase, but you might find an even better deal, or get the opportunity to try something new at a lower cost. Also consider adding a grocer’s club card to your wallet. The savings you earn from it can be put towards something else.
4) Quit Smoking: I know this is a big one on many’s people lists. Many people I know are looking to go smoke-free in 2012. Some are doing better than others. Campbell approaches this one much like her other suggestions. If you smoke more than a pack a day, limit yourself to a pack. Once the pain of not having those extra smokes go away, cut yourself back again. These cuts don’t have to be large. If you go too far too quickly, you might be back on the bandwagon again before you know it.
An added bonus: Quitting smoking will also help you save money. The average cost of a pack rising, as well as the tax on them, stuff that money into savings account and look forward to buying yourself a nicer (and healthier) reward at 2012′s end.
5) Volunteer: It’s a great idea to keep the charitable attitude we all have during the holidays going throughout the year. However, don’t let the opportunity to help others and to get involved in your community slip through your fingertips. Know how much time you’ll be able to dedicate before actually signing up so you don’t end up suddenly unable to fulfill other commitments.
So you’re completely organized and ready to jump in, but don’t know where to start? Check out VolunteerMatch.org, Volunteers of America, or Volunteering in America. You can see listings in your area, as well as in a field you’re interested in. Choose something you’re passionate about.
To read more of Katie Campbell’s advice, click here.
Good luck to everyone on keeping their resolutions and Happy New Year!
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
December 23, 2011The dictionary says that making New Year’s resolutions is “setting goals for the New Year.” As to where and how they originated, there are recorded resolutions by the Babylonians as far back as four thousand years ago. Even though their New Year began in March with the planting of new crops, the Babylonians made New Year’s resolutions just like we do (One of their most common New Year’s resolutions was to return borrowed farm equipment.) The Babylonians believed that whatever a person did on the first day of the year had an effect all year long. Hence making a resolution with sincere intentions is a great way to start the New Year.
The New Year is a great time to look at the changes we would like to make in our lives and determine how we can accomplish them. A resolution is like a promise to ourselves to improve our lives and to make the New Year a better one for ourselves and others. Experience tells us that if we make a goal too hard to accomplish we lose interest and motivation; we feel defeated before we even get started. We also know that if the goal is too easy we really won’t change anything about our lives. Whatever you decide to do in order to make 2012 a better year for yourself and others, pick resolutions you know you can stick to and then do it! You’ll be surprised the difference it can make in your life and perhaps others.
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