<> Tomorrow's food holidays(s):
* 'Chocolate Covered Anything Day'.
- From Wikipedia (List of chocolate-covered foods):
"'Chocolate bar – many varieties have a chocolate coating
Caramel Apple – Although traditionally covered in just caramel or caramel and
nuts, chocolate is often added, sometimes in decorative patterns.
Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats – produced in different variations around
the world, with several countries claiming to have invented it or hailing it
as their "national confection". The first chocolate-coated marshmallow treat
was created in the early 1800s in Denmark.
Chocolate marshmallow pies – two cookies sandwiching a marshmallow center and
covered in chocolate, sold under various names in various places.
Chocolate-coated peanut – peanuts coated in a shell of milk chocolate. They
have a reputation in many countries of being food eaten in movie theaters. In
some countries, they are also known as Goobers, which is the earliest and one
of the most popular brands of the product, made by Nestlé. Goobers were
introduced in the United States in 1925 by the Blumenthal Chocolate Company.
Nestlé acquired the brand in 1984. A large number of other brands also
exists.
Chocolate-covered almonds – many places on the internet claim that July 8 is
(American) National Milk Chocolate with Almonds Day, while November 2 is
National Bitter Chocolate with Almonds Day.
Chocolate covered fruit – such as strawberries, cherries and bananas
Chocolate covered cherry – variations include cherry cordial (candy) with
liquid fillings often including cherry liqueur, as well as chocolate covered
candied cherries and chocolate covered dried cherries.
Chocolate-covered prune – chocolate-covered prunes or plums are a typical
Polish delicacy.
Chocolate-covered potato chips – an American snack food or confectionery,
consisting of potato chips that have been dipped into melted chocolate or
cocoa, and coated with the chocolate. They were introduced into the market in
Chicago in 1985 by a company called Executive Sweets.
Chocolate-covered raisin – raisins coated in a shell of milk, dark or white
chocolate. Commonly available in movie theaters in many countries, they were
traditionally sold by weight from jars in candy stores.
Chocolate-covered bacon – a North American novelty that consists of cooked
bacon with a coating of either milk chocolate or dark chocolate. It can be
topped with sea salt, crumbled pistachio, or almond bits.
Chocolate-covered coffee bean – confections made by coating roasted coffee
beans in some kind of chocolate: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white
chocolate. They are usually only slightly sweet, especially the dark chocolate
kind, and the intense, bitter flavor of the coffee beans can be overwhelming
for non-coffee-drinkers.
Cordials – confection in which a fruit filling is placed within a chocolate
shell. A well known confectionery of this type is the cherry cordial.
Doughnut – several varieties are covered in chocolate
Insects – such as ants, grasshoppers and crickets.
Lebkuchen – a traditional German baked Christmas treat, somewhat resembling
gingerbread. Some varieties are chocolate-covered.
Macadamia nuts – the nuts can be covered individually or in clumps or bars
Nuts
Milk Duds – a caramel candy, historically enrobed with milk chocolate, and
presently enrobed with a confectionery coating made from cocoa and vegetable
oil
Pretzel – some varieties are produced with a chocolate coating
Ptasie mleczko – (Polish) a soft chocolate-covered candy filled with soft
meringue (or milk soufflé).
Túró Rudi – chocolate-coated curd bars
Tunnock's teacake – manufactured by Thomas Tunnock, they consist of a small
round shortbread biscuit covered with Italian meringue, and then encased in a
thin layer of milk or dark chocolate and wrapped.
Wafer – some varieties are covered or coated with chocolate
Winter ice cream – wafer cones filled with flavored cream and coated with
chocolate
Zefir – a type of soft confectionery made by whipping fruit and berry purée
(mostly apple puree) with sugar and egg whites with subsequent addition of a
gelling agent like pectin, agar, or gelatine. Chocolate-coated versions are
common'.".
[The Hankster says] I've heard of chicken fried chicken, so why not chocolate covered chocolate? I'm talking several layers and topped with melted chocolate.
<> Other holidays / celebrations
* 'Free Shipping Day'.
Created to promote online free shipping and guaranteed Christmas delivery.
- From Wikipedia (Free Shipping Day):
'Free Shipping Day is a one-day event held annually in mid-December. On the
promotional holiday, consumers can shop from both large and small online
merchants that offer free shipping with guaranteed delivery by Christmas
Eve. The 2016 event is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 16.
Free Shipping Day was started in 2008 by Luke and Maisie Knowles, founders
of Coupon Sherpa and FreeShipping.org, in an effort to extend the online
shopping season. Statistics at the time showed online shopping peaked on
Cyber Monday, generally held the week immediately following Black Friday.
Consumers believed they would not receive their online orders in time for
Christmas after that date.
The first event was created in two weeks by Knowles. Several hundred
merchants participated and media attention was unusually high. In 2009,
more than 750 retailers participated, with 350,000 plus sales taking place
through the official site www.FreeShippingDay.com. Merchant participation
has more than doubled each subsequent year. Knowles talked with TIME
magazine blogger Brad Tuttle in 2010 about the role of free shipping as a
promotional tool, saying, I see a trend of free shipping offers around the
holidays having a lower threshold than they have in years past...we are
seeing more merchants offering free shipping on ALL orders'.
[The Hankster says] Free shipping? The neutrality of the sea lanes has Benn a major concept .... Oh, that kind of shippng. Never mind.
* 'National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day'.
Third Friday in December.
[The Hankster says] Ware that ugly sweater you got last year and
donate to 'Save the Children'.
* 'Underdog Day'.
Since 1976 by Peter Moeller . Third Friday in December.
[The Hankster says] Pick your favorite
underdog and cheer them on. If you are a sports fan, it shouldn't be hard
this time of year.
<> Awareness / Observances:
<> Historical events on December 16
* 'In 1497, Vasco da Gama travels around the Cape of Good Hope. He
discovered the sea route to India that many, including Columbus sought, by
going in the opposite direction. .
- From Wikipedia: 'Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (Portuguese
pronunciation: c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and
the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India
(1497–1499) was the first to link Europe and Asia by an ocean route,
connecting the Atlantic and the Indian oceans and, in this way, the West
and the Orient.
Da Gama's discovery of the sea route to India was significant and opened
the way for an age of global imperialism and for the Portuguese to
establish a long-lasting colonial empire in Asia. Traveling the ocean route
allowed the Portuguese to avoid sailing across the highly disputed
Mediterranean and traversing the dangerous Arabian Peninsula. The sum of
the distances covered in the outward and return voyages made this
expedition the longest ocean voyage ever made until then, far longer than a
full voyage around the world by way of the Equator.
After decades of sailors trying to reach the Indies, with thousands of
lives and dozens of vessels lost in shipwrecks and attacks, da Gama landed
in Calicut on 20 May 1498. Unopposed access to the Indian spice routes
boosted the economy of the Portuguese Empire, which was previously based
along northern and coastal West Africa. The spices obtained from Southeast
Asia were primarily pepper and cinnamon at first, but soon included other
products, all new to Europe. Portugal maintained a commercial monopoly of
these commodities for several decades. It would be a century later before
other European powers such as the Netherlands and England, followed by
France and Denmark, were able to challenge Portugal's monopoly and naval
supremacy in the Cape Route.
Da Gama led two of the Portuguese armadas destined for India, the first and
the fourth. The latter was the largest and departed for India four years
after his return from the first one. For his contributions, Da Gama was
appointed the Governor of India in 1524, under the title of Viceroy, and
given the newly created County of Vidigueira in 1519. Vasco da Gama remains
a leading figure in the history of exploration. Numerous homages have been
made worldwide to celebrate his explorations and accomplishments. The
Portuguese national epic, Os Lusíadas, was written in his honour. His first
trip to India is widely considered a milestone in world history, as it
marked the beginning of a sea-based phase of global multiculturalism.
In March 2016, researchers announced that thousands of artifacts and vessel
remains had been recovered from the ship Esmeralda, one of Da Gama's
armada, found off the coast of Oman'.
* 'In 1707, Mount Fuji's last recorded volcanic eruption occurs in Japan. .
- From Wikipedia: 'Mount Fuji, located on Honshu Island, is the highest
mountain in Japan at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft). An active stratovolcano that
last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about 100 kilometres (60 mi)
south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount
Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone, which is snow-capped several months
a year, is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in
art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers.
Mount Fuji is one of Japan's Three Holy Mountains along with Mount Tate and
Mount Haku. It is also a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and one of Japan's
Historic Sites. It was added to the World Heritage List as a Cultural Site
on June 22, 2013. Per UNESCO, Mount Fuji has inspired artists and poets and
been the object of pilgrimage for centuries UNESCO recognizes 25 sites of
cultural interest within the Mt. Fuji locality. These 25 locations include
the mountain itself, Fujisan.
In Shinto mythology, Kuninotokotachi, Kuninotokotachi-no-Mikoto, in Nihon
Shoki) is one of the two gods born from something like a reed that arose
from the soil when the earth was chaotic. In the Nihon Shoki, he is the
first of the first three divinities born after heaven and earth were born
out of chaos, and is born from something looking like a reed-shoot growing
between heaven and earth. He is known by mythology to reside on top of
Mount Fuji.
Kuninotokotachi is described as a hitorigami and genderless in Kojiki,
while as a male god in Nihon Shoki.
Yoshida Kanetomo, the founder of the Yoshida Shinto sect, identified
Kuninotokotachi with Amenominakanushi and regarded him as the primordial
god of the Universe.
The volcano is currently classified as active with a low risk of eruption.
The last recorded eruption was the Hoei eruption which started on December
16, 1707 (Hoei 4, 23rd day of the 11th month), and ended about January 1,
1708 (Hoei 4, 9th day of the 12th month), during the Edo period. The
eruption formed a new crater and a second peak, named Mount Hoei (after the
Hoei era), halfway down its southeastern side. Fuji spewed cinders and ash
which fell like rain in Izu, Kai, Sagami, and Musashi. Since then, there
have been no signs of an eruption. In the evening of March 15, 2011, there
was a magnitude 6.2 earthquake at shallow depth a few kilometres from Mount
Fuji on its southern side. But according to the Japanese Meteorological
Service there was no sign of any eruption'.
* 'In 1773, At what became known as 'The Boston Tea Party', disguised
members of the Sons of Liberty dump crates of tea into Boston harbor to
protest the Tea Act, that favored the East India Company if the new import
rates were accepted and the British Government's right to tax tea if the
Colonies got there tea elsewhere. .
- From Wikipedia: 'The Boston Tea Party (initially referred to by John
Adams as the Destruction of the Tea in Boston) was a political protest by
the Sons of Liberty in Boston, on December 16, 1773. The demonstrators,
some disguised as Native Americans, in defiance of the Tea Act of May 10,
1773, destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company.
They boarded the ships and threw the chests of tea into Boston Harbor. The
British government responded harshly and the episode escalated into the
American Revolution. The Tea Party became an iconic event of American
history, and other political protests such as the Tea Party movement after
2010 explicitly refer to it.
The Tea Party was the culmination of a resistance movement throughout
British America against the Tea Act, which had been passed by the British
Parliament in 1773. Colonists objected to the Tea Act because they believed
that it violated their rights as Englishmen to No taxation without
representation, that is, be taxed only by their own elected representatives
and not by a British parliament in which they were not represented.
Protesters had successfully prevented the unloading of taxed tea in three
other colonies, but in Boston, embattled Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson
refused to allow the tea to be returned to Britain.
The Boston Tea Party was a significant event in the growth of the American
Revolution. Parliament responded in 1774 with the Coercive Acts, or
Intolerable Acts, which, among other provisions, ended local
self-government in Massachusetts and closed Boston's commerce. Colonists up
and down the Thirteen Colonies in turn responded to the Coercive Acts with
additional acts of protest, and by convening the First Continental
Congress, which petitioned the British monarch for repeal of the acts and
coordinated colonial resistance to them. The crisis escalated, and the
American Revolutionary War began near Boston in 1775'.
* 'In 1811, The first two in a series of four severe earthquakes occur in the vicinity of New Madrid, Missouri.
- From Wikipedia: 'The 1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes were an intense
intraplate earthquake series beginning with an initial earthquake of moment
magnitude 7.5-7.9 on December 16, 1811 followed by a moment magnitude 7.4
aftershock on the same day. They remain the most powerful earthquakes to
hit the contiguous United States east of the Rocky Mountains in recorded
history. They, as well as the seismic zone of their occurrence, were named
for the Mississippi River town of New Madrid, then part of the Louisiana
Territory, now within Missouri.
There are estimates that these stable continental region earthquakes were
felt strongly over roughly 130,000 square kilometers (50,000 sq mi), and
moderately across nearly 3 million square kilometers (1 million square
miles). The 1906 San Francisco earthquake, by comparison, was felt
moderately over roughly 16,000 km2 (6,200 sq mi)'.
* 'In 1826, Benjamin W. Edwards rides into Mexican-controlled Nacogdoches,
Texas, and declares himself ruler of the Republic of Fredonia.
- From Wikipedia: 'Although the nearby Cherokee tribe initially signed a
treaty to support the new republic, overtures from Mexican authorities and
respected Empresario Stephen F. Austin convinced tribal leaders to
repudiate the rebellion. On January 31, 1827, a force of over 100 Mexican
soldiers and 250 militiamen from Austin's colony marched into Nacogdoches
to restore order.'. 'Fearing that through the rebellion the United States
hoped to gain control of Texas, the Mexican government severely curtailed
immigration to the region from the US. This new immigration law was
bitterly opposed by colonists and caused increasing dissatisfaction with
Mexican rule. Some historians consider the Fredonian Rebellion to be the
beginning of the Texas Revolution. In the words of one historian, the
rebellion was, premature, but it sparked the powder for later success'. .
* 'In 1907, The American Great White Fleet begins its circumnavigation of
the world. The ships were painted a stark white. The fleet was intended to
show U.S. sea power. .
- From Wikipedia: 'The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the
United States Navy battle fleet that completed a journey around the globe
from December 16, 1907, to February 22, 1909, by order of United States
President Theodore Roosevelt.
It consisted of 16 battleships divided into two squadrons, along with
various escorts. Roosevelt sought to demonstrate growing American military
power and blue-water navy capability. Hoping to enforce treaties and
protect overseas holdings, the United States Congress appropriated funds to
build American sea power. Beginning with just 90 small ships, over
one-third of them wooden, the navy quickly grew to include new modern steel
fighting vessels. The hulls of these ships were painted a stark white,
giving the armada the nickname Great White Fleet'.
* 'In 1971, Don McLean releases his over 8 minute long rendition of
'American Pie,' which tops the charts. .
- From Wikipedia: 'American Pie is a song by American folk rock singer and
songwriter Don McLean. Recorded and released on the American Pie album in
1971, the single was a number-one US hit for four weeks in 1972. In the UK,
the single reached No. 2 on its original 1972 release and a reissue in 1991
reached No. 12. The song was listed as the No. 5 song on the RIAA project
Songs of the Century. The song was covered by Madonna in 2000 and reached
No. 1 in several countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada and
Australia.
Don McLean began writing the song in upstate Saratoga Springs at Caffe
Lena, according to local lore. He continued to write in Cold Spring, New
York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The song made its debut in
Philadelphia at Saint Joseph's University when he opened for Laura Nyro on
March 14, 1971.
Except to acknowledge that he first learned about Buddy Holly's death on
February 3, 1959—McLean was aged 13—when he was folding newspapers for his
paper route on the morning of February 4, 1959 (the line February made me
shiver/with every paper I'd deliver), McLean has generally avoided
responding to direct questions about the song lyrics he has said: They're
beyond analysis. They're poetry. He also stated in an editorial published
in 2009, on the 50th anniversary of the crash that killed Holly, Ritchie
Valens, and J. P. The Big Bopper Richardson, that writing the first verse
of the song exorcised his long-running grief over Holly's death and that he
considers the song to be a big song (…) that summed up the world known as
America McLean dedicated the American Pie album to Holly.
It was also speculated that the song contains numerous references to post
World War II American events (such as the murders of civil rights workers
Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner), and elements of culture, including 1960s
culture (e.g. sock hops, cruising, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Charles Manson,
and much more).
When asked what American Pie meant, McLean jokingly replied, It means I
don't ever have to work again if I don't want to. Later, he stated, You
will find many interpretations of my lyrics but none of them by me ...
Sorry to leave you all on your own like this but long ago I realized that
songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a
dignified silence. He also commented on the popularity of his music, I
didn't write songs that were just catchy, but with a point of view, or
songs about the environment.
In February 2015, McLean announced he would reveal the meaning of the
lyrics to the song when the original manuscript went for auction in New
York City, in April 2015. The lyrics and notes were auctioned on April 7,
and sold for $1.2m. In the sale catalogue notes McLean revealed the meaning
in the song's lyrics: Basically in American Pie things are heading in the
wrong direction. ... It is becoming less idyllic. I don't know whether you
consider that wrong or right but it is a morality song in a sense. The
catalogue did confirm some of the better known references in the song's
lyrics, including mentions of Elvis Presley (referred to in the lyrics as
the king) and Bob Dylan (the jester), and confirms the song culminates with
a near-verbatim description of the death of Meredith Hunter at the Altamont
Free Concert, 10 years after the plane crash that killed Holly, Valens, and
Richardson'.
* 'In 1979, The movie, Love Story, is released. It was based on the novel
by Erich Segal. It starred Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw.is released. br />
- From Wikipedia: 'A tragedy, the film is considered one of the most
romantic by the American Film Institute (#9 on the list) and one of the
highest grossing films in U.S and Canada of all time. It was followed by a
sequel, Oliver's Story (1978), starring O'Neal with Candice Bergen.'. .
No. 1 song
Top movie
Monthly holiday / awareness days in December
Food
Buckwheat Month
Worldwide Food Service Safety Month
Health
Aids Awareness Month
National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month
National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
Safe Toys and Gifts Month
Animal and Pet
Operation Santa Paws
Other
National Tie Month
National Write A Business Plan Month
Universal Human Rights Month
Youngsters on The Air Month
December is:
December origin (from Wikipedia): '
December gets its name from the Latin word decem (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in the Roman calendar, which began in March. The winter days following December were not included as part of any month. Later, the months of January and February were created out of the monthless period and added to the beginning of the calendar, but December retained its name.
'
'
December is the first month of meteorological winter in the Northern
Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, December is the seasonal equivalent
to June in the Northern hemisphere, which is the first month of summer. D
ecember is the month with the shortest daylight hours of the year in the
Northern Hemisphere and the longest daylight hours of the year in the
Southern Hemisphere.
'
December at Wikipedia: More
If you couldn't afford 90 cents for a movie ticket, 50 years ago,
or your 45 RPM record player was broke, you might watch one of these shows on TV.
From this Wikipedia article: More
Best selling books of 1966 More
Sites for downloading or reading free Public Domain eBooks. Available in various formats. More