Thank God It's Firday Origin

I was watching a program one day and they were talking about "THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY" they were curious on where the phrase comes from. I thought about it. I was like, exactly, I have been hearing this phrase and it was even named after by a restaurant but never really clear where and how was it formed. My brain kicked in and by my curiosity I did little research and this is what I've found.

Starting in the United States, it has become a common expression of relief at the end of the work week and anticipation of relaxing or partying over the weekend. The term was originated by the Akron, Ohio disk jockey Jerry Healy on radio station WAKR in the early 1970s. The phrase was further popularized by the 1978 movie starring Donna Summer, Thank God It’s Friday. The phrase has also become common for advertising and promotional materials. On college campuses beginning in the 1970s, the phrase (sometimes shortened to "TG") became associated with Friday afternoon beer parties, usually held outdoors.

Now we sure know where the word came from. Nowadays, the word is used by most people. Employees, students and many more.

Mothers Day History

The history of Mother's Day is centuries old and goes back to the times of ancient Greeks, who held festivities to honor Rhea, the mother of the gods. The early Christians celebrated the Mother's festival on the fourth Sunday of Lent to honor Mary, the mother of Christ. Interestingly, later on a religious order stretched the holiday to include all mothers, and named it as the Mothering Sunday. The English colonists settled in America discontinued the tradition of Mothering Sunday because of lack of time. In 1872 Julia Ward Howe organized a day for mothers dedicated to peace. It is a landmark in the history of Mother's Day.In 1907, Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948), a Philadelphia schoolteacher, began a movement to set up a national Mother's Day in honor of her mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis. She solicited the help of hundreds of legislators and prominent businessmen to create a special day to honor mothers. The first Mother's Day observance was a church service honoring Anna's mother. Anna handed out her mother's favorite flowers, the white incarnations, on the occasion as they represent sweetness, purity, and patience. Anna's hard work finally paid off in the year 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as a national holiday in honor of mothers.

Slowly and gradually the Mother's day became very popular and gift giving activity increased. All this commercialization of the Mother's day infuriated Anna as she believed that the day's sentiment was being sacrificed at the expense of greed and profit.

Regardless of Jarvis's worries, Mother's Day has flourished in the United States. Actually, the second Sunday of May has become the most popular day of the year. Although Anna may not be with us but the Mother's day lives on and has spread to various countries of the world. Many countries throughout the world celebrate Mother's Day at various times during the year, but some such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.

Martin Luther

Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 - February 18, 1546) was a Christian theologian and Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines of Protestant and other Christian traditions. Martin Luther was born to Hans and Margaretha Luder on 10 November 1483 in Eisleben, Germany and was baptised the next day on the feast of St. Martin of Tours, after whom he was named. Luther’s call to the Church to return to the teachings of the Bible resulted in the formation of new traditions within Christianity and the Counter-Reformation in the Roman Catholic Church, culminating at the Council of Trent.

His translation of the Bible also helped to develop a standard version of the German language and added several principles to the art of translation. Luther's hymns sparked the development of congregational singing in Christianity. His marriage, on June 13, 1525, to Katharina von Bora, a former nun, began the tradition of clerical marriage within several Christian traditions.

Luther's Writings

The number of books attributed to Martin Luther is quite impressive. However, some Luther scholars contend that many of the works were at least drafted by some of his good friends like Philipp Melanchthon. Luther’s books explain the settings of the epistles and show the conformity of the books of the Bible to each other. Of special note would be his writings about the Epistle to the Galatians in which he compares himself to the Apostle Paul in his defense of the Gospel. Luther also wrote about church administration and wrote much about the Christian home.

Luther's work contains a number of statements that modern readers would consider rather crude. For example, Luther was know to advise people that they should literally “Tell the Devil he may kiss my ass.” It should be remembered that Luther received many communications from throughout Europe from people who could write anonymously, that is, without the specter of mass media making their communications known. No public figure today could write in the manner of the correspondences Luther received or in the way Luther responded to them. Luther was certainly a theologian of the middle-ages. He was an earthy man who enjoyed his beer, and was bold and often totally without tact in the blunt truth he vehemently preached. While this offended many, it endeared him all the more to others.

He was open with his frustrations and emotions, as well. Once, when asked if he truly loved God, Luther replied “Love God? Sometimes I hate Him!” Luther was also frustrated by the works-emphasis of the book of James, calling it “the Epistle of Straw, and questioning its canonicity. Also irritated with the complex symbolism of the Book of Revelation, he once said that it too, was not canon, and that it should be thrown into the river! He later retracted these statements, of course. Luther was a man who was easily misquoted or taken out of context. While a brilliant theologian, and a bold reformer, he would not have made a good politician. But then, he never aspired to any career in politics.

Martin Luther's Death

Martin Luther escaped martyrdom, and died of natural causes. His last written words were, "Know that no one can have indulged in the Holy Writers sufficiently, unless he has governed churches for a hundred years with the prophets, such as Elijah and Elisha, John the Baptist, Christ and the apostles... We are beggars: this is true."

History of our calendar

Before today’s Gregorian calendar was adopted, the older Julian Calendar was used. It was admirably close to the actual length of the year, as it turns out, but the Julian calendar was not so perfect that it didn’t slowly shift off track over the following centuries. But, hundreds of years later, monks were the only ones with any free time for scholarly pursuits – and they were discouraged from thinking about the matter of "secular time" for any reason beyond figuring out when to observe Easter. In the Middle Ages, the study of the measure of time was first viewed as prying too deeply into God’s own affairs – and later thought of as a lowly, mechanical study, unworthy of serious contemplation.

As a result, it wasn’t until 1582, by which time Caesar’s calendar had drifted a full 10 days off course, that Pope Gregory XIII (1502 - 1585) finally reformed the Julian calendar. Ironically, by the time the Catholic church buckled under the weight of the scientific reasoning that pointed out the error, it had lost much of its power to implement the fix. Protestant tract writers responded to Gregory’s calendar by calling him the "Roman Antichrist" and claiming that its real purpose was to keep true Christians from worshiping on the correct days. The "new" calendar, as we know it today, was not adopted uniformly across Europe until well into the 18th century.

What is the origin of the names of the months?

A lot of languages, including English, use month names based on Latin. Their meaning is listed below. However, some languages (Czech and Polish, for example) use quite different names.

Month	Latin	Origin
January	Januarius	Named after the god Janus.
February	Februarius	Named after Februa, the purification festival.
March	Martius	Named after the god Mars.
April	Aprilis	Named either after the goddess Aphrodite or the Latin word aperire, to open.
May	Maius	Probably named after the goddess Maia.
June	Junius	Probably named after the goddess Juno.
July	Julius	Named after Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.E. Prior to that time its name was Quintilis from the word quintus, fifth, because it was the 5th month in the old Roman calendar.
August	Augustus	Named after emperor Augustus in 8 B.C.E. Prior to that time the name was Sextilis from the word sextus, sixth, because it was the 6th month in the old Roman calendar.
September	September	From the word septem, seven, because it was the 7th month in the old Roman calendar.
October	October	From the word octo, eight, because it was the 8th month in the old Roman calendar.
November	November	From the word novem, nine, because it was the 9th month in the old Roman calendar.
December	December	From the word decem, ten, because it was the 10th month in the old Roman calendar.

BATTLESHIP USS ALABAMA

I had a great day today because me and my dad in law went to Alabama and get the chance to see the BATTLESHIP MEMORIAL PARK. It's so amazing because i was able to ride the ship which was used during the WORLD WAR II,wow i wasn't born that time yet but I feel so proud that once in my life I've been there and had witnessed the historical event of that particular ship. I really had fun,my dad gave me some information about the ship. You must try visiting that park,its so amazing and wow that's all i could say and I'm looking forward to be back there again soon.

Wedding Invitation Symbols and Their Meanings

Wedding Invitation Symbols and Their Meanings

When you browse through invitations or wedding paper, you're likely to run across a wide variety of images. Most of these images are important symbols of marriage and love. Below is an explanation for some of the most common symbols you'll find:

Bride and Groom: When a bride and groom are pictured on a wedding invitation, they are meant to symbolize the couple getting married.

Double Rings: Double rings symbolize the joining of two lives and two people. The rings are usually made of a strong metal, such as gold or platinum, to show the strength of the bond between the couple.

Double Hearts: Double hearts, like double rings, represent the joining of two people. Because we associate the heart with love, this symbolizes that the two people are connected through love.

Gold Color: Gold usually symbolizes the 50th wedding anniversary. Part of the reason for this is that gold is an unusual metal. Not only is it the most malleable, but it is the only metal that will not tarnish or rust. For this reason, gold came to stand for a marriage that retained its beauty for a long time.

Clock: The clock is usually used on save-the-date cards. However, clocks can also be used on invitations for around the clock wedding showers (each guest is assigned a time of day and must purchase a wedding gift appropriate for that time).

Silver Color: Silver usually symbolizes the 25th wedding anniversary. Like gold, silver is highly malleable (one reason it can easily be used in jewelry). However, it also resists corrosion and is only affected by one chemical – sulfur. As a result, silver has come to represent something precious that lasts a long time.

Gown and Tuxedo: When a gown and tuxedo are pictured on the invitation, these represent the bride and groom. The gown stands for the bride. The tuxedo stands for the groom.

Horse and Carriage: The horse and carriage symbolizes two things – romance and tradition. Today, the idea of a horse and carriage ride is the epitome of classic romance. Plus, using the horse and carriage as transportation symbolizes the Victorian era when many of our most beloved wedding traditions were started.

Butterfly: The butterfly has a long history of symbolic meaning. Early Christians believed the butterfly represented the human soul. In China, it stands for marital happiness while some Native American tribes looked to the butterfly for guidance when their lives were going through changes. Most commonly, the butterfly stands for pleasant change because of its metamorphosis from a less attractive, crawling caterpillar to a beautiful, soaring butterfly.

Birds: Birds are a common symbol, but their meaning varies depending on which birds are being shown. For example, doves (probably the most common on wedding invitations) represent enduring love and peace. Here are other examples: storks represent good luck, cuckoos suggest a happy marriage, swans symbolizes beauty.

Toasting flutes: Toasting flutes symbolize celebration and happiness.

Cake: The cake has now become a standard symbol of weddings. In fact, cakes or similar food items have been a part of wedding traditions since the days of the Roman Empire when a loaf of bread would be eaten by the groom then broken over the bride's head to symbolize his dominance over her. In Victorian times, the white wedding cake was known as the bride cake and symbolized her purity.

Unity candle: The unity candle symbolizes the joining of two lives in marriage. Although not a traditional part of any one religion's ceremony, the use of the unity candle started becoming popular with couples in the 1990's. The mother of the bride and the mother of the groom each light a single tapered candle to represent their daughter and son. Then the bride and groom use these candles to light the larger unity candle. The flame on the unity candle symbolizes their new life as man and wife.

Blush roses: Blush roses mean that only one person understands the holder's heart. When used in the bridal bouquet, therefore, blush roses would signify that only the groom really knows how the bride's feeling.

Calla lilies: The calla lily symbolizes magnificent beauty. This particular flower is sometimes also a floral symbol for the sixth wedding anniversary.

Hydrangea: The hydrangea stand for understanding, an important component of any successful marriage.

Rose: The red rose symbolizes love and passion. It is also the flower of June which is considered the traditional wedding month and stands for the 15th wedding anniversary. Other rose colors have different meanings, including the following: pink roses mean happiness, white roses mean innocence, yellow roses mean joy and friendship. Additionally, the combination of red and white roses in one bouquet symbolizes unity.

Tulips: In general, the tulip symbolizes the perfect lover. Different colored tulips have different meanings. For example, red tulips symbolize one's declaration of love while yellow tulips signify hopeless love.

Daisies: The daisy symbolizes innocence and a love that is loyal.

Here's a sample of our wedding invitation: