Hometown

I want to start this first post of the year 2007 with the photo above. It is the city hall in my hometown of Waltham Ma just before they took the decorations down and put them away till next year. For anyone who may be interested in a bit of history. Waltham was Founded in 1636, incorporated into a town in 1738 and then into a city in 1884. Historically Waltham is probably best known as the home of the Waltham Watch Factory, a pioneer company of the Industrial Revolution. Today the city is the home to two major institutions of higher learning, Bentley College and Brandeis University. Also if you happen to be a basketball fan the Boston Celtics have their practice sessions at Brandeis University. For much more information about Waltham just click on the Title Hometown at the top of the page posting. This is a really good photo I got from a friend in a email It is a sunset from the north pole.

Thought this photo was a good enough to show.

Happy New Year 2007

Ice&Snow Art

I wanted to show some of these great works of art for my last blog of 2006. I got the photos from several places, Sapporo snow festival Japan, Harbin China, and Iasos news, I also set up a link for Fitzy Snowman Sculpting just click the page Title Happy New Year 2007 at the top of the posting for much more art and any information you might be interested in I hope you will enjoy them as much as we do.

Amazing Ice and Snow Sculptures from China

Click on Title top of this post for more

We want to wish you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year 2007

If you happen to be in the Boston area for the First Night New Years Eve activities you may want to purchase a First Night Button and join in all the fun. It is a great way to spend the whole day if you can. Check out my posting on this page and see all that is going on.

Merry Christmas To All

The history of Santa Claus and his legendary toy factory is anything but well-documented, a result of the eccentric entrepreneur's carefully cultivated aura of mystery. (He is known for forcing elves to sign strict confidentiality agreements.) But some facts are known, among them that Claus, along with wife and business partner Mrs. Claus, set up shop in Turkey in the fourth century A.D. under the name St. Nicholas Toys & Candy Co.

The small operation quickly gained favor in the community for its charity works on behalf of poor children. Soon, the company had expanded throughout Europe and parts of Asia. It entered US markets in the 18th century when loyal Dutch customers of Sinterklaas B.V. (the company's Holland subsidiary) emigrated to New York. Shortly afterwards, St. Nicholas Toys & Candy changed its name to Santa's Workshop and relocated its headquarters to its current North Pole location.

In an 1823 exposé "A Visit from St. Nicholas," writer Clement Clarke Moore revealed previously unknown details of Santa Claus's Christmas Eve operations, including his method of product delivery (onto the roof and down the chimney) and the names of some key reindeer personnel (Donner, Blitzen, Comet, et al.). The existence of a red-nosed reindeer with advanced guidance capabilities was unknown until the mid-twentieth century.

With increasing competition in recent years from toy-making giants Mattel and Hasbro, as well as retailers (including discounter Wal-Mart and traditional Toys "R" Us stores), Santa's Workshop is not content with past success. Instead, it is looking to increase operating efficiencies and create growth in emerging markets, with twinkling eyes peeled for opportunities in India and China particularly. In many ways, however, the history of Santa is also its future: creating high quality products that are desired by children everywhere, and capitalizing on a unique brand that to most customers means holiday magic. I hope this information will be enjoyed by all, and I hope no one will be offended when I use the words Merry Christmas because I feel it should not be changed. Christmas really has come a long way thru the years and some how the true meaning has been lost along the way. Anyway we want to wish a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all Bill&Judy.

Images courtesy of the Santalady

Firstnight 2007 Boston

Boston's New Year's Eve Celebration of the Arts

Come one, come all to Boston's most celebrated party of the year! First Night 2007 offers many new and exciting performances and activities for the entire family!

First Night New Year's Eve activities take place from 1pm to midnight on Sunday, December 31st, 2006 at over 30 indoor and outdoor venues throughout downtown Boston. With the purchase of a First Night button, revelers gain admission to performances featuring the very best in theatre, dance, music, visual arts, film and more.

Churches,theaters,museums,and performance centers open their doors to First Night Button holders throughout the entire day. Popular attractions include the Family Festival at the Hynes Convention Center featuring interactive activities for all ages, gigantic ice sculptures on Copley Square and the Boston Common, a glittering fireworks display, and a Mardi-Gras style Grand Procession that sweeps through the streets of Boston. I have set up a link at the top of the post just click on the Title "Firstnight 2007 Boston" for everything that is going on thruout the day and night.

Censored Hero's

Here are three of the photographs that were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

With Veterans Day over for the year 2006 I can't help but wonder why all the news coverage about the war in Iraq has come to a stand still. I happened to find this story I am posting by accident along with the photographs of the american soldiers who have been killed that were censored by the Bush administration. So much for our right of freedom of the press. I can't think of any reason for this other than for political gain. They really think that if we the people do not see all the caskets of our dead soldiers as they come home we will not think about this war that will never end. I feel this is a big mistake and our soldiers deserve an honor guard and 21 gun salute as they return home to United States soil. Just ask yourself why are they hiding and covering up the fact that our soldiers have been killed. Its as if they are ashamed of them. All our soldiers are HERO's and must be treated as such. Every american has the right to question the reasoning behind this and find out why this is happening and change this policy A.S.A.P. The Pentagon tries to suppress the publication of photographs of coffins carrying the remains of troops killed in Iraq. The claim is that the Department of Defense is merely trying to protect the privacy of the families of the dead. However, since none of the dead are identified in the photographs, this claim seems fraudulent. More likely, the Pentagon acting on orders from its Commander in Chief (President Bush) is trying to keep the visual impact of the calamity of the war in Iraq away from the U.S. voters.

Coffins of U.S. military personnel are prepared to be offloaded at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware in this undated photo. President George W. Bush on April 23, 2004 stood by an order that no more photographs be released of flag-draped coffins returning from Iraq, a restriction critics say is aimed at sanitizing the war for the public.

Veterans Day

November 11, 1918, was the day that brought to a close the most destructive, and far reaching war in human annals, establishing November 11 as a national holiday. The day marked the end of the Great War known as World War I.

In 1926 the U.S. Congress designated November 11 as Armistice Day to commemorate the resumption of the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed and to honor those soldiers both alive and fallen who served during the war.

Unfortunately this did not turn out to be so. After World War II and Korea, Congress changed the name of the day in 1954 to Veterans Day in order to include all soldiers who had served in combat. Since then other armed conflicts, from Vietnam to Iraq, have ensued, swelling the ranks of U.S. veterans into the millions.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers

It is a sad time when an unknown soldier has died in a war. That means that he or she has no family to claim them and secure a proper burial. After the Great War in 1921, the very first unknown soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. In England an unknown soldier was buried in Westminster Abbey. In France yet another unknown soldier was buried at the Arc de Triomphe. All burials took place on November 11th. These people have died for their country and each country obviously feels it’s important to recognize their sacrifice and make sure they rest in peace.

In the United States in 1958, two more unknown soldiers, one from World War II and one from the Korean War, were placed in Arlington next to the World War I soldier. In 1984 an unknown soldier from Vietnam was also placed there. It is now customary in the United States to place these soldiers next to their fallen comrades.

To honor these men and all Americans who gave their lives in each war, an Army honor guard, the 3rd U.S. Infantry keeps a day and night vigil. Every November 11th, at 11 A.M. there is a ceremony at the Memorial Amphitheater to honor them as well.

As the U.S. honors veterans of all its wars tomorrow, Veterans Day, the U.S. Library of Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs are working to make sure the nation never forgets their service. I have set up a link For more information just click on the Title Veterans Day at the top of the page .

Happy 231st Birthday

I thought I would share some of the United States Marine Corps history with anyone who may be interested, and at the same time wish all past and present U S Marines a Happy 231st Birthday. I set a link up for much more. Just click on the Title Happy 231st Birthday top of post.

On November 10, 1775, the Continental Congress passed a resolution stating that "two battalions of Marines be raised" for service as landing forces with the fleet. This established the Continental Marines and marked the birth of the United States Marine Corps. Serving on land and at sea, .including their first amphibious raid on foreign soil in the Bahamas in March 1776, under the command of the Corps’ first commandant, Capt. Samuel Nicholas. The 1783 Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War and as the last of the Navy’s ships were sold, the Continental Navy and Marines disbanded.

Following the formal re-establishment of the Marine Corps on July 11, 1798, Marines fought in conflicts with France, landed in Santo Domingo and conducted operations against the Barbary pirates along the "Shores of Tripoli."

Marines participated in numerous operations during the War of 1812, including the defense of Washington at Bladensburg, Md. They also fought alongside Andrew Jackson in the defeat of the British at New Orleans. Following the War of 1812, Marines protected American interests around the world in areas like the Caribbean, the Falkland Islands, Sumatra and off the coast of West Africa, and close to home in operations against the Seminole Indians in Florida.

During the Mexican War, Marines seized enemy seaports on both the Gulf and Pacific coasts. While landing parties of Marines and Sailors were seizing enemy ports, a battalion of Marines joined General Winfield Scott’s army at Pueblo and marched and fought all the way to the "Halls of Montezuma," Mexico City.

World War I, Marines distinguished themselves on the battlefields of France, as the 4th Marine Brigade earned the title of "Devil Dogs" for actions at Belleau Wood, Soissons, St. Michiel, Blanc Mont and the final Muesse-Argonne offensive.

The two decades before World War II, the Marine Corps began to develop its doctrine and organization for amphibious warfare. The success of this effort was proven at Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Tarawa, New Britain, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Saipan, Guam, Tinian, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. By the war’s end in 1945, the Corps had grown to include six divisions, five air wings and supporting troops, about 485,000 Marines. Nearly 87,000 Marines were killed or wounded during WWII and 82 earned the Medal of Honor.

Landing at Inchon, Korea, in September 1950, Marines proved that the doctrine of amphibious assault was still viable and necessary. After the recapture of Seoul, the Marines advanced to the Chosin Reservoir only to see the Chinese Communists enter the war. In March, 1955, after five years of hard fighting, the last Marine ground forces were withdrawn. More than 25,000 Marines were killed or wounded during the Korean War.

The realities of the Korean War brought major changes in the basing and deployment of Marine Corps forces. The Corps strength ballooned to 192,000 men in June 1951, to 232,000 a year later and nearly 250,000 by June 1953. More than half the troops actually served in the operating forces, and the 1st Marine Division and 1st MAW, operationally employed in Korea, were kept up to strength.

The landing of the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade at Da Nang in 1965 marked the beginning of a large-scale Marine involvement in Vietnam. By the summer of 1968, after the enemy’s Tet Offensive, Marine Corps strength in Vietnam rose to about 85,000. The Marine withdrawal began in 1969 as the South Vietnamese began to assume a larger role in the fighting. The last ground forces left Vietnam by June 1971. The Vietnam War, the longest in the history of the Marine Corps, exacted a high cost, with more than 13,000 Marines killed and 88,000 wounded.

The Vietnam War proved to be the ultimate test of the Corps’ basing and deployment decisions of the 1950s and early 1960s. From the March 1965 landing of Marine ground troops as Da Nang until the departure of the last large Marine units in June 1971, the war impacted drastically on all Marine forces within and outside the III Marine Amphibious Force. Peak Marine strength in Vietnam was reached in 1968 when more than 85,000 Marines were in Vietnam out of a Marine Corps numbering just over 300,000.

The Iraq War is still on going. Who knows how much longer it will be before it will come to an end. I feel the U S Marines are still needed in this world today we could never have come this far without them. Maybe some day they won't be needed. I hope to see that happen in my lifetime.