DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

    Pizza is one of my favorite foods, it's probably alot of other peoples favorites too. Especially here in the U.S. I thought this story of one of America's favorite foods just to break away from the stuff that happens each and every day. It's not just a Italian favorite, but also probably one of most Americans top foods to eat.     The history of pizza is cloudy at best, with a variety of theories and speculation. Some claim it is based on the pita bread found in the Mid-East. There is also a theory that pizza came from the unleavened bread "matzo" brought to Rome by Italian legionnaires. Others insist, pizza evolved from the famous "foccacia" served in Rome about 1,000 years ago, as a snack. Another theory is that pizza was brought to Italy by Greeks, during the first century.     There may be as many theories about the origins of pizza as there are different types of pizza!     There is agreement that pizza ...

This month has some funny, exciting, and wacky holidays to celebrate all month long. In fact, there is at least one holiday to observe each day during the month of August (with the exception of the 2 nd ). Here are some suggestions for celebrating each day in August. August 1: World Wide Web Day  - Celebrate this holiday by spending your day exploring the World Wide Web. August 2: Make Your Own Holiday  - This one's obvious... August 3: Watermelon Day  - Try different recipes using watermelon. Eat watermelon at every meal. Don't just eat it - drink it! August 4: National Chocolate Chip Day  - You can't go wrong with chocolate chips. If you don't have time to bake cookies, they aren't bad alone! August 5: International Beer Day  - This should be a fun day for some of you. August 6: National Fresh Breath (Halitosis) Day  - Offer everyone you meet a stick of gum. August 7: Lighthouse Day  - I'm not really sure how one c...

August is the hottest month in the U.S., that means some really hot and happening food holidays too. National Sandwich Month We all love them so now lets learn about them. The term sandwich is occasionally used (informally) in reference to open-faced sandwiches; these normally consist of a single slice of bread topped with meat, salad vegetables, and various condiments. These differ from a normal sandwich in that they have a single slice of bread instead of two, with toppings instead of a filling. The open-faced sandwich also has a ..... National Peach Month Are you ready to add some peaches to your menu this month? A medium peach (75 grams), has about 30 calories, seven grams of carbohydrates (six grams of sugar and one gram of fibre), one gram of protein, 140 miligrams of potassium, and 8% of the Dietary Reference Intake for vitamin C. National Catfish Month Catfish is eaten in a variety of ways; in Europe it is often cooked...

  Since Halloween is just a few months away, and ghoulies and ghosties are on everyone's mind.  It might be a good time to explore how various cultures handle paranormal beliefs.  I will write about the basic beliefs of the Japanese, Jewish and Native Americans.    We Americans are quite open minded about the paranormal, especially lately with the many different shows about ghosts and other paranormal activity.  More than 30 percent of all Americans believe in ghosts. I have never seen one personally, but the town I live in, in California has 2 expected places that are known for being haunted.  One I have stayed the night in (one of them is a hotel and the other used to be a boys prison).    Let's put our beliefs aside for a moment and take a look into the basic beliefs of three other cultures regarding ghosts and spirits.   JAPAN    The Japanese culture, which is rich in superstition and the paranormal, is a...

    But for one week each summer,  aviation enthusiasts totaling more than 500,000 from more than 60 countries attend EAA AirVenture at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where they rekindle friendships and celebrate the past, present and future in the world of flight.     "The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration" has it all when it comes to aircraft. Warbirds. Vintage. Homebuilts. Ultralights. Some you would normally find in a hangar at your local airport, others so unique they are the only one of its kind. You name it, there's likely an example of it at Oshkosh.    For many, arriving at Oshkosh is a rite of passage that can only be satisfied by being one of the more than 10,000 aircraft flying in, landing at what becomes the busiest airport in the world.    Whether you're an aviation enthusiast or an aviation novice, AirVenture has something for you. No matter what your age, you'll be entertained, inform...

    Each July, tens of thousands of spectators line the banks adjacent to the Stari Most, the Old Bridge that crosses Bosnia-Herzegovina’s beautiful Neretva River in the city of Mostar. Undeterred by the Balkan sun, onlookers keep their eyes locked on the apex of the single-arch bridge where, one by one, divers enter the water in a spectacle of machismo and local tradition as they vie for title in the world’s longest-running high diving competition: the Ikari.    As one of the oldest venues for extreme sporting events, the Stari Most has been the place to go for male rites of passage since it was first built back in 1566. Set in the Ottoman Empire’s regional capital, the Old Bridge connected the Neretva River’s two banks at its narrowest point, a strategic location that marked the centre of the city’s earliest development. The name Mostar comes from the “mostari,” or bridge-keepers who held watch over the structure from the Halebinovka Tower on the west bank, and t...

   The  Guelaguetza , or  Los lunes del cerro  (Mondays of the Hill) is an annual cultural celebration in Mexico that takes place in the  city of Oaxaca , capital of the state of  Oaxaca  and nearby villages. The celebration includes parades complete with walking bands and the marketing of food, statewide artisanal production, and souvenirs, but centers on traditional dancing in costume in groups, often groups of only one sex. Each costume and dance usually has a local historical and cultural meaning. Although the celebration is an important tourist attraction, especially in the capital city of Oaxaca, it also retains significant independent cultural importance for the people of the state. Oaxaca has a large indigenous population, 40 percent, compared to 15 percent for Mexico as a whole. Indigenous culture in the state remains strong in its own right, with over 300,000 people in the state who are monolingual in indigenous languages....