Happy Easter, everyone! For the Christian translation of the Easter story, where Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead to ascend into Heaven, click here. I’ll be spending the day up in North Jersey with my Mom and some family friends eating a big, Italian dinner!
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day 2009!
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! I enjoyed this year’s holiday by going up to my Mom’s house on Sunday for some corned beef and cabbage – delicious! Here’s hoping that everyone enjoys the rest of the day!
The Difference in a Century
One of my friends sent me an e-mail that I thought I’d share here. The subject line of the e-mail was “Statistics for the Year 1908.” The text of the e-mail is copied below.
The average life expectancy was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower
The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME.
Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as ‘substandard.’
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. StrokeThe American flag had 45 stars.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn’t been invented yet.
There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn’t read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, ‘Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.’ (Shocking? DUH!)
Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.!
Women used Borax or egg yolks to wash their hair? Gross. And isn’t it funny that one hundred years ago we didn’t have Hallmark holidays like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day? It’s no wonder this nation is in a financial glut – we allow our holidays to become whores for the commercial sector! And it’s not worth fighting back on this issue any more because the purpose of these holidays has changed such that you’re forced to go out and spend money to support the gift shops and the florists. And the same is true of other holidays – think of the gigantic Fourth of July displays at the grocery stores or the Halloween items that roll out at the end of August. It’s crazy.
Oh what a difference a Century makes, huh?
We’re Off to See The Wizard…
Keeping with my earlier post reviewing Gregory Maguire’s novel entitled Wicked, below is a picture that my Mom sent over that manages to address both the original Wizard of Oz and the 2008 Presidential election:
Ha ha ha! I got a kick out of that – especially while reading Wicked with election coverage on in the background!
Cost of Education Going Up – For Grade School!
The New York Times ran an article on Friday talking about the increasing educational costs that parents must bear with “Back to School” shopping. When I was a kid, my Mom used to take me shopping during the last week or two of August and we’d spend a minimal amount on school materials. The New York Times article talks about how parents are now required to spend a ton of money on school materials. From the article:
As school districts both poor and prosperous struggle to finance such basics as teacher salaries, utilities, building maintenance and textbooks, many are asking parents to purchase more — and more particular — school supplies. Gone are the days when back-to-school shopping meant making sure each child had new shoes and a three-ring binder. Now, according to the New York State School Boards Association, supplies run an average of $100 for high school students and $60 for middle schoolers.
The article talks about how parents are asked to buy clay for their students. CLAY?! Our school districts can’t afford CLAY any more?!? Come on! At least in New Jersey, aren’t our property taxes supposed to pay for this stuff?
I don’t like this trend of spending more on the basics of administration and less on the fundamental “needs” to teach today’s students. Very bad trend and it needs to be changed right away.
