Happy President's Day!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Ten Things You May Not Know About Presidents Day

1. The day was originally designated as Washington's Birthday, and the federal holiday was originally implemented by the United States Congress in 1880 for government offices D.C. and expanded in 1885 to include all federal offices.

2. It was the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen, and was celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, February 22. On 1 January 1971, the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This date places it between February 15 and 21, which makes the name "Washington's Birthday" a misnomer, since it never lands on Washington's actual birthday, February 22. A draft of the Uniform Holidays Bill of 1968 would have renamed the holiday to Presidents' Day to honor the birthdays of both Washington and Lincoln, but this proposal failed in committee and the bill as voted on and signed into law on 28 June 1968, kept the name Washington's Birthday.

3. The first attempt to create a Presidents Day occurred in 1951 when the "President's Day National Committee" was formed by Harold Stonebridge Fischer of Compton, California, who became its National Executive Director for the next two decades. The purpose was not to honor any particular President, but to honor the office of the Presidency. It was first thought that March 4, the original inauguration day, should be deemed Presidents Day.

4. By the mid-1980s, with a push from advertisers, the term "Presidents Day" began its public appearance. Although Lincoln's birthday, February 12, was never a federal holiday, approximately a dozen state governments have officially renamed their Washington's Birthday observances as "Presidents Day", "Washington and Lincoln Day", or other such designations. However, "Presidents Day" is not always an all-inclusive term.

5. In Massachusetts, while the state officially celebrates "Washington's Birthday," state law also directs the governor to issue an annual Presidents Day proclamation honoring the presidents with Massachusetts roots: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Calvin Coolidge, and John F. Kennedy. (Coolidge, the only one born outside of Massachusetts, spent his entire political career before the vice presidency there. George H. W. Bush, on the other hand, was born in Massachusetts, but has spent most of his life elsewhere.)

6. Alabama uniquely observes the day as "Washington and Jefferson Day", even though Thomas Jefferson's birthday is in April.

7. In New Jersey, Connecticut, Missouri and Illinois, while Washington's Birthday is a federal holiday, Abraham Lincoln's birthday is still a state holiday, falling on February 12 regardless of the day of the week.

8. In Washington's home state of Virginia the holiday is legally known as "George Washington Day."

9. Today, the February holiday has become well-known for being a day in which many stores, especially car dealers, hold sales. Until the late 1980s, corporate businesses generally closed on this day, similar to present corporate practices on Memorial Day or Christmas Day. With the late 1980s advertising push to rename the holiday, more and more businesses are staying open on the holiday each year, and, as on Veterans Day and Columbus Day, most delivery services outside of the U.S. Postal Service now offer regular service on the day as well. Some public transit systems have also gone to regular schedules on the day. Many colleges and universities hold regular classes and operations on Presidents Day. Various theories exist for this, one accepted reason being to make up for the growing trend of corporations to close in observance of the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. However, when reviewing the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill debate of 1968 in the Congressional Record, one notes that supporters of the Bill were intent on moving federal holidays to Mondays to promote business. Over time, as with many federal holidays, few Americans actually celebrate Washington's Birthday, and it is mainly known as a day off from work or school, although many non-governmental workers do not take the day off.

10. Since 1862 there has been a tradition in the United States Senate that George Washington's Farewell Address be read on his birthday. Citizens had asked that this be done in light of the approaching Civil War. The annual tradition continues with the reading of the address on or near Washington's Birthday.

http://www.ucdailynews.com/news/local/84373347.html

[Ban Hammer 13,407]

yeah happy president's day, i'm working.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

yeah happy president's day, i'm working.

look at the bright side... this is how you make the big bucks.

[almaty 19]

it is a day off for us, but i am doing the evening group to take some time off on wednesday morning...

[Ban Hammer 13,407]

look at the bright side... this is how you make the big bucks.

not even - it's not a holiday for us, so no holiday pay.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

not even - it's not a holiday for us, so no holiday pay.

tales of how large your regular pay is are the stuff of VJ legends... you are much too modest, sir.

Indeed, VJers have written songs about it and they tell their children about it to put them to sleep

Edited February 15, 2010 by w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r

[natty bumppo 297]

tales of how large your regular pay is are the stuff of VJ legends... you are much too modest, sir.

Indeed, VJers have written songs about it and they tell their children about it to put them to sleep

wasn't these tales recently discovered written on cave walls?

Edited February 15, 2010 by Natty Bumppo

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

wasn't these tales recently discovered written on cave walls?

did you read about that pyramid recently discovered in egypt? tales of his wealth were inscribed on papyrus found within!

[natty bumppo 297]

did you read about that pyramid recently discovered in egypt? tales of his wealth were inscribed on papyrus found within!

heard they also found the ancestor room ... complete with stone tablets describing more of the same

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

heard they also found the ancestor room ... complete with stone tablets describing more of the same

i hear nasa had a big win recently when seti satellites looking for messages in interstellar communications finally deciphered the message... they are also singing songs celebrating him!

[natty bumppo 297]

i hear nasa had a big win recently when seti satellites looking for messages in interstellar communications finally deciphered the message... they are also singing songs celebrating him!

from the Pleiades?

[Ban Hammer 13,407]

tales of how large your regular pay is are the stuff of VJ legends... you are much too modest, sir.

Indeed, VJers have written songs about it and they tell their children about it to put them to sleep

actually, it's your paycheck that's larger.

now get back to work, charles needs a solvent social security program

[scandal 951]

'Presidence Day'? Valueless

By Ralph E. Shaffer

February 14, 2010

It's that time of year again. Banks close, the mail doesn't come and school kids take off to honor past presidents. Presidents Day. An excuse for a trip to the casino or wherever the fun is. It's our most meaningless holiday.

Our other national holidays still maintain their original purposes even though they, too, are often ignored or seen as an opportunity for recreation. Labor Day makes sense, although relatively few bother to think about the role of the working class as we head for the lake, seashore or Vegas. Constitution Day goes relatively unnoticed. And how many flags do you see waving in front of homes on June 14?

There was a time when we stopped everything to honor George Washington. The father of our country deserved that. Then we added a day for Abraham Lincoln. He at least preserved the union that Washington sired. Are all the other presidents just as worthy?

A few years ago we merged the two holidays into one. Fiscal conservatives applauded since the change gave government employees one less day off. The public found it eliminated confusion about bank closures and mail delivery. For parents it meant the kids stayed in school another day.

Disappointed teachers wanted the two holidays celebrated on a Friday and the next Monday, making it a four-day weekend. Instead, they settled for a three-day holiday since Presidents Day always falls on the third Monday in February. Perhaps, fittingly, it can never occur on the actual birthday of Washington or Lincoln.

The change has made the holiday pointless, except for retailers and ad men. Presidents Day has become a major marketing tool. Advertisers for virtually everything roll out their annual sales pitch tied to the holiday. From cheery ads, Abe and George imply that it's patriotic to buy television sets for a penny. Tires, mattresses and foreign-made cars sell at bargain-basement prices as a tribute to our heroes. Commercialism has cheapened the day.

Just how little the advertisers care about the holiday is evident in their ads. They can't even agree on its punctuation. Check out the ads. One major metropolitan daily, which shall remain anonymous, has carried ads on the same page that referred to the day as Presidents Day, President's Day and Presidents' Day. So far they haven't called it Presidence Day.

So instead of the traditional cherry tree and dollar-across-the-Potomac tidbits, what do we get on the holiday now, other than a sales pitch? Basically, nothing. George will hardly be mentioned. And no one wants to talk about Pierce, Tyler or Silent Cal.

There's something deeper at work here. Everyone knew why we celebrated Washington's birthday. No one has any idea what we'll be celebrating Monday. However it's punctuated.

Ralph E. Shaffer is professor emeritus of history at Cal Poly Pomona in California.

[Calypso 464]

Numbers one and two in the OP were discussed last week in NatGeo's early evening feature.

The paintings showing Washington and Martha were really cool. It was funny how NatGeo said that Washington was smart enough to marry Martha because she was a rich widow and he knew he'd gain control over her wealth when he was actually in love with Sally Fairfax. NatGeo continued that George eventually fell in love with his wife. After all, she wasn't merely affluent but also very attractive.

NatGeo is good in narrating a love story.