MICKEY MOUSE BIRTHDAY

“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.”

—Walt Disney, Disneyland; October 27, 1954

Mickey Mouse is a funny animal cartoon character and the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company. He was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at the Walt Disney Studios in 1928. An anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves, Mickey has become one of the most recognizable cartoon characters in the world.

Mickey first was seen in a single test screening (Plane Crazy). Mickey officially debuted in the short film Steamboat Willie (1928), one of the first sound cartoons. He went on to appear in over 130 films, including The Band Concert (1935), Brave Little Tailor (1938), and Fantasia (1940). Mickey appeared primarily in short films, but also occasionally in feature-length films. Ten of Mickey’s cartoons were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, one of which, Lend a Paw, won the award in 1942. In 1978, Mickey became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Beginning in 1930, Mickey has also been featured extensively as a comic strip character. His self-titled newspaper strip, drawn primarily by Floyd Gottfredson, ran for 45 years. Mickey has also appeared in comic books and in television series such as The Mickey Mouse Club (1955–1996) and others. He also appears in other media such as video games as well as merchandising, and is a meetable character at the Disney parks.

Mickey generally appears alongside his girlfriend Minnie Mouse, his pet dog Pluto, his friends Donald Duck, and Goofy, and his nemesis Pete, among others. Originally characterized as a mischievous antihero, Mickey’s increasing popularity led to his being rebranded as an everyman, usually seen as a flawed, but adventurous hero. In 2009, Disney began to re-brand the character again by putting less emphasis on his pleasant, cheerful side and reintroducing the more mischievous and adventurous sides of his personality, beginning with the video game Epic Mickey.
Origin

Concept art of Mickey from early 1928; the sketches are the earliest known drawings of the character, from the collection of The Walt Disney Family Museum.
“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.”

—Walt Disney, Disneyland; October 27, 1954
Mickey Mouse was created as a replacement for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, an earlier cartoon character created by the Disney studio for Charles Mintz, a film producer who distributed product through Universal Studios.[4] In the spring of 1928, with the series going strong, Disney asked Mintz for an increase in the budget. But Mintz instead demanded that Walt take a 20 percent budget cut, and as leverage, he reminded Disney that Universal owned the character, and revealed that he had already signed most of Disney’s current employees to his new contract. Angrily, Disney refused the deal and returned to produce the final Oswald cartoons he contractually owed Mintz. Disney was dismayed at the betrayal by his staff, but determined to restart from scratch. The new Disney Studio initially consisted of animator Ub Iwerks and a loyal apprentice artist, Les Clark, who together with Wilfred Jackson were among the few who remained loyal to Walt. One lesson Disney learned from the experience was to thereafter always make sure that he owned all rights to the characters produced by his company.

Origin

In the spring of 1928, Disney asked Ub Iwerks to start drawing up new character ideas. Iwerks tried sketches of various animals, such as dogs and cats, but none of these appealed to Disney. A female cow and male horse were also rejected. They would later turn up as Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar. (A male frog, also rejected, would later show up in Iwerks’ own Flip the Frog series.)  Walt Disney got the inspiration for Mickey Mouse from a tame mouse at his desk at Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Kansas City, Missouri.  In 1925, Hugh Harman drew some sketches of mice around a photograph of Walt Disney. These inspired Ub Iwerks to create a new mouse character for Disney.  “Mortimer Mouse” had been Disney’s original name for the character before his wife, Lillian, convinced him to change it, and ultimately Mickey Mouse came to be.  The actor Mickey Rooney claimed that, during his Mickey McGuire days, he met cartoonist Walt Disney at the Warner Brothers studio, and that Disney was inspired to name Mickey Mouse after him.  This claim however has been debunked by Disney historian Jim Korkis, since at the time of Mickey Mouse’s development, Disney Studios had been located on Hyperion Avenue for several years, and Walt Disney never kept an office or other working space at Warner Brothers, having no professional relationship with Warner Brothers, as the Alice Comedies and Oswald cartoons were distributed by Universal.

The article provided by Wikipedia – find more information about Mickey Mouse by going to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Mouse

Why World Day of Remembrance?

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) is observed on the third Sunday of November each year by an increasing number of countries on every continent around the world. This day is dedicated to remembering the many millions killed or injured in road crashes and their families and communities, as well as to pay tribute to the dedicated emergency crews, police and medical professionals who daily deal with the traumatic aftermath of road death and injury.

Why is there a need for this day?

Road deaths and injuries are sudden, violent, traumatic events, the impact of which is long-lasting, often permanent. Each year, millions of newly injured and bereaved people from every corner of the world are added to the countless millions already suffering as the result of a road crash.

The burden of grief and distress experienced by this huge number of people is all the greater because many of the victims are young, because many of the crashes could and should have been prevented and because the response to road death and injury and to victims and families is often inadequate, unsympathetic, and inappropriate to the loss of life or quality of life.

This special Remembrance Day is intended to respond to the great need of road crash victims for public recognition of their loss and suffering (see Messages & Thoughts from victims).

Anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald (November 10, 1975)

Edmund Fitzgerald

I am from Upper Michigan and I remember this day. I have a replica of this ship.

Edmund Fitzgerald, St. Mary’s River, 1975. Photo by Bob Campbell

The legend of the Edmund Fitzgerald remains the most mysterious and controversial of all shipwreck tales heard around the Great Lakes. Her story is surpassed in books, film and media only by that of the Titanic. Canadian folksinger Gordon Lightfoot inspired popular interest in this vessel with his 1976 ballad, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

The Edmund Fitzgerald was lost with her entire crew of 29 men on Lake Superior November 10, 1975, 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan. Whitefish Point is the site of the Whitefish Point Light Station and Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) has conducted three underwater expeditions to the wreck, 1989, 1994, and 1995.

At the request of family members surviving her crew, Fitzgerald’s 200 lb. bronze bell was recovered by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society on July 4, 1995. This expedition was conducted jointly with the National Geographic Society, Canadian Navy, Sony Corporation, and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The bell is now on display in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum as a memorial to her lost crew.

The Fateful Journey

The final voyage of the Edmund Fitzgerald began November 9, 1975 at the Burlington Northern Railroad Dock No.1, Superior, Wisconsin. Captain Ernest M. McSorley had loaded her with 26,116 long tons of taconite pellets, made of processed iron ore, heated and rolled into marble-size balls. Departing Superior about 2:30 pm, she was soon joined by the Arthur M. Anderson, which had departed Two Harbors, Minnesota under Captain Bernie Cooper. The two ships were in radio contact. The Fitzgerald being the faster took the lead, with the distance between the vessels ranging from 10 to 15 miles.

Aware of a building November storm entering the Great Lakes from the great plains, Captain McSorley and Captain Cooper agreed to take the northerly course across Lake Superior, where they would be protected by highlands on the Canadian shore. This took them between Isle Royale and the Keweenaw Peninsula. They would later make a turn to the southeast to eventually reach the shelter of Whitefish Point.

Weather conditions continued to deteriorate. Gale warnings had been issued at 7 pm on November 9, upgraded to storm warnings early in the morning of November 10. While conditions were bad, with winds gusting to 50 knots and seas 12 to 16 feet, both Captains had often piloted their vessels in similar conditions. In the early afternoon of November 10, the Fitzgerald had passed Michipicoten Island and was approaching Caribou Island. The Anderson was just approaching Michipicoten, about three miles off the West End Light.

Captain Cooper maintained that he watched the Edmund Fitzgerald pass far too close to Six Fathom Shoal to the north of Caribou Island. He could clearly see the ship and the beacon on Caribou on his radar set and could measure the distance between them. He and his officers watched the Fitzgerald pass right over the dangerous area of shallow water. By this time, snow and rising spray had obscured the Fitzgerald from sight, visible 17 miles ahead on radar.

At 3:30 pm that afternoon, Captain McSorley radioed Captain Cooper and said: “Anderson, this is the Fitzgerald. I have a fence rail down, two vents lost or damaged, and a list. I’m checking down. Will you stay by me till I get to Whitefish?” McSorley was checking down his speed to allow the Anderson to close the distance for safety. Captain Cooper asked McSorley if he had his pumps going, and McSorley said, “Yes, both of them.”

“The Wreck Site II” by David Conklin Available online in the Shipwreck Coast Museum Store.

As the afternoon wore on, radio communications with the Fitzgerald concerned navigational information but no extraordinarily alarming reports were offered by Captain McSorley. At about 5:20 pm the crest of a wave smashed the Anderson’s starboard lifeboat, making it unusable. Captain Cooper reported winds from the NW x W (305 ) at a steady 58 knots with gusts to 70 knots, and seas of 18 to 25 feet.

According to Captain Cooper, about 6:55 pm, he and the men in the Anderson’s pilothouse felt a “bump”, felt the ship lurch, and then turned to see a monstrous wave engulfing their entire vessel from astern. The wave worked its way along the deck, crashing on the back of the pilothouse, driving the bow of the Anderson down into the sea.

“Then the Anderson just raised up and shook herself off of all that water – barrooff – just like a big dog. Another wave just like the first one or bigger hit us again. I watched those two waves head down the lake towards the Fitzgerald, and I think those were the two that sent him under.”

Military Family Month

 

Each year the President signs a proclamation declaring November Military Family Month. This annual proclamation marks the beginning of a month-long celebration of the Military Family in which the Department of Defense and the nation will honor the commitment and sacrifices made by the families of the nation’s service members.

For more information

Alzheimer’s in the United States

Just a few facts.

• 1-in-9 Americans over 65 has Alzheimer’s disease. (Alzheimer’s Association)
• When the first wave of baby boomers reaches age 85 (in 2031), it is projected that more than 3 million people age 85 and older will have Alzheimer’s. (Alzheimer’s Association)
• One third of Americans over age 85 are afflicted with the illness. (Alzheimer’s Association)
• 5.2 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. (Alzheimer’s Association)
• Unless a cure is found, more than 13 million Americans will have the disease by 2050. (Alzheimer’s Association)
• Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in America. (Centers for Disease Control)1-in-3 seniors die with Alzheimer’s or another kind of dementia. (Centers for Disease Control)
• Typical life expectancy after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is 4-to-8 years. (Alzheimer’s Association)
• In 2014, the 85-years-and-older population includes about 2 million people with Alzheimer’s disease, or 40 percent of all people with Alzheimer’s age 65 and older. (Alzheimer’s Association)
• By 2050, there could be as many as 7 million people age 85 and older with Alzheimer’s disease, accounting for half (51 percent) of all people 65 and older with Alzheimer’s. (Alzheimer’s Association)
• Proportion of People With Alzheimer’s Disease in the United States by Age: (Alzheimer’s Association) 85+ years – 38%,  75-84 years, 44%, 65-74 years, 15%, <65 years, 4%

 

 

The Facts

November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month

November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month. Suffering from Epilepsy this is very important to me. Epilepsy affects about 2 million people in the United States and is characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Delayed recognition of these seizures and inadequate treatment increases the risk for additional seizures, disability, decreased health-related quality of life and, in rare instances, death.

Although epilepsy can occur at any age, the condition is more likely to begin among children less than 2 years of age and adults older than 65 years. As do many who live with other chronic disorders, those with epilepsy often face challenges related to managing epilepsy treatment, symptoms, disability, lifestyle limitations, emotional stress, and stigma.

About 1 out of 10 people will have a seizure. That means seizures are common, and one day you might need to help someone during or after a seizure. Learn what you can do to keep that person safe until the seizure stops by itself.

First aid for generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures

When most people think of a seizure, they think of a generalized tonic-clonic seizure, also called a grand mal seizure. In this type of seizure, the person may cry out, fall, shake or jerk, and become unaware of what’s going on around them.

Here are things you can do to help someone who is having this type of seizure:

Do I call 911?

Call 911 if any of these things happen.

• The seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes.
• The person has another seizure soon after the first one.
• The person is hurt during the seizure.
• The seizure happens in water.
• The person has a health condition like diabetes, heart disease, or is pregnant.

• Ease the person to the floor.
• Turn the person gently onto one side. This will help the person breathe.
• Clear the area around the person of anything hard or sharp. This can prevent injury.
• Put something soft and flat, like a folded jacket, under his or her head.
• Remove eyeglasses.
• Loosen ties or anything around the neck that may make it hard to breathe.
• Time the seizure. Call 911 if the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes.

First aid for seizures involves keeping the person safe until the seizure stops by itself.

First aid for any type of seizure

There are many types of seizures. Most seizures end in a few minutes. These are general steps to help someone who is having any type seizure:

• Stay with the person until the seizure ends and he or she is fully awake. After it ends, help the person sit in a safe place. Once they are alert and able to communicate, tell them what happened in very simple terms.
• Comfort the person and speak calmly.
• Check to see if the person is wearing or a medical bracelet or other emergency information.
• Keep yourself and other people calm.
• Offer to call a taxi or another person to make sure the person gets home safely.

National Make a Difference Day

National Make A Difference Day is an annual community service event which is held on the fourth Saturday in October.

Millions of people have united in the common mission to improve the lives of others.

USA Weekend is a national weekend newspaper magazine which is distributed through more than 800 plus newspapers in the United States and published by Gannett Company as a sister publication to USA Today.   USA Weekend’s focus in on social issues, entertainment, health, food and travel.

For more information on National Make A Difference Day, an “unofficial” national holiday, see:

http://makeadifferenceday.com/

http://makeadifferenceday.com/about-make-difference-day

CELEBRATE

Do what you can to make a difference and use #MakeADifferenceDay to post on social media.

HISTORY

National Make a Difference Day was created in 1992 by USA WEEKEND magazine and joined by Points of Light, together they have sponsored the largest national day of community service for more than twenty years.

DATES
October 25, 2014
October 24, 2015
October 22, 2016
October 28, 2017
October 27, 2018

You Are Unique!!!!

Labor Day 2016

Year	Date	Day	Holiday	State
2016	5 Sep	Mon	Labor Day	National
2017	4 Sep	Mon	Labor Day	National

 

Labor Day is observed in the U.S. on every first Monday in September as a day to recognize the contributions of American workers of all industries to the U.S. economy. It is also meant to give workers a well-earned day off to relax at home or to get out for recreation.

Year	Date	Day	Holiday	State
2016	5 Sep	Mon	Labor Day	National
2017	4 Sep	Mon	Labor Day	National

To many, Labor Day marks the end of the summer season, even as Memorial Day marks its beginning. Many see Labor Day as their last chance to get out and take a vacation before summer is gone, and many workers get a two-week annual vacation period with Labor Day Weekend right in the middle of the two weeks off.

Most U.S. schools restart classes, after the long summer break, about a week before Labor Day. Others schools, however, resume classes on the day after Labor Day, thus allowing families to get in their last taste of summer before the school year gets underway.

 While Canada also celebrates Labour Day at the same time as in the U.S., though spelling it differently to keep faith with the UK, many other countries have their own equivalent of Labor Day. May Day (on May 1st), for example, is observed by over 80 nations to give workers a much-needed day off, and there are also other countries with yet other dates for their version of Labor Day.

The first U.S. Labor Day celebrations took place in New York City in 1882 at the behest of local labor unions, who wanted to put the fruits of their industries on public display. In 1887, Oregon instituted a state-level Labor Day holiday, and 29 other states followed suit before Labor Day finally became a federal holiday in 1894.

The original Labor Day celebrations consisted of street parades displaying the contributions of laborers in various industries followed by local festivals or other amusements. Over time, it became a time for giving speeches on labor-related topics, which is still occasionally done today.

Besides recognition of labor and general entertainment, another reason Labor Day was instituted was to provide a public holiday in the long, “holiday-free” span between the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. This gap-filler strategy, combined with its “strategic position” at the end of the summer season, has made Labor Day a much-appreciated break for many U.S. workers.

Although there are still a few parades and some fireworks displays on Labor Day Weekend, it is not a big time for “official events.” Mostly, it is the beginning of the football season, a time for picnics and barbecues, and a time to go on vacation to the beach, national parks, or elsewhere.

Some activities that many enjoy taking part in on Labor Day and Labor Day Weekend in the U.S. include:

• Watch on TV or attend in person various sporting events. The NCAA plays its first college football games on Labor Day Weekend, and the NFL usually has a kick-off game on the following Thursday. Racing is also big on Labor Day, as both NASCAR and NHRA drag race events take place.
• Go shopping while Labor Day sales and discounts are up and running at numerous malls and retail outlets all across the nation. For some businesses, Labor Day is their biggest sales event next to Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. There is a focus on back to school sales, but sale items are not at all limited strictly to pencils, backpacks, and calculators.
• Go on vacation, like so many Americans do during Labor Day Weekend every single year. Some of the most popular destinations include: Las Vegas, the “party city” of the Nevadan desert that is within easy striking distance of Grand Canyon; Chicago, for its famous fireworks event off of Navy Pier; and Miami, for its unbeatable beach and the nearby Bill Baggs Cape state park.
• Go to New York City for the biggest Labor Day party in the country, the West Indian American Day Carnival. The carnival brings two million visitors to Brooklyn each year. It lasts for seven hours straight and includes a costumed parade down Eastern Parkway and numerous street vendors selling authentic West Indian (and New York City) cuisine. You will also notice some dressed up as familiar political figures or movie stars who go about throwing paint powder at each other just for fun. You may not want to don an outfit and join in the paint-slinging, but it is still fun to watch.
• In a more relaxed moment, you may wish to hunt up the many Labor Day speeches given by politicians, big businessmen, educationalists, religious leaders, and others. They are to be found on TV and radio, in newspapers, and of course, on the Internet. This will give you a good sense of what Labor Day means to many Americans today.

If traveling on Labor Day Weekend, you should plan well in advance. Both airports and roadways will be busy as many make their way to and from their annual vacations, and public transportation often operates on a reduced schedule.

 

Know the Warning Signs of Suicide Today

Know the Warning Signs of Suicide

How do you remember the Warning Signs of Suicide? Here’s an easy-to-remember mnemonic: IS PATH WARM? I  Ideation S  Substance Abuse P Purposelessness A  Anxiety T  Trapped H  Hopelessness W  Withdrawal A  Anger R  Recklessness M  Mood Changes A person in acute risk for suicidal behavior most often will show: Warning Signs of Acute Risk: Threatening to hurt or kill him or herself, or talking of wanting to hurt or kill him/herself; and or, Looking for ways to kill him/herself by seeking access to firearms, available pills, or other means; and/or, Talking or writing about death, dying or suicide, when these actions are out of the ordinary. These might be remembered as expressed or communicated ideation.  If observed, seek help as soon as possible by contacting a mental health professional or calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for a referral. Expanded Warning Signs: Increased substance (alcohol or drug) use No reason for living; no sense of purpose in life Anxiety, agitation, unable to sleep or sleeping all of the time Feeling trapped – like there’s no way out Hopelessness Withdrawal from friends, family and society Rage, uncontrolled anger, seeking revenge Acting reckless or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking Dramatic mood changes If observed, seek help as soon as possible by contacting a mental health professional or calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for a referral. These warning signs were compiled by a task force of expert clinical-researchers and ‘translated’ for the general public.  The origin of IS PATH WARM? To learn more about youth suicide, risk factors, and how to help, click here.