Leap Year and White tail Deer

Leap years are years with 366 days, instead of the usual 365. Leap years are necessary because the actual length of a year is 365.242 days, not 365 days, as commonly stated. Basically, leap years occur every 4 years, and years that are evenly divisible by 4 (2004, for example) have 366 days. This extra day is added to the calendar on February 29^th. However, there is one exception to the leap year rule involving century years, like the year 1900. Since the year is slightly less than 365.25 days long, adding an extra day every 4 years results in about 3 extra days being added over a period of 400 years. For this reason, only 1 out of every 4 century years is considered as a leap year. Century years are only considered as leap years if they are evenly divisible by 400. Therefore, 1700, 1800, 1900 were not leap years, and 2100 will not be a leap year. But 1600 and 2000, were leap years because those year number are evenly divisible by 400.

The white-tailed deer is named for its most distinctive feature, the large white tail or "flag" that is often all you see as the animal bounds away through tall grass. The color of the deer's upper body and sides changes with the season, from a generally reddish-brown in summer to buff in winter. Its belly and the underside of its tail are completely white, and it has a white patch on the throat. The deer sheds its hair twice a year, its heavy winter coat giving way to a lighter one in spring which is replaced again in early fall. A fawn's coat is similar to the adult's but has several hundred white spots which gradually disappear when the deer is three to four months old. Fawns are born in late spring and summer and by early November a male fawn weighs about 85 pounds and a female about 80 pounds. Yearling bucks average 150 pounds, while does of the same age average about 20 percent less, or about 120 pounds. Some older bucks weigh 200 pounds or more when field dressed (about 250 pounds live weight) and the heaviest Nebraska whitetail on record was 287 pounds field dress (about 300 pounds live weight).

West Virginia becomes a state

From the formation of the earliest communities, a sectionalism developed between western and eastern Virginia. The Virginia State Constitution, adopted in 1776, granted voting rights only to white males owning at least 25 acres of improved or 50 acres of unimproved land. This reflected the interest of eastern Virginia, discriminating against the emerging class of small land owners in western Virginia. Furthermore, the constitution delegated a disproportionate representation in the state General Assembly to eastern Virginia by allowing only two delegates per county, regardless of population. In a letter to the Richmond Examiner in 1803, under the pseudonym "A Mountaineer," Harrison County delegate John G. Jackson condemned both the property qualifications and the unbalanced representation. In Virginia at this time, only white men who owned land were allowed to vote. Since many western Virginians did not own the land on which they lived, they did not have the right to vote.
Delegates from the Shenandoah Valley and regions westward attended conventions held in Staunton in 1816 and 1825. In general, these failed to produce any long-term answers to the problems. In response to the earlier convention, the Virginia General Assembly passed a number of acts for the benefit of western Virginia. The reapportionment of the Senate based upon white population gave western regions greater representation. Previously, representation was based on the total population, including slaves. Due to the large slave population of eastern Virginia and the general absence of slaves in western Virginia, representation in the General Assembly favored the East. The creation of a Board of Public Works to legislate internal improvements provided hope of developing more roads and canals in the West. The General Assembly also established the first state banks in western Virginia at Wheeling and Winchester. The United States Senate rejected a statehood bill proposed by Carlile which did not contain the Willey Amendment and then, on July 14, 1862, approved a statehood proposal which included the Willey Amendment. Carlile's vote against the latter bill made him a traitor in the eyes of many West Virginians and he was never again elected to political office. On December 10, 1862, the House of Representatives passed the act. On December 31, President Lincoln signed the bill into law, approving the creation of West Virginia as a state loyal to the Union without abolishing slavery. The next step was to put the statehood issue to a vote by West Virginia's citizens. Lincoln may have had his own reasons for creating the new state, knowing he could count on West Virginia's support in the 1864 presidential election. On March 26, 1863, the majority of citizens who voted approved the statehood bill, including the Willey Amendment, and on June 20, the state of West Virginia was officially created.

Ash Wednesday And Lent

Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance that starts the Season of Lent. Roman Catholic Churches, as well as other denominations, including Lutheran, Presbyterian, Anglican and Methodist churches, observe the holy day. While the details of observances vary throughout denominations, Ash Wednesday signifies the sorrow of sin and the regret that Christians feel for the sins they have committed throughout the year. The wearing of the ashen cross continues to be an outward demonstration of the penance. In the Western Christian calendar, the day falls 46 days before Easter, counting Sundays. Depending on the year, it may be as early as February 4 or as late as March 10. This year, it falls on March 9. The origins of Ash Wednesday can be found in the Bible, according to About.com . While the specific holiday is not ordered in Bible, believers use ashes as symbols of repentance and mourning in 2 Samuel 13:19; Esther 4:1; Job 2:8; Daniel 9:3; and Matthew 11:21. 

Lent is a special time of prayer, penance, sacrifice and good works in preparation of the celebration of Easter. In the desire to renew the liturgical practices of the Church, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of Vatican Council II stated, "The two elements which are especially characteristic of Lent -- the recalling of baptism or the preparation for it, and penance -- should be given greater emphasis in the liturgy and in liturgical catechesis. It is by means of them that the Church prepares the faithful for the celebration of Easter, while they hear God's word more frequently and devote more time to prayer" (no. 109). The word Lent itself is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words lencten, meaning "Spring," and lenctentid, which literally means not only "Springtide" but also was the word for "March," the month in which the majority of Lent falls. Since the earliest times of the Church, there is evidence of some kind of Lenten preparation for Easter. For instance, St. Irenaeus (d. 203) wrote to Pope St. Victor I, commenting on the celebration of Easter and the differences between practices in the East and the West: "The dispute is not only about the day, but also about the actual character of the fast.

Fat Tuesday

In recent years, Mardi Gras, literally "fat Tuesday," has gained a reputation as wild celebration held each year in boisterous places like Brazil's Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans' French Quarter. Believe it or not, the Carnival celebrations often associated with beads, parades, costumes and partying actually stem from the Christian calendar. According to AmericanCatholic.org , Mardi Gras originated as the "last hurrah" of gluttony before Lent and fasting began on Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is also the final culmination of the entire Carnival season, serving as a grand finale to six weeks of celebration.The Carnival season kicks off with Epiphany – which falls on January 6, 12 days after Christmas – to celebrate the Wise Men who brought gifts to infant Jesus. Epiphany is traditionally celebrated with a wreath-shaped "king cake," often decorated the Mardi Gras colors of purple (justice), green (faith) and gold (power). New Orleans Online asserts that traditional king cake is one of the most popular Carnival institutions. The Carnival season kicks off with Epiphany – which falls on January 6, 12 days after Christmas – to celebrate the Wise Men who brought gifts to infant Jesus. Epiphany is traditionally celebrated with a wreath-shaped "king cake," often decorated the Mardi Gras colors of purple (justice), green (faith) and gold (power). New Orleans Online asserts that traditional king cake is one of the most popular Carnival institutions. Mardi Gras as we know it today was first celebrated in the late 1700s, according to a report from the Orange County Register , when French settlers in what is now Louisiana held masked pre-Lenten balls. Though the Spanish prohibited the celebrations when they controlled the land, the revelry returned in the mid-1800s and has been celebrated in New Orleans every year since. Today cities including Mobile, Ala.; St. Louis, Mo.; Sydney, Australia; and Quebec City, Canada hold massive Mardi Gras celebrations often including parades, parties and more.

HISTORY OF PRESIDENTS DAY

   

For many, President’s Day means nothing more than a three day weekend and shopping, but the holiday was originally meant to commemorate our country’s founding father—President George Washington.

Originally signed into law by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1879 and implemented in 1880, the federal holiday was the first to single out a citizen’s birthdate and only impacted District of Columbia federal workers at the time. In 1885, President Grover Cleveland signed a law extending the holiday to all federal workers in thirty-eight states, according to the National Archives and Records Administration. Less than a century later, the holiday was moved to the third Monday of February, largely spurred by the belief that the shift would reduce governmental employee absenteeism, allow citizens more time with their families and lead to increased industrial and commercial production, according to Congressional Record.Encouraged by these ideas the Nineteenth Congress of the United States passed the Uniformed Monday Holiday Law in 1968, officially moving Washington’s holiday to Monday as well as three others: Columbus Day, Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Due to its importance to many Americans, especially those who served their country, Veterans Day was returned to Nov.11 in 1978 to once again coincide with Armistice Day, which also commemorates the end of hostilities in World War I. How did the name of the holiday change? The original idea for changing the name of the holiday was presented by Representative Robert McClory, a Republican from Illinois, who was giving the task of propelling the 1968 Monday Holiday Law bill through the House Judiciary Committee, according to the National Archives. According to an article in the National Archives quarterly magazine, Prologue, McClory championed for the holiday to commemorate both Washington and President Abraham Lincoln, who was from McClory’s home state of Illinois. Had he been successful, McClory’s would have won recognition for “the land of Lincoln.”

valentines day history

Every year, the fourteenth day of the month of February has millions across the world presenting their loved ones with candy, flowers, chocolates and other lovely gifts. In many countries, restaurants and eateries are seen to be filled with couples who are eager to celebrate their relationship and the joy of their togetherness through delicious cuisines. There hardly seems to be a young man or woman who is not keen to make the most of the day. The reason behind all of this is a kindly cleric named Valentine who died more than a thousand years ago It is not exactly known why the 14th of February is known as Valentine's Day or if the noble Valentine really had any relation to this day. The history of Valentine's Day is impossible to be obtained from any archive and the veil of centuries gone by has made the origin behind this day more difficult to trace. It is only some legends that are our source for the history of Valentine's Day. The modern St. Valentine's Day celebrations are said to have been derived from both ancient Christian and Roman tradition. As per one legend, the holiday has originated from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalis/Lupercalia, a fertility celebration that used to observed annually on February 15. But the rise of Christianity in Europe saw many pagan holidays being renamed for and dedicated to the early Christian martyrs. Lupercalia was no exception. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius turned Lupercalia into a Christian feast day and set its observance a day earlier, on February 14. He proclaimed February 14 to be the feast day in honor of Saint Valentine, a Roman martyr who lived in the 3rd century. It is this St. Valentine whom the modern Valentine's Day honors. Valentines day is one of the most romantic holidays there can be.