12/26/04 - NNHS Newsletter
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Dear Friends and Schoolmates,
As promised, I'm celebrating everything I can this year.
"Kwanzaa is a contemporary
African-American holiday, created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga and further
developed
throughout the past three decades as 'an ongoing synthesis of the best of
nationalist, pan-Africanist and socialist
thought.'
"Kwanzaa (Swahili for "first" as in
"the first fruits") is loosely based on traditional African harvest festivals.
The
holiday is celebrated from December 26 to January 1, and each of its seven days
is a celebration of one of seven
principles…
"The seven principles (nguzo saba) of
Kwanzaa utilize Kiswahili words: unity (umoja), self-determination (kujichagulia),
collective work and responsibility (ujima), cooperative economics (ujamaa),
purpose (nia), creativity (kuumba), and
faith (imani). The seven candles represent these principles. As in the Jewish
festival of lights, Hannukah, candles are
used to signify the concepts of the holiday."
Courtesy of http://members.tripod.com/tierla/kwanzaa.html - 12/20/04
If you're feeling veddy, veddy British today, you may wish to celebrate Boxing Day.
http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/jfa-ha/boxing_e.cfm:
The day after Christmas, the Feast of St. Stephen, the
first Christian martyr, is better known as Boxing Day. The term
may come from the opening of church poor boxes that day; maybe from the
earthenware boxes with which boy apprentices
collected money at the doors of their masters' clients.
Nowadays, we often see, in certain families, gifts (boxes) given to those who provide services throughout the year.
http://www.web-holidays.com/boxing/ :
In England a long time ago…
Servants were required to
work on Christmas. They were responsible for making the holiday run smoothly for
wealthy landowners.
They were allowed to take leave on December 26th
and visit their families. The employers gave each servant a box containing gifts
and bonuses. In addition, around the 800s' churches opened their alms boxes
(boxes where people place monetary donations) and
distributed the contents to poor.
In England today…
Few people have servants but
the custom of giving gifts or money to those who provide service continues. It
is also popular to visit
grandparents and shop (the after Christmas discounts begin). Many people get the
day off from work. Watching sports especially
horse races is also a popular activity. Boxing Day is also celebrated in
places where the English have settled or have influence
like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Scotland. Some places
observe Boxing Day on December 26th
and some celebrate it
on the first weekday following Christmas, so, if Christmas falls on Friday or
Saturday Boxing Day would be on the following Monday.
Now, the actual origin of this holiday is debatable and has been debated, one
idea being more popular than the other at a given time.
I
personally frequently celebrate this day, but it's generally because I didn't
quite finish crocheting or cross-stitching someone's
present in time for Christmas Day itself - you know, sorta like this
year....
UPDATES:
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/old-stomping.html
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/merrimac-motors.html - brand new page
Still more to come ... soon ... I hope ...
The News link has now been divided by years to facilitate faster loading:
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/news.html - introduction, plus news of 2000 and 2001
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/news-2004.html
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/news-2003.html
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/news-2002.html
From Tom Norris (HHS - '73) of VA - 12/25/04:
If you notice .... the 'then' shot
of Merrimac Motors was taken at an elevation above the road. Judging
from the angle of the shot I would suspect that it was taken from the upper deck
of B&M Drive-In
which was directly across the street.
If I had a connection with someone on the upper floor of those condos perhaps I
could recreate the angle :-).
Happy Holidays to all ...
Thanks, Babe - great idea! GIGGLES! And Happy New Year!
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/old-stomping.html
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/merrimac-motors.html
From Alice Fowler Edwards ('64) of VA - 12/25/04:
Thanks, Alice! In that same spirit I
made myself a tiny Typhoon Christmas tree with blue and gold ornaments this year
for my
bedroom. I have a strong urge to leave it up year-round. I'll
include a picture of it soon. MORE GIGGLES!
Happy New Year, Alice!
Hi, Carol:
Thanks, Adonis!
I'm holding my breath as I ask this, but are you saying that there's a chance
that our beloved pool is still open,
that this carnage is but a temporary seasonal problem??? I could deal with
that, but ...
Okay, Local Panel of Experts - what is the real status of the World War II Memorial Swimming Pool?
Happy New Year, Joe!
"Hope springs eternal
in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To be blest:
The soul, uneasy and confin'd from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come."
-Alexander Pope (May 21, 1688 – May 30, 1744),
An Essay on Man, Epistle I, 1733"
I am quite sure that the pool is no
longer in operation. What you see is not merely the winter of neglect. Note that
all the steps
and railings and lifeguard towers have been removed. The water in the bottom is
not to keep the expansion joints wet; it is
merely the accumulation of rain water.
As I walked around it, I saw a sign posted on the outer fencing saying that
renovations were in progress for a reopening
in Summer 2002. Clearly that never happened. Hard to imagine the City operating
an outdoor pool. Just imagine the
possibilities for vandalism or terrorism; anyone could throw anything into the
water at anytime. The legal exposure and
liabilities for the City are just too great.
Sigh. Well, of
course, you're right as usual, Dave. Sometimes the glimmer of fantasy just
seems to make the world so much better
for a brief moment or two. Thanks for the reality check. Happy New
Year!
From Tim Parsons ('73) of VA - 12/25/04:
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Dear Carol,
Dad (Dale Parsons, Sr. - '48 - of VA) showed me this today and I had to share it with you. Just imagine, a
department
store sending congratulations
to students for graduating. Nachman's was indeed a special store.
Tim Parsons '73
Courtland, Va
WOWZERONI!!! Tim, thank you - and your dad - so much for
sharing this with us! Isn't that amazing?!? Yes, indeed,
there was just no other place like Nachman's. And I have certainly not
encountered one since that time!
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/nachmans.html
From Stacy Dorn ('64) of VA - 12/25/04:
Hey, Stacy!
It's good to hear from you again! I recall with great fondness our days as
"the Stuart Gardens kids". I took care
of that error for you early this morning. Every
now and then we find glaring errors and omissions
that I make such as that - particularly
on the list pages. I apologize.
Thanks for the heads-up. And Happy New Year!
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/contact-ALL.html
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/contact-1964.html
Also from Stacy Dorn ('64) of VA - 12/26/04:
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Stacy Dorn and Kelly Davis |
Hi again, Stacy! There are tears streaming down my cheeks, but they're certainly not from boredom!
You made me
laugh, and you made me cry; you made me remember, and you made me wonder how it
was that I didn't remember,
and it just doesn't get any better than that! Thanks so much for sharing
it all with us - and for the photo, too!
I added your birthday to that page:
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/Happy-Birthday.html
You have all our best wishes for a very happy life! Happy New Year!
Also from Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 12/26/04:
I am 99% sure that the brass plate and
stone currently exist across from the entrance to the Shipyard offices. It lies
in the
shadow of the tug Dorothy, the first vessel constructed by the shipyard. It may
be a reproduction of the original, but it is
clearly displayed for all to see. perhaps N-G is not so heartless as you
suspected.
I will get a shot of it when I can. I almost tried to stand atop it when I shot
the "Now" image of the Shipyard entrance.
OHHHH, David, bless your sweet heart!
I do believe you are right!!! I knew it seemed somehow familiar, but I
thought it was
possible that I was just remembering something from my childhood, or from the
Mariners' Museum, or possibly even from a
postcard. But now I do seem to remember seeing it in October of 2003.
Of course, I was so excited that day, it's a grand wonder
that I remember anything at all!
Thank you so much! You are my hero!
From Me ('65) of NC - 12/26/04:
There has been some private discussion
lately as to what may or may not be appropriate subject matter for our Newsletters.Freedom of Speech is very precious to me. I shall include comments from all my subscribers, whether I agree with them or not.
When I began
the website in July of 2000, I
spent a great deal of time worrying about what might offend one or another of my
handful of
subscribers. We
now have well over 300 subscribers, so the dynamics have both changed and
multiplied. Given the
increase in the frequency of the Newsletters coupled with my own extreme
openness, it has become all but impossible for me
to hide my own personality and beliefs from you, and I'm no longer certain that
I wish to do so anyway. I'm not certain what value
there may be in reconnecting if we're not really connecting at all except on the
surface. That is especially true in the case of the
Newsletters, which are far more informal and personal and playful than the rest
of the web site.
Many
people are offended by many different things. This year I made a conscious
decision to celebrate in the Newsletters as
many holidays as possible. I know many people – some of my own extended family
members, even – are offended by Halloween.
I included a Halloween Newsletter for those who are not. If I recall correctly,
one-third of my class is – or was – Jewish. That’s why
I included a
Hanukkah Newsletter. I included several which have alluded to Christmas.
Today we're having a Kwanzaa
Newsletter,
because at least one of our subscribers is black. That doesn’t mean that he
necessarily celebrates Kwanzaa, but that is hardly the
point. I’ve included it for educational purposes, if nothing else.
I envision this Newsletter as a forum through which many of us may share our various viewpoints. The spectrum has become
quite broad, representing a wide range of ages and even other high schools. If people ask to participate, I shall not deny them that
right. If they wish to remain silent, I shall not coerce them into mandatory participation. And if they wish to speak, I shall not silence
them.
All subject matter which we cover is not
going to be of interest to all of us all of the time. Some is it is not
even particularly
interesting to me. I am not, however, so conceited as to believe that it
therefore is of no interest to anyone. If but one of you finds it
of interest, I believe it is worthy of inclusion. Chances are excellent it
will be of interest to two or more of you.
There is no
governing Board of Directors who hired me. Mine is not a paying job. No
one commissioned me to create a web site
or to start a Newsletter. With a bit of encouragement, I did so entirely on my
own. It has evolved over time into a much larger entity
than I ever dreamed possible. I devote a minimum of eight to ten hours
daily to it. While I do have a core panel of about ten to twelve
people (whose opinions I greatly respect) who function as a sounding board for
me from time to time, I really answer only to my own
conscience.
Therefore, I set my own standards for inclusion. I do not include vile or
profane language, for instance. I do not generally
post truly derogatory or hurtful remarks about people, though I will include all
the praise anyone wishes to heap
upon another. I do not
include racist or sexist remarks. But I think it is foolish to try to pretend
we all
agree with one
another
on every subject. We do not. We
would be extremely boring if we did. I believe it is the very fact of the
diversity of
opinions and beliefs which serve to educate and
inform one another,
not to divide us. There is a built-in self-regulatory feature
or two – skimming
over a section which is boring or
offensive to you, deleting those messages which do bring you offense, or
choosing to unsubscribe.
Meanwhile, I shall continue to set my own standards, and to print as many differing opinions as I am offered – in the interest of the
Free Speech which
I treasure.
Many of you have earned the right (and secured for the rest of us) through your
service in the various
branches of the United States Military the privilege to speak your minds.
I wouldn’t dream of censoring any of you.
This might be a good moment to pause to reflect upon one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa: unity (umoja).
Y'all take care of each other! Stay warm! Happy New Year! TYPHOON FOREVER!
Love to all, Carol
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NNHS CLASS OF '65 WEB SITE:
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com
PERSONAL WEB SITE:
http://www.angelfire.com/weird2/cluckmeat
"I only have two kinds of days: happy and hysterically happy."
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The Circle of Life
- Tim Rice and Elton John
From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps the great and small on the endless round
It's the circle of life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle
The circle of life
It's the circle of life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle
The circle of life
"The Circle
of Life" midi courtesy of
http://www.hamienet.com/midi6047.html, with the
assistance of Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 12/20/04
Thanks, Dave!
"The Circle of Life" lyrics courtesy of http://www.lyrics007.com/Whitney%20Houston%20Lyrics/The%20Circle%20Of%20Life%20Lyrics.html - 12/20/04
"Happy Kwanzaa" and Dancing Woman clip art courtesy of http://www.holidaygraphics.com/christmas/graphics/page2.html - 12/20/04