Sanctuary at St. Paul’s
Community News
Leap to It
February 2016
2016 brings a bonus in the form of an extra
day—it’s a leap year. The day is added on
Feb. 29 in order to synchronize the calendar
with the Earth’s orbit around the sun, which
takes about 365.25 days. The extra .25 requires
the need for a leap day every four years.
A Winning Color
Red is known for symbolizing love and
passion, but scientists say the crimson color
may provide a competitive edge as well. Studies
have been done in a number of sports, and
results show athletes and teams who wore the
color red more often came out the winner over
their opponents who wore another color.
The Great Backyard Bird Count
Every February, bird-watchers around the
world lend a helping wing to scientists by
participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count,
a four-day project organized by the Cornell Lab
of Ornithology and the National Audubon
Society. It’s easy to join the fun: Simply tally the
numbers and kinds of birds you see for at least
15 minutes on one or more days of the count
(Feb. 12–15) and submit your findings at
GBBC.BirdCount.org.
Tart Is Smart
National Cherry Month in February gives you a good
reason to choose cherries—specifically tart cherries.
This sweetly sour snack contains anthocyanins,
compounds that contribute to the fruit’s flavor, bright
red color, and numerous health benefits. Research
shows that tart cherries may lower the risk of heart
disease; fight inflammation in arthritis and gout
patients; provide relief to sore muscles; and promote
better sleep.
Switch Hands for a Brain Boost
Exercising your brain can be as easy as switching
hands. Doctors advise engaging in a familiar activity
using your non-dominant hand. Try brushing your
teeth, using eating utensils, writing or drawing with
your “wrong” hand. Forcing your other hand to
perform an unfamiliar task requires your brain to create
new neural pathways and can stimulate the brain’s
cognitive and creative functions.
Presidential Pun
Q: Which U.S. president is least guilty?
A: Abraham Lincoln. He’s in a cent.
2
Logos of Love
Pioneers in Black History
Symbols for love and
romance are everywhere we
look: in fine art and magazines,
on billboards and greeting
cards, and even on the clothes
we wear. Hearts, flowers, gems
and other motifs bring to mind
the emotional qualities of love
and how we feel about our
loved ones.
The Romans believed
diamonds, worn to symbolize
eternal love, were splinters of
fallen stars. The first diamond
engagement ring can be traced
to the 15th century.
The personification of love
and courtship, Cupid is depicted
with a bow and quiver of
arrows. The notion that being
hit by Cupid’s arrow will make
the victim fall in love comes
from the myth of Cupid
and Psyche.
Likely the most common
symbol for love is the heart. At
one time, scholars believed the
heart was the seat of all human
emotions. Giving a heart
signified the act of giving
everything to someone you love.
Roses represent beauty, purity
and romance. Each color adds
further meaning, with red
depicting true love.
Doves have long been
considered a sign of faithful and
eternal love because they remain
a pair for life.
Other symbols of love
include the ladybug, swan,
dolphin and harp.
Celebrate Black History
Month by paying tribute to
some firsts in AfricanAmerican history:
Published poet. Brought to
America as a slave, Phillis
Wheatley was only about
13 years old when her first
poem was published in a Rhode
Island newspaper in 1767. Six
years later, she published a book
of poetry, which earned her
worldwide admiration.
Governor. P.B.S. Pinchback,
the son of a white plantation
owner and a former slave, briefly
served as Louisiana’s governor
from December 1872 to January
of the next year, after the elected
governor was impeached. The
country’s first elected AfricanAmerican governor didn’t come
until more than 100 years later,
when L. Douglas Wilder became
Virginia’s governor in 1989.
Olympic medalist. Track star
George Poage competed in the
1904 Summer Olympics in
St. Louis, where he became the
first African-American to win an
Olympic medal. He placed
third in both the 220- and
440-yard hurdles.
TV show host. From November
1956 to December 1957, NBC
aired “The Nat ‘King’ Cole
Show,” the first national variety
TV series to be hosted by an
African-American. The popular
jazz pianist and singer was
joined by high-profile guests
such as Ella Fitzgerald, Mel
Tormé and Peggy Lee.
In Honor of Our
First President
Towering above the nation’s
capital as a tribute to the first
president of the United States,
the Washington Monument is
one of America’s most
recognized landmarks.
Plans for a structure honoring
George Washington began
before he even became
president: In 1783, the
Continental Congress voted to
erect a statue of Washington
commemorating his leadership
of the American army during the
Revolutionary War. But
Washington himself canceled
the project after he took office,
unwilling to spend federal funds
on his own memorial.
In 1833, the Washington
National Monument Society
revived the idea and raised
private donations. Construction
began in 1848, but a dwindling
budget and the Civil War
interrupted its progress. The
project was resumed again in
1879, and the monument was
officially dedicated on Feb. 21,
1885, one day before
Washington’s birthday.
Designed by architect Robert
Mills, the Egyptian obeliskinspired monument is 555 feet,
5 1/8 inches tall.
3
Blooms of Love
It’s a love affair in full bloom
that just keeps growing. Roses,
with their soft petals and sweet
scent, have charmed people of
all ages and walks of life, been
immortalized in art and verse
and served as a longtime symbol
of love and affection.
Although fossils indicate the
existence of roses as far back as
35 million years, cultivation of
the flower is believed to have
started about 5,000 years ago in
China. Roses were grown all
over the Roman Empire, then
introduced throughout
Europe in the 18th century.
Since that time, hundreds of
varieties of roses have been
cross-produced to create today’s
A Celebration of Sound
For nearly six decades, the
world of music comes to a
crescendo when performers and
other industry members gather
for the Grammy Awards. The
annual live ceremony is
televised to millions of viewers
around the world who tune in to
watch music’s biggest stars.
The Grammys were created in
1958 by the Recording Academy
to honor achievements in the
recording industry. Winners are
chosen by their peers, and
commercial aspects like record
sales do not influence votes.
Trophies in the form of gold
gramophones are awarded in
nearly 80 categories in various
genres, including pop, rock,
boundless bouquet of colors
and fragrances.
Creating a new rose variety
takes about 10 years of testing
and development. The new rose
is named by its grower. Some
roses are labeled based on their
color or other attributes, but
many are the namesake of a
famous person or celebrated
place or event. Continual
favorites are the Peace,
Queen Elizabeth and
Knock Out varieties.
Wit & Wisdom
“Good night, good night!
Parting is such sweet sorrow,
that I shall say good night till it
be morrow.”
—William Shakespeare
“It is the sweet, simple things of
life which are the real ones
after all.”
—Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Love planted a rose, and the
world turned sweet.”
—Katharine Lee Bates
“A poet is a nightingale, who
sits in darkness and sings to
cheer its own solitude with
sweet sounds.”
—Percy Bysshe Shelley
rhythm and blues, country and
classical music. The night’s four
most-coveted Grammys go to
the album, record and song of
the year and best new artist.
The first Grammys, held in
1959, saw Rat Packers Frank
Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and
Dean Martin join other
entertainers like Gene Autry,
Johnny Mercer and Henry
Mancini in Beverly Hills, Calif.,
while a simultaneous event took
place in New York City. These
multi-city ceremonies continued
for several years before being
changed to a single venue,
which today is in Los Angeles.
“That it will never come again is
what makes life sweet.”
—Emily Dickinson
“The love of learning, the
sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity
of books.”
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“Sometimes I’m so sweet even
I can’t stand it.”
—Julie Andrews
“Life is one grand, sweet song,
so start the music.”
—Ronald Reagan
“No, there’s nothing half
so sweet in life as love’s
young dream.”
—Thomas Moore
4
Radio Days
Before the days of computers
and television, the radio was a
prized possession in many
homes. From news reports and
live music to comedy, drama
and variety shows, the radio
kept listeners informed and
entertained. Use the following
questions to reminisce with
friends and family about your
memories of radio days.
• What is your earliest
memory of the radio? Did
your family own one? What
did it look like?
• Did your family listen to
the radio together? If so,
when did you usually
tune in?
• What was your favorite type
of broadcast—news, sports,
musical performances, a
comedy or serial?
• Did you have a favorite
show? If so, what was it?
Who were its stars? Do you
recall who sponsored it?
• Is there a major historical
event you remember
hearing announced on the
radio? For example,
wartime speeches, news of
V-E Day or V-J Day, the
play-by-play of a sporting
event, or the official results
of a presidential election?
• Do you remember when
television became more
popular than radio? Were
you excited by the new
medium, or were there
things you missed about
radio programming?
Get Up to Speed
on NASCAR
Flashback to Old-Time
Movie Theaters
Many moviegoers can recall
the anticipation as heavy red
velvet curtains parted, revealing
a big screen that would transport
them to another time and place
for just a few cents. Those ticket
prices and screen curtains aren’t
the only features that have
changed in today’s cinemas. See
if you remember these former
theater traits:
Spectacular signage. Beckoning
to those passing by, elaborate
signs with blinking lights and
large marquees displayed “now
showing” movie titles and the
names of the starring actors.
Uniformed ushers. Outfitted in
uniforms with matching hats
and carrying a trusty flashlight,
the role of usher included taking
tickets, helping guests to their
seats and maintaining quiet.
Notable newsreels. In the era
before daily TV news broadcasts,
newsreels—which were shown
before a feature film—gave
people a way to see and hear the
leading stories of the day.
Double-feature deals. Movie
patrons back in the day got their
money’s worth thanks to double
features. For the price of a single
ticket, it was common practice
to show a newsreel, cartoon and
two movies.
Once a sport that began on
country back roads, NASCAR
has hit the fast lane in terms of
popularity. NASCAR, which
stands for National Association
for Stock Car Auto Racing, is
now the No. 1 spectator sport in
the country and a business that
earns billions of dollars
each year.
Stock car racing traces its
history back to the days of
Prohibition, when drivers who
ran moonshine secretly
transported their illegal product
using cars they had modified to
increase not only cargo space,
but also speed in order to
outrun police. When
Prohibition ended, many
drivers—especially those in the
rural South—continued racing
for profit and entertainment.
In 1947, Bill France Sr., a
former driver and race promoter
in Daytona Beach, Fla., gathered
the racing community to discuss
the idea of a governing body,
and NASCAR was born a year
later. Its first sanctioned race was
held Feb. 15, 1948.
NASCAR’s biggest race is the
Daytona 500, which always
begins the nine-month racing
season each February.
5
Chinese Food Favorites
A Portrait of Pluto
Americans have been eating
Chinese food since the days of
the California Gold Rush, when
the first Chinese immigrants
came to the U.S. Once
considered exotic, today there
are more than 40,000 Chinese
restaurants that serve a buffet of
menu favorites.
General Tso’s chicken. Surveys
say this staple is the most
popular offering on Chinese
restaurant menus across the
country. The sweet and spicy
chicken dish is said to be named
for Gen. Tso, a hero of the Qing
dynasty in the 1800s.
Fried rice. Rice is a customary
element of Chinese meals.
Combining it with bits of meat,
egg and vegetables can be traced
as far back as the year 600 to the
eastern city of Yangzhou.
Egg rolls. These appetizers are
based on traditional Chinese
spring rolls, which are small and
light, with ingredients inside a
translucent wrapper. American
egg rolls are larger, with a
thicker dough wrapper.
Chop suey. In the early 1900s,
chop suey houses were a huge
fad in the U.S. The name of this
dish—a mixture of various
meats and vegetables—translates
to “odds and ends.”
Fortune cookies. No Chinese
meal would be complete
without this crunchy vanilla
cookie with a printed fortune
inside. It was first made popular
by restaurants in California
around the early 1900s.
First discovered on Feb. 18,
1930, by astronomer Clyde
Tombaugh, Pluto has received a
lot of attention in the past
several years. Today’s adults
grew up knowing Pluto as the
ninth planet in our solar system,
but in 2006, it was reclassified as
a dwarf planet.
In July 2015, NASA’s New
Horizons space probe flew by
Pluto, collecting new data and
images of the tiny former planet.
Explore these facts about Earth’s
faraway friend:
• Pluto’s existence was
actually predicted in 1905
by Percival Lowell, an
American astronomer who
noticed odd variations in
the orbits of Neptune and
Uranus that suggested the
presence of another
nearby planet.
• Pluto is 1,473 miles in
diameter, which is about
two-thirds as wide as
Earth’s moon.
• Mostly covered in ice, the
surface temperature of
Pluto is roughly
375 degrees below zero.
• Pluto rotates east to west,
whereas Earth rotates west
to east.
• It takes 248 years for Pluto
to orbit the sun.
Bamboo-Lovin’ Bear
In the mountain forests of
central China lives one of the
world’s most beloved wild
animals: the giant panda.
For years, scientists debated
whether these black-and-white
mammals were bears or, instead,
members of the raccoon family.
Since 1995, pandas have indeed
been classified as bears, a
decision supported by
genetic testing.
Solitary in nature, pandas
famously spend half or more of
their day eating bamboo, and
the remainder of their time
resting. Because bamboo has a
low nutritional value, the bears
must eat between 20 and
40 pounds of it each day,
although they will also
occasionally eat birds, rodents,
fish and other plants. All that
eating and sitting around
looking cute may make pandas
seem lazy, but they are very
skilled at climbing trees
and swimming.
Only about 1,000 to
2,000 of the bears are left in
the wild, with a few hundred
living in zoos and sanctuaries.
Their populations have been
on the rise thanks to
conservation efforts.
6
The Inn at St. Paul’s
Community Life Assistant
Karen Ogle 284-9003
Tuesdays 2:30 p.m. Rosary
followed by Mass on Level 2
Thursday 2 p.m. Rosary
followed by Bible Study Level 3
Saturday 4 p.m. Mass Main
Chapel
Sunday 9:45 a.m. Mass Main
Chapel
Sunday 11 a.m. Protestant
Service Main Chapel
Be sure to check your
calendars for a visit from our
very special furry friends,
Murphy and Honey Dew.
Wednesday & Friday 10:15
Just Movin’ with Dave
Geography 101:
Sweden’s Icehotel
Visitors looking for a cool
destination can chill out each
winter at any one of the world’s
many ice hotels, found at locales
in Canada, Finland and Norway.
But the world’s first and largest
is Sweden’s Icehotel in the town
of Jukkasjarvi, about 125 miles
north of the Arctic Circle. The
must-see-to-believe
establishment is 60,000 square
feet, and is rebuilt each year
entirely out of snow and blocks
of ice taken from the nearby
Torne River. Accommodations
range from standard rooms to
deluxe suites, all with walls,
artwork, furniture and even beds
created out of ice.
Tapping a Sweet Topping
Whether for waffles, pancakes
or oatmeal, the breakfast table
wouldn’t be nearly as sweet
without maple syrup. This tasty
topping begins as sap from
maple trees, which are tapped
annually in early spring.
Syrup producers—called
sugarmakers—know it’s time to
tap sugar maple trees when a
particular weather pattern
emerges: Nights are still below
freezing, and daytime
temperatures are mild. This
Sweet Dreams
Wish yourself a happy
Valentine’s Day with this simple
craft inspired by Native
American dreamcatchers.
Materials:
• Wire cutters
• Rustic floral wire
• 2 yards of yarn (any color)
• Scissors
Directions:
With the wire cutters, cut a
piece of floral wire that is about
16 inches long. Bend the wire
into a heart shape, twisting the
ends together to secure.
Tie the end of the yarn to the
heart where the wire is twisted
together. Pull the yarn across the
empty space of the heart and
wrap it tightly around the wire
variance in temperature causes
the sap to flow within the tree’s
trunk so it can be harvested. A
typical tapping season lasts
about four to six weeks.
Sugar maples are usually first
tapped at about 40 years old.
Some are tapped the traditional
way using spouts, or spiles,
which are driven into the tree,
allowing the clear, sweet liquid
to drip into attached buckets.
Modern and large-scale syrup
producers use plastic tubing that
runs directly from the trees into
collection tanks.
Once the sap is collected, an
extensive process removes the
water from it. About 40 gallons
of sap produces one gallon
of syrup.
on the other side. Pull the yarn
across the heart again, but wrap
it around the wire at a different
spot on the heart than where
you began. Continue wrapping
the yarn across the heart in this
fashion, creating a rustic,
webbed look.
When you are happy with the
look of the heart, tie a knot
around the wire at the top of the
heart. Cut off any excess yarn
above the knot, leaving enough
yarn as a hanger.
According to tradition, a
dreamcatcher traps bad dreams
in its web and lets the good
dreams through the empty
spaces. Hang this heart near
your bed to have sweet dreams
this Valentine’s Day!
7
Hungry for a
Healthy Heart
There are plenty of foods with
heart health benefits. Find out
why health experts advise filling
up on these options:
Beans, lentils and chickpeas.
Packed with protein—but
without the cholesterol that
comes with animal sources—
these legumes are a key
component of a heart-healthy
diet and can help control
blood sugar.
Yogurt. High in potassium,
yogurt and other dairy products
can help reduce high blood
pressure. But the probiotics in
yogurt could have an added
benefit for your heart: By
fighting “unfriendly” bacteria in
the mouth, yogurt may protect
against gum disease, which can
raise your risk for heart disease.
Grapes and raisins. Both red
and white grapes contain
polyphenols that can prevent
artherosclerosis (hardening of
the arteries), and raisins can
fight inflammation and bacteria
that cause gum disease.
Avocados. The healthy
monounsaturated fats in this
creamy fruit help reduce bad
cholesterol, and antiinflammatory properties reduce
the risk of developing
artherosclerosis.
Remember Me?
To Scout and to Serve
Since Feb. 8, 1910, the Boy
Scouts of America has helped
build character in boys by
focusing on leadership,
community service, physical
fitness and a love for
the outdoors.
Scouting actually began in
England with British Army
officer Robert Baden-Powell,
who published a handbook
called “Aids to Scouting.” It
became popular with boys, who
used it to organize games that
exercised skills like tracking and
observation. In 1908, BadenPowell wrote “Scouting for
Boys,” and Boy Scout troops
sprang up across Britain.
In 1909, Chicago
businessman William D. Boyce
was traveling in London and
found himself lost in the
unfamiliar city. After a boy
helped him find his way, Boyce
tried to pay him for the good
deed, but the boy refused—for
he was a scout doing a
good turn.
Impressed and inspired
after learning about scouting in
England, Boyce founded the
Boy Scouts of America, which
grew to 2,000 members and
leaders its first year. Today,
there are more than 2 million
active members.
Despite humble beginnings,
Marian Anderson’s voice
brought her worldwide fame,
singing for presidents and kings.
Take note of the singer who
made history on many stages.
• Anderson was born
Feb. 27, 1897, in
Philadelphia.
• At age 6, she joined her
church choir.
• Recognizing her talent,
Anderson’s church raised
money for her to take
voice lessons.
• In 1925, she won a voice
competition sponsored
by the New York
Philharmonic Society.
• After several years of
training overseas, she made
her European debut in
Paris in 1935. Her contralto
voice and wide repertoire
earned her audiences
with kings.
• In 1939, she was not
allowed to perform at
Washington, D.C.’s
Constitution Hall. The
decision sparked protest
from the public, including
first lady Eleanor Roosevelt,
who then invited her to
sing at the Lincoln
Memorial. More than
75,000 people gathered for
the open-air concert.
• Anderson became the first
black singer to take the
stage at New York’s
Metropolitan Opera
in 1955.
Advertising Icons
Created to sell everything from tires and cereal to fast food and
insurance, corporate mascots can not only affect product sales, but
also impact pop culture. Here are some of the most iconic characters
in ad history.
Year
Mascot
Company/Product
1898
The Michelin Man
Michelin tires
1916
Mr. Peanut
Planters peanuts
1928
The Green Giant
Green Giant canned vegetables
1939
Elsie the Cow
Borden dairy products
1951
Tony the Tiger
Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes
1963
Ronald McDonald
McDonald’s restaurants
1965
Poppin’ Fresh Doughboy
Pillsbury foods
1989
Energizer Bunny
Energizer batteries
1997
Gidget the Chihuahua
Taco Bell restaurants
2000
Gecko
Geico insurance
scientists in 2006 reclassified it as a
dwarf planet.
FEBRUARY
1849: William G. Morgan, a physical
education director in Massachusetts,
invents a sport called mintonette.
A year later, the name was changed
to volleyball.
1922: Reader’s Digest magazine is
published for the first time.
1930: Pluto is discovered by
astronomer Clyde Tombaugh at
Arizona’s Lowell Observatory. The
tiny, distant body was labeled the ninth
planet in the solar system, but
1945: Captured in a now-iconic
photograph, U.S. Marines raise the
American flag on Japan’s Mount
Suribachi during the Battle of
Iwo Jima.
1953: Cambridge University scientists
James Watson and Francis Crick
announce their discovery of the
chemical structure of DNA.
1964: The Beatles make their first live
TV performance on “The Ed Sullivan
Show.” More than 70 million people
tuned in to watch their
U.S. debut.
1980: The U.S. Olympic hockey team
beats the heavily favored Soviet team
at Lake Placid, N.Y., in a stunning upset
dubbed the “Miracle on Ice.” The U.S.
went on to win the gold medal.
1990: South African human rights
activist Nelson Mandela is freed after
27 years in prison.
2001: Two astronauts from the crew
of the space shuttle Atlantis make
NASA’s milestone 100th spacewalk.
2004: The online social networking
service Facebook is launched.
2009: The Pittsburgh Steelers win a
record-setting sixth NFL championship
after a 27–23 victory over the Arizona
Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.