Calorie Free and Delicious

Great Alternative to water

Once in a while I run across a product worth telling others about.  In this case I'm bragging about Clear American Sparkling Water (pictured right).

Most people are always trying to fight the desire to take in empty calories.  These come mostly in the form of snacks and drinks which are full of sugar, salt, fat, and carbohydrates. 

It's a battle to resist these temptations is never-ending.  The reason that that these ingredients are included in the worst of the worst foods we consume is because of their appeasing impact on our taste sensory, and ability to make us feel full or even satisfied.

I've never been a fan of either either of the liquids on the extreme side of the equation - soda, or water.  Soda, loaded with sugar, leaves you full but also leaves you with a massive crash about an hour after consuming it.

Water, on the other hand,  is fairly blah.  Just about every trainer will tell you that you need to drink plenty of it -  before, during, and after workouts - usually a gallon a day for routine workouts, and up to two gallons for runners and intense workouts.  I'm not suggesting that you substitute water for Clear American, but as far as a casual drink goes its not bad at all.  It has zero sodium and no calories is a great start.

Moreover, the taste is phenomenal.  The fruit versions actually taste like the fruit pictured which is a departure from the majority of sparkling waters or seltzer drinks on the market. And to be clear, while there is no nutritional value in this drink - its more about giving you a choice to eliminate empty carbs, sugars and sodium.

So give it a try. 

Reflecting on Veterans Day

Images of Veterans Day

Of all the holidays on the calendar, Veterans Day is one of my favorites.  Veterans Day is a day to celebrate those men and woman who have served their country in uniform and to thank them for their sacrifice.  That being said, I do appreciate and enjoy its sister holiday - Memorial Day - however the services and events during Memorial Day are much more solemn and reflective; we take the time to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their country.  I'm glad that the two holidays are separate and distinct for they both serve a purpose.

My first experience with Veterans Day is rooted in my Elementary School experience.  It's where I first learned patriotic songs and heard patriotic poems and stories.  I participated in a public event during those years with my classmates.  And we likely sang up a storm to honor attending Veterans. Those experience left an impression on me that I would take with me forever.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a Veterans Day ceremony at the local Elementary School.  Our school honored more than 100 attending veterans, and they did so by recognizing each attending veteran by name, rank, and branch.  700 happy children sang songs of about freedom, patriotism, and sacrifice.  I was struck by the energy of their participation.  Between the well rehearsed songs, and the second graders reading their individual thank yous and thoughts, I was excited about authenticity of the program.  And from their reactions and comments, the Veterans were taken aback by the authenticity of the program.

Origin of Veterans Day (taken from About.com)

To commemorate the ending of the "Great War" (World War I), an "unknown soldier" was buried in highest place of honor in both England and France ( (in England, Westminster Abbey; in France, the Arc de Triomphe). These ceremonies took place on November 11th, celebrating the ending of World War I hostilities at 11 a.m., November 11, 1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). This day became known internationally as "Armistice Day".

In 1921, the United States of America followed France and England by laying to rest the remains of a World War I American soldier -- his name "known but to God" -- on a Virginia hillside overlooking the city of Washington DC and the Potomac River. This site became known as the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier," and today is called the "Tomb of the Unknowns." Located in Arlington National Cemetery, the tomb symbolizes dignity and reverence for the American veteran.

In America, November 11th officially became known as Armistice Day through an act of Congress in 1926. It wasn't until 12 years later, through a similar act that Armistice Day became a national holiday.
 
The entire World thought that World War I was the "War to end all wars." Had this been true, the holiday might still be called Armistice Day today. That dream was shattered in 1939 when World War II broke out in Europe. More than 400,000 American service members died during that horrific war.
 
Veterans Day
In 1947, Raymond Weeks, of Birmingham Ala., organized a "Veterans Day" parade on November 11th to honor all of America's veterans for their loyal and dedicated service. Shortly thereafter, Congressman Edward H. Rees (Kansas) introduced legislation to change the name of Armistice Day to Veterans Day in order to honor all veterans who have served the United States in all wars.
 

In 1954, President Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming November 11 as Veterans Day, and called upon Americans everywhere to rededicate themselves to the cause of peace. He issued a Presidential Order directing the head of the Veterans Administration (now called the Department of Veterans Affairs), to form a Veterans Day National Committee to organize and oversee the national observance of Veterans Day.



Congress passed legislation in 1968 to move Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. However as it became apparent that November 11th was historically significant to many Americans, in 1978, Congress reversed itself and returned the holiday to its traditional date.

Conclusion

In Conclusion, I'd like to personally thank the men and woman of the armed forces for there duty to our country.  We owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude

Night Sky: Orion the Hunter

Orion the Hunter

The night sky is truly a marvel worth observing and learning about.  As a parent, I enjoy talking with my kids about the constellations and the myths that surround them.  The Greeks were particularly creative with their mythology to the point where they could see their heroes and heroines identified in the heavens.

I think its fun to know a few of the major constellations and I'm going to do my best from time to time to point a few of these out so that you can impart your knowledge of ancient lore and astronomy to friends and family.  Who knows, you may become so good that you might end up with a dream job at NASA. 

Most everyone can point to the big dipper (also known as Ursa Major) and the North Star, and most folks can make out the usual arrangements of stars by their patterns but cannot usually name them. 

Orion the Hunter is a well known constellation that is seen during the Winter season on our Hemisphere.  Orion is also a constellation that is wholly visible throughout the world which is not the case with all constellations. Orion is easily identified by recognizing a large hour glass shape with three stars in a row in the middle of the hourglass which make up Orion's belt.  

The bright star Betelgeuse is in the left upper quadrant which makes up the right shoulder of Orion (assuming Orion is facing the observer), Betelgeuse is a significant star in that it is an M-Type Red Supergiant, and the twelvth brightest star in our night sky. Rigel  is the another bright star which makes up the left foot of Orion.  Rigel is a B-Type Blue Supergiant. Rigel is the 6th brightest star in our night sky.

Orion and Taurus in proximity to
 each other


For beginners, it's not important to know the difference between an A-Type Star or a B-Type star, or to name all the key stars in the Night Sky, but its helpful when trying to pick out the constellations that are not always so apparent. Admittedly, it trivia probably better suited for wowing friends not kids.

As pictured to the right, Orion the Hunter often seen doing battle against Taurus which is depicted with two large visible horns stretching out over Orion and almost touching his sword. 

Mythology

Despite Orion's proximity to Taurus the Bull in the Night Sky, surprisingly, there is no mythlogical connection between the two. 
Orion the Hunter has his basis in Greek Mythology. Orion was the son of Poseidon of the Sea, and Euryale the Sea Nymph who was the daughter of King Minos of Crete. Orion was considered both strong and boastful claiming he could defeat any create on the Earth.  In order to tame his boastful nature, Gaia, the Goddess of Earth sent a Scorpion (Scorpius) to kill Orion.  Gaia, was successful in her bid as it is told that Orion was pierced by the giant Scorpion.

As I learned when drafting this piece, there are actually a number of stories associated with Orion which vary dramatically.  Some have Orion as the son of Neptune, which follows the same story above. While others tell a tale that Orion was killed trying to save Leto from a Scorpion.  And yet a third tragic version is that Apollo, brother of Artemis attempted to separate his twin sister Artemis from her desired union with Orion.   So while Apollo was out swimming in the sea, Apollo challenged Artemis to demonstrate her archery skills by hitting a distant black object bobbing in the sea.  Unknowingly, Artemis let fly a fatal arrow that killed Orion.  In her grief, Artemis put Orion in the Heavens.

Nearly all the myths with the exception of the Artemis-Orion fatal love story tie Orion to Scorpius.  Orion and Scorpius are never seen together in the night sky.  Usually the tale told is that Scorpius is chasing Orion around the Earth to punish him for his boastful nature.

Orion is often depicted
with a shield. Here the
shield is replaced with a Lion

Unrelated to the various myths, Orion is also pictured in constellation imagery killing a lion or hunting Lepus the Hare.
Althought from an observer's perspective it is much easier to envision Orion holding either a sword or club above his head, and brandishing a large shield to his right which is easily identiable given the imagined line that can be drawn between the stars that out lines these two objects.

Orion has been so well known over the years even to the ancient Greeks, so much so that the constellation is mentioned in Horace's Odes, Homer's Odyssey (Book 5, line 283) and Iliad, and Virgil's Aeneid (Book 1, line 535). 

So the next time you are outside, look up and marvel at the Great Hunter Orion.  He is truly an amazing bright constellation with a tragic tale of either arrogance and death, or love and death.  You get to chose which story you like best.