if you haven’t gotten a package with it lately, here is virtual bubblewrap online. By the way, it was invented in 1947.  Two New Jersey engineers were trying to make a plastic wallpaper with a paper backing. No one’s quite sure why they were trying to do that but it obviously never caught on. However, they realized their “invention” could be used to cushion things that were being packed, and thus, Bubble Wrap was born. Of course, it’s great stress relief for some people. Most of whom need to be packed off themselves.

Better Business Communication Day

National Kazoo Day. — Alabama Vest of Macon, GA figured out the first Kazoo in the 1840’s, then gave the directions to Thaddeus Von Clegg, a German clock maker, who make it to the specifications. But the first mass-produced kazoos didn’t begin until 1912, when Emil Sorg got together with tool and die maker Michael McIntyre, and opened a factory in Eden, NY, where there’s still a museum today.

1986 - 23-years ago: The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all 7 crew members, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. The launch was scheduled the day before, but postponed a day due to a technical glitch.
 
1878 - Happy anniversary to the first commercial telephone switchboard, put into operation on this day, but only during the day. Amazingly, it takes longer to connect today than it did back then.

1915 - The U-S Coast Guard was created by an act of Congress.
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The AOL Shopping website has put together a list of “10 Books to Read Before You Die,” based on a Harris Poll that asked 2,413 U.S. adults to name their favorite books.

1. The Holy Bible
2. Gone With the Wind — Margaret Mitchell
3. The Lord of the Rings — J.R.R. Tolkien
4. Harry Potter series — J.K. Rowling
5. The Stand — Stephen King’s 1978 novel about a plague-infested world engaged in a struggle between good and evil.
6. The Da Vinci Code — Dan Brown
7. To Kill a Mockingbird — Harper Lee
8. Angels and Demons — Prequal toThe Da Vinci Code
9. Atlas Shrugged — Ayn Rand’s classic pean to the concepts of rational self-interest and rugged individualism.
10.The Catcher in the Rye — J.D. Salinger
Thanks for your suggestions, The Giving Tree, Hitchikers Guide To The Universe and East Of Eden.
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We opened the Ladies Room today, and asked what type of man you ladies fantasize about. You added Military men - a man in uniform! Here is their list from pirates to a knight in shining armor.

Beginning of Catholic Schools Week
Chocolate Cake Day
Punch the Clock Day
Holocaust Memorial Day
Fun at Work Day
Thomas Crapper Day (99th anniversary of his death in 1910). Crapper was a London plumber who heavily promoted the modern flush toilet but did not invent it. He held nine related patents, one for the floating ballcock, but none for the flush toilet itself.

1976 - LaVerne and Shirley debuted.

1984 - Michael Jackson’s hair caught on fire while singing Billie Jean during the filming of a Pepsi commercial in front of three-thousand fans.

1967 - The tragic Apollo I space craft fire at Cape Kennedy, killing Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee.

1880 - The electric incandescent light bulb was patented by THOMAS EDISON.

1925 - First demonstration of television. They said it would never catch on.
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Money tip of the day:
Observe the “overnight rule.” If you’re tempted to pull out your credit card to pay for an impulse purchase, go home, and wait 24 hours. If you still want it, go get it. Nine times out of 10, you won’t bother.
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WEIRD FACTS ABOUT SLEEP (Psychology Today)

Flexing memory: According to researchers at the University of Lubeck in Germany, shut-eye not only strengthens a memory’s content but also the sequence in which they are experienced. Students were presented sets of words in a particular order. One group of these students was allowed to sleep and another was not. Those who were allowed to sleep could more often recall the order of words than those who were not allowed to sleep.

Snooze and smile: Tossing and turning can affect your smile. A Journal of Periodontology study shows that the amount of sleep you get can significantly affect your teeth. While smoking negatively impacted oral health the most, hours of sleep closely followed. The study tracked 219 Japanese factory workers from 1999 through 2003. Participants who slept seven to eight hours a night had less periodontal disease than those who slept six hours or less a night. Researchers speculate that sleep shortage impairs the body’s immune system, something that can lead to bad teeth.

Sleep to your own rhythm: If you find yourself awake and energetic late at night, you may have a genetic mutation. The altered gene may explain why some people prefer late nights. This gene affects the body’s circadian cycle — the clock that keeps our metabolism, digestion, and sleep patterns in sync. Researchers discovered abnormally long circadian rhythms in some mice lasting about 27 hours instead of the normal cycle of 24 hours. These mice had the mutated gene. Also, night owls who compensate by staying in bed longer still experience more insomnia than the rest of us. Also, night owls report feeling less in control of their sleep, which may also fuel insomnia.

Getting by with less: If you still perform relatively well when sleep-deprived, the reason could be your genes. In one study from the University of Surrey, some people struggled to stay awake after two days of no sleep while others had no problem whatsoever. The researchers looked into this further and gave the participants the opportunity to sleep normally; they found that some participants spend more time in slow-wave sleep, the deepest form of shut-eye. And for them carrying a sleep debt makes it that much harder to stay alert and function.
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Chinese New Year –Year of the Ox it’s year 4707. More below.
Beginning of National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week
Spouse’s Day
National Seed Swap Day
Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement

1988 - The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “Phantom of the Opera” opened on Broadway.

1784 - Ben Franklin wrote a letter in support of the turkey as our national bird, complaining that the eagle was a bird of bad moral character.

1978 - (’cause no one wants to beat it) - Norwich, England’s star resident Peter Dowdeswell set another one of his gastronomic world’s records by eating 13 raw eggs in 2.2 seconds. That’s about 6 and 1/2 raw eggs per swallow. Ugh!
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Today marks Chinese New Year and the arrival of the Year of the Ox, ending 2008’s Year of the Rat. Among the traditions followed by the Chinese to mark the holiday — which is also known as the Lunar New Year — is setting off firecrackers, which are believed to scare off evil spirits and entice the god of wealth to people’s doorsteps, and handing out red envelopes with money in them to family and friends.

Here are couple of great articles on the Chinese New Year.

First, a news story on the Year Of The Ox.

Next, from Wikipedia..all about Chinese New Year.

Here’s the link about the animals and things associated with the years. Including the story about the aminals.
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A new study suggests that just touching an item on a store shelf can create an attachment that makes you willing to pay more for it.

Previous studies have shown that many people begin to feel ownership of an item — that it “is theirs” — before they even buy it. But this study, conducted by researchers at Ohio State University, is the first to show “mine, mine, mine” feelings can begin in as little as 30 seconds after first touching an object. The full article is here.
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Beginning April 1, Americans will be able to purchase their very own Chia Obama.

The Chia Obama Handmade Decorative Planter is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com for $20. Just like traditional Chia pets, the Obama planter will allow you to grow green hair on our nation’s Commander-In-Chief with the help of special seeds.

Chia Obama comes in two styles - happy and determined.
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Weekend update!
Saturday (01-24):
Measure Your Feet Day
Beer Can Appreciation Day - 74th anniversary of first canned beer; Richmond, VA, 1935
Belly Laugh Day
National Compliment Day
Women in Blue Jeans Day
Women’s Healthy Weight Day
Nat’l Speak Up and Succeed Day

Sunday (01-25):
Opposite Day
A Room of One’s Own Day
Fun at Work Day

First Winter Olympics games opened in Chamonix, France (in the French Alps), 1924.
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A penguin has become a star attraction at a Staffordshire zoo - because he’s terrified of water. Kentucky stands forlornly on a rock while the zoo’s 23 other penguins swim in their pool, reports The Sun. His keepers say he does not have enough feathers to protect him from the icy water. Handler Adam Stevenson said: “He was born a bit of a runt, so he’s had moulting problems most of his life. “He’s lost a lot more feathers than some of his friends. It’s too cold for him in the water, so he spends all his time on the rocks walking around. “The visitors find it quite funny when he’s the only one sat there. He has become quite famous because it’s unusual for penguins not to like water.” Staff at Blackbrook Zoological Park, in Leek, force 11-year-old Kentucky into the pool twice a day to keep his feathers clean. Visitor Stacey Commons said: “He’s really cute but I felt quite sorry for him - it’s like watching a monkey who’s scared of climbing up trees.”
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Legoland has stolen a march on the real world by creating an incredibly detailed model of Barack Obama’s inauguration as US President. The model version is already the main attraction at the California theme park - ahead of the highly anticipated real thing. Lego master craftsmen created a model White House, motorcade, Mr Obama and his whole family - and even queues to the porta-loos. More than 1,000 mini Lego people surround the construction, with onlookers including outgoing George W Bush and Hillary and Bill Clinton. Obama’s daughters Sasha and Malia are also depicted, standing proudly behind the president-elect as he takes the presidential oath of office on the steps of the Capitol. Here’s a news story with pictures, and here’s one with video.

Apple please!

National Handwriting Day
Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day
National Creative Frugality Week
National Handwriting Analysis Week
Nat’l Nurse Anesthetists Week.

1845 - Congress decided all national elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. All bribes would only be accepted on the third Wednesday after the second Friday of every other month.

1942 - Earl Tupper bought his first manufacturing plant, and began making Tupperware. It was introduced to the public three years later.

1988 - The first National Couch Potato Convention took place in the Chicago suburb of Lincolnwood, IL, About 500 people flopped on sofas, feasted on popcorn and flipped channels while being treated to such items as couch-potato clothing, a “gourmet couch potato survival kit” complete with popcorn, bubble gum and chop sticks for takeout food, and a lecture on the therapeutic value of television.
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 These you can break.
These you can’t break.

National Blonde Brownie Day
Celebration of Life Day
National Speak Up and Succeed Day
Rid The World of Fad Diets and Gimmicks Day
Ukrainian Day
St Vincent’s Feast Day (patron saint of wine growers). If there’s good weather today, there’ll theoretically be a good wine crop this year.

36th anniversary of Roe v Wade decision in the Supreme Court. (1973)

The first umbrella appeared in Europe, imported from the Middle East, a region known for its heavy precipitation (1775).

The NY Yankees became the first team to put numbers on the backs of their uniforms (1929). The first numbers were based on positions in the batting order, which is why BABE RUTH ended up with 3 and LOU GEHRIG got 4.

Has historically been known as one of the coldest days. U-S all-time low temperature of minus-85 was at Mount Carroll, IL in 1930. That’s the real temperature.
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For the 18th consecutive year, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular purebred dog in America, according to 2008 registration statistics released today by the American Kennel Club® (AKC) But, while more than twice as many Labs were registered last year than any other breed making it a likely leader for many years to come, the Bulldog continues to amble its way up the list. The breed made news last year by returning to the AKC’s Top 10 for the first time in more than 70 years and now has jumped 6%, advancing two spots to land in 8th place.

“The playful Lab may still reign supreme, but the docile and adaptive nature of the Bulldog is gaining ground as a family favorite,” said AKC Spokesperson Lisa Peterson. “It’s no surprise to learn that this devoted family companion is still growing in popularity.”

2008 Most Popular Dogs in the U.S.
1. Labrador Retriever
2. Yorkshire Terrier
3. German Shepherd Dog
4. Golden Retriever
5. Beagle
6. Boxer
7. Dachshund
8. Bulldog
9. Poodle
10. Shih Tzu
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