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Have you ever worn sandals over socks?  (Would you admit it if you had?)  Well, if you are one of those people who would rather not sacrifice that extra bit of comfort on the altar of fashion and feel the need to justify your choice, I have good news for you.  When you wear sandals over socks you are quite likely following an ancient Roman tradition. 

Excavations in the North Yorkshire found that rust on the nail of a Roman shoe seem to have the impressions of fibers—leading archaeologists to the conclusion that ancient Romans wore their sandals over sock-like garments.  Harry Mount, a writer for the British Telegraph, can readily believe that the Romans committed this grievous fashion faux pas.  He points out that letters from legionaries stationed at Hadrian’s Wall provide ample evidence of how the cold English weather was getting the Romans down.  More, there is evidence that their families back home were sympathetic to their plight.  One poor chap received a most welcome parcel from someone containing socks, two pairs of sandals, and two pairs of underpants. 

Blaise Vyner, the archaeologist in charge of the dig, defends the ancient Romans lack of fashion sense.  She thinks the Romans would have been pretty keen to get hold of some socks as soon as autumn came along.  Fashion blogs are having none of that.

Stylelist, for example, informs its readers that they’re putting their toga party on ice until the Romans (lack of fashion) gets sorted out.  The rest of us though may just have to get used to the idea that ancient Romans preferred comfort to fashion.

One of the best ways to acknowledge how much you care about another person is if you let that person know how nice they look. After all, we like to be complimented on our choice of clothing, hair style, shoes, etc. This action promotes self confidence in the other person and it also makes them realize that you care about them and it is, in fact, an act of endearment.

I had an awakening of sorts some time ago. My wife had an evening meeting in a particular part of town that has seen its share of crime. I didn’t pay attention to what time she was supposed to be home, nor had I noticed what she was wearing when she left. Accordingly, when my wife hadn’t returned by the time I had imagined, I became alarmed and even more so once I realized I wouldn’t even be able to furnish a detailed description of her, in the event something bad had happened. I made a conscious decision at that very moment, to always pay attention to my wife’s attire and even little details, like socks or earrings. The eight (8) tip acronym I use is “remember.”

R = Recognize how much this person means to you and the important role they play in your life.

E = Emphasize the love you feel for them.

M = Mention how nice they look today.

E = Engage them in a conversation about what their day will be like.

M = Memorize what they are wearing, including shoes, jackets, jewelry and if you notice, even their socks.

B = Be complimentary on your loved one’s appearance.

E = Embolden their self confidence with your words of praise.

R = Relish every moment of their existence with you.

I think we all need to start appreciating how fortunate we are to have those in our lives who love us. Now, we need to be cognizant of their very existence. If you have a parent with Alzheimer’s and they wandered off, would you be able to provide a clear and detailed description of them to the authorities?

The moral of my short piece here is twofold. 1. Let those most treasured in your life know how treasured they are and do not let your guard down, thereby becoming complacent in your relationship. 2. Be vigilant in observing what your loved one is wearing, just in case you need to relate this information to someone else. This really is a common sense approach to personal awareness of those around us. However, I fear we have become so self absorbed we forget to tell others we love them, need them and would sorrily miss them if they were gone. Hopefully, I have just given you a wake up call.

Written By: Dennis L. Page

Overview:

Wal-Mart is an American corporation that runs a chain of discount department stores and some warehouse stores. In 2010 it was the world’s largest public corporation in terms of revenue. The company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962 with intentions of making this a “super store”. The first Wal-Mart “super center” opened in 1988 in Missouri. At some point in 2005 there were estimates that Wal-Mart controlled 20% of the retail grocery business. Wal-Mart has different divisions such as “Wal-Mart Supercenter”, Wal-Mart Discount Stores, and Sam’s Club. Sam’s Club is a chain of ware house stores which sell groceries and general merchandise, often in large amounts. Sam’s Club stores are membership based stores and most customers buy annual memberships.

Criticism of Wal-Mart:

Wal-Mart has been criticized for doing what’s called predatory pricing. Predatory pricing is when a store puts products at prices so low, that consumers buy at Wal-Mart only because of it while driving the other stores out of business. This draws customers away from the smaller stores which hurts the community. In May 2010, Wal-Mart’s US stores pulled its Miley Cyrus necklaces and bracelets, three months after the Associated Press told Wal-Mart that the jewelry contained harmful amounts of the toxic metal cadmium. Long-term exposure to cadmium can lead to bone softening and kidney failure which is a serious issue. Wal-Mart has faced a ton of lawsuits and issues with regards to its workforce. These issues involve low wages, poor working conditions, poor health care, as well as issues involving the company’s anti-unions policies. Critics point to Wal-Mart’s high turnover rate as evidence of an unhappy workforce. 

Opinion:

I shop at Wal-Mart to get good deals on products such as Electronic games, and shoes. For the case of video games, those games are overpriced to begin with. When I bought NHL 10 last year it cost me $49.99 plus tax instead of $59.99 at GameStop or Best Buy. Same thing for NBA 2k10, it adds up to around $21 of savings. As for the shoes, I bought a pair of Shaq shoes for $32 and they look great. May not have been the cheapest shoes but they fit fine. I also buy things such as graphic t-shirts, socks, and sports apparel from Wal-Mart since you can’t get a better deal than a $10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers official hat.  

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If you own a pair of knee high socks and you don’t know what to do with them here is an article about ideas for outfits that both men and women can wear.

For Women.

1. A sexy Schoolgirl Costume. This is best used either on Halloween or for a romantic day with your lover.

2. With a skirt.

3. With High Heels.

4. With anything on a day that you want your legs to stay warm.

Men should wear knee socks whenever they want to. A man can even wear knee socks with a pair of shorts.

Knee socks should be something that people wear because they like them they needn’t be a huge issue for people.

Well… I was feeling nice, so I gave them a $50 gift card to Winco and think it will help them out a lot. If anything like this happens to you to, I hope that you find it in your heart to do the same as me and “give” this holiday. I hope you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Well… England has always had a lot of history, especially when it comes to dealing with other countries, that’s why some of these laws do include the rest of Britain. The reason these laws are still around is simply because it is too much effort to erase them, it is a lengthy process involving 4 stages of approval.

There are a lot of these funny laws still about too many to mention, so I am going to include 10 of the ones I think are the funniest. Sit back and let history teach you…hehe.

1. Eating mince pies on Christmas Day is illegal throughout England. Oops! Lock me up, maybe the only day where pretty much everybody will break the law.
2. If a postage stamp with the Queens head on is placed upside down it is counted as Treason, which still carries the death penalty. Hmm do you think the Queen knows of this law?
3. In the lovely place which is York it is still legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow, on all days except Sundays. The Scottish best stay away.
4. It is still very much legal to shoot a Welshman with a crossbow, only after midnight and if done within the city walls. Hmm looks like the Welsh should stay away too.
5. It is very illegal to stand within one hundred yards of a ruling Monarch if you are not wearing any socks. What is they smell really bad dose that count.
6. It is illegal for an MP to enter Parliament, wearing a suit of armour, this obviously stops duels from happening. Doesn’t seem to stop the shouting though.
7. Interestingly enough it is illegal to die within the houses of Parliament. What’s the court hearing going to be like if that happens?
8. The law allows any pregnant women to relieve themselves in public. The law sure is disgusting.
9. It is illegal to wrestle an untrained bull in public. I would certainly like to ask them why they would want too.
10. It is against the law to allow your pet to get it on with any pet of the Royal House. This carries the death penalty and you will be executed. Not your pet YOU!.

That’s the ten, but I do have one more which I think is hilarious.

It is in fact illegal in Ireland for Bee’s to trespass. Yes that’s right those insects which fly around everywhere. I would certainly like to meet the person who is able to train Bee’s to intentionally trespass.

We all laugh in a different way. Some of us “laugh through our noses, while some of us laugh through our teeth hissing and thissing like snakes”, we should love to laugh. I find that it is an excellent way to relax. Do not be embarrassed of laughing out loud, if that happen to be the way you like to laugh.

I remember the time when my parents, sister and I would go to the movies when we were growing up. I loved the comedies because they would really make me laugh. I remember watching the Charlie Chaplin movies, the Norman Wisdom movies, the Crazy Boys movies, and having a loud hearty laugh in my seat. Mum and Dad would tell me to quieten down sometimes, as I would occasionally be the only person in the cinema hall having a good laugh.

The dinner table family conversations were also times when we would all have a good laugh. Those were memorable times when my Mum, Dad, sister and I would sit around the table chat about the events during the day and have a good laugh. Mum would wipe away her tears, as she would laugh at the jokes I would share. I have always loved humour and wit growing up, and the family dining table was the one place where I would practise to sharpen my wit and satire. Later on in years, after my marriage, Mum, Dad, my wife and I would sit around the same table and share jokes and laugh at life in general. Those were all the happy memories I can remember today, those are the thoughts which bring Mum back to me in my mind. Mum passed away a few months ago and I miss her very much. Laughter, humour and happiness are the ingredients of happy memories whenever we need to remember our loved ones.

Take time to laugh today and if you are not in the habit of doing so, learn the art of humour and wit and get to know the secret recipe to enjoying life. Is there room in your life for humour and laughter? Like in the words of that great Comedian, Peter Sellers, in the Pink Panther, as Inspector Clouseau, “Do you have a rooooom?”. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the antics of Peter Sellers and Charlie Chaplin as they brought the screen and my humour alive whenever they tumbled onto the silver screen. Take time to Laugh your socks off today, it could even add a few years to your life. Laugh at life and laugh at yourself and before long you could be laughing your way to the bank, if you make laughter a skill and laugh your way into the International Comedy circuit and maybe even Hollywood. You could have another Jim Carrey or Robin Williams lurking somewhere in your comic nature. Take time to have a laugh today.