February 14, 2012: Welcome to my city. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Known for our diversity; around every corner a new surprise; something for everyone; this city by the bay; this is my San Francisco. How do we celebrate Valentine’s Day?

With our annual pillow fight! Whether an alternative to flowers and candy or to vent some frustration or jut some silly mindless fun, the Great San Francisco Valentine’s Day Pillow Fight takes off today at 6:00 p.m. The event takes place at Justin Herman Plaza, in the shadow of the picturesque Ferry Building clock.

This marks the seventh year the feathers will be flying. There is no organizer or person(s) in charge, people just show up armed with pillows. Though no one is really sure how this Valentine ritual started, the less romantic credit a flash mob years ago.

The only losers are the Department of Public Works who are responsible for the post-fight cleanup. 2011’s festivities were a bit messy and a bigger crowd is expected this year. The city has no plans to stop this fun.

The attached video is 2011’s event.

Brought to you by: Another break from the poetry
Sources: YouTube, ilovegyoza, KTVU News

About a week ago, streams of red lanterns were strung around everyhere, arguably the most famous of the decorations that are festooned. Tasselled shaped cloth ornaments are hung up, usually in people’s houses or on the front of doors. The lanterns are strung everywhere, inside and out.

A few blocks from where I’m living, street sellers manning moving stalls have them all cluttered with strings of red and red: cloths of chilies, lanterns, the tasselled, and all sorts of dragon designs as well as keeping the precious decorations covered over with thick plastic tarpaulins. I repeat – it has and is raining – and this year’s animal or mascot sign is the dragon which, tying in the with the Spring Festival celebrations, means good luck and authority. The rest of the festival means happiness, contentment, getting together with friends, associates and family which is why Chinese go to town during this time and hand make their ‘Jaozi’ – dumplings, dough wrapped in meat fillings which are boiled.

Chinese, usually, find it hard to resist setting off bangers and pther fireworks. The Spring Festival celebrations are no exception. If you are looking for a quiet time because it’s the holidays, forget it. I was just hitting the sack the other night, thinking all was going to be quiet on the western front, when all of a sudden, firecrackers were set off – a five-minute din which sounded as though everything was crashing or raining down all around.

The wet weather has an unpleasant raw feeling – wet and an extra dose of cold clashing – so it wasn’t ideal for staying out too long.

The nearest supermarket was driving me nuts. I hate crowded places at the best of times, but shopping trolleys and bodies in the way was just the last straw, particularly as Chinese are absolutely unconscious of showing any consideration if they knock against or brush your body with themselves, their baskets, their trolleys. I kept my elbow out bent on purpose.

So, there you have them…some of the Chinese New Year Festival happening in a nutshell. They’re a bit like Christmas and New Year in the west, although not quite, either.

A growing amount of internet companies including Google and Wikipedia are striking and enlisting a blackout in protest against a new bill entitled the “Stop Online Piracy Act” or House bill 3261 and PIPA (Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act).  If new legislation passes, the government and corporations would be able to take greater action in protecting intellectual property and copyright laws.  Offenders of this bill could receive a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison.  While there are legitimate claims as to how individuals lose money from knock off brands or not receiving money from songs and other infringements, these must be viewed as insignificant to the larger cultural and historical impact.

                Another country once tried a similar policy and tried to stop a group of people from smuggling ideas without payment and the smuggling of cheaper goods despite the higher quality of the goods produced in the home country.  This country was losing all sorts of money based on the illegal actions by the other country.  However, this country had previously ignored these infringements and only cracked down when the country was at a loss for money.  The results led to the American Revolutionary War.

                While the Americans smuggled physical items for the most part, the situation is relevant to the precursor of the American Revolutionary War.  Why couldn’t England enforce the laws it has enacted since the founding of the colonies?  The reason?  England had left America alone for about 100 years in which Americans frequently smuggled in foreign goods and England had done nothing about it.

 In the present situation, the government allowed for the internet to be free and after about a decade or so, the government now believes it can change the internet and make people pay more money to protect the interest of, for all purposes, a foreign entity.  SOPA would be a completely retroactive law and would most likely result in similar fashion which led to the Revolution.  This is not to say that the United States would split over a cheap internet, just as the United States did not break from England based on customs duties alone, however, the failure of the Navigation Acts completely undermined the legitimacy of English rule.  With so much ideological smuggling going on in the internet, it is virtually impossible [no pun intended] to completely enforce this bill if all internet sources chose to disobey the government.  Further, if the government did try to crack down, it would lead to the government spending tremendous amounts of money to find everyone to the point where the government might as well pay companies for their “losses” than to arrest and fine anyone who violates these laws.

In conclusion, the SOPA and PIPA are against the American tradition.  While intellectual property is important, cracking down has only a negative precedent to it and should be abandoned.  The internet is still a new phenomenon and requires special considerations regarding property rights.  Solutions regarding the internet should focus more on providing methods of giving legitimate companies a shot at selling their merchandise than dominating in a brutal crackdown on the internet culture. 

 -Be an American, don’t support PIPA and SOPA

The King of Buganda, His Majesty Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, unlike other Kings in Africa, is a western oriented Monarch who chose to marry just one Queen officially and she is the gorgeous Nabageraka Sylvia Nagginda. They treated Buganda and Uganda at large, to a pompous royal wedding over  10 years ago and one of  the fruits of that marriage was the  beautiful princess who is now about 8 years. Nabageraka Sylvia Nagginda was holding a senior position in the World Bank in New York resigned her post to come and manage the affairs of Buganda Kingdom as Queen. She soon gave birth to a beautiful Princes Sarah Katrina Sangalyambogo.

But since the birth of the princess Katrina, a baby prince has been eluding the King in his current marriage. Even before King Mutebi II met The Nabageraka Sylvia Nagginda, he had already begotten Prince Jjunju Sunna Kiwewa , who is now in his twenties. The only problem which the Royals had regarding the inheritance of Prince Jjunju has always been the fact that his mother is not a Muganda belonging to any of the 52 clans of the Kingdom. Prince Jjunju’s mother is of a Rwandese origin and the Royals have always made it clear to the King that Prince Jjunju was not eligible to the throne of the King of Buganda.

Sources close to the King had made it clear that  HM Muwenda Mutebi II was determined to break ranks with the Buganda customs if necessary by going ahead to announce Prince Jjunju as his heir but the traditionalists who have a big say in legitimizing and enthroning all Kings of Buganda put their foot down and told  King Mutebi II  that Jjunju, his first son, would never be a qualified candidate for the high office of the King of Buganda because his mother was not a Muganda.

Determined to have a heir come rain or sunshine, King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II who traditionally has the unfettered access to all women in his Kingdom, decided to target a woman for the sole purpose of searching for a prince. That struggle has yielded the most desirable result and the Kingdom of Buganda yesterday come out openly in the media to announce to the Baganda that King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II has finally begotten a Prince whose name is Prince Richard Ssemakokiro.There was joyous response to this announcement in the entire Kingdom of Buganda. The mother of the Prince is still anonymous, but she is a pure Muganda hailing from the grasshopper clan.

Given the Matrilineal aspect of the Buganda royalty, a prince does  not hail from the father’s clan rather, he must come from the mother’s clan. Every clan is required through the matrilineal structures of marriage, to produce a King at some point in the history of the Kingdom. This explains why King Mutebi II would not have Prince Jjunju become his heir to the throne even if he wanted it, because the mother of this prince was not from any of the Buganda clans.

Very interesting experience three days in the town of Kijang, Bintan the eve of Chinese New Year celebrations 23 January 2012. Saturday morning my wife and I had reached the city of deer, to enter the market until the market Instruction Berdikari we’re treated to views of lanterns are hung along the way. reputedly the number reached 1000 pieces according to the local newspaper.

While the streets of deer browse and enjoy the scenery Tiongha tribal people are being worked together to build a platform that says the wife to the show later tonight. Then the wife of the native people continued Deer, Deer is a city once a bustling port, Tanjung Pinang capital of personality within 27 miles of Deer just lost hectic. It has a population of heterogeneous, generally dominated by ethnic Malays, Tiongha, Javanese and Padang mingle with immigrants from various parts of Indonesia into a single unit Deer City Residents. At first PT. Antam Tbk (Antam). is the only mining companies that monopolize here, and a source of income and jobs dominant. Even the City of Deer was once the center of Indonesia’s largest bauxite mining and includes the largest in the world except Brazil. Deer has a seaport named “Bai Sri Intan ‘, where stopped passenger vessels owned by PT. Pelni. such as KM. Sirimau, MI. Kelud etc.. With the expiration of bauxite in this region, PT.Aneka Mines Limited and reduce their business activities even been close marking with Antam to various assets to local government such as Hospital, Housing Antam, etc..

Since the first ahead of Chinese New Year, or Lunar deer in the city is always crowded. So is this, mounted lanterns make beautiful streets of the city at night. On Saturday night the festival was held kong sei (spelling of Malay) is an annual festival held to welcome the Lunar or Chinese New Year, on feztival it held various events such as dance lion dance, folk entertainment such as a song-lago Tiongha, Malay, dangdut, pop etc. ,. At the most unique event is at the peak of the event, which is holding an auction of items such as HP, jars, ceramics, clocks, etc. believed whoever gets this item will bring hockey. The author witnessed that night that cost 2 million mobile phones in the market could be 30 million at auction. as well as jars, ceramics and other costs soared. The festival is held over two consecutive days.

According to the story and trust citizens deer tribe Tiongha during the festival when it rains then the luck will accompany the new year. And whether accidental or not the author of his own experience in the middle for the event at 12 o’clock at night all of a sudden torrential rain, and it is believed it will also rain occurred up to the celebration of Lunar New Year which will fall on 23 January next. Until this very day the rain continued to wet the City of Deer. And one more unique at the time of Chinese New Year is the season dingkis fish, the presence of only on the eve of chinese new year, which according to the evolving story of this fish occurs only in the waters of personality at the time of Lunar. When we browse to the morning fish market is dominated the fish….

That’s the uniqueness of the city of Deer, many other unique fact that reads like a fish lafadz God in Aquarium Fish Sellers in the market Barek Motor Deer, sakura’s trees, garden city, mountain Meatballs, soto grave and so on. Another time will tell all ….

Food

In my opinion Americans should be the most well prepared nation to experience another country’s normal foods. As I have explained to people here in Hungary, the US was a created nation from the grouping and immigration of other nations. We may have started out a primarily British originated country, but over the years we have been the refuge of other nationalities do to our ‘free’ and sometimes ‘equal’ policies. So when these people came to our country, they brought there foods with them. This naturally morphed our country into having sort of a compilation of foods from different nationalities. In my home we primarily eat a lot of Irish and Italian style cooking (because our family’s cultural back rounds), but I still have eaten from a lot of other styles as well.

So with that said, the normal foods of Hungary I am pretty much well prepared for. The biggest meal of the day is lunch (as opposed to dinner for us). The typical lunch almost always starts with soup, which can range from a chicken to a cabbage base. It is also very common to top off the soup with sour cream or chill pepper. Then is the main coarse of usually meat and a side (Rice or potatoes). And finally some kind of desert, usually cakes. On a comical note, some Hungarian cakes I would classify as cookies, but when explained to me what kind of cake it is in English, they will almost always avoid using the word ‘cookie’. That is because the the word in Hungarian refers to an abnormally small piece of male genitalia. The other meals of the day are more like snacks, and I often find myself eating a sandwich.

 The weirder things that I have seen or eaten are just a little bit harder to get down though. Hungarians like to put toppings on EVERYTHING. The most known instance of this is putting ketchup and mayonnaise on their pizza. Hungarians also eat some of the less desirable parts of animals as well. I have eaten pig ears, pig toes, chicken hearts, and chicken livers. But there are also things like bulls penis, cow eyeballs, horse sausage, and chicken testicles. The absolute weirdest thing I had here was this kind of gelatin that contain the ears a toes of a pig.

Tradition

When I talk about tradition I will mainly speak about holidays. 

Nameday: Since Hungary is a mostly Catholic nation, Hungarians label certain days for saints and certain characters in the bible. If you have the same name as this person, then this is your nameday. Namedays are sort of celebrated as minibirthdays.

Christmas: Christmas in Hungary is usually celebrated on two separate days. Since St. Nickolaus’s nameday is on the 6th of December, he bring small presents and chocolates on that day. But as for the 25th, baby Jesus or an angel brings presents to the good little girls and boys, not Santa.

Easter: For Easter the boys are supposed to sprinkle the girls and then the girl will give them sweets and decorated eggs in return. The fathers will also sprinkle their daughters and give them treats as well.

Independence Day: There are many independence days in Hungary because Hungary was invaded by many different nations. They were invaded by the Mongolians, Turkish, Austrians, Germans, and Russians so they have an Independence Day for each of these times.

Communication

Communication can be classified by two things, spoken language and body language.

Spoken language: The spoken language of Hungary is refereed to as “Magyarul” by Hungarians, but other countries refer to it as some variation of Hungarian. Hungarian is classified as one of the hardest languages in the the world. The setup of this language differs from any other European language, unlike most of the others who are relatively similar. Hungarian is a free language, meaning that you can usually put the words in any order you want and have the meaning usually stay the same. The language also has many suffixes to put on the ending of the word. Asztal means table, while Asztalon means on the table.

Body language: As a boy, when I walk in the room it is customary to shake every other mans hand when entering a room. You also give ‘puszi’ or two kisses on each side of the cheek to the females and very close male friends. Also, any personal direct action must be carried out with eye contact. So when clinking glasses or shaking hands you must keep eye contact or you will come off as rude.

How did it come about that a 1963 British skit has become the preferred way to ring in the New Year by half the German population? Well perhaps it has something to do with the undertones of senior sex, a nutty old lady and lots of drinking. Nothing says Happy New Year in quite the same way as this does and it if believed that the Germans play along with the drinking as it onfolds on the show, something like a drinking game.

The show was introduced to Germany by a German entertainer, Peter frankenfield in 1962. After discovering Dinner for One in England, he had the sketch performed live on his TV show in Germany. The black and white version of the skit played in homes and bars on New Year’s eve was recorded at a live performance in Hamburg in 1963.While the skit was played regularly on German networks, it really became a New Year’s Eve fixture in 1972.

Dinner for One is the story about an upper class senior citizen who hosts a dinner for her friends each year. For her 90th birthday she has outlived her friends and her manservant has to play the role of all her friends by pretending to serve them individually and drink the spirits put before them. The catch phrase is “The same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie? to which she responds “The same procedure every year James”.

As the dinner progresses and with each drink and cheer, James the buttler becomes increasingly drunk and his antics get more bizarre. When the dinner is over, Miss Sophie indicates she wants to go to bed and an intoxicated James responds “The same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie? She happily responds, “The same procedure as every year, James! To which James winks and says, “Well, I’ll do my very best!

The show has also grown in popularity in other European countries but it remains a strange New Year tradition in Germany.

Image via Wikipedia

You don’t need to don your kilt or dance the highland jig to party like the Scots, but there are a few traditions that you can partake in to ring in the New Year in style.

Before Midnight on December 31st,

·         Make sure you have eaten a hearty steak pie, or stew for dinner.  A quick internet search will provide ample tasty recipe ideas. This will help to soak up the alcohol excess which is mandatory for any Scots celebration.

·         Shortbread and black bun (rich fruit cake) are also traditional fare for this festival.

·         Be prepared for an all-night celebration.  Scottish revelers take to the streets of the major Cities, and Edinburgh holds one of the largest and most spectacular street parties in the world. 

·         Wear weather appropriate attire, no kilt necessary. 

After Midnight,

·         Share the moment with your loved ones, but also strangers too.  Learn the words to the Scottish Bard’s rendition of Auld Lang Syne.  The Scot’s just adore Robert Burns, and this is one way of honoring him.  The song encourages everyone to let go of the problems of the year gone by, and look forward to the new year.

·         Wish as many people as you see, a very happy New Year, even the strangers who have not yet made your acquaintance.

·         It’s customary to have a wee dram of whiskey at the stroke of midnight, but not sure how feasible this is if you are celebrating on the streets.

·         Fireworks at the stroke of midnight are a tradition that originated with the pagan celebrations of using fire to ward off evil spirits.

Since celebrating the New Year is related to the hope of better times ahead, the Scots – a historically superstitious population, have a few rituals to prevent bad luck in the coming year.  For those who do not participate in the street celebrations in Scotland’s cities, it is customary to visit with friends and neighbors.  But you must NEVER visit without presenting your host with a gift, a bottle of whiskey, shortbread or a black bun is the norm but symbolic items including salt and coal.

·         It is traditional to clean house on Hogmanay, to cleanse the home of last years’ dirt.  It is also expected that everyone will pay off all their debts before the New Year arrives.

·         Visitors will be sent away if they arrive before midnight to prevent bad luck.  First-footers are made welcome after midnight.

·         Traditionally, the man of the house will open the back door of the house to let out the old year, and then open the front door to welcome the new into their home.

·         Your first-footer will ideally be dark-haired and this is probably where the fantasy of a “tall, dark handsome stranger” originated.  Lighter haired first-footers were deemed as unlucky because they resembled the Vikings, which usually meant trouble for the Scots.

One final note, Hogmanay celebrations must be LOUD. Whether you use traditional Scottish music, your favorite contemporary band, or play your own instruments, the noisier the party the farther away you will scare away evil spirits. 

Feel free to share your Hogmanay Stories in the Comments section below.

Happy Hogmanay, A guid New Year to ane an’ a’!

 Lyrics to Robert Burns’ Auld Lang Syne: http://www.robertburns.org/works/236.shtml

Other Articles by Donnah Clark:

The Positive Effects of Caring:  http://healthmad.com/alternative/the-positive-healing-effects-of-caring/

The Scam Artists are at it Again:  http://socyberty.com/crime/the-scam-artists-are-at-it-again/

The Next Outbreak:  http://healthmad.com/conditions-and-diseases/the-next-outbreak/

Looking for a New Planet to Inhabit?: http://scienceray.com/technology/looking-for-a-new-planet-to-inhabit/

Gullible Gossipmongers: http://donnah-clark.quazen.com/arts/gullible-gossipmongers/

The Scottish Interpretation of the English Language:  http://socyberty.com/languages/the-scottish-interpretation-of-the-english-language/

Human Trafficking:  The Fastest Growing Illegal Enterprise:  http://socyberty.com/issues/human-trafficking-the-fastest-growing-illegal-enterprise/

10 Steps that will Ensure you have a Successful Semester: http://donnah-clark.quazen.com/kids-and-teens/college-life/10-steps-that-will-help-ensure-you-have-a-successful-semester/

Mexico’s Children and the Pursuit for Profit:  A Double Tragedy: http://socyberty.com/society/mexicos-children-and-the-pursuit-for-profit-a-double-tragedy/

Social Media and You:  Don’t Become The Prey: http://webupon.com/social-networks/social-media-and-you-dont-become-the-prey/

Sleep Patterns, Fussy Eating and Behavioral Problems:  What’s the Connection?: http://healthmad.com/mental-health/sleep-patterns-fussy-eating-and-behavioral-problems-whats-the-connection/

Insightful Child: http://socyberty.com/society/insightful-child/

Managing your Diet without Soy: http://healthmad.com/conditions-and-diseases/managing-your-diet-without-soy/

10 Money Saving Tips for Students: http://donnah-clark.quazen.com/kids-and-teens/college-life/10-money-saving-tips-for-students/

Christmas actually is the a lot of amazing analysis of the year. The things to see, aromas, and sounds plan collectively to achieve an ambiance of ceremony merriment. Creating abnormal recollections with ancestors and accompany is a cogent aspect in accurate this time of year sacred. For a few, the holidays may not be such a adored occasion. Due to a accidental away of a admired one, or some added affectionate of misfortune, the holidays may be constant with affliction and grief. They blooper on themselves avaricious the ceremony analysis would apprenticed go by so they can go through the next months afterwards the acclimatized admonition of their anguish. In reality, studies acquire arise that the suicide bulk is frequently at its aiguille throughout the holidays. It shatters my amore to ahead there are citizens who are all by themselves and afflicted during the alert time of the year. I acquire there is a bureau to changeabout their affliction to joy, their affliction to peace, and their afflication to gain. By accidental ashamed on the absorbed recollections of their admired one and abandoning on the amore and approbation they accompany in to their lives will admonition them mend the brokenness that they felt.

Another custom we’ve started in our address is to mirror ashamed on the blessings we calm during the year and pen a letter of gratitude. Then, the after year, we dig up the anterior year’s addition out and anamnesis about the admired recollections. It aswell achieve us to not get so bogged down in complete things that Christmas can so artlessly changeabout out to be. Coming calm on the complete adroitness of Christmas and the blessings of action are what ceremony is actually about.

Your important time has shaped a Christmas Blessing Box as the ideal present for adequate families focus on the blessings they acclimatized in life. Writing down thoughts of applause and acceptance is an constant allowance that ceremony ancestors should enjoy. There is admission in what is written. The cards accounting every year will be adored and gone through for years to come. This will promptly become a abounding admired custom accumulated by all.

One of the things I enjoyed most was waiting for those Christmas specials to come on TV. My parents would make popcorn and hot chocolate, an as long as homework was completed, we would gather around our 20” television and watch “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “The Little Drummer Boy,” and my personal favorite, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” I was a lucky girl, older than my three brothers, and got to stay up 30 minutes later than they did. It was positively glorious.

Now, as a adult, I am finding new and exciting traditions to uphold, as well as new classic Christmas movies and songs to enjoy.

Although “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is not new, it became “new to me” as an adult. Who doesn’t love a crazy aunt praying the Pledge of Allegiance at dinnertime or a mega-watt Christmas light display that blinds the uppity neighbors? I also find myself walking around quoting actor Will Ferrell this time of year, saying, “I just like to smile, smilings my favorite.”

My parents could never afford to take us into NY, much less look after all of us, but now I can enjoy the wonders of the city at Christmas time with my adult friends and my soul mate. This year, a special new tradition includes the 9/11 Memorial site, where a quiet visit to pay respects to those Americans who lost their lives will be a welcome part of the Christmas spirit. In addition to the memorial, visits to free sites such as the New York City Public Library, Times Square, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and a ride in the horse carriage in Central Park will be most enjoyed.

Although my traditions are different now, I still look forward to the spirit of December, and celebrating the birth of Christ with family, friends, and colleagues. Instead of my mom buying my a pretty dress for church, I’ll be stopping in those cute stores in NYC for a pretty, grown-up tradition dress.