Celebrating Mothers Day Around The World

In Civil War era America, Mothers Day was intended to be a day of peace and tranquility, a humble recognition of what mothers bring to society. For Julia Ward Howe, this day wasn't about gifts for mother, but rather, a day to call for disarmament, peace and pacifism.

Mothers who lost sons in war would gather together for strength and support. Masses would piously thank mothers for their sacrifices. The history of Mothers Day is a far cry from the sort of commercialism we see today, with Mother Day flowers, cards and gifts commemorating this special day.

Ironically, Anna Jarvis grew to detest the very holiday she helped to create. Hardly nine years after Woodrow Wilson officially declared Mothers Day a national celebration, Mothers Day card sales and profits of Mother Day flowers were skyrocketing.

The National Restaurant Association reports that Mother's Day is the most popular dine-out occasion of the year, even surpassing Valentine's Day. According to IBIS World research, Americans spent $2.6 billion on flowers, $1.53 billion on pampering gifts and $68 million on Mothers Day cards in 2008. The jewelry industry reported that 7.8% of their annual sales come from Mother's Day too.

A number of countries celebrate Mothers Day, although not necessarily on the same day or in the same way. Mothers Day cards and flowers are also popular in the UK, but in Spain it's more of a low-key religious celebration.

In America, the holiday has become a day of gift-giving and supreme pampering. In South Africa, child and mother switch roles. As the child cooks and cleans, the mother sits back and watches her favorite TV shows or has a relaxing bath. In almost every country, the importance of women as procreator and nurturer is celebrated each year.

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Complicating Birthday Statistics

It may be surprising that only a small group of people is needed in order to result in what is known as a birthday paradox, or coincidence. That is when two people within a group celebrate the same date of birth. Most people think that there would need to be a rather large group in order for this to happen, yet that is not the case.

When you add a third person to the group they have only 363 days to miss having the same birthdays as the first two people. Meaning they have a probability of 363/365, or 0.9945 and when you multiply this to the previous results it results in a 0.9918 chance of them having the same birthday. The probability results of 0.0164 (1-0.9836) of having matching birthdays is the result when you add a fourth person to the group.

Even though it may be interesting to learn different facts and discover unusual tidbits about ordinary events or processes, most people would probably prefer to celebrate the uniqueness of certain celebrations such as a birthday, with the exception of multiple births. It is a unique, special event for one special person on one special day.

They prefer to celebrate in the more traditional way of throwing a birthday bash, complete with presents, cards, some party favors and a birthday cake. They also prefer to leave all of the analytical aspects, such as equations, percentages and probabilities to those who are less sentimental.

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Meet Friends At The Bar

If you live in a fairly good sized town or city, then the odds are that the bar scene is plentiful. You probably have many choices if you want to go out drinking, as to what type of venue you wish to frequent.

Perhaps you enjoy going to karaoke bars and singing the night away or you might enjoy an evening at a sports bar. No matter what type of pub or tavern you choose to wash away the stresses of the day; odds are they are available.

Typically, the bar owner will choose the decor, name, lighting and drink menus to specifically attract a certain demographic. There is however, only so much that can be done to ensure that the type of clientele that was aimed for will actually frequent the place.

This can mean that a singles bar that offers dancing, over a period of time, will become increasingly popular with couples who are looking for a dance bar. But for the most part, if you leave home to go and have drinks at a country and western bar, then you will find those interested in country and western music patronizing the establishment.

Today, you have many choices when you head out to the bar. More and more different types of bars are springing up and offering not only mixed drinks and cocktails to their patrons but also different forms of entertainment.

In establishments with flair bartenders, the bartenders themselves are most often the show. They can be seen tossing the bottles and glasses up in the air and entertaining the crowd. While this may not be your style, it is probably safe to say that there is a bar out there that can keep you entertained and your glass full.

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Pumpkin Seeds For Any Social Occasion

Pumpkin seeds are enjoyed in many countries all around the world. Here in the USA, they are especially enjoyed during Halloween, when the seeds are taken out of pumpkins to make Jack–O–Lanterns.

You can purchase pumpkin seeds at any food store, as they are quite nutritious and can be an alternative to candy and potato chips. Especially if you have an aversion to sweets, concerned about your calorie count and do not like artificial additives like preservatives, in your snacks.

Pumpkin seeds are a nutritious alternative to those who always want to have a snack when they are at a social occasion, but do not wish to gain the extra weight when they are eating potato chips and other snacks.

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Personalized Wine Bottles For That Once In A Lifetime Event

Personalized wine bottles are given out to commemorate special events like a birthday or a corporate event or a once in life time event, like a wedding.

You can locate people online who are involved in arranging special events and chat to them on a forum. You can discuss what you should do on these special events.

Back when I was planning my wedding I was a member of a forum. This forum was for people who are planning their wedding, and for those who were engaged and just dabbling their feet into the planning process.

I had a lot of fun there and I learned a lot of things about weddings. I have never personally been to a wedding were people have given personalized wine bottles, I met many people online who used to this idea for their wedding favors.

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