The Silver State Chronicles

Poor Rudolph, no more reindeer games for him…

The offended parent was Jewish and objected to the word ‘Christmas’ in the song.  The funny detail in this story (well, at least funny to me) is that ‘Rudolph the Red-Noses Reindeer’ was written by Johnny Marks, a Jewish-American songwriter, who had a successful career with several Christmas Songs to his credit.

‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ causes stir at school

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” caused a stir at a New Hanover County school. A parent complained about the song’s religious reference and got it pulled from her child’s kindergarten Christmas show at Murrayville Elementary School.

The song was pulled “because it had the word Christmas in it,” said Rick Holliday, assistant school superintendent.

A Jewish mother, who didn’t want her name published, objected to what she called “religious overtones” in the song. So the principal agreed to pull it from the program.

School administrators said they were then flooded with complaints from other angry parents.

“I would say it’s not a very religious song. It’s about Santa Claus,” parent Anne Vanslyke said.

School board members, administrators and attorneys listened closely to the song’s lyrics and decided the song was secular.

“Rudolph is a secular song. It was about a flying reindeer, not a religious symbol,” Holliday said.

Many parents shouted out with glee when they heard the song was back in the program.

“I think it’s great that they let the kids sing because all the kids love that song,” Vanslyke said.

Any student who objects to singing a Christmas song or attending a program can decline participation and will not be penalized, according to school administrators.

“We do try to be cognizant of everyone’s feelings,” Holliday said.

School administrations also decided that for future concerts, religious songs can be included, as long as other faiths are represented as well.

Here’s to some great Christmas recordings!

Make that ‘Summer 2009′

Here is the full length trailer that ran with Cloverfield back in January. The only change is that production delays have postponed the film’s opening from Christmas 2008 to sometime in Summer, 2009.

Can’t say I’m psyched for this one, True Believers.

American Christmas Card, 1878

We have liftoff!

I’m very happy to report that NORAD tracking satellites have confirmed that Santa & crew have had a successful launch from his home base in the North Pole! He is on his way!

Be good!!!

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A Classic Never Goes Out of Style!

Well, three of my favorite things on God’s green earth are Christmas, O Henry stories, and Mr. Lorne Greene. Then again, who doesn’t rank those three things high on their own personal list?

It brings me great pleasure that these three things converge in a wonderful record album released around 1965. So for your listening holiday pleasure, kick back and enjoy Mr. Greene’s reading of this classic Christmas tale!

Some Intriguing Predictions from 1900

Way back in December of 1900, The Ladies Home Journal published a fascinating article by John Elfreth Watkins, Jr. that offered a series of predictions of what would be in store for the USA and The World 100 years later, in the year 2000.

Well, here we are in 2007, so lets take a look at how well he did:

What May Happen in the Next Hundred Years
by John Elfreth Watkins, Jr.

Prediction #1: There will probably be from 350,000,000 to 500,000,000 people in America and its possessions by the lapse of another century. Nicaragua will ask for admission to our Union after the completion of the great canal. Mexico will be next. Europe, seeking more territory to the south of us, will cause many of the South and Central American republics to be voted into the Union by their own people.”

Prediction #2: The American will be taller by from one to two inches. His increase of stature will result from better health, due to vast reforms in medicine, sanitation, food and athletics. He will live fifty years instead of thirty-five as at present – for he will reside in the suburbs. The city house will practically be no more. Building in blocks will be illegal. The trip from suburban home to office will require a few minutes only. A penny will pay the fare.

Prediction #3: Gymnastics will begin in the nursery, where toys and games will be designed to strengthen the muscles. Exercise will be compulsory in the schools. Every school, college and community will have a complete gymnasium. All cities will have public gymnasiums. A man or woman unable to walk ten miles at a stretch will be regarded as a weakling.

Prediction #4: There Will Be No Street Cars in Our Large Cities. All hurry traffic will be below or high above ground when brought within city limits. In most cities it will be confined to broad subways or tunnels, well lighted and well ventilated, or to high trestles with “moving-sidewalk” stairways leading to the top. These underground or overhead streets will teem with capacious automobile passenger coaches and freight with cushioned wheels. Subways or trestles will be reserved for express trains. Cities, therefore, will be free from all noises.

Prediction #5: Trains will run two miles a minute, normally; express trains one hundred and fifty miles an hour. To go from New York to San Francisco will take a day and a night by fast express. There will be cigar-shaped electric locomotives hauling long trains of cars. Cars will, like houses, be artificially cooled. Along the railroads there will be no smoke, no cinders, because coal will neither be carried nor burned. There will be no stops for water. Passengers will travel through hot or dusty country regions with windows down.

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