Question: Dr. Winters, everyone talks about the importance of being confident on the golf course. What exactly is golf confidence and how do I create it?
This is a question that often comes up in my work. Many people have different ideas about what confidence means. Quite often, golfers aren't sure if they can define golf confidence or articulate its exact meaning, but they seem to know when they have confidence -- and also when they don't.
When they don't have confidence, they're not sure how to create it or get it going again. In my work with National Golf Coach Association Coach of the Year for 1996, Cindy Ho of Longwood College, she stated that, "Golf confidence comes and goes, and that's the biggest challenge, day in and day out, to find something that will keep you being confident on the golf course. The consistency of your confidence, that's so important."
As Coach Ho suggests, many golfers find that their confidence ebbs and flows during a round and sometimes leaves them permanently! As a sports psychologist, a number of golfers tell me that they experience negative thoughts and feelings and are unable to access the "positive feelings" they were experiencing when they were playing well. Therefore, in order to tackle this golfing dilemma, I believe a good place to start and develop confidence is to identify exactly what golf confidence means to you and how you make sense of it.
Brenda Langdon of Charlottesville, VA provided a definition of golf confidence that I thought was excellent. A former high school athletic director who loves to play golf for recreation and competition, Langdon defined golf confidence this way: "I think confidence in your golf game is the same as confidence in everything you do. It's setting a goal and knowing that you can execute whatever it takes to achieve that goal. In golf especially, it means to trust your swing under pressure. It also means that you don't spend time worrying about bad things that might happen."
According to Langon's definition, the ability to set a goal, execute or play the way that you want to, and remain focused on achieving that goal, is vital to building confidence. Also, her definition suggests that when you feel confident, you don't allow yourself to worry about the results or have doubt. I think that Langdon's definition is extremely insightful. I would like to add that golf confidence is knowing that you can execute a shot or swing and be successful at that particular moment in time. It is this knowing, or having faith in yourself, that lends strength to your conviction that everything will turn out O.K.. And this is not just a mental concept, but a physical one as well, because when you feel confident, intense internal feelings swell up within you and create a feeling of positive momentum. This embodiment of positive feelings allows you to feel powerful and reinforce within your mind and body an internal "knowing" that you will play well.
To extend this definition to a tournament setting means that you will be filled with confidence and have the self-knowledge or feeling that, not only will everything turn out O.K., but will not allow yourself to be bothered by occasional poor shots or poor results during a tournament round.
Golf confidence means that you believe in yourself and you have faith that you will play the way that you want to play! I also think it is important to understand that having confidence is not a guarantee of successful performance, but rather it gives you a chance to perform to your ability and potential. It provides a way for you to see how good you can be.
Many other components of the human experience need to be considered as elements that contribute to one's confidence. These elements include patience, commitment and emotional resiliency. You need persistence, mental toughness and trust -- the ability to bounce back after a bad shot or hole.
Golf confidence is a "do it to yourself" and "do it for yourself" project that starts the moment you make up your mind to take charge of your attitude, and become powerful and self-energized! The first step, therefore, is to create consistent. Personal reflection and awareness help many players on the professional tours to re-create feelings of confidence when things aren't going well or when they want to visualize success. According to PGA Tour rookie Charles Warren, "The ability for me to create confidence is simply to tap into my past successful feelings and experiences. I think about what I did to prepare for the event, how I was practicing and warming up, who I was playing with, what my attitude was like when I was playing well, and quite simply, thinking about anything that provides me with a positive feeling for playing well."
The following simple mental exercise will help build confidence.
By answering the following few questions, you'll become aware of your thoughts and feelings while playing golf, which in turn, will reveal the important mental and emotional keys that help you to feel confident.
In your previous golf rounds, remember a time when you played extremely well. What was it like? What was happening prior to your playing (the drive to the golf course, your warm up and practice sessions), and also during the round?
Are you able to remember some of the positive thoughts and feelings you experienced? If you can, make mental notes or write them down.
These thoughts and feelings could be items such as the people that you played with, or the way in which you warmed up prior to playing -- anything that you feel is important or significant needs to be written down and noted. Anything that provided you with a sense of confidence are key elements that facilitated a great day. These items are extremely important because these specific thoughts or feelings are the mental keys which allow you to play your best golf.
So, the next time you go to the golf course, simply recall the feelings that you have written down in your mental exercise. Tap into the power that these keys give you, to feel good about your golfing experience. Use these mental keys to feel relaxed and confident, knowing that you experienced good feelings before and that you can create them again by simply retrieving them from your memory bank and applying them to your present golf performance.
May you always play with confidence!


text:
Q: delete/dispose only particular cell in DataGridView c# I'm new to c# programming (more exactly, new to just programming),
 and am having trouble creating windows forms application using the Visual Studio 2019 Community version.
I want to create a list of selectable images. (Like the image below)
Like this image, and wanna delete only 'these'
I tried to use Listview with ImageList component, but it was hard to make each items selectable. (Selectable means, when I select the image or images, backcolor of it/them changed, such like cells in a DataGridView).
So I tried to make it with imageCells in DataGridView like the code below.
for (int j = 0; j < rowCellCount; j++)
{
    DataGridViewImageColumn imgCol = new DataGridViewImageColumn();

    imgCol.HeaderText = "" + j;
    imgCol.Width = 61;
    imgCol.ImageLayout = DataGridViewImageCellLayout.Zoom;

    dgvImage.Columns.Insert(j, imgCol);
}

It was 'almost' good, except for one problem: cannot delete cells whose value is null.
Is there any way to delete particular cells in datagridview, not all cells in row?
I searched several times, but I couldn't find the answer....

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text:
Heineken Cup: Miller Out Of Shogun Showdown
With the Leinster Lions due to kick-off their Heineken Cup campaign on Friday, David Mervyn caught up with their team manager, Ken Ging, who set out the Leinster stall.
A winter's Sunday last year. The Clock Tower city idled under a sunless Midlands sky. Down Waterloo Way, pockets of Leinster blue raised their voices to acclaim the end of their European sojourn. 29-18 against the best mustard in England. Beaten, but defiant. Possibly intoxicated. Beaten well. Ken Ging is close by the team bus. Perhaps contemplating hanging a left at the end of the road, to drop the broken hearts off at the Royal Infirmary. The royal blue ribbons on the Celtic League trophy won before Christmas time began to unravel before Ken Ging's eyes. The Leinster team manager had bowed his head on the touchline, as he heard the shrill blast of the referee's whistle at Stade Toulousain a week earlier. Now he was left to contemplate perhaps a missed opportunity and a summer nervously waiting for his foot soldiers to return unharmed from international fronts.
Roll on nine months and what some may class as the first official winter's day has come to Dublin. It's the Tuesday before the artist formerly known as The Donnybrook Experience' plots course for a Friday evening launch. The Heineken Cup is drifting westwards on a sheath of greasy rain. A grey-suited Ging sits beguiled under the reaches of the Wesley stand. He loves the freshness of it. The sponsor's verdant green posters dotted about the place. He won't admit it. Peering upwards at the sky, he can see shades of Welford Road and his stricken players. He won't admit it.
You know it wasn't the performance, more the result. Anyway, there were bigger disappointments in last year's competition for us. The whole frozen pitch' debacle with Newcastle. The inconvenience to us all was shocking. Having to come back from England on late Sunday, go to work on the Monday morning and then be told that the game is actually going ahead and it's the next day. It has very unpleasant memories for us all and that's why I'm excited about this year's competition. I'm very hopeful that the ERC will have learnt from their mistakes and we, as a squad, will also learn from our mistakes and take our home form on the road with us."
Leinster have been drawn in a head scratcher of a pool. The Bristol Shoguns are a case in point. Having lost their first four Zurich Premiership games, their season was turned on its head last week with an unlikely win on the Leicester Tigers, having been down to fourteen men for upwards of 72 minutes. Coach Peter Thorburn's charges have regularly performed on the bridesmaids' circuit – the Parker Pen Shield – reaching the semi-finals in 2000.
"We have to appreciate that Bristol are particularly strong, as are Swansea, even if they are both struggling in their respective leagues. Each team is given the utmost respect by Matt the team and myself. There are no easy games in the Heineken Cup. Our home form will hopefully hold up. We had a blip against Connacht but the Donnybrook Experience' can aid us to victory. I expect a home win on Friday."
Ging is talking the talk. "We have the players, we have the coaches, we have the backroom staff. And we simply have to make the difference this year. Quarter-finals aren't good enough."
A nudge towards any obvious differences and we are proffered Willie Anderson.
"He has done excellent work since he has come in. It's great to have a person of his strength within the set-up. He has brought a wealth of experience and guile to the fold, and his wisdom and wit are also invaluable assets. Especially away from home."
The fixture, which could decide how far Matt Williams' side goes this year, is the daunting away game with Montferrand. Magne, Merceron, Marsh, Marlu. Marcel Michelin, how are ya? Mmmm, the smell of cigarette butts. Apparently there is a tad over-feeding and a hell of a lot of under-performing going on dans la maison d'Olivier. They are dark horses, you simply never know on which day they will perform to ability. Having never won on French soil, Ging is well aware of the importance of rugby's equivalent of a blind date – December the 7th, Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin.
"There has been much talk of how the French will perform this year and we have been discussing this at team meetings. The Hoodoo', as it has become known, must be broken. You have to respect Montferrand for their sheer ability, but we aren't playing down our own chances of progression."
The French side are slight favourites to top Pool 4.
Ging is just happy to be at home on match day one. "When you look at the draw some of the other provinces got. I mean, I wouldn't like to be in Munster's position away to Gloucester. That's a really difficult game for them and a hostile atmosphere to boot."
The Leinster squad went through their paces at a 6pm session on Tuesday evening and their last full training session is today at 5pm. A big blow for Friday's first pool game is the injury to Eric Miller. The Terenure forward sustained an injury in last Friday's Celtic League win over Newport. "He's a definite non-starter. Everyone else is fine, bar Nathan (Spooner). His return will be important for us in December. But the atmosphere will be electric in the ground on Friday and as I've said, I expect a win. Nothing else will do."
The rain has stopped. Leinster rugby has contested one quarter-final in six years of Heineken Cups. Last year, Matt Williams endeavoured to secure two pieces of silverware for his travails. In one way, this can be looked upon as a make or break season. Records must tumble. In contrast, a European jungle could see the Lions ripe for a bout of second season syndrome? I think, yes. I ask Ken Ging for the right answer.
"Ah sure, we have to try and win it all."
I lumber my footsteps towards the gravelly exit. Beaten, but defiant.
The Donnybrook Experience.
Previous Story Three On The Trot For Leicester ?
Next Story Gibson Boosts Shoguns Firepower

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C. Robert Cargill, writer of As They Continue To Fall.
Image courtesy of C. Robert Cargill.
April 22, 2016 — When most people go to the movies, they end up seeing, at least in vague terms, something that is somewhere around two hours in length and has a very defined beginning, middle and end. That is not the case with a short film, and, save for the shorts that precede most Pixar movies, the general movie-going public doesn't really go out of its way to watch short films all that often. However, for young filmmakers, short films are their calling card; their possible ticket in the door.
That is the case with As They Continue To Fall (ATCTF), a short film by young filmmaker Nikhil Bhagat that was written by C. Robert Cargill, who many will know as the writer of Sinister and Marvel Studios upcoming Benedict Cumberbatch vehicle Doctor Strange. ATCTFis currently making the rounds at some festivals and recently was shown to a nearly sold out crowd with a group of other sci-fi shorts at Phoenix Film Festival.
At the Phoenix Film Festival, ATCTF was shown last in the block of shorts in which it was featured. The audience seemed to respond very well to it, and, in that sense at least, Bhagat appeared to accomplish his goal. The story follows a drifter who hunts fallen angels in a desolate city, and the film itself, which clocks in at around 6 minutes, feels a bit like the beginning, or a small chunk, of a much bigger story—a big budget story that would fit in quite well in the modern Hollywood landscape. That is due in large part to the fact that it was written by a very successful Hollywood screenwriter.
"It actually got rejected from a bunch of festivals because people were saying that this feels like a piece from a big budget film," Bhagat said.
This short film is very much a showcase piece for Bhagat who, like many other young filmmakers, is doing whatever he can to try and get his foot in the door. Fortunately for Bhagat, he had the help of Cargill. But how did a virtually unknown director get a very successful and very busy screenwriter to write his short film? He simply asked.
It is exactly that attitude that got ATCTF to look and feel the way it does as well. Bhagat raised funds for the film on Kickstarter, used some of his own personal money and didn't settle on friends and film students for his crew. He wanted big, so he asked for big.
Though Bhagat has consulted with Cargill along the way, ultimately the pair have decided for various reasons that this is Bhagat's project.
Aside from helping a young director get along in the industry, Cargill is also pretty busy with other projects these days. He co-hosts the Junkfood Cinema podcast, writes novels and, of course, has been busy bringing the Sorcerer Supreme to the big screen with Marvel's Doctor Strange.
While Cargill will very likely remain busy—as the early reaction to the first Doctor Strange trailer has been very positive and his work in horror is still very present—Bhagat's journey is just beginning, and the young director feels that there needs to be more Cargill out there.


text:
Virginia Tech Basketball in Contact with Indiana Graduate Transfer Justin Smith
With one open roster spot, Virginia Tech is once again in the transfer market, with reports that they've been in contact with former Indiana forward Justin Smith
Jay Anderson
The Virginia Tech Hokies are in the transfer market looking for some frontcourt help. With P.J. Horne deciding to enter his name into the transfer portal, the Hokies have reached three names that are now in the portal.
Horne averaged 7.6 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the field last season, but his role would have been reduced a bit with the additions of Keve Aluma and David N'Guessan to the frontcourt in 2020-21.
On the flip side, the grad-transfer market continues to get richer and the Hokies continue their search to get better there, especially since the program now has one open scholarship spot for next season.
Jeff Borzello was first to report on Twitter that Tech was one of a handful of schools that recently reached out to former Indiana forward Justin Smith about his availability.
Smith is a 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward who could certainly add some depth to the Virginia Tech rotation. He produced 10.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game in 2019-20 for the Hoosiers while shooting 49.2 percent from the field.
Smith isn't the greatest 3-point shooting forward (10-for-38 in 2019-20), but he certainly is a prospect that does well in the paint as a clean-up man on the glass and as an offensive paint presence who can attack the rim.
Don't be surprised if he finds a spot for himself in Blacksburg, where the roster has seen several adjustments since the hiring of Mike Young, who is entering his second season with the team.
Virginia Tech's James Mitchell on fellow tight end Nick Gallo: "One of the better teammates I've been around"
By Mike McDaniel Aug 19, 2020 5:14 PM EDT
Hokies safety Divine Deablo on possibility of opting-out: "I never even considered it"
Virginia Tech athletic department launches "Keep Jumping" fundraising campaign to aid in COVID-19 shortfall recovery
By Bryan Manning Aug 18, 2020 11:47 PM EDT
Virginia Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker ranked number 35 in Pro Football Focus quarterback rankings
Virginia Tech makes final two for 3-star Alabama running back Kenji Christian
'Cancellation 2020' finds plenty of support among national college football writers
By Ricky LaBlue Aug 17, 2020 10:56 PM EDT
Former Virginia Tech tight end Dalton Keene playing multiple positions in Patriots training camp
Virginia Tech basketball hosting 2021 4-star small forward Mike James on a virtual visit
By Mike McDaniel Aug 17, 2020 11:33 AM EDT
Virginia Tech's offensive line a clear strength in Week One of fall camp


While some companies offer dryer vent cleaning as a secondary service and focus on cleaning other property areas such as chimneys or gutters, Dryer Vent Wizard of North Jersey offers specialized services for only one area: dryer vents. The idea behind our highly-focused lineup of services is that we can provide a level of precision, knowledge, and skill that is unmatched in the dryer vent service industry. By concentrating only on dryer vent cleaning, maintenance, installation, and repairs, we are able to give each of our customers the guarantee that their dryer vent is operating as safely as possible while complying with any regulations in effect and reducing the risk of fire. Our goal is to provide this guarantee to as many members of our community as possible, making each local home we service and the people who live there safer.
Because dryer vent cleaning and repair is an issue of safety first and foremost, calling a specialist is the best way to ensure you're doing everything you can to prevent fire, carbon monoxide accumulation, and other health risks associated with clogged or improperly installed dryer vents. Don't take a chance on the amateurs, call the experts at Dryer Vent Wizard of North Jersey for your professional dryer vent cleaning, installation, or repair today.


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text:
Arnad é uma comuna italiana da região do Vale de Aosta com cerca de 1.272 habitantes. Estende-se por uma área de 28 km², tendo uma densidade populacional de 45 hab/km². Faz fronteira com Bard, Challand-Saint-Victor, Donnas, Hône, Issime, Issogne, Perloz, Pontboset, Verrès.

Demografia

Comunas do Vale de Aosta

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text:
Q: Convert empty URL string to null to bypass form validation I have a Blazor EditForm that I'm using to edit a previously created object. One of the fields the user is allowed to edit is a string property called Link which is annotated with [Url]. This field is not annotated with the [Required] attribute, and I don't want it to be.
When creating the object, I am able to leave this field blank in the form, no problem. If I edit an object with an already blank Link field, it works fine as well.
The problem arises when I try to edit an object, and delete a Link that was previously in the object (clearing the form field). I get the Url DataAnnotation message ("The Link field is not a valid fully-qualified http, https, or ftp URL.") and I'm unable to submit the form. I added another DataAnnotation to the property, [DataFormat(ConvertEmptyStringToNull = true)], thinking this would solve my problem and convert the empty string to a null, but it doesn't change anything.
Property:
[Url]
[DisplayFormat(ConvertEmptyStringToNull = true)]
public string Link { get; set; }

Form:

    Link
    <InputText @bind-Value=Item.Link class="form-control"/>
    <ValidationMessage For=@(() => Item.Link)/>

Edit: This seems to be "by design" (i.e. it's a bug that the .NET engineers refuse to fix) https://github.com/dotnet/runtime/issues/53820

A: Here's an alternative I can suggest:
public string Url
{
   get { return _value; }
   set { _value = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(value) ? null : value; }
}

original which doesn't seem to work as advertised:
You need to add AllowEmptyStrings to your Required annotation and include it. I.e.,
[Required(AllowEmptyStrings = true)]
[DisplayFormat(ConvertEmptyStringToNull = false)]

See this question/answer: Allow empty strings for fields marked with PhoneAttribute or UrlAttribute


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Hello. pböttcher just solved me a problem. I think that it can be implemented on Appgini core.
I needed to restrict visability of some custom links in home page to a specific USER.
USER is memmebr of a GROUP that I didn't want to show links to.
Actually Appgini allow this restriction by GROUP.
Of course this change will be overwritten every time application is recreated/published.


As the bout between Google and Facebook continues, Google+ (pronounced as Google Plus) is fast becoming more interactive with the help of various third-party development efforts. We have recently reviewed a number of Google Plus extensions. This time we have GClient, which is a Google Plus desktop client. It works from the system tray and allows you to use all Google Plus features from a desktop client instead of having to visit your Google Plus account from a browser.
To use this application, you will first of all require signing up with the developer to get an unlock code for accessing the application. This is a one time procedure and you will not require using the unlock code again, once the application is accessible.
Once done, you can sign in and start using Google Plus from the system tray.
When you login to GClient, your stream is displayed, just like when you login to your Google Plus account from a browser.
You can click on the Home button to access all Google Plus options including your stream, photos, circles, profile, notifications and edit your privacy settings.
GClient alerts you for account updates, with the help of system tray notifications. GClient is one of the first desktop clients for Google Plus and works reasonably well. It is likely that we might see more application of this kind in the near future until a desktop client like TweetDeck is established.
GClient works on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, provided you have .Net Framework 4.0 installed. Mac users can try out Tab for Google+.


The Mailroom is in need of your used large, manila envelopes that are used for sending campus mail internally. If you have any extras, please send them to the Mailroom, Room 104A. If you are in need of campus mail envelopes, call the Mailroom staff at Ext. 5125.


Q: I am an enginneer from Pakistan and I am working in a private company which is the offshore company of another Company in USA, so our office is controlled by USA company. That USA company makes electronic solutions including medical, residential commercial, military and a lot of other solutions. I am currently working on medical solutions but my concern is that the company also provides solutions to military. Should I be concerned about that or not? Is it halaal to work for this company?
Q: The shortest distance from Ext 11b, Lenasia to SITA, Centurion is 74 km according to Google Maps, but a different route measures 84 km. This being my daily commute between home and work, am I a musafir while at work every day, or is my being a musafir dependent on which of the 2 routes mentioned, I actually used?
Q: When I think about the Day of Judgment I get very scared. Can you tell me the things I should do to enter Jannah and what good deeds should I do.
Q: I am a newly married man and whenever I touch my wife or kiss her or show my love and devotion to her, I feel excretion of sticky drops. It is transparent sticky drops. Kindly tell me if I have to perform ghusal every time or only wudhu is needed?
Is this normal or its not good?
Q: Is there any benefits for fasting in the month of Rajab?


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Fact 1: In A.D. 350, Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25 the official celebration date for the birthday of Christ.
Fact 2: The traditional three colors of Christmas are green, red, and gold. Green has long been a symbol of life and rebirth; red symbolizes the blood of Christ, and gold represents light as well as wealth and royalty.
Fact 3: Contrary to popular belief, suicide rates during the Christmas holiday are low. The highest rates are during the spring.
Fact 4: Christmas trees have been sold in the U.S. since 1850.
Fact 5: Christmas trees usually grow for about 15 years before they are sold.
Fact 6: Many European countries believed that spirits, both good and evil, were active during the Twelve Days of Christmas. These spirits eventually evolved into Santa's elves, especially under the influence of Clement C. Moore's The Night Before Christmas (1779-1863) illustrated by Thomas Nast (1840-1902).
Fact 7: Bolivians celebrate Misa del Gallo or "Mass of the Rooster" on Christmas Eve. Some people bring roosters to the midnight mass, a gesture that symbolizes the belief that a rooster was the first animal to announce the birth of Jesus.
Fact 8: In Poland, spiders or spider webs are common Christmas trees decorations because according to legend, a spider wove a blanket for Baby Jesus. In fact, Polish people consider spiders to be symbols of goodness and prosperity at Christmas.
Fact 9: Alabama was the first state in the United States to officially recognize Christmas in 1836.
Fact 11: Evergreens (from the Old English word aefie meaning "always" and gowan meaning "to grow") have been symbols of eternal life and rebirth since ancient times. The pagan use and worship of evergreen boughs and trees has evolved into the Christianized Christmas tree.
Fact 12: Ancient peoples, such as the Druids, considered mistletoe sacred because it remains green and bears fruit during the winter when all other plants appear to die. Druids would cut the plant with golden sickles and never let it touch the ground. They thought it had the power to cure infertility and nervous diseases and to ward off evil.
Fact 13: Because of their pagan associations, both the holly (associated with the masculine principle) and the ivy (the feminine) and other green boughs in home decoration were banned by the sixth-century Christian Council of Braga.
Fact 14: Santa Claus is based on a real person, St. Nikolas of Myra (also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker, Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna, and Nikolaos of Bari), who lived during the fourth century. Born in Patara (ancient Greek area, modern-day Turkey), he is the world's most popular non-Biblical saint, and artists have portrayed him more often than any other saint except Mary. He is the patron saint of banking, pawnbroking, pirating, butchery, sailing, thievery, orphans, royalty, and New York City.
Fact 15: Early illustrations of St. Nicholas depict him as stern, commanding, and holding a birch rod. He was more a symbol of discipline and punishment than the jolly, overweight elf children know today.
Fact 16: Christmas stockings allegedly evolved from three sisters who were too poor to afford a marriage dowry and were, therefore, doomed to a life of prostitution. They were saved, however, when the wealthy Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna (the precursor to Santa Claus) crept down their chimney and generously filled their stockings with gold coins.
Fact 17: The Viking god Odin is one precursor to the modern Santa Claus. According to myth, Odin rode his flying horse, Sleipnir (a precursor to Santa's reindeer), who had eight legs. In the winter, Odin gave out both gifts and punishments, and children would fill their boots or stockings with treats for Sleipnir.
Fact 18: There are two competing claims as to which president was the first to place a Christmas tree in the White House. Some scholars say President Franklin Pierce did in 1856; others say President Benjamin Harrison brought in the first tree in 1889. President Coolidge started the White House lighting ceremony in 1923.
Fact 20: The first person to decorate a Christmas tree was reportedly the Protestant reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546). According to legend, he was so moved by the beauty of the stars shining between the branches of a fir tree, he brought home an evergreen tree and decorated it with candles to share the image with his children.
Fact 21: In Germany, Heiligabend, or Christmas Eve, is said to be a magical time when the pure in heart can hear animals talking.
Fact 22: The earliest known Christmas tree decorations were apples. At Christmastime, medieval actors would use apples to decorate paradise trees (usually fir trees) during "Paradise Plays," which were plays depicting Adam and Eve's creation and fall.
Fact 29: Paul McCartney earns nearly half a million dollars every year from his Christmas song, which many critics regards as his worst song ever.
Fact 31: During the Christmas of 2010, the Colombian government covered jungle trees with lights. When FARC guerrillas (terrorists) walked by, the trees lit up and banners asking them to lay down their arms became visible. 331 guerrillas re-entered society and the campaign won an award for strategic marketing excellence.
Fact 32: During the Christmas of 1914 (World War 1), a truce was held between Germany and the UK. They decorated their shelters, exchanged gifts across no man's land and played a game of football between themselves.
Fact 35: Between the 16th and 19th centuries was what is known as a "little ice age" where global temperatures were several degrees lower than normal. It is for this reason that many Christmas carols and songs stress a "White Christmas".
Fact 36: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen is the only record to get the UK Christmas Singles Chart Number One twice, once in 1975 and again in 1991.
Fact 37: The Nazi party tried to turn Christmas into a nonreligious holiday celebrating the coming of Hitler, with Saint Nicholas replaced by Odin the "Solstice Man" and swastikas on top of Christmas trees.
Fact 40: The people of Oslo, Norway donate the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree every year in gratitude to the people of London for their assistance during WWII.
Fact 42 - Santa Claus' look wasn't created by Coca-Cola: The internet age has given rise to a lot of silly, unfounded rumors about everything from Walt Disney having his head frozen to Tommy Hilfiger proclaiming on television that he didn't want minorities wearing his clothes. Even Santa has fallen victim to this scam, despite the fact that he's technically a non-profit. Some have claimed that Coca-Cola's iconic portrait of Santa has shaped the way we describe him to children. In reality, he's actually more of an "evolutionary figure" whose look has been shaped by writers, artists and even historians. Images of the familiar bearded fat man in a red suit appeared in magazines, posters and ads long before Coke's jolly portrayal of Saint Nick.
Fact 43 - The New York Knickerbockers (the writers, not the basketball team) helped create the modern American Santa: The biggest influence on Santa's modern look and demeanor came more from a popular group of writers who drew inspiration from an Episcopalian saint. The Knickerbockers of New York wanted to reintroduce Saint Nicholas to society to provide a "cultural counterweight for the commercial bustle and democratic misrule of early nineteenth century New York." Contributors to the Saint Nicholas project included 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' author Washington Irving, who wrote a Christmas story about giving and generosity for his fictional 'Bracebridge Hall' series in which he described Santa as a large man in a red suit smoking his favorite pipe. Clement Clarke Moore, a contemporary of Irving's, was inspired by this depiction of Santa for his 'A Visit from St. Nicholas' poem, in which he also described the traditional Santa we know today.
Fact 44 - Santa didn't always have a beard: Of course, Moore and company weren't responsible for inventing Santa, just enhancing his image. According to the book 'One Night Stands with American History,' 17th century Dutch settlers brought the jolly fat man to America's shores and their image of Santa was "tall, slender and very dignified" without his trademark beard. (He was based on the traditional Dutch winter figure Sinterklaas.) Artist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast added the beard and the rotund figure in the pages of 'Harper's Weekly' during the latter part of the 19th century.
Fact 45 - NORAD's "Santa Tracker" started from an error in a newspaper ad: The legend of Santa's infamous sleigh ride was also perpetuated from a newspaper, but it wasn't done intentionally. Back in 1955, a Sears ad printed the phone number of a Colorado Springs store so children could tell Santa Claus what they wanted for Christmas. The number was a misprint and instead sent children to the hotline for Colonel Harry Shoup, Director of Operations for the US Continental Air Defense. The calls poured in and instead of blocking the number, the kindly Colonel ordered his staff to give children updates on Santa's flight coordinates. The tradition has continued to this very day on the local news, the internet and with a special "NORAD Tracks Santa" iPhone app.
Fact 46 - Santa is the world's richest man: He may not be in the gift giving business for the big bucks, but Santa still needs money to keep his operation rolling. (And to pay for the elves' dental plan. Those elf unions are ruthless.) Thankfully, Santa's wealth surpasses even Scrooge McDuck's money bin. Forbes compiled a list of the world's richest fictional people and St. Nick topped it with a net worth of infinity. This beats the world's current net worth record holder, Mexican investor Carlos Slim Helu, who only topped out at a measly $74 billion. No wonder Santa's so jolly.
Fact 47 - Jesus Christ wasn't born on December 25: The Christian celebration of Christmas is meant to praise the birth of Jesus Christ, but churchgoers might want to check the date before they wrap up a fruit cake and put a bow on it for Our Lord and Savior. In fact, early theologians put Jesus' birthday all over the calendar, from November 18th by one Alexandrian bishop to March 28th by the anonymous "De Pascha Computus" document found in North Africa. The truth is that the Bible doesn't specify a date or time of Jesus' birth. Dec. 25th was chosen in the fourth century, most likely because it was also the day of two similar pagan holidays that influenced the formation of Christmas– the birthday of Mithra and the Feast of Saturnalia.
Fact 49 - One of the first commercially sold artificial Christmas trees was made from toilet brushes: Artificial Christmas trees might be seen as tacky, modern takes on the classic Douglas-fir, but they are actually much older than you might think. The oldest fake trees date back to 1886 in London and were made out of green raffia, the twine that is more commonly used to make grass hula skirts. Other varieties were made in the latter part of the 19th century in Germany and used tabletop feathers from geese that were dyed pine-green. Then the Addis Brush Company used their toilet brush weaving machinery to create pine-like branches for their fake Christmas trees. They were less flammable, held heavier decorations and could make your toilet bowl sparkling clean.
Fact 50 - Iceland has 13 Santas including one that kidnaps children: If you thought making children believe in one Santa was hard enough, be thankful you don't live in Iceland. Their Christmas tradition has 13 "Yuletide Lads" who either leave presents or pull pranks for children during the 26 day holiday season as a reward or punishment for their behavior. For instance, Grýla is a horrifying old woman who kidnaps children on Christmas if they have been naughty. Though technically that's really more of a present for the parents.
Fact 51 - The nativity story resulted in several wars: In the first few centuries of the Christian era, controversy over whether or not Jesus was divine at birth created political and social unrest that frequently burst out into full-scale warfare.
Fact 52 - Mistletoe kissing originated with fertility rites: The hanging sprig is a very ancient symbol of virility and therefore anybody standing beneath it is signalling that he or she is sexually available.
Fact 53 - Christmas is only recently a "family" holiday: Christmas was originally celebrated as an adult form of "trick or treat," but with the "treat" consisting of booze and the threatened "trick" consisting of bodily harm or destruction of property.
Fact 54 - Christmas as a "day off" is a recent innovation: As late as 1850, December 25 was not a legal holiday in New England, so stores were open, business were open, and children were expected to attend school.
One of the reasons we leave milk and cookies for Santa is because Dutch kids would leave food and drink for St. Nicholas on his feast day.
Fact 55 - The original lyrics to "Hark!: The Herald Angel Sings" were "Hark! How the Welkin rings!" Welkin is an old, English term for Heaven. A preacher later tweaked the lyric.
Fact 56: "Silent Night" was first sung as part of a church service in Austria. A guitar was used because the church organ was so badly rusted it couldn't be played.
Fact 57: Nearly 60 million CHRISTMAS TREES are grown each year in Europe.
Fact 59: The Beatles hold the record for MOST XMAS NUMBER 1 singles, topping the charts in 1963, 64, 65 and 67.
Fact 61 - Most expensive Christmas tree: Think you've overstretched your budget this year? Well, hopefully hearing this shocking Christmas fact will help you feel a little better about your Christmas spending splurge. One man, Yves Piaget, spent a whopping £10.4 million on decorating his Christmas tree. The tree was lavishly decorated with 83 pieces of jewellery in Tokyo.
Fact 62 - Santa's magic: Obviously we all know that Santa has magical powers, but researchers have calculated just how magical Father Christmas really is. The researchers found that in order to deliver all of his presents on Christmas Eve Santa would need to travel at 650 miles per second and visit 822 homes a second – no wonder he needs to eat so many mince pies.
Fact 63 - Christmas tree soup: Did you think that eating satsumas was the most festive way to get your hit of Vitamin C? Think again. It turns out that you can actually eat parts of your Christmas tree and that the needles from your tree are a great source of Vitamin C. If you want to tuck into your tree after Christmas then dry out the needles before grinding. You can then use the dried needles as a garnish on soups.
Fact 64 - Robin Christmas cards might annoy your postman: Robins are a Christmas card favourite and you're likely to receive several glittery Christmas cards with a robin emblazoned cheerily on the front. Yet, robins can be seen in the UK (where the Christmas card tradition began) throughout the year. So why are they so popular at Christmas? Well, back in the nineteenth century postmen wore red tunics and were nicknamed 'Robin Postmen'. Therefore putting a robin on a Christmas card was in fact a joke.
Fact 65 - It's A Wonderful Life: Nearly every family cosies up and watches It's A Wonderful Life over Christmas, but did you know that this Christmas movie favourite had an FBI file? Although ludicrous, this shocking Christmas fact is real. In 1947 some thought the movie was a communist ploy and that its purpose was to undermine bankers. Here's another shocking It's A Wonderful Life Christmas fact: when the bridge scene was filmed, George is rather sweaty because it was in fact 90 degrees on the day of filming.
Fact 66 - Weight gain at Christmas: Do you think you get a little heavier over the festive period? Even though most of us over-indulge and enjoy a few too many feasts studies have found that we don't actually put on as much as we think. The US study found that participants thought they put on at least 5lbs (2.27kg), but they had actually only gained an average amount of 0.8lb (0.36kg) over the Christmas period.
Fact 67 - Christmas in space: Some people want to escape from Christmas, but this Christmas fact shows us that Christmas is almost inescapable as carols have even been sung up in space. The first song to be sung in space was Jingle Bells. Two astronauts back in 1965 reported seeing a UFO. They then claimed that the UFO had one main command module and eight smaller modules in front and that the pilot was wearing a red suit. The mischievous pair then went on to sing Jingle Bells to NASA.
Fact 68 - Home Alone: Everyone loves Home Alone, but did you know that Daniel Stern, the actor who played the baddie Marv, didn't like spiders? He didn't want to do the infamous tarantula scene, but agreed to the filming as long as it was completed in just one take. The scene was shot but Daniel Stern wasn't allowed to scream in real life because it would have spooked the tarantula, so the scream had to be added by tech whizzes at a later date.
Fact 69 - Biggest ever secret Santa: If you thought your works secret Santa was tough to organise, get this: redditgifts clinched the Guinness World Record spot for the largest ever secret Santa gift exchange. This involved 89,421 participants back in 2013, impressive right?
Fact 70 - Christmas break-ups: You would think that Christmas is one of the most romantic times of the year. Mistletoe, open fires and endless parties is the perfect mix to get close to your other half, yet by looking at Facebook posts researchers has discovered that lots of couples break up two weeks before Christmas. In fact this period is the second most common time of the year for couples to split.
Fact 71: The first printed reference to a Christmas tree was in 1531 in Germany.
In India, only about 2.3% of the population are Christians, but because of the large population they have, we are talking about 25 million people here! Christians here celebrate Christmas with midnight mass and gift-giving like the rest of the world, but with the absence of fir trees or pine trees to decorate, they usually made do with banana trees and mango trees instead. That means instead of Christmas pine trees lining up celebrating households, you'll find brightly lit, well-decorated Christmas banana or mango trees on the streets. They even use the leaves of those trees to decorate their houses.
If you don't want to celebrate another Christmas single, then try this: stand with your back to the door and throw a shoe over your shoulders on Christmas day! If the shoe lands with the toe pointing to the door, congratulations, you're going to get married soon! There's no clue as to how long before you meet your prince charming though.
No kidding – just like how Christmas turkey is a must on Christmas, for the Japanese it's the Colonel's Chicken. Since the beginning of this marketing campaign four decades ago, KFC has been associated with Christmas in the minds of the Japanese for generations, a tradition passed on from parent to child in spite of its commercialized beginnings. More than 240,000 barrels of chicken will be sold during Christmas, five to ten times its normal monthly sales. "In Japan, Christmas equals KFC."
Another Christmas food associated with Japan is the Christmas cake. These sponge cakes with whipped cream, chocolate and strawberries on top are ordered months in advanced and are eaten on Christmas Eve. Any cake that is not sold after the 25th is unwanted. For the same reason, single Japanese women over the age of 25 used to be called Christmas Cakes (yikes!).
Families in Finland usually visit the graves of their ancestors and relatives on Christmas Eve to light candles in memory of the deceased. Even those who don't have their kin's graves nearby visit cemeteries to place candles in honor of their family members buried elsewhere. Hence, on Christmas eve, cemeteries would be lit up with candles presenting a beautiful sight.
In the capital city, Caracas, before young children go to bed on Christmas Eve, they tie one end of a string to their big toe, leaving the other end outside their bedroom window. The fun part of the Christmas celebration is on the day of the "Early Morning Mass". Streets were closed off to cars until 8 a.m. for people to roller-skate to the service, and they customarily proceed to tug on any of the strings they see hanging.
In 1966 a 13-metre tall goat figure made of straw was erected in the town square of Gavle. At the stroke of midnight, Christmas Eve, the goat went up in flames. But the town never stopped building it year after year, and vandals never stopped trying to burn the goat down! By 2011, the goat has already been burned down 25 times. The burning of the Gavle goat happened so often that bookmakers began taking bets for the survival of the goat since 1988.
Just to be clear, the town doesn't want the goat to be burned down; in fact, In 2001, an American tourist served time in jail and was fined for successfully doing so.
Instead of glittering ornaments and tinsel, Ukrainian Christmas trees are covered with an artificial spiders and cobwebs. Why the eccentric taste in spiders? According to the local folklore, there was a poor woman who could not afford to decorate their Christmas tree. But the next morning, her children woke up to see the tree covered with webs and when the first light of Christmas morning touched the web threads, they turned into gold and silver and the family was never left for wanting again. Hence, it is believed that seeing a spider web on Christmas morning brings luck.
Most Finnish families have their own sauna because it's believed that a sauna 'elf' lives in there to protect it and to make sure people behave themselves. And every Christmas Eve, people would head to their sauna, strip to their toes, and enjoy a nice, good soak, naked. After sunset though, the place is for the spirits of dead ancestors.
Christmas is huge in the Phillipines since 80% of the population are Christians. Celebrations last all the way to January. Children will leave their brightly polished shoes and freshly washed socks on the window sills for the Three Kings to leave gifts in when they pass through their houses at night. The "Feast of the Three Kings" marks the end of the Christmas celebrations.
What do you think about "81 Crazy Facts about Christmas"?


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Elk v. United States (2009) Full Court document as PDF
A court victory by a Native American woman from Wounded Knee, S.D., may pave the way for Navajos who have been injured by federal government officials to get compensation.
The woman, Lavetta Elk, received a judgment from a federal judge requiring the federal government to pay her $600,000 after she was sexually assaulted by an Army recruiter in his car in January 2003.
Judge Francis Allegra based his ruling on a "bad man" provision in the April 28, 1868, treaty between the government and the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
That provision provides that if "bad men" among the whites commit "any wrong" upon the person or property of any Sioux, the federal government will reimburse the injured person.
This marks the first time that a federal court has made such a ruling.
United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians (1980) Full Court document as PDF
United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians, 448 U.S. 371 (1980), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that: 1) the enactment by Congress of a law allowing the Sioux Nation to pursue a claim against the United States that had been previously adjudicated did not violate the doctrine of separation of powers; and 2) the taking of property that was set aside for the use of the tribe required just compensation, including interest.
The money was refused by the Sioux Nation as they wanted return of the land.


The Metal Rok La Bonita Rose Quartz Single Strand 18" Necklace with 9 Stones is sure to delight. This beautiful necklace has been handmade with sterling silver and features 9 rose quartz stones. Delicate and unique, this necklace makes a thoughtful gift or a beautiful piece to add to your own collection.


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