Classic Art: Look Before You Leap Year

“Leap Year” by J.C. Leyendecker

"Leap Year by J.C. Leyendecker from February 29, 1908
“Leap Year”
by J.C. Leyendecker
from February 29, 1908

J.C. Leyendecker, who did more Saturday Evening Post covers than any other artist, couldn’t resist this madcap look at a spinster in leap year 1908.

Oh sure, I know. We have Leap Year so the calendar will correspond with the solar year, or the time it takes for the earth to travel around the sun . . .

“Oh sure, I know. We have Leap Year so the
calendar will correspond with the solar year, or the time
it takes for the earth to travel around the sun . . .”
from February 24, 1968

 

Tradition states that only in a Leap Year can a woman propose to a man. In that spirit, a gentleman named Robert Fontaine offered sage advice for any gent who was still on the home front in the “Look Before You Leap Year” of 1944:

WHAT with my squint, my stoop and my bulge, I don’t have to worry, but this is going to be a bad year for any men left over on the home front. Women who have been restrained by etiquette will now be able to use Leap Year as an excuse for wrapping some poor unsuspecting victim up in Cellophane and taking him home to mamma for the nuptials.
Out of the goodness of my heart, I have drawn up a few suggestions to help the male avoid any snares or booby traps which he may encounter this year:

1. Stay out of moonlight with women. Moonlight may become them, but it gets you.
2. Go easy on the alcoholic beverages. A slip of the lip may start a partnership.
3. Don’t be flattered by the type who tells you you are noble, generous, strong, fearless, handsome and talented. A woman in love is a poor judge of character.
4. Typewrite your letters and sign them with a nom de plume. Better still, telephone.
5. Grow a beard.

Cupid Running

6. Don’t visit a single woman without taking along a party of six as chaperons and witnesses.
7. Run like anything from a woman who;
(a.) fixes your tie.
(b.) asks you to take something out of her eye. (Oh, brother!)
(c.) requests your opinion of home furnishings.

8. Work hard, get plenty of sleep, see your dentist twice a year, and before you know it, it’ll be 1945 and you’ll still be single.

I have only been able to teach him one trick.

“I’ve only been able to teach him one trick so far!”
from February 19, 1944

 

Whether you stay single this year or not, have a great Leap Year!

Social Security

In the spring of 1935, at the depths of the Great Depression, Congress voted by a landslide to create Social Security—372 to 33 in the House and 77 to six in the Senate. Almost nobody was against it. In the years since, it has grown to be the biggest government program in history, anywhere ever, and arguably one of the most successful. It has lifted tens of millions of Americans out of poverty. Today it provides 56 million people a guaranteed paycheck, and nearly two-thirds of retirees count on it for more than half of their income. Yet many now see it as a huge failure. Among the 2012 presidential candidates, Rick Perry has called it a “Ponzi scheme” and a “monstrous lie,” and Mitt Romney has written that “to put it in a nutshell, the American people have been defrauded.” We are told it is going bankrupt. What happened? Where did Social Security come from? And is it really in such grave danger?

The story begins more than a century ago in Imperial Germany. In 1889 Chancellor Otto von Bismarck got a law passed setting up an old-age insurance program that required German workers to contribute a portion of their wages to a fund that would pay them in their retirement. Why? In a time of frightening worker unrest and socialist ferment, Bismarck bluntly admitted that he wanted “to bribe the working classes … to regard the State as a social institution … interested in their welfare.” In other words, he feared he had to start doing more for the workers or they might rise up against him.

Before long other European nations followed. The U.S., with its powerful spirit of self-reliance and independence, did not. Yet old age was getting harder for Americans. By the end of the 19th century the nation had gone from mainly agricultural to industrial, from rural to urban, and from extended families in which generations stayed together to what we now call the nuclear family, of parents and children alone. Americans who worked in factories or offices could easily find themselves out of a job in economic hard times, and when they retired they couldn’t fall back on their families as their parents had. Also, people were living longer. That all added up to more and more people facing long old ages without any resources.

A timeline of Social Security

Click on the arrows or dates to scroll through key moments in this interactive timeline.


  • European inspiration

    German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck passes an old-age insurance program that becomes a model for Britain and other European nations.


  • An early American plan

    Retired doctor Francis E. Townsend devises a program—funded by a two percent national sales tax—that would pay every American over 60 a pension of $200 a month that had to be spent within 30 days.


  • Protection for all

    Louisiana Governor Huey P. Long launches the Share Our Wealth Society, which calls on the government to guarantee every family an annual income of at least $2,000.


  • Talks grow serious

    Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins heads a committee that recommends a federal social insurance plan, which includes unemployment insurance and “old-age” security.


  • The beginning

    Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act on August 14. Payroll taxes are first collected in 1937.


  • MONTHLY PAYMENTS start

    On January 31, Ida May Fuller becomes the first to receive a monthly check. The amount is $22.54.


  • The guarantee

    President Roosevelt is quoted as saying: “We put those payroll contributions there so as to give the contributors a legal, moral, and political right to collect their pensions. With those taxes in there, no damn politician can ever scrap my Social Security program.”


  • The program grows

    Mary Thompson, a widow, is the one millionth Social Security recipient.


  • Inflation, duly noted

    Social Security adds a cost of living adjustment.


  • Help for the disabled

    Social Security is amended to provide monthly benefits to disabled workers ages 50 to 64 and for disabled adult children.


  • An early retirement option

    President Kennedy signs an amendment permitting men to retire at 62 with a reduced benefit. (Women had been given this right in 1956.)


  • A better inflation plan

    President Nixon signs an amendment to make cost of living adjustments automatic.


  • First fears of insolvency

    Legislation is enacted to raise taxes and scale back benefits.


  • Money worries continue

    President Reagan signs a law taxing benefits. The retirement age is raised from 65 to 67, but not until 2000.


  • Still more concerns

    The taxable portion of benefits is raised from 50 percent to 85 percent.


  • Staying on the job

    President Clinton signs a bill eliminating the Retirement Earnings Test (RET), allowing seniors who continue working to receive full benefits.


  • The privatization effort

    After winning re-election, President Bush uses political capital to push for partial privatization—a program in which individuals would manage their own accounts. In the face of resistance from seniors and their advocacy groups, the plan slowly dies.


  • Generation Shift

    Kathleen Casey-Kirschling, generally recognized as the first-born member of the baby boom generation, receives her first Social Security check.


  • A new insolvency threat

    The U.S. Deficit Commission, set up by President Obama, recommends raising the retirement age to 68 and reducing the annual cost of living increases. The plan is not adopted.


  • The Challenge

    “There are one of two ways you can make Social Security work forever. One is to raise the retirement age by a year or two. The other is having slower growth in inflating the benefits of higher-income of Social Security recipients.” —Mitt Romney


  • An outright attack

    Republican presidential primary candidate Rick Perry calls Social Security a “Ponzi scheme.”


  • Drawing a line in the sand

    “We should … strengthen Social Security for future generations. And we must do it without putting at risk current retirees, the most vulnerable, or people with disabilities; without slashing benefits for future generations; and without subjecting Americans’ guaranteed retirement income to the whims of the stock market.” —President Obama, State of the Union


Click Arrow For Previous Event

Click Arrow For Next Event

 

 

There were modest pensions for veterans and a few company pension plans, especially among railroads. After the Stock Market Crash of 1929 a few states tried to set up old-age pension systems, but didn’t have the power to effectively implement them. Most older Americans had nothing to fall back on. By 1934, it is estimated, more than half of the elderly in the U.S. were unable to support themselves.

Popular movements arose to challenge this dire situation and agitate for impossible solutions. Huey P. Long, then governor of Louisiana, started the Share Our Wealth Society, which called on the government to guarantee every family in the nation an income of at least $2,000 a year (about $33,000 today), plus a pension for everyone over 60 and confiscation of every personal fortune above $8 million. By 1935 Share Our Wealth had 7.7 million members. Francis E. Townsend, a broke 66-year-old retired doctor, launched a proposal in 1933 to pay every American over 60 $200 a month ($2,400 today) on the condition they spend the money within a month. The payments would be funded by a two percent national sales tax. He soon had millions of followers who organized Townsend Clubs across the country to promote his plan.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt said at one point, “The Congress can’t stand the pressure of the Townsend Plan unless we have a real old-age insurance system, nor can I face the country.” So, on June 8, 1934, he sent Congress a message urging it to enact “social insurance … to provide security against several of the great disturbing factors in life—especially those which relate to unemployment and old age.” He added that “lessons of experience are available from states, from industries, and from many nations of the civilized world.” He set up a committee of five cabinet-level officials headed by Labor Secretary Frances Perkins to come up with a plan.

The committee soon had a large staff and an array of subcommittees. The five officials divided their job into three parts, with one big group tackling unemployment insurance, one big group working on health insurance, and a much smaller group focusing on old-age security. The unemployment team bogged down in disputes, and the health care reformers were kept from doing much by opposition from the American Medical Association, which didn’t want doctors restrained by national regulation. The old-age group, however, came together on a plan where workers and their employers would each contribute, paycheck by paycheck, to a fund that would provide the workers a pension after they retired. It was a relatively moderate, conservative answer to the radical ideas of people like Long and Townsend.

At first the proposed Social Security law was attacked by liberals as doing too little and by conservatives as approaching socialism; but opposition faded, and President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act of 1935 on August 14 of that year. The law included unemployment insurance, aid to dependent children, and other elements, but its biggest feature was the old-age part we now think of as Social Security. Taxes for it were first collected in 1937, and for three years the trust fund was built up before the first monthly Social Security check was written in 1940, giving Ida May Fuller, a retired legal secretary in Ludlow, Vermont, $22.54.

The idea was not to provide a pension where people would always get back the amount they put in; rather it was to collect a pool of insurance money from people and return it to them if and when they needed it. Thus what you receive depends on when you stop working, and a disabled worker can start collecting early and end up getting more than that worker paid in. Originally the law required you not to work at all after 65 to get Social Security no matter how much you had paid in. This requirement was intended to remove older people from the labor pool, creating more jobs for the young. The law also excluded farm and transient workers, domestic servants, and anyone working for someone with fewer than 10 employees. Those people may have needed Social Security the most, but legislators believed the tax would be too hard to collect from them.

The system has been modified and expanded many times since its creation. In 1940 benefits were added for a survivor of a retiree who died. In 1950 cost of living raises were introduced. Disability coverage was added in 1954. Also, Medicare and Medicaid, begun in the 1960s, are both officially part of the Social Security System. In the 1970s fixes started being made to keep the system from losing money; in 1977 the tax rate was slightly increased and benefits were slightly reduced, and in 1983 the retirement age was raised (to eventually reach 67 for full benefits) while the payout for early retirees and people still working was reduced.

Because the nation is going through an enormous demographic change with aging baby boomers, none of those adjustments has made the system permanently sound. There are now more Americans over 65 than ever before to take money out of the system and not enough younger workers paying in to keep up. Social Security’s financing is in need of repair. Nonetheless, the system is hardly on the brink of collapse, as some claim.

Around 56 million Americans, a sixth of the population, received Social Security benefits in 2011. The system is paying them a total of $727 billion. After years of taking in more than it paid out and building up a surplus, the system has just begun to dip into that surplus—the “trust fund” of government bonds, now at a peak of $2.6 trillion. No one can say exactly how fast the trust fund will diminish, but the Social Security Administration and the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) both estimate that if nothing is done it will last until around 2036. But even in that extreme case, Social Security will be able to pay out as much as it takes in. It just won’t be able to pay recipients 100 percent of what they get now; instead, they’ll get something like 76 percent.

How can the loss of money be stopped? There are four possible ways: raise the retirement age; reduce benefits or cost of living increases; raise the top income level for paying Social Security taxes; or raise the Social Security tax rate. If the tax rate were raised from its present 12.4 percent, half paid by employees and half by employers, to 14 percent, that would do it, according to the CBO. More likely is a mix of a smaller tax rise, a modest increase in the retirement age, and a rise in the cap on taxed salary.

In other words, Social Security has very real long-term funding problems, but it is not in a crisis that can’t be fixed. And as for those who say that its trust fund doesn’t really even exist because the government has spent all the money in it, in a sense that’s true—but it’s not a very meaningful sense. The trust fund’s money is all in government bonds, which pay an average of 2.76 percent. Any bond is, in effect, a loan of money to the bond’s issuer and only has value if the bond issuer can repay the loan. The bonds that compose the Social Security trust fund are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S., and it is almost universally agreed that the U.S. government is more dependable than any other issuer of bonds—or any other investment—on Earth. So the Social Security trust fund may not be 100 percent safe, but any other conceivable investment is probably less safe. That’s one reason why attempts to “privatize” Social Security—replacing the trust fund with individuals’ investments in stocks and other securities, such as President George W. Bush proposed in 2005—haven’t gone very far. After the recent stock market crash, privatization appeals to fewer people than ever.

And here’s a glimmer of good news in that long, uncertain future: Eventually, the flood of baby boomers will end, and older people won’t so greatly outbalance younger ones as they do in this unique period of history. So even if the next generation can’t retire quite as comfortably as Americans could in the unprecedentedly prosperous years since World War II, maybe the generation after that will be more comfortable again—as long as we don’t give up on a Social Security system that has worked wonders for millions of Americans for most of a century. There’s a reason it has been “the third rail of American politics” ever since House speaker Tip O’Neill first called it that in the 1980s: Everyone worries about it, but virtually no one wants to lose it.

How to Find the Right Vet for Your Pet Online

Big or small, our furry, feathered, and scaly friends are part of the family. And like any family member, we want to take care of them throughout life and make sure that they get the best help when they need it the most. Thankfully, there are plenty of online tools to help you find a nearby veterinarian, emergency pet care, and support for you and your pet.

Finding a nearby vet for your pet

While Google Maps is always a handy way to search for local businesses, there are several excellent websites specifically designed to help you find a local vet. One of our top recommended sites is Veterinarians.com. Here, you can easily search for local vets, read reviews and testimonials, and even request a consultation from various vets in your area.

Two other sites to check out are FindALocalVet and LocalVets. They’re not as full-featured as some sites but still make great resources when shopping around for vets in your area.

Not all vets are right for you

When searching for a veterinarian online, it’s important to keep in mind that not all vets are right for all pets. Most vets can handle the common problems and routine maintenance for your cat or dog, but finding a vet for birds, reptiles, and farm animals can be more of a challenge. It’s always a good idea to call the vet clinic in question and ask if they are comfortable treating your pet.

Just like finding a doctor for yourself, you’ll want to do some research on prospective vets. The easiest way to do this is to go to the VetRatingz website. Just type in the name of the vet clinic to read reviews from other pet owners. Be sure to look up prospective vets on Google Maps for additional comments and ratings.


Finding emergency care

Coming home to find a sick or injured pet is an owner’s worst nightmare. Even if your primary veterinarian is still open, not all clinics are equipped to handle emergency visits. It’s always a good idea to have an emergency vet clinic or animal hospital in mind well before your pet needs to visit one. Researching local emergency vets now will save you time (and possibly your pet’s life) later; be sure to consult your primary provider for emergency vet recommendations. You’ll want the two providers working hand-in-hand as much as possible.

The VetLocator website has an excellent emergency vet locator tool and lists several emergency animal poison control phone numbers. Google Maps can also be useful when researching and locating emergency vet clinics and hospitals.

Support and help

Vet visits and pet medication can be very expensive. If you find yourself having trouble paying for pet bills, you can often work something out with your vet, especially if you have an established relationship. Another option is to sign up for pet insurance. A simple Google search for pet insurance will give you several options to choose from.

The unfortunate reality of pet ownership is that some day your pet will pass away. There are many websites to help you and your family cope with the loss of a pet. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) offers a number of helpful articles and even a Pet Loss Hotline to help you in your time of need.

This story originally appeared on Tecca. More from Tecca:

15 adorable animal videos that’ll make your head explode from cute

How to photograph animals

5 iPad games your cat will love

The Boy in the Box: Still Unsolved After 57 Years

February marked the 57th anniversary of one of America’s great unsolved crimes. We say ‘month’ because no one has ever known the exact date. We don’t even know who the victim was.

He is referred to as “The Boy in the Box,” and his death continues to haunt people because there is so much we still don’t know. Over five decades of inquiry, we still don’t know why this boy was beaten to death. Or why the evidence didn’t offer a single, good lead. Or how a child could disappear without anyone noticing.

As the Post reported it, the case didn’t appear so baffling at first. The crime scene—an empty field beside a country road near Philadelphia—offered several promising pieces of evidence.

Acting on a tip, police drove to a stretch of country road in the countryside near Philadelphia on February 25, 1957. There, just as the informant had described it, was a cardboard packing box that had once contained a bassinet. Inside, wrapped in a blanket, was the body of a young boy, who had died from several blows to the head.

No one believed … identifying the victim would be difficult.

The box not only bore the name of the store it had come from, it also carried a manufacturer’s serial number, so that it could be pinpointed to one specific shipment.

[And] there was yet another hopeful item. Fifteen feet from the box, near the path leading in from the road, searchers found a distinctive cap… with a leather strap and buckle across the back.

Yet, amazingly, none of the evidence—the box, blanket, hat, or boy himself—lead investigators any closer to a solution.

Markings on the cardboard box showed it had been shipped to a J. C. Penney store just 15 miles away from where the body was found.

But Penney’s practice is “Cash”—and although a dozen were sold from that shipment, the store had no records of the purchasers.

With the help of newspaper publicity, the detectives got calls from eight buyers, all of whom said they had either put the box out for trash or still had it in their homes. [Local] trash collectors said they had long since burned their loads of refuse [which might have contained the other boxes]. The four other purchasers of the white bassinets were never found.

The blanket also yielded no information. Investigators could find no identifying marks on it, or anyone who recognized it, or even other blankets of similar make. As for the cap, detectives took it to the shop of Mrs. Hannah Robbins where it had been made.

Certainly, said Mrs. Robbins, she remembered the cap. Several months earlier a man between twenty-six and thirty years old had bought it. She recalled him because he’d asked her to add the leather strap and buckle. He was in working clothes, spoke without an accent and was alone. It was a cash sale, so she hadn’t taken his name. [She had never] seen him before or since.

With the cap and a picture of the boy, detectives then painstakingly visited 143 stores and businesses in the area. Not one person recalled either boy or cap.

Most remarkable was the complete anonymity of the boy. The investigators never found a match for the perfect set of fingerprints they obtained from him.

Detectives printed flyers showing a photo of the boy’s face, and images of him dressed and seated in a chair.

The police sent out 400,000… to  police stations, post offices and courthouses all over the nation. The FBI’s Law Enforcement Bulletin alerted investigators.

The American Medical Association circulated a complete medical description in the hope that some doctor, somewhere, might recognize the boy.

In a dozen states, from California to Maine, promising leads have developed—and all proved futile.

The police found no witnesses, no identity for the boy, not even any record he had ever existed.

This is a mystery almost without parallel. How is it possible for a murderer not only to escape justice but even to shroud the identity of the victim?

It… would seem impossible for a child to be murdered and have no persons come forward to claim him as their own or, at the very least, identify him.

Somewhere in his life the boy must have been known, not just to his parents, but to their friends. Somewhere he must have had playmates. Somewhere there must have been neighbors who knew he was alive—and now is around no more. Somewhere there must be a person who neatly trimmed the nails on his fingers and toes. Somewhere there must be a barber—professional or amateur—who gave him a bowl-like cut shortly before his death. Somewhere the boy’s fingerprints—or footprints—must be on file.

That is, all these people—and these things—”must be” in the logical course of events.

But this case defies logic.

The investigators couldn’t even determine the day of death.  The young man who found the body waited a day before coming to the police with the information. In fact, he was the second person to find the body; another young man who had seen the boy in the box two days earlier, but preferred not to get involved. With the cold February weather, and these delays, there was no way to determine just how long the body had been lying in the field (or how many other people had seen it and said nothing.)

The case was never closed. Some of the detectives originally assigned to the case continued following leads for years afterward. One detective stayed with the case well into his retirement.

A few people have come to the police claiming to be witnesses.  Ten years ago, a woman told the police her parents were responsible for the boy’s death. She offered a detailed, consistent account, but there is no way to corroborate her facts.

The boy's original tombstone. The body was re-interred at Philadelphia's Ivy Hill Cemetary in 1998.

Hard evidence is still needed. It may come from the sample of DNA that was extracted from the boy’s remains in 2001. But a DNA match will only confirm a relationship between the boy and his parents or siblings. It can’t lead the police toward any suspect.

So the case stays open, and the boy remains the illustration of how Thomas Hobbes described life outside of society: “continual fear and the danger of violent death—solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

Rockwell in the 1950s – Part III of III

“The Soda Jerk” – August 22, 1953

"The Soda Jerk" From August 22, 1953

“The Soda Jerk”
From August 22, 1953

 

Perhaps it’s the prestigious position of being a soda jerk, but these young ladies are clearly not just there for the ice cream. Rockwell’s three sons often posed for his paintings, and this babe magnet is Peter, his youngest. In fact, the artist got the idea for this cover while listening to Peter talk about his summer job at a soda fountain.

Tthere is Rockwell’s attention to detail: the non-slip wooden floor behind the counter, the dishes that should have been cleared, even the reflection of the salt and sugar containers in the chrome of the napkin holder. A chubby guy at the counter looks on enviously, thinking, “what does he have (besides ice cream) that I don’t have?”

Alas, every artist has his critics. Peter wasn’t thrilled with the result, saying, “I’m not that goofy-looking.”

“Happy Birthday, Miss Jones” – March 17, 1956

 "Happy Birthday, Miss Jones" From March 17, 1956

“Happy Birthday, Miss Jones”
From March 17, 1956

 

Anne Braman, from Rockwell’s hometown, posed for this tribute to the schoolteacher in a local classroom. First Rockwell posed the children (love the kid with the eraser on his head, as if he didn’t have time to “straighten up” from mischief before the teacher arrived) and then they were sent to another room where they were given a Coke and a check.

“Then Mr. Rockwell posed me against the blackboard,” Ms. Braman told the Post in 1976. “His late wife, Mary, was present and did not care for the shoes I was wearing at the time, and suggested I put on hers, which were at least two sizes too large for me.” Like other models we’ve reviewed from the 50s, the cover made Anne something of a celebrity. “When I attended my twenty-fifth high school reunion,” she told us, “I was given a prize for being the first member of the class to be a ‘cover girl.’”

But the cover below was Anne’s favorite, for a special reason.

“The Marriage License” – June 11, 1955

“The Marriage License” From June 11, 1955

“The Marriage License”
From June 11, 1955

 

It is late afternoon on a Saturday (the calendar even gives us the day), and the elderly clerk has his boots on and would like to get home. Couples in love are a humdrum regularity in this office. By contrast, an excited young couple is happily filling out the paperwork for their marriage license, a momentous occasion they are not inclined to rush. This was a real engaged couple, Joan Lahart and Francis Mahoney, of nearby Lee, Massachusetts. Of the big, handsome groom-to-be, Rockwell said, “You know, this is a self-portrait of myself. At least that is what I would have liked to look like if I had had the opportunity.”

This famous 1955 cover meant a great deal to Anne Braman, who posed as the teacher above. Earlier that year, “my mother-in-law died. Mr. Rockwell, knowing my father-in-law, Jason C. Braman, realized how upset he was and he thought if he could get him to model it would give him something new to think about. Mr. Rockwell indicated he had done this sort of thing in the past when someone had lost a loved one.” Mr. Braman made a fine town clerk.

The famous Rockwell detail is there. You can almost touch the cold iron of the stove (it is June, after all). The artist was very specific about what the young lady would wear, and the bright sunshine yellow of her dress contrasts beautifully with all the dark wood. Add the magnificent lighting from the window, and this may be one of Rockwell’s best covers.

Dwight David Eisenhower – October 11, 1952

Dwight David Eisenhower From October 11, 1952

Dwight David Eisenhower
From October 11, 1952

 

Ike was excited to show Rockwell his paintings and get some expert advice. “They were terrible,” Rockwell said. “His stuff was not quite as good as Churchill’s, who was also an amateur artist, you know, but he was a wonderful man. I guess I liked painting him best of all the presidents. Yea, Ike was as comfortable as an old shoe. Maybe that’s why the two of us got along so well.” This was 1952, but four years later, Ike again appeared in a Rockwell cover, as did his opponent, Adlai Stevenson, whom the artist recalled as “amiable, kind, unpretentious, and quietly charming.” Kind of makes it hard to tell which side of the political fence the artist was on, but it is refreshing to hear that both politicians were amiable and unpretentious.

“Rockwell Meets the President” June 11, 1955

“Rockwell Meets the President” From June 11, 1955

“Rockwell Meets the President”
From June 11, 1955

 

President Eisenhower invited the artist to a White House dinner in 1955. Post editors got word that the artist “was observed galumphing around his home town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts in a new set of shiny black evening shoes” in an attempt to break them in. It was also noted “Rockwell also bought a cummerbund to undergird his tux, and it almost broke in his stomach, but he stayed with it.” Since the editors enjoyed tweaking Rockwell, they ran this cartoon of a spiffy but uncomfortable Norman on his way to meet the President.

“Easter Morning” From May, 16, 1959

“Easter Morning”
From May, 16, 1959

 

“Why is papa not going to church—is he ill?” asked the editors of this 1959 cover. “No, his health is sound, except that he is suffering a momentary chill as his family coldly passes by.” Okay, dad really should go to church, but the lure of a comfy Sunday with coffee and the sports pages is stronger than the appeal getting dressed up for a crowded Easter Sunday.

Interestingly, the view outside the window is the exact view outside Rockwell’s studio. On the cutting edge was the sleek Scandinavian furniture—the artist scoured furniture stores for just the right chair. The wife is portrayed by Rockwell’s daughter-in-law, Gail. When the artist was asked if the two young ladies were twins, he replied, “They ought to be. I only hired one model.” Although the “twins” are steadfastly standing by mom, the boy can’t resist a glance at dad, perhaps hoping for a reprieve so he, too, can stay home and relax. If you click on the cover for a close-up, you’ll see the best touch of all: Rockwell gave dad’s tousled hair “horns.”

“After the Prom” – May 25, 1957

"After the Prom" From May 25, 1957

“After the Prom”
From May 25, 1957

 

It had to be only yesterday that this stylish young lady was a tomboy climbing trees and the dapper gentleman had a secret clubhouse dedicated to keeping girls out. But tonight she is a fairytale princess proudly showing off her corsage to a gracious footman, and he is an elegant prince. Alas, the corsage and tux rental have put a dent in the royal coffers, and the after-dance caviar and champagne will have to be burgers and soda at the local diner. But it doesn’t matter—they will remember it as if it were Buckingham Palace.


We’ve reviewed Rockwell’s art in the sixties and fifties, which of course leads us to the 1940s—next!

Danica at Daytona: Driving for COPD Awareness

Danica Patrick, one of the world’s top drivers competing in “The Great American Race”—NASCAR’s 54th Annual Daytona 500—speaks out about another race she intends to win: finding people at risk of a lung condition before they struggle to make a pinwheel spin.

COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, robs an estimated 24 million Americans of their ability to breathe. But nearly 12 million are unaware that they are developing one of its two forms—chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Both conditions starve the body of oxygen by stopping air from entering and exiting the lungs. In chronic bronchitis, inflammation narrows the airways. Emphysema damages delicate air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs.

Serious problems don’t happen overnight. Breathing gradually becomes more difficult for people with COPD until they feel as though they are inhaling and exhaling through a small straw, according to DRIVE4COPD.com, an ongoing awareness campaign that Danica Patrick supports in honor of her grandmother who had emphysema.

The Post caught up with the popular race driver in the days before her NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in the 2012 Daytona 500.

24M: The DRIVE4COPD monument—on display at Daytona International Speedway and created by renowned artist and sculptor Michael Kalish to signify COPD’s impact in the United States—is constructed of 24 large pinwheels made from 2400 license plates representing the 24 million people it affects and secured to a base that forms a map of the country.  Photo Courtesy of DRIVE4COPD.com
24M: The DRIVE4COPD monument—on display at Daytona International Speedway and created by renowned artist and sculptor Michael Kalish to signify COPD’s impact in the United States—is constructed of 24 large pinwheels made from 2400 license plates representing the 24 million people it affects and secured to a base that forms a map of the country. Photo Courtesy of DRIVE4COPD.com

“There wasn’t one specific moment when we knew that my grandmother had COPD, ” recalls Patrick. “Her disease was progressing in the 1990s, but we didn’t realize it. Today we want to spread the word that people must pay attention to early symptoms. There’s no cure, but early diagnosis and treatment can improve symptoms so patients can take a trip, walk outside, or live in a two-story house—all those things that become difficult when you can’t breathe.”

COPD also affects family and friends who step up to care for loved ones with a disease that too often takes lives before age 70. Patrick’s grandmother passed away in 2001 at age 61.

“If you won’t take steps to address COPD for your own sake, do it for your spouse, your kids, or your grandkids,” urges Patrick. “I have happy memories of Grandma about getting ice cream, playing at her house, and earning a quarter for doing chores. But it’s sad for me that she’s not here in this chapter of my life—we never had the chance to know each other as adults.”

Get on track to better breathing with Patrick’s race day tips:

Photo Courtesy of DRIVE4COPD.com
Photo Courtesy of DRIVE4COPD.com

1. Ready! Recognize common symptoms of COPD: coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue, and chest tightness. “Normal activities should not be difficult to complete and they should not make you cough,” says Patrick.

2. Set! Go to DRIVE4COPD.com and answer five short questions to learn more about COPD and identify your risk. “We live in an age of technology and should take advantage of it. Join the more than 2 million people who have taken the online quiz,” encourages Patrick.

3. Go! Print off the results and take it your doctor. “It’s a great way to start the conversation about finding a treatment plan that works for you,” she adds.

COPD Facts

—Drive4COPD

Miracle Seeker

I was not raised Catholic. I can’t recite the Holy Rosary. And I certainly don’t have what it takes to be considered a devout anything—unless knowing the dialogue to all six seasons of Sex and the City counts for something. But I’m not exactly an atheist either. I’ve always felt a strong sense of devotion to a higher entity. Yet at a dinner party recently when I spoke excitedly about my upcoming trip to Lourdes, the holy shrine in the South of France, I was quickly cut short.

“But you’re not religious,” said a female acquaintance. Her remark spilled across the tablecloth like a tipped-over glass of red wine.

“I used to go to church every Sunday,” I said, somewhat defensively. “And I went to Christian youth camp one summer.”

I went on to explain that Lourdes gets more than six million visitors each year, and I highly doubted every single person who visited the famous grotto of Massabielle was a staunch Catholic.

But who was I trying to convince, her or me?

True, her verbal stoning made me momentarily doubt my bonafides as a miracle seeker. But though not a devout Catholic, I had a good reason for the pilgrimage; being diagnosed with malignant melanoma at age 50 was reason enough. My cancer is what clinicians call Stage IIIB. Look it up. Words like “prognosis somewhat poor” and “very little chance” leap off the screen. Still, my decision to make the trek had been built on monumental hope. For months I had been imagining myself there, miraculously saved. In the end, I took this woman’s ugly remark as one of the many disconcerting side effects of having cancer and handled it the way I do with doctors’ sad faces and negative statistics—I ignored it.

I am running alongside track 19 through the Montparnasse train station toward the silvery vessel that will transport me from Paris to the Pyrenees to the place I’d been dreaming of since I was 15 when I watched the film classic The Song of Bernadette. The thought of standing at the grotto where a young peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, saw the Virgin Mary appear 18 times in the year 1858 makes me euphoric.

I have less than two minutes to find the designated rail car stamped on my ticket. It seems a never-ending distance. Traveling too fast, my suitcase tilts on its rickety wheels and falls over.

“S***!” I scream. As I collect my bloated baggage sprawled across the pavement, a nun crosses my path. Uh oh, I think. She’ll probably send up word on high that there’s a foul-mouthed American woman on the way. That won’t bode well for my chances for the “miracle” list. Boarding the train, I notice a sickly bald lady who looks as though she’s undergone intense chemotherapy treatments. Near her is an extremely frail teen boy in a wheelchair reading a French translation of The Hunger Games. Both of these angelic souls seem more worthy of a miracle than I. I’m certain neither of them has ever cussed in front of a nun.

Lourdes, France, became world famous after the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared to 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous. Photo courtesy Jill Paris.
Lourdes, France, became world famous after the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared to 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous. Photo courtesy Jill Paris.

Looking at me, you’d never know my plight. People say I look “fantastic” six months after undergoing two major surgeries. The first excised the tumor on my upper left arm and removed two sentinel lymph nodes to determine if the cancer had spread. The cancerous culprits indeed had set up camp in the first node. And my physician, the world-renowned Donald L. Morton of the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California, next recommended removal of my axillary lymph nodes (which form a sort of chain from the underarm to the collarbone) despite the painful side effects such as permanent nerve damage and the potential threat of lymphedema, or swelling.

“You don’t have to have chemo?” some people question. “No radiation?”

“Nope.”

“Wow, that’s great,” they say.

I guess that the thought that I won’t lose my long, blonde locks and shrink down to a skeletal frame or puke uncontrollably while sporting a headscarf is an upside. The downside is that there is no treatment or cure for this stage of melanoma—only more cutting should a new cancer emerge. My job is to be vigilant should I note anything suspicious, then to hightail it into the office for further study. This is, quite frankly, terrifying. No neon sign points to the location of a fresh melanoma. My doctor says that the next one will most likely not sprout directly on my skin, but just under it, so I’m supposed to gently rub my (numb) five-inch scar where the first growth emerged, feeling for a new invasion.

The chance of recurrence is quite high. In fact, when you’re Stage IIIB, it’s not a matter of if, but when. So every six months I undergo PET scans or chest X-rays to detect if the cancer has progressed to the dreaded Stage IV. I call it the “mean test.”

They tell me my five-year survival chances are 60 percent.

Melanoma—a cancer of the skin primarily caused by sunlight —is often confused with curable basal cell and squamous-cell skin cancers. But melanoma is the eighth most common malignancy in the U.S., and its frequency is rising faster than any other human cancer. In the 1930s the survival rate for this disease was extremely low; now 5- and 10-year survival rates of Stage I melanoma are well over 80 percent on average. But there are different forms, stages, and classifications that each have different prognoses.

I have nodular type, which is the most aggressive. Even when I discovered an abnormally large mole that quadrupled in size in less than three months, both the nurse and a dermatologist I initially visited assured me it was “nothing.” I sensed that they were both wrong and demanded its removal and biopsy. A case like mine—where skin cancers masquerade as something normal—is a perfect example of why people should get checked regularly. Don’t let your best friend, partner, neighbor, or even your family doctor discourage you from seeking expert attention. Had I listened to my healthcare team, I may have left that HMO allowing my already aggressive cancer to flourish, and I would not be writing this today.

Living with cancer is a learning experience. Part of that learning is to avoid the many misconceptions. Everyone knows somebody who has, or has had, cancer. They are quick to offer medical, herbal, even spiritual advice as well as clinical trial information. Truly, I am touched whenever someone offers any hope they feel may erase my diagnosis. But if I hear one more person tell me the story of their Aunt Jean who had skin cancer for four years and now is totally fine, I’ll lose it. (No offense Aunt Jean.) All melanomas are not alike.

“Is this your first time at Lourdes?”

I look up at a frail-looking pilgrim just beside me in the line for the sacred grotto.

“Yes,” I say.

Also in search of a miracle, Selam — whose name means peace — befriended Paris while at Lourdes. Photo courtesy Jill Paris.
Also in search of a miracle, Selam — whose name means peace — befriended Paris while at Lourdes. Photo courtesy Jill Paris.

The woman’s name is Selam. She has come from Vancouver, Canada, but originally hails from Ethiopia. She is 40 years old. Within seconds we are swapping war stories.

“Melanoma, Stage III,” I say.

“Colon cancer … I’ve been given six months to live,” she whispers.

I let her step in front of me and study how she grazes the grayish stone that leads to the niche with her left hand, stopping every few feet to kiss the rock. A white rosary entwined in her right hand swings gently from side to side.

I begin to copy her every move. If she makes the sign of the cross, I do, too. If she pats the water droplets that trickle from the cave-like surface and touches her face, I do the same. It is as if she’s been sent to me as a personal guide. Nearing the sacred spot, she begins to weep. I stroke her back the way a mother would soothe a child with a skinned knee.

She kneels before the statue of Mary resting high in an alcove. Dabbing moisture from the stone, my hand presses the gash on my upper left arm, but I forget to ask Mary for anything because of a deep concern for my new companion. Selam’s despairing sobs grow louder—agonizing wails echoing in an already hushed enclave.

Minutes later, she rises and turns toward me.

I open my arms wide and she collapses against me. We hold each other in a long embrace as though lifelong friends.

“I want you to have this,” I say, reaching into my bag for a vintage religious medal of Bernadette that a dear friend sent with me for luck. “Pin it over your heart. It will protect you.”

“Oh, thank you, my love,” she says. “I prayed I would meet someone here.”

Who knew my presence alone would answer a dying woman’s prayers? Fear of what I lacked spiritually had been eating away at me in the days leading up to this moment. But her words are like a salve.

Writer Jill Paris touches the smooth, moist walls of the Grotto of Massabielle, believed to be a source of healing. Photo courtesy Jill Paris.
Writer Jill Paris touches the smooth, moist walls of the Grotto of Massabielle, believed to be a source of healing. Photo courtesy Jill Paris.

As the two of us walk arm in arm, we sing aloud, butchering the lyrics to “Ave Maria,” giggling in between verses. We pass thousands of invalids, some on gurneys and many in wheelchairs, most assisted by unpaid hospitallers—volunteers who look like a combination of nun and nurse. I have a sudden, unexpected calling to be one of them.

Selam tries to disguise the immense pain she is suffering and insists on our sitting together for hours at a sidewalk cafe, wiling away the afternoon sharing our hopes, fears, and her desire to find one last love. As we sit and talk, any need to justify the depth of my religious belief seems to vanish.

I had arrived alone at the holy shrine, a restless soul beside those green fields, and rather than glimpse the image of the Virgin Mary I had my own singular and singularly valuable divine visitation. Melanoma had brought me to Lourdes and given me Selam, the woman whose name means “peace.”

Three days later, fighting back tears and promising we’d meet again, she gives me a final gift: a pocket Holy Rosary booklet complete with tiny red beads and crucifix.

“See? Now you never need worry,” she says sweetly. “You’ll always have the right words.”

Six months later, after a chest X-ray, I am classified as disease-free. I harbor much hope, but there is always my next scan. Upon returning from Europe, I would speak with Selam twice. Her cancer had rapidly spread, and she was bravely undergoing extreme bouts of experimental chemotherapy. Her last words to me were, “I’ll call you next week, my love.” That was several months ago.

Just recently I have signed up with Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers to become one of the thousands of companion caregivers that Selam and I had seen. Some of the pilgrims will understand English, and some will not. Yet I’m not too concerned about the language barrier. Selam showed me that faith does not require proficient verbal skills.

If she were here with me now I’d say, “Can you imagine? Me? Speaking French? Might as well be Swahili!”

She’d just smile and make the sign of the cross.

Blueberry Bonanza

Pardon the pun, but we’ve gone bananas for blueberries. In the March/April issue of The Saturday Evening Post, Corey Michael Dalton writes about picking these antioxidant-rich fruits in Canada as a child. His story made us crave the sweet treats, so we asked the U.S. Highbrush Blueberry Council for inventive, healthy ways to mix these berries into our diets. The result? An entire day’s worth of meals (and snacks)! Start your day with the blueberry oatmeal breakfast cake, and then give one of the salads a try. And don’t forget to try the blueberry-topped rice cake featuring ricotta or cottage cheese. It’s a perfect afternoon pick-me-up that won’t have you crashing from a sugar high.

Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cake

Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cake
Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cake

(Makes 8 servings)

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease an 8-inch round baking pan. Set aside.
In medium mixing bowl combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
In a 1-cup measure stir milk, oil, and egg. Pour all at once into flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake until cake is golden and pulls away from sides of pan 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool on a rack, 5 to 10 minutes.
Serve warm.
*Blueberries should be firmly frozen when used in baking.


Salmon and Blueberry Salad with Red Onion Vinaigrette

Salmon and Blueberry Salad with Red Onion Vinaigrette
Salmon and Blueberry Salad with Red Onion Vinaigrette

(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

Directions

In microwaveable cup, combine onion, red wine vinegar, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper; cover loosely with plastic wrap; microwave on high power for 1 minute. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until onions turn pink, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat grill or broiler. Brush 1 tablespoon of olive oil on both sides of salmon fillets; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Grill or broil salmon, skin side down, until just cooked through, about 6 minutes. Divide lettuce leaves among 4 dinner plates; place salmon in the center. With slotted spoon, remove onions from vinegar; scatter onions, along with blueberries, over and around the fish. Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into vinegar mixture; drizzle vinaigrette over salmon.


Berry Blue Smoothie

Berry-Blue-Smoothie
Berry Blue Smoothie

(Makes 3 servings)

Ingredients

Directions

In the container of an electric blender, place blueberries, yogurt, juice, and honey. Whirl until smooth. Serve immediately.
 
 

Blueberry-Topped Rice Cakes

Blueberry-Topped Rice Cakes
Blueberry-Topped Rice Cakes

(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together ricotta and preserves.
Spoon an equal amount on each of the rice cakes almost to the edge.
Arrange fruit slices in circles, on top of the ricotta mixture.
Top each with ¼ cup of the blueberries.
Serve immediately.


Blueberry Shrimp Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Blueberry Shrimp Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Blueberry Shrimp Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

Directions

In a large salad bowl, toss shrimp, blueberries, walnut pieces, edamame (or peas), and salad greens
Evenly divide salad onto six plates. Drizzle with Lemon Vinaigrette (below). Sprinkle cheese around edges of salads
Lemon Vinaigrette
In a small mixing bowl, whisk ¼ cup vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ½ teaspoon sugar, 1⁄8 teaspoon salt and 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper.

Recipes/Photos Courtesy: The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.

How to Pack Like a Ninja to Avoid Baggage Fees

Remember the good old days when the price of your airline ticket included a snack, a drink, and a checked bag? It doesn’t look like those perks are coming back any time soon; these days, you’re lucky if your checked bags are being moved by humans and not by robotic baggage handlers. Luckily, inventive air travelers have come up with all kinds of creative ways to make the baggage process easier, from packing with airport security in mind to simply wearing all your electronics in a many-pocketed jacket.

Any savvy traveler knows it’s best not to check bags if you can help it; besides saving a few bucks on checked bag fees, you’re also spared the hassle of figuring out how to track down a lost suitcase. With that in mind, here are some expert tips to help you avoid checking luggage on your next trip.

1. Measure your bag.
You know those metal suitcase-measuring racks in front of the airline ticket counter? They aren’t just for decoration; airline employees can (and will) make you stuff your suitcase inside to make sure it conforms to the maximum dimensions allowed. So before you get start your ninja packing job, do yourself a favor and measure your bag. Maximum carry-on dimensions can vary by airline and unfortunately seem to be getting less generous all the time. Don’t assume that because your bag was allowed last time, it’s still good to go.

2. Wear bulky or heavy items.
We’re not suggesting you pile on your wardrobe for your entire trip, but think a little about the things you plan on taking before you start trying to cram them into your suitcase. Do you want to pack cowboy boots, a heavy sweater, and your belt with the license plate-sized metal buckle? Consider wearing those items on the day you fly; that way, you’ll have them with you but you won’t have to waste valuable packing space on items that take up more than their share of space and weight.

Wearing the heaviest items is especially worth considering if you plan on taking two of the same thing (think two pairs of shoes or two jackets). Which one is more of a pain to pack? Voila  — that’s the one you should wear to the airport.

3. Eliminate unnecessary items.
Think about where you’re going. If you’re staying at a hotel or with friends, you may not need to bring your own hair dryer. If you’re going to be gone for a long time, it might make more sense to pick up soap and shampoo at your destination rather than trying to fit 10 days’ worth into your carry-on bag.

This raises another good point: Make sure to brush up on the Transportation Security Administration’s list of no-fly items for carry-on luggage. There’s nothing more frustrating than doing an outstanding job of packing only to have to throw away your favorite lotion at security because the container is larger than 3 ounces.

4. Use carry-on freebies to your advantage.
Consult your airline’s website to find out exactly what the rules for carry-on luggage are. Some airlines allow you only one piece of baggage plus the outfit you’re wearing; some, like European budget carrier RyanAir, even make you cram your purse into that one suitcase. Other airlines are considerably more lenient and allow one suitcase and one personal item like a small backpack, laptop case, or purse. Doublecheck the maximum dimensions. If you’re lucky, you may be able to stuff a few things into your personal item and free up a little extra room in your suitcase.

5. Pack like a ninja.

Try a try a roll-up vacuum-sealed garment bag.

Now comes the fun part. You want the inside of your suitcase to look like a successful game of Tetris, with every piece fitting neatly into the piece beside it and no wasted space. Use socks, pajamas, and other items that can get wrinkled to fill in the otherwise useless crannies of space within your bag. If you’re packing shoes, don’t let the space inside go to waste; stuff some socks inside. If you’re really dedicated to maximizing your space, try a roll-up vacuum-sealed garment bag (though you should be prepared for your clothes to come out looking a bit wrinkled).

6. Weigh your bag.
Just because you’ve succeeded in maximizing every atom of space in your suitcase doesn’t mean you’re ready to hit the airport. Some airlines’ allowances for carry-on bags are very generous (read: any heavier and you’d barely be able to lift it into the overhead compartment). Others, though, restrict the weight to 20, 25, or 30 pounds. Weigh your bag on your home scale to avoid unpleasant surprises at the airport. If your suitcase is just a little over the allowed weight, try shifting heavier items from your carry-on bag to your personal item. Otherwise, it’s back to the drawing board.

7. Know when to give in.
We’ve all fumed at those irritating travelers with carry-on bags so big they have to be smashed into the overhead compartment by flight attendants. Don’t be that person. If you’ve packed your carry-on like a minimalist rock star and your suitcase is still too big or too heavy, it’s time to bite the bullet and pay for a checked bag.

If you’re traveling with someone else, you can reduce the damage by combining your stuff into one checked bag and one or two carry-ons. If you’re traveling on your own, try to think practically. Would you rather pay to check a bag and have everything you need for your trip, or end up having to buy a heavier coat because it’s rainy and there wasn’t room in your suitcase for bad weather attire? That’s what we thought.


This story originally appeared on Tecca. More from Tecca:

Travel Tech Guide: How to travel well with technology

Travel Site Faceoff: Which online travel site is best for you?

Travel Tech: Tasty alternatives to in-flight dining

Famous Contributors: Zora Neale Hurston

The Saturday Evening Post‘s celebration of Black History month continues with this Famous Contributor’s column focusing on anthropologist and novelist Zora Neale Hurston.

Like fellow famous contributor Langston Hughes, Hurston rose to prominence during the Harlem Renaissance, where she became respected as one of the top authorities on Black culture. Her unique blend of fictional prose and anthropological science led her to become one of the first widely-celebrated African-American writers. In 2002, scholar Moleti Kete Asanti named her one of the 100 Greatest African Americans; her life is currently celebrated every year at “Zora Fest” in Fort Pierce, Florida; and her home is a National Historic Landmark.

Born in 1891, Hurston’s belief that there could be more equality in America was instilled at a young age. She grew up Eatonville, Florida—one of the first incorporated African-American communities in America—and her experiences in the self-sufficient city convinced her that blacks could indeed live successfully if free from the constraints and prejudices of white society. She would refer to Eatonville as a Utopian community in much of her writing later in life. Today, the city celebrates Hurston’s legacy with another festival, the annual Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities.

People first began to take note of Hurston’s talent when she was enrolled at prestigious Howard University, but it was when she moved to Harlem that her popularity really began to take hold. Her background in anthropology provided endless material for her writing, as her academic travels took her to places such as Haiti, Jamaica and throughout the South, and her novels reflected African-American folklore that many Americans had never been exposed to. Books written by Hurston such as Their Eyes Were Watching God and Jonah’s Gourd Vine are remembered as all-time greats.

While considered one of the preeminent sources on African Americans in the 30s and 40s, her viewpoints would later cause her to fall out of favor with many contemporaries. She believed the old mantra of “separate but equal” could actually succeed and opposed such civil rights landmarks as the “Brown vs. Board of Education” decision and FDR’s New Deal, which caused her to become unpopular in her later years.

Below is her short story “The Conscience of the Court,” which appeared in the Post in 1950.

[embedpdf width=”700px” height=”900px” ]http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/wp-content/uploads/satevepost/19639593.pdf[/embedpdf]

Ouija Does It

Like a novelist, Norman Rockwell had a keen eye for small moments in ordinary life that signified broader trends. One such discovery occurred in the summer of 1919 when Rockwell, his wife Irene, and her family travelled to Potsdam, New York, to celebrate homecoming at Irene’s alma mater, Potsdam Normal School. In honor of his wife, Rockwell illustrated the cover for the special anniversary issue of the school’s alumni magazine—a gift popular with all of the attendees, especially Irene. For the first time, Rockwell felt like one of the family.

After the festivities, the family gathered at their summer camp a few miles away in Louisville Landing. Relaxing on the shoreline of the St. Lawrence River, conversations led to predictions about the future decade.

A spirited discussion followed, but soon Rockwell’s brother-in-law, Howard, and Irene’s father grew restless and invited Rockwell to walk with them. The three men eventually ended up at the town’s small dance hall, watching out-of-towners dance to the latest hits. As fascinating as the dancers were, several couples ringing the perimeter of the dance floor—sitting face-to-face, knee-to-knee and moving small heart-shaped objects (planchettes) on Ouija boards—were even more intriguing to Rockwell. Recalling their earlier conversation, the artist joked to Howard, “Maybe they can predict what the ’20s will bring.”

Nothing more was said about the matter, but six months later on February 3, 1920, Howard visited Rockwell in his New Rochelle studio to wish him happy birthday. Walking over to a couple of paintings resting on easels, he commented to Rockwell, “This looks like one of the couples using the Ouija board last summer.”

In fact, it was. The previous summer’s weekend celebration in Potsdam inspired the illustration “Ouija Board” featured on the May 1, 1920, cover of The Saturday Evening Post (above). Norman thought it was a trendy cover, perfect for the new decade, and used New York City models Betty Keough and Henry Von Bousen in the illustration.

Another canvas nearby featured a young couple looking at blueprints of a new house with a small child beside them. Howard asked, “Will this be the Rockwell family someday?”

“I don’t know,” the artist replied. “Do you have a Ouija board?”

Cartoons: Airline Travel

Lost luggage, lack of amenities, invasive screenings, and delays long enough to set up camp in a strange airport. Are we having fun yet?

 “That's mistletoe. We like to give every passenger a chance to kiss their luggage good-bye.” - from November/December 2010

"That's mistletoe. We like to give every passenger a chance to kiss their luggage good-bye."
from November/December 2010

Finally, a year-round use for mistletoe.

 “Arrivals, Departures, Bankruptcies” from November/December 2006

"Arrivals, Departures, Bankruptcies"
from November/December 2006

Always check the monitors to stay informed. Good to know if there’s a chance in Hades you’ll get home.

 “We’d like to go to the same place you sent our luggage.” from September/October 2006

"We’d like to go to the same place you sent our luggage."
from September/October 2006

A perfectly reasonable request, but the next question is even more reasonable:

“Never mind my luggage—what the devil have you done with my wife?” from December 82

"Never mind my luggage—what the devil have you done with my wife?"
from December 1982

We hate when this happens.

”You're good to go, sir, but I would recommend keeping an eye on that cholesterol of yours. from “January/February 2008

"You're good to go, sir, but I would recommend keeping an eye on that cholesterol of yours."
from January/February 2008

At least she isn’t telling him about his enlarged prostate.

 “This is the last time I fly discount” from November/December 2000

"This is the last time I fly discount."
from November/December 2000

You’ll be okay as long as you brought your own TP.

Classic Covers: Clutter

We’re doing a little spring cleaning at The Saturday Evening Post and have dug out some of our favorite clutter-filled covers. After browsing through these, be sure to check out Todd Pitock’s article on conquering clutter.

“Cluttered” covers of The Saturday Evening Post (click on the covers to see larger image):


Queen Bee

Marina Marchese
Photo courtesy of Marina Marchese.

In 1999 Marina Marchese quit her job as creative designer for a small giftware company in New York City and settled into a more rustic routine at her little red cottage in Weston, Connecticut. Tired of commuting into the city and passionate about her new backyard beekeeping hobby, Marina decided to start a business based on her bees and the delicious honey they produced. With only limited savings, the artistic and free-spirited Marina worked odd jobs in catering and dog sitting to help pay the bills while she tended her first few hives.

Marina, then 37, was still a “new-bee,” as novice beekeepers are known. But she wanted to be the queen bee, so she studied every aspect of this industrious insect, from its fascinating social life inside the hive to the many varieties of honey it was capable of producing. She attended meetings at local beekeeper clubs and even traveled to England and Italy where honey tasting is on par with wine tasting.

It’s safe to say that artisanal beekeepers like Marina go to extremes, but the honey they produce is a far cry from the kind that you buy in a plastic-molded teddy bear bottle. Artisanal honey making emphasizes quality and character over quantity and consistency. To produce the finest honey, beekeepers become micromanagers of their honeybees, scouting optimal field locations, knowing when nectar flow begins, and selecting the best ways to extract honey when the season is done.

Beekeeping may seem like a dramatic departure from a career in design, but the passion and creativity Marina brought to her business were nothing new. Growing up, she knew she wanted to create art, but spent her childhood rebelling against parents who didn’t support her artistic nature. “I was this creative kid growing up in a corporate family,” Marina says. “My mother was always pushing me to go to college to study business. Creativity just wasn’t nurtured, and it certainly wasn’t treasured.

“As a kid I always doodled—and I always got in trouble. I doodled in cookbooks, on the walls, in the closet, and behind doors where my parents wouldn’t see it. I remember soaking in the tub as my grandma scrubbed ink off my legs because I doodled all over my body.”

A series of seemingly unconnected events brought Marina to beekeeping. In the late 1990s a neighbor saw her illustrations of bee characters—including a sassy queen bee—and invited Marina to check out his backyard hive of Italian honeybees. Unsure at first, Marina put on the beekeeper’s hat and veil and watched as her neighbor opened the hives. “I was mesmerized,” she says. “The bees were so well-behaved, but I kept thinking they were going to swarm and sting. That day I tasted fresh honey and was smitten.”

Honey
Honey sommelier Marina educates others about this culinary delight. Photo Courtesy of Marina Marchese.

She bought her first hive through mail order and tended bees on weekends. During the week she took the train to her job in the city. Some days she would cry because she was so unhappy with her job and the commute. One day Marina pulled a paperback novel, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, from the borrowing rack at the train station. She took this accidental find as a sign that beekeeping was going to play a much larger role in her life. From that day forward she took greater interest in her hobby, joining bee clubs, reading books, and attending workshops.

Within two years honey from her first hive was ready for harvesting. Rather than give her honey away, as many backyard beekeepers do, Marina designed bottles with beautiful labels and prepared to sell her small first batch of 12 bottles at the local farmer’s market. She encountered some resistance from shoppers who weren’t quite sold on the idea of paying premium prices for something that has traditionally been a commodity.

“I pretty much starved that first winter,” she says. “I told myself, ‘I am talented, and I am going to survive.’ When I get interested in something, I go into it deeply. I had only scratched the surface of this amazing creature and wanted to know more.”

To survive she expanded her product line, selling beeswax lip balm and honey-based skin care products such as handmade soaps, facial scrubs, and foot rubs. And, taking full advantage of the bee’s bounty, Marina started to feed her artistic soul by painting with heated beeswax in a technique known as encaustic painting. About five years ago—and a full seven years after starting her business—Marina reached a financial milestone. She no longer had to work odd jobs to help pay her bills. Today Marina’s company, Red Bee Apiary, harvests approximately 100 gallons of honey per year, and is a favorite of regional chefs and gourmands alike. Demand is greater than supply, so she works with local beekeepers who meet her exacting criteria for artisanal honey to boost production.

Like a convert to a new religion, Marina wants others to share her passion for artisanal honey. She travels around the country talking to beekeeper groups and sponsors tastings at her apiary. She even wrote a book, Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper, which encompasses not just her personal story but the history of beekeeping, bee behavior, tips for would-be backyard beekeepers, and the many ways honey can be used in food and healthy living. “My business brings together everything I’ve worked for in my life,” says Marina. “When you’re doing something you’re meant to do, everything just falls into place.”

The Buzz on Honey

Limerick Laughs Contest Winner and Runners-Up for Nov/Dec 2011

Turkey Loose Atop Truck by Constantin Alajalov
The turkey on top of the crate
Cared not that delivery was late.
Though his daring escape
Caused the townsfolk to gape,
He refused to end up on a plate!
—Gayla Baggett, Hendersonville, Tennessee


The staff of The Saturday Evening Post is pleased to announce the winner of the Nov/Dec Limerick Laughs Contest: Gayla Baggett of Hendersonville, Tennessee! For her poem describing the picture to the left, Gayla wins a cash prize—and our gratitude for a job well done. If you’d like to enter the Limerick Laughs Contest for our Mar/Apr issue, you can submit your limerick via the entry form here.

Of course, Gayla’s limerick wasn’t the only one that tickled our fancy! Here are a few of our favorite runners-up, in no particular order:

Thanksgiving Day is just ahead.
It’s a time that all turkeys dread.
But this Tom found a way
To escape from the fray
By using—not losing—his head!

—Claire Levitt, Lawrence Twp., NJ

He broke free, but his friends raised a clatter.
The boss came to see what was the matter.
In the midst of the city
He could not raise much pity.
He still graced someone’s Thanksgiving platter.

—Bette Killion, Greencastle, IN

This old Tom won’t take the bait.
He has an inkling of his fate.
Thanksgiving is near
It brings out his fear.
He’s afraid he’ll end up on the plate!

—Jean Muyskens, Au Gres, MI

When they said they would have her for dinner
The hen turkey felt like a winner.
But learning the truth,
She flew from the coop,
And did her best to look thinner.

—Ms. D. L. Brown, Buffalo, WY

Tom turkey looked at the bait,
Aware of his predestined fate.
He was all set to fly;
He did not want to die
Like his fellow fowls in the crate.

—James Faucette, Durham, NC

While everyone gaped at the sight,
The turkey prepared for a fight.
The scared driver drew near;
He had only one fear—
What if that birdie should bite?

—Dorothy Iseral, Burnside, KY

A stubborn old turkey named Max
Had a dreadful fear of the axe.
So he broke loose and fled,
Became road kill instead
After several more years to relax.

—Gerald R. Seifert, North Manchester, IN

It looked more than a little absurd;
As folks stopped to watch man-versus-bird.
The scene was so graphic,
It tied up the traffic,
While a truckload of gobbling was heard.

—B. A. Lightfoot, Hanston, KS

My feathers are ruffled—oh, gee!
’Twas a scuffle, but now I am free.
I’m on top of the crate
That you said was my fate.
I dare you, “Just try to catch me.”

—Susie Swaim, Fairbanks, AK

9 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Home Energy Use

Maybe you’re a full-fledged tree hugger who’s already drooling over the new Ford Fusion Energi electric hybrid sedan. Or maybe you’re just hoping to save a few bucks on your next electric bill or make your living room a little less frigid during the cold months of winter. Either way, taking steps to reduce your electricity and energy use at home is a smart choice — and the good news is you won’t have to replace all your windows or move to a yurt do it. Here are a few quick and easy projects to get you started.

1. Insulate electrical outlets.

Insulate the electrical outlets in your house that are located on exterior walls. Your local hardware store probably sells foam socket sealers that will help block cold or hot outside air from entering your home. You’ll need a screwdriver to remove the outlet plates or switch plates, but the whole process shouldn’t take more than a few minutes per outlet.

2. Get an energy audit.

Pay attention to your utility bill. Some utility companies occasionally offer a free energy audit, which typically entails a home inspection from a utility employee. If your electric bill seems high and you can’t figure out the reason, getting an audit is a great starting point for investigation; the results will help you understand the factors that may be affecting your energy use, such as drafty windows or a poorly insulated roof. If you’re lucky, the utility company may even throw in a few energy-saving freebies such as low-flow faucet heads or compact fluorescent light bulbs.

3. Switch to fluorescent light bulbs.

Compact fluorescent bulbs are brighter and more efficient than incandescent bulbs.
Compact fluorescent bulbs are brighter and more efficient than incandescent bulbs.

Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs or LEDs. Compact fluorescent bulbs are brighter and more efficient than incandescent bulbs; they may be more expensive up front, but they’ll last much longer. LED lights are another option that’s even more energy efficient; the downside is that they’re pretty pricey (expect to spend $20 or so per bulb). If the light generated by fluorescent bulbs is too harsh or industrial for your taste, try replacing existing incandescent bulbs with incandescent bulbs with lower wattage.

4. Give your fridge a hand.

Vacuum the coils on your refrigerator. Pet hair and dust bunnies accumulate on the coils over time, causing the fridge to have to work harder to get rid of the heat. If you clean off the coils now and then, the fridge will have less work to do and will use less energy.

5. Block off unused heat registers.

Be smart about heating and cooling. Is there a room in your home you rarely use? Is there a register in your laundry room two feet away from the furnace, resulting in a double dose of hot air? In rooms you don’t really need to heat and cool, insert something in the register to block it off and redirect the air flow toward other areas of the house.

6. Close the chimney flue.

If you have a fireplace, make sure the chimney vent is closed, unless you are about to make a fire. This helps insulate your home from warm or cold air, so your heating and air conditioning won’t require as much energy. Closing the chimney flue also prevents wildlife from taking up residence there. Trust us on this one: Having a live raccoon fall down your chimney in the middle of the night is an experience you’d rather omit from your bucket list.

7. Winterize windows and doors.

Try a window insulator kit.
Try a window insulator kit.

If you live in a place with long, cold winters and your home is drafty, it’s definitely worth investing in winterizing supplies. Double-sided foam tape can help plug gaps along the edges and bottom of exterior doors and window frames so the wind doesn’t whistle through your kitchen.

If you notice lots of cold air coming through the windows, consider getting a window insulator kit. Most kits contain what looks like a large roll of ordinary double-sided tape and several giant sheets of plastic wrap. Installation is simple. Outline the window frame with double-sided tape, stretch an appropriate-sized piece of plastic wrap over the window, and blow dry the plastic until it tightens up like a drum. Yes, your windows will look a little odd for a day or two until you get used to it, but the difference in warmth is noticeable.

8. Turn down appliances.

Besides your HVAC system itself, the fridge, freezer, and hot water heater are probably the biggest energy users in your home. Check the thermostat in your refrigerator and freezer; your fridge should be set between 37 and 40 degrees and your freezer at about 5 degrees. Hot water heaters are typically set at 140 degrees, but you can probably get away with setting yours at 120 degrees unless you have health concerns that require extra-hot water. For more tips on optimizing home energy use, check out the U.S. Department of Energy website.

9. Insulate hot water pipes.

If you have easy access to your hot water heater, hot water pipes, and heating ducts, insulate them with foam or insulator foil. It’s a little bit of trouble, but the energy-saving results are impressive, especially considering that the materials are relatively inexpensive.


This article originally appeared on Tecca.

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