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Some other links of recent interest to Pasty Cam watchers:
• Ancestors 2007  • New Arrivals 2007
• The Hut Inn Re-opens
Eight years ago on the Pasty Cam: 02/12/99^{Printed on Recycled Internet}

The Pasty Cam visited the MacInnes Student Ice Arena at Michigan Tech eight years ago. This past weekend, the Huskies took three of four points from #5 Denver to stay in the race for a home playoff berth.

Happy Monday!

Good Morning from Ohio, we are getting ready for our first big snow coming tomorrow 4 to 8 inches a small amount compared to NY, pictures on the TV look really nasty if you are like me and don't like the snow.

They are predicting 3" to 6" for the Lansing area for tomorrow. I hope everything gets cancelled for the day. I would love to sleep in. I think the last time they closed state government offices because of the weather was back in February of '77 or '78. It was for two days. We got about 2' of snow. That would be awesome. My fingers are crossed.

Good Morning, little bit of snow coming only a few inches in the next couple days. We'll see what happens

Good Morning! Today is the last day of our temporary, mini-warmup. We are set for another week of frigid conditions here in mid-Michigan. Gee, it would be nice to see even 30 in the forecast for a change!

My 2 younger sons have a vacation day off school today, so we got to sleep in a little bit today. Our school schedule for next year will not give us a Feb vacation day anymore, as the entire schedule is turned upside down, to account for the mandatory starting school after Labor Day & something about the new ACT/MEAP testing required by the State Board of Education, plus new professional days for the teachers. That will take a whole lot of getting used too, after being able to predict the schedule without even looking at it all these years. :-(

Got about 3 inches of the white stuff last night.(Warm up and snow) Supposed to get 3-10 tonight (depending on who you believe). It's very pretty.

Question, since they turned Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays into Presidents Day, when actually are their birthdays? Is Lincoln's on the 12th and Washington's the 22nd? Why did they have to mess-up history and create a two-in-one holiday?

They turned the two President's birthdays into one day, Presidents' Day, to accommodate the new holiday, Martin Luther King Day, because businesses could not afford another paid holiday for their employees, and governments could not afford another paid holiday, either.

They also created it so people could enjoy a three day weekend.

Hmmm, so what plans in the future do they have to make Christmas more convenient?

Actually, Marianne, Presidents Day pre-dated MLK Day by many years. It was created by the Monday Holiday bill back in 1971, and was originally to represent only Washington's birthday since Lincoln's was not a National holiday. Lincoln's birthday was a holiday in many states though, and was traded as a state holiday for MLK day holiday beginning in the 80's. Joanie has the dates right. Oddly, Presidents Day never falls on either president's actual birthday!

Well, Robert, I always had Lincoln's Birthday off as a holiday, both in schools both in California as well as in Houston, TX. And, Lincoln's birthday was a holiday for businesses, both places, as well.

Today is Feb 12, Lincoln's birthday. I thought today was Presidents' Day, since my kids are off school today, for a vacation day.

I would have to do some research, as what you are saying does not jive with my recollections.

My son has a 5 day weekend next weekend for the "mid winter break" or Presidents day type day off. Who knows what they call the holidays anymore. I am usually confused because when you think it sould be it isn't.

State government is working today, but we have next Monday off for Presidents' Day. Feb 12 is Lincoln's birthday and the 22nd is Washington's. Lincoln would have been 198 today and Washington would have been 275 on the 22nd. Happy Birthday guys!

Robert, I looked this topic up in Wikipedia, in the interest of time, since Wikipedia is not always accurate. Wikipedia supports your position. And, Presidents' Day this year is on Monday, February 19. I don't understand why our kids have today off, instead of next Monday, though.

Wikipedia said that only Washington's Birthday was an official federal holiday, but Lincoln's birthday was not. In fact, though, many states used to celebrate Lincoln's birthday, with days off school, etc, in the interest of learning and understanding US history.

Presidents' Day was created by the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill, passed in 1968, but it did not take effect until 1971. Martin Luther King Day was created in 1986. While it is a federal holiday, it is not celebrated by a number of states or localities, to this date.

I'm sorry that I did not look this up before. Historically, you are correct, as to the laws passed by Congress. I was right in our school and business holidays, both in California & Houston, but not as far as federal holidays went. :-)

I'm curious--is the ice completely safe, at least for snow mobiles, ice fishing, etc, around & under the Lift Bridge, now? Late last week, it looked to me like open water on the far side of the bridge, but very near the bridge (Bridge Cam view), looking under the bridge. Thanks.

Wanna hear what the snowmobilers do out here on Lincoln Lake? Lincoln Lake is across the street from our house. It still has spots of open water. You can see where the snowmobile "hot doggers", have jumped their sleds across the water. I thought the person that had related this to me was insane, then, I saw it for myself yesterday! A lot of Evel Knievels out there!

I think all 50 states celebrate MLK day now. Arizona was one of the last to approve the state holiday. Many conventions, and even the Super Bowl, were moved out of Arizona until they 'complied.'

Marianne Y,
Snomobiles have been crossing the canal for a little while now. Due to the salt on the roads and bridge, the ice under the bridge will always be weak. Seems good elsewhere tho. The cold temps have helped.

President's Day Trivia
The day we see as President's day today is actually still Washington's Birthday in federal statutes. Here is a quote on the day from the Office of Personnel Management explaining why it is Washington's Birthday on the official list of Federal Holidays for Federal employees:
"** This holiday is designated as "Washington's Birthday" in section 6103(a) of title 5 of the United States Code, which is the law that specifies holidays for Federal employees. Though other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is our policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law."

Did anyone else see the Detroit News clip about the plane crash of people headed downstate from Houghton doings this weekend? They all survived but some aren't in very good shape...

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070211/UPDATE/702110354

That's interesting, Cherokeeyooper. I did not know that.

Robert, Martin Luther King's birthday may be a holiday in for the state of Michigan government, but many school districts, including the ones in our area, do not take the holiday. In fact, it is the first day of finals for the first semester for the high school kids in our district. (I have two sons still at home, the youngest of whom is in the high school. And, my middle son gets speech therapy at the high school.) It is also not a bank holiday, nor is it a holiday for big businesses, etc, in the area. So, it sounds like those working in federal & state governments may be among the few who get the day off. And, it is my understanding that this is the case in a number of states besides Michigan.

Greetings friends!

This link where in Helsinki from above;

http://www.pjoy.fi/galleria/keskusta/index.htm

Tim in Oscoda, I had seen preliminary reports of this plane crash, but there was not enough detail in the early story, to see that the four people had been to Mich Tech's Winter Festival. I only knew that a firefighter from the Detroit area was the pilot & owner of the airplane. I did not even know that the engine had stalled. Those are four very lucky people to survive that crash! My first reaction, when I saw the picture was a big OUCH! I'm really glad that the rescuers were able to get to them in 2 hours. It could have been days or longer, before that plane was found, had the pilot not been conscious & had a cell phone that he could get to. If I remember correctly, that is a pretty isolated area, for the crash.

I was born on Washington's birthday so I can not tell a lie.I chopped down the cherry tree.
Thirty day's has September- April- June and November thirty-one have all the rest- except February with birthdays blessed.

Fran in GA; Wasn't your Father born on Feb,29 th.?

Okay David, that's the second time you let us know when you are having a birthday. Don't you worry, big guy, I won't let it go unmentioned on FEBRUARY 22! Got it Pasty Cammers? We got to remember dat good old boy! One more time; David Hiltunen has a birthday on February 22nd!

Really? Banks are open on MLK Day in Michigan? Ours are closed here in Colorado. Yeah, businesses and schools do not often close for MLK Day, or many of the other "minor" federal holidays; I started my first job on Presidents Day, but had to interview for my current job the day after MLK Day because it was a company holiday at the time. No such luck any longer.

Robert - CO--yes, really banks & most credit unions are open, at least in our area of Michigan, on Martin Luther King Day. They don't take any of the minor holidays. They close for Christmas, New Years, part of the day on Good Friday, the 4th of July, & Labor Day, but that's about it.

I will work for a penny one day and double it each day for a month.

What do you think Abe Lincoln would say about the anti-life culture of today?

As an old-timer, I recall that after John F. Kennedy was killed, it was decided to have HIS birthday as a holiday........Then they came up with presidents day......of course my memory is not real good.

I'm answering this Cam Notes message on What's UP because I have exceeded my daily quotat for Cam Notes today.

To Susan Caryl: LOL. I needed a good laugh, about getting stuck & then being told that your Olds wasn't a dune buggy, although I'm sure that it wasn't so funny to you at the time.

The males in my family seem to have a propensity for getting our vehicles stuck in whatever. Back in late 1984, when my youngest less than a month old, my husband decided to show his visiting parents, with the 5 of us in the car, a brand new subdivision in our area here in mid-Michigan that was built on a sand hill. The roads weren't even in yet. He got our new 1984 Buick LeSabre thoroughly stuck in the sand, after I had begged & pleaded with him not to go down that hill. I guess he thought that car was a dune buggy (lol)? It was so stuck, we couldn't get it out, even with 3 people pushing it & 1 driving it. Fortunately, a friend of his drove by & saw the predicament, & happened to have a tow rope in his 4WD Suburban, so he pulled us out (he was a local fireman). My husband was the subject of mucho ribbing for a long time after that little game, by his parents, as well as by me. His parents even mailed pictures to me in an envelope, labeled "Black Mail Materials".

And then, I guess not to be outdone by his father, my oldest son managed to get my 1994 4WD Suburban stuck in the snow/mud/slush combo on a seasonal road near Copper Harbor in late April 2004. I guess neither my son nor my husband understood what a seasonal road is? Anyway, it took a full 4WD LOW to get out it, with my oldest son pushing it, & my husband at the wheel, to get it out of there. (I was shopping in Copper Harbor at the time; needless to say, I was not a happy camper when I found out about their misadventure, as my two younger sons were in the vehicle, as well. Apparently that incident managed to toss stuff all over the car, dump the cooler, & you name it, because of the bumpiness of the road, etc, etc. I guess they knew that they would not be able to go down that road with me in the car, as I would strongly object my vehicle going on that road in that condition, so they did it when I wasn't in it.) Geez...

I work at a bank here in MN. We're closed MLK Day as well as President's Day, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, and the rest of the major ones. It's kind of nice but then on Tuesday we pay for it.

Our credit union in Ontonagon, Michigan is closed for the MLK but the schools aren't. Usually banks/credit unions close on days when the Federal Reserve is closed, although I have heard that a few banks only take the big holidays.