8 Facts About Ellis Island Posted by Administrator on April 17th, 2010

Ellis Island has become a symbol of immigration in the U.S., a symbol of the foreign heritage most of us share as Americans. Ellis Island is also incredibly important to most genealogists in the U.S. because, chances are, their ancestors passed through the Ellis Island Immigration Center during its tenure as the U.S.’s primary portal. To give our readers an idea of just how much of a role Ellis Island played in American history, we created this infographic and included the documentary below. Hope you enjoy it!

 

Ellis Island then and now

Ellis Island Then and Now

Source: http://www.history.com/interactives/ellis-island

Teaching Kids Values is Parents’ JobPosted by Administrator on November 9th, 2009

The other day I read an article about parents up in arms about the increasing amount of trashy material on TV. They griped about why this commission or that board isn’t doing something about this. I read another article about a community torn about how to teach sex ed. Still other articles talked about the actions of community organizers to curb gang violence. As serious as these topics are, I had to laugh. 

 
Why would I laugh at such a thing? Because somewhere along the line, our society got it into our heads that someone else was in charge of our kids’ moral development. We thought that it was just another thing we could outsource in our busy lives. "I’m doing all I can," we like to tell ourselves. "Darn that TV for showing my kid how to swear, cheat, and kill people."
 
I want to say it bluntly so there will be no mistake: parents are in charge of instilling values. It is not the job of a board, a teacher, a commission, the police department, the armed forces, or any other external organization. Studies have found repeatedly that children who receive consistent training in values are much more likely to adhere to and return to those values as they go through life. 
 
Take me, for instance. I grew up East LA- not exactly Mayberry. In fact, gangs, drugs, promiscuity, and violence were rampant. And I do not use the word ‘rampant’ lightly. These things really were everywhere. It would have been easy for my parents to excuse themselves and say, "What can I do against influences like these?" It would have been easy for them to blame the schools or the media if we went bad.
 
But they stuck with it. They taught us right from wrong. When we did go wrong, they straightened us out really quick. 
 
The result: not one of us ever took drugs or participated in gang activity. In fact, we all went on to get college degrees at top tier universities and have upstanding families of our own.
 
How did this happen? I can tell you it had nothing to do with what was on TV or what we saw at school. It was because of the tireless work of our parents. 
 
It’s time we rethought our tendency to look for the media or government for moral guidance. The bottom line is, they are motivated by ratings and votes… period. It’s time we took responsibility for raising our kids squarely back into our hands.


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5 Things To Make Your Halloween CompletePosted by Administrator on October 24th, 2009

All Hallows Even, or Halloween, isn’t like any other holiday. Think about it—most holidays are meant to memorialize something sacred or important. Fourth of July commemorates the founding of the United States. Memorial Day commemorates, uh, people who have died. Even St. Patrick’s Day commemorates some guy chasing all of the snakes out of Ireland. But Halloween, ah ha, now there’s a unique one. Halloween celebrates nothing less than the one night of the year when the jaws of hell gape open and the forces of darkness run rampant across the earth

 
This makes Halloween a holiday of pure fun and thrill. Instead of giving gifts or pompous speechifying, we put on costumes, watch scary movies, and run around the neighborhood demanding that our neighbors give us candy—or else. For one night, we put all the high-minded stuff aside and just go crazy.
 
So, to help you celebrate your 31st right, here are 5 things to make your Halloween complete:
 
5. Make a disgusting food dish – Soon enough, you will be pressured to make the perfect turkey or pump out waves of sugar cookies for your friends and family. Before that pressure comes on, make something gross. It’s easy. Fruit punch is renamed ‘blood’. Spaghetti becomes brains or worms. Peeled grapes become eyeballs. You get the point.
 
4. Dress up – For pete’s sake, it’s the one day when you can dress like a complete nutcase and not arouse any suspicions. In fact, if you don’t wear a costume, you put a huge dent in your cool rating. Putting on something funny, scary, or flirty lets you get out of your normal, well, ‘you’ and enjoy the festivities. Do not just sit home wearing those boring khakis and that tired shirt. 
 
3. Scare someone – Halloween isn’t complete until you’ve given someone a fright. And the more elaborate the scare, the better. Scaring 3-year olds is easy. For full points, you’ve got to make a grown adult scream. 
 
2. Watch something scary – In the old days, some old geezer would show up and tell the spookiest story. Since most us are now unable to have our own storytelling old geezer, scary movies are the next best thing. What you choose to watch will depend on age and taste. For teens and up, I recommend Psycho, The Sixth Sense, Poltergeist, or What Lies Beneath. 
 
1. Eat. Mass. Amounts. Of. Candy. – We are all trying to eat better and keep ourselves fit and living until we’re 150. And I wouldn’t recommend this on any other day. It’s terrible for you. But, by golly, you have one day to go nuts on the Butterfinger bars. Take advantage of it. Then be good the rest of the year.
 
Hope this gets you off to a good start. Note: should you be incarcerated for following this advice, remember you act of your own volition and I cannot be held liable for any damages. Have a fun, crazy, and safe Halloween, everyone!


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Religion creates family solidarityPosted by Administrator on October 19th, 2009

"The family that prays together stays together." So goes the old adage. Over the years, ‘prays’ has been transformed into ‘plays’ as our society has moved gradually away from religion and toward secularism. Increasingly on our favorite TV shows and in movies, religious people are portrayed as extreme nutballs and organized religions as dens of corruption. Mentioning prayer is okay, but just for dramatic impact. Mentioning God is not okay in the Pledge of Allegiance, but it is okay for syrupy, shallow sermons about faith or believing- God and Santa Claus. 

Standing outside the realms of academia and entertainment, however, you find that the majority of America is still religious, still goes to church on Sunday, and still prays on a regular basis. Moreover, religion has been found to be a major factor in family strength.

A few years back, the National Study of Youth and Religion, based out of University of North Carolina, found that teens that participate in religious activities five to seven days a week were more likely to have good relations with their parents, not to run away from home, and to participate in sit-down meals with the family. They were also more likely not to use tobacco, alcohol, or drugs, get speeding tickets, or fight. They tended to have higher self-esteem and more positive views on life.

Families that attended worship services at least once a week were also more likely to have good, supportive parents. 

So it appears the media has some catching up to do on the subject of families and religion. While you may hear some awful examples of religions’ abuses, take into account the positive effect religion has on millions of families worldwide.



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