Oh, turkey - a glorious word.
Sometimes you’re a country, others – a bird.
A short story as well. Two cities to like.
A Native American… and a bowling strike.
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! Keep in mind where to go if you need a video on how to roast a turkey, historical trivia to share at your dinner table, or if you want the final answer as to why eating turkey makes you sleepy.
It’s Veterans Day, so we’re presenting a few ways to get involved from where you are sitting right now: get educated!
Veterans Day is observed on November 11th in the United States to honor all veterans of the armed services. It is also a worldwide day of commemoration of the armistice that ended World War I on November 11, 1918 (which is why it is alternatively called Armistice Day).
Aside from the great pages of information you can find by searching ReferenceAnswers, there are a few relevant Q&A categories you can read through from the community at WikiAnswers, like Veterans Day Holiday Q&A, Wars and Military History Q&A and Veterans Affairs and Issues Q&A.
Feel free to start with these questions:
There is probably no holiday more controversial than National Bosses Day; A day created to celebrate and appreciate the work of one’s boss. Huh!? You heard me right. No, not Employees Day… Bosses Day.
The term ‘boss’ alone elicits fear, hate, disdain and so many other negative emotions and gastric reflexes, it is surprising that such a day even exists. Many workers refer to it as ‘Pain-in-the-a$$ Day,’ ‘Suck-up –to-Satan Day’, or many other endearing terms that would best be defined using urbandictionary .com and some parental advisory.
So, Why do people hate their bosses so much? asks a WikiAnswers user.
A: It’s pretty simple- The boss is in a position of extreme power. You are the subordinate;
weak and helpless- the vulnerable underdog.
Let’s face it; No one likes getting ordered around, being told what to do and when to do it. Bossman, or Bosswoman, can analyze your weak performance and point out your imperfections . They can break you down slowly and silently so by the end of your your 9-5, you hand in your time card along with your dignity. Bosses can reduce your hours and your self-esteem. They can rearrange your vacation days, create tension in your workspace, and hold an invisible pink slip over your head. The Boss says jump and you must say ‘how high’.
Yipes! Why does this day even exist!???
I will tell you, my friends. It exists because every now and then you will come across a rare gem. Believe it or not, there are indeed bosses out there that do the best for their employees, that care for them, that even worry for their well being. I jest with you not. When those above us choose to use their power to create a person instead of destroy him, to train employees on how to use their skills for the benefit of the company instead of belittling their errors, when the boss promotes an environment of cheer, where thoughts and opinions are welcomed instead of suppressed – it humbles us. So much so, that the few that exist deserve a national holiday.
Leaders can reign through fear or love. Those who reign through love rally up the troops to help protect and 
improve the whole. Those who rule with fear have much more success in the beginning but almost never succeed in the long run. Feared leaders must always worry about being overthrown. Hitler, Stalin, Mao Tse-Tung and Simon Cowell rule through fear. Gandhi, Princess Di, Churchill, Lincoln and Richard Simmons rule by love. In such a confusing world, what would nature have us choose? There are many animals that live in packs, pods, and other social groups, just like us . They also have one defined leader – so how do they succeed?
Well this is the part where I should say through love, that we should learn to hug and cuddle one another the way a group of fuzzy baby gorillas in diapers do- but it’s not the case. Most animal groups that have a leader- the alpha male (the rare alpha female and alpha pairs also exist)-are established via violence, force and terror .
The Alpha wolf stands at the head of the pack. He leads the hunt, and gets first dibs on the kill. Although the members of the group share the rest of the freshly caught meat -along with the perks of protection and territory, they are reproductively suppressed. In fact, if a male wolf so much looks at the Leader’s mate, he’s in trouble… Wolves use eye contact to establish rank and a wandering eye can mean a slash across the jaw.
ensues until a new pecking order is established. Even worse, throw in a rooster and you have an all out cockfight on your hands. And they fight to the death by the way (care to place any bets, Pedro Martinez?).In all these cases, groups stay successful for short periods of time until the current leader is ousted, killed, or dethroned to a lower rank.
So wake up and smell the office coffee! Next time you are lucky enough to have a boss who doesn’t stare you down or cockfight you to mental death, smile and appreciate it. When your boss doesn’t eat your firstborn or intimidate you, realize how lucky you are! This goes against nature! Give back to your giving boss! Buy a cupcake and balloon and say ‘Thank You’ on National Bosses Day.
On behalf of myself and all the lucky employees of Answers.com, thank you Bob.
There’s a big holiday weekend in the forecast: the week-long Passover holiday started last night, Good Friday is tomorrow and Easter is this Sunday.
So to get you prepared for whichever festivities you partake in – or to help you understand what everyone else is doing – here are some Easter and Passover Q&A:
Happy holidays!
Today is Saint Patrick’s Day… Sure, you might think it’s a day of four leaf clovers, the color green, Guinness beer and leprechauns but take a minute to learn a few core ideas behind this day of merriment.
To start, here’s how Answers.com introduces the holiday:
Had it not been for a band of Irish marauders in the fifth century, March 17 might’ve been plain old Maewyn’s Day — because Maewyn wouldn’t have changed his name to Patrick, and he likely wouldn’t have become a saint. In fact, it wouldn’t have been a Day at all.
But as it happened, a certain 16-year-old Welsh lad was kidnapped by those Irish marauders, and during the six years young Maewyn spent in servitude as a shepherd in Ireland he experienced a religious awakening, then spent years studying in a monastery. He took on a new name, Patrick, and a new calling — converting his countrymen to Christianity.
Ok, history lesson over… Here are some tips from the Answers.com folks on how to celebrate the day:
How to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day:
- Wear green
- Pin a shamrock to your hat
- Speak with a brogue
- Wear brogues
- Drink Irish beer and spirits
- Wish your friends and family “Top o’ the morning to ye” and every so often cry out “Erin go bragh!” (Ireland forever)
- If you’re a mayor, dye your town’s rivers green and paint your lane markers green.
Did you know?
- There are six cities in the US named Dublin. Some 34 million US residents claim Irish ancestry — rather more than the entire population of Ireland itself, which stands at about 6 million.
- Celts are pronounced kelts. Don’t be misled by the Boston Celtics basketball team, which is oddly pronounced seltics.
- Irish whiskey, as opposed to Scotch, is sweeter, smoother, and almost never peaty or smoky. It’s also spelled with an “e,” while Scotch is spelled “whisky.”
- Old Bushmills Distillery, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, licensed in 1608 by James I of England, is the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery.
- The word whiskey comes from an Irish Gaelic term meaning “water of life.”
This very busy week for the United States kicks off tomorrow with Martin Luther King Day. Have you read up on MLK, his dream and what is new in the civil rights world?
You can start here, and you can always contribute in your own way, by asking or answering on WikiAnswers.
Haven’t had enough of the holidays yet?
January 4th is National Trivia Day! The origins of the day are unknown, however, many would claim it is a marketing ploy of the makers of Trivial Pursuit. There is a tradition to play the famous game, or other knowledge-based games, in honor of today.
Of course, there is also a tradition to call or email friends and family and share a little-known fact… What if I propose sharing that little-known trivia fact on WikiAnswers, spreading your knowledge to an entire Q&A community spanning the globe?
Go for it! Find an unanswered question that can be answered with a piece of trivia, or create your own question and answer it. Comment on this blog post with the URL of your question and answer so we can all learn something trivial – but interesting! – today.
…Or, if you’re looking for trivia instead of sharing it, check out the Spotlight on today’s Answers.com homepage.
