Judging from the reaction of the crowd at this year’s CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) Donald Trump has a long, long road to the White House.
February 14th, 2011
Grammy Awards on TV Last Night
I like the awards shows on TV this time of year. They summarize. It’s a great opportunity to catch up to the culture that never stops changing, adding to itself, morphing, circling back and repeating, sprouting new shoots, blending forms and forging new arrangements, all that and more. The Grammy Awards show has found a new formula: more music and fewer awards. I noticed last year, but the trend may have begun before that. In the first hour last night, I counted one award handed out, as if it was something that had to be squeezed in among the excellent musical performances. My overall impression is that the art and business of music are in very good shape. The talent pool is deep across all categories, and the younger performers are as impressive as ever and eclectic in their influences and expression.
Arcade Fire
February 14th, 2011
SNL Obama on O’Reilly
President Obama recently appeared on FOX’s Bill O’Reilly Show…of course, Saturday Night Live didn’t waste time giving us a look.
February 14th, 2011
The Business of Valentine Cards: From Howland to Hallmark
MassMoments tells us this morning that in 1849 – the first American-made Valentine cards were created and sold in Worcester, Massachusetts by Mt. Holyoke graduate Esther Howland. Modeled on the English-style Valentine, her fancy designs, embossed, cut and colored paper along with romantic sentiments and hidden messages soon grew into a thriving business. Miss Howland hired women as assemblers, advertised her product and finally moved beyond a home-based business into a downtown location. Because of Esther Howland and her entreprenurial skill – Worcester was the “Valentine Capital of America” well into the 20th century.
…in 1849, the first American-made valentines were sold in Worcester. They were designed and made by Esther Howland, the daughter of a local stationer. After graduating from Mt. Holyoke College, she returned to Worcester and began making valentines modeled on a fancy one she had received from an English friend. Her brother took the samples on a sales trip and came home with an astonishing $5,000 worth of orders. Howland began by hiring her friends to assemble the valentines; within a few years, she built her business into a $100,000 a year enterprise, a notable success for any entrepreneur but a truly remarkable accomplishment for a nineteenth-century woman.
Read the full MassMoments article here.
This valentine card was created by Esther Howland – the “Mother of of the American Valentine.”
Note:
In 2011 – Hallmark cards creates over 1600 different Valentine card designs. Approximately 141 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged industry-wide (not including packaged kids’ valentines for classroom exchanges), making Valentine’s Day the second-largest holiday for giving greeting cards.
Culture, Current Events, Greater Lowell, Poetry | 
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