History of V-Day!

Every year we celebrate Valentine’s Day without knowing the true, ture history of it. Here is some research that I gathered about this lovely February 14th holiday…

Give love on this day ~!

~Fly Lover

Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is an occasion celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines." Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards. The sending of Valentines was a fashion in nineteenth-century Great Britain, and, in 1847, Esther Howland developed a successful business in her Worcester, Massachusetts home with hand-made Valentine cards based on British models. The popularity of Valentine cards in 19th-century America was a harbinger of the future commercialization of holidays in the United States.

The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas. The association estimates that, in the US, men spend in average twice as much money as women

Legend has it that Valentine was a priest who served during third century Rome. There was an Emperor at that time by the name of Claudius II. Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those that were married. With this thought in mind he outlawed marriage for young men in hopes of building a stronger military base. Supposedly, Valentine, decided this decree just wasn't fair and chose to marry young couples secretly. When Emperor Claudius II found out about Valentine's actions he had him put to death. Another legend has it that Valentine was an imprisoned man who fell in love with his jailor's daughter. Before he was put to death he sent the first 'valentine' himself when he wrote her a letter and signed it 'Your Valentine', words still used on cards today.

Perhaps we'll never know the true identity and story behind the man named St. Valentine, but this much is for sure...February has been the month to celebrate love for a long time, dating clear back to the Middle Ages. In fact, Valentines ranks second only to Christmas in number of greeting cards sent.

Another valentine gentleman you may be wondering about is Cupid (Latin cupido, "desire"). In Roman mythology Cupid is the son of Venus, goddess of love. His counterpart in Greek mythology is Eros, god of love. Cupid is often said to be a mischievous boy who goes around wounding both gods and humans with his arrows, causing them to fall in love.

Schedule of Inauguration Day

Well, Americans young and old, black and white, christian and atheist, have all braved the cold to witness one of the most historic days to date for African Americans and for the United States. The first African American president! Maaaaaaan! It is believed that more than 3 million people will wtiness the Inaugural Ceremony this morning. The gates opened at 8 am, but folks have been in line as early at 1:45am in the brittle cold! The celebrationss are scheduled to start at 10 am on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.

The schedule of event is as follows:

++ The amassed Barack Obama fans will be treated to musical selections of The United States Marine Band, followed by the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus.

++ Senator Dianne Feinstein will open with a call to order and welcoming remarks.

++ Invocation by the Rev. Rick Warren.

++ A musical selection of Aretha Franklin will be played.

++ Joe Biden will be sworn in as Vice President of the United States of America by Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.

++ The gathered crowds will then enjoy a stunning musical selection of John Williams, composed and arranged with Itzhak Perlman, (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Gabriela Montero (piano) and Anthony McGill (clarinet).

++ The moment the whole world is waiting for: Barack Obama will take the Oath of Office, using President Lincoln's Inaugural Bible from 1861, held by Chief Justice John Roberts. The inauguration ceremony is set to take place around noon (ET) - or 17:00 GMT.

++ Obama will give his inaugural address to the nation and people watching and listening around the world.

++ A poem by Elizabeth Alexander will be read.

+ Benediction by Rev. Joseph E. Lowery.

++ The US National Anthem will be played by The United States Navy Band "Sea Chanters" to cap off what is set to be a historic and no doubt emotional inauguration ceremony.

++ President Obama will then escort outgoing President George W. Bush to a departure ceremony before attending a luncheon in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall.

Obama to Bush: "Make sure you have all your coloring books out of the Oval
Office dude!"

++ The 56th Inaugural Parade will then make its way down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House.

++ And later that day, the Presidential Inaugural Committee will host ten official Inaugural Balls.

All Hail to the King.. Martin Luther that is.....

Well, today is Martin Luther the Kang Day.. lol... I am having a comical moment since I have said the word "moment" about ONE MILLION times, "historic" about 1,000 times, and "overwhelming" about 214 times. So, let me indulge for a moment (dang it, said "moment" again... lol)



But in all seriousness, we owe so much to the work of Martin Luther King Jr, and sooooooo many others that remain nameless. I don't even want to ponder where we would be instead, I want to thank God for what he has done and how we continue to make strides daily.



Here is a little history of MLK day and why it should be a day ON and not just a day OFF~ !

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a United States holiday marking the birthdate of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., observed on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of King's birthday, January 15. It is one of three United States federal holidays to commemorate an individual person.

King was the chief spokesman of the nonviolent civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. He was assassinated in 1968.

The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination. Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed in 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

~Fly Commemoration

Happy Birthday to the Good Reverend!

On this day, I want to wish one of my favorite men of all time a Happy Birthday! This day means so much for me (Founders' Day)! I love me some Martin Luther the King Jr. ( lol) . I just looooooooooved what he stood for and how great he looked in a suit. It is so crazy how history often repeats itself with kindred spirits. Sometimes when you look into Barak Obama's eyes, you can see that very same thing. Hope, Love, Courage, the ability to see beyond our circumstances.

Not going to post all this long drawn out info, just take a moment to pause and celebrate what this great man stood for. Not to mention how good looking he was. Speaking of which, what happened to men dressing up everyday! Even if it was to the store or to go have coffee? (post to come!!!) I digress! Happy Birthday to the Good Reverend Doctor King!

The Dream has been realized, now wake up and be a part of it!

~Humble Flyness

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I heart Target: History of Target

Well folks, I am officially done with my after Christmas shopping from Target! I have spent maybe $300 on some of the nicest pieces that you will ever see. This is why I love Target. You can get so much bang for your buck. Target prides itself on providing upscale product for low scale pricing. And while some of the pricing may seem a little exorbitant at first, you have to remain patient. Target is one of few stores that slashes prices on their products down to 90% off. This means Target is really making some cheese! Lol.

I have decided to dedicate this story to the history of my most favorite store in the world. You would be surprised at some of the history. Read below and let me know what you think!

With its familiar red bull’s eye logo, Target Stores have become the United States' second-largest discount chain behind giant Wal-Mart. Target offers merchandise and brand names that are aimed at a more upscale shopper than Wal-Mart. With strong growth from expansion, Target reported $46.839 billion in sales and earnings of $3.198 billion in 2004. At the beginning of the year, the company operated 1,172 regular Target stores and 136 Super Target stores that include a supermarket as well. Target has stores in 47 states. Target is not playing with yhall. Here’s how it all started!

Target Background and History

Target is a chain of discount department stores that are about 95,000 to 135,000 square feet and was founded by Douglas J. Dayton and John Geisse. The first Target store "T-1" opened on May 1, 1962 in Roseville, Minnesota. That store was closed and demolished on January 8, 2005, to make room for a Super Target, which opened on October 9 of the same year. The name "Target" originated from Dayton's publicity director, Stewart K. Widdess, and was intended to prevent consumers from associating the new discount store chain with the department store. In 1968, Target changed its bull’s eye logo to a more modern look, and expanded into St. Louis, Missouri, with two new units.

Target carries hardlines ("regular" products and goods), softlines (clothing), and a limited amount of groceries, mostly non-perishable. Specifically, Target stores carry clothing, shoes, jewelry, health and beauty products, electronics, compact discs, DVDs, bedding, kitchen supplies, sporting goods, toys, pet supplies, automotive supplies, hardware supplies, and food. They also carry seasonal merchandise such as patio furniture during the summer and Christmas decorations during November and December. (These items go from 50% to 75% to 90% off fairly quickly, so always hunt for these sales when you go!)

Target has many exclusive deals with various designers and name-brands, including Michael Graves, Mossimo Giannulli, Fiorucci, Liz Lange, and Converse among others. To further increase their fashion profile, Target also created its fashion-forward Go International line, which hires famous designers to design collections available only for a few months. Many stores may also have one-hour photo processing, a portrait studio, an optical store, a pharmacy, and a garden center. Stores opened or re-modeled in 2004 or later also include the expanded snack bar that is featured in Target Greatland locations. These generally include a Starbucks Coffee shop, a Pizza Hut Express, and a Taco Bell Express in addition to Target's "Food Avenue". It has also been reported that Cold Stone Creamery and Target have signed a deal to test in-store ice cream shops in four stores. In 2008, Target has begun to use the name "Target Cafe" in place of "Food Avenue".

As we fast forward to 2009, Target now consists of 1,591 stores (as of October 2007)It has units in all states except for Hawaii and Vermont, operating under the mastheads of Target, Target Greatland, and SuperTarget. Target Corporation has aggressive plans to have 2,000 stores open by the year 2010, including expanding to Hawaii.

Super Targets are pretty exciting too. The first SuperTarget opened in Omaha, Nebraska in 1995, and the second SuperTarget opened in Lawrence, Kansas, later that same year.As of October 2007. Target operated 210 SuperTarget stores in 22 U.S. states; the majority of those are in Texas and Florida, with sizable numbers in Minnesota and Colorado.

Target also pride themselves on having “Urban Stores”. These stores are often found in the heart of busy cities and are unique in achitecture and location. Vertical transportation is provided in the store by escalator, elevator, or Vermaport, a specialized escalator for carts. Target has used their uTrban store concept to open multiple story stores in city centers such as in Brooklyn, New York City, Miami, Glendale, Los Angeles, Chicago, Pasadena, California, San Diego, Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis.

I think what I love about Target is the feel of the store! It feels upscale, but you don’t feel like you’re giving your soul to have it. Lol. You get fashion forward clothes, top of the line merchandise, and an upscale atmosphere all for the low. Maaaaaan, you can’t beat that! Lol. Target has done a wonderful job at rising above its country cousins, Wal-Mart and K-Mart. People even joke about Target calling it “Tar-geee”, like it is an upscale French boutique! Here’s a little background on that: The pseudo-French pronunciation has incorrectly been believed to have been started by Oprah Winfrey, when she used the French pronunciation to refer to the store on her television show; it has actually been traced back to 1962, the year the first Target store opened. This pronunciation has also led some people to incorrectly believe that the company is French-owned.

Target tends to attract younger and more educated and affluent customers than its competitors. Here are some stats: Currently, the median Target shopper is 41 years old, which is the youngest of all major discount retailers that Target competes directly against. The median household income of Target's customer base is roughly $63,000. Roughly 76% of Target customers are female, and more than 45% have children at home. About 80% have attended college and 48% have completed college. Ninety-seven percent of American consumers recognize the Target Bullseye logo.

So if you don’t get a blog from me, guess where I probably am… yep… TARGET! Lol

~Target keeps me Fly!

The aphrodisiac history of conch

Ok, so me and my coworker were talking about conch and how she has never had it. Then I got to talking about how good conch was and even thought to be an aphrodisiac. Maaaaaaan, I miss Goldie's in Miami. Being of Bahamian descent, my first food of choice will always and forever be seafood. Now that I think about it, just about every Bahamian I know is a sucker for some good seafood. Which is probably why island people are so sexually charged. Its in what you eat.

I have found a little research about the aphrodisiac history of conch and even included some recipes for how to prepare it.

Conch was important to multiple native cultures throughout the early history of the Americas. Its meat, considered aphrodisiac to most of its early enthusiasts was enjoyed for its sweet, clean flavor. In addition to lean protein, conch meat is a good source of iron and calcium and was likely successful as an aphrodisiac in its early history for the boost of energy it provided to hunters and gatherers.

Conch. You're probably familiar with this mollusk because of its shell: a beautiful pink curl nearly a foot long that, when blown by those in the know, can become an island bullhorn. The shell covers a huge piece of white meat with a rubbery texture. Many islanders swear by its aphrodisiac qualities; even if it doesn't work, conch is so tasty it's well worth a try.

Ready to try your luck? Here are a few conch recipes designed to bring the loving feeling of the islands to your home. Conch is available in most specialty markets and large seafood shops.

~Fly Bahamian

Recipes for Conch

Conch Fritters
3 medium conch chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 tablespoons tomato paste

4 cups water

3 hot peppers or to taste

2 tablespoons thyme

4 cups flour

4 tablespoons baking powder

Oil for frying .Mix all ingredients except oil. Mix thoroughly and let stand 10 to 20 minutes. Heat oil in deep fryer. Scoop batter in full teaspoons, drop into hot oil. Fry until brown.

Cracked Conch
2-3 medium conch

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons flour

3 eggs, beaten

Oil for frying
Prepare conch. Cut in half and flatten with meat mallet. Marinate in lemon juice; refrigerate for a half hour. Remove conch from lemon juice and dip into beaten eggs then dredge in flour. Fry in skillet or deep fryer until golden brown.