Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, 2015!

Below are some links about the New Year.  Among other things, New York has banned taking selfie photos with tigers, lions, and other big cats.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jan/01/new-laws-2015-california-legislature/

http://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-30648232

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/31/photos-new-years-world_n_6402768.html

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/01/01/new-laws-january-first/21055077/

http://www.wsj.com/articles/labor-marijuana-and-pets-to-get-new-laws-in-2015-1420048800

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2892166/New-laws-OK-wine-shipments-ban-tiger-selfies.html

The Law Office of Kurt T. Koehler, 308 1/2 S. State Street Ann Arbor, Michigan (MI) 48198 (Washtenaw County); Copyright 2012 by Kurt Koehler

Birthday Post

Today is my birthday and I thought I would post a picture of the cake my fellow workers bought for me.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year - 2014!

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/happy-new-year-world-celebrates-start-2014-gallery-1.1562368

http://www.npr.org/2013/12/23/256606514/most-economists-say-happy-new-year-really

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/12/31/258618236/happy-new-year-the-celebrations-begin

http://www.latimes.com/nation/shareitnow/la-sh-happy-new-year-google-doodle-20131231,0,2321325.story#axzz2pCepOWXR

http://www.universetoday.com/107634/happy-new-years-day-2014-from-mars-curiosity-celebrates-500-sols-spying-towering-mount-sharp-destination/

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Some of the more interesting laws that come into effect on January 1, 2013 are listed in this article.  The most curious one is the plastic bottle ban in Concord, Massachusetts.

Santa Bank Notes

Source: Massachusetts Historical Society (see link below)

Source: Massachusetts Historical Society
Closeup of the Howard Banking Co. Santa Claus

Before the U.S. Government issued paper money, individual banks would issue bank notes that were redeemable for a stated quantity of gold at that particular bank.  There were as many as 8,000 different bank notes in circulation in the mid-1800s.  So many that a monthly digest was printed detailing how much each was worth in particular parts of the country.  Some of these bank notes had images of Santa Claus on them.  The first note above and the closeup below are from the Howard Banking Company of Boston.   The idea was apparently to inspire confidence in the bank by associating it with the figure of Santa Claus and to inspire collectors to hang onto the note and never actually redeem it for gold.  The second note below is from the Saint Nicholas Bank of New York.  An old case involving the St. Nicholas Bank can be found here: http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/146/240/


Source:
http://nutmegcollector.blogspot.com/2011/12/santa-claus-as-depicted-on-obsolete.html

Source:
http://nutmegcollector.blogspot.com/2011/12/santa-claus-as-depicted-on-obsolete.html

Santa Claus became a cultural icon in Nineteenth Century American after the publication of Twas the Night Before Christmas in about 1822-1823.  It was anonymously published around Christmas in 1823.  The actual author of the poem is in dispute.  Traditionally Clement Park Moore is credited with writing the poem, but others attribute it to MAJ. Henry Livingston, Jr. 


Information about the Howard Banking Company Note: http://www.masshist.org/objects/cabinet/december2001/december2001.html

Information about the Howard Banking Company of Boston: http://books.google.com/books?id=UBUWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA960&dq=howard+banking+company+of+boston&hl=en&sa=X&ei=KXLYULqHA8euqgHF5IHYAQ&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=howard%20banking%20company%20of%20boston&f=false

NPR Planet Money Podcast on the history of Paper Money: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/12/07/166747693/episode-421-the-birth-of-the-dollar-bill

Information about Santa Claus notes and the Saint Nicholas Bank Note: http://nutmegcollector.blogspot.com/2011/12/santa-claus-as-depicted-on-obsolete.html

The Twas the Night Before Christmas Poem: http://www.carols.org.uk/twas_the_night_before_christmas.htm

http://www.night.net/christmas/twas-night01.html

s/ Kurt Koehler
308 1/2 S. State Street Suite 36
Ann Arbor, Michigan (Washtenaw County)

12-12-12

Since today could be called triple 12 day I'm going to put up a token post.   People seem to like dates with repeating numbers and we've had several of those lately such as 01-01-01, 02-02,02, 03-03-03, 04-04-04, 05-05-05, 06-06-06, 07-07-07, 08-08-08, 09-09-09, 01-10-10, 10-10-10, 1-11-11, 11-11-11, and 12-12-12. 

Anyway, it is just a cool date to write on a piece of paper and it is last date of its kind of the 21st century.   Other than that it has no real significance.   Sure the three mile long near earth object/asteroid Toutatis (http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2000/ast31oct_1/) made its quadrennial nearest approach to Earth at a mere 18 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon or 7 million kilometers away. http://www.universetoday.com/98955/asteroid-toutatis-tumbles-by-earth-images-and-videos/  

Today is, however, an excuse for human interest newspaper stories and irrelevant blog posts such as this one.  Here are some news articles on 12-12-12 or 12-12-2012:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/12/12/_12_12_12_where_does_it_rank_among_the_all_time_coolest_dates.html

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2012/12/121212-users-guide/59893/

http://mashable.com/2012/12/11/121212/

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/americans-mark-12-12-12-weddings-blockbuster-concert-164751749--finance.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9737231/Boy-turns-12-on-121212-at-12.12pm.html

http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/15256/12-12-12-is-ultimate-day-for-am-12th-man

http://www.121212concert.org/

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/12-12-12-separates-believers-skeptics/story?id=17929997

http://rt.com/news/features/december-12-marriage-doomsday-844/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/11/121212-is-a-good-day_n_2280027.html

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/11/121212-twelve-weddings-bruce-magic/1761127/

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/weird-wide-web/12-12-12-12-december-auspicious-dates-doomsday-mayan-calendar-lucky-numbers-lotto

http://www.universetoday.com/98965/what-earth-looked-like-on-121212/

http://gizmodo.com/5967987/its-121212++the-last-major-numerical-date-in-this-century

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2246958/Lucky-12-12-12-Demand-weddings-C-sections-soar-brides-moms-attempt-advantage-triple-digit-date-100-years.html

s/ Kurt Koehler
308 1/2 S. State Street Suite 36
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48198
(Washtenaw County)

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!  Here is a link to the National archives describing the history of Thanksgiving.

http://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/thanksgiving/

This page has the official proclamations for the Thanksgiving holiday by George Washington dated October 3, 1789 for the fourth Thursday in November,  Abraham Lincoln dated October 3, 1863, and a 1941 joint resolution of congress.

http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2006/nr06-14-images.html

http://blogs.tallahassee.com/community/2012/11/21/thanksgiving-and-the-rule-of-law/

http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2012/11/20/hundreds_line_up_for.html

s/ Kurt Koehler
308 1/2 S. State Street Suite 36
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48198
(Washtenaw County)

Veterans Day

In honor of Veterans Day here is a link to how the holiday came to be starting of course with the armistice ending World War I:

http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp
http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-veterans-day/videos#bet-you-didnt-know-veterans-day

s/ Kurt Koehler
308 1/2 S. State Street Suite 36
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48198
(Washtenaw County)

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial day! 36 USC Section 116: "The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation— (1) calling on the people of the United States to observe Memorial Day by praying, according to their individual religious faith, for permanent peace; (2) designating a period of time on Memorial Day during which the people may unite in prayer for a permanent peace; (3) calling on the people of the United States to unite in prayer at that time; and (4) calling on the media to join in observing Memorial Day and the period of prayer."

s/ Kurt Koehler
308 1/2 S. State Street Suite 36
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48198
(Washtenaw County)

Law Day

The first of May is law day.  To celebrate here is a great link to the Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/law-day.php.

s/ Kurt Koehler
308 1/2 S. State Street Suite 36
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48198
(Washtenaw County)

St. Patrick

The story of the real Saint Patrick is below:

Saint Patrick

s/ Kurt Koehler
308 1/2 S. State Street Suite 36
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48198
(Washtenaw County)