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Christopher Columbus who? I came across an interesting podcast today from Stuff You Missed in History Class that discussed some findings that suggests that an Irish Monk may have traveled to the New World before Leaf Ericson and Christopher Columbus, had contact with the natives, and spread his teachings and the language. Now I know the Irish are often cited for exagerating certain aspects of our rich cultural prowess, like claiming we invented “the question”,which may or may not be true; and some of that may be part of the curse of having the great gift of the gab, but when we have hard evidence as presented in this article, now that’s a different story…

With all this recent commentary about the state of affairs in our economy, I couldn’t help but wonder what Christmas would be like if we had stayed with the traditions of 50, 75, or 100 years ago. I’m not old enough to have experienced a Christmas then, but in what I can see from the media, it seems like Christmas sure was simpler and more focussed on religious and family traditions. Maybe there were a couple gifts, but not this orgy of packages under the tree. Sounds kinda nice.

Pile o crap

With the economy in the state it’s in, it feels like we’re having Christmas shoved down our throats more than ever by the corporate greedy. The advertisers are playing into our attraction for a good bargain and selling us more crap that we really don’t need. I think it’s a good pill for the economy to take if, as Americans and consumers in general, we can learn to settle back into a simpler lifestyle, enjoy Christmas and the holidays for what they are and stop spending more than we have and buying more than what we need.  And maybe we might even be able to balance our own budgets.

I recently starting receiving the email below. It’s amusing the first couple times so I thought I’d share. Interestingly, it’s hit my inbox from multiple sources which makes me think it’s the latest in a viral campaign. It also made me wonder what the original source was. First, here’s the email text:

Email

“Leave it to the Irish to cut through the crap and make the whole issue crystal clear…  Thoughts from across the pond…… An email from Ireland to the brethren in the States…a point to ponder despite your political affiliation: ‘We, in Ireland, can’t figure out why people are even bothering to hold an election in the United States! On one side, you have a pants wearing woman lawyer, married to a lawyer who can’t keep his pants on, Who just lost a long and heated primary against: A lawyer who goes to the wrong church who is married to yet another lawyer who doesn’t even like the country her husband wants to run. Now…On the other side, you have a nice old war hero whose name starts with the appropriate “Mc” terminology married to a good looking younger woman who owns a beer distributorship. What in Lord’s name are ye lads thinking over there in the colonies??”

Now, I’m a big fan of the no nonsense approach of McCain, although I disagree on some of his approaches on the environment. But I also like the excitement that Obama can bring to a crowd. His pulpit-like speaking tones make people feel like he really wants change. So the questions are: Do you think the email is part of a viral email campaign? and With both these candidates technically having Irish heritage, does it play any part in your decision for whom to vote?