Jewish lessons and activities for Hanukkah

This article was written about Passover (pesach) activities. But each applies to Chanukah and other Jewish holidays as well. Websites listed offer activities for all the Hebrew holy days. Jewish Passover lessons and activities for families

Occupy Wall Street Apes Guy Fawkes or Mardi Gras Lord of Misrule

I've got a weird mash-up of history details floating in my head. My husband shares this savant-ish trait. And we passed it on to our kids. No wonder we all get a kick out of "Drunk History." When my daughter's AP History teacher made it homework to figure out "Remember, Remember the 5th of November" she was the only one to know already it was Guy Fawkes Day. Which might not sound like much, but in my insular, ethnocentric US town, it nothing short of genius.   Guy Fawkes, Occupy Wall Street or Mardi Gras Lord of Misrule?

Victorian Pre-Raphaelite Ghost Halloween Costume Guide for Gothic Horror

Zombies are not a new invention. They've walked the pages of horror fiction for centuries. The undead have plagued generations of Devil's night, Samhain and Walpurgis revelers. Looking to recreate some of those vintage creeps of yore? Here's a DIY guide to make Gothic Revival Victorian costumes for women--dead bride, jilted lover, Lady of Shalot, Ophelia all the darkly repressed ladies.Gothic Victorian Pre-Raphaelite Ghost Halloween Costume DIY Guide

Labor Day, Unions and the Rebel Girls

Labor Day isn't about BBQs and parties. It's about union workers who sacrificed, sometimes in the ultimate way, to get better working conditions. The real world Labor Day isn't even in September. It's May 1--May Day. And it's thanks to the Rebel Girls in large part, that we celebrate Labor Day at all. Rebel girls don't drive pink jeeps. They organize! Happy Labor Day from an IWW Rebel Girl 

Vintage Text Message (in a Bottle) Surfaces Almost 100 Years Later

And now for your daily dose of feel-good. Fellow historatis, you're going to love this story I wrote for Yahoo! Growing up near one of Michigan's Great Lakes, a favorite summer pastime was sending messages via bottle. I was weaned on lake lore. My grampa Kinney took me to the beach almost every day in summer. We were the original beachcombers. My best friend and I heard of olden-days kids bottle-messaging and made our own. Grampa helped us write messages, stuff and seal our bottles. We'd toss them into Lake Michigan, wondering where they'd wash up and who would find them. Two other Michigan girls had the same idea. Their message in a bottle turned up recently in Detroit -- 97 years after it had been sent.   Vintage Text Message (in a Bottle) Surfaces Almost 100 Years Later

Free Printable May Day, Labor History, Union Organizing Lesson Plans

Spring is poignant for labor. March 25, 1911 lost 146 workers in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. April 28 is Workers Memorial Day, honoring fallen in workplace accidents or in organizing struggles. May 1 is May Day, International Worker's Day. May 4 commemorates casualties at Chicago's Haymarket riot in a 1886 labor rally. On May 19, 1920 saw the Matewan massacre of coal miners. On May 26, 1937 union organizers were beaten at Ford's River Rouge plant "Battle of the Overpass." Labor history is American (and world) history: it impacts every industry, occupation and person. Teachers and homeschoolers, why not educate students about unions with these free printable labor history lesson plans? I've listed websites, activities, worksheets, movies and books.Free Printable May Day, Labor History, Union Organizing Lesson Plans
 

Ford River Rouge Plant, UAW-CIO Battle of the Overpass History

Mention Henry Ford and you'll get mixed responses from people. Whether you think Ford was a sinner, saint, or both, he did open doors in Michigan, particularly in Detroit. Ford's assembly line, auto industry jobs, $5 daily wage, working man's car, 1943 Detroit race riots, village industries, "give them any color they want, as long as it's black," anti-union brutality, UAW Battle of the Overpass - all of these are part of the Ford legacy.
At the Henry Ford in Dearborn, visitors get to see, feel, hear, touch, and experience Ford's vision as it moves into the new millennium. Each day, visitors to the Ford Dearborn Truck Plant, known locally as "the Rouge," watch as vehicles of the future are designed and built.Built on the confluence of the Detroit and Rouge rivers south of Detroit, the plant is located near the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn. Here is a profile of the original Rouge plant complex, by the numbers:  Trucks Still Roll Off Ford River Rouge Assembly Line in Dearborn 

West Michigan's Grand River Runneth Over, After Years of Drought

 Spring 2013 has been a game-changer for West Michigan so far. Rain is deluging our parched region, particularly along the Grand River, from Grand Rapids to her mouth in Grand Haven. On Sunday night, the Grand crested at 22 feet (4 feet above flood level), says NewsChannel 3. The National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration says we'll see more rain. Flood alerts remain. West Michigan's Grand River Runneth Over, After Years of Drought

Titanic Exhibit Salvaged Artifacts, Human Remains Photos--Why Can't Victims Rest in Peace?

This is an article I wrote around the time of Titanic's 100th anniversary, April 12, 2012. At the time, I couldn't conceive that anyone would seriously want to salvage Titanic remains. Since then, "Titanic: the Artifacts Exhibit" venues cropped up in various museums. One is touring at our local Grand Rapids Public Museum (aka VanAndel Museum, as city baron Jay VanAndel bought up the old museum and now runs the "public" one for uber personal profit!)

In total, some 5,500 artifacts have been dredged up from the ocean floor and debris field around Titanic. My daughter and I went to see the exhibit. It was chilling to view letters, wallets, kitchen utensils, state room decor, fixtures and personal effects from deceased passengers. When you're done gawping, the tour feeds you through a gift shop with "commemorative" replicas of unearthed remains--a jam pot like one found and shown, White Star Line dishes, steerage bed linens, reprints of effects. It's like a circus freak show. I'm surprised they didn't clone little passenger dolls.

And worse than the ghoulish profiteering on Titanic legacy, I have to wonder whose human remains were jostled to bring them up. Sure nothing is visible but DNA doesn't cease to exist. They're there, under silt. And if we needed proof, this article provided it. Updated photos taken in 2004 of the Titanic shipwreck have been released to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking. Originally only part of the picture was shown. Shown complete, it's clear that what looks like miscellaneous clothing is actually what was left after bodies decomposed. It's sparked debate about whether the Titanic wreckage and debris field should be scavenged or left as a memorial. I can't see that any discussion is necessary. The disaster site is a cemetery and should be honored as such.  Titanic Human Remains Photos Mean We Should Let Them Rest in Peace.

How Detroit's Historic Black Bottom Neighborhood Got Its Name

Detroit's Black Bottom neighborhood has faded into history as a specific burb. Many of the buildings are gone. But the legacy it left Motown is felt everywhere. So how did this iconic area get its name? Probably not in the way you might think.How Detroit's Historic Black Bottom Neighborhood Got Its Name