AMERICAN PATRIOT
VIEW IN
FULLSCREEN DECEMBER 8, 2010
MARINES CARRY OUT SANTA’S MISSION THE NATIONAL PARKS
PETRIFIED FOREST AMERICA’S FUN FOODS
HAMBURGER HISTORY
CLICK ABOVE
AMERICAN PATRIOT MARINES CARRY OUT SANTA’S MISSION
4
6 COOPERSTOWN
8
VILLAGE OF MUSEUMS
IRVING BERLIN THE MAN WHO WROTE GOD BLESS AMERICA
10
12
THE NATIONAL PARKS
PETRIFIED FOREST EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT REMINDER
AMERICAN PATRIOT
AMERICA’S FUN FOODS
HAMBURGER HISTORY
SUBSCRIBERS
American Patriot subscribers have access to a free pharmacy savings card they can use instantly! Save up to 75% on more than 54,000 prescription drugs. Good at 65,000 drug stores, including CVS, Target, Walmart, Duane Reade, Rite Aid, Publix and much more!
Save on your everyday prescriptions now!
AMERICAN PATRIOT MEMBERS CLICK HERE AND USE CODE PSHIP AT CHECKOUT AND RECEIVE A FREE CARD PLUS FREE SHIPPING AND HANDLING!
14
15
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
THIS WEEK IN AMERICAN HISTORY
MARINES CARRY OUT SANTA’S MISSION For more than six decades, Toys for Tots has been the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s way to bring a little happiness and hope to economically disadvantaged children during each Christmas holiday season. Last year the Marine Corps fulfilled the holiday hopes and dreams of 7.4 million children in nearly 700 communities nationwide. The national charitable program collects and distributes toys, books and other gifts to create a positive memory for a lifetime, and to encourage children to become caring members of their community. 4 AMERICAN PATRIOT
The Toys for Tots program was the brainchild, back in 1947, of Major Bill Hendricks, his wife Diane, and a group of Marine Reservists in Los Angeles. They collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children after Diane had crafted a homemade doll and discovered there was no organization that gave such toys to needy child at Christmas. The initial project was so successful that the Marine Corps adopted Toys for Tots in 1948 and expanded it into a nationwide campaign. That year, Reserve units across the nation conducted Toys for Tots campaigns wherever a Marine Reserve Center was located. Hendricks, a Marine Reservist on weekends, was also a public relations specialist in civilian life at Warner Brothers Studio. This enabled him to recruit an array of Hollywood celebrities to support the program as well as to obtain marketing support, including a logo and poster from the Disney studio. Stars like Nat “King” Cole, Peggy Lee and Vic Damone recorded a Toys for Tots musical theme in 1956. Bob Hope, John Wayne, Doris Day, Lorrie Morgan, Tim Allen, Kenny Rogers and Billy Ray Cyrus are but a few of the long list of celebrities who have given their time and talent to promote Toys for Tots. First Ladies Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush have served as national spokespeople. Starting in 1980, the Marines began to collect and distribute only new toys out of a concern for health issues and a desire to avoid creating a “hand me down” message to needy children. The thinking then, as now, is that a shiny new toy is a better message of hope. In 1991, the Secretary of Defense authorized the Marine Corps to recognize and work with a charity committed to supporting Toys for Tots. Based on this approval, the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation became operational. This helps supplement the Marine reservists efforts, professionalizes the marketing operations, and
allows individuals and corporate donors to take a charitable deduction on their income tax returns. In 1996, the Commander, Marine Forces Reserve expanded Toys for Tots to cover all 50 states by authorizing selected Marine Corps League Detachments and selected local community organizations, to conduct toy collection and distribution campaigns in their communities as part of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. In 1999, the Commander, Marine Forces Reserve delegated authority to the Toys for Tots Foundation, to approve and manage local campaigns conducted in communities without a Reserve Unit. Over the years, the Marines have distributed more than 400 million toys to more than 188 million needy children. This charitable endeavor has made the U. S. Marines the unchallenged leader in looking after less fortunate children at Christmas.
LOCATE THE NEAREST CENTER TO DONATE TOYS AMERICAN PATRIOT 5
COOPERSTOWN VILLAGE OF MUSEUMS
Nestled in New York's pastoral Otsego County and situated alongside a picturesque lake, the village of Cooperstown is an unspoiled gem of American small town living. Without a doubt, Cooperstown is best known as the proverbial birthplace of Baseball and the home to the sport’s iconic Hall of Fame. Lesser known are the myriad cultural institutions, historical sites, and four star accommodations. The village has retained much of its character over the years, owing to the dedication of its two thousand citizens in pursuit of its preservation. The town itself is a museum of sorts, boasting carefully preserved Victorian homes, hotels, and public spaces.
PICTURED ABOVE: STATUE OF JAMES FENIMORE COOPER 6 AMERICAN PATRIOT
SITES TO SEE The Fenimore Art Museum Named for James Fenimore Cooper, writer and famous son of Cooperstown (the town was named for his father), the Fenimore Art Museum boasts a wide range of American paintings, folk art, textiles, carvings, and more. The Thaw Collection is one of the America's most comprehensive and valued collections of Native American art.
The Farmers' Museum A pitch-perfect recreation of 19th century rural life. The Farmer's museum exhibits over 23,000 artifacts and dozens of buildings, many moved from area farms. Visit the working blacksmith shop, creamery, papermaking manufactury, and general store.
The Otesaga Resort Hotel Built in 1909, The Otesaga has been called “the most complete and luxurious summer hotel in America.�
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum From the first-used baseball to Derek Jeter's bat, to Ebbetts Field seats, to a history of women's baseball, the Hall of Fame is the monument to our national pastime. Of particular interest is the Gallery, which houses Bronze plaques with biographies of all inductees. TAKE A VIDEO TOUR OF THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
It remains both a top luxury hotel and a memorial to the grandeur of turn-of-the-century elegance.
Brewery Ommegang The Cooperstown area was once home to the vast majority of Hops production in the late 19th Century. Brewery Ommegang carries on this tradition and is a symbol of a food and beverage renaissance in the area. The microbrewery makes acclaimed Belgianstyle beers. Tours twice daily.
Howe Caverns Discovered by farmer Lester Howe in 1842, Howe Caverns is a one hour drive. The Limestone caves are 200 feet below the surface, and feature underground channels and rivers, passageways and rock formations. Gondola-style boat rides on the underground Lake of Venus are available.
Glimmerglass Opera The Glimmerglass Opera has become a much respected institution in the musical world, performing new and lesser-known operas, usually in their original language. An international audience is attracted to the unique combination of rural ambiance and musical virtuosity AMERICAN PATRIOT 7
HOW TO
LIVE UNITED: JOIN HANDS. OPEN YOUR HEART. LEND YOUR MUSCLE.
FIND YOUR VOICE. GIVE 10%. GIVE 100%.
GIVE 110%. GIVE AN HOUR. GIVE A SATURDAY. THINK OF WE BEFORE ME. REACH OUT A HAND TO ONE AND
INFLUENCE THE CONDITION OF ALL.
GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER.
LIVE UNITED
™
Want to make a difference? Help create opportunities for everyone in your community. United Way is creating real, lasting change where you live, by focusing on the building blocks of a better life– education, income and health. That’s what it means to Live United. For more, visit LIVEUNITED.ORG.
IRVING BERLIN THE MAN WHO WROTE
GOD BLESS AMERICA 8 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Irving Berlin, one of America’s great songwriters, started out in poor rural town in Russia, moved to the U.S. at the age of five, and never stopped appreciating the freedom and safety that his adopted country provided. It led him to write some of the most popular patriotic and holiday songs of his time, and any other time. Born under the name Israel Isidore Baline in 1888, his family immigrated to America to escape the violent pogroms in Russia. The family settled in New York City, where he and his seven siblings sold newspapers on the street to help support themselves and their mother. Israel became a singing waiter and from there began to write down songs that he made up. Americanizing his name to Irving Berlin, he composed his first big hit — “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” — in 1911 at the age of 23. From that point, he was prolific and in demand. He wrote several famous musicals including “Annie Get Your Gun” and “Call Me Madam.” His iconic tunes include “There's No Business Like Show Business,” “Easter Parade,” and “White Christmas.”
ums today, often during the seventh inning stretch. During World War II, Berlin wrote the musical “This is the Army,” which raised $10 million for the Army Emergency Relief. It included such hits as “This is the Army, Mr. Jones” and I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen.”
Along the way, Berlin indulged his love of country as a major writer of patriotic songs from World War I through World War 11. In World War 1, he wrote the musical Yip, Yip, Yaphank, which was produced by the men of Camp Upton. In this musical, the big hit song was “Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning.” This musical raised money for a service center at the camp. In 1938, he introduced “God Bless America,” sung by Kate Smith, which electrified the country, galvanized the war effort, and became so popular that many called for it — then and now — to be named the national anthem. The song is a regular feature at most baseball stadi-
Berlin was extensively honored for his work. In 1942, he won the Academy Award for best song for his “White Christmas,” also winning the Mabel Mercer Award in 1988. In 1955, President Eisenhower presented Berlin a gold medal for recognition of his services in composing patriotic songs for the country. For the last decade of his life, Berlin made few public appearances. An exception was made, however, on his 100th birthday at Carnegie Hall, which turned into a huge event. He died at age 101 from natural causes.
LISTEN TO KATE SMITH SING GOD BLESS AMERICA AMERICAN PATRIOT 9
THE NATIONAL PARKS
PETRIFIED FOREST
10 AMERICAN PATRIOT
The Petrified Forest National Park sits along Interstate 40 in northwestern Arizona. Unique among the 58 national parks, it features one of the world's largest, most intense, and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood. Consisting of two large areas connected by a north–south corridor, the northern section features the famous Painted Desert (pictured left) while the southern area includes several major concentrations of petrified wood. Throw in several Native American petroglyph sites, and you have one of the most intriguing destinations in the vast parks system. The Petrified Forest area was designated a National Monument in 1906 and it, combined with the Painted Desert, became a full-fledged National Park in 1962. The parkland covers 218,533 acres, much of which is hikable, giving visitors access to many surreal wilderness scenes. The “forest” portion consists of the remains of trees of the Late Triassic period, which occurred 225 million years ago. These “stone trees” were killed by natural processes, deeply buried in mud and sand that contained silica-rich volcanic ash, and the logs became petrified as the mineral, carried into the wood by groundwater, replaced the wood cells. As the surrounding material was eroded away over the centuries, the petrified trees became exposed on the surface. Disturbingly, theft of petrified wood has remained a problem despite protection. Even with a guard force of Rangers, fences and warning signs, several tons of fossil wood is stolen every year. The “painted desert” portion is a colorful fantasyland of mesa, buttes and badlands. This area is covered by the Chinle formation, a very soft layer
of earth consisting mainly of mud, sandstone, and volcanic ash. The softness allows for fantastic erosion effects as well as colorful staining by mineralized water flows and mineral deposits over the eons. The rocks gain their colors from impurities and mixtures of elements, from dark blue coal to bright clays to red volcanic rocks. Why is this park so popular and so important? Though petrified wood can be found around the world, the Petrified Forest National Park contains some of the largest and best-preserved petrified wood sites in the world. More importantly, the combination of the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert provides an extraordinarily diverse fossil record. Finally, the park is also known for having thousands of prehistoric petroglyphs and pictographs, which are rock carvings and cave paintings left by ancient peoples. Anthropological research has shown many of the carvings to be solar calendars. Overall, it is a scenic wonderland.
FIND A NATIONAL PARK AMERICAN PATRIOT 11
A M E R I CA’ S F U N FO O D S
HAMBURGER HISTORY
Here is the hamburger by the numbers: AMERICANS CONSUME 14 BILLION BURGERS A YEAR EACH AMERICAN EATS AN AVERAGE OF 3 HAMBURGERS A WEEK HAMBURGERS ACCOUNT FOR NEARLY 60% OF ALL THE SANDWICHES EATEN 12 AMERICAN PATRIOT
The seemingly simple sandwich has become so ingrained in our society, that it's impossible to think of American cuisine and culture without it. There's a lot of controversy when it comes to who served the first commercial hamburger. But there is no such controversy over the source of the name: in the German city of Hamburg, people often cooked various scraps of meat and placed them on a round bun or roll. When German immigrants arrived in America, they continued this custom and these sandwiches became known as “hamburgers.”
How did it turn into the all-American sandwich?
using steel wire broilers to hold the hamburgers upright as they cooked. They were served on toasted white bread. In 2000, when the U. S. Library of Congress credited Louis' Lunch with
THERE ARE THREE POPULAR THEORIES:
making America's first hamburger.
1. Hamburg NY: Two brothers, Frank and Charles Menches, were selling sausage sandwiches at the Erie County Fair. They had an overabundance of ground beef shipped to them by mistake, grilled the excess beef up into patties, added sugar and coffee flavoring, and sold the sandwiches as “hamburgers” in honor of the host town.
Whatever the truth of its origins, it is clear that mass consumption of the fast food hamburger started with White Castle in 1921. Selling a tiny hamburger for 5 cents, White Castle inspired dozens of imitators, most of whom failed. Among the successes who pushed the burger forward Wimpy Burger which lasted until 1978, Bob’s
2. Athens TX: Fletcher Davis and his wife operated a restaurant. They sold a sandwich of seasoned ground beef, which was a very popular lunch item. Some local businessmen chipped in so that the couple could sell the local delicacy at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. They successfully sold their sandwich from a stand. In 2006, the Texas legislature designating Athens as “Original Home of the Hamburger.”
Big Boy which featured double patties, and myriad drive-ins which accelerated the concept of fast food. The big breakthrough came in 1948 when the first McDonald's opened and then was revolutionized by Ray Kroc, who joined the team in 1954, put in franchise and preparation procedures that rationalized the fast food business, and created the McDonald’s empire. Today, McDonalds has sold an average of 12 hamburgers to every man, woman and child in the world.
3. New Haven CT: In 1895, Louis Lassen had a sandwich shop called Louis’ Lunch. He cooked
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW TO BEST GRILL A HAMBURGER
beef patties in small vertical cast iron gas stoves AMERICAN PATRIOT 13
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Other lands have their vitality in a few, a class, but we have it in the bulk of our people. ” — WALT WHITMAN A M E R I C A N P O E T , E SS AY I S T , J O U R N A L I S T , P ERHA PS B ES T KNOWN FOR THI S B OOK O F P O E T R Y L E AV E S O F G R A S S
14 AMERICAN PATRIOT
THIS WEEK IN
AMERICAN HISTORY
1863. Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address during ceremonies dedicating the battlefield in Pennsylvania as a national cemetery. Lincoln delivered his address in just under two minutes. The crowd was unimpressed since long oratories were the style of the day, but Lincoln’s speech has come to be considered one of the greatest expressions of American democracy. Pictured Above: Detail of Elihu Vedder's mural Government (1896), in the Library of Congress. The title figure bears a tablet inscribed with Lincoln's famous phrase. AMERICAN PATRIOT 15
Open the door to m Refinance t
Open the door to monthly savings. Refinance today. Get rid of that higher rate. Pay off credit cards. Make home improvements. Whatever your resolution is this year, make it happen by refinancing through the MyHomeBenefits program.
Ge Ma res refi pro
It’s ag fro sav
It’s simple and convenient, and you’ll enjoy a great rate, with preferred customer service from experienced loan counselors. Plus, it can save you time and money every month.
Refinance today and save.
Refinance tod
• Fixed rates below 5% APR available* • Adjustable rates below 4% APR available** • No hassle, quick closings • Plus, receive $350 off closings costs
* Fixed rates below 5% * Adjustable rates belo * No hassle, quick clos Receive a * Get a $300 credit wh
Contact us now for a free consultation.
$350 closing cost credit! Contact us now for
Call 800-593-2526 and say you are an American Patriot Subscriber.
Call 800-593-2526
*This is not an offer of credit. This is not an offer to enter into an interest rate agreement. Interest rate availability subject to credit qualifications. Mortgage approvals are rendered based on individual credit qualifications. **Rate is subject to adjustment after initial five years.
US01-1452_8.5x11_Layout 1 11/30/09 10:28 AM Page 2
Upgrade Your Life
With Smart Circle Cards
Save 15% Use the savings code AMPAT15 at checkout
Let’s face it. Most of us, even if we haven’t lost a job or seen our retirement savings shrink, have taken a hard look at how we spend our money. That is smart thinking. Many people have cut back on things they really enjoy like vacations, recreation, entertainment, and dining out. Golfers play fewer rounds, massage enthusiasts don’t spend quite as much time at the spa, fans are catching fewer games. That smarts! You can still enjoy vacationing at a resort, playing golf at great courses, spending a day at the spa, dining out, and other activities you love without busting your new budget. How? By spending smarter
with Smart Circle Cards.
Visit us at www.smartcirclecards.net or call us at 1-800-775-1975 to see how you can get four rounds of golf for the price of one, three spa services for less than the price of a massage, 50% off dining, and more.
Live better. Live smart.