Super Bowl XLVII

This Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday!
What is special about it?
The San Francisco 49ers are going to play the Baltimore Ravens.
It's going to be the first Super Bowl ever opposing head coaching brothers: Baltimore's John Harbaugh and San Francisco's Jim Harbaugh.
It will be played at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans - which caused the postponement of a few Mardi Gras parades.

Beyonce will be the performing for the half-time show.
There's already a controversy about one of the Super Bowl commercials being racist. Check for yourself.

Groundhog Day

Hey you French people who thought Groundhog Day (Un jour sans fin) was nothing but a movie, get back on your feet it actually exists! When you're all about pancakes for "la Chandeleur", in America, they're all about groundhogs today. Just the American way to celebrate the end of Winter... or actually get to know if Spring is coming... or not.

Luckily this year, Punxstawney Phil, known as "the King of Groundhogs, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of Prognosticators" woke up and didn't see his shadow which means an early Spring!
But Punxstawney Phil from Pennsylvania is not the only groundhog to be called upon on February 2nd. He is one of 37 across the North American continent as Groundhog Day is celebrated both in the USA and in Canada.
At the moment, both Woody from Howell, Michigan and Dunkirk Dave, from Dunkirk, New York agree with Punxstawney Phil on the early Spring prognostic whereas Stormy Marmot from Aurora, Colorado reckons there will be six more weeks of Winter.

Celebrating MLK Jr.

Across our nation and the world, people celebrate and honor Martin Luther King Jr. in many ways. Service projects, conferences and conventions to discuss equality and the importance of brotherhood in the community and society are just some examples. The Museum of Uncut Funk, an online virtual museum led by curator Sista ToFunk celebrates 1970's Funk, Black art and animation. Recently, the museum creatively featured Martin Luther King Jr. in a post. The post presents exclusive images and sketches from the 1999 educational film "Our Friend, Martin" depicting the advocate for peace in an adventure-story. Check out the museum to find out more about their galleries and blogs.

Places, Places, everyone!

Voting during the Presidential Election is quite the interesting topic as of late...

Here is a video explaining how polls work. 

(Don't mind the misspelling of "soup of the day" en français!)

Here is a recent clip of a discovered voting glitch for the machines in Colorado...technological error can transpire just as easily as a human mistake!

During the presidential elections, too, registered voters can vote on propositions, or proposed legal changes for a specific state, concerning a wide array of issues, from stopping sex trafficking, to educational funding, to food labeling.  Registered voters receive a packet in the mail with the information on the propositions, and one can vote "yes" or "no" on chosen props. Here is California's ballot for the Nov. 2012 elections. CA voter guide

This past Tuesday, the U.S. went to voting booths, or "polling places" as seen in the first video, at a local church, school, athletic facility. One must go to the polling place where one is registered. For example, if you are a registered voter in Florida, and haven't changed your registration, you receive an "absentee ballot" in the mail and vote by mail before election day. There is also "early voting," usually at a polling station or by mail, that encourages participation and helps decrease traffic at stations on voting day.

Here are also some common expressions thrown around during election period...especially created to get people to vote...

"Rock the Vote!"
"Get out the Vote!"
"Vote or Die!" (started by Puff Daddy in the 2004 Presidential Election)
"I Voted" (the sticker you receive after voting, which often gets you free stuff, like a donut at Krispy Kreme or patriotic bracelet at Starbucks)

How does this compare to France and the anticipation built before the voting day? Something to think about and explore...

Sandy: record-breaker and heart-breaker

Now that the storm has calmed, and the damage has been done, we can look back on Hurricane Sandy. Also termed a tropical cyclone, Sandy affected parts of the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic, and the northeastern U.S. Here is an infographic of some of the storm's statistics in comparison to Hurricanes Irene and Katrina of the last decade. 

(weather.com)

It will take time to rebuild many parts of the damaged towns and cities, and hopefully each area will have enough help/volunteers to revamp and bring back the communities to their people. It can be a very tough time for those who lost homes or even family members, and just as much for those who have no home or job. 

Here is a link to an article from the point of view of different people who went through Sandy in different ways. CNN: Sandy