Today is Sunday, January 20 and there are only 225 days until Labor Day, so keep an eye out for the Back to School sales. Today we remember the birthdays of Richard H Lee, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Ivana Trump. On this day in 1265 the first English Parliament was called into session by the Earl of Leicester, in 1785 Samuel Ellis advertised to sell Oyster Island (Ellis Island), no takers and in 1961 Robert Frost recited “The Gift Outright” at JFK’s inauguration. In Bulgaria today is Grandmother’s Day, in Mali it is National Army Day and in the US it is National Buttercrunch Day and National Cheese Lover’s Day.

As you know, tomorrow is Martin Luther King, Jr Day. It is a federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr and is observed on the third Monday of January. King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

I was up late watching TV the other night and saw a commercial for Red Lobster. In it they advertised unlimited Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Here is my question: Are they CHEDDAR Bay Biscuits or are they CHEDDAR BAY biscuits?  If they are the former, what does a regular Bay Biscuit taste like?  Why would someone want to add cheddar to them?  Are there Garlic Bay Biscuits or any other flavors?  If the latter, where is Cheddar Bay and what is so special about it that they would name a biscuit after the place? 

Here is another issue that I have wondered about for some time and which came up again the other night. I was surfing channels to find something to watch. There is not much worth watching on TV after midnight, in my opinion. I happened to pass by a channel showing part of a fashion show. I was struck by several thoughts. One was that I thought it was interesting that most of the clothing you see on these shows is never actually worn by anyone in real life. At least I don’t think it is. Of course, I do not generally hang out with the type of people who might wear it. You know the ones I mean, the ones who think eating a big meal is looking at pictures of food while having a cracker and a small glass of water.

What I also find interesting is that most clothing is not designed for the average woman. All the models are rail thin, tall, leggy women with no real shape, no breasts, no butt and no shoulders to speak of.  Look around you! This is not what most women look like. If you want to sell clothing, design something that looks good on the typical woman, the one with large breasts or broad shoulders or who is short or chubby or has a slightly out-of-proportion butt. If you can do that people will beat a path to your store. You might also try designing clothing that is normal looking and functional. Just a thought.

I know I have said this before, but I feel I should repeat the complaint. I recently saw a commercial for a cream that will remove the bags, dark lines and wrinkles from under your eyes. The commercial touted the cream, saying it would stop the aging process and make you look years younger. If the model they were using looked years younger, she would look like she was in grammar school. If you want people to really believe that your product works, use a person who has the problems you claim you can correct and show us the results. Nothing speaks louder than results.

One more issue that I find interesting is when you make a purchase in a store with your credit card.  In many of the stores, the pad where you sign has a message that comes up telling you the amount of the charge and asking if this is okay. I have wondered what would happen if I said it is not okay. What would the reaction be if I said, “No that is not okay.  I am retired and living on a fixed income and that is just too much.  I would rather that it be around $5 instead of the $26.89 you are charging.”  I may have to give that a try some day.  I’ll let you know the results.

This week our fact tells us that it is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. I also read somewhere that if you sneeze with your eyes open, your eyeballs will pop out. I am here to let you know that I can sneeze with my eyes open and when I do my eyeballs do not pop out. Because of allergies, I have developed the ability to sneeze with my eyes open. This is necessary so that I do not have to close my eyes as I sneeze four times in a row while I am driving. That could cause problems far worse than my eyes popping out. 

When I read these types of facts and realize that they are not correct, it makes me wonder about all the other facts that I read. They claim that no two snowflakes are the same. How could anyone possibly know that? If it is snowing here in New Jersey, how can they prove that an identical snowflake has not fallen in Switzerland? I could go on, but I believe I have run this into the ground in the past. Sometime when you sneeze, try doing it with your eyes open. Just keep a tissue handy in case your eyes pop out.