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We all know Santas story by now. He was originally a bishop back in the day, and after he died he became known as saint Nicholas, or saint Nick for short. And even way back then, before Christmas became a major holiday, the anniversary of his death was a day to celebrate by giving out gifts. But most of us dont know that saint Nick actually had a bad rap for a while, and that is actually how he got all of the other names we know him by today.

During the time of great change in the Christian Church known as the Protestant Reformation, which occurred in the 1500s, the famous Martin Luther declared that all good Christians should stop celebrating saints. For the devout followers of Luther, that meant also stopping the celebration of saint Nick, no matter how fun the gift giving had become.

But of course, not all Christians stopped celebrating saint Nick, not even all of the Protestants. Instead of stopping the celebration, they crafted a plan to enjoy the saint Nick holiday in secret. This is when saint Nick became known in England as Father Christmas. In Germany, people referred to Santa as Christmas Man, and the Dutch created the name Sinterklass.

About this time, a large majority of Dutch settlers moved to New Amsterdam in Americawhat would later become New Yorkand brought their celebration of Sinterklass with him. Americans caught on to the idea, and tried to pronounce his name right. But instead, what came out was Santa Claus.

However, Santa Claus did not hit the big time until the author of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving, got wind of Santa Claus and promoted him the American press. This happened in the early 1800s, when Washington Irving wrote a story called the A History of New York, in which he went into great detail about a man called Sinterklass. This saint Nick was fat and short, wore a funny costume, and would travel around on the Eve of saint Nicolas on a horse.

The idea of jolly gift-giving man caught on in the American press. Another writer, the poet Clement Clark Moore, wrote a poem called A Visit from St. Nicolas, which is better known as, The Night Before Christmas. It was Moore who made saint Nick a jolly old elf who flies around the night in a magical sleigh powered by eight flying reindeer. We all know the names of those reindeer, right? Well, Moore also included them in his poem.

Americans would get their best images of Santa Claus in the magazines of the late 1800s, when the cartoonist Thomas Nast put out his own visions of saint Nick in Harpers Weekly. For Nast, Santa was a bigger man with a big fat belly, who wore a red suit lined with fur and a big leather belt. Nast also started drawing images of Santas workshop in the North Pole, and Santa using a list to keep track of his kids who were naughty and nice.

Of course, these are all the images of Santa that we use today in the newspapers, in cartoons, and on TV. Or should we say, perhaps, images of Sinterklass?

Randy Stocklin is the co-owner of Mail from Santa Claus. Mail from Santa Claus offers memorable letters from Santa Claus that helps keep the Christmas spirit alive. For more information about Mail from Santa Claus and to purchase letters from Santa Claus please visit http://www.mailfromsantaclaus.com/.

# posted by 12152 : 7:32 PM  0 comments

Those hardest hit by the postal rate changes, which took effect in May 2007, include retailers who send their products and catalogs via mail. By learning to keep packaging small and flexible, however, retailers can weather the higher U.S. mail costs.

What's Changed and Why
The new rates make shape and dimension a larger part of the criteria, explained Matt Steichmann, team leader for the U.S. Postal Service's business service network in Northern Illinois.

"We used to price most items based on weight alone," said Steichmann, "but our costs are related to cubic feet."

Another key factor and one that will apply to a large percentage of retailers selling CDs or DVDs is the rigidity of an item. Mailers such as paperboard envelopes or bubble-lined kraft envelopes were previously considered large envelopes or "flats." Under the new standards, however, when these packages are filled with media, they are too rigid to be considered an envelope.

"The rationale behind this is we have two types of flat processing machines," explained Steichmann. "The older machines processed mail in a linear fashion so flexibility really wasn't a factor. But we're phasing those machines out in favor of a machine that works faster, but has a lot of curves in it. If a piece is not flexible, it jams [the new machines]."

Keeping Your Prices Down
If you are looking to keep costs down, there are three elements you must keep in mind when choosing your mail packages: shape, weight and flexibility.

"Remember that price is now based on shape," said Steichmann. "So letters are the least expensive to send, flats are next, non-machinable flats are next and parcels are last."

Another option available to CD and DVD retailers is sending their products out via "media rate." Media rate is a subcategory of parcels and, in many cases, is more affordable than sending a package as a parcel. If you are sending items more than -inch thick and weigh about 6 ounces or more, you should check it out. These lower rates are available to companies and individuals who are mailing items such as: sound and video recordings, CDs, DVDs and more.

A trusted name in media packaging since 1972, Polyline is the largest U.S. distributor of in-stock media packaging for CDs, DVDs, VHS and audio. Polyline also offers a large variety of bulk CDs and DVDs, as well as duplicating equipment.

# posted by 12152 : 4:22 PM  0 comments

Tee to Tree - The dreaded slice has ruined the attitudes of countless golfers for decades. Although your tee shot may seem ok at first, it starts to curve to the right and becomes hopelessly lost in a frightful collection of looming trees and crackling branches. This is the most common problem for golfers.

Diagnosis - It happens because of two basic problems. First, the angle of the club's face is not right upon impact. Second, the path of the club is wrong as you swing down through the ball. There are various reasons that the angle of the clubface can be off and other reasons for a poor swing path. Diagnosing these two problems is the first step and curing them and ending the terrible slice.

Diagnosis - To diagnose what is causing your slice, there are several things to consider. First, take a look at your grip. Sometimes your left hand may be turned too far to the left. If this doesn't seem to be the problem, look at the way you stand up to the ball. Some golfers stand way to the left and this is usually the reason for the slice. You have to have your stance square to the ball.

backswing Blues - This may still leave many golfers wondering what the problem is. If this is the case, there may still be a problem with the backswing. Sometimes the club may be going too far back and away from your body when you make your backswing.

Uppity Shoulder - Finally, there can sometimes be a problem with your shoulder right before you hit the ball. Some golfers throw their leading shoulder up in the air right before they hit the ball. This throws everything off in their swing. Check each of these possible problems by asking your friends to watch your swing. If they see one of these problems are especially noticeable, you can move on to the correction process.

The Cure - There are many ways to cure a slice. Curing the golf grip may be a simple case of moving your left hand. Squaring your stance may require the use of a club that you lay on the ground in front of you. If you place the club parallel to the direction of the shot, your feet should be aligned with the club on the ground. Practice this stance until it becomes natural. Your shoulders should also be aligned in this way with the club. In terms of a problem on your backswing, make sure to keep your elbows in as you swing back. This may correct the problem with your backswing as you may have been pushing the club away from your body. Finally, keep the leading shoulder down and allow your hands and arms to move through the ball naturally.

The Road to Success - Correcting a slice can take a lot of careful diagnosis but these basic principles may help you to determine what to look for at first. After that, some careful practice and determination may cure this problem and put you on a better road to success off the tee.

Aidan Sugrue is a Golf Enthusiast and creator of Hot Golf Secrets the Internet's hottest resource for free golf tips. If you would like to turbo-charge your game then go to Hot Golf Secrets now and Claim Your free online golf tips and start having more fun on the fairway today! You can also visit Golf Tips Blog for more fun stuff.

2007 This article may be reprinted as long as the article is left unchanged and the links stay active.

# posted by 12152 : 6:55 AM  0 comments