Santa’s helper, Rudolph the Red- Nosed Reindeer, began life as an advertising stunt for the Montgomery Ward department store in Chicago. Robert May, an advertising copywriter, suggested an illustrated poem in a printed booklet could be distributed by the department store for families to keep and reread. May composed the poem and an artist friend, Denver Gillen, created illustrations of […]

Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited Bard H.S. Early College Queens in Long Island City on December 20 during the last school day of his 12 years in office. Bloomberg was speaking to students at the small selective school with a 96 percent graduation rate, where students leave with associate’s degrees. He told them that “small, innovative schools like Bard” had helped […]

Have you ever read a warning like the following? Don’t ever let your kids eat the poinsettias! They are deadly poisonous, and every year several poor unsuspecting little ones are killed at Christmastime by taking just the slightest nibble from a poinsettia plant. Scary stuff. Luckily for us, it’s not true. It’s a wonderfully persistent myth though, and it seems […]

Have you ever wondered how large the largest Christmas ornament was? Or what will happen if you sit under a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve? The following is a compilation of little known Christmas facts and traditions: • Holly is a symbol of rebirth. • The first-ever singing radio commercial was aired on Christmas Eve, 1926, for Wheaties Cereal. • […]

Assemblymember Edward C. Braunstein (D-Bayside) wrapped up his holiday gift drive for hospitalized veterans, as well as a toy drive for needy and hospitalized children. Thousands of toys for children, as well as hundreds of toiletries, candy and clothing items for veterans, were donated by churches, synagogues, civic organizations, senior citizen clubs, 15 schools and dozens of local residents. “I […]