Mom's Advice

Thanks for the guest post by Jo Levy

My mom is the smartest businessperson I know and she’s done me a lot of good in the short time I’ve owned my own shoe store. It’s always been my dream to do something like this so naturally I went right to my mom when I thought of starting up the shop – boy, was that the best decision ever! She talked to me about all the logistical stuff; the taxes, small business xo, my accountant, and made sure I had my head on straight and that my expectations were realistic before I got too far in my planning. We ironed out a lot of kinks before I ever even opened up the doors to the shoe store which saved me a lot of hassles in the long run. I love my mom and I consider her my silent business partner even though she doesn’t have any money in the game. I would give her the shirt off my back and I know she’d do the same thing for me which is what I call support!

Halloween

Are you ready for Halloween? I don't really care for Halloween, it's no big deal to me. Back in the days in P.I. my family observe the "All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day". These are the days after Halloween. I didn't grow up participating on Halloween that much. I was wondering how Halloween got started. So, I researched on the net (Internet has become my library now!) and found out that Halloween originated back more than 2,000 years. The Europe's Celtic people celebrated their New Year's Day on November 1, called Samhain (SAH-win). The night before Samhain, people thought spirits, Fairies, demons, and other creatures were to walk the Earth as they traveled to the afterlife. They sacrificed animals to the gods by gathering around bonfires. And they wore animal skin costumes and wearing masks to confuse spirits, perhaps to avoid being possessed. Moreover, the Celts costumed as spirits are believed to have gone from house to house engaging in silly acts in exchange for food and drink, which is the "trick-or-treating" now.

Then, Samhain was later adopted by Catholic for pagan holidays. And In the seventh century Pope Boniface IV decreed November 1 All Saints' Day, or All Hallows' Day. The night before Samhain continued to be observed with bonfires, costumes, and parades, under a new name: All Hallows' Eve—later "Halloween."

The Dancing House

Have you heard of The Dancing House? Does this house actually dance? Of course not! The Dancing House is the nickname of Nationale-Nederlanden building in downtown Prague, Czech Republic It was designed by Croatian-born Czech architect Vlado Milunić in co-operation with Canadian architect Frank Gehry on a vacant riverfront plot. This design was very controversial since it is non-traditional. On the roof, you will see the French restaurant with magnificent views of the city.