JOURNALISM:

Public Service - Las Vegas Sun

Breaking News Reporting - The New York Times Staff

Investigative Reporting - David Barstow of The New York Times

Explanatory Reporting - Bettina Boxall and Julie Cart of the Los Angeles Times

Local Reporting - Detroit Free Press Staff and Ryan Gabrielson and Paul Giblin of the East Valley Tribune, Mesa, AZ

National Reporting - St. Petersburg Times Staff

International Reporting - The New York Times Staff

Feature Writing - Lane DeGregory of the St. Petersburg Times

Commentary - Eugene Robinson of The Washington Post

Criticism - Holland Cotter of The New York Times

Editorial Writing - Mark Mahoney of The Post-Star, Glens Falls, NY

Editorial Cartooning - Steve Breen of The San Diego Union-Tribune

Breaking News Photography - Patrick Farrell of The Miami Herald

Feature Photography - Damon Winter of The New York Times

LETTERS, DRAMA and MUSIC: 

Fiction - Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (Random House)

Drama - Ruined by Lynn Nottage

History - The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed (W.W. Norton & Company)

Biography - American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham (Random House)

Poetry - The Shadow of Sirius by W.S. Merwin (Copper Canyon Press)

General Nonfiction - Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon (Doubleday)

Music - Double Sextet by Steve Reich, premiered March 26, 2008 in Richmond, VA (Boosey & Hawkes)

<via Daily Contributor and The Pulitzer>

Polish-Americans from Buffalo New York have one more reason to enjoy the end of the Lenten season – and that’s because of Dyngus Day (or Dingus Day)!

Dyngus day dates all the way back to the year 966 and celebrates the end of the usually restrictive Lenten season and the joy of Easter and is also traditionally thought to be the day Catholicism was accepted into Poland when Prince Mieszko I and his court were baptized.

Dyngus day isn’t complete without the pussy willow branches, sprinkling and Polka!

High School Musical’s Zac Efron is now immortalized, as a wax figure!

- Sweepstakes Trophy for most-beautiful entry with outstanding floral use, “Entertaining Expedition,” Rain Bird Corp. and Fiesta Parade Floats.

- Lathrop K. Leishman Trophy for the most-beautiful non-commercial float, “Bollywood Dreams,” made by volunteers in the City of Sierra Madre.

- Grand Marshal’s Trophy for excellence in creative concept, “Camelot – - A Knight’s Tale,” made by volunteers in the City of Sierra Madre.

- President’s Trophy for most-effective floral use, “Believe in Music,” NAMM, The International Music Products Association, Studio Concepts floats.

- Director’s Trophy for outstanding artistic merit in design, “Hope Grows,” Vera Bradley and Festival Artists floats.

- Queen’s Trophy for most-effective use and display of roses, “Donate Life,” Stars of Life and Phoenix Decorating Co.

- Mayor’s Trophy for most outstanding city, “Surf City USA,” City of Huntington Beach and Festival Artists.

- Theme Trophy for excellence in presenting parade theme, “Hats Off In Celebration,” American Honda and Phoenix Decorating Co.

- National Trophy for best depiction of life in the USA, “Celebrating Alaska — Spirit of the Wild,” Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau and Fiesta Parade Floats.

- Governor’s Trophy for best depiction of Advertisement Quantcast life in California, “Entertaining Dreams For A Century,” City of Roseville and Phoenix Decorating Co.

- Bob Hope Trophy for use of humor, “Hats Off To New Mexico — Beep Beep,” State of New Mexico and Fiesta Parade Floats.

- Judges’ Special Trophy for most spectacular in showmanship, “Making a Splash,” City of Mission Viejo and Fiesta Parade Floats.

- Animation Trophy for best animation, “Mechanical Melodies,” made by volunteers in the City of La Canada-Flintridge.

- Fantasy Trophy for most outstanding display of fantasy, “The Garden Of Oz,” Bayer Advanced and Phoenix Decorating Co.

- Founders’ Trophy for most spectacular float built by volunteers, “Broadway’s Golden Age,” City of Downey Rose Float Association.

- International Trophy for most beautiful entry from outside this country, “Taiwan Lantern Festival,” China Airlines and Festival Artists.

- Princess’s Trophy for most beautiful float under 35 feet, “Sharing The Great Outdoors,” Kiwanis International and Phoenix Decorating Co.

- Isabella Coleman Trophy for best presentation of color, “Celebrating the Dream of Home Ownership for 100 Years,” National Association of Realtors and Fiesta Parade Floats.

- Special Trophy for exceptional merit in mulitiple categories for floats over 55 people, “Propel Your Dreams,” Kaiser Permanente and Fiesta ParadeFloats.

- Past Presidents Trophy for most creative use of flowers, “Sneak Preview,” City of Glendale and Phoenix Decorating Co.

- Tournament Volunteers Trophy for best floral design for floats less than 35 feet, “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party,” City of Torrance and Fiesta Parade Floats.

- Craftsman Trophy for exceptional showmanship for floats over 55 feet, “Family Outing,” Farmers Insurance Group and Phoenix Decorating Co.

- Extraordinaire Trophy for most spectacular float, “Jack-O-Licious,” Jack in the Box and Festival Artists.

- Crown City Trophy for innovation, “Entertaining Our Imaginations,” Western Asset and Phoenix Decorating Co.

The Santa Tracker tradition started way back in 1958 when NORAD was still Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD). Here’s NORAD’s introduction to the Santa Tracker tradition:

For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa. The tradition began after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. store advertisement for children to call Santa on a special “hotline” included an inadvertently misprinted telephone number. Instead of Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations, Colonel Harry Shoup, received the first “Santa” call on Christmas Eve 1955. Realizing what had happened, Colonel Shoup had his staff check radar data to see if there was any indication of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Indeed there were signs of Santa and children who called were given an update on Santa’s position. Thus, the tradition was born.

1. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States.

2. By the fall of 1621 only half of the pilgrims, who had sailed on the Mayflower, survived. The survivors, thankful to be alive, decided to give a thanksgiving feast.

3. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada.

4. The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate the Thanksgiving.Thanksgiving

5. The pilgrims arrived in North America in December 1620.

6. The Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to reach North America.

7. The pilgrims sailed on the ship, which was known by the name of ‘Mayflower’.

8. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day in the fall of 1621.

9. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

10. The drink that the Puritans brought with them in the Mayflower was the beer.

11. The Wampanoag Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land.

12. The Pilgrim leader, Governor William Bradford, had organized the first Thanksgiving feast in the year 1621 and invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians also to the feast.

13. The first Thanksgiving feast was held in the presence of around ninety Wampanoag Indians and the Wampanoag chief, Massasoit, was also invited there.

14. The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days.

15. President George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving Day Proclamation in the year 1789 and again in 1795.

16. The state of New York officially made Thanksgiving Day an annual custom in 1817.

17. Sarah Josepha Hale, an editor with a magazine, started a Thanksgiving campaign in 1827 and it was result of her efforts that in 1863 Thanksgiving was observed as a day for national thanksgiving and prayer.

18. Abraham Lincoln issued a ‘Thanksgiving Proclamation’ on third October 1863 and officially set aside the last Thursday of November as the national day for Thanksgiving. Whereas earlier the presidents used to make an annual proclamation to specify the day when Thanksgiving was to be held.

19. President Franklin D. Roosevelt restored Thursday before last of November as Thanksgiving Day in the year 1939. He did so to make the Christmas shopping season longer and thus stimulate the economy of the state.

20. Congress passed an official proclamation in 1941 and declared that now onwards Thanksgiving will be observed as a legal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November every year.

Taken from The Holiday Spot
Image from Crews Nest

Craving a little romance? If the man in your life is under 53, you may be waiting some time. That, apparently, is the age at which men are their most romantic. Fifty-three year olds are much more likely to surprise their partner with a simple gesture such as a walk in the summer rain or a sprinkle of rose petals in the bath, a survey has found.

Fifty-three emerged as the age of romance in a poll of 2,000 men between 18 to 65. Of the 20 to 25 year olds, only one in four said they had recently treated their loved one to a candlelit dinner. But almost half of the over 50s had. “By the time a man reaches his 50s he has a wealth of experience under his belt and will be wiser about the things which please a woman. An affectionate 73% of older men said threy told their partners they looked beautiful all the time and 85% wouldn’t leave the house without kissing their loved one goodbye.