Jody Victor : The origin of how stones came to be connected to specific months is cloudy. Some speculate the birthstone originates from Biblical times when a priest's breastplate was adorned with twelve different colored gems. Over time, the number twelve became connected to months of the year and to the zodiac.

Since ancient times, people have associated each of the twelve zodiac signs and months with special, individual birthsones. Birthstones fall under various categories like modern, traditional, mystical and ayurvedic. Depending on the calendar you use or your country of origin, your birthstone may vary providing a wealth of choices in birthstone selection.

People began wearing a different gem each month as a sort of talisman, believing each stone held certain powers. Gradually, specific gems became attached to specific months and and zodiac signs, and people then wore the gem associated with their birth month all year long.

Fast-forward hundreds of years to 1912 in Kansas City, Missouri. The American National Association of Jewelers created a birthstone list, assigning different stones to each month. The birthstone list was controversial because people thought it was purely for commercial purposes. Even so, it is accepted worldwide today as the definitive list of birthstones.

People still enjoy the folklore and magic associated with the tradition of birthstone jewelry. Most believe that wearing a birthstone in any form brings good luck and wards off bad luck. The power of the stone is said to increase during the month it represents. Have fun with your birthstone, whatever it is.

Jody Victor

Jody Victor : In honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., I have gathered some quotes from this highly quotable activist. It is said he inspired a nation to change largely through his riveting speeches. Considered one of the greatest orators in American history, his thoughts on racial equality have been repeated by many speakers throughout the years since his assassination. Here are some of his thoughts and words.

"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it."-- Stride Toward Freedom, 1958.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."-- Strength to Love, 1963.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." --Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963.

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."-- Strength to Love, 1963.

"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor." -- Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963.

"The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men." -- Strength to Love, 1963

"Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue." -- Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16,1963

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." -- I Have a Dream, civil rights march on Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963.

Jody Victor

Jody Victor : One glance at the deep red seeds nestled inside of a pomegranate fruit explains why the word "garnet" comes from the Latin word "granatus," meaning "grain" or "seed." This name was given to the garnet because of its close resemblance to the succulent pomegranate seed. But don't bite into a garnet, because at Moh's hardness 6.5 to 7.5, it will definitely damage the teeth!

There are many myths and legends surrounding the garnet. One Biblical legend is that Noah hung this gem on the ark to light his way through the dark and stormy mights of God's wrath. A greek myth linked to the garnet is the story of the young goddess of sunshine, Persephone, who was abducted by Hades, god of the underworld. Hades eventually released Persephone, but not before he offered her some pomegranate seeds, which guaranteed her return to him.

Firsty mined in Sri Lanka over 2,500 years ago, the garnet is also found in Africa, Australia, India, Russia, South America; and in the United States, in Arizona and Idaho. Although most commonly known as a red gemstone, the garnet comes in a variety of other hues, including muted yellows, vibrant oranges, rosy pinks, lime greens, and violets - a virtual bouquet of colors. This diversity is due to unique combinations of elements within each particular gem, such as iron, calcium, and manganese.

Archaeologist findings of primitive style garnet jewelry among the graves of lake dwellers dates the early use of this gemstone to the Bronze age. But not all garnet is of gem quality. It is also a very effective abrasive and is used commercially for grinding and polishing. Garnet coated sandpaper is one such industrial use.

The garnet continues to be the protective gem of journeyers. A gift of garnet is thought to be symbolic of love and the desire for a loved one's safe travel and speedy homecoming. It is January's birthstone, but far from being only a winter gem, the garnet, with its brilliance and multitude of colors, is truly one for any season.

Jody Victor

Jody Victor : The Earth's axis of rotation - and hence the position of the North Pole - was commonly believed to be fixed (relative to the surface of the Earth) until, in the 18th century, the mathematician Leonhard Euler predicted that the axis might "wobble" slightly. Around the beginning of the 20th century astronomers noticed a small apparent "variation of latitude," as determined for a fixed point on Earth from the observation of stars. Part of this variation could be attributed to a wandering of the Pole across the Earth's surface, by a range of a few meters. The wandering has several periodic components and an irregular component. The component with a period of about 435 days is identified with the 8 month wandering predicted by Euler and is now called the Chandler wobble after its discoverer. This "wobble" means that a (fixed) definition of the Pole based on the axis of roataion is not useful when meter-scale precision is required.

It is desirable to tie the system of Earth coordinates (latitude, longitude, and elevations or orography) to fixed landforms. Of course, given continental drift and the rising and falling of land due to volcanoes, erosion and so on, there is no system in which all geographic features are fixed. Yet the International Earth Roatation and Reference Systems Service and the International Astronomical Union have defined a framework called the International Terrestrial Reference System. The North Pole of this system now defines geographic North for precision work, and it does not quite coincide with the rotation axis.

Jody Victor