Why are address labels upside down?

Why are address labels on subscription magazines usually placed upside down?

     Our usually reliable sources at the United States Postal Service struck out on the one, but we were rescued by our friends at Neodata Services. Neodata, the largest fulfillment house in the United States is the company that processes all those subscription forms you send to Boulder, Colorado.
     Even though the folks at the USPS don't seem to know it, the labels are placed upside down to accommodate the postal carrier. All magazines are bound on the left hand side. The typical postal carrier, being right handed, naturally picks up the magazine by the spine with his or her right hand to read the address label - the magazine is thus automatically turned upside down. But the label is now "right side up" and easily read by the postal carrier. Clever eh?

This Imponderable was provided by Author - R.M.Villoria

About the Author...
Born and raised in the state of New York, R.M. Villoria began his writing career as a prolific songwriter. After two back-to-back tours as a Marine in Vietnam, Villoria spent the next few years owning and operating a myriad of businesses and in 1992 returned to writing, this time appeasing his appetite for suspense and horror fiction.

Years in the making, his ghostly tales touching on the underpinnings of quantum physics and the paranormal are now ready for the public. As his first published work, Villoria presents readers with Volume One of his series “Tales From the Mind Field.”

Villoria has a son and daughter and lives in Las Vegas with his Wife.

Christmas in Bethlehem

Christmas in Bethlehem

     Each year, thousands of Christians make the pilgrimage to Bethlehem for what is perhaps the most moving Christmas celebration of them all. This is true even though Muslims and Jews make up most of the population of the Middle East. 
     Christians come to visit the place where, according to the gospels, it all began. Not surprisingly, this is the time of the year when Bethlehem is most popular. The festivities in the "little town" center on the Church of the Nativity and the Shepards' Fields. The Church of the Nativity is believed to stand on the place where Christ was born; under the church, within a small cave, a star on the floor marks the place where Mary gave birth to Jesus. The Shepards' Fields is said to represent the fields where the angels announced the arrival of Christ.
     Among the indigenous Christians in Bethlehem, there are three groups. The Roman Catholics celebrate Christmas on December 25, The Greek Orthodox on January 6, and the Armenian Christians on January 18. Representatives protecting the interests of these three groups sit on a board that "governs" the Church of the Nativity, so that no group is favored or slighted. Services are not held within the church itself but rather in an adjoining building. Services on Christmas Eve are by invitation only, but they are televised to the crowd outside. Afterward, most venture to the Shepards' Fields, which are also divided into three sections.
     With the obvious exception of Israel, the peoples of the Middle East are predominantly Muslim. Some of these Muslim countries do have Christian sections, and in those sections Christmas is observed, although the observance is usually more strictly religious, as in Africa. Some countries, however, have indigenous Christian populations that have been celebrating Christmas for centuries.

About the Author...
Born and raised in the state of New York, R.M. Villoria began his writing career as a prolific songwriter. After two back-to-back tours as a Marine in Vietnam, Villoria spent the next few years owning and operating a myriad of businesses and in 1992 returned to writing, this time appeasing his appetite for suspense and horror fiction.

 

Years in the making, his ghostly tales touching on the underpinnings of quantum physics and the paranormal are now ready for the public. As his first published work, Villoria presents readers with Volume One of his series “Tales From the Mind Field.”

 

Villoria has a son and daughter and lives in Las Vegas with his Wife.

Christmas in Japan

Christmas in Japan

     Japan has roughly the same proportion of Christians to non-Christians as China. Christmas there is celebrated by a large number of people - including a good many that follow other religions. For the Japanese, Christmas is a strictly secular celebration, considered a time for fun and gifts. There are Japanese versions of American Christmas carols; department stores have Christmas trees and Christmas sales; holly, bells, and decorations everywhere. Some believe that the Japanese awareness of Christmas is due in part to their large manufacturing interests in America. The religious aspects of the Japanese Christmas are confined to the areas touched by missionary work. In those parts, Christmas is celebrated with services, hymns, children's pageants, visits to hospitals, and other services for the needy.

About the Author...
Born and raised in the state of New York, R.M. Villoria began his writing career as a prolific songwriter. After two back-to-back tours as a Marine in Vietnam, Villoria spent the next few years owning and operating a myriad of businesses and in 1992 returned to writing, this time appeasing his appetite for suspense and horror fiction.

Years in the making, his ghostly tales touching on the underpinnings of quantum physics and the paranormal are now ready for the public. As his first published work, Villoria presents readers with Volume One of his series “Tales From the Mind Field.”

Villoria has a son and daughter and lives in Las Vegas with his Wife.

Christmas in Africa

Christmas in Africa

     In most African countries, Christians make up only a small part of the population, so Christmas is usually not celebrated on a grand scale.
     Although Christmas has been a tradition in Ethiopia for quite some time, observance in most other countries is limited to ares with established missions. In these areas Christmas is observed simply, in a way that many feel reflects the true meaning of the day. The missions provide homes and schools for the young children and hospitals for the ill; at Christmas time, the efforts of all are concentrated on helping those in need and on the spiritual aspects of the holiday. There are no Santas or trees, and there is very little gift giving, except to the poor. In some places, lucky children receive sugar, grains, or fruit.
     In Algiers there are a number of Catholic churches that celebrate midnight Mass. Streets are colorfully decorated.
     The Christian church in Ethiopia is the Coptic Church. Believers there still abide by an older calendar, which places Christmas on January 7.
     Things stray from the norm a bit in Ghana. There, Christmas evergreens or palm trees are seen, but only in churches, and there is a Father Christmas who comes out of the jungle. Children have school pageants, and there is more gift giving. Early Christmas morning, a group enacts the story of the shepherds and angels heralding Christ's birth, traveling the streets and singing songs.

Festive Fact: Christmas is a low key affair in Africa; it's observance is usually limited to relatively small Christian populations. The emphasis is typically on charitable acts and simple presents.

     It's far to say that in most African countries, Christmas could be ignored entirely without changing the cultural landscape much. One exception to this, however, is found in South Africa. Christmas there falls in the midst of summer vacation, so the activities are adapted to the warmer weather. In the European sections of the country, shops are decorated and streets are lit. Father Christmas puts gifts in the children's stockings. After a church service on Christmas day, the Christmas feast is eaten outside.

About the Author...
Born and raised in the state of New York, R.M. Villoria began his writing career as a prolific songwriter. After two back-to-back tours as a Marine in Vietnam, Villoria spent the next few years owning and operating a myriad of businesses and in 1992 returned to writing, this time appeasing his appetite for suspense and horror fiction.

Years in the making, his ghostly tales touching on the underpinnings of quantum physics and the paranormal are now ready for the public. As his first published work, Villoria presents readers with Volume One of his series “Tales From the Mind Field.”

Villoria has a son and daughter and lives in Las Vegas with his Wife. 

Christmas in Russia

Christmas in Russia

     Perhaps the best way to look at the Russian Christmas is to go back to the customs of 
pre-Revolutionary Russia, when Christianity flourished. Father Frost was a staple of the old tradition, and presents were brought by Babushka, Russia's version of the old woman who was supposed to have declined to join the Wise Men. There was also a girl dressed in white called Kolyada who would visit homes, singing carols and giving treats. Christmas trees were decorated.
     Members of the Russian Orthodox Church would fast until after church services on Christmas Eve. Some communities engaged in the Blessing of the Water; sometimes a priest would go through the village with his water to bless the houses.
     In the years following the revolution, many of the customs of Christmas were hard to track down, as they were for all intents and purposes illegal - or at least counter to the official pronouncements of the Party. Now that the Communist regime has passed, it is a good bet that many of those traditions have come back into prominence.

About the Author...
Born and raised in the state of New York, R.M. Villoria began his writing career as a prolific songwriter. After two back-to-back tours as a Marine in Vietnam, Villoria spent the next few years owning and operating a myriad of businesses and in 1992 returned to writing, this time appeasing his appetite for suspense and horror fiction.

 

Years in the making, his ghostly tales touching on the underpinnings of quantum physics and the paranormal are now ready for the public. As his first published work, Villoria presents readers with Volume One of his series “Tales From the Mind Field.”

 

Villoria has a son and daughter and lives in Las Vegas with his Wife.

Christmas in Brazil

Christmas in Brazil

     Brazil is one South American country that has incorporated some American ideas for Christmas. Brazilians have a Santa equivalent called Papa Noel, lighted Christmas trees, and similar gift giving traditions. The manger, or pesebre, is still very important, however. On Christmas Eve a meal is laid out before the household attends midnight Mass, so that the Holy family may eat if they wish. Children put out shoes for Papa Noel to fill. Because of the warm climate, Christmas day is often filled with picnics and sport.

About the Author...
 Born and raised in the state of New York, R.M. Villoria began his writing career as a prolific songwriter. After two back-to-back tours as a Marine in Vietnam, Villoria spent the next few years owning and operating a myriad of businesses and in 1992 returned to writing, this time appeasing his appetite for suspense and horror fiction.

Years in the making, his ghostly tales touching on the underpinnings of quantum physics and the paranormal are now ready for the public. As his first published work, Villoria presents readers with Volume One of his series “Tales From the Mind Field.”

Villoria has a son and daughter and lives in Las Vegas with his Wife.

Christmas in Panama

Christmas in Panama

     Schoolchildren in Panama engage in pre-Christmas activities much like the ones enjoyed by American children. Decorations and cards are made, gifts are exchanged, and there are plays. Requests for gifts are sent to Baby Jesus in Heaven, however, not Santa Claus.

About the Author...
Born and raised in the state of New York, R.M. Villoria began his writing career as a prolific songwriter. After two back-to-back tours as a Marine in Vietnam, Villoria spent the next few years owning and operating a myriad of businesses and in 1992 returned to writing, this time appeasing his appetite for suspense and horror fiction.

 

Years in the making, his ghostly tales touching on the underpinnings of quantum physics and the paranormal are now ready for the public. As his first published work, Villoria presents readers with Volume One of his series “Tales From the Mind Field.”

 

Villoria has a son and daughter and lives in Las Vegas with his Wife.