Posted: Monday, December 31, 2007 12:00 am
Come back soon and we'll tell you how to dispose of your unwanted live Christmas tree.
Who entered 2008 first, and who entered last?
The new year officially started first in Kiritimati in the Republic of Kiribati. They're 20 hours ahead of the Central Time Zone.
The last place to celebrate the beginning of the new year was Samoa, near Alofi, Apia and Pago Pago. The Central Time Zone is six hours ahead of Alofi, Apia and Pago Pago.
And where are these places? Open an atlas and look at the collection of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, to the lower left (southwest) of Hawaii and right (east) of Australia. That's where the first day of the New Year begins and ends.
The Republic of Kiribati is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific. The country's 32 atolls and one island are scattered over 1,728,306 square miles. Kiritimati, also known as Christmas Island, is the largest atoll in the world, with an area of 248 square miles - 125 square miles are land, the remainder lagoon. The atoll has 5,000 residents.
As for the Independent State of Samoa, it's located about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand in the Polynesian region of the South Pacific. The Samoas consist of two large islands: Upolu and Savai'i which account for 96 percent of the total land area; and seven small islets: Manono, Apolima, Nuutele, Nuulua, Namua, Fanuatapu, Nuusafee and Nuulopa. The main island of Upolu is home to nearly three-quarters of Samoa's population and its capital city is Apia.
And Jack Thompson, a quarterback drafted out of Washington State by the Cincinnati Bengals with the third pick in the 1979 NFL Draft, was known as the Throwin' Samoan. Thompson played six seasons with the Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, appearing in 51 games and throwing for 5,315 yards, with 33 touchdowns and 45 interceptions.
What does "Auld Lang Syne" mean?
A good translation of the words is "times gone by," or "old times since."
The Scottish poet Robert Burns usually receives credit for the words. He likely based them on a folk song. The melody is a version of an old Scottish tune.
The basic words date to 1711 - some scholars date it to 1677. Burns receives credit for smoothing out the verses, changing the melody and publishing it in the mid-1790s.
The song recalls days gone by and says we should remember them fondly.
"Should auld acquaintance be forgot?" the song asks. The chorus chimes in with a resounding no.
"For auld lang syne (for times gone by), we'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne."
There are several verses to the song, all of which discuss raising a bottomless cup of cheer and remembering friends, near and far, whether with us or gone.
And you'd likely know nothing of this touching song if not for some Canadian.
Bandleader and violinist Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo formed the jazz band The Royal Canadians with his brothers Carmen and Lebert and other musicians from his hometown of London, Ontario.
Guy Lombardo and The Royal Canadians played at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City from 1929 to 1959. Their New Year's Eve broadcasts, which continued until 1976 at the Waldorf Astoria, played a prominent role in New Year's celebrations throughout North America.
The band was renowned for playing the traditional song "Auld Lang Syne." Their recording of the song is still played as the first song of the New Year in New York's Times Square. Lombardo died in November 1977.
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