White background; in the center is a black and white photograph of a smiling man with a pompadour haircut wearing a suit with black text above and below 

Elvis Presley (1935-1977) was a rock and roll icon and is often attributed with having brought rock music to the white audience of the late 1950s. His career had its ups and downs, notably the down of his movie career, but also the up of his 1968 “comeback” special. His legacy is undeniable.

His home in Memphis, Tennessee, “Graceland,” continues to draw tourists from the world over. Elvis Presley Fan Clubs were created to generate excitement as he began his touring phase. The clubs are still going strong, and the Graceland website encourages joining or starting a club today!

Cream colored background with blue band around the edge, and blue text above and below an illustration of a blue lettuce head.

According to John Pollack, the 1995 O. Henry Pun-Off World Champion, "The most common type of pun is the humorous use of a word in such a way that because of its sound, you can interpret it in more than one way." “Lettuce Marry” is a pun on the phrase, “Let us marry.” Puns and wordplay have a long history of use, notably with Shakespeare in the 18th century (Shakespeare is known to have used over 3,000 puns across all of his plays!). The exact date of the first pun used is lost to time, but scholars think puns can be traced as far back as the 8th century BC.

Punning can be seen throughout the classic epic of Gilgamesh. In Tablets 11 and 12, when Utnapishtim tells the people that they will have a bountiful harvest full of bread and wheat, he is making a cruel pun relating to their fate; in Akkadian, the ancient language in which Gilgamesh was written, the word for “bread” is nearly identical to the word for “darkness,” while the word for “wheat” is nearly identical to the word for “misfortune.”

According to Pollack, puns enable us “to pack more meaning, or more layers of meaning, into fewer words [and] to convey complex ideas.”

White background with image of a fish in center with black text under image. Blue text surrounds top and bottom of image.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources was officially formed in 1986 and oversees all of Iowa's natural resources and carries out state and federal laws to protect air, land, and water. They also facilitate education and outreach to Iowans on how they can interact with the local resources.

Crappies are two types of freshwater fishes of the Pomoxis genus. They are a popular food and are one of the most frequently caught panfish, the category of edible fish that do not outgrow the standard size of a frying pan. They are also enjoyed in sport fishing. Crappies are popular among people who fish in Iowa and are a catch suited for anglers of all ages and skill levels.

White text and white and red image of a smiling coffee cup with eyes on a red background

Peace Coffee has roasted coffee beans in Minneapolis, Minnesota since 1996. Its mission is to produce organic, fair-trade coffee and support ethical farming practices while remaining environmentally conscious. As Peace Coffee's success grew, they forged multiple partnerships with large retailers, including Costco, Target, and Whole Foods. People can order a cup of brewed Peace Coffee at cafes in the Minneapolis region and or buy beans online, with drink recipes and brew guides available.

Image of blue, red and white macaroni and cheese box with cigarettes coming out of the box and red text at the top and near the bottom of the button. Background is white with rust stains on the sides and bottom borders. 

Starting in 1994 the INFACT Corporate Accountability organization formed a protest of Kraft Foods, due to its connection with Philip Morris Tobacco Company. The purpose of the boycott was to educate consumers of the way Philip Morris was using advertisements which would appeal to younger people, encouraging them to start smoking, while also selling the popular Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner to families. The boycott was held for nine years; a Harris Interactive poll from 2001 indicated that 16% of respondents to their survey had boycotted the products over the previous year.

Sepia-toned photograph of a Victorian-era woman's head and shoulders on an orange background

What would Mrs. Grundy say? She would probably say that today’s fashion is far too revealing, popular music and television too suggestive, and modern technology distracting young people from their traditional values. 

Mrs. Grundy originally appeared in 1798 as a character in the play “Speed the Plough” by Thomas Morton. The play is set in a rural English village and is about a family of farmers, the Ashfield’s. Sir Philip Blandford plans to evict them, but it is soon revealed that their son, Henry, is actually the illegitimate son of Sir Philip, resolving the conflict and securing Henry as the rightful heir to Sir Phillip’s estate. Throughout the play, Henry’s mother, Dame Ashfield, grows increasingly concerned with the opinion of their neighbor, Mrs. Grundy, and continuously asks herself and others, “What would Mrs. Grundy say?” Mrs. Grundy herself never actually appears throughout the entirety of the play and only exists in Dame Ashfield’s anxious questioning. Mrs. Grundy becomes an unseen character symbolizing societal pressures and strict traditional values, as well as the role of public opinion is shaping one's behavior. 

Just a few years after the play was first performed, “Mrs. Grundy” was adopted as a term, often used to criticize someone for being excessively prude or moral. By the 20th century, Mrs. Grundy became a political symbol and “grundyism” emerged and is still a relevant term used today, especially in discussions of media censorship. As defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, grundyism is “​​a narrow prudish intolerant conventionality especially as to the proprieties.” 

Red and blue text on a white background; the number "1" is illustrated to look like the button on a touch-tone phone

By the year 1912, phone calls could be made as far apart as New York and Colorado and by 1915 the technology for calls that stretched fully across the country had been invented. By no means easily accessible or widespread, people had to go to specialty phone boxes and human operators that would route calls in order to conduct long distance calls. It wasn’t until 1951 that telephone companies had advanced to the point that direct dialing long distance calls became an option on the phones people had in their businesses and homes. The first long distance direct dial call was between the mayor of Englewood, New Jersey and the mayor of Alameda, California on November 10, 1951.

White text on a red background

The term "stoned" usually refers to being under the influence of drugs, especially cannabis. Stoner memorabilia probably started from the broader counterculture or cannabis movement, often using lapel pins to show a specific identity or stance related to cannabis use or legalization. This trend became particularly popular in the 1960s and 1970s when cannabis culture gained mainstream attention through music, art, and activism. 

Blue and red text on a white background

Amid political frustration, it can be challenging to decide who to vote for. A common sentiment amongst undecided voters, the phrase seen here is also a popular slogan within third party candidates in the United States and their supporters. Third party candidates are diverse in their viewpoints, but share a similar "rebelling" stance against the two-party system—and those who vote on strict Democratic or Republican party lines.

Red text on a white background with a blue rim

Please contact us if you have more information.