Winston-Salem Journal, N.C., Ask SAM column

Feb 17, 2013 (Winston-Salem Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Q. I need a separate phone line installed at our residence for my work. But Time Warner has told me that no one can have two separate bills sent to the same address. I consider this unfair. Don't tell me I am going to have to go to my husband and ask to see a copy of the household bill in order to see my separate phone line! --C.K.

Answer: "Provided the customer was willing to use Business Class for one of the lines, they could have a residential account for their existing service and a Business Class line for the second line," Scott Pryzwansky, a spokesman for Time Warner Cable in the Carolinas, replied. "So, if the customer agrees for the second line to be a Business Class line, we can accommodate her request to have separate billing with different names." Q. Is Monday actually "Presidents Day" or is it Washington's Birthday --C.M.

Answer: Technically, the federal holiday that is celebrated on Monday is Washington's Birthday.

George Washington's birthday was actually on Feb. 11 in the Julian calendar, which was being used at the time of his birth, but under the adjusted Gregorian calendar that was adopted in 1752, his birthdate was Feb. 22.The commemoration of his birthday was first made a federal holiday in 1870, though at first that only applied to workers in the District of Columbia.

"The idea of adding Washington's Birthday to the federal holiday list simply made official an unofficial celebration in existence long before Washington's death," historian C. L. Arbelbide wrote in a 2004 article in Prologue magazine, published by the National Archives and Records Administration. In 1885, the holiday was extended to federal workers in all states.

In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which fixed some federal holidays not to a specific date but to a particular Monday in order to create three-day weekends.

While the Uniform Holiday Bill was being debated, some people proposed renaming it Presidents Day, to also honor Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday, Feb. 12, was celebrated as a holiday by some states. That proposal failed, and the federal holiday remained Washington's Birthday and was fixed as the third Monday in February as of 1971. The holiday is designated as "Washington's Birthday" in section 6103(a) of title 5 of the United States Code.

But because the federal holidays are not binding in states, many states do have a holiday on the third Monday of February called Presidents Day. Others, such as Virginia, name the state holiday for Washington. Some, such as Illinois, have state holidays for both Lincoln's birthday on Feb. 12 and Washington's birthday on the third Monday in February. Still others, including North Carolina, do not observe Washington's Birthday or Presidents Day as state holidays.

SHREDDING! Mark your calendars, unless you plan to shred those. A Community Shred Event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on March 23 at Mount Tabor United Methodist Church, 3543 Robinhood Road. The event is for individual households and is not intended for businesses.

The event is free, but monetary donations will be accepted to benefit food pantries in Forsyth County, including the WSFC Schools Food For Thought, North Hills Backpack Program and Second Harvest Food Bank.

___ (c)2013 Winston-Salem Journal (Winston Salem, N.C.) Visit Winston-Salem Journal (Winston Salem, N.C.) at www2.journalnow.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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