According to Cliff Ardall, a seasonal-affective disorders scientist in Cardiff, Wales, January 23rd is the Gloomiest Day of the Year. The factors are weather (overcast skies), finances (people receive their Christmas bills around this time), and breaking New Years resolutions (I bought a book yesterday).
According to the American Pie Council, January 23rd is National Pie Day. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going with the pie. Pie for everyone!!!!
In 1983 the Apple Lisa, the first commercial personal computer from Apple Computer, Inc. to have a graphical user interface and a computer mouse, was announced.
Thanks, Apple.
It’s Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday.
The story goes that, as Franklin left the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he was approached by a Mrs. Powell, who asked him, “What have you given us, Dr. Franklin?”
“A republic,” he replied, “if you can keep it.”
With Alito, looks like that’s pretty much gone, now.
Celebrate while you still can, folks. In a few years this holiday will disappear and we’ll all be required to be Baptists.
Religious Freedom Day
Each year, the President declares January 16th to be Religious Freedom Day, and calls upon Americans to “observe this day through appropriate events and activities in homes, schools, and places of worship.” The day is the anniversary of the passage, in 1786, of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom.
The goal of ReligiousFreedomDay.com is to promote and protect students’ religious expression rights by informing educators, parents, and students about these liberties.
Apparently, the world is in a tizzy because in June of this year we’ll have a date of 06-06-06, and there’s even a movie about it. Fascinating.
Also, my birthday. Just mentioning.
It’s the feast of the Epiphany today… the 12th day of Christmas, or Twelfth Night.
After Twelfth Night the Carnival season starts, which lasts through Mardi Gras. In some places such as New Orleans, Louisiana, the night of January 6 with the first Carnival celebrations is called Twelfth Night. In some places, Twelfth Night celebrations include food traditions such as the king cake or tortell. Twelfth Night is when all Christmas Decorations should be removed so as not to bring bad luck upon the home. If decorations are not removed on Twelfth Night, they should stay up all year.
It’s World Usability Day, people. Today we celebrate creating a better user experience in designing products. For those of us who design stuff every day, this is an important concept.
Context: As special counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel, Fitzgerald was the federal prosecutor in charge of the investigation of the Valerie Plame Affair, which led to the prosecution and conviction in 2007 of Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff Scooter Libby for perjury and obstruction of justice.
This week is Banned Books Week.
Go check out a challenged or banned book from your local library and celebrate freedom from censorship. Also be sure to stand up against book banning.
The American Library Association has a list of other great things you can do this week.
The idea is that if millions of people jump at the exact same time on the same day, the earth will change it’s orbit and cure global warming. uh huh. Sure it will. But you know I’m totally going to do it anyway, just because it’s so stupid.