World Kindness Day is an international observance on 13 November. It was introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, a coalition of nations’ kindness NGOs. It is observed in many countries, including Canada, Australia, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates. Singapore observed the day for the first time in 2009. Italy and India also observed the day. In the UK, it is fronted by David Jamilly, who co-founded Kindness Day UK with Louise Burfitt-Dons.
World Kindness Day is to highlight good deeds in the community focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us. Kindness is a fundamental part of the human condition which bridges the divides of race, religion, politics, gender and zip codes. Kindness Cards are also an ongoing activity which can either be passed on to recognize an act of kindness and or ask that an act of kindness be done. Approaches are being made to the United Nations by the peak global body, the World Kindness Movement, to have World Kindness Day officially recognized and its members unanimously sign a Declaration of Support for World Kindness.
According to Gulf News, “it is a day that encourages individuals to overlook boundaries, race and religion.”
Today at d’Verse, Peter asked us to write a documentary poem. He challenged us to write about an event that is local or does not get much attention. I saw this on the local news this…
Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. For example, 2015 had a Friday the 13th in February, March, and November; 2017 through 2020 had two Friday the 13ths each; and the years 2021 and 2022 will both have just one occurrence each.
Friday the 13th occurs in any month that begins on a Sunday. In years which begin on the same day of the week and are of the same type (that is, whether they are a common year or leap year), Friday the 13th occurs in the same months.
The irrational fear of the number 13 has been given a scientific name: “triskaidekaphobia”; and on analogy to this the fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia, from the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή, meaning “Friday”), and dekatreís (δεκατρείς, meaning “thirteen”).
According to folklore historian Donald Dossey, the unlucky nature of the number “13” originated with a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party in Valhalla. The trickster god Loki, who was not invited, arrived as the 13th guest, and arranged for Höðr to shoot Balder with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Dossey: “Balder died, and the whole Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned. It was a bad, unlucky day.” This major event in Norse mythology caused the number 13 to be considered unlucky.
The superstition may have also arisen in the Middle Ages, “originating from the story of Jesus’ last supper and crucifixion” in which there were 13 individuals present in the Upper Room on the 13th of Nisan Maundy Thursday, the night before his death on Good Friday. While there is evidence of both Friday and the number 13 being considered unlucky, there is no record of the two items being referred to as especially unlucky in conjunction before the 19th century.
It is possible that the publication in 1907 of Thomas W. Lawson’s popular novel Friday, the Thirteenth, contributed to disseminating the superstition. In the novel, an unscrupulous broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th.
According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day, making it the most feared day and date in history. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed. “It’s been estimated that [US]$800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day”. Despite this, representatives for both Delta Air Lines and Continental Airlines (the latter now merged into United Airlines) have stated that their airlines do not suffer from any noticeable drop in travel on those Fridays.
In Finland, a consortium of governmental and nongovernmental organizations led by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health promotes the National Accident Day (kansallinen tapaturmapäivä) to raise awareness about automotive safety, which always falls on a Friday the 13th. The event is coordinated by the Finnish Red Cross and has been held since 1995.
Are you short on confidence? Are you hesitant to do things for fear of failure? Here are a few suggestions to boost your confidence and enable you to live your best life, the life you truly deserve:
Make a list of all your strengths. Whether they be big or small, every little thing that you are good at or that you admire about yourself is a step towards feeling confident and successful in life. Add to the list often as strengths can bloom and grow out of nowhere.
Accept any limitations. I have MS so I know I can’t run a marathon. That is something I have come to accept and live with. However, it doesn’t mean I can’t do or be good at something else. We’re all built to do different jobs so that means everyone has something they are good at and something else not so good at…
Effective and trustworthy communication is the significant need of true relationships of Affection. I am aware that expressing what we think and feel and doing it with transparency is not a manageable issue for everyone equally. In fact, a degree of “wisdom” is attributed to being able to remain silent under certain circumstances. But… Is […]
National Education Day is an annual observance in India to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Nooh, the first education minister of independent India, who served from 15 August 1947 until 2 February 1958. National Education Day of India is celebrated on 11 November every year.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development announced on 11 September 2008, “The Ministry has decided to commemorate the birthday of this great son of India by recalling his contribution to the cause of education in India. November 11 every year, from 2008 onwards, will be celebrated as the National Education Day, without declaring it a holiday.” All educational institutions in the country mark the day with seminars, symposia, essay-writing, elocution competitions, workshops and rallies with banner cards and slogans on the importance of literacy and the nation’s commitment to all aspects of education.
The day is also seen as an occasion to remember Azad’s contribution in laying the foundations of the education system in an independent India, and evaluating and improving the country’s current performance in the field.
विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि। शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः॥
The realized souls are disposed equally to the learned and noble souls, to the higher creations as well as to the lowest level of created beings. (5.18)
वे ज्ञानीजन विद्या और विनययुक्त ब्राह्मण में तथा गौ, हाथी, कुत्ते और चाण्डाल में भी समदर्शी (इसका विस्तार गीता अध्याय 6 श्लोक 32 की टिप्पणी में देखना चाहिए।) ही होते हैं ॥18॥
The realized souls are disposed equally to the learned and noble souls, to the higher creations as well as to the lowest level of created beings. (5.18)
Remembrance Day (sometimes known informally as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of the remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states.
Remembrance Day has been observed since the end of the First World War to remember armed forces members who have died in the line of duty. Following a tradition inaugurated by King George V in 1919, the day is also marked by war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries.
In most countries, Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the end of First World War hostilities. Hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”, in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning. (“At the 11th hour” refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 am.) The First World War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919.
Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honouring military veterans, that is, persons who have served in the United States Armed Forces (and were discharged under conditions other than dishonourable). It coincides with other holidays including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day which are celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. At the urging of major U.S. veteran organizations, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.
B +Ve!! 
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