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POPSOct 9, 2008: Yom Kippur (Jewish) Note: This is a sacred Jewish holiday. Jews do not work, and fast from sunset to sunset. Not a statutory holiday, but definitely a "schedule alert" day. /e Eric "Calendarwallah" Snyder CalendarWallah@Gmail.com
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POPSOct 7, 2008: Durga Puja (Hindu) This day celebrates the divine creative force of the universe and honours the 10-armed goddess Durga, wife of Shiva, and the destroyer of demons.
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POPSFun at Work: The Levity Effect I "wordled" the words from a "Chapter-a-Day" summary of the Gostick/Christopher book, "The Levity Effect", just to see how it would look. Looks great! Fascinating toy that Wordle.net application.
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POPSOct 4th: Feast of St. Francis of Assisi - Patron saint of animals Born 1181/1182, Assisi, Italy Died October 3, 1226, Assisi, Italy ..."Saint Francis, nature, and the environment A garden statue of Francis of Assisi with birds A garden statue of Francis of Assisi with birds Many of the stories that surround the life of St Francis deal with his love for animals. Perhaps the most famous incident that illustrates the Saint’s humility towards nature is recounted in the 'Fioretti' (The "Little Flowers"), a collection of legends and folk-lore that sprang up after the Saint’s death.
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POPSFREE piano: A "once in a blue moon" find Have you ever been to Brockville, Ontario? This might give you good reason to make the trip. Every once in a blue moon, offers like this pop up on freecycling groups. This one was posted today on the Brockville Freecycle group.
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POPSEdible wild fungi: Marasmius oreades One of my favorite wild mushrooms. I've been picking and eating this one for 30 years. It's a great mushroom to dry for long storage and rehydrate any time you're in the mood for mushrooms. Great in stews and soups. There's nothing like free food. Usually abundant on grassy areas, such as parks, in Eastern Ontario in the fall after heavy rains.
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POPSSep 30th: Rosh Hashanah - Culture trumps country Today is the first day of the Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah, start of the civil year in the Hebrew calendar. Members of the USA congress are taking the next two days off, despite the fragile condition of the US economy.
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POPSSep 29th: Navratri (Hindu) Another interesting event brought to you by Calendarwallah@Gmail.com. Navratri occurs on Sep 29th in 2008 (a lunar calendar event). /e
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POPSOktoberfest: The 14 BIG tents At Oktoberfest, they call them "tents". But each "tent" holds about 10,000 people. If you've never experienced it, Oktoberfest is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
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POPSSep 15th: Keiro No Hi (Respect-for-the-Aged Day) Japan Respect-for-the-Aged Day (敬老の日, Keirō no hi?) is a Japanese holiday celebrated annually to honor elderly citizens. A national holiday since 1966, this used to be held on September 15. Beginning in 2003, Respect for the Aged Day is held on the third Monday of September. In 2008, the holiday will be held on September 15, 2008. This national holiday traces its origins to 1947, when Nomatanimura (now Yachiyocho), Hyōgo Prefecture proclaimed September 15 Old Folks' Day (Toshiyori no Hi). Its popularity spread nationwide, and in 1966 it took its present name and status. Annually, Japanese media take the opportunity to feature the elderly, reporting on the population and highlighting the oldest people in the country.
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POPSMedia / Editorial Backgrounders Backgrounders are sometimes referred to as "editorial backgrounders," since these documents often simply go to the editor of a newspaper to be held in a subject file for future reference. When the newspaper wants to run an editorial about a topic, editors peruse the subject file for relevant facts and figures which help shape their understanding of and opinion about the topic at hand. The source of the backgrounder may or may not be referenced publicly by the newspaper. One more thing: It must pass the "Who cares?" test. Any information you offer the media should be interesting, newsworthy, and useful to their readers, listeners, or viewers.
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POPSWriting Press Releases It isn't rocket science. Here's a nice little "how-to" guideline for writing good press releases that look professionally done and are more likely to get picked up for publication.
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POPSSep 1, 2008: Labor / Labour Day (USA, Canada)
USA On June 29, 1894, the U.S. Congress voted Labor Day as a National Holiday to honor working people's contribution of labour. The day is celebrated with parades and speeches. CANADA Labour Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in Canada since the 1880s. The origins of Labour Day in Canada can be traced back to April 14, 1872 when a parade was staged in support of the Toronto Typographical Union's strike for a 58-hour work-week. The Toronto Trades Assembly (TTA) called its 27 unions to demonstrate in support of the Typographical Union who had been on strike since March 25. George Brown, Canadian politician and editor of the Toronto Globe hit back at his striking employees, pressing police to charge the Typographical Union with "conspiracy." Although the laws criminalizing union activity were outdated and had already been abolished in Great Britain, they were still on books in Canada and police arrested 24 leaders of the Typographical Union. Labour lea
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POPSGoogle Forms for the Classroom Although this tip is primarily intended for educators, I can see lots of uses for it. Collaboration is valuable in all kinds of other spaces besides the classroom.