Special Day

I often write about special days, holidays, anniversaries of significant events, or other reasons one day is different than another.

Sometimes the days are important, but sometimes they are playful or just silly. Some days have only one or two reasons to be special, but others have a long list of celebrations or observances. Some days are confused and the celebration date is not clear or is actually a conflict of two dates, so please forgive me when I get one wrong.

Every day has something, and I think it's fun to discover. Here's a blog that says Every Day Is a Holiday. What fun.

What is special about today? This is Memorial Day. Many people actually get a holiday, but many others don't because the retail world is filled with sales! It's hard not to know it is Memorial Day.

Today is also Amnesty International Day, reminding us of the importance of human rights. Amnesty International's site exposes problems around the world, and offers possible actions that can be helpful.

technorati tags: vickisblog, memorialday, amnestyinternationalday, everydayholiday

Bridge Day

The Golden Gate Bridge was completed May 27, 1937, and the city of San Francisco celebrated by walking across it. People continue to cross in a unique manner -- stilts, sprinting, roller skates, tap dancing -- on Pedestrian Day. Look at Wikimedia's picture gallery of the bridge.

Although Bridge Day was originally created for the Golden Gate's opening, there are other activities to celebrate. Fayetteville, West Virginia, has its own Bridge Day in October, with base jumping, rapelling, and a complete festival.

And then there's the other kind of bridge.

technorati tags: vickisblog, goldengatebridge, bridgeday

Beware of Cyberbullies

Bullies just cannot leave people alone. Now they are active on the Internet bullying bloggers and other online writers. I first learned about this when reading Don't Gel Too Soon's March 28 post explaing the problem of cyberstalking and Stop Cyberbullying Day.

Well, I missed mentioning it March 30, but it is important that we remain aware of it. Here is a good article about the bullies and what to do if one picks you to torment.

What about the kids? No one is exempt from the threat. Now that kids are online much of the time, schoolyard bullies are expanding their territories to include the Internet. Here is a site giving hints to children telling them how not to be a bully online, and what to do if they are bothered by a bully. There's a game that gives kids practice in dealing with cyberbullies.

technorati tags: bullies, cyberbullies, cyberstalkers, vickisblog

Greek Philosophers Have Their Say

Aristotle

All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire.

All men by nature desire to know.

All virtue is summed up in dealing justly.

Socrates

Wisdom begins in wonder.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is a habit.

It is not living that matters, but living rightly.

The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.

Plato

Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.

Knowledge is true opinion.

At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.

He is a wiser man who invented beer.

Diogenes

I do not know whether there are gods, but there ought to be.

Blushing is the color of virtue.

It takes a wise man to discover a wise man.

The vine bears three kinds of grapes: the first of pleasure, the second of intoxication, the third of disgust.

May 21 is Greek Philosopher's Day.

technorati tags: vickisblog, greek, philosophy, philosophersday, wisdom

Bikes

Today is National Bike to Work Day, created by the League of American Bicyclists. Why bikes? Bicycling is fun, excellent for keeping fit, a wonderful gas-saving technique -- which is increasingly important as gas prices rise -- and it is one step toward reducing our dependence on foreign oil while combating climate control.

With all of that, it's no wonder the bike has a whole month. May is National Bike Month. Celebrate this month by participating in a biking event. For example, there are still opportunities to start to finish MS through the MS Bike Ride. Check the calendar for scheduled events.

The bicycle pictured above is a sculpture made with scrap metal found in Viet Nam.

Visit a Museum

Today is International Museum Day, established in 1977 by the International Council of Museums. Celebrate by visiting a museum -- anywhere in the world.

If you're not ready to take a trip, go around the world on the Internet. Try these:

In the Dallas-Ft.Worth area, there are several. Try the Dallas Museum of Art. Then go a little west to Ft. Worth and the Kimball.

When I was in New York, I often often enjoyed the Guggenheim, the building as well as the art. We saw a TV documentary about the challenging building of the unique museum in Bilbao, Spain. Take a peak at all five Guggenheims.

Don't forget the MOMA in New York within walking distance of the Guggenheim. There was a really good TV special covering the history about the Hermitage as Russia was evolving and revolting and warring and expanding. And who could go to Paris without browsing through the classics in the Louvre or London without the National Gallery?

For a complete change of pace, try the Asian Art in San Francisco, Modern Sculpture or Visionary Art.

Sadly, the Art Museum Image Consortium dissolved their collaboration after 8 years after 8 years of enhancing art history education and providing tools for presentations, especially in multimedia. Luckily, the site remains online as an archive.

A museum is a collection of anything of artistic, historical, or scientific value, or anything of value to a group of people. There are museums for almost everything -- toys, railroads, fashions, films, fire engines, even dirt. Look around for unique museums.

Enjoy your International Museum Day.

technorati tags: vickisblog, internationalmuseumday, guggenheim, internationalcouncilofmuseums, sculpture

Purple for Peace

Today is Wear Purple for Peace Day. The goal is to make the world a peaceful place, encouraging aliens to visit. Aliens of the outer space variety.

Maybe wearing purple was chosen in honor of the Purple People Eater popular in the 50's. I never knew if the people eater was purple or if he preferred eating purple people. If he yearns for purple people, it might be dangerous to wear purple.

Anyway, I like this day.

I like to wear purple, and

I like the idea of our world as a peaceful place.

Wanna Play South Park?

Whether you're a fan or not, you know someone who is. South Park is a hit -- because of the outrageous story lines, and maybe because of the recognizable characters. If you think you are like one, now is your chance to verify that. Garry's Blog shows us how. He says:

I'm not sure about the accuracy and proofing of this quiz, but I'm Stan Marsh. Out of all the South Park characters, it could have been worse.

The quiz was short and hilarious and worth taking just for the laughs.

Well, I took the quiz, and here's the result.

What South Park Character Are You? (pics)
Kyle Broflovski You're the smart kid in your class. You find yourself to be normal and a relatively nice person. Nobody picks on you, and you dont pick on anyone.
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

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