MDBCS 11 Nov 2023

November 11 is Origami Day. First observed in Japan, the unofficial holiday honors the ancient Japanese art of creating intricate objects and complex shapes out of square pieces of paper.

Origami, which comes from the Japanese words, ori meaning folding, and kami meaning paper, originated in Japan in the 6 century, though for a long period of time the art was preserved for religious ceremonies. By the 17th century, origami had become mainstream in Japanese society and was being used for decorative and ceremonial purposes. In recent years, origami has become popular with origami societies and competitions springing up all around the world.

No Instruments

While traditionally origami only involves folding paper and cannot include the use of any scissors or knives, modern-day origami artists do not make any distinction between sculptures that are made just by folding paper and kirigami – a variation of origami that creates models by cutting and gluing together paper.

How to Celebrate?

If you have never tried origami, maybe today is the day to learn? Start with the crane - one of the most recognized origami models around the world.
If you already know origami, use today to start learning a new origami technique or working on a new, complex model.

Did You Know…

…that Origami Day also coincides with the day in 1918 when World War One ended?

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Mr. and Mrs. Brown had two sons. One was named Mind Your Own Business & the other was named Trouble. One day the two boys decided to play hide and seek. Trouble hid while Mind Your Own Business counted to one hundred. Mind Your Own Business began looking for his brother behind garbage cans and bushes.

Then he started looking in and under cars until a police man approached him and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Playing a game," the boy replied.

"What is your name?" the officer questioned.

"Mind Your Own Business." Furious the policeman inquired,

"Are you looking for trouble?!"

The boy replied, "Why, yes."

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There was an elderly couple who in their old age noticed that they were getting a lot more forgetful, so they decided to go to the doctor. The doctor told them that they should start writing things down so they don't forget. They went home and the old lady told her husband to get her a bowl of ice cream.

"You might want to write it down," she said.

The husband said, "No, I can remember that you want a bowl of ice cream."

She then told her husband she wanted a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream. "Write it down," she told him,

and again he said, "No, no, I can remember: you want a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream."

Then the old lady said she wants a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top. "Write it down," she told her husband

and again he said, "No, I got it. You want a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top."

So he goes to get the ice cream and spends an unusually long time in the kitchen, over 30 minutes. He comes out to his wife and hands her a plate of eggs and bacon.

The old wife stares at the plate for a moment, then looks at her husband and asks, "Where's the toast?"

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Q: If you have 13 apples in one hand and 10 oranges in the other, what do you have?

A: Big hands.

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Earlier this year, sports editor Robert Cessna received two e-mails from an irate reader. The first excoriated him for leaving out the fact that the Texas A&M women’s basketball team was playing that day.

“We seriously need more attendance,” she wrote, “so how in the world does our local newspaper not mention that?” She wasn’t through. “There are words sufficient to show how irritated I am, but I chose not to use them.” She then signed it, “Upset Reader.”

Soon after, Upset Reader sent her second e-mail:

“Sorry. I was reading last week’s paper.”

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