MDBCs 28 Sep 2024

Originally an unofficial American holiday, the date coincides with the last day of school in September. The day encourages students to ask more questions in classrooms.

How to Celebrate?

They say that there are no stupid questions. So, don't hesitate, ask stupid questions and if someone asks you a stupid question, have a stupid answer ready.

Did You Know…

…that the question mark (?) originated as a contraction of the Latin word quaestiō , meaning question? According to this theory, people in the Middle Ages, contracted the q and o by putting the o under the q. Over time, the q and the o turned into the question mark (?) we know today.

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Good Neighbor Day

Neighbors are an integral part of our social lives – whether at home or at work. Good Neighbor Day on September 28 is an annual holiday that promotes neighborliness and niceness towards people who surround us.

The holiday was created by Becky Mattson of Arizona in the 1970s as a way to encourage neighbors to be good to each other. In 1978, then American President, Jimmy Carter issued a proclamation that designated September 24, 1978 as National Good Neighbor Day. In 2004, the United States Senate passed a resolution to celebrate September 26, 2004 as National Good Neighbor Day.

Prior to 2003, the holiday was celebrated on the fourth Sunday in September. Now it is unofficially celebrated in the U.S. and around the world as Good Neighbor Day.

How to Celebrate?

Be nice to your neighbor – at home or elsewhere.
If you don’t know your neighbors well, maybe today is your chance to go up to them and strike up a conversation.
Bake some goodies and share them with your neighbors. Bring them to work for your work neighbors.
Invite your neighbors to your home for a meal.
Don’t live in the U.S.? Don’t let that stop you from showing your appreciation for your neighbors.

Did You Know…

…that the word neighbor comes from the Old English word neahgebur, where neah means near and gebur means inhabitant?

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I recently learned a valuable lesson regarding what not to say to patients. At our large hospital, I watched as a nursing assistant pushed an elderly woman in a wheelchair. As he opened the door leading from the clinic into the hospital wing, the patient looked confused.

“Where are we?” she asked.

The nursing assistant gently explained, “We’ve gone over to the other side.”

***

My sister got a call from her son’s kindergarten teacher. When he’d gone in to check on Little James in the bathroom, he noticed the boy was using a urinal.

“That’s odd,” my sister said. “We never taught him how to use a urinal.”

“I could tell,” said the teacher. “He was sitting in it.”

***

When a neighbor's home was burglarized, I decided to be more safety conscious. But my measly front-door lock wasn’t going to stop anyone, so I hung this sign outside:

"Nancy, don’t come in. The snake is loose. Mom."

***

I’m now in high school, so when I ran into my third-grade teacher, I doubted she would remember me.

“Hi, Miss Butcher,” I said.

“Hi, Eddie,” she replied.

“So you do remember me?” I asked.

“Sure. You don’t always leave a good impression, but it is a lasting one.”