sandrewn

Spider, Eustala sp. with red mites

November 22nd 2023 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Cecilia Philemon and Apphia Pragmatius of Autun November 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Day of the Albanian Alphabet (Albania and ethnic Albanians) Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Lebanon from France in 1943. Observances (click on the day, BD, or week for details) Aron Day DrinksGiving Housing Day Humane Society Anniversary Day Love Your Freckles Day National Amelia Day National Cranberry Relish Day National Jukebox Day National Larimar Day National Nathan Day National Tie One On Day What Do You Love About America Day Mark Ruffalo’s Birthday Mads Mikkelsen’s Birthday Katherine McNamara’s Birthday Julia Rehwald’s Birthday Ville Valo’s Birthday Scarlett Johansson’s Birthday Dulcie Dornan’s Birthday Cody Ko’s Birthday Celine Tam’s Birthday Billie Jean King’s Birthday Baby Ariel’s Birthday Michael D. Cohen’s Birthday Rodney Dangerfield’s Birthday Hailey Bieber’s Birthday Trevor Tordjman’s Birthday JuJu Smith-Schuster’s Birthday WOOZI’s Birthday Chenle’s Birthday Jamie Lee Curtis’s Birthday ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wed Nov 22nd, 2023 - Sun Nov 26th, 2023 New Zealand Flowers Week Wed Nov 22nd, 2023 - Tue Nov 28th, 2023 National Deal Week Wed Nov 22nd, 2023 - Wed Nov 29th, 2023 National Farm-City Week Fun Observances Go For a Ride Day On November 22, take out your car, bike, segway, unicycle, kayak, horse or your tractor for a spin because it is Go For A Ride Day. While the origins of this made-up holiday are unknown, we can safely assume that it encourages people to get out of the house and take a ride. Go For a Ride Day is the perfect excuse to explore parts of your neighborhood and town that you have never seen before or to take a long, aimless road trip across the state or country. How to Celebrate? Gather your friends and family members and take a ride out of the city to the countryside. Pack a picnic lunch along and commune with nature. Participate in a bike or car rally or race. Take a ride in your car to the nearest amusement park and spend the day enjoying some amusement rides. Don't own a vehicle? Don't worry, take a ride in your local public transport. Did You Know… …that the world's first fastest street legal car reached a top speed of 12 miles per hour (19 kilometers per hour)? The Benz Velo was first introduced to the market in 1894. *** Three football teams (Arsnel, Liverpool, and Hartsfield) are flying from England across Egypt for a match in the Middle East. Their plane crashes in the desert and they survive. After days of wandering, they are really hungry so when they come across a camel, the footballers decide to kill it and eat it. The Liverpool team says, "Because we play for Liverpool, will we eat the liver." The Hartsfield players decide, "Because we play for Hartsfield, we will eat the heart." Arsnel says, "I think we might go hungry..." *** A Giants fan, a Padre fan, and a Dodger fan are climbing a mountain and arguing about who loves his team more. The Padre fan insists he's the most loyal. "This is for San Diego!" he yells and jumps off the side of the mountain. Not to be outdone, the Giants fan is next to profess his love for his team. He yells, "This is for San Francisco!" and pushes the Dodger fan off the mountain. *** A wealthy old lady decides to go on a photo safari in Africa, taking her poodle along for company. One day the poodle starts chasing butterflies and before long, discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a hungry-looking leopard heading rapidly in his direction. The poodle thinks, "Uh, oh!" Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap, the poodle exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder if there are any more around here?" Hearing this, the leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. "Whew!" says the leopard. "That was close! That poodle nearly had me!" Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So off he goes, but the poodle sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up. The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard. The leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, monkey, hop on my back so you can watch me chew that poodle to bits!" Now, the poodle sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?" but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and waits until they get just close enough to hear. "Where's that damn monkey?" the poodle says. "I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!" *** A first-grade teacher can’t 
believe her student isn’t hepped up about the Super Bowl. “It’s a huge event. Why aren’t you excited?” “Because I’m not a football fan. My parents love basketball, so I do too,” says the student. “Well, that’s a lousy reason,” says the teacher. “What if your parents were morons? What would you be then?” “Then I’d be a football fan.” *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

(One of my all time favorites)

November 21st 2023 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Armed Forces Day (Bangladesh) Christian feast days: Amelberga of Susteren Digain Maurus of Parentium Pope Gelasius I Franciszka Siedliska Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Rufus of Rome (no. 7 in list) William Byrd, John Merbecke and Thomas Tallis (Episcopal Church (USA)) November 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) World Television Day (United Nations observance) Observances (click on the day, BD, or week for details) Alascattalo Day False Confession Day National Dennis Day National Entrepreneur's Day National Gingerbread Cookie Day National Stuffing Day Red Mitten Day World Fisheries Day National Working Daughters Day Marlo Thomas’s Birthday Kenzo Hart’s Birthday Kyle Khou’s Birthday Johnny Dang’s Birthday Ken Griffey Jr.’s Birthday Moose’s Birthday Risa Dressler’s Birthday Davido’s Birthday Goldie Hawn’s Birthday Colleen Ballinger’s Birthday Conor Maynard’s Birthday Carlton Morton’s Birthday Cameran Eubanks’s Birthday Brie Bella’s Birthday Marvin Cortes’s Birthday Grant Thompson’s Birthday Michael Strahan’s Birthday Hunter Hill’s Birthday Nikki Bella’s Birthday Robin Hood Gamer’s Birthday Amanda Ashlee Mertz’s Birthday Voltaire’s Birthday Stan Musial’s Birthday Stan Musial’s Birthday Björk’s Birthday Fun Observances World Hello Day World Hello Day on November 21 is an unofficial holiday created to promote world peace through interpersonal communication. The unofficial holiday was created by Brian and Michael McCormack as a response to the Yom Kippur War between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria in 1973. Say Hello The purpose of World Hello Day is simple – to encourage communication and dialogue between people of different backgrounds in order to achieve peace and understanding. Since its beginning in 1973, the day has been celebrated around the world annually with several Nobel Peace Prize winners and peace activists taking part in it. How to Celebrate? World Hello Day requires that participants greet at least 10 people. These people can be family and friends, but it is suggested that one finds strangers to greet and talk to. Did You Know… …that hello was used as a telephone greeting for the first time by Thomas Edison? *** Three guys go to a ski lodge, and there aren't enough rooms, so they have to share a bed. In the middle of the night, the guy on the right wakes up and says, "I had this wild, vivid dream of getting a hand job!" The guy on the left wakes up, and unbelievably, he's had the same dream, too. Then the guy in the middle wakes up and says, "That's funny, I dreamed I was skiing!" *** It's game 7 of the NBA finals and a man makes his way to his seat at center court. He sits down and notices that the seat next to him is empty. He leans over and asks his neighbor if someone is sitting there. He responds, "No, the seat's empty." "The first man exclaims, "What?!? Who in their right mind would have a seat like this for the NBA finals and not use it?" The neighbor responds, "Well the seat is mine, but my wife passed away and this is the first NBA finals we haven't been together." The first man responds," I'm sorry to hear that. Wasn't there anyone else, a friend or relative, that could've taken that seat?" The neighbor responds, "No, they're all at the funeral." *** The huge college freshman decided to try out for the football team. "Can you tackle?" asked the coach. "Watch this," said the freshman, who proceeded to run smack into a telephone pole, shattering it to splinters. "Wow," said the coach. "I'm impressed. Can you run?" "Of course I can run," said the freshman. He was off like a shot, and, in just over nine seconds, he had run a hundred yard dash. "Great!" enthused the coach. "But can you pass a football?" The freshman hesitated for a few seconds. "Well, sir," he said, "if I can swallow it, I can probably pass it." *** My collection of vintage kitchen utensils includes one whose intended purpose was always a mystery. It looks like a cross between a metal slotted spoon and a spatula, so I 
use it as both. When not in use, it 
is prominently displayed in a 
decorative ceramic utensil caddy 
in my kitchen. The mystery of the spoon/spatula was recently solved when I found one in its original packaging at 
a rummage sale. It’s a pooper-scooper. *** *** (This made me laugh, then miss Steve Irwin..) *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

The Fen Raft Spider One of Britain’s largest arachnids has been brought back from the brink of extinction. Which is bad news for pond skaters and water beetles. Lock up your fish, the fen raft spider is back | Patrick Barkham | The Guardian (It might be old news, but it is new news to me.)

November 20th 2023 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) 20-N (Spain) Africa Industrialization Day (international) Black Awareness Day (Brazil) Children's Day Christian feast day: Agapius Ambrose Traversari Ampelus and Caius Blessed Anacleto González Flores, José Sánchez del Río, and companions (Martyrs of Cristero War) Bernward of Hildesheim Dasius of Durostorum Edmund the Martyr Felec (or Felix) of Cornwall Gregory of Dekapolis Blessed Josaphata Hordashevska (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) Solutor, Octavius, and Adventor Theonestus of Vercelli November 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Earliest day on which the Feast of Christ the King can fall, while November 26 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday before Advent. (Roman Catholic Church) National Sovereignty Day (Argentina) Revolution Day (Mexico) Royal Thai Navy Day (Thailand) Teachers' Day or Ngày nhà giáo Việt Nam (Vietnam) Transgender Day of Remembrance (LGBT community) Observances (click on the day, BD, or week for details) Future Teachers of America Day International Hug a Runner Day Name Your PC Day National Child's Day National Gary Day National Lucia Day National Oscar Day National Pay Back Your Parents Day National Peanut Butter Fudge Day Odd Socks Day Michael Xavier’s Birthday Michael Reeves’s Birthday Michael Clifford’s Birthday Lilypichu’s Birthday Kaylie Leas’s Birthday Josh Turner’s Birthday Joe Walsh’s Birthday Joe Biden’s Birthday Jeremy Jordan’s Birthday Salice Rose’s Birthday Havan Flores’s Birthday Hannah Kepple’s Birthday Future’s Birthday Duane Allman’s Birthday Oliver Sykes’s Birthday Robert F. Kennedy’s Birthday Dierks Bentley’s Birthday Jaxon Bieber’s Birthday ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mon Nov 20th, 2023 - Fri Nov 24th, 2023 National Book Week Mon Nov 20th, 2023 - Sun Nov 26th, 2023 Book Week Scotland National Game & Puzzle Week Mon Nov 20th, 2023 - Tue Nov 28th, 2023 Pushkar Camel Fair Pushkar Fun Observances National Absurdity Day Embrace the absurd and the ridiculous on November 20, National Absurdity Day. This holiday encourages people to acknowledge that absurdity is part of life. Absurdity, which refers to the illogical, unreasonable or nonsensical has been widely studied and written about. In fiction and humor, the absurd is usually used to make a nuanced point about human behavior. Lewis Carol's Alice in Wonderland is considered to be one of the most well-known works of absurdist literature. Absurdist Movement While absurdity in its many forms has been a subject of study since the time of the ancient Greeks, the absurdist movement in theater and literature came about right after the Second World War. It is thought that many writers and film makers reacted to the threat of a nuclear war by including absurdist themes in their works. The holiday is also known as Absurdity Day. How to Celebrate? This holiday is an excuse for you to be as whacky as you want to be, without having to explain yourself, so go nuts! Dress up absurdly, say absurd and nonsensical things and do silly things. Send absurd emails and messages to family and friends. Read absurdist plays and literature. Some examples of absurdist authors include Václav Havel, Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett. Did You Know… …that the word absurd comes from the Latin word absurdum, which means out of tune or irrational? *** A lady goes to the doctor and complains that her husband is losing interest in sex. The doctor gives her a pill, but warns her that it's still experimental. He tells her to slip it into his mashed potatoes at dinner, so that night, she does just that. About a week later, she’s back at the doctor, where she says, "Doc, the pill worked great! I put it in the potatoes like you said! It wasn't five minutes later that he jumped up, raked all the food and dishes onto the floor, grabbed me, ripped all my clothes off, and ravaged me right there on the table!" The doctor says, "I’m sorry, we didn’t realize the pill was that strong! The foundation will be glad to pay for any damages." "Nah," she says, "that's okay. We're never going back to that restaurant anyway." *** Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really angry. She told him "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE!" The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway. Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought the box back in the house. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale. Bob has been missing since Friday. *** A wife comes home late one night and quietly opens the door to her bedroom. From under the blanket, she sees four legs instead of just her husband's two. She reaches for a baseball bat and starts hitting the blanket as hard as she can. Once she's done, she goes to the kitchen to have a drink. As she enters, she sees her husband there, reading a magazine. He says, "Hi darling, your parents have come to visit us, so I let them stay in our bedroom. Did you say hello?" *** No Dumb Questions (Except This One) Just before the final exam in 
my college finance class, a less-than-stellar student approached me. “Can you tell me what grade 
I would need to get on the exam 
to pass the course?” he asked. I gave him the bad news. “The exam is worth 100 points. You would need 113 points to earn a D.” “OK,” he said. “And how many points would I need to get a C?” *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

I have been to my fair share of weddings, but 'a nosegay' is a new one on me. I think 'a bouquet' will remain my first thought, in the time I have left. As so often happens, when I look up one of the 'Words of the Day' other tidbits come to light. Nosegay - Wikipedia (A nosegay, posy, or tussie-mussie is a small flower bouquet, typically given as a gift.) The term tussie-mussie (also tussy-mussy) comes from the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), when the small bouquets became a popular fashion accessory. Typically, tussie-mussies include floral symbolism from the language of flowers, and therefore may be used to send a message to the recipient.[5] In modern times the term specifically refers to small bouquets in a conical metal holder, or the holder itself, particularly when used at a white wedding. Tussie-Mussies Popular Victorian Fashion Accessory - Antique Trader

This one is a repeat, in case you missed it the first time.

November 19th 2023 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Obadiah (Eastern Catholic Church) Raphael Kalinowski Severinus, Exuperius, and Felician November 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Day of Discovery of Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico) Day of Missile Forces and Artillery (Russia, Belarus) Flag Day (Brazil) Garifuna Settlement Day (Belize) International Men's Day Liberation Day (Mali) Martyrs' Day (Uttar Pradesh, India) The Sovereign Prince's Day (Monaco) Women's Entrepreneurship Day World Toilet Day Observances (click on the day, BD, or week for details) International Journalist Day National Alina Day National Camp Day National Carbonated Beverage With Caffeine Day National Carla Day National Have A Bad Day Day National Integration Day National Lewis Day National Morgan Day National Play Monopoly Day World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims RiceGum’s Birthday Meg Ryan’s Birthday Patrick Kane’s Birthday Lauren Burnham’s Birthday Lil' Mo’s Birthday Kassandra Lee’s Birthday Larry King’s Birthday James Beavers’s Birthday Jodie Foster’s Birthday Indira Gandhi’s Birthday FaZe Rug’s Birthday Calvin Klein’s Birthday Sushmita Sen’s Birthday Tyga’s Birthday Adam Driver’s Birthday Apollo Nida’s Birthday ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sun Nov 19th, 2023 - Sat Nov 25th, 2023 Better Conversation Week GERD Awareness Week National Bible Week Restorative Justice Week Separation of Church & State Week *** Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal and a bottle of wine, they laid down for the night, and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend. "Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see." Watson replied, "I see millions and millions of stars." "What does that tell you?" Watson pondered for a minute. "Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies, and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?" Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke. "It tells me that someone has stolen our tent." *** Q: What do the starship Enterprise and toilet paper have in common? A: They both probe Uranus and wipe out Klingons. *** A bank robber pulls out gun points it at the teller, and says, "Give me all the money or you're geography!" The puzzled teller replies, "Did you mean to say 'or you're history?'" The robber says, "Don't change the subject!" *** Because it was my brother's birthday, our mom wanted to do something special. She called his fraternity house and said she wanted to bring a cake. The young man who took the call was very excited. "Hey, Mrs. Schaeffer," he said, "that would be great!" The next day she drove to the fraternity and rang the doorbell. The same boy answered the door. When he saw the cake, his face fell. "Oh," he said, clearly disappointed. "I thought you said 'keg.' " *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

November 18th 2023 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Abhai of Hach (Syriac Orthodox Church) Alphaeus and Zacchaeus Barulas Constant Dedication of Saints Peter and Paul Elizabeth of Hungary (Church of England) Juthwara Mabyn (Roman Catholic Church and Anglicanism) The main day of the Feast of the Virgen de Chiquinquirá or Chinita's Fair (Maracaibo, Venezuela) Maudez (Mawes) Nazarius (Nazaire) Odo of Cluny Romanus of Caesarea Rose Philippine Duchesne November 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Day of Army and Victory (Haiti) Independence Day (Morocco), celebrates the independence of Morocco from France and Spain in 1956. National Day (Oman) Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia celebrates the independence of Latvia from Russia in 1918. Remembrance Day of the Sacrifice of Vukovar in 1991 (Croatia) Observances (click on the day, BD, or week for details) Apple Cider Day FAMILY AND COMMUNITY DAY Family Volunteer Day International Occult Day International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day Married to a Scorpio Support Day Mickey Mouse Birthday Mickey Mouse Day Minnie Mouse Birthday National Adoption Day National Princess Day National Vichyssoise Day International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Men Housing Day Nathan Kress’s Birthday Owen Wilson’s Birthday Mike Epps’s Birthday Mike Jones’s Birthday Mabel Chee’s Birthday Megyn Kelly’s Birthday Kaylen Zahara’s Birthday Bart Kwan’s Birthday Fabolous’s Birthday James Welch’s Birthday Denny Hamlin’s Birthday Brene Brown’s Birthday BJ GROOVY’s Birthday Pedro Infante’s Birthday Zane Hijazi’s Birthday Ramona Singer’s Birthday Allyson Felix’s Birthday Kirk Hammett’s Birthday ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sat Nov 18th, 2023 - Fri Nov 24th, 2023 World Antibiotic Awareness Week Fun Observances Push Button Phone Day November 18 is Push Button Phone Day. The unofficial holiday commemorates the anniversary of the introduction of the push button phone by Bell Systems in the United States. First introduced to customers in some areas of Pennsylvania on November 18, 1963, push button phones were the fancy alternatives to rotary dial phones. Push button phones are phones that use buttons to dial numbers and connect to another telephone user. Today, the introduction of cell phones and touch screens have made push button phones obsolete. How to Celebrate? If you can get your hands on a push button phone, try and install it and use it to make phone calls. Learn more about the science and history behind these phones. Did You Know… …that the first words spoken over a telephone were “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you”? They were spoken by the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell to his assistant Thomas Watson. *** One day a duck walks in a store and asks the manager if they sell grapes. The manager says, "No, we don't sell grapes." The duck goes home and comes back the next day and asks the same question. The manager says the same thing again, "No, we do not sell grapes." The duck goes home, comes back the next day, and asks the manager if they sell grapes. This time the manager says, "No, we don't sell grapes! If you ask one more time, I will nail your beak to the floor!" The duck goes home. It comes back the next day and asks the manager if he has any nails. The manager says, "No, I don't have any nails." The duck says, "Okay, good. Do you sell grapes?" *** Son: "Dad, when will I be old enough so I don't have to ask mom for her permission to go out?" Dad: "Son, even I haven't grown old enough to go out without her permission!" *** A 7 year-old and a 4 year-old are in their bedroom. "You know what?" says the 7 year-old, "I think it's time we started swearing. When we go downstairs for breakfast, I'll swear first, then you." "Okay," replies the 4 year-old. In the kitchen, when the mother asks the 7 year-old what he wants for breakfast, he answers, "I'll have Coco Pops, bitch." *WHACK* He goes flying out of his chair, crying his eyes out. The mother looks at the 4 year-old & sternly asks, "And what do you want?" "Dunno," he replies, "But it won't be fucking Coco Pops." *** Thinking no one could hear me as I loaded a UPS tractor trailer, I began to whistle. I was really getting into it when a coworker in the next trailer poked his head in. “You know, I always used to wish I could whistle,” he said. “Now I just wish you could.” *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

Wow, thank you both, very much. Incentive enough for me to keep going.

November 17th 2023 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Athens Polytechnic Uprising Remembrance Day (Greece) Christian feast days: Acisclus Aignan of Orleans Elizabeth of Hungary Gennadius of Constantinople (Greek Orthodox Church) Gregory of Tours (Roman Catholic Church) Gregory Thaumaturgus Hilda of Whitby Hugh of Lincoln November 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) International Students' Day Martyrs' Day (Orissa, India) Presidents Day (Marshall Islands) World Prematurity Day Observances (click on the day, BD, or week for details) Canterbury Anniversary Day Children in Need National Baklava Day National Homemade Bread Day National Jaden Day National Reuben Day National Testosterone Awareness Day National Unfriend Day World Vasectomy Day Zinfandel Day International Happy Gose Day Logan Thirtyacre’s Birthday Kate Thompson’s Birthday Jason Walsh’s Birthday Jeff Buckley’s Birthday Gordon Lightfoot’s Birthday Howard Dean’s Birthday Eric Nam’s Birthday Gabriella Garza’s Birthday Eli Unique’s Birthday Yugyeom’s Birthday RuPaul’s Birthday Prezley Lea’s Birthday Martin Scorsese’s Birthday MTQcapture’s Birthday Danny DeVito’s Birthday Rachel McAdams’s Birthday Doug Walker’s Birthday Tom Ellis’s Birthday Dr. Heavenly’s Birthday Linda Lee Thomas’s Birthday Fun Observances Take A Hike Day On November 17, wear your most comfortable hiking shoes and take a hike because it is Take A Hike Day. A hike is a long walk in the countryside, away from populated urban areas. Hiking can be done for pleasure or for exercise and is usually done on unpaved paths known as trails. The length and duration of a hike can vary from a few hours to multiple days. Healthy and Social In many parts of the world, hiking is a social pastime, where people get together to walk through forests, parks, riversides and mountains in order to commune with nature and to bond with their fellow hikers. Many cities and countries have professional hiking associations that organize hiking trips around the year. Research has shown that hiking can have many health and social benefits. Considered to be a good way to exercise, hiking can have all the benefits associated with walking in nature - it can reduce stress, increase heart activity and reduce blood pressure. Take a Hike Day is also sometimes known as National Take a Hike Day in the United States. How to Celebrate? Take a hike! Spend the day exploring hiking trails around your town. Make sure you carry enough food and water with you and tell your family and friends where you are going. Did You Know… …that the phrase take a hike is sometimes used in the English language as a rude way to tell someone to leave or go away? *** Late one night a burglar broke into a house and while he was sneaking around he heard a voice say, "Jesús is watching you." He looked around and saw nothing. He kept on creeping and again heard, "Jesús is watching you." In a dark corner, he saw a cage with a parrot inside. The burglar asked the parrot, "Was it you who said Jesús is watching me" The parrot replied, "Yes." Relieved, the burglar asked, "What is your name?" The parrot said, "Clarence." The burglar said, "That's a stupid name for a parrot. What idiot named you Clarence?" The parrot answered, "The same idiot that named the rottweiler Jesús." (I know this one is a repeat, but it is one of my favorites) *** A man was driving and saw a truck stalled on the side of the highway that had ten penguins standing next to it. The man pulled over and asked the truck driver if he needed any help. The truck driver replied, "If you can take these penguins to the zoo while I wait for AAA that will be great!" The man agreed and the penguins hopped into the back of his car. Two hours later, the trucker was back on the road again and decided to check on the penguins. He showed up at the zoo and they weren't there! He headed back into his truck and started driving around the town, looking for any sign of the penguins, the man, or his car. While driving past a movie theater, the truck driver spotted the guy walking out with the ten penguins. The truck driver yelled, "What are you doing? You were supposed to take them to the zoo!" The man replied, "I did and then I had some extra money so I took them to go see a movie." *** A panda walks into a bar, sits down, and orders a sandwich. He eats, pulls out a gun, and shoots the waiter dead. As the panda stands up to go, the bartender shouts, "Hey! Where are you going? You just shot my waiter and you didn't pay for the food!" The panda yells back, "Hey man, I'm a panda. Look it up!" The bartender opens his dictionary to panda, "A tree climbing mammal of Asian origin, characterized by distinct black and white coloring. Eats, shoots, and leaves." *** My gunnery sergeant and 
I were inspecting a Marine training exercise when we spotted a second lieutenant ambling about. “Where is your foxhole, Lieutenant?” I asked. He snapped off a salute and 
responded, “I don’t know, sir!” 
Turning to the sergeant, he asked, “Gunnery, where is my foxhole?” “You’re standing in it, sir,” said 
the sergeant. “All you have to do is remove the dirt.” *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** In A Parallel Universe sandrewn

Cyriopagopus lividus (Cobalt Blue Tarantula)

November 16th 2023 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Africus Agnes of Assisi Edmund of Abingdon Elfric of Abingdon Eucherius of Lyon Gertrude the Great (Roman Catholic Church) Giuseppe Moscati Gobrain Hugh of Lincoln Margaret of Scotland Matthew the Evangelist (Eastern Christianity) Othmar Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn Roch Gonzalez, Juan de Castillo, and Alonso Rodriguez, SJ November 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Day of Declaration of Sovereignty (Estonia) Earliest day on which Day of Repentance and Prayer can fall, while November 22 is the latest; celebrated 11 days before Advent Sunday (Lutheran, Reformed (Calvinist) and United Protestant churches, Saxony, Bavaria), and its related observance: Volkstrauertag (Germany) Icelandic Language Day or Dagur íslenskrar tungu (Iceland) International Day for Tolerance (United Nations) Statia Day in Sint Eustatius (Caribbean Netherlands) Observances (click on the day, BD, or week for details) Beaujolais Nouveau Day Bhai Dooj Great American Smokeout Have a Party with your Bear Day National Andy Day National Black Marketers Day National Button Day National Charles Day National Clarinet Day National Rural Health Day Social Enterprise Day World Pancreatic Cancer Day World Philosophy Day Guinness World Records Day The Night of Hekate Indiana Day Samira Mighty’s Birthday Shigeru Miyamoto’s Birthday Pete Davidson’s Birthday Piggy D’s Birthday Mason Ramsey’s Birthday Park Hyung-sik’s Birthday Lauren Speed-Hamilton’s Birthday Lisa Bonet’s Birthday Kyle Catlett’s Birthday Jonathan Pagan’s Birthday Fatboy SSE’s Birthday Terence McKenna’s Birthday Usuke Devil’s Birthday Brandi Glanville’s Birthday Cindy Kimberly’s Birthday ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Th Nov 16th, 2023 - Tue Nov 21st, 2023 Road Safety Week Fun Observances (2) Fast Food Day Head out to your closest fast food restaurant and indulge in your favorite fast food on November 16 because it is Fast Food Day. Fast food, also known as junk food, is a type of cuisine that can be prepared, served and consumed quickly. Usually, the term is reserved for food served outside the home in restaurants or street-side eateries. Quick and Cheap Food historians believe that the modern day version of fast food, the kind all of us are familiar with today, was first popularized in the United States in the early 20th century. The burger chain White Castle, which first opened its doors in 1921 in Whichita, Kansas, is credited for paving the path for modern day fast food chains. Fast food has always been a part of urban human history. In the old days, fast food was a quick way for travelers and workers to get their quickly and cheaply meals. Despite this, food sold by vendors and at roadside kiosks had a dubious reputation - in many cultures eating outside the home was seen as an uncultured and undesirable act. Today, however fast food has become an acceptable and often times necessary part of mainstream urban life. How to Celebrate? Have fast food for all your meals today. Make your own fast food at home – it will be healthier, nutritious and cheaper! Did you Know… …that according to many business sources, fast food giant McDonalds sells 75 hamburgers every second around the world? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Use Less Stuff Day The Thursday before Thanksgiving day is Use Less Stuff Day. In anticipation of some of the year's biggest and busiest shopping days in the United States - Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the unofficial holiday encourages people to buy and use fewer things in order to reduce environmental waste and lower their energy use. 25% More Trash The holiday was created as a response to the huge amounts of trash created by people around the U.S. during the holiday season that begins with Thanksgiving day and ends with New Year celebrations. Some estimates show that trash production in the U.S. increases by 25% during the winter holiday season. This means that American families generate about 4 to 5 million ton of extra waste in just a matter of a month! Friday after U.S. Thanksgiving is Buy Nothing Day. How to Celebrate? Celebrating Use Less Stuff Day is easy - just reduce, reuse and recycle. Here are some more ways to make your holiday season a green holiday season: Make a conscious decision to reduce your consumption during the holidays. Instead of buying physical gifts, give them your time. Volunteer to babysit or help a friend with house improvement projects. Have a friend who likes movies or the theater? Buy them tickets to go watch a film or a play as a holiday gift. Give a donation in your friend's or family member's name to their favorite charitable organization. Hand make gifts and wrap them in re-usable or biodegradable packaging. Send electronic greeting cards instead of paper holiday cards to your family and friends. Host a garage or yard sale and get rid of all the things you have not used in the past few months. Did You Know… …that about 38,000 miles of ribbon is used and discarded around the holidays every year? This is enough ribbon to tie a bow around the Earth! *** A husband suspected his wife was cheating on him. He explained his situation to a pet shop owner who replied, "I have a parrot that will let you know daily what goes on in your house. The bird has no legs, so he holds onto his perch with his penis." Reluctantly, the husband brought the bird home. At the end of the first day, the man asked the bird, "Did anything happen today?" The parrot said, "Yes, the milk man came over." The man asked, "What did he do with my wife?" The bird said, "I don’t know; I got hard and fell." *** A statue of a naked woman and a naked man stand in a park at night. Suddenly from out of nowhere, a magical genie arrives and grants the statues each one wish to be fulfilled. Both the female and male statues agree on 15 minutes as a real man and woman in the bushes behind them to "get things done." The genie gives a knowing grin and grants the wish. The man and woman immediately jump behind the bushes and screaming sounds and laughter can be heard from their activities. 12 minutes later they return to the front of the bush again claiming they are finished. "Well now, that was kinda quick!" the genie says. "You can do it a second time for the remaining 3 minutes if you want," the genie tells them, winking his eye. Both the female and male look at each other and smile. The man says to the woman, "Okay great, but this time you get to hold the pigeon so I can shit on him!" *** A magician worked on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. The audience would be different each week, so the magician did the same tricks each week. However, there was a problem, the captain's parrot saw the shows each week and began to understand how the magician did every trick. Once he understood, he started shouting out the secrets in the middle of the show, "Look, it's not the same hat." "Look, he is hiding the flowers under the table." "Hey, why are all the cards the Ace of Spades?" The magician was furious but couldn't do anything, it was, after all, the captain's parrot. One day, the ship had an accident and sank. The magician found himself with the parrot, adrift on a piece of wood, in the middle of the ocean. They stared at each other with hatred, but did not utter a word. This went on for a day, then another, and another. Finally, after a week, the parrot said, "Okay, I give up. Where the heck is the boat?" *** During orientation at Fort Sill, in Oklahoma, our first sergeant stated that if anyone lost his locker key to see him, as he kept a master key in his office. Sure enough, a few weeks later, I lost my key. I walked into the orderly’s room and asked Sarge if 
I could borrow his master key. “Why, certainly, young man,” he said, as he reached under his desk and handed me a large pair of bolt cutters. *** *** *** Only in Australia *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** I Told My 5-Year-Old He Could Watch TV As Soon As He Ate Half Of His Hot Dog sandrewn

Haplopelma Minax - thai black tarentula A wild-looking two-spined Amazonian harvestman (Protimesius sp, Stygnidae) Bigal River Forest Reserve, Sumaco NP, Ecuador

November 15th 2023 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) America Recycles Day (United States) Christian feast day: Abibus of Edessa Albert the Great Blessed Caius of Korea Didier of Cahors Francis Asbury and George Whitefield (Episcopal Church) Blessed Hugh Faringdon Leopold III, a public holiday in Lower Austria and Vienna. Malo Mechell November 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Day of the German-speaking Community of Belgium (German-speaking Community of Belgium) Day of the Imprisoned Writer (International observance) Independence Day, unilaterally declared in 1988. (Palestine) King's Feast (Belgium) National Tree Planting Day (Sri Lanka) Peace Day (Ivory Coast) Republic Proclamation Day (Brazil) Shichi-Go-San (Japan) Republic Day (Northern Cyprus) The beginning of Winter Lent (Eastern Orthodox) Observances (click on the day, BD, or week for details) BOTOX® Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA) Day Christchurch Show Day Education Support Professionals Day Geographic Information Systems Day GIS Day Govardhan Puja I Love to Write Day National Ample Time Day National Bundt Day National Camp T-Shirt Day National Drummer Day National Dylan Day National Educational Support Professionals Day National Family Civility Day National Philanthropy Day National Raisin Bran Cereal Day National Spicy Hermit Cookie Day Pack Your Mom's Lunch Day Steve Irwin Day World COPD Day Lee Rosbach’s Birthday B.o.B’s Birthday keke_slays’s Birthday Shailene Woodley’s Birthday Sukihana’s Birthday Randy Savage’s Birthday Russell Tyrone Jones’s Birthday Wayne Thiebaud’s Birthday Ed Asner’s Birthday Charlotte Summers’s Birthday Deavan Clegg’s Birthday Chad Kroeger’s Birthday Catherine Missal’s Birthday Bobby Mares’s Birthday Max Hype’s Birthday Georgia O'Keeffe’s Birthday Paulina Sodi’s Birthday Jared Haibon’s Birthday Rocket Ayer Williams’s Birthday Jeffree Star’s Birthday Sean Murray’s Birthday Karen Clark-Sheard’s Birthday Snoopy’s Birthday Karl-Anthony Towns’s Birthday Twinkie Clark’s Birthday Ariel Fulmer’s Birthday E-40’s Birthday Fun Observances Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day November 15 is Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day, a day to clear out your fridge of all the suspicious looking, probably living and now procreating foods. The refrigerator is possibly one of the most neglected equipment in many households. Food items just seem to find their way to its inner recesses never to see the light to the day again. Spills are never properly cleaned and jars and jars of grandma's pickles compete for space with months of take out boxes. If that is your fridge, do you notice an odd smell every time you open its door? Then that is your fridge crying out for you to clean it! Wear your cleaning clothes, put on kitchen gloves, collect all your cleaning supplies and do your fridge and your health a favor - take this day to scrub your fridge clean. How to Celebrate? Clean your fridge out – throw away expired foods and foods that you haven’t touched or eaten for a while. Make space for healthier, more nutritious food. Have a everything in the fridge party – take out everything that is still edible in your fridge and use them to make food. Did You Know... ...that in Pennsylvania, United States, it is illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors? *** A man walks into a bar and sits down. He asks the bartender, "Can I have a cigarette?" The bartender replies, "Sure, the cigarette machine is over there." So he walks over to the machine and as he is about to order a cigarette, the machine suddenly says, "Oi, you bloody idiot." The man says with surprise in his voice, "That's not very nice." He returns to his bar stool without a cigarette and asks the bartender for some peanuts. The bartender passes the man a bowl of peanuts and the man hears one of the peanuts speak, "Ooh, I like your hair." The man says to the bartender, "Hey, what's going on here? Your cigarette machine is insulting me and this peanut is coming on to me. Why's this?" The bartender replies, "Oh, that's because the machine is out of order and the peanuts are complementary." *** A farmer is walking with a prospective buyer when they see a beautiful pig in the yard, except it has a wooden leg. The buyer asks, "Why the wooden leg?" The farmer replies, "That pig is so smart, I let it drive the kids to school." "Great, but why the wooden leg?" "The pig is so smart it has a degree in horticulture and philosophy." "Amazing! But why the bloody wooden leg?" "Well when you have a pig that smart you don't eat it all at once!" *** Three men are all working on building a house. They go up to the roof for lunch, and unwrapped their sandwiches. The Brunette says "if I get one more Tuna sandwich, I'm going to jump off this roof and kill myself. The black haired one says "if I get one more pickle and lettuce sandwich, I, too, am going to jump off this roof and kill myself. The blonde looks at his sandwich and also declares, "if I get one more peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I'm going to jump off this roof and kill myself." The next day, they all get the same sandwiches and kill themselves. That night, their wives all meet up and mourn. "If I had known that my husband was going to kill himself over a sandwich, I wouldn't have given it to him." The brunette cries. "Same," the raven head replies. They both look at the blonde. "Don't look at me, he packed his own lunch!" *** My sister Jordan was helping my 2 and 1/2-year-old niece Berea put on her sweatshirt when Berea’s head got stuck on the neck hole. Berea started panicking and saying, “I can’t see! I can’t see!” The shirt quickly slipped over her head, and the panic was gone until her arms got stuck 
on the tight cuffs. The panic returned, and she started crying again. “My fingers can’t see! My fingers can’t see!” she said. It was all we could do not to laugh as Jordan quickly pulled Berea’s arms through the cuffs. *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

I will answer by saying, I did two tours (almost 2 years) in the Middle East(UN). UNEF II (EGYPT) & UNDOF (Israel). I never once, missed taking my anti malarial pills (every Thursday) Note: Later tests showed that I had come in contact with the disease.

Excuse me, before I can comment on 'ravish', I will first have to look up 'dichotomy'(me thinks, I am not alone). Just saying,

How ‘vampire’ spiders with a love of human blood could combat malaria There's a species of jumping spider that lives on the walls of people's homes and feeds on human blood. But researchers believe that's a good thing. How ‘vampire’ spiders with a love of human blood could combat malaria - National | Globalnews.ca

November 14th 2023 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Anniversary of the Movement of Readjustment (Guinea-Bissau) Children's Day, celebrated on the birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru (previously on November 20). (India) Christian feast day: Alberic of Utrecht All Saints of the Carmelites All Souls of the Benedictine family Barlaam of Kiev (Eastern Orthodox Church) Dubricius (Dyfrig, or Devereux) Hypatius of Gangra Joseph Pignatelli SJ Justinian I (Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran Church) Laurence O'Toole Nikola Tavelic Philip the Apostle (Eastern Orthodox Church) Samuel Seabury (Anglican Communion) Serapion of Algiers Sidonius (Saëns) Venera (Veneranda) November 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Day of the Colombian Woman (Colombia) Mobile Brigade Day (Indonesia) World Diabetes Day (International) Dobruja Day (Romania) Observances (click on the day, BD, or week for details) International Girls Day Loosen Up Lighten Up Day National American Teddy Bear Day National Family PJ Day National Marie Day National Seat Belt Day Operating Room Nurse Day Josh Duhamel’s Birthday Jawaharlal Nehru’s Birthday Jo Rivera’s Birthday Gary Vaynerchuk’s Birthday George Sear’s Birthday Lil Boosie’s Birthday Frederick Banting’s Birthday Condoleezza Rice’s Birthday Don bbw’s Birthday Chip Gaines’s Birthday Claude Monet’s Birthday Chandler Powell’s Birthday Brendan Morais’s Birthday Braden Baker’s Birthday Narwhal Dave’s Birthday Travis Barker’s Birthday Novi Brown’s Birthday Adina Howard’s Birthday Francisco Lindor’s Birthday Fun Observances (2) Spicy Guacamole Day November 14 is Spicy Guacamole Day. The holiday encourages guacamole lovers to spice up their favorite party dip. We didn't think there could be a better food holiday than Guacamole Day until we came across Spicy Guacamole Day! The unofficial holiday celebrates the spiced up version of the delicious Mexican dip made of mashed avocados, Guacamole. Mexican A party favorite today, guacamole has been a part of traditional Mexican cuisine since the 16th century, when it was made and eaten by the Aztecs as a sauce. Avocados are fruits native to Mexico and Central America and botanically come from the same family as camphor and cinnamon. How to Celebrate? Celebrating Spicy Guacamole Day is easy. All you need is a lot of avocados, chilies and spices. Here are some ways to spice up your bowl of delicious guacamole: Add lots of chilies, may we suggest jalapeños, and spices like cumin to your favorite guacamole recipe. Jalapeños not hot enough for you? What about adding some red chili flakes to the dip? Guacamole goes well with almost everything you can think of - so celebrate this holiday by pairing all your meals with spicy guacamole. Add it to your egg and bacon breakfast menu or make savory pancakes and top them with some spicy guac. Make a guacamole pizza for lunch and a spicy guacamole soup for dinner. Did You Know… …that scientifically avocados are considered to be berries? ~~~~~~~~~ Pickle Day November 14 is Pickle Day, a day to stock up your larders and pantries with pickles and add to pickles to every meal you eat. Also known as National Pickle Day in the United States, the unofficial holiday was first celebrated in 2001 in New York. Kills Harmful Bacteria In common usage, the term pickles is usually used to refer to cucumbers that are preserved in brine – salted water – with spices and herbs. In general, however, pickles are vegetables, fruits and other food items that are preserved in brine, salt and oil, or vinegar. The process is called pickling, an dit kills bacteria in food, either by immersing them in an acidic solution, such as vinegar, or by fermentation. This increases the lifespan of the food item and also changes its texture and taste. The phrase getting into a pickle is also sometimes used for when someone gets into trouble. Consumed Since Antiquity Humans have been making pickles since antiquity. It is believed that ancient Egyptians were the first ones to use the pickling process by preserving cucumbers brought from India. The Romans believed in the healing powers of pickles, while sources suggest that Cleopatra credited her beauty to the consumtion of pickles. Many Different Kinds Today, pickles are made all over the world and usually consumed as accompniments to main meals. In India and South Asia, where pickles are called achaar, vegetables and fruits are pickled in oil, salt and a variety of spices. In Korea, cabbage and chilis are fermented with salt to make kimchi, while people in Turkey, Iran and other Middle Eastern countries pickle a variety of vegetables including carrots, tomatoes, eggplants, turnips, and olives. Pickles are also widely eaten in Europe. In the United Kingdom, pickled eggs are a popular bar food, while pickled herrings are easily available in Scandinavia and the Netherlands. In the US pickles are usually served with sandwiches and in burgers. How to Celebrate? With pickles, of course! Have pickles with all your meals and for all your snacks during the day. Get together with family and friends and spend the day pickling your favorite vegetables. Don't forget to share with others! Did You Know… ...that in the old days, Christopher Columbus used pickles as a way to ward off scurvy among his crew on the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria? *** A family is at the dinner table. The son asks the father, “Dad, how many kinds of boobs are there?” The father, surprised, answers, “Well, son, a woman goes through three phases. In her 20s, a woman’s breasts are like melons, round and firm. In her 30s and 40s, they are like pears, still nice, hanging a bit. After 50, they are like onions.” “Onions?” the son asks. “Yes. You see them and they make you cry.” This infuriated his wife and daughter. The daughter asks, “Mom, how many different kinds of willies are there?” The mother smiles and says, “Well, dear, a man goes through three phases also. In his 20s, his willy is like an oak tree, mighty and hard. In his 30s and 40s, it’s like a birch, flexible but reliable. After his 50s, it’s like a Christmas tree.” “A Christmas tree?” the daughter asks. “Yes, dead from the root up and the balls are just for decoration.” *** A teacher is teaching a class and she sees that Johnny isn't paying attention, so she asks him, "If there are three ducks sitting on a fence, and you shoot one, how many are left?" Johnny says, "None." The teacher asks, "Why?" Johnny says, "Because the shot scared them all off." The teacher says, "No, two, but I like how you're thinking." Johnny asks the teacher, "If you see three women walking out of an ice cream parlor, one is licking her ice cream, one is sucking her ice cream, and one is biting her ice cream, which one is married?" The teacher says, "The one sucking her ice cream." Johnny says, "No, the one with the wedding ring, but I like how you're thinking!" *** A man kills a deer and takes it home to cook for dinner. Both he and his wife decide that they won't tell the kids what kind of meat it is, but will give them a clue and let them guess. The dad said, "Well it's what Mommy calls me sometimes." The little girl screamed to her brother, "Don't eat it. Its an asshole! *** (That was a purple colored joke) *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

Because my mind tends to wander(yes, its true). I pictured myself leaving the pet store, laughing demoniacally after the sales kid asked if might be interested in buying doggie poop bags in bulk, to save money? Once I regained control of myself(and reality), I went next door to the hardware store and got a few boxes of my usual....

Green Pea Spider (Araneus apricus) Manyane Resort Walking Trail, Pilanesberg NP, North West, SOUTH AFRICA

November 13th 2023 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Agostina Livia Pietrantoni Brice of Tours Didacus (Diego) of Alcalá Eugenius II of Toledo Frances Xavier Cabrini Homobonus John Chrysostom (Eastern Orthodox, Repose) Quintian of Rodez Saints of the Benedictine family Saints of the Premonstratensian Order Stanislaus Kostka Charles Simeon (Church of England) The Hundred Thousand Martyrs of Tbilisi (Georgian Orthodox Church) Sadie Hawkins Day (United States) World Kindness Day Observances (click on the day, BD, or week for details) Laxmi Puja National Hug a Musician Day National Indian Pudding Day Symphonic Metal Day World Orphans Day Odd Socks Day Paulie Calafiore’s Birthday Matt Bennett’s Birthday Kelly Cutrone’s Birthday Justin Laboy’s Birthday Julia Michaels’s Birthday Jordan Bridges’s Birthday Jimmy Kimmel’s Birthday Heather B’s Birthday Gerard Butler’s Birthday Aryan Khan’s Birthday Whoopi Goldberg’s Birthday Lando Norris’s Birthday ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mon Nov 13th, 2023 - Tue Nov 21st, 2023 National Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week Mon Nov 13th, 2023 - Sat Nov 19th, 2023 World Kindness Week Transgender Awareness Week Global Entrepreneurship Week Mon Nov 13th, 2023 - Fri Nov 17th, 2023 National Young Readers Week Anti-Bullying Week National Education Week Geography Awareness Week American Education Week Fun Observances (2) World Kindness Day Oh, hello dear reader! Thank you so much for visiting this page! Will you please keep coming back? November 13 is World Kindness Day, a day to be kind and do acts of kindness. Created in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, a conglomeration of kindness organizations around the world, this unofficial holiday encourages people to be kind to each other and spread happiness, joy and peace through kindness. Considered to be a virtue, and valued in most societies and religions as an important quality, kindness is the act of being considerate, compassionate and empathetic towards other people and living beings. How to Celebrate? Be kind and do random acts of kindness. Smile at strangers and do kind things for them. Give up your seat on the bus to someone else. Buy someone’s coffee for them. Volunteer your time at the local soup kitchen. Leave a kind note for someone. Kindness should not only be reserved for our fellow human beings. Be kind to the animals and to the environment as well. If you have children in your life, teach them the virtue of kindness by practicing it in your daily life. Did You Know… …that researchers have found there is a positive feedback loop between happiness and kindness? Undertaking acts of kindness makes one happy, and people who are happy tend to be kinder to others. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sadie Hawkins Day November 13 is annually celebrated in the United States as Sadie Hawkins Day. Inspired by events in the comic strip, Li’l Abner, this uniquely American holiday encourages women to take charge of their lives and to ask men out on a date. The made-up holiday was first featured in a comic strip called Li’l Abner created by American cartoonist Alfred Gerald Caplin, also known as Al Capp. In the comic, Hekzebiah Hawkins, a long-time resident of Dogpatch, is worried about his unmarried daughter, Sadie Hawkins. Concerned about her inability to find a suitable husband, he declared a Sadie Hawkins Day, where Sadie chased the eligible bachelors in town in order to find herself a husband. In the Dogpatch universe, this idea took hold among other unmarried women, who mandated that Sadie Hawkins Day be held every year. Breaking Society’s Rules The comic strip became so popular that towns and colleges around the country started declaring their own Sadie Hawkins Day and organizing Sadie Hawkins Dances, where women could break the societal rules of the day and ask men out. In many ways, the day became a way for women to become assertive and take their dating choices in their hands. During the time of its publication, only men were expected to ask women on a date or propose marriage. A woman doing that was often considered too forward and of low morals. How to Celebrate Even though women today are more independent than their counterparts in the early 20th century, there is still an unspoken societal rule that it is not proper for women to ask men out on dates. Use this day as an excuse to break these rules and ask your sweetie out on a date. If you have found someone who you would like to spend your life with, why not propose marriage to them today? Get on your knees and ask the man of your dreams to be your life partner. Did You Know… ...that in many cultures, the only day it was acceptable for a woman to propose marriage to a man was on Leap Day? *** While taking the interview, the employer asked the candidate: Employer: So, how long did you work during your last job? Candidate: 30 years Employer: oh, you look young how old are you Candidate: 20 years old The employer was surprised and asked the candidate how she worked 30 years and has only been living for 20 years?? Candidate: Overtime! *** Three doctors are out geese-hunting. A gaggle flies over and the oncologist raises and then lowers his gun. "I better conduct an MRI first to determine if those were really geese." Some more geese fly by & the endocrinologist raises his gun and then lowers it. "I'll need some bloodwork to conduct an A1C and determine what those birds were first." Some more geese fly over. The trauma doc raises his shotgun and blows them out of the sky. "What were those things, anyway?" he asks. *** Little Johnny likes to gamble. One day, his dad gets a new job, so his family has to move to a new city. Johnny's dad thinks, "I'll get a head start on Johnny's gambling." He calls the teacher and says, "My son Johnny will be starting your class tomorrow, but he likes to gamble, so you'll have to keep an eye on him." The teacher says, "Okay," because she can handle it. The next day, Johnny walks into class and hands the teacher an apple and says, "Hi, my name is Johnny." She says, "Yes, I know who you are." Johnny smiles and says, "I bet you $10 you've got a mole on your butt." The teacher thinks that she will break his little gambling problem, so she takes him up on the bet. She pulls her pants down, shows him her butt, and there is no mole. That afternoon, Johnny goes home and tells his dad that he lost $10 to the teacher and explains why. His dad calls the teacher and says, "Johnny said that he bet you that you had a mole on your butt and he lost." The teacher says, "Yeah, and I think I broke his gambling problem." Johnny's dad laughs and says, "No you didn't, he bet me $100 this morning that he'd see your ass before the day was over." *** It had been a nerve-racking experience for my attorney husband. He was working with the FBI on a federal sting operation. Worried for his safety, they put him under protective surveillance. Finally the agency told him they had rounded up all the criminals and were lifting the surveillance. A few days later my relieved spouse was on the phone, telling his brother about the whole adventure. "Did you happen to mention to the FBI that you have an identical twin?" his horrified brother interrupted. "Who lives next door?" *** Several months ago, my daughter and I had similar virus symptoms. She decided to consult a doctor so as not to lose any more time from her job. “I’ll see the doctor,” she said, “and then tell you what’s wrong with us.” The next day she called to say, “Guess what, Mom. We’re pregnant!” *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Woman with the longest fingernails in the world breaks them all in a car crash *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

big-eyed jumping spider from W-Java - Yellow-lined Epeus This male spider (6-7mm) was attracted by a small white moth sitting on the same leaf: www.flickr.com/photos/gbohne/5270341074/ Epeus flavobilineatus DOLESCHALL, 1859 (Yellow-lined Epeus), male [det. Mr & Mrs Apteryx australis, 2010, based on this photo] Genus: Epeus PECKHAM & PECKHAM, 1886 Subfamily: Plexippinae BLACKWALL, 1841 (unranked clade: Salticoida) Family: Salticidae BLACKWALL, 1842 (jumping spiders, Springspinnen) Superfamily: Salticoidea Suborder: Araneomorphae (Echte Webspinnen) Order: Araneae (spiders, Webspinnen oder Echte Spinnen) Class: Arachnida CUVIER, 1812 (Spinnentiere) Subphylum: Chelicerata Phylum: Arthropoda more info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epeus_%28spider%29 more: www.peckhamia.com/salticidae/diagnost/epeus/flavobil.htm Indonesia, W-Java, 10 km S Tangerang: vic. Serpong (Kampung garden).