Today Is... 📆

GregRedd · February 12, 2021, 5:54am

It’s Friday, 12 February 2021 (W6/D43/322 rem)

Darwin’s theories have been absolutely fundamental to the understanding of life and the species of the world as we know it today.

Charles Robert Darwin was born on this day in 1809, in Shrewsbury, England, and received his education at University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He grew to become a naturalist and geologist who would eventually impact the thinking of people all over the world.

Darwin was fascinated by the number and variety of fossils from around the planet, as well as the species in their great diversity. So he set out on a five-year voyage on the Beagle to sail around the world and study life in all of its unique and varied forms, making particularly important discoveries in the Galapagos islands.

Darwin’s theories presented the ideas that some species originated from other species, and that even man itself had a shared ancestor with the primates. While his theories were originally rejected by the scientists of his day, they were slowly accepted as more and more data was collected and more species were discovered.

DNA research seemed to push his theories even further, as scientists started to see the connections between species in the very genes that composed them.

People have been celebrating Darwin’s birthday for many years, but it came about as an actual day back in the 1990s. It was meant by the founders to not only celebrate Mr. Darwin, but also various other scientific achievements made by humanity.

Enjoying Darwin Day can take all sorts of twists and turns, small or large, alone or with a group, depending on personal preference. Consider these ideas and make some fun and educational plans for how to celebrate Darwin Day:

Visit a natural history museum or natural exhibition (ideally, virtually if possible) or breakout the books at home.
Hold a Darwinian-inspired art celebration (paint, draw, write poetry about our natural world)
Watch any of the many Darwin documentary movies (Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life comes highly Reddommended if you can “find” a copy)
For some light relief, review the annual Darwin Awards an unofficial honour bestowed on those humans that, contrary to what Darwin thought, seemingly have not evolved.

Have a happy Friday friends

GregRedd · February 12, 2021, 5:56am

Attenborough voice: Based on speech patterns, it seems this specimen has not evolved beyond its teens…

FarligOpptreden · February 12, 2021, 6:57am

I literally head it in his voice in my head…

oltman · February 12, 2021, 9:35am

Sharrap old man!

SIGSTART · February 12, 2021, 10:42am

I can’t help but think of /r/wallstreetbets who refer to themselves as apes (which is among the least offensive terms they use for themselves).

GregRedd · February 13, 2021, 6:49am

Good morning!

It’s Saturday, 13 February 2021 (W6/D44/321 rem)

Today is World Radio Day

It’s been over 130 years since the word radio was first used to describe Hertz’s wave experiments. Now, 130 years later, the radio remains one of the most important inventions for communications on a global scale.

Radio has been recognized as having such a profound impact on the world that the Spanish Radio Academy put in a formal request to the UN to have 13 February declared “World Radio Day”. In September 2011 the proposal was ratified and UNESCO officially proclaimed that it be established the following February.

So it was that the first World Radio Day was celebrated on 13 February, 2012. UNESCO describes the radio as “a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constituting a platform for democratic discourse.”

World Radio Day 2021 (WRD 2021) celebrates radio as part of humanity’s history by following the various developments in our society and adapting its services. As the world changes, so does radio. Thus, during the Covid-19 pandemic, radio made it possible, for example, to ensure continuity of learning, to fight against misinformation, and to promote barrier gestures.

“New World, New Radio” is, therefore, an ode to the resilience of radio. It is a tribute to its capacity for perpetual adaptation at the rate of societal transformations and listeners’ new needs. Accessible anywhere and anytime, radio reaches a broad audience. It presents itself as an arena where all voices can be expressed, represented, and heard hence why radio is still the most consumed medium worldwide today.

https://www.un.org/en/observances/radio-day

Whether you tune in on your mobile, dig out your old battery powered boom box, or turn on a good old fashioned “wireless” radio today, do it. To cross-quote Leary: Turn on, tune in, drop out!

Have a super Saturday

GregRedd · February 14, 2021, 7:01am

Good morning!

It’s Sunday, 14 February 2021 (W6/D45/320 rem)

Today is Valentine’s Day

Contrary to its modern commercialised face, Valentine’s Day has a long and storied history, and has been recognised as a Saints Day since 496AD. So before you give me kak for choosing it for today’s Today Is… post, let’s learn a little love .

Also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, Valentine’s Day originated as a Western Christian feast day honouring two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. Through later folk traditions, it has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and romantic love throughout the world.

There are a number of martyrdom stories associated with various Valentines connected to February 14, including an account of the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century. According to an early tradition, Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer.

Numerous later additions to the legend have better related it to the theme of love: an 18th-century embellishment to the legend claims he wrote the jailer’s daughter a letter signed “Your Valentine” as a farewell before his execution; another addition posits that Saint Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry.

The Feast of Saint Valentine was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honour of Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on that date in AD 269.

The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the “lovebirds” of early spring.

In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion in which couples expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”).

Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. In Italy, Saint Valentines’s Keys are given to lovers “as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart”.

Valentine’s Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid.

However (or if, you cold, cynical soul!) you decide to express your love with your Valentine today, may it be a wonderful day!

Have a love-filled Sunday

Beo · February 14, 2021, 9:39am

Noice. We’re going to Nitida wine farm to enjoy a Valentine picnic with cheeses and cured cold meats.

GregRedd · February 14, 2021, 11:38am

Getting he-arty for #ValentinesDay with Mrs Redd.

GregRedd · February 15, 2021, 5:49am

Good morning!

It’s Monday, 15 February 2021 (W7/D46/319 rem)

Today is Annoy Squidward Day

And now for something completely frivolous - it’s Annoy Squidward Day!

Annoy Squidward Day exists as a consequence of a Season 1 episode on the animated series of Spongebob Squarepants. The episode (s01e12), which originally aired in March 2000, is called “Employee of the Month”.

Squidward, the easily irritated friend of Spongebob, is a character in the show who works as a cashier at the local restaurant. In this particular episode, Squidward is so irritated that when someone asks him what day it is, he sarcastically replies, “Annoy Squidward Day?” This causes the cheery, yellow Spongebob to laugh and respond, “No silly, that’s on the 15th”, pointing to the calendar he is holding to prove his point. The calendar shows Squidward’s face on the 15th. He then says, “Today’s the beginning of the judging for Employee of the Month.”

In the “reality” of the Spongebob world of Bikini Bottom, the day was meant to be saved for the Employee of the Month Award, when Mr. Krabs would announce the best employee of that particular month at his restaurant. The presumption is that Squidward had already been selected for the award.

The humor in having an “Annoy Squidward Day” is that Squidward is pretty constantly being annoyed by Spongeboband Patrick anyway. This is just a day where they try extra hard to annoy him.

Celebrate the day with all things Spongebob. Watch “Employee of the Month” and other episodes of Spongebob Squarepants. Maybe even track down a Spongebob movie to watch, or spend some quality gaming time with gang in Bikini Bottom on your PC or console.

If you’re really into the “annoy” part of the day, spend it annoying those around you. Flood the family WhatsApp chat and the office intranet discussion board, with Spongebob gifs, jokes, and memes. Change everyone’s MEW avatar to something Spongebob related (just please, for the love of all that is holy, save @Mottamorts avatar somewhere before you do!). Or just be generally annoying - poke the person next to you constantly, throw paper clips at the colleague across from you, sing “I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves” all day. You get the idea. Be creative, but be safe!

Have a happy Monday!

czc · February 15, 2021, 7:21am

lol, I do have a copy just in case.

Avatar · February 15, 2021, 9:26am

Yeah. In case. For research. And science.

Wyvern · February 15, 2021, 9:32am

It wont be me today!

GregRedd · February 16, 2021, 5:02am

Good morning!

It’s Tuesday, 16 February 2021 (W7/D47/318 rem)

Today is Do a Grouch a Favour Day

Another rather unusual day to observe today - Do a Grouch a Favour Day is one of those weird informal holidays of unknown origin that are actually not so silly as they might seem at first sight.

Young or old, even normally cheerful and optimistic people occasionally have grouchy moods that may be caused by bad weather, lack of sleep, relationship problems, issues at work, money problems, global pandemics, etc. They might try to hide it, but it does not mean that they do not need cheering up. Occasionally, the grouch may even be ourselves.

On Do a Grouch a Favour Day, take a closer look at people around you, and if someone seems to be in a grumpy mood, do something nice to cheer them up. The idea is to try to brighten their day by doing them a simple favour. That you’ll boost your personal karma points score at the same time is a bonus!

It doesn’t have to be a big thing. Don’t try and take on and solve everyone else’s problems. Just do a small, simple kindness that may make them smile, even if only briefly. You can buy a grouch flowers, treat them to lunch, invite them for a walk or to the movies. Listening to their problems is also a good way to cheer a grouch up.

And remember, if you really want to reduce the grouch levels in the world around you, you don’t need to wait for February 16 to roll around once a year. Don’t wait for an excuse to do someone a favour, just do it!

Have a grouch-free Tuesday!

murfle · February 16, 2021, 6:46am

You heard the man.

Everybody do something nice for me today.

grumbles

Wyvern · February 16, 2021, 6:50am

What do you do when the grump is your dad/boss and nothing you have done has helped.

murfle · February 16, 2021, 6:59am

Don’t let it get to you, and keep on keeping on.

GregRedd · February 17, 2021, 6:36am

Good morning!

It’s Wednesday, 17 February 2021 (W7/D48/317 rem)

Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day

Following on from yesterday’s “be nice to grumpy people”, today you get to take your kindness next level - it’s Random Acts of Kindness Day!

Random Acts of Kindness Day was started in Denver, Colorado in 1995 by a small nonprofit organization, the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.

Visit the official RAK website for ideas, inspiration and insights into random acts of kindness:

Random Acts of Kindness can include just about anything - something as simple a taking a tray of muffins to work, or volunteering to walk an elderly neighbour’s dog.

The idea behind this holiday is to make the world a better place by spreading a little light around and to make kindness a part of our everyday lives. Lift someone up with your words, compliment them on their appearance, smile and wave at strangers - even the simplest acts can help to brighten someone’s day.

And although it has “random” in its name, kindness is anything but random. Various studies have concluded that kindness is an inherent part of human nature, and that the ability to feel and care for others develops from infancy.

The importance of kindness and altruism has long been a topic of discussion in the realms of philosophy, psychology, sociology and evolutionary biology. There are various theories for why people gravitate towards benevolent behaviour – perhaps it’s because doing good deeds for others increases the likelihood that they’ll return the favour if we ever need help in future. Perhaps kindness is hardwired into our brains to aid social attachment and group cohesion. Perhaps it’s simply a product of our ability to feel empathy for others.

Whatever kindness’s origins, Random Acts of Kindness Day is a way to nurture and encourage this precious trait we all share.

Have a fantastically kind Wednesday my dudes !

DarthMol · February 17, 2021, 7:38am

Just be kind nê?

GregRedd · February 18, 2021, 5:43am

Good morning!

It’s Thursday, 18 February 2021 (W7/D49/316 rem)

Today is Global Drink Wine Day

It’s my favourite day of the year so far - Global Drink Wine Day!

In these trying times does anybody really need an excuse to open a bottle of their favorite red or white at the end of a long and stressful day? Absolutely not! Still, that shouldn’t stand in the way of celebrating Drink Wine Day. After all, a glass (OK, bottle) of wine is one of the best antidotes to life’s stressful moments. And one of the best ways to celebrate life’s more joyful moments too .

Unsurprisingly, Drink Wine Day is a day to celebrate wine, which includes drinking some wine. However, its purpose isn’t to result in millions of people staggering around after drinking too much, or to leave participants facing the mother of all hangovers on Drink Wine Day +1.

Wine should be enjoyed responsibly on this day more than any other. Ideally, in the comfort and safety of your own home, not only to adhere to social distancing requirements, but, more important, also to avoid having to drive under the influence. Don’t do that!

The annual event is a time to reflect on the many benefits of wine, as well as the role it has played in human history and society. The social aspects are particularly pertinent on this day, which should be enjoyed with friends and family. After all, there’s nothing quite like sipping a glass of the good stuff while sharing fun and entertainment with the people that matter most.

If you do decide to acknowledge Drink Wine Day, please try and do so with a glass or two of local South African wine - another of our local industries that’s suffered during the pandemic.

Have a great Thursday! Cheers ! !