Gorilla Suit Day!
2028-01-31
From the sublime to the ridiculous. Close on the heels of Thomas Paine day comes National Gorilla Suit Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla_suit#National_Gorilla_Suit_Day), a pseudo-holiday invented by famed Mad Magazine cartoonist Don Martin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Martin_(cartoonist)). The effluvium of controversy continues to surround this secular celebration: to some it is a blatant conspiracy of gorilla suit manufacturers to promote their wares, others see it as one of America’s more important and venerable holidays. It origins lie in a 1963 comic strip. Don Martin aficionados later evolved the tradition that “NGSD” falls on the last day of January each year. Whatever your opinion of NGSD, few deny the cartooning genius of Don Martin. Art historian Charles Taylor described Martin’s unique style of art and wit: His people are big-nosed schmoes with sleepy eyes, puffs of wiry hair, and what appear to be life preservers under the waistline of their clothes. Their hands make delicate little mincing gestures and their strangely thin, elongated feet take a 90-degree turn at the toes as they step forward. Whether they’re average Joes or headhunters, Martin’s people share the same physique: a tottering tower of obloids. Martin puts the bodies of these characters through every kind of permutation, treating them as much like gadgets as the squirting flowers and joy buzzers that populate his gags: glass eyes pop out from a pat on the back; heads are steamrollered into manhole-cover shapes. All of this accompanied by a Dadaist panoply of sound effects found nowhere else: shtoink! shklorp! fwoba-dap! It’s unlikely Samuel Beckett was aware of Don Martin, but had he been he might have recognized a kindred spirit. (https://www.lambiek.net/artists/m/martin_don.htm)

Darwin Day
2028-02-12
Darwin Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_Day) celebrates the life and work of Charles Darwin, a secular holiday widely celebrated within the global community with participation from all sectors of society. Even mainline churches have participated, celebrating the day as Evolution Sunday or Evolution Weekend (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clergy_Letter_Project#Evolution_Weekend_and_related_activities) (see the Clergy Letter Project (https://www.theclergyletterproject.org/) for details). Under any of these names, this day celebrates the wonder and beauty of both science and humanity, and serve to recognize and celebrate the achievements of a man who cast a bright, explanatory light on reality, our self-knowledge, and on the world of which we are part. Charles Darwin contributed to our understanding at the deepest level, forever changed how we see ourselves within this vast, impersonal universe, and brought us a paradigm shift of seismic proportions. He symbolizes the brave, human enterprise of science in confronting the mystery of existence. His life and work exemplify the spirit of wonder, curiosity and adventure along with the excitement that the quest for knowledge and understanding can provide. The Darwin Day Program (http://www.darwinday.org/), an educational non-profit organization, encourages interested groups and individuals throughout the world to participate in the annual celebration of Darwin Day by coordinating events and activities in their area on or around February 12. The program also offers a year-round educational outreach project to help in reaching the goal of improving the public’s understanding of science and foster an appreciation for our shared humanity. Darwin Day, Evolution Sunday and Evolution Weekend encourage us to come together to champion science and humanity throughout our global community. They let us celebrate the astonishing engagement of our common intelligence with the wonder and excitement of life in the universe. If you agree, visit the National Darwin Day (http://www.darwinday.org/) site and sign the petition calling for national recognition of this day. Then, visit Epic of Evolution (http://epicofevolution.com/) for a great adventure.

International Women's Day
2028-03-08
International Women’s Day (http://www.internationalwomensday.com/) (IWD), an international celebration, honors the social, economical, and political achievements made by women everywhere. This secular holiday dates back to the early 1900’s, a time of turbulent growth in the industrialized world that saw growing demands for women to have the right to vote. Among other relevant historical events, it commemorates the “Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire”, on March 25, 1911 in New York City, where over 140 women lost their lives. Born from the socialist and labor movements, International Women’s Day has grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. Promoted by the United Nations since 1975, International Women’s Day is, in the words of the UN, “a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.” For decades, IWD has increased in strength annually. Women’s organizations and governments around the world have celebrated IWD annually on the 8th of March by holding large-scale events that honor women’s progress and highlight areas where women’s rights still need to be advanced. IWD is an occasion that can be celebrated by all community groups that believe women’s rights are human rights. Each year on March 8, hundreds of International Women’s Day events occur all around the world. IWD events range from small random informal gatherings to large-scale highly organized events. All celebrate women’s advancement and highlight the need for continued vigilance and action. The day is about honoring all women and their accomplishments, this can done by taking part in a large organized activity or by simply honoring the women in one’s life with flowers, a small gift, or even a thank you.
