International Jazz Day — April 30

Pattiann on April 30, 2016

 

Presented each year in conjunction with Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, International Jazz Day is intended to emphasize jazz and its role in uniting people worldwide, highlight the power of jazz as a force for freedom and creativity, promote intercultural dialogue through respect and understanding, and unite people from all corners of the globe. Herbie Hancock, award winning jazz pianist and composer, is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Goodwill Ambassador.

Born in the US, jazz  has traveled the world as a music of tolerance, freedom and human dignity. It is widely acknowledged that New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be hosting a concert at the White House that will be televised on ABC. Performing at the concert will be Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall, Al Jarreau, Sting, Aretha Franklin, among others.

Washington, DC is the 2016 Global Host City. Free jazz performances, master classes, improvisational workshops, round table discussions, education programs, jam sessions, and community outreach initiatives at museums, embassies, schools, hospitals,  jazz clubs, senior centers, train stations,  arts centers, recreation centers and parks across Washington, D.C., all 50 states, and 190 countries.

As an extension of International Jazz Day, the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz will sponsor Math, Science & Music, a free education program with games, apps and online components that use music to teach math and science to K-12 and college students. There is a growing need for students to gain skills and knowledge in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects in a creative way, and this program addresses that.

Greeting Card Universe National Jazz Day cards https://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/holidays/nationalandinternationaldays/internationaljazzdayapril30

World Hemophilia Day – April 17

Pattiann on April 17, 2016

People with hemophilia have a lower level of a clotting factor and they can bleed longer than normal, sometimes causing life threatening complications. World Hemophilia Day is intended to draw attention to hemophilia, which impacts approximately 1 in 10,000 people, and other bleeding disorders, such as Von Willebrand disease, rare clotting factor deficiencies, and inherited platelet disorders.

There are two types of hemophilia, each caused by a low level of a clotting factor. The more common is Hemophilia A and is caused by to low levels of clotting factor VIII (8). Hemophilia B is rare and is caused by too low levels of clotting factor IX (9).

Prolonged bleeding is the main symptom of both types of hemophilia. Bleeding, which is often internal but can be external, can range from mild to severe.

Severe cases of hemophilia can lead to an early death if left untreated. Fortunately, successful treatments are available, and when managed, people with hemophilia can live healthy lives. Treatments for hemophilia involve regular injections of the missing clotting factor.

Established in 1989, World Hemophilia Day is intended to draw awareness to this condition and increase the availability of treatment worldwide. April 17 was chosen in recognition of the birthday of WHD founder Frank Schnabel.

Light it Up Red

On April 17, major landmarks around the world will light up in red. These landmarks include

The Helmsley Building in New York City; Zakim Bridge, Prudential Tower and South Station in Boston; The Wrigley Building in Chicago; Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.; Los Angeles City Hall; Pacific Science Center in Seattle; and The Monarch in Austin, Texas. Individual households can participate by replacing their front porch light with a red light bulb.

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National Siblings Day April 10

Pattiann on April 10, 2016

Greeting Card Universe National Siblings Day

Siblings — you’ve gotta love’em, right? At least, that’s what your mom says. From late-night ghost stories to tattling to your mom when you got home late from a date, chances are you’ve had plenty of reasons over the years to have a love/hate relationship with your siblings. Who else has lived the same history, knows the same family stories, shares the same inside jokes… and can push our buttons every.single.time?

Seventy-nine percent of people in the US have siblings. Started in 1997 and observed on April 10 every year, National Siblings Day is a celebration of our brothers and sisters.

While it doesn’t describe everyone, many people are impacted by their birth order. Oldest children tend to be reliable, cautious, and structured; middle children are often people-pleasers, peacemakers, and somewhat rebellious; and youngest children can be fun-loving, outgoing, and self-centered. But no matter their characteristics, siblings are our first friends, our first debate opponents, our longest-lasting relationships, and our most complex. Because they know us so well, it’s easy to feel comfortable in the relationship. But that also means that they know the soft spots of our emotions — and there are times when they give those spots a bit of a nudge.

Despite all of this, though, siblings are there for us when we need them, they provide us with a sense of continuity, and we love them. We should let them know that we recognize their importance in our lives.

Did you know about these famous siblings?

Randy and Dennis Quaid, actors

Alec, Billy, Stephen, and Daniel Baldwin, actors

Chad and Rob Lowe, actors

Jake Paltrow (Director) and Gwyneth Paltrow (actor)

Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë, writers

Wilbur and Orville Wright, inventors

George and Ira Gershwin, composers

Venus and Serena Williams, tennis players

Steph and Seth Curry, basketball players

Dear Abby (Pauline Phillips) and Ask Ann Landers (Eppie Lederer), columnists

Prince William and Prince Harry, British royalty

Julia and Eric Roberts, actors

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Happy April Fools’ Day!

Pattiann on April 1, 2016

 

April Fools’ Day, celebrated each year on April 1, is a day of practical jokes. It’s a day that some people look forward to, planning the hoaxes down to the last detail. But some people dread April Fools’ Day. These people are usually the victims of the jokesters!

One of the first jokes children learn to pull is placing a rubber band around the lever that controls the kitchen sink sprayer, so that the victim is doused when they turn on the water. As this typically happens first thing in the morning as breakfast is being made, it serves as a forewarning of how the day is going to proceed!

These are family-friendly pranks. Care should be taken so that no one is hurt, physically or emotionally. April Fools’ jokes that have proven popular over the years:

  • Cover a bar of soap in clear nail polish and let dry. Leave it by the sink or in the shower.
  • Put food coloring in a carton of milk.
  • Place small pieces of cellophane tape over the tv remote sensors.
  • Freeze a bowl of cereal in milk the night before.
  • The night before, fill your child’s juice glass with appropriate-colored gelatin and add a straw.  Watch them try to drink it the next morning.
  • If your children are heavy sleepers, switch their beds after they’ve fallen asleep so that they wake up in their sibling’s bed.
  • Unroll toilet paper and write a message before rolling it back up again.
  • Switch the bags inside two boxes of cereal.

Over the years, organizations have pulled April Fools’ Day pranks on the general public, with varying degrees of success. Many of these pranks have been documented at the Museum of Hoaxes

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