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International Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) Awareness Day raises awareness of this rare disease and its impact on families. Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) and mucolipidosis (ML) are genetic lysosomal storage diseases (LSD) caused by a missing or insufficient enzyme that prevents cells from recycling waste, causing it to be stored in the cells, leading to widespread damage throughout the body, affecting joints and organ systems. Of the 11 syndrome types, only four have treatments—none have a cure.

Africa

May

Nakba Day (PS/IL)(1948): May 15

06:20 AM | -

Al Nakba, or The Catastrophe in English, is the Palestinian parallel to the Trail of Tears (1838-39) in America. The Trail of Tears represented the rounding up and forced ethnic cleansing of Native Americans off their land and homes onto federally designated reservations for containment and control by a federal military. It continues to be, with slavery and the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, one of the most shameful events in American history. With the advent of the Geneva Conventions, Hague Conventions, Rome Statutes, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other agreements, the Trail of Tears would be prosecuted as Crime Against Humanity, with the United States as the defendant today. It would also be a war crime if it occurred during a war or military occupation. Fortunately for the US, these international agreements did not exist in 1838. However, in the wake of the Holocaust, they do today, which is Nakba's irony. What the Nazis did to the Jews of Europe, forcing them out of their homes and businesses, relocating and interning them in walled ghettos, and stripping them of their citizenship, rights, and dignity while extracting them through laws and customs from everyday life, is precisely what the Zionists did to the Arabs of Palestine just eighteen months later and continue doing today. The Nakba, or Al Nakba, is the forced expulsion of 750,000 people from their homes, lands, and businesses. It includes ongoing discrimination, prohibition from returning to their homes, and confiscation of their property without compensation. Al Nakba didn't happen 150 years ago. Al Nakba began on November 30, 1947, and continues today. It is the reason Israel has security issues, not because its people are predominantly of the Jewish faith, as Israeli advocates portend. Isreal has security issues because of how it took over and expanded its statehood and continues to enforce it as an ethnocentric, exclusionary, and violent vision at the expense of those not classified as Jewish. It agreed to be a nation-state of all its people living within defined boards and as a culture informed by Judaism, its customs, and holidays. As a nation-state, it has yet to honor that agreement. NAKBA HISTORY Al Nakba is the culmination of events in Europe in the 1860s through a political ethno-supremacist nationalist movement later known as Zionism. The people who support this political ideology are called Zionists and can be of any faith. However, roughly 350 million, most Zionists, are Dispensationalist Christians, sometimes called Evangelicals, with an additional ten million identifying as Jewish. The Zionist ideals received codification in 1897 and came to fruition on November 29, 1947, when the United Nations agreed to partition Palestine into an Israeli and Palestinian state. In Christianity, Zionist ideology was written into the 1908 "Scofield Reference Bible" footnotes and has evolved into the defining belief system for Dispensationalist Christianity's End Times theology, which is not shared by the majority of global Christians. Unfortunately for the Palestinians, the new nation-state's boundaries didn't match the aspirations of those petitioning. The Zionists wanted it all, and they wanted it all without the people. Over the next year and a half, Jewish terrorists, who later became the Israeli army, expanded the land given to them by the United Nations by 300 percent through terror, death, and destruction, egregiously violating the agreement which granted them statehood. On November 30, 1947, the massacres and raids by Jewish gangs commenced against the indigenous population (Palestinians). Still in control of Palestine, the British turned a blind eye and let it happen. By the time Israel became a state on May 15, 1948, hundreds of thousands of Christians and Muslims were forced to flee their homes and businesses ahead of these gangs, the most notorious being the Lehi, Stern, and Irgun gangs. Most of Israel's future leaders would come from these groups. Thousands of Christian and Muslim men, women, and children were slaughtered in dozens of massacres leading up to and after the creation of Israel, the most notorious being at the village of Deir Yassin in April 1948. The Palestinians were alone from November 30, 1947, to May 14, 1948. They had no military. In fact, they have never had a military. Instead, the Palestinians expected a peaceful transition of power, similar to the Ottomans, British, and Romans. To Palestinians, the Zionists were just the next group in charge, they thought. This time was different. THE DEFENSELESS MYTH What about the other countries in the region? Wasn't defenseless Israel under attack? No. The Arab armies would not defend the Palestinians between November 20, 1947, and May 14, 1948, because doing so would require attacking Britain and thus declaring war on it. Once Israel was declared a state on May 15, 1948, these armies did engage but would not cross the border of the new state defined by the United Nations. They had agreed with the rest of the world to give the land, within the boundaries defined, to the Jewish people after the Holocaust, provided the Zionists did not discriminate against the indigenous people, created a constitution, and stayed within their borders. The Arab nations would not violate that agreement. The Zionists, however, never honored the conditions of statehood and continue to thwart them to this day. In the battles after statehood, the Zionists possessed superior weaponry and numbers. They had been planning for this battle, collecting weapons for over ten years by smuggling them into the region. The end of World War II increased weapons quality and availability and the number of immigrants—drafted soldiers—to the area. STRATEGIC PLANNING The ethnic cleansing of Palestine, or Al Nakba, was planned beginning in the 1920s. Zionists vigorously researched and tactically mapped out each village and its demographics starting in 1938 according to the diaries, speeches, and public records of Zionist leaders David Ben-Gurion, Vladimir Jabotinsky, Chaim Weizmann, and others. Dr. Illan Pappe fully maps this out in his book "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine." During Nakba, the Zionists systematically razed whole villages to prevent their owners' return. Political leaders then added laws declaring Palestinian villages "military zones" to prevent their owners from returning, a tactic that continues today inside Area C. After three years of military zoning to prevent Palestinians from returning to their homes, businesses, and lands, Zionist politicians added more laws declaring that any land not occupied for three years became the property of the state of Israel. Laws, terror, and guns are how the people of Palestine became refugees in their own country. Today, as a policy of cultural erasure, many razed villages are covered with pine trees and turned into Jewish-only parks, many of which are accessible on Jewish-only roads from Jewish-only housing developments. In a uniquely devious twist, various pro-Zionist organizations use tree planting on these destroyed villages as fundraisers in the West under cover of environmental causes. Al NAKBA—A UNIQUE EVENT IN MODERN HISTORY What makes the Nakba unique is not that it happened. Wars happen, and people get displaced. International law provides for the repatriation of civilians fleeing war or turmoil. International law says people who flee during conflict may return; if that is not possible, they must be compensated. How Israel prevented the Palestinians from doing this is explained above. What makes Nakba unique is that it continues. Palestinians were and are prevented from returning to their homes and property because they are of the wrong religions under Israeli law. They are Christian or Muslim predominantly, but also Druze, atheist, Buddhist, and other faiths. Faith. That's it, and that's the primary reason Palestinians are discriminated against. Over 90 laws on Israel's books explicitly discriminate against non-Jewish persons in all areas of life. If Palestinians were Jewish (and many are. Palestine is a region, not a race), they would be given their property back and, in many cases, large living subsidies. But most are not Jewish, and those that are Mizrahi and Sephardic—Semitic Jews— face racial discrimination in the Israeli system, favoring Askanazi—Caucasian Jews—similar to people of color in the US today. ___________ Note: Semitic is a language group that includes ancient Aramaic, ancient Hebrew, Arabic, and two other extinct languages. In Europe, "Semitic" or "Semite" became a derogatory term for persons of Arab ancestry and color, often Jewish or Muslim, beginning in the 19th century. Zionists adopted the word to elevate racism against Jewish people to a higher level in the 1880s. In reality, being anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim, or anti-Jewish are all equal forms of antisemitism. It is not exclusive to faith, but a language group and culture. ___________ Another difference between Nakba and other historical genocides, holocausts, and ethnic cleansing campaigns is accountability. Unlike Germany, Israel has yet to admit what it has done, pay reparations, or make any overture to replace the personal, business, and community property of those it dispossessed in 1948, in 1967, and continuing through today. Instead, the destruction continues and escalates, and the rest of the world continues to pay for Israel's discriminatory practices and occupation. Nakba continues through the use of siege, displacement, occupation, and apartheid. This situation is over seventy years old, five times longer than the Nazi party ruled Germany and 11 times longer than the Holocaust. MARKING THE EVENT The tradition for Al Nakba is to hold marches in the streets where Palestinians, both Christian and Muslim, carry the deeds to the property they still own but are prohibited from returning to because they are of the wrong faith. Each year the international community of support has grown to the point where Nakba events are held in major cities worldwide, including the United States. WHAT YOU CAN DO Nakba Day is a day to insist upon ending racism directed at people because of their faith in all areas of the world. It is a time to acknowledge the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, confront racism on this issue and look at hard truths. It is a day of mourning for the catastrophe which created the strife, violence, and unrest the world lives with today. The best thing you can do for Nakba is learn. Make sure your friends know about it and why it must end. The only reason it continues is that the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and European Union, continue to provide public relations, diplomatic, financial, and military cover for the state of Israel. These nations all hold civil rights in esteem, and covering this up is contrary to the values of each. Your religion, or lack of one, shouldn't determine your value. When the people of the enabling nations insist Israel uphold its pledge of November 29, 1947, to the United Nations, the conditions of its statehood, including: 1) Treat everyone equally and respectfully, regardless of faith, origin, or race. 2) Create and ratify a constitution guaranteeing those rights, and 3) Live within its borders. Policies will change. Al Nakba will end, and Israel will no longer have a security problem of its own making.

Africa

May

Peace Officers Memorial Day: May 15

06:20 AM | -

Peace Officers Memorial Day is a national observance in the United States that pays tribute to local, state, and federal peace officers who have died or received an injury in the line of duty. It is observed annually on May 15 and is part of National Police Week. The observance began on October 1, 1961, when Congress authorized President John F. Kennedy to designate May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day through a joint resolution (Public Law 87-726). In honor of the fallen officers throughout the United States, flags fly at half-staff. Various memorial services, candlelight vigils, and other events pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., serves as the focal point for many of these events, featuring the engraved names of over 22,000 officers who have lost their lives while serving their communities since the first recorded police death in 1791.

Africa

May

Ride of Silence, Intl.: May 15

06:20 AM | -

In 2003, Chris Phelan organized the first Ride of Silence in Dallas after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was hit by the mirror of a passing bus and killed. The Ride of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph and remain silent during the ride. There are no sponsors and no registration fees. During National Bike Month, the ride aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police, and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to public roadways. The ride is also a chance to show respect for those killed or injured. As of 2010, this has become an international event, with riders worldwide joining in solidarity to honor those who have died in bicycle accidents. This event occurs on the third Wednesday in May unless rained out, and the alternate day is the Saturday following the third Sunday.

Africa

May

San Isidro Day (C): May 15

06:20 AM | -

Saint Isidro (1082-1172AD) is the patron saint of Madrid and the patron saint of farmers. Each year in Hispanic nations, including Mexico and Spain, festivities are held on the day leading up to this feast. In Madrid it is called the Pradera del Santo. The miracle San Isidro performed was to pound the parched earth and bring forth a gushing spring. During the festivities, a lot of water (and food) is consumed. WHY SO MANY FEAST DAYS? Have you ever noticed that there seem to be feast days for just about everything in the Catholic and Orthodox Christian faiths? There is a reason for that. The church granted feast days to allow all subjects of the Crown to take a day off. As most worked six days a week, feast days provided a break that landowners and nobility couldn't deny. If they tried, they were going against the church, and that you did not do. In medieval times, there were approximately 60 feast days a year. Add this to 52 Sundays, Christmas, and Easter; workers received at least 114 days off a year. Contrast that to today. The average American gets 104 weekend days and seven national holidays off work. That's three days less than the commoners of the Dark Ages, in case you're feeling overworked.

Africa

May

Slider Day, Ntl: May 15

06:20 AM | -

National Slider Day celebrates the two-inch circumference mini sandwich invented by White Castle nearly a century ago. Typically a slider is a small hamburger, but it can be any type of round-roll mini sandwhich. The Library of Congress states the first hamburger sold in America was in 1900 by Louis Lassen, a Danish immigrant, and restaurateur in New Haven, Connecticut. White Castle hamburger chain states the hamburger is the invention of Otto Kuase of Hamburg, Germany. White Castle began in 1921. Who created the ground meat sandwich may never be known. The US government gives Lassen official credit because the first sale can be proved. What is known is that in 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair, the humble hamburger sandwich caught the attention of the New York Tribune, gaining instant celebrity in American culture. Later, Roy Kroc would make hamburgers the definition of fast food affordable to the masses. During both World Wars, due to Germany being the enemy, restaurants referred to the beef patties as Salisbury steak, a hamburger patty without the buns drenched in gravy. Sliders are now a popular appetizer and can be found in most areas with local influences. This event was first celebrated in 2014.

Africa

May

Smile Month, Ntl. (UK): May 15-June 15

06:20 AM | -

National Smile Month is the United Kingdom’s longest-running oral health campaign. Together with thousands of individuals and organizations, National Smile Month promotes three key messages: 1) Brush your teeth last thing at night and on at least one other occasion with fluoride toothpaste; 2) Cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks; 3) Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend. National Smile Month aims to improve oral health in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of events and activities throughout the country educate and engage local communities on the importance of a healthy mouth. It was created in 1976.

Africa

May

Straw Hat Day (1916): May 15

06:20 AM | -

Straw Hat Day has occurrs in May at Ivy League schools each year since 1916. It is an Ivy League tradition that began at the University of Pennsylvania. Straw Hat Day is the official ushering of the summer wardrobe and a bit of rebellion against the status quo. The traditions of Straw Hat Day are incorporated into the present-day passing of the class from graduating seniors to the junior class at the University of Pennsylvania. The day continues to stand on its own, while at Penn, "Hey Day" is often celebrated at the end of April or in the first week of May. According to the University's site, this is what it is all about: "For many years prior to the origination of Hey Day in 1916, the principal spring celebration for undergraduates was Straw Hat Day. Straw Hat Day was the second Saturday of each May, the special event of the day being a baseball game with Princeton. Today it occurs annually on May 15. At the time, there was strict observance of the tradition that a higher education deserves appropriate dress. Thus, when students went to baseball games, they generally wore tailored suits, shirts with collars and neckties, garters, and hats. On Straw Hat Day, felt hats were laid aside, and the students appeared in straw hats. Straw Hat Day was so widely accepted in Philadelphia that no one in the city dared wear a straw hat before this day.

Africa

May

Word Pain Day: May 15 (est)

06:20 AM | -

Dictionary.com celebrates its birthday (May 14, 1995) with a week-long event called #DictionaryWeek. The event includes various themed days: Wordplay Day (Monday): Participants are encouraged to share their favorite puns on Twitter, with the chance to be featured in the Pun Hall of Fame. There are also wordplay quizzes and games to enjoy. Word Love Day (Tuesday): A Word Giveaway takes place on Twitter, featuring favorite words selected by the Dictionary.com team. Limited edition virtual word certificates are available. The Word Love collection, curated for word lovers, is also featured. Word Pain Day (Wednesday): A Misspelling Bee occurs on Twitter, where participants share misspelled words that haunt them. There are spelling quizzes, games, and tips for getting words right. Word Curiosity Day (Thursday): A Twitter event allows users to ask questions about words, dictionary additions, language inclusivity, and more. Experts from Dictionary.com participate in answering the questions. Quizzes and strange-but-true word facts are also featured. Word Inspiration Day (Friday): Participants share the one word they would want their name to appear next to in the dictionary. Dictionary.com chooses one of these words as the Word of the Day, crediting the person who shared it. Throughout the week, participants are encouraged to follow Dictionary.com on Twitter and engage in various activities and events.

Africa

May

AIDS, First Man Cured of AIDS Announced (2011): May 16

06:20 AM | -

Today is the anniversary of the announcement of the first man, Timothy Ray Brown of Berlin, cured of HIV, the preliminary stage of the virus that causes AIDS, on May 16, 2011. For those of us alive in the late 1970s to mid-1980s, a terrifying new disease appeared on the horizon following the free love movement and loosened condemnation against premarital sex. The baby boomer generation, the largest yet to ever exist, was young and in its prime. They stretched the boundaries of convention, experimented with sex and drugs, put off marriage, and pursued education. It was a sexually charged and exciting time for youth, and the future was theirs. That free-wheeling era marked by the 1960s and 1970s came crashing to an end when AIDS appeared on the scene. Suddenly, you could die horribly slowly by having sex with the wrong person. At first, nobody really knew how you got it. It would be the early 80s before the actual virus was identified. Then, once identified, there was no way to treat or cure it. Treatments would appear in the next decade, including antiretroviral therapy or ART, but conclusive proof of a possible cure still needs to be discovered. That changed when 45-year-old Brown of Berlin, a man who tested positive for HIV in 1995, tested completely clean for HIV upon discovering an HIV immunity gene he received through a bone marrow stem cell transplant in 2007. Doctors announced he experienced a functional cure on May 16, 2011.

Africa

May

Armed Forces Day: May 18

06:20 AM | -

Declared each year by the President of the United States, Armed Forces Day salutes the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen "who perform their duties with impeccable courage, commitment, and character, and recognize our moral obligation to serve them and their families as well as they have served us."

Africa

May

Biographer's Day (1763): May 16

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On May 16, 1763, English poet, essayist, moralist, and literary critic Samuel Johnson first sat down in collaboration with James Boswell in London. Boswell would go on to write the "Life of Samuel Johnson, a biography." The book has become the standard by which the modern biography would be measured and was hailed by critic Harold Bloom "as the greatest biography written in the English language." Johnson would have enjoyed this designation immensely as a literary scholar and critic. James Boswell was a mere 22 when he first met with Johnson. The book would not be published until 1791, when he was 50. Boswell died four years later, in 1795. Biographer's Day marks the anniversary of the first meeting between Johnson and Boswell. It is a tribute to all biographers, living and dead.

Africa

May

Coeliac (Celiac) Awareness Day, Intl.: May 16

06:20 AM | -

Coeliac (Celiac) Awareness Day is an annual international event that seeks to educate people about celiac disease, dermatitis herpetiformis, and the benefits of a gluten-free diet for the one percent of people with this autoimmune, hereditary disease.

Africa

Apr

Artisan Day, World: April 18

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World Artisan Day began in 2021 to honor artisans worldwide for their unique contributions to uplifting communities and preserving humanity's cultures and traditions. The event focuses on sharing the stories of individual artisans in remote corners of the world, with the overarching theme being "a better world for artisans is a better world for all." The inspiration for the event originates from a remote festival held high in the Andes to celebrate Peruvian Artisan Day. Roberto Milk, CEO of NOVICA and a descendant of Peruvian artisans was instrumental in its creation. The skilled creations of Artisan connect us to a cultural history that respects time, traditional skills, and creative expression. In addition to celebrating artisans, World Artisan Day also celebrates those who shop with a purpose, helping artisans succeed, uplifting communities and preserving cultural traditions. Header Image: 14th generation artisans of the Taj Mahal, Agra, India. Photo by LD Lewis.

Africa

Apr

Native Plant Month, Ntl.: April

06:20 AM | -

National Native Plant Month is a month-long celebration focused on promoting the importance of native plants and raising awareness about their ecological benefits. Native plants have evolved naturally in a region and have adapted to the specific climate, soils, and other environmental factors. They are integral to local ecosystems, providing food and shelter for wildlife and contributing to biodiversity. During National Native Plant Month, various events, workshops, and educational initiatives encourage people to learn more about native plants and their significance, including seminars, guided walks, and community planting events. The month also emphasizes the importance of conserving and restoring native plant habitats. They play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance, supporting pollinators, and reducing the need for water and pesticide use in gardens and landscapes. National Native Plant Month first ran in 2021.

Africa