All - Leep Calendar

Alex Odeh was the regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee when the advocacy group's offices in Santa Ana, California, were bombed on this day in 1985. The FBI quickly narrowed the list of suspects, honing in on the Jewish Defense League (JDL), a recognized terrorist group in the United States. Odeh's death was one of three bombings at the time attributed to the JDL by the FBI. Years later, the JDL was responsible for the bombings of Arab American US Congressman Darryl Issa's offices in San Diego in October 2001. Two JDL members were sent to prison for the Issa attack, which only received one mention by CNN in the national media of their sentencing. One died incarcerated.

WHY TARGET ODEH?

Odeh was a Christian Palestinian-American whose family fled the Occupied West Bank in 1972 and resettled in the United States. He was a noted human rights activist, poet, and writer who gave his life to pursuing human rights. Experts believe the motivation for Odeh's assassination was revenge for the murder of Leon Klinghoffer on October 7, 1985. Klinghoffer was a Jewish American sailing on the Achille Lauro. According to Israeli sources, the ship had been hijacked by terrorists representing the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). However, the information coming into the ADC, intelligence services, and media did not support this assertion.

Odeh went on national television after the attack in the United States, clarifying neither the PLO nor Palestinians were responsible for the incident. His position did not go over well with certain people, and four days later, terrorists bombed the ADC offices in California, killing Odeh. Odeh would be proven correct in 1992 as the PLO was not responsible for the Achille Lauro hijacking nor the death of Klinghoffer. This fact would become known with publishing of the expose book "Profits of War" (page 122) by former Israeli Defense Forces Senior Intelligence Officer Ari Ben-Menashe.

Ben-Menashe had direct knowledge of the event and clarified that the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) had nothing to do with the hijacking of the Achille Lauro. The hijacking was, he disclosed, a black flag operation by Israeli intelligence designed to place blame and delegitimize the PLO in the early days of the First Intifada. At the time, the Palestinian cause was gaining sympathy, and international support for Israel's actions was waning. Israel reversed this trend by presenting the Achille Lauro hijacking as a terrorist act by Palestinians. Israeli intelligence would deploy a similar propaganda tactic in 2010 against the Mavi Marmara, which was also proved wrong.
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Alex Odeh was murdered because he supported human rights, his ethnicity, origin, and his refusal to bow to terrorism. Decades later, as of this writing, and despite several suspects living in freedom within Israel, no one has been questioned or arrested. The ADC continues to declare Alex Odeh Day every year until justice occurs for him and his family.

Africa

Oct

Bullying Day, Stop, Ntl.: October 11

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Promoted by Hey U.G.L.Y. (Unique, Gifted, Lovable, You), National Stop Bullying Day works against bullying in all its shapes and forms. Whether it's school bullying, street bullying, or cyberbullying, being bullied is always a traumatic experience for the bullied and those around them.

Bullying is often problematic for the bullies themselves as it's an extremely unhealthy way of expressing or suppressing emotions. The vast majority of bullies are tormented people, but a bully can be an animal or a nation too. Bullies feel helpless and choose to bully to regain a sense of control. Rather than "pick on someone their own size" who can fight back, bullies seek to exploit vulnerabilities and will use everything in their power to look superior to others. This day is about saying "no!" to bullying and educating people on the resources available to help the bullied and bullies change their life.

Africa

Oct

Coming Out Day, Intl., (1987): October 11

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International Coming Out Day is an LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, and Queer) community initiative to provide a safe day for LGBTQ+ persons to embrace their inner selves. When an LGBTQ+ person goes public with their sexuality, it is referred to as "Coming Out." It's an act that used to be very personal and often difficult; however, public declarations are celebrated in earnest by the LGBTQ+ community, and social media is filled with declarations on this day.

Religious teachings in the Abrahamic faiths are against the lifestyle. Many feel shunned by their friends and family or targeted for declaring they are homosexual, bisexual, or any of the other 50+ iterations earning banners in the past 15 years. Coming Out Day provides instant acceptance, affirmation, and community access, to those outing, regardless of the opinions rendered on their decision. October 11, 1987, saw the first national march on Washington for lesbian and gay rights. The following year, 1988, October 11 became the official International Coming Out Day.

Africa

Oct

DAR Day of Service (1890): October 11

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Founded in 1890, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a civic organization of female descendants of American fighters from the Revolutionary War. Each year since 2014, on or near the anniversary of their founding on October 11, 1890, members devote a day to serving the community.

Activities include

-Collecting and donating goods and toiletries for local food pantries and women’s shelters;

- Writing letters and compiling care packages for deployed troops;

- Cleaning up local historic homes and restoring headstones in cemeteries;

- Packing backpacks with meals and goods for young students in need; and

- Picking up trash and debris along local waterways and parks.

Organizations interested in participating in the DAR Day of Service should contact their local chapter.

Africa

Oct

Emergency Nurses Day: October 11

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Since 1989, the Emergency Nurses Association has recognized the second Wednesday in October as Emergency Nurses Day, a day honoring emergency nurses for their commitment to patient care. In 2001, ENA expanded the celebration to devote an entire week to honoring emergency nurses because one day is not enough to recognize all contributions made by emergency nurses. During a year when the Zika virus, opioids and heroin, and the mental health crisis made national headlines, emergency nurses compassionately connected with and cared for their community of patients and coworkers. This week is about honoring these frontline workers in the healthcare field.

Africa

Oct

Fossil Day, Ntl.: October 11

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The film series Jurassic Park popularized paleontology, which is the science devoted to fossils. Fossils are the remains (bones) or impressions (molded into rock) of prehistoric animals, plants, and organisms. These clues into the Earth's biological history help us better manage our planet today and teach us about yesterday's history. National Fossil Day is an annual celebration of paleontology, paleontologists, and the natural world.

Africa

Oct

General Pulaski Memorial Day (1779): October 11

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Each year, on October 11, Americans pause to remember General Casimir Pulaski, who gave his life for American independence during the Revolutionary War. Casimir Pulaski was a Polish patriot and renowned military strategist in Europe, but that didn't stop him from giving his life for American freedom and joining the cause in 1777.

Having witnessed the occupation of Poland firsthand, Casimir Pulaski knew better than anyone the struggle for independence, writing to George Washington, "I came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it." October 11 was proclaimed as a General Pulaski Memorial Day in 2010 by President Barack Obama to mark the anniversary of his death at the Siege of Savannah, Georgia, in 1779.

Africa

Oct

Girl Child, International Day of the: October 11

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As of 2012, October 11 is the United Nations' International Day of the Girl Child, proclaimed by the body on December 19, 2011. With that resolution, the UN invited the member states and other significant organizations to honor the International Day of the Girl and raise awareness of the importance of girls worldwide. International Day of the Girl Child is a different event from National Girls Day, which the Confidence Coalition sponsors.

Africa

Oct

IQVIA Africa Health Summit (RW): October 11-12

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The IQVIA Africa Health Summit is a complimentary in-person event which brings together inspiring clinical research and public health experts to share knowledge and exchange ideas about how together we can advance Africa's health through data, technology and innovative research.

Africa

Oct

It's My Party Day: October 11

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It's My Party Day is an unofficial holiday, but that's perfectly fine because it is a day to celebrate the world of YOU. Small or big, it doesn't matter; it just has to be a party about you.

Africa

Oct

Kraken Day, World: October 11

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Who said scientists don't have a sense of humor? World Kraken Day is about celebrating cephalopods in literature and mythology. Two examples are the giant squid from "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" by Jules Verne and the Kraken of Scandinavian mythology (often summoned by Nordic gods and, more recently, by discredited American attorneys).

The Kraken first appeared in an Icelandic story called Örvar-Oddr in the 13th century AD. The most recent cephalopod to gain fame in entertainment is the octopus in the 2021 Academy Award-winning Best Documentary from South Africa, "My Octopus Friend."

Cephalopods are a species of marine animals and include squid, octopuses, cuttlefish, and nautiluses. There are over 800 species worldwide, and they've been with us for over 300,000 years. Marine scientists celebrate International Cephalopods Awareness Days in October as a teaching tool and a call for marine environmental preservation.

Africa

Oct

Obesity Day, World: October 11

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Obesity leads to several non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including heart disease, diabetes, liver disease, and cancer. Treating the effects of obesity worldwide is projected to cost US$1.2 trillion per year by 2025. World Obesity Day seeks to promote healthy weight and investment in the prevention, management, and treatment of obesity. It is a call to action for governments and health services. The World Health Organization seeks to reduce global obesity by 25% by 2025. This event first ran in 2015.

Africa

Oct

Pet Obesity Awareness Day, Ntl.: October 11

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The second Wednesday of October is National Pet Obesity Awareness Day, raising awareness about the dangers of pet obesity. Like people in first-world countries, as each year passes, more and more pets become obese every year. Obesity is as harmful to pets as it is to people. Pets don't have the intellect humans do and can't regulate their health if they are overfed. This day aims to teach owners how to love their pets through food without killing them with kindness.

Africa

Oct

Sausage Pizza Day, Ntl.: October 11

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National Sausage Pizza Day in the United States is a day for Americans to celebrate three of their favorite foods: sausage, pizza, and sausage pizza!

Africa

Oct

Southern Food Heritage Day: October 11

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Barbeque, Cajun spices, deep-fried, and gumbo, what is your favorite Southern style and flavor? Today is the day to dig in and enjoy. Championed by the Southern Food & Beverage Museum of New Orleans.

Africa