All - Leep Calendar

Born November 30, 1863, Andrés Bonifacio was a revolutionary leader in the Philippines who led the people toward freedom against the Spanish. Bonifacio proclaimed Filipino independence on August 23, 1896, but was branded a traitor by enemies in the movement. He was executed on May 10, 1897. Bonifacio Day honors his contributions to the Philippines. He is considered a national hero, and today is a public holiday.

Africa

Nov

Computer Security Day, Intl.: November 30

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International Computer Security Day began in 1988 as an awareness campaign focusing on computer-related security issues. This annual event is observed worldwide and raises awareness of best practices in information security. The event provides insight into the privacy and security issues surrounding electronically stored sensitive information and offers ways to keep your computer and data safe. See your local computer center. Many offer computer checkups and virus and malware-detecting software for free or for a small fee.

Africa

Nov

COP28 (AE): November 30 - December 12

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With 197 Parties, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement. The main aim of the Paris Agreement is to keep a global average temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius and to drive efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The UNFCCC is also the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The ultimate objective of all agreements under the UNFCCC is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system in a time frame that allows ecosystems to adapt naturally and enables sustainable development.

Africa

Nov

Independence Day, (BB)(1966): November 30

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Independence Day in Barbados marks the anniversary of November 30, 1966, when the nation gained independence from England. Independence Day is a national holiday.

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Nov

Methamphetamine (Meth) Awareness Day, Ntl.: November 30

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Created in 2006, National Methamphetamine (Meth) Awareness Day aims to educate the public on the ill effects and dangers of methamphetamine use and abuse. President George W. Bush created this event via proclamation in answer to the growing crisis of methamphetamine abuse in the United States.

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Nov

Saint Andrew's Day (C)(UK)(60AD): November 30

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Saint Andrew's Day in Scotland commemorates the martyrdom of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, who was crucified on an X-shaped cross on November 30, 60AD. Scotland flies the Saltire flag on public buildings. The ceilidh, a traditional dance, is performed in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dumfries. Saint Andrew was the younger brother of Saint Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. He was born in Bethesda on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and he died in Patras, Greece. MARRIAGE WISHES For a young woman wishing to marry, this day holds special meaning. At midnight on November 30, hopeful brides pray for a future husband, peeling an apple as a continuous ribbon, then throwing it over her shoulder. The position of the peel when it lands determines the first letter of her future husband's name. Then she pours liquid candle wax into a bucket of water. As it cools, its form tells her of her future husband's profession. Scots proposed Saint Andrew's Day be a bank holiday in 2003. The St. Andrew's Day Bank Holiday Act of 2007 passed on November 29, 2006, and was given Royal Assent by the Crown on January 15, 2007. As of 2007, it is an annual bank holiday in Scotland. If November 30 falls on a weekend, the following Monday is the official state holiday. 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, and workers received a minimum of 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, just in case you're feeling a little overworked.

Africa

Nov

Stay at Home Because You Are Well Day, Ntl.: November 30

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National Stay at Home Because You Are Well Day is the ultimate excuse to take a "mental health day." Brought to you by the folks at Wellcat.

Africa

Nov

Victims Chemical Warfare, Day of Remembrance of: November 30

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The United Nations supports the International Day of Remembrance for Victims of Chemical Warfare, and its goal is to promote peace, security, and multilateralism. All sides used chemical weapons extensively during WWI, and they continue to be used today in the form of White Phosphorus and other agents.

Africa

Nov

Adopt-a-Senior-Pet Month (ASPCA): November

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November is the Adopt-a-Senior-Pet Month. Senior pets over seven are often passed over in favor of kittens and puppies. But senior pets have a unique appeal as they tend to be calmer, trained, and exceptionally loving, making them ideal pets for the elderly or families with small children.

Senior pets include former rescue and police dogs, animals left homeless due to their owner's death, and animals surrendered due to economic conditions, housing, or moves. Some people will abandon or relinquish pets due to health issues, and pets like us often need extra attention as they age. This week is the perfect time to give a senior pet a second chance at life, a life he or she can celebrate with your family in a new forever home.

Africa

Nov

Adoption Month, Ntl.: November

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November is National Adoption Month, highlighting the tens of thousands of children waiting to be adopted. Supported by the Children's Bureau in partnership with the Child Welfare Information Gateway and AdoptUSKids, each year has a different focus, whether on older children, special needs, or siblings.

Throughout the month, prospective adoptive parents can access information on what to expect when adopting, hear personal stories, or watch webinars focusing on family adoption.

Each year, approximately 122,000 children in the United States are eligible for adoption, most of whom will wait an average of four years before finding a home. Half of these children live in group homes or non-family environments. Roughly eight percent "age out" of the foster system annually before they find homes. Traditionally, fewer than four percent of mothers voluntarily put up newborn babies for adoption. Children over eight have a one in four chance of being adopted, a likelihood that exponentially diminishes each proximate year.

Millions of people in the United States indeed want to adopt. The problem is that prospective parents compete for the same 18,000 healthy newborns annually or prefer children under five without issues. Because of this, tens of thousands of children over five, those with siblings or who have survived trauma, struggle with learning or physical disabilities and are overlooked. National Adoption Month seeks to highlight these fantastic children and help them find the homes they deserve.

WILL A POST-ROE WORLD MAKE MORE BABIES AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION?

With the fall of Dobbs and Roe, the rise of forced birthing, intrusive monitoring of women's health, and the near criminalization of actions and pregnancy complications in several states, the logic is more babies will be available for adoption. Historically, that isn't the case. As single parenting and opportunities for women have increased in acceptability, less than ten percent of women denied the ability to exercise choice consider adoption. They'll either take matters into their own hands or keep a healthy child.

This article in The Atlantic, written nine months before the Supreme Court decision ending a woman's right to choose in several states, focuses on the ups and downs of adoption:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/10/adopt-baby-cost-process-hard/620258/.

Africa

Nov

AIDS Awareness Month: November

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Each November, the Pharmacists Planning Service. Inc (PPSI) hosts AIDS Awareness Month to educate consumers, patients, students, and professionals about tactics and tools to prevent the spreading of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. PPSI makes a host of tools available on their site for a small fee to allow participants to participate in this month-long campaign. PPSInc.org

Africa

Nov

Al Jazeera Founded (1996): November 1

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1996 saw the birth of two news behemoths: FOX News and Al Jazeera. Though the same age, these two organizations couldn't be more different.

FOX News went live on October 7, 1996, and today, November 1, 1996, saw the premiere of Al Jazeera in Arabic. Both are influential. FOX News reaches approximately four million viewers per day internationally, with 50% of those in the US. Actual numbers will depend upon breaking news. FOX is the top-rated news station in the United States, but it can't come close to Al Jazeera's influence and reach internationally.

Al Jazeera News reaches approximately 80-100 million viewers daily, with 98% of those outside the US. CNN International, though accessible to nearly 400 million households worldwide, reaches about 25 million daily. FOX and CNN are the primary cable channels in the US and require a paid subscription. Al Jazeera is available on satellite and streaming devices for free.

Al Jazeera English launched as a 24-hour English language channel on November 15, 2006.

While a corporation owns FOX and focuses on emotion, shock entertainment, celebrities, partisanship, and a smidgen of news in its afternoon and early evening hours, Al Jazeera came out of the gate dedicated to classic journalism. Factual information that informs without sensationalism, partisanship, or sides. It succeeded and continues to garner accolades from academia, change-makers, and the realms of the informed for its no-apologetic approach to reality. As it has risen in prestige and its programming increasingly focuses on complex news topics such as poverty, human rights, economics, global politics, and the environment, it continues to gain viewership internationally.

Created and funded by the Qatari government, Al Jazeera does have one glaring bias. They rarely cover the tiny Middle East nation of two million people. However, the rest of the world, the other 221 countries and territories Al Jazeera covers, cover it more in-depth, with less bias, commercial-free, and with more variety than even the venerable BBC.

Outside of heavily the partisan United States, Al Jazeera is the go-to global news channel. The absence of commercials provides information-packed segments, news magazines, and documentaries. Its international staff is recruited from the best: The BBC, PBS, CNN, CBS, France24, and others.

Al Jazeera is one of the few international networks to cover in-depth Africa and the global South. It was one of the few international news companies to focus extensively on human stories of poverty and the housing crisis in the United States after the 2008 crash. It provided the most intensive coverage of the Arab Spring and the Saudi war on Yemen, getting it blocked in many countries, including Saudi Arabia, not for lying but for reporting the truth. As the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize proves, going to two journalists, Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Andreyevich Murato of Russia, it is far more dangerous to report the truth than propaganda.

Al Jazeera was a darling to US politicians for its clear-eyed reporting on Asia, including the Middle East—until the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. Truth and facts on the ground didn't meld well with the "War-rah! rah!" chants of the Bush Administration at the time, so the channel was branded a 'terrorist' channel, and the divided states of America fell in lock-step, nibbling on appropriate soundbites and ignoring anything that didn't support the narrative. A decade or more later, America would realize the Iraq and Afghan wars were founded on lies. Viewers of Al Jazeera during the early 2000s figured that out much earlier.

With its coverage lauded and increasingly recognized as superior, there was an attempt to launch Al Jazeera America in 2013. The channel could not overcome the stigma attached to it during the Bush years. It shuttered in 2016, but many innovative programs, including The Stream, TechKnow, and The Listening Post (must-see journalism for anyone in journalism), would find a place on Al Jazeera English.

Today, if you speak to most people who have traveled or lived outside of the United States for any length of time or who make a living on knowledge, global business, or diplomacy, you'll find Al Jazeera is a part of their trusted sources. Absent corporate sponsors, Al Jazeera is one of the few primary news sources in the world that rarely caves to politicians, corporations, special interests, or lobbyists. Yes, it does happen with coverage of Qatar. We're aware of at least one instance when lobbyists prevented a four-part documentary on the Israel Lobby from airing in the United States. Still, aside from isolated instances (no media is perfect), Edward R Murrow would be proud of what Al Jazeera has built and become.

Al Jazeera in Arabic means "The peninsula," so named for its host nation's geography.

Africa

Nov

All Saints' Day: November 1

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All Saints' Day begins at sundown on Halloween and continues for 30 hours. It is known by many names, including All Hallows, Day of All the Saints, Solemnity of All the Saints, or the Feast of Saints. All Saints' Day commemorates the saints who have reached beatification in the Roman Catholic Church. It is believed to have originated as the pagan celebration Samhain, or the Celtic festival of the dead.

Africa

Nov

ALPHA-1 Awareness Month (AU): November

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Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency is a genetic illness that affects the lung or liver at various stages in one's life. Essentially, it is a protein produced in the liver. This protein protects lung tissue by dissolving damaged/aging cells and harmful bacteria, promoting the ability to breathe. Identifying this disease early in patients is essential to promoting a long and healthy life for those with it. This month is an awareness campaign to alert the public, make treatments known and encourage people to get tested.

Africa

Nov

Alzheimer's Disease and Awareness Month, Ntl.: November

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November is National Alzheimer’s Disease and Awareness Month. This public awareness campaign seeks to inform people about the disease and how to care for those living with it. As proclaimed by then President Ronald Reagan in 1983, people are encouraged to wear purple-colored shirts to show solidarity.

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