All - Leep Calendar

Polar Bear Week coincides with the fall polar bear migration to Churchill, Manitoba, where polar bears gather to wait for freeze-up on Hudson Bay so they can return to hunting seals. During Polar Bear Week, we focus on the importance of sea ice to polar bears—and why we must take action on climate change to ensure their survival.

Africa

Nov

Radiologic Technology Week (1895): November 5-11

06:20 AM | -

Radiologic Technology Week commemorates the discovery of x-ray technology on November 8, 1895, by German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen. The x-ray has become one of the most reliable medical diagnostic and disease detection tools. It also paved the way for more sophisticated tools like MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), computed tomography, and nuclear medicine.

Africa

Nov

Tsunami Awareness Day, World: November 5

06:20 AM | -

In December 2015, the UN General Assembly designated November 5 as World Tsunami Awareness Day. The date honors the Japanese story of “Inamura-no-hi,” meaning the “burning of the rice sheaves.”

On December 23, 1854, an 8.4 earthquake hit Tokai, Japan. In its aftermath, a farmer saw the tide receding, a sign of a looming tsunami. He set fire to his entire harvest to warn villagers, who fled to high ground. Afterward, he built a dam and planted trees as a buffer against future waves.

The UN General Assembly called on all countries, international bodies, and civil society to observe the day to raise tsunami awareness and share innovative approaches to risk reduction.

Africa

Nov

Volunteer Managers Day, Intl.: November 5

06:20 AM | -

First conceived in 1999, International Volunteer Managers Day (IVMDay) was created by Nan Hawthorn as a way to recognize the time, effort, and skills managers and volunteers put into causes. The statement of values is as follows: Volunteer Managers have the skills and knowledge to help people be part of the solution in meeting community needs. Even in cynical times, they practice the art of the possible. Volunteer Managers change lives — both the lives of volunteers and those served by well-led volunteers. It is a life-changing profession. Volunteer managers provide the leadership and direction that allows people to build a good and just society and mend the social fabric. Without professional leadership, people’s time, talents, and efforts could be wasted. A well-run volunteer program shows the community, including potential donors, that the organization is not afraid of public scrutiny and involvement and endeavors to make the most efficient use of monetary assets. Well-led volunteers become an advocacy and public relations force for an agency or program — a force no money could buy.

Africa

Nov

Week of Science & Peace, Intl.: November 6-12

06:20 AM | -

International Week of Science and Peace began in 1986 as part of the International Year of Peace. Based on the success of the 1986 observance, the organizers continued their efforts in successive years. In recognition of the value of the annual observance, the General Assembly adopted resolution 43/61 in December 1988, which proclaims the “International Week of Science and Peace” to take place each year during the week of November 11.

Africa

Nov

Zero-tasking Day: November 5

06:20 AM | -

With daylight savings, we "fall back" and gain an hour in our day. Why not spend the hour doing absolutely nothing productive? Zero-task, take a deep breath, and relax.

Africa

Nov

Basketball Day (1861): November 6

06:20 AM | -

Basketball Day commemorates the birth of Canadian James Naismith, the father of basketball, on November 6, 1861. It's a day when community centers host tournaments and a great excuse to pick up the ball and have a game.

Africa

Nov

Children's Book Week: November 6-12*

06:20 AM | -

Children's Book Week is the annual celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading. It occurs in May and November each year.

Children's Book Week originated in the belief that children's books and literacy are life-changers. In 1913, Franklin K. Matthiews, the librarian of the Boy Scouts of America, began touring the country to promote higher standards in children's books. He proposed creating a Children's Book Week, which would be supported by all interested groups: publishers, booksellers, and librarians. Mathiews enlisted two essential allies: Frederic G. Melcher, the visionary editor of Publishers Weekly, and Anne Carroll Moore, the Superintendent of Children's Works at the New York Public Library and a significant figure in the library world.

With the help of Melcher and Moore, in 1916, the American Booksellers Association and the American Library Association sponsored a Good Book Week with the Boy Scouts of America. Children's Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Every year, commemorative events are held nationwide at schools, libraries, bookstores, and homes—wherever young readers and books connect!

Children's Book Week is administered by Every Child A Reader, a 501(c)(3) literacy organization dedicated to instilling a lifelong love of reading in children. The Children's Book Council, the national non-profit trade association for children's book publishers, is an anchor sponsor.

Africa

Nov

Fill Our Staplers Day: November 6

06:20 AM | -

During Daylight Savings Sunday, you check your batteries in your smoke and carbon dioxide alarms. The following day at work, you check the staples in your stapler and refill as needed. Brought to you annually by the Dull Men's Club.

Africa

Nov

Green March Day, (MA)(1975): November 6

06:20 AM | -

On November 6, 1975, nearly 350,000 Moroccans led a mass demonstration in Spanish Sahara known as the Green March. The unarmed group arrived in the city of Tarfaya and claimed the land for Morocco. On November 14, 1975, a treaty between Morocco, Spain, and Mauritania was signed, making it so. To this day, it is the largest peaceful march in history.

Africa

Nov

Gustavus Adolphus Day (SE)(1632): November 6

06:20 AM | -

The king of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus, reigned from 1611 until his death on November 6, 1632. Under his military leadership, Sweden became a European power. He is considered one of the great commanders in history and noted for his use of combined arms and administrative abilities in matters of state. Adolphus perished in the Battle of Lutzen. Gustavus Adolphus Day is a public holiday in Sweden.

Africa

Nov

Job Action Day: November 6

06:20 AM | -

It's time to put your career first. Job Action Day encourages people to look at their careers and decide where they want to be this time next year. Brush off that resume, look into training, and identify your dream job; whatever you do, today is a day of action. Annually on the first Monday in November. Job Action Day began in 2008.

Africa

Nov

Marooned Without A Compass Day: November 6

06:20 AM | -

Marooned without a Compass Day is devoted to the unfortunate souls stranded on a lonely island. Isolated without a knife, tools, and matches seems worse, as navigation is possible with the sun, moon, and stars. The compass first appeared in 206 BC China, finding its way to maritime navigation during the early 12th century AD.

Africa

Nov

Patient Accessibility Week, Ntl.: November 6-10

06:20 AM | -

The disabled, elderly, obese, and others often have difficulty accessing health care providers and their offices. National Patient Accessibility Week encourages health care providers and facilities to look at their practices and offices from a patient’s perspective and make any changes that may be needed.

Africa

Nov

Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, International Day for: November 6

06:20 AM | -

Ecosystems, fauna, and animals endure silent suffering during war. Areas once full of biodiversity are frequently destroyed for years or permanently. In the beginning, the thunder of bombs shatters the stillness and rhythms of life. Explosives carve scars into the earth, decimate plant life, and pollute waters—the lifelines of many species. The violent reshaping of landscapes through trenching and fortifications disrupts the ancient migratory pathways of wildlife, from the great herds of elephants in Africa to the fleeting movements of birds across contested skies.

The repercussions of conflict echo far beyond the reach of bullets and blasts. Habitats are fragmented, disrupting the delicate balance of food chains and leading to unforeseen consequences such as the overpopulation of some species and the endangerment or extinction of others. The decline of predators can lead to an overabundance of herbivores, which then overgraze and alter the vegetation, affecting the entire ecosystem.

Chemical residues from weapons seep into soils and waters, rendering them toxic to both plant and animal life. In some regions, the land becomes littered with unexploded ordnances, posing a threat to wildlife and hindering conservation efforts, sometimes for generations. Conservation efforts collapse under the strain of conflict. Rangers and researchers, often the unsung guardians of these wild places, are forced to abandon their posts, leaving endangered species and protected areas vulnerable to poachers and unchecked illegal activities.

The international community grapples with the complexities of rebuilding nations in the aftermath of conflict, and restoring natural habitats is frequently an afterthought. Yet, the ripple effects of environmental degradation due to war contribute to a cycle of poverty and further unrest, as local communities depend on these ecosystems for survival.

International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict raises awareness of the environmental costs of war and conflict. Forty percent of world conflicts break out over natural resources, including land, oil, water, or minerals.

Declared by the UN General Assembly under A/RES/56/4.

Africa