Monday, September 23rd
through
Thursday, September 26th
2013
“Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you’re going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don’t be afraid to go in your library and read every book…”
― Dwight D. Eisenhower
This Week Is:
The last week of September each year is Banned Books Week, so this year it is September 22-28. Banned Books Week is the national book community’s annual celebration of the freedom to read. Hundreds of libraries and bookstores around the country draw attention to the problem of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a variety of events. Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982.
The 10 most challenged titles of 2012 were:
-
Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group -
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group -
Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited for age group -
Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James.
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit -
And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson.
Reasons: Homosexuality, unsuited for age group -
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.
Reasons: Homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit -
Looking for Alaska, by John Green.
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group -
Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
Reasons: Unsuited for age group, violence -
The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit -
Beloved, by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence
In honor of banned books week we are reducing the price on several titles that have been challenged and banned.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Call of the Wild by Jack London
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Deenie by Judy Blume
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
King Lear by William Shakespeare
The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
My Friend Flicka by Mary O’Hara
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
National Keep Kids Creative Week
All kids are creative; they’re born that way. But more than ever before, children are losing their innate ability to “think outside the box” at early ages. In schools, government standards have prompted teachers to focus on teaching skills and knowledge needed to pass tests. They hope that parents will be able to encourage children to explore and imagine. But parents, overwhelmed by the pace of their schedules, all too often don’t have time to sit down and help their kids write or draw or discover. They hope the school will pick up the slack. This week is a time to focus on creativity and let “kids be kids”.
The phrase “man’s best friend” is a well worn but accurate description of the depth of our relationship with dogs. It is that relationship which is celebrated during National Dog Week. This year, the 74th National Dog Week runs Sept. 22 through Sept. 28. “Man’s Best Friend” is this year’s theme. The idea that the dog is “man’s best friend” is believed to have originated during a closing argument given by Sen. George Graham Vest, of Missouri. Vest, a lawyer, was representing a man whose dog was deliberately shot and killed by a neighbor. The grief stricken dog owner was suing the neighbor for damages. In his closing argument, Vest gave what has become the famous “Tribute to the American Dog.” The speech to the jury was so powerful that it not only won the case, it has been inscribed in a monument in Warrensburg, Missouri. William Safire included it in his compendium of the world’s great speeches. National Dog Week was founded in 1928 by Captain Will Judy, a noted dog judge and former publisher of Dog World Magazine. The purpose of National Dog Week is to educate all dog owners in their responsibilities to their pets and to their communities, particularly those organizations dedicated to caring for unwanted or lost dogs.
Sea Otter Awareness Week falls on the last week in September and is an annual recognition of the vital role that sea otters play in the nearshore ecosystem. Each year, zoos, aquariums, natural history museums, marine institutions, filmmakers, researchers, academics, educators, and the public participate in various events and activities highlighting sea otters and their naturalhistory and the various conservation issues sea otters are faced with. This year marks the 10th year anniversary of Sea Otter Awareness Week and hope to inspire the conservation of these beloved marine mammals!
The last full week in September is Deaf Awareness Week. It is also known as the International Week of the Deaf (or International Week of Deaf People). The purpose of Deaf Awareness Week is to draw attention to deaf people, their accomplishments and their issues. During this week, many deaf organizations hold activities to celebrate and conduct public information campaigns to educate people about deafness.
Monday:
The Phantom of the Opera original title: Le Fantôme de l’Opéra), a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux, was first published on September 23, 1909, as a serialization in Le Gaulois.
Planet Neptune was discovered on this day in 1846.
Celebrate Bisexuality Day is observed on September 23 by members of the bisexual community and their supporters. This day is a call for the bisexual community, their friends and supporters to recognize and celebrate bisexuality, bisexual history, bisexual community and culture, and all the bisexual and otherwise non-monosexual people in their lives. First observed in 1999, Celebrate Bisexuality Day is the brainchild of three United States bisexual rights activists: Wendy Curry of Maine, Michael Page of Florida, and Gigi Raven Wilbur of Texas. This celebration of bisexuality in particular, as opposed to general LGBT events, was conceived as a response to the prejudice and marginalization of the bisexual persons by some in both the straight and greater LGBT communities. In its first year, an observance was held during the International Lesbian and Gay Association, which occurred during the week of the 23rd. While at first it only took hold in areas with an extremely strong bisexual presence, it is now celebrated worldwide.
Checkers Day and Dogs in Politics Day
September 23rd is Checkers Day, It is also Dogs in Politics Day. You may be wondering what the connection is. In 1952, Richard M. Nixon was a candidate for Vice-President of the United States, running with Dwight D. Eisenhower. Media speculation centered around an $18,000 campaign contribution, and speculation that Nixon may have used some for his personal use. In a brilliant political maneuver, Nixon took his case to the American people. On September 23, 1952, Richard Nixon gave a speech that directly addressed and explained the issue. He assured the public that he did not use any of the funds for personal use. Towards the end of the speech, he stated that his daughters had received a dog, which they named “Checkers”, as a gift. He said they would keep the dog. This speech quickly became known as the “Checkers” speech, and went on to be one of the better speeches in American political history. With “Checkers” the dog included in the speech, this day was sometimes referred to as Dogs in Politics Day.
Tuesday:
The office of the United States Attorney General and the federal judiciary system were created on September 24, 1789 when the United States Congress passed the Judiciary Act and the composition of the Supreme Court of the United States was ordered.
September 24th is a day for celebration of the lowly comma, the correctly used question mark and other proper uses of periods, semicolons and the ever-mysterious ellipses. National Punctuation Day is the brainchild of Jeff and Norma Rubin, of Pinole, California. They’re writers and educators, and they think it’s high times kids learned that there are rules that govern punctuation—that people judge you by the way you write.
National Voter Registration Day
Millions of Americans did not vote because they missed a registration deadline or didn’t know how to register. On September 24, 2013, volunteers, celebrities, and organizations from all over the country will “hit the streets” for National Voter Registration Day. This single day of coordinated field, technology and media efforts will create pervasive awareness of voter registration opportunities–allowing us to reach tens of thousands of voters or more who we could not reach otherwise.
National Woman Road Warrior Day
The fourth Tuesday of September is a day of recognition for the nation’s travelingbusinesswomen. Like their male counterparts, Woman RoadWarriors open and close deals, make sales, give presentations, attend or lead seminars and maintain that all-important in-person presence in the often impersonal corporate world. But simultaneously, many are often charged with keeping their families on track at home—especially their babies, toddlers and multitasking school-age children—and nurture them, even from a long distance.
National Cherries Jubilee Day is this Tuesday, guaranteed to make cherry lovers jubilant. Cherries Jubilee is easy to make. All you need is a can of cherry pie filling, some cognac (or brandy) and vanilla ice cream.
Wednesday:
One decade ago, on September 25, 2003, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck just offshore Hokkaidō, Japan.
National Comic Book Day is observed each year on September 25th. This is a day to share a comic book with a friend. Comic books are great reading. They either tell an ongoing story, provide humor, or offer intrigue and suspense. In all comic books, good eventually prevails over evil. So, comic books always make us feel good. Comic books have great value as a collectors item. Don’t ever throw away those old comic books. Down the road, the series you are collecting today, may be worth its weight in gold!
National Women’s Health & Fitness Day
Women’s Health & Fitness Day is the nation’s largest annual health promotion event for women of all ages. This year’s event is set for Wednesday, September 25, 2013, and in future years, is always be held on the last Wednesday in September. This unique national program — with participation by local organizations throughout the U.S. — focuses attention on the importance of regular physical activity and health awareness for women.
September 25th is the day to celebrate every artist who has conspired to give us one massively successful song and the grand total of nothing since. One-Hit Wonder Day was established by music journalist Steve Rosen back in 1990 to pay tribute to those who have had their five minutes (or less) of fame and subsequently vanished, leaving us only a catchy (hopefully!) tune to remember them by. Many of the songs are so good, you can clearly understand why they climbed the charts. But in the case of some of the other one hit wonders, when you listen to some of the songs, you scratch your head trying to figure out just what was the appeal. Today is the day to sing and dance to those here-today gone-tomorrow chart toppers, those musical artist that everybody hurried to go buy the “Cassingle”.
International Ataxia Awareness Day
Chances are that you have never heard of ataxia. That is why the National Ataxia Foundation and other ataxia organizations throughout the world have declared September 25, 2013 as International Ataxia Awareness Day (IAAS) to help get the word out about ataxia. 2013 is the 14th year that an international public awareness campaign has been implemented. The goal of IAAD is for every individual to participate in some activity, creating awareness about ataxia.
Ataxia is a group of rare and often fatal degenerative neurological disorders. An estimated 150,000
people in the United States are affected by ataxia. Symptoms are progressive and often impact
coordination, hearing, vision, and speech. Ataxia affects both genders and all ages, but too often ataxia
strikes children and young adults. At this time, there is no effective treatment or cure for ataxia.
The seventh day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which falls on September 25 this year, is known as Hosana Rabbah. This day is marked by a special synagogue service in which seven circuits are made by the worshipers with their lulav and etrog, while the congregation recites Hoshanot. It is customary for the scrolls of the Torah to be removed from the ark during this procession.
Shmini Atzere begins in the evening of Wednesday, September 25 and ends in the evening of Thursday, September 26. This is “the Eighth [day] of Assembly]” and is a Jewish holiday.
Thursday:
The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was established September 26, 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act.
The last Thursday of September each year is observed as World Maritime Day. The United Nations (UN), via the International Maritime Organization (IMO), created World Maritime Day to celebrate the international maritime industry’s contribution towards the world’s economy, especially in shipping. World Maritime Day focuses on the importance of shippingsafety, maritime security and the marine environment and to emphasize a particular aspect of IMO’s work. Many maritime organizations and unions hold special events and activities to celebrate this day.
Happy Birthday:
Some of the writers born September 23rd include:
William Holmes McGuffey (1800), Victoria Woodhull (1838), Mary Church Terrell (1863), Emma Orczy (1865), Les Haylen (1898), Jaroslav Seifert (1901), Dominique Aury (1907), Jacques Poulin (1937), George Jackson (1941), Floella Benjamin (1949), Jerry Jenkins (1949), Mark Bego (1952), Peter David (1956), Bill Phillips (1964), Karl Pilkington (1972), and Chris Hawkins (1975).
Some of the writers born September 24th include:
Horace Walpole (1717), Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz (1878), A. P. Herbert (1890), F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896), Ham Fisher (1900), Robert Lewis Taylor (1912), Jan Carew (1920), Sheila MacRae (1924), John Brunner (1934), Yves Navarre (1940), John Kessel (1950), Douglas Kmiec (1951), Michael J. Varhola (1966), Shamim Sarif (1969), and Casey Johnson (1979).
Some of the writers born September 25th include:
Charles Robert Maturin (1782), Lope K. Santos (1879), Lu Xun (1881), Charles Kenneth Scott Moncrieff (1889), Jessica Anderson (1916), Robert Laxalt (1923), Barbara Walters (1929), Shel Silverstein (1930), Manouchehr Atashi (1931), Aram Saroyan (1943), Cherrie Moraga (1952), Luanne Rice (1955), W. Daniel Hillis (1956), and Bill Simmons (1969).
Some of the writers born September 26th include:
Joseph Furphy (1843), Edith Abbott (1876), Edwin Keppel Bennett (1887), J. Frank Dobie (1888), T. S. Eliot (1888), Robert Staughton Lynd (1892), Vladimir Voinovic (1932), Andrea Dworkin (1946), Jane Smiley (1949), Minette Walters (1949), Will Self (1961), and Mark Haddon (1962).
This Month Is:
Since the first handwritten Coca-Cola coupon in 1887, Americans have been using coupons to save on everything from groceries to clothing to entertainment. In 1998, the PMA designated September as National Coupon Month. With coupon distribution and redemption at historically high levels, more attention is being given to this savings tool in today’s economy. By just spending 20 minutes a week clipping and clicking, you could save over $1,000 annually. Grab your scissors, snatch a Sunday circular, and let the coupon clipping commence!
September marks Mold Awareness Month and many believe it is a great time to evaluate your home. Studies have shown that there is an association between factors related to indoor dampness, like, mold and mildew, and a wide variety of respiratory illnesses, including asthma, asthma exacerbation, respiratory infections, and upper respiratory tract symptoms such as cough, wheezing and dyspnea.
Among other month long observances in September, it is also:
Little League Month
International Square Dancing Month
Classical Music Month
Subliminal Communications Month
Sports and Home Eye Health & Safety Month
Pleasure Your Mate Month
National Skin Care Awareness Month
National Pediculosis (Head Lice) Prevention Month
Childrens’ Good Manners Month
National Osteopathic Medicine Month
National Home Furnishings Month
National DNA, Geonomics & Stem Cell Education Month
International People Skills Month
College Savings Month
Go Wild During California Wild Rice Month
National Blueberry Popsicle Month
National Organic Harvest Month
National Prime Beef Month
Passion Fruit and Peach Month
Peas and Radish Month
Bourbon Heritage Month
Chili Peppers and Figs Month
Great American Low-Cholesterol, Low-fat Pizza Bake Month
Better Breakfast Month
All American Breakfast Month
Baby Safety Month
National Child Awareness Month
National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
Backpack Safety America Month
Atrial Fibrillation Month
Disclaimer:
Much of the information in this blog is taken directly from Wikipedia, Amazon, and other sources such as holidayinsights.com, which are directly linked to within the text. Images have been taken from various sources found via Facebook, Goodsearch.com and Google.
Village Book Shop and the blogger claim no credit for the information above and no copyright infringement is intended.
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