Monday, March 16, 2009

march 16: happy freedom of information day

so, i noticed that march has a series of under-appreciated holidays right in a row like the following:
march 13 "friday the thirteenth,"
march 14 "pi day,"
march 15 "ides of march,"
and march 17 "st. Patrick's day."

but what of the 16th, you ask? i asked the same question. fortunately, my good friend natalie was able to find something we could celebrate today:

Freedom of Information Day

Freedom of Information (FOI) Day is an annual event on or near March 16, the birthday of James Madison, who is widely regarded as the Father of the Constitution and as the foremost advocate for openness in government.
Madison Awards

Each year, the James Madison Award and the Eileen Cooke State & Local Madison Award are presented by the American Library Association on Freedom of Information Day to recognize those individuals or groups that have championed, protected, and promoted public access to government information and the public’s right to know.

so, happy freedom of information day. remember not to take for granted your freedom to share information.

and let's face it, holiday movies are always fun. White Christmas, Groundhog Day, etc. so, for suggested movies to watch on these holidays, i've thought of the following:
friday the 13th - "freaky friday" (the old one with jodie foster)
pi day - "dying for pie," the best spongebob episode (i think my fam has this on dvd)
ides of march - "julius caesar" (with marlon brando)
st. Patrick's day - "darby o'gill and the little people" (or you could watch "behind the waterfall," if 'feature films for families' is your kind of thing)

i still need one for freedom of information day. any suggestions?

also, can i just celebrate something very exciting for me today? i donated blood for the first time today and considering the fact that i was feeling all queasy just watching "the office" episode where they donate blood and that m*a*s*h on occasion makes me nauseous, i was very excited to get past my big fear. so, happy blood donation day for me.

here's me with my tough hot pink bandage:

(i had a different picture up, but i needed to look tougher and i'm afraid this is as good as it gets)