National Safety Month - 7 Ways to Stay Safe! Show Notes June is National Safety Month! In this episode, I’ll share seven simple, easy ways to enhance your safety and the safety of your loved ones. With June being National Safety Month, I’m recording this episode for two of my podcasts. Those are, “Safe Living Today” and “Weird and Whacky Holidays”. Of course, Living Safely is neither weird nor whacky. As a former Chief of Police, Security Director and leader of the Life Safety and Business Recov...
Jun 18, 2019•6 min
In 1999 the U.S. Congress declared May as National Military Appreciation Month. One of the main reasons for choosing May is there are more military related holidays in May than in any other month. These include Loyalty Day, VE Day (the end of WWII in Europe on May 8, 1945), Armed Forces Day, Military Spouse Day, and - the most important - Memorial Day. We salute those who have - and are - serving this great nation. Thank you for your service! For more information visit, https://www.military.com/...
May 03, 2019•2 min
Show Notes: April is Stress Awareness Month. This is a great time to look at the stress and the stressors in your life and create a path to eliminate or significantly lower the chronic stress response. In Summary - The 3 Stress Busting Ideas: - Take a Stress Inventory and identify two or three promising stress lowering strategies; - Create a video mind story for one or more of your chosen strategies and prepare a short affirmation using the words, “I Choose”; and, - Practice 1 to 2 minutes of de...
Apr 01, 2019•11 min
International Day of Happiness - How to Be Happier! March 20 is International Happiness Day. In this episode, you'll learn how this special holiday came to be and how it literally unites the world in the goal of increasing happiness around the globe. Each year the United Nations publishes their survey of international happiness for each world nation. The United States ranks 16th in the world with an average of 6.88 out of 10. This year's U.S. score is the lowest since the United Nations began pu...
Mar 20, 2018•7 min
Today’s featured holiday is,. National Compliment Day... Show Notes Where did this special day get it’s start? National Compliment Day is celebrating it’s 20th birthday this year. We have two ladies from New Hampshire to thank for this holiday. In 1998 Kathy Chamberlin of Hopkinton, New Hampshire and Debby Hoffman of Concord, New Hampshire created National Compliment Day to promote kindness and civility. It’s been the subject of news stories, radio and TV reports, and acknowledgement by National...
Jan 24, 2018•3 min
National Hobby Month - Ep22 - Show Notes Today’s featured holiday is,. National Hobby Month… In a 2015 post entitled, “Six Reasons to Get a Hobby”, published in “Psychology Today”, Jaime L. Kurtz, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Psychology at James Madison University, points to these six reasons to spend time pursuing a hobby: * Hobbies help you structure your time. * Hobbies promote flow. * Hobbies can foster new social connections. * Hobbies can make you interesting. * Hobbies can help you co...
Jan 22, 2018•7 min
National Hugging Day - Ep21 - Show Notes Today’s featured holiday is,. National Hugging Day! Unlike many of the 1,500 national holidays where the source of the holiday isn’t known, National Hugging Day had a definitive start date and identifiable person who started it. On March 29, 1986 Rev. Kevin Zaborney of Caro, Michigan created National Hugging Day. The original purpose of the celebration was to encourage family and friends to hug one another frequently. Rev. Zaborney cautions everyone to as...
Jan 21, 2018•4 min
National Disc Jockey Day! - Ep20 - Show Notes Today’s featured holiday is,. National Disc Jockey Day.. Having been a musician in a rock band and a Disc Jockey for a teen club when I was in high school, I’ve always loved music and the showmanship that goes with it. Like a delicious dinner, the total music experience is enriched by a well done presentation. The idea that someone could play records on radio goes back to 1909 when a 16-year old Stockton, California engineering student named Ray Newb...
Jan 20, 2018•6 min
Show Notes for Ep19 -National Popcorn Day! Today’s featured holiday is,.. National Popcorn Day. Before reaching into the popcorn box to enjoy a tasty treat of popcorn, let’s have a look at the history of corn. According to a 2012 article in “National Geographic”, people in what is now Peru were producing various corn based foods to include what we now call popcorn 6,700 years ago. “Corn” in Old English refereed to the dominant grain grown in a specific region. The dominant grain grown in what is...
Jan 19, 2018•5 min
National Winnie the Pooh Day - Show Notes for January 18 - Ep18 Today’s featured holiday is National Winnie the Pooh Day. In 1926, British author Alan Alexander Milne, known as A. A. Milne, authored the children’s story that would bring joy to millions of children and adults over the coming decades. Winnie-the-Pooh is as beloved today as it was nearly a century ago when it was first published. A. A. Milne was born on January 18, 1882 in Hampstead, United Kingdom. Thus, we celebrate Winnie the Po...
Jan 18, 2018•4 min
National Bootleggers Day - Ep17 - Show Notes Today’s featured holiday is,.National Bootlegger Day. We as a society have a love / hate relationship with alcohol. Descriptive terms range from “Nectar of the gods” to “Demon Rum”. So how did National Bootlegger’s Day come to be? January 17 is the birthday of famed criminal and bootlegger Al Capone, and Templeton Rye Whiskey. In the wake of Prohibition in the early 1920s, a number of residents of a small town in Iowa became outlaws. They produced a s...
Jan 17, 2018•5 min
Ep16 - National Religious Freedom Day - Show Notes Today’s featured holiday is, National Religious Freedom Day. The roots of RelIgious Freedom Day extend back to January 16, 1786, when the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was signed into law. The statute was introduced by Thomas Jefferson. This Virginia law was the model for the Establishment Clause of the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution, that clause reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or pr...
Jan 16, 2018•3 min
Weird, Wacky, and Traditional Holidays - Ep15 Show Notes Today’s featured holiday is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Let’s begin with a question asked by Dr. King: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” Dr. King. asked this question of everyone in the United States and beyond. We’ll return to this question in a moment, but let’s first explore how Dr. King’s birthday become a federal holiday despite fierce opposition by some of our elected representatives...
Jan 15, 2018•5 min
Today’s featured holiday is, “Dress Up Your Pet Day” - Ep14 - Show Notes At the top of our conversation about Dress Up Your Pet Day, I suggest you refrain from bringing your cat to the party unless you and your kitty have had a serious conversation about what your feline will tolerate. I knew a cat 40 years ago who was fine with his owner dressing him up in doll clothes and taking him for a spin in a baby carriage. Having interacted with hundreds of cats in my lifetime, this is the ONLY kitty I ...
Jan 14, 2018•4 min
Show Notes: National Vision Board Day - January 13 Today’s featured holiday is National Vision Board Day. This holiday came to be when the Registrar of “National Day Calendar” proclaimed that the second Saturday of every January would be National Vision Board Day. It’s hard to believe, but the film, “The Secret” was released nearly 12 years ago on March 26, 2006. One of the results of that blockbuster film was a huge increase in the popularity of the Vision Board as a way to engage the, “Law of ...
Jan 13, 2018•3 min
Ep 12 Show Notes: National Pharmacist Day Welcome to episode 12 of the Weird and Wacky Holidays Show”. I’m your host, Stephen Carter. Today’s featured holiday is National Pharmacist Day. Each year January 12 is set aside to honor the 293,000 men and women who are professional pharmacists. We normally associate pharmacists with retail stores such as CVS, Walmarts, supermarkets, and so forth. But licensed pharmacists also work in hospitals, medical and surgical clinics, nursing homes, prisons, and...
Jan 12, 2018•3 min
Show Notes: National Human Trafficking Awareness Day - Ep11: Today’s featured holiday is, “National Human Trafficking Awareness Day”. In 2007, the United States Senate designated January 11th as “National Human Trafficking Awareness Day”. Human trafficking is a huge global scourge. Experts estimate there are 20 to 30 million people in slavery around the world. The U.S. State Department estimates there are 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year. Eighty per...
Jan 11, 2018•5 min
Houseplant Appreciation Day - Ep10 Show Notes: Today’s featured holiday, started by the Gardener’s Network, is, “Houseplant Appreciation Day”! The end of year holidays are behind us. Decorations are all back in their appointment storage containers and - if you observe Christmas and put up a real tree - the Christmas tree needles are all vacuumed up. Those decorations certainly made your home look festive, but things are looking a touch barren and sparse. What to do? How about sprucing your livin...
Jan 10, 2018•6 min
National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day - Ep11 Shownotes Today’s featured holiday is, “National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day”! As a former police officer, trainer, and Chief of Police, this day is near and dear to my heart. Across the U.S. alone there are more than 800,000 sworn police officers serving communities large and small. When we add in federal, military, and special police, we have more than a million men and women working to protect us. In addition to sworn law enforcement offic...
Jan 09, 2018•5 min
Ep8 - National Bubble Bath Day Today’s featured holiday is, “National Bubble Bath Day”! While the exact date when the bubble bath was born, we know it extends back to the 1930s. Bubble bath photos appeared with the marketing of a product called Dreft in 1933. A bubble bath scene was in the 1936 production of a play called, “The Woman. According the statistics site, “Statista”, the leading bath fragrance bubble bath brand is Dr. Teal’s Bath, followed by private label brands, Village Natural Thera...
Jan 08, 2018•4 min
National Say Something Nice Day - Ep7 Today’s featured holiday is National Say Something Nice Day! When I looked at the various holidays celebrated on January 7, none of them called to me as worthy candidates for you and I to celebrate. Those holidays are: Old Rock Day; National Bobblehead Day; and, National Tempura Day. When during meditation I asked my subconscious what should we celebrate, the answer came to me loud and clear: celebrate National Say Something Nice Day. Never mind there is no ...
Jan 07, 2018•6 min
Show Notes: National Cuddle Up Day - Ep6 Today’s featured holiday is National Cuddle Up Day! For those of us who live in the northern hemisphere, January typically is a cold, snowy month. Keeping with the cold weather, January is National Soup Month and National Hot Tea Month. So it’s no wonder someone came up with the idea for Cuddle Up Day. While there’s no reliable source to identify the genesis of this unofficial holiday, we know it’s a wonderful and worthy day to slow down and experience sp...
Jan 06, 2018•6 min
Show Notes: Episode 5 - January 5th - National Whipped Cream Day Welcome to episode 5 of the Weird and Wacky Holidays Show”. I’m your host, Stephen Carter. Today’s featured holiday is National Whipped Cream Day! Before tasting today’s special item on the menu, I would like to revisit an item I mentioned in an earlier episode. January is “National Blood Donor Month”. I encourage you to schedule a blood donation appointment to give the gift of life. Blood is always needed, but donations drop signi...
Jan 05, 2018•5 min
National Spaghetti Day - How it Came to Be: January 4th, Ep4 Welcome to episode 4 of the Weird, Wacky, and Traditional Holiday Show: How They Came to Be”. I’m your host, Stephen Carter. With each daily episode, we identify at least one of the official or unofficial holidays celebrated that day and explore how that day came to be. Today’s featured holiday is, well, I gave it away already, National Spaghetti Day! Here are a few fun facts about pasta in general and my favorite food in particular. •...
Jan 04, 2018•5 min
Today’s featured holiday is, “Fruitcake Toss Day”. Year’s ago comedian Johnny Carson, host of the “Tonight Show” frequently quipped he believed there was only one fruitcake in the world and people simply passed it around because nobody wanted it. A little research tells us that Carson’s take on fruitcakes wasn’t totally right. There is more than one fruitcake in the world. He was, however, right in asserting that nobody wanted one. So, a little more research tells us the first Fruitcake Toss occ...
Jan 03, 2018•3 min
January 2 - Motivation and Inspiration Day: Welcome to episode 2 of the Weird, Wacky, and Traditional Holiday Show”. I’m your host, Stephen Carter. With each daily episode, we identify at least one of the official or unofficial holidays celebrated that day and explore how that day came to be. Today's featured holiday is Motivation and Inspiration Day. Before we explore the details of Motivation and Inspiration Day, a word about one of the featured activities for the month of January. January is ...
Jan 02, 2018•4 min
Why do we celebrate the beginning of the new year on January 1? We can thank Julius Caesar who in 45 BC proclaimed the Roman Empire would adopt the Julian Calendar, which identified January 1st as the beginning of the new year. By the time Julius Caesar assumed office, it was clear the traditional lunar based Roman calendar in use since the seventh century BC no longer was sufficient. Caesar enlisted help from a renown Alexandrian astronomer who urged the adoption of a solar based calendar. He c...
Jan 01, 2018•5 min
Preview of coming attractions for this new show about the weird, wacky, and traditional holidays. This show will entertain, inform, and bring smiles. You’ll be saying, “wow, I didn’t know that!”.
Dec 20, 2017•3 min
