Well,
I found out that today there are two very strange “holidays.” The
first one celebrates anyone named, nicknamed, or called Bubba. |
| Former President Bill Clinton was called Bubba. |
There
was a character in the movie Forest Gump
called “Bubba,” but I didn't realize that bubba
comes from the word brother
and is a common nickname for the first boy of a family. Actually, in
some places, being called “Bubba” actually tells other people
that you are the oldest son.
On
the other hand, you might be called Bubbe,
Bubby, or Bube—and
that means that you're a grandmother, not a brother. This word is
Yiddish (a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin). Strictly
speaking, bubbe means
grandma, but it can
also be used as a warm title for any elderly woman.
So
I think we should celebrate Bubbas and Bubbes today!
Yell
“Fudge” at Cobras Day
Our
second weird “holiday” is super silly. Everyone who lives in
North America—that is, north of the Panama Canal, in America—is
urged to go outside at noon local time and yell “Fudge!”
Why?
you may ask.
Well,
supposedly fudge makes cobras gag, and even hearing the word makes
them take off. So all the cobras thinking about sneaking across the
canal or across the ocean, into North America, hear our shouts and
take off, going back to wherever they came from.
Uh....okay?
So
I got to wondering...hmmm...are there cobras in South America?
No,
apparently not. (Other than in zoos and such unnatural places, of
course!)
Cobras
live in Africa, southern Asian, and on some islands in Southeast
Asia. There are no cobras native to North America, but there are none
native to South America, either.
But
you want to know what's scary? Some people have bought Burmese
pythons as exotic pets and then let them go when they get tired of
them (or when the snakes get too large to be comfortable pets). And
some of those pet-python-releasers live in Florida. Unfortunately,
the pythons are liking the Florida Everglades, and there are now
breeding populations, which are an unwelcome and dangerous addition
to the Florida wetlands. There are also rumors about king cobras
being seen in the Everglades—again, because they were exotic pets
that were released. If that's true, we need some brave Floridians to
go shout “Fudge!” at the edges of the Everglades, please.
(Just
joking! I'm sure cobras have no interest in or aversion to fudge!)
Also
on this date:
Anniversary of communications inventions (wires and wireless)
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