September 30 - National LOVE People Day

Posted on September 30, 2020


This is another holiday that promotes love, kindness, and community. This day encourages
us to show love for everyone - "no exceptions"!


We can perform random acts of kindness. Especially unexpected acts of kindness to strangers - those are the things that can make people's days a little better!

Paying it forward is another idea that we've celebrated before. You do something for someone with no thought of return - BUT that might encourage the recipient to do something for someone, and so on and so forth - everyone paying it forward and making society a better place to be.


Actually, the Love People Challenge lasts all week - and if you (like me!) missed it last week, we can do all of these things NEXT week! Here was the plan:


9/23 Pay It Forward Day
9/24 Show LOVE to First Responders Day
9/25 Spread LOVE in the Community by Volunteering Day
9/26 Love Seniors Day
9/27 Love Your Family Day
9/28 LOVE Globally Day
9/29 Reach Out with LOVE Day
9/30 National LOVE People Day



Also on this date:







Anniversary of the first tooth extraction with anesthesia



Chewing-gum mogul William Wrigley's birthday
















Banned Websites Awareness Day

(Last Wednesday of September)





September 29 - ...And Couto Misto Is No More!

Posted on September 29, 2020

On this date in 1864, the Treaty of Lisbon was signed, establishing the border between Spain and Portugal.
Spain and Portugal are located in the part of
Europe called the Iberian peninsula. 

This treaty ended the existence of what had been, pretty much, an independent teeny-tiny nation. (Really small nations, like Monacor, Tuvalu, and Vatican City, are sometimes called microstates.) The teeny-tiny microstate of Couto Misto included three villages, farmland, and uninhabited land. 

The teeny-tiny nation of Couto Misto is pictured in
orange on the right-hand map, which shows an
expansion of the rectangular area outlined on the
left-hand map. 

For centuries, neither Portugal nor Spain ruled this bit of land and its people - and that gave the people of Couto Misto some very nice perks:

They didn't have to serve in an army. Remember, Couto Misto was de facto independent for hundreds of years, so there were times when war broke out and the nations of Spain or Portugal (or both) called on its men to serve - but not those of Couto Misto. 

They didn't pay taxes! I guess they also didn't get any services from any national government, though.

They could grant asylum if they wanted, or they could kick out "foreigners" like Spaniards or Portuguese, if they wanted.

They had self-government that was, in such a small area, easily handled with popular assemblies. In other words, instead of electing representatives to make decisions and create laws, the people of Couto Misto were able to gather and debate, vote, and decide such things for themselves. 

Flag of Couto Misto

When the Treaty of Lisbon ended Couto Misto's independence, it basically divvied up the land into Spanish lands and Portuguese lands. Spain got almost all of the land, including all three villages; Portugal got just a narrow strip of uninhabited land.



By the way, some people call the microstate that is not more Couto Mixto, with an "x."




Michaelmas Day in the Orkney Islands


September 28 - Cabrillo Day in California

Posted on September 28, 2020

San Diego, California, is a very nice place. It was 
nice even before a world-class zoo, a sea-life 
theme park, and a cage-free wild animal park 
were built there. It was nice before a huge park - 
a park with gardens and 17 museums devoted to 
everything from art and archeology to space and 
veterans - was built there.



Why is it so nice? Great weather! Also, San Diego 
is on the Pacific coast - and it boasts lovely beaches, 
a wonderful natural harbor, and bits of rugged 
coastline - but it is close to mountains and deserts, 
as well.



Some of that was 
probably noted by 
Portuguese explorer 
Juan Rodríguez 
Cabrillo when he 
stepped foot in what 
is now San Diego 
on this date in 1542.

Cabrillo was sailing for Spain, and he was very much 
a product of his times. For example, he was a part of
conquering and ruthlessly enslaving native peoples,
"discovering" lands that were already occupied, and 
putting Spanish names on features that already had 
native names. The name he chose for the glorious bay 
we now call San Diego (also a Spanish name) was 
"San Miguel," named after one of his three ships. He 
later named what we now call Santa Catalina Island 
"San Salvador" (after another of his ships), and what 
we now call San Clemente Island he dubbed "Victoria" 
(after his third ship!). 

He really had a thing for 
naming places after ships, 
didn't he? I noticed that he 
DIDN'T try to name 
everything "Cabrillo Bay," 
"Cabrillo Island," and so 
forth. Nowadays, plenty of 
things are named for him, 
including a National 
Monument, a club for 
Portuguese Americans, a 
beach and aquarium, several schools, a highway, a bridge...



I know that Cabrillo would be pleased that a wooden 
steamer ship that was used as a ferry was called the 
SS Cabrillo!


Also on this date:

















Flag Day in Thailand











Plan ahead: