File This Under...

 ...whatever happened to the "paperless society" they promised us?

It seems that the US Department of Veterans Affairs Regional office building in Winston-Salem, N.C., had so many paper claim files stacked on the 6th floor that the place was in danger of collapsing.  The files had to be relocated to other floors in the building.

Now if you will excuse me, i need to go sort some more of my overflowing desk.

Paperless, indeed.


Today is:

Assassination of the Hero of the Nation Day/Prince Rwagasore Day -- Burundi (Commemorates the assassination of Prince Louis Rwagasore in 1961.)

Catoctin Colorfest -- Thurmont, MD, US (juried art festival, live music, food, and more; through tomorrow)

Clean the Crumbs Out of the Broiler Oven Day -- keep it working longer, and prevent a potential fire

Fontinalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (garlanding of fountains)

International Skeptics Day -- while there are skeptic organizations(http://www.freeinquiry.com/skeptic/organizations/) around the globe, there's no documentation of this being celebrated internationally; maybe the creator of the day wanted us to be skeptical about it?

Jack-O-Launch -- DeLaney Farm, Aurora, CO, US (including an official Punkin Chunkin Contest, a free festival for the whole family)

John Peel Day -- UK (in honor of his last broadcast)

Louisiana Art & Folk Festival -- Columbia, LA, US (celebrating the rich folklore and music arts of Louisiana)

Marching Band Festival -- Blinn College, Brenham, TX, US (if you love marching bands, this is the place to be; 38th annual, 36 high school bands participating, 3,500+ musicians)

Modern Mythology Day -- internet generated, go look up a few modern myths on truthorfiction.net or snopes and have a good laugh

Monster Myths by Moonlight -- Milford, KS, US (wear your costume and take a nature walk to learn the truth about such Halloween "monsters" as bats, snakes, spiders, vultures, etc.)

Mountain Glory Festival -- Marion, NC, US (celebrating the mountain heritage)

National Police Day -- Thailand (Wan Tamruat)

National Yorkshire Pudding Day

Navy Establishment Day -- US

Pine Barrens Jamboree -- Waretown, NJ, US (celebration of New Jersey Pinelands, with canoeing, nature walks, music, kids' activities, and more; free!)

Punkin Chunkin Colorado -- Aurora, CO, US (divisions include trebuchet, compressed air cannon, catapult, human power, and youth)

Roseland Cottage Fine Arts & Crafts Festival -- Woodstock, CT, US (one of the leading juried shows in New England; through tomorrow)

Runic Half-month Wyn (joy) begins

Scenic Drive Festival -- Van Buren County, IA, US (includes flea markets, an arts festival, and historic architecture; through tomorrow)

Sedona Arts Festival -- Sedona, AZ, US (celebration of visual, performing, and culinary arts, with proceeds going to student art programs and scholarships; through tomorrow)

St. Colman's Day (Patron of horned cattle, horses, and those who are to be hanged; Austria; against death by hanging and plague; a blessing of horses and cattle is still held at Melk on this day)

St. Edward the Confessor's Day (Patron of kings, those in difficult marriages, separated spouses; the English Royal Family)

Train Your Brain Day -- spread around the internet by no one knows whom, but today is a good day to commit to doing what you can to keep your brain young

Universal Music Day -- celebrate music as our universal language

Wisconsin Dells Autumn Harvest Fest -- Wisconsin Dells, WI, US (includes a scarecrow stuffing contest, pumpkin decorating, microbrew tasting, and more; through tomorrow)


Anniversaries Today:

Cornerstone of the White House laid, 1792
Founding of Georgia Institute of Technology (Ga. Tech), 1885


Birthdays Today:

Nancy Kerrigan, 1969
Kelly Preston, 1962
Jerry Rice, 1962
Marie Osmond, 1959
Chris Carter, 1957
Sammy Hagar, 1947
Paul Simon, 1941
Nan Mouskouri, 1934
Lenny Bruce, 1925
Margaret Thatcher, 1925
Nipsey Russell, 1924
Yves Montand, 1921
Cornel Wilde, 1915
L. L. Bean, 1872


Today in History:

Nero becomes emperor, 54
The Vandals and Alans cross the Pyrenees and appear in Hispania, 409
Rabbi Issac Abarbanel begins his exegesis on the Torah, 1483
Jonathan Swift publishes the last of Drapier's letters, 1724
Charles Messier discovers the Whirlpool Galaxy, 1773
First publication of the "Old Farmer's Almanac", 1792
George Washington lays the cornerstone of the "Executive Mansion" (White House), 1792
Founding of B'nai B'rith, 1843
The first arial photo taken in the US, from a balloon over Boston, 1860
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda & friends agree to use Hebrew exclusively in their conversations, which begins the revival of it as an active and growing language, 1881
Greenwich, in London, England, is established as Universal Time meridian of longitude, 1884
Edward Emerson Barnard discovers D/1892 T1, the first comet discovered by photographic means, on the night of October 13–14, 1892
Ankara replaces Istanbul as the capital of Turkey, 1923
Premier of "Kukla, Fran, & Ollie", 1947
Fiji joins the United Nations, 1970
The first electron micrograph of an Ebola viral particle was obtained by Dr. F.A. Murphy, now at U.C. Davis, who was then working at the C.D.C, 1976
Ameritech Mobile Communications (now AT&T) launched the first US cellular network in Chicago, Illinois, 1983
End of the Lebanese Civil War, 1990
The 2010 Copiapó mining accident in Copiapó, Chile comes to an end as all 33 miners arrive at the surface after surviving a record 69 days underground awaiting rescue, 2010