We see a time when you will enjoy a crunchy, sweet treat on National Fortune Cookie Day! Each year on July 20th, Americans celebrate the cookie that is a traditional part of Chinese take-out.
These crisp, folded cookies have a hint of buttery sweetness. Break them open, and you will find a slip of paper tucked inside with a message on it. The phrase will range from profound words of wisdom or tricky riddles to simple bits of common sense. Some fortunes include quotes from famous philosophers.
While these nuggets of enjoyment are most often found at the end of a Chinese meal, they didn’t originate in China. The distinctively folded cookie began in Japan, where elegant desserts and folding techniques are quintessentially Japanese. However, in Japan, the fortune was tucked in the fold on the outside of the cookie. Sometime in the late 1800s, the fortune cookie migrated to the United States and made its transition. During World War II, it exploded in popularity, and Americans have never stopped enjoying them.
HOW TO OBSERVE #FortuneCookieDay
Order some Chinese takeout and indulge in some fortune cookie therapy. But that’s not the only way to celebrate. Of course not!
National Cell Phone Courtesy Month during July encourages us to evaluate our cellular habits and consider others before we reach for our phone.
Our phones have become an integral part of our lives. We schedule events, organize shopping lists, order birthday presents and communicate all from this one, small device. Do we even make a phone call any more?
Phone courtesy has always been in fashion, but when they became smart, it seems we lost a few brain cells. National Cell Phone Courtesy Month strives to bring polite phone usage back in style.
Dos and Don’ts
Silent the phone whenever you’re spending time with anyone. That includes work, a meal, meeting or with family. If you are attending a performance of any kind, turn the phone off. There are exceptions to this rule for medical professionals or other expectant emergency situations.
Rude Do not expect to be waited on if you are on your phone. There is nothing as rude as being on your phone and pointing at people to come wait on you.
Hidden phones are forgotten phones. We pay attention to the people in the room, the performance, or the meeting. It’s also a signal to the people we are with that they are important to us.
Step away if you do need to take a call. No one needs to hear your conversation while trying to enjoy a meal for two.
Shhh. Monitor the volume of your voice. Even when you step away, voices carry.
Pause before sending emails, texts or social media posts. Consider the content, especially if it is posted in haste. Ask yourself the following questions. Sometimes just the need to ask will be all the answer you need before deleting the comment or text.
Will I regret sending this later?
Am I angry?
Will this hurt someone?
Is this appropriate?
Will this affect my job or relationship?
Don’t use your phone and drive. Many states prohibit cellular use or limit it to hands-free only. Any message can wait until you arrive at your destination. If it truly is urgent, pull to a safe stopping area to receive the message or call.
Don’t let your mobile device become a social hindrance. We often look to our phone for social engagement when we don’t know what else to do. Meet new people when you are in a new circle of people and begin networking with the people near you. Expand your social circle face to face and broaden the world around you.
HISTORY
In 2002, Jacqueline Whitmore, a Palm Beach, Florida manners expert, created National Cell Phone Courtesy Month with the help of Sprint to increase phone etiquette.
Our phones are tools. They shouldn’t replace every social context in our lives. Practice a little courtesy and gain improved relationships everywhere you go. Encourage your friends and families to join you throughout the month. Use #CellPhoneCourtesyMonth to share on social media.
Social Media Day is observed annually on June 30th. In its short life, social media has redefined how people interact, communicate, and share with family, friends, and the world.
With the launch of Friendster in 2002 and MySpace in 2003, social media became mainstream. Then 2004 brought the founding of the king of social media, Facebook. Twitter encouraged us to be succinct by posting our thoughts with fewer than 140 characters. When we express ourselves better through imagery, Instagram, and Flickr offer all the sharing we can handle. And speaking of video, YouTube is the social place for everything from how-to to pop culture to what not to do with your fireworks on the 4th of July.
Social media makes it possible to stay connected and informed about those important people in our lives. Reconnecting with classmates, past work associates, and more is also a valuable part of social media. It has also made it possible to connect with ancestors and find relatives you never even knew existed. Yes, the family tree has become a social media platform as well. MyHeritage.com, Ancestry.com, and many others all supply a social platform where distant family members potentially meet and build their family trees.
DID SOMEONE SAY FOOD
The Internet has long loved food, and social media is no different. Pinterest, Tumblr, and WordPress share and socialize about the latest accessible and exciting food trends. This may be the most addicting part of social media. One moment a picture of a decadent, perfectly golden roast duck comes across your news feed. In an instant, the complete video detailing how to execute this delicacy in 17 easy steps is provided for you. One tweet later and you are off to the butcher. In a Snapchat -Instagram -Tumblr hour, you destroy your kitchen and end up with a Pinterest board titled “They Lied.”
Post something on your favorite social media platform. Find a social media meetup in your area. Share your favorite meme or connect with someone you’ve not spoken to in ages. You can also discover new apps to satisfy your social media lifestyle. Check these out:
National Go Fishing Day on June 18th each year encourages us to drop a line – in the nearest stream, pond, lake, or river. Taking a break from our daily routine to bait a hook and catch some fish can be a relaxing endeavor.
In addition to providing food, fishing is a recreational pastime for many. Recreational fishing includes conventions, rules, licensing restrictions, and laws that limit the way in which fish may be caught. A rod, reel, line, and hooks with any one of the different forms of bait or lures, are the most common form of recreational fishing.
The practice of catching (or attempting to catch) fish with a hook is known as angling. Catch and release (returning the fish to the water to continue its life) is often the expectation or requirement by law. For others, this is a preferred form of fishing.
Hobbyists with knowledge of habitat, foraging behavior, and migration hone their fishing techniques for a successful fishing adventure. Some fishermen continue to follow fishing folklore by claiming the sun and the moon influence fish feeding patterns.
The earliest known English essay on recreational fishing was published in 1496.
Here in Florida fishing is also a sport. If just relaxing with some friends while attempting to catch fish is not fulfilling enough, try any one of the anglers events, and contests including deep sea. Marlin and Mullet are big ones here. Where else can you attend a Mullet Toss?
Teach the family. My brother and his wife enjoy it so much they now have a spot on a lake. They are diligently teaching the grandkids how it’s done. Make it part of your Family Fun Month this August.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, recreational fishing began to gain popularity. In 1653, Izaak Walton published a book titled, The Compleat Angler or Contemplative Man’s Recreation. Walton’s book is the definitive work championing the position of the angler who loves fishing just for the sake of it.
HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalGoFishingDay
Grab your rod and reel, some bait, and go fishing! Take a selfie while wearing this fishing t-shirt. Make sure to share it with your co-workers stuck back at the office.
Share your whopper using #NationalGoFishingDay on social media.
On April 25th, we observe National Telephone Day. Around the world, there are 9.82 billion mobile phones. And while some predicted the landline to be obsolete by 2020, there are still about 931 million landlines around the world.
Obtaining a Patent
The correct answer to a trivia question like “Who invented the telephone?” is the name on the patent. In this case, the whole world knows the answer is Alexander Graham Bell. Had his attorney been delayed by foul weather or poor planning, the answer may be a different name.
On February 14, 1876, Marcellus Bailey, one of Bell’s attorneys, rushed into the U.S. Patent office in Boston to file the patent for what would be the telephone.
Later the same day, Elisha Gray filed a patent caveat for a similar device. A caveat is an intent to file for a patent.
There was also a third contender. Antonio Meucci filed a caveat in November of 1871 for a talking telegraph but failed to renew the caveat due to hardships.
Because Bell submitted his record first, the patent office awarded Bell the patent on March 7, 1876. Gray contested this decision in court, but without success.
Born March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Bell taught at a boys’ boarding school. The sounds of speech were an integral part of his life. His father developed a “Visible Speech” system for deaf students to communicate. Bell would later become a friend and benefactor of Helen Keller.
Three days after the patent was approved, Bell spoke the first words by telephone to his assistant. “Mr.Watson, come here! I want to see you!”
By May, Bell and his team stood prepared for a public demonstration. And there would be no better place than the grand stage of the World’s Fair in Philadelphia. On May 10, 1876, in a crowded Machinery Hall, a man’s voice transmitted from a small horn and carried out through a speaker to the audience.
One year later, the White House installed its first phone. The telephone revolution began.
Bell Telephone Company was founded on July 9, 1877, and they installed the first public telephone lines from Boston to Sommerville, Massachusetts, the same year. By the end of the decade, nearly 50,000 phones existed in the United States. In May of 1967, phone companies across the country installed the one-millionth telephone.
NATIONAL TELEPHONE DAY HISTORY
In May of 1967, the 100 millionth telephone line was installed in the United States. On May 11th, governors and dignitaries for U.S. territories joined President Lyndon Johnson on the largest conference call ever held up to that date. Each governor, dignitary, and the President were issued gold phones to commemorate the day. At the same time, a proclamation was issued declaring May 12th as National Telephone Day.
Celebrate by calling someone and telling them Happy National Telephone Day! Share your vintage telephone pictures on social media using #NationalTelephoneDay to show the different phones that have been used!
