OPINION

Okay For Real, What’s Good With These National Holidays?!

BY BrahmJot kaur

Okay, what are these random holidays that your Aunt Kathy or Cousin Joe are posting about on Facebook? Every month, we see a new post on Instagram or a different social media app with a caption like “Happy National Garlic Day!!” or “Happy National Give Your Daughter Money Day!” and I think many of us, myself included, find it is getting a little ridiculous. I mean we have “National Drinking Straw Day” and “National Pi Day,” not to be confused with “National Pie Day” though which is actually in January.

How do these random holidays even become a thing? After doing a little digging, a book known as Chase’s Calendar of Events is found repeatedly in other online articles. It is a reference book with over 12,500 events, holidays, and anniversaries. The book has been circulating since 1957 with a new edition every year. The senior editor at Chase’s, Holly McGuire, told The New York Times that at first, it was the government who compiled the holidays. Then, they got tired of it and Chase’s was given the honorary baton of holiday-ing up the country. In reality, anyone can make up a holiday. A lot of people will try to establish a day as a holiday the old-fashioned way, which is by asking an elected official to make it a day.

I tried looking for a PDF or an affordably priced version of Chase’s book and to be honest, for a book of national holidays, it sure it difficult to find without selling your arms on the black market. So, I opted for the next best thing. Some websites vary in their lists of November holidays, probably since there’s so many. I’d like to share some of my favorite from this month. Here are a few holidays that made me raise an eyebrow this November:

11/2: National Plan Your Epitaph Day(Morbid but seems fun, I guess)

11/3: National Sandwich Day

11/6: National Marooned without a Compass Day (???)

11/7: Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day (A bit long for a title but okay, they taste pretty good)

11/13: World Kindness Day (Kinda corny, but I think with the current climate we’re in, maybe it would be a nice reminder)

11/14: Spicy Guacamole Day (I think mild guacamole and medium guacamole are due an apology)

11/17: Homemade Bread Day (Sponsored by the Homemade Bread Day Committee of Montague, MI which is wild because I didn’t think anyone was this passionate about bread)

11/29: Square Dance Day (Apparently a lot of people learned square dancing in gym class and I just have one question: why is square dancing so significant that high schools are teaching this nationally? I don’t remember learning this, but I also have two left feet).

I understand that these random holidays are probably just ploys from different groups and companies to attract business or make a point, but it can be nice to change your daily routine and add a piece of bittersweet chocolate with almonds here and a touch of spicy guacamole there. I agree some of these seem like a reach but sometimes we need to appreciate the small things in life, too. I really enjoy homemade bread. Homemade bread tastes significantly better than store-bought factory bread that you would find in the bread aisle at the grocery store. However, it doesn’t cross my mind normally. Maybe we should consider adding a little razzle dazzle in what is normally an average November, or any other month for that matter. National Plan Your Epitaph Day may be a little morbid, but it really gets the creative juices flowing. Will I want a quote? Maybe I’ll add something creative like a tried and true recipe for a good cupcake since I love cupcakes, or maybe I’ll be sassy with something like “Wow, it’s really dark down here,” or maybe I’ll just get cremated. Whichever way the cookie really crumbles, planning your epitaph seems fun and would be a real laugh with your friends.

Let’s be clear, some of these holidays really are whack. I’m just saying how it is. But you know what? It’s fun. So, stay whack, y’all.

It’s election season! This year’s general elections are on November 5th, and while they may not be as exciting as the presidential, or even congressional elections, every election is a chance to make your voice heard. This year, there will be one public office and five charter revision proposals on the ballot. This article will unpack them all and help you better understand your options as a voter.

PUBLIC ADVOCATE

The public advocate serves as the communicator between the city government and the people it represents. The public advocate is on the city council and can introduce legislation, but cannot vote on it. It is the job of the public advocate to act as an ombudsperson and oversee the city council to make sure that they effectively work for the citizens. This position is also second in line for mayor, should the office have a vacancy. Jumaane D. Williams (D) Democrat Jumaane D. Williams is the incumbent in this race, taking the office after a special election in February. Since his election, he has been successful in introducing and passing legislation with widespread support. This time, Williams is running on a progressive platform of improving affordable housing, increasing government transparency, and reforming the criminal justice system. He hopes to continue his work as an “activist elected official” to represent the voice of everyday New Yorkers. He is also the only candidate participating in the NYC Matching Funds Program. Joseph Borelli (R) Joseph Borelli is the minority whip of the City Council, representing Staten Island’s South Shore. His campaign focuses heavily on “stopping the de Blasio agenda,” though he has not outlined many specific policy plans when in office. However, during his time as a city council member, Borelli has led the committee overseeing the FDNY and increased funding to Staten Island schools. He is committed to either making the public advocate office more effective or scrapping the position altogether if it is unable to help taxpayers. Devin Balkind (L) Libertarian Devin Balkind is a nonprofit executive and civic technologist hoping to build technology-based services that aid New Yorkers. He aims to establish a 2-1-1 directory of public services, digitally update city agencies, and reform the MTA and NYCHA with new technology. He emphasizes the need for New York City to govern itself and not be restricted by the laws of the state government. With his focus on technology-based methods, Balkind plans to help New Yorkers gain access to social programs and better understand how the government works.

C H A RT E R R E V I S I O N BALLOT PROPOSALS

NYC Charter Revision Ballot Proposals are proposed changes to the systems that run the city. This election, there will be five proposals for voters to consider. On the ballot, there will be a description of each revision followed by the question, “Shall this proposal be adopted?” As a voter, you have to understand those proposals and give an answer: “yes” or “no.” ELECTIONS The first ballot proposal deals with certain aspects of the election process in three parts. The first part would establish a ranked choice voting system for primary and special elections. Voters would rank all the candidates from most to least favorite. The candidate with a majority of firstchoice votes wins the election. If there is no first choice majority, the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated, ranks are adjusted to match, and the process repeats until a candidate has a majority. The second part of this ballot proposal would lengthen the time between the

Rundown vacancy occurring and the election to fill it. Currently, mayoral special elections happen 60 days after the vacancy, and all others happen after 45 days. If the proposal is adopted, both periods would increase to 80 days. This system gives more time to send ballots to military voters and for candidates to run a campaign. The final part of this ballot proposal moves the deadline for redrawing district lines from March 2023 to December 2022. The current deadline makes it difficult for candidates and voters alike to prepare for New York’s primary elections in June, since the exact makeup of the constituency will still be unknown. The new deadline gives more time for those preparations.