Holidays Around the World

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July 4th

Flag for the country of the United States of America.

Independence Day Date: July 4, 2009

Among all the events that are celebrated worldwide, very few of them get as much recognition and respect in the United States of America as the Independence Day does. The fourth of July as it has been termed affectionately by the country’s founding fathers stands as a symbol of American freedom over British rule. This independence occurred in the year 1776, when the Americans finally won their freedom from the Queen’s rule. The festival stands as a high point in American society and it knows no boundaries as the entire nation comes together to celebrate this grand occasion.

July 4th History

Upon attaining freedom from the British rule on July the 2nd, 1776, there was a resolution of independence that was passed considering the United States of America as a free country and two days later the Declaration of Independence was finalized and the Congress government was instrumental in approving the Declaration of Independence that till day remains as a holy grail in the American constitution.

There has been some initial controversy concerning the celebration date for the independence as it was on the 2nd of July that the country attained freedom and it was on the 4th of the same month that the much publicized declaration statement was passed. Later it was finalized to be the 4th of July as it was the official day of Independence. Ever since the first day of Independent America, the country has never cut short its celebration proceedings on the 4th of July and rightfully so.

July 4th Traditions and Activities

Every year, the event is meted out with much fan fare and July 4th fireworks. Fireworks on the 4th of July have accompanying fabulous soundtracks that evoke a spirit of national integrity among the American public like the “The Star Spangled Banner”, the national anthem are played out so that it gives one a special feeling of being American. The main portion of the events only occurs outdoors, and it is a family event and is viewed as a great get together of families from all parts of the country.

Grounds are filled on July 4th with campers and barbecue machines. The horizon is set aflame with blazing July 4 fireworks that stand as a symbol of American power. The proceedings go on till late into the night and is also accompanied by a whole lot of parades that also recognize veterans of the wars fought not long ago. Although some states have banned fireworks citing safety reasons, it still remains the mainstay of the entire event. Areas of Detroit and Chicago are littered with fireworks and the display is one of the largest in the country, as in these parts the celebrations coincide with Canada Day. It was in 1931 that the congress conferred the Independence Day as a paid federal holiday so that no man is left in a quest for money at the time of celebrating the nation’s independence.

The fourth of July has many strong memories for many as it is an important and integral part of American Society. The festival serves as an earnest attempt at throwing light on America’s struggle for Independence to the nation’s youth.

July 4th is also known as:

  • 4th of July
  • Fourth of July
  • July 4
  • July Fourth
  • 4th of July Celebration
  • 4th of July Celebrations

How to help the Iranians on Twitter

June 16, 2009 — worldsofwonder

You can help now by going to your twitter account settings and changing your location to Tehran and to the time zone (3:30) for Iran. This will confuse the Iranian government so that they cannot detect where the tweets are coming from inside Iran.

As you’ve read, twitter has become the main source of news about the troubling elections in Iran and the aftermath. The Main Stream Media (MSM) at first ignored what was happening until prodded because of the coverage of the explosion of information on twitter. And most of the MSM’s story since then has been about the twitter effect, not the actual story of the stolen election. Shame on the MSM for their hideous coverage.

There are courageous twitterers in Iran getting the story out. And for that we’re grateful. But, don’t let being grateful interfer with their story. People are wellmeaning in their support of the Iranian twitterers. But, that can also be harmful. Here are some suggestions on how to react.

    * Don’t respond to the Iranian tweets, no matter how much support you want to give them. The twitterers in Iran are taking huge risks to get the story out. The Iranian government wants to shut them down. Don’t inadvertently help that government. Don’t respond to the tweets. When you respond your tweet has to go through it’s circuitous route to get back to the Iranian twitterer’s account. This can be tracked. I’m sure the Iranian government is trying to track the whereabouts of the Iranian twitterers.

    * Don’t clog the Iranian twitterers’ channels. Thank the Iranian twitterers after this is all over. If you must twitter your suport do so to your own followers, or to support groups in this country that have already been set up.

    * If you are creating a proxy IP for the Iranian twitterers, don’t publicize it with hashtags. Again, the Iranian government is watching and tracking. If you don’t know what proxy IP means, good. Means you’re not doing it.

    * If you are twittering make it difficult for the Iranian government. Go to your Twitter settings and change your location to Tehran, and to that time zone (+3:30). The Iranian government can immediately tell foreign twitterers by their country of origin/timezone settings. These they can ignor in their quest to find out the heroic Iranian twitterers. Harder for them to track the Iranian twitterers if we’re all Spartacus/Iranians.

    * Be on the lookout for false Iranian government twitter accounts masquerading as anti-government accounts. This is a perfect way for the Iranian government to spread false rumors.

    * At the moment the best twitter source for Iranian information is @persiankiwi. Just follow, but don’t respond. This person(s) is in great danger and you don’t want to accidentally help the Iranian government find the people using this twitter account.

    * Don’t use the #iranelection hashtag in your tweets. Leave this one to the Iranians to use. Again, we don’t want to clog up their message.

And good luck to the courageous people of Iran.

Belle passes away

Today our dear dog, Belle, passed away. She was a compassionate friend and Harry and I will miss her every day. Blake has been waiting in heaven for her to join him. Harry and I miss them both and we love them. Love, Becky

July 2009
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Free 2008-2009 downloadable calendar

All 2008-2009 holidays worldwide and the major religious observances are now available on your desktop.