Developer Journal, Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Ugh. In the United States (and the Americas in general), the second Tuesday of October has traditionally been used to celebrate the “discovery” of the Americas by Christopher Columbus and his expedition. It’s problematic on a number of levels, from Columbus insisting until his death that he actually arrived at India, to the crew setting up an abusive occupying government, to the stupidity of thinking that the expedition “discovered” an inhabited and civilized place that obviously already knew it was there. Plus, Columbus only became a “hero,” because the early United States wanted someone unclaimed by European powers, and he was basically all that was left over.
Developer Journal, World Teachers Day
Today is World Teachers Day, meant to bring attention to how teachers affect students and society.
Developer Journal, International Right to Know Day
Today is—as you might guess from the post title—the International Day for Universal Access to Information. It has also been known as the International Right to Know Day and Access to Information Day. Regardless of the specific name, is a day celebrating the right to force governments to disclose information. If you’re in the United States, it’s a good time of year to file a Freedom of Information Act request (“FoIA,” usually pronounced “FOY-ah”), with similar laws and processes for most democratic countries.
Developer Journal, International Day of Peace
Today is the United Nations’ International Day of Peace, calling for an end to war and violence.
Developer Journal, International Eve of Democracy
Tomorrow is the International Day of Democracy, a United Nations celebration of democracy in all member states. This year’s theme—perhaps unsurprisingly—is the effects of COVID-19 on democracy around the world.
Developer Journal, International Literacy Eve
If you’re in the United States, you would probably expect me to go for Labor Day, which is today. But it’s a fake version of Labor Day that erases any trace of the labor movement in an attempt to pretend that socialists don’t exist, so it’s pretty boring. Basically, the most traditional thing that happens is that every news anchor is obliged to refer to the unofficial end of summer, a meaningless phrase not to be confused with the end of “meteorological summer” or the end of summer (unless you’re in the Southern Hemisphere).
Developer Journal, Moon Landing Anniversery
July is pretty boring, holiday-wise, but—from a celebration of Apollo to Apollo 11—landing a human on the Moon without killing him is pretty impressive. That’s fifty-one years ago, today.
Developer Journal, Ludi Apollinares
The best holiday I could come up with for today (other than “Bastille Eve”) is the Ludi Apollinares or Games of Apollo, a solemn competition involving prophecy, horse racing, and theater, which is a courageous mix.
Developer Journal, Bloody Thursday (Belated)
Besides some areas celebrating Independence Day on Saturday, on Sunday, Americans also commemorated the start of the 1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike, when longshoremen in every port along the West Coast of the United States refused to work for four days. Two workers were killed by police, with the now-familiar conflicting reports of the police innocently responding to reports of violence and protesters coming away injured versus the police provoking the protesters to violence.
Developer Journal, Stonewall Uprising (Belated)
Yesterday, of course, was the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. Sometimes, it almost seems like American history should be built around protests, uprisings, and riots, with the conditions leading up to them more instructive as to where we are and how we got here than the relative non-stories of the War of 1812 or the Battle of San Juan Hill.
John Colagioia