Newsletter: 2023 November

November is the month of counting our blessings and being thankful for the many positive things! Thanksgiving (23rd – 4th Thursday of the month), Remembrance / Armistice / Veterans Day (11th). All Saints’ Day (1st), All Souls’ Day (2nd) and the Festival of Lights – Diwali/Deepavali (12th) for the religious or traditional faithful, and as Lao Tzu, the Chinese sage, once said, “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love,” – the 13th is World Kindness Day – smile and be kind!

Fun facts and quizzes for Nov:

Q1. Where were Boomerangs invented? It’s hard to tell because wooden boomerangs, such as those used by Australian aborigines, don’t last and don’t leave long-term traces. An ivory boomerang with gold tips was found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, together with a picture showing it was used to kill birds, but the record goes to a 23,000-year-old boomerang made from a mammoth tusk found in Poland. (source: BBC Science Focus by Len Fisher)

Q2. Name two famous Poles who have made significant world contributions. 1) Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), best known for his heliocentric model of the solar system, laid the foundation for modern astronomy and our understanding of the solar system. 2) Marie Curie (1867-1934), born in Warsaw, was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Her groundbreaking research on radioactivity and discovery of the elements polonium and radium had a profound influence on the fields of science and medicine. Other famous Poles include Frédéric Chopin, the composer and pianist and Pope John Paul II. (source: Office Holiday, Wikipedia)

Q3. When was Diwali first celebrated? While it is impossible to pinpoint its exact origins due to it being associated with so many different religions and mythologies, allegedly, it was celebrated over 2,500 years ago. The name Diwali comes from a Sanskrit word that means “row of lights” and is often called the Festival of Lights. The festivities last for five days. (source: Asian Highlights, Britannica)

For more fun facts, please refer to these links:

• All Saints’ Day (3′ 07″): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFMCZH6p1nQ&t=182s
• Polish Independent Day (1’59”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etUdVUs3iOM
• Diwali (1’49”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emYgBRO9v38&t=37s
• Thanksgiving (4’14”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIIcuBn5OYk