04 | April | 2015 | M'chelsMusings

Saturday, the 4th of April, 2015 is the 94th day in 2015 and in the 14th calendar week.

General Events:

International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
April 4, 2015 in the World

On 8 December 2005, the General Assembly declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

This Day raises awareness of the threat caused by landmines to the safety, health and lives of civilian populations, and encourages state Governments to develop mine clearing programmes.

The 2015 theme ‘More than Mines’ takes into account the types of explosive threats faced by the United Nations and its members and brings attention to the fact that disposing of explosive hazards is only one part of UN mine action work.

http://www.maginternational.org/

http://www.un.org/en/events/mineawarenessday/index.shtml

Where is the event?
Worldwide

Victims of Violence Wholly Day
April 4, 2015 in the World

Victims of Violence Wholly Day marks the anniversary of the assassination of Rev Dr. Martin Luther King. On Victims of Violence Wholly Day, programs are dedicated to visually affirming the principles of non-violence as preached by Dr. King.

Where is the event?
Worldwide

Tangible Karma Day
April 4, 2015 in the World

Tangible Karma Day celebrates when giving (your time, your love, your talents, your “extras”) feels as good as receiving. Groups and individuals set aside one hour of this day to purposefully become aware of the needs of those they are in contact with and actively do something to help fulfill those needs. Annually, the first Saturday in April.

Where is the event?
Worldwide

National Love Our Children Day
April 4, 2015 in the USA

National Love Our Children Day is like Mother’s and Father’s Day for children and is celebrated across the U.S. This day was created to acknowledge the value of children and to educate parents on the importance of giving them love, protection and respect, the three essential elements children need to become strong and successful adults. By promoting healthy and happy children and strengthening families through the support of our nation’s communities, we can keep kids safe.

http://www.loveourchildrenusa.org/index.php

Where is the event?
Nationwide USA

World Rat Day
April 4, 2015 in the World

Get two things straight right away – rats aren’t dirty, and James Cagney never said it anyway! These are just two of the myths and misconceptions that World Rat Day hopes to dispel as it celebrates the joys of fancy rats.

Anyone who keeps rats as pets or companions is already in on the secret: these animals are friendly, loyal, intelligent, and very endearing. Unfortunately they’ve had a bit of bad press over the years, what with the Black Death, Bubonic Plague and a thousand Pacific islands which have had their native wildlife chewed down to ground level and beyond. But what’s a few environmental and social catastrophes between friends?

Once you get to know rats on a one-to-one basis, then all of their finer qualities will come to the fore. Why not drop in to your local World Rat Day event and discover just how adorably lovable they really are?

R.R.A.O.A.D.
(Rats rule and other animals drool!)
-Cassie-

http://www.worldratday.com/index2.html

Where is the event?
Worldwide

International Pillow Fight Day
April 4, 2015 in the World

What are you waiting for? You’ve always wanted an excuse to take part in a massive, organised pillow fight… Right? Well, what better opportunity than Pillow Fight Day?

Grab your pillows, and head for the nearest organised pillow fight. Play nicely, though!

http://pillowfightday.com/

Where is the event?
Worldwide

Passover 2015
April 4 – 11, 2015 in the World

Passover is a Jewish festival, celebrated on April 04, 2015. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. The Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, which typically falls in March or April of the Gregorian calendar. It is a spring festival, so the 14th day of Nisan begins on the night of a full moon after the northern vernal equinox. Passover is celebrated for seven or eight days. It is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays.

Together with Shavuot (“Pentecost”) and Sukkot (“Tabernacles”), Passover is one of the three pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh Regalim) during which the entire Jewish populace historically made a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. Samaritans still make this pilgrimage to Mount Gerizim, but only men participate in public worship. It is traditional for Jewish families to gather on the first night of Passover (first two nights in communities outside the land of Israel) for a special dinner called a seder.

In the narrative of the Exodus, the Bible tells that God helped the Children of Israel escape slavery in Egypt by inflicting ten plagues upon the Egyptians before the Pharaoh would release his Israelite slaves; the tenth and worst of the plagues was the death of the Egyptian first-born. The Israelites were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a spring lamb and, upon seeing this, the spirit of the Lord knew to pass over the first-borns in these homes, hence the name of the holiday.

Where is Passover?
Worldwide

Natural Events:

April Full Moon
April 4, 2015 in EST Eastern Standard Time / UTC-05, Eastcoast (North America)

On April 04, 2015 the moon reaches its maximum brightness. Therefore it is called full moon. Full moon is a lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun. As seen from Earth, the hemisphere of the Moon that is facing the earth is almost fully illuminated by the Sun and appears round. Only during a full moon is the opposite hemisphere of the Moon, which is not visible from Earth, completely unilluminated.

The time interval between similar lunar phases is on average about 29.53 days. Therefore, in those lunar calendars in which each month begins on the new moon, the full moon falls on either the 14th or 15th of the lunar month. Because lunar months have a whole number of days, lunar months may be either 29 or 30 days long.

Full Moons are traditionally associated with temporal insomnia, insanity and various “magical phenomena” such as lycanthropy. Psychologists, however, have found that there is no strong evidence for effects on human behavior around the time of a full moon. They find that studies are generally not consistent, with some showing a positive effect and others showing a negative effect. In one instance, the British Medical Journal published two studies on dog bite admission to hospitals in England and Australia. The study of the Bradford Royal Infirmary found that dog bites were twice as common during a full moon, whereas the study conducted by the public hospitals in Australia found that they were less likely. Full moons trigger deer movement in North America. Hunters and fisherman rely heavily on moonphases.

Where is April Full Moon?
EST Eastern Standard Time / UTC-05
Eastcoast (North America)

April 4, 2015 — Total Lunar Eclipse

This Total Lunar Eclipse or “Blood Moon”, is on April 4, 2015 and will be visible in most of North America, South America, Asia and parts of Australia. The Moon will be totally eclipsed (totality) for about 5 minutes. From beginning to end, it will last for 3 hours and 29 mins. This is the third eclipse in the 2014–2015 tetrad.

Regions seeing at least some parts of the eclipse: Much of Asia, Australia, Much of North America, Much of South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Arctic, Antarctica.

Historical Events on 4th April:

1558 – Tsar Ivan IV gives parts of North-Russia to fur traders

1581 – Francis Drake knighted by Queen Elizabeth I aboard Golden Hind at Deptford

1655 – Battle at Postage Farina, Tunis: English fleet beats Barbary pirates

1660 – English king Charles II sends Declaration of Breda (freedom of religion)

1828 – Casparus van Wooden patents chocolate milk powder (Amsterdam)

1896 – Announcement of Gold in Yukon

1900 – Assassination attempt on Prince of Wales, later British King Edward VII when shot by Jean-Baptiste Sipido in protest over Boer war

1905 – Earthquake in Kangra India, kills 20,000

1912 – Chinese republic proclaimed in Tibet

1920 – Arabs attack Jews in Jerusalem

1932 – Vitamin C 1st isolated, CC King, Univ of Pittsburgh