World Refugee Day- June 20

International Refugee Day is celebrated every year on June 20 by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The aim of the day is to raise awareness of the plight of millions of refugees around the world, who have been forced to flee their homes to safer countries.

The Refugee Convention states that a refugee is someone who has a well-founded fear of persecution on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or belonging to a particular social group (a certain social group is a somewhat vague category but in most countries of the world women are included).

Some facts about the situation of the right refugees today (from the Amnesty International website)

There are 25.9 million refugees in the world - the highest number ever recorded.

Half of the refugees in the world are children.

A third of the refugees - 6.7 million people - have found refuge in the world's poorest countries.

About 1.4 million refugees are at particular risk of violence and are particularly vulnerable and urgently need resettlement on a regular basis. But of those, only 92,400 refugees were resettled in 2018, less than 7% in need.

In 2018 there were 1.1 million new refugees, most of whom fled the conflict in Syria, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Violence, insecurity, persecution and shortages of food, medicine and other necessities, have motivated millions of Venezuelans to leave their country. In the first five months of 2019, some 4 million Venezuelans left their homes in one of the biggest crises in the world. More than 460,000 Venezuelans have sought refuge but so far only a small proportion - some 21,000 - have been recognized as refugees.

Many rich countries continue to establish policies that will deter people seeking asylum in them. At the same time, they transfer the responsibility to neighboring countries that will protect the people fleeing for their lives. This limited and short-sighted policy forces women, men and children to embark on dangerous journeys on foot and by sea and endanger their lives and be exposed to human rights violations.

Refugee boat

The 10 countries that received the most refugees are: Turkey (3.7 million), Iran (979,000 refugees), Pakistan (1.4 million refugees), Bangladesh (906,000 refugees), Ethiopia (921,000 refugees), Uganda (1.1 million refugees), Jordan (2.9 million) Refugees), Sudan (908,700 refugees), Lebanon (1.4 million refugees) and Germany (1 million refugees).

The richest countries in the world are not doing nearly enough to fund the cost of protecting the people who have left everything behind. Referrals for humanitarian aid to refugees are consistently - and often - unfunded.

In conclusion, the world urgently needs a new global program based on genuine international cooperation and meaningful and fair sharing of responsibility.

June 20 is also Vanilla Milkshake Day

Panic Day - March 9

On the one hand we are told not to panic. On the other hand we have a mysterious virus that threatens us all and causes tens of thousands of people in the country to be locked up in isolated homes. so what are we doing? Panic or not?

Panic Day is an informal holiday celebrated every year on March 9th. On this day it is allowed and even recommended to be in a panic. On this day we have to run around in a panic and tell everyone that we can not handle it anymore. This day was invented by Thomas and Ruth Roy from the Wellcat website a few years ago, along with a few other weird copyrighted holidays. According to the creators of the holiday, it was created in collaboration with the Falling Sky Association.

Panic is a sudden feeling of fear of danger. Panic can lead to sad, difficult and frightening consequences. Mass panic that occurs during public events can result in a disorganized escape that can lead to injuries and even deaths. This is why in stressful situations people try to stay calm and take deep breaths to avoid panic. As written in the cover of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Don't Panic, which is probably the best advice the author Douglas Adams has given to humanity.

The panic caused by the corona virus that is starring in headlines today can cause the shelves of retail chains to be emptied of essential products as we have seen in recent days, and of all sorts of scenarios such as a hysterical and dangerous escape from a corona patient or blue suspect.

The origin of the word panic is from the Greek word πανικός, from the god Pan from Greek mythology. Probably originated in legends about the god Pan who used to have fun in the panic of herds of aids and sheep, or the panic of people encountering him in desolate areas, or the making of strange and terrifying noises at night.

Panic creation has been an important tool in social revolutions throughout history. Many leaders have taken advantage of the past and are still taking advantage of the panic to advance their political goals because it is known that in such situations people operate in the herd method.

Because it is very difficult to avoid panic and stay calm all the time, and repressed emotions can erupt significantly in the future and even cause a nervous breakdown, invent a special day for panic where we are free to freak out and run around in panic when we tell others we can no longer cope.

How to celebrate Panic Day?

It is not clear why Panic Day is celebrated on March 9, but there is no better day for it than now. Today is the day to release pressures to gather strength to face the real and threatening situation of us all. Another way to celebrate the day is to learn to use techniques that relieve anxiety like various meditations.

Eduard Monk's Scream Painting, 189, is a Norwegian expressionist painter who suffered a great deal of anxiety and depression during his lifetime.

 

March 9 is also Barbie's birthday  and False Teeth Day