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National Grouch Day

National Grouch Day on October 15th sends out notices to all the grouches of the world to be their truest grouch. If you are a grouch, today is your special day. According to Sesame Street Magazine, the day celebrates all grouches and their way of life.

Sometimes grumps give backhanded compliments. “Your house looked horrible until you painted it.” Other times they don’t give them at all. Noise, silence, general activity makes a grouch generally unpleasant.

As per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a grouch is described as:

• a person who complains frequently or constantly
• a habitually irritable or complaining person

National Mammography Day

Every year on the third Friday in October, National Mammography Day joins in National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

This day serves as a reminder to all women that the best defense is early detection. A mammogram can often detect a problem before there is any outward physical sign.

When you schedule an annual appointment with your physician, make sure a breast exam is completed, too. Tell your doctor about any changes. If you or your doctor notices any signs, the doctor can order tests, including a sonogram or mammogram.

Finally, a preventative mammogram is the last line of defense. Today’s mammograms offer more vivid detail of the breast tissue. Baseline mammograms are provided around the age of 35 unless family history indicates sooner. The baseline mammogram provides a comparison view for your physician should something develop later down the line. Women age 40 and over are recommended to receive yearly preventative mammograms.

Boss’s Day (or National Boss’s Day) – Annually Oct. 16 unless it falls on a weekend. Then it’s the closest workday.

On October 16th, National Boss’s Day, also known as National Boss Day or Bosses Day, recognizes the hardworking boss overseeing the workplace. Employees across the United States show appreciation and thankfulness to their bosses. They remember their boss’s kindness and fairness throughout the year, too. (If the 16th of October falls on a weekend, then this day is celebrated on the closest working day.)

Many leaders carry heavy loads. They oversee many employees and guide their careers, too. While their position holds them responsible for a department, business, or organization and leading it to success, their list of responsibilities is multifaceted.

We can celebrate our bosses in numerous ways.

• Give your boss the day off with a game of golf.
• Host a potluck with your boss’s favorite foods.
• Have everyone in the office sign a card of appreciation.
• Invite customers or clients to share memories of your boss.
• Create a timeline of your boss’s accomplishments.

Give them a shout-out using #BossDay to post on social media.

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In 1777, America’s Continental Army proved its prowess in the Battle of Saratoga; for the first time, it garnered official recognition as an independent nation. When word got to King Louis XVI of France, he was–suddenly–convinced that the colonials were not just the ragtime revolutionaries he had imagined. They were fierce and formidable.

That summer, British General John Burgoyne marched his 8,000 hardened troops, and joined up with British General Sir William Howe’s throng. They lost the first Battle of Saratoga on September 19 to an army of fresh but determined men under the command of American General Horatio Gates; Benedict Arnold captured victory with his forces in the Second Battle of Saratoga on October seventh.

Three years later, Arnold committed treason when he offered to turn West Point over to the British in exchange for money and a high-ranking position in the British army.

According to History.com: “By October 13, 20,000 Americans had surrounded the British, and four days later [on October 17] Burgoyne was forced to agree to the first large-scale surrender of British forces in the Revolutionary War.”

For more information, the Grateful American Book Prize recommends The Ghosts of Saratoga by David R. Ossont.

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Finders keepers

The vacation Mr. and Mrs. Noreen Wredberg and her husband took in Arkansas paid for itself — big time, says the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC]. While there, the California tourists made it a point to visit Crater of Diamonds State Park. “I first saw the park featured on a TV show several years ago. When I realized we weren’t too far away, I knew we had to come,” Mrs. Wredberg told reporters after finding the biggest diamond found in the park this year. She and her husband had been strolling through the park for less than an hour when she spotted the gem sparkling in the sunlight — a 4.38 carat yellow diamond, worth about $15,330 or more. The park has a “finders keepers” policy for visitors who find diamonds