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    Oct. 12: Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work Day, Emergency Nurses Day, Gumbo Day, Freethought Day

    By | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Wed, Oct 5, 2011

    Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work Day

    If you work in a children's hospital, daycare center or preschool, Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work Day may make sense. For everyone else, not. According to author Susan E. Schwartz, the holiday celebrates the "stress relief and joy teddy bears bring into the lives of people of all ages and stages."

    Teddy Bear History from The Teddy Bear Museum:

    * 1834: Robert Southey wrote "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."

    * 1894: A stuffed toy bear is featured in a German toy catalog.

    * 1906: The term "teddy bear" is used for the first time in an advertisement.

    Gumbo Day

    The word gumbo comes to us from the African name for okra. According to the "Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America," the term gumbo became a catch-all phrase applied to both okra and okra stew. Gumbos evolved into thick stews, which tend to contain rice, vegetables and meat. A thick broth is a must for gumbo. Celebrate Gumbo Day with Chicken, Oyster and Sausage or Seafood Gumbo.

    Freethought Day

    "Every freethinker in every community should feel comfortable about her ideals, and part of being able to do so is feeling connected to other like-minded individuals" according to Secular Seasons. Sacramento, Calif., celebrates Freethought Day on Oct. 23 and invites you to "come out and celebrate reason."

    There have been many, but here is a short list of freethinkers:

    * Political writer Thomas Paine

    * President Thomas Jefferson

    * Women's rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton

    * Scientist and writer Carl Sagan

    Emergency Nurses Day

    If you've ever been to the emergency room chances are you were helped by more than one nurse. Emergency Nurses Day is a day to recognized the dedication and service of emergency nurses, according to the Emergency Nurses Association. The holiday is observed annually on the Wednesday of Emergency Nurses Week.

    International Top Spinning Day

    In France, it's a toupie. You could spin a Too loo in Laos. If you were in Sri Lanka it would be Pamper Spinning Day. The world is just a large top spinning on its axis according to the Spinning Top & Yo-Yo Museum. Teddy bears may not be your thing, but maybe tops are, go ahead and play with one.

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