5/13/26 - Leprechaun Day, Cocktails, and Sitting
- bribriny
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Wednesday 5/13/26
Celebrate:
Cough Drop Day
Donate a Day's Wages to Charity Day
Frog Jumping Day
International Hummus Day
International Receptionists' Day
National Apple Pie Day
National Fruit Cocktail Day
National Third Shift Workers Day (Night?)
Root Canal Appreciation Day
Top Gun Day
Tulip Day
World Cocktail Day
World FM Day
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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - Today is Leprechaun Day
The Name: The word "leprechaun" most likely comes from the Old Irish luchorpán, a combination of the roots lú (small) and corp (body).
They first appeared in the medieval tale Echtra Fergus mac Léti, where they tried to drag a king into the sea while he slept.
Unlike other fairies who live in "clans" or "troops," leprechauns are solitary creatures who prefer their own company.
While we associate them with green today, early folklore described leprechauns wearing red coats with silver buttons and laced hats. The shift to green happened largely in the 20th century as green became the primary color associated with Ireland.
If you manage to catch one, legend says they must grant you three wishes in exchange for their freedom. However, they are master manipulators and often find ways to make those wishes backfire.
You must never take your eyes off a leprechaun once caught. If you blink or look away for even a second, they vanish instantly.
In 2009, the European Union granted "protected heritage" status to the remaining 236 leprechauns said to live in the caverns of Slieve Foye in Carlingford, Ireland. The area is now a protected sanctuary where hunting or interference is prohibited.
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Today is World Cocktail Day and Forbes.com lists the 10 most popular cocktails in the US.
When it comes to their favorite cocktails, drinkers in the U.S. are wasting away in Margaritaville.
Yes, the Margarita is the best selling cocktail.
2. Martini
3. Moscow Mule
4. Espresso Martini
5. Old Fashioned
6. Mojito
7. Long Island Iced Tea
8. Spritz (including the Aperol)
9. Mimosa (orange)
10. Bellini (peach)
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The 70th Eurovision Song Contest begins today in Vienna, Austria. The event is among the most-watched live entertainment broadcasts, drawing 166 million viewers last year. See standout outfits from the turquoise carpet.
Now the world's longest-running annual global TV music competition, Eurovision began in 1956 as a post-World War II effort to unite Europe through live TV broadcasting (with seven countries and 14 songs). Today, it features countries across Europe and some outside the continent, including Australia and Israel. The contest has evolved into a mix of pop spectacle, national identity, and over-the-top theatrical performances, launching the international careers of stars like ABBA and Celine Dion.
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The nation’s leading pediatricians' group yesterday urged schools to protect free play for children and teens in its first guidance on recess in 13 years.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says recess is critical to academic, physical, social, and emotional development, as many schools cut it back to prioritize test performance. New research suggests downtime helps students retain information, with experts recommending at least 20 minutes of recess daily and additional short breaks.
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A new “beta mom” trend suggests some cures for the ills of modernity. Women, according to the Wall Street Journal, have had enough with being tiger moms (pushed strict discipline and high achievement but also created stress and guilt for many families) and helicopter parents. Now, they are taking a more relaxed approach with their kids: fewer after-school activities, more playtime in the neighborhood, and more parental me-time. “My mom was taught that once you become a mother, that’s it for you, your life is over,” one self-avowed beta mom told the WSJ. “My generation doesn’t want to live that way.”
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Honestly, this sounds like it's out of a movie. The leader of a group linked to a notorious cartel that operates near the U.S. border has been detained in Mexico, officials announced Monday. Authorities said they recovered weapons, drugs, cash and seven tigers during the arrest.
Some Mexican drug cartels are known to house exotic cats as symbols of power and, occasionally, to dispose of their enemies. According to a 2023 U.S. indictment, some victims of a Sinaloa cartel faction were "fed dead or alive to tigers."
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80% of American jobs could now be classified as “sedentary,” and the average American sits eight hours a day. That said, all sits aren’t created equal. Slumping on a couch or hunching over a screen isn’t the same as sitting in the middle of the floor, which requires you to engage your core muscles and keep a straight back.
In their book Built to Move, mobility gurus Juliet Starrett and Kelly Starrett extoll the virtues of sitting on the floor for at least 30 cumulative minutes per day. When practiced regularly, seated positions are actually capable of restoring hip and low back function, stretching out tissue in the hamstrings and calves, and upping one’s “movement capacity,” a term to describe the degree of movement available to a person at a given time.
Fidgeting while you do it, changing position to get comfortable, is part of it as well!
Some positions to know in order to get started:
Cross-legged sitting
90/90 sitting
Long sitting
One-leg-up sitting
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