Ten things to talk about which are not Halloween
As I’m not a fan of Halloween, rather than talk about that, I thought I’d share ten things that are nothing to do with ghosts, ghouls or trick or treating – but ten things that are happening at the end of October and at the beginning of and moving into November.
There may be things that you remember from history, but even if not, they may resonate with you, either for your business, your business sector or your personal life.
October:
29th – Anniversary of stock market crash in US 1929
When many countries are seemingly in financial slumps it may be pertinent that it is the 29th anniversary of the stock market crash in the US in 1929. An event known as Black Tuesday. This started a chain of event that led to the Great Depression, a 10-year economic slump that affected all industrialized countries in the world.
A study in January 2021 by an academic from Queen Mary University of London shed new light on the true magnitude of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on financial markets. The analysis showed that the financial response to Covid-19 was similar to previous financial crises rather than previous pandemics and is comparable to the major financial crashes of 1929 and 1987.
If you work in the financial sector, this could be something to write about.
Diwali Celebrations 31st – Nov 4
This is the Hindu festival of lights. It symbolises the spiritual ‘victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.’ Celebrations go on for 5 days and will take place in many homes and cities around the world.
November:
2nd Nov – Anniversary of launch of the Samaritans counselling service
71 years ago on this day, 1953, the first ever call was made to a new helpline for people thinking about suicide. It was founded in London, and initially known as the ‘999 for the suicidal’. A newspaper article coined the phrase ‘telephone good Samaritan – and the name stuck. Within a few months of setting up, there was a team of volunteers and the Samaritans as we know it today was born. Since starting 134 million calls for help have been made; there are now around 23,000 volunteers and over 200 branches across the UK and Ireland. Someone calls for help, every 10 seconds.
Have you ever volunteered for them, or a similar group?
3rd November is the anniversary of when in 1957 the Russians launched Sputnik 2 into Earth’s orbit. On board the artificial satellite was a dog Laika, and she was the first living creature to travel in space. It was understood that she would not survive the mission, but her actual fate was misrepresented for decades.
Laika was a small, mixed-breed dog about two years old. She was one of several stray dogs who had been rescued from the streets and were taken into the Soviet spaceflight program. They trained the dog for her trip on the satellite by teaching her to cope with progressively smaller living spaces. She was also spun in a centrifuge to accustom her to changes in gravitation, and she was fed food in jellied form so it could be served in the weightless environment.
At the time, the Soviets implied that the dog was kept alive for 6 or 7 days and then euthanized with poisoned food when her oxygen supply ran out. The satellite was destroyed as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere in April 1958.
However, in 2002 a Russian scientist revealed that Laika had actually only survived for about 5 to 6 hours after lift-off, before she died of overheating and panic. The Soviet scientists hadn’t been given sufficient time to perfect life-support systems, due to the intense political pressure to launch Sputnik 2 in time for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution.
This story has so many ethical issues involved in it concerning animal rights and so much more.
Time. The clocks have just gone back so talk about time! I’ve mentioned before, how I hate it when we get up in the dark and come home from work in the dark… how does that affect you, or your business? Does it bother you at all, or do you just take it in your stride?
Bonfire Night
Is this something you enjoy or dread? Do you have animals who are terrified about the noise – if so, what do you do to help them remain calm? Do you think that it is something that should be stopped, apart from organised events?
A topic to write about if you have strong views about the event.
Nov 5th – US Election The outcome of this election is going to impact us all, not just the US. Do you have strong views about who should be winning? Are you worried about the impact on the rest of the world if Trump is re-elected? Are you a US citizen living in the UK, or a UK citizen living in the US – what is your take on it all?
Nov 9th, 1989 – 35 years since the Berlin Wall fell. Do you remember watching this on the TV? Were you even born then? Have you any stories about visiting whilst the wall was in place, and again now, since the wall has been demolished? Do you have family that lived in East Germany?
November is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month
We know that men experience disproportionately high rates of suicide, with death by suicide the biggest killer of men under the age of 50 in the UK. Because there are huge expectations about what masculinity should look like, many men suffer in silence, and this is why Mental Health UK focus on Men’s mental health during this month.
This could be something that you could get involved with in terms of sponsoring events, focusing on your workforce, or supporting a charity such as Talk Club.
Films coming out during November, one of which is definitely on the radar of several of my adult children – 2 who love everything and anything musical.
Paddington in Peru – the third film, is out on 8 Nov.
Gladiator II, out on 15 Nov. Directed by Ridley Scott, starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington among others.
Wicked a musical comes out 22 Nov. Directed by Jon M Chu, starring Ariana Grande, Cythia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum.