Kevin Gower

In 1817, John Williams, of the London Missionary Society, and his wife, Mary Chawner Williams, voyaged to the Society Islands, a group of islands that included Tahiti, accompanied by William Ellis and his wife.

John and Mary established their first missionary post on the island of Raiatea. From there, they visited a number of the Polynesian island chains, sometimes with Mr and Mrs Ellis and other London Missionary Society representatives. Landing on Aitutaki in 1821, they used Tahitian converts to carry their message to the Cook islanders.

“The arrival of Christianity made a massive impact on the Cook Islands and the lifestyles of our people, and Gospel Day is a very significant event,” says Cook Islands Christian Churches (CICC) secretary Mauri Toa.

Today most of the population are Christian.

The various Protestant groups account for 62.8% of the believers, the most followed denomination being the Cook Islands Christian Church with 49.1%. Other Protestant Christian groups include Seventh-day Adventist 7.9%, Assemblies of God 3.7% and Apostolic Church 2.1%. The main non-Protestant group is Roman Catholics with 17% of the population. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints makes up 4.4%

A MIDDLE manager is experimenting with being pleasant to his staff in a bid to improve their productivity, it has emerged.

Having noticed a connection between shouting at his staff and poor performance, middle manager Nathan, not his real name, has decided to test the radical idea of being nice to them and complimenting their work.

He said: “I know, being in a good mood sounds like a counterproductive tactic for business development. But Google had some unorthodox approaches in the 90s and look at them now.

“I started by A/B testing a cheerful ‘good morning’ and ‘how are you’ to my colleagues as they slouched to their desks. Backs stiffened in terror plummeted by 12 per cent.

“Then at lunch I popped out to get a Colin the Caterpillar cake because it was probably one of their birthdays. After asking if this was some kind of trick and examining it for traces of poison, they greedily tucked in.

“Sadly though the results have been inconclusive. Now they waste as much time cheerfully dicking about in the kitchen as they used to spend crying in the bathroom, plus their work isn’t any better. From tomorrow it’s back to instilling terror.”

Accounts clerk Susan Traherne said: “I’m relieved Nathan’s reverting to abject misery. The whole team’s shattered from the paranoia of working under his clearly insincere positivity.”

Following the European expansion into the new world, Grenada had become a French colony and before being formally ceded to Britain by the Treaty of Paris in 1763.

Independence for Grenada from the United Kingdom was granted on February 7th 1974. Eric Gairy became the first Prime Minister. Following Gairy’s victory in the elections of 1976, opposition parties refused to accept the result, accusing the government of electoral fraud.

Gairy was deposed in a coup in 1979 by the left-wing People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG). Its leader, Maurice Bishop, declared himself prime minister. In 1983, there was discontent from within the PRG who felt that under his leadership Grenada was not becoming socialist enough and on October 19th 1983, a coup backed by the Grenadian army took over control and put Bishop under house arrest. Large demonstrations took place following his arrest and he was freed from house arrest during one of the demonstrations. He was soon recaptured and was executed by firing squad.

The US and other nations in the region were incensed by the killing of Bishop and also feared the rise of another communist state like Cuba. Therefore on October 25th 1983, a coalition of Caribbean and US forces invaded Grenada in ‘Operation Urgent Fury’ to oust the government.

After taking control and instating an interim administration, the foreign troops left Grenada in December 1983 and elections to restore democratic rule to Grenada took place in December 1984.

IS A man in your life gazing at Wayne Rooney and Rob Brydon with naked envy? Always on websites with a particular follicular bent? These are the stages to watch for:

Aggressive combing

First comes mild subterfuge, as the remaining frontmost strands creep longer and longer and begin to be styled dramatically in patterns similar to weather reports of a hurricane. He’s growing it out, he’ll say, it’s no big deal, while carefully gauging wind speed to see if it’s safe to leave the office and hiding from rain as if he owes it money.

Big hat era

Whether a beanies, a baseball caps, or a dubious fedora that makes him look like a Bugsy Malone extra, no headwear is left untried in his attempt to convince himself that yeah, all he has to do is wear this for the rest of his life and nobody will know. Before long, gatherings of guys in their late 30s start to look like the Innocent smoothie fridge in winter.

Off-season trip to Turkey

A fortnight in Turkey, in October? Suspicious. You later find his girlfriend didn’t go? Even more so. It can only mean he’s taken the plunge for the low, low price of hoping the clinic meets minimal medical standards and allows him to make eye contact with his reflection again. Sees nobody on flying home. Posts no photos.

Pub avoidance

As the scars fade and the new hairs bed in, you’ll be able to tell because you won’t see him. Whether Friday pub, Saturday pub, watching football in the pub on Sunday or a cheeky Wednesday pub visit, he’ll let you down because he’s shunning society to scab and shed like an emo snake. The transplanted hair is taking root. Where did it come from? Best not to ask.

Soft launch

The presence of extra hair begins to be teased like a new partner or bougie doughnut, as strands start to poke out. Hats may even be removed when indoors. He’s sprouting like the cress head you grew at primary school, and he’s got the shit-eating grin to match. The payoff is here, and it’s spectacular.

Cock of the walk

His forehead is now an impenetrable shield wall of lustrous locks, which he shake like a show pony at every opportunity. The physical results are positive but his personality has taken a hit as he obsessively lords it over the baldies who were once his kin. Instagram pics multiply at an exponential rate. His Tinder bio removes ten years from his age, no actually 15.

Hawke’s Bay Anniversary Day is held on the Friday before Labour Day. 

Hawke’s Bay province was created when it was split from Wellington on 1 November 1958. It became a provincial district in 1876. 

Hawke’s Bay was named by Captain Cook in honour of Edward Hawke, First Lord of the Admiralty. 

This day is also known as ‘Show Day’ as the Friday is the last day of the Royal Agricultural Show.

The Holidays Act 1981 specifies each locality observing a Provincial Anniversary Day to celebrate the founding days or landing days of the first colonists of the various colonial provinces. 

However the exact dates are not legislated for. 

The regions covered are set by provincial district (as they stood when abolished in 1876), plus Southland, the Chatham Islands, South Canterbury and Northland.

Following the end of the Second World War, Hungary had increasingly come under the control of their liberators from Germany, the Soviet Union.

Following democratic changes in Austria, some Hungarians had hoped for similar concessions in their country, but those hopes were quashed with the establishment of the Warsaw Pact in 1955, placing Hungary behind the so-called ‘Iron Curtain’. Demanding democratic changes and the withdrawal of Soviet forces, Hungarian students held a demonstration in Budapest on October 23rd 1956. The demonstration drew popular support and the crowds grew and similar protests broke out across Hungary. This led to the Soviets deploying tanks on the streets of Budapest in an attempt to take back control. Violent rebellion then erupted in all parts of Hungary, with uprisings removing the local government. A new democratic government ousted the ruling communist party.

On October 28th the Soviets called for a cease-fire, withdrew their troops and pledged to re-establish free elections.

However, on November 3rd 1956, the Soviets changed their minds. The new government was arrested and within a week the Soviet military had crushed the rebels and the short-lived revolution was over.

While the revolution may not have been successful, it was still seen as a significant event that hardened international opinion against the more oppressive aspects of the Soviet Union.

A WOMAN who claims she is happy to watch any TV show or film is only open to doing so until offered options, it has emerged.

Sophie and Tom, not their real names, settled down for an evening together as a couple, which means watching television for two hours, when Booker courteously asked if she had a preference.

He said: “I was, after all, holding the remote. However Sophie’s generosity outweighed my own as she handed me carte blanche to put on anything I chose.

“So I put on a six-hour documentary about the pyramids, but she wanted something a bit less educational as she’d been in work all day, which is fair enough. So I found a good South Park where Cartman’s a cop but she said she doesn’t like cartoons.

“I thought TOWIE would do it, but she said it was too trashy and reminded her of her colleague Jessica, who to be fair is a slag. So I suggested Andor on Disney Plus but she didn’t want to start something new and anyway aliens aren’t people, which is inarguable.

“I found this Sherlock movie with Jude Law in that’s easy, mindless entertainment which would be all wrapped up in two hours. Apparently that would be past her bedtime.

“By this time I was getting pretty narked as she ruled out quiz shows, soaps, reality, any nature documentary and anything to do with death. I tossed her the remote and told her to pick something. She went off in a huff so, in a foul mood, I put the footy on.”

Sophie said: “Tom was really stressy about it. When I came back in he had football on, so I said if that’s what he wanted to watch all he had to do was say. I’ll watch anything.”

Diwali marks the return of Lord Rama, who was the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, from a fourteen-year exile.

The Festival of Lights takes place on the darkest night (the first night of the new moon) in the month of Kartik in the Hindu calendar.

Across India streets and temples are decorated with spectacular light displays and colourful garlands.

In their homes, people light small oil lamps called diyas. It is believed that deceased relatives come back to visit their families on Earth during this festival and the lights are a way to guide the spirits home. The sound of firecrackers exploding is common as the noise is said to drive away evil spirits.

Over 70% of all firecrackers used during Diwali come from the town of Sivaski in Tamil Nadu.

Families, friends and business associates exchange gifts and sweets, settle old business deals and are encouraged to rid themselves of hate, anger and jealousy.

The festival is a time for rejoicing and renewal.

Diwali holds significance not only in Hinduism but also in Sikhism who celebrate the release of their sixth Guru (literal translation: teacher) Hargobind. To Sikhs, it is known as Bandi Chhor Divas. The Jains celebrate it as the day when Lord Mahaveer, the last Tirthankara, attained Nirvana or Moksha.

Serbia Remembrance Day is a working public holiday in Serbia observed on October 21st each year.

This holiday is a day of remembrance for the Serbian victims of the second world war. Observed as a memorial to the Kragujevac massacre which took place on October 21st 1941, when 2,700 Serb men and boys were killed in Kragujevac by Nazi German troops.

The massacre was a retaliation to resistance attacks on the Germans. The number of those killed was calculated as a ratio of 100 hostages executed for every German soldier killed and 50 hostages executed for every German soldier wounded. This was a formula devised by Adolf Hitler with the intent of suppressing anti-Nazi resistance in Eastern Europe.

The cruel ratio proved ineffective in stopping Serb resistance and it was abolished in 1943.

In 1929 the economic ravages of the Great Depression were being felt worldwide, including Central America. It caused high levels of unemployment and unrest in Guatemala.

To stop the country descending into chaos, the Guatemalan authorities needed someone to take control and give strong leadership. They looked to Jorge Ubico, who had earned a hardman reputation as a provincial governor. Ubico won the 1931 elections, which wasn’t a great shock to the pollsters given he was the only candidate.

Ubico set about his task of improving the country’s economic fortunes and imposed an over-zealous and punitive set of labour laws.

He effectively militarised the country, by making each provincial governor a general and putting military officers in charge of many government posts.

During the second world war, he gave support to the Americans (mainly to annoy Mexico) but that didn’t stop him openly admiring the achievements of European fascists such as Franco in Spain and Mussolini in Italy.

It’s not known what posters if any, the teenage Ubico had on his bedroom wall, but Napoleon would have been a safe bet as he was like a dog with a Bonaparte when it came to Napoleon. Ubico considered himself to be “another Napoleon”. He surrounded himself with statues and paintings of Napoleon, regularly commenting on the similarities between their appearances. Though he wasn’t particularly short – but then neither was Napoleon, despite what British propaganda might have us believe.

TRUMP has told Kate she is ‘beautiful, so beautiful’. Making uncomfortable comments to younger, uninterested women is a popular pastime for older men, so here’s how to go about it.

‘Have you got a boyfriend?’

Ambiguously creepy, as it might just be nosiness or could be a prelude to offering to step in. It also implies you can stop wasting your time on them if they are already the property of another male, a view women strangely find offensive.

‘Older men are more experienced’

Often just a bit of mindless sauciness, but unpacked it means: ‘Older men are better at sex, which would be a benefit of doing it with me.’ Whether this is true is highly debatable, but it doesn’t matter because no 25-year-old woman has ever thought: ‘Hmm, fractionally better sex definitely outweighs the paunch, bald patch, lower libido and wife and two kids.’

‘You look great in that dress’

Firmly in the creepiness grey area. It could just be a casual flattering comment on a woman’s overall appearance, or it could mean that an older male colleague or acquaintance takes a close interest in their tits and arse. Hopefully not with the aid of hundreds of surreptitious photos on their phone.

‘If I was 20 years younger I’d go out with you myself’ 

This suggests that a younger woman would automatically date the older man when he was in his 20s, which misses out the ‘consent’ and ‘attraction’ elements that are good to have in a relationship. It also implies he was able to simply order women to go out with him in his youth, which is a lie unless you’re talking to Kim Jong Un.

‘You’re very beautiful’

This is the sort of bold compliment made by men who fancy themselves to be distinguished appreciators of beautiful women, ie. twats. But the main problem is that once you’ve explicitly said you find someone incredibly beautiful, from now on you may as well be wearing a t-shirt that says ‘Wanking over you frequently’.

‘Has anyone ever told you you look like [insert actress]?’

Being compared to Scarlett Johansson or whoever is flattering, but it’s not as if men fantasise about a chaste evening of Monopoly with her. So it’s problematic once you think about it, but you get extra creepiness points for using a dated example like Raquel Welch then mansplaining who she is.

‘You’re younger than my daughter’

Could be said in all innocence, but it’s a phrase that usually refers to banging someone much younger. So you’ve not only highlighted the fact that you’re way too old to go out with whoever you’re talking to, you’ve also made it incredibly creepy by mentioning your daughter. What woman could resist your suave older charms?

Bishop, along with several civilians, was killed following a palace coup orchestrated by his deputy, Bernard Coard, at Fort Rupert which was renamed Fort George.

The execution of Bishop, and the ensuing turmoil were used as justification by the US and Caribbean countries to militarily intervene in an operation called Urgent Fury.

Speaking at a flag-raising and wreath-laying ceremony where the killings took place, Grenada Culture Minister Ron Redhead, noted that the country will only be able to move on if the events of 1983 are addressed.

The Minister, whose father was a member of the militia, also noted that Grenada will be making an official request to the United States and the United Kingdom to provide factual information surrounding the bodies of Bishop and others.

Maurice Bishop took power in 1979 following the ousting of Prime Minister Eric Giary and held office until his death in 1983.

Maurice Bishop was shot dead by the armed forces at the military headquarters in the capital St George’s.

This day is essentially the second of two independence days celebrated in Azerbaijan. The first is Republic day which marks the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan on May 28th 1918. This republic only lasted two years before Azerbaijan became part of the Soviet Union.

In 1991, perestroika (social and economic reform) had swept across the Soviet Union leading to many of the countries to declare their independence from the USSR

On August 30th 1991, Azerbaijan made clear its intention to become an independent nation once again when the Declaration on the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan was adopted by Parliament.

On October 18th 1991 the constitutional act “On the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan” was approved and adopted by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

This made Azerbaijan the sixth country to leave the USSR following Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Georgia and Armenia.

The act of independence was affirmed by a nationwide referendum on 29 December 1991, when the Soviet Union officially ceased to exist.

In 1992, Independence Day was declared a national non-working holiday.  In 2006, the Azerbaijani parliament changed the country’s labour code, and on October 18th 2006 its public holiday status was removed.

A WOMAN who is patently the cause of every major problem in her beleaguered life, career and relationship has asked if it is her. 

Lilly, not he real name, has confronted her best friend with the question when discussing the written warning she got from work, whether her boyfriend knows she cheated and her forthcoming eviction, and wondering as to the common factor in events. 

She continued: “My boss knows I can’t stand Emily because she caught me going through her bag once, but he sits me opposite her? But then I end up pulling her hair out and it’s like I’m the problem. 

“Then James is closing in on my still shagging Macca while my coke dealer I banged keeps calling and I’m like why me? Is it my fault? Is it something I’m doing? 

“When a landlord says you can’t have pets he means dogs, right? But suddenly ‘I’m evicted’ because the chinchilla that escaped chewed through wiring and also I took a wall out. How can it all this happen to the same person?

“Is it me? Am I the problem? Am I doing all this to myself? Please, be honest with me, it’s better I know, is it me?” 

Friend Hannah, not her real name, said: “Oh God no it’s not you, no way, no don’t blame yourself at all.” 

The Haitian Revolution is regarded as the largest and most successful slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere.  The rebellion against French authority began in 1791. Toussaint Louverture emerged as the leader of the revolt against the French. Napoleon sent troops to the colony to restore French authority and Louverture was captured in 1802 and died in a French jail in 1803.

Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a lieutenant to Louverture, then took the leadership of the revolution, defeating French troops at the Battle of Vertières on November 18th 1803. France then withdrew its remaining 7,000 troops from the island.

On January 1st 1804, in the city of Gonaïves, Dessalines officially declared the former colony’s independence as a free republic, renaming it “Haiti” after its indigenous name. He also freed all slaves making Haiti the first country in the Americas to permanently abolish slavery. Though it wasn’t all good news for the former slaves, who either had to continue to work on the plantations or join his army.

It was also in 1804 that Dessalines showed the extent of his bloodthirst, massacring all the French people on the island, resulting in the deaths of up to 5,000 people.

Dessalines became the first Emperor of Haiti in October 1804. He was made Emperor for life in 1805, which proved accurate but short-lived as he was assassinated by his political rivals in October 1806.

Despite his impressive achievements in driving his country to independence, if you were to travel back to Haiti in the 19th century, you might be surprised to find that Dessalines was a far from popular figure and that his reputation was that of a tyrant. It was only in the 20th century, that his legacy as an icon of nationalism and a founding father was developed. His rehabilitation was complete by 1903, when the national anthem of Haiti, “La Dessalinienne”, was named in his honour. (The lyrics don’t mention Dessalines.)

National Liqueur Day is a holiday observed annually on October 16th. This holiday celebrates liqueurs—an alcoholic beveragemade from distilled and sweetened spirits, enhanced with extracts, oils, or other flavors. They were originally known as cordials and have been enjoyed throughout history not only for their flavor but also for their perceived medicinal purposes. Nowadays, liqueurs are used as the base for a seemingly endless array of mixed drinks and cocktails. Some of the more popular liqueurs used these days include amaretto, Kahlua, Irishcream, and crème de menthe. All of this means that there are numerous drinks that people can make on this holiday.

We can’t talk about this holiday without taking some time to list some of the facts that we’ve learned about liqueurs. So that’s what we did. You can find our liqueur facts below.

• Liqueurs are sometimes sold as schnapps or cordials.
• One of the most popular liqueurs of all time is Grand Marnier, created in 1880.
• The most common liqueurs are orange liqueur, coffee liqueur, amaretto, Irish cream, Maraschino liqueur, and Dry & Sweet Vermouth.

A MILLENNIAL has accepted his age after attempts to talk about drugs with younger colleagues left him sounding like a police officer.

Steven Malley, 37, tried to bond with Gen Z coworkers by asking if they had ever “done a line of Meow Meow”, immediately killing the conversation. 

In separate incident he referred to a “tenner bag” of cannabis, causing him to later admit his drug knowledge was “tragically outdated”.

Malley said: “Apparently nobody calls them Es anymore. It’s MDMA, and it’s not a pill, it’s a bag of dust. Also, laughing gas is now something you do at clubs, not the dentist’s.

“I thought I’d seem cool dropping a few drug references, but I just sounded like a government information campaign about to warn them of the dangers of sharing needles.”

Colleague Ellie Shaw, 23, said: “Steve’s drug chat has big narc energy. I always have the urge to check if he’s wearing a wire.

“He kept saying these words like ‘gear’, ‘dope’ and ‘Charlie’, and nobody had a f**king clue what he was on about. It’s like he read Trainspotting as a teenager and thinks that’s still enough to get him by.”

Malley has now decided to avoid the subject of drugs and bond with colleagues over new streaming shows such as Better Call Saul and Dexter.

Norodom Sihanouk was born in Phnom Penh on October 31st 1922. He was the only son of HRH Prince Norodom Suramarit and HRH Princess Sisowath Kossomak Nearirath Serey Vatthana.

Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk became the King of the Kingdom of Cambodia in April 1941 after the death of his grandfather.

From 1941 he was head of state of Cambodia several times as it changed its name and status.

From the fall of the Democratic Kampuchea on January 7th 1979 to 1990, Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk left Cambodia and returned back in 1991 and became the King of Cambodia in 1993 until he abdicated in October 2004.

His Majesty the King-Father Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk passed away on October 15th 2012 at 01:20 am (time in Phnom Penh) in Beijing, China at the age of 90 from natural causes.

A ceremony is held inside the Royal Palace and at royal governmental institutions on October 15th every year to revere His Majesty King-Father Norodom Sihanouk, or His Majesty Preah Barom Ratanakaodh*, which is his posthumous name.

*Meaning “the king who lives in the diamond urn” – Sihanouk was cremated after his death.

When we think of the rise of the early Christian church, Rome seems to be the focus of attention, but the new religion was also taking root a bit further east. Indeed, Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 AD at a time when the Romans were increasing their persecutions of Christians under Emperor Diocletian. Armenia’s conversion was closely followed by Georgia which proclaimed Christianity as the official religion in 337AD. Georgia made its proclamation at Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Kartli, the East Georgian Kingdom.

Mtskheta was also where the first Christian church in the country was founded. The location is said to have been chosen by Saint Nino, a relative of Saint George and a woman who converted the king and queen of Georgia to Christianity.

According to tradition, the holy shirt of Jesus is buried under the church. Elias, a Jew from Mtskheta was in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified. The story is that Elias bought the robe of Jesus from a Roman soldier and brought it back to Georgia. When his sister touched the robe. She was immediately overcome with emotion and died. The robe couldn’t be taken from her grasp, so they buried her and the robe in the church.

Svetitskhoveli translates to “the Living Pillar”. This name is due to a miracle that Saint Nino performed on pillars that were hewn from a cedar that grew on the location of the buried robe.

The original church was rebuilt in the 5th century and the current structure was completed in the 11th century.

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is the second largest church in the country and was inscribed on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1994.

On October 14th, the Georgian Orthodox Church also celebrates the day of King Mirian and Queen Nana, the monarchs who Saint Nino converted to Christianity.

White Sunday is a day when youngsters are especially celebrated by their parents and their communities in Samoan congregations around the world. In nearby Samoa, the day after White Sunday is a public holiday called Lotu a Tamaiti Holiday.

As American Samoa and Samoa are on different sides of the International Dateline, they share similar names but are a day apart. This means White Sunday in American Samoa happens at the same time as White Monday (Lotu a Tamaiti) in Samoa!

In American Samoa, the second Monday in October is already a public holiday for Columbus Day.

The tradition of White Sunday was brought to the islands by Christian missionaries in the 19th century and has become a special holiday, when children are treated from getting new outfits to being allowed their favorite food during family toana’i (Sunday meal).

The majority of children are baptised in designated congregations throughout Samoa on White Sunday.

On White Sunday, Samoan women and children dress completely in white clothing. Some of them trim the clothes with the other two colours of the Samoan flag, red and blue. Men will wear white shirts with either white slacks or the traditional faitaga form of the lavalava. If lavalava is worn then it need not be white on this day.