Occasional Digest

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.

HI-TECH eyewear used to film women without their knowledge is unfairly besmirching normal bespectacled peepers and voyeurs, it has emerged.

Wearers of Meta smart glasses are following unsuspecting women and uploading humiliating footage to the internet for cash, with the backlash punishing traditional deviants who follow women around for nothing but their own honest entertainment.

Old-fashioned lecher Joseph, not his real name, , wearing NHS spectacles from the 1980s, said: “They accuse me of filming women. Me! Who wants nothing more than to sniff their bus seats!

“Yes, I’m short-sighted. Yes, I wear glasses with comically thick lenses. But when I stand close to a pretty lady and breathe heavily, it’s because I want to actually experience it in the moment not share it online for likes.

“It’s sad, really. These sickos with their secret cameras are turning the simple act of staring at a lone female while rubbing your groin into something weird and creepy.”

Police tech expert Sgt Bates, not his real name, said: “Meta glasses are a real societal problem. We’re suddenly seeing video evidence of all of these instances of sexual harassment and it’s clear that we’ve got to take action.

“It was so much easier to ignore when all we had was women’s word for it.”

Pchum Ben, also known as Ancestors’ Day or ‘Hungry Ghosts Festival’, is a 15-day Cambodian religious festival, which culminates in celebrations on the 15th day of the tenth month in the Khmer calendar, marking the end of the Buddhist lent.

Phcum Ben starts on the first day of the waning moon in the month of Putrobut until the 15th day before the new moon. Each of the the first fourteen days of the festival is called a day of Kan Ban. The 15th and last day is called ‘Pchum Ben’ and is the start of a two day public holiday.

In Khmer, the language of Cambodia, Pchum means ‘to gather together’ and Ben means ‘a ball of food’. Pchum Ben, also called ‘Brochum Ben’ is the most important festival in the Khmer religious calendar. The day is a time for Cambodians to pay their respects to their ancestors of up to seven generations.

The Pchum Ben festival dates back to the Angkorian period when the people of the area followed animism (the belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls.). Eventually animism was replaced by Buddhism as the prominent religion in the region, however Buddhism and animism both emphasised respect for ancestors, so the ancient customs of Pchum Ben continued and flourished under the newer religion.

It is said that on the first day of Pchum Ben, the gates of hell are opened and the devil releases all the ghosts, some of who are ancestors of the people.

NEW to dating apps? Confused by the phrases all the long-term singletons who long ago lost all faith in love are using? Find your way with this guide:

‘New here’ means ‘Recently dumped’

Dating apps are haunted by the sad, lonely wraiths of society doomed to never find companionship. Nobody stumbles in happily, no matter how cheerfully it’s phrased. Being new to a dating app means a previous life of happiness has imploded and now you’re in the trenches of loneliness with everyone else in the radius you’ve arbitrarily set.

‘Want children’ means ‘You are a means to an end’

Taken at face value, someone saying they want children is refreshingly straightforward. But look closer. The singleton in question is edging toward 40. There’s a manic glint in her eye which suggests this is her last roll of the dice. If you meet up, she will be trying to harvest your genetic material within hours, once you’ve provided proof of earnings.

‘Figuring out my dating goals’ means ‘I want to shag around’

Everyone has a decent idea of what they want out of a relationship. If someone says they’re still figuring it out, it means they want to up their body count before they settle down. Unfortunately in this case he’s a balding man in his early 40s called Darren, so he has to dress up his urges so women don’t realise.

‘Looking for long-term relationship, open to short’ means ‘I’m desperate’

Being open to anything is to admit you’re scrambling. They want a committed relationship for life, but they’re so starved of love that they’ll settle for a couple of dates and hoping you’re so impressed by their oral skills you’ll tumble into marriage. An easy lay if you’re so inclined, but expect tears after. Or during.

‘I don’t take life too seriously’ means ‘I am insufferable’

This harmless phrase suggests a zest for life, surely? Wrong. People who use this are non-entities who think going for a Sunday roast counts as a spontaneous adventure. They also usually claim to not be political, which means they’d be the first person to report you to the secret police should fascism get going again.

During the Six-day War with Israel in June 1967, Egypt had lost control of the Sinai Peninsula.

In an attempt to regain the territory, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat carried out a surprise attack on 6 October 1973. The attack was supported by the Syrians and met with initial success when more than 80,000 Egyptian troops breached the fortifications set up by the Israelis and took control of the Sinai territory. After two days, the Egyptians were forced to retreat when the Israeli army counterattacked and surrounded the Egyptian forces.

The war ended in a cease-fire brokered by the United States. The assault proved unsuccessful in liberating the Sinai Peninsula, but the conflict directly led to talks at Camp David organised by US President Jimmy Carter. These talks resulted in the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty of 1979 which eventually saw the return of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.

The holiday is marked by large military parades and fireworks. It was during one of the parades on Armed Forces Day in 1981, when President Anwar Sadat was assassinated by opponents of the peace with Israel.

The Battle of Angamos (Combate naval de Angamos) was a naval battle fought on October 8th 1879, during the War of the Pacific (1879-1883). Also known as the Saltpeter War, the war began as a dispute between Chile and Bolivia over control of the Atacama Desert a region rich in valuable minerals. Peru became involved when Bolivia declared war on Chile and invoked Peru to fight on their side as part of a secret mutual agreement.

The Battle of Angamos took place off the coast of what was then Bolivia (the are is now part of present-day Chile), between the Chilean navy and the Peruvian navy.

The Chilean Navy, under the command of Captains Galvarino Riveros and Juan Jose Latorre surrounded and captured the ironclad steam-propelled warship Huáscar. The captain of the Huáscar was Admiral Miguel Grau Seminario, who was killed by the Chileans.

The defeat in the battle was seen as key turning point in the war and the Peruvian forces were unable to prevent the subsequent invasions into its territory by Chile.

Admiral Grau is considered a hero in Peru and today many streets, parks and other landmarks are named in honour of him and his warship.

BORED at work? Have you considered hating one of, or all of, your co-workers for reasons they would consider petty but you call unforgivable? This should get you started:

Iain’s lunch had a mild odour

He sits within your line of sight and if that wasn’t bad enough, he dared bring in something more exotic than a cheese sandwich for his dirty little midday meal. And he made you watch. Begin with passive-aggressive sniffing and coughing, and glow with inner fury whenever he strays toward the microwave for eight years thereafter.

Marie used the printer for too long

Despite the fact that everything is now on G-suite, Microsoft 365, or East 17 these days, a fellow employee was at the printer the one and only time you needed to use it. Hogging it. Did she gracefully step aside when confronted with your urgent hover? She did not. So you must deliberately go slowly when she’s waiting behind you from now until 2032.

Louise laughed too hard at a manager’s joke

Pathetic little suck-up. Guffawing, in a meeting, when everyone knows they’re not for fun or productivity but to engender despair, self-loathing and the urge to put one’s hand into a blender. You would never demean yourself by trying to enjoy being at work and it’s well worth resenting that cow for doing so.

Connor drank the last of the milk

It may seem like a small, impolite accident, but this devastating betrayal is in fact worse than Kim Philby, Judas and David Harbour all combined. Two pints is more than a quid now. Act swiftly, rally others to your cause and judge what pitiful over-sweetened pseudo-beverage your nemesis wasted the precious liquid on.

Jill sat at your desk

Technically it isn’t your desk because hot desking. But while its ownership might not be recognised in a court of law, spiritually and emotionally it is your safe harbour and your home. And she thinks she can steal it? F**k about with her chair when she isn’t looking.

That girl who didn’t know who you were

That disrespectful intern is the epitome of why their generation don’t deserve jobs or to ever retire, with their f**king iced coffees. How dare they not recognise how supremely importa

The Bank of Lao is the central bank of the country.

The Government adopted October 7th 1968 as the founding day of the banking sector, as this was the date of the first printing of the liberated Laotian Kip currency under the leadership of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party. The currency was printed in a cave in Viengxai district, Hauphanh province, which was a revolutionary base at the time.

In 1975 after the establishment of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Bank of Lao merged with the former Lao National Bank to become the central bank for the new country.

At 1:12am on October 6th 1948 an earthquake struck Turkmenistan. The earthquake was recorded as having a magnitude of 7.3 and the epicentre was just south of the capital, Ashgabat.

Within a matter of minutes, Ashgabat and about 40 surrounding villages were reduced to rubble, with almost all brick buildings collapsing and concrete structures heavily damaged.

Details of the damage were censored by the Turkmen government, so estimates of casualties vary. At the time, deaths were estimated at 10,000. After independence from Soviet rule, it was revealed that the number was closer to 110,00, which was 10% of the population of the country at the time.

That’s not to say that the Soviets didn’t try to respond. A thousand doctors and medical employees immediately arrived in Ashgabat from all parts of the former Soviet Union to assist the survivors and the surrounding Soviet states offered help in whatever way they could.

On Earthquake Memorial Day in 2009, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said about 176,000 people suffered due to the Earthquake.

“One of the most powerful earthquakes in the world occurred in Ashgabat and its surroundings on October 6th 1948, at 1:12… [the] Natural disaster was a severe test for Turkmen people and razed to the ground the city with 198,000 people for 15-20 seconds,” Berdymukhamedov said.

In 2002, the government of Turkmenistan commemorated the devastating event by issuing special coins featuring images of President Suparmurat Niyazov and his family members.  The earthquake killed Niyazov’s mother and the rest of his family, leaving him an orphan.

From the late 19th century, Britain and French had been wrestling for control of the New Hebrides, a group of about 80 islands in the South Pacific Ocean.

In 1906, they agreed to share control through a unique Anglo-French Condominium.

With the movement for independence gaining momentum in the 1960s, Father Walter Lini established the New Hebrides National Party (now the Vanua’aku Pati) in 1974.

The date for full independence of Vanuatu was agreed in 1979 when the drafting of a constitution got underway. The Constitutional Committee consisted of representatives of different political parties, religious leaders and local tribal chiefs.

The Constitution was signed on October 5th 1979. It came into force on July 30th 1980, when the New Hebrides gained independence as the Republic of Vanuatu

RESEARCH has found that the older you are, the guiltier you feel about taking time off sick. And it can definitely cause some deeply irrational thoughts, like these:

‘It’s morally wrong’

Does taking a day off sick even count as a moral or immoral act? Not unless you’re skiving off to commit a murder, in which case you’ve got more to worry about than what your boss thinks. Also, disposing of a body would be horrendous with this cold.

‘I must sound ill on the phone’

When phoning in sick, it’s almost impossible not to put on a feeble voice and give a little cough to prove your case. It’s unnecessary and frankly a bit silly. What’s next? A video call while you’re sitting on the toilet making vile noises to prove you’ve got a tummy upset?

‘Will I get the sack?’

The classic paranoid sickie thought. Get a grip and imagine your boss explaining it to their boss: ‘A staff member I have no real complaints about, who takes a normal amount of time off sick, claimed to have a flu-like illness common in the UK, so I fired them.’ ‘Excellent work, Emma, that’s how to run an effective business.’

‘I am betraying my co-workers’

Yes, Gavin and the others are heroically battling through a normal workload while you fail to do your duty like a coward. Oh, hang on, you’re an office worker, not a squaddie abandoning your mates to die in a Taliban attack. You wouldn’t need to lose weight if you were.

‘Will someone come and check on me?’

Might your boss dispatch a colleague to your home? Not unless they are deranged and seriously overstaffed, and even then it’s probably illegal harassment. Your ill, paranoid brain can’t accept this, so you do the sensible thing of sitting away from a window and trying to look miserable instead of laughing at the comforting YouTube shite you’re watching.

‘I wish I had a more serious illness’

Are you ill enough to justify taking time off? It’s a question you’ll be obsessed with for hours, until you wish you were suffering from something clear-cut like a broken leg. Hopefully your next sickie will be the result of being hit by a car, you reason. Your horrific injuries will mean you can relax then.

‘They’ll discover they don’t need me’

Could your job actually be done by your colleagues, and you’re paid tens of thousands of pounds a year unnecessarily? Clearly ‘yes’, because modern companies are notorious for employing way more staff than they need. That’s why they keep you entertained at work with dancing girls and an office jester.

The feast day was a public holiday in Italy until 1977, when it was removed as part of a law reducing the number of holidays for economic reasons.

In advance of the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis in 2026, two combined bills (Noi Moderati and Fratelli d’Italia) were proposed in 2025 to reinstate the October 4th holiday.

On October 1st 2025, the Italian senate gave final approval to the bill after it had passed in the lower house the previous week week with 247 votes in favour and just two against.

The bill, backed by the ruling right-wing parties, calls for cultural initiatives dedicated to Italy’s patron saint and the values he embodied: peace, fraternity, inclusion and environmental protection.

COMPLAINING about people behind their backs yields better results than talking to them directly, scientists have found.

Research showed that while being more cowardly, bitching is a safer way of venting your frustration than telling someone how awful they are to their face, which could get you punched or fired.

Professor Frost, not her real name, of the Institute for Stories said: “Evidence suggests bitching is an evolutionary advantage. None of our ancestors ever got mauled for secretly slagging off a predator.

“Bitching is probably why humanity learnt to talk in the first place. Not to express needs or abstract thoughts, but to mock the sabre-toothed tiger skins the neanderthals in the cave next door are wearing. Civilisation as we know it has these snide comments to thank.

“However confrontation escalates until one side backs down or dies. The only risk associated with bitching is when someone grasses you up. And even then you can lie your way out of it if you’re a nasty little creep.”

She added: “Plus you can bitch from the comfort of your sofa with a big bottle of wine. What more proof do you need?”

Researcher Karen, not her real name, said: “We’re confident our findings are accurate. Unless Hannah f**ked up her data again, but what do you expect from a lazy cow like her?”

Since 1990, the ‘Tag der Deutschen Einheit’ has been a national holiday in Germany. It is the only official national holiday. All other holidays are managed at a federal level.

On November 9th 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, paving the way towards the reunification of Germany which had been split at the end of the second world war.

The reunification of Germany took place on October 3rd 1990 when the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) was incorporated into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG).

Following the GDR’s first free elections on March 18th 1990, negotiations between the GDR and FRG culminated in a Unification Treaty.

Further negotiations between the GDR and FRG and the four occupying powers produced the so-called “Two Plus Four Treaty” granting full sovereignty to a unified German state, whose two halves had previously been bound by a number of limitations as a result of its post-WWII-status as an occupied nation. The treaty was signed on September 20th 1990.

Originally November 9th was proposed to be the national German Unity Day reflecting the huge step taken toward Germany’s unification on that day.

However, the unification treaty declared October 3rd as the official national holiday, ending the division between east and west of Germany.

STARTING at university? You will meet so, so many middle-class girls, usually studying psychology, that you fancy. But they will also have these infuriating traits:

Not fancying you

While wilfully being attractive, the nice girls suddenly surrounded by are annoyingly sensible about who they sleep with, and how long it takes them to decide to. Is it too much to ask that universities are required by law to include ‘ease of getting laid’ in their prospectuses?

Having oddly-named friends

Hang out with middle-class-verging-on-posh girls and you will discover a social circle filled with Arabellas, Octavias, Harriets and maybe even a Jocasta. Worse are the nicknames: Minty? Cheski? Boodie? Were they made to swap names with their horses?

Making the most of university life

Nice girls fling themselves into activities such as rowing or the debating society, tempting you to follow. But nobody, however lovely, is worth getting up at 6am to sit on a cold, wet, miserable river for. Or worth listening to smartarse debates by 18-year-old twats who want to be Tory MPs for.

Questionable music taste

Uni has always been about being into cool bands, but trying to pull a girl devoted to an artist who was her favourite at her Gloucestershire grammar school is work. After your third Idles gig, you’ve been preached at so much you’d rather go to f**king church.

Having privileged existences

Young women at the upper end of the middle-class affluence scale do not realise it. It’s disconcerting when they say ‘You mean you’ve never been to Santa Fe?’ totally aghast, as if you’d just admitted your family lives in a sewer pipe.

Their alternative lifestyle choices

All students explore alternative choices at uni, not least middle-class girls finally free of their parents. Typically that means veganism or New Age woo, both equally hard to put up with. Eventually you will say ‘No, Olivia, I am not going with you to the Cornwall Festival of Druidism.’

Already having boyfriends

It’s disappointing in any circumstances to discover someone you fancy is attached. However at least at university this is the smallest romantic challenge you face, because as everyone knows sixth-form boyfriends last until mid-October.

The day commemorates the date when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the Americas.

Columbus’ voyages across the Atlantic Ocean initiated the European exploration and colonization of the Americas.

While the first voyage in 1492 was immensely significant, Columbus did not actually reach the American mainland until his 3rd voyage in 1498. Instead, while trying to find a sea route to India, he made landfall on an island in the Bahamas that he named San Salvador. 

He was also not the earliest European explorer to reach the Americas.

There is an old saying that ‘two heads are better than one’. In San Marino that saying is literally taken as a form of government.

In a tradition that dates back to 1243 and based on a custom of the Roman Republic, this tiny republic has not one, but two heads of state.

Known as the Captains Regent, two people are elected every six months by the Grand and General Council, the country’s legislative body.

The two Captain Regent are usually selected from different political parties to give a unique balanced government. Once they have served the six months, they cannot become regents again for another three years.

This may sound a bit bonkers to those of us from countries whose leaders are elected for periods of four or five years, but the roles are mainly symbolic and more like that of a king or queen rather than a president.

Women were prevented from taking public positions in San Marino until 1972. The first female Captains Regent was elected in April 1981.

If you are visiting San Marino on April 1st or October 1st, you can watch the investiture of the new Captains Regent which takes place at the Piazza della Liberta, outside the Government Palace.

A 42-YEAR-OLD who was a pariah in youth for not drinking, not having sex, being right-wing and having a mullet is gratified to see those things become cool.

Martin, not his real name, has realised he was not a teenage loser but well ahead of the curve, and believes the person he was 26 years ago would be the most popular kid at school today.

He said: “Sad wanker, they called me, just for having more than 2,000 porn mags. Well Gen Z boasts about how much they goon. Who’s the sad wanker now?

“And joining the Young Conservatives was death for my social life. With today’s edgy online teens, the only concern was that they’re not Nazi enough for lols.

“Being a politically incorrect loner who stays in, doesn’t booze, doesn’t shag and gets socially anxious is ‘based’ now. Pokémon, high-waisted trousers, socks and plastic sandals, and calling everyone a paedo are rewarded behaviours.

“My wispy moustache was mocked. My glasses got me called Deirdre Rashid. I was boring for not going to the pub. Staying in watching The Office was called being a friendless twat then, and now it’s normal. I feel validated, but I’d much rather have been popular.”

Marttin added: “I posted some photos of myself at 20 online and had DMs from hot girls asking which charity shop sold me that cool vintage cardigan. I cried.”

Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault says the objective is to create a chance for Canadians to learn about and reflect on a dark chapter in their country’s history and to commemorate the survivors, their families, and their communities, as called for by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Indigenous leaders.

Over the course of more than 100 years, some 150,000 Indigenous children were ripped from their families and forced to attend church-run residential schools, where many suffered physical and sexual abuse, malnutrition, and neglect. More than 4,000 are believed to have died.

The Gran Chaco or Chaco Boreal is a large lowland plain that today is part of Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina.

From the late nineteenth century, there had been simmering tensions between Paraguay and Bolivia over their control of the area, as the land was of key strategic interest to both countries. It’s not unrelated that Paraguay and Bolivia are the only two landlocked countries in South America.

The situation wasn’t helped when speculation arose that the region could hold significant deposits of oil. This led to major oil companies taking sides, with Royal Dutch Shell backing Paraguay and Standard Oil supporting Bolivia.

This is the same Good King Wenceslas, who is mentioned in a popular Christmas Carol written in 1853 about St. Stephen’s Day.

Wenceslas was born near Prague in 907 and was the son of the Duke of Bohemia. His father died in 921 and Wenceslas ruled from 922 when he was 15 years old. Raised as a Christian, primarily by his grandmother, Ludmila who had been baptised by the Greek missionaries Cyril and Methodius who brought Christianity to the region.

The reign of Wenceslas is marked by his support of the church, his aim to unify Bohemia and making peace with Germany.

These policies created enemies within his court and even his family. His brother Boleslav was one of those who plotted against him. Boleslav invited Wenceslas to a church consecration. On the morning of September 28th 935 (or 929, according to some historians), on his way to the mass, Wenceslas was attacked by Boleslav and was killed by supporters of his brother.

Having suffered a martyr’s death, Wenceslas was immediately considered a saint. This lead to a cult of veneration with several biographies being written and miracles attributed to him. He was even posthumously made a king by the Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I which is why the carol refers to him as a king when in life he was a duke.

A WOMAN whose boyfriend is sulking and refusing to speak to her is actually treating it as a lovely break from his wittering.

Following a row, Anthony, not his real name, has barely spoken to Jess, not her real name, for two days, failing to anticipate that for her it would turn out to be one of the happiest times in their relationship.

She said: “”Ant’s” in a strop about something and thinks he’s punishing me with his silence. I’d argue the punishment is not that effective, because I’m bloody loving it.

“No pathetic hint-dropping that he wants sex, no tedious work anecdotes I couldn’t give a f**k about, and best of all I have full control of the TV remote. I turned the football over to watch Corrie last night and because he’s so determined not to speak there was nothing he could do about it.

“It got me thinking, if life is so much better without his perpetual blathering, how great would it be if I didn’t have to look at him either? So I’m thinking of dumping him before the weekend then going out on the pull with the girls.”

Ant said: “To be honest, I’ve forgotten what I was in a mood about, but I’m not breaking my vow of silence. That would just be an admission I was in the wrong. About something.

“Jess’s putting a brave face on it and smiling all the time, but I can tell she’s incredibly upset underneath. I’ll start speaking to her again on Friday so I’ll get a shag at the weekend as usual.”