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Russia's New Official Holiday — Programmer's Day
Glyn Moody writes "Russia's president, Dmitry Medvedev, has decreed a new holiday for his country: Programmer's Day. Appropriately enough, it will be celebrated on the 256th day of the year: September 13th (September 12th for a leap year). Do programmers deserve their own holiday ahead of other professions? Should the rest of the world follow suit?"
It's ironic you make that joke, since one of the first reforms the Bolsheviks made during the October Revolution was reducing the working day to 8 hours.
Well, in Russia, police officers, medical workers, and every other profession actually have their own "days" as well.
Yeah, and we all know that Tetris didn't do anything other than create an entire new market for games and changed the face of gaming by introducing portable gaming as a real means of gaming. Without Tetris we wouldn't have the DS or PSP.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
I really wish I could laugh at your ignorance. Patriot Day started well before Obama came along.
Free the Quark 3 from asymptotic confinement! Bring your charm! Don't get down! All colours and flavours welcome!
Good thing you skipped the 0th day. I'd be expect the conversations with the folks in HR would be less than productive.
In Russia a "professional holiday" is NOT a real holiday and it is NOT a day off. It is a mere sign of appreciation for a certain professional activity. You might hear nice words about your buddies on TV and Radio and you have one more reason to have some drinks that day. Most of "important" professions in Russia have their professional days -- from teachers, doctors all way to police and steel-mill workers. It is no surprise whatsoever that IT workers (aka programmers) get their professional day too.
Good thing you skipped the 0th day.
2^0 = 1
Yet Socrates himself is particularly missed.
A lovely little thinker but a bugger when he's pissed.
I really wish I could laugh at your ignorance.
What the OP is talking about is Obama's Speech at the Pentagon. Watch at about 4:00 minutes in, and listen to what the President is saying ... "On this first National Day of Service and Remembrance, we can summon once more that ordinary goodness of America to serve our communities ..."
Where did I defend the Bolsheviks? They created a heinous regime. I simply commented on the irony of the OP portraying them as stern taskmasters, as one of the ways they initially won over the people of Russia was by reducing working hours.
> Well, in Russia, police officers, medical workers, and every other profession actually have their own "days" as well.
^^^^^^
That, and also there seems to be a misunderstanding here, aka lost in translation. It's not a holiday in a sense that the whole country has a day off. It's just an official nifty name for this particular day. Also a good occasion to praise the work of your friendly programmer in the next cubicle.
"There were lots of pro-democracy and moderate socialists who on the rise before the Bolsheviks seized power."
Read about the February Revolution ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_Revolution ).
In short, democrats and moderate socialists were given power when the Tsar had been deposed. But they squandered it. And were deposed in turn next year during the October Revolution.
It even gets worse. As they saw them losing the civil war, they fleed to another countries and left more or less scorched earth behind them - they were ok with Russian people starving as long as the reds don't get any working industry.
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
Why is the parent rated troll?
You're looking at this from the US perspective. In Russia, most of your list already exists:
Teachers Day: October 5
Medial Workers Day: Third Sunday of June
Social Workers Day: Second Sunday of June
Russian Science Day: February 8
Firemen's Day: April 30
In addition, Russia has commemorative days for public prosecutors, printed media, mass media, students, men, women, youth, mothers, tourists, elderly people, salesmen and service workers, police, geologists, cosmonauts, chemical industry workers, librarians, border guards, light industry workers, inventors, fishermen, postal workers, metallurgists, children's books, Slavic literature and culture, railroad workers, aviators, construction workers, miners, oil and gas workers, forestry workers, machinists and equipment workers, farmers, customs workers, automotive workers, security service workers, rescuers, power engineering specialists, and every concievable type of military workers.
Adding a Programmer's Day to this list is not particularly jarring or surprising.
-Graham
Armed, combat trained and battle tested right wing leaning organization = Patriotic citizens!!
Left leaning college students delivering food to seniors and reading to school kids = Paramilitary revolutionary force!!! OH NOEZ!