Weed Appreciation Day

This year, March 28 is Holy Thursday, the beginning of the solemn Easter Triduum.

But it will also be Weed Appreciation Day.

From Roger Ebert's Journal.

We were going to say that we can't imagine why anyone would appreciate weeds but then we thought about it: This year, with North America's late-arriving and long-lingering Winter, even the return of the dandelions might be cause for celebration.

For about 10 seconds.

Thursday will also be National Something on a Stick Day. Apparently just about anything on a stick fits in with this partially-thought-out microminiholidayette.

Dwight D. Eisenhower died on March 28, 1969. President Eisenhower died of natural causes (congestive heart failure).

Not so lucky was the Roman Emperor Pertinax, who was assassinated by his Praetorian Guard on March 28, 193. (The Praetorian Guard then auctioned the job off to the highest bidder.) Apparently the Praetorian Guard was miffed with Pertinax because he tried to impose some discipline and reform on them.

Come to think of it, our crack research staff, which is desperate need of both reform and discipline, was careful to highlight this cause of Pertinax's murder in their memo for this post. Should we be nervous?