Friday is Hug Your Boss Day?

Well, at least in the UK, apparently, there is some push to call Friday, August 23, Hug Your Boss Day. There is no truth to the rumor that the soon-to-be-former Mayor of San Diego tried to make Hug Your Boss Day a mandatory observance in his California city.

Usual Suspect American Greetings promotes Friday as a more generic Hug Day, but the celebration thereof, without some consent or mutuality, will not insulate you against claims of harassment.

On the serious side, Friday is The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade. The most important thing to remember about slavery is that, even in America, there are still persons held in conditions of slavery... or near enough. And we're not even talking about interns; we're being serious.

There are a lot of August 23 birthdays to remember, starting with King Louis XVI of France, born on August 23, 1954.

Song and dance man Gene Kelly was born on August 23, 1912. Barbara Eden, TV's Jeannie, turns 82 on Friday. Pro football Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen turns 79 on August 23.

Actress Shelly Long, Diane Chambers on TV's Cheers turns 64 on Friday.

Silent screen legend Rudolph Valentino died on August 23, 1926. He was only 31. A number of the Usual Suspects proclaim Friday Valentino Day in his honor. On the other hand, a number of the Usual Suspects also proclaim Friday National Spongecake Day for no obvious reason whatsoever.