Electronics Recycling Available At Best Buy

Modern life is filled with electronic gadgets, from iPods to large flat screen TVs. What are you to do with it all when it stops working? Certainly don't put it into the trash, that only fills up our landfills with all kinds of things that could be recycled! One convenient way to recycle electronic items is to drop them off at Best Buy. As an electronics seller Best Buy has a program to accept electronics and send them to a recycling company. Not only does this make recycling electronics super easy, but it's free! They accept nearly everything electronic, including tube TVs and monitors up to 32", flat-panel TVs and monitors up to 60", peripherals, DVD players, home and car audio, cell phones, fans, vacuums, MP3 players, and cables, appliances and desktop or laptop computers. To learn more about Best Buy's program or to check which items they accept for recycling, click here.

Check Out Our Quarterly Newsletter!

Our quarterly newsletter is now available on our website. Stay up to date on what is happening around your apartment community and check out the helpful reminders. The Gulf Gate newsletter can be found here.

January: National Blood Donor Month

From National Blood Donor Month to National Kazoo Day, January is packed with unique commemorative designations and holidays and they range from the important to the silly.

One of the more important designations for January is National Blood Donor Month. January typically sees blood donations drop since the wintery month is cold, dark and situated right after the holidays. All of these factors make it more likely that donors will struggle to make their appointments during this month. Thus January has been given a special designation in hopes that people like you will step forward to donate during the first month of the year!

Nearly 10 million people donate blood every year; this month especially the American Red Cross wants you to be one of the 10 million. When you donate blood you are saving lives. Every two seconds someone is in need of donated blood. To keep up with that kind of demand 38,000 donations are needed every day. With only one pint of blood you can save up to three lives!

While the blood drive effort lasts all month long, there are also some very interesting holidays during January.

January 18

• Winnie the Pooh Day which was created to celebrate the birth of the author of Winnie the Pooh, A. A. Milne on January 18, 1882. Celebrate today by reading some of your favorite storybooks of the adventures of Winnie the Pooh!

January 19

• Edgar Allan Poe’s Birthday (1/19/1809 – 10/7/1849) Edhgar Allan Poe was an author, poet, editor and literary critic. One of his famous works is “The Raven” which was published in 1845 which made him a household name. 

January 23

• Chinese New Year is the longest and most important event in the Chinese calendar.  Chinese months are determined by the lunar calendar.  In China, people will take weeks off from work to prepare for this celebration. Legend says that Buddha asked all of the animals to meet him on the Chinese New Year, when only 12 animals showed up Buddha named a year after each of them. It is said that someone who is born in the year of a particular animal will have traits like that animal. 2012 is the year of the dragon and it is said that those born in the year of the dragon are said to be brave, innovative and passionate.
• January 23 is also National Pie Day! According to a 2004 survey Apple pie is the most popular pie followed by Pumpkin pie and Sweet Potato pie. 

January 25 

• Opposite Day.

January 27

• Fun at work Day. Have a blast everyone!
• Holocaust Memorial Day. This day to remember the victims of the holocaust. This day of remembrance began in 2001 and is held on the anniversary of the liberation of the Aushwitz concentration camp by the Soviet Union in 1945.
• Also sharing January 27 is Chocolate Cake Day. Who says cake is just for birthdays?  Let there be cake!

January 28

• Christa McAuliffe Day (11/2/1948 – 1/28/1986) Christa was one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. She was a teacher who took part in the NASA Teacher in Space Project founded by President Ronald Reagan. Christa was selected from among 11,000 applicants to participate in a program designed to increase the public’s interest in the shuttle program and remind Americans the important role that teachers serve in their country. On Jan.28, 2986 the space shuttle disintegrated just 73 seconds after being launched. Since the death of Christa McAuliffe many schools and scholarships have been named in Christa’s honor.
• January 28 is also National Kazoo Day.

Today Is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is held on the 3rd Monday of January each year which is near Dr. King’s birthday on January 15th.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the main spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement. His speeches successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. Dr. King is remembered often for his “I have a dream speech”.

Here is an excerpt from that famous speech:

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.”

The campaign for a federal holiday to honor Dr. King began soon after he was assassinated in 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed this holiday into law in 1983, though it was not officially observed until 1986. Even still some states were hesitant on celebrating this holiday. It was not until the year 2000 that all 50 states observed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Oh My! It's Friday The 13th!

It’s Friday the 13th!!!!!

Superstitions surrounding Friday the 13th comes from many sources, one being derived from the Last Supper and a Norse myth that having thirteen people seated at a table will be the death of one of those people. Friday the 13th has been considered unlucky by some since the 14th century. Friday has also been considered unlucky because according to Christian scripture Jesus was crucified on a Friday. Many myths consider the 13th to be an unlucky day to travel or begin new projects. Black Friday has historically referred to stock market crashes and other major disasters since 1869 when the gold market crashed on a Friday and subsequently caused the stock market to crash.

The media plays a role in promoting this fear in society. Each year we see horror movies centering on Friday the 13th being released, and this fear is often featured in the news.

The fear of Friday the 13th is called Friggatriskaidekaphobia (Frigga being the name of the Norse goddess for whom "Friday" is named and triskaidekaphobia meaning fear of the number thirteen). There are an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the US that are afraid of this day. Some people have so much fear of Friday the 13th that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, traveling and even getting out of bed. Because of the lack of people traveling it has been estimated that $800-$900 million dollars are lost in business on this day.

The good news:
Because of the lack of travel and other activities on this day, it has been reported that there are fewer accidents and reports of fire or theft on Friday the 13th.