Celebration comes to mind as the fitting word to describe the months of February and March, and what a feast of events. This time of year, chapters around the world who participate in the Community Achievement Award program are beginning to summarize their activity for the STC year. I won't list the summary items here, but rather explain some of the more interesting events in the next couple of months in which we celebrate, have fun, and do some good.

Howling Against Hunger

The March Phoenix Chapter meeting falls on the 14th, which happens to coincide with a full moon. Our chapter has had a tradition of holding one or two food drives during the year, and I thought we might throw some fun into this one. I traditionally contribute a larger some of my charity donations to hunger causes, so I thought I would tie the two events together.

At our March registration table will be a pot. For every registrant who howls at the full moon, I will contribute a dollar toward hunger causes. If the registrant would rather not perform this full moon tradition, they may contribute two dollars to the food drive pot and my friend and former chapter president Tim Eull will howl at the full moon. For more information on our Fun SIG activities, see the November issue of Tieline.

International Technical Writing Competition

This year our chapter began an International Technical Writing Competition for college students. No such event, on an international level, could be found in STC, so we started one. The first entry was from the Toronto Chapter. The deadline for entries is February 28.

Pi Day, 300th Anniversary

The Greek letter ( (pi) was first used for the value 3.1415 in the publication, "Synopsis Palmariorium Mathesios," written by William Jones in 1706. So, 2006 will be the 300th Anniversary of the use of ( as a mathematical symbol.

March 14 is an incredible celebration day this year. In the U.S., this date is written 3-14, or 3/14, which uses the first three digits of pi, 3.14. In the international style, this would be written as 14/3, so this is clearly an informal American celebration. A lot of technical writers work with engineers who use a lot of mathematics, and they may be familiar with Pi Day.

The first cultures given credit for finding a value of pi are the Babylonians and the Egyptians around the year 2000 B.C.E.

Coincidently, March 14 is also the birthday of a famous quantum physicist, Albert Einstein, who was born in 1879 in Germany. Some familiar Einstein quotes include:

• Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.
• Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
• The ideas that have lighted my way have been kindness, beauty, and truth.
• I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.

International Technical Communication Month

Society President Suzanna Laurent likes the concept of an international celebration of what we do. This past October, I established the first International Technical Communication Month. Suzanna thought it would be a good idea to celebrate this event in May to coincide with the STC Annual Conference. So, that is when it will occur in 2006. Suzanna has been swamped with STC work and didn't have a chance to get the event onto the Society board meeting agenda and get Society sponsorship of the event with only a few months before the conference, so, maybe next year.

Highland Games

As part of our goal of building a community within which technical communicators can network, we provide dinner meetings, seminars, and workshops. A lighter side of that networking involves gathering at festivals for those interested in participating with other STC members.

The Caledonian Society of Arizona sponsors the 42nd Annual "http://stc-phoenix.com/Events/funsig/funsighighlandgames06.htm">Highland Games and Scottish Gathering February 25-26. The festival focuses on Scottish clans, music, Scottish athletic events, Scottish food and vendors, and it even has a display of British automobiles such as the Cooper. Last year several families of STC members attended.

St Patrick's Day Parade and Irish Faire

Another festival with participation from STC members and their families involves one of the bigger parades in Phoenix, which is followed by a festival similar to the Highland Games. The location of the Faire in central Phoenix also includes a permanent Irish Cultural Center.

The Greatest Show on Grass

Another Phoenix event that will have STC members in attendance is the largest golfing event in the world, the FBR Open. Crowds routinely exceed 100,000 and sometimes sound like an English football game. Since the Open is held over a number of days, this will be mostly an unhosted event, although some STC members are coordinating their attendance.

World Book Day

Now, this is an interesting day celebrated in the UK and Ireland on March 2. UNESCO designated it as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. Its origins come from Catalonia, where roses and books were given as gifts to loved ones on St. George's Day, St. George being the patron saint of England. One survey showed that only 25 percent of English residents know their patron saint, and only 20 percent know that his day is April 23. Anyway, I'm going to see if I can't get more Phoenix Chapter members knowledgeable about both World Book Day and St. George's Day.

My British and Irish Roots

Hmmm. This article is already too long. I will save this information for the next article. If you are eager to find out about me, you can get a sneak preview here. Since I'm running for Society secretary, I'll give you a link to my STC biography. Society's Election Information. My STC Resume.