# Halloween Gone? - The Hanke-Henry Permanent Calendar



## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

Happened to see a news tidbit today about a couple of scholars who claim change is needed in the calendar system.

http://releases.jhu.edu/2011/12/27/...scholars-say-calendar-needs-serious-overhaul/

They bring up some valid points about the way dates of the current calendar flop around various days of the week from year to year. This is all eliminated on their 'Permanent Calendar' where all dates fall on the same days all the time. And of course, it seems to be 'Christmas-centric" (my term) because Christmas is given the valued "Sunday" spot on the 25th of December.

To accomplish this, all months are given 30 days except for March, June, September and December, which would have 31. There are no leap years, but every 5-6 year a week long mini-month "Extra" or "Xtr" pops up after December. This keeps us seasonally on track, so spring doesn't eventually happen in October, etc.

http://henry.pha.jhu.edu/ccct.calendar.html

What would this mean to Haunters? There simply is no "October 31" anymore...Oct 30th would fall on a Monday....forever. The next best shot might be having Halloween on Oct 28th which would perpetually be a Saturday. Anyone born on a 31st? your birthday might go away - or at the very least, it will be permanently pinned to specific day. Some will luck out and have friday/saturday birthdays - just made for throwing a great party, though some will have their birthday permanently pinned to a Monday - or Wednesday (me)!


----------



## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

Yeah, see, that'll never work. They've done away with 1031, AND my birthday is perpetually on a Thursday? No, they've done it wrong and need to try again.


----------



## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

can't they instead put their brain power to something useful...like making a good tasting cake mix?


----------



## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

Top 5 things that they could waste time thinking of, instead of screwing up the calendar:
1. Dungeons and Dragons
2. World of Warcraft
3. Sex with Star Wars or Star Trek Aliens.
4. Cure for the Zombie Apocalypse.
5. Cause of the Zombie Apocalypse.

Any of those things is more important than taking away Halloween, just because you used to get beaten up and have your candy taken away. Seriously, get over it.


----------



## JustJimAZ (Aug 19, 2010)

Not gonna happen. It might be a good idea on paper, but how would we get everyone on Earth to convert, even if it worked?


----------



## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

Woo Hoo! My birthday is forever on a Friday! Party! Party! Party! Of course that would make Feb. 26th be forever Hangover Saturday.


----------



## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

No erasing my birthday!


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Quote from article: “One time throughout the world, one date throughout the world,” they write.


Yeah, try telling the sun that


----------



## octoberist (Apr 3, 2007)

None of this really matters, right? Because the last Halloween ever is this coming Halloween in 2012. After that, on the 21st of December, the world ends and such. Which will be a nice break for me.


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

^only if we switch to the Mayan calendar


----------



## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

It's not as far fetched as it may sound!
We added two months on to our calender during G. Washington's time, his birthday changed from December to it's current date. The calendar has been changed several times before, though I don't see it happening again anytime soon. Unless they can see some solid benefits in world or monetary realms that would save more than they cost to impose, it won't happen. We've moved all kinds of holidays for convenience. If we put Christmas where it would be if we followed history, it would be in May rather than in December. That is when the census would have been taken in Israel, that's what Joseph and Mary were supposed to be traveling there for, and why the inns were full.
Most religious calendars are lunar based rather than month/day based anyway.
Would it make a difference if we moved Halloween to November 3rd or October 20th? Nah, we'd still do the same weird stuff we do now, we'd just have a different day to do it on, and that would mean that it could always be on a Friday or Saturday.


----------



## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Really, IMHO, the calendar is nothing more than a unit of measure. There's still 365.25 (give or take) days in a solar earth year. End of the day, the 304th day of the year is still the 304th day of the year whether we call it October 31st or Roltober 24th. As long as the decor goes up, ToTs come out, and the traditions of Halloween are still celebrated on the 304th day of the year they could St.John's Spook Day for all I care.

Nobodies birthday would go away. Just the unit of measure changed. Spooky1, you'll still be born on the 304th day no matter how they divide the calendar up. Not that I'm a fan of this particular calendar proposal, but the current calendar IS due for an overhaul.


----------



## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

I kinda like the current system. Not that I wouldn't embrace change, but It's kinda nice that everyone gets a few weekend B-days in thier lifetime and no one is "Stuck" with a monday B-day all the time. 

Not to mention that some holidays give millions of workers a chance to get a 5 day weekend once and a while, (eg when the 4th of july occurs on a wednesday).


----------



## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

niblique71 said:


> I kinda like the current system. Not that I wouldn't embrace change, but It's kinda nice that everyone gets a few weekend B-days in thier lifetime and no one is "Stuck" with a monday B-day all the time.
> 
> Not to mention that some holidays give millions of workers a chance to get a 5 day weekend once and a while, (eg when the 4th of july occurs on a wednesday).


Personally I don't think it's a huge deal to celebrate a birthday a weekend day before or after it actually falls. Most people do this with their kids all the time so birthday parties don't conflict with school schedules.

As for the 4th on Wednesday giving you a 5 day weekend?! I don't know ANY job that gives employees two free holiday days before or after a holiday. Maybe let you schedule some PTO before or after and get a free extra from the holiday. I can see that working.

In my opinion we should do away with months all together and just go with day of the year. Maybe divide the year into seasons and days of the week. But we honestly don't need months. KISS is what I say. I think the benefits far outweigh the petty inconveniences some see in it.


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Terrormaster said:


> Nobodies birthday would go away. Just the unit of measure changed. Spooky1, you'll still be born on the 304th day no matter how they divide the calendar up.


If I had to remember that Spooky1's birthday was the 304th day of the year, I would be guaranteed to miss it every year I'd miss mine, too, for that matter.


----------



## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

Terrormaster said:


> As for the 4th on Wednesday giving you a 5 day weekend?! I don't know ANY job that gives employees two free holiday days before or after a holiday. Maybe let you schedule some PTO before or after and get a free extra from the holiday. I can see that working.


LOL, I didnt say that an employer would "Give" you those days off. People often just "Take them".

Change like this comes slow for good or bad. Geez we haven't even adopted the metric system like the rest of the world has.


----------



## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

niblique71 said:


> Change like this comes slow for good or bad. Geez we haven't even adopted the metric system like the rest of the world has.


Ha! Don't even get me started on that one. I still don't know why we're pretty much the only country still not using the metric system as our primary system of measurement. Base 10 just makes a hell of a lot of mathematical sense all across the board.


----------



## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

fontgeek said:


> It's not as far fetched as it may sound!
> We added two months on to our calender during G. Washington's time, his birthday changed from December to it's current date. The calendar has been changed several times before, though I don't see it happening again anytime soon. Unless they can see some solid benefits in world or monetary realms that would save more than they cost to impose, it won't happen. ...


I think that was the main claim to fame of this 'new' calendar. You could basically paint one calendar on the wall, or engrave it in stone....it never changes. No need to buy/print a new calendar every year. Everyone always knows what day a holiday is going to fall on and how to plan, no wasted time coming up with new dates, times and plans for celebrations every year...always the same. If Christmas eve is always on a Sat and Christmas is always on a Sun, then maybe businesses don't need to give 'extra' days off, etc.

I can see where it would probably be more streamlined...but so is the metric system, yet the United States, as well as other technologically advanced countries Liberia and Myanmar are still holding out on that.


----------



## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

*"o accomplish this, all months are given 30 days except for March, June, September and December, which would have 31. There are no leap years, but every 5-6 year a week long mini-month "Extra" or "Xtr" pops up after December. This keeps us seasonally on track, so spring doesn't eventually happen in October, etc."* They may not call it a leap year, but that's basically what it comes to. With that in mind one set calendar wouldn't work, you'd end up with two different calendars, one for the "standard" year, and one for the year with the "mini" or "pop-up" month after December. And for religious holidays, we'd still have the same issues we have now, they are primarily based on a lunar calendar, and trying to get the middle east or the Asian countries to drop their system would have the same fight as the religious calendars.

I wish the US would finally adopt the metric system, but as it is, we, like many other countries, use a mixed bag of measurement systems. The UK uses an even larger variety than we do. Australia, Canada, Mexico, and many other countries also use a mixed collection of measurement systems, so we're not alone in this.


----------



## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

This is quite possibly the dumbest thing I have ever heard.


----------

