What's your anniversary?...

In my life recently there has been a spate of friends' birthdays and anniversaries, which is funny because a lot of the stories I've been seeing in the past few days and weeks have to do with anniversaries of this or that. I guess it's not that much of a coincidence when you think about it; every day is most likely an anniversary of something for someone somewhere in the world...

In Sweden it is the 30th anniversary of that country's ban on spanking children. The Swedes were the first of 24 countries to introduce the ban in 1979, according to Yahoo! News. The statistics are staggering - before the ban 90 percent of children were smacked compared to with 10 percent nowadays. Critics of the ban then and now claim it leads to unruly children and a rise in crime, citing the fear parents have of disciplining children in case they are reported. However, Mali Nilsson of the international charity Save the Children notes there is no actual legal punishment if "caught." Social workers are simply brought in to help the family. To swat or not to swat, what do you think?

For the both the young and young-at-heart, this year is the 70th anniversary of the movie "The Wizard of Oz." The Huffington Post has a Newsweek video interview with several of the people hired to be Munchkins in the Judy Garland classic. You learn a few fun tidbits about the movie, and seeing the spirited octa- and nonagenarians gives you a smile. Personally, the Munchkins were my favorite part of "The Wizard of Oz." I could have done without the flying monkeys.

This is a fun one ... This next February will be the 30th anniversary of the 1980 Miracle on Ice - the US men's ice hockey team beating the Soviets at Lake Placid, N.Y. Several of the key figures in that movie played for my alma mater, and shortly after the 2004 movie "Miracle" came out, you would not believe the crackpots calling my office there asking to speak with our athletic director, Patrick O'Brien Demsey. Fun fact #1: Demsey is the actor who played Mike Eruzione. Fact fact #2: Mike Eruzione is not the athletic director. Seriously people? But anyway, back to the video. Four year-old Josh Sacco has become an internet sensation, as reported on www.cleveland.com, for his version of Herb Brooks' motivational speech just before the iconic game. The little guy has it bang on, down to the gestures.