MINI Celebrates 50th Anniversary
More than 25,000 aficionados of the MINI gathered from around the world last weekend at the Silverstone Formula One racetrack in Northamptonshire, England, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic automobile. Dubbed MINI United 2009, the anniversary celebration included MINI stunt shows, MINI races, a special "50 Years" exhibition and other MINI-related activities. Plus, two new models were unveiled at the festival.

More than 6 million MINIs have been sold since the car first came off the line in Oxford in 1959. Of that total, 1.4 million were of the new MINI iteration developed by the BMW Group. The newest models, 50 Mayfair and 50 Camden, can have either a gasoline or a diesel engine and can be ordered as a six-speed automatic or six-speed manual.

On May 18, more than 2,500 MINIs made a pilgrimage from Crystal Palace Park, London, to Brighton in the South coast to mark the 50th anniversary of British engineer Sir Alec Issigonis' design. The first 51 MINIs to leave London represented each year of production, from 1959-2009, leaving in production year order.

Towel Day
On Monday, fans of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy celebrated Towel Day to honor the classic book's author, Douglas Adams, who passed away in 2001.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has a few things to say on the subject of towels: "A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have"...

Partly it has great practical value — you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mindboggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you — daft as a bush, but very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

To celebrate the special occasion, people carried a towel with them everywhere they went that day. Interstellar hitchhikers in the U.S. also blogged about their Towel Day celebration and held parties, and many more took photos of themselves with their towels and posted them online. The countdown has already begun for the 2010 Towel Day.

Leave Work Early on Tuesday
Next Tuesday marks the fifth annual Leave the Office Early Day, when employees and employers agree to limit their time in the office to a maximum of eight hours.

The creation of productivity expert Laura Stack, the day is meant to achieve maximum workplace and personal productivity. Instead of spending additional time at work, employees can spend it with their friends and family instead. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. workers are the most productive in the world and, in Q1 2009, increased business sector productivity by 1.1 percent and non-farm business productivity 0.8 percent.

"June 2 isn't about playing hooky or ditching work sooner," Stack explained. "It's an opportunity for people to focus on changing work patterns, adjusting priorities, and engaging in conversations to find ways to achieve work/life balance while improving workplace productivity."

The event is listed on Chase's Calendar of Events, the official compendium of all celebrations, observances and events — technically making it a legitimate holiday.

An Economic Plan from Nation's Girlfriends
From girlfriends across the country, an appeal to boyfriends who haven't yet moved in (via The Onion):

Spread Positive Messages with Post-its
Looking for an easy way to boost office morale? Try a Post-it note.

Department manager and blogger Frode Heimen wrote a Post-it note to all his employees, telling them why he appreciates them. Some of the recipients even stuck the notes in their cubes. In return, Heimen got notes in return, including one signed by an entire shift. He learned of at least one confirmed happy employee and, best of all, boosted office mood and made workers throughout his department smile.

Why not try it in your office? A particularly excellent aspect: "You do not have to be a boss, as even a good note from a co-worker will light up someone's day," Heimen writes. "All you need is a Post-it notepad and a pen."

Toodles!