口语Festival素材:International Left-hander's Day

　　International Left-handers Day August 13

　　What do tennis player Goran Ivanisevic and songwriter Paul McCartney have in common with Fidel Castro ?

　　Along with 10 percent of the worlds population they are left-handed, according to Lauren Milsom, organiser of Mondays Left-Handers Day 2001 on August 13, 2001.It is well-known that a lot of creative people were left-handed, Milsom said. Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Jimi Hendrix and Pablo Picasso are all among them, she added.

　　Songwriter Paul McCartney and tennis player Goran Ivanisevic

　　This special day was first declared and celebrated on Friday, August 13, 1976 by an organization called Lefthanders International. They chose to open their business on that day to address the myths and misconceptions about left-handers. They published a magazine for left-handers and they sold left-handed products for more than twenty years before going out of business a few years ago. The holiday is celebrated annually on the 13th of August

　　But Left-Handers Day is not merely a celebration of the creative superiority of lefties , it also aims at raising awareness of the difficulties presented by a right-handed world. This is a day for left-handers to show their pride and pay tribute to famous left-handers past and present, including some of our greatest artists, athletes and entertainers. Furthermore, this day is to praise the creativity and talents of those left-handers who are less famous but equally productive members of our society.

　　Left-Handers Day, featuring a recital by a left-handed concert pianist on his left-handed piano, also served to highlight the dangers left-handers faced when using power tools in the home, Milsom said.