Happy (Early) International Friendship Day!

International Friendship Day was inaugurated in 2011 by the United Nations in an effort to encourage individuals, communities and countries to come together and work for a better and brighter future. On July 30th, celebrate your friends, both old and new; and remember that it is much better to mend a bridge, than to tear down where it may lead. In the words of the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon:

"When greed supersedes concerns about the health of our planet or its inhabitants, when fanatic attachment to ideology is pursued at all costs, and when people suffer human rights violations because they are considered somehow less than equal, the heritage of humanity is betrayed and our future wellbeing is placed in peril <...> On this International Day of Friendship, let us resolve to cherish and cultivate as many warm relationships as possible, enriching our own lives and enhancing the future."