Though it is widely celebrated as a Christian holiday, Saint Patrick’s Day was not a church festival until the seventeenth century. The history surrounding Saint Patrick is sketchy and largely based on legends and conflicting traditions. Like other mainstream Christian “holidays” that have been passed down through Catholic tradition, it is associated with many symbols of pagan religion. Shocking?

Most of us, if we hearken back far enough to our school days, remember something about the number pi—pronounced “pie” and symbolized by the Greek letter π. Some of us will also remember that the value of that number is approximately 3.14, which is why some math lovers like to celebrate it every year on March 14—that is, 3/14—designating the day as “Pi Day.”

In response to Russia’s stepped-up air reconnaissance flights and active role in the Ukraine, “The United States on Wednesday placed sanctions on eight Ukrainian separatists and a Russian bank, warning that recent attacks by rebels armed by Russia violated a European-brokered ceasefire in the war-torn country” (Reuters, March 11, 2015).

Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, recently stated, “the EU should establish its own army to show Russia it is serious about defending European values.” During an interview with Die Welt am Sonntag, Juncker said, “Europe has lost a huge amount of respect. In foreign policy too, we don’t seem to be taken entirely seriously.