First act of new Congress: summer recess

Nice inaugural celebration, Patria. See you in September!

Following the inaugural puja, oath of office, Inaugural Address/Speech from the Throne (q.v.), Congressional lunch and inaugural parade through downtown Castoropolis, the first act of the 50th Congress  - after the official administrivia of naming a House Speaker pro tem, acting Minister of External Affairs, Secretary of the Interior and other so-called cabinet positions - was to adjourn for the traditional summer recess. The First Session of the 50th Congress (1·L 2014-15) will convene on Sept. 15. Patria's Congress is strictly a September-to-June body, paralleling the school year. Congressional sessions during the months of July and August are extremely rare.

Inaugural Ball? Here it is!

Although a US-style formal Inaugural Ball had been part of Patria's previous Inauguration Days, there was no such event in 2014. It didn't seem appropriate to hold an Inaugural Ball in light of the 49th Congress austerity budgets, Patria's generally shaky economy, and an Inaugural Address than slammed "soulless plutocrats and amoral one-percenter privateers". Not to mention that it is an extremely uncomfortable event for Aspies, who likely wouldn't be able to find a date to bring to the ball and hate dressing up in formal attire. (BTW, the uniform of the day for the inaugural ceremony was satsang whites or traditional Hindu: saris for the girls, dhotis and kurtas for the guys.)