Friday, April 5, 2013

A to Z Challenge: E is for Ebert

Today was going to be about E for Effort, and how much i hated that term as a kid.

Instead, in the lingo of the "interwebs," i must say i has a sad.

Roger Ebert, film critic and all around good person, has died.

He taught me the love of the rice cooker, and for that i am grateful.

Two thumbs up to you, Mr. Ebert.  Rest in Peace.


Today is

Alcohol-Free Weekend 2013 -- sponsored by National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence

Babu Jagivan Ram's Birthday -- Andhra Pradesh, India

Bell Bottoms Day -- remember those? apparently so did someone who wanted to celebrate the fact

Easter Island Day -- anniversary of the "discovery" of the Island in 1722, on Easter Sunday of that year

Fringe Fairies Welcome Party -- Fairy Calendar

Go for Broke Day -- take a risk, and make it count!  step out and do something extraordinary; anniversary of the day in 1945 that a US Army unit made up of almost all Japanese-Americans, the 442nd Regimental, went for broke and managed to break through the Nazi Gothic line in Italy in one day

Historic Pendleton Spring Jubilee -- Pendleton, SC, US (through tomorrow)

Hospital Admitting Clerks Day -- always the first Friday of April

International Fun at Work Day -- this year's theme:  Work Like Your Dog!

Lady Luck Day -- in honor of the Roman festival of Fortune held each year on this date

Medieval Fair -- Norman, OK, US (living history, and lots of fun; through Sunday)

National Caramel Day

National Deep Dish Pizza Day -- anniversary of the day in 1979 that Uno Chicago Grill, originator of the deep dish pizza, first opened a restaurant outside the Chicago area

National Raisin and Spice Bar Day

National Walk to Work Day -- always the first Friday of April

Nones of April -- Ancient Roman Calendar; also
     Fortuna Publica -- festival of Fortune in her role as the Luck of the People

Saint Vincent Ferrer's Day (Patron of brick makers, builders, construction workers, pavement workers, plumbers, tile makers; of Calamonaci, Italy; Casteltermini, Agrigento, Italy; Leganes, Philippines)

Sikmogil -- South Korea (Arbor Day)

Student Government Day -- encouraging kids to learn about how government works by learning to govern themselves; always the first Friday in April

Tempe Festival of the Arts -- Tempe, AZ, US (hundreds of artists and craftspeople, continuous entertainment, children's area; through Sunday)


Birthdays Today:

Agnetha Faltskog, 1950
Colin Powell, 1937
Frank Gorshin, 1934
Roger Corman, 1926
Gale Storm, 1921
Gregory Peck, 1916
Bette Davis, 1908
Spencer Tracy, 1900
Booker T. Washington, 1856
Joseph Lister, 1827
Elihu Yale, 1649


Today in History:

St. Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop, 456
Two hundred Dutch noblemen petition to have the Spanish Inquisition suspended in the Netherlands, 1566
The Daimyo (Lord) of the Satsuma Domain in southern Kyushu, Japan, completes his successful invasion of the Ryukyu Kingdom in Okinawa, 1609
The Native American Indian princess Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan, marries Englishman John Rolfe, 1614
Jacob Roggeveen discovers Easter Island, 1722
The first recorded meteorite in Scotland falls in Possil, 1804
Helen Keller learns her first word, "water," from Anne Sullivan, 1887
The Greco-Turkish War, also called "Thirty Days' War", is declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire, 1897
Archaeologists in Knossos, Crete, discover a large cache of clay tablets with hieroglyphic writing in a script they call Linear B, 1900
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company begins production of balloon-tires, 1923
In an act of civil disobedience, Mohandas Gandhi breaks British law after marching to the sea and making salt, 1930
In the Dominion of Newfoundland, 10,000 rioters seize the Colonial Building leading to the end of self-government, 1932
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are sentenced to death for espionage, 1951
Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the UK because of failing health, 1955
Ripple Rock, an underwater threat to navigation in the Seymour Narrows in Canada is destroyed in one of the largest non-nuclear controlled explosions of the time, 1958
In Japan, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge linking Shikoku with Honshu, the largest suspension bridge in the world, opens, 1998

6 comments:

  1. I had no idea that so many things were being celebrated today. That's quite the list.Simply Sarah

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  2. I didn't always agree with Ebert but he was a wonderful wordsmith and I credit him for making me a better writer.

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  3. RIP to Mr. Ebert. I've been wanting a rice cooker forever. About to go surf Amazon to find one.

    I have to opt out of International Fun Day at work. It's tax season. Nothing fun about any of my work days this time of year. ((grumble))

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  4. I liked listening to his movie reviews, most of the time I disagreed, but it was fun to listen to him. And the rice cooker article was great, as much as my husband and I eat, I should look into getting one...

    Cat

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  5. I loved Ebert's style and panache. He was a true gentleman He will be missed. Thanks for this post Mimi!

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  6. I think a lot of people (myself included) had a gut response of "Thumbs up" when we heard of his passing. Not as an approval of the loss, of course but as a nod to him.

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