Just don't call me Hazzelelponi.

"Thank you, mom!" #1 Son said as he came in from work.

You're welcome, i answered, but for what?

"For giving me a normal name!" he exclaimed.  "Did you hear the latest?  Some crazy person has named her child 'Hashtag'.  I mean, it's a social media thing, not a name!  Do you know how much that kid's going to get teased in school?"

Yes, i've heard some crazy ones, i noted.  The specifically ethnic names don't bother me, or the ones that could be a boy or girl name.  But 'Hashtag?'  You are right, twenty years from now that term probably won't even be a memory.

"Well, anyway, thank you for giving us normal names!" he said.  "I mean, I really like my name, but even if you had given me any other regular name, like John or George, I would have been grateful.  But, thank you."

Again, you're welcome.  Your dad and i decided that if you and your friends wanted to give you guys weird nicknames, that would be your decision, we would give you nice names that wear well and don't fade in the wash of time.

No "Talulah does the Hula from Hawaii" here.  Yes, a couple in Australia really did name their daughter that.  When she was 11, she sued them to have her name changed.  Because she was a minor, her last name was never allowed out, and the first name she requested was also kept quiet.  The judge agreed with her, and that name is now just a bad memory.

As for Hazzelelponi, yes, that's a name in the Bible, a woman's name.  Aren't you glad that one never came into vogue?


Today is

Bachfest Leipzig -- Leipzig, Germany (celebrating the great composer in the city where he composed some of his best-known works; through the 23rd)

Career Nursing Assistants' Day -- spotlighting those who help nurses to help you

Crowded Nest Awareness Day -- for those whose problem is the opposite of the Empty Nest, a day to remind you to keep your sense of humor and get support when you need it

Festival of Mut -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Full Strawberry Moon / Rose Moon*; related observances
     Ancient Celtic month Equos (horse-time) begins
     Nayon Full Moon -- Mayanmar
     Poson Full Moon Poya Day -- Sri Lanka

Ghost in the Machine Day -- the internet holiday that explains everything!

Glenn Miller Birthplace Society Festival -- Clarinda, IA, US (come celebrate the music of an era; through Sunday)

Helsinki Day -- Finland

Independence Day -- Philippines

International Cachaca Day -- the once illegal cocktail now has its own day of celebration

Kuopio Dance Festival -- Kuopio, Finland (exotic dance art by familiar and new artists from around the world on the sunlit summer nights; through next Wednesday)

Loving Day -- US (commemoration of Loving vs.Virginia decision by the Supreme Court which struck down all anti-miscegenation laws)

National Jerky Day -- begun a couple of years ago, possibly by one of the jerky manufacturers (no one can track it down, sounds suspicious to me)

National Peanut Butter Cookie Day

Prairie Villa Rendezvous -- Prairie du Chien, WI, US (learn about the fur trader lifestyle of days gone by, make Indian fry bread, learn how hard it was to load a rifle with gunpowder back in the day, learn about plants and medicines, and more; through Sunday)

Red Rose Day -- found all over the internet, with June 12 as the most common date cited; may have begun with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Australia, which has Rose Days as fundraisers

Russia Day -- Russia

St. Anthony's Eve -- Brazil; Portugal
     Dia dos Namorados -- Brazil (Lover's Day, celebrated on St. Anthony's Eve)

St. Onuphrius' Day (Patron of weavers; Centrache, Catanzaro, Italy)

Superman Celebration -- Metropolis, IL, US (only in Metropolis, right? through Sunday)

World Day Against Child Labour -- The UN, Education International and the International Labour Organization; this year, the spotlight is on extending social protection


Birthdays Today:

Frances O'Connor, 1969
Timothy Busfield, 1957
Marv Albert, 1941
Chick Corea, 1941
Jim Nabors, 1932
Anne Frank, 1929
Vic Damone, 1928
George H.W. Bush, 1924
David Rockefeller, 1915
Alexandre Tasman, 1897


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Doctor Doctor"(TV), 1989
Raiders of the Lost Ark(Film), 1981
You Only Live Twice(Film), 1967
Cleopatra(Film), 1963


Today in History:

Joan of Arc leads the French army in their capture of the city and the English commander, William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk in the second day of the Battle of Jargeau, 1429
The French begin their colonization of Algeria with the landing of 34,000 troops, 1830
The world's first Fingerprint Bureau opens in Calcutta, India, after the Council of the Governor General approves a committee report that fingerprints should be used for classification of criminal records, 1897
Shooting begins on Paramount Pictures' Dr. Cyclops, the first horror film photographed in three-strip Technicolor, 1939
Anne Frank gets her diary as a birthday present, 1942
The United States Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia declares all U.S. state laws which prohibit interracial marriage to be unconstitutional, 1967
The first man powered flight across the English Channel is performed by Bryan Allen in the Gossamer Albatross designed by Paul MacCready, 1979
At the Brandenburg Gate U.S. President Ronald Reagan publicly challenges Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall, 1987
Russia Day – the parliament of the Russian Federation formally declares its sovereignty, 1990
Queen Elizabeth II reopens the Globe Theatre in London, 1997
A disputed presidential election in Iran leads to widespread protests, 2009
Ending an extensive study on the wooly mammoth, scientists conclude that they were wiped out by multiple things, including climate change, human hunters, and shifting habitats, 2012