Silly Sunday: The Accident

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.  It's the place to come for weekly laughs, so post something funny and link up!

A very unfunny thing occurred the other day.  Festus was in another car accident.  He's like a magnet for them, having been hit twice before by people who ran red lights.

This time, same thing.  A vehicle ran a red light and hit him, not causing much damage to either of them but this time the other car kept going!

Festus gave chase and finally cornered them, and four men got out of the vehicle with angry looks, and started coming at him.  All of them were Hispanic/Latino, and the car they were in was old, and even though he is very strong and big, he decided these were likely immigrants who wouldn't allow him to call the police, because they don't want to run into anyone official.

He got out of there, and called 911 to report the incident and give the vehicle tag number.  Of course, the tag had been stolen off of another car, so there is really not much to be done.

That incident, as awful as it was, has reminded me of a joke.

Father Boudreaux, he drive real careful, him.  When dat man see him a yellow light, he slow down so he can stop.  He don' want no ticket, no.  He gots to be a good example.

So one day, he be driving to de grocery, an' he see de light turn yellow, an' so he slow down an' stop.  But de driver behin' him, he want to keep goin', an' by de time he see he can't, he slam de brakes, but it be too late.  He hit Father Boudreaux from behin'.

Well, de man get out his big truck jes' a cussin' up a storn!  Anyt'ing and ever't'ing you can t'ink to say, he done said it.  Mias, he string dem cuss words to say stuff you never done t'ink could be said!

When de man fin'lly stop to take him a breath, Father Boudreaux say to him, "Son, bein' a man o' de cloth, I don' have your vocabulary.  But mais!  I hope when you git home, you mama run out from under de porch an' bite you!"



Today is:

Day of Solidarity and Freedom -- Poland (Anniversary of the 1980 August Agreement)

Eat Outside Day -- as long as you won't pass out from the heat

Eleusinia Games -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate; 3 days of games with grain as prizes)

Festal Day -- Order of the Eastern Star

Harvest Wine Celebration -- Livermore, CA, US (open-house visits to 43 wineries; through tomorrow)

Invent A New Sandwich Day -- spread around the internet like good mayo; go ahead, have fun with this

Independence Day -- Kyrgyzstan(1991); Malaysia (Hari Kebangsaan/Freedom Day, 1957); Trinidad & Tobago(1962)

International Day of Blogs and Bloggers -- www.blogday.org

International Overdose Awareness Day -- prevention and remembrance

Limba Noastra -- Moldova (Day of Our Language)

Love Litigating Lawyers Day -- yes, G-d tells us to love everybody, even litigation attorneys but He never said doing it would be easy; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

National Trail Mix Day

Pony Express Festival -- Hollenberg Pony Express Station, Hanver, KS, US (reenacting life in the 1860's, including a real Pony Express ride)

Running of the Sheep -- Reed Point, MT (matched only by the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, hundreds of sturdy Montana bred woolies charge down the six blocks of the main street in town, plus there is a parade!)

St. Raymond Nonnatus' Day -- (Patron of babies, childbirth, children, expectant mothers, falsely accused people, infants, midwives, newborn babies, obstetricians, and pregnant women; Baltoa, Dominican Republic; against fever)


Birthdays Today:

Jeff Hardy, 1977
Chris Tucker, 1972
Debbie Gibson, 1970
Glenn Tilbrook, 1957
Edwin Corley Moses, 1955
Richard Gere, 1949
Itzhak Perlman, 1945
Van Morrison, 1945
Jack Thompson, 1940
Marva Collins, 1936
Frank Robinson, 1935
James Coburn, 1928
Buddy Hackett, 1924
G.D. Spradlin, 1920
Alan Jay Lerner, 1918
William Saroyan, 1908
William Shawn, 1907
Arthur Godfrey, 1903
Maria Montessori, 1870


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Alice"(TV), 1976
"The Great Gildersleeve"(Radio), 1941
"The Threepenny Opera/Die Dreigroschenoper"(Play), 1928


Today in History:

Traditional date upon which Ayonwentah (Haiwatha) and Deganawidah (The Great Peacemaker) assist the Iroquois tribes in establishing the Confederation of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy, or League of Five Nations), 1142
Lewis and Clark begin their expedition, 1803
A nuts and bolts machine is patented by Micah Rugg, 1842
The first professional football game is played in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, 1895
Edison patents the Kinetograph, 1897
Mrs. Adolph Landenburg, a horse rider, debuts the split skirt, 1902
Debut of Foghorn Leghorn, 1946
Solidarity Labor Union forms in Poland, 1980
Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Al-Fayed and driver Henri Paul die in a car crash in Paris, 1997
Stolen on August 22, 2004, Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream is recovered in a raid by Norwegian police, 2006
In Sudan, the People's Liberation Army announces it will demobilize its child soldiers by the end of the year, 2010

Nobody told me that.

It was news to me that my home state, Louisiana, is considered "tax friendly."

In fact, it's ranked #3 on the list of tax friendly states.

So, how come my property tax is way more than double the what they claim it usually is for a median house (and ours is very median, if not below), our sales tax is through the roof, and my younger kids who only work part time and don't make much pay income tax to the state even when they don't end up paying federal tax?

Maybe we are tax friendly, after all.  We certainly have the washboard roads, low education scores, and generally awful infrastructure to prove it.

The problem with me, i guess, is i've never seen throwing money at problems solve anything.  In fact, the opposite, it just leads to more graft and corruption.  For example, one municipality's public transportation bus  system was in trouble.  In fact, because everyone who possibly can owns their own vehicle and avoids public busses like the plague, it's always in trouble.  It went to the city and begged for tax money to help keep it open, making huge promises.  Otherwise it would have to raise fares, which would be very hard on the working poor who rely on it to get to work.

(That last part is true.  The routes are poorly planned and busses come few and far between, and waiting for them is a pain, so only people who truly can't afford even a beater car use it.  They cannot afford an increase in rates, they are already scraping to keep food on the table in most cases.)

Just over a year later, the new tax money given them was gone, the head of the system was nowhere to be found (rumor is he skipped the country), and while a few new busses have been bought and there are a couple of new routes, nothing else has changed.

So we are tax friendly, and that's supposed to be good, except that we are almost last in everything else, and some people quit their jobs with national companies if they are told they will be transferred to a branch of the company in this state.

Yes, really, sometimes they do.  As one man put it, when he told his boss to lay him off instead of transfer him here, "My wife said she will not have her children in Louisiana schools, and if I accept a transfer to that state she will divorce me to keep them here."

Yet if we weren't so tax friendly, as the bus system trouble has shown, the money would get misused, misspent, or just plain stolen.

It's a deal we can't seem to win.  Good thing we have good cooking down here, and Cajun music.  We need something to cheer us up.

And i need to talk to the property tax assessor.  Something's wrong there.





Today is:

Be Kind to Humankind Week: Speak Kind Words Saturday

Buffalo Wing Festival -- Buffalo, NY, US (two days of celebrating one of this town's favorite foods!)

Chatter Champion Announced -- Fairy Calendar

Constitution Day -- Kazakhstan

Day of Satisfying the Hearts of the Ennead (Nine Major Gods) -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Festival of Charisteria -- Ancient Roman Calendar (a day to give thanks)

Frankenstein Day -- in honor of Mary Shelley (Interesting, when juxtaposed to the next entry.)

Huey P. Long Day -- Louisiana, US

International Bacon Day -- good day for a double decker BLT with grilled onions and Swiss cheese

International Bat Night -- through tomorrow, go enjoy these wonderful creatures; www.eurobats.org or www.batcon.org

International Day of the Disappeared -- Latin American Federation of Associations for Relatives of Detained-Disappeared

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances -- UN

International Whale Shark Day -- WiseOceans has more information 

Japanese Festival -- St. Louis, MO (celebrating the history, culture, and people of Japan at the Missouri Botanical Garden; through Monday)

National Holistic Pet Day -- celebrating the growing interest in natural/holistic medicine for animals

National Toasted Marshmallow Day

Paryushana Parva -- Jain (beginning of the 8 day festival signifying human emergence into a new world of spiritual and moral refinement, and a celebration of the natural qualities of the soul; local observances of the dates can vary)

Popular Consultation Day -- East Timor

Rhishi Panchami -- Nepal (continuation of the women's festival, a holiday for Female Employees Only)

Santa Rosa de Lima -- Peru

St. Fiacre's Day (Patron of box makers, cab drivers, costermongers, florists, gardeners, hosiers, pewterers, taxi drivers, tile makers; against barrenness, fistula, haemorrhoids, piles, sterility, syphilis, venereal disease)

Talk Intelligently Day -- holiday thought up by someone tired of non-intelligent conversations (maybe with co-workers?)

Turkey's Hellespont Swim -- over 300 participants swim the Hellespont from Europe to Asia

Usuki Stone Buddhas Fire Festival -- Usuki, Japan (torchlight at twilight lights the regions mysterious Buddha statues; through Sept. 7)

Victory Day -- North Cyprus; Turkey


Anniversary Today:

Roman Polanski marries Emmanuelle Seigner, 1989


Birthdays Today:

Cameron Diaz, 1972
Michael Michele, 1966
Michael Chiklis, 1963
David Paymer, 1954
Timothy Bottoms, 1951
Lewis Black, 1948
Peggy Lipton, 1947
Frank "Tug" McGraw, 1944
Jean-Claude Killy, 1943
Elizabeth Ashley, 1939
Warren Buffett, 1930
Kitty Wells, 1919
Ted Williams, 1918
Fred MacMurray, 1908
Roy Wilkins, 1901
Shirley Booth, 1898
Huey P. Long, 1893
Claire Straith, M.D., 1891
Ernest Rutherford, 1871
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, 1797


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Anna Lucasta"(Play), 1944


Today in History:

European leaders, in an attempt to end war "for all time", outlaw the crossbow, 1146
One of the largest naval battles in history, during the last decade of the ailing, Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty, begins between the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders, 1363
Capture of the entire Dutch fleet by British forces under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby and Admiral Sir Charles Mitchell, 1799
Founding of Melbourne, Australian, 1835
Founding of Houston, Texas, 1836
Hubert Cecil Booth patents the vacuum cleaner, 1901
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in south Louisiana, the longest bridge over water (continuous, not aggregate) that is not also a viaduct, opens, 1956
The Hotline between the leaders of the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union goes into operation, 1963
Thurgood Marshall is confirmed as the first African American Justice of the United States Supreme Court, 1967
Guion Bluford becomes the first African American astronaut in space, 1983
NATO launches Operation Deliberate Force against Bosnian Serb forces, 1995
A commercial expedition to raise part of the sunken British luxury liner Titanic ended in failure, 1996
Harley-Davidson celebrates its 100th anniversary in Milwaukee with a parade of 10,000 motorcycles, 2003
India and Pakistan agree to release hundreds of fishermen and other civilians in each other's jails as part of their ongoing attempts to negotiate peace between their nations, 2005
Sumatra's Sinaburg volcano continues to erupt, two people are killed and 21,000 are evacuated from the vicinity, 2010
In Chile, 33 miners trapped half a mile beneath the surface make contact with their families for the first time in three weeks since the incidentally, 2010

Feline Friday: SissyCat Says

Feline Friday was started by Steve, The Burnt Food Dude, and i'm going to believe it's because he likes cats.


It's easy to play along, just post a cat picture, and link up!

The three-legged SissyCat says, "I may not be Grumpy Cat, but it's certainly not for lack of trying!"

My grumpiest pose.

Today is

According to Hoyle Day -- death anniversary of Edmond Hoyle

Be Kind to Humankind Week:  Forgive Your Foe Friday

Birthday of Hathor -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Blackpool Illuminations -- The Promenade, Blackpool, Lancashire, England (five miles of spectacular lighting; through Nov. 9)

Chop Suey Day

Day of Loose Talk -- Fairy Calendar

Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist (Patron of baptism, bird dealers, converts, convulsive children, cutters, epileptics, farmers, French Canadians, lambs, monastic life, motorways, printers, tailors; over 70 cities and countries around the world; against convulsions, epilepsy, hail and hailstorms, spasms)
     Head Day -- Iceland (a weather omen day; whatever today's weather, it will stay the same for at least 3 weeks)

Ganesha Chaturthi -- Hindu (festival to honor the god of prosperity, prudence, and success, Ganesha; local customs and dates can vary, as can official government holiday status)

Individual Rights Day -- on the birth anniversary of John Locke, the first philosopher to argue that a human being has basic rights based on his status as a sovereign human being, and that people are not slaves of their government, but their human rights should be protected by government

International Day Against Nuclear Testing -- UN

Judgment Day -- according to "The Terminator"

Lemon Juice Day

More Herbs, Less Salt Day

National College Colors Day -- US (win money for your favorite college by sporting your colors today and following the rules on this site)http://collegecolorsday.com/

National Sarcoidosis Awareness Day -- US (by presidential proclamation in 1991)

Runic Half-Month Rad begins (Motion)

Sheep Market Fair -- Ho, Denmark (annual sheep market and family fair; through Sunday)

Slovak National Uprising Anniversary -- Slovakia

Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw And Festival -- Prairie du Sac, WI, US (come try to break the state record of 248 feet; through tomorrow)

World Championship BBQ Goat Cook-Off -- Brady, TX, US (through tomorrow)


Birthdays Today

Lea Michele, 1986
Rebecca De Mornay, 1962
Mark Morris, 1956
Michael Jackson, 1958
Richard Gere, 1949
Robin Leach, 1941
William Friedkin, 1939
Elliot Gould, 1938
John McCain, 1936
Richard Attenborough, 1923
Charlie "Bird" Parker, 1920
Isabel Sanford, 1917
Ingrid Bergman, 1915
Preston Sturges, 1898
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., 1809
John Locke, 1632


Today in History

Era of Diocletian (Martyrs), the last major time of persecution for the early Christian churches, begins with Gen. Gaius Aurelius V Diocletianus Jovius becoming emperor of Rome, 284
Japan mints its first copper coins, 708
The last Incan King of Peru, Atahualpa, is executed by order of Francisco Pizarro, 1533
The first Indian "reservation" is formed by the New Jersey Legislature, 1758
Michael Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction, 1831
The United Kingdom legislates the abolition of slavery in its empire, 1833
Treaty of Nanking signing ends the First Opium War, 1842
The first motorcycle is patented in Germany by Gottlieb Daimler, 1885
The chef of a visiting Chinese Ambassador invents "chop suey" in NYC, 1896
The Goodyear tire company is founded, 1898
The Quebec Bridge collapses during construction, killing 75 workers, 1907
Ishi, considered the last Native American to make contact with European Americans, emerges from the wilderness of northeastern California, 1911
The Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb, 1949
Speedy Gonzales makes his debut, 1953
The Beatles perform their last concert before paying fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, 1966
Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union suspends all activities of the Soviet Communist Party, 1991
Hurricane Katrina devastates much of the U.S. Gulf Coast, 2005
Sumatra's Sinabung volcano erupts for the first time in 400 years, killing one and causing Indonesia to evacuate thousands of people, 2010
London holds the opening ceremonies for the 2012 Summer Paralympics, 2012
Austrian researchers announce they successfully grew 'cerebral organoids' or mini-brains, containing several distinct regions of the brain; the mini-brains will help scientists understand how brains develop, and what causes schizophrenia and autism, 2013

Nothing Rhymes with Purple

But that doesn't stop me from liking the color.  In fact, to me, it's the only color with a taste of its own, if that makes any sense.

Bigger Girl came into the kitchen to find me deep in a project.

Being so short, i have to use a booster seat to drive.  Not an actual booster seat like kids would use (although i have thought about it, and even tried out a few that i did find very comfortable), but a back support seat that i use in combination with two pillows to make it easier for me to drive.

This particular seat was Grandpa's, and he got a new one several years back and gave this one to me.  It has been worn until the cover is coming off, so i've taken to taping it on.

And it occurred to me that i don't have to settle for regular black tape, which i had been using because the cover itself is originally black.   After all, they make all sorts of cool colors of tape now.

Thus i was re-taping it this way:

My BigBoxStore purchase -- purple tape!

The original tape job, which needed redoing anyway.

The new tape job, in a color i like better.

Upon seeing me doing this, Bigger Girl commented, "Someday I'm going to write a book titled Everything My Mother Owns is Purple!"

Indubitably.



Today is

Be Kind to Humankind Week:  Thoughtful Thursday

Blue Hill Fair -- Blue Hill, ME, US (beautiful "down to earth" country fair; through Labor Day)

Birthday of Nephthys -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Crackers Over the Keyboard Day -- internet generated: are we supposed to go crackers over our keyboard, or tempt fate by eating crackers over our keyboard?

Festival for Luna -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Festival for Sol -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Hari Taika/Teej -- Nepal (special holiday for Female Employees Only, to celebrate a special, traditional women's festival)

Mariamoba -- Georgia (Assumption of the Virgin, celebrated based on the Julian Calendar followed by many Orthodox Churches)

Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival and Fair -- Morgan City, LA, US (celebrating the importance of the shrimping and petroleum industries in Louisiana, it includes one of the most unique children's villages among such events and a Blessing of the Fleet; through Labor Day)

National Cheese Sacrifice Day (Now you know why you purchased the cheese for the sacrifice! To let it age properly before the actual sacrifice. Still doesn't answer why we sacrifice it, anyway, or to whom.)

National Cherry Turnover Day

National Bow Tie Day -- US, as per Bow Tie Aficionado (if you don't wish to wear one, may i suggest bow tie pasta for dinner?)

Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day -- Wellcat Holidays suggests this to pep yourself up as you wait for things to come up on the screen

Radio Commercials Day -- the first paid radio commercial was broadcast over WEAF of New York on this day in 1921

St. Augustine of Hippo's Day (Patron of brewers, printers, theologians; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Cagayan de Oro, Philippines; Carpineto Romano, Italy; Ida, Philippines; Isleta Indian Pueblo; Kalamazoo, Michigan; Ponte Nizza, Italy; Saint Augustine, Florida; Superior, Wisconsin; Tucson, Arizona; Valletta, Malta; against sore eyes)

St. Hermes of Rome's Day (Patron of Acquapendente, Italy; Forte dei Marmi, Lucca, Italy)

Subway Day -- this date in 1965, 17-year-old Fred DeLuca opened what became the first Subway Sandwich Shop

4#Labor Day, shmabor day!
What a dumb day!
You hire some jerk,
Then send him away,
To celebrate work,
By playing all day!

Garfield the Cat

While i may not agree with his assessment of the importance of Labor Day, Garfield is right in that this weekend has become a time for play, as evidenced by the following celebrations that always occur on this weekend around the US*:

Benton Neighbor Day -- Benton, MO
Britt Draft Horse Show -- Britt, IA
Bumbershoot: Seattle's Music & Arts Festival -- Seattle, WA
Cal Farley's Boys Ranch Rodeo -- Boys Ranch, TX
Central City Rock 'n' Roll Cruise-in & Concert -- Central City, KY
Cleveland National Air Show -- Cleveland, OH
Clothesline Fair -- Prairie Grove, AR
Colombia River Cross Channel Swim -- Hood River, OR
Colorado Balloon Classic -- Colorado Springs, CO
Commonwheel Labor Day Weekend ARts and Crafts Festival -- Manitou Springs, CO
Daniel Boone Pioneer Days -- Winchester, KY
Eastern Idaho State Fair -- Blackfoot, ID
Fort Bridger Rendezvous -- Fort Bridger, WY
Great Bathtub Race -- Nome, AK
Great Grove Bed Race -- Coconut Grove, FL
Harvest Wine Celebration -- Livermore, CA
Hog Capital of the World Festival -- Kewanee, IL
Hoisington Celebration -- Hoisington, KS
Hopkinton State Fair -- Contoocook, NH,
Iroquois Arts Festival -- Howes Cave, NY
Johnson City Field Days -- Johnson City, NY
Jubilee Days Festival -- Zion, IL
Lifelight Outdoor Music Festival -- Worthing, SD
Mackinac Bridge Walk -- St. Ignace, MI
National Championship Chuckwagon Races -- Clinton, AR
National Hard Crab Derby and Fair -- Crisfield, MD
National Sweetcorn Festival -- Hoopeston, IL
Oatmeal Festival -- Bertram/Oatmeal, TX
Odyssey - A Greek Festival -- Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, Orange, CT
Old Threshers Reunion -- Mount Pleasant, IA
On the Waterfront -- Rockford, IL
Oregon Trail Rodeo -- Hastings, NE
Payson Golden Onion Days -- Payson, UT
Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts Colonial Festival -- Greensburg, PA
Santa-Cali-Gon Days Festival -- Independence, MO
Scandinavian Fest -- Budd Lake, NJ
Sta-Bil Nationals Championship Lawn Mower Race -- Delaware, OH
Snake River Duck Race -- Nome, AK
Taste of Colorado -- Denver, CO
Taste of Madison -- Madison, WI
Totah Festival -- Farmington, NM
Waikiki Roughwater Swim -- Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, HI
West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival -- Clarksburg, WV
Westfest Czech Heritage Festival -- West, TX
Wisconsin State Cow-Chip Throw -- Prairie du Sac, WI
Woodstock Fair -- Woodstock, CT
World Championship Barbecue Goat Cook-Off and Arts & Crafts Fair -- Brady, TX

*Note:  Some of these begin today, some begin tomorrow or Saturday, and all go through US Labor Day, this coming Monday


Birthdays Today

LeAnn Rimes, 1982
Jack Black, 1969
Jason Priestley, 1969
Shania Twain, 1965
Emma Samms, 1960
Scott Hamilton, 1958
Daniel Stern, 1957
Rick Rossovich, 1957
David Soul, 1946
Lou Piniella, 1943
Paul Martin, 1938
Donald O'Connor, 1925
Ben Gazzara, 1930
Roger Tory Peterson, 1908
Charles Boyer, 1899
Leo Tolstoy, 1828
Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1774
Johann von Goethe, 1749


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Lohengrin"(Opera), 1850


Today in History

The Third Crusade begins with the siege of Acre, 1189
6,000 Jews are killed in Mainz, accused of being the cause of the plague, 1349
St. Augustine, FL, founded, making it the oldest continuously occupied European city and port in the US, 1565
Henry Hudson discovers Delaware Bay, 1609
William Herschel discovers a new moon of Saturn, 1789
The first steam locomotive in the US, the "Tom Thumb", runs from Baltimore to Ellicotts Mill, 1830
The first issue of Scientific American magazine is published, 1845
The United States takes possession of the, at this point unoccupied, Midway Atoll, 1867
Caleb Bradham renames his carbonated soft drink "Pepsi-Cola", 1898
James E. Casey begins the United Parcel Service in Seattle, WA, 1907
WEAF in NYC airs the very first radio commercial, for Queensboro Realty, at a cost of $100 for ten minutes, 1922
Toyota Motors becomes an independent company, 1937
Nippon Television broadcasts Japan's first tv show and ad, 1953
Motown releases what would be its first #1 hit, "Please Mr. Postman" by The Marvelettes, 1961
Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his I Have a Dream speech; Emily Hoffert and Janice Wylie are murdered in their Manhattan flat, prompting the events that would lead to the passing of the Miranda Rights, 1963
The National Centers for Disease Control announce a high incidence of pneumocystis and Kaposi's sarcoma in gay men; these will soon be recognized as symptoms of an immune disorder, which will be called AIDS, 1981
Iraq declares Kuwait to be its newest province, 1990
Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales divorce, 1996
An electric blackout leaves 500,000 + without power and shuts down 60% of London's Underground, 2003
Hurricane Katrina begins to make landfall on the Gulf of Mexico, 2005
Lakhdar Brahimi, UN Special Envoy to Syria, says international law states that any action in response to Syria's use of chemical weapons must be decided by the UN Security Council, 2013

Back to School

When the kids go back to school, so do the grown-ups -- for open house.

That was last night, at Little Girl's high school  She's in 11th grade now, and this year, she went to the open house with me.  That turned out to be a good thing.

We start in the gym, where the JROTC, which was started at this particular high school by a friend of mine when she was a student here almost 30 years ago, presents the colors, and we recite the Pledge of Allegiance.  Then the band tootles and tweets and bangs their way through The Star-Spangled Banner, and play another number so the dancers can show one of their routines.

The football coach brings in the team and introduces his senior players, and they get their applause.  They enjoyed it, especially the player who seems to go by the name Gumbo.  He must be a character, by the way he cut up, and got the rest of them going.

The cheerleaders led us in a couple of rousing cheers, and then we were dismissed to meet the teachers.

Last year, we went from classroom to classroom to meet each one.  This year, they had tables set up in the common area, and we simply went from the math tables to the English tables to the social sciences tables, and etc.  It got loud and crazy rather fast, so they may want to work on that next year.

It turned out to be good she was with me, as she could point out which tables i could skip, and tell me which teacher at which table was hers.  Otherwise i would have had no clue.

Anyway, i met all of them.  They all seem like no-nonsense people who are truly dedicated to bringing out the best in their students and giving them the best education they can.  The math teacher informed me that his classes will be doing the MyMathLab program, which is what Bigger Girl does at the community college, so i know they are serious.

The English teacher is going to send me the list of novels and other books they will be reading.  We already bought Little Girl the first book, but he is waiting for approval of his syllabus from the board to finalize the rest.  He says has enough copies in the classroom for the next two he wants to teach, books that are always approved, but i'm going to get onto Amazon and buy the rest for her.  They just don't have the resources to always have all the books they need, which is sad.

On a similar note, one of her teachers has her for a class about finance and careers and such (they didn't have such a thing when i was a kid, so i'm not sure when this became part of the curriculum).  She will be teaching Dave Ramsey's My Total Money Makeover book, which i love.  When Little Girl told me about that, and i saw that the website was having a special of $6/book for a case of ten, with only $7 shipping, i snatched it up.  The school can use them, and i'm so thrilled about that being taught, i couldn't help myself.

This year i also got to meet the librarian, who goes by Señor.  When i told him Little Girl admires him, he laughed and said she needed better role models, but you can tell this man is also a dedicated educator.

While there have already been a couple of fights at the school this year (it's inevitable, unfortunately),  they've had a mostly smooth start and students have already been assigned projects and homework and i think she's going to enjoy it and learn a lot.  



Today is

Air Guitar World Championships -- Oulu, Finland (through Saturday; "The purpose of the Air Guitar World Championships is to promote world peace.")

Banana Lover's Day

Be Kind to Humankind Week:  Willing to Lend a Hand Wednesday

Birthday of Isis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Columbia County Fair -- Chatham, NY, US (be a kid again at the 174th annual fair; through US Labor Day)

Day Sacred to Consus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (god of graineries, horses, and mules)

Feast Day of Pan -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

Feast of Incandescent Rebellion -- on lots of websites, and supposedly something celebrated in China, but no detail as to what it is really celebrating

Just Because Day -- internet generated, enjoy something ordinary you like to do, just because!

La Tomatina -- Buñol, Valencia, Spain (annual citywide food fight festival in which around 30,000 people take to the streets to pelt each other with tomatoes)

National Pots de Creme Day

Nugget Best in the West Rib Cook-Off -- Sparks, NV, US (with rib cookers from across the country competing, this is a rib eater's delight, and even includes a rib-eating contest and free nightly concerts; through Labor Day)

Petroleum Day -- on the anniversary of the opening of the first commercial oil well in Titusvilla, PA, US, in 1859, a day set aside to work on figuring out how to do without petroleum

St. Caesarius' Day (Patron against fire)

St. Monica's Day (Mother of St. Augustine; Patron of abuse victims, alcoholics, difficult marriages, disappointing children, homemakers, married women, mothers, victims of adultery and unfaithfulness, victims of verbal abuse, widows, wives; Bevilacqua, Italy; Mabini, Bohol, Philippines)

"The Duchess" Who Wasn't Day -- birthday of Margaret Wolfe Hungerford, who wrote under the pseudonym "The Duchess" and first said, "Beaty is in the eye of the beholder" in her novel, Molly Bawn

Threethousandth Thnork of the Year -- Fairy Calendar

Tug of War World Championships -- Madison, WI, US (sponsored by the US Tug of War Association, and fun whether you are an enthusiast or just looking to watch the fun; through Sunday)

Volturnalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (god of water)

Ziua Republicii -- Moldova (Independence Day, 1991)


Birthdays Today

Sarah Chalke, 1976
Chandra Wilson, 1969
Paul "Pee-wee Herman" Reubens, 1952
Barbara Bach, 1947
Tuesday Weld, 1943
Tommy Sands, 1937
Martha Raye, 1916
Mother Teresa, 1910
Lyndon B. Johnson, 1908
C.S. Forester, 1899
Samuel Goldwyn, 1882
Theodore Dreiser, 1871
Charles Gates Dawes, 1865
Hannibal Hamlin, 1809


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Good Sex! with Dr. Ruth Westheimer"(TV), 1984
Mary Poppins(Disney film), 1964
"Prométhée/Prometheus"(Fauré tragédie lyrique), 1900



Today in History

The Persian invasion of Greece is halted with Greek victories in two separate battles, BC479
Koreans battle and prevent Japanese invasion, 663
The first unmanned hydrogen balloom flight reaching 900 m altitude, 1783
Petroleum is discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania leading to the world's first commercially successful oil well, 1859
The shortest war in world history occurs from 09:00 to 09:45 between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar, 1896
Edgar Rice Burroughs' publishes "Tarzan of the Apes", 1912
First flight of the turbojet-powered Heinkel He 178, the world's first jet aircraft, 1939
The Mariner 2 unmanned space mission is launched to Venus by NASA, 1962
Turkish military diplomat Colonel Atilla Altikat is shot and killed in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 1982
The Rainbow Bridge, connecting Tokyo's Shibaura and the island of Odaiba, is completed, 1993
Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, 2003
Curiosity, the Mars rover, broadcasts its first audio recording of a human voice from the surface of another planet, 2012

Well, i wanted...

...to be able to make this post differently, but it is what it is, and it will have to do, and it's all good news even if it's not the way i planned it.

Yesterday someone reminded me that i haven't done my duty and reported what happened to our precious Lorax.

He had his surgery, and it was a doozy.  His cleft was worse than they thought, and he took a lot longer to recover than they thought.

The original plan was that he would come back here for a day or two before being taken home by his new owners.

Miss W. was on duty the day he was discharged from the vet, and she didn't know that, so she sent him straight to his new owners.

They are thrilled with him, and love him like crazy, and even though he had to have a second surgery about a month after he got out of the vet from the first one, they couldn't be happier.

They have also not answered our request for one last visit with him, to see how he is doing.

My plan was to post pics of him, ending with one of him with his new mistress, showing how happy he is now.

Instead, i will just report that he's doing great, and here is my favorite picture of the little guy, before we even knew he had the cleft palate.

The Milk Mustache Pic!

Since he's happy, i am, even if i would have loved one more chance to see him.


Today is:

Be Kind to Humankind Week:  Touch a Heart Tuesday

Birthday of Set -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

First Thnork of the Year -- Fairy Calendar

Heroes Day -- Namibia

Ilmatar Day -- Finland (Water Mother, goddess of the heavens)

Make Your Own Luck Day -- for those who refuse to sit around and wait for it

National Cherry Popsicle Day

National Day of Repentance -- Papua New Guinea

National Dog Day -- sponsored by the Animal Miracle Foundation

St. Adrian of Nicodemia's Day (Patron of butchers, prison guards, soldiers; against plague)

Tvimanuor -- Traditional Icelandic Calendar (the name means "Double Month", and the origin is uncertain; perhaps because winter is coming and it's time to double up on the preparations)

Umhlanga -- Swaziland (Reed Dance for the Zulu King; a fascinating week long ritual with beautiful costumes, dancing and singing, culminating as well as in a speech in which the King addresses the people, on Sept. 1)

Women's Equality Day -- US (commemorates Women's Suffrage)

Yoshida no Hi Matsuri -- Yoshida, Japan (fest to mark the end of Mt. Fuji climbing season; through tomorrow)



Birthdays Today:

Chris Pine, 1980
Macaulay Culkin, 1980
Christopher Burke, 1965
Branford Marsalis, 1960
Ben Bradlee, 1921
Mother Teresa, 1910
Albert Bruce Sabin, 1906
Christopher Isherwood, 1904
Peggy Guggenheim, 1898
Lee de Forest, 1873
Albert "Bertie" von Saksen-Coburg-Gotha, husband of queen Victoria, 1819
Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier, 1743
Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, 1740


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Cincinnati Reds vs. Brooklyn Dodgers Doubleheader(first MLB games televised), 1939
"Lightnin'"(Play), 1918
"Elijah"(Mendelssohn Op. 70 MWV A25), 1846


Today in History:

Michelangelo is commissioned to carve the Pieta, 1498
The Pennsylvania Ministerium, the first Lutheran denomination in North America, is founded in Philidelphia, 1748
John Fitch is granted a US patent for his working steamboat, 1791
Charles Thurber patents a typewriter, 1843
The first news dispatch by telegraph is made, 1858
Major eruption of Krakatoa, 36,000 dead, 1883
19th Amendment to the US Constitution, granting women the vote, takes effect, 1920
The first Major League Baseball game is telecast, 1939
The USSR announces the first successful test of an ICBM, 1957
The Charter of the French Language is adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec, 1977
John Paul I is elected Pope, 1978
The agreement on how to divide the Czech Republic and Slovakia is signed, 1992
Russia unilaterally recognizes the independence of the former Georgian breakaway republics Abkhazia and South Ossetia, 2008
Israel requests that Germany arrest Klaas Carel Faber, a Nazi war criminal who killed 20 Jews at Westerbork concentration camp, 2010

Awww Monday: More Bottle Babies

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.  It's a great way to start the work week, adding a bit of cute to all of our lives.  To join in, post a picture that makes us say, "Awww!  How cute!" and then link up!

Bottle babies are hard to photograph with the bottle in their mouths.

It's hard to take a selfie when your hands are full!

It's much easier when someone else is holding them, but even then most photos are blurry because babies just don't hold still!

In the lap of Little Girl.

Today is

Araw ng mga Bayahi -- Philippines (National Heroes' Day)

August / Summer Bank Holiday -- UK

Be Kind to Humankind Week:  Motorist Consideration Monday

Birthday of Horus -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Burning Man 2014 -- Black Rock Desert, NV, US (through Sept. 1; a radical way to celebrate the arts through desert survival and building a 50-foot statue to be burned)

Day of Songun -- North Korea

Discovery of the Runes/Odin's Ordeal ends -- Ancient Norse Calendar (date approximate)

Independence Day -- Uruguay(1825)

Kiss and Make Up Day -- a day begun by Jacqueline V. Milgate to encourage people to make amends and repair relationships if they need to

Liberation Day -- Hong Kong (from Japan in 1945)

National Banana Split Day -- some sites have it as Aug. 10

National Old-Time Country, Folk, and Bluegrass Music Festival -- LeMars, IA, US (largest and oldest festival devoted to rural music, arts, and crafts; through Sunday)

National Park Service Day -- US (legislation creating the National Park Service was signed this day in 1916 by President Wilson)

National Second-Hand Wardrobe Day -- pull out the hand-me-downs or thrift store purchases and wear them with pride!

Opiconsivia -- Ancient Roman Calendar, Vestal Virgin Festival in honor of Ops

Ould Lammas Fair -- Ballycastle, Co. Antrim, Ireland (claims to be Ireland's oldest festival; through tomorrow)

Rumpleskunkskin's Bride Escapes to Heewigoland Anniversary -- Fairy Calendar (Fairy celebration, Goblins get grumpy)

Soldier's Day -- Brazil

St. Genesius of Arles' Day (Patron of notaries, secretaries; against chilblains, scurf)

St. Genesius of Rome's Day (Patron of actors, attorneys, barristers, clowns, comedians, comediennes, comics, converts, dancers, epileptics, lawyers, musicians, printers, stenographers and torture victims)

St. Louis, King of France's Day (King Louis IX; Patron of barbers, bridegrooms, builders, button makers, construction workers, Crusaders, difficult marriages, distillers, embroiderers, French monarchs, grooms, haberdashers, hairdressers, hair stylists, kings, masons, needle workers, parenthood, parents of large families, passementiers, prisoners, sculptors, sick people, soldiers, stone masons, stonecutters, tertiaries, trimming makers; Québec, Québec; Saint Louis, Missouri; Blois, France; Carthage, Tunisia; La Rochelle, France; New Orleans, Louisiana; Oran, Algeria; Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin, France; Saint Louis, Missouri;`Versailles, France; Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Louis; against the death of children)

Whiskey Sour Day



Birthdays Today

Blake Lively, 1987
Rachel Bilson, 1981
Alexander Skarsgard, 1976
Claudia Schiffer, 1970
Rachael Ray, 1968
Albert Belle, 1966
Cornelius O’Landa Bennett, 1966
Blair Underwood, 1964
Joanne Whalley, 1964
Ally Walker, 1961
Billy Ray Cyrus, 1961
Tim Burton, 1958
Elvis Costello, 1954
Gene Simmons, 1949
John Savage, 1949
Martin Amis, 1949
Anne Archer, 1947
Anthony Heald, 1944
Frederick Forsyth, 1938
Regis Philbin, 1933
Tom Skerritt, 1933
Wayne Shorter, 1933
Sean Connery, 1930
Althea Gibson, 1927
Monty Hall, 1923
Leonard Bernstein, 1918
Walt Kelly, 1913
Ruby Keeler, 1909
Clara Bow, 1905
Hans Adolf Krebs, 1900
Ludwig II, "Mad King" of Bavaria, 1845
Francis Bret Harte, 1836
Allan Pinkerton, 1819
Ivan the Terrible, 1530


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"42nd Street"(Musical), 1980
The Wizard of Oz(Film), 1939


Today in History

The Council of Nicaea ends with the adoption of the Nicene Creed, 325
The Children's Crusaders under Nicholas reach Genoa, 1212
The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, is formed, 1537
Galileo demonstrates his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers, 1609
Hundreds of French settlers arrive in New Orleans, which had been founded only a few months before, marking its true beginnings as a city, not just an outpost, 1718
James Cook begins his first voyage, 1768
Alice Meynell becomes the first female jockey, in England, 1804
British forces destroy the Library of Congress, which then contained about 3,000 books, 1814
The New York Times perpetrates the Great Moon Hoax, 1835
Captain Matthew Webb becomes the first person to swim the English Channel unassisted, 1875
Kitasato Shibasaburo discovers the infectious agent of the bubonic plague and publishes his findings in The Lancet, 1894
The United States National Park Service is created, 1916
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly nonstop across the US, 1932
US Army officer and missionary John Birch is killed by the armed supporters of the Communist Party of China, considered by some as the first victim of the Cold War, 1945
Zimbabwe joins the United Nations, 1980
Voyager 2 spacecraft makes its closest approach to Saturn, 1981
Tadeusz Mazowiecki is chosen as the first non-communist Prime Minister in Central and Eastern Europe, 1989
Mayumi Moriyama becomes Japan's first female cabinet secretary, 1989
The Tli Cho land claims agreement is signed between the Dogrib First Nations and the Canadian federal government in Rae-Edzo (now called Behchoko), 2003
Acting as a private citizen, former President Jimmy Carter travels to North Korea to negotiate the release of Aijalon Gomes, a U.S. citizen, 2010

Silly Sunday: Color Me Green

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee of Comedy Plus.  It's the place to come to start your week with a grin, groan, or guffaw.  It's also easy to do:  Laugh and Link Up!

We have a couple of local radio stations that play some fun stuff on the weekends.  Local DJ's bring character and flair and fun music to enjoy.  One show features a lot of songs that are "blasts from the past." 

Yesterday, the DJ played "Jolly Green Giant" by The Kingsmen, which i hadn't heard in years.

Of course, the song reminded me of a joke.

"Tee" Boudreaux be allus full o' mischief, dat boy he love to pull him a prank.  An' he love to give joke gifts.  De one person he love to do dat wit' is his daddy.

"Tee" know his daddy, Boudreaux, be color blind.  So las' year, he played him his bes' joke yet.  For his birthday, he got his daddy a Rubik's Cube!




Today is:

Be Kind to Humankind Week:  Sacrifice Our Wants for Other's Needs Sunday

Birthday of Osiris -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Festival for Luna -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Festival of Mania -- Ancient Roman Calendar (to placate the Manes, a day when the Mundus, the portal to the afterlife, is open and the dead are free to roam)

Flag Day -- Liberia

Flitting Appreciation Day -- another "holiday" with no particular reason except that someone who enjoys flitting around wanted to celebrate it

Gangara Fire Festival -- Atago Shrine, Ikeda City, Japan

Go Topless Day -- US (on the Sunday closest to  Women's Equality Day, Aug. 26, stand up for women's right to go topless in public)http://gotopless.org/gotopless-day

Independence Day -- Ukraine(1991)

International Day Against Intolerance, Discrimination and Violence Based on Musical Preference, Lifestyle, and Dress Code -- sponsored by the Romanian Humanist Association and the Sophie Lancaster Foundation
 
International Strange Music Day -- as declared by strange musician and composer Patrick Grant

Knife Day -- internet generated, but how would we cook without them?  today remember how much you do each day with a good kitchen knife.

National Peach Pie Day

National Waffle Day -- Cornelius Swarthout patented the first waffle iron in the US on this day in 1869, so it is sometimes noted as National Waffle Iron Dayhttp://www.mrbreakfast.com/article.asp?articleid=19

Notting Hill Carnival -- Notting Hill, London, UK (through tomorrow, the 2nd largest street festival in the world)

Pluto Demotion Day -- and there are still people complaining about it, since 2006

Schuebermess Shepherd's Fair -- Luxembourg (a two week fair that dates from 1340)

St. Bartholomew's Day (Patron of bookbinders, butchers, cobblers, Florentine cheese merchants, Florentine salt merchants, leather workers,plasterers, shoemakers, tanners, trappers, whiteners; Armenia; Borgo Tossignano, Italy; Boves, Italy; Carpineto dell Nora, Italy; Civitella in Val di Chiana, Italy; Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Gambatesa, Italy; Gharghur, Malta; Lipari, Sicily, Italy; Maastricht, Netherlands; Magalang, Philippines; Plzen, Czech Republic; Potosí, Bolivia; Salzano, Italy; Trino, Italy; against nervous diseases, neurological diseases, and twitching) related observance
     Schaferlauf -- Markgroeningen, Germany (Festival to honor St. Bartholomew, Patron of Herdsmen, on this day or the weekend after; includes traditional barefoot race by children of active shepherds and water carrying contests; also now has a music festival)
     Wayzgoose -- a traditional day for master printers to throw an end-of-summer party for his workmen

St. Owen of Rouen's Day (Patron of the deaf; against deafness)

Vesuvius Day -- anniversary of 79CE eruption which destroyed Pompeii, Stabiae, and Herculaneum

Waratambar -- New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea (a native thanksgiving)

William Wilberforce Day -- Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, OH, US (birth anniversary of founder, in 1759)


Birthday's Today:

Rupert Grint, 1988
Chad Michael Murray, 1981
Marlee Matlin, 1965
Reggie Miller, 1965
Cal Ripken, Jr., 1962
Craig Kilborn, 1962
Steve Guttenberg, 1958
Stephen Fry, 1957
Oscar Hijuelos, 1951
Michael Richards, 1950
Gregory Bruce Jarvis, 1944
Mason Williams, 1938
Yasser Arafat, 1929
Hal Smith, 1916
Jorge Luis Borges, 1899
Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, 1890
Daniel Gooch, 1816
William Wilberforce, 1759


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Facts of Life"(TV), 1979


Today in History:

The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius buries Pompeii and Herculaneum, 15,000 die, 79
The Visigoths under Aleric begin to pillage Rome, 410
King John of England, a/k/a Humpty Dumpty for having to issue the first Magna Carta, marries Isabella of Angoileme, 1200
Six thousand Jews are killed in Mainz after being blamed for the bubonic plague, 1349
The printing of the Gutenberg Bible is completed, 1456
The first English convoy lands at Surat, India, 1608
Calcutta, India is founded, 1690
British troops invade Washington, D.C. and burn down the White House and several other buildings, 1814
Charles Darwin is asked to travel on HMS Beagle, 1831
The Panic of 1857 begins, touching off one of the most severe economic crises in US history (Which just goes to show you, the more things change, the more they stay the same), 1857
Cornelius Swarthout patents the waffle iron, 1869
The Wolseley Expedition reaches Manitoba to end the Red River
Rebellion, 1870
Captain Matthew Webb became first person to swim English Channel, 1875
Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera, 1891
Workers start pouring concrete for the Panama Canal, 1909
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly non-stop across the North American continent, 1932
The treaty creating NATO goes into effect, 1949
France explodes its first hydrogen bomb, thus becoming the world's fifth nuclear power, 1968
Voyager 2 (launched 1977) reaches Neptune, 1989
Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as head of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1991
The first RFID human implantation is tested in the UK, 1998
Argon fluorohydride, the first Argon compound ever known, is discovered at the University of Helsinki, 2000
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefines the term "planet" such that Pluto is considered a Dwarf Planet, 2006
The 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have A Dream' speech is commemorated in the U.S., 2013

Piercing Dialog

"Sanctuary!" Young Jacob yelled, running into the kitchen where i was washing dishes.

What? i asked him.

"Sanctuary!  I'm claiming sanctuary!" he exclaimed.

Sanctuary from what? i again inquired.

"From the piercer!  My posterior is in danger!" he said, and just then Little Girl ran into the kitchen with her pocket knife, the cheap kind that probably wouldn't cut hot butter, in her hand.

"The Piercer or Posteriors!" she said, eyeing Young Jacob as if he had a bull's eye on him somewhere.

"That's why I need sanctuary, she wants to pierce my posterior!" Young Jacob said, grinning at her.

Why are you trying to pierce him? i asked her.

"Because he needs a visit from the Piercer of Posteriors!" she said, pretending to lunge at him.

May i suggest you be careful?  Especially since he could pick you up and carry you off, i said.

"Okay, for this time," she said, putting the little knife away.  "But the Piercer of Posteriors will return someday, so be aware!"

Young Jacob looked at me.  "I may be back for sanctuary again," he noted, then headed back out to the living room.


Today is

Bartletide -- West Witton, Yorkshire Dales, UK (a/k/a Burning Bartle, a ceremony in which a straw effigy of Owd Bartle, a sheep theif of yore, is paraded, then burned after sunset, as a warning to the light fingered; always on the Saturday nearest St. Bartholemew's Day, which is August 24)

Black Ribbon Day -- Estonia; Latvia; Lithuania

Country Fair and Auction -- McHenry, MD, US (sponsored by the local Mennonite churches, a good old-fashioned time of family fun)

De Ducasse -- Ath, Belgium (Giants of Ath Festival or Wedding of the Giants, a celebration since medieval times in which "Goliath" marries, then goes to do battle with David; through tomorrow)

European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism -- European Union

Ferret Buckeye Bash -- Colombus, OH, US (ferret show)

Flag Day -- Ukraine

Great Feast of the Netjeru (all gods and goddesses) -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Health Unit Coordinator Day -- US ( National Association of Health Unit Coordinators, Inc.)

Hotter 'n H*ll Hundred Bike Race -- Wichita Falls, TX, US (cyclists of all ages in the largest sanctioned century ride in the US, in the Texas summer heat)

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition

Koenji Awa Odori Festival -- Suginami City, Tokyo, Japan (thousands dance in the streets, through tomorrow)

National Spongecake Day

Nemeseia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (local festival to the goddess Nemesis, date approximate)

Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival -- Pittsburgh, PA, US (relive the days of yore, watch artisans practice the olde crafts, and have a high good time; weekends through September)

Ride the Wind Day -- internet generated, a day to get out and ride with the wind in your hair, in whatever transport you choose, or fly a kite

Schemitzun(Green Corn Pow Wow) -- Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (through tomorrow, Pow Wow and presentations of Native heritage to all)

Sento Kuyo -- Nenbutsu-Ji Temple, Adashino, Kyoto, Japan (memorial service for graves that no longer have families to tend them; through tomorrow)

Sidewalk Art Festival -- Portland, ME, US

St. Eoghan's Day (Patron of Derry, Ireland)

St. Rose of Lima's Day (Patron of embroiderers, florists, gardeners, needle workers, people ridiculed for piety; The Americas/The New World, especially Central and South America, Latin America, Peru, and the West Indies; Lima, Peru; Philippines, Santa Rosa, CA, US; Villareal Samar, Philippines; against vanity)

Valentino Memorial Service -- Hollywood Cathedral Museum, Hollywood Forever Cemetary, Los Angeles, CA, US (annually since 1927, a memorial service celebrating Rudolph Valentino on the anniversary of his death)

Vertumnalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (in honor of Vertumnus and Pomona)

Vuelta a Espana -- Spain (the third of cycling's prestigious Grand Tours; through Sept. 14)

Vulcanalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival to the god of fire)


Birthdays Today:

Kobe Bryant, 1978
Jay Mohr, 1970
River Phoenix, 1970
Queen Noor of Jordan, 1951
Rick Springfield, 1949
Shelley Long, 1949
Antonia Novello, 1944
Patricia McBride, 1942
Richard Sanders, 1940
Tony Bill, 1940
Barbara Eden, 1934
Sonny Jurgensen, 1934
Mark Russel, 1932
Vera Miles, 1930
Gene Kelly, 1912
Edgar Lee Masters, 1868
Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, 1785
Louis XVI, 1754


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"She Loves You"(Beatles single release date), 1963
"The Bat"(Mystery play), 1930
"Gasoline Alley"(as a daily comic strip), 1919


Today in History:

On the feast of Vulcan, Roman god of fire, Mt. Vesuvius begins to rumble, 79
Visigoths storm Rome, 410
Edward I executes William Wallace, Scottish patriot, for high treason, 1305
French explorer Jacques Cartier lands near Quebec City in his third voyage to Canada, 1541
Rabbi Joseph Caro completes his commentary of Tur Code, 1542
The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of Huguenots in Paris begins, 1572
The first one-way streets open in London, 1617
Steamship service begins on the Great Lakes, 1818
Great Britain abolishes slavery in the colonies, 700,000 slaves are freed, 1833
Automobile tire chain is patented, 1904
The World Council of Churches is formed, 1948
Lunar Orbiter I takes the first picture of Earth from the Moon's orbit, 1966
Bryan Allan, in a Gossamer Condor, completes the first man-powered flight of one mile, 1977
Soviet dancer Alexander Godunov defects to the US, 1979
Hans Tiedge, top counter-spy of West Germany, defects to East Germany, 1985
Hungary opens the Iron Curtain and allows thousands of East Germans through to West Germany, 1989
West Germany and East Germany announce that they will unite on Oct. 3, 1990
The remains of Anastasia and Alexei, rumored to have survived the 1917 assassination of the Russian Czar and his family, are found, 2007
Heavy winds knock down the Anne Frank tree in Amsterdam, breaking off approximately one meter above the ground, 2010
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is overthrown, 2011
Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner, announces he will not contest the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency charges of doping, a result of which will include being stripped of all of his tour de France victories, 2012
Libya's ruins of Cyrene, a World Heritage Site near Shahhat, is damaged by real estate developers, 2013

Feline Friday: Chill Out!

Feline Friday was started by Steve, The Burnt Food Dude, and i'm going to believe it's because he likes cats.

Dansig, in the pose he takes when he's telling me to slow down and chill out:

It's gonna work out, just chill!

That's one of the great things about having this cat around, he is always chill, and wants everyone else to be, also!



Today is:

America's Cup Day -- the first America's Cup was won this date in 1851 by the yacht America

Be an Angel Day -- Sponsored by Angel Heights Healing Center, encouraging people to be a blessing and perform an act of service for someone

Cobblestone Festival -- Falls City, NE, US (something for everyone; through Sunday)

Corvette Crossroads Auto Show -- Mackinaw City, MI, US (show that includes a Corvette parade across the Mackinaw Bridge; through tomorrow)

Daffodil Day -- Australia (the Cancer Council's big fundraiser)

Eat a Peach Day

Feast of the Queenship of Mary & Immaculate Heart of Mary -- Catholic Christians

Fiesta La Ballona -- Culver City, CA, US (a tradition since 1951; through Sunday)

Flag Day -- Russia

Hoodie Hoo Day, Southern Hemisphere -- Wellcat Holidays says to go outside at noon and call "Hoodie Hoo" to chase away winter and call spring

Mexican Fiesta International -- Milwaukee, WI, US (fun, food, mariachi, and a jalapeno eating contest for the strong of stomach; through Sunday)

Morden Corn and Apple Festival -- Morden, MB, Canada (fun for all, lots of corn and apple cider; through Sunday)

National Hug Your Boss Day -- UK (also picked up in other countries, but no matter what nation you live in, be careful with this holiday!  website here)http://www.nationalhugyourbssday.co.uk

National Spumoni Day (I don't think I've had really great spumoni since I went to Italy all those years ago -- nothing like getting things at the source.)

National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day -- US (started by a vet who declared today a cat's only day for his practice, so his feline patients wouldn't be upset by any dogs in the place; now many vets will only schedule cats on one particular day)

National Toy Truck 'N Construction Show -- Indianapolis, IN, US (dealers, auctions, and tons of toys; through Sunday)

Prairie Village Jamboree -- Prairie Village, Madison, SD, US (keeping the old prairie life heritage alive for new generations; through Sunday)

Rumpleskunkskin's Wedding Anniversary -- Fairy Calendar (Goblin celebration)

Saddleworth Rushcart -- Saddleworth, West Yorkshire, England (similar to rushbearing, a cart goes through the area with Morris men, the bounds of the area are checked for enemy breaches, rushes are gathered to line the church floor, and there is celebrating, gurning, wrestling, singing, and a final procession Sunday to St. Chad's Church at Uppermill for the 11am service)

St. Symphorian's Day (Patron of children, students; Autun, France; against eye problems, syphilis)


Anniversary Today:

Henry Leland founds the Cadillac Motor Company, 1902


Birthdays Today:

Kristin Wiig, 1973
Giada De Laurentiis, 1970
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, 1967
Tori Amos, 1963
Cindy Williams, 1947
Steve Kroft, 1945
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells, 1941
Valerie Harper, 1940
Carl Yastrzemski, 1939
E. Annie Proulx, 1935
Norman Schwarzkopf, 1934
Gerald Paul Carr, 1932
Ray Bradbury, 1920
John Lee Hooker, 1917
Henri Cartier-Bresson, 1908
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl, 1902
George Herriman, 1880
Dorothy Parker, 1893
Claude Debussy, 1862
Archibald MacNeal Willard, 1836
Samuel Pierpont Langley, 1834
Virginia Clemm Poe, 1822
St. Anthony of Padua, 1195


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Later with Bob Costas"(TV), 1988


Today in History:

St. Columba reports seeing a monster in Loch Ness, 565
The Battle of Bosworth Field, in which King Richard III is killed and his forces defeated by Henry VII, 1485
Madras, India (now called Chennai) is founded by the British East India company on land purchased from the local Nayak rulers, 1639
Jacob Barsimon, the first Jewish immigrant to what would become US territory, arrives in New Amsterdam/Manhattan, 1654
The Newport, RI newspaper, Mercury, becomes the first in the US to hire a female editor, Ann Franklin, 1762
Austria launches pilotless balloons against the Italian city of Venice, thus staging the first air raid in history, 1849
Gold discovered in Australia, 1851
12 nations sign the First Geneva Convention and the Red Cross is formed, 1864
William Shepphard patents the first liquid soap, 1885
Founding of the Cadillac Motor Company, 1902
President Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first US chief executive to ride in an automobile, 1902
The first Victor Victrola is manufactured, 1906
The Mona Lisa is stolen, 1911 (recovered 2 years later)
Althea Gibson becomes the first black competitor in international tennis, 1950
Pope Paul VI arrives in Bogota, Colombia, becoming the first pope to visit Latin America, 1968
Rhodesia is expelled by the IOC for its racist policies, 1972
The first ring of Neptune is discovered, 1989
A version of The Scream and Madonna, two paintings by Edvard Munch, are stolen at gunpoint from a museum in Oslo, Norway, 2004
The Storm botnet, a botnet created by the Storm Worm, sends out a record 57 million e-mails in one day, 2007

Um, that was quick.

Sweetie was having a rough day yesterday.  There were some difficulties we needed to pray about, and he was feeling rather down.

He was also praying for some kind of sign or signal that he's on the right path.  He went to choir and i went to prayer meeting, and when his choir practice was over, he was feeling better.  His voice had been particularly cooperative, and he was grateful.

Then we got home and he got a phone call.  It seems he's been nominated to be a deacon!  Talk about a sign.  This church doesn't do that lightly.

So, yes, that was quick.  He's doing better today, and it made him glad to be able to get up and go to the early morning Bible study that is just starting today.  (The morning one i attend is on Fridays, and is more of a prayer meeting than a specific study.)

It's not always so quick that we get an answer, and in this case, i'm glad indeed that it worked that way.  He needed that.


Today is:

Acton Fair -- Acton, ME, US (an old fashioned country fair plus midway, stage shows, and a great good time; through Sunday)

Aquino Day -- Philippines

Buhe -- Ethiopian Orthodox Church (Christian remembrance of the Transfiguration.)

Cadillac Day -- the first Caddy was built this day in 1902

Consualia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival of Consus, god of grain and silos)

Crazy Day -- go crazy, in honor of Patsy Cline recording Willie Nelson's song Crazy on this date in 1961

Fete de la Jeunesse -- Morocco; Western Sahara (Youth Day, on the Birthday of HM Mohammed VI)

Gospel Day -- Kosrae, Micronesia

National Pecan Torte Day

National Senior Citizens Day -- US

National Spumoni Day

Poet's Day -- a day to celebrate the poet in you, and share special thoughts about poets and poetry

Senior Citizens Day -- US (by Presidential proclamation in 1988)

Soldiers' Reunion Celebration -- Newton, NC, US (the oldest patriotic event of its kind in the US, honoring all veterans; annually since 1889)

Sour Herring Premiere -- Sweden (by ordinance, the year's supply of sour herring may begin to be sold on the third Thursday in August)

St. Pius X's Day (Patron of first communicants, pilgrims; Des Moines, Iowa, US; Great Falls-Billings, Montana, US; Kottoyam, India; Santa Lucija, Malta; Springfield-Cape Girardeau, MO, US; Zamboanga, Philippines)

Watermelon Festival -- Winterville, NC, US (sticky fun; through Saturday)

Zucchini Festival -- Obetz, OH, US (family fun and zucchini; through Sunday)


Anniversaries Today:

Seminole Tribe of Native Americans is legally established and recognized, 1957
Hawai'i becomes the 50th US state, 1959


Birthdays Today:

Ozma, Queen of Oz, year unconfirmed
Hayden Panettiere, 1989
Usain Bolt, 1986
Brody Jenner, 1983
Alicia Witt, 1975
James Robert "Jim" McMahon, 1959
Steve Case, 1958
Kim Cattrall, 1956
Jackie DeShannon, 1944
Peter Weir, 1944
Clarence Williams III, 1939
Kenny Rogers, 1938
Wilt Chamberlain, 1936
Melvin Van Peebles, 1932
Shimon Peres, 1923
Christopher Robin Milne, 1920
Friz Freleng, 1906
Count Basie, 1904
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley, 1872
William Murdoch, 1754
Francis de Sales, 1567


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"La Cage Aux Folles"(Musical), 1983


Today in History:

Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shogun and therefore de facto ruler of Japan, 1192
Pueblo Indians capture Santa Fe from Spanish during the Pueblo Revolt, 1680
James Cook formally claims eastern Australia for Great Britain, naming it New South Wales, 1770
The Nat Turner slave revolt in Virginia leaves 55 dead, 1831
Mighty Casey (Dan Casey) is struck out! In a game against the N.Y. Giants, 1887
William S Burroghs patents the adding machine, 1888
Oldsmobile is incorporated as a division of General Motors Corp., 1897
Arthur Rose Eldred becomes the first Boy Scout to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, 1912
Physicist Harry K. Daghlian, Jr. is fatally irradiated in a criticality incident during an experiment with the Demon core at Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1945
James Anderson, Jr., posthumously receives the first Medal of Honor to be awarded to an African American U.S. Marine, 1968
Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr. is assassinated at the Manila International Airport, 1983
Carbon dioxide gas erupts from volcanic Lake Nyos in Cameroon, killing up to 1,800 people within a 20-kilometer range, 1986
Coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev collapses, 1991
The Red Cross announces the famine in Tajikistan and calls for international aid there and in Uzbekistan, 2001
Hurricane Dean becomes the first storm to make landfall as a Catagory 5 since Hurricane Andrew, 2007

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Tall Teens

This is how you know you have tall teenagers in the house, both your own, and their friends:

No way my five foot short self could reach that without a stepstool.

It takes those teen boys, close to or right at 6 feet tall, to reach up there.  It also takes them to think of putting a cup up there in the first place!



Today is:

American Quilter's Society Quilt Exposition -- Grand Rapids, MI, US (their largest show; through Saturday)

Bad Hair Day -- birth anniversary of Don King

Birth of the White Buffalo -- Lakota Native American rituals honoring the birth of the White Buffalo in 1994, signaling the return of the White Buffalo Woman (manifestation of the Star Goddess Wohpe), who gave them the sacred peace pipe

Boil Over Thursday -- Fairy Calendar (sometimes on Thursday, most often not)

Corn Palace Festival -- Mitchell, SD, US (harvest celebration and redecoration of the world's only Corn Palace; through Sunday)

Dial the Phone Day -- the first rotary dial phone patent was applied for by A. E. Keith, John Erickson, and Charles Erickson on this day in 1896

Feast of Asma -- Baha'i

Independence From USSR Day -- Estonia

Lemonade Day

Moon's Birthday -- Aztec Calendar (according to some websites, but i haven't confirmed it; if you want something to celebrate, this is as good as anything else)

National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day

National Medical Dosimetrist's Day -- American Association of Medical Dosimetrists

National Radio Day -- on the day WWJ(AM) radio first signed on in Detroit in 1920, one of the earliest news broadcast stations

Revolution Day -- Western Sahara

Revolution of the King and People -- Morocco

St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Day (Patron of bees and beekeepers, candle makers, wax refiners; Burgundy, France; Cistercians; Gibralter; Queens College, Cambridge, England; Speyer Cathedral)

Stop and Smell Your Dog Day -- and, depending on the results, maybe even Give Your Dog a Bath Day

St. Stephen's Festival --  Budapest, Hungary (National Day for all of Hungary)

Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration -- Shelbyville, TN, US (an 11-day festival celebrating the world famous Tennessee Walking Horse and crowning this year's World Grand Champion)

Thoth orders the healing of the Eye of Horus -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Virtual Worlds Day -- internet generated, as well it should be

World Mosquito Day -- commemorates the day Dr. Ronald Ross discovered the link between mosquitoes and malaria in 1897


Birthdays Today:

Amy Adams, 1975
Tara Dakides, 1975
Jan Allen, 1956
Theresa Saldana, 1955
Al Roker, 1954
Robert Plant, 1948
Connie Chung, 1946
Don King, 1931
Jim Reeves, 1924
Jacqueline Susann, 1921
Eero Saarinen, 1910
Edgar Albert Guest, 1881
H.P. Lovecraft, 1880
Eliel Saarinen, 1873
Benjamin Harrison, 1833
Bernardo O'Higgins, 1776


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"1812 Overture"(Tchaikovsky Op. 49), 1882


Today in History:

Hungary is established as a kingdom by Stephen I, 1000
The Dutch bring the first African slaves to the colony of Jamestown, VA, 1619
The Spanish establish the presidio that will be the town of Tuscon, Arizona, 1775
The Lewis and Clark "Corps of Discovery", exploring the Louisiana Purchase, suffers its only death when sergeant Charles Floyd dies, apparently from acute appendicitis 1804
Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" debuts in Moscow, 1882
Rotary Dial telephone is patented, 1896
The Big Blowup, a huge fire in the Northwestern US, burns 3 million acres, 1910
Adolphe Pegoud makes the first parachute jump from an airplane, 1913
Stainless steel is first cast, 1913
WJM,8Mk, Detroit, becomes the first commercial radio station to start daily broadcasting, 1920
UK becomes the first to use radar, 1940
Plutonium's weight determined, 1942
Launch of Voyager 2, 1977
George and Joy Adamson, the Born Free conservationists, are gunned down by poachers, 1989
The Oslo Peace Accords are signed in Norway, 1993
The Supreme Court of Canada rules that Quebec may not secede from Canada without federal government approval, 1998
As part of ongoing political reforms, the government of Myanmar announces it will end media censorship, 2012