Silly Sunday: Freedom!

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus, and it's the place to come for a weekly laugh.  The rules are simple, just have fun, Laugh and Link Up!

"Mom, I was talking to my friend Amber about free will and determinism, and we have a question we can't seem to come to an agreement on," Bigger Girl said.

Well, i'm not so sure i can help on that, i said, but what are you two discussing?

"If a person believes in free will because she's genetically predisposed to do so, is she believing in it of her own free will, or is she forced to believe in it? Does her very belief in it violate her free will?"

That is one for a smarter head than mine, i noted.

The discussion did, of course, remind me of a joke.

Way back when Boudreaux and Clothile dey be young t'ings an' t'inkin' 'bout gettin' married, bein' good Cat'lics, dey go to see de priest, Father Pierre.

An' Father Pierre tell dem dey's goin' be enterin' a solemn covenant if dey gets married, an' dey got to come to a class, an' firs' dey gots to fill out a form.

So dey each take a form, an' dey start fillin' it out, name, mama and papa's names, an' all dat, and den de question come up, "Are you entering this marriage of your own free will?"

An' Boudreaux he look at Clothile when dey get to dat question, an' she tell him, "You better answer 'Yes'!" 

 




Today is:

Bonifacio Day -- Philippines

Cities for Life Day -- commemorates the abolition of the death penalty in many countries

Clear Up The Clutter Day -- internet generated, and what!?! in one day!

Computer Security Day -- International (sponsored by The Association for Computer Security Day; often held by some organizations/companies on another day of the week if it falls on a weekend)

Feast of Hecate, Goddess of the Crossroads -- Ancient Roman Calendar (also revered by the Greeks, Egyptians, and came from the Carians of the Bronze Age)

First Sunday of Advent -- Christian (start of the Liturgical Year in the Western Church) related observances
     Lighting the Candle of Hope
     Midwinter Horn Blowing -- rural Netherlands (folkloric custom announcing the birth of Jesus, celebrated through Epiphany)

Ham and Roast Beef Night -- internet generated, but a good idea for a make your own sandwich dinner

Handel's Messiah Sing-Along -- East Room of the Nixon Library, Yorba Linda, CA, US (two seatings available for this beautiful and enjoyable event, singing along with a master choir and orchestra)

Independence Day -- Barbados(1966); Yemen(1967)

National Day -- Benin

National Meth Awareness Day

National Mousse Day

Perpetual Youth Day -- Dick Clark's birth anniversary

Regina Mundi Day -- South Africa

Saint Andrew the Apostle's Day (Patron of anglers/fishermen, fish dealers/fish mongers, maidens, old maids/spinsters, single lay women, singers, women who wish to become mothers; Spanish armed forces; Achaia; Greece; Russia; Scotland; Amalfi, Italy; Antey-Saint-Andre, Italy; Berchtesgaden, Germany; Burgundy, France; Cartosio, Italy; Confienti, Italy; Constantinople, Turkey; Encinasola, Huelva, Spain; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Grongnardo, Italy; Lampertheim, Germany; Luqa, Malta; Patras, Greece; Plymouth, England; Samolaco, Italy; San Andreas, California; Victoria, British Columbia; against gout, sore throats) related observances:
     Argyle Day
     National Day -- Scotland
     Sfantul Andrei -- Romania

Stay Home Because You're Well Day -- sponsored by the Wellness Permission League -- if you get in trouble with the boss, make sure they will take the fall!

Whisp and Thread Fair -- Fairy Calendar


Anniversaries Today:

Lucille Ball marries Desi Arnaz, 1940


Birthdays Today:

Elisha Cuthbert, 1982
Clay Aiken, 1978
Jessalyn Gilsig, 1971
Sandra Oh, 1970
Amy Ryan, 1969
Ben Stiller, 1965
Bo Jackson, 1962
Colin Mochrie, 1957
Billy Idol, 1955
Shuggie Otis, 1953
Mandy Patinkin, 1952
David Mamet, 1947
Noel Paul Stookey, 1937
Ridley Scott, 1937
Abbie Hoffman, 1936
G. Gordon Liddy, 1930
Dick Clark, 1929
Joan Ganz Cooney, 1929
Robert Guillaume, 1927
Richard Crenna, 1926
Shirley Chisholm, 1924
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., 1923
Gordon Parks, 1912
Winston Churchill, 1874
L(ucy) M(aude) Montgomery, 1874 (Anne of Green Gables)
Mark Twain, 1835
Oliver Winchester, 1810
Jonathan Swift, 1667
Philip Sydney, 1554


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Thriller"(Michael Jackson Album), 1982
"The Wall"(Pink Floyd album), 1979
Brian's Song(TV movie), 1971
Bwana Devil(Film, first 3-D movie), 1952
The Joy of Cooking(Publication date), 1931
"Le Cid"(Opera), 1885


Today in History:

Amsterdam bans assembly of heretics, 1523
Death count by plague in Venice is officially set at 16,000, 1630
Beijing earthquake causes 100,000+ deaths, 1731
Britain signs agreement recognizing US independence, 1782
Peter Leopold Joseph of Habsburg-Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, promulgates a penal reform making his country the first state to abolish the death penalty. November 30 is therefore commemorated by 300 cities around the world as Cities for Life Day, 1786
Spain cedes her claims to Louisiana Territory to France, 1803
First ground is broken at Allenburg for the building of the original Welland Canal, 1824
First Welland Canal opens for a trial run, 5 years to the day from the ground breaking, 1829
Work begins on the first US underwater highway tunnel, in Chicago, 1866
The first international soccer football game is held, in Glasgow; Scotland-England 0-0, 1872
The first commercially successful AC electric power plant opens, Buffalo, NY, 1886
A German engineer patents front-wheel drive for automobiles, 1900
American Old West: Second-in-command of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch gang, Kid Curry Logan, is sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with hard labor, 1902
Pike Place Market is dedicated in Seattle, Washington, 1907
The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park London destroyed by fire, 1936
Baseball's Negro National League disbands, two years after major league baseball integrated, 1948
In Sylacauga, Alabama, United States, the Hodges Meteorite crashes through a roof and hits a woman taking an afternoon nap in the only documented case of a human being hit by a rock from space, 1954
Exxon and Mobil sign a $73.7 billion USD agreement to merge, thus creating Exxon-Mobil, the world's largest company, 1998
Longtime Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings of Salt Lake City, Utah finally loses, leaving him with US$2,520,700, television's biggest game show winnings, 2004
John Sentamu becomes the first black archbishop in the Church of England with his enthronement as the 97th Archbishop of York, 2005
The first human face transplant takes place in France, 2005
Enzo di Fabrizio, physics professor at Magna Graecia University in Catanzaro, Italy, successfully takes the first photograph of DNA, 2012

Milestone

In 2004, our cat rescue had the most adoptions it had ever done in a year, 749.

The year after that, Hurricane Katrina paid her visit and from the end of August to the end of the year, the whole southern half of our state was shut down or out of commission or limping along.

Each year since, we've recovered a bit more, even though we've had hurricanes, none have been so bad.

Then yesterday, on the Black Friday shopping day, a few people came to the shelter to do their "shopping" and get a new companion.

Howie became the 750th cat adopted from our rescue this year!  That's a record, and the year isn't even over.  We usually have several adoptions in December.

We are also mostly on top of the ringworm situation, and all the cats with eye infections are isolated and no new cases, so there are more healthy, happy cats up for adoption.

It's been a banner year, and that's another thing to add to the list of things to be thankful for right now.



Today is:

Buy Nothing Day -- UK (Shop Less, Live More)

ClauWau: Santa Claus World Championship -- Samnaun, Switzerland (Santa Claus aspirants compete in in such things as the chimney climb with toys, a geography bee, and the sledge race with timed gift giving to be crowned the world champion Santa)

Dita e Clirimit -- Albania (Liberation Day)

Electronic Greetings Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Fairy Flute Fantasy -- Fairy Calendar

Festival of Saturnia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (for the Sons of Saturn; Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto)

Guadalajara International Book Fair -- Guadalajara, Mexico (through Dec. 4)

International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People -- UN

Lantern Light Tours begin -- Mystic Seaport, CT, US (walking tour of performances showing Christmas past, on various dates through the month)

Light of the World Christmas Pageant -- Minden, DE, US (pageant and lighting up the downtown square; also tomorrow and next Sunday)

Mungabareena Ngan-Girra Festival -- Albury area, NSW, Australia (formerly called the Bogong Moth Festival, now an indigenous cultural showcase)

National Chocolates Day -- yes, another one

National Lemon Creme Pie Day

National Unity Day -- Vanuatu

Small Business Saturday -- encouraging everyone to patronize local businesses for your holiday shopping

St. Andrew's Eve -- in many traditions, a night to fortell the future, especially whom you will marry

St. Saturnius of Toulouse's Day (Patron of Toulouse, France)

Square Dance Day -- internet generated, and fun to do, but here's some information about square dancingwww.history.com/news/square-dancing-a-swinging-history

Swine Time Festival --  Climax, Georgia, US (Come on out and join the fun, the first Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Contests & Events include best dressed pig, corn shucking, hog calling, eating chitterlings, pig racing, syrup making, baby crawling and the greased pig chase!)

Territorial Christmas Celebrations -- Guthrie, OK, US (old time fun this weekend and through Dec. 13)

William Tubman's Birthday -- Liberia (it's longest serving President)



Anniversaries Today:

Erwin Rommel marries Lucie "Lu" Mollin, 1916


Birthdays Today:

Jon Knight, 1968
Don Cheadle, 1964
Andrew McCarthy, 1962
Kim Delaney, 1961
Cathy Moriarty, 1960
Jeff Fahey, 1956
Howie Mandel, 1955
Joel Coen, 1954
Garry Shandling, 1949
Petra Kelly, 1947
Chuck Mangione, 1940
Peter Bergman, 1939
John Mayall, 1933
Jacques Rene Chirac, 1932
Diane Ladd, 1932
Vin Scully, 1927
Madeline L'Engle, 1918
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., 1908
C.S. Lewis, 1898
Busby Berkeley, 1895
Nellie Tayloe Ross, 1876
Louisa May Alcott, 1832
Wendell Phillips, 1811
Christian Doppler, 1803
Charles Thomson, 1729


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Tatort"(TV), 1970
"I Want to Hold Your Hand"(Beatles single release), 1963
"Bells Are Ringing"(Musical), 1956
"Kukla, Fran, and Ollie"(TV), 1948
"Gay Divorce"(Musical), 1932


Today in History:

Jews of Augsburg, Germany, are massacred, 1349 (Sometimes, it seems, the more things change...)
King Philip II devalues Spanish currency, 1596 (See above...)
Sir James Jay invents invisible ink, 1775
San Jose, California, is founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe, 1777
Dessalines & Christophe declare St Domingue (Haiti) independent, 1803
First Italian opera in US, "Barber of Seville" premieres (NYC), 1825
Thomas Edison demonstrates hand-cranked phonograph, 1877
The first motorcycle race ever is held in Surrey, England; the distance was one mile and the winner was Charles Jarrot in a time of 2 minutes, 8 seconds, 1897
The first US patent for inventing the traffic lights system is issued to Ernest Sirrine. 1910
Fire destroys most of the buildings on Santa Catalina Island, California, 1915
Howard Carter opens the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun to the public, 1922
Richard Byrd becomes the first person to fly over the South Pole, 1929
The first surgery (on a human) to correct blue baby syndrome is performed by Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas, 1944
The United Nations General Assembly votes to partition Palestine, 1947
Mercury-Atlas 5 Mission – Enos, a chimpanzee, is launched into space, orbits earth twice, and is successfully recovered after splashdown, 1961
Canadian Space Agency launches the satellite Alouette 2, 1965
Nolan Bushnell (co-founder of Atari) releases Pong (the first commercially successful video game) in Andy Capp’s Tavern in Sunnyvale, California, 1972
The United Nations General Assembly passes a resolution stating that Soviet Union forces should withdraw from Afghanistan, 1983
The Czechoslovakian Parliament votes to end Communist rule, 1989
The United Nations Security Council passes two resolutions to restore international peace and security if Iraq did not withdraw its forces from Kuwait and free all foreign hostages by the following January 15, 1990
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake occurs off the northern coast of Martinique, 2007
Pablo Picasso's electrician reveals 271 previously unknown works he claims were gifts from the artist, 2010
NASA announces its space probe MESSENGER has almost certainly found water ice buried beneath the surface of the north pole of Mercury, 2012

Feline Friday: What the Cats are Thankful About

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 participate, just post a cat picture of some kind and link up!

My cats where thankful yesterday -- thankful they didn't have to go anywhere and got to do what they love best.

Our cats, doing what they like best -- snoozing and relaxing!

They did have a good day yesterday, we all did.

Today is:

Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha -- Baha'i

Belsnickel Craft Show -- Boyertown, PA, US (through tomorrow)

Black Friday or Buy Nothing Day -- US, and i will observe the latter

Caregiver Rights Day -- UK (with information to help carers available here)

Christmas Candlelight Tour -- My Old Kentucky Home State Park, Bardstown, KY, US (Christmas as it was in the 1800s; Fridays and Saturdays the first three weekends after Thanksgiving)

Christmas Traditions Celebration -- St. Charles, MO, US (the fun includes authentically costumed Santas from around the world; through Christmas Eve)

Decorate Your Dog Day -- supposedly to get him/her into the holiday spirit; but please, don't

Election Day -- Namibia

Family Day -- Nevada, US

Feast of the Holy Sovereigns -- Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii (in honor of King Kamehama IV and Queen Emma, the founders of the Anglican Church of Hawaii

Flag Day -- Kosovo

Fur-Free Friday -- sponsored by The National Humane Education Society

Gettysburg Holiday Festival -- Gettysburg, PA, US (fun holiday events weekends through the New Year's Eve Bash)

Independence Day -- Albania(1912); East Timor(1975); Mauritania(1960)

Jule Fest -- Elk Horn, IA, US (a true Danish Christmas festival; through Sunday)

Make Your Own Head Day -- meaning an art project model or drawing, in any medium; have fun with this one!

National Day of Listening -- US (sponsored by StoryCorps, encouraging sharing family stories during the holidays)

National Day of Thanksgiving -- Turks and Caicos Islands

National Flossing Day -- US, but a great idea everywhere; help spread peace of mouth! www.flossing.org

National French Toast Day

Native American Heritage Day -- US; related observance
     Maize Day -- US; celebrating the First Nations of the Americas and the role maize/corn played in their cultures

Plan Your Dagwood Sandwich Day -- admit you've always wanted to, so build one with your Thanksgiving leftovers!

Rally of the Tall Pines -- Bancroft, ON, Canada (an event on the Canadian Rally Car Race Circuit; through the tomorrow)

Red Planet Day -- on the anniversary of the 1964 liftoff of Mariner 4, the first successful mission to Mars

Republic Day -- Chad; Republic of the Congo

Royal Society Day -- one of the world's oldest scientific academies, established this day in 1660

Runic Half Month of Is begins (stasis)

Sinkie Day -- sponsored by SINKIE, The International Association Of People Who Dine Over The Kitchen Sink, www.sinkie.com, which urges you to combine your Christmas shopping with enjoying a quick meal of Thanksgiving leftovers and become a SINKIE convert!

St. Catherine Laboure's Day -- promulgator of the Miraculous Medal

St. Stephen the Younger's Day` (Patron of coin collectors, numismatists, smelters)

Tree Lighting at Anchorage -- Anchorage, AK, US (Santa and 9 real reindeer help celebrate the annual lighting of the holiday tree, with free cocoa and cookies for all)

World Famous Fish House Parade -- Aitkin, MN, US (sounds better than shopping to me!)

You're Welcomegiving Day -- US, the day after Thanksgiving, started by Richard Ankli to give everyone a reason for a 4-day weekend



Birthdays Today:

Ryan Kwanten, 1976
Anna Nicole Smith, 1967
Jon Stewart, 1962
Judd Nelson, 1959
S. Epatha Merkerson, 1952
Ed Harris, 1950
Alexander Godunov, 1949
Paul Shaffer, 1949
Joe Dante, 1946
Randy Newman, 1943
Berry Gordy, Jr., 1929
Claude Lévi-Strauss, 1908
Charles H. Alston, 1907
Brooks Atkinson, 1894
William Blake, 1757
Jean Baptiste Lully, 1632
John Bunyan, 1628


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Look Homeward, Angel"(Play), 1957
"The Grand Ole Opry"(Radio), 1925
Skywriting (as an advertising medium), 1922*



Today in History:

Skanderbeg and his forces liberate Kruja in Middle Albania and raise the Albanian flag, 1443
Ferdinand Magellan and his men become the first Europeans to sail from the Atlantic into the Pacific Ocean, 1520
The Times in London is for the first time printed by automatic, steam powered presses built by the German inventors Friedrich Koenig and Andreas Friedrich Bauer, signaling the beginning of the availability of newspapers to a mass audience, 1814
Ka Lahui: Hawaiian Independence Day - The Kingdom of Hawaii is officially recognized by the United Kingdom and France as an independent nation, 1843
Women vote in a national election for the first time in the New Zealand general election, 1893
US-born Lady Astor becomes the first female member of British Parliament, 1919
Capt Cyril Turner of the RAF gives 1st skywriting exhibition in NYC; Turner spelled out "Hello USA. Call Vanderbilt 7200." 47,000 called, 1922
The first Polaroid Camera is sold, 1948
Chad, the Republic of the Congo, and Gabon become autonomous republics within the French Community, 1958
The first pulsar star is discovered by Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Antony Hewish, 1968
Norway votes against joining the European Union, 1994
Wikileaks releases 250,000 classified documents and sensitive national security information sent by U.S. embassies, 2010


*The ad men said it wouldn't work, but John Savage demonstrated it by skywriting "Hello USA call Vanderbilt 7200" over New York City and generating over 47,000 calls to that number!

Thanksgiving Schedule

This is what i figure today's schedule will look like.

Get up.  Figure out no one else in the house wants to get up at the same time as you, which is to say before the crack of 9am.

Finally get everyone out of bed, except #2 Son, who is at work and will be coming later, and #1 Son, who wakes up like a bear disturbed in January (he will take your head off) and who will therefore come with #2 Son.

Call Brother-in-Law, The Mouth, to find out why he isn't over here yet.  Find out he got the time mixed up, and since he's "weak in the mornings" (read, he's almost as bad as #1 Son to awaken), he will be here soon.  His definition of soon is another hour.

Finally get everyone, and the two pies, cornbread, cornbread dressing, hojaldras, and the football programs Grandpa has written to you 6 times asking you not to forget stuffed into the car, since the Jalopy can't make the trip because her transmission is occasionally bucking like a bronco, and we don't want to get stranded in NOLA.  Be glad you stuffed the ice chests in #2 Son's car the night before for him to bring.

Leave the house and hear the "we want more coffee" chant from everyone.  Stop for coffee at the convenience store, where Brother-in-Law, The Mouth, will insist on also using the restroom one more time and complaining about the cleanliness of public restrooms.

Ignore the urge to ask him why he didn't go back at the house, because i don't want to hear the answer.

Get everyone back in the vehicle, and on the road.

Let Sweetie drive to NOLA, attempting to stay near the speed limit while every other driver on the road passes us at more than 10mph over it, except the people on their phones who are driving at 10mph under the limit while weaving in their lanes.  Listen to the complaints about other drivers while trying not to roll eyes.

Arrive at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Unfold yourself from your pretzel position in the back seat and empty the contents of the car.

Get fussed at for not coming earlier, for not telling them the Jalopy was having trouble, and for the color of the sky, because Grandma is a great woman but she loves to fuss.

Greet the dog, who wants to lick you to death, then give Grandpa his hojaldras.  Hug everyone, including Uncle P, Uncle J, Bryn, and Dre, and get into the kitchen to start boiling giblets to make broth for gravy.

Spend the rest of the morning cooking and watching parades and hoping Brother-in-Law, The Mouth, doesn't say anything too controversial.

Have all the food ready and wait for the boys to drive in.

Wait a little longer.  Wonder what happened to them.

When they finally arrive, pray and eat.  The prayer almost takes longer than the eating, as these people can inhale like a pack of wild dogs.

Have dessert, pack the leftovers into the ice chests, clean up, mop the floor, pack the cars with the extra stuff Grandpa will send, and hope everyone and everything fits.

Hugs all around, and drive home.  Unpack and watch everyone go for leftovers as you put them away, making for less stuff to put away.

Get the turkey carcass into the crock pot with lots of water to make turkey stock for gumbo for the weekend.

Drop into bed, glad there is no need to cook much beyond the gumbo for the next few days.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone who celebrates!  Hope you are having as much fun as i'm going to!


Today is:

Anniversary of Cerro de Pasco -- Peru (founding of the city and its silver mine)

Bargle Day -- Fairy Calendar (a fairy day with no human equivalent)

Daytona Turkey Run -- Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL, US (collector car show, swap meet, and craft sale; through Sunday)

Electric Guitar Day -- birth anniversary of Jimi Hendrix

Feast of Ullr and Skadi -- Asatru/Norse Pagan (celebrating craftsmen)

Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia -- Jamestown Settlement, Williamsburg, VA, US (exploring the 17th- and 18th-century culinary practices of Virginia; through Saturday)

Freckle Pride Day -- show your spots, you are beautiful!

Get the Giggles and Give One Away Day -- internet generated, and great if your a preteen girl

Khoiak Ceremonies -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (ceremonies surrounding the stories of the death of Osiris, date approximate)

Lancashire Day -- Lancashire, England (celebrating their first elected representative in Parliament in 1295)

Maaverar Naal -- Tamil Eelam, Sri Lanka (Tamil Heroes' Day)

National Bavarian Cream Pie Day

National Family History Day -- US (a call from the Department of Health and Human Services to get info about your family, especially health history, while everyone is together for the holidays)

Pie in the Face Day -- internet generated, and supposed to be a virtual one, so no mess to clean

Pins and Needles Day -- celebrating the 1937 opening of the Pins and Needles Music Revue

St. Virgilius of Salzburg's Day (Patron of Salzburg, Austria; Slovenes)

St. James Intercisus' Day (Patron of lost vocations, torture victims)

Thanksgiving Day -- Interfaith, US and Territories
     National Day of Mourning -- Native Americans

Turkey-Free Thanksgiving -- sponsored by the Vegetarian Awareness Network



Anniversaries Today:

William Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway, 1582


Birthdays Today:

Jaleel White, 1976
Samantha Harris, 1973
Brooke Langton, 1970
Robin Givens, 1964
Fisher Stevens, 1963
Caroline Kennedy, 1957
Rick Rockwell, 1956
Kathryn Bigelow, 1951
Jimi Hendrix, 1942
Eddie Rabbit, 1941
Bruce Lee, 1940
Gail Henion Sheehy, 1937
Alexander Dubcek, 1921
"Buffalo" Bob Smith, 1917
Chick Hearn, 1916
James Agee, 1909
L. Sprague de Camp, 1907
Forrest Shaklee, 1894
Chaim Weizmann, 1874
Charles A. Beard, 1874
Bat Masterson, 1853
Robert R. Livingston, 1746 (O.S. date)
Anders Celcius, 1701
Emperor Xiaozong of China, 1127


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Magical Mystery Tour"(Beatles album release), 1967
"Never Too Late"(Play), 1962
"The Dinah Shore Show"(TV), 1951


Today in History:

The first elected representatives from Lancashire were called to Westminster by King Edward I to attend what later became known as "The Model Parliament", 1295
The first Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed in the Great Storm of 1703
The Portuguese Royal Family leaves Lisbon to escape from Napoleonic troops, 1807
Adoption of Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland, 1815
NY Times dubs baseball "The National Game", 1870
Alfred Nobel establishes the Nobel Prize, 1895
In New York City, the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is held, 1924
The Soviet space program's Mars 2 orbiter releases a descent module; it crashes, but still becomes the first man-made object to be on Mars, 1971
The left-wing Labour Party takes control of the New Zealand government with leader Helen Clark becoming the first elected female Prime Minister in New Zealand's history, 1999
A hydrogen atmosphere is discovered on the extrasolar planet Osiris by the Hubble Space Telescope, the first atmosphere detected on an extrasolar planet, 2001
The Canadian House of Commons endorses Prime Minister Stephen Harper's motion to declare Quebec a nation within a unified Canada, 2006
Icelanders vote for their own constitution after using a modified Danish constitution for 66 years, 2010
The Nissan Leaf self-driving car completes its first test in Japan, on the Sagami Expressway, 2013

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Sweet

Grandpa has a weakness -- hojaldras, a fried sweet bread his mother and aunt used to make.

Every culture seems to have its fried sweet treat, beignets come to mind here in south Louisiana, and he grew up with these.

Yum!  Flour, sugar, oil, egg, knead and flatten and fry.

These are Grandpa's birthday gift each year.  We call him on his birthday, and we bring these with us when we go down for Thanksgiving Dinner.



Today is:

Constitution Day of the Republic of Abkhazia -- Abkhazia

Day of the Covenant -- Baha'i

Day of the Tan-Wallopers -- Fairy Calendar

Good Grief Day -- birth anniversary of Charles Schultz

Independence Day -- Mongolia(1924)

National Cake Day

National Family Caregivers' Day -- US (if you are a caregiver who needs support, you can get it here or here )

Sojourner Truth Day -- she died this day in 1883

St. John Berchmans' Day (Patron of alter servers, Oblate novices, young people)

Thanksgiving Day -- Norfolk Island

Tie One On Day -- an apron!  on US Thanksgiving eve, write a note of encouragement or prayer, tuck it in the pocket of an apron, and wrap the apron around a good home or bakery made loaf of bread, then deliver it to someone who needs a kind gesture

Weihnachtsmarkt auf dem Romerberg -- Frankfurt, Germany (Frankfurt Christmas Market, including glockenspiels, trumpets, and bells rung from 9 churches at regular intervals; through Dec. 22)

Wonderland of Lights -- Marshall, TX, US (through Dec. 31, includes parades, candlelight home tours, and more)



Anniversaries Today:

Founding of Sigma Alpha Mu in the City College of New York, by 8 Jewish young men, 1909
The first official Thanksgiving in the US, by presidential proclamation, 1789
Founding of the University of Notre Dame, 1842
Founding of Kappa Alpha Society, the oldest surviving US college fraternity, 1825


Birthdays Today:

Natasha Bedingfield, 1981
Shannon Dunn, 1972
Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, 1966
Dale Jarrett, 1956
Tina Turner, 1939
Rich Little, 1938
Robert Goulet, 1933
Charles Schultz, 1922
Eugene Ionesco, 1912
Eric Sevareid, 1912
Lefty Gomez, 1908
Mary Edwards Walker, 1832
Sarah Moore Grimke, 1792
John Harvard, 1607
Emperor Go-Daigo of Japan, 1288


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Anarchy in the UK"(Sex Pistols single release), 1977
"The Price is Right"(TV), 1956
"Twenty Questions"(TV), 1949
Casablanca(Film), 1942
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland(Publication date), 1865


Today in History:

The Second Triumvirate alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus ("Octavian", later "Caesar Augustus"), Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Mark Antony is formed, BC43
Vlad III Dracula (Vlad the Impaler)defeats Basarab Laiota with the help of Stephen the Great and Stephen V Bathory and becomes the ruler of Wallachia for the third time, 1476
The first lion exhibited in the US makes his debut in Boston, 1716
Captain James Cook becomes the first European to visit Maui, 1778
The Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of the United States established, 1784
The first national US Thanksgiving is celebrated, 1789
The first streetcar railway in the US begins operation in NYC, fare 12 cents, 1832
The refrigerated railway car is patented by J.B. Sutherland of Detroit, Michigan, 1867
The first photograph of a meteor is taken, 1885
The National Hockey League is formed, with the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs, and Toronto Arenas as its first teams, 1917
King Tut's tomb is opened by English archaeologist Howard Carter, 1922
Four young lads from Liverpool have their first recording session under the interesting name "The Beatles", 1962
Tony Blair becomes the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to address the Republic of Ireland's parliament, 1998
Concorde makes its final flight, over Bristol, England, 2003
A male Po'ouli (Black-faced honeycreeper) dies of Avian malaria in the Maui Bird Conservation Center in Olinda, Hawaii before it could breed, making the species in all probability extinct, 2004
NASA launches the Mars Science Laboratory, its largest rover ever, 2011

Thanksgiving Comes First, 2014

Suldog is leading the charge again, among those of us who celebrate Thanksgiving in November, to remember not to skip over this hallowed and august celebration before barreling our way into the madness that is the end of the year holidays of consumption.

Too many stores are trampling tradition and refusing their employees the dignity of a day to celebrate with their families, all in the name of chasing a few dollars which research has shown only siphon off Black Friday profits, not adding to them.  Yes, really, opening on Thanksgiving Day itself doesn't bring store profits up, it just spreads the same amount of spending over two days.

No, i will not be shopping on Thanksgiving, nor will i be shopping on Black Friday.  We have enough stuff in our house, anyway, and most of our gifts are home baked or very simple ones for family and close friends.  This year, to keep them from losing the last of my tools, i think all of my kids will get their own small tool set.  Perhaps then i can hide mine well enough that it will stay together.

Back to the subject at hand, i do not care how many tool sets are on sale only on Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday, i will find others on different days.  While i understand that hospital workers, and some plant engineers, and people who keep our electricity flowing, our newspapers printing, and our convenience stores open will have to work, there's no reason most retail workers shouldn't have a day to enjoy and be thankful without having to go to work to sell stuff to people so greedy they can't wait one more day.

When i was young, i remember the grocery stores were open for a few hours in the morning only on Thanksgiving, so their own employees could go home and have an afternoon with their families.  Grandpa was always called to the hospital, too -- he delivered babies, and they don't read calendars.  Everything else was closed.  That's what i miss, that you knew what the day was for, and you celebrated it that way.

The times they are a-changing, it is true, and in some things, for the better.  In this tendency to play into the greedy season before we even have a chance to wipe the gravy from our lips, i think it's for the worse.

If you have the misfortune to have to work retail on Thanksgiving, you won't be seeing me.  You are welcome.


Today is:

Anniversary of Moquegua City -- Peru (founded this date in 1541)

Banquet for Monkeys / Monkey Buffet Festival -- Khmer Ruins of Lop Buri, Thailand (about 3,000 monkeys are served lunch while humans get to watch; some describe it as a riot but without the police)

Cat-Napping Convention -- Fairy Calendar

Day Sacred to Proserpina -- Ancient Roman Calendar (also Persephone, of the Greeks, the Wheel goddess of the Underworld, often associated with St. Catherine; see below)

Evacuation Day -- 19th Century New York City (withdrawal of British troops in 1783)

Hari Guru -- Indonesia (Teacher's Day)

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women -- UN

International Hat Day -- www.internationalhatday.com

Mangé Yam -- Haiti (fete de la moisson; a yam harvest festival)

National Day -- Bosnia and Herzegovina (commemorates the 1943 declaration of statehood within Yugoslavia)

National Don't Utter A Word Day -- internet generated, and variously listed as the 25th of November, February, or May; pick one if you want

National Parfait Day

Persephone Day (a/k/a Kore) -- Ancient Greek Calendar (celebration of her as wheel goddess of the underworld; date approximate, but she is often associated with St. Catherine; see below)

Saint Catherine of Alexandria's Day -- of the Catherine Wheel, sometimes associated with the Wheel of Karma and the Hindu Kali; one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (Patron of apologists, archivists, attorneys, barristers, craftsmen who work with wheels of any sort, dying people, educators, girls, jurists, knife grinders and sharpeners, lawyers, librarians, libraries, maidens, mechanics, millers, nurses, old maids, philosophers, potters, preachers, scholars, schoolchildren, scribes, secretaries, spinners, spinsters, stenographers, students, tanners, teachers, theologians, turners, University of Paris, unmarried girls, and wheelwrights; Aalsum, Netherlands; Bertinoro, Italy; Camerata Picena, Italy; Dumaguete, Philippines; Heidesheim am Rhein, Germany; Kuldiga, Latvia; Mähring, Germany; Saint Catharines, Ontario; Zejtun, Malta; Zurrieq, Malta) related observance
     Women's Merrymaking Day -- Women go 'Cath'rining' and have a good time (in some places, especially France, women may propose marriage on this day)

Shopping Reminder Day -- exactly a month until Christmas

Srefidensi -- Suriname (Republic Day/Independence Day)

Statehood Day -- FBiH, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Strange Names Day -- in honor of all the celebrity -- and other -- kids with "unique" names; sponsored the last Tuesday in November by Marlar in the Morning at 101QFL in Rockford, IL, US

Vajiravudh Day -- Thailand

White Ribbon Day -- International (if you know a victim of violence, help break their silence! because domestic violence affects all of society)


Birthdays Today:

Barbara and Jenna Bush, 1981
Jerry Ferrara, 1979
Donovan McNabb, 1976
Eddie Steeples, 1973
Christina Applegate, 1971
Jill Hennessy, 1968
Cris Carter, 1965
Amy Grant, 1960
John F. Kennedy, Jr., 1960
Bucky Dent, 1951
John Larroquette, 1947
Ben Stein, 1944
Joe Jackson Gibbs, 1940
Lenny Moore, 1933
Paul Desmond, 1924
Ricardo Montalban, 1920
Joe DiMaggio, 1914
Solanus Casey, 1870
Carry Nation, 1846
Karl F. Benz, 1844
Andrew Carnegie, 1835


Today in History:

A tsunami, caused by the earthquake in the Tyrrhenian Sea, devastates Naples (Italy) and the Maritime Republic of Amalfi, among other places, 1343
The siege of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, begins, 1491
A deadly earthquake rocks Shemakha, in the Caucasus, killing 80,000 people, 1667
The Great Storm of 1703, the greatest windstorm ever recorded in the southern part of Great Britain, reaches its peak intensity which it maintains through November 27. Winds gust up to 120 mph, and 9,000 people died, 1703
First English patent granted to an American, for processing corn, 1715
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is founded, 1758
Farmer's Almanac first published, 1792
The Greek frigate Hellas arrives in Nafplion to become the first flagship of the Hellenic Navy, 1826
A cyclone slams India with high winds and a 40 foot storm surge, destroying the port city of Coringa (never to be entirely rebuilt again); the storm wave sweeps inland, taking with it 20,000 ships and thousands of people. An estimated 300,000 deaths result from the disaster, 1839
Alfred Nobel patents dynamite, 1867
John B Meyenberg of St Louis patents evaporated milk, 1884
American College of Surgeons incorporates in Springield, Illinois, 1912
First Thanksgiving Day Parade is held in Philadelphia, 1920
690 earthquake shocks recorded in 1 day in Ito, Japan, 1930
The first Soviet liquid fuel rocket attains altitude of 261' (80m), 1933
Woody Woodpecker debuts with release of Walter Lantz's "Knock Knock", 1940
New Zealand ratifies the Statute of Westminster and thus becomes independent of legislative control by the United Kingdom, 1947
Agatha Christie's murder-mystery play The Mousetrap opens at the Ambassadors Theatre in London later becoming the longest continuously-running play in history, 1952
The Minneapolis Thanksgiving Day Fire destroys an entire city block, 1982
The United Nations establishes the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women to commemorate the murder of three Mirabal Sisters for resistance against the Rafael Trujillo dictatorship in Dominican Republic, 1999
Powerful storm brings 3 years worth of rain in 4 hours to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, sparking terrible floods, 2009

Awww Monday: Blast from the Past

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

It's great to start the week with a smile, so post a picture that makes people say, "Awww!" and link up, and spread the sunshine!

Kida, the elderly Siamese, is getting frail, but here's a picture from times past when she would cuddle the kittens to keep everyone warm.

Kida and her "fan club."

She now keeps mostly to herself, sleeping under the pie safe in the pantry hall, and coming out several times a day to sneeze and eat.






Today is:

Brumalia -- Byzantine Empire celebration of Dyonisus and New Wine Festival; until the solstice

Canadian Western Agribition -- IPSCO Place, Regina, SK, Canada (Canada's premier agriculture showcase; through Saturday)

Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day -- there used to be a website associated with this day, but it closed; that's no reason for you not to celebrate your uniqueness!

Celtic Tree Month Ruish (Elder) begins

Dia de la Soberania Nacional -- Argentina (Sovereignty Day)

D.B. Cooper Day -- anniversary of the 1971 hijacking

Discovery Day -- Tasmania (by Abel Tasman in 1642)

Evolution Day -- On the Origin of Species published this day in 1859

Feast of the Martyrs of Vietnam -- Roman Catholic Church

Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom - Sikh

Icelandic Calendar Month Ylir (Whiner) begins -- named after the whining winter winds

Learn When To Start Thawing the Turkey Day -- US (USDA "Let's Talk Turkey" hotline 800-535-4555; Butterball "Turkey Talk-Line" 800-323-4848)

Lachit Divas -- Assam, India

National Military Families Recognition Day -- US (by Presidential Proclamation in 1993, the Monday before Thanksgiving Day)

National Sardines Day -- wonder how this would go over next to the turkey today?

Persephone Day (a/k/a Kore -- Ancient Greek Calendar (celebration of her as wheel goddess of the underworld; date approximate, but she is often associated with St. Catherine)

Ragtime Day -- birth anniversary of Scott Joplin

St. Colman of Cloyne's Day (Patron of Cloyne, Ireland)

St. Joachim Ho's Day -- a Martyr of China

St. Mary of Cordoba's Day (Patron of martyrs)

Teacher's Day -- Turkey

Third Bash of the Tree-Toppers -- Fairy Calendar (fairy creatures who don't believe in "one" or "two", so start counting at three)

Use Even If Seal is Broken Day -- internet generated; observe at your own risk, always!

Zibelemarit -- Bern, Switzerland (Onion Market Festival, in front of the Federal Palace, one of the country's best known and most popular autumn markets, always on the fourth Monday in November to commemorate the granting of market right to people after great fire of Berne in 1405.)


Birthdays Today:

Katherine Heigl, 1978
Brad Sherwood, 1964
Stanley Livingston, 1950
Rudy Tomjanovich, 1948
Dwight Schultz, 1947
Oscar Palmer Robertson, 1938
William F. Buckley, Jr., 1925
Howard Duff, 1913
Charles "Lucky" Luciano, 1897
Dale Carnegie, 1888
Erich von Manstein, 1887
Alben William Barkley, 1877
Scott Joplin, 1868
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1864
Bat Masterson, 1853
Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1849
Bram Stoker, 1847
Zachary Taylor, 1784
Laurence Sterne, 1713
Charles Theodore Pachelbel, 1690
Baruch Spinoza, 1632(O.S. date)


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Guys and Dolls"(Musical), 1950
Softball, as a sport, invented this day as a spur of the moment game at the Farragut Boat Club in Chicago, IL, US, 1887


Today in History:

Theodosius I makes his formal entry into Constantinople, 380
Rabbi Nathan ben Yehiel of Rome completes his Talmudic dictionary, 1105
The Thames River freezes, 1434
First observation of transit of Venus occurred (only 2, record event), 1639
Abel Janzoon Tasman becomes the first European to see Van Damien's Land, later renamed Tasmania, 1642
First Lutheran pastor ordained in America, Justus Falckner at Philadelphia, 1703
Mt. Vesuvius erupts, 1759
Charles Darwin publishes "On the Origin of Species", 1859
Luik-Visé-Maastricht railway opens, 1861
Joseph F Glidden patents his improved barbed wire, 1874
The first US absentee voting law enacted by Vermont, 1896
Clyde Coleman of NYC patents automobile electric starter, 1903
Radio Belgium makes its first transmission, 1923
The first woman pilot on a transcontinental air flight, Miss Ruth Nichols (Mineola, NY to Calif), in a Lockheed-Vega, took 7 days, 1930
In Washington, D.C., the FBI Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory (better known as the FBI Crime Lab) officially opens, 1932
Lee Harvey Oswald is murdered by Jack Ruby, 1963
During a severe thunderstorm over Washington state, a hijacker calling himself Dan Cooper (AKA D. B. Cooper) parachutes from a Northwest Orient Airlines plane with $200,000 in ransom money, and is never seen again, 1971
A national speed limit is imposed on the Autobahn in Germany due to the 1973 oil crisis; it lasts only four months, 1973
The communist party resigns in Czechoslovakia, 1989
By a margin of only 50.28% t 49.72%, Ireland votes to end the 70 year old ban on divorce, 1995
Ireland presents its austerity package to the European Union and IMF, 2010
Palestinian officials announce their plan to exhume the body of Yasser Arafat too determine if he was poisoned, 2012

Silly Sunday: Diagnosis -- RIP

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.  It's the place to come for weekly laughs, and the rules are simple, just have fun, Laugh and Link Up!

Colin-from-Work, who does handyman work on the side and is licenced to do refrigeration and A/C work, came by yesterday to take a look at the refrigerator that tried to catch fire back on Tuesday.

He took it apart and thoroughly checked and tested it and pronounced it dead.  The other fridges were cleaned to make sure the same didn't happen to them, neither being in anywhere near as bad of shape.

While i am sad that it couldn't be resurrected, i am glad that Grandpa and Grandma gave us a spare refrigerator several years ago, and someone at Sweetie's work gave us one a few months ago.  It was nice have 3 of them with so many people in this house, but two will do.

The death of the fridge has reminded me of a joke.

Boudreaux, Thibodeaux, and Gaston were talking about what they wanted said of them at their funerals.

Gaston said, "Mais, when I be gone, I hope day say, 'Dat Gaston!  He could fix anyt'ing, an' he was allus fixin' stuff for people, an' doin' great work at it.'  Dat's what I hope dey say."

Thibodeaux said, "When I go to de great beyon', I hope say, "Oh, dat Thibodeaux!  He could sing an' play dat fiddle an' cheer anybody up!  Couldn't nobody be sad when dat Thibodeaux play an' sing!' Dat's what I hope dey say about me." 

An' Boudreaux said, "At my funeral, I hope dey say, 'Look!  He's moving!'"






Today is:

Can You Find Your Old Rubik's Cube and Still Work It Day -- internet generated, and why would you bother?

Celebration of Christ The King -- Christian (final Sunday of the Ecclesiastical Year) related observance
     Stir Up Sunday -- the day to get your Christmas plum pudding started

Chinggis Khaan's Birthday -- Mongolia

Color Photos Day -- anniversary of the Kodak introduction of modern color film in 1935

Eat A Cranberry Day -- just to see why you add sugar, i guess

Feast of Qawl(Speech) -- Baha'i

Fibonacci Day -- celebrating the mathematical Fibonacci Series, which begins as 1,1,2,3

Giorgoba -- Georgia (St. George's Day; they celebrate their patron saint twice a year, today and May 6, his feast day on the OS calendar)

Hadakambo Festival -- Hofu, Japan (men dressed only in loincloths brave the cold carrying floats to the shrine)

International Image Consultant Day -- Association of Image Consultants International

Jukebox Day -- many days compete for this title, but the first known nickel-in-the-slot record machine went into service on this day in 1889 in San Francisco, CA, US

Kinro Kansha no Hi -- Japan (Labour Day Thanksgiving, when people express gratitude to each other for their work through the year)

Mother Goose Parade Day -- El Cajon, CA, US (kicking off the holiday season with good, family fun)

National Cashew Day -- some sites list it on the 22nd, i'm celebrating both as i love cashews

National Espresso Day

National Farm-City Week -- US (on the week of Thanksgiving, remember that it's the farmers, ranchers and growers who supply your celebratory foods)

Pencil Sharpener Day -- John Love of Massachusetts patented the first one this day in 1897

Repudiation Day -- Maryland, US (anniversary of the Franklin County Court refusal to cooperate with Britain's Stamp Tax Act)

Rudolf Maister Day -- Slovenia

St. Clement's Day (Patron of boatmen/mariners/sailors/watermen, marble workers/stonecutters, sick children; Dundee, Scotland; Velletri, Italy)

St. Columbanus's Day (Patron of motorcyclists; Bobbio, Italy; against floods)

St. Felicity's Day (Patron of martyrs, widows; against the death of children, sterility)

Totensonntag/Ewigkeitssonntag -- Germany (Sunday of the Dead/Eternity Sunday; a general celebration and memorial of all who have died, decreed to be celebrated in Lutheran Churches by King Frederick William III of Prussia in 1816)


Birthdays Today:

Miley Cyrus, 1992
Lucas Grabeel, 1984
Salli Richardson, 1967
Steve Harvey, 1956
Bruce Hornsby, 1954
Susan Anspach, 1945
Krzysztof Penderecki, 1933
Jerry Bock, 1928
Johnny Mandel, 1925
Emmett Littleton Ashfrd, 1914
Harpo Marx, 1888
Boris Karloff, 1887
Billy the Kidd (William H. Bonney), 1859
Franklin Pierce, 1804
Edward Rutledge, 1749


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"I Feel Fine"(Beatles single release), 1964
"Dr. Who"(TV), 1963
"Fiorello!"(Musical), 1959
"Of Mice and Men"(Play), 1937
Life Magazine(First issue), 1936
First play-by-play American style football game radio broadcast, 1919 (Texas A&M beat University of Texas, 7-0)


Today in History:

Thespis of Icaria becomes the first actor to portray a character onstage, BC534
Charlemagne arrives at Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of Pope Leo III, 800
Conquest of Seville by the Christian troops under King Ferdinand III of Castile. 1248
Areopagitica, a pamphlet decrying censorship, and written by John Milton is published, 1644
People of Frederick County Md refuse to pay England's Stamp tax, 1765
Henry Burden patents Horseshoe manufacturing machine, 1835
Patent granted for a process of making color photographs, 1863
The first jukebox goes into operation at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco, 1889
King William III of the Netherlands dies without a male heir and a special law is passed to allow his daughter Princess Wilhelmina to become his heir, 1890
Andrew J Beard invents "jerry coupler," to connect railroad cars, 1897
Pencil sharpener patented by J L Love, 1897
Enrico Caruso makes his US debut at the Metropolitan Opera House, NY in "Rigoletto", 1903
Wright Brothers forms million dollar corporation to manufacture airplanes, 1909
Life Magazine publishes its first issue, 1936
The Cocos Islands are transferred from the control of the United Kingdom to Australia, 1955
The BBC broadcasts the first ever episode of Doctor Who (starring William Hartnell) which is the world's longest running science fiction drama, 1963
Representatives of the People's Republic of China attend the United Nations, including the United Nations Security Council, for the first time, 1971
A series of earthquakes in southern Italy kills approximately 4,800 people, 1980
The first all woman expedition to the south pole (3 Americans, 1 Japanese and 12 Russians), sets off from Antarctica on the 1st leg of a 70 day, 1287 kilometre ski trek, 1990
Convention on Cybercrime is signed in Budapest, Hungary, 2001
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is elected president of Liberia and becomes the first woman to lead an African country, 2005
A message is found on the leg of a mummified pigeon from WWII in Surrey, England, in a code that is unrecognized, 2012
A special 50th anniversary episode of Dr. Who is aired, simulcast to 94 countries and earning a Guiness World Record for the largest simulcast of a TV drama, 2013

Many Happy Returns

It is Grandpa's birthday!

He grew up poor in NOLA, with a dad who abandoned the family and a mother who ran a small corner grocery to support her two children and her sister, who helped her raise the kids.

When he was 11, he got his first job, delivering newspapers.  He'd get up at 2am to get his papers, fold and rubber band them, and deliver them on his bicycle.  He was required to get the paper on the front porch, or the person would complain and he'd lose the money for that delivery.  Some front porches were on the second floor of the building, so he developed a great arm.  A few times, he was shot at while making deliveries.

After delivering papers, he rode past a bakery to buy bread, then went home to get ready for school.  His sister would ride the streetcar with him, and she would have to wake him up when they got there.

Never afraid of work, he had after school jobs, weekend, jobs, and summer jobs, as well as delivering newspapers.  His income paid his sister's allowance and her piano lessons, among other things.  In college, he took 21 hours every semester, was the lab assistant for his head professor, and still worked.  In med school, he still delivered papers, and in residency, he would come off of a 16-hour shift to spend 8 hours doing insurance physicals, then start it all over again.

His dream through his whole medical career as an Ob/Gyn was to revolutionize how women were treated in medicine in the New Orleans area, and he did.  His other dream was to be able to practice medicine for free (and he did a lot of that even when he was seeing paying patients).  That dream became a reality when he retired and was able to start going to Nicaragua regularly.  He started a women's free clinic there, that is still run on the donations he set up and with the medical missionaries who worked with him.

We are so grateful that we still have Grandpa with us.  It would take me hours to chronicle his life, so i'm summing up with Happy Birthday, Grandpa!  We love you!


Today is:

Dispute-Settling Assizes -- Fairy Calendar (no, they won't tell us what kind of disputes)

Dita e Alfabetit -- Albania and Ethnic Albanians (Day of the Albanian Alphabet)

Family Volunteer Day -- to get families working together to better their communities and the world; info here

Go for a Ride Day -- internet generated; during the crazy holiday season, go out for a relaxing sleigh ride or something

Holidays in the City Grand Illumination Parade -- Norfolk, VA, US (to kick off Thanksgiving and the upcoming holidays)

Holodomor Remembrance Day -- international commemoration of the Death By Hunger Genocide in Ukraine

Independence Day -- Lebanon(1943)

International Aura Awareness Day -- to increase the awareness of the human energy body, or aura

International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day -- www.survivorday.org

Natchitoches Festival of Lights -- Natchitoches, LA, US (over 350,000 lights go on every night from now until Jan, 6, with carolers on Friday and Saturday evenings downtown, festivals and events every weekend; come celebrate the season in the Oldest Settlement in the Louisiana Purchase)

National Adoption Day -- US (encouraging us to find a home for every child; many courts finalize thousands of adoptions of children from foster care on this day each year)

National Cashew Day -- some sites have this on the 23rd, i celebrate both as i love cashews

National Stop the Violence Day -- a call by US radio and TV stations for a cease fire on American streets, on the anniversary of John Kennedy's assassination; observed with white ribbons and driving with headlights on during the day

National Survivors of Suicide Day -- US (by Congressional designation since 1999, and now an international movement; remembering those who have lost loved ones to suicide, especially as Thanksgiving and the holidays are coming)

Nordic Yulefest -- Nordic Museum, Seattle, WA, US (a Scandinavian holiday extravaganza; through tomorrow)

Phonograph Day -- Edison publicly  demonstrated his new music playing device on this day in 1877

Start Your Own Country Day -- begun at the 1939 World's Fair in New York

St. Cecilia's Day (Patron of composers, luthiers, martyrs, music, musicians, musical instrument makers, poets, singers; Academy of Music, Rome, Italy; Albi, France; Omaha, Nebraska; Valleyfield, Quebec)

Tori No Ichi -- Japan (a "rooster day" in which to wish good luck and prosperity at temple and shrine ceremonies around the country)

World's Champion Duck-Calling Contest and Festival -- Stuttgart, AR, US (pageants for Queen Mallard and Junior Queen Mallard, carnival, and the best duck calling possible; through Nov. 30)

Ydalir -- Ancient Norse Calendar (Celebration of the wintertime god of skiing and archery, Ullr; date approximate)


Anniversary Today:

The Humane Society of the United States is founded, 1954


Birthdays Today:

Scarlett Johansson, 1984
Scott Robinson, 1979
Boris Becker, 1967
Mariel Hemingway, 1961
Jamie Lee Curtis, 1958
Richard Kind, 1957
Billie Jean King, 1943
Guion S. Bluford, Jr., 1942
Harry Edwards, 1942
Tom Conti, 1941
Terry Gilliam, 1940
Robert Vaughn, 1932
Rodney Dangerfield, 1921
Benjamin Britten, 1913
Hoagie Carmichael, 1899
Wiley Post, 1898
Charles de Gaulle, 1890
John Nance Garner, 1868
George Eliot (Mary A. Evans), 1819
Abigail Adams, 1744


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Cathy"(Comic strip), 1976
"The Beatles/The White Album"(Beatles album release), 1968
"Man of La Mancha"(Musical), 1965
"The Grand Canyon Suite"(Grofe suite for orchestra), 1931
"Bolero"(Ravel orchestral piece), 1928
"La Forza del Destino/The Power of Fate"(Verdi opera), 1862
On the Origin of Species(Publication date), 1859


Today in History:

The first Duke of all Brittany, Nominoe defeats the Frankish king Charles the Bald at the Battle of Ballon near Redon, 845
Spain delegates "New Laws" against slavery in America, 1542
Dutch colonial forces on Taiwan launch a pacification campaign against native villages, resulting in Dutch control of the middle and south of the island, 1635
Off the coast of North Carolina, British pirate Edward Teach (best known as "Blackbeard") is killed in battle with a boarding party led by Lieutenant Robert Maynard, 1718
Peregrine Williamson of Baltimore patents a steel pen, 1809
Canadian journalist and politician William Lyon Mackenzie called for a rebellion against Great Britain, 1837
In Dumbarton, Scotland, the clipper Cutty Sark is launched – one of the last clippers ever to be built, and the only one still surviving to this day, 1869
Victoria Street Cable Tram route begins in Melbourne, Australia, 1886
The Congress of Manastir establishes the Albanian alphabet, 1908
1st snowmobile patent granted to Carl Eliason of Sayner Wisconsin, 1927
The premier performance of Ravel's Boléro takes place in Paris, 1928
Gasoline pump patented that computes quantity & price delivered, 1932
"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" first heard on Eddie Cantor's show, 1934
The Humane Society of the United States is founded, 1954
US President John F. Kennedy is killed and Texas Governor John B. Connally is seriously wounded by Lee Harvey Oswald, 1963
The United Nations General Assembly grants the Palestine Liberation Organization observer status, 1974
Juan Carlos is declared King of Spain following the death of Francisco Franco, 1975
In Palmdale, California, the first prototype B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is revealed, 1988
Toy Story is released as the first feature-length film created completely using computer-generated imagery, 1995
Angela Merkel becomes the first female Chancellor of Germany, 2005
Germany holds its first piracy trial in 400 years, placing 10 Somalis accused of piracy on trial for alleged attacks on a German ship, 2010
Scientists in New Britain, Papua New Guinea, discover the first orchid known to flower at night, 2011

Feline Friday: Cat-Bird

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


Red-Headed Alec has a cat named Sparrow.  When she was a baby, she used to perch on his shoulder when he walked around.  She still perches on him sometimes.

Sparrow's favorite perch!

Today is:

Armed Forces Day -- Bangladesh

Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival -- Yuma, AZ, US (through Sunday)

False Confessions Day -- internet generated, and not for the faint of heart

Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin -- Eastern and Roman Catholic Christian (those following the Gregorian Calendar)

Festival of Madonna della Salute -- Venice, Italy

Furniture Memory Day -- an internet generated test of your memory; see if you remember where you got each piece of furniture you own, how much it cost, and how its most precious scratch came to be; you are also encouraged to dust if you want to

General Framework Agreement Day -- RS, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Gerard d'Aboville Day -- marking the day, in 1991, he arrived in Ilwaco, WA, US, after departing Japan 4 months earlier in a rowboat!

Gingerbread Day

Grand Illumination Celebration and Gingerbread House Competition & Display -- Lahaska, PA, US (the holiday fun begins at the Peddler's Village)

Greater Pittsburgh Arts and Crafts Show -- Monroeville, PA, US (through Sunday)

Holiday Folk Fair International -- Milwaukee, WI, US (featuring costumes, dancing, entertainment, exhibits, and more from 65 cultures; through Sunday)

Holiday Lights on the Lake -- Altoona, PA, US (51 acres of lights, animations, gift shops, food, model train displays, and more; through the Sunday after New Year's Day)

National Stuffing Day -- various dates given on many sites, so if you enjoy stuffing, celebrate them all

No Music Day -- www.nomusicday.com for the explanation

Ranch Hand Festival and Breakfast -- King Ranch, Kingsville, TX, US (a real ranch hand meal, cooked and served outdoors, on a working cattle ranch where you can watch cowboys round up longhorns)
     kickoff of the celebration La Posada de Kingsville, with special holiday celebrations through December

Silver Bells in the City -- Lansing, MI, US (the capital city sparkles as the business district lights up for the holidays)

St. Gelasius' Day

Substitute Educators Day -- US (the NEA encourages everyone to recognize those hard working substitute teachers, especially the ones who work most or all of the school year

Ugly Day -- Fairy Calendar

World Hello Day -- recognizing the importance of communication in world peace, say hello to people you don't usually greet today

World Television Day -- UN

York International Postcard Fair -- York, PA, US (over 100 international dealers in post cards show, sell, and trade their finest cards; through tomorrow)


Anniversaries Today:

South Carolina becomes the 12 US State, 1789


Birthdays Today:

Tasha Schwikert, 1984
Ken Griffey, Jr., 1969
Troy Aikman, 1966
Bjork, 1965
Nicollette Sheridan, 1963
Cherry Jones, 1956
Cynthia Rhodes, 1956
Lorna Luft, 1952
Goldie Hawn, 1945
Harold Ramis, 1944
Marcy Carsey, 1944
Tweety Bird, 1942
Juliet Mills, 1941
Marlo Thomas, 1938
James DePreist, 1936
Laurence Luckinbill, 1934
Joseph Campanella, 1927
Stan Musial, 1920
Coleman Hawkins, 1904
Rene Magritte, 1898
Hetty Green, 1834
William Beaumont, 1785
Josiah Bartlett, 1729
Voltaire, 1694


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"(Single release), 1968
"A Tale of Two Kitties"(Warner cartoon, debut of Tweety Bird), 1942
"The Relapse, or, Virtue in Danger"(Vanbrugh play), 1696


Today in History:

Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family, restores the Temple in Jerusalem; this is the event commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah, BC164
The Pilgrims, aboard the Mayflower, reach what is now called Provincetown Harbor, Massachusetts, and sign the Mayflower Compact, 1620
Richard Johnson, a free black, is granted 550 acres in Virginia, 1654
In Paris, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent, Marquis d'Arlandes, make the first untethered hot air balloon flight, 1783
Colonel Napoléon Bonaparte is promoted to full general and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armies of the French Republic, 1791
First Jewish Reform congregation in US forms, Charleston, SC, 1824
Moses F Gale patents a cigar lighter, 1871
Tom Edison announces his "talking machine" invention (phonograph), 1877
Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia takes the oath of office, becoming the first female United States Senator, 1922
First commercial crossing of Pacific by plane (China Clipper), 1935
The Alcan Highway is completed, 1942*
The British Natural History Museum announces that the "Piltdown Man" skull is a hoax, 1953
The first permanent ARPANET link is established between UCLA and SRI, 1969
Gerard d'Aboville completes his four-month solo journey to row across the Pacific Ocean, 1991
The Dayton Peace Agreement is initialed at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio, ending three and a half years of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1995
NATO invites Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to become members, 2002
Iran's President Ahmadinejad rejects the country's successful family planning program and tells Iranian girls they should marry at 16, 2010
The three most senior surviving members of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime are charged with genocide and crimes against humanity, 2011
For the second time in four months, New Zealand's Mount Tongariro volcano, on the North Island, erupts, 2012


*Not opened to general vehicular traffic until the next year

Scary, Scary, Scary

When i came downstairs Tuesday morning, i knew something was "off".  It smelled like someone had overcooked beans in the house, as if they were burning.

So i went downstairs figuring someone had left the toaster oven plugged in, or the coffee pot on, or some such.  Nothing was on that shouldn't be, but the smell persisted.

Eventually, i noticed smoke, and Little Girl came in, as did #1 Son.  We finally traced it to the main refrigerator in our kitchen, which we pulled forward.  It sparked when we unplugged it.

On Monday, while i was at work, Red-Headed Alec cleaned out that fridge.  He left it open a lot while he was cleaning it.  That causes a refrigerator to overwork, and it apparently did, and by Tuesday morning it was on the verge of catching fire.

We pulled it out and cleaned under it, and even though i do that every 6 months or so, it was awful in there.  The inside had lint and dust and cat hair built up so thick the fan wasn't turning well, and so the overheating the day before caused it to go.

Colin-from-Work will come by and take a look at it, see if it can be salvaged, but in the meantime, the house smells of ozone and Little Girl's friends at school told her she smelled like she had been near a fire.

It was scary, because it very nearly was a full blown fire.  If it had gotten close to burning at any other time of day, we might not have caught it in time.

G-d is good.




Today is:

Absurdity Day -- an internet generated absurd holiday

Africa Industrialization Day -- UN

Air Your Dirty Laundry Day -- internet generated, and be careful with this one!

Beautiful Day -- Fairy Calendar

Catholic School Principal Appreciation Day -- designated by the National Catholic Education Association 
 
Clean the Cat Hair Out of the Vacuum Cleaner Day -- internet generated, and always tops on my chore list

Day of Sekhmet and the Purifying Flame -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Day of National Sovereignty -- Argentina (commemorates the Battle of Vuelta de Obligado)

Dia da Consciencia Negra -- Brazil (Black Consciousness Day)

Fast for an Abundant World Harvest -- sponsored by Oxfam America

Globally Organized Hug A Runner Day aka G.O.H.A.R.D

Great American Smokeout -- save money and your life, try not to smoke today; started by the American Cancer Society

Name Your PC Day -- mine is Ol' Bessy, a/k/a Old Crankypants; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

National Peanut Butter Fudge Day

Praetextatus and Paulina's Day -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Guardians of the Eleusinian Mysteries, pagan activists and devotees who tried to save Roman religions; date approximate)

Revolution Day -- Mexico (traditional)

St. Edmund the Martyr's Day (Patron of kings, torture victims, wolves; East Anglia, England; against plagues)

Teachers' Day -- Vietnam

Transgender Day of Remembrance -- memorial for those who have been killed because of transphobia

Universal Children's Day -- UN

Use Less Stuff Day -- a great idea!  not an officially sponsored day, but you can get information about using less stuff at www.use-less-stuff.com/

World COPD Day -- International (helping people understand Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)

World Philosophy Day -- UNESCO

Zumbi Day -- Brazil (death anniversary of Zumbi dos Palmares, a day of Afro-Brazilian consciousness, as he was a hero and freedom fighter)


Anniversaries Today:

The Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II) marries Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey in London, 1947
The first municipal airport in the US opens, in Tuscon, AZ, 1919


Birthdays Today:

Sabrina Lloyd, 1970
Ming-Na Wen, 1967
Sean Young, 1959
Bo Derek, 1956
Steve Dahl, 1954
Richard Masur, 1948
Duane Allman, 1946
Judy Wooodruff, 1946
Veronica Hamel, 1943
Joe Biden, 1942
Dick Smothers, 1939
Don DeLillo, 1936
Richard Dawson, 1932
Estelle Parsons, 1927
Kaye Ballard, 1926
Robert F. Kennedy, 1925
Nadine Gordimer, 1923
Gene Tierney, 1920
Robert Byrd, 1917
Alistair Cooke, 1908
Chester Gould, 1900
Edwin Hubble, 1889
Karl von Frisch, 1886
Kenesaw Mountain Landis, 1866
Selma Lagerlf, 1858
Sir Wilfred Laurier, 1841
Thomas Chattertn, 1752
Oliver Wolcott, 1726
Susanna Wesley, 1669 (mother of John, Charles, and 17 other children)
Peregrine White, 1620 (born on the Mayflower)
Maximinus, Roman Emperor, 270


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Beatles Antology 1(album release), 1995
The Day After(TV movie), 1983
"A Soldier's Play"(Fuller Pulizer winning play), 1981
"Cabaret"(Musical), 1966
"The Seven Year Itch"(Play), 1952
"The Children's Hour"(Play), 1934
"The Goldbergs"(Radio), 1929
The Sheik(Film, with Rudolph Valentino), 1921
"Das Lied von der Erde/The Song of the Earth"(Mahler symphony), 1911
"The Doctor's Dilemma"(Play), 1906
"Fidelio"(Opera, Beethoven Op. 72), 1805


Today in History:

Bögü, Khan of the Uyghurs, conquers Lo-Yang, capital of the Chinese Empire, 762
Zumbi, the last leader of the Quilombo dos Palmares of Brazil, is executed, 1695
New Jersey becomes the first state to ratify the US Bill of Rights, 1789
Curacao's government forbids slave work on Sunday, 1795
Howard University is founded in Washington, D.C., 1866
US State Department starts requiring photographs for passports, 1914
The first municipally owned airport in US opens, in Tucson Az, 1919
In response to the Soviet Union agreeing to remove its missiles from Cuba, U.S. President John F. Kennedy ends the quarantine of the Caribbean nation, 1962
The SETI Institute is founded, 1984
Microsoft Windows 1.0 is released, 1985
The number of protesters assembled in Prague, Czechoslovakia swells from 200,000 the day before to an estimated half-million, 1989
In England, a fire breaks out in Windsor Castle, badly damaging the castle and causing over £50 million worth of damage, 1992
The first module of the International Space Station, Zarya, is launched, 1998
The Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches its lowest level in eleven years, 2008
NATO agrees to begin handing over Afghanistan's security to the Afghan military, 2010
The UN World Meteorological Organization announces the 2011 greenhouse gasses reached record levels, 2012
A vote of the General Synod of the Church of England approves women to be ordained bishops beginning the next year, 2013

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Anticipation

This week, i went to clean Ms. P's house on Monday instead of Thursday.  Her ex has no money, isn't paying back the IRS because he has no salary, won't pay child support because he's broke, but on Thursday, he's taking all four kids, plus his new honey and the stepson, to Walt Disney World.

Anyway, the children have been protected, as much as possible, from the wiles and schemes he's laid, as we don't talk about him in front of them except to say when he is picking them up.  They don't need to hear about it.

So it was with great glee that Youngest Boy, on Monday, had already packed  his bag in anticipation of the trip:

A testimony to a child's anticipation, and a boy's ability to pack light!

 




Today is:

Alligator Wrestling Day -- internet generated, and i wonder if a cat that doesn't want its meds counts?

shi Vanguhi -- Ancient Persian Calendar/Zoroastrian (celebration of Ashi Vanguhi, or Holy Blessing; date approximate, but always two days after a full moon around this time of year)

Automatic Toll Collection Day -- the first machine went into use on New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway on this day in 1954

Beaujolais Nouveau Release -- France (at midnight, so really most of the celebration is tomorrow, a new wine celebration marked with fireworks and festivities)

Discovery Day -- Puerto Rico

Equal Opportunity Day / Dedication Day / Remembrance Day -- anniversary of the Gettysburg Address

Fete de S.A.S. le Prince Souverain -- Monaco (National Day)

Flag Day -- Brazil

Garifuna Day/Carib Settlement Day -- Belize

Geographic Information Systems Day

"Have a Bad Day" Day -- for the hidden, or not so hidden, grouch in all of us; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

International Men's Day -- Australia; Canada; Ghana; Hungary; India; Ireland; Jamaica; Malta; Singapore; South Africa; Trinidad and Tobago; United Kingdom; United States

Liberation Day -- Mali

National Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day

National Educational Support Professionals Day -- US

Please Maintain Your Focus Today Day -- internet generated, but a good idea

Repentance Day -- Saxony, Germany (Day of Prayer and Repentance [Buss und Bettag])
     Buss und Bettag -- German speaking Lutheran, Reformed, and United Protestants (Day of Repentance and Prayer)

Scottish International Badminton Championship -- Glasgow, Scotland (through Sunday)

St. Obadiah's Day (Obadiah the Prophet)

"What Ever Happened to Gary Pucket?" Day -- internet generated, and a fun question to research

Women's Entrepreneurship Day -- in partnership with Global Entrepreneurship Week

World Toilet Day -- sponsored by the World Toilet Organization (yes, really, to raise awareness of the 2.5 billion people who don't have access to proper sanitation)


Anniversaries Today:

Zion National Park is established, 1919
Women's Christian Temperance Union is founded, 1874


Birthdays Today:

McCaughey Septuplets, 1997
Kerri Strug, 1977
Savion Glover, 1973
Gail Devers, 1966
Terry Farrell, 1963
Jodie Foster, 1962
Meg Ryan, 1961
Allison Janney, 1960
Anne Curry, 1956
Eileen Collins, 1956
Scott Jacoby, 1956
Glynnis O'Connor, 1955
Kathleen Quinlan, 1954
Ahmad Rashad, 1949
Calvin Klein, 1942
Garrick Utley, 1939
Ted Turner, 1938
Dick Cavett, 1936
Jack Welch, 1935
Larry King, 1933
Roy Campanella, 1921
Indira Gandhi, 1917
Peter Drucker, 1909
Tommy Dorsey, 1905
Billy Sunday, 1862
James Garfield, 1831


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Heaven's Gate(Film), 1980
"Rocky and His Friends/Rocky and Bullwinkle"(TV), 1959
The first Automatic Toll Collection Machine, at the Union Toll Plaza in New Jersey, 1954


Today in History:

The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land, begins, 1095
Rabbi Isaiah b Abraham aha-Levi Horowitz arrives in Israel, 1621
The Jakobinen club forms in Paris, 1794
The Jay Treaty, the first US extradition treaty, is signed with Great Britain, 1794
Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first European Americans to cross the continent, 1805
Warsaw University is established, 1816
The St. Petersburg flood, caused by storms, kills 10,000, 1824
The second Canadian railway line, the Montreal and Lachine Railway, is opened, 1847
Lincoln delivers his Gettysburg Address, 1863
Boss Tweed is convicted, sentenced to 12 years, 1874
Carrie Nation attempts to address the US Senate, 1903
NY receives the first Marconi wireless transmission from Italy, 1911
Samuel Goldwyn and Edgar Selwyn establish Goldwyn Pictures (anybody want to guess what this eventually became?), 1916
The first issue of Time Magazine is published, with Emperor Hirohito on the cover, 1928
Télé Monte Carlo, Europe's oldest private television channel, is launched by Prince Rainier III, 1954
The first automatic toll collection machine is introduced on New Jersey's Garden State Parkway, 1954
Ford cancels the Edsel, 1959
Apollo 12 astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean land at Oceanus Procellarum (the "Ocean of Storms") and become the third and fourth humans to walk on the Moon, 1960
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat becomes the first Arab leader to officially visit Israel, when he meets Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and speaks before the Knesset in Jerusalem, seeking a permanent peace settlement, 1977
Lt. Gen. Maurice Baril of Canada arrives in Africa to lead a multi-national policing force in Zaire, 1996
Vincent van Gogh's Portrait of the Artist Without Beard sells at auction for $71.5 million USD, 1998
The People's Republic of China launches its first Shenzhou spacecraft, 1999
Claudia Castillo has a successful trachea transplant from stem-cell created organ, 2008
Many nations urge lower fishing rates on the Atlantic bluefin tuna; quota limits on the critically endangered fish are discussed by major fishing nations in Paris, 2010

Sweet Revenge

While in Kentucky last month, i got a picture of what revenge might look like.

On the farm.

The cow has his day!

The clouds looked worse than what they delivered, we didn't really get much rain, just wind.  But the cow looked like he was having fun, no matter the weather!



Today is:

Constitution Day -- South Africa (the 1993 Constitution, granting blacks the right to vote, was approved)

Day of Ardvi Sura (Aredvi Sura Anahita), Mother of the Stars -- Ancient Persian Calendar (date approximate)

European Antibiotic Awareness Day -- ECDC (because prudent use of antibiotics can help stop antibiotic resistance)

Feast of the Virgen de Chiquinquirá -- Maracaibo, Venezuela

Hap-Dancing and Tiger-Tuning -- Fairy Calendar

Independence Day -- Morocco(1956); Western Saraha(1975)

Married to a Scorpio Support Day -- remembering those married to Scorpios (like me!) and suffering because of it, and encouraging them too hide the flow charts and assert themselves today; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

National Day -- Oman (trad.; will be observed Nov. 27)

National Entrepreneurs Day -- US (by Congressional designation)

National French Vichyssoise Day

Ned Ludd Memorial Machine-Smashing Day -- internet generated, but enjoy!  i know i will

Proclamation of the Republic -- Latvia (1918)

Push-Button Phone Day -- launched this day in 1963

School Pride Day -- US (always on the Tuesday of American Education Week)

St. Odo of Cluny's Day (Patron of needed rain)

Total Disregard for Taste Day -- marking the debut of Howard Stern's radio show on this day in 1985

Vertieres Day -- Haiti (Battle of Vertieres and Army Day)

William Tell Day -- the famed apple-off-his-son's-head-shot was today in 1307



Birthdays Today:

Owen Wilson, 1968
Elizabeth Perkins, 1960
Sinbad, 1956
Katy Sagal, 1956
Kevin Nealn, 1953
Andrea Marcvicci, 1948
Jameson Parker, 1947
Wilma Mankiller, 1945
Susan Sullivan, 1944
Linda Evans, 1942
Brenda Vaccaro, 1939
Margaret Eleanor Atwood, 1939
Mickey Mouse, 1928
Alan Shepard, Jr., 1923
John Herndon "Johnny" Mercer, 1909
Imogene Coca, 1908
George Gallup, 1901
Eugene Ormandy, 1899
Clarence Shepard Day, 1874
Dorothy Dix (Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer), 1861
Ignacy Jan Paderewski, 1860
James Edward Sullivan, 1860
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert, 1836
Asa Gray, 1810
Louis-Jacques Daguerre, 1787
Sojourner Truth, 1787
Carl Maria von Weber, 1786


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Star Trek: Generations(Film), 1994
Malcolm X(Film), 1992
Calvin and Hobbes(Comic strip), 1985 (in this first strip, Calvin catches Hobbes in a tiger trap baited with a tuna sandwich)
"See It Now"(TV), 1951
"Skin of Our Teeth"(Wilder play), 1943
Steamboat Willie (a/k/a Mickey Mouse), 1928
US Uniform Time Zone Plan, 1883 (on this date, the railroads adopted the current uniform time zone plan; it wasn't legally mandated until 1918)


Today in History:

Old St. Peter's Basilica is consecrated, 326
The Japanese Emperor Kammy relocates the residence of Nara to Kioto, 794
William Tell shoots the apple off his son's head, 1307
The Holland/Zealand dikes break during a storm, resulting in thousands of deaths, 1421
The first English printed book, "Dictes & Sayengis of the Phylosophers", is published, 1477
Christopher Columbus first sights the island now known as Puerto Rico, 1493
Vasco da Gama reaches the Cape of Good Hope, 1497
The worst earthquake in Massachusetts Bay/Boston area, 1755
The first Unitarian Minister in the US is ordained in Boston, 1787
30 women meet at Mrs Silas Lee's home in Wiscasset Maine, to organize the Female Charitable Society, first woman's club in America, 1805
Mark Twain's story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is published in the New York Saturday Press, 1865
National Woman's Christian Temperance Union organizes in Cleveland, 1874
Standard time zones are formed by railroads in the US and Canada, 1883
The first newspaper Sunday color comic strip is printed, in the NY World, 1894
Britain flies its first sea plane, 1911
Lincoln Deachey performs the first airplane loop-the-loop, over San Diego, 1913
Sigma Alpha Rho, a Jewish high school fraternity, is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1917
Release of the animated short Steamboat Willie, the first fully synchronized sound cartoon, directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, featuring the third appearances of cartoon characters Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, 1928
Off the south coast of Newfoundland in the Atlantic Ocean, a Richter magnitude 7.2 submarine earthquake, centered on Grand Banks, breaks 12 submarine transatlantic telegraph cables and triggers a tsunami that destroys many south coast communities in the Burin Peninsula, 1929
New York City's Mad Bomber places his first bomb at a Manhattan office building used by Consolidated Edison, 1940
In the United States, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is ratified, 1993
HIP 13044 b, a planet that was formed in another galaxy, is discovered in the Helmi Stream, 2010