Voting, Adopting a Teacher, and More Legal Kerfluffles, a Random and Happy Tuesday

(Because some people like Blogger and some like WordPress, i am putting the same content at both.  If you would prefer to read this on the other site, it is linked here.)

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It's time once again for a random and happy Tuesday, linking up with Stacy's Random Thoughts at Stacy Uncorked and Sandee at Comedy Plus.  

The first thing on my plate today is to go vote.  If you live where there's an election going on anywhere, and you are eligible to do so, please go vote if you didn't do the early voting or mail in ballot.  There are a lot of people in this world who would dearly love to have the opportunity, so if you do, don't pass it up.

Image from govote.org

Then there's the ladies' circle meeting, and we are bringing gifts for the local elementary school teacher we have "adopted" for the school year.  We had this same teacher last year, and she liked what we did for her so much she asked our circle to please adopt her again!

Last month we brought enough crayons and markers (she's a 3rd grade teacher) to get her kids through the school year.  This month, we are making her a goodie basket of her favorite things.  She likes dark chocolate so i got her one of those dark chocolate bars from Trader Joe's that weighs just over a pound -- i figure that may hold her for a while.

Like this, only bigger!

Dr. D was in rare form yesterday.  The morning began pleasantly enough, but i should have known it would take a turn for the worse when we had to deliver some legal papers downtown.

She came back to the car in a huge huff.  "The Huns have taken over!" she said.  "The receptionist at the City Attorney's office was sitting there eating her bacon and egg breakfast right there at her desk, and the young lady who she referred me to was wearing scruffy jeans and flip flops!  In an office!  And they wouldn't let me leave the papers with them!  I am so insulted!  I'm a taxpayer in this city, and that is my office, and they are representing it very poorly!"

Somehow i don't think Dr. D has anything like this to worry about.

Her attorney met her on the steps, and then the sparks really flew.  She was not happy with "that insolent pup!" and when he tried to call her later, she wouldn't answer.  "I'm still eating my lunch!" she yelled at the phone.

When i jokingly pointed out to her that i was washing the lunch dishes and she was in fact done eating, she said with a laugh, "Well, I'm still eating lunch where he is concerned!"

At least by that time she could laugh about it.  She was doing much better when she calmed enough to tell me all about her childhood Christmas trees.

As i've noted before, her Grandfather's family owned the Cotton Exchange in New Orleans before The Great Incivility (as his generation called the Civil War).  He went into banking afterward and owned a lot of land, including timber land.  He and his wife would take Dr. D and her brother, then only tots, to go find the perfect tree each year out on his timber land.  She remembers the big saw he and her Grandmother would use to cut the tree, soaking it in water in a bucket for a few days, the glass ornaments, the tinsel made of lead in long strands, the "angel hair" spun glass used to cover the tree stand.

Probably a lot like this one.

As for what mischief she will get into next week, well, her daughter will be in town by Friday, so i'm sure that by next Monday there will be tales to be told.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

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Today is:

Basketball Day -- birth anniversary of James Naismith

Birth of Tiamat -- Ancient Babylonian Calendar (mother of gods, goddess of primeval chaos; date approximate)

Constitution Day -- Dominican Republic; Tajikistan; Tatarstan, Russian Federation

Electric Razor Day -- Jacob Schick patented the first electric razor on this day in 1937

Finnish Swedish Heritage Day -- Finland

Fish Returning Days begin -- Fairy Calendar (the fairies borrow centuries old fish in sealed crystal boxes from each other, and why they prefer each others or what they do with them, they will not tell)

Green March Day -- Morocco; Western Sahara

Gustavus Adolphus Day -- Sweden

Halfway Point of Autumn

International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict -- UN

International End Gossip Day -- the founder of this didn't want to be gossiped about, and left no trace

Marching Band Day -- birth anniversary of John Philip Sousa

Marooned Without A Compass Day -- internet generated; how's your sense of direction?

Melbourne Cup Day -- Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia (154th running)

National Nachos Day / I Love Nachos Day

Saxophone Day -- birth anniversary of Adolphe Sax 

St. Illtyd's Day (Abbot, reputed cousin of King Arthur)

St. Leonard's Day (Patron of barrel makers/coopers, blacksmiths, captives, childbirth, coal miners, coppersmiths, greengrocers, horses, imprisoned people, locksmiths, miners, porters, P.O.W.'s, prisoners; Castelmauro, Italy; Conegliano, Italy; Kirkop, Malta; against burglaries, robberies/robbers)

Birthdays Today:

Ethan Hawke, 1970

Pat Tillman, 1976

Rebecca Romijn, 1972

Thandie Newton, 1972

Ethan Hawke, 1970

Kelly Rutherford, 1968

Lance Kerwin, 1960

Maria Shriver, 1955

Nigel Havers, 1949

Glenn Frey, 1948

Sally Field, 1946

Mike Nichols, 1931

Walter Perry Johnson, 1887

James Naismith, 1861

Ignace Paderewski, 1860

John Philip Sousa, 1854

Cesare Lombroso, 1835

Adolphe Sax, 1814

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire(Movie), 2005

"Good Morning America"(TV), 1975

"The Phil Donahue Show"(TV), 1967

"Meet The Press"(TV), 1947

Today in History:

Shipwrecked Spanish conquistador Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca becomes the first known European to set foot in Texas, 1528

Spain grants independence to the Dominican Republic, 1844

Scenes of Clerical Life, the first work of fiction by the author later known as George Eliot, is submitted for publication, 1856

Canada celebrates its first official, national Thanksgiving Day, 1879

Mohandas Gandhi is arrested while leading a march of Indian miners in South Africa, 1913

Colonel Jacob Schick patents the first electric razor, 1928

Edwin Armstrong presents his paper "A Method of Reducing Disturbances in Radio Signaling by a System of Frequency Modulation" to the New York section of the Institute of Radio Engineers (hello, FM radio!), 1935

Parker Brothers acquires the forerunner patents for MONOPOLY from Elizabeth Magie, 1935

Plutonium is first produced at the Hanford Atomic Facility, 1944

The United Nations General Assembly passes a resolution condemning South Africa's racist apartheid policies and calls for all UN member states to cease military and economic relations with the nation, 1962

Cuba and the United States formally agree to begin an airlift for Cubans who want to go to the United States, 1965

Green March begins: 300,000 unarmed Moroccans converge on the southern city of Tarfaya and wait for a signal from King Hassan II of Morocco to cross into Western Sahara, 1975

Australians vote to keep the Head of the Commonwealth as their head of state in the Australian republic referendum, 1999

Sweibodzin, Poland announced the world's largest statue of Jesus, called Christ the King, has been completed, 2010

Officials crack down on foreigners working illegally in Saudi Arabia and over 16,000 are arrested, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Earning My Rodrigue Sticker

By now, the results are in.

No matter what, at least i was part of the process.

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday.


Today is:

Allama Iqbal Day -- Pakistan

Chaos Never Dies Day -- internet generated, and just look in my closets if you want proof that we need this one

Couch Beachcombing Day -- internet generated; also called sofa diving, you will be amazed what you will find!

Dia de los Natitas -- La Paz, Bolivia (Day of the Skulls, when skulls are decorated and then offered cigarettes, coca leaves, and other items)

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

Fiesta de Nuestra Senora de la Almudena -- Madrid, Spain (Feast of the Virgin of the Almudena, Patroness of the City)

Flag Day -- Azerbaijan

Go to an Art Museum Today Day -- it's a good idea, whoever started this one

Independence Day -- Cambodia (1953)

Lord Mayor's Day / Lord Mayor's Show -- London, England (traditional date, celebrated on the nearest Saturday; a traditional Show since 1215, when King John granted the people of London the right to elect their own mayor)

Mariachi Night -- Brawley, CA, US (sponsored by the Imperial Valley Joint Chambers of Commerce, a free night of celebrating the heritage of Mariachi music)

National Nibble Day -- as promoted by Adrienne Sioux Koopersmith

National Scrapple Day

Neon Sign Day -- Georges Claude received a patent for the neon sign on this day in 1911

Night of Nicnevin (Gyre-Carling), Daughter of Frenzy, Banshee -- Scots Pagan (date approximate)

Paul is Dead Day -- Beatle's Conspiracy Theorists, who claim Paul died this day in 1966 and was replaced by Billy Campbell

Schicksalstag -- Germany (Destiny Day or Fateful Day) anniversary of
     the execution of Robert Blum in 1848
     dethroning of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1918
     The Beer Hall Putsch in 1923
     Kristallnacht (Crystal Night, marks the beginning of the Holocaust), 1938
     the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989

St.Theodore the General's Day (Patron of soldiers; Brindisi, Italy; invoked for the recovery of lost objects)

Tag der Erfinder -- Austria; Germany; Switzerland (Inventor's Day; birth anniversary of Hedy Lamarr, who was an inventor as well as an actress)

Wish-Granting Championships -- Fairy Calendar (Sprites)

World Freedom Day -- US


Birthdays Today:

Nikki Blonsky, 1988
Nick Lachey, 1973
Chris Hericho, 1970
Thomas Quasthoff, 1959
Lou Ferrigno, 1951
Tom Weiskopf, 1942
Tom Fogerty, 1941
Mary Travers, 1936
Bob Gibson, 1935
Carl Sagan, 1934
Dorothy Dandridge, 1923
Spiro Agnew, 1918
Hedy Lamarr, 1913
James William Fullbright, 1905
Ed Wynn, 1886
Stanford White, 1853
Elijah P. Lovejoy, 1802
Benjamin Banneker, 1731 (first freeborn child of free African American parents)


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Wizard of Id"(Comic strip), 1964
"Omnibus"(TV), 1952


Today in History:

Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims, sentencing all Jews to slavery, 694
The Family de' Medici were expelled from Florence, 1494
Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower sight land at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1620
Hungarian parliament promises Protestants freedom of religion, 1681
The Rabbi Yehuda Hasid synagogue in Jerusalem is set afire by Arabs, 1720
Napoleon becomes dictator of France, 1799
The first US pharmacy college begins classes in Philadelphia, 1821
The NY Symphony Orchestra holds its first public performance, 1858
The first documented Canadian football game is held, at the University of Toronto, 1861
Ulyses Grant issues orders to bar Jews from serving under him, 1862
The Great Boston Fire destroys nearly 1,000 buildings, 1872
Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first US president to visit other countries during his tenure, visiting Puerto Rico and Panama, 1906
The Great Lakes Storm of 1913, the most destructive natural disaster ever to hit the lakes, destroys 19 ships and kills more than 250 people, 1913
Albert Einstein is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work with the photoelectric effect, 1921
Several U.S. states and parts of Canada are hit by a series of blackouts lasting up to 13 hours in the Northeast Blackout of 1965
First issue of Rolling Stone Magazine is published, 1967
Garry Kasparov 22, of the Soviet Union becomes the youngest World Chess Champion, 1985
The chemical element Darmstadtium is discovered, 1994
The Venus Express mission of the European Space Agency is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, 2005
The German Bundestag passes the controversial data retention bill mandating storage of citizens' telecommunications traffic data for six months without probable cause, 2007
Germany holds celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, 2014
Italian artist Modigliani's "Reclining Nude" fetches the 2nd highest auction price ever, USD $170.4, 2015

Tuesday Coffee Chat: Challenge Accepted

Rory Bore at Ink Interrupted hosts the Tuesday Coffee Chat, and this week her topic is:   I'm going to give you a challenge for the rest of this month.   I want you to think about something in your life you'd like to focus on -- just for you - and commit to that task.  Maybe it will require a daily check in.  Maybe only weekly.   Perhaps it's writing a certain number of words per day.  Or a photo a day.   The only rule is that it is For YOU.  Your need.  







Off and on for about the past 40+ years, i have tried to learn to speak Spanish.

It has become a personal challenge, as i want to be able to say that i can speak more than one language.  There's no reasonable reason why i cannot learn.  Heaven knows i've tried.

There's a mental block somewhere, and i want to get over and around it.  Thirty days of consistent practice may be a good start, at least i hope so.

Somewhere in the back of my brain, i am certain, is a memory from when i was a small child.  It's so old, it's not a conscious memory.  In it, i'm sure i picked up on the fact that a significant adult in my life was jealous of others who could speak a second language.  It has left me with that mental block, thinking i'm bad or will disappoint someone if i learn another language.

That block has to go.  Starting this month, i am going to tell my subconscious it's okay for me to learn, and keep telling myself until i believe it.


On a totally different topic, if you are in the US, and you haven't voted early, get yourself to the polls today.  Too many people fought to give you that right, especially if you are a woman, for you to simply blow it off.

#1 Son says we are trying to decide between a turd sandwich and a douche bag.  Bigger Girl calls it a contest between a plucked chicken with more stuffed up her *ss than a Thanksgiving turkey and the result of an unfortunate mating incident between Scrooge McDuck and a tribble-headed troll.

Yes, i think we are all going 3rd party here.  Doesn't matter what we are doing, you decide for yourself.  Get out there and vote.



Today is:

Abet and Aid Punsters Day -- promoted by Punsters Unlimited, which seems to know better than to host a website

Cook Something Bold & Pungent Day -- especially for those who have had to close up the house for winter, we need to create a beautiful aroma for the house; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Dunce Day -- death anniversary of John Duns Scotus (one of the three most important philosopher-theologians of the Middle Ages, he was called the "Subtle Doctor" but his enemies turned his name into the word we use today for someone who isn't too bright)

Essence of Motown Literary Jam -- Detroit, MI, US (literary celebration and conference, through Sunday)

Feast of the Four Crowned Martyrs (Patrons of cattle, masons, sculptors, stone cutters; against fever)

Festival of the Mania -- Ancient Roman Calendar (to placate the Manes)

Fuigo Matsuri -- Kyoto City, Japan (Bellows Festival, Shinto festival in honor of Inari, the kitchen hearth goddess)

I Hate to Cook Day -- internet generated, and probably started by someone who wanted an excuse to go out to dinner!

National Cappuccino Day

National Harvey Wallbanger Day

National Parents as Teachers Day -- US

Pohnpei Constitution Day -- Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia

Pushkar Camel Fair -- Pushkar, India (for the camels, racing, fancy dress, changing owners, taking tourists on rides, and the chance to liven up this usually quiet town, and for the people, singing, dancing, exotic food, and watching the camels, as well as religious rituals at the time of the full moon; through the 15th)

Saints, Doctors, Missionaries, and Martyr's Day -- Church of England

Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the other Bodiless Powers of Heaven -- Eastern Orthodox Church

Wish-Granting Championships -- Fairy Calendar (Leprechauns)

World Urbanism Day/World Town Planning Day

X-Ray Discovery Day / World Radiography Day -- commemorating the discovery, in 1895, of x-rays 


Anniversaries Today:

Montana becomes 41st US State, 1889
Mount Holyoke Seminary for Women is founded, 1837 (considered by many to be the first true college for women in the US)
Opening of the Louvre, 1793


Birthdays Today:

Tara Reid, 1975
Masashi Kishimoto, 1974
Parker Posey, 1968
Courtney Thorne-Smith, 1967
Gordon Ramsay, 1966
Leif Garrett, 1961
Rickie Lee Jones, 1954
Alfre Woodard, 1953
Mary Hart, 1951
Bonnie Raitt, 1949
Virna Lisi, 1937
Morley Safer, 1931
Patti Page, 1927
Christiaan Barnard, 1922
Esther Rolle, 1920
Martha Gellhorn, 1908
Margaret Mitchell, 1900
Hermann Rorschach, 1884
Milton Bradley, 1836
Edmond Halley, 1656


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Six Degrees of Separation"(Guare drama), 1990
"Night and Day"(Stoppard play), 1978
"Days of our Lives"(TV), 1965
"Life With Father"(Play), 1939
Sister Carrie(Publication date), 1900
"Ruy Blas"(Victor Hugo drama), 1838


Today in History:

Emperor Theodosius declares Christianity to be the state religion, 392
Uprising against Piero de' Medici in Florence, Italy, 1494
First meeting of Montezuma and Hernando Cortez in Tenochtitlan, Mexico, 1519
The Bodleian Library at Oxford University is opened to the public, 1602
Benjamin Franklin opens the first US library, in Philadelphia, PA, 1731
Elijah Craig, of Bourbon, Kentucky, US, first distills Bourbon whiskey from corn, 1789
Sarah Bernhardt makes her US debut at NY's Booth Theater, 1880
The New Orleans general strike begins, uniting black and white American trade unionists in a successful four-day general strike action for the first time, 1892
Wilhelm Roentgen of Germany discovers X-rays, 1895
The New Testament Gospels are translated into Demotic Greek (as opposed to the Koine Greek of ancient texts), resulting in bloody clashes in Athens, 1901
The first Washington state elections in which women could vote take place, 1910
Operation Grapple X, Round C1: Britain conducts its first successful hydrogen bomb test over Kiritimati in the Pacific, 1957
Former Massachusetts Attorney General Edward Brooke becomes the first African American elected to the United States Senate, 1966
Manolis Andronikos discovers the tomb of Philip II of Macedon (Alexander the Great's father), 1977
The UN Security Council demands that Saddam Hussein disarm or face serious consequences, 2002
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao releases pictures of the moon's Sinus Iridium, or Bay of Rainbows, taken during the Chang e-2 lunar mission, 2010

Okay, now i'm angry.

Note:  If Suldog sent you, you are probably looking for Thanksgiving Comes First.  You are also more than welcome to read today's meanderings while you are here.


Yes, mama is really angry now.

On Saturday, October 19, the people of our parish were granted the opportunity, longed for in many societies by generations of women and slaves and others who were considered non-citizens, and still coveted by many people in some societies on this earth, to cast a secret ballot in a free election.

Some parts of the parish were electing a justice of the peace.  A few were voting on propositions to renew property taxes to fund our sheriff's department and EMS.

The early voting turnout was so low that the registrar of voters predicted turnout as low as 20%.

Then i went and actually checked the results (instead of just listening to the report on the radio).

Actual voter turnout was less than 10% across the parish.   In fact, the highest was 7.2% of voters even bothered.

And i am very, very angry.

This isn't people refusing to vote because they are making a statement.  This is sheer apathy, and i find it appalling.

It makes me want to grab people by the throat and yell at them, "Don't you flipping care!"

Obviously, they don't.  So i'm left angry, and sad.

While in the Finger Lakes region of New York last month, we went to Seneca Falls, where the Women's Rights Convention was held in 1848.  The women and men who met there knew that, without the right to vote, women were not full citizens.  They set out to change society, and they did.

Only one of the women, Charlotte Woodward, who was 19 when she attended the convention, lived long enough to cast a legal vote, in 1920.

It makes me wonder what she would think.  The women who fought and worked and went through a lot of crap to get the right to vote, what would they think?  Especially those who died before they ever saw the work completed.  They understood how important it is to take a role in governing ourselves through the electoral process.

Now, we have so much apathy that the polls are almost deserted.

If you don't vote because you are making a social statement, because you are protesting, i may disagree with you, but i will gladly support your right to do that.

If you don't (or didn't) vote because you just didn't bother, shame on you.



Today is:

Angam Day -- Nauru ("Day of Fulfillment"; a celebration of overcoming hardships)

Armed Forces Day -- Benin

Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival -- Banff, AB, Canada (38th annual; through next Sunday)

Blue Ridge Folklife Festival -- Blue Ridge Institute and Museum, Ferrum, VA, US (a large celebration of authentic folkways)

Children's Day -- Australia; Malaysia

Day of the Ancients -- Asatru/Pagan Slavic Calendar

Day of Mourning -- Libya

Emma Crawford Festival and Memorial Coffin Race -- Manitou Springs, CO, US (spooky fun for the whole family)

Exaltation of the Shellfish -- Pontevedra, Spain (can confirm they celebrate this each year, cannot find confirmation on this specific date)

Forgiveness Day -- a day to reconcile or forgive, for your own peace of mind; sponsored by Positive Peaceful Partners and the Center of Unconditional Love

Gormanudr -- Old Icelandic Calendar (beginning of "Innards Month," after all the animals have been butchered and fresh innards figure predominantly in the menu, as the rest of the meat has been preserved for winter)

Hogeye Festival -- Elgin, TX, US (Road Hog Car Show, crowning of King Hog and Queen Sowpreme, Cow Patty Bingo, and more!)

Lhabab Duechen -- Bhutan (Descending Day of Lord Buddha)22nd day 9th month lunar calendar

London Bridge Days -- Lake Havasu City, AZ, US (come celebrate London Bridge, which was disassembled and moved here and put back together, with a parade and festivities; through tomorrow)

Ludi Victoriae Sullanae -- Roman Empire (celebration of the victories of Lucius Cornelius Sulla, through Nov. 1)

Make A Difference Day -- US (Whoopie Goldberg once said that if every American would donate 5 volunteer hours a week, it would be the equivalent of several million full time jobs; whether or not it's strictly accurate, volunteering is a great thing to do no matter where you live)

Mule Day -- anniversary of the first importation of donkeys to the US, which George Washington used to breed the first mules in the Americas

National Day -- Austria

National Gospel Day -- Cook Islands

National Mincemeat Pie Day

Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts Festival -- Washington County Fairgrounds, Washington, PA, US (over two hundred exhibits, plus food and entertainment; through tomorrow)

Pretzel Day

Pumpkin Day -- time to get one for the 31st, if you haven't already

Scared Silly: Halloween in Prospect Park -- Brooklyn, NY, US (hauntingly good fun all weekend)

St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki's Day (Patron of soldiers; Thessaloniki, Greece)
     Greek day to broach the wine barrels and taste the new season's wine in honor of this saint

Sts. Lucian and Marcian's Day (Patrons of converts, possessed people)

Texas Book Festival -- Austin, TX, US (one of the nation's most prestigious literary festivals, especially celebrating renowned Texas authors; through tomorrow)

Toping Wagglegammon -- Fairy Calendar (no human knows what this means, but it sounds intriguing)

Workaholic Stop and Smell Something Day -- internet generated day to encourage workaholics to stop and consider what they might be missing

Worldwide Howl at the Moon Night -- some organizers even have howling parties

Xterra Kapalua Trail Run -- Kapalua, Maui, HI, US (extreme trail runs of 6k and 10k; through tomorrow)


Anniversary Today:

Grand opening of the Erie Canal, 1825


Birthdays Today:

Cary Elwes, 1962
Lauren Tewes, 1954
Hillary Rodham Clinton, 1947
Pat Sajak, 1947
Jaclyn Smith, 1947
Bob Hoskins, 1942
Jackie Coogan, 1914
Mahalia Jackson, 1911


Debuting/Premiering Today:

St. Elsewhere, 1982


Today in History:

Comet 55P/1366 U1 (Tempel-Tuttle) approaches 0.0229 AUs of Earth (2.1 million miles and 3.4 million kilometers)--marking the third closest approach of any comet to our planet in recorded history, 1366
First use of lead pencils, 1492
William Penn accepts the area around the the Delaware River from the Duke of York, 1682
The first Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia, and the Minute Men begin to organize in the colonies, 1774
King George III goes before Parliament to declare the American colonies in rebellion, and authorized a military response to quell the American Revolution, 1775
Benjamin Franklin departs from America for France on a mission to seek French support for the American Revolution, 1776
The first of the "Federalist Papers" are published, calling for ratification of the US Constitution, 1787
The French Directory, a five-man revolutionary government, is created, 1795
Hamilton Smith patents a rotary washing machine, 1858
Soccer football rules are standardized and rugby starts as a separate game, 1863
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral takes place at Tombstone, Arizona, 1881
First use of a "getaway car" after a robbery in Paris, 1901
The first Soviet (worker's council) formed, St. Petersburg, Russia, 1905
Margaret Sanger arrested for the obscenity of advocating birth control, 1916
The Maharaja of Kashmir agrees to allow his kingdom to join India, 1947
Mother Teresa founds her Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, 1950
Pan American Airways makes the first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 from New York City to Paris, France, 1958
The world sees the far side of the Moon for the first time, in pictures taken earlier in the month by the Soviet Luna 3, 1959
The last natural case of smallpox is discovered in Merca district, Somalia, 1977
"Baby Fae," born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, receives a controversial heart transplant from a baboon, dies of kidney infection 21 days later, 1984
The Charlottetown Accord fails to win majority support in a Canada wide referendum, 1992
Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty, 1994
Britain's House of Lords votes to end the right of hereditary peers to vote in Britain's upper chamber of Parliament, 1999

Yes, i did

Note:  If Suldog sent you, you are probably looking for Thanksgiving Comes First.  You are also more than welcome to read today's meanderings while you are here.

If anyone asks, yes, i did.  Yes, i voted yesterday.

There were only two propositions on the ballot, and i voted. Yes, i sent Sweetie and Bigger Girl and told #1 Son, too.

You are right, there wasn't much to consider here.  It wasn't a big, hairy deal election.  But, dagnabbit, too many people in this world today would love to have a chance to cast a secret ballot in a free election and will never get the chance to do so for me to just waste the opportunity.

Voter turnout was abysmal, and that makes me sad.

To all the people who had an Election Day in the US yesterday and took the opportunity -- and i know that wasn't everywhere, not even every parish in Louisiana -- thank you.

If you had the opportunity, and abstained because you are protesting or conscientiously objecting, good for you.  That's another freedom you have to exercise, and i respect your right to do so.

If you had the opportunity, and simply didn't bother because of apathy, or you didn't think it was worth your time to elect a local justice of the peace (a nearby parish to ours was doing so) or vote for or against the propositions, remember next time how many people would love to have the opportunity you are wasting.

Don't let apathy keep you away.



Today is:

Birth of the Bab -- Baha'i

Boun Suang Heua -- on the Mekong River near Vientiane, Laos (second day of the Ok Phansa festival, the Boat Racing Festival)

Feast of Agios Gerasimos -- Kefalonia, Greece (celebration of the patron saint of this Ionian island, with religious services followed by dancing and feasting)

Feast of No Excuse For A Feast Day -- internet generated, if you have no other excuse to celebrate something today, use this one

Festival of Ebisu -- Japan (the laughing god, who is the only one available this month, as the 8 million other gods of the pantheon gather at the Grand Shrine of Izumo; traditionally on 20th day of 10th month of the lunisolar calendar)

Installation of Scriptures as Guru Granth -- Sikh

International Juan Valdez Appreciation Day -- internet generated, yet as we sip our morning wake up brew, let's remember the hardy souls who pick the beans for us!

Mashujaa Day -- Kenya (National Day/Kenyatta Day)

Miss American Rose Day -- with online only pageants devoted to high achievement and community service for girls and women of all ages, Miss American Rose suggests treating all women in your life like beautiful roses and performing community service with them

National Brandied Fruit Day

National Day on Writing -- US (sponsored by National Council of Teachers of English )

Pastoral Care Week begins -- honoring all clergy who provide spiritual help and care

Revolution Day -- Guatemala

Seeking of King Look Under Your Mattress -- Fairy Calendar

St. Acca's Day (Patron of learning)

Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day

Suspenders Day -- probably begun by the same people who wanted to see if you would observe Wear Something Gaudy Day and Dress Like A Dork Day

World Osteoporosis Day -- International Osteoporosis Foundation



Anniversaries Today:

Aristotle Onassis marries Jacqueline Kennedy, 1968


Birthdays Today:

Dann Gillen, 1967
Viggo Mortensen, 1958
Danny Boyle, 1956
Tom Petty, 1950
Jery Orback, 1935
Mickey Mantle, 1931
Joyce Brothers
Art Buchwald, 1925
Fayard Nicholas, 1914
Bela Lugosi, 1882
Charles Ives, 1874
Arthur Rimbaud, 1854
Christopher Wren, 1632


Today in History:

The first Crusaders arrive at Antioch, 1097
The city of Nuestra Senora de La Paz (Our Lady of Peace), Bolivia, is founded, 1548
Battle of sekigahara sets Tokugawa clan as Japan's Shoguns, 1600
Maria Theresa of Habsburg becomes ruler of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia, 1740
Patent of Toleration, providing limited freedom of worship, is approved in Habsburg Monarchy, 1781
US Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase, 1803
The U.S. and U.K. sign the Convention of 1818, which, among other things settles the U.S. - Canada border at the 49th parallel for most of its length, 1818
First Edition of London Sunday Times, 1822
Lincoln formally establishes Thanksgiving as a national holiday in the US, on the 4th Thursday of November each year, 1864
P.T. Barnum's Hippodrome featuring "The Greatest Show on Earth" opens in NYC, 1873
The hull of the RMS Olympic, sister-ship to the ill-fated RMS Titanic, is launched, 1910
The first Negro League World Series is held, the KC Monarchs shut out the Hilldales, 5-0, 1924
United States of America and Pakistan establish diplomatic relations for the first time, 1947
The Nepal Stock Exchange collapses, 1971
The Sydney Opera House opens, 1973
BM-PC DOS Version 2.1 released, 1983
US accuses Microsoft of violating law by forcing IE browser on computers, 1997
European astronomers announce the discovery of 32 extrasolar planets, 2009
Atronomers announce that galaxy UDFy-38135539 is the most distant object observed from Earth, around 30 billion light-years, 2010
Muammar Gaddafi, and his son Mutassim Gaddafi are killed shortly after the Battle of Sirte, 2011