It doesn't seem like the world should just go on today.
It's too sad.
Today is:
AKC/Eukanuba National Championships -- Orlando, FL, US (top dogs from around the world compete to see -- who really is top dog? through tomorrow)
Alcyone -- Ancient Greek Calendar (kingfisher goddess; date approximate, but during the Halcyon Days)
Bill of Rights Day -- US
Cat Herders Day -- for those whose job or life is like trying to herd cats; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays
Centipede Boot-Making and Shoe-Repair Season begins -- Fairy Calendar
Christmas Festival in Salvador -- Salvador, Brazil (one fun party, with many different activities through New Year's Day)
Consualia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Festival for Consus, god of graineries, with games and races in the Circus Maximus in his honor)
Coonskin Cap Day -- debut of "Davy Crocket" on TV's "Disneyland" in 1954 (and the original Davy Crockett hated the things, by the way)
Hakidaore Ichi -- Tokyo, Japan (fabulous shoe festival; through tomorrow)
Homecoming Day -- Alderney, UK
Icelandic Yuletide Lad of the Day, Pvorusleikier -- Spoon-licker, who tries to steal all the wooden spoons he can find
Kasuga Wakamiya on-Matsuri -- Nara Prefecture, Japan (dates to the 12th century, to pray against plague and for a good harvest; through the 18th)
Koninkrijksdag -- Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba; Sint Maarten
National Lemon Cupcake Day
National Regifting Day -- be careful here!
Navidades begin -- Puerto Rico (traditional Christmas celebrations that last through Three Kings Day)
Setagaya no Bori Ichi -- Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (a two day flea market that dates back to 1578)
St. Nino's Day (Patron of Georgia)
Trivial Pursuit Day -- honoring Canadians Chris Haney and Scott Abbott, who created the game on this date in 1979
Winterfest Boat Parade -- Ft. Lauderdale, FL, US (The Greatest Show on H2O)
Zamenhof Day -- International Esperanto Community
Birthdays Today:
Nick Beggs, 1961
Don Johnson, 1949
Dave Clark, 1942
Tim Conway, 1933
Friedensreich Hundertwasser, 1928
Jeff Chandler, 1918
Stan Kenton, 1911
J. Paul Getty, 1892
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel,1832
Today in History:
Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Ticameron, 533
Hulagu Khan captures and destroys the Hashshashin stronghold at Alamut in present-day Iran as part of the Mongol offensive on Islamic southwest Asia, 1265
Bartholomeus Diaz returns to Portugal after sailing round Cape of Good Hope, 1488
The State of Holland grants patent on a windmill with crankshaft, 1593
The first US law school is established at University of Pennsylvania, 1791
The first Irish magazine in US, Shamrock, is published, 1810
The first street-cleaning machine in US is used in Philadelphia, 1854
The King of Hawaii becomes the first reigning king to visit the Us, and is received by President Grant, 1874
The London Underground's Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway opens, 1906
Bandleader, Major Glenn Miller, is lost over English Channel, 1944
Gemini 6A, crewed by Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford, is launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida; four orbits later, it achieves the first space rendezvous, with Gemini 7, 1965
Samoa becomes a member of the United Nations, 1976
U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will recognize the People's Republic of China and cut off all relations with Taiwan, 1978
The 3rd reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is shut down, 2000
The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and $27,000,000 to fortify it, without fixing its famous lean, 2001
Boeing's new Boeing 787 Dreamliner makes its maiden flight from Seattle, Washington, 2009
...i see my favorite decoration from my childhood.
It's a music box. Each of the little elves in his little place moves as the whole Ferris Wheel turns.
It plays "Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy."
This is a decoration i remember from as far back as i was aware that there was such a thing as Christmas.
We even still have the box it came in.
Photo-Finish Friday is the brainchild of Leah at The Goat's Lunch Pail.
Today is:
Ako Gishi sai -- Ako, Japan (traditional dances and warrior parades honoring the 47 Ronin)
Buy a Tree Day / Deck the Halls Day -- internet generated, and if you are going to decorate, why did you wait this long?
Christmas Bird Count begins -- sponsored by the National Audubon Society (through Jan. 5; since 1900, the longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations)
Halcyon Days begin -- a time of calm and tranquility (beginning seven days before the winter solstice, lasting until December 28, seven days after the solstice; named for an ancient fabled kingfisher bird [or halcyon], which hatches and raise her young during this time)
Icelandic Yuletide Lad of the Day, Stufur -- Shorty, who is also known as Ponneskefill, the pan-scraper, who will scrape food scraps from the pans left out
Khoiak Ceremony for Ploughing the Earth -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Monkey Day -- unofficial, by animal groups, to draw attention to the plights of simians kept in labs and as pets monkeyday.org
National Bouillabaisse Day
National Energy Conservation Day -- India
National Salesperson's Day -- US
Play An Old Song That You Didn't Like To See If You Still Don't Like It Day -- internet generated, and don't bother, bad songs don't improve with age
Precalentines Day -- an unofficial holiday for math lovers begun by a precalculus class at a Nova Scotia high school
Sarsodaw Pwe -- Myanmar (Writers' Day, especially celebrated by the press)
South Pole Discovery Day -- thank you, Roald Amundsen
St. John of the Cross' Day (Patron of contemplative life, contemplatives, mystical theology, mystics, Spanish poets; Ta' Xbiex, Malta)
St. Spyridon's Day (Patron of Corfu, Greece, and potters)
Anniversaries Today:
Princess Mary Stuart is crowned Mary, Queen of Scots, 1542
Alabama becomes the 22nd US State, 1819
Birthdays Today:
Paul "Beakman" Zaloom, 1951
Patty Duke, 1946
Lee Remick, 1935
Charlie Rich, 1932
Don Hewitt, 1922
Shirley Jackson, 1919
Morey Amsterdam, 1914
Spike Jones, 1911
Today in History:
Osman ibn Affan is appointed the third kalief of Islam, 644
The Zuider Zee seawall collapses, 50,000 lives are lost in the floods that follow, 1287
The first artificial pearls, made of gypsum pellets covered with fish scales, are manufactured by M Jacquin in Paris, 1656
The Montgolfier brothers' first balloon lifts off on its first test flight, 1782
David Wilkinson of Rhode Island patents a machine that cuts nuts and bolts, 1798
The American Academy of Political and Social Science is organized in Philadelphia, 1889
The Commercial Pacific Cable Company lays the first Pacific telegraph cable, from Ocean Beach, San Francisco to Honolulu, Hawaii, 1902
Norwegian Roald Amundsen becomes the first to reach the South Pole, 1911
Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Libya, Nepal, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sri Lanka join the United Nations, 1955
The United Republic of Tanzania joins the United Nations. 1961
NASA's Mariner 2 becomes the first spacecraft to fly by Venus, 1962
Kiribati, Nauru and Tonga join the United Nations, 1999
The Millau viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world, near Millau, France is officially opened, 2004
...why i spend so much on food:
Son, are you sure you've eaten enough? You only had one plate of spaghetti, i commented to #2 Son the other night.
"Oh, it's okay, mom," he answered. "While you were boiling the spaghetti, i ate a burrito and the three pieces of chicken that were leftover in the fridge, and two bananas. I'll be okay for a few hours on the one plate of spaghetti."
Today is:
Acadian Remembrance Day -- Acadians of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island
Count the La's in "Deck the Halls" Day -- just so you can say you know
Feast of Hathor -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (goddess of joy, feminine love, and motherhood; date approximate)
Fiesta de Santo Thomas -- Chichicastenango, Guatemala (week long festival celebrating the town's Patron Saint that includes the Palo Volador dance, where men hang by ropes from 30 meter poles, spinning and swinging)
Ice Cream and Violins Day -- another of those silly made up holidays that no one can trace, but would be fun to celebrate. Get yourself a bowl of buttered pecan or rum raisin -- if you are going to celebrate, do it in style -- and put in a Mozart or Bach CD, and enjoy!
Icelandic Yuletide Lad of the Day, Giljagaur -- Gully Oaf, who tries to sneak in the cowshed and skim the cream from the pails of milk
Ides of December -- Ancient Roman Calendar; other observance
Festival for Tellus -- a/k/a Tellura or Tellus Mater, the personification of the earth's productive powers
Jum ir-Repubblika -- Malta (Republic Day)
National Day -- Santa Lucia
New Calendar Day -- time to get the 2013 model, unless you contribute to so many charities you are already flooded with them
Peace Day -- Korea (the fighting stopped in 1953, but the Koreas didn't sign a formal nonaggression pact until this day in 1991)
Runic Half-month Jara commences (fruition)
St. Herman of Alaska (Orthodox Church Patron of the Americas)
St. Jodocus' Day (Patron of boatmen, harvests, mariners, sailors, watermen; against fever, fire, storms, and shipwrecks)
Saint Lucy's Day (Patron of authors, blind people, cutlers, glaziers, laborers, martyrs, peasants, saddlers, salesmen, sore eyes/eye problems, sore throats, stained glass workers; Begijnendijk, Flemish Brabant, Belgium; Conzano, Italy; Mtarfa, Malta; Perugia, Italy; Santa Lucia di Piave, Italy; Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; Villa Santa Lucia, Latium, Italy; against blindness, dysentery, epidemics, eye diseases, hemorraghes)
Feast of the Light-bringer -- honoring Juno Lucina (Roman goddess of light) and Lucia (Old Swedish goddess of light), all now merged with St. Lucy
Little Yule a/k/a Luciadagen (Festival of Lights in many parts of Scandinavia, honoring St. Lucia.)
Thomasville's Victorian Christmas -- Thomasville, GA, US (relive Christmas past all through the downtown area; through tomorrow)
Unreturned Library Book Sale -- Fairy Calendar (Imps)
Birthdays Today:
Taylor Swift, 1989
Amy Lee, 1981
Tom DeLonge, 1975
Christie Clark, 1973
Jamie Foxx, 1967
Ted Nugent, 1948
John Davidson, 1941
Aga Khan IV, 1936
Christopher Plummer, 1927
Dick Van Dyke, 1925
Archie Moore, 1913
Kenneth Patchen, 1911
Today in History:
The Council of Trent opens, 1545
Sir Francis Drake sets sail from England to circumnavigate the globe, 1577
Emperor Ferdinanad II delegates the first Anti-Reformation decree, 1621
The Massachusetts Bay Colony organizes 3 militias which are today seen as the founding of the United States National Guard, 1636
Dutch navigator Abel Tasman becomes the first European to land in New Zealand, 1642
Dartmouth College in New Hampshire is chartered, 1769
Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is published, sells 6,000 copies, 1843
Italo Marcioni patents an ice cream cone, 1903
The Relay 1 communication satellite is launched, 1962
Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt begin the third and final Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) or "Moonwalk" of Apollo 17, 1972
The European Union announces that Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia will become members from May 1, 2004, 2002
Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is captured, 2003
The Baiji, or Chinese River Dolphin, is announced as extinct, 2006
"Hey, mom, I just wanted to let you know that my name has changed." #2 Son was making himself a some breakfast when he made this pronouncement.
Really? i asked. What would you like to be called?
"From now on, my name is Plays With Squirrels, and Festus' name is Stabs With Pigeons. Just thought you might like to know."
Well, i'm not sure that i do want to know. How does one stab with pigeons, anyway?
"You don't want to know," he answered with a smile, as Little Girl walked in.
Wiping sleep from her eyes, she added, "Oh, and I'm Dances With Bears, by the way. Also, you know what I've found out?"
What have you found out?
"I've found out, that as soon as you decide you really are going to go ahead and get out of the bed, all of a sudden the mattress becomes ten times more comfortable than it was just a second ago."
Ain't that the truth, i muttered.
"By the way, mom, what would your name be?"
Little Girl asked.
Hmph, i thought i already had a name.
"A name like the ones we picked," she said.
Well, how about Scrubs The Toilets, i answered drily.
"No, i mean your 'With' name, like ours," she added.
"Yeah, mom, it has to have 'With' in the middle and it has to have an animal in it," #2 Son noted.
"How about Sings With Otters?" was Little Girl's suggestion.
Have you ever heard me sing? The otters in question would be terrified out of their minds.
"Oh, yeah."
So, knowing that today is an unofficial "holiday" called Ding-a-Ling Day, how about Deals With Ding-a-Lings?
After all, what else would you call young people who hang out with friends named Stabs With Pigeons?
Today is:
Bodacious Bonza Bottler Day
Constitution Day -- Russia (constitution approved in nationwide referendum 1993)
Feast of Masa'il (Questions/Mystery) -- Baha'i
Gingerbread House Day -- because today is as good a day to start making one as any
Independence Day -- Kenya (Jamhuri)
Miracle of the Roses / Our Lady of Guadalupe -- Catholic Christian; related celebrations
Fiesta del Virgin de Guadalupe -- Mexico
Las Mananitas -- Puerto Rico
National Ambrosia Day
National Cocoa Day
National Ding-A-Ling Day -- an unofficial day on which to honor all the ding-a-lings you know, and even act like one yourself if you wish
Neutrality Day/National Day and Student Youth Day -- Turkmenistan
Poinsettia Day -- death anniversary of Joel Roberts Poinsett
St. Finnian of Clonard's Day (Father of Irish Monasticism; going to bed without supper tonight means you risk being carried away by the fairies)
St. Lucy's Eve -- Austria (night of the shining that some use to predict the future)
Thorn Cutting Ceremony -- Glastonbury, Somerset, England (a sprig from the tree supposedly planted by Joseph of Arimathea is cut and sent to the Queen, to decorate her table on Christmas Day)
Unmentionable Thoughts Festival -- Fairy Calendar (Imps, Goblins, and naughty Fairies)
Yuletide Lads begin arriving -- Iceland (Jolasveinar trolls, children of Gryla and Leppaludi, who come one each day to bring gifts and mischief from now until Christmas)
Yuletide Lad of the Day, Stekkjarstaur -- Sheepfold Stick, who will try to drink the milk from the farmers' ewes
Anniversaries Today:
Pennsylvania becomes the 2nd US State, 1787
Birthdays Today:
Mayim Bialik, 1975
Rey Mysterio, Jr., 1974
Madchen Amick, 1970
Jennifer Connelly, 1970
Tracy Austin, 1962
Sheila E. 1957
Cathy Rigby, 1952
Emerson Fittipaldi, 1946
Dionne Warwick, 1941
Connie Francis, 1938
Bob Barker, 1923
Bob Dorough, 1923
Joe Williams, 1918
Frank Sinatra, 1915
Edward G. Robinson, 1893
Edvard Munch, 1863
Erasmus Darwin, 1731
Today in History:
The Battle at Ninevah: Byzantine emperor Heraclius defeats Perzen, 627
The Order of the Dragon is created by Sigismund, King of Hungary, and his wife Queen Barbara of Celje, following the battle for possession of Bosnia, 1408
Isabella crowns herself Queen of Castile and Aragon, 1474
Jews are expelled from Schlettstadt Alsace by Emperor Frederick III, 1479
In Vienna, Ludwig von Beethoven receives his first lesson in music composition from Franz Joseph Haydn, 1792
Mexico is officially recognized as an independent nation by the US, 1822
The first Canadian coins are circulated (1 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent and 20 cent), 1858
Rudolph Dirks' first Katzenjammer cartoon strip appears in the NY Journal, 1897
Belo Horizonte, the first planned city of Brazil, is founded, 1897
George F Bryant of Boston patents the wooden golf tee, 1899
Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland, 1901
Delhi replaces Calcutta as the capital of India, 1911
Oscar Straus becomes US Secretary of Commerce, the first Jew to be a US Cabinet member, 1906
The first all metal aircraft, the Junkers J-1, is test flown in Dessau, Germany, 1915
In Nebraska, Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys, 1917
The first prototype of a hovercraft is patented by British engineer Christopher Cockerell, 1955
Guinea joins the United Nations, 1958
The Russian Federation gains independence from the USSR, 1991
Authorities in the Cayman Islands refuse to allow a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship chartered by gay people to dock, 1997
Canada withdraws from the Kyoto Protocol to avoid penalties for treaty violations, 2011
What color is cooking?
Huh? i can hear you thinking. The mimi has lost her mind.
Not yet, at least not fully. That's the question that popped into my head when i read about Gavyn Boscio and his sister.
Gavyn, much like my #2 Son, loves to cook. Look on TV and you will see a myriad of role models for these young men who want to be good at what they do in the kitchen. It can be hip and macho to know your way around the pots and pans.
Gavyn, being only 4, isn't quite ready for professional cooking school, but that might be in the cards someday. Meanwhile, he wants an Easy-Bake Oven for Christmas. That sounds about right for a 4-year-old.
Remember your first Easy-Bake Oven (if you had one)? It was tons of fun, wasn't it? You got to really make the batter, and bake the cakes, and ice them, and eat them and serve them proudly to your family and friends. It gave you a sense of accomplishment without you having to be pushed aside in the big kitchen because you might get hurt.
Well, why should that fun be reserved only for the girls?
What? It shouldn't? Well, tell that to the company that makes it, Hasbro.
That's what Gavyn's big sister, McKenna Pope, has decided to do. When she shopped for the oven to give her little brother as her Christmas gift to him, she was dismayed to find it only comes in very girly colors, with only girls shown on the box, having fun baking.
So she started an online petition to Hasbro, asking for the oven to be made in more gender neutral colors, and marketed to all kids who love to cook or bake, not just girls.
This has gotten the attention even of Bobby Flay, who owned an Easy-Bake Oven as a kid.
Hasbro says that it has had boys on the box of the toy in past years, but that doesn't change the fru-fru coloring So there is a petition up at Change.org, which has already gotten 37,000+ signatures.
What is the color of cooking? It's whatever your favorite color is, if you love to cook. And if your favorite isn't pink, then you shouldn't, if you are a boy, have to hide your pink Easy-Bake Oven from the other boys.
Today is:
Agonalia -- Ancient Roman Empire; also observed
Festival for Diva Palatua -- guardian of Palatine Hill
Septimonia -- to honor the Seven Hills of Rome
Feast of Sekhmet, Bast, and Ra -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (goddess of warfare, feline goddess, and sun god; date approximate)
Fourth Republic Day -- Madagascar
International Mountain Day -- UN
Jashan-e Sadeh / Adar-Jashen -- Zoroastrian/Parsi (a mid-winter fire ceremony for purification; date approximate)
National Day / Republic Day -- Burkina Faso
National Noodle Ring Day
Nose-Scrambling and Hair-Hiking Events -- Fairy Calendar
Pampanga Day -- Pampanga Province, Philippines
Remembrance Day of Llywelyn II -- Wales (death anniversary of Llywelyn the Last, the last native-born Prince of Wales, killed in battle in 1282)
St. Damasus' Day (Patron of archaeologists)
St. Pens' Day (Patron of Llanberis, Wales)
Tango Day -- Buenos Aires, Argentina (birth anniversary of Julio de Caro and Carlos Gardel)
Anniversaries Today:
Indiana becomes the 19th US State, 1816
Unicef Established, 1946
Birthdays Today:
Rider Strong, 1979
Jermaine Jackson, 1954
Teri Garr, 1949
Brenda Lee, 1944
John Kerry, 1943
Donna Mills, 1942
Rita Moreno, 1931
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, 1918
Carlo Ponti, 1913
Fiorello LaGuardia, 1882
Today in History:
Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office, 359
Llywelyn the Last (born c. 1228) the last native Prince of Wales, is killed at Cimeri, 1282
The Aurora Borealis is seen from New England by English settlers for the first time, 1719
The first newspaper on Curacao is published, the Curacao Gazette & Commercial Advertiser, 1812
Nitrous oxide is used in dental work for the first time in Hartford, Connecticut, 1844
Boston's Bijou Theatre becomes the first American theater lit exclusively by electricity, premiering Gilbert and Sullivan's "Iolanthe" as its first performance, 1882
The New Zealand Parliament Buildings are almost completely destroyed by fire, 1907
Color moving pictures are demonstrated in Madison Square Garden, 1909
The Boll Weevil Monument is dedicated in Enterprise, Alabama, 1919
The British Parliament enacts the Statute of Westminster 1931, establishing legislative equality between the self-governing dominions of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of Canada, the Irish Free State, Dominion of Newfoundland, the Dominion of New Zealand, and the Union of South Africa, 1931
Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, takes his last drink and enters treatment for the last time, 1934
Arthur Lucas, convicted of murder, is the last person to be executed in Canada, 1962
Apollo 17 becomes the sixth and last Apollo mission to land on the Moon, 1972
The Kyoto Protocol opens for signature, 1997
The People's Republic of China joins the World Trade Organization, 2001
And i don't like to use the word "stupid" that often. It's rude.
This, however, seems to cross into that category.
A man named Robert Ponti obviously wanted a Bentley Coupe, but was unable to afford one. He therefore stole one, and parked it in plain sight right in front of his home.
Police in the area, noticing a $200,000+ vehicle in a very modest neighborhood, investigated and found out that it had been taken while the owners, from a much less modest part of town, were on vacation.
Mr. Ponti and another person were arrested for the theft and the vehicle impounded.
The next day, Mr. Ponti had made bail and was out.
Apparently, he still wanted the Bentley. So he went to the impound lot and managed, somehow, to convince someone there that it was actually his vehicle. He was allowed to drive it away. Very persistent, and his persistence paid off.
Did he then high tail it to parts unknown with his booty?
No, which is where the stupid part comes in. He drove back home, to the same place where the police had found the vehicle the first time.
If you want to be a criminal, let this be a lesson to you. You have to hide the evidence. Especially when it is a big as a Bentley Coupe.
Today is:
Chief Red Cloud Day -- marking the Sioux leader's death in 1909; defender of Native rights, son of Lone Man and Walks As She Thinks
Constitution Day -- Thailand
Do Something Wild and Crazy with Velveeta Day -- guess they mean besides turn it into Hillbilly Hor d'oeuvres (melted with Rotel and served with chips)
International Animal Rights Day
International Human Rights Day -- anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948
Lux Mundi -- Ancient Roman Calendar (honoring Libertas as the bringer of light into the world)
National Lager Day
National Tree Planting Day -- Malawi
Nobeldagen -- Sweden (Alfred Nobel Day, presentations of the Nobel Prizes)
Sister-Friend Day -- internet generated, but if you have a sister who is a good friend to you, it's worth celebrating
St. Eulalia of Merida's Day (Patron of runaways, torture victims, widows; Merida, Spain; Oviedo, Spain)
Total Lunar Eclipse -- see this site for details http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/when-is-the-next-total-lunar-eclipse-for-north-america
Whirling Dervishes Festival -- Konya, Turkey (through the 17th)
Anniversaries Today:
Mississippi becomes the 20th US State, 1817
Birthdays Today:
Raven-Symone, 1985
Bobby Flay, 1964
Kenneth Branach, 1960
Susan Dey, 1952
Dan Blocker, 1928
Dorothy Lamour, 1914
Chet Huntley, 1911
Emily Dickinson, 1830
Today in History:
Martin Luther publicly burns the papal edict demanding that he recant, 1520
Isaac Newton's paper De Motu Corporum in Gyrum, containing the derivation of Kepler's laws from his theory of gravity, is read to the Royal Society by Edmund Halley, 1684
The Massachusetts Bay Colony becomes the first American Colonial government to borrow money, 1690
The metric system is formally established in France, 1799
The first traffic lights are installed outside the Palace of Westminster in London, 1868
Women's suffrage is granted in Wyoming Territory, the first in the US, 1869
Women are granted suffrage in Tasmania, 1902
The 10,000,000th Model T Ford is assembled, 1915
The Grand Ole Opry makes its radio debut, in Nashville, Tn, 1927
UN General Assembly adopts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948
Ralph J Bunche becomes the first black to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, 1950
The United Nations General Assembly approves Pakistan's proposal for establishing nuclear free-zone in South Asia, 1981
The last shift leaves Wearmouth Colliery in Sunderland; the closure of the 156-year-old pit marks the end of the old County Durham coalfield, which had been in operation since the Middle Ages, 1993
A U.S. passenger jet landed in Vietnam, the first one to do so since the Vietnam War ended nearly three decades earlier, 2004
"Mom, guess what I saw last night!"
Since #2 Son gets excited about everything from a great new song from his favorite bands to a really fabulous recipe he's heard about, or even a funny thing one of his friends has done, i wasn't sure what to expect, but when i asked about it, i was totally unprepared.
"There was a coyote in the field!"
My blank stare was then met with, "Really! It was a coyote. It actually ran out of someone's back yard, and was going across the field. So I whistled, and it headed for me. I had to push at it with one of those pieces of wood I haven't sawed apart for burning yet, it was really going to attack me! It ran off after that, though. It didn't like being smacked at with a big piece of wood."
Well, i would imagine not, i replied.
This development shouldn't surprise me. The coyote is so very well adapted to living alongside human habitation it's amazing. They live off of trash people throw out, road kill, and pet food left out, hunt rodents and small pets, and have been known to go after small children, too. They are losing their fear of people, and since they've never been domesticated, they are very dangerous.
Some people have tried to rid areas of them by killing them, but coyotes have a trick of breeding more frequently and having bigger litters when their populations are threatened in order to replenish themselves.
They can also cross breed with dogs and wolves, and have done so.
Well, son, don't try to attract its attention again, i told him. Also, i added, make sure you keep Dansig indoors at night and with you when you take him out. They will eat cats. Tell Little Girl to be careful taking Link out, too.
"I will," he said. "This is amazing. I just hope he stays away from me now, after I smacked him with that wood."
Yes, i hope so, too, if that's indeed what he saw.
Also, if it is, i get the feeling that our feral cat population is going to decline around here. The ones that live at the creek are in danger, and i need to warn the lady who keeps her numerous cats outdoors.
Today is:
Anna's Day -- Sweden and Finland (commemorates the conception of the Virgin Mary by St. Anne, celebration for all females named Anne or Anna, and the day to start the processing of the Christmas Eve lutefisk.)
Christmas Card Day -- the first commercial card went on sale on this day in 1843
Christmas Gift Memory Day -- the day to reminisce about your all time favorite Christmas gift
End of Days of Reckoning -- Fairy Calendar
Feast of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by St. Anne -- Orthodox Church
Hanukkah -- Judaism (began sundown yesterday; through sundown Dec. 16)
International Anti-Corruption Day -- UN
National Heroes Day -- Antigua and Barbuda
National Pastry Day
Quincy Preserves Christmas Candlelight Tour -- Quincy, IL, US (walking tour of beautiful homes in a different neighborhood each year)
Remembrance for Egill Skallagrimsson -- Asatru/Norse Pagan Calendar (Viking Age poet, warrior, and rune magician)
Republic Day -- Tanzania
Search High and Low For Your Gingerbread Recipe Day -- or just give up and go to the internet for a new one, that's where i found this "holiday"
Second Sunday of Advent -- Christian
Lighting the Candle of Love
St. Leocadia's Day (Patron of Toledo, Spain)
The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting -- in memory of children lost the previous year
Weary Willie Day -- birth anniversary of Emmet Kelley, Sr.
Yuri's Day in the Autumn -- Russian Orthodox Church (a celebration of St. George, as following the Gregorian Calendar)
Birthdays Today:
David Kersh, 1970
Jakob Dylan, 1969
Kurt Angle, 1968
Felicity Huffman, 1962
Donny Osmond, 1957
John Malkovich, 1953
Dick Butkus, 1942
Beau Bridges, 1941
Judy Dench, 1934
Buck Henry, 1930
Dick Van Patten, 1928
Dina Merrill, 1925
Redd Foxx, 1922
Kirk Douglas, 1916
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., 1909
Margaret Hamilton, 1902
Emmet Kelley, Sr., 1898
John Milton, 1608
Today in History:
The Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city, returning the old capital to its empire, 536
New York City's first daily newspaper, the American Minerva, is established by Noah Webster, 1793
The Republic of Texas captures San Antonio, Texas, 1835
The first Young Men's Christian Association in the Americas is founded, in Montreal, 1851
Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback becomes governor of Louisiana for 35 days, becoming the first black US governor, 1872
Levant Richardson patents the ball-bearing skate, 1884
Statistician Herman Hollerith installs his computing device at the United States War Department, 1888
The Norwegian parliament vote unanimously for female suffrage, 1903
The first broadcast of "Coronation Street" on British ITV, 1960
Barbados joins the United Nations, 1966
NLS (a system for which hypertext and the computer mouse were developed) is publicly demonstrated for the first time in San Francisco, 1968
The United Arab Emirates join the United Nations, 1971
The eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, 1979
Lech Walesa wins Poland's first direct presidential election in its history, 1990
Princeton University scientists produce a controlled fusion reaction equivalent to 3 million watts, 1993
Canada's Supreme Court rules gay marriage constitutional, 2004
