Today is Dessalines Day, a public holiday in Haiti. It commemorates the life of Jean-Jacques Dessalines on the anniversary of his assassination in 1806.
The Haitian Revolution is regarded as the largest and most successful slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere. The rebellion against French authority began in 1791. Toussaint Louverture emerged as the leader of the revolt against the French. Napoleon sent troops to the colony to restore French authority and Louverture was captured in 1802 and died in a French jail in 1803.
Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a lieutenant to Louverture, then took the leadership of the revolution, defeating French troops at the Battle of Vertières on November 18th 1803. France then withdrew its remaining 7,000 troops from the island.
On January 1st 1804, in the city of Gonaïves, Dessalines officially declared the former colony’s independence as a free republic, renaming it “Haiti” after its indigenous name. He also freed all slaves making Haiti the first country in the Americas to permanently abolish slavery. Though it wasn’t all good news for the former slaves, who were either forced to work on the plantations or join the army.
It was also in 1804 that Dessalines ordered the massacre of all the French people on the island, resulting in the deaths of up to 5,000 people.
Dessalines became the first Emperor of Haiti in October 1804. He was made Emperor for life in 1805, which proved accurate but short-lived as he was assassinated by his political rivals in October 1806.
For golfers???
bumper fun…
Today is the birthday, in 1946, of Jim Tucker, rhythm guitarist from the American rock The Turtles who had the US 1967 No.1 single ‘Happy Together’ and the 1967 hit ‘She’d Rather Be with Me’. He died on 12 November 2020 age 74. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRCe5L1imxg
Today is the Full Moon Day of Thadingyut, a public holiday in Myanmar. The festival marks Buddha’s preaching of Abhidhamma to the gods in Trayastrimsa and the end of the Buddhist period of fasting.
Maya, the mother of Buddha died a week after Buddha was born. She was reborn in the Trayastrimsa Heaven as a god named Santusita. To honour his mother, Buddha ascended to the Trayastrimsa Heaven and preached from the Abhidhamma texts to Santusita for three months.
The full moon of the month Waso (Dhammasetkya Day) marks the ascent by Buddha and the start of the three month period of Buddhist Lent, when the monks retreat to their monasteries. During this time, monks dedicate themselves to meditation and study. During Buddhist Lent, marriages are forbidden and many people give up meat and alcohol. Buddhist lent often coincides with the rainy season in Myanmar.
The full moon in Thadingyut marks Buddha’s return to earth and signifies the end of Buddhist Lent.
Bada BING!!!
If someone who can’t speak English with no education is able to walk across the border and take your job, well…
Spice up Halloween by giving out chocolate covered brussels sprouts.
If ignorance really was bliss we’d have a lot more really happy people.
Insomnia sufferers. Only 3 more sleeps until Christmas.
“What common English word contains all the vowels in order? I should warn you that the answer is facetious.”
Two doctors and an HMO manager are killed in a train wreck and line up at the Pearly Gates for admission to heaven. Saint Peter asks them to identify themselves.
One doctor steps forward and says, “I was a pediatric spine surgeon. I helped hundreds of kids overcome their deformities.” Saint Peter says, “Enter.”
The other doctor says, “I was a psychiatrist. I helped rehabilitate thousands of people.” Saint Peter nods and invites him into heaven.
The third applicant steps forward and says, “I was an HMO manager. I helped countless people get cost-effective health care.” Saint Peter tells him, “You can come in, too.” As the HMO manager walks by, Saint Peter adds, “But you can only stay for 3 days.”
Today is the birthday, in 1943, of Fred Turner, bass, vocals, Bachman Turner Overdrive, (1974 US No.1 & UK No.2 single ‘You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet’). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cia_v4vxfE
Today is Evacuation Day, a public holiday in Tunisia. This holiday commemorates the retreat of last French soldiers from Bizerte on this day in 1963.
France occupied Tunisia in 1881, as part of a partition plan of the Western powers, led by Great Britain and France, known as the ‘scramble for Africa’. The French more or less occupied the Maghreb region of North Africa.
Following independence from France in 1956, France had maintained control of the city of Bizerte, a strategic location south of Sicily. France also kept land farmed by colonists in Tunisia’s most fertile areas. In July 1961, Tunisian forces blockaded the city in an attempt to wrest control of the city from France. After a few days of fighting, the French took control of Bizerte.
Evacuation Day commemorates the eventual retreat of the last French soldiers from Bizerte on October 15th 1963, when French Admiral Maurice Amman left the city, announcing the end of the French colonial phase in Tunisia.
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On this day in 1973, Dolly Parton released ‘Jolene’ as the first single and title track from her album of the same name. According to Parton, the song which peaked at No. 1 on the Country charts was inspired by a red-headed bank clerk who flirted with her husband Carl Dean at his local bank branch when they were newly married. ‘Jolene’ is the song most recorded by other artists, out of all the songs Parton has written. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0eeSoU35wM
Today is the festival of Chung Yeung in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The festival of Chung Yeung (Chongyang in Mandarin), otherwise known as the Double-Ninth, the Festival of High Places or Autumn Remembrance, has been celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month for millennia.
Since the festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, it is also known as the Double-Ninth festival. Odd numbers are considered Yang, meaning positive and masculine, according to the ancient Chinese divination text Yi Jing. Nine, being the largest single odd number, is considered the most positive.
In mainland China, the festival is considered a fortunate day that should be celebrated. In Chinese, nine has a similar pronunciation to the Chinese character ‘jiu’, meaning long, so the day has become a symbol of longevity in life. It is now considered good luck to travel to a high place on the ninth day of the ninth moon. A traditional custom on this day is to fly kites, as it is said that kites can carry bad luck up into the sky. They may also carry some sprigs of an aromatic herb called zhuyu.
Prom Accessories???
’tis the season…(thanks to She Who Seeks)
Uh oh…
Today is the birthday, in 1946, of American rock, R&B, and soul singer, Daryl Hall, from Hall and Oates, who had the 1982 US No.1 & UK No.6 single ‘Maneater’, plus five other US No.1 hits. Hall scored the solo 1986 UK No.28 single ‘Dreamtime’. Since late 2007, he has hosted the web television series, Live from Daryl’s House, which is now aired on MTV. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004. Hall and Oates have sold an estimated 40 million records, making them the third-bestselling music duo of all time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRYFKcMa_Ek
Today is Independence Day in Cuba. Also known as the Anniversary of the beginning of the War of Independence, the “Dia de la Independencia” marks the start of Cuba’s struggle for independence from Spain in 1868.
At the start of the nineteenth century, the Peninsular Wars in Europe resulted in Napoleon’s brother Joseph becoming King of Spain. Feeling no loyalty to this new regime, these events galvanized the independence movement in many Spanish colonies in South America and Central America.
Cuba remained loyal to Spain, but as the century progressed, the enthusiasm for independence didn’t wane and there was an increasing resentment against the Spanish administration that was felt to be corrupt and repressive.
On October 10th 1868, a wealthy sugar mill owner, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, and his followers proclaimed independence. This became known as the Grito de Yara (“Cry of Yara”) and marked the start of the Ten Year’s War.
Though this first war of independence ended with surrender to the Spanish in May 1878, in the longer term it proved to be a key event in Cuba’s struggle for independence from Spain, which finally came in December 1898. The events of October 1868 are also seen as leading directly to the abolition of slavery in Cuba in 1886.
and I was never asked to bring cookies to the church social again…
Might be a while…
What we learn from the movies (Thanks, Bluebird!)
❧ Loft-style apartments in New York City are within the price range of most people whether they’re employed or not.
❧ Television news bulletins usually contain a story that affects you personally at that precise moment.
❧ It’s perfectly possible for a woman to get out of bed in the morning with perfect hair, flawless makeup, and no under-eye bags.
❧ The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window in Paris.
❧ Laptop computers are powerful enough to override the communications system of any invading alien society.
❧ If you’re outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts, your enemies will wait to attack you one at a time, dancing around in a menacing manner until you have knocked out their predecessors.
❧ When you turn out the light and go to bed, everything in your bedroom will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.
❧ Rather than wasting bullets, maniacs prefer to kill their victims using complicated machinery involving fuses, pulley systems, deadly gasses, lasers, and man-eating sharks, which will allow their captives time to escape.
❧ During all police investigations, it will be necessary to visit a strip club at least once.
❧ A female spy or secret agent wearing stilettos can still outrun a bad guy wearing running shoes.
❧ Anyone can land an airplane as long as there’s someone in the control tower to talk them down.
❧ The ventilation system of any building is the perfect hiding place. No one will ever think to look for you there, and you can get to any other part of the building without difficulty.
❧ You’re likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.
❧ A real man will remain stoical while taking the most ferocious beating, but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.
❧ All bombs have electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they’re going to go off.
❧ A detective can only solve a case once he’s been suspended from duty.
❧ If you start dancing in the street, everyone you encounter will know all the steps.
Today is the birthday, in 1955, of American rock vocalist, songwriter David Lee Roth who with Van Halen had the 1984 US No.1 & UK No.7 single ‘Jump’ and the solo, 1988 hit single ‘Just Like Paradise’. Van Halen’s 1978 debut album has sold more than twelve million copies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwYN7mTi6HM
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