Month: July 2023

31
Jul
2023

MUNDAE

Today is Independence Day in Vanuatu. This is the National Day of Vanuatu and marks the end of colonial rule by Britain and France on this day in 1980.

Vanuatu is an archipelago of 82 islands (65 are inhabited) and is located about 1,750 kilometres (1,000 miles) east of Australia. Despite their remote location, the islands were permanently inhabited as early as 500BC and were part of the Tongan Empire in the 14th century.

European colonial contact began in 1606 when the islands were visited and claimed by Spain which established a short-lived settlement before they were forgotten again. The islands were rediscovered in 1768 and were given the name ‘New Hebrides’ by Captain James Cook on his visit in 1774.

The French established the first permanent settlements in the 1850s, with the British claiming parts of the archipelago. In 1906, the two European powers agreed on a unique framework arrangement called a condominium to share the rule of the New Hebrides. To this day, the three official languages of Vanuatu are Bislama, English and French.

The archipelago gained independence on July 30th 1980 as the Republic of Vanuatu (the name comes from two local words meaning ‘home’ and ‘stand’) and joined the Commonwealth. The Vanuatu national anthem is “Yumi, yumi, yumi,” (We, we, we).

Today is the birthday, in 1947, of Karl Green, guitarist with English beat rock band, Herman’s Hermits who scored the 1964 UK No.1 single ‘I’m Into Something Good’ (cover of Earl-Jean’s) and the 1965 US No.1 single ‘Mrs Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1MV-Jy_Bog

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
28
Jul
2023

FRY-DAY…it’s hot here.

Today is Independence Day in Peru. This holiday is always celebrated on July 28th and marks Peru’s declaration of independence from Spain in 1821.

Peru was first colonized by the Spanish in the 15th century. Despite the wars of independence being fought across Latin America in the early 19th century, Peru remained loyal to the Spanish crown. There had been some insurrection but this had been quashed by the government.

The Viceroy of Peru then initiated a military campaign against Chile and their fight for independence. Despite some early success, the tide turned against the Viceroy and the Royalist forces. Argentina and Chile then signed a treaty to pursue the ‘liberation’ of Peru. On entering Lima, the Argentinian commander, Jose San Martin declared the independence of Peru on July 28th 1821.

SIGNZZZZZZZZZZ

In case you’re wondering about a birthday gift…

Happy Birthday! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjF1bG5LUcs

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
27
Jul
2023

THURRRRRRRRRSSDAY

Today is The Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War, a public holiday in North Korea. Also known as Armistice Day, this day commemorates the signing of the armistice agreement on July 27th 1953 that brought to an end the fighting in the Korean War – but not the end of the war.

The Korean War began when North Korean military forces, supported by the Soviet Union and China, crossed the border into South Korea on June 25th 1950. The US-backed United Nations gave military support to the South Koreans, turning the conflict into the largest conflict since the second world war.

After three years of devastating bombing raids and a traumatic ground campaign, around three million Koreans – 10% of the overall population – were estimated to have been killed, injured, or missing. Though it was clear that the war had reached a stalemate by the middle of 1951, it took two years of negotiations to reach an armistice.

On July 27th 1953 the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed between China, North Korea, the United States and the United Nations. South Korea never signed the Armistice Agreement due to President Syngman Rhee’s refusal to accept the division of Korea. The armistice is yet to be replaced with a peace treaty, meaning the Korean Peninsula is technically in a state of war.

BADA BING!!

I need to teach my facial expressions how to use their inside voice.

I think outside is low on Freon.

Diet Diary, Day 1: I removed all the fattening food from the house. It was delicious.

I need to teach my facial expressions how to use their inside voice.

I think outside is low on Freon.

Them: Listen to your body more. Body: You’re old. And you want ice cream.

It doesn’t matter if the answer to your problems wasn’t at the bottom of that carton of ice cream. The important thing is that you tried.

A productive hour of therapy can be wiped out by one bad driver on the way home.

Husband: There’s a credit card charge for $200 to a store called Petacular. Do you know what that is? *dog walks by in a Statue of Liberty costume*  Me: Nope.

My body is not a temple. It’s a Federation Starship with critical hull damage and shields at 0%.

Today is the birthday, in 1944, of Bobbie Gentry, US singer, songwriter, notable as one of the first female country artists to compose and produce her own material. Gentry rose to international fame with her intriguing Southern Gothic narrative ‘Ode to Billie Joe’ in 1967. The track spent four weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold over three million copies all over the world. Her album Fancy brought her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaRacIzZSPo

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
26
Jul
2023

WEDNESDAY…meh

Today is Independence Day in the Maldives. This holiday celebrates the day in 1965 when the Maldives gained independence from Britain.

On December 16th 1887, the Maldives became a protectorate of the British Empire. The Sultan of the Maldives agreed to give up the islands’ sovereignty in matters of foreign policy. In return, the British would provide military protection and not interfere in the internal affairs of the islands, though they still needed to be consulted on key changes such as the appointment of a new Sultan. On July 26th 1965, an agreement was signed by the Maldives’ Prime Minister and the British Ambassador which ended the British responsibility for the defense and external affairs of the Maldives.

The Maldives is the lowest country in the world. Its ground level on average is 1.5 meters (4 feet 11 inches) above sea level, and its highest point on the islands is 2.3 meters (7 feet 7 inches) above sea level. It is also the smallest country in Asia.

Fun idea! Bring your husband shopping with you!!!

a bush

Today is the birthday, in 1943, of Mick Jagger, singer, songwriter with The Rolling Stones, (1969 UK & US No.1 single ‘Honky Tonk Women’, and over 35 UK & US Top 40 singles and albums). Solo (1985 UK No.1 single with David Bowie ‘Dancing In The Street’). 1985 UK No. 6 solo album ‘She’s The Boss.’ In 2003 he was knighted for his services to popular music and in early 2009 he joined the electric supergroup SuperHeavy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poXvMBhjSWk

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
25
Jul
2023

TUESDAY – Monday is done!

Today is Guanacaste Day in Costa Rica. Also known as ‘Annexation of Nicoya Day’ (La Anexión del Partido de Nicoya), this day marks the annexation of Guanacaste in 1824 when the province became part of Costa Rica.

Spanish rule in the central Americas ended in 1812 following the Mexican War of Independence. In 1824, Costa Rica was part of the Federal Republic of Central America, along with other states such as El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The region of Guanacaste was part of Nicaragua and bordered by the northern part of Costa Rica. In the three major cities in Guanacaste, there had been open meetings discussing a switch from Nicaragua to Costa Rica. A referendum was called to decide on what to do. In the referendum, Nicoya and Santa Cruz voted yes to joining Costa Rica, while Liberia voted to stay with Nicaragua. The overall result was in favor of the annexation by Costa Rica. The Central American Federal Republic duly passed the law and signed it on July 25th 1824, allowing Guanacaste Province to become part of Costa Rican territory.

The Cerberus Heatwave…It’s a fitting reference to classical Roman/Greek mythology. Cerberus is the three-headed dog who guards the gates of Hell (well, technically, the gates of Hades). Cerberus doesn’t guard the gates against people trying to get in, of course, but against people trying to get out.

Today is the birthday, in 1944, of Tom Dawes from American rock and roll band Cyrkle who had the 1966 US No.2 single ‘Red Rubber Ball’. They were signed by Brian Epstein and supported The Beatles on their 1966 US tour. He died on 13 October 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emx6dU7suvg

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies