Month: September 2023

12
Sep
2023

TOOSDAI

Today is Ethiopian New Year. Known in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia as Enkutatash, this holiday marks 1 Meskerem, the first day in the Ethiopian calendar.

The Ethiopian calendar is a solar calendar based on the Egyptian and Julian calendars and was brought to Ethiopia by missionaries. The year consists of 12 months of 30 days and a thirteenth month of five or six timekeeping days. Pagume, the 13th month in the Ethiopian calendar, comes from the Greek word epagomene, which means ‘days forgotten when a year is calculated’.

Enkutatash means the ‘gift of jewels’. It is said to refer to the Queen of Sheba returning from her visit to King Solomon in Jerusalem in 980 BC. On the Queen’s arrival back in Ethiopia, her chiefs welcomed her by filling her treasury with jewels (‘enku’). It may also refer to the countryside, as this time of year coincides with the end of the rainy season meaning the landscape is covered with Adey Abeba, whose bright yellow flowers appear almost in celebration of the impending harvest.

Here’s a photo of Earth taken from Mars (thanks, rovers!). Can you see me waving??

BADA BING!!!

Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular.

Forget about the zombie apocalypse that will never come. Worry about the idiot apocalypse that’s already upon us.

Those preventing history from being taught intend to repeat it.

Guy who only knew Jesus professionally: Honey, did you hear they crucified our carpenter?!

8yo singing quietly to himself, “Dancing queen, young and sweet, only seven teeth.”

How to draw a horse in two steps: Draw a unicorn. Erase the horn.

What do you say when your sister steps on your foot and breaks your toe in half? That’s mitosis.

My wife was walking upstairs with the laundry and dropped it when she missed a step. I watched it all unfold.

I’ve reached the age where my obituary will not contain the word ‘untimely’.

We’ve trained our dogs to come running anytime we spill something. We just yell HOUSEKEEPING!

I don’t watch men’s soccer. If I wanted to watch a bunch of men struggle to score for 90 minutes, I’d just go to a bar.

It’s called a corn dog because meat Twinkie sounds too trashy.

Today is the birthday, in 1944, of Colin Young, from British soul band The Foundations who scored the 1967 UK No.1 single ‘Baby Now That I’ve Found You’ and the 1969 US No.3 single ‘Build Me Up A Buttercup’. The group was the first multi-racial group to have a No.1 hit in the UK in the 1960s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klNean7JJdA

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
11
Sep
2023

DAY of the MOON

Today is Gibraltar National Day. The day commemorates the referendum of 1967, in which the citizens of Gibraltar overwhelmingly voted to remain under British sovereignty.

Coveted since antiquity for its strategic position at the entrance to the Mediterranean from the Atlantic, the ‘Rock’ passed through Phoenician, Carthaginian, Roman and Visigoth hands. It was occupied by the Moors in 711AD. It gets its name from the Spanish version of an Arabic name given to the area during the conquest. It came under Spanish control in 1462 as the Moors were driven out of Spain.

In 1704, Anglo-Dutch forces captured Gibraltar from Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession on behalf of the Habsburg claim to the Spanish throne. The territory was ceded to Great Britain in perpetuity under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. It gained its current status as a British Overseas Territory in 2002.

Since it fell under British control, Spain has continued to push its territorial claims over Gibraltar. To respond to the Spanish claims, a sovereignty referendum was held on September 10th 1967, in which voters were asked whether they wished to either pass under Spanish sovereignty or remain under British sovereignty, with institutions of self-government. The voter turnout was 100% with 99.64% voting to remain under British sovereignty.

who needs fences??

sinking of the Titanic

fallout from the writers’ strike

Signs…

Today is the birthday, in 1957, of Jon Moss, drums, Culture Club, (1983 UK No.1 & 1984 US No.1 single ‘Karma Chameleon’ plus seven other UK top 10 singles). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmcA9LIIXWw

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Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor, Music
08
Sep
2023

DAY OF FRIGG

Today is Independence Day in North Macedonia. This holiday is North Macedonia’s National Day and is known in Macedonian as ‘Den na nezavisnosta’. This holiday marks the date of the 1991 Referendum for Independence.

Yugoslavia started to break apart in June 1991, when Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence. Macedonia avoided the conflicts that affected the other federal states, when on 8 September 1991 the Referendum for Independence in Macedonia that took place. Over 95.5% of the voters in the Referendum voted for Independence.

The results were announced on 18 September 1991 and on 25 September 1991, the independence of the Republic of Macedonia was declared with a new constitution adopted in November 1991. The international recognition of Macedonia’s Declaration of independence was slow as Greece objected to the use of the name Macedonia, which is the same as one of its own provinces. This is why the country changed its name to North Macedonia in June 2018.

Today is the birthday, in 1932, of Patsy Cline country music singer. Her hits began in 1957 with Donn Hecht’s and Alan Block’s ‘Walkin’ After Midnight’, Hank Cochran’s and Harlan Howard’s ‘I Fall to Pieces’, Willie Nelson’s ‘Crazy’ and ended in 1963 with Don Gibson’s ‘Sweet Dreams’. She died aged 30 on 5 March 1963 at the height of her career in a plane crash. She was one of the most influential, successful and acclaimed female vocalists of the 20th century. Ten years after her death, in 1973, she became the first female solo artist inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4Bs8kSz4pY

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Posted by Tom
07
Sep
2023

DAY OF THURS

Today is Independence Day in Brazil – a public holiday. This is Brazil’s National Day. In Portuguese, it is called ‘Dia da Independência’ and may also be known as ‘Sete de Setembro’ (7 September) or ‘Dia da Pátria’ (Nation Day).

Brazil had been a colony of Portugal since the 16th century. In 1807 France had invaded Portugal and the Portuguese royal family had escaped to Brazil. in 1815, Brazil was given equal kingdom status with Portugal. By 1820, the French had left Portugal and in 1821 the King, Dom John VI returned to Portugal leaving his son, Dom Pedro di Alcântara, as regent.

After some very complicated maneuvering, on September 7th 1822, a declaration of independence from Portugal was made by Pedro di Alcântara, who became the first emperor of Brazil and ruled from 1823 until 1831.

PRE-INTERNET FUN

Today is the birthday, in 1947, of Gloria Gaynor, American singer best known for the Seventies disco era hits ‘I Will Survive’, ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ and ‘I Am What I Am’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dYWe1c3OyU

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
06
Sep
2023

WEDNESDAY, the middle of the workweek for some

Today is Armed Forces Day (Dia das Forças Armadas), a public holiday on the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe observed on September 6th each year.

The armed forces of São Tomé and Príncipe (Forças Armadas de São Tomé e Príncipe, FASTP) are thought to be the smallest in Africa, with around 300 active personnel. Ironically this has meant that military coups, an unfortunately common event in many African countries in the second half of the 20th century, have twice proved ineffective on the islands. The failed coup of 2003 led to the reorganization of the military forces.

the perfect box…

Bada Bingggggggg…

Barbie never gave me a poor body image. Barbie taught me that you can’t reattach a head once it’s been removed from the body.

215 pounds? He finally got Georgia to fake the numbers for him.

All this because a grown man couldn’t bear the idea that he came in second place.

A man literally surrenders and his followers are big enough fools to buy a t-shirt that says “Never surrender” showing a picture of that idiot surrendering.

I hope the judge says, “If you have a big plane with your name on it, you’re definitely a flight risk.”

Customer: Do you enjoy being a waiter? Waiter: Well, it puts food on the table.

I haven’t lost all my marbles yet, but there’s a small hole in the bag somewhere.

Did you know on the Canary Islands there is not one canary? Same thing on the Virgin Islands. Not one canary.

If all the people wearing “Don’t Tread On Me” shirts would stop treading on everyone else, we’d appreciate it!

I’m going to start a business where Drag Queens deliver banned books directly to kids’ doors in Florida.

I like the type of people whose sense of humor may be described as “inappropriate with a chance of ruining the family dinner”.

The last time I sprang into action was when my recliner malfunctioned.

Today is the birthday, in 1961, of Pal Waaktaar, guitar, A-Ha (1985 US No.1 single ‘Take On Me’, 1986 UK No.1 single ‘The Sun Always Shines On TV’). The first Norwegian group to score a UK and US No.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914

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Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor, Music