Month: February 2025

Today is National Foundation Day (Kenkokukinen-no-Hi), a national holiday for Japanese people to remind themselves of the nation’s founding and foster their love for the nation. It marks the traditional date on which according to legend Emperor Jimmu founded Japan in 660 BC.

Emperor Jimmu is considered a direct descendant of the ultimate Japanese sun goddess, Amaterasu. Ancient literature says that Jimmu was born in Miyazaki prefecture, Kyushu. He defeating every clan he encountered and thus united Japan. The Japanese Monarchy is considered the world’s oldest and longest-serving. There are many monuments and historic sites of the first emperor all over Japan.

---

Copycat…

Romantic choice for Valentine’s Day…

BADA BING!!

Her: Help! I need a date for Valentine’s Day. Him: It’s February 14th.

My desire to be well-informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.

I was told that after a vasectomy I wouldn’t have kids anymore. Imagine my shock when I got home and they were still there.

Stranger: Nice to meet you. Me: Give it time.

2020: The Chinese are taking all our jobs! 2024: AI is taking all our jobs! 2025: Chinese AI is taking all our jobs!

I don’t trust anyone who’s not visibly stressed out right now.

On Monday we start Diarrhea Awareness Week. Runs until Friday.

Actually, it’s only existentialism if it comes from the existentialist region of France. Otherwise, it’s just sparkling anxiety.

Amy: I can’t believe it. First I’m diagnosed with dyslexia and now I have tiny tits. Doctor: Tinnitus Amy, you have tinnitus.

The only secure document in Washington, DC seems to be the Epstein client list.

I’m currently reading a book on DIY house construction. By Bill Jerome Holmes.

That feeling you get when you forget to shake the ketchup bottle and now there’s ketchup water on your food.

Me: I need some help around here! Also me: No, not like that. Here. I’ll do it.

Floppy disks are like Jesus. They died to become the icon of saving.

---

Always check your work…

---

Nice…

Today is the birthday, in 1941, of Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes, who had the 1983 US No.4 single ‘Never Gonna Let You Go’. His career took off with worldwide hits by his band Brasil ’66. He has over 55 releases and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2012 as co-writer of the song ‘Real in Rio’ from the animated film Rio. He died from complications of long COVID in Los Angeles on 5 September 2024, at the age of 83. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrZBiqK0p9E

Today is Plimsoll Day, honoring the birthday of Samuel Plimsoll who probably has saved more sailor’s lives than anyone else.

In the late 19th century, unscrupulous ship owners frequently used ‘coffin ships’ ((ships that were highly insured in case of sinking, with minimum consideration given to seafarer safety). The ships were frequently overloaded and often sank in heavy weather with the loss of all aboard while the ship owners profited from the insurance proceeds.

Against stiff opposition from ship owners in Parliament, Plimsoll introduced and forced into passage the Merchant Shipping Act of 1876 which gave stringent powers of inspection to the Board of Trade, and the mark that indicates the safe limit to which a ship may be loaded became generally known as Plimsoll’s mark or line.

The improvements in safety resulted in less ship sinkings and seafarer deaths, with Plimsoll’s reforms credited as “saving the lives of countless seaman.” Plimsoll’s reforms would go onto have a significant international effect in the 20th century, eventually resulting in the 1930 International Convention on Load Lines.

---

Presidential hairpieces in the wild:

On this day in 1971, American singer-songwriter Carole King released her second studio album Tapestry. It is one of the best-selling albums of all time, with over 25 million copies sold worldwide. The lead single from the album ‘It’s Too Late’/’I Feel the Earth Move’ spent five weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The cover photograph was taken at King’s Laurel Canyon home. It shows her sitting in a window frame, holding a tapestry she hand-stitched herself, with her cat Telemachus at her feet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dfmn9M6hXVI

On this day in 1904, the Great Baltimore Fire began. In the fire, more than 1,500 buildings were completely leveled, and some 1,000 severely damaged. 1,231 firefighters helped bring the blaze under control, both professional paid truck and engine companies from the Baltimore City Fire Department (B.C.F.D.) and volunteers from the surrounding counties and outlying towns of Maryland, as well as out-of-state units that arrived on the major railroads. It destroyed much of central Baltimore, including over 1,500 buildings covering an area of some 140 acres.

One reason for the fire’s long duration involved the lack of national standards in firefighting equipment. Despite fire engines from nearby cities (such as Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. as well as units from New York City, Virginia, Wilmington, and Atlantic City) responding with horse-drawn pumpers, wagons and other related equipment (primitive by modern-day standards, but only steam engines were motorized in that era) carried by the railroads on flat cars and in box cars, many were unable to help since their hose couplings could not fit Baltimore’s fire hydrants.

At the time, firefighting practices and equipment were largely unstandardized, with each city having its own system. As time passed, these cities invested more in the systems that they already had, increasing the costs of any conversion. In addition, early equipment was often patented by its manufacturer.By 1903, over 600 sizes and variations of fire hose couplings existed in the United States. Despite efforts to establish standards being made since the 1870s, they had little effect: no city wanted to abandon its system, few saw any reason to adopt standards, and equipment manufacturers did not want competition.

As a result of the fire, Baltimore finally adopted a city building code after seventeen nights of hearings and multiple City Council reviews. The city’s downtown “Burnt District” was rebuilt using more fireproof materials, such as granite pavers. Public pressure, coupled with demands of companies insuring the newly re-built buildings, spurred the effort.

The National Fire Protection Association adopted a national standard for fire hydrant and hose connections. However, inertia remained. Conversion was slow and still remains incomplete. One hundred years after the Baltimore Fire, only 18 of the 48 most populous American cities were reported to have national standard fire hydrants.

---

Parenting…

---

Redneck Engineering or Appropriate Technology or Making do with what you got:

---

Today is the birthday, in 1948, of Jimmy Greenspoon, organist with Three Dog Night, who had the 1970 UK No.3 & US No.1 single with a cover of the Randy Newman song ‘Mama Told Me Not To Come’. The band scored 21 Billboard Top 40 hits (with three hitting No.1) between 1969 and 1975. He died on March 11 2015 after a long battle with cancer at the age of 67. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTCyjYjsVc8