Tom

26
Mar
2024

Happy TUESDAY everyone!

Today is Independence Day in Bangladesh. The holiday celebrates the declaration of the Independence of Bangladesh in 1971. It is the National Holiday of Bangladesh.

In 1947, India was partitioned by the British, creating the ‘Dominion of Pakistan’, which was two separate regions to the north west and north east of India. The new dominion was governed from West Pakistan, which led to frictions between the two regions, with the first signs of a movement for autonomy for East Pakistan appearing in 1949.

In the 1970 general elections, the Bangla-based Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman won an overall majority, but the West Pakistani regime was reluctant to hand over power. On 25 March 1970, Pakistani troops were used to quell the growing unrest. This led to the Independence of Bangladesh being declared by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 26 March 1971, and marked the start of the war of Independence. In November 1970, India entered the war, supporting East Pakistan. This led to victory for East Pakistan on 16 December 1970 (marked by the Victory Day holiday).

On gaining it’s independence, East Pakistan was renamed Bangladesh.

It’s creepy Easter Bunny time!!

BADA BING!!!

I was in line behind a guy buying condoms when his card got declined. The little old lady behind me whispered, “He just got cock blocked by Visa.”

Someone found a hole in the nudist colony fence. Police are looking into it.

Reading way above my grade level didn’t get me as far in life as I had hoped.

Every time I think I have a new hobby, it turns out I just like to buy stuff.

We keep a potato masher in a drawer because sometimes it’s fun not to be able to open that drawer.

I asked the kid working at McDonald’s if the Shamrock shakes were made with real Shamrocks. He went to ask the manager.

I’m writing a new book called “How to be concise and get straight to the point using the minimum of definitive words necessary to convey your meaning as clearly as possible without overly long descriptions and explanations.

I finally told my kids that St. Patrick wasn’t real…and that it’s actually been me putting snakes under their pillows every year.

Telling an Irish girl to calm down is like trying to baptize a cat.

I was so traumatized from being born I couldn’t walk for a year and couldn’t speak for two.

Anger management class postponed for classroom repairs.

I hope my last words aren’t, “What does this thing do?”

Today is the birthday, in 1949, of Vicki Lawrence, American actress, comedian, and pop singer. In 1973, Lawrence became a one-hit wonder songstress, landing on the US chart with the No. 1 ‘The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52JAjsUAINQ&list=RD52JAjsUAINQ&start_radio=1

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
25
Mar
2024

MONDAY…again

Today is the Anniversary of the ‘Arengo’, a public holiday observed in San Marino on March 25th each year. This holiday commemorates the events on this day in 1906 which led to the first-ever parliament elected directly by the people.

Formed at the start of the 4th century, true to form, San Marino took a different approach to government than the surrounding nations and city-states. Rather than be ruled by a monarch, from the 5th century until the middle of the 13th century, San Marino was ruled by an assembly of the heads of the important families in the nation. This was called the Arengo (Italian for “meeting”) and had no leader or even a fixed meeting place.

By 1243, the people of San Marino had had enough of political feuds between teh families and the Pope made a replacement elected assembly, the Grand and General Council the supreme body of San Marino, kicking the Arengo into the long grass.

After three centuries of rule by the council, the Sammarinese Socialist Party was calling for democratic rule in the country.

An “Arengo” was summoned on March 25th 1906, when the citizens were asked whether the system of co-option of councilors for life should continue and whether the size of councils should be proportionate to the population of the communities they represented. The first proposal was rejected by 90.65% of voters and the second was approved by 94.89%. This led to the first-ever democratic elections in the country being held on June 10th 1906.

Behind the red door…

America says NO to the metric system

PIZZA – the American food…

BARKALOUNGERS

Today is the birthday, in 1947, of Sir Elton John singer, songwriter, pianist, (Reginald Dwight), who had the 1971 UK No.7 single ‘Your Song’, the 1973 US No.1 single ‘Crocodile Rock’ along with seven other US No.1’s. He had the biggest selling single of all time in 1997 with ‘Candle In The Wind 97’, plus has scored over 50 UK Top 40 hit singles. John has sold over 150m records worldwide. Elton and Bernie Taupin wrote the No.1 (with Kiki Dee) ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ under the pseudonyms Ann Orson and Carte Blanche. Some of the aliases Sir Elton has used checking into hotels include, Prince Fooboo, Sir Humphrey Handbag, Lillian Lollipop, Lord Choc Ice, Lord Elpus, Binky Poodleclip and Sir Henry Poodle. Elton John’s official nickname is Rocket Man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f0TMfQNRk8

Posted by Tom in eighties music
22
Mar
2024

Hold on……..FRIDAY is here!!

Today is Emancipation Day (Spanish: Día de la Abolición de Esclavitud), a public holiday in Puerto Rico on March 22nd each year. This holiday commemorates the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico on this day in 1873 while the Island was still a colony of Spain.

Like most European colonial powers, the Spanish encountered a labor shortage on their Caribbean conquests – mainly as they had decimated the local populations through diseases brought from Europe. This meant the use of African slaves. In 1517, the Spanish Crown permitted its subjects to import twelve slaves each, thereby beginning the slave trade in their colonies.

The early use of slaves on the island was in the gold mines. When the mining stopped, demand for slaves was driven by sugar plantations. Overall, the numbers of slaves were small compared to other Caribbean colonies, but this didn’t stop the desire to end the practice with over 20 slave revolts taking place on the island.

On March 22nd 1873,  the Spanish National Assembly abolished slavery in Puerto Rico. The slaves were not emancipated; they had to buy their own freedom, at whatever price was set by their last masters. The former slaves also had to work for another three years for their former masters as compensation.

Spring is time to redecorate for some. Avoid these mistakes…

Today is the birthday, in 1948, of Randy Hobbs, bass guitarist, Johnny Winter group, McCoys, (1965 US No.1 & UK No.5 single ‘Hang On Sloopy’). Hobbs died on August 5th 1993 from a drug overdose, aged 45. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlTKhPkZSJo

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music
21
Mar
2024

I Think it’s THURSDAY!

Today is the Birthday of Benito Juárez, a public holiday in Mexico. He was a 19th Century statesman who stood against the French intervention in Mexico.

Born on March 21st 1806, Benito Juárez is today remembered as a reformer dedicated to democracy, reducing the influence of the Catholic Church in Mexican politics, campaigning for equal rights for indigenous peoples and promoting the defense of national sovereignty.

Juárez had a very humble start to life. He was an indigenous Zapotec who became an orphan when he was only four years old, he worked as a shepherd, speaking Zapotec and unable to read or write. He moved to Oaxaca City when he was 13, where he learned to speak, read and write Spanish, studied law and got married.

He entered politics in 1834, serving as a city councilman in Oaxaca. Over the next two decades, he rose through the political system, until he was elected President. He became the 26th President of Mexico, holding office from January 15th 1858 until July 18th 1872.

SIGNZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Today is the birthday (in the Julian Calendar), in 1685, of J.S. Bach, amazing and prolific composer of the Baroque Period. It’s impossible to pick out one piece of his to share, but this one is nice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdsyNwUoON0

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music
20
Mar
2024

Woo Woo WEDNESDAY!!

Today is Oil Nationalization Day, a public holiday in Iran. This day marks the anniversary of the nationalization of the oil industry in 1951, seen as a key step in Iran’s independence from the West.

By the end of the 1940s, there was a growing resentment in Iran to the huge imbalance in oil revenues that the British government and the Iranian government were receiving from Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), formerly the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. Similar arrangements between the US and countries such as Saudi Arabia seemed more equitable and in 1950, Britain offered new concession to Iraq with regards to oil revenue.

This fueled a surge in anti-British rhetoric, with the leader of the National Front of Iran, Dr. Mohammad Mosaddegh leading calls to end foreign influence in Iran and nationalizing the oil industry. Mosaddegh then moved quickly and on 15 March 1951, he passed a law nationalizing AIOC with immediate effect, which was verified by the Iranian parliament two days later. He gave all British employees of AIOC a week to leave the country.

Sanctions were immediately placed on Iranian oil by other countries and severe economic hardships ensued in Iran. In August 1953, the government of Mosaddegh was overthrown by a military coup d’état orchestrated by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (the following year the CIA overthrew the government of Guatemala) and the British Secret Intelligence Service. Mosaddegh was sentenced to three years in prison and then kept under house arrest until his death in 1967.

Tomorrow…Bread

‘MERICA!

Today is the birthday, in 1937, of Jerry Reed, US country guitarist who worked with Chet Atkins, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Elvis Presley. His signature songs included ‘Guitar Man,’, ‘East Bound and Down’ (the theme song for the 1977 blockbuster Smokey and the Bandit, and ‘She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)’. Reed died on 1 Sept 2008. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJPM-M_Z65o

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies