Tom

On this day in 1839, 53 Mende people who had been enslaved and transported from Africa to Cuba revolted as they were being transported to a sugar plantation and took control of La Amistad, a two-masted schooner on which they were being transported. The revolt began after Sengbe Pieh (also known as Joseph Cinqué) unshackled himself and the others on the third day. They took control of the ship, killing the captain and the cook. Two Africans were also killed in the melee.

Pieh ordered Ruiz and Montes to sail to Africa. Instead, they sailed north up the east coast of the United States, sure that the ship would be intercepted and the Africans returned to Cuba as slaves. The revenue cutter Washington seized La Amistad off Montauk Point on Long Island, New York.

Pieh and his group escaped the ship but were caught offshore by citizens. They were incarcerated in New Haven, Connecticut on charges of murder and piracy. The man who captured Pieh and his group claimed them as property. La Amistad was towed to New London, Connecticut, and those remaining onboard were arrested. None of the 43 survivors on the ship spoke English, so they could not explain what had taken place. Eventually, language professor Josiah Gibbs found James Covey to act as interpreter, and they learned of the abduction.

Two lawsuits were filed. The first case was brought by the Washington ship officers over salvage property claims, and the second case charged the Spanish with enslaving Africans. Spain requested President Martin Van Buren to return the African captives to Cuba under international treaty.

Because of issues of ownership and jurisdiction, the case gained international attention as United States v. The Amistad (1841). The case was finally decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in favor of the Mende people, restoring their freedom. It became a symbol in the United States in the movement to abolish slavery.

The US government did not provide any aid, but 35 survivors returned to Africa in 1842, aided by funds raised by the United Missionary Society, a black group founded by James W. C. Pennington.

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Nope…

A remote part of the outback…

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX…

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Yesterday was the birthday, in 1945, of American singer, songwriter and actress, Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble), best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached No. 1 on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in Miami, Florida, Harry was adopted as an infant and raised in Hawthorne, New Jersey. After college she worked various jobs—as a dancer, a Playboy Bunny, and a secretary (including at the BBC in New York)—before her breakthrough in the music industry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGU_4-5RaxU

Today is Canada Day, the National Day of Canada. On June 20th 1868, a proclamation signed by the Governor General, Lord Monck, called upon all Her Majesty’s loving subjects throughout Canada to join in the celebration of the anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation under the name of Canada on July 1st 1867, with the passing of the North American Act of 1867. 

This was a true milestone in Canada’s history – this act resulted in the Federal Dominion of Canada with the joining of Canadian colonies (Ontario and Quebec) with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Originally called Dominion Day, the holiday was renamed in 1982, the same year that the Canadian constitution was patriated by the Canada Act, 1982, which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

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Canada Cat…

BADA BING!

All you “summer is better than winter” people get outside and enjoy your hellscape.

I don’t think the U.S. can go to war with Iran and Los Angeles at the same time.

tRUMP: Iran made a very big mistake! Joe Smith: Did they elect you as president too?

What caused the invention of archery? “I really want to stab that guy but he’s way over there”.

If you miss the way things used to be, tax a millionaire, join a union, and buy local.

Don’t be sad on weekends. Cry during business hours and get paid for your depression.

My neighbor couldn’t afford his water bill, so I got him a get well soon card.

The despair you feel when important documents you held in your hands three days ago cannot seem to be found anywhere in the known universe.

The National Weather Service has just published instructions on how to bake lasagna in your mailbox.

I went for a run but came back after 2 minutes because I forgot something. I forgot I’m out of shape and can’t run for more than 2 minutes.

It will really be a smartphone the day I yell, “Where’s my phone?!” and it yells back, “Down here in the couch cushions!”

Am I supposed to pray over leftovers? Lord it’s me again, with the spaghetti from yesterday.

Three years ago my doctor told me I was going deaf. haven’t heard from him since.

I finally understand why I’m called a grown up. I groan every time I get up.

1970s creepy guys van = 2025 starter home.

It’s so hot outside, when I opened my front door, I thought I was checking on my brownies.

All it took for republicans to put their Islamophobia on full display was one Muslim winning a mayoral primary.

Despite getting trounced in the primary, Andrew Cuomo will stay in the race for NYC mayor as an independent. Well, if there’s one thing we know about Andrew Cuomo is that he does not respect the word “no”.

I went to the doctor because I kept waking up with scratches all over my body. He couldn’t find anything wrong with me. Turns out it was from Dorito crumbs in my bed.

People need to stop putting flyers on my car. No, I don’t want to see a band called “Parking Violation” at the Courthouse.

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Seattle is an interesting place…

Today is the birthday, in 1946, of June Montiero, singer, The Toys, 1965 US No. 2 & UK No.5 single ‘A Lover’s Concerto’). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtH8Oz3h5t8

Today is the first day of the Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Tournament. It is held annually, usually in late June, near Edirne, Turkey since 1360. In the finals held on the last day, the first, second and third winners of each category are determined. The Guinness Book of World Records accepts this as the world’s oldest continually sanctioned sporting competition.

The contestants wear only leather knee-length shorts called kıspets. Before each bout, the wrestlers pour olive oil over their entire bodies. Oil wrestling is a sport at the forefront of traditional Turkish sports. Wrestling was held in all of the fairs organized all over the Ottoman Empire, but the wrestler who won the “chief” title only in Kırkpınar was known as the “chief wrestler” until the next year’s Kırkpınar wrestling. This idea continues to this day.

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Ancient Greek Meme…

Headline Writer’s Dream…

it’s the last day of Pride Month. Persist.

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Today is the birthday, in 1943, of American vocalist Florence Ballard, The Supremes (1964 US & UK No.1 single ‘Baby Love’ plus 11 other US No.1 singles). Ballard sang on 16 top forty singles with the group, including ten No.1 hits. She died February 21st 1976. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_y6nFjoVp4

Today is Independence Day in Djibouti. It is the National Day of Djibouti and marks the country’s declaration of independence in 1977, ending nearly a century of French rule.

In antiquity, the territory, together with Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somaliland, was part of the Land of Punt. Nearby Zeila, now in Somaliland, was the seat of the medieval Adal and Ifat Sultanates. In the late 19th century, the colony of French Somaliland was established after the ruling Dir, Somali, and Afar sultans signed treaties with the French.

In 1958, as independence for Somalia neared, a referendum was held to decide whether the territory should remain with France or join the Somali Republic. The outcome was a vote in favour of staying as part of France.

In 1967, a second referendum was held and again results indicated that the majority wanted to continue with ties to France. In both the 1958 and 1967 referendums there have been accusations that the outcome of the voting was rigged in favour of remaining with France.

On May 8th 1977, a third referendum took place. This time, an overwhelming 98.8% of the electorate voted for independence from France and thus, on June 27th 1977, Djibouti became the last of France’s African colonies to gain independence.

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Today marks 10 years…

Combination Business…

Nice…

It’s been HOT

Good marketing…

SIGNZ

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On this day in 1987, Whitney Houston became the first women in US history to enter the album chart at No.1 with ‘Whitney’ she also became the first woman to top the singles chart with four consecutive releases when ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ hit No.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH3giaIzONA

On this day in 1284, The Pied Piper led away 130 children from the village of Hamelin in Germany. n 1284, while the town of Hamelin was suffering from a rat infestation, a piper dressed in multicoloured (“pied”) clothing appeared, claiming to be a rat-catcher. He promised the mayor a solution to their problem with the rats. The mayor, in turn, promised to pay him 1,000 guilders for the removal of the rats. The piper accepted and played his pipe to lure the rats into the Weser River, where all the rats drowned.

Despite the piper’s success, the mayor reneged on his promise and refused to pay him the full sum (reputedly reduced to 50 guilders) even going so far as to blame the piper for bringing the rats himself in an extortion attempt. Enraged, the piper stormed out of the town, vowing to return later to take revenge. On Saint John and Paul’s day, while the adults were in church, the piper returned, dressed in green like a hunter and playing his pipe. In so doing, he attracted the town’s children. One hundred and thirty children followed him out of town and into a mountains’ cave, after which they were never seen again.

There is some documentary evidence that a number of children did disappear around the time. There are a variety of theories about what actually happened. My favorite is the emigration theory. At the time there was a german drive to expand to the east. There were characters known as lokators who roamed northern Germany trying to recruit settlers for the East.” Some of them were brightly dressed, and all were silver-tongued. Family names from Hamelin appear frequently in the regions of Prignitz and Uckermark, both north of Berlin. He also found the same surnames in the former Pomeranian region, which is now a part of Poland.

(Lokator, in hat)

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Material shortage – made it work anyway!

Grass is greener….

Wedding Invitations are getting weird…

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For you burger eaters…

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Some days we all need to forget the world and visit a caberet. Here’s the amazing Joel Gray with Liza Minnelli to welcome you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_n4GK7PawQ