Humor

11
Aug
2023

FRIIIIIIIIIIIDAY!!!!!!!!

Today is Mountain Day (Yama no hi), a public holiday in Japan. Mountain Day is intended is to provide “opportunities to get familiar with mountains and appreciate blessings from mountains”.

This is fitting as around 70% of the landmass of Japan is mountainous, and activities such as hiking and skiing are popular. All of Japan’s primary islands has a mountain range running through it. Mount Fuji (3,776 m) is the highest mountain in Japan, one of the nation’s “Three Holy Mountains”, and one of the most recognizable symbols of Japan. Other prominent mountains include Mount Kita, Mount Hotaka, Mount Yari, Mount Tate, Mount Haku, and Mount Kumotori. Some of them are active volcanoes.

Today is the birthday, in 1949, of Eric Carmen, American singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist, who with the The Raspberries had the 1972 US No.5 single ‘Go All The Way’ and the 1976 solo US No.2 single, ‘All By Myself’, plus other hits with ‘She Did It’, ‘Hungry Eyes’, and ‘Make Me Lose Control. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ssCL292DQA

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
08
Aug
2023

TUESDAY (the eighth)

Today is Nane Nane (‘eight eight’ in Swahili), a public holiday in Tanzania observed on August 8th each year. Also known as Farmers’ Day, this day marks the contribution of farmers to the national economy.

Like other African countries who rely on farming and agriculture a Farmers’ Day is a day to honor farmers and focus on the contribution of the sector to the country. Nane Nane is an important opportunity to showcase new technologies and developments in farming, improve education and highlight best practice.

Today is the birthday, in 1933, of Joe Tex, US soul singer, (1965 US No.5 single ‘Hold On To What You’ve Got’, 1977 UK No.2 single ‘Ain’t Gonna Bump No More With No Big Fat Woman’). Tex died on 12th August 1982 aged 49. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ichhoTcdzaY

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
07
Aug
2023

First MONDAY in August

Today is Kadooment Day in Barbados. It marks the finale of the six-week Crop Over festival and is one of the most colorful and energetic of the Caribbean carnivals.

The Crop Over Festival is the traditional end of the Sugar cane season and has been celebrated for over 200 years. Sugar cane was first introduced to Barbados at the end of the seventeenth century. It made Barbados home to one of the world’s biggest sugar industries. This meant a large workforce was needed and slaves and indentured servants were brought from Africa. It was these workers who also brought the traditional harvest festival of Crop Over from Africa.

On Grand Kadooment, a parade of Masquerade Bands with about 1,500 revelers takes place on the streets cheered on by the throngs of onlookers trying to make themselves heard over beat of the the calypso music. At the end of the parade the bands are judged and while there is a keenly contested Designer of the Year prize, for most the focus is on having fun.

Today is the birthday, in 1928, of Herb Reed, bass singer from American vocal group The Platters who had the 1959 UK & US No.1 single ‘Smoke Gets In Your Eyes’. The Platters were one of the first African-American groups to be accepted as a major chart group and were, for a period of time, the most successful vocal group in the world. Reed died aged 83 on June 4th 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAUJSc6unAg

Posted by Tom in doo-wop, Humor, Music
03
Aug
2023

THURSSSSSSSSS-DAY

Today is Emancipation Day in Bermuda – the first day of a two-day holiday. This holiday marks the end of slavery in the British Empire. Slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire by the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, which came into effect on August 1st 1834. The territories controlled at that time by the East India Company, Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka) and St. Helen’s were excluded. Slavery was not abolished in these regions until 1843.

Tomorrow is Mary Prince Day in Bermuda. This holiday takes place on the day after Emancipation Day and coincides with the second day of Cup Match, an annual cricket match between Somerset and St. George’s.

Mary Prince was a Bermudian slave who published her autobiography, “The History of Mary Prince, A West Indian Slave“. Published in 1831, the book was a first-hand account of the brutality of slavery in Bermuda and the first account of the life of a black woman to be published in England.

Read the names…

Go north, young man.

SIGNZZ

Today is the birthday, in 1946, of John York, The Byrds, (1965 UK & US No.1 single ‘Mr Tambourine Man’) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnstCrL1_e0

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
02
Aug
2023

What can we say about WEDNESDAY?

Today is Republic Day in North Macedonia. It marks two important events in the history of Macedonia that took place on this day – the Ilinden Uprising in 1903 and the establishment of the Republic in 1944.

Macedonia had come under the control of the Ottoman Empire in the 14th century. On August 2nd 1903, an uprising against the Ottomans was led by the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO). The Ilinden uprising resulted in the liberation of the town of Krushevo, where the first republic in the Balkans was proclaimed. The republic was short-lived, lasting only 10 days before the Ottomans took back Krushevo.

On August 2nd 1944, during the second world war, the Anti-Fascist Assembly for the National Liberation of Macedonia (ASNOM) proclaimed the People’s Republic of Macedonia as part of the People’s Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Karma

It’s getting rough out there…

Today is the birthday, in 1937, of Canadian multi-instrumentalist and a master of the Lowrey organ, Garth Hudson, The The Hawks (Ronnie Hawkins’s backing group), who then became known as The Band and also backed Bob Dylan on his US tour in 1965 and world tour in 1966. The Band had the 1969 US No.25 single ‘Up On Cripple Creek’, 1970 UK No.16 single ‘Rag Mama Rag’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKu0OTDvQ-w

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies