sixties and seventies

13
Dec
2023

‘W’ (on my pillbox) means WEDNESDAY

Today is Saint Lucia National Day. It marks the Feast Day of Saint Lucia, the patron saint of the island.

The Windward Island now known as Saint Lucia was first discovered by Europeans in the late 15th or early 16th century. The first settlers were French and they named the island after Saint Lucia.

Saint Lucy (Lucia) of Syracuse was a young Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire in 304 AD. According to legend, she converted to Christianity after an angel appeared to her. Lucy dedicated her life to Christianity and started giving away her family’s wealth to the poor and needy. She was betrothed to a man from a pagan family and when he heard that Lucy was giving away his dowry, he reported her to the authorities. Refusing to honor the Roman gods, she was put to death. She is one of the best known virgin martyrs, along with Agatha of Sicily, Agnes of Rome, Cecilia of Rome and Catherine of Alexandria.

Her Latin name derives from the same as that for light – lux, and this made her feast day a popular day as it fell on the Winter Solstice in the Julian calendar – the longest night of the year, when you want all the light-based help you can get.

Christmas Ads…

Today is the birthday, in 1952, of Berton Averre, lead guitarist with the Los Angeles rock band The Knack who scored the 1979 US No.1 single ‘My Sharona’. Their album Get the Knack became one of the most successful debuts in history, selling over one million copies in less than two months and spending five weeks at No.1 on the Billboard album chart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbr60I0u2Ng

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

It’s MONDAY, boys and girls!

Today is Republic Day in Burkina Faso. This holiday commemorates the establishment of the Republic of Upper Volta on this day in 1958. The Republic of Upper Volta (French: République de Haute-Volta) was established on 11 December 1958 as a self-governing colony within the French Community. The name Upper Volta related to the nation’s location along the upper reaches of the Volta River. The river’s three tributaries are called the Black, White and Red Volta. These were expressed in the three colors of the former national flag.

Since it gained its independence, the country was subject to instability, droughts, famines and corruption. Various coups have also taken place in the country, in 1966, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, and twice in 2022, in January and in September, as well as an attempt in 1989 and another in 2015.

Thomas Sankara came to power following a successful coup in 1982. As president, Sankara embarked on a series of ambitious socioeconomic reforms which included a nationwide literacy campaign, land redistribution to peasants, providing vaccinations to over 2 million children, railway and road construction, equalized access to education, and the outlawing of female genital mutilation, forced marriages, and polygamy.

He renamed the country from the French colonial name Upper Volta to Burkina Faso (‘Land of Incorruptible People’), with its people being called Burkinabé (‘upright people’). His foreign policies were centered on anti-imperialism and he rejected aid from organizations such as the International Monetary Fund. Sankara welcomed foreign aid from other sources but tried to reduce reliance on aid by boosting domestic revenues and diversifying the sources of assistance.

He was, of course, assassinated in 1987, probably with the connivance of Western powers who saw him being a bit too independent.

Today is the birthday, in 1954, of Jermaine Jackson, from American family music group The Jackson 5. They were the first group to debut with four consecutive No.1 hits on the Hot 100 with the songs ‘I Want You Back’, ‘ABC’, ‘The Love You Save’, and ‘I’ll Be There’. And with The Jacksons, had the 1979 hit ‘Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2bVIBwpCTA

1
Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
08
Dec
2023

f f f f f f f FRIDAY!!

Today is National Youth Day, a public holiday in Albania. This holiday commemorates the student demonstrations in 1990 which led to the end of the People’s Republic.

As the iron curtain fell across Eastern Europe after the end of the second world war, Albania became the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania.

Though never part of the Soviet Union, its government nonetheless followed a Marxist Communist approach with a high degree of state control and administration. This made Albania an isolated country and one of the hardest in the world to visit. Arguably it was one of the most successful communist regimes with a degree of economic success, albeit built on heavy borrowing from other socialist states. However, the state also suppressed many freedoms such as rights to political views and religious beliefs. It even banned Christmas, declaring itself the world’s first atheist country in 1967.

In 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall and more directly, the revolution in Romania that saw the execution of the leader, Nicolae CeauÅŸescu, worried the leaders of Albania. They moved away from the Warsaw pact and signed the Helsinki Agreement which improved some human rights.

In 1990, several demonstrations had taken place in different towns, but this moved up several gears when students began a protest in the capital, Tirana in the evening of December 8th 1990. The students actually began marching to protest about the loss of electricity, but as so often, the focus of the protestors soon turned to wider issues and within a few days, they were demanding political changes to the nation. The demonstrations became known as the “December Movement” and forced the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Labor of Albania to allow political pluralism. The Democratic Party was founded the next day.

Business names…

Today is the birthday, in 1942, of Bobby Elliott, drummer with British pop/rock group The Hollies who have scored over 30 top 40 hits, including ‘Just One Look’, ‘Bus Stop’, ‘Carrie Anne’, and later ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’ and ‘The Air That I Breathe’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwy4eIUBDvE

1
Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
07
Dec
2023

It’s THURSDAY, everyone!

Today is, of course, the ‘Day that shall live in infamy’, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in the United States, commemorating the surprise attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy on the United States naval fleet in Pearl Harbor which began, for the USA, World War II.

Today is also Spitak Remembrance Day in Armenia commemorating the devastating earthquake of December 7, 1988 in Armenia which killed more than 25,000 and left more than half a million homeless.

Inexpensive Gift Ideas by John Atkinson!

Odd juxtaposition…

Today is the birthday, in 1942, of Harry Chapin, US singer, songwriter, (1974 UK No.34 single ‘W.O.L.D. & 1974 US No.1 single ‘Cat’s In The Cradle’). Killed on 16th July 1981, when a tractor-trailer crashed into the car he was driving. This video has some interesting commentary in addition to his hit song. To ignore the commentary skip to 1:05 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etundhQa724

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
04
Dec
2023

Wake up…it’s MONDAY!

Today is Laos National Day. This day marks the establishment of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in 1975.

By the twentieth century, Lao had become a French protectorate. Following the end of World War II, resistance to French control grew and the Pathet Lao resistance organization was formed by the Indochinese Communist Party. The armed struggle against occupation was known as the First Indochina War, and it resulted in Lao gaining independence as a constitutional monarchy under King Sisavang Phoulivong in October 1953.

The opposing views of the Pathet La and the royalist forces led to a long civil war in Lao. In 1975, with the support of North Vietnam and the Soviet Union, the Pathet Lao gained the upper hand in the conflict, and on December 2nd 1975, they overthrew the royalist Lao government and forced King Savang Vatthana to abdicate. On the same day, the Pathet Lao government under Kaysone Phomvihane renamed the country as the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

The last supper…

Columbia Record Club…

Nostalgia

Today is the birthday, in 1944, of American musician, singer, and songwriter Dennis Wilson who co-founded The Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. (1966 UK & US No.1 single ‘Good Vibrations’, plus over 25 other UK Top 40 singles). Wilson drowned while swimming from his boat moored in Marina Del Rey, California on 28th December 1983 after a heavy day’s drinking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcrbDYe4qL4

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies