sixties and seventies

29
Nov
2023

Woke up and it’s WEDNESDAY!

Today is William Tubman’s Day, a public holiday in Liberia. This holiday honors William Tubman, the longest-serving President in Liberia’s history on the anniversary of his birthday.

William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman was born on November 29th 1895, in the coastal town of Harper. At birth he was one of 5 children who had grown up poor. He was also a descendant of early American slaves. Tubman’s grandfather, Alexander Tubman, was a stonemason, general in the Liberian army, and a former Speaker of the Liberian House of Representatives, as well as a Methodist preacher. Alexander’s parents, Sylvia and William Shadrach Tubman, were freedmen, part of a group of 69 freed slaves whose transportation to Liberia in 1844 was paid by their former mistress Emily Thomas Tubman, a widow and philanthropist in Augusta, Georgia. She was instrumental in the manumission of enslaved African Americans and paying for their transportation to Liberia for “repatriation”.

William Tubman joined the True Whig party and in 1923, aged 28, he became the youngest senator in the history of Liberia. He became the 17th different President of Liberia in January 1944, aged 48, and went to on to serve for 27 years until his death on July 23rd 1971.

Regarded as the “father of modern Liberia”, he was responsible for enacting many reforms and social policies such as the enactment of suffrage and property rights for all adult females and the establishment of a nationwide public school system. Tubman also pushed a policy of national unification by improving the rights of all tribesmen and contributed to the emancipation of African colonial territories into statehood.

Tubman’s legacy also includes his economic “Open Door” policy which increased foreign investment in Liberia. By the time of his death, Liberia could boast the largest mercantile fleet in the world and the world’s largest rubber industry, making the country the envy of many other African nations.

Today is the birthday, in 1941, of Denny Doherty, from American folk rock vocal group The Mamas & the Papas who had the 1965 hit ‘California Dreamin”, the 1966 US No.1 single ‘Monday Monday’ and the 1967 hit ‘Dedicated to the One I Love’. Doherty died on 19th Jan 2007 at the age of 66 after a short illness. Doherty started his musical career in 1956 with a band called the Hepsters and in 1963, established a friendship with Cass Elliot when she was with a band called The Big 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUr5_QVPCAI

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
28
Nov
2023

and…TUESDAY is back!!!

Today is Independence Day in Albania. Independence Day (Albanian: Dita e Pavarësisë) is an annual public holiday in Albania on November 28th each year. This is Albania’s National Day and commemorates the date when Albania proclaimed its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912.

At the start of the fifteenth century, the Ottoman Empire was expanding into South-Eastern Europe, invading and controlling numerous lands ruled by local kingdoms. By 1431, the Ottomans ruled most of modern-day Albania.

In 1443, a local revolt was led by a deserter from the Ottomans called Skanderbeg. His heroic military campaigns to defend Albania against the might of the Ottoman Empire meant that he became a national hero to the Albanians. It is often said that Skandberg’s stand against the Ottomans may have prevented further expansion by the empire into more western regions of Europe.

Following Skanderbeg’s death, Albania fell back under Ottoman control in 1479 and it remained a part of the Ottoman Empire until just before the start of the first world war.

In the late nineteenth century, a wave of desire for nationhood had been sweeping across Eastern Europe and while Albania enjoyed a privileged position within the empire, it too was stirred into the various uprising against Ottoman rule. With the Ottomans having been weakened by the defeat in the Balkan Wars, an Albanian uprising of 1912 led to the proclamation of independence by Ismail Qemali, the leader of the Albanian national movement, on November 28th 1912.

octopus onesie…

Bada BING!!!

I’ve done some terrible things for money. Like getting up early to go to work.

If you think you love freedom but don’t care if it applies to everyone, then what you actually love is “Privilege.”

Whatever you do today, do it with the confidence of a 4-year-old in a Batman t-shirt.

Nothing refreshes my memory of what I need at the grocery store like coming home from the grocery store.

Golf – The adult version of an easter egg hunt.

Never in the history of calm down has anyone calmed down by being told to calm down.

I told my girlfriend she should embrace her mistakes. She gave me a hug.

Great minds think alike. Unfortunately, so do stupid ones.

IN CASE OF FIRE Please leave the building before posting it on social media.

Red States… Where you can live ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, but you can’t read it.

That look you make when you’re the tech person in the family and you hear someone say Grandma got a new phone.

I once lived a stone’s throw away from a family who all died of mysterious head injuries.

I don’t like making plans for the day because then the word “premeditated” gets thrown around in the courtroom.

Shame on you people making fun of George Santos, a man whose mother died not once but twice and possibly even three times!

Please help my wife and I decide on dinner. We’ve narrowed it down to “It doesn’t matter” and “It’s your turn to choose”.

Today is the birthday, in 1943, of Randy Newman, singer, songwriter, Composer of ‘Mama Told Me Not To Come’, ‘Simon Smith And The Amazing Dancing Bear’, 1977 US No.2 single ‘Short People.’ Film soundtracks including ‘Ragtime.’ Once hailed as the greatest songwriter alive by Paul McCartney. Since the 1980s, Newman has worked mostly as a film composer, his film scores include Ragtime, Toy Story; A Bug’s Life; Toy Story 2; Monsters, Inc.; Cars; Toy Story 3; and Monsters University. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bfyS-S-IJs

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
20
Nov
2023

MONDAY before Thanksgiving

Today, Monaco celebrates its national day (it fell on Sunday but is celebrated today). Also known as ‘H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince’s Day’ or ‘La Fête du Prince’ in French, this holiday is the National Day of Monaco and marks the official ascension of Prince Albert II to the throne on this day in 2005.

The tradition of a Monégasque National Day began during the reign of Prince Charles III in the second half of the nineteenth century. The date for National Day could change depending on the reigning Prince, and the day of the saint they were named after was the usual custom. The Journal de Monaco coined the term “National Day” in 1923.

On November 19th 1949 Prince Rainier III acceded to the throne, and Rainier of Arezzo was recognized as the Patron Saint of the Principality by Prince Rainier III.

During his 56-year reign, Prince Rainier III profoundly shaped Monaco, particularly from the point of view of urban development: he initiated numerous building programmes and extended the territory by a fifth by extension on the sea, which earned him the nickname of “the builder Prince”.

When Prince Albert II succeeded his father in 2005, he decided to honor his father and maintain the National Day on November 19th, St. Rainier of Arezzo’s day. November 19th is a fitting date as it is also the same day of Albert II’s official ascension to the throne in 2005. Prince Albert II is a member of the House of Grimaldi, which has ruled Monaco since 1297.

On this day, the tradition is that Prince Albert II carries out a presentation of medals in the Courtyard of the Palace. Then, in ceremonial costume, he attends a Mass in memory of his mother, Princess Grace, at the cathedral. 

Today is the birthday, in 1946, of Duane Allman, guitarist, and co-founder and leader of The Allman Brothers Band who released the classic album Eat a Peach in 1972 and had the 1973 US No.12 single ‘Ramblin Man’. Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident on 29th October 1971 in Macon, Georgia, when he collided with the rear of a flatbed truck that had turned in front of him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa4DCp6cl2U

 

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
17
Nov
2023

FRIDAY!😎😎

Tomorrow is Battle of Vertières Day, a public holiday in the Republic of Haiti on November 18th each year. This holiday commemorates a decisive victory over the French in the Battle of Vertières 1803.

France had established a colony on the island of Hispaniola in 1625 and created sugar and coffee plantations, which used a vast number of African slaves. The slaves lived under terrible conditions and they would eventually rebel in the late 18th century leading to the Haitian Revolution.

The Battle of Vertières was the last major battle of the Haitian Revolution, making Haiti the first-ever nation to successfully gain independence through a slave revolt. The battle was fought on November 18th 1803 between forces made up mainly of former slaves led by Jean-Jacques Dessalines, and Napoleon’s French expeditionary forces under the command of General Rochambeau.

Napoléon Bonaparte had come to power in 1799 and this was his first major defeat. France then withdrew its remaining 7,000 troops from the island and Napoleon abandoned any ambitions to a North American empire. The defeat of the French had ramifications far beyond Haiti and the Caribbean, with the war having gone so badly, Napoleon sold Louisiana (New France) to the United States for $15 million dollars, in the Louisiana Purchase.

Bada Bing!!

They told me I’d never be any good at poetry because I’m dyslexic, but so far I’ve made two jugs and a vase!

I’m not proud of the person I become when I see a bowl of stuffing.

Him: If we stayed alone in a dark room for an hour, what would you do? Her: I’d look for a light switch.

Balloons are so weird. Happy birthday. Here’s a plastic sack of my breath.

I wish Taylor Swift was in love with a climate scientist.

Overheard at grocery store: Paper or plastic, sir? Doesn’t matter. I’m bisacksual.

The earliest Carol singers can be found on the Bayeux tapestry. They were soldiers from Western France. They were known as the Brittany Spears.

The inventor of the doorbell did not own a dog.

It isn’t officially Thanksgiving dinner until someone says “I’m not doing this shit again next year”.

Jesus invited prostitutes to dine with him and he’s the light of the world. I do it and ‘I’m making Thanksgiving awkward’.

Apart from “life is short”, what other lines do you use before making bad decisions?

Did you know that a candle flame smells like burnt nose hair?

Today is the birthday, in 1942, of Bob Gaudio, The Royal Teens, (1958 US No.3 single ‘Short Shorts). The Four Seasons, who had the 1960s hits ‘Sherry’, ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, ‘Walk Like a Man’, and the 1976 UK & US No.1 single ‘December 1963, (Oh What A Night’). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG1JnZ-eOHg

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
10
Nov
2023

FRIDAY is nice

Today is Los Santos Uprising Day, a public holiday in the Republic of Panama. The official full name of the holiday is the “First Call for Independence of the Villa de los Santos” (Primer Grito de Independencia de la Villa de los Santos), though it is also known as “Uprising of Los Santos” or “First Call for Independence” (Primer Grito de Independencia ).

The region of modern-day Panama was an early stopping point for Spanish explorers as they made their first excursions towards South America. 

In 1519, Panama City became the first European settlement on the shores of the Pacific and the isthmus became an important part of the Spanish Empire.

Panama’s struggle for independence started in Los Santos an area on the eastern part of the Azuero Peninsula. On November 10, 1821, in an event called Grito de La Villa de Los Santos, the residents of the Azuero declared their separation from the Spanish Empire. The story goes that a young woman led a crowd to the barracks, chanting “long live liberty!”

The uprising galvanized support and inspired enough momentum to bring independence to Panama and the Independence Act of Panama was officially declared on November 28th 1821.

Panama joined Venezuela, New Granada (present-day Colombia) in the Republic of Colombia, also known as Gran Colombia.

Hungry…Very Hungry!

Cleanup in Aisle 4!!

Today is the birthday, in 1941, of Kyu Sakamoto, (1963 US No.1 & UK No.6 single ‘Sukiyaki’, the first ever Japanese US No.1). Killed in a plane crash on 12th August 1985. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbTsG9jrJsU

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies