sixties and seventies

03
Nov
2023

it’s…..FRIDAY!! 😍😍😍

Today is Culture Day, a public holiday in Japan. Culture Day, otherwise known as Bunka no hi, is a day to honor traditional Japanese culture and promote the love of freedom and peace that was enshrined in the Japanese constitution which came into force in 1948. November 3rd is a notable date in Japan as it also marks the date of birth of Emperor Meiji, who ruled Japan from 1867 until his death in 1912. From 1927 until 1947, November 3rd was a national holiday called “Meiji Setsu,” in honor of the late Emperor.

Throughout the country, festivals and parades are held celebrating traditional Japanese customs. It’s a great day to delve into the rich history and culture of Japan as most museums in Tokyo and across the rest of the country are open for free on Culture Day.

Today is the birthday, in 1933, of English composer and conductor John Barry. He composed the scores for 11 of the James Bond films between 1963 and 1987 and is credited with arranging the ‘James Bond Theme’ in every movie. He wrote the Grammy- and Academy Award-winning scores to the films Dances with Wolves and Out of Africa, as well as the theme for the British television cult series The Persuaders! Barry died of a heart attack on 31st January 2011 aged 77. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9-cDa4JCwM

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

TH…U…RS…DA……….Y!

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Liberia. President George Manneh Weah, has by Proclamation declared Thursday November 2nd 2023 as “National Thanksgiving Day” to be observed throughout the Republic as a National Holiday. Each year, the Liberian President issues a Proclamation for this holiday declaring the day as National Thanksgiving Day, to be observed throughout the Republic as a National Holiday. The Proclamation calls on Liberians and foreign residents within the borders of Liberia,  Priests, Imams, Bishops, Pastors, Clergies as well as religious organizations in the country to gather in their various places of worship and offer thanks.

Dumboy (boiled and then pounded cassava) and Fufu (a derivative of cassava) have been the staple side dishes for Thanksgiving alongside a roasted chicken where available

Chicken Coupe

Well that’s a surprise!

From days past…

Today is the birthday, in 1938, of American singer Jay Black, known as ‘The Voice,’ whose height of fame came in the 1960s when he was the lead singer of Jay and the Americans. The band had numerous hits including ‘Come a Little Bit Closer’, ‘Cara Mia’, and ‘This Magic Moment’. He died from pneumonia age 82 on 22 October 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sFy5_kmEi4

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
01
Nov
2023

It’s already WEDNESDAY

Today is Anniversary of the Revolution Day in Algeria. It is celebrated on November 1st and commemorates the start of the war of independence against France.

From the start of the sixteenth century, Algeria had been under the partial rule of the Ottoman Empire. In 1830, the country was invaded by France. The conquest of Algeria was a long and bloody affair, and unusually for French foreign territories, Algeria’s status was that it was treated as being part of France rather than as a colony.

Emigration from Europe to Algeria was encouraged by the French, with tribal lands confiscated by the French government or French settlers and Europeans even becoming the majority of the population in some cities like Algiers.

On November 1st1954, the Christian festival of All Saints’ Day, 70 individual coordinated attacks were made on police and military targets across Algeria by the National Liberation Front (FLN). These attacks signaled the start of the Algerian War. The events of November 1st 1954 became known as the ‘Red (bloody) All Saints’ Day’ (French: Toussaint Rouge).

While France won the conflict and regained control of the country, the brutality of the suppression of the revolution further alienated the Algerians and resulted in a loss of support for France’s control of Algeria, both in France and abroad. This change in attitude directly led to independence from Algeria on July 5th 1962.

Unfortunate juxtaposition…

SIGNZZZZZ

Today is the birthday, in 1954, of Chris Morris, guitar, from Paper Lace who scored the 1974 UK No.1 single ‘Billy Don’t Be A Hero’, and the 1974 US No.1 single ‘The Night Chicago Died’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c82thy_x1M8

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
30
Oct
2023

MUN…DAI or something like that

Today is the October Bank Holiday in Ireland – always observed on the last Monday of October. After Ireland joined the EEC in 1973, the number of Irish public holidays was lower than that mandated for workers by the EEC. As a result. this day became a bank holiday in 1977 and although no particular reason was given for choosing the date, the date was probably chosen as it would fall at the same time as the half-term school break, which traditionally covered All Saints’ Day on 1st November.

It is interesting to note that there were four Gaelic seasonal festivals, marking key times of the year for agricultural communities. Of these, Beltane (the beginning of summer on 1st May) and Samhain (the beginning of winter on 1st November) were the most important and both these now have public holidays very near to their dates with both the modern public holidays being the two most recently adopted.

Halloween takes its roots from the Samhain Eve, when it was believed that the link between the worlds of living and dead was at its strongest. Some scholars believe that Samhain may have been the Celtic new year. With the Chritianisation of Ireland, the traditional date of Samhain, 1 November, was the same as All Saints’ Day. The traditions of Samhain Eve were allowed to continue, but ‘rebranded’ as All Hallow’s Eve or Halloweve for short. Some consider the later establishment of All Souls’ Day (Day of the Dead) as an attempt to replace the Pagan Halloween with a more Christian focused holiday.

Today is the birthday, in 1939, of American singer-songwriter Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane, Starship. Slick provided vocals on a number of iconic songs, including ‘Somebody to Love’, ‘White Rabbit’, ‘We Built This City’ and ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_raXzIRgsA

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
27
Oct
2023

finally FRIDAY

Today is Independence Day in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This holiday is the National Day of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and commemorates the independence of the islands from the United Kingdom on this day in 1979.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a southern Caribbean nation consisting of 32 islands, of which nine are inhabited. Britain won the European rights to the islands under the Treaty of Versailles in 1783, with a plantation economy based on sugar and slave trading emerging in the 19th century.

St Vincent and the Grenadines was a member of the Federation of the West Indies. After its dissolution in 1962, and the movement of the larger Caribbean countries to gain independence, the transition towards independence began. St. Vincent was granted “associate statehood” status by Britain on October 27th 1969. While this gave St. Vincent complete control over its own internal affairs, it fell short of complete independence.

It was exactly ten years later on October 27th 1979, when St. Vincent and the Grenadines became the last of the Windward Islands to gain independence following a referendum. It became a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elisabeth II as the head and Milton Cato became the first prime minister.

The fortunes of the islands have depended partly on the activity of La Soufrière, an active volcano on St. Vincent. It has violently erupted in 1708, 1812, 1902, 1979, and 2021. Thousands were evacuated to neighboring countries in 2021, many with the help of major cruise lines.

Small town…

Today is the birthday, in 1949, of American musician and record producer Garry Tallent who is the bass player with the Bruce Springsteen E Street Band. He started playing with Springsteen in 1971 and as of 2013, and not counting Springsteen himself, Tallent was the only original member of the E Street Band remaining in the band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vQpW9XRiyM

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies