classical

20
Aug
2024

Sort of TUESDAYish

Today is Revolution Day, a public holiday in Morocco. Also known as the King and People’s Revolution Day, this day commemorates the exile of Sultan Mohammed V on this day in 1953.

In 1912 Morocco became a French protectorate under the Treaty of Fez, administered by a French Resident-General. Morocco had traditionally been ruled by a sultan. Under France’s rule, the role of the monarch was greatly reduced to that of a figurehead.

The 1940s saw a growing level of nationalism with Istiqlal, a political party aimed at bringing independence to Morocco founded. To quell the nationalism, the French authorities asked the highly respected Sultan Mohammed V to sign a ‘pact of surrender’. The Sultan refused and on August 20th 1953, the French exiled the Sultan; first to Corsica, then to  Madagascar.

This backfired on the French as Moroccans who wanted independence and those who followed the Sultan as a religious leader, united in active opposition. The opposition turned to armed resistance.

In November 1955, Mohammad V returned to Morocco. Receiving overwhelming support from the Moroccan people, and with rising levels of violence in Morocco and Algeria, the colonial authorities were forced to enter into negotiations with Morocco over independence. A year later, Morocco gained its independence with Sultan Mohammad becoming King.

High school…

BADA BING!

Whoever is in charge of making sure I don’t do stupid shit is FIRED!

So are you seeing anyone? You mean like a therapist or hallucinations?

All I’m saying is that MF grew an ear back like a salamander.

Better woke than weird.

If anybody knows how to handle a bully, it’s a prosecutor and a high school coach.

Make fixing a printer an Olympic sport.

What do you call a paper airplane that can’t fly? Stationary.

Just a reminder, you’re never too old to throw random shit in people’s shopping carts when they aren’t looking.

It’s stupid that you can’t smoke with kids in the car anymore. Look how wet they’re getting standing out in the rain.

My ancestors navigated the ocean using stars and I’m over here missing my exit with GPS.

The first rule of our “Condescending Club” is quite complex and I don’t think you would understand it even if I explained it to you.

We members of the Procrastinator’s Club will be discussing this at length. Maybe tomorrow or sometime in the future. Not sure when. We’re going to meet soon to try to set up a time for the meeting when the members can decide when they might be available. I think.

I’ve made some bad choices in life but I’ve never bought a pair of crocs.

I’m glad you’re learning to laugh at yourself. It was getting kind of awkward for the rest of us.

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.  Those who prevent history from being taught intend to repeat it.

Doctor: What’s wrong? Her: Nothing… Doctor: I’m your Doctor, not your husband.

Today is the anniversary of the premiere, in 1882) of the 1812 Overture (The Year 1812, Solemn Overture, Op. 49) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The piece commemorates Russia’s successful defense against the French invasion of the nation in 1812. The fifteen-minute overture is best known for its climactic volley of cannon fire, ringing chimes, and a brass fanfare finale. It has also become a common accompaniment to fireworks displays on the United States’ Independence Day. Here’s the climax… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MGTK-MHSSg

Posted by Tom in classical, Humor, Music
05
Aug
2024

Uh oh…MONDAY is back!

Emancipation Day is observed today in many Caribbean countries. This holiday marks the end of slavery in the British Empire.

The British like other colonial powers had allowed the widespread practice of slavery to take place during the time of expansion to the new world. In 1772, the ruling in the case of Somerset v Stewart determined that slavery was unsupported by the common law in England and Wales. While the ruling was not clear on the situation in other parts of the Empire, this case was seen as a key turning point in the change towards emancipation.

Slavery was finally 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.

While the emancipation officially occurred on August 1, many countries celebrate it on the first Monday of August (today!).

There were some groups of people already living in freedom before Emancipation. Most of them were former soldiers. The Merikins were one of them. They were ex-slaves of the American south who were part of the British army in 1812. For helping fight against the former colonies, they were rewarded with their freedom and land in the Princes Town and Moruga area on Trinidad. Africa-born soldiers who also served in the West India Regiment also had their freedom and land as rewards.

Katie has a lot of memory

Unfortunate juxtaposition

Saturday marked the premiere performance, in 1829, of William Tell by Gioachino Rossini. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIbYCOiETx0

Posted by Tom in classical, Humor, Music
27
Jun
2024

WED….no, no, no – it’s THURSDAY

Today is the Day of National Unity, a public holiday in Tajikistan. National Unity Day commemorates the signing of the national peace accord in 1997 which ended the civil war.

By the middle of the 19th century, Russian conquests in Central Asia brought most of modern-day Tajikistan under Tsarist control. During the Soviet period, and despite the efforts of the USSR to establish a Soviet collective culture, the Tajiks maintained a fierce sense of nationalism and pride in their own history and culture. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Supreme Soviet declared Tajikistan’s independence from the Soviet Union on September 9th 1991.

Almost immediately, Tajikistan descended into civil war. The war was fought on regional lines, with rebels from the Garm and Gorno-Badakhshan regions rising up against the newly-formed government of President Rahmon Nabiyev, which was dominated by people from the Khujand and Kulyab regions. All but about 25,000 of the 400,000 ethnic Russiansin Tajikistan fled to Russia.

In the five years of the conflict, an estimated 100,000 had died in the fighting, with more than a million others being refugees with the country. On June 27th 1997, the “General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan” and the “Moscow Protocol’ were signed, bringing the war to an end.

Found in a Chinese shop

Some…

Some folks are introverts

SIGNZ

I didn’t find any good birthdays today. Here is the amazing Yuja Wang playing ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ (Vol du Bourdon). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alxBofd_eQ

Posted by Tom in classical, Humor, Music
20
Jun
2024

Yes, it’s only THURSDAY

Today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Chile. This public holiday in Chile takes place on the Winter Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. Inti Raymi in Quechua, Machaq Mara in Aymara, Huata Mosoj in Colla, WeTripantu in Mapudungun and Xóosink in the language of the Selk’nam are the ways of referring to this day in the different languages.

More than two million Chileans identify as belonging to an indigenous group. Of these, 1.7 million identify as Mapuche, 156,000 as Aymara and 88,000 as Diaguita, the three most numerous indigenous peoples in Chile, according to data from the 2017 census. The Chilean State recognizes the Mapuche, Aymara, Rapanui, Atacameño or Likan Antai, Quechua, Colla, Chango, Diaguita, Kawésqar and Yagán as the main indigenous peoples of Chile.

Mapuche people in Southern Chile

The Dogs of Pride

SIGNS!

Today is the birthday, in 1819, of Jacques Offenbach, German-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Franz von Suppé, Johann Strauss II and Arthur Sullivan. His best-known works were continually revived during the 20th century, and many of his operettas continue to be staged in the 21st. The Tales of Hoffmann remains part of the standard opera repertory.

In 1858 Offenbach produced his first full-length operetta, Orphée aux enfers (“Orpheus in the Underworld”), with its celebrated can-can; the work was exceptionally well received and has remained his most played. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU0IyxvcH4E

Posted by Tom in classical, Humor, Music
11
Jun
2024

Shiny TUESDAY

Today is King Kamehameha I Day, a public holiday in the State of Hawaii. It honors Kamehameha the Great, who unified the Kingdom of Hawai’i. Kamehameha is noted for uniting the Hawaiian Islands in 1810 and becoming Hawaii’s first king. He ruled until his death in 1819.

Kamehameha Day was established in 1872 by King Kamehameha V, the great-grandchild of Kamehameha, as a national holiday to honor the memory of Kamehameha.

All state and county offices throughout the state will be closed on June 11th in observance of the holiday on Kamehameha Day. Public transport may run on a modified schedule.

Since 1901, it has been a tradition to drape leis (Hawaiian floral garlands) from the statues of the King on the islands.

BADA Bing!!!!

I have reached an age where my mind says, “I can do that,” but my body says, “Try it and you’ll be sorry.”

My wife spent an hour at the salon, and when she came home, she got mad because I didn’t notice she had gotten her hair cut. But my spouse would have been REALLY MAD if she’d known I didn’t even notice she had left the house.

It only took 24 hours for your grandpa and crazy Uncle Jethro to spin it into “Jesus was convicted too.”

How difficult is it to get any 12 people to agree on any 1 thing? Now, multiply that by 34.

Stormy Daniels has set a new world record for pleasuring the most people in a single day.

Dear life, when I said “Can my day get any worse” it was a rhetorical question, not a challenge.

Whoever put the S in fastfood is a marketing genius.

At my age, I don’t often roll a joint, but when I do, it’s my ankle.

Does anyone know where I can get fresh ice cubes? I don’t want any of those frozen ones.

I completely misunderstood Pride Month. Who wants to buy 15 lions?

In honor of Pride Month, I’m using napkins from Chick-fil-A to clog the toilets at Hobby Lobby.

When a man says he will do anything for a woman he means fighting bad guys and killing dragons, not vacuuming or doing dishes.

If someone asks indignantly, “Do you know who my father is?” Answer, “Didn’t your mother tell you?”

Whoever named it “Parmesan Cheese” and not “Spaghetti Confetti” missed a great opportunity.

My half-brother and I are not allowed to play with chainsaws anymore.

A good Smart TV would increase the volume when you start eating something.

I find that the first 5 days after the weekend are always the hardest. (Well, for some people.)

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Domesticity…

Today is the birthday, in 1864, of Richard Strauss, German composer and conductor best known for his tone poems and operas. Along with Gustav Mahler, he represents the late flowering of German Romanticism, in which pioneering subtleties of orchestration are combined with an advanced harmonic style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szdziw4tI9o

Posted by Tom in classical, Humor, Music