Today is Ethiopian New Year, a public holiday in Ethiopia. Known in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia as Enkutatash, this holiday marks 1 Meskerem, the first day in the Ethiopian calendar.
The Ethiopian calendar is a solar calendar based on the Egyptian and Julian calendars and was brought to Ethiopia by missionaries. The year consists of 12 months of 30 days and a thirteenth month of five or six timekeeping days. Pagume, the 13th month in the Ethiopian calendar, comes from the Greek word epagomene, which means ‘days forgotten when a year is calculated’.
Enkutatash means the ‘gift of jewels’. It is said to refer to the Queen of Sheba returning from her visit to King Solomon in Jerusalem in 980 BC. On the Queen’s arrival back in Ethiopia, her chiefs welcomed her by filling her treasury with jewels (‘enku’). It may also refer to the countryside, as this time of year coincides with the end of the rainy season meaning the landscape is covered with Adey Abeba, whose bright yellow flowers appear almost in celebration of the impending harvest.
Today is Gibraltar National Day. The day commemorates the referendum of 1967, in which the citizens of Gibraltar overwhelmingly voted to remain under British sovereignty.
Coveted since antiquity for its strategic position at the entrance to the Mediterranean from the Atlantic, the ‘Rock’ passed through Phoenician, Carthaginian, Roman and Visigoth hands. It was occupied by the Moors in 711AD. It gets its name from the Spanish version of an Arabic name given to the area during the conquest. It came under Spanish control in 1462 as the Moors were driven out of Spain.
In 1704, Anglo-Dutch forces captured Gibraltar from Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession on behalf of the Habsburg claim to the Spanish throne. The territory was ceded to Great Britain in perpetuity under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.
Since it fell under British control, Spain has continued to push its territorial claims over Gibraltar. And although the diplomatic spats of recent decades have thankfully replaced the sieges and military assaults of previous centuries, the Spanish desire to see Gibraltar become part of Spain again remains undiminished.
To respond to the Spanish claims, a sovereignty referendum was held on September 10th 1967, in which voters were asked whether they wished to either pass under Spanish sovereignty or remain under British sovereignty, with institutions of self-government. The voter turnout was 100% with 99.64% voting to remain under British sovereignty.
These make great gifts!
BADA BING!!!
Silly putty implies the existence of serious putty…I believe that’s called C4.
Stop blaming yourself for your problems. Learn astrology and blame the planets.
Still hope that one day I get to ride a kayak while it’s strapped to the top of someone’s car.
Why do they always have 5K runs for charity? Just once, couldn’t they have a sit for charity or nap for charity?
I finally know why they call me a grown-up. I groan every time I get up.
If you live to be 100, you should make some fake reason why just to mess with people. “I ate a pinecone every day”.
I was always taught to respect my elders, but finding one keeps getting harder and harder.
OK, so naked running…Apparently, this means running without GPS, music, or any other tech. I wish I had known this about an hour ago.
When I look back on all the successes and failures in my life, I am grateful that at least the potty training stuck.
My keyboard space bar wasn’t labeled. It is now. I call it “the final frontier”.
I’m organizing a walk for Fat Lives Matter starting at McDonald’s at 11am and finishing at KFC at 11:05am.
I saw an audiologist today, but I think I’ll get a second opinion. Why on earth would I need a heron egg?
The world is not full of assholes but they are strategically placed so you’ll come across one every day.
Adam: The McRib is back. Eve: Stop calling me that!
I’m at the age where it’s considered rude to pull out a bottle of Tylenol if you don’t have enough for everyone.
Some old cars…
Today is the birthday, in 1957, of Siobhan Fahey, singer with British female pop group Bananarama who had the 1984 UK No.3 single ‘Robert De Niro’s Waiting’, plus over 20 other UK Top 40 singles, and the 1986 US No.1 single ‘Venus’ a cover of the Dutch rock band Shocking Blue 1970 hit. Fahey was also a member of Shakespeares Sister who had the 1992 UK No.1 single ‘Stay’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4-1ASpdT1Y
Today is Jeûne genevois, a public holiday in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland. Meaning Genevan Fast, it is observed on the Thursday after the first Sunday of September. This holiday is related to the Federal Fast, a Swiss government-arranged multi-denominational holiday celebrated by all Christian Churches and the Jewish community.
In 1831, the Federal Fast was fixed in all cantons in Switzerland on 8 September, before moving to the third Sunday in September. Geneva has instead kept to its own date.
Fasting days had been a tradition in Switzerland since the late medieval period. Despite not being seen as part of the reformed Protestant faith, they continued to be observed in parts of Switzerland.
In October 1567, there was a Geneva-wide fast to show support to the Protestants who were being persecuted in Lyon, France. This fast is recognised as the first Jeûne genevois.
In 1869 as a result of the Federal Fast across Switzerland, Jeûne genevois was no longer an official holiday, though it continued to be observed by many Genevans. In 1966, it was reinstated as a holiday. While the religious fasting element is no longer widely observed, banks, most businesses and shops will be closed on Jeûne genevois.
In the sixteenth century, the only food that was allowed to be eaten on Jeûne genevois was plum pie. It remains a treat to be enjoyed on this holiday to this day.
Bada Bing!!
I want to lose weight but I don’t want to get caught up in one of those “eat right and exercise” scams.
Walmart is opening dental offices in some of its stores. They will have an express lane for people with 10 teeth or less.
Woke up this morning and found out that someone had put vegetables in the beer crisper.
You’d be amazed how often I’m wrong when people ask me, “Guess what?”
Accidentally went shopping on an empty stomach and am now the proud owner of aisle 5.
Old age is when it takes longer to get over a good time than to have it.
I joined a dating site for people my age. It’s called Carbon Dating.
Another site I found is called Shingles Only.
When I go for walks I worry about tripping and falling, so I wear a helmet. But I also worry about looking ridiculous, so I carry a skateboard.
It’s tough getting older. I went into an antique store and they wouldn’t let me leave.
I went to the doctor because I thought I had arthritis. I don’t, I have early onset rigor mortis.
Yesterday the guy that was supposed to fix my doorbell didn’t show up. Or did he…
A Missionary group visited a Cannibal Tribe in New Guinea. It was their first taste of Religion.
If it’s so great outside, why do bugs try to get in my house?
If I could only use one word to describe myself, it would probably be: “not good at following directions”.
A man going on a honeymoon cruise stopped to buy seasick pills and condoms. The druggist said, “If it makes you sick, why do you do it?”
If you suck at playing the trumpet that’s probably why.
Five out of six scientists have proven that Russian roulette is harmless.
The best part of Kamala’s tax on wealth is if you don’t have $100 million, it won’t affect you. (If you are reading this, that includes you and everyone you’ve ever known)
“I was hoping to find a driverless taxi.” “Would you feel better if I told you I didn’t have a drivers license?
Today is the birthday, in 1946, of Freddie Mercury (Farrokh Bulsara) British singer, songwriter, record producer with Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of rock music, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range. Born in Zanzibar to Parsi-Indian parents, Mercury attended English boarding schools in India from the age of eight and returned to Zanzibar after secondary school. In 1964, his family fled the Zanzibar Revolution, moving to Middlesex, England. Having previously studied and written music, he formed Queen in 1970 with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Queen had had the 1975 UK No.1 single ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, plus over 40 other UK Top 40 singles. And the 1980 US No.1 single ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’. As a solo artist he scored the 1987 UK No. 4 single ‘The Great Pretender’. Mercury died of bronchio-pneumonia on November 24th 1991 aged 45, just one day after he publicly announced he was HIV positive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO6D_BAuYCI
Today is Slovak National Uprising Day (Výročie Slovenského národného povstania), a public holiday in Slovakia. This public holiday commemorates August 29th 1944, which marked the start of an uprising against the pro-Nazi government of the time. In 1938, the Munich agreement established the independent Slovak state, led by Jozef Tiso. In June 1944 Tiso declared martial law allowing the German army to occupy the country on August 29th.
Up to that point, there had been limited and sporadic guerrilla resistance operations across Slovakia. To counteract the planned occupation, a formal military plan was put in action by the exiled Czechoslovak government, Slovak partisans and deserters from the Slovak army. Headquartered in central Slovakia, the forces of the uprising consisted of several armoured units as well as part of the Slovak Air Force. Along with the Warsaw Uprising, it was the largest uprising against Nazism and its allies in Europe.
cookie-flavored cookies
SIGNZZZ
Today is the birthday, in 1958, of Michael Jackson singer, songwriter, Jackson 5, The Jacksons, and solo. Jackson is recognised as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. The music videos for ‘Beat It’, ‘Billie Jean’, and ‘Thriller’ are credited with breaking down racial barriers and transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. His 1982 album Thriller, is the best-selling studio album of all time. Jackson died on 25th June 2009 at the age of 50, after suffering heart failure at his home in Beverly Hills. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsUXAEzaC3Q
Today is the Day of Memory, a public holiday in the Czech Republic. The full name of this holiday is the “Day of Memory of the Victims of the 1968 Invasion and subsequent occupation of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops.”
In 1968, Alexander Dubček was appointed to the key post of First Secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party. Dubček made changes that liberalized the nation, a period known as the Prague Spring. In response, after failing to persuade the Czechoslovak leaders to change course, five other members of the Warsaw Pact invaded, with Soviet tanks rolling into Czechoslovakia on the night of August 20th 1968.
A massive wave of emigration swept the nation. Resistance was mounted throughout the country, involving attempted fraternization, sabotage of street signs, defiance of curfews, etc. While the Soviet military had predicted that it would take four days to subdue the country, the resistance held out for almost eight months until diplomatic maneuvers finally circumvented it.
Czechoslovakia remained a Soviet satellite state until 1989 when the Velvet Revolution peacefully ended the communist regime; the last Soviet troops left the country in 1991.
The Prague Spring inspired music and literature including the work of Václav Havel, Karel Husa, Karel Kryl and Milan Kundera’s novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
SIGNZ and SIGNZ and SIGNZ
Today is the birthday, in 1954, of Nick Kane from the American band The Mavericks who had the 1998 UK No.4 single ‘Dance The Night Away’. The Mavericks won a Grammy Award for the song ‘Here Comes the Rain’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UajuBAUkBs
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