eighties music

11
Sep
2023

DAY of the MOON

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. It gained its current status as a British Overseas Territory in 2002.

Since it fell under British control, Spain has continued to push its territorial claims over Gibraltar. 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.

who needs fences??

sinking of the Titanic

fallout from the writers’ strike

Signs…

Today is the birthday, in 1957, of Jon Moss, drums, Culture Club, (1983 UK No.1 & 1984 US No.1 single ‘Karma Chameleon’ plus seven other UK top 10 singles). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmcA9LIIXWw

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Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor, Music
06
Sep
2023

WEDNESDAY, the middle of the workweek for some

Today is Armed Forces Day (Dia das Forças Armadas), a public holiday on the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe observed on September 6th each year.

The armed forces of São Tomé and Príncipe (Forças Armadas de São Tomé e Príncipe, FASTP) are thought to be the smallest in Africa, with around 300 active personnel. Ironically this has meant that military coups, an unfortunately common event in many African countries in the second half of the 20th century, have twice proved ineffective on the islands. The failed coup of 2003 led to the reorganization of the military forces.

the perfect box…

Bada Bingggggggg…

Barbie never gave me a poor body image. Barbie taught me that you can’t reattach a head once it’s been removed from the body.

215 pounds? He finally got Georgia to fake the numbers for him.

All this because a grown man couldn’t bear the idea that he came in second place.

A man literally surrenders and his followers are big enough fools to buy a t-shirt that says “Never surrender” showing a picture of that idiot surrendering.

I hope the judge says, “If you have a big plane with your name on it, you’re definitely a flight risk.”

Customer: Do you enjoy being a waiter? Waiter: Well, it puts food on the table.

I haven’t lost all my marbles yet, but there’s a small hole in the bag somewhere.

Did you know on the Canary Islands there is not one canary? Same thing on the Virgin Islands. Not one canary.

If all the people wearing “Don’t Tread On Me” shirts would stop treading on everyone else, we’d appreciate it!

I’m going to start a business where Drag Queens deliver banned books directly to kids’ doors in Florida.

I like the type of people whose sense of humor may be described as “inappropriate with a chance of ruining the family dinner”.

The last time I sprang into action was when my recliner malfunctioned.

Today is the birthday, in 1961, of Pal Waaktaar, guitar, A-Ha (1985 US No.1 single ‘Take On Me’, 1986 UK No.1 single ‘The Sun Always Shines On TV’). The first Norwegian group to score a UK and US No.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914

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Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor, Music
05
Sep
2023

Back to school TUESDAY

Today is St. Teresa Canonization Day, a public holiday in Albania. The holiday (Albanian: Dita e Nënë Terezës) marks the canonization of Saint Teresa by Pope Francis in 2016.

Mother Teresa was born on August 26th 1910, in Skopje (now the capital of North Macedonia) in the Ottoman Empire. Born to a family of Albanian ancestry, she was named Anjezë (Agnes) Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. From an early Agnes had been inspired by tales of missionaries and when she was 18, she moved to Ireland to join a nunnery to learn English. Having arrived India in 1929, she became a nun in 1931, adopting the name Teresa, after Thérèse de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries.

In 1950, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation. Today, expanding beyond the original location of Calcutta, the 4000 sisters of the congregation run orphanages, AIDS hospices, soup kitchens and mobile clinics in 123 countries; caring for refugees, the blind, disabled, the poor and homeless, and victims of floods, epidemics, and famine. Members of the congregation must adhere to the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience as well as a fourth vow, to give ‘wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor’.

Mother Teresa gained worldwide recognition for her charitable works and was the recipient of numerous honors including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. She became famous as ‘Teresa of Calcutta’.

Today is the birthday, in 1946, of Freddie Mercury 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. 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

Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor, Music
28
Aug
2023

Last MONDAY in August

Today is the Summer Bank Holiday in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Gibraltar, St. Helena, Isle of Man and probably some other places.

The Notting Hill Carnival coincides with this day every year. It began as a protest day in 1965 to express anger against bad living conditions by Caribbean immigrants, but it has become a carnival full of fun and entertainment. It is a very popular event and people from all walks of life and from different places participate in it, but it still maintains its Caribbean character.

Today is the birthday, in 1965, of Shania Twain, Canadian singer, (Eilleen Regina Edwards). Her 1997 album ‘Come On Over’, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time selling more than 40 million copies worldwide. Twain has won 5 Grammy Awards and 27 BMI Songwriter awards and is sometimes referred to as “The Queen of Country Pop”, she is one of the most commercially successful artists of all time, having sold over 80 million albums. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJL4UGSbeFg


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Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor, Music
24
Aug
2023

THOR’S DAY

Today is Flag Day in Liberia. It marks the 176th anniversary of the adoption of the Liberian flag in 1847. In July 1847, the Liberian Declaration of Independence was adopted, announcing the independence of Liberia from the United States. Just over a month later, the national flag of Liberia was adopted. The National Flag was designed and produced by a committee of seven ladies led by Mrs Susannah Lewis. These seven women were born in America.

The flag consists of six red stripes and five alternating white stripes, totaling eleven stripes with each representing one of the eleven Signers of the Declaration of Independence of Liberia. The blue field in the upper left corner of a rectangular form with a single white star in the centre of the blue field. The single star represents the freedom that formed the basis of Liberia and should shine forth across the rest of Africa – as Liberia was the only independent state on the continent of Africa at that time.

Ummm…

Today is the birthday, in 1941, of Ernest Wright from Little Anthony and the Imperials who had the 1958 US No.4 single ‘Tears On My Pillow’, which was The Imperials’ first million-seller. The song has been extensively covered, including a No.1 in the UK Singles Chart version by Kylie Minogue in January 1990. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxjQ3M_v7xc

https://www.youtube.com/embed/4wn0Iah33Fs?si=R8dCB9Fep-tPuD3_

Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor, Music, sixties and seventies