Music

06
Mar
2024

Right here in the middle with WEDNESDAY

Today is Independence Day in Ghana. It is Ghana’s National Day and commemorates Ghana’s independence from the United Kingdom in 1957.

The area now part of Ghana has an abundance of natural resources, including gold and ivory, which attracted the attention of colonists. While the Portuguese had been the first to establish a settlement in the region, the attractiveness of the local riches led to a struggle for control between many European nations. In 1874, Britain took control over parts of the country, naming them the British Gold Coast.

Weakened by the efforts of World War II, Britain had begun the process of reducing its colonies around the world, including those Africa. This desire was matched by a rising call for independence in the Gold Coast. In 1947, the United Gold Coast Convention called for “self-government within the shortest possible time” following the Gold Coast legislative elections. In 1951, Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah won a majority in the Gold Coast legislative election and in 1952. Nkrumah was appointed the leader of the Gold Coast government.

The Gold Coast region declared its independence from the United Kingdom on March 6th 1957 and established the nation of Ghana. Nkrumah went on to become the first Prime Minister of Ghana.

Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African country to achieve independence, on March 6th 1957.

Yoga…

Knit/Crochet

What were you thinking?????

Today is the birthday, in 1947, of Kiki Dee, (Pauline Matthews), singer and actress who had the 1976 UK & US No.1 single Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ with Elton John. As a session singer she worked with Dusty Springfield and also became the first white British artist to be signed by Motown Records, releasing her first Motown single in 1970. Dee now performs with guitarist Carmelo Luggeri. I’ve posted the great recording studio video of Elton John and Kiki Dee singing ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’. Here is a great followup from years later. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf3KiRzZRCQ

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
05
Mar
2024

Officially, it’s TUESDAY

Today is Missionary Day, a public holiday in French Polynesia. It commemorates the arrival of the Christian missionaries on this day in 1797.

French Polynesia, the only overseas country of France, is a collection of over 100 islands and atolls in the South Pacific Ocean. Its remote location means it was one of the last places on Earth to become inhabited by humans. The first inhabitants arrived from Western Polynesia in about 200 AD. The islands were sighted by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.

In March 1797, Protestant missionaries from the London Missionary Society (LMS) arrived, establishing a permanent presence in Polynesia. The LMS had been formed a few years earlier with the intention of spreading Christianity across the world.

The ‘Duff’ arrived in Matavai Bay, Tahiti on March 5th 1797, with seventeen missionaries who intended to build friendships with the locals, build a mission house for sleeping and worship, and learn the native language.  The missionaries faced initial resistance from the locals who had seen the arrival of earlier European ships bring new and unknown diseases to the islands. Eight of the seventeen missionaries left when the next British ship arrived in Tahiti.

The ones that stayed eventually had success in converting the locals including Pomare II, the king of Tahiti, who was converted from traditional beliefs to the Reformed tradition. This conversion formed the basis for the Maohi Protestant Church which is the largest in French Polynesia with followers accounting for more than half the population.

The missionary ship “Duff” arriving at Tahiti in 1797. Image via National Library of New Zealand

Purity test…

BADA BING!!!

I woke up to my six-year-old holding my hand this morning. It was such a sweet 3 seconds until I realized he was using my fingerprint to break into my phone.

Stop saying, “They didn’t teach us that in school.” Yes, they did. You were talking.

Just once I’d like someone to call me “sir” without adding “You need to calm down or we’ll have to ask you to leave.”

Just bought a sweet car online. Previously owned by Neil Diamond.

We shouldn’t be asking if an egg is a person. We should be asking why a person would live in Alabama.

A man left his bicycle right next to the entrance to the US Congress. Security shows up and says, “You can’t leave that here! Congressmen and Senators use this entrance” “Don’t worry, I’m using a bike lock”

What’s Irish and stays out all night? Paddy O’Furniture.

I can always tell when movies don’t use real dinosaurs.

I was trying to think of a good tree pun, but I’m stumped.

What do you call a wreath of hundred-dollar bills? A wreath of Franklins.

How many Freudian psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? Two. One to change the bulb and the other to hold the penis, I mean ladder!

I realized I’ve got a problem with road rage when my five-year-old daughter shouted, “Pick a fucking lane you dickhead!” And we were in the grocery store.

I bought my wife a coat made of hamster fur. Took her to the carnival and couldn’t get her off the Ferris Wheel for three hours.

Today is the birthday, in 1951, of English singer and actress Elaine Page, best known for her work in musical theatre. Paige played Eva Perón in the first production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita in 1978 which for this role won the Laurence Olivier Award for Performance of the Year in a musical. She had the 1985 UK No.1 single with Barbara Dickson from the musical Chess ‘I Know Him So Well’. Here she is with her famous hit from ‘Cats’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdBVJbzkoqo

Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor, Music
04
Mar
2024

Smells like MONDAY

Today is Guam History and Chamorro Heritage Day. Most of us may be aware that Guam is a former Spanish colony. Others may recognize it as the home of several U.S. military bases. But what many don’t know is the story of the island itself — the incredible people, culture, and heritage. Guam is the largest island in Micronesia and home to the indigenous Chamorro people. Over centuries of colonialism and turmoil, the songs, language, and soul of the Chamorro lie forgotten, but Guam History and Chamorro Heritage Day reclaims some of these lost narratives. It is a day of traditional song, dance, food, and storytelling and isn’t just a celebration of the Chamorro identity but provides a vision for their future.

Guam History and Chamorro Heritage Day was once a commemoration of the anniversary of the island’s discovery by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Over the years, the spirit and tenor of the day have evolved. Magellan’s discovery of Guam signaled the beginning of the end for the island’s indigenous Chamorro people. For every Guamanian, it’s a painful reminder of 400 years of colonization as Spain, the U.S., and Japan battled each other for administrative control. Eventually, the islanders paid the highest price. The Chamorro all but lost their culture and identity. After World War II, Guam became an unincorporated territory of the U.S. and is a strategic U.S. naval base in the Pacific today.

Take that apartment 813B!

Moon Pie

And who or what (besides AI)

has created these works of

pure architectural genius?

In future posts, would you like 

to go inside for a tour?

Today is the birthday, in 1678, of Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Along with Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel, Vivaldi ranks amongst the greatest Baroque composers and his influence during his lifetime was widespread across Europe, giving origin to many imitators and admirers. He pioneered many developments in orchestration, violin technique and programmatic music. He consolidated the emerging concerto form into a widely accepted and followed idiom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LiztfE1X7E

Posted by Tom in classical, Humor, Music
01
Mar
2024

First FRIDAY in March!!!

Today is the National Day of Heroes, a public holiday in Paraguay. The aim of the holiday is to pay tribute to the work of citizens who have helped make Paraguay what it is today.

In the words of President Horacio Cartes, “Our heroes build a better Paraguay; today we pay homage to all Paraguayans who, with sacrifice and courage, make this a great country.”

This national holiday falls on the anniversary of the death of Marshal Francisco Solano Lopez, President of Paraguay from 1862 – 1870, who was killed in combat during the Battle of Cerro Corá. This was the last conflict in the War of the Triple Alliance (1864 – 1870) that pitted Paraguay against the tri-national alliance of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

Ice in the back yard

confusing…

Nice guy…

Demotivational Posters

Today is the birthday, in 1927, of American singer, actor, and civil rights activist, Harry Belafonte who had the 1957 UK No.1 & US No.12 single with ‘Mary’s Boy Child’ and a 1957 UK No.2 & US No.5 with ‘Banana Boat Song’. He also scored over 15 US Top 40 albums, including the 1956 Calypso. Belafonte died from congestive heart failure at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City, on 25 April 2023, at the age of 96. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-4xyg4PU-U

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies, World
29
Feb
2024

XTRA DAY this year is on THURDAY

Shockingly, no national holidays seem to fall on February 29, so we’ll look ahead to March 1 when Korea will celebrate Independence Movement Day.

The Korean Independence movement was an ongoing campaign to liberate Korea from Japan since 1910. The campaign reached a high point on March 1st, 1919. On this day, a series of public demonstrations happened when Japan was still occupying Korea. These were public demonstrations against the Japanese Government. It was a nationalistic show of strength and resistance against Japanese military rule in Korea.

The March 1st Movement Day, known in Korea as 삼일절 (Samiljeol).

The name 삼일절 (samiljeol) can be broken into three parts:

삼 (sam) = 3

일 (il) = day / 1

절 (jeol) = festival day (word suffix)

The direct translation is “3-1 Festival Day.” This celebration reminds Koreans what happened during the public resistance on March 1st.

On March 1st, 1919, 33 Korean Movement core activists read the Korean Declaration of Independence. Their goal was to put an end to the Japanese occupation in Korea.

Following that, over 2 million Koreans participated in over 1500 demonstrations nationwide, which the Japanese military police attempted to control. This became the biggest national protest against foreign dominance in Korean history. In the end, there were approximately 7,000 people killed, 16,000 wounded, and 46,000 were arrested by the Japanese police force and soldiers. On top of these, many houses, churches, and buildings were burned.

SIGNZZZZZZZZZ

There are no national holidays on February 29, but fortunately there are musician birthdays. Today is the birthday, in 1792, of Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards for both comic and serious opera before retiring from large-scale composition while still in his thirties, at the height of his popularity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3T8-aeOrbg

Posted by Tom in classical, Humor, Music, opera