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
01
Sep
2023

FRY-FRY-FRYDAI!!

Today is Independence Day in Uzbekistan. Known locally as ‘Mustaqillik Kuni’, this is Uzbekistan’s National Day and marks independence from the Soviet Union on September 1st 1991.

Uzbekistan is a land-locked Central Asian nation that has a diverse and rich heritage due to its strategic position on the so-called Silk Road, an ancient trade route between Europe and China.

Following the Russian Revolution, the area become part of the Soviet Union, with the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic being created on October 27th 1924.

In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. As a result Uzbekistan declared its state sovereignty in June 1991 and on September 1st 1991, the independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan, was declared after a special session of the Supreme Council of the Republic.

Today is the birthday, in 1653, of Johann Pachelbel who composed this very well-known piece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptk_1Dc2iPY

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Posted by Tom in classical, Humor, Music
31
Aug
2023

THURSSSSSSSSDAY

Today is Romanian Language Day, a public holiday in Moldova. In March 2023, Moldova changed its state language to Romanian, also changing the name of this holiday to Romanian Language Day. Previously known as “Limba noastră” (Our Language), it celebrates the state language of Moldova.

In 1940, Moldova (then known as Bessarabia) had been occupied by the USSR as a result of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. The use of Russian Cyrillic was then imposed as the official alphabet of the newly founded Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (MSSR). The majority of Moldovans had been speaking Romanian and the imposition of Cyrillic was seen as an attempt by the Soviets to drive a wedge between Moldova and Romania, forcing closer ties with Russia.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Moldova became independent. On August 27th 1989, the Popular Front of Moldova organized a mass demonstration of over 300,000 people in the capital Chişinău. This demonstration became known as the Great National Assembly and helped convince the authorities of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic to adopt a language law. On August 31st 1989, the Supreme Soviet of the MSSR adopted a law that stipulated a return to the Latin alphabet from the Cyrillic script imposed by the USSR after the second world war. The legislation explicitly mentioned the fact that the Moldovan language is identical to the Romanian language. The following year, parliament instituted August 31st as a national holiday celebrating the Romanian language.

I don’t think so…

signz

Today is the anniversary of the Premiere of the Radetzky March, Op. 228 by Johann Strauss I in 1848 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xToFOzD0M8E

Posted by Tom in classical, Humor, Music
30
Aug
2023

last WEDNESDAY in August!

Today is Victory Day in Turkey.

Victory Day commemorates the victory in the Battle of Dumlupınar which was the decisive battle in the Turkish War of Independence in 1922. The day also honors the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Türkiye was occupied by Allied forces after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the First World War (1914-1918). This led to the start of the Turkish War of Independence in 1919, with the Turkish forces led by General Mustafa Kemal.

The battle of Dumlupınar took place in Kütahya province in western Turkey. Although foreign forces didn’t leave Turkish soil until the autumn of 1922, August 30th is accepted as the date of the Turkish army’s victory.

No, Tony, Noooo

Today is the birthday, in 1944, of Charles Colbert, from American rock band American Breed who scored the 1967 US No.5 single ‘Bend Me, Shape Me’, (a hit on the British charts for the British group Amen Corner). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWg0jPV6FiM

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
29
Aug
2023

DOOZTAY

Today is Slovak National Uprising Day. 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.

Despite some limited support from the allies, the uprising was crushed by the German forces before the end of October 1944. After the defeat, the remaining forces of the uprising continued with small guerrilla actions until the end of the war.

Combo business…

Bada Bing!!

Running feels great unless you compare it to not running.

I told my suitcase no vacation this year. Now I’m dealing with emotional baggage.

Never try and give an introvert the silent treatment. You will be in their wheelhouse and you will lose.

Sorry I’m late. My alarm didn’t go off because I didn’t set it because I don’t like coming here.

Your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Them: You need to listen to your body more. Body: You’re old and you want pizza.

Whenever my wife is upset, I let her color in my tattoos. She just needs a shoulder to crayon.

I watch so many crime programs that when I turn the TV off, I wipe my fingerprints off the remote.

Boss: This is the third time you’ve been late this week. Do you know what that means? Me: It’s Wednesday?

Sometimes people come into your life and they need to stop doing that.

I’m a person who wants to do a lot of things trapped in a body that does not.

Today is the birthday, in 1958, of Michael Jackson singer, songwriter, Jackson 5, The Jacksons, and solo. Jackson is recognized 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=y2bVIBwpCTA

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies