Today is Evacuation Day, a public holiday in Tunisia. This holiday commemorates the retreat of last French soldiers from Bizerte on this day in 1963.
France occupied Tunisia in 1881, as part of a partition plan of the Western powers, led by Great Britain and France, known as the ‘scramble for Africa’. The French more or less occupied the Maghreb region of North Africa.
Following independence from France in 1956, France had maintained control of the city of Bizerte, a strategic location south of Sicily. France also kept land farmed by colonists in Tunisia’s most fertile areas. In July 1961, Tunisian forces blockaded the city in an attempt to wrest control of the city from France. After a few days of fighting, the French took control of Bizerte.
Evacuation Day commemorates the eventual retreat of the last French soldiers from Bizerte on October 15th 1963, when French Admiral Maurice Amman left the city, announcing the end of the French colonial phase in Tunisia.
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On this day in 1973, Dolly Parton released ‘Jolene’ as the first single and title track from her album of the same name. According to Parton, the song which peaked at No. 1 on the Country charts was inspired by a red-headed bank clerk who flirted with her husband Carl Dean at his local bank branch when they were newly married. ‘Jolene’ is the song most recorded by other artists, out of all the songs Parton has written. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0eeSoU35wM
Today is the festival of Chung Yeung in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The festival of Chung Yeung (Chongyang in Mandarin), otherwise known as the Double-Ninth, the Festival of High Places or Autumn Remembrance, has been celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month for millennia.
Since the festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, it is also known as the Double-Ninth festival. Odd numbers are considered Yang, meaning positive and masculine, according to the ancient Chinese divination text Yi Jing. Nine, being the largest single odd number, is considered the most positive.
In mainland China, the festival is considered a fortunate day that should be celebrated. In Chinese, nine has a similar pronunciation to the Chinese character ‘jiu’, meaning long, so the day has become a symbol of longevity in life. It is now considered good luck to travel to a high place on the ninth day of the ninth moon. A traditional custom on this day is to fly kites, as it is said that kites can carry bad luck up into the sky. They may also carry some sprigs of an aromatic herb called zhuyu.
Prom Accessories???
’tis the season…(thanks to She Who Seeks)
Uh oh…
Today is the birthday, in 1946, of American rock, R&B, and soul singer, Daryl Hall, from Hall and Oates, who had the 1982 US No.1 & UK No.6 single ‘Maneater’, plus five other US No.1 hits. Hall scored the solo 1986 UK No.28 single ‘Dreamtime’. Since late 2007, he has hosted the web television series, Live from Daryl’s House, which is now aired on MTV. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004. Hall and Oates have sold an estimated 40 million records, making them the third-bestselling music duo of all time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRYFKcMa_Ek
Today is Independence Day in Cuba. Also known as the Anniversary of the beginning of the War of Independence, the “Dia de la Independencia” marks the start of Cuba’s struggle for independence from Spain in 1868.
At the start of the nineteenth century, the Peninsular Wars in Europe resulted in Napoleon’s brother Joseph becoming King of Spain. Feeling no loyalty to this new regime, these events galvanized the independence movement in many Spanish colonies in South America and Central America.
Cuba remained loyal to Spain, but as the century progressed, the enthusiasm for independence didn’t wane and there was an increasing resentment against the Spanish administration that was felt to be corrupt and repressive.
On October 10th 1868, a wealthy sugar mill owner, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, and his followers proclaimed independence. This became known as the Grito de Yara (“Cry of Yara”) and marked the start of the Ten Year’s War.
Though this first war of independence ended with surrender to the Spanish in May 1878, in the longer term it proved to be a key event in Cuba’s struggle for independence from Spain, which finally came in December 1898. The events of October 1868 are also seen as leading directly to the abolition of slavery in Cuba in 1886.
and I was never asked to bring cookies to the church social again…
Might be a while…
What we learn from the movies (Thanks, Bluebird!)
❧ Loft-style apartments in New York City are within the price range of most people whether they’re employed or not.
❧ Television news bulletins usually contain a story that affects you personally at that precise moment.
❧ It’s perfectly possible for a woman to get out of bed in the morning with perfect hair, flawless makeup, and no under-eye bags.
❧ The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window in Paris.
❧ Laptop computers are powerful enough to override the communications system of any invading alien society.
❧ If you’re outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts, your enemies will wait to attack you one at a time, dancing around in a menacing manner until you have knocked out their predecessors.
❧ When you turn out the light and go to bed, everything in your bedroom will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.
❧ Rather than wasting bullets, maniacs prefer to kill their victims using complicated machinery involving fuses, pulley systems, deadly gasses, lasers, and man-eating sharks, which will allow their captives time to escape.
❧ During all police investigations, it will be necessary to visit a strip club at least once.
❧ A female spy or secret agent wearing stilettos can still outrun a bad guy wearing running shoes.
❧ Anyone can land an airplane as long as there’s someone in the control tower to talk them down.
❧ The ventilation system of any building is the perfect hiding place. No one will ever think to look for you there, and you can get to any other part of the building without difficulty.
❧ You’re likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.
❧ A real man will remain stoical while taking the most ferocious beating, but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.
❧ All bombs have electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they’re going to go off.
❧ A detective can only solve a case once he’s been suspended from duty.
❧ If you start dancing in the street, everyone you encounter will know all the steps.
Today is the birthday, in 1955, of American rock vocalist, songwriter David Lee Roth who with Van Halen had the 1984 US No.1 & UK No.7 single ‘Jump’ and the solo, 1988 hit single ‘Just Like Paradise’. Van Halen’s 1978 debut album has sold more than twelve million copies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwYN7mTi6HM
Today is Valencia Community Day. Celebrated annually on October 9th, this is a public holiday in the Valenciana region of Spain. Valencia is the principal city in the region. Known as ‘Día de la Comunidad Valenciana’, this holiday commemorates the capture of the city of Balansiya (Valencia) from Moorish forces in 1238 by King James I of Aragon
Founded as Valencia by the Romans, the city has passed from Christian to Moorish control from the 8th century to the 13th century. In 1238, King James I of Aragon laid siege to Valencia and after five months, the Moors finally surrendered on September 28th. On October 9th, James took possession of the city.
Whilst many people from different religions were allowed to stay, Fifty thousand Moors were forced to leave. After the Christian victory, the city was divided between the forces who had participated in the conquest.
James granted the city new charters of law (known as the Furs of Valencia). The changes brought by James redefined the city and the region in many ways, forming the basis of the character and key traditions of the Valencian regions.
The day features many activities, the most famous of which is the civic procession in Valencia. It has been held since 1338, when it was instituted by Peter IV of Aragon to celebrate the centenary of the Kingdom of Valencia and to demand protection to Saint Dionysius in the middle of a famine caused by poor rains.
SIGNZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Today is the birthday, in 1940, of John Lennon singer, songwriter, guitarist, The Beatles who have sold over 20m singles in the UK (1962-1970), and scored more UK & US No.1 albums than any other group. Their 1967 Sgt. Pepper is the UK’s biggest selling album ever. In 1990 Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’ was played simultaneously in 130 countries to commemorate what would’ve been Lennon’s 50th birthday. He was shot dead in New York by Mark Chapman on 8th December 1980. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-VAxGJdJeQ
Today is the Battle of Angemos Holiday, a public holiday in Peru. The holiday commemorates a naval battle with Chile that took place on this date in 1879.
The Battle of Angamos (Combate naval de Angamos) was a naval battle fought on October 8th 1879, during the War of the Pacific (1879-1883). Also known as the Saltpeter War, the war began as a dispute between Chile and Bolivia over control of the Atacama Desert a region rich in valuable minerals. Peru became involved when Bolivia declared war on Chile and invoked Peru to fight on their side as part of a secret mutual agreement.
The Battle of Angamos took place off the coast of what was then Bolivia (the are is now part of present-day Chile), between the Chilean navy and the Peruvian navy. The Chilean Navy, under the command of Captains Galvarino Riveros and Juan Jose Latorre surrounded and captured the ironclad steam-propelled warship Huáscar. The captain of the Huáscar was Admiral Miguel Grau Seminario, who was killed by the Chileans.
No fact-checking…
BADA BINGGGGG!
Daughter: Daddy, I want ice cream. Dad: Believe me, me too honey. But Mommy only gave us enough money for 3 beers.
The bar I’m at doesn’t know it yet, but it’s about to be karaoke night.
Instead of going to Starbucks, I make my own coffee, yell my name out incorrectly, and then light a $5 bill on fire.
Nothing brings neighbors together like cop cars in front of another neighbor’s house.
That feeling you get when you tell everyone on your social media page that you’re taking a break and it gets the most likes you’ve ever had.
My dog and I have a lot in common: we both like sleeping, eating, and pretending we don’t hear anything.
As a kid did you ever knock on people’s doors and run away? UPS is hiring.
I’m starting a procrastinator support group. It’s called ‘wait watchers’.
I knew the psychic was no good the moment she accepted my check.
Patient: Doc, how often do people die during this procedure? Doc: Just once.
My talent is when you’re angry I can make you even angrier.
Just because it’s a bad idea doesn’t mean it won’t be fun.
A psychiatrist is just a friend you pay to listen to your problems because your other friends are tired of hearing about them.
Nurse: Step on the scale, please. Me: I was told there’d be no fact-checking.
Way back then….
Today is the birthday, in 1947, of American singer Sheila Ferguson from The Three Degrees, (singing lead vocals on most of the group’s biggest hits), most notably the 1974 ‘When Will I See You Again’, which was a huge international success topping the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number 2 on the US chart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6fVDAjs9f0
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