Uncategorized

Today is Staatsfeiertag (National Day), a public holiday in Liechtenstein and is always celebrated on August 15th. It commemorates the birthday of Prince Franz Josef II.

The date had a double meaning in Liechtenstein as August 15th was already a public holiday to mark the Feast of the Assumption, but also served to celebrate the birthday of Prince Franz Josef II, who was born on August 16th 1906.

This holiday is unusual in that it began during a war. Just days before, Adolf Hitler had said in a speech that “Small states have no right to exist.”, so the establishment of this National Day by this smallest of states can be seen as much as an act of defiance as patriotism.

The small principality is the fourth-smallest state in Europe and is one of the few nations in the world that adheres to a no defence policy, meaning that the country doesn’t have armed forces. Their safety is only guaranteed by a small Police force, which in 2011 counted 91 agents, 34 civilians and 38 paramilitaries. 

Their lack of armed forces means that their celebrations of National holidays exclusively revolves around the role played by civilian authorities in the Principality’s life. 

In the afternoon the centre of Vaduz is full of visitors of all ages enjoying traditional celebrations and a funfair. The National Day is brought to a spectacular close with a 30-minute firework display next to Vaduz Castle.

Of course, the history of the world’s sixth-smallest country goes back much further than 1906. It was on January 23rd 1719 when the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI elevated the principality of Liechtenstein to the status of an imperial principality.

---

Filet Minion

Fast!

Opposite of ‘Extra Virgin’

Fun before the Internet!

---

SIGNZ

---

Today is the birthday, in 1950, of Tommy Aldridge, drums, Whitesnake, (1987 US No.1 & UK No.9 single ‘Here I Go Again’). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyF8RHM1OCg

The Martyrdom Day of Shaheed Udham Singh is a regional Indian public holiday observed in the states of Haryana and Punjab on July 31st. This day commemorates the execution of a famous revolutionary on this day in 1940.

In one of the more shameful episodes of the British Empire, on April 13th 1919, Indian troops under the command of Brig-Gen Reginald “Rex”’ Dyer fired on peaceful demonstrators in a walled garden (the Jallianwala Bagh) in the city of Amritsar in the Punjab. At least 379 were killed and more than a 1,000 injured.

Liberal Britain and Indian nationalists denounced the massacre; Winston Churchill called it a “monstrous event” and Dyer had to retire in disgrace. Shaheed Udham Singh witnessed the massacre first hand and vowed from that day forward he would track down the men responsible for the foul deed.

Sir Michael O’Dwyer was Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab at the time of the massacre. Although O’Dwyer did not order the massacre, he sent a message afterwards approving of what Dyer had done which made many people, including Singh, consider O’Dwyer as responsible for the killings. O’Dwyer didn’t deflect any blame, by bullishly continuing to defend the use of lethal force at Jallianwala Bagh.

O’Dwyer retired from the Indian Civil Service in 1925. On March 13th 1940, O’Dwyer made a rare public appearance at a public meeting in London to discuss the future of Afghanistan. At the end of the meeting, Singh made true on the vow he had made over 21 years earlier by walking up to O’Dwyer and shooting him twice through the heart.

During the subsequent trial for killing O’Dwyer, Singh said, “He wanted to crush the spirit of my people, so I have crushed him. For a full 21 years, I have been trying to wreak vengeance. I am happy that I have done the job. I am not scared of death. I am dying for my country.” Singh was executed on July 31st 1940.

---

Get in Shap

Dog Days of Summer

CATZ

---

Today is the birthday, in 1958, of Bill Berry, drums, R.E.M. (1991 UK No.6 & US No.10 single ‘Shiny Happy People’, plus over 20 Top 40 UK singles, 1992 UK No.1 & US No.2 album ‘Automatic For The People’). Berry quit the band in 1997. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYOKMUTTDdA

Today is a part of the Naadam Festival in Mongolia. The Naadam Festival is a celebrated in Mongolia with public holidays from July 11th – 15th each year. This is the largest and most popular holiday in Mongolia. The first day of the festival takes place on Revolution Day, Mongolia’s National Day, which commemorates independence from China on July 11th 1921.

The festival originated in the 12th century as a way for Mongolians to demonstrate their military prowess. From the 17th century, Naadam contests were held during religious holidays. Since 1922, they have been held on Revolution Day, the anniversary of the People’s Revolution.

The main Naadam festival takes place in the country’s capital Ulaanbaatar and opens with a cultural performance with ethnic dancing and music before the games get underway. Everyone, young and old are encouraged to participate in the games.

Wrestling is usually the first sport. The main wrestling event is a knockout competition involving 512 or 1,024 participants. The participants are all men and have to enter the ring bare-chested as legend has it that a woman once infiltrated the games beating the men, so now all the wrestlers have to show they are male before the grappling begins.

Unlike international wrestling events, there are no weight classes and the rules are also simpler – if a wrestler touches the ground with any part of their body apart from their feet and arms, they lose.

The second sport is Archery. From the time of Ghengis Khan, Mongolian archers were famed for their skill and precision with a bow. At its time, the recurved Mongol bow was a weapon without compare on the Eurasian battlefields of the steppe and deep into Western Europe. The games consist of three categories of archery – Buriat, Khakh and Uriankhai – which have differing bows, arrows and distances.

The third sport is horseback riding. Mastery of horse-riding was key to the Mongol domination of the steppe. The nomadic life of the Mongols developed their skills as expert hunters with the horse and bow, which made them formidable opponents. They developed stirrups, which enabled Mongol horsemen to ride without reins, leaving the hands free for combat.

---

---

---

Olympics starting soon, with new events…

Today is the birthday, in 1943, of Christine McVie, keyboards, vocals, Chicken Shack, and then Fleetwood Mac, who scored the US No.1 single ‘Dreams’ taken from their worldwide No.1 album Rumours which spent 31 weeks on the US chart. Eight of her songs appeared on Fleetwood Mac’s 1988 Greatest Hits album. McVie died at 79, following a brief illness, on November 30, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3ywicffOj4

Today is the anniversary of the First Sermon of the Lord Buddha (Formally known as Drukpa Tshe Zhi), a public holiday in Bhutan. After achieving enlightenment, Buddha gave his first sermon in the Deer Park in Isipatana, India and founded the Buddhist sangha (monkhood) about 2,500 years ago.

In the sermon, which is known as ‘Setting the Wheel of Dharma in Motion’, the Buddha first spelt out the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.

In His First Sermon, the Buddha said, “I teach one thing and one thing only: suffering and the end of suffering,” which is the ultimate goal of Buddhism. The Buddha presented and explained this very doctrine in his major discourses. In this First Sermon at Deer Park, He taught the Four Noble Truths: the existence of suffering, the cause of suffering, that the cause of suffering can end, and the path to the end of suffering.

“Avoiding extremes, the Buddha has realized the Middle Path: It gives vision, it gives knowledge, and it leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment, to Nirvana. And what is that Middle Path? It is simply the Noble Eightfold Path, namely, right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This is the Middle Path realized by the Buddha, which gives vision, which gives knowledge, and which leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment, and to Nirvana.”

---

Weddings…

---

SIGNZ

---

Found this fun video – apparently a remake of an old Pepsi commercial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD3wHHXTsOQ&list=PLzSz6NxvKpJAiHk1LKjz27By8GnLrLtsD&index=28

Today is Independence Day in Belarus, a public holiday. It is the National Day of Belarus and marks the liberation of Minsk on 3 July 1944.

When Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, Belarus was the first to bear the brunt of the attack. On 24 June, Minsk came under massive artillery shelling and air strikes from nearly 150 bombers.

Despite resistance from local fighters, the Germans seized Minsk on 28 June 1941. Not accepting the occupation, the residents began a resistance movement that lasted 1,100 days. The efforts of the citizens helped the armies of the 1st and 3rd Belarusian Fronts with the support of the partisans liberate the Belarusian capital from the invaders on 3 July 1944.

Belarus paid a high price for the freedom; a third of the population was killed during the war. Independence Day is a tribute to the heroism and endurance of Minskers in their struggle to bring freedom to Belarus.

Liberation of Minsk, 1944 Image by Valentin Volkov

---

Signs…

---

Here’s some music to get you ready for Independence Day tomorrow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSIy0wq_-8A