Crabs and Beer

Dec

2023

WED-NES-DAY, The day of syllables

Today is the National Day of the Victorious Greater Poland Uprising. It commemorates the 1918-19 Greater Poland Uprising.

The uprising took place in the wake of World War One, as Poland sought to re-establish itself as an independent state following over a century of partition between Germany, Russia and Austria.

The Greater Poland Uprising, which was one of the two successful Polish uprisings, ended in the triumph of Polish insurgents over the Germans. The uprising broke out on December 27, 1918, in Poznań (western Poland) after a patriotic speech by Ignacy Paderewski, the famous pianist and diplomat, who became the Polish prime minister in 1919. The city was liberated on January 6, 1919. Almost the entire province was liberated by mid-January.

Under the Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919, almost the entire Wielkopolskie province returned to Poland.

BADA BING!!

Dear Texas, If you’re really obsessed with going backward in time, return your state to Mexico.

Of all the poop in the world, who decided that bat shit was the craziest?

I’m looking for either buttons or a zipper. I guess I’m really just looking for some closure.

When the FBI is searching your phone for evidence but has to go through 60,000 memes.

Does anyone else feel the urge to walk out of a business the moment they see Fox News on?

Instead of a condom, I carry a moist towelette in my wallet. I run into chicken wings more often than sex.

I used to be against organ donation. Then I had a change of heart.

Not bragging, but, I do live in a gated community with 24-hour guards at the gates. Ok. it’s a prison, I said I wasn’t bragging.

Walmart is giving free turkeys to anyone who can outrun security.

I have a pet termite named Clint. Clint eats wood.

Today is the birthday, in 1952, of British singer-songwriter, guitarist, David Knopfler, (the younger brother of guitarist Mark Knopfler). He is a co-founder of the rock band Dire Straits, with whom he spent three years. After quitting the band, Knopfler embarked upon a solo career. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd9TlGDZGkI

Dec

2023

The TUESDAY of recovery…

Today is Independence and Unity Day in Slovenia. In Slovenian, it is known as ‘Dan samostojnosti in enotnosti’. This holiday commemorates the official proclamation of results of the Slovenian independence referendum (known as the ‘independence plebiscite’) on December 26th 1990. An overwhelming 94.8% of voters (88% turnout) favored the establishment of an independent and sovereign nation.

Slovenia was one of the six republics that formed Yugoslavia from 1944 until 1990. Until 2005, the holiday was simply called Independence Day (dan samostojnosti). ‘Unity’ was added in 2005 to emphasize the national consensus at the time of the 1990 referendum – DEMOS, a coalition of several parties won the first free multi-party elections in Slovenia in 1990, hastening the act of independence.

Cityscape of the Slovenian capital Ljubljana.

This took some planning…

Nice option…

There were a lot of birthdays yesterday – Christmas Day, Shane MacGowan from the Pogues, who died earlier this month, Jimmy Buffett who also passed away this year, Barbara Mandrell, Henry Vestine of Canned Heat and Annie Lennox in 1954 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeMFqkcPYcg

Dec

2023

FRIDAY…excitement grows!!

Today is Sambisa Memorial Day in Nigeria. Every 22nd December, Nigeria mourns victims of Boko Haram insurgents and celebrates the victory of Nigeria’s military. The day is commemorated as Sambisa Memorial Day.

The Sambisa Forest is a forest in Borno State, northeast Nigeria. It is in the southwestern part of Chad Basin National Park, about 60 kilometers southeast of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. The name of the forest comes from the village of Sambisa which is on the border with Gwoza in the East. The forest had a large population of Leopards, Lions, Elephants, and Hyenas before its occupation in 2013 by the Boko Haram terrorists.

December 22 was chosen for the annual public holiday because it was on December 22, 2016, that the Nigerian Armed Forces took over the Sambisa Forest from Boko Haram. Boko Haram, officially known as Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād (Arabic: جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit. ‘Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad’), is an Islamist militant organization based in northeastern Nigeria, which is also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali. Boko Haram was the world’s deadliest terror group during part of the mid-2010s according to the Global Terrorism Index.

Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands of people, in frequent attacks against the police, armed forces and civilians. It has resulted in the deaths of more than 300,000 children and has 2.3 million from their homes. Boko Haram has contributed to regional food crises and famines.

Inspirational…

Another fun Christmas song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsvOrtcrA5c

Dec

2023

I dreamed it was THURSDAY

São Tomé Day is a public holiday in the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe on December 21st each year. This holiday commemorates the arrival of the first Europeans to the island of São Tomé on this day in 1471. The traditional dates for the arrival of the Portuguese are December 21st 1471 for São Tomé and January 17th 1472 for Príncipe.

Both islands were uninhabited when the Portuguese arrived. It was decided that the islands would make good bases from which to trade with the African mainland and the first successful settlement of São Tomé was established in 1493 with Príncipe being settled 7 years later.

However, this wasn’t some idyllic new colony. The islands were stocked with African slaves and degredados (“undesirables” sent from Portugal), all of whom were forced to work on sugar plantations.

São Tomé and Príncipe achieved independence on 12 July 1975. Interestingly, Principe is where an experiment by Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington during a solar eclipse on May 29, 1919 proved Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.

OOPS!

The Season’s Upon Us! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTx-sdR6Yzk

Dec

2023

‘W’ is for WEDNESDAY

Today is Macau SARE Day. Macau Special Administrative Region Establishment (SARE) Day (known as ‘Dia Commemorativo do Estabelecimento da Região Administrativa Especial de Macau’ in Portuguese) is celebrated on December 20th and commemorates the Chinese government assuming formal sovereignty over Macau on December 20th 1999. This day is an Obligatory holiday in Macau according to the Article 44th of the Law no. 7/2008 issued on August 18th 2008.

Macau first became a major settlement and trading post with the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century. In 1557, the Portuguese established a permanent settlement in Macau, paying an annual rent of Silver to the Chinese. Up to 1863, the Portuguese continued to pay an annual tribute to stay in Macau.

Following the Carnation Revolution of 1974 in Portugal, the new Portuguese government decided it would relinquish all its overseas possessions. In 1976, Lisbon redefined Macau as a “Chinese territory under Portuguese administration” and granted it a large measure of administrative, financial, and economic autonomy.

In June 1986, the Chinese and Portuguese governments commenced negotiations on the sovereignty of Macau. The two countries signed a Joint Declaration in 1987, making Macau a special administrative region (SAR) of China. The Chinese government assumed formal sovereignty over Macau on December 20th 1999.