Crabs and Beer!

Thoughts from the depths of the Eastern Shore

TOO TOO TOO TUESDAY!!

Today is the Day of the Flemish Community – a sort of public holiday in parts of Belgium. It commemorates the Battle of the Golden Spurs on this date in 1302. In that year,

Flemish citizens of the city Bruges rebelled against the French king, Phillip IV, and attacked the French governors of Flanders. Consequently, the enraged king sent an army consisting of 2,500 knights and squires, along with the support of 15,000 infantry, to punish the Flemish citizens.

In an open field outside the Flemish city of Kortrijk (Courtrai), the army of the king and 9,000 Flemish militia (an army of non-professional civilian soldiers), consisting mainly of infantry, clashed on July 11 in a seemingly one-sided battle. Anybody would think that the massive army of soldiers of the French king would have easily defeated the town militia. But not quite. It was a decisive victory for the Flemish community in which the commander of the French army, Robert II of Artois, was caught and killed on the battlefield. Moreover, the town militia slaughtered at least a thousand French cavaliers and collected thousands of golden spurs from their fallen foes that gave the battle its name.

The Flemish Lion


default baby pic

Uh oh…

Bada Bing!

If you want something done weird, you have to do it yourself!

We do this not because it is easy, but because we thought it would be easy.

I was born a sinner. My sin is mentioned in the Bible 25 times. I tried to change but couldn’t. Luckily, society has learned to accept left-handed people.

My friends are a bad influence. And I would just like to thank them for that.

Sometimes I just don’t like people. They make me wanna say bad words.

I should be getting older and wiser. Instead, I’m getting older and wider.

Mrs. Lincoln complaining to Abe. Would it kill you to take me to a show once in a while?

I saw a bumper sticker that said, “I’m a veterinarian, I can drive like an animal.” Suddenly I realized how many proctologists are on the road.

I may not have been my mother’s favorite child, but I was the first one she thought of when the police showed up.

You know you bought the right fireworks when the guy running the stand gives you a high four.

In today’s episode of ‘how strong is your marriage, we take a trip to Home Depot to pick out a shade of white.

You don’t realize how many back roads your town has until you ride with someone that has a suspended driver’s license.

Today is the birthday, in 1951, of Bonnie Pointer, singer with American R&B singing group The Pointer Sisters who had the 1981 US No.2 single, ‘Slow Hand’ and the 1984 UK No.2 single ‘Automatic’. The Pointer Sisters have won three Grammy Awards and had 13 US top 20 hits between 1973 and 1985. She died on 8 June 2020 from a cardiac arrest aged 69. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iwBM_YB1sE

Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor

A midsummer MONDAY

Today is Independence Day in The Bahamas. This public holiday marks independence from the United Kingdom in 1973 and is the National Day of The Bahamas.

Though there is some dispute as to the actual location, The Bahamas is the site of Columbus’ first landfall in the New World in 1492. The Bahamas became a British Crown colony in 1718 as a result of the British trying to suppress piracy in the region. Following the American war of independence, many British loyalists moved to The Bahamas, bolstering its British connections.

The British House of Lords voted to give The Bahamas its independence on 22 June 1973.

On July 10th 1973, The Bahamas was officially declared an independent nation when the documents relating to independence were delivered to Prime Minister Lynden Pindling by Prince Charles and The Bahamas became an independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations.


Today is the birthday, in 1947, of Arlo Guthrie, US singer, songwriter, son of folksinger Woody Guthrie, (1967 album ‘Alice’s Restaurant’, 1972 US No.18 single ‘The City Of New Orleans’). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfxoM6trtZE

Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor, Music

THURS.THURS.THURS.THURSDAY

Today is Jan Hus Day, a public holiday in the Czech Republic. This holiday commemorates the martyrdom of Jan Hus in 1415.

Jan Hus, born in Bohemia in 1369, was a priest, reformer, and master at Charles University in Prague. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe, which he helped translate into Czech.

Hus is seen as a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. He was an advocate of church reforms, such as using Czech as the liturgical language, aligning the church’s practices with teachings contained in the Bible, limiting the power of the church to spiritual matters, and stopping the sale of indulgences. His followers became known as Hussites.

He was excommunicated from the Catholic Church in 1412 for insubordination. After being promised safe passage to attend a meeting that was intended to discuss the differences in the church, Hus was detained and put on trial. Refusing to give up his beliefs, he was found guilty of heresy against the doctrines of the Catholic Church and was burned at the stake on 6 July 1415. Between 1420 and 1431, the Hussite forces defeated five consecutive papal crusades against followers of Hus. Their defence and rebellion against Roman Catholics became known as the Hussite Wars.


Hope you had a happy Fourth!

Enjoy this fun song! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4-1ASpdT1Y

Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor, Music

MONDAY before the 4th (3rd)

Today is RONPhos Handover Day, a public holiday in Nauru. It is dedicated to the country’s leading enterprise, the Republic of Nauru Phosphate Corporation (RONPhos). The Republic of Nauru is the world’s smallest independent republic, the smallest island country, and the smallest state outside Europe. It is located on a small phosphate rock in the Central Pacific. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, rich phosphate deposits near the surface made Nauru the state with the highest per capita income in the world.

When Nauru became an independent state in 1968, the people of Nauru purchased the full rights to the phosphate business from Australia and founded the locally owned Nauru Phosphate Corporation. The country experienced an incredible economic growth, becoming one of the world’s wealthiest states. Unfortunately, the period of prosperity didn’t last long. Poor investments, corruption and eventual depletion of phosphate deposits left Nauru with little money.

Following the collapse of phosphate mining in the early 2002, the Nauru Phosphate Corporation was restructured and renamed the Republic of Nauru Phosphate Corporation (RONPhos). The new corporation officially began operation on July 1, 2005. Its main goal is to develop plans for the extraction of the supposedly existing secondary level of phosphate.


Today is the birthday, in 1940, of Fontella Bass, US female singer, pianist, who had the 1965 US No.4 and UK No.11 single ‘Rescue Me’. Bass died on 26th Dec 2012 of complications following a heart attack aged 72. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXSocE_M1G4

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies

FRIDAY of JUNE

Today is Independence Day in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This day is the National Day of DR Congo and marks independence from Belgium in June 1960.

As the various European powers vied for control of the African continent in the late 19th century, the Congo region came under the gaze of King Leopold II of Belgium. Leopold personally acquired the ‘rights’ to the Congo territory at the Conference of Berlin in 1885 and named the land the Congo Free State.

After years of abuse of the local population, the Belgian parliament took control of the free state in 1908, creating the Belgian Congo. The Belgian Congo gained its independence from Belgium on June 30th 1960 as the Republic of Congo.

Belgium had made no effort to train or educate Congolese and, as a result, at independence the government was primarily composed of Belgian nationals. The first prime minister of the newly independent Congo was Patrice Lumumba who pushed for the Africanization of the government, even at some expense of efficiency, to make the country truly independent. Under Belgian leadership, a mutiny broke out in the army. Lumumba appealed to both Belgium and the United States for support to suppress the Katangan secessionists but both refused. He then turned to the Soviet Union for support. In response the CIA and the Belgian and UK secret services plotted to assassinate him and he was murdered in the presence of Belgian officials and his body destroyed.

In 2002, Belgium formally apologised for its role in the execution. In 2022, a gold-capped tooth, all that remained of his body, was repatriated to the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Belgium.


ENJOY THE HEAT!

Today is the birthday, in 1943, of American vocalist Florence Ballard, The Supremes (1964 US & UK No.1 single ‘Baby Love’ plus 11 other US No.1 singles). Ballard sang on 16 top forty singles with the group, including ten No.1 hits. She died February 21st 1976. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aax5EDQMOq4

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies