Crabs and Beer!

Today is the birthday, in 1737, of Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Carroll was known contemporaneously as the “First Citizen” of the American colonies, a consequence of signing articles in the Maryland Gazette with that pen name. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and Confederation Congress. Carroll later served as the first United States Senator for Maryland. Of all of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Carroll was one of the wealthiest and most formally educated. A product of his 17-year Jesuit education in France, Carroll spoke five languages fluently.

Carroll’s father was Charles Carroll of Annapolis, who was born in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1702. Though he inherited the plantation of Doughoregan Manor from his father, as a Roman Catholic he was forbidden from participating in the political affairs of the colony at the time. Carroll was born on September 19, 1737, in Annapolis, Maryland. Charles Carroll of Annapolis granted Carrollton Manor to his son, Charles Carroll of Carrollton. It is from this tract of land that he took his title “Charles Carroll of Carrollton.”

He became one of the wealthiest men in the colonies, owning extensive agricultural estates, most notably the large manor at Doughoregan, Hockley Forge and Mill, and providing capital to finance new enterprises on the Western Shore.

Beginning with his election to Maryland’s committee of correspondence in 1774, Carroll represented the colony in most of the pre-revolutionary groups. Carroll was elected as a Maryland representative the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, and remained a delegate until 1778. He arrived at the 2nd Continental Congress too late to vote in favor of the Declaration of Independence but was present to sign the official document that survives today. He signed the document in Philadelphia on August 2, 1776.

Throughout his term in the Second Continental Congress, he served on the board of war. Carroll also gave considerable financial support to the American Revolutionary War.

Carroll retired from public life in 1801. After Thomas Jefferson became president, he had great anxiety about political activity and was not sympathetic to the War of 1812. Carroll came out of retirement to help create the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1827. In 1828, he commissioned the Phoenix Shot Tower in Baltimore and laid its cornerstone. The 234-foot tower, which is still standing, was the tallest structure in the United States until the Washington Monument was built.

Carroll died on November 14, 1832, at age 95, in Baltimore, at the Caton home. He holds the distinction of being the oldest-lived Founding Father. He had outlived four of the first five U.S. presidents. His funeral took place at the Baltimore Cathedral (now known as the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary). Carroll was buried in his Doughoregan Manor Chapel at Ellicott City, Maryland after a national day of mourning.

Named in his honor are counties in Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Virginia as well as two Louisiana parishes, East and West Carroll. Cities and towns named for him are in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Illinois (Mount Carroll, Illinois), Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, and New York, as well as neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Tampa. Charles Carroll Middle School in New Carrollton, Maryland; Charles Carroll High School in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia; and Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, are named in his honor.

Charles Carroll of Carrollton Portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds, c. 1763 Yale Center for British Art

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Things you don’t want to find in your home…

Nice photo!

In 1952, its peak year in the U.S., polio outbreaks left nearly 21,000 victims paralyzed and 3,000 dead. After the country introduced a vaccine, which became widely available in 1955, cases in the U.S. dropped to fewer than 100 per year within a decade.

On this week in 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival scored their only UK No.1 single with ‘Bad Moon Rising’ a US No.2 hit. Also on this day the group started a four-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Green River.’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6iRNVwslM4

On this day in 1793, George Washington laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Prior to establishing the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., the United States Congress and its predecessors met at Independence Hall and Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Federal Hall in New York City, and five additional locations: York, Pennsylvania, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland, and Nassau Hall in Princeton, New Jersey, and Trenton, New Jersey.

The Residence Act was passed in 1790 to pave the way for a permanent capital. The decision of where to locate the capital was contentious, but Alexander Hamilton helped broker a compromise in which the federal government would take on war debt incurred during the American Revolutionary War, in exchange for support from northern states for locating the capital along the Potomac River.

Pierre L’Enfant was charged with creating the city plan for the new capital city and the major public buildings. The Congress House would be built on Jenkins Hill, now known as Capitol Hill, which L’Enfant described as a “pedestal awaiting a monument. L’Enfant secured the lease of quarries at Wigginton Island and along Aquia Creek in Virginia for use in the foundations and outer walls of the Capitol in November 1791. Surveying was under way soon after the Jefferson conference plan for the Capitol was accepted. On September 18, 1793, President Washington, along with eight other Freemasons dressed in masonic regalia, laid the cornerstone, which was made by silversmith Caleb Bentley.

Washington laying cornerstone at U.S. Capitol by Allyn Cox

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Something about the slide…

Some SIGNZES!

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Today is the birthday, in 1962, of Joanne Catherall, singer with The Human League. Formed in Sheffield, England in 1977 the group attained widespread commercial success with their third album Dare in 1981. The album contained four hit singles, including the UK/US No.1 hit ‘Don’t You Want Me’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPudE8nDog0

On this day in 480 BC, the Battle of Thermopylae began. The battle was part of a war between the Persian Empire under Xerxes I and a coalition of Greek city-states led by Sparta under Leonidas I. Xerxes had amassed a massive land and naval force, and subsequently set out to conquer all of Greece. In response, the Athenian politician and general Themistocles proposed that the allied Greeks block the advance of the Persian army at the pass of Thermopylae while simultaneously blocking the Persian navy at the Straits of Artemisium.

When the invasion began, the Athenians consulted the Oracle at Delphi for guidance. The Oracle foretold disaster:

Wretches, why sit ye here? Fly, fly to the ends of creation,
Quitting your homes, and the crags which your city crowns with her circlet.
Neither the head, nor the body is firm in its place, nor at bottom
Firm the feet, nor the hands; nor resteth the middle uninjur’d.
All- all ruined and lost.

Discouraged, the Athenians sent another messenger to the Oracle and got this reply:

far-seeing Jove grants this to the prayers of Athene;
Safe shall the wooden wall continue for thee and thy children.
Wait not the tramp of the horse, nor the footmen mightily moving
Over the land, but turn your hack to the foe, and retire ye.
Yet shall a day arrive when ye shall meet him in battle.
Holy Salamis, thou shalt destroy the offspring of women,
When men scatter the seed, or when they gather the harvest.

When the Persian Army arrived at Thermopylae, they found the Greeks blocking the only pass. But a local shepherd told them about a secret path around the pass. Subsequently, Leonidas, aware that his force was being outflanked by the Persians, dismissed the bulk of the Greek army and remained to guard their retreat along with 300 Spartans and 700 Thespians. these few Greeks fought to the death to delay the Persians. The Persians overran Boeotia and then captured the evacuated city of Athens.

The Greek fleet had already suffered heavy losses to the Persian fleet at the Battle of Artemesium. However they maneuvered to again bring the Persian fleet to battle in the Straits of Salamis. The Persian navy rowed into the Straits of Salamis and tried to block both entrances. In the cramped waters, the great Persian numbers were an active hindrance, as ships struggled to maneuver and became disorganized. Seizing the opportunity, the Greek fleet formed in line and achieved a victory. Unable to further supply his army without his fleet, Xerxes withdrew to Asia. Thus the Oracle’s prophecy about the wooden walls (the Greek ships) came true.

Léonidas aux Thermopyles – Jacques-Louis David

Found NEMO!!!

BADA BING!

Once you hit a certain age life is just a delicate balance of trying to stay awake and trying to fall asleep. While slowly getting worse at both.

The feeling that rushes over you when the teacher walks up to you during an exam, looks at your paper, then shouts out “guys please make sure you read the questions carefully”.

If you choose not to get vaccinated, it’s your decision. BUT when you get sick, DO NOT drag your infected ass to a hospital. Don’t make the rest of us pay for your choice to get sick. Be proud of your decision – whither & die at home with your freedom.

I started dating a weather girl. It’s nice to have a woman that’s wrong most of the time.

Looking back at all the successes and failures in my life, I can’t help but be proud that at least the potty training thing stuck.

When an army chaplain says a prayer before camouflage training is it a blessing in disguise?

Him: I would go all the way to hell and back for you. Her: You don’t have to come back.

Sign on front door…CAUTION Nudists live here. If this lifestyle offends you… DO NOT knock or ring the bell!

Stephen King predicts tRUMP supporters will deny ever voting for him.

Sign on the new ‘predator patio’ at the White House… Children under 16 must not be accompanied by parent or guardian.

It’s wild living in the information age and the dark age at the same time.

I have -sexdaily – dyslexia.

Aging is wild. One day you’re invincible, the next your knee makes a noise that sounds like bubble wrap. My warranty expired, the parts are backordered, and the user manual is in a language I don’t understand.

Why is “Dark” spelled with a K, and not a C? Because you can’t C in the dark!

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.  Those who prevent history from being taught intend to repeat it.

Trump said Epstein is a Democratic hoax from when Obama was president. But now Trump says he was an FBI informant on Epstein. So tell me… How did Obama get Trump to spy on a hoax?

For those struggling with English:

Don’t – do not.

Won’t – wo not.

Wind and solar are worthless when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. Also, I just threw away my bed because I realized I’m awake most of the time.

My wife yelled from upstairs and asked: “Do you ever get a shooting pain across your body, like someone’s got a voodoo doll of you and they’re stabbing it?” I replied: “No.” She responded: “How about now?”

Left over screws means you have reassembled your computer more efficiently. 

I hate it when I leave stuff in my electronic cart and don’t buy it. Then the company emails me and says, “Forgot something?” Yeah, I forgot I don’t have $900.

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On this day in 1978, the video for Queen’s single ‘Bicycle Race’ was filmed at Wimbledon Stadium, Wimbledon, UK. It featured 65 naked female professional models racing around the stadium’s track on bicycles, which had been hired for the day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt0V0_1MS0Q

Today is the putative birthday, in 1254, of Marco Polo. He famously traveled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in The Travels of Marco Polo (also known as Book of the Marvels of the World and Il Milione, c. 1300), a book that described the then-mysterious culture and inner workings of the Eastern world, including the wealth and great size of the Mongol Empire and China under the Yuan dynasty, giving Europeans their first comprehensive look into China, Persia, India, Japan, and other Asian societies.

Born in Venice, Marco learned the mercantile trade from his father and his uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, who travelled through Asia and met Kublai Khan. Marco’s father returned to visit his family in his hometown of Venice around 1269 and there found out that his wife, whom he had left pregnant, had died and left a 15-year-old son named Marco. During the rule of Doge Lorenzo Tiepolo, Marco Polo (at seventeen years of age), his father, and his uncle set off for Asia on the series of adventures that Marco later documented in his book.

They sailed to Acre and later rode on their camels to the Persian port Hormuz. They continued overland until they arrived at Kublai Khan’s palace in Shangdu, China. By this time, Marco was 21 years old. Impressed by Marco’s intelligence and humility, Kublai appointed him to serve as his foreign emissary to India and Myanmar. He was sent on many diplomatic missions throughout his empire and in Southeast Asia, (such as in present-day Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam), but also entertained the Khan with stories and observations about the lands he saw. As part of this appointment, Marco traveled extensively inside China, living in the emperor’s lands for 17 years.

Kublai initially refused several times to let the Polos return to Europe, as he appreciated their company and they became useful to him. However, around 1291, he finally granted permission, entrusting the Polos with his last duty: accompany the Mongol princess Kököchin, who was to become the consort of Arghun Khan, in Persia. When the Polos arrived to Persia, they learned that Arghun Khan died, and Kököchin eventually became a wife of his son Ghazan. After leaving the princess, the Polos travelled overland to Constantinople. They later decided to return to their home. They returned to Venice in 1295, after 24 years, with many riches and treasures.

Marco Polo became involved in the war between Venice and Genoa and was captured and imprisoned by the Genoans. He spent several months of his imprisonment dictating a detailed account of his travels to a fellow inmate, Rustichello da Pisa, who incorporated tales of his own as well as other collected anecdotes and current affairs from China. The book soon spread throughout Europe in manuscript form, and became known as The Travels of Marco Polo.

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Disneyland parking lot on opening day.

How to hide your chocolate

Hmm

Here’s Cyndi Lauper… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdQY7BusJNU

On this day in 1878, ‘Cleopatra’s Needle’ was erected on the Victoria Embankment in London. It is one of a pair of ancient Egyptian obelisks now in London and New York.

The obelisk was originally erected in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis on the orders of Thutmose III, around 1450 BC. It is of granite, brought from the quarries of Aswan, near the first cataract of the Nile. Thutmose III had a single column of text carved on each face. Other inscriptions were added about 200 years later by Ramesses II to commemorate his military victories: these are in two columns on each face, flanking the original inscriptions. The obelisks were moved to Alexandria and set up in the Caesareum, a temple built by Cleopatra in honor of Mark Antony or Julius Caesar by the Romans in 12 BC, during the reign of Augustus.

The removal of the obelisks from Egypt was presided over by Isma’il Pasha, who had greatly indebted the Khedivate of Egypt during its rapid modernization. The London needle was presented to the United Kingdom in 1819, but remained in Alexandria until 1877 when Sir William James Erasmus Wilson, a distinguished anatomist and dermatologist, sponsored its transportation to London. In the same year, Elbert E. Farman, the then-United States Consul General at Cairo, secured the other needle for the United States.

The obelisk was transported to London with great difficulty and erected on the Victoria Embankment on 12 September 1878. Cleopatra’s Needle is flanked by two faux-Egyptian sphinxes, designed by the English architect George John Vulliamy. The sphinxes are cast in bronze and bear hieroglyphic inscriptions that say netjer nefer men-kheper-re di ankh, which translates as “the good god, Thuthmosis III given life”. These sphinxes appear to be looking at the Needle rather than guarding it, due to the sphinxes’ improper or backwards installation. During World War I, a bomb from a German air raid landed near the needle. the damage remains unrepaired to this day and is clearly visible in the form of shrapnel holes and gouges on the western sphinx.

The western side of Cleopatra’s Needle in the City of Westminster, London.

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Get ready for the world’s longest Pub Crawl!!!

Apparently not…

RULES!

and there’s petty revenge…

More headline fun…

Today is the birthday, in 1943, of American folk and blues singer Maria Muldaur, who had the 1974 US No.6 & UK No.21 single ‘Midnight At The Oasis’. The song was nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bjzuSO27fA