Crabs and Beer!

Today is Bulgaria Liberation Day. The full title of the holiday is the Bulgarian Day of Liberation from the Ottoman Domination. This holiday is Bulgaria’s national day and honors the Bulgarian volunteers who, during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 with the assistance of Russian and Romanian forces, liberated Bulgaria from almost 500 years of Ottoman rule.

The date of March 3rd marks the date of the signing the Treaty of San Stefano in 1878. This peace treaty ended the war and was signed between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, which proclaimed Bulgaria as an independent state, albeit a vassal state within the Ottoman Empire.

This holiday is a welcome holiday at the start of spring and is traditionally marked by ceremonies across Bulgaria, particularly in those towns and cities which saw the fiercest fighting in the war. Shipka Pass in the Balkan Mountains is at the center of celebrations marking the key battle that took place there. In Sofia, there will be church services, wreath-laying and a military march to honor those who gave their lives in the war.

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Better than a pole??

Insightful…

SINES

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Today is the birthday, in 1944, of Jance Garfat, bassist, with American rock band Dr Hook who had the 1970s hits ‘The Cover of Rolling Stone’, ‘A Little Bit More’, ‘When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman’ and ‘Sylvia’s Mother’. Garfat died on 6 November 2006, in a motorcycle accident. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuvfIePDbgY

Watching the news these days can be annoying or depressing or both. So give yourself a break and watch these fun flash-mob videos…maybe more than once!

Maybe some funk?

More FREEDOM!

Let’s check out Costco!

They are dancing in Lithuania!

and in Antwerp!!!

And remember, wherever we are in the world, we all need somebody to stand with us…

On this day in 1827, the General Assembly of Maryland issued a charter to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company – the first commercial railroad in America.

Starting in 1825, the Erie Canal providing a water path connecting New York City to Ohio via Lake Erie. The fast-growing port city of Baltimore, Maryland, faced economic stagnation unless it opened a route to the Western states. On February 27, 1827, twenty-five merchants and bankers studied the best means of restoring “that portion of the Western trade which has recently been diverted from it by the introduction of steam navigation.” Their answer was to build a railroad: one of the first commercial lines in the world.

Construction began on July 4, 1828. Charles Carroll of Carrollton (the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence) laying the cornerstone at a groundbreaking ceremony. Building west from the port of Baltimore, the B&O reached Sandy Hook, Maryland, in 1834; Cumberland in 1842; the Ohio River at Moundsville, Virginia, in 1852; Wheeling, Virginia, in 1853; and in 1857, Parkersburg, Virginia, below rapids that made navigation difficult during parts of the year.

It was the first US railroad to operate a steam locomotive (Tom Thumb). The first telegraph line in the US was built along the B&O right of way between Washington and Baltimore. It built the first passenger and freight station (Mount Clare in 1829) and was the first railroad to earn passenger revenues in December 1829, and publish a timetable on May 23, 1830. Baltimore’s Carrollton Viaduct, named in honor of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, was the B&O’s first bridge, and is the oldest railway bridge in the Americas still carrying trains. The Thomas Viaduct at Relay, Maryland, was the longest bridge in the United States upon its completion in 1835. It also remains in use.

Carrollton Viaduct

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Hmm…

I have questions…

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DIY

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Today is the birthday, in 1941, of American guitarist and singer Marty Sanders from Jay and the Americans, who had the 1962 hit with ‘She Cried’ and the 1969 US No.6 single ‘This Magic Moment’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sFy5_kmEi4

Today is Weiberfastnacht, an unofficial holiday in the Rhineland. At the majority of workplaces, work ends before noon. Celebrations start at 11:11 am in Germany. In comparison with Rosenmontag, there are hardly any parades, but people wear costumes and celebrate in pubs and in the streets. Beueler Weiberfastnacht (“women’s carnival in Beuel”) is traditionally celebrated in the Bonn district of Beuel. The tradition is said to have started here in 1824, when local women first formed their own “carnival committee”.

The symbolic storming of the Beuel town hall is broadcast live on TV. In many towns across the state of North Rhine Westphalia, a ritual “takeover” of the town halls by local women has become tradition. Among other established customs, on that day women cut off the ties of men, which are seen as a symbol of men’s status. The men wear the stumps of their ties and get a Bützchen (little kiss) as compensation.

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The Big Hockey Match!

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The Irony is strong here…

Thanx, Bluebird of Bitterness

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Today is the birthday, in 1833, of Alexander Borodin, Russian/Georgian chemist and composer. A doctor and chemist by profession and training, Borodin made important early contributions to organic chemistry. Although he is presently known better as a composer, he regarded medicine and science as his primary occupations, only practicing music and composition in his spare time or when he was ill.

Borodin is known best for his symphonies, his two string quartets, the symphonic poem In the Steppes of Central Asia and his opera Prince Igor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiexn6O9To4

Today is Liberation Day in Kuwait. This holiday marks the day when Kuwait was liberated from Iraqi occupation in 1991.

Kuwait was first established as a small fishing village during the seventeenth century. In 1899 Kuwait became a British Protectorate. In 1961, Kuwait became independent with the end of the British protectorate and sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah becoming the Emir.

On August 2nd 1990, following a dispute over revenue from an oil field, Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait and Iraq started bombing Kuwait City. By August 8th 1990, the Kuwaiti government had been replaced by an Iraqi governor.

International outrage at the invasion was widespread. Making no progress by diplomatic means, the UN Security Council gave Iraq a deadline of  January 15th 1991 to withdraw from Kuwait. The deadline passed and the U.S. led coalition forces began their assault on the Iraqi forces on January 17th 1991, known as Operation Desert Storm. The Iraqi forces proved unable to resist the coalition forces, the ground war only lasted four days and the Iraqi tanks left Kuwait on February 26th 1991.

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Faces in the crowd…

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SIGNZZZ

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Today is the birthday, in 1945, of Bob “The Bear” Hite, vocalist and harmonica player with Canned Heat who had the 1968 US No.11 single with ‘Going Up The Country’ and a 1970 UK No.2 single with ‘Let’s Work Together’. Hite performed with Canned Heat at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. On 5 April 1981, during a break between sets at The Palomino Club in North Hollywood, Hite was handed a vial of heroin by a fan. He snorted it and fell into a coma, after which others unsuccessfully attempted to revive him with a large dose of cocaine. A group of roadies put Hite in a van and drove him to bandmate Fito de la Parra’s home, where he died age 38. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QexOuH8GS-Y