Crabs and Beer!

Today is Republic Day, a public holiday in Armenia. It marks the anniversary of the First Armenian Republic in 1918.

From the 15th century, Armenia had been part of the Ottoman Empire. By the 19th century, most of modern-day Armenia had come under the control of the Russian Empire. With the Russian revolution ending the empire and the collapse of the Democratic Republic of Transcaucasia, the Armenian National Council Declared its sovereignty on May 28th 1918 and the First Armenian Republic was proclaimed, restoring Armenian statehood after six centuries of foreign control.

The republic proved to be short-lived. On December 2nd 1920, the Armenian government headed by Prime Minister Simon Vratsyan signed a treaty with the Bolsheviks and the Red Army entered Armenia and proclaimed it a Soviet Republic. The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic became a founding member of the Soviet Union in 1922.

It’s worth noting that Azerbaijan celebrates it’s Republic Day on the same day under the same circumstances.

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BADA BING!

It’s weird when you realize boomers are the last generation on this Earth to know what life was like before social media.

I went to an antique auction yesterday. Three people bid on me. (Bilbo)

Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen should have a concert in DC during Bozo’s birthday parade.

If you read a book with a gay character, you don’t become gay.  I’ve read the bible and I haven’t murdered anyone.

My dog understands many human words. I don’t understand any dog barks. He may be smarter than me.

When something goes wrong in the circus, they send in the clowns to distract the audience. Well, something has gone very wrong with this circus and the clowns are everywhere.

The best way to get rid of a stupid policy is to follow it.

PAWCASTINATOR – a person who avoids adult responsibilities by spending time with their dog instead of getting things done.

We need to start an investigation to see if the republican party has any ties to America.

You haven’t truly lived until you have to push your car then jump in and pop the clutch.

The older I get, the more I understand why people live in the woods and talk to squirrels.

Imagine the things Wile E. Coyote could have done if he had had access to Amazon Prime.

My desire to be well informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.

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Today is the birthday, in 1945, of American musician, singer, and songwriter John Fogerty from Creedence Clearwater Revival who had the 1969 UK No.1 and US No.2 single ‘Bad Moon Rising’, plus ten other US Top 30 hits and the 1970 US & UK No.1 album Cosmo’s Factory. After CCR parted ways in 1972 Fogerty had a successful solo career. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWijx_AgPiA

On this day in 1679, the Parliament of England passed the Habeas Corpus Act o define and strengthen the ancient prerogative writ of habeas corpus, which required a court to examine the lawfulness of a prisoner’s detention and thus prevent unlawful or arbitrary imprisonment.

The act is often wrongly described as the origin of the writ of habeas corpus. But the writ of habeas corpus had existed in various forms in England for at least five centuries before and is thought to have originated in the Assize of Clarendon of 1166. It was guaranteed, but not created, by Magna Carta in 1215, whose article 39 reads (translated from Latin): “No freeman shall be taken or imprisoned or disseised or exiled or in any way destroyed, nor will we go upon him nor will we send upon him except upon the lawful judgement of his peers or the law of the land.”

Many members of the current US administration appear to misunderstand the term, so here is a simple explanation: Habeas corpus is a legal process that ensures someone who is detained (arrested or imprisoned) has the right to be brought before a judge. This allows the judge to review the legality of their detention and determine if they should be released. Essentially, it’s a way to prevent unlawful imprisonment. 

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We try to give our cats a good life…

Today is the birthday, in 1971, of Lisa Lopes, Left-Eye, singer with American girl group TLC. They scored nine top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including four No.1 singles, ‘Creep’, ‘Waterfalls’, ‘No Scrubs’, and ‘Unpretty’. Their 1999 US No.1 album Fanmail spent 57 weeks on the UK chart. Having sold over 65 million records worldwide, TLC is the best-selling American girl group. Lopes was killed in a car accident on April 25th 2002 aged 30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrLequ6dUdM

Memorial Day weekend traditionally marks the beginning of summer in the U.S. It’s still a bit cool, but maybe some summer music will heat things up! Enjoy!!

To start, here are The Jamies!

It might be cool now, but it’s gonna get HOT!

We can go to the beach!

We can have fun!

Imagine the tropics…

Maybe a summer romance…

enjoy some summer sweetness…

take a drive…

It can get hot!

relax on a sunny afternoon..

and have fun!

Go surfing!

Hit the islands!

and find a good beach bar…

Have a great summer!

Today is the anniversary of the Defenestration of Prague in 1618. The event was precipitated by the conflict between the Roman Catholic king and emperor and the Protestant nobility and gentry. At a meeting to try to resolve the issue, two of the Catholic regents, Count Jaroslav Bořita of Martinice and Count Vilem Slavata of Chlum, together with their secretary, Philip Fabricius, were thrown out the window of the Bohemian Chancery by Protestants led by Count von Thurn.

they survived the 70-foot (21-metre) fall from the third floor. Catholics maintained the men were saved by angels or by the intercession of the Virgin Mary, who caught them; later Protestant pamphleteers asserted that they survived due to falling onto a dung heap, a story unknown to contemporaries and probably coined in response to divine intervention claims. Philip Fabricius was later ennobled by the Emperor and granted the title Baron von Hohenfall (literally ‘Baron of Highfall’).

The event precipitated the 30 Years’ War, one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine, or disease, while parts of Germany reported population declines of over 50%.

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Oh, you’re home early.

Must be more to this story…

Here’s QUEEN! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO6D_BAuYCI

On this day in 1892, toothpaste was first sold in a collapsible tube by dentist Washington Wentworth Sheffield. Sheffield was an American dental surgeon best known for inventing modern toothpaste in the 1870s. With the help of his son Lucius T. Sheffield, he was also the first to sell the paste in collapsible tubes. He was considered one of the most skilled dentists in New England and the United States, making important contributions to the fields of dentistry and dental surgery.

Sheffield conceived of a ready-made tooth crème in the mid-1870s and was using it on his patients with great praise from them. To this crème, he added various extracts of mints that left a very pleasing taste in the mouth of his patients which caused them to request samples of the toothpaste. Initially, Sheffield was making toothpaste batches at his dental office at the corner of State Street and Green Street in New London, Connecticut. Demand grew rapidly and he was forced to build a laboratory and manufacturing facility behind his residence.

Sheffield and his son called this product “Dr. Sheffield’s Crème Angelique Dentifrice”. This product was the first toothpaste and it was sold in collapsible tubes. In 1986, the company was purchased by the Faria family, who continue to operate in New London, Connecticut. In 2016, Sheffield began distribution in China of its Dr. Sheffield’s brand toothpaste.

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Debra has thoughts about…dolls.

voodoo dolls…

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Juxtaposition can be weird…

Thanks, Bob!

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Today is the birthday, in 1950, of Bernie Taupin, English lyricist, poet, and singer and Elton John’s long-time song writing partner. Rod Stewart, Cher, The Motels, John Waite, Starship and Alice Cooper have all recorded his songs. In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement placed in the UK music paper New Musical Express by Liberty Records, a company that was seeking new songwriters, Elton John responded to the advertisement, and the pair were brought together. Taupin wrote the lyrics for “Rocket Man”, “Levon”, “Crocodile Rock”, “Honky Cat”, “Tiny Dancer”, “Candle in the Wind”, “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”, “Bennie and the Jets”, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters”, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”, “The Bitch is Back”, “Daniel”, and 1970’s “Your Song”, their first hit. Hits in the 1980s include “I’m Still Standing”, “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues”, “Sad Songs”, and “Nikita”. In the 1990s, Taupin and John had more hits, including “The One”, “Simple Life”, “The Last Song”, “Club at the End of the Street” and “Believe”. In September 1997, Taupin rewrote the lyrics of “Candle in the Wind” for “Candle in the Wind 1997”, a tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf2Te1IfjuA