Crabs and Beer!

Thoughts from the depths of the Eastern Shore

Did you say FRIDAY??!?

Today is Independence Day in Liberia. This is the National Day of Liberia and commemorates Liberia’s Independence from the USA and adoption of the constitution on July 26th 1847.

The Republic of Liberia began as a settlement of the American Colonization Society (ACS), who believed black people would face better chances for freedom in Africa than in the United States.

Between 1822 and 1861, thousands of free blacks were relocated to the settlement at Cape Mesurado on the Pepper Coast of West Africa. In 1824 the colony was named Liberia, and the main settlement was named Monrovia, which remains the present-day capital.

The settlers faced immense hardships in the initial years with atrocious mortality rates due to disease and conflict with the indigenous peoples. Within twenty years, the colony had grown and established economic stability.

On July 26th 1847, the settlers issued a Declaration of Independence and promulgated a constitution. The constitution was heavily based on the United States Constitution and established the independent Republic of Liberia. The United Kingdom was the first country to recognize Liberia’s independence, the United States only recognized Liberia’s independence in 1862 during the American Civil War.

Liberia was the first African republic to proclaim its independence, and is Africa’s first and oldest modern republic, maintaining independence despite the colonial expansion in Africa in the late nineteenth century.


Today is the birthday, in 1943, of Mick Jagger, singer, songwriter with The Rolling Stones, (1969 UK & US No.1 single ‘Honky Tonk Women’, and over 35 UK & US Top 40 singles and albums). Solo (1985 UK No.1 single with David Bowie ‘Dancing In The Street’). 1985 UK No. 6 solo album ‘She’s The Boss.’ In 2003 he was knighted for his services to popular music and in early 2009 he joined the electric supergroup SuperHeavy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef9QnZVpVd8

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies

THURSDAYs just keep on comin’

Today is Republic Day, a public holiday in Tunisia. It commemorates the anniversary of the vote to abolish the monarchy and found the republic on July 25th 1957.

Tunisia came under French control in 1881 and became a French protectorate in 1883.

The movement for independence had begun in 1920 with the creation of the political party, Destour. In 1934, the fervor for independence was increased with the formation of a new party called Neo Destour, led by Habib Bourguiba.

In March 1956 Bourguiba led Tunisia to independence, as a constitutional monarchy with Muhammad VIII al-Amin as King and Bourguiba as Prime Minister. The constitutional monarchy was seen as a French decision and many thought the king was pro-France, so the National Assembly moved to change the political structure of the country from a constitutional monarchy to a republic.

On July 25th 1957, the monarchy was abolished, the king abdicated and the Republic of Tunisia was proclaimed with Habib Bourguiba as its first president. President Bourguiba went on to rule Tunisia for 31 years, finally being deposed in a medical coup d’état.


Air Loom

Today is the birthday, in 1942, of Bruce Woodley, from Australian folk-influenced pop quartet The Seekers who scored the 1965 UK No.1 single ‘I’ll Never Find Another You’. They were the first Australian group to achieve major chart and sales success in the UK and the US. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZf41UudAbI

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies

WEDNESDAY in the middle

Today is Children’s Day, also called Pikinini Day, in Vanuatu, a public holiday. This is a day to promote the welfare and well-being of children and also to celebrate children and what they contribute to society. The theme of the day changes from year to year, though the topic of fighting child abuse remains a perennial theme of the day.

As a public holiday, it’s a day for families to spend extra time together.

Children’s Day takes place a week before Independence Day and the parades, concerts, public speeches, sports events, and other celebratory activities held to mark Children’s Day are seen as marking the start of Vanuatu’s national Independence week.


Ink…


SIGNZ


On this day in 1965, The Byrds were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their version of the Bob Dylan song ‘Mr Tambourine Man’. The first Bob Dylan song to reach No.1. The Byrds’ recording of the song was influential in initiating the musical subgenre of folk rock, leading many contemporary bands to mimic its fusion of jangly guitars and intellectual lyrics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnstCrL1_e0

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies

TUESDAY…Really??

National Remembrance Day is a public holiday in Papua New Guinea (PNG), observed on July 23rd. This day commemorates those Papua New Guineans who have died in military service.

Most of the history of New Guinea has been defined by the remoteness of the island and the difficulty in mastering the difficult terrain. While the island succumbed to colonial control by the Germans, Dutch and British, most islanders remained isolated from contact with foreigners.

That isolation came to a crashing end in 1942, when the Japanese and the second world war arrived in New Guinea. At the start of the war, Japan moved to occupy the northern part of the island with the aforementioned terrain in the south hampering efforts to subjugate PNG.

On July 23rd 1942, a small number of soldiers from the PNG infantry battalion supported Allied forces in attacking a forward party of Japanese troops at Awala in the Kokoda region. This was a historic landmark in the country’s history as it was the first time, PNG soldiers had engaged in battle on native soil. As such the date has become a focal point for this memorial day intended to remember the members of the PNG armed forces who have died on duty in the first world war, the second world war, and subsequent peacekeeping and law and order engagements within PNG and abroad.

The brave defense by PNG natives and troops is seen as a key factor in the defeat of Japan in the region.

Nowadays, the PNG Defense Force is a modest force with about 2,100 troops covering land, air and marine operations. Nonetheless, they have committed themselves in assisting and protecting other Pacific nations.


With what?!


Bada Bing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doctor: I’m just waiting for your x-ray. Her: But I’ve never dated anyone named Ray. Doctor: And we might do a brain scan.

I know a guy named Stew. He’s a soupervisor.

I was sitting on the front porch watching my girlfriend mow the lawn. An old woman comes to the fence and yells, “You should be hung!” I yelled back, “I am, that’s why she’s mowing the lawn”.

My husband pissed me off so I told him to go call his girlfriend. My phone rang. It was him. He asked to talk to personality #4 because #1 was having a bad day.

“He’s not a hero. He thinks he is a hero because his ear was nicked. I like people who didn’t have their ear nicked.” – The Ghost of John McCain

He mocked people’s injuries, infirmities, and handicaps for years, now he’s acting like he just survived 6 months in combat with a Silver Star and 3 Purple Hearts.

Live your life in such a way that the entire world isn’t ready to throw a party when you get shot.

If you try to correct my grammar I will think fewer of you.

That look you give your boyfriend when he accuses you of cheating and you think he’s starting to sound just like your husband.

They should teach history in school again so kids can learn that people who steal top-secret military documents are called spies.

If Christians read the Bible to get closer to God, what do atheists read to further intensify their non-belief? The same, actually.

Facebook should have a limit on times you can update your relationship status, after 3 it should default to ‘unstable’.

Old guy on the computer: “There’s no such thing as a 3 1/2-inch floppy these days.” Wife: “I think you’ll find there is.”


Today is the birthday, in 1971, of Alison Krauss, bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She released her first solo album in 1987 and then was invited to join the band with which she still performs, Alison Krauss and Union Station. Winner of 1996 Rolling Stone’s critic’s choice best country artist. Krauss recorded Raising Sand with Robert Plant in 2007 which was nominated for and won 5 Grammys at the 51st Grammy Awards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSif77IVQdY

Posted by Tom in folk, Humor, Music

mmmmmmmmmmMONDAY!

Today is the birthday of Late King Sobhuza, a public holiday in Eswatini. This day marks the birthday of King Sobhuza who was born on this day in 1899.

When a roll call of world leaders who have ruled the longest is read out, King Bhumibol of Thailand (70 years), Queens Victoria (63 years) and Elizabeth II (Over 70 years and counting) of the United Kingdom are names that will be familiar to many of us.

What may be less known is that these illustrious monarchs all fall short of the reign of King Sobhuza II, who ruled Swaziland (now Eswatini) for an astonishing 82 years and 254 days, making his reign the longest verifiable in history. 

Ingwenyama Sobhuza was born on July 22nd 1899. Four months later, on December 10th 1899, the infant Sobhuza became king after the death of his father. As you might expect, King Sobhuza didn’t have to perform all his royal duties whilst still a child and his grandmother served as regent, until handing power to her grandson when he was 21.

From almost the start of his reign, his country was a British protectorate. It gained independence in 1968 and Sobhuza was a driving force for independence, even forming a political party which is a very unusual step by a monarch. He also changed the constitution strengthening the power of the King.

Following the traditional tribal practice, Sobhuza had many wives, 70 according to the Swaziland National Trust Commission. His 210 offspring from these consorts earned him the sobriquet, “Bull of Swazi”. Sobhuza died on August 21st 1982.


Today is the birthday, in 1944, of Rick Davies, vocalist and keyboardist with Supertramp, who had the 1979 UK No.7 and US No.6 single with ‘The Logical Song’ and the 1979 US No.1 and UK No.3 album Breakfast In America. Davies is the only member of Supertramp to have been with the group for their entire history, and has composed many of their most well-known songs, including ‘Goodbye Stranger’, and ‘Bloody Well Right’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZUE4_PtOk0

Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor, Music