Crosby Stills and Nash

Aug

2024

Could be WEDNESDAY, but…

Today is Independence Day, a public holiday in Pakistan. On this day in 1947, Pakistan gained independence from British rule. Pakistan had been part of the colony of India since the 18th century, firstly as part of the East India Company and then as part of the British Indian Empire.

In 1946, Britain, exhausted by World War II, realized that it had neither the mandate at home, the support internationally, nor the reliability of the British Indian Army for continuing to control an increasingly restless British India. plans began to end British rule.

the Indian National Congress, being a secular party, demanded a single state. The All India Muslim League, who disagreed with the idea of single state, stressed the idea of a separate Pakistan as an alternative. On 3 June 1947, the British government announced that the principle of division of British India into two independent states was accepted.

The partition was accompanied by violent riots and mass casualties, and the displacement of nearly 15 million people due to religious violence across the subcontinent; millions of Muslim, Sikh and Hindu refugees trekked the newly drawn borders to Pakistan and India respectively in the months surrounding independence.

On 14 August 1947, the new Dominion of Pakistan became independent and Muhammad Ali Jinnah was sworn in as its first governor general in Karachi.

Sometimes we find irony in the wild

Today is the birthday, in 1941, of American singer-songwriter and guitarist David Crosby, a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. With CS&N he had the 1969 UK No.17 single ‘Marrakesh Express’, 1970 US No.11 single with Crosby, Stills Nash & Young plus the 1970 US No.1 album ‘Deja Vu’ and the 1975 US No. 6 solo album ‘Wind On The Water’. Crosby died on 18 January 2023 age 81. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuLBhxZUkmU

Jan

2024

First WEDNESDAY of the year!!

Today is Winter Solstice, a national holiday in the Kingdom of Bhutan on January 2nd each year. Known as Nyilo, in the Bhutanese calendar, this is the first day of Winter and the shortest day of the year.

Nyilo, according to the Bhutanese calendar based on Buddhist astrology, is the first day of winter and the shortest day after which the days start getting longer until the summer solstice. Of course, on an astronomical rather than an astrological basis, the Winter Solstice takes place on December 21st or December 22nd.

Nyilo literally means “the return of the sun”. As with other new year’s days around the world, Nyilo is an auspicious day on which past mistakes can be removed and the benefit of good deeds is multiplied. It is considered as a sacred day and everyone is discouraged from taking part in negative activities.

Traditionally on the eve of Nyilo, Children visit every home in their village, singing “Lolay” – ancient verses which basically wish a prosperous or good new year to the house, home and family of the people the children are visiting. In return, the head of the family gives the children gifts of rice, meat and other ingredients, with which they cook a sumptuous meal or go for a picnic the following day. It’s a custom that children should be in odd numbers when visiting homes, as even numbers bring bad luck.

Today is the birthday, in 1945, of American singer, songwriter Stephen Stills who was a member of Buffalo Springfield, Crosby Stills Nash & Young and Manassas. With CS&N he had the 1969 UK No.17 single ‘Marrakesh Express’ and the 1970 US No.1 album Deja Vu plus the 1971 solo UK No.37 single ‘Love The One Your With.’ Stills’s first solo album, Stephen Stills, (1970) went gold and is the only album to feature both Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj8FlXGPcOQ