Today is Saint George’s Day – a public holiday in parts of Canada. Saint George was a Roman soldier and a member of the Praetorian Guard for the Emperor Diocletian. He was sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith. He is the patron saint of England, Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia, Ukraine, Malta, Ethiopia, as well as Catalonia and Aragon in Spain, and Moscow in Russia.
A traditional custom on St. George’s day is fly or adorn the St. George’s Cross flag in some way: pubs in particular can be seen on 23 April festooned with garlands of St. George’s crosses. St. George is also the patron saint of the scout movement.
This painting of Saint George and the Dragon by Renaissance painter Raphael can be seen in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.
It’s EARTH DAY!
Today is the birthday, in 1937, of Jack Nitzsche, producer, songwriter. Produced The Rolling Stones, Neil Young and The Walker Brothers. Co-wrote, ‘Up Where We Belong’ with Buffy Sainte-Marie. Died of a heart attack on 25th August 2000. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjrOcrisGyI
Today is Independence Declaration Day in Venezuela. Known in Spanish as ‘Declaración de la independencia’, this holiday commemorates the declaration of a local junta in Caracas on April 19, 1810.
In 1806, there had been a failed attempt to start a revolution in Venezuela by Francsico de Miranda. Despite the failure, the attempt had sowed the seed of insurrection and a few years later, events in Europe would gave the independence movement further impetuous.
In 1808, Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Spain and put his brother Joseph on the throne. Many of the Spanish colonies in Latin America remained loyal to the deposed King Ferdinand. On 17 April 1810, news that Ferdinand had been finally defeated by Napoleon reached Caracas, where the people decided independence was better than French rule.
On 19 April 1810 (Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday) Vicente Emparan, the Captain General of Venezuela, was dismissed, giving way to the formation of the Supreme Junta of Caracas, one of the first to form an autonomous government in Latin America.
Francsico de Miranda returned from exile, and pushed further for independence. A few months later, on 5 July 1811, the Declaration of Independence was finally signed, creating the First Republic of Venezuela. The Spanish resisted, however and full independence was not achieved until 1821 under Bolivar.
SIGNZ
Today is the birthday, in 1942, of English musician Alan Price, keyboards with The Animals who had the 1964 UK & US No.1 single ‘House Of The Rising Sun’). As a solo artsit he scored the 1967 UK No.4 single ‘Simon Smith and his Amazing Dancing Bear’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-43lLKaqBQ
Today is Independence Day in Zimbabwe. This holiday marks independence from the United Kingdom on this day in 1980 and is the National Day of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe was first influenced by Europeans with the arrival of The British South Africa Company in the 1890s. The company had been founded by Cecil Rhodes in 1889 to colonize the region. The area became known as Southern Rhodesia (in honor of Cecil Rhodes) in 1895 and was governed by the British South Africa Company until 1922 when the European settlers voted to become a British Colony.
In 1953, Britain created the Central African Federation, made up of Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Nyasaland (Malawi).
Following the breakup of the Federation in 1964, when Zambia and Malawi gained independence, Ian Smith became Prime Minister of the country (now called Rhodesia). Smith began a campaign for independence from Britain, with the government being run by the white minority. Independence was declared in 1965, but was not recognized internationally and led to sanctions against the country. This also led to an extensive campaign of guerilla warfare within Rhodesia.
Under this pressure, the white minority finally consented to multiracial elections in 1980. Robert Mugabe and his Zanu party won the independence elections, with Mugabe becoming Prime Minister and Zimbabwe’s independence being formally recognised on April 18th 1980.
translation…
Failed Geography…
Today is the birthday, in 1942, of Mike Vickers, British musician who came to prominence as guitarist, flautist and saxophonist with Manfred Mann, who had the 1964 UK & US No.1 single ‘Do Wah Diddy Diddy’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooeRA8ZhcoQ
Today is Evacuation Day, a public holiday in Syria. his is Syria’s National Day and commemorates the evacuation of the last French soldier from Syria on this day in 1946.
Syria had been part of the Ottoman Empire since the start of the 16th century. During the first world war, the Ottoman Empire entered the conflict on the side of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Defeat for the Ottomans meant that their territories in the middle east came under control of France and Great Britain.
The now-infamous, but at the time, secret pact of 1916, the Sykes-Picot Agreement split the region between the two European powers, with what is now Syria coming under French control. After the second world war, Syrian nationalists forced the French out of the country and on April 17th 1946, the last French soldiers left Syria.
unfortunate juxtaposition…
DOGS…
Today is the birthday, in 1974, of businesswoman, fashion designer, model and singer, Victoria Beckham, (Posh Spice), The Spice Girls who scored the 1996 UK No.1 & 1997 US No.1 single ‘Wannabe’, plus eight other UK No.1 singles). She had the solo 2000 UK No. 2 single ‘Out Of Your Mind’ and married footballer David Beckham at Luttrellstown Castle, Ireland in June 1999. Beckham has become an internationally recognized style icon and fashion designer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJLIiF15wjQ
Today is Emancipation Day in Washington, DC. Emancipation Day marks April 16th 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act.
The Act freed over 3,000 slaves in the District of Columbia eight months before President Lincoln issued his broader Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War. The District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act means the District has the distinction of being the only part of the United States to have compensated slave owners for freeing enslaved persons they held.
Bada Bing!!
I was disappointed to learn that the International Institute of Origami has folded. They lost their contract with PaperView.
You can’t fix stupid. But, you can sell it red hats, gold clown shoes, bibles, and worthless stock.
Now that the eclipse is over, those glasses can be used for viewing FOX news.
I think this ladder I’m on is unstab…
I went to the paint store to get thinner. It didn’t work.
I hope when I eventually choke to death on gummy bears, people will say I was killed by bears and leave it at that.
Dear Coca-Cola Company: No more new flavors. Either add the cocaine back or leave it alone.
We squint at the sun because it’s bright. We squint at some people because they’re not.
I watch so many crime programs when I turn off the TV, I wipe my fingerprints off the remote.
I didn’t know that Sylvester Stallone is on his third marriage…I guess his first one was rocky, and his second was rocky too.
Today is the birthday, in 1939, of English singer Dusty Springfield who had her first solo UK hit single in 1963 with ‘I Only Want To Be With You’, which reached No.4, the 1966 UK No.1 & US No.4 single with ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’ plus over 15 other UK Top 40 singles. With her brother Dion O’Brien (“Tom Springfield”) and Tim Feild, Springfield formed the folk-pop vocal trio The Springfields. Two of their five 1961–63 top 40 UK hits ‘Island of Dreams’ and ‘Say I Won’t Be There’ reached No. 5 on the charts. Her image, marked by a peroxide blonde bouffant/beehive hairstyle, heavy makeup and evening gowns, made her an icon of the Swinging Sixties. She died on 3 March 1999 age 59. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp4339EbVn8
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