daily humor

08
Apr
2024

MUN…DAE…hmmm

Today Thailand observes Chakri Memorial Day. Officially known as ‘King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great Day and Chakri Dynasty Memorial Day’, Chakri Day commemorates the establishment of the Chakri Dynasty by Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke ( Rama I) in 1782. One of King Rama’s first acts was to make Krung Thep (modern-day Bangkok) the capital of Siam.

Chakri day commemorates the coronation of Rama I but it is also a day for the people of Thailand to recognise the contributions of all the kings in the dynasty.

The current and tenth King (Rama X) of the dynasty is King Vajiralongkorn, who succeeded his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej who died in October 2016.

Today is the birthday, in 1929, of Jacques Brel, Belgian singer, songwriter. Marc Almond, Alex Harvey, David Bowie, Dusty Springfield, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, The Kingston Trio, Gavin Friday, Joan Baez, Shirley Bassey, Judy Collins, Beach Boys and many, many others have all covered his songs. Brel has sold over 25 million records worldwide, including over 12 million albums and singles in France and Belgium. He died of cancer 9th October 1978. Here’s a cover of one of his songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWdQbxNEFEs

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, World
05
Apr
2024

FRIDAYFRIDAYFRIDAYFRIDAY, ETC.

Today is Jumutal Bidah Day. It is a public holiday in Bangladesh and a regional holiday in the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand, where it is known as ‘Jumat-ul-Wida’.

Jumatul Bidah translates as ‘Friday of farewell’ and marks the last Friday prayers in the holy month of Ramadan. Some Muslims regard this day as the second holiest of Ramadan and spend a large part of the day in worship.

In Bangladesh, large numbers will attend prayers and the largest takes place at the National Mosque of Bangladesh in Dhaka known as Baitul Mokarram Mosque.

Today is the birthday, in 1950, of Swedish musician, singer, songwriter Agnetha Faltskog from ABBA. Their first UK hit was the 1974 No.1 ‘Waterloo’, followed by eight other UK No.1 singles and 9 UK No.1 albums as well as the 1977 US No.1 single ‘Dancing Queen’. Her self-penned debut single ‘Jag var så kär’ was released in 1967, and topped the Swedish Chart in 1968 which led to a successful solo career before joining ABBA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFk6-Mn-8yg

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
04
Apr
2024

Is it THURSDAY already?

Today is Peace Day in Angola. Día da Paz, the Day of Peace and Reconciliation commemorates the end of the Angolan Civil War on this day in 2002.

Independence from Portugal came to Angola in 1975. Two guerrilla groups had been instrumental in the armed struggle against the Portuguese colonisation – the communist People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). Almost immediately after independence, a power struggle between the two groups led to the Angolan Civil War. The MPLA seized power in the capital Luanda.

With only a few interludes in the fighting, the war was to last 27 years. The conflict is estimated to have cost the lives of more than 500,000 civilians with over a million being displaced and the damage to the country’s infrastructure suppressing economic growth for decades.

The war was seen as a proxy conflict for the Cold War, with MPLA being supported by the Soviet Union, with UNITA siding with the USA. Though while the thawing of the Cold War in the early 1990s saw MPLA reject some of its Communist ideology, the war was to continue for another decade.

In February 2002, government troops killed the leader of UNITA, Jonas Savimbi. This prompted the government to stop its military operations. This brought the combatants to the negotiating table. The war finally came to an end with the signing of a peace agreement between the armed forces of Angola and the armed faction of the UNITA party on April 4th 2002.

I’M NOT NOSY!!! (PET VERSION)

Yesterday was the birthday, in 1833, of Johannes Brahms, German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven as one of the “Three Bs” of music, a comment originally made by the nineteenth-century conductor Hans von Bülow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzo3atXtm54

Posted by Tom in classical, Humor, Music
03
Apr
2024

WEDNESDAY means rain..today

Today is Second Republic Day in Guinea. It commemorates the coup that overthrew the Toure government in 1984.

In 1958, the French Fourth Republic collapsed due to political instability and its failures in dealing with its colonies, especially Indochina and Algeria. The French Fifth Republic gave the colonies the choice of autonomy in a new French Community or immediate independence, in the referendum of 28 September 1958. Unlike most other colonies, Guinea voted overwhelmingly for independence. It was led by Ahmed Sékou Touré whose Democratic Party of Guinea-African Democratic Rally (PDG) had won 56 of 60 seats in 1957 territorial elections. The French withdrew, and on 2 October 1958, Guinea proclaimed itself a sovereign and independent republic, with Sékou Touré as president.

The Washington Post observed the “brutal” French tearing down all that they considered their contributions to Guinea: “In reaction, and as a warning to other French-speaking territories, the French pulled out of Guinea over a two-month period, taking everything they could with them. They unscrewed lightbulbs, removed plans for sewage pipelines in Conakry, the capital, and even burned medicines rather than leave them for the Guineans.

Touré instituted a one-party system and ruled until 1984. He died during a heart operation in March and was meant to be succeeded by his lieutenant, Louis Lansana Beavogui. Hours before Beavoqui was due to be sworn in, colonels Lansana Conté and Diarra Traoré seized power in a bloodless coup and proclaimed the second republic.

Asked Alexa to announce to my wife, “please bring up 2 pillow cases por favor”

SIGNS!!!!!!

Today is the birthday, in 1941, of Jan Berry, who with Jan and Dean, had the 1963 US No.1 & UK No.26 single ‘Surf City’, co-written by The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson. Berry died on 26th March 2004 after being in poor health from the lingering effects of brain damage after a 1966 car crash. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYxPgFUjDpA

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
02
Apr
2024

Must be TUESDAY!

Today is Malvinas Day – a public holiday in Argentina. The holiday is a tribute to Argentina’s fallen soldiers in the Falklands War, which began with the Argentine occupation of the Islands on April 2nd 1982. The war lasted 74 days, with 255 British and 649 Argentine soldiers, sailors, and airmen, and three civilian Falklanders killed.

The Falkland/Malvinas have a complicated history being settled (and abandoned) from time to time by the France, UK, Spain and Argentina. The territory’s sovereignty status is part of an ongoing dispute between Argentina and the UK.

Travis gets no respect

Bada Bing!

Girls mature faster than guys. Because men don’t usually develop breasts until their 50s.

I am looking for someone to brush their teeth with me. I just found out that 9 out of 10 dentists say brushing alone won’t reduce cavities. 

I have a disease where I can’t stop telling airport jokes. My doctor says it’s terminal.

When older people say, “Enjoy them while they are young”. They’re not talking about your kids, they’re talking about your hips and knees.

Gym teacher: Now this game is called Dodge Ball. And if you play your cards right, the person you hate the most will be crying like a bitch within minutes.

What cheese is made backward? Edam.

I was so bored that I read six pages of the dictionary. I learned NEXT to NOTHING.

Today is the birthday, in 1947, of American singer, songwriter and musician Emmylou Harris who has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She has worked with numerous leading artists, including Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, John Denver, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison, The Band, Mark Knopfler, Albert Lee, Delbert McClinton, Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Steve Earle and Ryan Adams. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1lQOnqIECI

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies