daily humor

30
Oct
2023

MUN…DAI or something like that

Today is the October Bank Holiday in Ireland – always observed on the last Monday of October. After Ireland joined the EEC in 1973, the number of Irish public holidays was lower than that mandated for workers by the EEC. As a result. this day became a bank holiday in 1977 and although no particular reason was given for choosing the date, the date was probably chosen as it would fall at the same time as the half-term school break, which traditionally covered All Saints’ Day on 1st November.

It is interesting to note that there were four Gaelic seasonal festivals, marking key times of the year for agricultural communities. Of these, Beltane (the beginning of summer on 1st May) and Samhain (the beginning of winter on 1st November) were the most important and both these now have public holidays very near to their dates with both the modern public holidays being the two most recently adopted.

Halloween takes its roots from the Samhain Eve, when it was believed that the link between the worlds of living and dead was at its strongest. Some scholars believe that Samhain may have been the Celtic new year. With the Chritianisation of Ireland, the traditional date of Samhain, 1 November, was the same as All Saints’ Day. The traditions of Samhain Eve were allowed to continue, but ‘rebranded’ as All Hallow’s Eve or Halloweve for short. Some consider the later establishment of All Souls’ Day (Day of the Dead) as an attempt to replace the Pagan Halloween with a more Christian focused holiday.

Today is the birthday, in 1939, of American singer-songwriter Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane, Starship. Slick provided vocals on a number of iconic songs, including ‘Somebody to Love’, ‘White Rabbit’, ‘We Built This City’ and ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_raXzIRgsA

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
27
Oct
2023

finally FRIDAY

Today is Independence Day in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This holiday is the National Day of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and commemorates the independence of the islands from the United Kingdom on this day in 1979.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a southern Caribbean nation consisting of 32 islands, of which nine are inhabited. Britain won the European rights to the islands under the Treaty of Versailles in 1783, with a plantation economy based on sugar and slave trading emerging in the 19th century.

St Vincent and the Grenadines was a member of the Federation of the West Indies. After its dissolution in 1962, and the movement of the larger Caribbean countries to gain independence, the transition towards independence began. St. Vincent was granted “associate statehood” status by Britain on October 27th 1969. While this gave St. Vincent complete control over its own internal affairs, it fell short of complete independence.

It was exactly ten years later on October 27th 1979, when St. Vincent and the Grenadines became the last of the Windward Islands to gain independence following a referendum. It became a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elisabeth II as the head and Milton Cato became the first prime minister.

The fortunes of the islands have depended partly on the activity of La Soufrière, an active volcano on St. Vincent. It has violently erupted in 1708, 1812, 1902, 1979, and 2021. Thousands were evacuated to neighboring countries in 2021, many with the help of major cruise lines.

Small town…

Today is the birthday, in 1949, of American musician and record producer Garry Tallent who is the bass player with the Bruce Springsteen E Street Band. He started playing with Springsteen in 1971 and as of 2013, and not counting Springsteen himself, Tallent was the only original member of the E Street Band remaining in the band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vQpW9XRiyM

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
26
Oct
2023

This…………….is THURSDAY!

Today is Austria’s National Day. Austria’s national holiday (German: Nationalfeiertag) is a public holiday on October 26th each year. This public holiday commemorates Austria’s Declaration of Neutrality on this day in 1955.

The Declaration of Neutrality was a declaration by the Austrian Parliament declaring the country permanently neutral. It was enacted on October 26th 1955 as a constitutional act of parliament.

The declaration was a direct result of the allied occupation by the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and France between 1945 and 1955. The Soviet Union would not have agreed to the signing of a State Treaty in May 1955 if Austria had not committed itself to declare its neutrality after the allied forces had left the country. The final foreign troops left Austria on October 25th 1955.

Geeky stuff…

SIGNZ

Today is the birthday, in 1685, of Doménico Scarlatti, Baroque composer known mainly for his 555 keyboard sonatas. Here is the amazing Yuja Want with one of them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIAk61xEZ80

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Posted by Tom in classical, Humor, Music
25
Oct
2023

The only ‘W’ day…WEDNESDAY!!!!!

Today is Sovereignty Day in Slovenia. It commemorates one of the key events in the process of attaining independence, namely withdrawal of the last Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) soldier from the territory of present-day Slovenia.

The Ten-Day War, a civil war, started in the former Yugoslavia on 27 June 1991 between the Yugoslav army and the Slovenian Territorial Defence, ending on 7 July with Slovenia’s decisive victory and Slovenia becoming independent. In the Brioni Agreement signed by both parties, Slovenia agreed to postpone its independence by three months and the Yugoslav military was allowed to leave Slovenian territory in stages, with a deadline of the end of October. The last Yugoslav army soldier left around midnight of 25 October 1991, the day now declared as “Sovereignty Day”.

Corn Syrup…

Cat shaming…

Not well thought out…

Today is the birthday, in 1838, of George Bizet, French composer of the Romantic Era. Best known for his operas, he had little success until his final work, Carmen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ_HHRJf0xg

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, opera
24
Oct
2023

A ‘T’ day, maybe TUESDAY

Today is United Nations Day. It commemorates the creation of the United Nations on this day in 1945. The UN was established after World War II with the aim of preventing future world wars. On 25 April, 1945, 50 nations met in San Francisco and began drafting the UN Charter. The Charter took effect on October 24, 1945 upon ratification by the General Assembly of the UN and its Security Council. The organization’s objectives, as defined by its charter, include maintaining international peace and security, protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development, and upholding international law. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; as of 2023, it has 193 – almost all of the world’s sovereign states.

Maybe not you…

March of the Penguins, Narrated by Soren Kierkegaard

Funny and relatable cartoon by Daniel Kanhai.

Bada Bing!!

No parent has ever turned the car around. It was an empty threat that we all fell for!

I just put a stick in a non-stick pan.

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness has obviously never been bonded out.

I’m writing a fairytale about a printer that just works.

I don’t agree with ‘you snooze you lose’. Snoozing seems like winning to me.

The only thing my wife hates more than picking a place to eat is the place I just picked.

My sister said she voluntold her husband he has to build a bench for the school and I think I found my new favorite verb.

I was going to buy my wife a car for Christmas but then I remembered I don’t live in a commercial.

No no, we’re a BUDDHIST colony. BUDDHIST, with a B.

When I was in college, I was listening to a lecture about RNA. After the prof was finished I raised my hand and asked if I understood that in order to replicate, one must unzip their genes first. The room was silent for several seconds and then everyone started laughing. The professor just stared at me.

So many people are too judgemental these days. I can tell just by looking at them.

We wouldn’t have so many needy if we didn’t have so many greedy.

Do people who run marathons know they don’t have to?

Nurse: “Have you had any unexplained weight gain this past year?” Me: “No, there are explanations.”

Some couples exercise together. My wife and I send each other articles when we’re sitting in the same room.

I’m surprised people still ask me if I want to hold their baby given the number of times I’ve dropped my phone.

I got kicked out of church because when I got baptized I had bath bombs in my pockets. Everyone started to run when the water started boiling and changing colors.

Today is the birthday, in 1936, of Bill Wyman, bass, The Rolling Stones (1969 UK & US No.1 single ‘Honky Tonk Women’, and over 30 Top 40 UK & US singles and albums. Quit The Stones in 1993, 1981 UK solo No.14 ‘Je Suis Un Rock Star’). Now tours with his backing band, The Rhythm Kings, which has featured Albert Lee and Georgie Fame. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef9QnZVpVd8

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Posted by Tom in Humor, Music