08/08 - Happiness Happens Day

Emiliano_Zapata

~~ Emiliano Zapata

So, it's Happiness Happens Day and that up there is a picture of Emiliano Zapata. So what's that all about, you might ask. So, if happiness happens, it must be random or pseudo-random, fortuitous and all like that, something straight out of Taoism. It must happen at least once to anybody and everybody, even good old Emiliano, and it is his birthday, which certainly has as much right to be celebrated as some abstract theoretical assertion about happiness, n'est ce pas?

It's also International Cat Day and Global Sleep Under the Stars Night Naturally, I cannot help but wonder whether there is a cat constellation, and if not why not. The answer, sadly is No, but there is a cat star, Felis. The Wookie Wiki tells us that:

Felis (Latin for cat) was a constellation created by French astronomer Jérôme Lalande in 1799. He chose the name partly because, as a cat lover, he felt sorry that there was not yet a cat among the constellations (although there are two lions and a lynx). It was between the constellations of Antlia and Hydra.

This constellation was first depicted in the Uranographia sive Astrorum Descriptio (1801) of Johann Elert Bode. It is now obsolete.

Its brightest star, HD 85951, was named Felis by the International Astronomical Union on 1 June 2018 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names.

Felis, or his cousin Felix, is all about happiness, making this a very felicitous conjunction of holidays, which is, again, ever so very happy, right felicity?

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On this day in history:

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1576 –- The cornerstone for Tycho Brahe's Uraniborg observatory was laid.
1588 –- The Battle of Gravelines ended, as did the Spanish Armada's attempt to invade England.
1709 -- Bartolomeu de Gusmão demonstrated the lifting power of hot air
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1876 -- Thomas Edison got a patent on his mimeograph.
1908 -- The Wright Brothers' first public flight, Wilbur in the plane.
1919 –- The Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 was signed. confirming the Durand line as the mutual border.
1942 -- The Quit India Movement against British rule started in India
1946 -- First flight of the Convair B-36, a mass produced nuke delivery vehicle.
1967 -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formed
1974 –- Tricky Dick Nixon resigned
1990 -- Iraq occupied Kuwait leading to the first Gulf War.
2004 –- A tour bus belonging to the Dave Matthews Band dumped approximately 800 pounds of human waste onto a boat full of passengers.

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Some people who were born on this day:

“If there is no justice for the people, let there be no peace for the government.”

~~ Emiliano Zapata

1814 -- Esther Hobart Morris, lawyer and judge, first female justice of the peace in US
1857 –- Cécile Chaminade, pianist and composer
1879 -- Emiliano Zapata, revolutionary, general, and politician
1884 -- Sara Teasdale, poet and educator
1896 -- Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, author and academic
1901 -- Ernest Lawrence, physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate, founded Lawrence Berkeley & Lawrence Livermore Labs.
1902 -- Paul Dirac, physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1907 -- Benny Carter, saxophonist, trumpet player, and composer
1920 –- Jimmy Witherspoon, jump blues singer
1921 –- Webb Pierce, singer, songwriter, and guitarist
1928 –- Don Burrows, saxophonist, clarinet player, and flute player
1931 –- Roger Penrose, physicist, mathematician, and philosopher
1932 -- Mel Tillis, singer, songwriter, and guitarist
1933 -- Joe Tex, singer & songwriter
1938 –- Connie Stevens, actress and businesswoman
1939 -- Phil Balsley, singer & songwriter
1941 -- George Tiller, physician
1942 –- John Gustafson, singer, songwriter, and bass player
1944 –- Michael Johnson, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1944 -- John Renbourn, guitarist and songwriter
1950 -- Willie Hall, drummer and producer
1952 -- Anton Fig, drummer
1956 -- Chris Foreman, singer, songwriter and guitarist
1956 -- David Grant, singer
1957 -- Dennis Drew, keyboard player
1961 -- The Edge, singer, songwriter and guitarist
1961 –- Rikki Rockett, American glam rock drummer
1973 -- Scott Stapp, singer, songwriter and producer

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Some people who died on this day:

Juan Tripp was a friend. Good name for an airline man, huh? Juan Tripp after another?

~~ Fay Wray

1879 -- Immanuel Hermann Fichte, philosopher and academic
1940 -- Johnny Dodds, clarinet player and saxophonist
1965 -- Shirley Jackson, author
1975 -- Cannonball Adderley, saxophonist
1988 –- Félix Leclerc, singer, songwriter, and guitarist
2004 -- Fay Wray, actress
2017 –- Glen Campbell, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor

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Some Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such:

Feast of the Four Crowned Martyrs (of which there were 9)
Happiness Happens Day
International Cat Day
Global Sleep Under the Stars Day

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Today's Tunes

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Benny Carter

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Jimmy Witherspoon

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Mel Tillis

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Joe Tex

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Phil Balsley

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John Renbourn

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Anton Fig

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Chris Foreman

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David Grant

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Dennis Drew

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The Edge

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Scott Stapp

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Johnny Dodds

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Cannonball Adderley

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Glen Campbell

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Happiness Happens!!

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Ok, it's an open thread, so it's up to you folks now. So what's on your mind?

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Comments

Lookout's picture

I'm more satisfied with contentment than happiness. Happiness seems more transient. We do laugh a lot at ourselves and each other among other things.

Still a little humid and hot to sleep under the stars here, but I like the idea. October starts our cooler weather and better time to camp.

To cats, everyday is cat day. Here's a kinda fun 1930's Felix the cat cartoon

Felix goes drinking while the the angry wife waits for him. Old 1930's cartoon by Pat Sullivan.

Thanks for the music and OT!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

enhydra lutris's picture

@Lookout the cartoon. One gets the feeling that the creator has been there himself.

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

usefewersyllables's picture

that the house band for the short-lived NBC variety show "Hullabaloo" had Glen Campbell on guitar and Leon Russell on keys, in addition the the usual Wrecking-Crew suspects... Fun fact also- it was cancelled to give its time slot to The Monkees. Ah, well. 60s TV at its best.

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Twice bitten, permanently shy.

enhydra lutris's picture

@usefewersyllables

sounds like a great house band and maybe a great loss, though I never saw the show, or the monkees for that matter.

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Feliz cumpleaños!

The enemies of the country and of freedom of the people have always (been) denounced as bandits, those who sacrifice themselves for the noble causes of the people.
Emiliano Zapata

thanks for the OT EL
good day

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enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS

Quite the historical character and quite perceptive as well.

be well and have a good one.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

dystopian's picture

Hi all, Hey EL! Hope all are well!

When I was doing my research on the best hole-in-the-wall taco houses in L.A., which lasted several decades, the most commonly seen pinup poster on the walls was one with the photo of Emiliano Zapata, and the quote "it is better to die on my feet than to live on my knees". Which is one of the best I ever heard, and one I have tried to live by.

It is odd there are constellations in both major and minor for Canis and Ursa, yet no Felis. I always thought it very clever to have named the cartoon character named Felix. In my youth we did that with all the rescues, recoveries, and rehabs we took in. The gull was Larry (Larus), and so on.

I have a pic off the net of that swept wing all jet version Convair made of the B-36, the YB-60. They lost out to the B-52 though.

Have good ones all!

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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

enhydra lutris's picture

@dystopian

like a fantastic mission. I've seen a few of those posters myself, though my favorite local place switched to fiesta themed pics a while back. They also went through a Cantinflas phase a while back.

Can't imagine a swept wing B-36, would've looked laughably unstable regardless of any reality - of course it somewhat did in stock form, ignoring the odd propulsion mix ( 6 turnin' and 4 burnin') and all pushers on the props, it always looked to me like one of those flying toys one made out of a pair of crossed tongue depressors or popsicle sticks.

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

dystopian's picture

@enhydra lutris @enhydra lutris GREAT description of the B-36! They were an odd one... I dug it up, here is the swept wing version that lost to the B-52, probably no wonder as you suggest.

YB-60Convair_1.jpg

I do miss exploring the variations in different Mexican states' cuisine at the LA Hole-in-walls... At least here in my one-donkey town there is Rosie with an amazing roadside taco trailer.

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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

enhydra lutris's picture

@dystopian

the props?

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

enhydra lutris's picture

be well and have a good (happy) one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@enhydra lutris

of saint Robin de Williams in this clip

could run an off-beat happiness song

warm gunz?

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enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

CB's picture

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enhydra lutris's picture

@CB

Also gives a new meaning to "playing hatchet", heh.

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

enhydra lutris's picture

be largely absent in the morning

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

there but the message itself is quite accurate.

Edited to add the details:

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CB's picture

@humphrey

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enhydra lutris's picture

@humphrey

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

CB's picture

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earthling1's picture

for the Glen Campbell video and a great guitar riff. Hadn't seen that before.
In honor of International Cat Day, I bought another pair of shoelaces for my guy to lay on. He love to lay on shoelaces. I can move them around the room/house and he will move to wherever they are.
Thanks for the OT.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

enhydra lutris's picture

@earthling1

sort of attitude. GC was one helluva guitarist, with the wrecking crew for years before he went and got his own show.

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

I love the music, even the goofy happy stuff.
I have come to the conclusion that in my life, my profession, which is all consuming, is that if I am remotely content, I am happy. With some major fun off-work with Hunk Husband, I am extremely happy!

My legal assistant tested positive for COVID, using a home test that stated the high likelihood of false positive on the box. I do not know when she can or should return to work. Hunk husband is filling in. I hope that doesn't cut into his stamina to cook dinner. Now, that would be bad, make me unhappy.
Take care, pal!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

enhydra lutris's picture

that if I am remotely content, I am happy

The most subversive thing one can say in this country is "I am content". You must crave an ever flowing stream of stuff, or else you might be free. Wink

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --