06/10 Open Thread: Ballpoint Pen Day, Portugal Day & La Rioja Day
~~ Ballpoint Pen
Bridget Bishop was hanged as a witch on this day in 1892, which was good and proper. Many testified that she was a witch, and the esteemed preacher and scientist Cotton Mather, FRS, (Fellow of the Royal Society) declared that she clearly was such. What more evidence could one ask, are not multiple like assertions proof, especially when seconded by an esteemed scientist?
Also on this day, but in 1916, Hussein bin Ali declared the "Arab Revolt". This action against Turkey and in support of British forces bedeviled the Turks and greatly assisted Britain in WW I, but is little known, except as a footnote, background, or sideshow to the antics of one Airman T.E.Shaw, aka "Lawrence of Arabia".
The "Arabs" in question were rewarded by being deprived of self rule and forced into the pseudo-"Mandate" known as the British Mandate of Palestine and Transjordan. The non-Transjordanian portion of this pseudo-Mandate was not in fact administered for the benefit of the subject population until such time as they were ready for self rule as a real Mandate was supposed to be. From the start it was instead ruled as a quasi-colony in something of a holding pattern until such time as Britain could contrive to bring the Balfour Declaration to fruition.
Pursuant to said declaration, a small fraction of the populace was granted rule and suzerainty over about half of the country and populace as a free and independent state. The rest was denied statehood in seeming perpetuity, with no control over its borders, coasts, airspace, entry and exit, immigration, trade, or much of anything else and subject to an onerous embargo. This was done regardless of representations made in 1915 - 1916 to Hussein bin Ali who was seemingly unaware of the phrase "Perfidious Albion" (and most of English History).
The Dia de La Rioja celebrates the arts and artists, music, culture, traditional food and local wines of the autonomous community of La Rioja, Spain. One of those local wines, made from tempranillo grapes, just happens to be the national wine of Spain, Rioja. Tempranillo is grown many places, many even in California, but only that produced and turned into wine in La Rioja can carry the name Rioja.
On this day in history:
1692 – Bridget Bishop was hanged for being a witch. Cotton Mather, FRS, heartily (and scientifically) approved.
1793 – The Jardin des Plantes opened in Paris to become the worlds first public zoo a year later.
1838 – Thirty unarmed Aboriginal Australians were murdered by settlers at Myall Creek
1871 - The US invaded Korea using US Marines to attack forts on the Han River
1886 – Mount Tarawera in New Zealand erupted killing 153 people
1898 – U.S. Marines landed on Cuba as part of the US war on Spain
1916 – The Arab Revolt was declared by Hussein bin Ali. The Arabs were rewarded by being placed under the British Mandate.
1947 – Saab produced its first automobile.
1963 – JFK signed The Equal Pay Act of 1963 which contained more loophole than law and therefore failed to meet its goal.
1964 – The 75-day Senate filibuster against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended, permitting its passage.
1980 – The African National Congress published Nelson Mandela's call to fight.
1987 – The June Democratic Struggle started in South Korea.
Some people who were born on this day:
I would bet there is no place in the United States where the First Amendment would survive intact.
~~ Nat Hentoff
0940 – Abu al-Wafa' Buzjani, mathematician and astronomer
1213 – Fakhr-al-Din Iraqi, poet and philosopher
1804 – Hermann Schlegel, ornithologist, icthyologist, and herpetologist
1819 – Gustave Courbet, painter and sculptor
1851 – Cora Agnes Benneson, attorney, lecturer, author
1854 – Sarah Grand, feminist writer and activist
1880 – André Derain, founding fauvist painter and sculptor
1891 – Al Dubin, songwriter
1907 – Dicky Wells, trombonist
1910 – Howlin' Wolf, singer, songwriter, guitarist and harmonica player
1911 – Ralph Kirkpatrick, harpsichord player and musicologist
1915 – Saul Bellow, author
1918 – Patachou, singer and actress
1922 – Judy Garland, singer and actress
1925 – Nat Hentoff, historian, journalist and author
1928 – Maurice Sendak, author and illustrator
1929 – E. O. Wilson, biologist and author
1931 – João Gilberto, singer, songwriter and author
1940 – John Stevens, drummer
1941 – Mickey Jones, drummer
1941 – Shirley Owens, singer
1944 – Rick Price, rock bass player
1961 – Kim Deal, singer, songwriter, and musician; Pixie, Breeder
1962 – Wong Ka Kui, singer, songwriter, and guitarist
1965 – Joey Santiago, alternative rock musician, Pixie
1971 – JoJo Hailey, singer
Some people who died on this day:
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!
~~ Marcus Garvey
323 BCE – Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia
1692 – Bridget Bishop, witch
1791 – Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte, admiral **
1836 – André-Marie Ampère, physicist and mathematician
1909 – Edward Everett Hale, author
1926 – Antoni Gaudí, architect
1940 – Marcus Garvey, journalist and activist
1946 – Jack Johnson, boxer, first black world heavyweight boxing champion
1992 – Hachidai Nakamura, pianist and composer
2002 – John Gotti, businessman
2004 – Ray Charles, singer, songwriter, pianist, and actor
** On 14 February 1778, in command of the Robuste, he fired a nine-gun salute for USS Ranger, marking the first time a foreign warship recognised the US flag.
Some Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such:
Ballpoint Pen Day
Portugal Day
La Rioja Day
World Art Nouveau Day
Today's Tunes
Ballpoint Pen Day
Portugal Day
Rioja Day
Al Dubin
Dickey Wells
Howlin Wolf
another
Patachou
Judy Garland
João Gilberto
Shirley Owens
Kim Deal & Joey Santiago
Wong Ka Kui
Bridget Bishop
Hachidai Nakamura
Ray Charles
uno mas
Not done yet, of course, it's the Wolf's birthday. gotta play some Cream
Too many classics, great googly moogly
I WON'T BE HERE WHEN THIS POSTS
Ok, it's an open thread, so it's up to you folks now. So what's on your mind?
Cross posted from http://caucus99percent.com
Open Thread, Ballpoint Pens, Portugal, Rioja, Bridget Bishop, Myall Creek, Arab Revolt, Joao Gilberto, Ray Charles, Howlin Wolf
Comments
Bom dia
.
or as they say in Portugal
Manhã feliz (happy morning)
Lagos is my favorite town.
Thanks for the Howlin' Wolf!
question everything
Guten morgen, QMS. Hablo nada de portuguese,
I'm sorry to say. Was there briefly once upon a time and indulged in both their porto and their regular reds, including their tempranillo.
Glad you liked da wolf, quite a classic.
be well and have a good one
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 --
As a lefty...
I hated fountain pens which smeared as my hand moved behind the pen. Ball points were a God send (esp. when they became erasable). I still prefer pencil esp. with good eraser. The Ticonderoga are my favorites.
Thanks for all the music and the OT! Hope everyone has a good week.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Good morning lookouit. Just the opposite - I didn't discover
fountain pens until high school and have preferred them ever since, for many reasons. Do keep a Jotter around for use on shitty paper and carbons (remember them?) as well as some gel pens and even a few fine point felt tips.
be well and have a good one
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 --
Aloha todos. It appears that I erred and am, in fact,
here. OTOH, I have a bunch of stuff to do before running out for my infusion, and dinner to make when I return from it, so I shall be popping in and out
be well and have a good one
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 --
Someone posted this yesterday
,,,on twitter concerning the democracy movement in South Korea. I arrived there not too long after this happened, demos and street fighting in Hannam dong was still going on between police and student demonstrators. It went on for some time intermittently because I remember some time later my son and his friend would run to the wall along the street to catch a glimpse of what was happening when I wasn't around. You could hear the loudspeakers, the commotion and smell the tear gas. Here's the iconic picture of the student demonstrator hit directly in the head by a tear gas grenade fired by police.
Google translate-
Martyr Lee Han-yeol
Today in 1987, the day I was hit in grenade.
The martyr who was on the brink of death
He died on July 5th of that year.
with that sacrifice
Stolen by dictator Park Chung-hee in 1972
The right of the people to directly elect the president
It was returned to the people again.
It was obtained by sacrificing one's life as a college student.
It was a right that made me cry!
I saw one comment on South Korean social media in response to this comment that said something like, yes, remember the democracy movement and its sacrifices; a shame what it developed into is what we have now a dictatorship of prosecutors.
Tensions are very high now along the DMZ and West Sea maritime region. Trash balloons from the north, loudspeakers resumed again from the South over the weekend. I've seen reports of armored units, artillery and so forth moving within 5km of the military demarcation line and either conducting firing exercises or threatening to do so. Also an unconfirmed report that armor units are in the vicinity of the loudspeaker psy war units to protect them (on the South Korean side). It's hard to confirm what exactly is going on, because a lot reports don't confirm this. As such reports may or may reflect current military movements in a tense situation, a certain amount of mistaken reports, secretiveness, and deception is bound to occur. The Yoon administration is trying to further the perception that the whole situation was provoked by the North which isn't entirely true.
Got to go to the dentist, ugh. Thanks for the OT EL. Really like your selection of music. Can't wait to listen later when I get back.
(edit- memory check)
語必忠信 行必正直
Good morning soryang. Sorry you need to hit the dentist,
but it is no doubt good to get it done, whatever it is.
It does seem from what little I know and from your reports that S.K. is indeed ripe for another democracy movement.
be well and have a good one
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 --
Good morning, El, et al!
Not a fan of wine, but am a fan of Lisboa and Porto. Fun times were had by all my travel pals.
El, I wish you could get some home health care and do the infusions from home. Much less hassle, and you wouldn't have to be away from the all important chore of OT attendance, of course. Lol! Just thinking of me, ya know?
Well, it's Monday. Court went well, but of course, all kinds of stupid shit going on in several over cases.
I am watching the clock, can hardly wait until 5pm.
Mentioning cooking dinner tonight made me hungry.
Hope it turns out beautifully, and that you pair the meal with the perfect wine, friend.
Thanks for the OT!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good morning otc. Glad court went well.
Just as happy to get my infusions out, it gets me out of the house and is a break in the routine.
Dinner, since it needs to be quickly and easily done will be vermicelli with chopped fresh Roma Tomatoes and chopped zucchini(s), Some EVOO and parm and finito muy rapido.
be well and have a good one
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 just finished a lunch
that featured a double handful of home grown cherry tomatoes. Nothing better than a tomato, any variety, from a garden.
Hope all your nurses are not Ratchett types.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Our "go to"
recipe to pile up chopped tomato is beef/bean tacos. If it weren't for eating up the tomatoes, we'd use some other excuse.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Beef tacos get out of control here:
onion, lettuce, tomatoes, refrieds and queso until bulging.
be well and have a good one
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 --
It'll be interesting
to see what our "leadership" decides to do about the group of Russian naval vessels that are pulling into the harbor at Havana, Cuba as we speak. This is in preparation for some major fleet-level naval exercises in the Caribbean this summer.
At this moment, it sounds like there's a frigate, an oiler, and a salvage tug, as well as a nuclear-powered submarine. Don't know if it is a boomer or an attack sub- probably the latter, though. They put all their boomers to sea a couple of weeks ago, so I'm sure that there are several happily laying doggo in the deeps off both coasts. We're rattling our sabers by driving a number of our vessels around over there to "observe" and drag sonar arrays here and there. I'm sure that we also have a number of our attack subs buzzing around the neighborhood as well, just looking for things to bump into...
If the US keeps up the current rhetoric and incessant provocations, and I'm sure that we will, they'll undoubtedly put some missile sites in Cuba once again, as well. They have also begun talking about putting some missile sites in Mexico.
None of this would be happening if our "leadership" was the slightest bit sane. But they are not- so the tension (and potential for accident) increases. They will never back down or admit that they have blundered mightily over the past decade or two. It should never be forgotten that these actions on the part of the Russians are in retaliation to our provocations.
More utter madness. It seems to me that our downfall is now well underway. The only remaining question is how final and complete it will be.
It will soon be November 1962, once again. I guess the first time wasn't enough. Keep holding your loved ones close, and hugging them tightly...
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
US is shitting gold bricks
.
.
DOS is on hold with DOD trying to figure out WTF.
RUS is not in a bluffing mood. This is for real.
question everything
Good afternoon UFS. It has been completely out
of our hands and out of control for some time now. Que sera, sera. I just had an infusion to keep me running more smoothly than I used to be, and arrived home to a nice crisp sauvignon blanc. When I was a kid I was sure I would die young in a nuclear holocaust. I didn't. Now I don't concern myself about it, after all - nobody gets out of here alive. I try to follow the categorical imperative and, beyond that, rely on a healthy dose of fuckitall™.
be well and have a good one
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 --
Yeah, I feel much the same way.
In very extraordinary circumstances, we can choose how we die.
We will all die, and if extraordinary circumstances do not present themselves, what DOES present itself is some amount of freedom to experience life as you choose.
I choose beer. Oh, and music, travel, education, friendships, meaningful work, and all of it done in the spirit of love and respect.
It has worked exceedingly well thus far.
El, sounds like your infusions are everything you expected and wanted them to be. Glad you have a good medical team taking care of you.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Monday Monday
Hi all, Hey EL!
Hope it's all good out there!
Wow, Schlegel!?! No one knows about him, save a few natural history nerds (present but I can't account for why).
I'd put Howlin' Wolf and Ray Charles up with Schlegel and Wilson.
Lost my yard singing male Blue Grosbeak, just disappeared mid-nesting cycle. So either the nest or it was predated. Not very likely it was taken. Every day eating and singing in yard, now an eerie silence of the Blue Grosbeak. I hate when that happens.
Be well all!
happy trails!
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
Sorry aboout the grossbeak. We lost something yesterday.
Walked out soon after daylight to a pile of feathers on the patio steps. I'm thinking one of the accips had a late afternoon-evening snack yesterday.
be well and have a good one
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 --