Welcome
- October 17, 2020
- Marie Antoinette guillotined 227 years ago
-
Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna Habsburg-Lorraine aka Marie Antoinette of Austria, spouse of Louis XVI of France lost her head on this day 227 years ago during the French Revolution. She was the last queen of France prior to the French Revolution.
The French Revolution commenced in May of 1789 when the Ancien Régime was abolished in favor of a constitutional monarchy.
Its replacement in September 1792 by the First French Republic led to the Execution of Louis XVI in January 1793, and an extended period of political upheaval.
Marie Antoinette, youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I became queen of france when her husgand, Louis-Auguste, heir apparent to the French throne ascended the throne as Louis XVI on May 10, 1774.
She was linked to various controversial events during her reign resulting in her conviction for high treason by the Revolutionary Tribunal, imprisonment, abolishment of the French monarchy, and execution of Louis XVI by guillotine on the Place de la Révolution.
Thus ended the French monarchy and began the Republic of France.
- Comments (0)
- October 16, 2020
- Pope John Paul II Day 2020
-
When I was in Rome for the first time on August 6, 1978 the stands contained newspapers with broad bold headlines stating that the pope had died.
Karol Wojtyła, Pope John Paul II
This was a reference to Pope Paul VI whose health had been in the news at that time and I tried to take it all in stride. Rome was a busy place and the cabbies were friendly and helpful as they squired us around the city and we attempted to pursue those tourist things for which we had traveled from Civitavecchia by train earlier in the day.
When I was in Rome for the second time on September 28, 1978 the stands yet again contained newspapers with those same headlines stating that the pope had died.
I found this somewhat confusing as Pope John Paul I who was elected to succeed Pope Paul VI was a relatively young man and I remained in a state of confusion regarding the matter until I had sorted things out for myself afterwards.
Over the years controversy was uncovered regarding the death of John Paul I with the resulting widely accepted notion that he was murdered by a cardinal as he prepared for bed due to an impending scandal regarding Vatican banking to be released the next day. Of course, the scandal was averted and the perpetrator was never apprehended.
The notion of a senior member of the church being murdered by another senior member of the church pretty much did me in as a proponent of the catholic church and with the subsequent ineptitude of the so-called "two popes" and some of the totally unbiblical statements and mandates from those subsquent inept pope substitutes it's all over between the catholic church and me personally.
Karol Wojtyła of Poland was elected pope after the passing of John Paul I and remained in office until his death April 2, 2005. He chose the papal name John Paul II in deference to his predecessor.
What a uncanonical mess catholicism is devolved into since the passsing of John Paul II.
In Poland today is Pope John Paul II Day, which is a celebration of Karol Wojtyła held each Ocober 16.
There are a number of significant aspects to the date but suffice it to say that with the death of John Paul II so went my respect for the catholic church. Karol Wojtyła was the last true Vicar of Christ as far as I am concerned.
Both popes Benedict XVI and Francis have proven both unworthy and irrelevant. Francis in particular lacks biblical knowledge and wisdom as evidenced by some his rantings. Luckily judgement begins in the pulpit.
- Comments (0)
- October 15, 2020
- Global Handwashing Day 2020
-
In this era of COVID-19 and those contrived pandemics by the governments who lack the wherewithall of preventics we observe another Global Handwashing Day. Yes, October 15 is Global Handwashing Day, that international advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.
Being the hygiene freak that I am personally it is a pleasure to attest to those benefits afforded me by keeping cleanliness in the forefront of my life because I believe that preemtive strikes against viruses and bacteria to be an effective weapon against illnesses of all kinds. So in that spirit I declare my battle cry for today to be
Hand hygiene for all !
- Comments (0)
- October 14, 2020
- International Standards Day 2020
-
Standards are an important from a standpoint of relativity. Ideas and things used for measurements, setting norms, and/or models in those never ending comparative evaluations require a standard point of reference from which these actions may be performed.
There are various institutions which concern themselves with the maintenance of standards. Each October 14 the major institutions concerned with the maintenance of standards honor their own.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
This day is about paying tribute to the collaborative efforts of the thousands of experts worldwide who develop the voluntary technical agreements that are published as International Standards.
The purpose International Standards Day aka World Standards Day is to raise awareness among consumers, industries, and regulating agencies regarding the importance of standardization as it relates to the international economy.
It prevents scientific and precise measurement from becoming a mishmash of unsubstantiated comparisons devoid of technical analysis and basis.
- Comments (0)
- October 13, 2020
- Memories of Nancy Kerrigan
-
I recall that tragic interlude involving Nancy Kerrigan and the Olympic figure skating championships and that hobbling she received at the hands of a man whose services were procured by the creepy thugish ex husband of her competitor, one Tonya Harding.
On January 6, 1994 Miss Kerrigan was competing at the US Figure Skating Championships in Detroit when she was assaulted in the Cobo Arena immediately following a practice session.
The weapon was a police baton. The assailant was one Shane Stant who was operating at the behest of rival Tonya Harding's ex husband Jeff Gillooly.
The aim was prevent Kerrigan from competing in both the National Championships and the Lillehammer 1994 Olympics.
Although the injury she received forced her to withdraw from the US Championships her team mates agreed that she merited one of the two spots on the Olympic team none the less.
And such is the sordid story of competition gone crazy and violent.
On a much happier note, she is 51 years young today !
Happy birthday to you !
- Comments (0)
- October 12, 2020
- International Day Against DRM 2020
-
I don't enable drm on browsers. I don't view it as necessary.
I detest lobbyists and decline to allow them to rule my existence, digital or otherwise.
I populate my blog with various images, the bulk of which are original artworks by my own hand.
I don't try to enforce any digital rights management on those, either.
I simply don't view it as necessary.
That stupidity which consists of big companies like Sony and their loser attempt at streaming television called PlayStation Vue.
I don't watch their crackle streaming either for the same reason.
They are poor sports and can't play nice with the world.
Someone could nuke Sony and the world would be all the better for it.
Today we have International Day Against DRM.
It's a grassroots movement against digital rights management technology as anti consumer in all aspects.
Take your digital rights and shove them where the sun don't shine.
Let the lobbyist-dominated World Intellectual Property Day of the World Intellectual Property Organization, which promotes DRM be damned.
Just stay away from me you whiny snot nosed infants yelling like some ill mannered child in some restaurant being ignored by their inattentive irresponsible inept parents.
- Comments (0)
- October 11, 2020
- National Coming Out Day 2020
-
Now I really could care less as to how you live your personal life. I have gay friends. I have straight friends. I no longer have trans friends ... and I must have intentionally ran off all my feminist friends because their blue and pink haired asses have been gone the longest. Be all as this may.
So today we have National Coming Out Day, a annual awareness day each October 11 in the name of fags everywhere to support carpet munching females, fudge packing males, and idiots who think they were born the wrong sex.
Even the subculture perverts who identify as a part of the lesbo faggot swing both ways transfat miscreants not otherwise classified call this their day too.
So that political notion of your rights only go as far as my feelings allow lives on in the sicko sodomite traditions of these big bad pervs permeating free society.
Where are the death squads when you need them ?
Homophobic, huh?
The suffix "phobic" is indicative of fear. An individual who will draw down on you and deprive you of your civil right to breathe and metabolize simply doesn't qualify as as fear — more so some one to be feared.
While I come off as "Come on out fag, got just what you need" the reality is I'm going to live and let live and that means leave you to your own devices regardless of how deviant I may believe them to be.
Though I would recommend sending the entire LGBTQ community to some muslim country and see how far they get I will allow that perceived severity to continue rather than assume that far less severe posture you might think I have right now.
Anyway, I'll be me and you be you okay poof ?
- Comments (0)
- October 10, 2020
- The late John Prine's Birthday
-
John Prine
October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020I was late to appreciate John Prine. Something about my rejection of all things country music in that rebellion which was mine left me slowly over the years.
By the time he passed last April I had missed those many opportunities to see him in person and simply sit and take in the Americana which was him and his art.
John Prine was an American singer and song writer who worked in the genre of country music. He was very active during his time working as a composer, in the recording studio, and as a live performer.
He had the occasional gig as an actor from the early 1970s until his death.
His was an original sound which was totally his own and a vehicle for that humor, social commentary, and elements of protest that went along with those times of which he was a part.
The moral of the story is to reach out to those you think to be important for life is fleeting and there comes a time when each and every one of us will be unavailable to others.
- Comments (0)
- October 9, 2020
- Leif Erikson Day 2020
-
Leif Erikson aka Leifr Eiríksson aka Leifur Eiríksson aka Leiv Eiriksson was a pioneering explorer of Norse extraction from Iceland. He was of the first group of norsemen to explore the world at large called vikings.
Leif Erikson c 970 – c 1020
Erikson has been described as wise, considerate, and strong with a striking appearance. He embarked on many travels during his life and is a hero of song and story in Norwegian culture and history.
He was the son of Erik the Red who founded the first norse settlement in Greenland. He had two sons that history records, Thorgils, born to the noblewoman Thorgunna in the Hebrides and Thorkell, who succeeded him as chieftain of the Greenland settlement.
He is believed to be the first known European to set foot on continental North America some 500 years prior to Christopher Columbus.
By this reckoning he would be the discoverer of North America, which he called 'Vinland'. I was particularly taken with his accounts of sasquatch in those chronicles of his 986 AD travels with the vikings.
Leif Erikson Day is a yearly observance which recurs each October 9 in his honor.
In the United States the federal government observes the holiday with some US states officially commemorating it. It is celebrated in many communities, particularly in the Upper Midwest and other places where large numbers of people from the Nordic countries settled in The Republic.
- Comments (0)
- October 8, 2020
- Chef Paul Prudhomme
-
I've always been a fan of cajun cusine. I attribute this to my dear uncle Bill Gore from Hattiesburg Mississippi who would stir up a pot of gumbo served up in the finest homestyle tradition and the shrimp and gumbo filé were prominent and the aroma postively divine.
Paul Prudhomme
July 13, 1940 – October 8, 2015
One time I was sent on a mission to the local gourmet shop in Dutch Square for gumbo filé which is aka Filé powder, a spicy herb made from the dried and ground leaves of the North American sassafras tree.
Yes, I followed the careers of the likes of Justin Wilson, Emeril Lagasse and even Rachel Ray for a time in the pursuit of an understanding of the cajun and Louisiana Creole food culture as a matter of personal interest cultivated through my interaction with my uncle.
Paul Prudhomme aka Gene Autry Prudhomme,was an American celebrity chef whose specialties were Creole and Cajun cuisines.
He ran a Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans as well as several other restaurants. He was an inventor of culinary products including seasonings and hot sauce and was a prolific food author.
He was beloved of his friend the late Dom DeLuise who claimed himself a look-alike.
He had a lengthy weight problem throughout his life and passed at age 75 in New Orleans on October 8, 2015 following a brief illness.
He was a true chef extraordinare and his work was gastronomic perfection.
- Comments (0)
- October 7, 2020
- Streaming Television Woes
-
Streaming television has been problematic for me personally lately. Nobody wants to have a commercial free tier then keep it. They obviously think the fundage gleaned from milking every commerical providing avenue is more efficacious to their business model than a satisfied customer.
If this is the case I think that streaming will ultimately go the contemptuous way of cable and become this hated but utilized format.
The commercial free venues are simply too feature and content poor to be a viable entity in the market. Hulu ran out of new stuff in a month. Epix and Starz were dismal from the beginning and after one single movie I was done with one of them. I kept them a while longer so that they could make a little money because I really didn't begrudge them the revenue.
I'm not against profits. I'm against the never ending repetitive stream of commercialization that these idiots feel compelled to place before me.
Boo.
- Comments (0)
- October 6, 2020
- Eddie Van Halen RIP
-
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen
January 26, 1955 - October 6, 2020 - Comments (0)
- October 6, 2020
- Ralphie May has been gone for 3 years now
-
I remember where I was on October 6, 2017 ... sitting in at my computer hammering out another blog entry when I heard of the passing of Ralphie May.
Ralph Duren May
February 17, 1972 – October 6, 2017
Ralph Duren May was an American stand-up comedian and actor who toured extensively and had a lot of comedy specials on the streaming services ... because not all venues were prepared to present his material.
Yeah, he was over the top, risque, profane, and real with a witty twist on everything and his material was an acquired taste for me.
I began watching and flipped the channels several times during the show then left it there and laughed my butt off for the bulk of his gig.
He could turn a phrase and satirize daily life and for a fat man his material was about as sex laden as it gets. He pushed the envelope on politics, obesity, race, religion, family, and anything else the least bit taboo or revered.
He had a hot pretty young life and two kids and that too was beyond my comprehension. It only goes to show you that body image is what you make it. Love crosses all boundaries.
On October 6, 2017 at 45 years of age Ralphie went into cardiac arrest after a scheduled meet and greet at Harrah's in Las Vegas. It seems he had been fighting pneumonia for several weeks and had canceled shows over the previous month.
His fans came first. Before his health. Before his very life. This was a man who was all about performance art and those who appreciate it.
Rest in peace.
- Comments (0)
- October 5, 2020
- International Day of No Prostitution 2020
-
Practitioners of World's Oldest Profession, Hookers, Hoes, Ladies of the Evening, though there are many references to prostitutes the connotations remain the same and are typically regional or cultural.
They are considered to have compromised morals and be of poor character when many times that is simply not the case.
There are many times when the only people who would comfort me are those ladies out selling the only thing they own.
There are also others like me in circumstances which make us available customers. So I pretty much decline to judge or be judged regarding my participation in the sex industry.
We sometimes do what we must to accommodate our lives in trying times.
Today we have International Day of No Prostitution (IDNP). This day is set aside for the awareness and opposition of sex work.
It was first observed in 2002 and has evolved into an annual event each October 5 with events in the San Francisco Bay Area of California as well as Melbourne, Australia.
An event in 2005 held at the University of the Philippines Institute of Human Rights and the Asia-Pacific chapter of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) organized an event at which they discussed the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.
In 2008 a candlelight vigil in Phoenix, Arizona with a second in 2010 at the same place with representation by city leaders and former sex workers participating.
There have been other events most notably in The Phillipines and Canada whereby those participating openly chastised invitees who did not attend.
- Comments (0)