|
Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2011 17:06:44 GMT
The name change is highly appropriate.
|
|
|
Post by fumobici on Jun 9, 2011 18:19:22 GMT
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jun 9, 2011 19:07:53 GMT
I have no memory of that incident at all, so thanks for posting it. I do clearly remember how the whole US cheered for little Israel, the feisty underdog in the 6-day war -- ironic, considering the actual circumstances.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jun 13, 2011 14:25:22 GMT
Sailing to Byzantium
That is no country for old men. The young In one anothers arms, birds in the trees -- Those dying generations -- at their song, The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas, Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long Whatever is begotten, born, and dies. Caught in that sensual music all neglect Monuments of unaging intellect.
An aged man is but a paltry thing, A tattered coat upon a stick, unless Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing For every tatter in its mortal dress, Nor is there singing school but studying Monuments of its own magnificence; And therefore I have sailed the seas and come To the holy city of Byzantium.
O sages standing in God's holy fire As in the gold mosaic of a wall, Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre, And be the singing-masters of my soul. Consume my heart away; sick with desire And fastened to a dying animal It knows not what it is; and gather me Into the artifice of eternity.
Once out of nature I shall never take My bodily form from any natural thing, But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make Of hammered gold and gold enameling To keep a drowsy Emperor awake; Or set upon a golden bough to sing To lords and ladies of Byzantium Of what is past, or passing, or to come.
William Butler Yeats June 13, 1865 -- January 28,1939[/i][/font][/size]
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2011 13:57:24 GMT
One year ago, Belgium held its legislative elections. As of today, the new government has still not been formed.
|
|
|
Post by Kimby on Jun 14, 2011 15:28:04 GMT
Today is Flag Day in USA.
In 1777, the Stars and Stripes were officially recognized as the American Flag.
In 1954, the words "under god" were added to the American Pledge of Allegiance, though many people believe they were always there. Sort of doubling down on what we are to pledge to.
Does anyone else find the idea of a pledge of allegiance creepy?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2011 17:09:32 GMT
I hated it even as a child, just stopping at the line "I pledge allegiance to the flag..." The fact that it goes on "and to the republic for which it stands" was too abstract for me. In later years, I realized that I was right all along. Flags are just a national advertising gimmick, and republics are changing all the time -- some years they seem fine and other years they are kind of crummy. I would prefer to pledge allegiance to a list of specific values.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jun 14, 2011 20:01:50 GMT
I don't mind pledging my allegiance to fabric, as long as its something like a nice 100% long staple cotton with no caustic dyes. I have allegiance to linen and silk, as well, plus an odd affection for Rayon.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Jun 15, 2011 7:41:41 GMT
Aaah Bixa! You would be like a kid in a candy store if you came to my fabric shop - we have most of what you would plead allegiance to!
|
|
|
Post by auntieannie on Jun 15, 2011 15:32:29 GMT
Today is International Wind Day. ;D
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jun 15, 2011 17:01:41 GMT
I fully intend to see that shop one of these days, Tod!
Just what every flag needs, Annie!
|
|
|
Post by Kimby on Jun 15, 2011 17:09:55 GMT
And how do we celebrate "wind day" Annie? By breaking wind together?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2011 7:17:06 GMT
On 16 June 1881, school became obligatory, free and secular for all children between the ages of 6 and 13 in France.
|
|
|
Post by foreverman on Jun 19, 2011 2:49:38 GMT
Pier Angeli (19 June 1932 – 10 September 1971) was an Italian-born television and film actress. Her American cinematographic debut was in the starring role of the 1951 film Teresa, in which she won a Golden Globe Award. Twenty years later, she had been chosen to play a part in The Godfather, but died before filming began.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jun 24, 2011 14:59:31 GMT
On June 24 in ... 1314 The forces of Scotland's King Robert I defeated the English in the Battle of Bannockburn. 1497 The first recorded sighting of North America by a European took place as explorer John Cabot, on a voyage for England, spotted land, probably in present-day Canada. 1509 Henry VIII was crowned king of England. 1793 The first republican constitution in France was adopted. 1997 the US Air Force released a report on the so-called "Roswell Incident", suggesting the alien bodies witnesses reported seeing in 1947 were actually life-sized dummies.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2011 23:46:24 GMT
Today is the 40th anniversary of Jim Morrison being dead in a bathtub. Wow, that makes me feel kind of old, since I was a tourist in Paris that day. The two remaining Doors are in Paris today and will perform. They are probably not spring chickens either. Hey, Jim's birthday is the same as my brother.
|
|
|
Post by hwinpp on Jul 4, 2011 7:31:32 GMT
Happy Independence Day, America! There's a huge party going on at one of the Texan restaurant bars in town and I'm sitting in front of the computer at work...
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2011 10:55:28 GMT
Thanks HW!! My day will consist of trying to play catch up in my jungle out back, AKA, my garden. At 3pm I am gong to a BBQ in the neighborhood. If I can stay awake, we may go downtown for the fireworks display on the Mississippi which is always fantastic.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2011 14:48:43 GMT
The fireworks for the Fête Nationale will be shown live tonight on this link: 14juillet.paris.fr/(There is a countdown clock.)
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jul 14, 2011 15:28:22 GMT
Oh drat ~~ I meant to wish everyone in France a happy holiday last night, so you'd see it morning your time.
Enjoy! Have fun!
Thanks for the great link.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jul 17, 2011 13:18:45 GMT
James Cagney, July 17, 1899 -- March 30, 1986
|
|
|
Post by imec on Jul 21, 2011 14:12:51 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2011 14:31:31 GMT
Today is also the National Day of Belgium, the country without a government
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2011 13:18:22 GMT
Still in Belgium, today is the 55th anniversary of the Marcinelle-Charleroi mining disaster, which killed 262 miners, 136 of whom were Italian. The presidents of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and the Italian Senate are among the personalities attending today's ceremony.
Marcielle also has the dubious privilege of being the home of serial killer and child molestor Marc Dutroux. He buried his victims alive in underground dungeons, where some of them starved to death.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Aug 12, 2011 19:23:56 GMT
Getting the jump on tomorrow, August 13 ~~From Reuter's:Cuba's fading Fidel Castro turns 85 on SaturdayFri Aug 12, 2011 11:00am GMT By Jeff Franks HAVANA, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Revolutionary legend Fidel Castro turns 85 on Saturday, still an important figure in his communist-ruled Cuba, but increasingly a fading presence in the life of the country he ran for 49 years. He gave up his last leadership post this year when he stepped down as head of the ruling Communist Party and has retreated further and further from public view. His gradual slipping away appears to be a product of choice borne of necessity, but also of a transition plan to wean Cuba from its once near-total dependence on the charismatic Comandante's leadership. He is rarely seen or heard from and has stood largely on the sidelines as his younger brother and replacement, President Raul Castro, struggles to reform Cuba's Soviet-style economy. "His role has diminished significantly. He has stepped away more so than at any point in the last five years," said Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, a Cuba expert at the University of Nebraska in Omaha. "It may be a case of Raul Castro solidifying his governing style and Fidel willingly receding," he told Reuters. Cuba was to celebrate the birthday on Saturday with a nationally televised "serenade" by a lineup of musicians. Organizers said this week they did not know if Fidel Castro would attend personally. He came to power on New Year's Day 1959 when his guerrilla forces swept down from the eastern Sierra Maestra mountains to topple U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. As Cuba's president, he outlasted nine U.S. presidents and five decades of U.S. hostility, but in July 2006 he underwent emergency intestinal surgery and suffered complications from which he never fully recovered . He handed power provisionally to Raul Castro, then did so officially when he resigned in February 2008 and his younger sibling was elected president by the National Assembly. The fading of Fidel's political presence has mirrored a physical decline that was most notable at a Communist Party congress in April when he made just one appearance and had to be helped to his chair on the stage. The man once famous for his hours-long speeches sat wordlessly as his brother did all the talking in a silent passing of the torch. TENDING TO SICK CHAVEZ A year ago, when he reappeared in public after four years of semi-seclusion, he was vigorous enough to launch a campaign warning the world that U.S. moves against Iran's nuclear capability could lead to a nuclear holocaust. Now, like many elderly, he is tending to the health of a sick friend, in this case close leftist ally Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who is being treated in Cuba for an undisclosed type of cancer. Fidel Castro has not been seen since the party congress except in videos chatting with Chavez, in which his physical frailty was clear, but he still seemed mentally alert. Chavez' illness inspired the only opinion column, or "reflection," by Fidel Castro this summer. Until three months ago, the old revolutionary had written regular opinion pieces on world affairs assiduously published by Cuban state media. In his July 3 piece on Chavez, in which he predicted the Venezuelan leader's full recovery, he said he had "momentarily" been writing less because he was "attending to other matters that are now top priority." He gave no more explanation. After his five years out of power, life without Fidel Castro is not as unimaginable for Cubans as it once was. He is loved by some and hated by others, but increasingly Raul Castro, 80, has supplanted him as the man considered critical to the future of the Revolution. His importance is magnified by the lack of younger potential leaders under him. "People used to worry about what would happen if Fidel died, but now it's Raul. Raul replaced Fidel, but who will replace Raul?" said mechanic Rafa Marrero. Nevertheless, Benjamin-Alvarado said Fidel Castro's death will be a "historical moment" for Cuba and perhaps the catalyst for more change. Whether they like Fidel Castro or not, Cubans "are ready to move on. So that will be the point where there will be pressure on Raul to extend the changes he has initiated," he said. (Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Anthony Boadle)
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2011 11:03:00 GMT
50th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall -- 13 August 1961. How were they able to make us believe in school that this would be an eternal fixture of world geography?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2011 11:16:32 GMT
It only lasted 28 years. That's nothing in history.
Long 28 years for a lot of people, tho.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Aug 13, 2011 15:17:58 GMT
I don't know that school made us believe that the Wall would last forever. It was more because of the way we viewed the USSR, which existed before we were born & which seemed as though it would last forever. Anyporter's views of Berlin: then, then, and now
|
|
|
Post by rikita on Aug 14, 2011 14:40:35 GMT
ah yeah, that...
|
|
|
Post by hwinpp on Aug 15, 2011 6:58:46 GMT
50th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall -- 13 August 1961. How were they able to make us believe in school that this would be an eternal fixture of world geography? I never did ;D
|
|