Today is...

[IceWizard]

16 Apr 2017

HE IS RISEN!!




What is the Easter Story?


Crucifixion of Christ in the Museum of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, Italy

On Easter Sunday millions of us will be tucking into delicious chocolate eggs as the Christian world celebrates.But while many will be at least vaguely familiar with the story of Easter, its relation to eating mountains of oval-shaped chocolate treats is less clear.

Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion.Christians believe Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and rose again three days later. The three days are known as the Easter Triduum.

Even before the birth of Christianity, the egg was seen as a symbol of Spring, a celebration of the rebirth and reinvigoration after the harshness of winter. That's why the Mesopotamians - an ancient Christian community living in an area roughly covered today by Iraq, Syria and Kuwait - used to stain eggs red to symbolise the blood of Christ. Eggs would then be cracked against one another, leaving just empty shells - a symbol of the empty tomb Jesus left behind.

The tradition survives today in the shape of egg rolling, representing the rolling away of the rock from Jesus' tomb.

Over time, Easter eggs became more and more elaborately decorated, perhaps most famously by Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé, creator of the priceless Fabergé eggs as Easter gifts for Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II.

The introduction of chocolate eggs is a relatively new phenomenon, originating in France and Germany in the 19th century. And as chocolate production became more sophisticated, the Easter festival, like Christmas, became more marketable.

Nowadays Easter is a big deal commercially - retailers and manufacturers love to get in on the holiday and persuade us to part with our cash by buying Easter eggs, cards and anything depicting bunnies. And it could get even bigger if campaigners get their way and Easter becomes a fixed date in the calendar. Easter is currently a "movable feast" - a date determined by the lunar calendar rather than the normal Gregorian or Julian calendars, which follow the cycle of the sun.

This means the bank holiday weekend - full of celebrations - has many of us needing a last minute dash to the shops to buy all our Easter goods.

We can blame the Germans for the Easter bunny.

Originally an 'Easter hare', a buck-toothed bringer of chocolate to the kids that have behaved themselves was first mentioned in German literature in 1682. The tradition stuck, and has led to the Easter bunnies you see on the shelves today as well as the expectation for a delivery of Easter eggs on the day.




And




Save The Elephant Day



They might be wildlife icons, but, sadly, elephants are in crisis. Save The Elephant Day is a chance to show our love and support for these much-loved giants and raise awareness of the threats to their future in both Africa and Asia, ranging from ivory poachers and traffickers to loss of habitat.

Also known as World Elephant Day, the occasion was founded by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, based in Thailand, working together with Canadian film-maker Patricia Sims. The launch of this international initiative in 2012 saw the release of the documentary film ‘Return to the Forest’, narrated by Star Trek legend William Shatner.

The ideal way to mark the day is to donate to a charity helping elephants or organise an event in aid of these beautiful but threatened beasts. You could also watch a wildlife film about elephants or sign a petition to raise awareness.

---

---

---

---

April 16 Birthdays



Martin Lawrence - 52




Charlie Chaplin - (1889 - 1977) (88)




Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lou Al Cinder) - 70




Bill Belichick - 65




Wilbur Wright - (1867 - 1912) (45)




Jon Cryer - 51




Pope Benedict XVI - 89






Gerry Rafferty - (1947 - 2011) (53)






April 16th

1996: Kiss held a press conference aboard the USS Intrepid to announce the Alive/Worldwide reunion tour of the original lineup, which was their first tour together since 1979. The tour would go on to gross $143.7 million dollars.

1995: Bob Seger’s wife Juanita Dorricott gave birth to their second child, a daughter named Samantha Char.

1994: Pearl Jam made their second appearance on Saturday Night Live where they performed “Not for You”, “Rearviewmirror” & “Daughter”. During the closing credits, Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder pointed out the letter K on his shirt over his heart which was considered by many as Vedder’s tribute to Kurt Cobain.

1993: David Lee Roth was arrested at New York City’s Washington Square Park for allegedly buying a $10 bag of marijuana from an undercover police officer.

1990: Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Simple Minds and Tracy Chapman took part in a musical celebration of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison at London’s Wembley Stadium.

1976: Aerosmith kicked off their tour in support of Rocks at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis.

1974: Queen made their U.S. live debut at Regis College in Denver opening for Mott the Hoople.

1969: The Beatles recorded 13 takes of backing tracks for “Something” at EMI Studios in London.

1969: MC5 were dropped from Elektra Records after they placed an advertisement in a Detroit newspaper slamming a local record store for not carrying their album.



Birthdays:

Gerry Rafferty - Singer and guitarist for Stealers Wheel born in 1947

[IceWizard]

17 Apr 2017


World Hemophilia Day



Nicking your finger with a knife while chopping some tomatoes for a salad is just a nuisance for most of us—we utter a choice word or two, rinse the cut, apply a disinfectant and maybe a band-aid, and then proceed to go on with our lives. The same goes for, say, tripping and falling—most of us will just get up and keep on going, not giving the situation any more thought and barely noticing the bruise that may appear afterward. Unfortunately, there are people whose very lives may be put in danger because of such seemingly minor accidents: hemophiliacs. Hemophilia affects approximately 400,000 people worldwide, many of whom are not fully aware of their condition or are not getting the treatment they need. Because a relatively small percentage of the world’s population suffers from hemophilia, many people are not aware just how serious this condition is and how much more difficult and dangerous it makes the lives of those who have it. And this is where World Hemophilia Day comes in.

The History of Hemophilia Day

Hemophilia was first discovered in the 10th century, when physicians started to take a serious interest in people, especially males, who were bleeding to death after sustaining only minor injuries. At that time, it was called Abulcasis. Unfortunately, due to the limited technology of the day, it was impossible to research the condition properly. Numerous famous historical figures are thought to have had hemophilia, especially members of the European royal families, and it was often treated with aspirin which thinned the blood of the hemophiliac further, causing the symptoms to worsen. Then, in 1803, Dr. John Conrad Otto of Philadelphia began to study people he called, “bleeders” more extensively, recognizing it to be a hereditary illness that was most often passed onto males from by their healthy mothers. In 1937, hemophilia was officially divided into two types: A and B. Though no cure for hemophilia has been invented till this day, the sickness can be controlled by administering clotting factors on a regular basis in order to avoid spontaneous bleeding episodes.

World Hemophilia Day was created by the World Federation of Hemophilia in 1989, and the date it’s celebrated on, April 17th, was chosen in honor of the founder of the organization’s birthday, Frank Schnabel. The day’s purpose is to raise awareness about the disease as well as other bleeding disorders and also to raise money for the treatment of those who cannot afford it.


And




National Bat Appreciation Day



On Bat Appreciation Day, take a moment to consider the humble bat. Bats are mysterious, enigmatic creatures which are all around us, though we may not be aware of them. Some species are as small as a thumb, and yet are capable of flying hundreds of miles over land and sea to migrate each year. Bats navigate the dark areas they live in using echolocation, and they’re also responsible for keeping many pests at bay, including mosquitos.

Unfortunately, several bat species are facing extinction, due to many factors, including offshore wind farms and loss of their habitats. On Bat Appreciation Day, why not take the time to learn more about this amazing creatures, and how you can help in their conservation. Many zoos feature a nocturnal house where you can see bats up close and personal, so it’s also a great excuse for a family day out at the zoo.




And




Ford Mustang Day



It’s got sleek lines and a powerful engine, its name speaks of wild places and adventurous times. For generations it was the car of choice for action heroes and spies alike, even James Bond drove one in Goldfinger. For some it was the very flavor of summer sunsets and nighttime drives on youth’s misadventures, but it always brought them home safely. We’re talking about the Ford Mustang, of course, and Ford Mustang Day celebrates this incredible and iconic piece of American engineering.

History of Ford Mustang Day

The Ford Mustang was first introduced to the world in April of 1964. The World’s Fair was in full swing, and this car was Ford’s introduction as the car of the future. This introduction of the Mustang also was the introduction of the first Pony Car, to wit, a line of small sporty cars with sleek lines and an affordable price-tag. Sales of the Mustang proved that this car was going to become an American favorite, with well over 400,000 sales in the first year it was in production, an unprecedented success for an unprecedented vehicle.
The muscle car of the time was the Thunderbird, and that beauty was the one that every serious sports car fanatic wanted to own. The Mustang came into existence with the idea not of replacing that vehicle, but instead putting its like within reach of the working class. Such was its popularity that over 500 clubs celebrating the Mustang came into existence within just 3 years of its release. This is the kind of fanaticism that’s usually saved for classic cars, but the Mustang just rolled right in and took its place as a new classic right off the bat. Such was the popularity of the Mustang that 60 years later over 9 million of them have been sold. Ford Mustang Day celebrates this vehicle that came out of nowhere to become an American institution.

---

---

---

---

April 17 Birthdays



Roddy Piper - (1954 - 2015) (61)




Maynard James Keenan - 52




Boomer Esiason - 56







April 17th

2008: E Street Band organist Danny Federici died of melanoma at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He was 58 years old.

2006: Ric Ocasek made his first appearance on The Colbert Report where he put Todd Rundgren “on notice”.

2004: At the Icons of the Twentieth Century Music auction at the Dallas Market Hall in Dallas, the piano Elton John wrote “Your Song” on sold for $164,500 and Kurt Cobain’s Mosrite Gospel Mark IV guitar sold for $117,500.

1991: Nirvana performed “Smells Like Teen Spirit” live for the first time at the OK Hotel in Seattle.

1986: Stevie Ray Vaughn cancelled his tour of Europe following the American bombing of Libya.

1983: Felix Pappalardi, producer for acts such as Cream, Mountain and Hot Tuna was murdered by his wife Gail at their apartment in Manhattan. He was 41 years old.

1982: Van Halen peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with their cover of Roy Orbison’s “(Oh) Pretty Woman”.

1965: The Moody Blues peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Go Now” which was their first top ten single in the U.S.

1960: Eddie Cochran, who had hits with “Summertime Blues” and “C’mon Everybody” died in a car accident in a taxi in London. He was 21 years old.



Birthdays:

Don Kirshner born in 1934

Roy Estrada - Bassist for Little Feat and Frank Zappa born in 1943

[IceWizard]

18 Apr 2017


World Heritage Day



Everyday people all over the world celebrate their cultural heritage, simply by living their lives in a way that embodies who they are and where they came from. But one day a year is set aside to celebrate the joint history and heritage of the human race. World Heritage Day encourages us to celebrate all the worlds cultures, and to bring awareness to important cultural monuments and sites, and to espouse the importance of preserving the world’s cultures.

The History Of World Heritage Day

So the first (and possibly most confusing?) part of World Heritage Day is that that actually isn’t it’s formal name. What is popularly known as World Heritage Day is actually called The International Day for Monument and Sites and was established in 1982 by the International Council for Monuments and Sites, or ICOMOS. This organization was established on the principles set forth in the Venice Charter, otherwise known as the 1964 International Charter on the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites.

The organization was founded after a need was identified to protect these valued locations, and it saw the coming together of experts from hundreds of related fields. These include architects, engineers, geographers, civil engineers, and artists and archaeologists. Each year they work to help ensure that some of the world’s most beautiful sites and important cultural monuments remain preserved for future generations.

Since it’s inception it has grown to include almost 10,000 members in over 150 countries all over the world. Of these 10,000 members over 400 are members from institutions, national committees, and international scientific committees, all working together to save important sites and identify new ones that need to be added to the watch list.

2016 saw the addition of Gorham’s Cave Complex in the UK, the Khangchendzonga National Park in India, and the Persian Qanat in the Islam Republic of Iran. It’s through the tireless efforts of its members and leadership that these places will be preserved for future generations.



And




World Amateur Radio Day



Long before the invention of the World Wide Web, when instant communication was a dream and a letter was actually considered a pretty speedy way to communicate (outside of the phone), there were a group of pioneers who had already discovered the glories of a word-wide communication and the joy of communicating with people all over the world instantly. What could this amazing form of communication be? Why, Amateur Radio! Amateur Radio Day reminds us of these great pioneers, their modern descendants, and how radio has been serving a worldwide community for well over 100 years.

History of Amateur Radio Day

Back in April of 1925, the International Amateur Radio Union came into existence in the incredibly cosmopolitan city of Paris. These intrepid adventurers had discovered that the short wave spectrum that amateur radio used to transmit and receive was able to unite people the world over, something that had formerly been speculated as being impossible. This group of experimental radionauts proved this theory wrong, and banded together to campaign for and protect those bandwidths that would come to serve the community of radio enthusiasts.
Since then the IARU has worked tirelessly to broaden the range of bandwidths available to radio fans, and has expanded to include members all over the world, from 25 countries at last count.

Interest in Amateur Radio has only grown since those early days, with over 3,000,000 licensed operators spreading their voices across the globe today. It’s through this medium that people from different nations and cultures were able to spread ideas with great speed, long before the ability to shoot off an email or video chat was ever possible.

---

---

---

---

April 18 Birthdays



Kourtney Kardashian - 38




Conan O'Brien - 54




Jeff Dunham - 55




Melissa Joan Hart - 41




James Woods - 69




Hayley Mills - 70




Eric Roberts - 61




Melody Thomas Scott - 61





April 18th

2004: Guns N’ Roses reached number one on the U.K. Album Chart with their Greatest Hits album. The album peaked at number three in the U.S.

2003: Aerosmith and Kiss announced that they would be touring together on a co-headlining tour named Rocksimus Maximus which would start in August and go on through the end of the year and gross over $64 million.

1992: Def Leppard entered the Billboard 200 Album Chart at number one with their fifth album Adrenalize, which began a five week run on top, beating out Human Touch and Lucky Town released simultaneously by Bruce Springsteen.

1987: Foreigner singer Lou Gramm peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with his debut single as a solo artist, “Midnight Blue”.

1981: Yes announced that they were breaking up. Bassist Chris Squire & drummer Alan White began rehearsals with Jimmy Page for a project to be called XYZ which never materialized. Yes later reunited the following year.

1975: Alice Cooper’s first television special Welcome to my Nightmare: The Making of a Record Album aired on North American television.

1970: Norman Greenbaum peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Spirit in the Sky” which was Greenbaum’s first and only top ten single in the U.S.

1970: Badfinger peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Come and Get It” which was their first top ten single in the U.S.

1970: Led Zeppelin cut their concert short at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix due to Robert Plant collapsing onstage due to illness. Their concert scheduled the following day in Las Vegas was also cancelled.



Birthdays:

Mike Vickers - Guitarist and Saxophonist for Manfred Mann born in 1940

Skip Spence - Guitarist for Moby Grape born in 1946

[IceWizard]

19 Apr 2017


Poetry And The Creative Mind Day



Creative minds have led the way throughout all of histories innovations and growth. Through poetry and art, they challenge the idea of what’s possible, and shine a spotlight on the society that birthed them. Poetry And The Creative Mind Day is set aside to honor the bright and glittering jewels that are the minds of these creative pioneers. Most of us are introduced to poetry and art at an early age, whether it’s the nursery rhymes sung by our parents, or the combination of poetry and art in books like Dr. Suess and Shel Silverstein, the artist of Where the sidewalk ends.

Poetry and Creative Mind Day is a great time to dig up some of your favorite old poems and read them, or sing a favorite old nursery rhyme. If your talents lean more towards the physical mediums, you can take out your paints or pencils, or any other form of art you enjoy. If you’ve never been the creative sort, Poetry and Creative Mind Day is a great day to pick up that opportunities.

There are so many great ways to celebrate it, including memorizing old poems, or writing your own. If you’re the adventurous sort you can leave poetry in creative places today. You can leave snippets of poem on the inside of bathroom stalls on sticky notes, print them out and leave them on desks, drop inspirational poems in the collection bowls of the needy, or anywhere else. Poetry readings are another great way to celebrate, and are still a common sort of gathering of creative minds. If you can’t find a poetry reading, you can certainly try to organize one.

There are many ideas regarding the poets role in society, as the compressed nature of information in poetry tends to directly reach into the subconscious of a people. It creates imagery and evokes memories and emotions of events going on in and around people. It has been said that “writing is where thought meets impulse”, allowing the conscious mind to communicate with the subconscious. It is the opinion of some that it becomes the responsibility of the poet to use this communication to reveal the truth to those unable to see it.

Poetry comes in many forms, from William Shakespeare’s Iambic Pentameter, to the rigid structure of the Japanese Haiku, to the simple rhyming nature of children’s nursery rhymes, poems can come in many different forms. Take for instance acrostic poetry, that form by which a word of a person’s name is used to write poetry, using the letters of the first name to form the framework of the poem. If you’ve ever seen poetry done in a particular shape, such as a rainbow or tree, you’ve read examples of concrete poetry. And these are just a few of the hundreds of different types to be found throughout the world and its thousands of cultures.

For Poetry and Creative Mind Day, take your brain out, dust it off, and introduce it to the beauty of poetry again. Remember that we hear poetry every day, as every song on the radio is based off of a poem, called lyrics simply because they are placed to music. Poetry isn’t just for High School English and Liberal Arts classes, it is a very powerful and real way to express our thoughts and emotions and share them with our fellow man, or just get them out onto paper. Don’t let Poetry and Creative Mind day pass you by without writing one of your own, and maybe sharing it with others to encourage them to write their own!



And




National Hanging Out Day



The future of the environment is in our hands and it´s the little actions that can make big differences. One simple way to save energy is to hang out your laundry instead of machine drying it. This idea has been diffused on Hanging Out Day since 1995, when the day was established to highlight the amount of energy that is wasted using electric clothes dryers. Electric clothes dryers can account for six to ten percent of energy consumption in a household. So hanging out your laundry to dry in the sun can really save a considerable amount of energy.

Hanging Out Day is celebrated by people hanging their laundry outside their homes in the open air, using the natural energy of the sun and wind to dry their clothes. You can join the celebrations and make your garden more colorful by hanging out your laundry too.

---

---

---

---

April 19 Birthdays



James Franco - 39




Tim Curry - 71




Kate Hudson - 38




Jesse James - 48




Jayne Mansfield - (1933 - 1967) (34)








April 19th

2012: The Band drummer & singer Levon Helm died of throat cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He was 71 years old.

2002: Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley was found dead in his apartment in Seattle of a drug overdose. It was estimated that Staley had died on April 5th, two weeks before his body was discovered. He was 34 years old.

2001: David Lee Roth confirmed internet rumors that he briefly reunited with Van Halen the previous July and wrote new songs with Eddie Van Halen and that he had not been in contact with the band since then. Roth later rejoined Van Halen in 2006.

1999: Neil Young performed at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden, but the venue mistakenly billed him as Bob Dylan. During the concert, Young jokingly said “That was Bob playing guitar with me on the last song.”

1990: On BBC-TV’s French and Saunders show, a comedy courthouse sketch featured appearances by David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler, Gary Moore and Lemmy. The sketch ended with a jam by the musicians.

1980: R.E.M. performed their first concert as R.E.M. at the 11:11 Koffee Club in Athens, GA to an audience of 150 people.

1980: Judas Priest reached the top five of the U.K. Album Chart for the first time with British Steel which peaked at number four. It would also be their first album to reach the top forty of the Billboard 200 Album Chart peaking at number thirty-four in July of the same year.

1978: The Patti Smith Group released “Because the Night” which later went on to peak at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, making it Smith’s biggest hit in the U.S. Smith co-wrote the song with Bruce Springsteen.

1969: Steppenwolf peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Rock Me” which was their third and final top ten single in the U.S.



Birthdays:

Alan Price - Keyboardist for The Animals born in 1942

[IceWizard]

20 Apr 2017



National High Five Day

“It is required by law to redo high fives if the first one was not good enough”
~Unknown

Alright, so maybe that isn’t strictly true, but it should be. The “High Five” is a sacred tradition that has been used to celebrate remarkable events in our day to day lives.

Get the garbage into the can on the first throw? High Five!

Just get that promotion you’ve been gunning for? High Five!

Did you propose? Did she say yes? HIGH FIVE!

Did you just finalize your divorce papers? HIGH FIVE.

Seriously, high fives can be used to celebrate anything! That’s why High Five Day exists, just one more reason to use that universal gesture of excellence, the high five!

History of High Five Day

“Give people high fives just for getting out of bed, being a person is hard sometimes”
~ Kid President

Couldn’t have said it better ourselves Mr. President. High Five Day is a reminder that every little success in life deserves a bit of celebration, and the high five serves as a universal form of celebration at every level of success! The High Five, if somehow you’ve gone your whole life without knowing this, is when you and another person slap hands together over your head. (Not to mistaken for the ‘Low Five’ which traditionally takes place at waist level).

Did you know that? Well, now you do! High Five!

The High Five was purportedly invented by Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke in 1977. These two Los Angeles Dodgers members were celebrating a particularly important success in that game on October 2, and it just seemed appropriate to clap their hands together over their heads. The world must have agreed, since the high five has since become generally ubiquitous, appearing in every culture the world over since.

One of the most important successes that you can celebrate with a high five is the one that cancer victims live through every day. High Five Day was originally developed with the intent of raising awareness for cancer, so be sure to raise awareness of this most important fight by giving as many high fives as possible.



And




Chinese Language Day



As the world’s most widely spoken language it seems appropriate that Mandarin Chinese has one day every year dedicated to it. This officially marked day of Mandarin language celebration was established by the United Nations as a way of celebrating the language’s history and overall contribution to the world.

It is hoped that by having one day every year to celebrate Mandarin Chinese this additional focus on the language will encourage more people around the world to take it up.

With China likely to become the largest economy in the world it is important that the wider world becomes interestingly more proficient in this wonderful language. Chinese Language Day is annually celebrated in April. A great way to get involved in the celebration is to join a Mandarin class or attend one of the many Confucian Hubs now established by China in countries around the world.



And




Volunteer Recognition Day



There are cynics out there who will say that true altruism is a myth, that it doesn’t exist, and that nobody is capable of doing anything unless they are motivated by their own self-interest in the end. But even the most embittered cynics would be hard-pressed to explain why anyone in their right mind would make the choice to travel to the poorest parts of the world, where hunger, sickness and war ravage the population and death is as commonplace as life, to help care for orphaned children.

Or why a comfortable middle-class citizen would choose to spend his or her afternoons teaching neglected teenagers how to read in the dirtiest, most gang-ridden part of town.

Or why any nurse would risk his or her life to care for wounded soldiers on the very front.

Volunteers come in all shapes and sizes, but they are all the real-life saints and superheroes of this world. And although they don’t ask to be paid for all of their selfless work, they definitely deserve our utmost respect and appreciation, which is exactly what Volunteer Recognition Day is all about.

The History of Volunteer Recognition Day

People who have risked their own safety in order to help others expecting nothing in return have existed for hundreds and thousands of years. Ben Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, was also the creator of the very first volunteer fire department that helped put out many Philadelphia fires.

Florence Nightingale, often called the mother of modern nursing, was just as much a hero as any of the soldiers fighting in the Crimean War when she cared for the wounded. Acclaimed whodunit authoress Agatha Christie volunteered as a nurse in the Voluntary Aid Detachment of the Red Cross Hospital in Torquay from 1914 to 1917 when her husband Archie was fighting in World War I.

Mother Theresa of Calcutta, a Catholic nun, spent most of her life in India caring for the those suffering from HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis. More recently, many Hollywood celebrities such as Angelina Jolie have made numerous trips to various impoverished parts of the world in an attempt to understand the problems of those living there and find ways to help them.

All of these people and many, many more, have changed the world for the better forever.

---

---

---

---

April 20 Birthdays



Shemar Moore - 47




Jessica Lange - 68




Carmen Electra - 45




Luther Vandross - (1951 - 2005) (54)




George (Sulu) Takei - 80




Napoleon III - (1808 - 1873) (64)




Mike Portnoy - 50




Mother Angelica - (1923 - 2016) (92)




Craig Frost - 70







April 20th

2011: Judas Priest guitarist and founding member K.K. Downing announced that he was leaving the band citing differences with management and the band.

1996: The opening date of Kiss’ reunion tour at Detroit’s Tiger Stadium sold out in 47 minutes with ticket prices ranging from $27.50-$85.

1995: Eddie Van Halen pled no contest to an incident which took place thirteen days earlier where a semi-automatic pistol was seized from his carry-on luggage at Burbank Airport where he was detained. He was fined $300 & given probation for one year.

1993: Aerosmith released their eleventh studio album Get a Grip which went on to become their first number one album in the U.S. where it went on to sell seven million copies.

1992: The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was held at London’s Wembley Stadium which featured performances from Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica & the surviving members of Queen with guests such as Roger Daltrey, Robert Plant, Tony Iommi, Elton John, David Bowie & Ian Hunter.

1991: Steve Marriott, singer for The Small Faces and Humble Pie died in a fire caused by a cigarette at his home in Arksden, U.K. He was 44 years old.

1987: Police in Coventry, RI considered charging a 17 year old boy who allegedly bit the head off of a gerbil in tribute to Ozzy Osbourne.

1968: Deep Purple made their live debut in Tastrup, Denmark right outside of Copenhagen.

1968: The Rolling Stones recorded “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” at Olympic Studios in London. The song went on to reach number one in the U.K. & number three in the U.S.



Birthdays:

Jimmy Winston - Keyboardist for The Small Faces born in 1945

Craig Frost - Keyboardist for Grand Funk Railroad and Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band born in 1948

[IceWizard]

21 Apr 2017


American Red Cross Giving Day

”We make a living by what we get, but we make a living by what we give”
~ Winston Churchill

The American Red Cross has been working to provide assistance to those in need the world over for many years. Throughout all of this it would have been impossible to have accomplished a fraction of what they have without the tireless efforts of volunteers. Red Cross Giving Day celebrates all of these volunteers and the work they do, and recognizes them for being there for those who have had their lives ravaged by disasters, emergencies, and war.

History of Red Cross Giving Day

Red Cross Giving Day was first established in June of 2015, and stands as a 24-hour rally to bring the public in to support the mission that it works at tirelessly every day. Even when the news shares no disasters, the Red Cross is still working without end to see that they are prepared for when the next great need arises. When storms arise, fires hit, or other disasters leave families disenfranchised, the Red Cross is there with the support of its countrymen to help them find their feet and restore as much of their lives as they’re able.

Their work goes beyond their day to day labors, but also includes providing important resources to educate and prepare people for times of emergency. Over 15,000 people learn how to save a life through the safety training they provide every day, including using their mobile app downloads. They do blood drives to fill the never ending need for blood for emergencies and surgeries. They also work tirelessly to support military members, and to get vaccinations to over 300,000 children around the world against measles and rubella. With the tireless work of these heroes, Red Cross Giving Day reminds us that it wouldn’t be possible without our support and efforts.



And




National Kindergarten Day

”All I really need to know… I learned in kindergarten.”
~ Robert Fulghum

There’s a magical time during childhood where we start spending our days away from our parent’s homes. We enter a world of other children guided under the hand of an adult and start on the amazing journey that is learning. We start learning our ABC’s, colors, and shapes, and generally how to be a functioning human being in a society of other human beings. Kindergarten Day celebrates this event and the man who is credited with starting it all, Johann Friedrich Oberlin.

History of Kindergarten Day

The year was 1779, and it became apparent to a young Johann Friedrich Oberlin that there were many children in his Strasbourg community that were left alone during the day while their parents were away dealing with their other responsibilities. He and Louis Scheppler got together to create the first Kindergarten, a school aimed at taking these children and teaching them during these hours.

This set a precedent that was soon emulated the world over, first in 1780 in Bavaria, and then in Detmoid in 1802 by Princess Pauline zur Lippe. In 1816 Robert Owen founded the first one in New Lanark, Scotland, and then in 1819 Samuel Wilderspin pushed the idea in earnest, creating one in London, and then hundreds more to follow.

Almost all of us attended Kindergarten, and if you’re like us, you remember it as a magical time of learning, snack-time, and play with new friends. What started as an idea in a small German town became the foundation of a standard of learning that has stood the test of time and proven to be an incredibly important part of our formative years. Kindergarten Day tells us to remember these days and the incredible man who started it over 200 years ago.





And





World Creativity and Innovation Day

”Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes and knowing which ones to keep.”
~ Scott Adams

Insanity is doing the same thing, the same way, over and over, while expecting different results. We’ve all heard this saying and often apply its wisdom to reasons to change negative life habits. However, this statement can also be applied to the creative process and scientific innovation. World Creativity and Innovation Day provides us an excuse to try to solve old problems in new ways with the potential of finding better and more effective ways to accomplish our goals! No more hum-drum day to day sameness! Instead open your creative center and try to make the world a better place!

History of World Creativity and Innovation Day

In 1452 a man was born who would set the standard for what it meant to be a renaissance man, excelling in both the arts and sciences. Invention, Mathematics, Music, Geology, Astronomy, Cartography, just to name a few, anything he turned his mind or hand to he made great advances. He was seen as the utterly perfect example of a universal genius, and his logical approach to the world was truly advanced and unusual for his time. World Creativity and Innovation Day was established to encourage everyone to dig deep and find their own inner da Vinci.

Creativity and innovation are beneficial in every walk of life, and every career. From those in customer service finding ways to improve their customers experience, scientists who’s every work day is filled with learning new things about the world and finding new ways to apply it, to politicians who could use their creativity to find new ways to solve problems and aid the public. World Creativity and Innovation Day encourages everyone to imagine a different world with different solutions.

---

---

---

---

April 21 Birthdays



Queen Elizabeth II - 91




Iggy Pop - 70




Robert Smith - 58




Andie MacDowell - 59




Rob Riggle - 47







April 21st

2005: Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson pled no contest to a single misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest without violence and was sentenced to 12 months probation plus court costs in a settlement agreement of the charges resulted in his run-in with Collier County sheriff’s deputies in Florida on December 31, 2003.

2001: R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck was arrested at London’s Heathrow Airport after allegedly assaulting British Airways crewmembers while drunk during a flight from Seattle to London. Buck was later found innocent of all charges the following year.

1993: Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman married for the third time, this time to girlfriend Suzanne Accosta in Vence, France. They’re still married to this day and they’ve had three children together.

1990: Kiss reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart for the second & final time with “Forever” which peaked at number eight & was written by Paul Stanley & Michael Bolton.

1990: Van Halen performed at the opening night of its Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Sammy Hagar would buy out his band-mates due to its initial financial failure, which then went on to become a huge success.

1980: Pete Townshend released his first solo album Empty Glass which went on to reach number five on the Billboard 200 Album Chart & sell one million copies in the U.S.

1978: Sandy Denny of the Fairport Convention & the only guest singer on a Led Zeppelin album when she co-sang on “Battle of Evermore” died of a cerebral hemorrhage after falling down stairs at a friends house. She was 31 years old.

1973: Alice Cooper reached number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart for the first and only time with Billion Dollar Babies which spent one week on top.

1970: Elton John made his solo concert debut at London’s Roundhouse opening for T. Rex & Spooky Tooth.



Birthdays:

Iggy Pop - Singer for The Stooges born in 1947

[IceWizard]

22 Apr 2017



Earth Day



Celebrate and protect our natural environment by taking part in Earth Day. Join with community groups to explore environmental and ecological issues on local and international scales, and work towards making a difference to our habitat.

If you’re really committed, why not learn the words to the Earth Day anthem (sung to the tune of ‘Ode to Joy’):

Joyful joyful we adore our Earth in all its wonderment
Simple gifts of nature that all join into a paradise
Now we must resolve to protect her
Show her our love through out all time
With our gentle hand and touch
We make our home a newborn world
Now we must resolve to protect her
Show her our love through out all time
With our gentle hand and touch
We make our home a newborn world

And




International Marconi Day



Amateur radios, point-to-point contacts, high-frequency wave transfers, a mysterious yet attractive prize for the most connected stations… All of this sounds like the beginning of a quirky yet adorable B-movie. In reality, it is the essence of International Marconi Day, a 24-hour amateur radio event which celebrates the career of Italian wireless communications pioneer Guglielmo Marconi. The event takes place annually on the Saturday closest to his birthday (April 25, 1874).

To commemorate the Nobel laureate’s achievements, fans use HF radio to make direct point-to-point contact between stations, relying on the same technology Marconi developed and utilized in his time. Although nowadays the Internet is the medium of choice for global communications, the idea behind International Marconi Day is to keep the spirit of invention alive. The event also provides an exciting throwback to the days when a connected planet Earth was but a bold dream and only a few exceptional people, such as Marconi, saw the value in it.

---

---

---

---

April 22 Birthdays




Willie Robertson - 45




Jack Nicholson - 80




Queen Isabella - (1451 - 1504) (53)




Vladimir Lenin - Vladimir Lenin - (1870 - 1924) (53)




Missy Robertson - 45




Ryan Stiles - 58




Glen Campbell - 81




Peter Frampton - 67





April 22nd

2008: Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora pled no contest to one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol. Sambora received three years probation.

1993: The Who’s Tommy premiered on Broadway at the St. James Theatre, where it performed until June 17, 1995.

1990: Ric Ocasek of The Cars performed his debut solo concert at New York City’s Central Park as part of Earth Day festivities on a bill that also included the B-52’s and Hall & Oates.

1981: Eric Clapton was hospitalized with bruised ribs and a lacerated shin after a car accident in Seattle, two days after being released from a hospital in St. Paul, MN.

1979: The Rolling Stones performed two benefit concerts for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind in Oshawa, ON as part of fulfilling Keith Richards’ 1978 sentence for possession of heroin. John Belushi emceed both concerts.

1978: Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi made their debut at The Blues Brothers on Saturday Night Live.

1972: Deep Purple reached number one on the U.K. Album Chart with Machine Head, which began a three week run on top.

1969: At a ceremony on the roof of the Apple building in London, John Lennon changed his middle name from Winston to Ono.

1969: The Who performed Tommy live in its entirety for the first time during a concert in Dolton, U.K.



Birthdays:

Peter Frampton born in 1950

[Furyan66]

As always a great day to be alive

   

[IceWizard]

23 Apr 2017


National Lost Dog Awareness Day



We all had that best friend as a kid, that floppy eared ball of fur who was always excited to see us, no matter what our day had been like. They asked nothing from us but a pile of cuddles and scruff of the ear, and maybe the last bit of our sandwich. Sometimes these furry family members would go out into the world on a grand adventure, always intending to return home but never quite able to find their way. Wouldn’t it be great if there was an organization who stood to help these stalwart companions find their way home? Lost Dog Awareness Day was organized by just such a group, and is a day dedicated to helping our furbaby’s find their way home.

History of Lost Dog Awareness Day

All too often, when someone finds a lost and wandering dog along the street, they assume that this dog is a stray, and has no home. Lost Dogs of America (LDOA) was formed to help prove this assumption wrong, and help those wayward mutts find their way back to their owners and friends. The organization was established in 2011, and in 2013 established Lost Dog Awareness Day.

Over those years they have helped 42,000 dogs find their way back to their loving homes.

One of their success stories is a dog by the name of Molly who wandered away from her home in Illinois. Thanks to a flurry of postings across a series of Facebook groups, Molly was quickly identified when the person who found her took her to be scanned for a microchip. While Molly didn’t have one, the vet noticed Molly’s image on Lost Dogs Illinois, and was returned home within just a couple of hours of being posted as lost. That’s the kind of magi LDOA and Lost Dog Awareness Day can work in the lives of dogs and dog owners alike.



And




National English Language Day

”We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.”
~ James Nicoll

There was a quiet language that began on a small cluster of islands off the coast of Western Europe, it slowly developed and spread through a few different permutations until one day, in an explosion of colonialism, it suddenly spread across the world like wildfire. It became the language of what was once the most powerful nation in the world and has since become the language of commerce in countries all over the world. English Language Day celebrates this language, its history, and its oddities!

History Of English Language Day

The first origins of the English Language can be found in medieval England and takes its name from the Angles. The Angles were a West Germanic tribe that found its way to England, taking their name from the Anglia peninsula that juts out into the Baltic Sea. From its inception, it has taken on grammar, tones, and words from every language it has come into contact with. There are those who would argue that English is no longer a language of its own, but an amalgam of every language it’s come into contact with.

So powerful has English become, that it is now the Lingua Franca of the entire world, bringing together everyone for trade and communication, and serving as a required second language in almost every nation. English has become the official language of nearly 60 countries throughout the world, and it seems to gain ground with every passing year.

However, it also stands as one of the most complicated languages to learn as a second language (with Japanese standing toe to toe with it for this inauspicious award). Unsurprising when it contains words like their, there, and they’re. Or when the plural of goose is geese, but the plural of moose is… moose. English Language Day celebrates its history, its future, and its strangeness.

---

---

---

---

April 23 Birthdays



William Shakespeare - (1564 - 1616) (52)




George Lopez - 56




Shirley Temple - (1928 - 2014) (85)




Valerie Bertinelli - 57




Roy Orbison - (1923 - 1988) (52)




James Buchanan - (1791 - 1868) (77)




Joyce DeWitt - 68





April 23rd

2003: Twisted Sister announced that they were reuniting for their first tour in 16 years. The tour kicked off the following month for a USO tour of military bases in Korea.

2003: Pearl Jam purchased a 1,400 square-mile area of rainforest in Madagascar to compensate for the 5,700 tons of greenhouse gas emissions they estimated that they will incur on their tour of North America.

1994: Pink Floyd debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with their final studio album The Division Bell which spent four weeks on top of the chart and went on to sell three million copies in the U.S.

1991: Johnny Thunders, guitarist for the New York Dolls died under mysterious circumstances which have been rumored to be the result of foul play and drug related causes in New Orleans. He was 38 years old.

1988: During a Bruce Springsteen concert at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, Springsteen led the audience in singing “Happy Birthday” to Roy Orbison, who was in attendance on his 52nd birthday.

1988: Iron Maiden reached number one on the U.K. Album Chart for the second time with Seventh Son of a Seventh Son which spent one week on top of the chart.

1983: U2 kicked off the North American leg of their tour in support of War in Chapel Hill, NC at Kenan Stadium.

1978: The Sex Pistols’ bassist Sid Vicious filmed his rendition of Paul Anka’s “My Way” for The Sex Pistols’ movie The Great Rock n Roll Swindle.

1956: Elvis Presley made his live debut in Las Vegas at the New Frontier Hotel. The audience response was so poor that Presley’s scheduled two week run was called off after the first week.



Birthdays:

Steve Clark - Guitarist for Def Leppard born in 1960

[IceWizard]

24 Apr 2017


Firefly Day

“Take my love, Take my land
Take me where I cannot stand,
I don’t care, I’m still free
You can’t take the sky from me.”
~ Ballad of Serenity

Alright Browncoats, it’s time to go out into the black and gather up those lost souls who have yet to experience the wonder that is Firefly. Firefly Day is dedicated to shameless pandering of our beloved show, and indulgent marathon watching of the series from beginning to end. After all, we have to keep spreading the signal or people may never know the dangers of Reavers, or the real story behind the Hero of Canton.

History of Firefly Day

The Story of Firefly Day is the story that bears a sad resemblance to that of the Battle of Serenity Valley. Something glorious was going on, something that was just too damned pretty to die, and yet the wrong side won when those Alliance goons “FOX” cancelled a show that had finally made things on primetime TV a little more shiny. First brought to the air in September of 2002, the show was off the air by December of that same year for reasons that frankly strain the imagination. While it had 4.7 million viewers at the time of its cancellation, it’s fan base was determined by FOX to be insufficient to continue the show. Truly a sad day for Browncoats (fans of the series, referencing the traditional uniform of the Rebellion) everywhere, especially as it was intended to run for seven full seasons.

Of course, careful analysis of the show reveals that, as usual, the Alliance (FOX in this case) can be held to blame for the cessation of free men’s souls flying the ‘verse untroubled. From the very beginning they made questionable decisions in how our beloved Serenity would be portrayed, they announced it as an ‘action-comedy’ rather than a serious character study, decided to usurp the intended pilot “Serenity” for the episode “Train Job”, and aired the episodes out of order to muddle the gorram plot. Firefly Day gives us the opportunity to view it as it was originally intended, and to remember the Battle the fans put up to keep the show on the air.


And



Go Diaper Free Week



Did you ever stop to think about what people did before there were diapers?

Yes, believe it or not, such a day did in fact exist and yet babies still existed and needed to be potty trained! So how exactly do you suppose they kept their homes clean of baby’s accidents until they learned to use whatever they had for toilets?

Well, it all started with early potty training that didn’t include bribes or treats! Go Diaper Free Week is your chance to try the techniques that are provided by godiaperfree.com, and free yourself from diaper dependency once and for all!

History of Go Diaper Free Week

Diapers are expensive, messy, and incredibly bad for the environment, let’s start there. Then you also have to consider that cloth diapers, while definitely better on all counts, still require washing and that consumes a lot of water. Further, there’s nothing pleasant or healthy about having feces and urine pressed up against your skin, a reality that exists with even the most absorbent diapers.

Andrea Olson established Go Diaper Free Week to help parents all over the world use Elimination Communication to free themselves and their children from diaper dependency. Her techniques apply gentle techniques that don’t use treat giving or other forms of coercion to see to your child’s hygiene, and has even developed tools to help you begin this process at birth!

She developed the techniques with her own children, starting with her son (which she states was quite difficult! It was a brand new method!) and has since refined through her second and now third child! In each case she has made her methods more approachable for parents everywhere with new resources for diaper wearing children of all ages.

Go Diaper Free Week is your opportunity to examine these techniques and learn as much as you can about gently guiding your children into a diaper free existence.

---

---

---

---

April 24 Birthdays




Phil Robertson - 71




Barbra Streisand - 75




Cedric the Entertainer - 53




Shirley MacLaine - 82




Jack Quaid - 25




Jack Blades - 63




Glenn Cornick - (1947 - 2014) (67)




Doug Clifford - 72






April 24th

2010: Rush’s documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage premiered at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.

1991: Jane’s Addiction performed at New York City’s Madison Square Garden for the first time for a sellout concert with 14, 314 in attendance.

1990: While workers were preparing Roger Waters’ production of The Wall at the Berlin Wall, an unexploded bomb from the World War II era was discovered.

1989: Tom Petty released his debut solo album Full Moon Fever, which would go on to be the biggest selling non-compilation album of his career, selling five million copies and contain the hit singles “I Won’t Back Down”, “Runnin’ Down a Dream” and “Free Fallin’”.

1976: Wings reached number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart for the fourth time with Wings at the Speed of Sound which spent seven non-consecutive weeks on top of the chart and went on to sell one million copies in the U.S.

1976: Queen peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Bohemian Rhapsody” which was their first top ten single in the U.S.

1971: Alice Cooper peaked at number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “I’m Eighteen”, their first top forty single in the U.S.

1965: The Kinks peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Tired of Waiting for You” which was their third top ten single in the U.S.

1961: Bob Dylan played harmonica on Harry Belafonte’s recording of “Midnight Special”. This was Dylan’s first official recording and he received a $50 session fee.



Birthdays:

Doug Clifford - Drummer for Credence Clearwater Revival born in 1945

Glenn Cornick - Bassist for Jethro Tull born in 1947

Jack Blades - Bassist for Night Ranger and Damn Yankees born in 1954