Today is...

[IceWizard]

24 Jun 2017


Fairy Day



Whether you see them as small winged tenders of the deep natural places of the earth, or as tall stately figures with fair skin and hair, there’s one thing for certain. The world has been absolutely captured by the Fairy Craze. These creatures appear on everything from mugs to t-shirts and have been the subject of children’s fairy tales and even supernatural romances. Fairy Day celebrates these incredible mythological creatures that have captured the imagination of people everywhere and their diverse history.

History of Fairy Day

Fairies have existed in just about every culture over the world, though they may have been called by different names. What they have in common, no matter where you go, is that they are spirits that inhabit the world around us and often operate by strange and often odd laws. That’s about where the similarities end, and where the amazingly diverse concepts that are the fae begin.

We’ve all heard of the winged fairies that flit around flowers and are always drawn like butterfly winged cherubs of slight form, but did you know that Dwarves and Gnomes are also part of the fae family? These creatures were common among the Germanic folk, and especially those who worked in mines and mountains. Knockers were a form of fairy that lived in mines and would ‘knock’ to warn miners of pending cave-ins and danger, hence their name.

The red-hatted gnomes that occupy so many people’s gardens were fashioned after creatures from the far north. These quiet and unassuming creatures were part of the dark northern forests and spent their time living near the homes of humans, which they’d sometimes help out. There’s even fae that lives in the oceans like the Irish Selkie, dark of hair and eye, these creatures were able to turn into humans. Turn into humans we say? Yes! They started lives as seals and would take off their skin when they came ashore and take the form of beautiful women. If one were lucky enough to steal their skin they’d be able to take a Selkie wife, so long as they didn’t let the skin be found!


And




Swim a Lap Day



Take a lap! Around the pool that is, Swim a Lap Day is a day to get your snorkel and goggles on and patronize your local swimming pool. Swimming is a great way of getting exercise, especially for those who have health problems that make traditional exercise difficult due to weakness or difficulty moving. Swimming has been an activity humans have indulged in at least as far back as 7,000 years ago, a time from which depictions of this activity can be seen in stone age paintings.

People have been engaging in swimming for all these years for many reasons, with recreation being by far the most common among them. Swimming is, in fact, ranked among the most popular forms of physical activity, even among otherwise sedentary individuals. The buoyant nature of water makes it much easier on those with physical limitations to get out and have a good time, and the act of coursing through the water is often described as feeling a bit like flying!

Swimming has also been shown to be excellent for your health Those engaged in swimming tend to engage in the activity for longer than other forms of exercise, and the act of swimming often engages the entire body while moving through the water This also results in the body drawing on large supplies of oxygen during almost all stages of the activity Other benefits seen from this activity include a reduction in stress related illnesses by reduction of the same, and it can even improve posture!

Swimming is also commonly participated in as a competitive sport and artistic display. Whether it’s simple speed swimming or synchronised water based dance performances, swimming has found it’s way into many sport venues, including the Olympic Games. Due to it’s unique engagement of muscle groups, swimming segments are also commonly included in multi-segmented sport competitions, including triathlons and Iron Man competitions.

One of the most ancient uses for swimming is it’s involvement in many types of employment. In Japan there are abalone and pearl divers who spend many hours each day engaging in swimming to impressive depths to gather these riches. Underwater welding is another incredibly profitable, and incredibly dangerous field that involves swimming a great deal. Whether it’s for research or construction, swimming continues to be an important part of modern industry.

Military applications of swimming go back quite a long way, especially in those engagements requiring infiltration. Especially at night, it’s difficult to see someone who is swimming underwater, and many cities and forts had vulnerabilities at the areas where waste was washed out of the location. Everyone loves pirates, and a common practice to taking a ship was to slip through the water from a distance, so as not to reveal the presence of their vessel. They’d then stealthily slip up the side of the target, and take the ship by surprise!

There are many health benefits to swimming, and it’s an activity especially encouraged for those suffering from degenerative diseases, and ones that impede mobility such as arthritis. It’s low impact nature allows those whose movement would otherwise be restricted to engage in a full body workout without causing further damage. Even those who are of advanced age can find an ability to remain active in this sport!

Due to it’s full body nature, this sport is also excellent for building cardiovascular and respiratory health, increasing how much oxygen the body is able to take advantage, as well as how much blood the heart is able to move with each stroke.

These are just a few of the reasons to get out and get swimming. Swim a Lap Day reminds us that any activity is better than remaining sedentary, and a single lap is a great way to get a start on a healthful and engaging exercise that can involve the whole family. Grab those fins and get swimming!

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June 24 Birthdays




Dexter Darden - 26




Mick Fleetwood - 70




Tommy Lister - 59




Roy O Disney - (1893 - 1971) (78)




Jeff Cease - 50




John Illsley - 68









June 24th

2003: Boston guitarist Tom Scholz filed a lawsuit against Artemis Records for $4 million alleging that the label failed to properly promote their fifth album Corporate America which was released the previous November.

2000: Kiss began a two day auction of various stage props, instruments & costumes worn & used throughout their career, bringing in over $875,000 on this day.

1999: The 1956 sunburst Fender Eric Clapton composed “Layla” on sold for $497, 500 during a charity auction to raise money for his Crossroads Centre at Antigua and alcohol and drug-dependency treatment center in the West Indies. The 100 guitars Clapton put up for auction raised over $5 million.

1995: During a Pearl Jam concert at The Polo Field in San Francisco, Eddie Vedder called the concert short complaining of the stomach flu. Neil Young would come out to finish the show, but many Pearl Jam fans weren’t happy.

1995: Pink Floyd’s third live album Pulse debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart & spent one week on top of the chart. The album went on to go double Platinum in the U.S.

1984: Jimmy Page joined Yes onstage in Dortmund, Germany for a rendition of The Beatles’ “I’m Down”.

1978: Sweet peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Love Is Like Oxygen” which was their fourth and final top ten single in the U.S.

1978: Genesis & Jefferson Starship co-headlined the Knebworth Festival in the U.K. Other acts on the bill included Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Devo & Atlanta Rhythm Section.

1967: Pink Floyd made their television debut on the BBC’s Top of the Pops where they performed “See Emily Play”.



Birthdays:

Jeff Beck born in 1944

Arthur Brown born in 1944

Chris Wood - Saxophonist for Traffic born in 1944

Mick Fleetwood - Drummer for Fleetwood Mac born in 1947

John Illsley - Bassist for Dire Straits born in 1949

Jeff Cease - Guitarist for The Black Crowes born in 1957