Today is...

[IceWizard]

08 Apr 2017


Zoo Lovers Day



Zoo Lovers Day is a great excuse to get your family together and go for a trip to see the exotic animals of the world! Zoos have a long history, bringing strange new animals from the far flung and mysterious regions of the world straight into the heart of civilization. Where else can you see prowling lions, playful monkeys, and majestic elephants outside of the depths of the Savannah? Well, or main street London when Harrod’s still had a zoo section!

There’s so many great ways to celebrate this wonderful holiday! You could sign up to volunteer at your local zoo, taking in the exotic animals they keep there in a first-hand experience. You could simply take a tour there and have a picnic on the green in sight of the gorillas and the giraffes! Or if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, you could even organize a fund-raiser to help support your local zoo! Most zoos are running on a limited budget, relying on the ticket sales at the door to supplement whatever funding they get. Most of them would be very grateful to have the support of fans such as yourself!

Zoo is actually short for Zoological Garden, and is mostly used to refer to the modern concept of a zoo. Prior to this the term menagerie was used, coming from a long history reaching back all the way to the ancient world. The oldest collection of this sort was found during an archeological dig in Hierakonpolis Egypt in 2009. The animals they had there included an impressive array of hippos, elephants, baboons, wildcats, and hartebeests.

The oldest modern styled zoo was established in 1752 at the order of Emperor Francis I, in the beautiful city of Vienna, Austria. It was intended solely for the viewing pleasure of the imperial family, but was extended to the public in 1765. The next zoo to open was in 1775 in Madrid, and then another in Paris in 1795. There was an explosion of desire for such Zoo’s, as they were seen to represent the power of a nation to be able to have such strange and exotic animals from far-flung locales available for their peasantry’s viewing.

What’s amazing is that while they started out as a demonstration of power and majesty among the royalty and nobility, and then became a symbol of a country’s wealth, these organizations have become instead a bastion for some of the lost species of the world. In captivity in some zoos are the last remnants of species to be found nowhere else in the world, as those caring members of the zoological staff work day and night to keep them in comfort, health, and attempt to nurse the species along to where they could potentially exist in the wild again!

So on this Zoo day, patronize your local menagerie with your own menagerie, and take the time to appreciate the glorious variety to be found in this wide and well explored world. Even with all the exploration and discoveries we’ve made throughout the years, there are still places left to be discovered in the ocean deeps and the darkest jungles. So see what the world has held that we have found so far, and prepare yourself for the wonders we will discover as the years go on.

Who knows, maybe one day our zoos will be full of exotic and alien creatures from worlds other than our own! Either way, it’s time to head on down and support your local zoos, you may just help to save a species from extinction!



And




National Draw a Picture of a Bird Day



Pencil, pen, felt tip or chalk, Draw a Picture of a Bird Day is great fun for everyone. It’s very straightforward: simply draw a picture of a bird in tribute to our feathered friends, but if you fancy some diversity there’s actually a wide range of options.

Will you draw a chicken or a chaffinch? Perhaps a peacock, penguin or puffin? If you’d prefer a goose, will it be of the Canadian, Red-breasted, Woods-walking or Spur-winged variety? And you’d be amazed by how many types of hawk there are prowling the skies!

If you’d like to learn more about birds, we recommend this Wikipedia entry, but if you’d rather just have a bit of fun and get arty, why not share this occasion with your friends, family and coworkers? Have a competition to see who can draw the best or funniest bird, cover your fridge in sketches, find a chalkboard and create a beautiful aerial scene of spiraling swifts and swallows, or simply pop a little cartoon birdy on your hand and introduce it to strangers on the bus.

And, being an ornithological day, it’s the perfect opportunity to tweet, so make sure to use the hashtag #drawapictureofabirdday when sharing your creativity with the Twitterverse!

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April 8 Birthdays



Chris Kyle - (1974 - 2013) (38)




Joan Sebastian - (1951 - 2015) (64)




Izzy Stradlin - 55




Paul Gray - (1972 - 2010) (38)




John Schneider - 57




Robin Wright - 50





April 8th

2010: Former New York Dolls and Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren died of mesothelioma in Switzerland. He was 64 years old.

1998: Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood’s boat caught fire while sailing around Rio de Janeiro. An engine had been the cause of the fire. Wood and ten passengers were rescued by a boatload of passing journalists.

1998: Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee was sentenced to six months in jail for breaking a probation order incurred on him for an assault on a photographer in 1996.

1996: Ted Nugent demonstrated archery at Michigan’s state capitol in Lansing. Nugent declared archery as a way to keep kids off alcohol and drugs.

1994: Nirvana singer & guitarist Kurt Cobain was found dead of a gunshot wound to his head at his home in Seattle by electrician Gary Smith who had been doing work in Cobain’s house. It was later discovered Cobain had been dead for three days.

1980: Six weeks after the death of Bon Scott, Brian Johnson was introduced as the new singer for AC/DC.

1973: Neil Young’s home movie collection Journey Through the Past premiered at the U.S. Film Festival in Dallas.

1971: Chicago began a week long stint at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, which was released as a quadruple album box set later in the year.

1963: John Lennon’s first child, a son named Julian was born in Liverpool. It was Lennon’s only child with his first wife Cynthia. Julian would later achieve success in the mid 1980’s with hits such as “Valotte” and “Too Late for Goodbyes”.



Birthdays:

Steve Howe - Guitarist for Yes born in 1947

Izzy Stradlin - Guitarist for Guns N’ Roses born in 1962

[IceWizard]

09 Apr 2017



Cherish An Antique Day



A day is set aside in April of every year on which to appreciate unique objects that date back to a time when quality and craftsmanship were most valued by a discerning clients. It is a day on which everyone is encouraged to revisit an era of artistic talent that, for them, holds a special and timeless appeal.

Cherish An Antique Day can be celebrated by a visit to an art museum, or simply by retrieving a valued heirloom from its place of safety and exhibiting it for the day. The idea is to salute past artistry and to create a greater awareness of the type of aesthetic appeal that withstands the test of time. It is hoped that exposure to the past masters will encourage a commitment to quality rather than quantity in today’s production-line type of manufacturing. Cherishing an antique can make the past far more present.



And




Winston Churchill Day



On April 9th in 1963, Winston Churchill became the second person to become an Honorary Citizen of the United States, although this was the first time Congress had resolved that it was to be bestowed by the President of the United States, on a foreign national – he was granted citizenship of eight individual states as a prelude :- Hawaii, Maryland, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. Winston Churchill Day commemorates this event.

This honor was bestowed upon him by the 35th President of the United States – John F Kennedy, although Churchill was not present himself at the ceremony, his son and grandson were there for him. It had been hoped Churchill would not only witness the event on television – which he did with his wife – but would be able to respond. Problems with a relay station in Cornwall prevented this.




And




Name Yourself Day



Everyone needs a change of pace now and then, and sometimes we just don’t feel like ourselves. This day is dedicated to the ultimate form of self-expression, its Name Yourself Day! Have you ever felt like you were more of a Charles, or a Carrie, or even a Moon Unit? Well on this day you can be! For just one day you can call yourself anything you like! Be careful though, the new name might just stick with you!

Names are, unsurprisingly, an incredibly important part of welcoming a new child into the world. There are places in the world where a name isn’t given until a certain time has passed after the birth, traditionally this had to do with high mortality rates among infants. The purpose was probably as much psychological as spiritual, not giving a child a name until it was past the immediate danger of not surviving helped parents not get as attached, and in some cultures the child was not thought to have a soul until named, thus creating an air of ‘nothing lost but a shell’.

Among the Catholic Church, there is a special ceremony that is performed in giving a new member of the church a name. Those who are to go through this ceremony must have at least one parent who is Catholic, as it is expected that such a child will be raised in the Catholic faith. The ceremony involves a baptism of the child to wash away original sin, and to become born again in a new life with Christ. When possible, the ceremony takes place on a Sunday that the child might be welcomed into the congregation by the whole community.

In the Hindu faith, naming a child is a sacred act, involving the immediate families and close friends. The name of this ceremony is Namkaran, and is an elaborate ceremony performed on the 11th day of the child’s life. During the first 10 days of the child’s life, both mother and newborn are considered to be unclean, and therefor are traditionally separated from the family, attended only by a helper. On the 10th night, the house is cleansed and blessed for the coming ceremony. During this ceremony the mother is dressed in new clothes and wets the head of the baby with a bit of water in a sign of purifying the child. Interestingly, it is the Paternal Aunt who names the child, whispering it first to the child, and then announcing it to the gathered people!

So for this day, you can take a new name for yourself! Get into your wardrobe and really try to live it up, dressing yourself in a way that suits your new name. If it’s an ancestral name, where some traditional clothing from your people, if it’s a name from a certain fandom, maybe a little cosplay is in order. Whatever the case, this is your day with your new name, make sure to keep people using the right one!

It never hurts to urge them along, wearing a ‘hello my name is’ sticker prominently can help goad them along. While you’re at it, get your friends involved and help them choose new names for themselves for the day, and spread the joy of the ultimate in self-expression! Name yourself day only comes once a year, so take this opportunity to let it all hang out, whether that’s as a George, a Georgina, a Ricky or Lucy, shake things up a little with a new identity!

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April 9 Birthdays




Hugh Hefner - 91




Dennis Quaid - 63




Keshia Knight Pulliam - 38




Marc Jacobs - 54




John Jack Depp - 15




Carl Lee Perkins - (1932 – 1998)






April 9th

1997: Soundgarden announced that they were breaking up due to dissatisfaction within the band. They would later reunite in 2010.

1992: Sean Pierce of Fort Smith, AR was arrested while walking home & charged with wearing a smutty t-shirt after buying a shirt at a Van Halen concert the day before while they were on tour in support of For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. The band phoned Pierce & offered to pay his fine if he was convicted.

1989: Rolling Stones bassist, Bill Wyman who was 52 at the time announced his engagement to 19 year old Mandy Smith, who he had been dating for six years.

1979: Blondie received their first Gold record for their third album Paralell Lines which went on to sell a million copies in the U.S.

1977: During a Led Zeppelin concert at Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Jimmy Page collapsed onstage due to food poisoning one hour into their set.

1973: Queen performed a showcase concert for their new record label EMI Records at London’s Marquee Club.

1970: Pink Floyd kicked off their second tour of North America at New York City’s Fillmore East.

1969: King Crimson made their live debut at the Speakeasy in London.

1966: Jeff Beck collapsed onstage during a Yardbirds concert in Marseilles, France.



Birthdays:

Carl Perkins born in 1932

[IceWizard]

10 Apr 2017


National Sibling Day



The bond between siblings is extra-special, even more so if one of them has a life-long illness or a disability. Sibling Day is a way of honouring that special bond. Siblings Day was created by Claudia Evart, a freelance paralegal from Manhattan, NY. Evart started the day after losing both her sister at an early age. It is a day of celebration and recognition for brothers and sisters around the world. Siblings Day can be celebrated by sending a card, gift, making a dinner invitation or simply going for a walk in the park. The date of National Siblings Day is very important to its founder Claudia as it marks the birthday of her sister Lisette.

The siblings bonds are life-long relationships usually lasting from cradle to grave. It is usually the longest relationship of a person’s life and typically much longer than a mother’s and father’s relationship.



And




International Safety Pin Day



Celebrate simplicity and practicality this Safety Pin Day. Legend has it that, in 1849, Walter Hunt, the inventor of the safety pin, owed a friend $15 and decided to invent something new in order to earn the money to repay him. He invented the safety pin.

Strong and sharp, yet safe enough to be used on clothing, safety pins are a simple yet ingenious invention, which practically everyone has used at some point. Why not take inspiration from Walter Hunt this Safety Pin Day and try to come up with your own clever invention? It’s a great challenge for children, too, who love to come up with new ideas. Perhaps give a prize for the best new invention and watch their little minds tick away.

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April 10 Birthdays



Charlie Hunnam - 37




John Madden - 81




Steven Seagal - 65




Paul Bearer - (1954 - 2013) (58)




Kasey Kahne - 37




Omar Sharif - (1932 - 2015) (83)







April 10th

1992: Axl Rose left Chicago before a Chicago sheriff could arrest him for allegedly starting a riot during a Guns N’ Roses concert in St. Louis the previous July. St. Louis County authorities had issued a warrant for Rose’s arrest.

1982: Iron Maiden reached number one on the U.K. Album Chart for the first time with The Number of the Beast, which began a two week run on top of the chart.

1976: Frampton Comes Alive! by Peter Frampton reached the top of the Billboard 200 Album Chart for the first of ten non-consecutive weeks on top and became the biggest selling live album of all time. Today it’s the fourth biggest selling live album of all time.

1976: Bad Company’s third album Run with the Pack peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 Album Chart where it stayed for two weeks. The following December, Run with the Pack would become their first Platinum album.

1976: “Dream On” by Aerosmith peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, two and a half years after its initial release when it only peaked at number 59.

1973: Led Zeppelin received their fifth Gold album for Houses of the Holy which went on to sell eleven million copies in the U.S.

1970: Paul McCartney issued a press statement that The Beatles have disbanded. McCartney stated “I have no future plans to record or appear with The Beatles again, or to write any music with John.”

1970: During a Doors concert in Boston, Jim Morrison was dragged offstage by keyboardist Ray Manzarek after Morrison asked the crowd if they wanted to see his genitals.

1962: The original bassist of The Beatles Stuart Stucliffe died of cerebral paralysis caused by a brain hemorrhage in Hamburg, Germany. He was 21 years old.

1956: Leo Fender received a patent for the Stratocaster guitar.

[IceWizard]

11 Apr 2017


World Parkinson’s Disease Day



World Parkinson’s Disease Day marks the birthday of Dr. J Parkinson. On this day there are efforts made to increase the public awareness of this terrible disease, as well as all the good works put forth by the worlds organizations dedicated to eradicating this disease. There are activities to promote this the entire world over, and the opportunity to participate is open to any and all who want to help in this effort.

One of the popular ways of supporting the awareness of this disease is participating in marathons in cities throughout the world. The number of countries that are participating in this expand every year, including Uruguay, Mexico, Bolivia, Fulvio Captinio, the USA, and an increasing number with every passing year.

Dr. Parkinson first described the disease in “An Essay on the Shaking Palsy”, he described a pattern of lessened muscular power, involuntary tremulous motion, even if these are supported. There is at tendency to bend the body forwards, and to involuntarily switch from a walking to a running pace, while the sense and intellect deteriorate.

One of the prominent symbols of Parkinson’s disease is the red tulip, and this was established at the 9th World Parkinson’s disease Day at the Luxembourg Conference. The story of the Red Tulip can be tied back to J.W.S. Van der Wereld, a Dutch Horticulturalist who was suffering from Parkinson’s disease. He had successfully generated a Red and White Tulip, and named it in honor of the man who named his medical condition. On the tail of this, the Tulip received the Award of Merit, granted by the Royal Horticultural Society in London, and then was granted the Royal General Bulb Growers, Trial Garden Award.
Many people do not understand what Parkinson’s is, or are unaware of how to identify it. In the interest of promoting awareness of this disease, a simplified description follows. It is a disorder that results in the degeneration of the central nervous system, and directly impacts those that nerves that handle motor functions for the body as a whole. As the disease advances, it becomes apparent from the slowness of their body, and the increasing stiffness of their limbs that there is a developing problem. Their limbs will begin to shake uncontrollably as it gets further on, and eventually an entire scope of additional symptoms will develop as more and more motor functions are impacted. Sufferers are often tired, and memory problems become more apparent as time goes on.

What can you do to help out on this important day? As mentioned above there are numerous marathons and walk-a-thons that take place to help generate donations to support the ongoing research into this condition. You can work together with your friends and family to help organize refreshment stands or bake sales to produce more funds to donate to research groups.

You can also organize larger events at your local parks, or even with your local schools. You could work together with them to create a day where there are educational courses about the disease, and musical performances to generate money for donations. Whatever you do, remember that this day is dedicated to an open awareness of this disease, and to help support those groups and organizations that are intent on eradicating or controlling this illness. So on World Parkinson’s Disease Day, make sure you talk to those in your life about it, and encourage them to join the fight!



And




Be Kind To Lawyers Day

Going to trial with a lawyer who considers your whole life-style a Crime in Progress is not a happy prospect.
~ Hunter S. Thompson

Seem an odd sentiment to open conversation about “Be Kind To Lawyers Day”? We can see how you’d think so, but one must remember that Lawyers are always placed in the rough position of having to stand for their client, and make sure that they get them the best results they can for them. Before considering the years of school it takes to do this effectively, realize that it requires a certain person to defend their client, whatever the charge, without bias.

History Of Be Kind To Lawyers Day
First thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.
~William Shakespeare

We figure that the origins of Be Kind To Lawyer’s Day lay somewhere about the time this famous phrase was uttered, simply as a sense of self-preservation. Odd then that it took until 2017 for a day to be officially set aside for them. Really, there’s a lot of reasons to be kind to Lawyer’s, and most of us don’t consider just what they do for us.

The first kind of Lawyer that comes to mind is, of course, the criminal lawyer. These are often the most reviled as well, as they both prosecute and defend those who have been committed of crimes. The issue here, of course, is that every criminal thinks they’re innocent (or claims to be at least) and it’s the lawyer’s job to decide if they are, in fact. If you’ve been the victim of a crime, it will be a lawyer who prosecutes those responsible, if you’ve been accused of committing one, it’ll be a lawyer who defends you.

But Lawyer’s are also responsible for aiding you in writing legal wills, ensuring that your belongings go to whom you feel they should. They sign off on contracts and leases and generally ensure that whenever there’s a transaction involving paper in our grand bureaucracy that it’s all done and everything is in order.

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April 11 Birthdays





Cerys Matthews - 48




Balls Mahoney - (1972 - 2016) (44)







April 11th

2008: Rush kicked off the third and final leg of their Snakes and Arrows Tour in support of their eighteenth studio album of the same name in San Juan, PR at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico. It was the first time Rush had ever played Puerto Rico.

1992: Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson & British comedian Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean reached number nine on the U.K. Singles Chart with a cover of Alice Cooper’s “Elected” which was recorded for the U.K.’s charity organization Comic Relief.

1992: Pearl Jam made their debut on North American television as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live where they performed “Alive” & “Porch”.

1991: Ringo Starr became the first living member of The Beatles to make a guest appearance on The Simpsons. Starr asked to be animated the way he was in Yellow Submarine because he didn’t like his appearance in The Beatles cartoon series.

1983: Metallica fired original guitarist Dave Mustaine due to Mustaine’s alcoholism, drug abuse & personality clashes with the rest of the band. Mustaine later went on to form Megadeth.

1981: Eddie Van Halen married actress Valerie Bertinelli in a gathering of 450 friends and family members. They later divorced in 2005.

1981: The Police peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” which was their second top ten single in the U.S.

1976: Alice Cooper was placed under house arrest in Australia. A promoter in Sydney claimed he was owed over $59,000 for a 1975 Australian tour that Cooper agreed on but never showed up for. An agreement was reached after it was revealed the promoter failed to live up to his end of the agreement.

1970: Peter Green quit Fleetwood Mac in Munich, Germany. Green later stayed with the band to finish the tour to avoid breach of contract.

1961: Bob Dylan made his first live appearance in New York City at Gerde’s Folk City opening for John Lee Hooker.

[IceWizard]

12 Apr 2017


National Bookmobile Day



Bookmobile Day is an opportunity to celebrate one of the many services offered through public libraries. Originating in the nineteenth century, the earliest bookmobiles were horse-drawn wagons filled with boxes of books. In the 1920s, Sarah Byrd Askew, a New Jersey librarian, thought reading and literacy so important that she delivered books to rural readers in her own Ford Model T. And today, Kenya still uses camels to deliver materials to fans of reading in rural areas.

How can you celebrate this special day?

Imagine the excitement of a child, who has just learned to read, visiting a bookmobile for the first time with its shelves full of books or dvds and a computer for searching the Internet. Write a letter to the funders of libraries in praise of the bookmobile, and thank the staff of the bookmobile, who provide a vital community service in all kinds of weather.



And




Walk On Your Wild Side Day



The world often tells us that we need to live according to some form of social contract, that the rules are there to keep everyone safe, and that any variance from the norm is deviance. Throughout the entirety of history, it has been those that rode high on the wave of innovation, uniqueness, and creativity that have left the most lasting legacies. Walk On Your Wild Side Day is a call to your inner champion, the part of you that sees the world as no one else can. Who will you be on Walk On Your Wild Side Day? And who will you be the day after?

History Of Walk On Your Wild Side Day

History is full of those who have utterly changed the world by refusing to be constrained by ‘should be’s’ and ‘nice girls don’t’. Instead, they have turned their eyes to the sun and gathered their most creative and inspired souls and charged into the world, only to leave it completely changed in their wake.

Thomas and Ruth Roy are credited with being the creators of this celebration, the couple who are in charge of Wellcat.com. It was created in recognition that ‘what other people will think’ is the stupidest reason not to do something, and rather denotes a lack of courage.

You only have one life to live, and even if you believe in reincarnation there is absolutely no reason not to live each and every one of your lives to their absolute fullest. Your dreams are something worth pursuing, your ideas worth discussing, you never know what crazy idea you have is going to change your life or the world.

Walk On Your Wild Side Day is also a chance to change the life of someone else. By living your life out loud, unafraid of the opinions of others, you may inspire someone who was feeling lost and encourage them to join you on your campaign of uniqueness.

Take a Walk on the Wild Side - Lou Reed    

[IceWizard]

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April 12 Birthdays




Jennifer Morrison - 38




Beverly Cleary - 101





Tiny Tim (Herbert Khaury) - (1932 - 1996) (64)




Ed O'Neill - 71




Shannen Doherty - 46




David Letterman - 70




Tom Clancy - (1947 - 2013) (66)




Pat Travers - 63




John Kay ( Joachim Fritz Krauledat ) - 73




Vince Gill - 60




David Cassidy - 67







April 12th

2008: Lou Reed married longtime companion, singer Laurie Anderson in a private ceremony in Boulder, CO.

2000: Metallica filed a lawsuit against online music file sharing service Napster for copyright infringement. Metallica became aware of Napster when a demo of their song “I Disappear” which was released on the Mission Impossible II soundtrack was receiving radio airplay three months prior to its official release.

1990: The Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ announced that Asteroids 4147-4150 were named Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr.

1979: Mickey Thomas replaced Marty Balin as the singer for Jefferson Starship.

1975: David Bowie announced that he was retiring for the second time. Bowie was quoted saying “I’ve rocked my roll. It’s a boring dead end for me, there will be no more rock n’ roll records from me.”

1973: The movie That’ll Be the Day premiered in London. Some of the musicians with appearances in the movie included Ringo Starr, Keith Moon and David Essex.

1971: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s live album 4 Way Street was certified Gold & later went on to sell four million copies in the U.S.

1968: Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention performed at a dinner for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in New York City. During the performance Zappa told the audience: “All year long you people have manufactured this crap, now for one night you’re going to have to listen to it!”

1963: Bob Dylan’s concert at New York City’s Town Hall was recorded by Columbia Records for a live album that is never released.



Birthdays:

John Kay - Singer for Steppenwolf born in 1944

Pat Travers born in 1954

[IceWizard]

13 Apr 2017


National Thomas Jefferson Day



Thomas Jefferson Day celebrates the birthday of Thomas Jefferson, who was the third President of the United States from 1801 to 1809, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. Major events during his presidency include the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

As a political philosopher, Jefferson was a man of the Enlightenment and knew many intellectual leaders in Britain and France. He idealized the independent yeoman farmer as exemplar of republican virtues, distrusted cities and financiers, and favoured states’ rights and a strictly limited federal government. Jefferson also supported the separation of church and state and was the author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.

A polymath, Jefferson achieved distinction as, among other things, a horticulturist, statesman, architect, archaeologist, author, inventor and founder of the University of Virginia. When President John F. Kennedy welcomed forty-nine Nobel Prize winners to the White House in 1962 he said, “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent and of human knowledge that has ever been gathered together at the White House—with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”

In his early life Jefferson practiced law and served in the Virginia House of Burgesses. In 1774, he wrote A Summary View of the Rights of British America, which was intended as instructions for the Virginia delegates to a national congress. The pamphlet was a powerful argument of American terms for a settlement with Britain. It helped speed the way to independence, and marked Jefferson as one of the most thoughtful patriot spokesmen.

As the primary author of the Declaration of Independence and a significant contributor to American political and civil culture, the Continental Congress delegated the task of writing the Declaration to a Committee of Five which unanimously solicited Jefferson to write the first draft, which underwent some alteration, but remained largely Jefferson’s work.



And




National Scrabble Day



By far the best way to celebrate Scrabble Day is with Oxyphenbutazone.

That’s right, Oxyphenbutazone is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug – you already knew that – but it’s also the word that, in a single play, can give the highest possible score on a Scrabble board. The chances of it ever coming up are similar to the chances of winning this week’s lottery, as you’d need to join all seven of your tiles with eight already on the board across three triple word scores. Still, it’d be worth waiting for, scoring 1,778 points.

You’d almost certainly win the game with that.

There’s no need to chase rainbows though; everyone loves Scrabble, so why not spend Scrabble Day with someone you like, in a friendly battle of words and wits? In the kingdom of Scrabble, the one ‘i’d man might be ‘king’, but the lady with the ‘q’ will definitely be queen.

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April 13 Birthdays



Thomas Jefferson - (1743 - 1826) (83)




Jonathan Brandis - (1976 - 2003) (27)




Kelli Giddish - 36




Al Green - 71




Ron Perlman - 67




Aaron Lewis - 45




Caroline Rhea - 53




Marc Ford - 51




Jack Casady - 73





April 13th

2012: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers had five of their guitars stolen from the Soundstage in Culver City, CA where they were rehearsing for a tour.

1993: Then-Massachusetts Governor William Weld declared Aerosmith Day in Massachusetts.

1991: R.E.M. made their broadcast television debut as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live performing “Losing My Religion” & “Shiny Happy People”.

1979: During a Van Halen concert in Spokane, WA, David Lee Roth collapsed onstage due to heat exhaustion.

1974: Paul McCartney & Wings reached number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with Band on the Run which went on to sell three million copies in the U.S.

1973: During an appearance on ABC’s In Concert, The J. Geils Band was censored while performing “Give It to Me” due to the lyric “get it up”.

1973: The Who singer Roger Daltrey released his debut solo album Daltrey which went on to reach number forty-five on the Billboard 200 Album Chart & had most of its songs co-written by the then-unknown Leo Sayer.

1970: Led Zeppelin became the first band to sell out the Montreal Forum which drew an estimated 17,500 fans.

1965: The Who began recording “Anywhere, Anyhow, Anyway” at IBC Studios in London.



Birthdays:

Jack Casady - Bassist for Jefferson Airplane born in 1944

Lowell George - Singer and guitarist for Little Feat born in 1945

Max Weinberg - Drummer for The E Street Band born in 1951

Marc Ford - Guitarist for The Black Crowes born in 1966

[IceWizard]

14 Apr 2017


National Dolphin Day



This holiday is celebrated throughout the world and in the grand scheme of things, Dolphin Day is perhaps one of the most well-known unofficial holidays of the world. Having gained steam in the 1990s and continuing into the present day, this holiday focuses on the worldwide plight of the dolphins. Considering how similar dolphins appear to be to ourselves, we may even call Dolphin Day one of the more “human” holidays that are celebrated.

Gatherings and awareness meetings take place in major cities across the globe. Some of largest venues include San Francisco, New York City and Tokyo. Traditionally, Dolphin Day places a particular emphasis on curtailing Japanese dolphin hunts, as these have received much publicity during the last decade. Each year, this worldwide event continues to gain a growing number of supporters. Hopefully, the near future will see a complete ban of dolphin hunting and while this holiday may no longer be needed, it will indeed be a happy ending for both the dolphins and their human advocates!



And




That Sucks! Day



Sometimes you just need to accept that the world at large is a gigantic suck-fest. You get up in the morning (did we mention you have to get up in the morning) drink coffee (Which is most certainly not the finest Kopa Lua blend) get off to work (through bad traffic and doesn’t pay enough) have lunch (at that diner that’s always so disappointing) stay late (because your boss is a jerk and doesn’t understand “schedules”) and drive home (with cops that are no doubt out cruising for Quota tickets).

In short, everything is terrible and anyone who tells you different is trying to sell you something. That Sucks Day brings awareness to this fact and is a great way to shut down those nay-sayer optimists no one really likes.

History of That Sucks Day

That Sucks Day seems to have come out of nowhere as a vindictive dedication to all things that suck. Throughout the history of the holiday and the organization that sponsored it, That Sucks LLC, they seek to exemplify all that is terrible and wrong in the world. As such they recognize historical figures (sometimes of questionable existence) that have been excellent representatives of suckage throughout the world.

Characters like the terrible seer Nostrasuckus who, rather than predicting a broad range of events specialized only in letting us know when things were going to suck. Oddly, he appeared to be a terrible seer as well (unsurprisingly) as none of his predictions have come true.

Which is hard to believe given the huge amount of suck in the world.

We can’t forget Evangelista Torricelli either, the man that proved that the ultimate in suckage technology existed, the vacuum, which of course was immediately followed by the invention of the vacuum pump. If the world didn’t suck before, whole new ways of sucking were surely on the way.

Did we mention that the American Tax Day, the Sinking of the Titanic, and Abraham Lincoln’s assassination all occurred on That Sucks! Day? Yeah, it really is that bad of a day.

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April 14 Birthdays



Sarah Michelle Gellar - 40




Robert Carlyle - 56




Anderson Silva - 42




Loretta Lynn - 85




Pete Rose - 76




Anthony Michael Hall - 49




Anne Sullivan - (1866 - 1936) (70)




Ritchie Blackmore - 72





April 14th

2008: Queen guitarist Brian May was inducted into Liverpool John Moores University as the university’s fourth Chancellor.

1994: Nirvana singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain was cremated at the Bleitz Funeral Home in Seattle. One third of Cobain’s ashes were later scattered in the Wishkah River in Washington, one third were scattered in a Buddhist temple in New York & the rest are with Courtney Love.

1983: The Pretenders’ bassist Pete Farndon was found dead in a bathtub at his home after a heroin overdose. He was 30 years old.

1982: Van Halen released their fifth album Diver Down which went on to reach number three on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and sell four million copies in the U.S.

1980: A member of the New Jersey State Assembly introduced a resolution to make “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen the official state song. The resolution didn’t pass.

1979: Dire Straits peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with their self-titled debut album. It later went on to sell two million copies in the U.S.

1975: Mick Jagger announced that Ronnie Wood of The Faces would replace Mick Taylor in The Rolling Stones on their tours of North and South America. Wood officially join the Stones the following February.

1974: The Who’s guitarist Pete Townshend made his solo live debut at London’s Roundhouse being back by his own prerecorded tapes.

1967: David Bowie released his novelty single, “The Laughing Gnome” which consisted of a conversation between Bowie and a creature of the title.



Birthdays:

Ritchie Blackmore - Guitarist for Deep Purple and Rainbow born in 1945

[IceWizard]

15 Apr 2017


National ASL Day



There are many ways to communicate, and thousands of languages, each with their own various dialects. However, when considering the languages of the world many people forget those that don’t use the voice at all. Throughout the world there are those who are not born with the gift of verbal speech, and have had to find another way to communicate. The written word is one such method, but away from a computer it’s clumsy for casual conversation, and thus was born languages that include the use of hand signs to express meaning and share ideas. Appropriately enough, they’re known as Sign Languages, and American Sign Language (ASL) is one of the most prominent forms in the world.

History of ASL Day

ASL has an incredibly long history, given the age of the country in which it was born.

In 1815 a school for the deaf was established with the intent of creating a cohesive language for those who could not use verbal speech. It was a remarkable leap forward for the time, and through the combination of several extant sign languages, Native American signals, French Sign Language, and even one for that was specifically created in Martha’s Vineyard (Known appropriately enough as Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language) the American Sign Language (ASL) was born.

Since it’s creation ASL has expanded throughout the world, being used in the majority of Canada, all throughout America, and has even expanded to areas like Central Africa, West Africa, and even Southeast Asia. Given it’s origin, it shares many commonalities with French Sign Language, and has even been considered a creole of that language.

Not sure what a creole is?

Neither were we! It’s basically a language formed from two other languages, that is in turn passed on to another generation. Whatever it’s technical designation, ASL has certainly opened the doors of communication for many people with various speech impairments that prevent them from using verbal speech.

Even more interesting is that ASL has been being taught as a second language in many places in the word, creating a scenario where even where the two involved may not share a spoken language, they’re able to communicate through sign.

How amazing is that?



And




Record Store Day



Record stores, eh? With digital music, iTunes and Amazon, they almost seem a thing of the past. But not quite!

Record Store Day is here for us to appreciate the wonderful pastime of flicking through albums, searching for bargains, finding something new, or perhaps something old that we lost a long time ago and completely forgot about. It’s an opportunity for us to reminisce (“Oh wow, I used to listen to this all the time when I was at school!”), to share (“I bet Kayleigh will love this, I’ll get her a copy”) and to ponder (“What was Fatboy Slim on when he wrote this one?!”).

Most of all, record stores allow us to take time out of our day and quietly enjoy who we are. Tastes and inspirations are specific to each of us, so let’s celebrate this individuality in a place filled with music and artwork, and where there’s always a human being to ask for a recommendation, one that isn’t based on the ‘Smurfs Go Pop’ CD you bought online as a joke gift for a friend.




And




Microvolunteering Day



For anyone who might be feeling the urge to do something worthwhile or an itch to give back to the community, but who just can’t quite seem to get around to starting, then Microvolunteering Day could be the answer.

Microvolunteering is a simple concept – individuals take convenient, bite-sized actions, often from home, in support of a good cause. This can be anything from writing a letter to an elderly hospital patient or tagging internet photos to help the visually impaired. Microvolunteering Day aims to raise awareness of this kind of short, easy, active citizenship and encourage people to get on and get involved.

So, why not use Microvolunteering Day to finally be that change you want to see, find a project you can support, and help make the world a better place – all from the comfort of your couch. Now that’s something worth volunteering for.

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April 15 Birthdays



Leonardo da Vinci - (1452 - 1519) (67)




Seth Rogen - 35




Emma Thompson - 58




Dan Smith - 37




Elizabeth Montgomery - (1933 - 1995) (62)




Kim Il-Sung - (1912 - 1994) (82)




Dave Edmunds - 73







April 15th

2003: Fleetwood Mac released their first album with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham in 16 years Say You Will which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 Album Chart.

2001: Ramones singer Joey Ramone died of lymphoma at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He was 49 years old and when he died he was listening to the U2 song “In A Little While” which Bono later called an honor.

1996: Jerry Garcia’s ashes were scattered in San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate Bridge. Another portion of Garcia’s ashes were spread in the Ganges River in India 11 days earlier.

1989: Poison peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with their cover of Loggins and Messina’s “Your Mama Don’t Dance” which was their fourth top ten single in the U.S.

1988: Pink Floyd kicked off the second leg of their North American tour in support of A Momentary Lapse of Reason at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

1978: Kansas peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Dust in the Wind” which was their first and only top ten single in the U.S.

1977: Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Gary Rossington were awarded honorary Atlanta citizenship certificates for their part in saving Atlanta’s historic Fox Theatre. In turn, Van Zant and Rossington presented then-Mayor Maynard Jackson with a Gold record for their live album One More from the Road.

1971: Rolling Stone magazine reported that the Illinois Crime Commission had issued a list of “drug oriented records” which included Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”, “A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum & “Yellow Submarine” by The Beatles.

1966: Buffalo Springfield made their live debut in San Bernadino, CA opening for The Byrds.



Birthdays:

Dave Edmunds born in 1944

[Mad Max]

Morning IceMan.

I enjoy Emma Thompson acting.

But I am holding off figuring out the famous quote. Too early to look I am just past squinting my eyes, ha ha.

Nice post as usual, Ice, thx !