“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” – Bruce Lee
Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us. Thomas Paine
If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise. – Robert Fritz, 1943-present
A good man would prefer to be defeated than to defeat injustice by evil means. – Sallust, 86 BC-34 BC
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We had a long drive yesterday from Biarritz in France down to La Nucia in Spain. The first part of the day was spent at some monolithic Menhirs, Dolmen and caves near the Spanish -French border at Saint Jean de Luz at a place called Sare. I am hoping to add the pictures in due course maybe on tomorrow’s blog. We drove, then, to the Spanish border and had a quick bite to eat before travelling through the misty mountains and on down to Zaragoza. Then it was time for the long hard slog to Teruel This showed we were getting near a really bad fire and I have been reading this morning that it is still burning badly and 1000 people have been evacuated from their homes. It looked horrendous. We drove down to the E7 motorway and got home around 1 am.If you are asked to fill in a form and state your nationality the word itself springs from nation. Broadly speaking a nation may refer to a community of people who share a common territory and government; and who often share a common language, race, descent, and/or history.It can also refer to the inhabitants of a sovereign state irrespective of their ethnic make-up. In international relations, nation can refer to a country or sovereign state.
This is all very well but in true British confusion Britain can be any or all of the following definitions. Is it this complicated for French, German or American people? I don’t think so!
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain) is a sovereign state. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands.I’m informed there are some 2000 islands!
Dog Rules
1. The dog is NOT allowed in the house.
2. Okay, the dog is allowed in the house, but ONLY in
certain rooms.
3. The dog is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay OFF the
furniture.
4. The dog can get on the OLD furniture only.
5. Fine, the dog is allowed on all the furniture, but is not
allowed to sleep with the humans on the bed.
6. Okay, the dog is allowed on the bed, but only by
invitation.
7. The dog can sleep on the bed whenever he wants, but not
under the covers.
8. The dog can sleep under the covers by invitation only.
9. The dog can sleep under the covers every night.
10. Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers
with the dog.
Received from Becky Day.
1543 – England and Scotland signed the peace of Greenwich. With a joint time signal?
1596 – An English fleet under the Earl of Essex, Lord Howard of Effingham and Francis Vere captured and sacked Cadiz, Spain. Bullies
1798 – Napoleon Bonaparte took Alexandria, Egypt.To the movies?
1863 – During the U.S. Civil War, the first day’s fighting at Gettysburg began. Oh dear!
1874 – The Philadelphia Zoological Society zoo opened as the first zoo in the United States. I like visiting zoos
1876 – Montenegro declared war on the Turks.
1893 – The first bicycle race track in America to be made out of wood was opened in San Francisco, CA. This seems very early
1905 – The USDA Forest Service was created within the Department of Agriculture. The agency was given the mission to sustain healthy, diverse, and productive forests and grasslands for present and future generations. Very enlightened
1909 – Thomas Edison began commercially manufacturing his new “A” type alkaline storage batteries. Clever
1916 – The massive Allied offensive known as the Battle of the Somme began in France. The battle was the first to use tanks. Different tactics involved
1940 – In Washington, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge was opened to traffic. The bridge collapsed during a wind storm on November 7, 1940. Good
1941 – Bulova Watch Company sponsored the first TV commercial in New York City, NY. I still remember the name from the 60s
1942 – German troops captured Sevestpol, Crimea, in the Soviet Union. That area was always problematical
1945 – New York established the New York State Commission Against Discrimination to prevent discrimination in employment because of race, creed or natural origin. It was the first such agency in the U.S. It took Britain until the mid 70s
1946 – The U.S. exploded a 20-kiloton atomic bomb near Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Ugh!
1948 – The price of a subway ride in New York City was increased from 5 cents to 10. OK
1960 – Somalia gained its independence from Britain through the unification of Somaliland with Italian Somalia. OK
1961 – British troops landed in Kuwait to aid against Iraqi threats. Precursor to 1990?
1961 – The first community air-raid shelter was built. The shelter in Boise, ID had a capacity of 1,000 people and family memberships sold for $100. OK
1968 – The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty was signed by 60 countries. It limited the spreading of nuclear material for military purposes. On May 11, 1995, the treaty was extended indefinitely. Good but impossible to keep
1969 – Britain’s Prince Charles was invested as the Prince of Wales. Something to do for the day
1979 – Sony introduced the Walkman. Great idea but highly anti-social
1980 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed legislation that provided for 2 acres of land near the Lincoln Memorial for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Good
1987 – John Kevin Hill, at age 11, became the youngest to fly across the U.S. when he landed at National Airport in Washington, DC. Inspirational
1989 – The Montreal Protocol, an international treaty, went into effect. It limited the production of ozone-destroying chemicals. Good
1994 – Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Liberation Organization visited the Gaza Strip.His head dress will always be remembered
1997 – The sovereignty over Hong Kong was transferred from Great Britain to China. Britain had controlled Hong Kong as a colony for 156 years. This is offered as one explanation as to why we have so many todo shops in Benidorm. They have got British passports! I don’t know if this is true
The Day’s Music Events 1st July1956, Elvis Presley appeared on NBC- TV’s ‘The Steve Allen Show’ and performed ‘Hound Dog’, to a live Hound Dog. US TV critic John Crosby panned Elvis’ performance, calling him an ‘unspeakable, untalented and vulgar young entertainer.’ Critics are great atpotting talent
1962, Gene Vincent plus up and coming local group The Beatles appeared at The Cavern Club, Liverpool.I’d have loved to have seen him there
1963, The Beatles recorded their next single at EMI Studios, London, ‘She Loves You’ and ‘I’ll Get You’, completing the two songs in less than four hours. Released in August this year, ‘She Loves You’ went on to become The Beatles’ first million-selling single. We just couldn’t believe what was happening at the time
1967, The Association scored their second and last US No.1 single with ‘Windy’. Not a hit in the UK.Good song
1967, The Beatles started a 15 week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, the group’s 10th US No.1 album. Great atmosphere associated with this concept album
1969, John Lennon, Yoko Ono and family were involved in a car accident in Golspie, Scotland. Both John and Yoko needed hospital treatment. Lennon later had the car crushed into a cube and exhibited it on his lawn at Tittenhurst Park.Great idea
1972, Neil Diamond went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Song Sung Blue’, his second US No.1. A No.14 hit in the UK.I sing this song still
1972, Slade were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Take Me Bak ‘Ome’, the group’s second No.1. The song was very popular
1973, Slade and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band appeared at Earl’s Court London, tickets cost £1.00-£2.00. Special ‘Slade’ trains were running form Brighton, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester to take fans to the show. As I said they were popular
1975, 10cc were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘I’m Not In Love’. The instrumental break featured the repeated spoken phrase: “Be quiet, big boys don’t cry…”, which was spoken by Kathy Warren, the receptionist at Strawberry Studios, Stockport, Cheshire where the band recorded the track. Good trivia
1981, Rushton Moreve, bass player with Steppenwolf was killed in motorcycle accident Santa Barbara, California, aged 32. Had the 1968 US No.2 single ‘Born To Be Wild’ and he co-wrote their hit ‘Magic Carpet Ride.’ Another sad story from the world of pop
1983, A New Jersey based quintet calling themselves Bon Jovi signed to Phonogram’s Mercury records. Great band
1989, Milli Vanilli scored their first US No.1 single with ‘Baby Don’t Forget My Number’, a No.16 hit in the UK. Did they sing or do anything on the record?
1989, Lou Reed, Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello, The Robert Cray Band, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Tanita Tikaram, Pixies, R.E.M. and Texas all appeared at the Rock Torhout Festival, Torhout, Belgium.Bien
1990, Over a lunch meeting Mark Knopfler, John Illsley and Dire Straits manager, Ed Bicknell decide to reform the group, record an album and plan a world tour.Good idea
1995, DJ Wolfman Jack died of a heart attack. Was the master of ceremonies for the rock ‘n’ roll generation of the ’60s on radio, and later on television during the ’70s.A legend
1995, R.E.M. The Cure, Therapy, Offspring, PJ Harvey, dEUS, Senser, Bodycount, Channel Zero, Jeff Buckley, Spearhead, Belly, Morphine and The Cranberries all appeared at this years Rock Torhout Festival, Torhout, Belgium. Tres bien
1999, American singer Guy Mitchell, (born Albert George Cernik) died aged 72 at Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas. He had the 1957 UK & US No.1 single ‘Singing The Blues’ plus over 10 other UK Top 40 singles. Mitchell also appeared as George Romack in the 1961 NBC western detective series Whispering Smith. He had a distinctive style
1999, Jamaican reggae singer Dennis Brown died aged 42, the official cause of his death was a collapsed lung. During his career, he recorded more than 75 albums and had the 1979 UK No.14 single ‘Money In My Pocket.’ Bob Marley cited Brown as his favourite singer, naming him “The Crown Prince of Reggae.” I knew him not
2000, Kylie Minogue was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Spinning Around’, the singers 5th No 1 which was co-written by Paula Abdul, (it was originally intended for Abdul’s “comeback” album). ‘Spinning Around’ gave Minogue the honor of being one of three artists (the others being Madonna and U2) to have a No.1 in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.She is a class act
2001, Rolling Stone Ron Wood was commissioned to paint a group portrait of diners who are regulars at the West End London restaurant The Ivy. Elton John and Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant were two pop stars to be included in the portrait. He is a good painter
2002, Six postage stamps designed by Sir Paul McCartney went on sale in The Isle Of Man. With proceeds from their sale going to the Adopt-A- Minefield charity.Good cause
2004, Glen Campbell began serving 10 nights in jail along with two years of probation for a November 2003 drink-driving, hit-and-run collision. The 68 year old entertainer was also sentenced to 75 hours of community service and fined $900. Very sad and he died quite recently in June 2011
2005, Four Tops singer Renaldo “Obie” Benson died aged 69 in a Detroit hospital from lung cancer. He was diagnosed after having a leg amputated due to circulation problems. The Four Tops sold over 50 million records and had hits including ‘Reach Out (I’ll be There)’ and ‘I Can’t Help Myself.’ Benson also co-wrote ‘What’s Going On’ which became a No.2 hit for Marvin Gaye.Great memories2005, American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer Luther Vandross died at the age of 54 at the JFK Medical Centre in New Jersey, two years after suffering a major stroke. His ‘Never Too Much’, was a No.1 R&B hit, worked with Diana Ross, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, Barbra Streisand, Mariah Carey and David Bowie. Vandross had won four Grammys for his final album ‘Dance With My Father.’Another sad event
2009, Sir Cliff Richard was ordered to demolish a £30,000 conservatory at his home in Surrey after the local council ruled that the conservatory should never have been built. The planning committee said the building contravened policy on green belt areas because it added more than 30% extra floor space. Too near the cliffs?
1915,Willie Dixon, blues singer, guitarist, ‘the poet laureate of the blues’. Credited with writing more than 500 songs by the end of his life. Wrote classic songs: ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’, ‘I’m Ready’, ‘You Shook Me’, ‘I Can’t Quit You Baby’, ‘Little Red Rooster.’ Major influence on The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Dixon died on 29th January 1992.
1928, Bobby Day, US singer, had the 1958 hit ‘Rockin Robin’, one half of the duo, Bob And Earl (recorded ‘Harlem Shuffle’ in 1963).
1939, Delaney Bramlett, Delaney & Bonnie, (1971 US No.13 single ‘Never Ending Song Of Love’, worked with Eric Clapton during the early 70′s). Died on 27th Dec 2008.
1945, Deborah Harry, singer, Blondie, (five UK No.1 singles including 1979 UK & US No.1 single ‘Heart Of Glass’ and the 1978 world-wide No.1 album ‘Parallel Lines’). And solo (1986 UK No. 8 single ‘French Kissing In The USA’).
1946, , June Montiero, singer, The Toys, 1965 US No. 2 & UK No.5 single ‘A Lover’s Concerto’).
