It’s Wednesday, and it’s March—March 1, 2017, to be precise, and the 60th day of the year. The first two months ended with record-setting weather in Chicago, as reported in this tweet:
WOW! Never, in #Chicago's 133 winters of record, has there been a January and February without a snow cover…. https://t.co/olf1rYgIuE
— Kat (@CondoKat) February 28, 2017
Could it be. . . . global warming?
And this begins a new food month; here are all the foods honored in March:
National Noodle Month
National Frozen Food Month
National Nutrition Month
National Hot Cross Bun Day (Good Friday)
National Sauce Month
National Flour Month? Which lobbyist slipped that in? And “caffeine awareness month”? I don’t like the sound of that at all!. Today is also “National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day”, which, given the placement of the apostrophe, implies that it’s for only one peanut butter maven. Finally, it’s Yap Day, celebrating Yapese culture.
News o’ the day: I see that Trump made kissy-kissy with Congress last night, which is more or less what he had to do to retain a shred of credibility. (I did not listen to his talk.) He’s clearly been reigned in for the nonce, but don’t expect him to suddenly become a good president. This is just a “President Act”. Speaking of that, the former President and Michelle Obama have signed their post-term book deals: the advances for both books, which will be published by Penguin Random House (my own publisher) are in the neighborhood of 20 million dollars.
On this day in 1565, Rio de Janeiro was founded, and, in 1692, the Salem Witch Trials began in Massachusetts with the hauling of three people before the court. On March 1, 1867, Nebraska became the 37th state, and exactly five years later, Yellowstone National Park became (according to Wikipedia) “the world’s first national park.” On this day in 1896, Henri Becquerel, using uraniums salts, discovered radioactive decay, for which he got the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903. In 1932, the famous Lindbergh baby kidnapping occurred on March 1, for which Bruno Hauptmann was ultimately executed. On this day in 1953, Stalin had a stroke; he died four days later. In 1961, John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps (were any readers in it?), and, 13 years, later, seven men were indicted in the Watergate scandal for their role in the break-in and attempts to cover it up. Yahoo was incorporated on March 1, 1995, and exactly 3 years later Titanic became the first film to gross over a billion dollars.
Notables born on this day include Frédéric Chopin (1810), Lytton Strachey (1880; read his Eminent Victorians and Queen Victoria), Glenn Miller (1904), Ralph Ellison (1914), and Harry Belafonte (1927; he’s 90 today). Day-O! Those who died on this day include Paul Scott (1978, author of The Raj Quartet and Staying On, five fantastic novels), Arthur Koestler (1983), Edwin Land (1991), and Minnie Miñoso (2015). Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is cuddling with houseguest Sarah. They are sitting on MY couch, and I can’t help but be a wee bit jealous:
A: I see that you’ve found a new place.Hili: Somebody must take care of our guests and you’re terrible at it.
Ja: Widzę, że znalazłaś sobie nowe miejsce.
Hili: Ktoś musi zajmować się gośćmi, a wy jesteście w tym okropni.
Lagnaippe: a gif of cat balancing dice on its paw. Click on screenshot to go to the gif:
And here is a boxing cat:
h/t: Ivan, Paul
March 1st is St David’s Day, the patron saint of Wales. You can see Welsh people wearing daffodils and leeks – along with the red dragon their national emblems.
Also today is “Pancake Day” in the UK they have pancake races around the country https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrove_Tuesday
But it’s WEDNESDAY!
Yes, it’s Ash Wednesday, and I expect that many of my colleagues and students will have schmutz on their forehead today.
Wasn’t really aware of the tradition when I first lived in New Orleans … led to asking an embarrassing question. :-S
Er – that was yesterday! (Per Jerry’s comment.)
Making today the fist day of lent – which lasts six weeks, and finishes on good Friday with hot cross buns…noted as a march festival above.
So the question is: how do we fit six weeks into march?
For added points, I still don’t know why the day your holy guy gets nailed to a cross is considered “good”. Can anyone enlighten me.
Concept is that although it was in some ways terrible, it was also the day Jesus redeemed us from our sins and thus successfully completed his mission on earth.
I think it was good. From the point of view of anyone who had to sit through interminable services in Sunday School when we shoulda been out playing in the sun, the guy had it coming.
😉
cr
I’m rather surprised to note that Royal National Park, just south of Sydney, Australia, was, according to Wikipedia – ‘the second national park in the world (after Yellowstone in the United States), and the first to have “National Park” as part of its name’.
Yes, Trump gave another America first speech if you exclude Trump. The first thing I always think best when assisting the American people is spend another 54 billion on the military. China will surely pay for it.
Oh, on that book deal for the Obama’s. One reporter said the neighborhood was $60 million.
We missed paczki day yesterday.
Paczki Day was last Thursday. Poles celebrate tlusty czwartek (Fat Thursday). While most people celebrate Fat Tuesday, Poles take more time to get rid of things that taste good in preparation for lent.
Yes you are correct Shrove Tuesday was yesterday Ash Wednesday is today That’s what happens when you move to another country you, loose track of events like that.
Seems to me the boxing cat is not looking at the TV screen, quite. Her gaze appears to be slightly higher. This leads me to the conclusion that the maker has committed a “Trump” (alternative fact). I’ll stand firmly by that conclusion until I change my mind.
Cat with dice. FAKE
I’m always aware of caffeine.
(It was a standing joke at work – I was useless till I had my morning fix).
cr
Freudian slip?
Stan Freberg made a much better job of The Banana Boat Song “Too loud, man!” 😀