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Post by Hunny on Feb 27, 2013 0:08:37 GMT
_____________________________________________________________ _______________________________________ Things you need to know! __ ~Every day is a holiday somewhere.~Some days we'll learn the history of our holidays, or about the holidays of other countries, and other days we'll just turn to Hallmark's list (they have a "day" for every day of the year). So come here each morning to find out what day it is! February 27 is...National Kahlua DayLikely created by the company that makes and sells Kahlua, if you are 21 or older, crack open a bottle today. In fact, go here ( click) for a delicious recipe. And go here for more ( click). Recommendation: use a tad more alcohol than they recommend, and go ahead and drink 3 or 4 of these. You'll be rocked! ___________________ Philosoraptor wonders...___________________ HOW TO DO STUFF!No caption required. Look at the cat's expression! COME BACK DAILY FOR...The DAILY BUZZ!
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Post by sadie1263 on Feb 27, 2013 2:04:57 GMT
Wow........that cat is going to kill that man in his sleep and make it look like an accident.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2013 7:06:02 GMT
Wow........that cat is going to kill that man in his sleep and make it look like an accident. No jury would convict it.
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Post by Hunny on Feb 27, 2013 14:37:30 GMT
Wow........that cat is going to kill that man in his sleep and make it look like an accident. No way. He's protected by the tin foil hat!
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Post by Hunny on Feb 27, 2013 19:43:32 GMT
THE KALEVALA is a 19th-century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot, from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology. It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature. The Kalevala played an instrumental role in the development of the Finnish national identity, the intensification of Finland's language strife and the growing sense of nationality that ultimately led to Finland's independence from Russia in 1917. The version most commonly known today was first published in 1849 and consists of 22,795 verses, divided into fifty songs (Finnish: runot). The title can be interpreted as "The land of Kaleva" or "Kalevia". HISTORY Before the 18th century the Kalevala poetry was common throughout Finland and Karelia but in the 18th century it began to disappear in Finland, first in western Finland, because European rhymed poetry became more common in Finland. Finnish folk poetry was first written down in the 17th century and collected by hobbyists and scholars through the following centuries. Despite this, the majority of Finnish poetry remained only in the oral tradition. Finnish born nationalist and linguist Karl Gottlund (1796–1875) expressed his desire for a Finnish epic in a similar vein to The Iliad, Beowulf and the Nibelungenlied compiled from the various poems and songs spread over most of Finland. He hoped that such an endeavour would incite a sense of nationality and independence in the native Finnish people.. INTERPRETATIONS The Kalevala, as the important work of national literature it is, has of course attracted many scholars and enthusiasts to interpret its contents in a historical context. Many interpretations of the themes in The Kalevala have been tabled. Some parts of the epic have been perceived as ancient conflicts between the early Finns and the Samis. In this context, the country of Kalevala could be understood as Southern Finland and Pohjola as Lapland. However, the place names in Kalevala seem to transfer the Kalevala further south, which has been interpreted as reflecting the Finnic settlement expansion from the South that came to push the Samis further to the north. Some scholars locate the lands of Kalevala to East Karelia, where most of the Kalevala stories were written down. In 1961 a small town of Uhtua in the then Soviet Republic of Karelia was renamed Kalevala, perhaps to promote that theory. Finnish politician and linguist Eemil Setälä rejected the idea that the heroes of Kalevala are historical in nature and suggested they are personifications of natural phænomena. He interprets Pohjola as the northern heavens and the Sampo as the pillar of the world. Setälä suggests that the journey to regain the Sampo is a purely imaginary one with the heroes riding a mythological boat or magical steed to the heavens The practice of bear-worship, arctolatry, was once very common in Finland and there are strong echoes of this in The Kalevala. The old Finnish word väinä (a strait of deep water with a slow current) appears to be the origin of the name Väinämöinen; one of Väinämöinen's other names is Suvantolainen, suvanto being the modern word for väinä. Consequently it is possible that the Saari (Island) might be the island of Saaremaa in Estonia and Kalevala the Estonian mainland. Finnish folklorists Matti Kuusi and Pertti Anttonen state that terms such as the people of Kalevala or the tribe of Kalevala are created of the whole cloth by Elias Lönnrot. Moreover, they contend that the word Kalevala is very rare in traditional poetry and that by emphasizing dualism (Kalevala vs. Pohjola) Elias Lönnrot created the required tension that made The Kalevala dramatically successful and thus fit for a national epic of the time. READ MORE...
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Post by Hunny on Feb 28, 2013 23:02:57 GMT
A martenitsa is a small piece of adornment, made of white and red yarn and worn from March 1 until around the end of March (or the first time an individual sees a stork, swallow, or budding tree). The name of the holiday is Baba Marta. "Baba" is the Bulgarian word for "grandmother" and Mart is the Bulgarian word for the month of March. Baba Marta is a Bulgarian tradition related to welcoming the upcoming spring. The month of March, according to Bulgarian folklore, marks the beginning of springtime. Therefore, the first day of March is a traditional holiday associated with sending off winter and welcoming spring. SYMBOLISM: The red and white woven threads symbolize the wish for good health. They are the heralds of the coming of spring in Bulgaria and life in general. While white as a color symbolizes purity, red is a symbol of life and passion, thus some ethnologists have proposed that, in its very origins, the custom might have reminded people of the constant cycle of life and death, the balance of good and evil, and of the sorrow and happiness in human life. TRADITION: On the first day of March and for a few days afterwards, Bulgarians exchange and wear white and red tassels or small dolls called "Пижо и Пенда" (Pizho and Penda). In Bulgarian folklore the name Baba Marta (in Bulgarian баба Марта meaning Grandma March) is related to a grumpy old lady whose mood swings change very rapidly. This is an old pagan tradition that remains almost unchanged today. The common belief is that by wearing the red and white colours of the martenitsa people ask Baba Marta for mercy. They hope that it will make winter pass faster and bring spring. Many people wear more than one martenitsa. They receive them as presents from relatives, close friends and colleagues. Martenitsa is usually worn pinned on the clothes, near the collar, or tied around the wrist. The tradition calls for wearing the martenitsa until the person sees a stork or a blooming tree. The stork is considered a harbinger of spring and as evidence that Baba Marta is in a good mood and is about to retire. The ritual of finally taking off the martenitsa may be different in different parts of Bulgaria. Some people would tie their martenitsa on a branch of a fruit tree, thus giving the tree health and luck, which the person wearing the martenitsa has enjoyed himself while wearing it. Others would put the martenitsa under a stone with the idea that the kind of creature (usually an insect) closest to the token the next day will determine the person's health for the rest of the year. If the creature is a larva or a worm, the coming year will be healthy, and full of success. The same luck is associated with an ant, the difference being that the person will have to work hard to reach success. If the creature near the token is a spider, then the person is in trouble and may not enjoy luck, health, or personal success. The martenitsa is also a stylized symbol of Mother Nature. During early-spring/late-winter, nature seems full of hopes and expectations. The white symbolizes the purity of the melting white snow and the red symbolizes the setting of the sun which becomes more and more intense as spring progresses. These two natural resources are the source of life. They are also associated with the male and female beginnings. Wearing one or more martenitsi is a very popular Bulgarian tradition. The martenitsa symbolises new life, conception, fertility, and spring. The time during which it is worn is meant to be a joyful holiday commemorating health and long life. The colours of the martenitsa are interpreted as symbols of purity and life, as well as the need for harmony in Nature and in people's lives. ORIGIN: Similar tradition is also held by thοse in the Republic of Macedonia, as well as in Northern Greece, Albania, Romania and Moldova. The tradition is related to the ancient pagan history of Balkan Peninsula and to all agricultural cults of nature. Some of the specific features of the ritual and especially tying the twisted white and red woolen thread, are a result of centuries-old tradition and suggest Thracian (paleo-Balkan) Hellenic or even Roman origin USE: Martenitsi are always given as gifts. It is supposed for people never to buy martenitsi for themselves. They are given to loved ones, friends, and those people to whom one feels close. They are worn on clothing, or around the wrist or neck, until the wearer sees a stork or swallow returning from migration, or a blossoming tree, and then removes the Martenitsa and hangs it on a blossoming tree. A martenitsa tied to a blossoming tree, a symbol of approaching spring___________________ Philosoraptor wonders...___________________ HOW TO DO STUFF! ~ COME BACK DAILY FOR...The DAILY BUZZ! ~
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Post by Hunny on Mar 1, 2013 23:29:30 GMT
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Post by Hunny on Mar 2, 2013 23:24:28 GMT
Hinamatsuri (Girl's Day - in Japan)
The Japanese Doll Festival Hinamatsuri, or Girls' Day, is held on March 3. Platforms covered with a red carpet are used to display a set of ornamental dolls representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period. The custom of displaying dolls began during the Heian period. Formerly, people believed the dolls possessed the power to contain bad spirits. Hinamatsuri traces its origins to an ancient Japanese custom called hina-nagashi ("doll floating"), in which straw hina dolls are set afloat on a boat and sent down a river to the sea, supposedly taking troubles or bad spirits with them. The Shimogamo Shrine (part of the Kamo Shrine complex in Kyoto) celebrates the Nagashibina by floating these dolls between the Takano and Kamo Rivers to pray for the safety of children. People have stopped doing this now because of fishermen catching the dolls in their nets. They now send them out to sea, and when the spectators are gone they take the boats out of the water and bring them back to the temple and burn them. The customary drink for the festival is shirozake, a sake made from fermented rice. A colored hina-arare, bite-sized crackers flavored with sugar or soy sauce depending on the region, and hishimochi, a diamond-shaped colored rice cake, are served. Chirashizushi (sushi rice flavored with sugar, vinegar, topped with raw fish and a variety of ingredients) is often eaten. A salt-based soup called ushiojiru containing clams still in the shell is also served. Clam shells in food are deemed the symbol of a united and peaceful couple, because a pair of clam shells fits perfectly, and no pair but the original pair can do so. Families generally start to display the dolls in February and take them down immediately after the festival. Superstition says that leaving the dolls past March 4 will result in a late marriage for the daughter. ___________________ Philosoraptor asks...___________________ BAR TRICKS! *HOW THE BAR TRICK WORKS: Oil is hydrophobic, water is hydrophilic and oil has a lower density than water, which causes it to float above the water.
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Post by Hunny on Mar 4, 2013 0:51:30 GMT
Hug a GI DayIt's March fourth, so march forth and find yourself a GI to hug. Though try not to bother them if they look busy. They might be trying to save the world or something. And come to think of it, what are you doing on the base? Who gave you clearance? ___________________ Philosoraptor asks...___________________ HOW TO DO STUFF!
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Post by sadie1263 on Mar 4, 2013 1:36:14 GMT
I have no idea where you come up with some of these......but I'm starting to think your computer is warped!!!
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Post by Hunny on Mar 5, 2013 1:03:01 GMT
National Tree Planting Day (in Iran)Arbor Day (from the Latin arbor, meaning tree) is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees. It originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska, United States by J. Sterling Morton. The first Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872 and an estimated one million trees were planted that day. Many countries now observe a similar holiday. ( click for a list) Though usually observed in the spring, the date varies, depending on climate and suitable planting season. ___________________ Philosoraptor asks...___________________ HOW TO DO STUFF!
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Post by Hunny on Mar 5, 2013 23:28:58 GMT
Dentist Day?! Three cheers for the dentists of the world. Hip hip' Hip hip' {crickets, crickets} Uh, guys? This is where you say hooray. Hey, where are you going? Look, we all get a little nervous about visits to the dentist's office, but without their help our teeth would be a mess. You wouldn't want to give up that gorgeous grin of yours, now would you? ___________________ Philosoraptor asks...___________________ HOW TO DO STUFF!
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Post by Hunny on Mar 7, 2013 2:21:30 GMT
Teacher's Day (in Albania)In many countries, Teachers' Days are intended to be special days for the appreciation of teachers, and may include celebrations to honor them for their special contributions in a particular field area, or the community in general. The date on which Teachers' day is celebrated varies from country to country. Teachers' days are distinct from World Teachers' Day which is officially celebrated across the world on October 5. ___________________ Socially Awkward Penguin...___________________ HOW TO DO STUFF!
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Post by Hunny on Mar 7, 2013 23:51:32 GMT
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Post by sadie1263 on Mar 8, 2013 5:34:28 GMT
That's how my pics with the camera timer work out also.....
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Post by Hunny on Mar 9, 2013 5:45:09 GMT
Panic Day!Try to stay calm. Take a deep breath. For today is Panic Day. Can you handle today? Good, we were worried for a moment. Hopefully, everything is going just swell in your life, and you have no need for this day. But, if problems and troubles are looming, try to hold off hitting the panic button until this day arrives. Don't worry. Don't fret. and, above all, don't panic. However, if ever there was a day to panic, today is that day. ___________________ Advice Duck Says...___________________ BAR TRICKS!
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Post by Hunny on Mar 10, 2013 0:28:53 GMT
Tibetan Uprising DayTibetan Uprising Day commemorates the 1959 Tibetan uprising against the presence of the People's Republic of China in Tibet. The failure of the armed rebellion ultimately resulted in a violent crackdown on Tibetan independence movements, and the flight of the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso into exile. Tibetan Uprising Day is observed primarily by organizations and individuals who support Tibetan independence, such as Students for a Free Tibet, and is often accompanied by the release of a statement by the Dalai Lama. Tibetan independence groups often organize protests or campaigns on March 10th to draw attention to the situation in Tibet. In 2008, protests triggered a series of riots and violent clashes in the Tibetan city of Lhasa when the monks were arrested. ___________________ Advice Duck says...___________________ HOW TO!
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Post by Hunny on Mar 11, 2013 11:48:21 GMT
Johnny Appleseed Day (in the U.S.)
Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman - September 26, 1774 – March 18, 1845) was a man who legend says went around talking to animals and planting apples all over the country. And this is pretty much what we tell second graders who are the only captive audience that can be found anymore that teachers can tell such stories to. Just as we also tell kids stories of a giant with an axe who cleared a lot of trees out of the way so we could settle the west ("Paul Bunyon", the fictional product of a logging company's advertising campaign - though his brave adventures in fighting off the British with an axe did begin as genuine folklore, but that's another story.) Wikipedia says of Johnny Appleseed: "He was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Virginia. He became an American legend while still alive, due to his kind, generous ways, his leadership in conservation, and the symbolic importance he attributed to apples. He was also a missionary for The New Church (Swedenborgian)." In reality though he was just a businessman who SOLD apple trees, and preached a bit which made him somewhat of a public figure. I remember being taught of this man as spreading apple seeds everywhere randomly - and I was left with the impression it was just a tale. And this is what we tell kids, I don't know why. Meanwhile, in reality, what he actually did was grow saplings and sell them for 6 cents each to settlers. These were not edible apples, they were the sour kind that grow naturally, but people used them to make booze! And that's what his business was. Well, I guess we cant just tell the kids that! SUBSISTENCE LIFESTYLE: According to Harper's New Monthly Magazine, towards the end of his career, he was present when an itinerant missionary was exhorting an open-air congregation in Mansfield, Ohio. The sermon was long and severe on the topic of extravagance, because the pioneers were buying such indulgences as calico and imported tea. “Where now is there a man who, like the primitive Christians, is traveling to heaven barefooted and clad in coarse raiment?” the preacher repeatedly asked until Johnny Appleseed, his endurance worn out, walked up to the preacher, put his bare foot on the stump that had served as a podium, and said, “Here's your primitive Christian!” The flummoxed sermonizer dismissed the congregation. LIFE AS A MISSIONARY: He would tell stories to children, spread the The New Church gospel to the adults, receiving a floor to sleep on for the night, sometimes supper in return. "We can hear him read now, just as he did that summer day, when we were busy quilting upstairs, and he lay near the door, his voice rising denunciatory and thrillin—strong and loud as the roar of wind and waves, then soft and soothing as the balmy airs that quivered the morning-glory leaves about his gray beard. His was a strange eloquence at times, and he was undoubtedly a man of genius," reported a lady who knew him in his later years. He made several trips back east, both to visit his sister and to replenish his supply of Swedenborgian literature. Chapman was quick to preach the Gospel as he traveled, and during his travels he converted many Indians, whom he admired. The Native Americans regarded him as someone who had been touched by the Great Spirit, even hostile tribes left him strictly alone. He once wrote, "I have traveled more than 4,000 miles about this country, and I have never met with one single insolent Native American. ATTITUDE TOWARDS ANIMALS: Johnny Appleseed cared very deeply about animals, including insects. Henry Howe, who visited all the counties in Ohio in the early 19th century, collected several stories from the 1830s, when Johnny Appleseed was still alive:
One cool autumnal night, while lying by his camp-fire in the woods, he observed that the mosquitoes flew in the blaze and were burned. Johnny, who wore on his head a tin utensil which answered both as a cap and a mush pot, filled it with water and quenched the fire, and afterwards remarked, “God forbid that I should build a fire for my comfort, that should be the means of destroying any of his creatures.” Another time he made a camp-fire in a snowstorm at the end of a hollow log in which he intended to pass the night, but finding it occupied by a bear and cubs, he removed his fire to the other end, and slept on the snow in the open air, rather than disturb the bear.
When he heard a horse was to be put down, he bought the horse, bought a few grassy acres nearby, and turned the horse out to recover. When it did, he gave the horse to someone needy, exacting a promise to treat the horse humanely. During his later life, he was a vegetarian. ATTITUDE TOWARDS MARRIAGE: When Johnny Appleseed was asked why he didn't marry, his answer was always that two female spirits would be his wives in the after-life if he stayed single on earth. However, Henry Howe reported that Appleseed had been a frequent visitor to Perrysville, Ohio. He was to propose to Miss Nancy Tannehill there—only to find that he was a day late; she had accepted a prior proposal: On one occasion Miss PRICE’s mother asked Johnny if he would not be a happier man, if he were settled in a home of his own, and had a family to love him. He opened his eyes very wide–they were remarkably keen, penetrating grey eyes, almost black–and replied that all women were not what they professed to be; that some of them were deceivers; and a man might not marry the amiable woman that he thought he was getting, after all. Now we had always heard that Johnny had loved once upon a time, and that his lady love had proven false to him. Then he said one time he saw a poor, friendless little girl, who had no one to care for her, and sent her to school, and meant to bring her up to suit himself, and when she was old enough he intended to marry her. He clothed her and watched over her; but when she was fifteen years old, he called to see her once unexpectedly, and found her sitting beside a young man, with her hand in his, listening to his silly twaddle. I peeped over at Johnny while he was telling this, and, young as I was, I saw his eyes grow dark as violets, and the pupils enlarge, and his voice rise up in denunciation, while his nostrils dilated and his thin lips worked with emotion. How angry he grew! He thought the girl was basely ungrateful. After that time she was no protegé of his. ___________________ Advice Duck Says...___________________ HOW TO!
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Post by sadie1263 on Mar 11, 2013 16:05:15 GMT
I like the fire extinguisher idea.........
I had so much laundry to do this weekend......I wish the cat had come over and sat on top of it!!!!
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Post by Hunny on Mar 11, 2013 23:44:03 GMT
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Post by Hunny on Mar 12, 2013 23:14:51 GMT
___________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Every day is a holiday somewhere. Come here every morning to find out what day it is!
March 13 is...National Potato Chip DayNational Potato Chip Day celebrates the ever popular potato chip. Potato Chips are America's #1 snack food. But, its not just a snack food. Its the potato of choice for many lunchtime and dinner meals. Regular (or plain) potato chips are by far the most popular. Other popular flavors are barbecue, sour cream & onion, oil & vinegar, and ranch. Did you Know? Potato chips were first made by Chef George Crum in Saratoga Springs, NY on August 24, 1853. Americans have been in love with them ever since. Make your own potato chips! Its easy to do. The kids will love it, and so will you. Find out how. Celebrating National Potato Chip Day is easy.... eat potato chips during meals and snacks. ___________________ Lazy College Senior...___________________ HOW TO DO STUFF!
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Post by Hunny on Mar 14, 2013 19:08:27 GMT
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Post by Hunny on Mar 15, 2013 0:25:05 GMT
The Ides of March is a day on the Roman calendar that corresponds to March 15. It was marked by several religious observances, and became notorious as the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE. In the original Roman calendar, March was the first month of the year. The holidays observed by the Romans from the first through the Ides often reflect their origin as new year celebrations. The Romans did not number days of a month sequentially from the first through the last day. Instead, they counted back from three fixed points of the month: the Nones (5th or 7th, depending on the length of the month), the Ides (13th or 15th), and the Kalends (1st) of the following month. The Ides occurred near the midpoint, on the 13th for most months, but on the 15th for March, May, July, and October. The Ides were supposed to be determined by the full moon, reflecting the lunar origin of the Roman calendar. On the earliest calendar, the Ides of March would have been the first full moon of the new year. IDES: The Ides of each month was sacred to Jupiter, the supreme deity of the Romans. The Flamen Dialis, Jupiter's high priest, led the "Ides sheep" in procession along the Via Sacra to the arx, where it was sacrificed. In addition to the monthly sacrifice, the Ides of March was also the occasion of the Feast of Anna Perenna, a goddess of the year whose festival originally concluded the ceremonies of the new year. The day was enthusiastically celebrated among the common people with picnics, drinking, and revelry. One source from late antiquity also places the Mamuralia on the Ides of March. This observance, which has aspects of scapegoat or ancient Greek pharmakos ritual, involved beating an old man dressed in animal skins and perhaps driving him from the city. The ritual may have been a new year festival representing the expulsion of the old year. ASSASSINATION OF CEASER: In modern times, the Ides of March is best known as the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BCE. Caesar was stabbed to death at a meeting of the senate. As many as 60 conspirators, led by Brutus and Cassius, were involved. According to Plutarch, a seer had warned that harm would come to Caesar no later than the Ides of March. On his way to the Theatre of Pompey, where he would be assassinated, Caesar passed the seer and joked, "The ides of March have come," meaning to say that the prophecy had not been fulfilled, to which the seer replied "Aye, Caesar; but not gone." This meeting is famously dramatised in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, when Caesar is warned by the soothsayer to "beware the Ides of March." The Roman biographer Suetonius identifies the "seer" as a haruspex named Spurinna. On the anniversary of Caesar's death in 40 BCE, after achieving a victory at the siege of Perugia, Octavian (later known as Augustus) executed 300 senators and knights who had fought against him under Lucius Antonius, the brother of Mark Antony. The executions were one of a series of actions taken by Octavian as Caesar's adopted heir to avenge his death. The Roman historians Suetonius and Cassius Dio characterise the slaughter as like a religious sacrifice, noting that it occurred on the Ides of March at the new altar to the deified Julius. CELEBRATION: I don't find much in the way of people celebrating this as a day, although in Canada they drink "Bloody Ceaser cocktails" today. The Death Of Ceasar (1798) by Vincenzo Camuccini ___________________ Philosoraptor ponders...___________________ HOW TO DO STUFF!Come back every day for the DAILY BUZZ!
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Post by sadie1263 on Mar 15, 2013 1:21:47 GMT
How come the cats never seem to fall....but everything they were on once they move does?
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Post by Hunny on Mar 15, 2013 22:53:43 GMT
___________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Every day is a holiday somewhere.Come here each morning to find out what day it is!
March 16 is...Everything You Do Is Right DayEverything You Do Is Right Day is about just what it says. Life is filled with ups and downs. Some days are good days. Some days are bad days. Most often, there's both good and bad in any given day. But every once in a while, a day comes along where everything you do goes well...and that day is today! To celebrate Everything You Do Is Right Day...we do realize things may go wrong occasionally anyway, but the rule is EVERYTHING YOU DO IS RIGHT. So...if anyone questions you, just say "I'm right." If you screw up, just go "I meant to do that." And when something does go well, say "Of course!" And have a happy perfect day! ___________________ Philosoraptor asks...___________________ HOW TO DO STUFF!Come back every day for the DAILY BUZZ!
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