Thursday, March 27, 2025
ON THIS DAY
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March 27, 1977:
Tenerife airplanes disaster
On 27 March 1977 two Boeing 747 passenger jets collided on the runway atTenerife Airport) in Spain. The Incident occurred in dense fog when KLM Flight 4805 initiated its takeoff run, colliding with the right side of Pan Am Flight 1736 still on the runway. The impact and the resulting fire killed all 248 people on board the KLM plane and 335 of the 396 people on board the Pan Am plane, with only 61 survivors in the front section of the latter aircraft. With a total of 583 fatalities, the disaster is the deadliest accident in aviation history.
The two aircraft had landed earlier that Sunday and were among a number of aircraft diverted due to a bomb explosion at their intended destination. The alternative airport had become congested with parked airplanes blocking the only taxiway, forcing departing aircraft to taxi on the runway. Patches of thick fog were drifting across the airfield, so visibility was greatly reduced for pilots and the control tower.
The subsequent investigation by Spanish authorities concluded that the primary cause of the accident was the KLM captain's decision to take off in the mistaken belief that a takeoff clearance from air traffic control (ATC) had been issued. Dutch investigators placed a greater emphasis on a mutual misunderstanding in radio communications between the KLM crew and ATC, but ultimately KLM admitted that their crew was responsible for the accident and the airline agreed to financially compensate the relatives of all of the victims.
The disaster had a lasting influence on the industry, highlighting in particular the vital importance of using standard phraseology in radio communications. Cockpit procedures were also reviewed, contributing to the establishment of crew resource management as a fundamental part of airline pilots' training. The captain is no longer considered infallible, and combined crew input is encouraged during aircraft operations.
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AUSTRALIAN HISTORY MOMENTS
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JOSEPH SAMUEL
Joseph Samuel (c. 1780 – 1806) was a German known for having survived his execution attempts. Convicted for robbery in 1795, he was sentenced in 1801 to transportation to Australia.
Britain then maintained a penal settlement at Sydney Cove in the Colony of New South Wales. Security in the early penal settlements was reinforced by the isolation of the colony: guards trusted the Australian wilderness to kill any convicts who attempted to escape.
Brickfield Hill and village on the High Road to Parramatta
[ca. 1797]
Samuel succeeded in escaping and, with a gang, robbed the home of a wealthy woman, and in the process, a policeman named Joseph Luker, who was guarding her home, was murdered. The gang was hunted down and quickly captured and, during the trial, the woman recognised Joseph Samuel as one of the culprits. He confessed to robbing her home, but denied having murdered the policeman. The other members of the gang, including the leader, were acquitted due to lack of evidence, but because the woman identified Samuel, he was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging.
On 26 September 1803, Samuel and another criminal, convicted of another crime and not a member of the same gang, were driven in a cart to Brickfield Hill at Parramatta, where hundreds of people had gathered to watch the execution. Nooses were fastened securely around their necks from the gallows and after they were allowed to pray with a priest, the cart was driven away. This was the common method of hanging of the day, and caused death by slow strangulation. Not until the latter half of the 19th century did the British employ the drop method, which breaks the neck.
The ropes used were made of five cords of hemp, which enabled one to hold 1,000 lb (450 kg), for up to five minutes without breaking, more than sufficient for human executions. The other criminal ultimately died by strangulation, but Samuel's rope snapped and he dropped to his feet, sprained an ankle and collapsed. The executioner hastily readied another rope, also five-hemp, and placed it around Samuel's neck, forced him onto the same cart, and drove the cart away again. The other criminal was still kicking weakly at this point.
When the cart drove out from under him, Samuel fell again, and the noose slipped off his neck, whereupon his boots touched the ground. The executioner was sure to have fastened the noose securely around his neck, and as he stood Samuel up to try again, the crowd had become boisterous, calling for Samuel to be freed. The executioner very quickly readied another five-hemp rope, ordered the cart driven back, forced Samuel onto it, fastened the noose around his neck, secured it very carefully and tightly, and then ordered the cart driven away. The rope snapped, and Samuel dropped to the ground and stumbled over, trying to avoid landing on his sprained ankle.
Now the crowd stood around in an uproar, and another policeman, watching on horseback, ordered the execution delayed momentarily, while he rode away to find the governor. The governor was summoned to the scene and upon inspection of the ropes, which showed no evidence of having been cut, and the other criminal, who had been executed with an identical rope, the governor and the entire crowd agreed that it was a sign from God that Joseph Samuel had not committed any crime deserving of execution and his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment instead. Parramatta's town doctor tended to his sprained ankle.
Later, the ropes which were used in the execution were inspected and no signs of tampering was found. They were also tested by suspending weights from them and they appeared to be fine. Why the ropes broke under the weight of Joseph Samuel, no one can say.
After his brush with death Samuel was sent to Kings Town to work in the mines. In 1806 he and seven other men tried to escape the settlement in a boat but it sank and they were presumed drowned. His body was never found.
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Wednesday, March 26, 2025
ANECDOTES
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Secretary of State under Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger, was given a report that Winston Lord had worked on for days. After giving it to Kissinger, he got it back with the notation: “Is this the best you can do?” Lord rewrote and polished and finally submitted it; back it came with the same curt question.
After redrafting it one more time – and once again getting the same question from Kissinger – Lord snapped, “Damn it, yes, it’s the best I can do.”
“Fine, then I guess I’ll read it this time.”
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Down on his luck, screenwriter Michael Arlen went to New York in 1944. To drown his sorrows he paid a visit to the famous restaurant “21”. In the lobby, he ran into Sam Goldwyn, who offered the somewhat impractical advice that he should buy racehorses.
At the bar, Arlen met Louis B. Mayer, an old acquaintance, who asked him what were his plans for the future. “I was just talking to Sam Goldwyn…” began Arlen. “How much did he offer you?” interrupted Mayer. “Not enough,” he replied evasively. “Would you take fifteen thousand for thirty weeks?” asked Mayer.
No hesitation this time. “Yes,” said Arlen.
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Otto von Bismarck
The German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, enraged at the constant criticisms from Rudolf Virchow (the German pathologist and liberal politician), had his seconds call upon the scientist to challenge him to a duel.
“As the challenged party, I have the choice of weapons,” said Virchow, ” and I choose these.” He held aloft two large and apparently identical sausages. “one of these, he went on, “is infected with deadly germs; the other is perfectly sound. Let His Excellency decide which one he wishes to eat, and I will eat the other.”
Almost immediately the message came back that the chancellor had decided to cancel the duel.
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In 1949, Konrad Adenauer was elected the first chancellor of post-WWII Germany. At that time, the Allied High Commissioners resided at the famous Hotel Petersberg near Bonn. Here Adenauer was to introduce his newly formed cabinet to the commission.
The three commissioners were awaiting the German delegation standing on a large red carpet. Protocol assigned the German chancellor a spot next to it.
However, Adenauer defied protocol by deliberately stepping onto the carpet. This was widely seen as a first symbolic step towards Germany’s aspirations to see eye-to-eye with the commissioners.
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Kin’yo, a Japanese officer of the second rank, had a brother called the High Priest Ryogaku, an extremely bad-tempered man. Next to his monastery grew a large nettle-tree which occasioned the nickname people gave him, the Nettle-tree High Priest.
“That name is outrageous,” said the high priest, and cut down the tree. The stump still being left, people referred to him now as the Stump High Priest. More furious than ever, Ryogaku had the stump dug up and thrown away, but this left a big ditch. People now called him the Ditch High Priest.
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In the 1970s, a young Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor John Danaher was attending a high school in rural New Zealand. One day, an “enthusiastic amateur” stuntman dropped by to perform a series of stunts for the kids. The children watched in amazement as the Australian “daredevil” set his gloved hand on fire, caught a boomerang and walked across a plank he put up between the two buildings of the school. “How can he do that?” the children wondered.
After this final trick, the stuntman took the plank and put it on the ground, letting the children cross it one by one. It was easy for the kids. Then the stuntman looked at them and said something John never forgot: “The plank is the same. I put it up higher and so it took your breath away. But you guys just ran across the plank. The plank didn’t change, your perceptions of it did.”
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ON THIS DAY
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March 26, 2018:
US soldier receives world's first penis and scrotum transplant at Johns Hopkins University
On this day in 2018 surgeons at Johns Hopkins Hospital performed the world’s first total penis and scrotum transplant.
The patient suffered a devastating injury several years earlier from an improvised explosive device while serving in Afghanistan. He lost both his legs in the explosion as well. The 14-hour procedure repaired his abdominal wall, gave him a new scrotum and attached a donor penis. The surgical team consisted of nine Johns Hopkins plastic surgeons and two urological surgeons.
Doctors chose not to give the patient testicles after consulting with bioethicists. They determined that the sperm-generating tissue would confer the potential for having children with genetic material from the donor.
Two weeks after the penis surgery, the patient received bone marrow infusions from the donor. The procedure, pioneered by the same Johns Hopkins team, modulates the immune response that causes patients to reject transplanted organs, so the patient needs only one low-dose maintenance immunosuppression medication per day.
Over a year on from this world-first transplant, the medical team reported the patient was recovering well, with the organ and its reestablished nerve connections functioning about as well as could be hoped for. "He has near-normal erections and the ability to achieve orgasm," the researchers wrote in their case report.
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Tuesday, March 25, 2025
ON THIS DAY
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March 25, 1306:
Robert the Bruce crowned King of Scotland.
Robert I (popularly known as Robert the Bruce) was King of Scots from March 25,1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England. He fought successfully during his reign to restore Scotland to an independent kingdom and is regarded in Scotland as a national hero.
Six weeks before he seized the Scottish crown in March 1306, Robert the Bruce murdered his closest political rival. He’d arranged to meet longtime opponent John “the Red” Comyn at a priory in Dumfries in southern Scotland, ostensibly to discuss “certain business touching them both,” but quickly changed tactics, accused Comyn of treachery and struck him down. As Comyn lay bleeding at the foot of the shrine, Bruce retreated, giving the friars a chance to tend to the fallen man’s wounds. But he then learned his target was still alive and sent several men back to finish the bloody task. As Walter of Guisborough wrote around 1308, when Comyn “had confessed and was truly repentant, by the tyrant's order he was dragged out of the vestry and killed on the steps of the high altar.”
With the support of Scottish barons Robert declared himself king, being crowned inaugurated at Scone Abbey on 25 March 1306. His position was precarious – there were two defeats to an English army at Methven and to a Scottish army led by John Macdougall. Robert was obliged to flee to Rathlin Island on the coast of Ireland. The English, unable to get their hands on the king, went for the next best thing and hunted down his family. Three of Robert's brothers were executed, and his sister Mary was kept in an iron cage dangling from the walls of Roxburgh Castle, a fate she suffered for four years.
Fighting back, Robert picked off English-held castles one by one (and destroyed them to prevent reuse by the enemy). He also made regular and lucrative raids into northern England seemingly at will. At the Bottle of Bannockburn (1314) Robert’s outnumbered troops defeated the English army, the English king having to flee for his life. Robert won a one-on-one fight with Henry de Bohun - Robert split his opponent's head with a mighty blow of his battle-axe.
Peace was concluded between Scotland and England with the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton in 1328, by which Edward III renounced all claims to sovereignty over Scotland.
19th century engraving showing what Robert the Bruce might have looked like.
By the way:
The meaning of the name Bruce is “woods” or “thicket.” It is derived from the Celtic language and was brought to Scotland by the Normans. Robert the Bruce was called by that name because of his family’s association with a Norman castle known as Bruis or Brix. The first Robert de Bruce came to England with William the Conqueror. In Scottish Gaelic, Bruce is known as Brùs and is a Lowlands Scottish clan. It was a royal house in the 14th century and produced two kings of Scotland, Robert the Bruce and David II of Scotland.
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POETRY SPOT
TURBULENCE
- Murray Hartin
See and hear Murray Hartin's recitation by clicking on:
The poem:
Here's a tale of Billy Hays from out near Alice Springs
A wild young ringer, he'd done some crazy things
He'd bucked bulls over fences, rode a colt up Ayres Rock
See his legs weren't made for walking they were made for riding stock
A legend round the rodeo from Allaroon to Broome
An untried horse at 6am was saddle broke by noon
No form of equine foolery he wasn't game to try
Only one thing ever spooked him,
He was way too scared to fly.
Well if I was meant to fly he said
I'd have feathers and a beak,
You fly and waste a day and I'll drive and waste a week
I hear they're safe as houses and mechanically they're sound
But I don't see no rope or bridle so aye, I'm staying on the ground
One day Bill got a call from his mate in Adelaide,
He'd got his girl in trouble and the wedding cards were played
He said, Mate I don't care how you do it you can beg or steel or borrow
But Mate you're gunna have to catch the plane, coz the big day is tomorrow.
Billy cursed and spat it "That dopey bloody coot!
He knows I'll jump on anything that's coming out a chute
I've caught stallions that'd kill you, caught bulls gone off their brain
But I never thought there'd come a day I'd have to catch a plane!"
Bill legged it to the airport and thought "Well this is it"
The lady at the counter asked "Where would you like to sit?"
He said "You know that black box thing they always seem to find
"Well you can stick me right in side it if you wouldn't bloody mind"
She gave a friendly smile and "Sir I'll just take your bag"
He said "I don't bloody think so, 'n by the way it's called a swag."
Bill was sweatin' buckets when they finally cleared the strip
He had his seatbelt on that tight he was bleedin' from the hip
But when they levelled out he stopped shakin at the knees
Looked around , relaxed 'n thought "This flyin' game's a breeze"
We clipped his belt undone, stretched out in his seat
Well he couldn't stretch that much 'cause his swag was at his feet.
Then the captain crackled something, Bill asked the hostess what was said
"Sir you'd better buckle up there's some turbulence ahead:
Turbulence - what's that?" "Sir it's pockets caused by heat
"And when it gets severe it can throw you from your seat."
"Throw me, I'll be buggered," Bill pushed his seat right back,
Wrapped his legs around his swag and stuck his left hand through the strap
He jammed down his Akubra, he was ready now to ride
Then things got pretty bumpy and Billy yelled "Outside!"
The plane she dropped a thousand feet, bounced up five hundred more
When his head hit the roof, his backside hit the floor!
"I've rode all through the Territory and never come unstuck
So give me all you've got big bird - buck you bastard buck!"
And while the passengers were screaming in fear of certain death
Billy whooped and hollered 'til he near ran out of breath
You'd have thought that canvas swag was welded to his ass
And before the ringer knew it he's bucked up to business class
There seemed no way to tame this creature, it had ten gears and reverse
But that didn't worry Billy, he just bucked on through to first
He did somersaults with twists on this mongrel mount from hell
He yelled out to the pilot "for Christ sake ring the bell!"
Bill was bleeding from the bugle, he had cuts above both eyes
If you weren't there on the spot ya probably think I'm tellin' lies
He'd been upside down and inside out, done flips and triple spins
Ya might a' seen some great rides in your time but hands down Billy wins
The flight returned to normal, Bill was flat out on the deck
Still stuck to his swag but he looked a bloody wreck
He pulled himself together, stood up straight and raised his hat
He said "I've had some tough trips in me day but never one like that."
"An eight-second spin in Alice proves your made of sturdy stuff
But I was on there a near a minute and I reckon that's enough."
The first class folk were dumbstruck at this crazy ringer's feat
but Bill just grabbed a crownie and walked back to his seat.
Now years have passed and Bill's long give the buckin' game away
Too many breaks and dusty miles for far too little pay
Now plane's are not a worry, in fact he'd rather fly than ride
"N when you talk about his maiden voyage his chest puffs out with pride
"You can talk about your Rocky Neds or that old Chainsaw bloke
I'd ride 'em both without a rope and roll a bloody smoke
There's cowboys 'round who think they're hot, well they aint tasted heat
"Til they've ridden time on Turbulence at 30,000 feet."
Monday, March 24, 2025
ON THESE DAYS
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Hello Byters.
An explanation for not having posted Bytes items for the last few days - I have been down the coast for my son's wedding, where Kate and I were staying did not have internet access for my laptop.
So today's post is a little different, starting with the heading.
To maintain continuity of 'On This Day', I am posting the current one and the earlier two that were missed.
This is in lieu of the other Bytes items.
Hope you find them interesting.
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March 22, 1896:
First modern marathon win
On this day in 1896, Charilaos Vasilakos of Greece won the first modern marathon in 3:18 at the Panhellenic Games. (I ran marathons when I was a lot younger, best time 3:15). The main purpose of the games was to select the team that would compete in the first Modern Olympic Games later the same year. He won the race.
Vasilakos was one of seventeen athletes who started the Olympic marathon on 10 April 1896. He finished in second place, behind Spiridon Louis, with a time of 3:06:03 as one of only nine finishers. Both races were on 40-kilometre courses rather than the now-standard 42.195 kilometres.
Charilaos Vasilakos in training for the marathon race of the 1896 Athens Olympic Games, on the road from Marathon, Greece.
Spyridon Louis
By the way:
The 1906 London Olympic Games were the longest in history, spanning from April to October. They introduced the practice of awarding gold, silver, and bronze medals and required athletes to compete as part of national teams for the first time. It also set the standard distance of a marathon at 42.2k (26 miles 385 yards), the additional 385 yards being so that the race could finish in front of the Royal box. Before that a marathon was any distance considered lengthy.
22-year-old Dorando Pietri was leading the marathon but collapsed multiple times just yards from the finish line. Each time, he was helped to his feet, and he ultimately crossed the finish line to the cheers of nearly 100,000 spectators at White City Stadium. Despite his first-place finish, Pietri was disqualified for receiving outside assistance, and the American runner Johnny Hayes was declared the winner.
Dorando Petri at the finish line 1906 marathon
See film of the finish by clicking on:
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March 23, 1881:
Boers & Britain sign peace accord, ending the First Boer war
The First Boer War was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 between the British Empire and Boers of the Transvaal (as the South African Republic was known while under British administration). The war resulted in a Boer victory and eventual independence of the South African Republic. The war is also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion.
The Boers, sometimes called Afrikaners, were the direct descendants of Dutch travelers who had begun settling in Southern Africa around the late 1600s and early 1700s. As Britain expanded the Cape colonies further and further into the interior of Southern Africa, so did the English language and culture begin to dominate the Cape. Not only did this rapid social change in culture and politics cause a great deal of unease among the Boers, but it also incited rebellion from the Boers. In the mid-1830s, the Boers embarked on an exodus (i.e. the Great Trek) into the South African tribal territories and founded two republics around the Vaal River and the Orange River: the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State, respectively. These two republics were eventually recognised by the Brits.
That changed when, in the mid-1860s, large deposits of natural treasures, such as gold and diamonds, were discovered in the lands of Southern Africa. These discoveries sparked the desire of the British to conquer the territories in those zones. This was unwilling to be agreed by the Boers who declared independence from Britain. The Boers had no army, instead they were made of militia men who organised themselves into units called commandos. Those units were then placed under an elected officer. The Boers were more determined than the Brits, more proficient with their weapons and knew the country. The Brit redcoats made them easy targets.
The First Anglo-Boer War featured four main battles and many sieges. The battles occurred at Laing’s Nek, Schinus Hoogte, Laingsnek, and Majuba.
A collage of major battles in the First Boer War which are Majuba, Laings Nek, and Elandsfontein.
Clockwise from left: Aftermath of the Battle of Elandsfontein, The Boers' method of fighting" in The Illustrated London News; British Cavalry charges during the Battle of Laing's Nek"; British in action during the Battle of Majuba
All in all, about 400 British soldiers perished during the First Boer War. An additional 400 or so British troops sustained varying degree of injuries. On the other hand, the Boers lost less than 30 men, with slightly over 50 wounded.
On March 6, 1881, Sir Evelyn Wood of Britain signed and agreed to a truce to all hostilities with the Boers. On March 23, 1881, at O’Neil’s Cottage, South African leader Paul Kruger and Wood signed a peace treaty, officially ending the war.
Under the peace treaty (i.e. The Pretoria Convention), the British agreed to withdraw its forces from Boer territory and grant Boer full self-governance in the Transvaal under Britain’s suzerainty. In exchange, the Boers were required to accept British monarch’s nominal authority and dominance over African issues, native territories, and international ties.
Peace talks between Paul Kruger and Sir Evelyn Wood in O'Neil's Cottage near Amajuba Hill. Western side panel of the Kruger statue on Church square, Pretoria.
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March 24, 1989:
Exxon Valdex oil spill.
On this day in 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground, spilling some 11 million gallons (41 million litres) of oil into Prince William Sound in Alaska and creating the largest oil spill in U.S. history up to that time.
The Exxon Valdez spill is the second largest in U.S. waters, after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in terms of volume of oil released. Prince William Sound's remote location, accessible only by helicopter, plane, or boat, made government and industry response efforts difficult and made existing response plans especially hard to implement. The region is a habitat for salmon, sea otters, seals, and seabirds. The oil, extracted from the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field, eventually affected 1,300 miles (2,100 km) of coastline, of which 200 miles (320 km) were heavily or moderately oiled.
This disaster resulted in International Maritime Organization introducing comprehensive marine pollution prevention rules (MARPOL) through various conventions. The rules were ratified by member countries and.
Both long-term and short-term effects of the oil spill have been studied. Immediate effects include the deaths of between 100,000 and 250,000 seabirds, at least 2,800 sea otters, approximately 12 river otters, 300 harbor seals, 247 bald eagles, and 22 orcas, and an unknown number of salmon and herring.
Nine years after the disaster, evidence of negative oil spill effects on marine birds was found in the following species: cormorants, goldeneyes, mergansers, murres and pigeon guillemots.
On March 24, 2014, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the spill, NOAA scientists reported that some species seem to have recovered, with the sea otter the latest creature to return to pre-spill numbers. Scientists who have monitored the spill area for the last 25 years report that concern remains for one of two pods of local orca whales, with fears that one pod may eventually die out. Federal scientists estimate that between 16,000 and 21,000 US gallons (61 to 79 m3) of oil remains on beaches in Prince William Sound and up to 450 miles (725 km) away.
The Exxon Baton Rouge (smaller ship on left) attempts to offload crude oil from the Exxon Valdez after it ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska.
Thick crude oil washed up on the boots of a cleanup worker on cobble beach of Evans Island.
Damaged tanker Exxon Valdez in dry dock after the accident.
A worker gets on hands and knees trying to soak up crude oil on the shoreline using towels.
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Friday, March 21, 2025
ON THIS DAY
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March 21, 1963:
Closing of Alcatraz Prison
The U.S. federal prison on San Francisco Bay's Alcatraz Island, which had held some of the most dangerous civilian prisoners—including Al Capone and Robert Stroud, the “Birdman of Alcatraz”—was closed this day in 1963.
The strong currents around the island and cold water temperatures made escape nearly impossible, and the prison became one of the most notorious in American history. The prison and the island are now a major tourist attraction.
Alcatraz Island is the site of the abandoned federal prison, the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States, early military fortifications, and natural features such as rock pools and a seabird colony (mostly western gulls, cormorants, and egrets).
This island and the prison
The last inmates of Alcatraz federal prison are shown as they file out of the cell blocks for the final time as the federal government abandons this maximum security prison in San Francisco Bay. The government abandoned the "Rock" because it would cost too much to repair the deteriorating buildings.
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FUNNY FRIDAY
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To go with the 'On This Day' item, the closing of Alcatraz, following is some humour about prisons. A grim subject, which makes it harder to get some laughs and smiles from it but here goes . . .
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SOME HUMOUR:
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An old farmer wrote to his son in prison:
“This year I wont be able to plant potatoes because I cant dig the field. I know if you were here you would help me”
The son wrote back:
”Dad don’t even think of digging the field because that’s where I buried the money I stole”
Police read the letter and the very next day the whole field was dug by police looking for the money but nothing was found.
The next day the son wrote again:
“Now plant your potatoes dad; it’s the best I can do from here.
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A woman visits her husband in prison.
Before leaving, she tells a correction officer:
"You shouldn't make my husband work like that. He's exhausted!"
The officer laughs, saying:
"Are you kidding? He just eats and sleeps and stays in his own cell!"
"Bullshit! He just told me he's been digging a tunnel for months!"
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My doctor told me I was obese. I got defensive and told him, "Look, I'm obese. My sister is obese. My mother is obese....
..... My kids are obese. My brother is obese. Obesity runs in my family."
Doctor: "It sounds like nobody runs in your family."
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An Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman are all sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Before they each go into their prison cells, they are all granted one wish to help them through it
The Englishman asks for people to come into his cell and talk to him sometimes to keep him company
"No problem" says the prison officer
The Scotsman asks for a dog to be in his cell sometimes to keep him company
"Ok" says the prison officer
The Irishman asks for 100 packs of cigarettes
"Sure" says the prison officer
A year later, after taking a break from the job, the same prison officer returns to the prison and goes to check on the men to see how they are
The Englishman looks to be doing ok, and thanks the prison officer for allowing him to have people in there to keep him company
The Scotsman is also ok, and thanks the prison officer
The Irishman says "have you got a light?"
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I wanted to marry my English teacher when she got out of jail…
But apparently, you can’t end a sentence with a proposition…
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As I was driving past a prison yesterday, I saw a dwarf scaling down the wall. Confused , I stared up at him and he sneered back.
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LIMERICK OF THE WEEK:
A painter, who lived in Great Britain,
Interrupted two girls with their knitting,
He said, with a sigh,
"That park bench, well I,
Just painted it, right where you're sitting."
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GALLERY:
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CORN CORNER:
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I have a movie idea where an English teacher in a prison gets illiterate inmates to read
It's called Prose and Cons
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People get mad at me for always using contractions. But that's just the way I am.
It's what it's.
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My son didn't cope well with going to jail...
He refused to eat or drink anything.
He swore at everyone and covered his room with his own poop.
After that, we never played Monopoly again.
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Today, I met Bruce Lee's vegetarian brother, Broco Lee.
I met a few of his cousins too;
The one who can't take a joke, Serious Lee.
The one is always there last minute, Sudden Lee.
The one who doesn't understand Metaphors, Literal Lee.
The one who is always throwing shade, Sarcastic Lee.
The one who is so sure of himself, Definite Lee.
The one you can always predict, Usual Lee.
The one whose always smiling, Happy Lee.
The one in disgrace, Shameful Lee.
The one that isn't very good looking, Ug Lee
AND,
The one who likes perfection, Exact Lee
In short, I met the whole Fama Lee.
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Thursday, March 20, 2025
ON THIS DAY
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March 20, 1703:
Ronin seppuku (Ako Incident).
Those who have seen the Keannu Reeves movie ’47 Ronin’ will know the story. Likewise the dissertation by a character in the great Robert de Niro film ‘Ronin’. (One of the best car chases you will see, rivalling the car chases in Bullitt and Blues Brothers 1).
The tale of the forty-seven ronin, also known as the Ako incident or Ako vendetta, is perhaps Japan‘s most famous historical legend, which tells of a group of samurai after their daimyō (feudal lord) Asano Naganori was compelled to perform seppuku (ritual suicide) for assaulting a powerful court official (kōke) named Kira Yoshinaka, after the court official insulted him.
Asano‘s death had left his 300 samurai retainers as ronin, masterless warriors who were expected by custom to follow their lord in death. Many did so, but a group of 47, led by Asano‘s chief councillor Oishi Kuranosuke, secretly swore an oath to avenge their master by killing Kira. This was no small matter – revenge had been explicitly forbidden by the shogunate, and the ronin knew they would be signing their own death warrants by defying the law.
To throw off suspicion, the ronin dispersed and took up new lives as merchants and tradesmen. Oishi himself began frequenting brothels and taverns in Kyoto, feigning dissipation to make Kira‘s spies believe he had given up any thought of revenge. The ruse worked, and after nearly two years, Kira let down his guard.
On December 14, 1702, the forty-seven ronin regrouped and made their move. Armed with swords and bows, they stormed Kira‘s mansion in Edo, fighting through his guards and retainers. They found Kira hiding in a shed and offered him the chance to die honourably by his own hand, but he was too frightened to act. The ronin beheaded him, then marched with his head to Asano‘s grave at Sengaku-ji temple, where they laid it as an offering.
The forty-seven ronin surrendered themselves to the authorities, fully expecting to be sentenced to death for their crime. The shogunate was in a bind – the ronin had technically broken the law, but their actions were widely celebrated by the public as a righteous act of loyalty and honour. In the end, the shogun compromised by allowing the ronin to die honourably by seppuku rather than as common criminals. All 47 did so willingly on March 20, 1703, and were buried at Sengaku-ji alongside their master.
This true story was popular in Japanese culture as emblematic of loyalty, sacrifice, persistence, and honour (qualities samurai follow called bushidō) that people should display in their daily lives.
Statues of the famous 47 ronin in the Oishi Shrine, Ako, Japan
Graves of the forty-seven rōnin at Sengaku-ji
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FACTS
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Just Room Enough Island, also known as Hub Island, is an island located in the Thousand Islands chain, in New York, United States. The island is known for being the smallest inhabited island, which appears to be around 3,300 square feet (310 m2). Purchased by the Sizeland family in the 1950s, the island has a house, a tree, shrubs, and a small beach.
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Santa Claus is a town in Spencer County, Indiana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 2,586 at the 2020 census. It is home to numerous Christmas themed attractions, including Holiday World & Splashin' Safari and Santa's Candy Castle.
The town was established in 1854 and known as Santa Fe, but was unable to establish a post office as there was already another Santa Fe, Indiana. Several town meetings were held, during which the name Santa Claus was selected.
The town has the world's only post office to bear the name of the Santa Claus Christmas figure. Because of this popular name, the post office receives thousands of letters to Santa from all over the world each year. A group of volunteers known as Santa's Elves ensures each child receives a reply from Santa Claus; this tradition has been in existence since at least 1914. The post office also creates an annual Christmas hand-cancellation pictorial postmark for use during December, which also attracts mail from all over the world.
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North Pole is a small city in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States.
As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 2,243. Despite its name, the city is about 1,700 miles (2,700 km) south of Earth's geographic North Pole and 125 miles (201 km) south of the Arctic Circle.
Flag of North Pole, Alaska
North Pole's biggest attraction is a gift shop named Santa Claus House, the modern-day incarnation of a trading post (gift shop) established in the town's early days. The Santa Claus House is known for the world's largest fiberglass statue of Santa Claus outside. A small group of domesticated reindeer are just outside.
The area that formed the central city of North Pole was homesteaded in 1944 by Bon V. and Bernice Davis. In 1952, Dahl and Gaske Development Company purchased the Davis homestead, subdivided it, and renamed it North Pole, in hopes of attracting a toy manufacturer to the area. The City of North Pole was incorporated on January 15, 1953, from portions of the Davis homestead and the adjacent homestead of James Ford. Ford was named the first mayor,
Santa Clause House and Santa, North Pole, Alaska
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Lake Hillier is a saline lake in Western Australia that is notable for its pink colour.
Lake Hillier is about 600 metres (2,000 ft) in length by about 250 m (820 ft) in width. The lake is surrounded by a rim of sand and a dense woodland of paperbark and eucalyptus trees. The vibrant colour is permanent, and does not alter when the water is taken in a container. The pink colour is believed to be caused by a mix of colourful bacteria and algae.
In recent years, Lake Hillier's iconic pink colour has noticeably faded, partially due to a high volume of rainfall diluting the lake's salt levels. However, scientists believe the change in appearance is only temporary, with the colour expected to return as water levels decrease.
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