Monday Open Thread: March 11 is Johnny Appleseed Day in the United States

March 11 is the 74th day of the Gregorian Calendar year Setting Orange, Chaos 70, 3185 YOLD  (discordian) And let us not forget 13.0.6.5.11 by the Mayan Long Count Today we celebrate the life of a guy who spread apples far and wide back in the early days of the white man's westward conquest of the land that became the US. He established nurseries for said apples and arranged for them to be tended and cared for. It is alleged that he also planted dogfennel during his travels, and for this he is sometimes excoriated because it is perceived to be a noxious invasive weed. The ironic truth is that it is native to the eastern and south-central US, while the apple is not native to the US at all. While probably not particularly invasive, it is a non-native species, having its origins in asia. Does this make him an ecoterrorist of some sort, spreading this alien species far and wide? I would say that the question is one for history to decide, but it appears that the decision has been made, and he gets a pass. Twenty years of schooling and they put you on the day shift, look out kid, ...

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On this day in history it was a seriously ugly day for indigenous peoples in the Americas: 1641 – Guaraní people living in reservations defeated Portuguese colonist brigands and slavers at the Battle of Mbororé 1824 – The United States Department of War creates the Bureau of Indian Affairs. You don't say.. 1851 – The first performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto 1941 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Lend-Lease Act into law 1945 – The Empire of Vietnam, a Japanese puppet state, was established with Bao Ðai as its ruler. Uh huh. 1990 – Patricio Aylwin was sworn in as the first democratically elected President of Chile since the US had Allende ovethrown and assassinated in 1973. The US political machine wept. 2006 – Michelle Bachelet was inaugurated as first female president of Chile. 2010 – Economist and businessman Sebastián Piñera was sworn in as President of Chile, 2012 – A U.S. soldier killed 16 civilians in Afghanistan and got busted for it. Wierder yet, he has not yet been pardoned for it even though he has served waaay more prison time than Lieutenant Calley did. RHIP?. Born this day in: 1876 – Carl Ruggles, pianist and composer 1885 – Malcolm Campbell, car and boat racer, journalist 1926 – Ralph Abernathy, civil rights leader and activist, mnister 1945 – Harvey Mandel, guitarist 1947 – Mark Stein, singer, songwriter, and keyboard player 1950 – Bobby McFerrin, singer, songwriter, producer, and conductor 1952 – Douglas Adams, author and playwright Died this day in: 1955 – Alexander Fleming, biologist, pharmacologist, and botanist, 1970 – Erle Stanley Gardner, lawyer and author 1971 – Philo Farnsworth, inventor 1971 – Whitney Young, civil rights activist 1986 – Sonny Terry, singer and harmonica player 2007 – Betty Hutton, actress and singer 2015 – Jimmy Greenspoon, singer, songwriter, and keyboards player  

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Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such: Johnny Appleseed Day (United States)

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Music goes here, iirc, well,

Carl Ruggles

Harvey Mandel

Mark Stein

Bobby McFerrin

Sonny Terru

Betty Hutton

Jimmy Greenspoon

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Harvey Mandel played with Charley Musselwhite, Canned Heat, the Stones (barely), various ad hoc jams at the Matrix, and many others.

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Image is a photo of an apple by Bikram singh It's an open thread, so do your thing Cross posted from http://caucus99percent.com