11/01 - Prime Meridian Day

Today is day 305 of the Gregorian Calendar year, Setting Orange, The Aftermath 13, 3187 YOLD And let us not forget 13.0.8.17.17 mlc (the Mayan Long Count) *****

Prime Meridian Day recognizes the designation of the meridian through Greenwich, England, as the "Prime Meridian" for the Earth on 11-01-1884. Thereafter, longitude was measured east and west of the "Greenwich Meridian" (unless one were French), and navigational chronometers were set so as to echo the time at Greenwich. (The French objected to the location and used Paris for their Prime Meridian until that farce got tiresome in 1911 and they switched over.) Having a zero longitude made navigation and cartography much easier and led to variouo time systems based on said location, such as Zulu Time, Greenwich (Mean) Time, and Universal Time. These are all unrelated to Prime TIme, which is simply a code meaning "here be Dreck" much as ancient maps had areas marked "here be monsters" and such.

Give Up Your Shoulds Day You know all of that stuff you should do, should be doing, should be working on, should think, should learn, and should know? Just let go of all that crap. Take a day to be, and not to be what you should be,, but just be. Do whatever, or perhaps nothing at all.

Samhain in the North, Beltane in the Sputh These are cross quarter days. Why these days are cross and what they are cross about is something of a mystery, but there are 4 of them and they are mirrored at the equator. Today is the aforementioned pair.

It's Dia de los Muertos at least some of whom are presumably grateful.

In the desert I saw a creature, naked, bestial, Who, squatting upon the ground, Held his heart in his hands, And ate of it. I said, “Is it good, friend?” “It is bitter—bitter,” he answered; “But I like it “Because it is bitter, “And because it is my heart.”

~~ Stephen Crane

On this day in history:

1512 – First public exhibition of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling 1520 – The Strait of Magellan was first "discovered" and navigated by a European. 1555 – Huguenots established a short lived colony where Rio de Janeiro is 1604 – William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello was first performed 1611 – Shakespeare's play The Tempest was first performed 1688 – William III of Orange set out to conquer England, Scotland and Ireland 1755 – Lisbon was totally devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami 1765 – The British Parliament enacted the Stamp Act 1790 – Edmund Burke published Reflections on the Revolution in France 1814 – The Congress of Vienna opened to re-draw the European political map 1848 – The first medical school for women opened in Boston Massachusetts. 1870 – The US Weather Bureau made its first official meteorological forecast. 1884 - The International Meridian Conference adopted the Greenwich meridian as the prime meridian of the earth 1894 – Edison filmed Buffalo Bill, and some of his troupe 1896 – A picture of a woman's bare breasts appeared National Geographic 1897 – The first Library of Congress building opened its doors to the public 1941 – Ansel Adams took a picture of a moonrise over the town of Hernandez, New Mexico that would become one of the most famous images in the history of photography. 1945 – The official North Korean newspaper was first published 1950 – Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempted to assassinate US President Harry S. Truman 1951 – Six thousand five hundred US soldiers were exposed to atomic explosions for training purposes 1952 – The US detonated the world's first thermonuclear device, at the Eniwetok atoll. 1955 – The US set up a "Military Assistance Advisory Group" in South Vietnam 1957 – The Mackinac Bridge in Michigan opened to traffic 1963 – The Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, officially opened 1968 – The Motion Picture Association's film rating system was officially introduced 1979 – Colonel Alberto Natusch executed a short lived coup d'état In Bolivia 1982 – Honda became the first Asian automobile company to produce cars in the US 1987 – British Rail Class 43 (HST) hits a record speed of 238 km/h 1993 – The Maastricht Treaty took effect, formally establishing the European Union.

Born this day in:

When it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him, he at first wishes to throw bricks at the temple, and he hates deeply the fact that there are no bricks and no temples.

~~ Stephen Crane

1530 – Étienne de La Boétie, philosopher and judge 1585 – Jan Brozek, mathematician, physician, and astronomer 1596 – Pietro da Cortona, Ipainter 1666 – James Sherard, botanist and curator 1757 – Antonio Canova, sculptor and educator 1848 – Caroline Still Anderson, physician, educator and abolitionist 1849 – William Merritt Chase, painter and educator 1871 – Stephen Crane, poet, novelist, and short story writer 1872 – Louis Dewis, painter 1880 – Sholem Asch, author and playwright 1880 – Grantland Rice, journalist and poet 1880 – Alfred Wegener, meteorologist and geophysicist 1898 – Sippie Wallace, singer, songwriter, and pianist 1915 – Margaret Taylor-Burroughs, painter, poet, and educator, co-founded the DuSable Museum of African American History 11918 – Ken Miles, legendary race car driver 1919 – Hermann Bondi, mathematician and cosmologist 1923 – Gordon R. Dickson, author 1937 – Bill Anderson, singer and songwriter 1944 – Kinky Friedman, singer, songwriter, politician, and author 1945 – John Williamson, singer and songwriter 1946 – Ric Grech, musician 1947 – Jim Steinman, songwriter and producer 1949 – David Foster, singer, songwriter, keyboard player, and producer 1949 – Michael D. Griffin, physicist and engineer 1950 – Mitch Kapor, computer programmer, businessman, and activist; founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation 1950 – Robert B. Laughlin, physicist and academic 1950 – Dan Peek, singer, songwriter, and musician 1951 – Ronald Bell, singer, songwriter, saxophonist, and producer ( 1953 – Jan Davis, engineer and astronaut 1953 – Paul Wellings, ecologist and academic 1957 – Lyle Lovett, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer 1958 – Robert Hart, singer and songwriter 1959 – Susanna Clarke, author and educator 1961 – Calvin Johnson, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer 1962 – Magne Furuholmen, singer, songwriter, and guitarist 1962 – Anthony Kiedis, singer and songwriter 1963 – Big Kenny, singer, songwriter, and guitarist 1964 – Sophie B. Hawkins, singer, songwriter and guitarist 1967 – Tina Arena, singer, songwriter, producer, and actress 1978 – Helen Czerski, physicist and oceanographer

One can show one's contempt for the cruelty and stupidity of the world by making of one's life a poem of incoherence and absurdity.

~~ Alfred Jarry

1496 – Filippo Buonaccorsi (Filip Callimachus), humanist writer 1546 – Giulio Romano, painter and architect 1629 – Hendrick ter Brugghen, painter 1642 – Jean Nicolet, explorer 1888 – Nikolay Przhevalsky, geographer and explorer ( 1903 – Theodor Mommsen, archaeologist, journalist, and politician 1907 – Alfred Jarry, author and playwright 1952 – Dixie Lee, singer 1970 – Robert Staughton Lynd, sociologist and academic 1972 – Robert MacArthur, ecologist and academic 1972 – Ezra Pound, poet and critic 1983 – Anthony van Hoboken, musicologist and author 1993 – Severo Ochoa, biochemist and academic 2004 – Terry Knight, singer, songwriter, and producer 2005 – Skitch Henderson, pianist, composer, and conductor 2006 – William Styron, novelist and essayist 2008 – Jacques Piccard, oceanographer and engineer 2008 – Yma Sumac, soprano and actress with exceptional range

Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such: Dia de los Muertes International Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome Awareness Day National Brush Day (United States) The first day of winter observances: Calan Gaeaf, celebrations start at sunset of October 31. (Wales) Samhain in the Northern Hemisphere and Beltane in the Southern Hemisphere, celebrations start at sunset of October 31 Give Up Your Shoulds Day National Cinnamon Day National Calzone Day National Author's Day National Family Literacy Day National vinegar Day Prime Meridian Day

Music goes here, iirc, well, With apologies ;-)

Sippie Wallace

Kinky Friedman

John Williamson

Dan Peek

Ronald Bell

Lyle Lovett