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reetings from Australia.
Welcome to this Red-Letter Day. Below you will find today's global celebrations, birthdays and events.
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I received a telephone call from US Ambassador Peter Burleigh inviting me for a private conversation at the US mission ... Burleigh informed me that on instructions from Washington it would be
"prudent to take measures to ensure the safety and security of UNSCOM staff presently in Iraq". I told him that I would act on his advice and remove my staff from Iraq.
Bishop Burnet told me, if I lived to read his History, I should be surprised to find he had taken notice of King William's vices; but some things, he said, were too notorious for a faithful historian to pass over in silence.
The King was indeed so ill-natured and so little polished by education, that neither in great things nor in small had he the manners of a gentleman.
If you do not come to me some time today dear husband that I may have my belly full of discourse with you I shall take very ill.
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Baghdad burning: the real WMDs. |
"O Fogg, good bye," said Nellie Bly
"It takes a maiden to be spry,
To span the space twixt thought and act
And turn a fiction to a fact."
Nineteenth-Century trading card
If you want to hurry up Federation, you ought to make a syndicate to hire a few German cruisers to bombard Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane for 20 minutes.
Rudyard Kipling,
who was in Sydney on November 14, 1891
Put that bloody cigarette out.
Last words of
Saki, British
writer, just before he was killed by a sniper's bullet in WWI
Condoleezza Rice, US National Security Adviser under
George W Bush; born
on November 14, 1954;
March 22, 2004. The Bush administration after this date continued to assert
that Saddam Hussein's
regime was linked to
9/11.
I know how it feels to be a woman because I am a woman. And I won't be classified as just a man.
Pete Townshend, Newsweek, November 14, 1990
As far as I'm concerned, men are the product of a damaged gene. They pretend to be normal but what they're doing sitting there with benign smiles on their faces is they're manufacturing sperm.
Germaine Greer, Australian feminist and misandrist, (from a news report dated November 14, 1991)
The rigors undertaken by devout Muslims inspire respect for Islam among people of all faiths. And this can bring hope of greater understanding for good will. It can overflow old boundaries when wholehearted devotion to one's own faith is matched with a devout respect for the faith of others. That is why we welcome Islam in America. It enriches our country with Islam's teachings of self-discipline, compassion and commitment to family. It deepens America's respect for Muslims here at home and around the world, from Indonesia to Pakistan, the Middle East and Africa.
US President William J Clinton, November 27, 2000
I can't tell you if the use of force in Iraq today would last five days, or five weeks or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that.
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on November 14, 2002, speaking on National Public Radio and Infinity Radio, USA
Source
Myths of the War
on Terrorism and Iraq
JIM LEHRER: Rightly or wrongly, Mr. Secretary, I went back and checked the record today, the impression that was given in public statements and all that sort of thing was that when this war ended, this war was going to end, that when Saddam Hussein and his regime, you know, fell, then the rest of it was going to be kind of a mop-up. And I'm just – –
DONALD RUMSFELD: Not by me.
Amnesiac Donald Rumsfeld, September 10, 2003 Source: PBS News Hour
November
14
is
the 318th
day of the year in the Gregorian
Calendar (319th
in leap years), with 47
days remaining.
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Eid ul-Fitr (Id ul-Fitr;
Eid al-Fitr), Islamic holiday (2004)
On the dating of items in the Almanac
The Islamic holiday of Eid ul-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر) marks the end of Ramadan. It is one of the two Eid festivals in the Islamic year (the other being Eid ul-Adha). It's also referred to as the Little or Small Bayram (which originates from Turkish), or the 'Little' or 'Small Feast'.
This holiday follows the month of Ramadan, falling on the first day of Shawwal (the tenth month in the Islamic calendar). As with all months in the Islamic calendar, it begins with the sighting of the new moon. For this reason there may be regional differences in the exact date of Eid, with some Muslims fasting for 29 days and some for 30 days.
Eid ul-Fitr commemorates the end of the month of Ramadan. Fasting is forbidden on this day as it marks the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan. A Muslim is encouraged to rise early and partake of some dates or a light, sweet snack, significant because for the past 30 days they have abstained from all food and drink from dawn till dusk. It may come as a surprise to many non-Muslims, but many people feel a sense of loss or sadness at the passing of Ramadan.
Muslims are encouraged to dress in their best clothes, new if possible, and to attend a special Eid prayer that is performed in congregation at mosques. Before the prayer the congregation recites the Takbiir:
The Takbiir is recited after the Fajr (morning) prayer and until the start of the Eid prayer. Before the Eid prayer begins every Muslim (man, women or child) must pay Zakat al Fitr, an alms for the month of Ramadan. This equates to about 2 kg of a basic foodstuff (wheat, barley, dates, raisins, etc.), or its cash equivalent, and is (typically) collected at the mosque. This is distributed by the mosque to needy local Muslims prior to the start of the Eid prayer. It can be given anytime during the month of Ramadan and is often given early, so the recipient can utilise it for Eid purchases. This is distinct to Zakat based on their wealth which must be paid to a worthy charity. This is calculated at 2.5% of their wealth.
The Eid prayer is followed by the khutba (sermon) and then a prayer asking for forgiveness, mercy and help for the plight of Muslims across the world. It is then customary to embrace the persons sitting on either side of you as well as your relatives, friends and acquaintances.
Children are normally given gifts or money. Women (particularly mothers, wives, sisters and daughters) are normally given special gifts by their loved ones. Eid is also the time for reconciliations. Feuds or disputes, especially between family members, are often settled on Eid.
Forthcoming dates of the Eid
- 2006: October 23
- 2007: October 13
- 2008: October 2
- 2009: September 21
- 2010: September 10
Eid ul-Fitr officially begins the night before each of the above dates, at sunset.
"With the appearance of
the first crescent moon, the fast of Ramadan (the ninth month of the
Islamic calendar) comes to an end. It has similarities to New Year's
festivals in that often people buy new clothes, especially for the
children, who are dressed in finery. In many cities, there are carnivals
with rides and games. Relatives give children coins and sweets as gifts.
Families gather for feasts, to indulge in the foods that were only
enjoyed at night during Ramadan."
Macdonald,
Margaret Read, Ed., The
Folklore of World Holidays, Gale Research, 1992
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Leonids
meteor showers (Nov
12 - 23 annually)
Lamentations of Isis, ancient Egypt
(Nov 13
- 14) Oschophoria Roman festival of Equorum Probatio Feast of the Musicians (Druidic) Feast day of St Alberic of Utrecht Feast day of St Clementinus Feast day of St Dubricius
(Dubritius; Dubric; Dyfig;
Dyfrig; Devereux), bishop and confessor Feast day of St Hypatius Feast day of St John Licci Feast day of St Jucundus of Bologna Feast day of St Lawrence
O'Toole (Laurence O'Toole; Lorcan Ua Tuathail), Archbishop of Dublin Feast day of St Modanic Feast day of St Serapion of Alexandria Feast day of St Serapion of Algiers Feast day of St Sidonius Feast day of St Venaranda
Asking Festival (Inuit) Give-away celebration.
Moccas (Celtic) Wuwuchim (Hopi) Fire Ceremony (Nov 5 - 21) Kitano Odori, Kyoto, Japan (Nov 1 - 15) Birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru: Children's day, India
On which day of the week were you born? Find out here 1650 King William
III of England (William of Orange), Dutch-born English monarch (King of England
and Ireland
from February 13, 1689, and
King of Scotland from April
11 1689, in each case until his death. The grandson of Charles I,
King Willian
III was a Dutchman, the son of William, Prince of
Orange, and Mary
Stuart (daughter of Charles I).
Answering a call of English aristocrats concerned about the
Catholic appointments of King James II, in November 1688, with a Dutch
force, he landed at Devon, England, and was soon joined by many
Englishmen. William's forces defeated the French-Irish force at
the Boyne, and members of Parliament accepted him in order to
restore their power. His marriage with Mary, who was 11½ cm (about 4½") taller than him, is said to have been a happy one. However, it is conjectured he might have had homosexual inclinations. Bishop Gilbert Burnet, in his History of My Own Times, says, "He had no vice, but of one sort, in which he was very cautious and secret". This is seen as a reference to William's favourites, Portland and Albemarle. He liked to hunt and not a lot else, probably because he was such a loner and it kept him from business and court, which he hated. William also had
a long-standing association with
Elizabeth Hamilton, Countess of Orkney (Betty Villiers), one of Mary's
ladies-in-waiting. He sacked his servants when they gossiped about
it and Mary discovered the scandal. 1668 Johann von Hildebrandt (d. 1745), Austrian architect 1719 Leopold Mozart, Austrian musician, father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1765 Robert Fulton (d. 1815), American inventor 1771 Marie François Xavier Bichat,
French
anatomist
and physiologist 1776 Henri Dutrochet (d. 1847), French physiologist 1779 Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger, Danish poet (National Poet, 1849) 1797 Sir Charles Lyell, Scottish geologist and author (Principles of Geology) 1803 Jacob Abbott, American writer 1805 Fanny Mendelssohn (d. 1847), composer and pianist 1828 James B McPherson (d. 1864), American (Union) general 1838 August Senoa (d. 1881), Croatian writer 1840 Claude Monet (d. 1926), French impressionist painter (Water Lilies) 1850 Sir William McMillan (d. December 12, 1926), Irish-born Australian businessman, bank director and politician, nicknamed 'Machine Gun' McMillan by the Sydney labor movement which generally despised him. He was, for a time, New South Wales Treasurer under Sir Henry Parkes. McMillan was educated at Wesley College, Dublin and privately in London. The Bulletin wrote of him: "When state interference is contrary to the interests of his class, he's against it; when it's in favour of those interests, he's for it. He is a cash and class legislator." He earned the name 'Machine Gun' McMillan in Sydney on September 19, 1890, when, during the Maritime Strike, he "rashly declared that the Government would 'take such steps to secure the liberty of the subjects of this country, that will be absolutely successful'. McMillan failed to specify – and probably did not know – what these 'steps' might involve, allowing speculation to run unchecked" (Source). (At around the same time machine guns were actually positioned against Australian workers in Melbourne, this time by Col. Tom Price: see August 30, 1890.)
1868 Steele Rudd (Arthur Hoey Davis; d. October 11, 1935), Australian journalist and writer (On Our Selection), born at Drayton near Toowoomba, Queensland, eighth child of a family of thirteen. He published Rudd's Magazine 1904 - '08 (monthly magazine). Rudd's tales of Dad and Dave on their 'selection' (farm) were told and retold many times on radio and early Australian movies. Films include: On Our Selection (1920); Rudd's New Selection (1921); On Our Selection (1932); Grandad Rudd (1935); Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938); Dad Rudd, M.P. (1940); Dad and Dave: On Our Selection (1995). His characters gave rise to a particular (obsolescent, if not obsolete) Australian form of joke called the 'Dad and Dave'. Lawson & Co: associations with Henry and Louisa Lawson
1878 Leopold Staff (d. 1957), Polish poet 1881 Jean Thomas ('The Traipsin' Woman'; d. December 7, 1982), American folk festival promoter, author and photographer who specialized in the music, crafts, and language patterns of the Appalachian region of the United States 1883 Fred
Quimby, American producer 1889 Jawaharlal Nehru (d. 1964), Prime Minister of India 1891 Frederick Banting (d. 1941), Canadian physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in medicine 1923 1896 Mamie Eisenhower (d. 1979), First Lady of the United States 1900 Aaron Copland (d. 1990), American composer (ballets: Billy the Kid;
Rodeo) 1904 Dick Powell (d. 1963), actor 1906 Louise Brooks (d. 1985), actress 1907 Astrid Lindgren (d. 2002), Swedish writer 1907 William Steig (d. October 3, 2003), American cartoonist, sculptor and children's author (Shrek!) From The New Yorker to Shrek: The Art of William Steig 1908 Joseph McCarthy (d. May 2, 1957), American politician 1912 Barbara Hutton, much-married American Woolworth heiress 1916 Sherwood Schwartz, television writer, producer 1919 Veronica Lake (d. 1973), actress 1921 Brian Keith (d. 1997), actor 1922 Boutros Boutros-Ghali, UN Secretary-General 1927 Bart Cummings (James Bartholomew Cummings, AM), one of the most successful Australian racehorse trainers, known as 'the Melbourne Cup King', having won the 'race that stops a nation' a record eleven times 1929 McLean Stevenson (d. 1996), actor 1930 Edward White (d. 1967), American astronaut 1935 King Hussein of Jordan (d. 1999) 1939 Wendy Carlos, American composer 1947 PJ O'Rourke, writer 1948 Prince Charles (Charles Philip Arthur George), later Prince of Wales 1951 Stephen Bishop, musician 1954 Condoleezza Rice, US National Security Advisor (pictured at foot of page) |
Decoration of King William's statue,
Dublin