July 28 - Olavsoka Eve in Faroe Islands

   Posted on July 28, 2022     


This is an update of my post published on July 28, 2011:


Isn't it nice when a nation celebrates the opening of its law-making sessions?


The people of the Faroe Islands have rowing competitions, art exhibitions, folk music, chain-dance performances, and calvacades (which are parades of people riding on horses) tonight—all to celebrate the opening of their parliament tomorrow!


The Faroe Islands are halfway between Norway and Iceland, far to the north in the Atlantic Ocean. Although the nation is self-governing, it is part of the kingdom of Denmark and depends on Denmark for military, police, justice, and foreign affairs.

There are 18 major islands, most of which are long and skinny, in the group.



The Faroe Islands boast cool summers and mild winters, but the sky is usually overcast. One special thing about the islands is that, although they have miles of coastlines, they lack beaches. Instead, most coastal areas have tall sea cliffs; as a matter of fact, the sea cliffs of these islands are the highest in Europe and some of the highest in the world.








Also on this date:






Plan ahead:

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July 27 - Lu Pan Day in Hong Kong

Posted on July 27, 2022     


This is an update of my post published on July 27, 2011:



Have you ever heard of Lu Pan, the Chinese Leonardo da Vinci?

He is said to have invented the drill, plane, shovel, saw, lock, and ladder. And his wife is credited with inventing the umbrella!

Today is the traditional birthday of this Taoist hero and inventor, who is said to have been born on this day in 507 B.C.E. Lu Pan was an architect and engineer and is considered the patron saint of carpenters.


These photos show traditional Chinese
(and Japanese and Korean)
carpentry tools.

Try your hand at carpentry!

Here are a few ideas. 
Here is a book that can help with lots more ideas. 




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July 26 - Happy Birthday, FBI

   Posted on July 26, 2022     


This is an update of my post published on July 26, 2011:




The Federal Bureau of Investigation was created on this day in 1908. It is, in a way, the United States' national police department, because the FBI has jurisdiction in more than 200 categories of federal crime. The FBI also is the “intelligence agency” that gathers information from inside the country for the purposes of national security. 

(The CIA and NSA both operate as intelligence agencies involved with data gathering NOT inside the country, but instead around the world.)


Did you know that FBI is an abbreviation for “Federal Bureau of Investigation,” but it's not an acronym? An acronym is a word you can pronounce, with at least one vowel per syllable, created from initial letters or word parts. FBI is just the initial letters that we pronounce as letters; it would have to be pronounced something like “febbie” to be an acronym. Examples of acronyms are NASA (“National Aeronautics and Space Administration”) and scuba (“self-contained underwater breathing apparatus”).

But though FBI is not an acronym, the organization does feature a backronym. A backronym is a phrase created especially to start with certain letters; in other words, it is sort of the opposite of an acronym. The FBI's backronym is its motto: Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity.

You can see the motto in the little yellow ribbon in the FBI's logo. And on this statue and on FBI merch and and and...







Birthday of rock legend Mick Jagger




Anniversary of scientists getting their first look at a rock from the Moon





(Varying Dates)


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