11-06 Constitution Day
November 6th, 2009
Constitution Day (Dominican Republic):
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Dominican_Republic)
The Dominican Republic’s first constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844. It adopted a presidential form of government with many liberal tendencies, but it was marred by Article 210, imposed by Pedro Santana on the constitutional assembly by force, giving him the privileges of a dictatorship until the war of independence was over. These privileges not only served him to win the war, but also allowed him to persecute, execute and drive into exile his political opponents, among which Duarte was the most important. During the first decade of independence, Haïti mounted five invasions to reconquer the eastern part of the island: in 1844, 1845, 1849, 1853 and 1855-56. Although each was repulsed, Santana used the ever-present threat of Haitian invasion as a justification for consolidating dictatorial powers. For the Dominican elite-mostly landowners, merchants and priests-the threat of re-conquest by more populous Haïti was sufficient to seek annexation by an outside power. Offering the deepwater harbor of Samaná bay as bait, over the next two decades, negotiations were made with Britain, France, the United States and Spain to declare a protectorate over the country.
Finnish Swedish Heritage Day:
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_Swedish_Heritage_Day)
Finnish Swedish Heritage Day (Swedish: Svenska dagen, Finnish: Ruotsalaisuuden päivä) is a general flag day, which is celebrated in Finland on November 6. The day celebrates the Finland-Swedish culture, and the bilinguality of Finland. The main celebrations are aired in the radio, and many smaller celebrations are held around Finland in schools. Usually, the song Modersmålets sång is sung, celebrating the mother tongue. The Finnish Swedish Heritage Day is celebrated on the same day that king Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden died. He was killed at the Battle of Lützen in 1632.
The Finland Swedish Heritage Day was created in 1908, when the newly founded Swedish People’s Party of Finland decided to celebrate a day for the Swedes. The intention was to strengthen the Swedish-speaking Finnish community. The reason why the day of the death of king Gustavus Adolphus was chosen was because this also was the time when the foundation of the empire of Sweden was founded. In the beginning, the celebrities largely circled around the king’s persona. During the language strife of the 1930s the celebrations were overshadowed by street fights between Finnish and Swedish groups. Finnish-speaking students saw this day as a day for celebrating “aggressive imperialism”. During the Second World War, both sides stopped fighting each other and emphasized that both language groups were part of Finland, thus the celebration of the day spread outside the party politic world. Today, the day is led by Swedish Assembly of Finland.
Basketball Day:
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Naismith)
James Naismith (November 6, 1861 – November 28, 1939) was a Canadian and naturalized American sports coach and innovator. Naismith invented the sport of basketball in 1891 and is often credited with introducing the first football helmet. Naismith wrote the original basketball rulebook, founded the University of Kansas basketball program, and lived to see basketball adopted as an Olympic demonstration sport in 1904 and as an official event in 1936. Naismith’s contributions to basketball have earned him several posthumous enshrinements, such as in the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, the Ontario Sports Legends Hall of Fame, the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame, the McGill University Sports Hall of Fame, the Kansas State Sports Hall of Fame and the FIBA Hall of Fame. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame carries his name.
Marooned Without a Compass Day:
(excerpted from http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/November/nocompassday.htm)
Marooned Without a Compass Day is today. Which direction will you take today?
How is your sense of direction? Do you often find yourself going around in circles? Do you feel hopelessly lost? Do you know where you are? If any of these questions describe your current state of being, then you are in tune to this special day.
Viewed in another way, being marooned without a compass for a day could be a good thing. Our busy life styles seldom leaves time to relax. We can just kick back and enjoy being marooned.
National Nacho Day:
(excerpted from http://www.slashfood.com/2007/11/06/happy-national-nachos-day/)
Today is National Nachos Day, and I’m not really sure how we can celebrate it. Maybe we can celebrate by putting a topping on our nachos that we usually don’t have. Or maybe you can just make one of the classic nachos recipes, like this one for Italian Nachos or maybe this one from the Food Network for Macho Nachos.
Saxophone Day:
(excerpted from http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/November/saxophoneday.htm)
Saxophone Day is today. The Saxophone is a classical woodwind instrument. It is an essential instrument in jazz bands, symphonic bands, marching bands and more. It’s only fitting that this great instrument has a day of recognition all to its own.
The Saxophone was invented around 1840. It was created by Adophe Sax, a Belgian musical instrument maker. The sax is made of brass. There are four types of saxophones: soprano, alto, tenor and baritone.
Celebrity Birthdays:
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Shriver)
Maria Owings Shriver (pronounced /ˈʃraɪvər/; born November 6, 1955) is an award-winning American journalist and author, and the First Lady of California. She is married to actor and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and is a member of the Kennedy family.
In her capacity as First Lady, Maria Shriver has taken the helm of The Women’s Conference. The Women’s Conference (also known as the California Governor & First Lady’s Conference on Women) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization and annual forum for women. The women-focused event first began in 1986 as a California government initiative for working professionals and women business owners. Since 2004, The Women’s Conference has been under the leadership of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver and has grown into a “blockbuster” event.
Reinvented by Shriver, The Women’s Conference has reportedly become the “largest meeting of women in the country” and a celebration of “lives and lessons”. Its main stage presentations and seminar sessions have addressed personal topics such as work-life balance, service and volunteerism, healthy lifestyles, spirituality and families, professional issues such as professional development, financial planning, entrepreneurialism and communications, as well as social issues like women’s maternal health, global poverty, climate change and emergency preparedness. The annual Conference unites more than 80 internationally-acclaimed leaders, visionaries and authors with 14,000 women in one arena, plus thousands more online, to share enriching stories of transformation and success, self-empowerment and life lessons.
Celebrity Birthdays:
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_Hawke)
Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, writer and film director. He made his feature film debut in 1985, opposite River Phoenix in the movie Explorers, before making a supporting appearance in the 1989 drama Dead Poets Society which is considered his breakthrough role. He then appeared in such films as White Fang (1991), A Midnight Clear (1992), and Alive (1993) before taking a role in the 1994 Generation X drama Reality Bites, for which he received critical acclaim. Subsequently in 1995, he starred in the romantic drama Before Sunrise and its sequel Before Sunset (2004).
Birthday Greetings:
Tammi Miller’s Birthday
Happy Birthday Tammi!!
