Comic Day - September 25, 2019

DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebrate Comic Day

In 1837 there came a small, seemingly inconsequential shift in the way stories were told. One Obadiah Oldbuck was drawn into existence as a series of sequential pictures with text captions. 

It was originally created with the purpose of being a diversion for the creator and his friends, but all too unexpected it became incredibly popular in both the US and France. This is often considered the first comic, and Rodolphe Töpffer is often considered the father of the genre. Comic Book Day honors this man and everything that has come to follow from that first humble publication.

History of Comic Book Day

While Obadiah Oldbuck was considered to be the first comic, in 1933 the publication known as Famous Funnies is considered to be the first actual comic book. 

It was produced in the United States from a collection of comic strips that had appeared earlier in newspapers. While the term ‘comic’ implies that the tone of these strips are always humorous, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Comics have been used as a medium for telling stories of all kinds, and while the debate raged for a long time as to whether or not comics could be considered literature, it was the publication of Maus that settled that argument once and for all.

Maus was published by the American Cartoonish Art Spiegelman, and was originally published in a serialized form for 11 years from 1980-1991. 

It was a recounting of the experiences of his father as a Polish Jew and a survivor of the Holocaust. It covered the era from the years before World War II straight through to the liberation of his parents from the Nazi Concentration camps. It is often considered to be one of the most important texts on the Holocaust and a painfully real retelling of the struggle and survival of Jews through these dark times. It also stood as a shining example of the fact that comic books could cover incredibly difficult subjects in a real and approachable way.

Rob Gonsalves is a famous Canadian artist whose works are recognizable for their magic realism and well-planned optical illusions. One image melts into another and comes back again full circle, playing with our minds by creating irrational dream worlds. He has been interested in drawing since he was a kid. By the age of twelve, he already demonstrated masterful technique and a good understanding of architecture and perspective. After he found out about the works of Salvador Dali and René Magritte, he turned to surrealism himself and has never looked back since.

Joke of the Day

THE COMPETITION

Wikipedia: “I know everything.”

Google: “I have everything.”

Facebook: “I know everybody.”

Internet: “Without me you’re nothing.”

Electricity: “Keep talking losers.”

Word of the Day

cacophony

MEANING:

noun: A harsh mixture of sounds.

ETYMOLOGY:

From French cacophonie, from Greek kakophonia (harsh sounding), from kakos (bad) + phone (sound). Kakos is ultimately from the Indo-European root kakka-/kaka- (to defecate), which also gave us poppycock, cucking, stool, cacology, and cacography. Earliest documented use: 1656.

USAGE:

“The goat’s noisy discontent joined in the cacophony of human and animal sounds.”
Rebecca Kertz; A Secret Amish Love; Mills & Boon Love Inspired; 2017.

Idiom of the Day

CUT TO THE CHASE

To get directly to the point when speaking, to not give unnecessary detail
I have to leave in a minute so can you cut to the chase? What exactly do you want me to do?

This Day in History

1513 - The Pacific Ocean was discovered by Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa when he crossed the Isthmus of Panama. He named the body of water the South Sea. He was truly just the first European to see the Pacific Ocean.

1690 - One of America's earliest newspapers published its first and last edition. The "Publik Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestick" was published at the London Coffee House in Boston, MA, by Benjamin Harris.


1789 - The first U.S. Congress adopted 12 amendments to the Constitution. Ten of the amendments became the Bill of Rights.


1890 - The Sequoia National Park was established as a U.S. National Park in Central California.


1933 - Tom Mix was heard on NBC Radio for the first time. His show ran until June of 1950.


1953 - Liberace made his debut at Carnegie Hall for a sellout crowd.


1965 - Willie Mays, at the age of 34, became the oldest man to hit 50 home runs in a single season. He had also set the record for the youngest to hit 50 ten years earlier.


1978 - Melissa Ludtke, a writer for "Sports Illustrated", filed a suit in U.S. District Court. The result was that Major League Baseball could not bar female writers from the locker room after the game.


1986 - An 1894-S Barber Head dime was bought for $83,000 at a coin auction in California. It is one of a dozen that exist.


1990 - Little Richard Boulevard is named for the star in Macon, GA.


1992 - In Orlando, FL, a judge ruled in favor of 12-year-old Gregory Kingsley. He had sought a divorce from his biological parents.


1997 - Mark & Brian received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


2001 - Michael Jordan announced that he would return to the NBA as a player for the Washington Wizards. Jordan became the president of basketball operations for the team on January 19, 2000.



DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, September 25

You are warm, passionate, protective, creative, and you have a true appreciation for the dramatic, but at the same time, others readily respect you. You are able to mix business with pleasure, and you enjoy doing it! You are attracted to, or you attract, people who are success-oriented, accomplished, and practical. Although likable and charming, you are also a little difficult to get to know, and some level of mystery surrounds you. You thoroughly enjoy communicating, sharing your ideas, and reaching out to others, and many of you are skilled writers. Certainly you consider others’ ideas as important, and you are at your best in one one one situations. Famous people born today:

1694 Henry Pelham, British Prime Minister (Whig: 1743-54) who introduced the Gin Acts, born in Laughton, England (d. 1754)

1897 William Faulkner, American author (Sound & Fury-Nobel 1949), born in New Albany, Mississippi (d. 1962)

1906 Dmitri Shostakovich, Russian composer (The Gadfly), born in St Petersburg, Russia (d. 1975)

1915 Ethel Rosenberg, American communist, born in New York City, New York (d. 1953)

1921 Robert Muldoon, New Zealand politician (Prime Minister, 1975-1984), born in Auckland (d. 1992)

1929 Barbara Walters, American broadcast journalist and 1st female nightly network news anchor (Today, 20/20, ABC-TV), born in Boston, Massachusetts

1944 Michael Douglas, American actor (Coma, Wall St, Jewel of the Nile), born in New Brunswick, New Jersey

1952 Christopher Reeve, American actor (Superman, Somewhere in Time), born in New York City, New York (d. 2004)

1968 Will Smith, American actor and rapper (Men in Black, Independence Day, Fresh Prince of Bel Air), born in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania


1969 Catherine Zeta-Jones, Welsh actress (Chicago, The Terminal, The Legend of Zorro), born in Swansea, Wales

READERS INFO

1.

(Not So) Totally Useless Facts of The Day:

Who is Willis Carrier? Depending on where you live, you may think about him year around or you may only think about him during the summer months. Carrier was an engineer who gets the credit for creating the modern day air conditioner. He was standing on a Pittsburgh train platform in 1902 when inspiration struck him.

Lethologica is the inability to remember the word or words that you want to say. This is real and it is considered a psychological disorder.

Juicy Fruit gum, an early version of Cracker Jack, and the Ferris Wheel all made their debuts at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

2.

Pygmalion Festival 2019

Sep 26 - 28, 2019 | Champaign, IL

The Pygmalion Festival began as a music festival that was held across numerous venues in Champaign-Urbana and has since grown to include a literary component with related activities. The music portion of the festival features a lineup of acclaimed national artists as well as talented up-and-comers across two venues. The festival’s literary segment showcases accomplished authors and offers readings, a lit crawl and book fair.

further information: Pygmalion Festival

3.

Washington Antiquarian Book Fair 2019

Sep 28 - 29, 2019 | Washington, DC 

Holiday Inn Rosslyn|1900 Fort Myer Dr

Exhibitors from around the country convene at the Washington Antiquarian Book Fair, offering both serious collectors and budding enthusiasts rare books, manuscripts, modern first editions, autographs, prints, maps, drawings and other fine ephemera.

further information: Washington Antiquarian Book Fair

4.

Baltimore Book Festival 2019

Nov 1 - 10, 2019 | Baltimore, MD

Baltimore Inner Harbor

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts puts on the three-day Baltimore Book Festival every September at the Baltimore Inner Harbor. It features signings and appearances by celebrity, nationally recognized and local authors as well as readings on multiple stages throughout the day and over 100 exhibitors. It’s not just about books; the festival also boasts live music, engaging activities for kids, cooking demos and various beer, wine and food options.

further information: Baltimore Book Festival

Pictures of the day

The Barbican Estate is a residential estate that was built during the 1960s and the 1980s within the City of London in Central London, in an area once devastated by World War II bombings and today densely populated by financial institutions. It contains, or is adjacent to, the Barbican Arts Centre, the Museum of London, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Barbican public library, the City of London School for Girls and a YMCA (now closed), forming the Barbican Complex. The complex is a prominent example of British Brutalist architecture and is Grade II listed as a whole with the exception of the former Milton Court. Milton Court, which once contained a fire station, medical facilities, and some flats, was demolished to allow the construction of a new apartment tower named The Heron, which also contains additional facilities for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. This picture shows Lauderdale Tower, one of three residential towers in the estate, all at a height of 42 storeys and 123 m (404 ft). The top two or three floors of each block comprise three penthouse flats. Once the tallest residential towers in London, they were surpassed by the Pan Peninsula development on the Isle of Dogs.

Kolkata, India
A Hindu devotee holds offerings during the religious festival of Chhat Puja.



knit ... Halloween
thanks, Helen

The Little Vampire

knit
thanks, Rae

Geometric Knit Shawl

knit

Big Ears

knit

Wrapover Swoncho

knit

Joost Pants

Crochet Pattern of the Day: 

Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Flores Shawl

crochet ... Halloween
thanks, Jessica

Doily Spiderweb Corbels

crochet
thanks, Adele

Chapeaux de Soleil pattern by Corina Peckham

crochet

cleaning sponge "cup"

crochet

Ribbon Bread Basket pattern by Hobbii Design

crochet

Row Count 7



RECIPE

thanks, Vicky

Soft Pretzel Bites Recipe

CROCKPOT RECIPE

Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe

SWEETS

thanks, Shelley, New York Food Correspondent

Coconut-Nut Macaroons Recipe

ADULT COLORING

CRAFTS ... Halloween

thanks, Mary

Free Cross-Stitch Patterns - Halloween cross stitch patterns

CHILDREN'S CORNER ... Halloween

thanks, Iris

Candy Corn Covered Pumpkin

PUZZLE

Cat Denim Jigsaw Puzzle



WORD SEARCH

abduct
analyst
astound
astute

bolt

craft
create

dank
discard
disease

economy
estuary

figure
fleet
former

grant
great

knowledge

number

office
order

place

quick

rapid
relic
repair
retain
rise

savage
soldier
strength

told

water
wickedness

SUDOKU ... hard

solution:

QUOTE

thanks, Karla

CLEVER 

thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Bathroom organizer

Ever find that the stuff in your bathroom always ends up disorganized and messy. It can be incredibly frustrating, especially when it stops you from quickly finding the thing you’re looking for. Of course, if you had a place for everything in your bathroom, then that probably wouldn’t happen anymore.

It’s for that reason that getting some containers for things like Q-tips and cotton balls is incredibly useful. However, if you’re not willing to spend money on such an item, you can always use some old flowerpots instead. Just beautify them with some paint, and they’ll be good to go.

EYE OPENER 

thanks, Sofia

Can’t sleep? Try Japan’s Kaizen method to cure insomnia and sleep anxiety

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

If we listen, the air is heavy with poems, ripe for plucking. -Yahia Lababidi, aphorist (b. 25 Sep 1973)

Rob Gonsalves

OPTICAL ILLUSION

Do you see two faces ...

or a vase?