FIVE SECOND STORIES

 

Happy Independence Day. Will this be the last one we celebrate as a republic? 

 

July 5: our planet will reach aphelion or the farthest point away from the sun in our elliptical orbit.

Origin of the bandana: from Wiki: bandanas began in India as bright-coloured handkerchiefs of silk and cotton with spots in white on colored grounds, chiefly red and blue tie-dyed textiles. The bandana found popularity in the US during the late 1700s because snuff  users preferred coloured and patterned silk handkerchiefs over white ones, as the former hid tobacco stains better when the users blew their noses.

 

Humans: "Bad Tornado!"

Tornado: "I can't help it! I just luvvv tossing things into the air and watch them go 'round and 'round" me! Whee!!

World's oldest representational art found in a Sulawesi, Indonesia cave.

One of those words I've heard of but couldn't tell you what they mean-Belvedere: a structure (such as a cupola or a summerhouse) designed to command a view.

 

The dragon blood tree-from Wiki: Dracaena cinnabari, is native to the Socotra  archipelago, part of Yemen, located in the Arabian Sea. It is named after the blood-like color of the red sap  that the trees produce. It is considered the national tree of Yemen.

Cinque Terre (5 lands), are five villages part of a Unesco world heritage site in Italy.

From Wiki: Cinque Terre is mentioned in documents dating to the 11th century. Monterosso and Vernazza were settled first and the other villages grew later, whilst within the territory of the Republic of Genoa. In the 16th century, the inhabitants reinforced existing forts and built new defensive towers to protect the population from attacks by the Turks. Some families have lived in these villages for centuries.

The predominant crops in the area have been grapes and olives. Some fishermen are based in Monterosso, but the area's gaily painted fishermen's cottages were conceived in the late 1970s as a tourist attraction. Tourism is the main driver of economy.

Monterosso al Mare

Vernazza

Corniglia

Manorola

Riomaggiore

 

 

 

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 Shake yur tail feathers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

God’s Fool ~ St. Francis of Assisi, by sculptor Frank C. Gaylord at Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery, Naperville, Illinois; commissioned by the Wood family. On one side of the pedestal are the words “Where there is sorrow, joy”; on the other side “For it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

A live bird perches next to a sculpted one. 

Modern fable: In the early morning and evening, there is often a single, prominent bird singing its song. With a large number of backyard Pavarottis in the neighborhood, birds bid on air time where they can sing solo without the usual cacophony of others interfering with their time on center stage. A long tradition of brokerages make the arrangements for a nominal fee. Even the Raucous Caucus are obliged to move to a different area and mute themselves during these events.

"Miss Sarajevo" 1995-U2, Brian Eno and Luciano Pavarotti.

During the Bosnian War, Sarajevo was under siege from 1992-1996 with the population reduced to poverty with little access to food, water, shelter, medical help, heat, electricity. In response, a group of women held a beauty pageant as an act of defiance. They held up a banner "Please Don't Let Them Kill Us". The song was included on a U2 financed doc concerning the humanitarian plight of the city's residents.

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A sweet 7 minute animated film "La Luna"-a 2012 release by Pixar.