We suspend our (my) usual craziness at Camp-Run-Muk today!

For for the very First Time, ALL my "voices" are in agreement!!

Today is the birthday of OUR great nation!

It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.

The Fourth of July celebration is the main summer festival. It is a time when most families get together (other than Christmas) because the kids are out of school, and for most the weather is nice. The Fourth of July was the date that our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1776.

Americans just celebrated this event for centuries on their own. But in 1941, Congress finally established the Fourth of July (Independence Day) as a legal holiday.

Now, many have said that the Congress actually approved it on July 2, or August 2, the date they really did sign the document. So why the 4th? That was the day the final draft of the Declaration was finished for the August 2nd signing. Confused? They approved the entire idea on July 2, with a rough outline. But on July 4 they actually had their finished drafted after a lot of discussion and ratified it. And it takes a while for everyone to get it signed (remember we didn't have fax machine then!), so that was done on August 2.

It was John Adams who wrote his wife and said that the event should be celebrated with pomp and circumstance, parades, shows, games and other stuff. Was he ahead of his time? What he described is the Fourth of July Celebration as we know it today.

The first official 4th of July party was in 1777 ( a year later) in Philadelphia. Warships along the docks fired a 13-gun salute in honor of the 13 states. The soldiers who were in the area, paraded through the streets.

By 1788, the 4th of July celebration also commemorated the U.S. Constitution as well, which was recently approved by 10 out of the 13 states. That year was the first 4th of July parade, with horse-drawn floats, one of which was a huge eagle carrying the Justices of the US Supreme Court.

In 1790, the nation's capitol moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. President Thomas Jefferson celebrated the 4th of July by opening the White House to guests. This custom continued under other presidents as well, until the British burnt the White House in 1814.

Another memorable 4th of July was one held in 1865 on a battlefield at Gettysburg; at the end of the Civil War with a procession of black salves parading through the streets of Richmond, Virginia in 1866; and a Bi-centennial celebration in New York City on July 4, 1976.

The Fourth of July today is a day most Americans stop to celebrate their freedom, appreciate their country, pay respect to those that died to protect us and fly the flag or display it's red, white and blue colors in any fashion they choose. The Fourth of July usually a combination of our other patriotic holidays: Memorial Day, Flag Day, Veteran's Day rolled into one. Although some Americans also celebrate those separately from The Fourth of July.

The Fourth of July was extremely popular in the early 1900's and became more popular at the end of each war. It became more of a family or church picnic time in the 1950's. Then the 1960's came and the Vietnam Conflict caused such a division in this country that many just did not feel like celebrating. And then around the 1980's, for some reason America went through this phase of civil liberties, affirmative action and so with the removal of The Pledge of Allegiance out of the schools, in some cases so went the flag from the schools. And there was this stigma created by a small group that it was simply uncool to show patriotism. Why I am not sure.

But with the Bi-Centennial, and the Statue of Liberty rennovation celebrations, patriotism has slowly come back into the hearts of the American people.

However, the terrorism attack on the United States on September 11, 2001 was like a shot in Uncle Sam's arm. Suddenly, we were all one nation and we were all "proud to be an American" and nothing was going to stop us from showing it. Flags sold out in stores within days after 9-11-2001. Patriotic clothing, knick knacks, jewelry, could not be made fast enough.

But the Fourth of July hasn't always been considered a patriotic time in some areas of the United States. There are *some* African Americans who celebrate "Juneteenth" on June 19, the day in 1865 when the news that the slaves had been freed finally reached Galveston, Texas by ship because they feel that the celebration of freedom on July 4 is for "white American's" only and not theirs to share.

And some very intense women's groups use this day to point out that "All men are created equal" eliminates half the country's population = females!

And in some native American indian tribes, they celebrate with pow wows and feasts to pay respect to their own ancestors rather than our nation's forefathers.

For some people the Fourth of July is a day of whimsy. In Maine on July 3rd it is customary for pulling pranks like stealing outhouses or removing porch steps.

But most people celebrate the 4th with family picnics, church gatherings, community parades and fireworks displays at night.
Some states have banned all fireworks for public use.
Other states have not. Whatever state you live in, please be careful when dealing with fireworks.

It can also be a terrible time for pets who have a hard time dealing with the noise of firecrackers.

Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence died on July 4, 1826 at noon in his home in Virginia. The day he died was the 50th anniversary of the document's signing.

Ironically, John Adams of Massachusetts who supported the Declaration of Independence and is also the father of President John Quincy Adams died just a few hours later on the same day, July 4, 1826.

Fireworks

The term fireworks didn't come about until 1777 when the first Fourth of July celebration took place. Before that, they were simply called "rockets." Because they were more visual than anything, they called them "fireworks." Later on, the ones that were made for noise (and not beauty) were called "fire crackers." And in 1880 "sparklers" were created. What child hasn't held a sparkler in their hand? If not, those are long thin wands that spit out bursts of sparks in waterfall-style patterns.

In the Middle Ages, they had "firemasters" who designed and put on elaborate fireworks displays for military victories, religious festivals and crowning of kings and queens. Because this became so popular, by the 1700's they needed help, and so the assistants were known as "wild men" or "green men" because they wore caps made of green leaves.

They were much like jesters, flitting among the crowds telling stories, jokes and warning people to stand back. Then they would set off the fireworks with lighted sticks called "fire clubs." This was a dangerous job and many "green men" were injured or killed when a firecracker mis-fired or didn't shoot high enough in the air to be safe.

When fireworks came to America they were used for both domestic and public celebrations. By 1870, American companies were marketing fireworks for private use by renaming them Roman Candles, Flying Dragons, Sun Wheels and Prismatic Fountains. And the popularity of the "at home in your backyard" fireworks fun meant many people didn't have to deal with huge crowds to enjoy them. But, it meant they had to pay for them, whereas the public displays were usually paid for by the town and free to view. Fireworks are NOT legal in my state and, although they CAN be purchased in neighboring states, IMHO they are not cheap!

Only 35 states as of right now have fireworks legal for the public to use. The other 15 states make it illegal totally. And in the case of *some* states, they allow only certain kinds of fireworks to be legal. All states since 1966 have banned Cherry Bombs and other large firecrackers due to the large number of injuries.

Although sold in America, most of them are made in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

I (& my "voices") think we need alot of FLAGS!

PARADES!

DC0145M

AND our NATIONAL ANTHEM:

Compliments of Mr. Radix!

The "Other" Stanzas:

On the shore dimly seen throughout the mists of the deep
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes
What is that which the breeze o'er the towering steep
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream.
`Tis the Star-Spangled Banner,
Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave

And where is that band who so hauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and country, shall leave us no more?
Their blood was washed out their foul foot steps pollution
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave.
And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh thus be it e'er when free men shall stand
Between their lov'd homes and war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that has made and presrv'd us a nation
And conquer we must when our cause is just
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

OK, me & my "voices" will get off the soapbox now....

I LOVE this country, no matter WHAT party is in control.

This is MY country, the USA!

WARNING!

Pancakes are BANNED from CAMP!

Killer on duty!

My "kitty katz" have been authorized to use DEADLY FORCE to enforce this rule!

hehehehehehhe!

NO PANCAKES!

Time for the Picnic to begin!

Happy Birthday, AMERICA!

Hi ah,.... hmm let me think ,...why am I writing this...... don't tell me it's coming to me.....Oh ya..... Senior citizens are constantly being criticized for every conceivable deficiency of the modern world, real or imaginary.
We know we take responsibility for all we have done and do not blame others. HOWEVER, upon reflection, we would like to point out that it was NOT the senior citizens who took:

The melody out of music, The pride out of appearance, The courtesy out of driving, The romance out of love, The commitment out of marriage, The responsibility out of parenthood, The togetherness out of the family, The learning out of education, The civility out of behavior, The refinement out of language, The dedication out of employment, The prudence out of spending, The ambition out of achievement, or, God out of government and school.
And we certainly are NOT the ones who eliminated patience and tolerance from personal relationships and interactions with others!!
And, we do understand the meaning of patriotism, and remember those who have fought and died for our country. Does anyone under the age of 50 know the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner? or O Canada ?
Just look at the Seniors with tears in their eyes and pride in their hearts as they stand at attention, on veterans day and our great country's birthday .. YES, I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN!

I'm the life of the party...... even if it lasts until 8 p.m. I'm very good at opening childproof caps... with a hammer. I'm usually interested in going home before I get to where I am going. I'm awake many hours before my body allows me to get up. I'm smiling all the time because I can't hear a thing you're saying. I'm very good at telling stories; over and over and over and over... I'm aware that other people's grandchildren are not nearly as cute as mine. I'm so cared for -- long term care, eye care, private care, dental care.

I'm not really grouchy,
I just don't like traffic, waiting, crowds, lawyers, loud music, unruly kids, Jenny Craig and Toyota commercials, barking dogs, politicians and a few other things I can't seem to remember right now.
I'm sure everything I can't find is in a safe secure place, somewhere. I'm wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that's just my left leg. I'm having trouble remembering simple words like.......
I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps. I'm sure they are making adults much younger these days, and when did they let kids become policemen? I'm wondering, if you're only as old as you feel, how could I be alive at 150?
And, how can my kids be older than I feel sometimes?

I'm a walking storeroom of facts..... I've just lost the key to the storeroom door. Yes, I'm a SENIOR CITIZEN and I think I am having the time of my life!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY TO EVERYONE!!

(Don't be afraid, be aware!)

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY EVERYBODY!!!

HERE'S SOMETHING I WROTE YESTERDAY

THOUGHT YOU MIGHT ENJOY IT

The Place I’d Rather Be In

By:

July 3, 2003

HELLOW!

I thought I’d take this 4th of July holiday to set some things straight. To show were my allegiance is.

Firstly, I’d like to say; I’m what you’d call one of them hyphenated Americans. Well…At least in liberal terms, ugh! My father is from the hills of East Tennessee, and when he was in the Army and stationed in Washington State. He and a buddy if his went up to Vancouver, BC on a 24-hour furlough. Like young men of that time, (the 1950’s) they went up there with no money or food for their trip. They drove around Vancouver till they got to Stanley Park and saw these young women eating their lunch in the park. (They were my mother and her sister and a couple of friends and coworkers)

My dad told his friend to stop the car near were the women were sitting to ask them for something to eat. Remember that this was the 1950’s! To make a long story short, when they approached the women. My mom and her sister accepted a ride with these two American soldiers to where my mom and my aunt lived. They fixed the two soldiers something to eat and let the clean up for their ride back to Washington State. The woman who would later become my mother and the soldier who would later become my father dated for over a year before they decided to marry in 1956. My mom was born and raised in Canada, though her parents were both from Minnesota, They were Americans.

I remember visiting my grandmother and my aunts and uncles in Saskatchewan. I really enjoyed going there, the people were so nice and the country was beautiful.

But as much as I enjoyed my visits to Canada, That’s all I want to do there is visit…I prefer living here in the USA!

I did some traveling to foreign lands like England, Italy, Spain and Portugal. I really liked it in Italy the land is beautiful and the people friendly and nothing can beat England in July! But, though I enjoyed visiting these lands…I prefer living here in the USA!

I am heavily into my genealogy and have discovered my ancestors were from England, Scotland, Ireland and Germany. I would love to visit these countries and walk the streets my great grandparents once roamed in. Would be a powerful and connecting moment. But though I have thought of doing these things, I still prefer living here in the USA!

So, you see, although I traveled and am a bit of a globetrotter. The best part of traveling is coming back to a wonderful country such as this. I love the freedom that others in those countries don’t really have. I have to freedom to speak out on things I don’t agree with or that I do agree with. The freedom to vote in a fair election for candidates who I think will do a good job in the offices they seek to occupy.

I thank those men and women who have left their homes and families to fight for these freedoms we have here. I thank those who’ve paid the ultimate price for this nation.

I’m proud to be an American, and I thank God every day that I was born here, where I prefer to live.

GOD BLESS THE USA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!!!

Birthdates which occurred on July 04:
1715 Christian Gellert Saxony, poet, novelist (Fables & Tales)
1753 Jean-Pierre-Francois Blanchard 1st balloon flights in England, US
1804 Nathaniel Hawthorne Mass, author (House of 7 Gables, Scarlet Letter)
1807 Giuseppe Garibaldi unified Italy
1826 Stephen Foster Lawrencevil, Pa, composer (Oh! Susanna, Swanee River)
1847 James Anthony Bailey Detroit, circus impresario (Barnum & Bailey)
1867 Stephen Mather organized US National Park Service
1872 Calvin Coolidge (R) 29th pres (1923-29)
1875 Giovanni & Giacomo Tocci Italy, siamese twins
1878 George M Cohan entertainer, Give my regards to Broadway
1880 George Mullin pitcher (Detroit Tigers-no-hitter on 7/4/1912)
1880 Pat Rooney vaudevillian/actor (Night Club)
1883 Rube Goldberg who made the easy outrageously difficult
1885 Louis B Mayer Minsk Russia, motion-picture executive (MGM)
1894 Henry Carlson basketball coach (originated figure 8 play)
1898 Johnny Lee Missouri, actor (Calhoun-Amos 'n' Andy)
1900 Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong New Orleans LA, jazz musician (Hello Dolly)
1902 George Murphy New Haven Ct, (Sen-R-Calif)/actor/dancer (MGM Parade)
1902 Meyer Lansky mobster (Started numbers)
1902 Vince Barnett Pittsburgh, actor (Star is Born, Human Jungle)
1903 Flor Peeters Antwerp Belgium, organist (Lied Symphony)
1905 Lionel Trilling author (1969 Poses Award, Liberal Imagination)
1909 Alec Templeton Cardiff Wales, pianist/composer (Concertino Lirico)
1911 Mitch Miller Rochester NY, sing along with Mitch (Yellow Rose of Tx)
1912 Virginia Graham Chicago Ill, TV personality (Girl Talk, Where Was I)
1915 Timmie Rogers Detroit Mich, singer (Sugar Hill Time)
1916 Tokyo Rose WW II propogandist
1918 Abigail Van Buren twin sister, advice columnist
1918 Ann Landers twin sister, advice columnist
1918 Buster Davis Johnstown Pa, choral director (Garry Moore Show)
1918 Taufa'ahau Tupou IV king of Tonga (1965- )
1920 Leona Helmsley (wife of Harry), real estate billionaire
1921 Gerard Debreu France, economist (Nobel 1983)
1924 Eva Marie Saint Newark NJ, actress (On the Waterfront)
1926 Mary Stuart Miami Fla, actress (Jo-Search for Tomorrow)
1927 Gina Lollobrigida Subiaco Italy, actress (Trapeze, Falcon Crest)
1927 Neil Simon playwright (Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, Biloxi Blues)
1928 Stephen Boyd actor (Fantastic Voyage, Ben-Hur)
1929 Al Davis Brocton Mass, NFL team owner (LA Raiders)
1930 George Steinbrenner NY Yankees owner/ship builder/horse owner
1938 Bill Withers WV, rhythm & blues singer (Lean on Me)
1939 Ed Bernard Phila, actor (Joe-Police Woman, Jim-White Shadow)
1943 Emerson Boozer NFL running back (NY Jet)/sportscaster
1946 Michael Milken LA Calif, partner (Intl Capital Access Group)
1946 Ron Kovic disabled vietnam vet (Born on 4th of July)
1948 Rene Arnoux France, formula-1 racer (6th place-1980)
1950 David Jensen rocker British DJ
1953 Geraldo Rivera NYC, news personality (20/20, Geraldo)
1955 John Waite singer (Babies/Bad English-Forget Me Not)
1958 Kirk Pengilly Sydney Australia, rocker (Inxs-Kiss the Dirt)
1962 Pam Shriver tennis player (US Open's Doubles 1983,4,6,7)
1963 Henri Leconte France, tennis player (French finalist 1988)
1964 Mark Allen Slaughter Las Vegas, guitarist (Slaughter-Stick it Live)

Deaths which occurred on July 04:
1187 Renaud de Chatillon French prince of Antioch, dies
1307 Rudolf III, Duke of Austria/King of Bohemia dies
1627 Thomas Middleton Elizabethan dramatist, dies (birth date unknown)
1826 John Adams & Thomas Jefferson 2nd & 3rd presidents, die
1831 James Monroe 5th president, dies
1848 Francois Rene de Chateaubriand French novelist/politician, dies
1863 Paul Joseph Revere, US grandson of Paul Revere/Union brig-gen, dies from wounds at Gettysburg
1934 Chaim Nachman Bialik zionist poet, dies
1938 Suzanne Lenglen 6 time Wimbeldon champ, dies at 39 of anemia
1957 Judy Tyler actress (Princess-Howdy Doody), dies at 24 in car crash
1962 Rex Bell cowboy (Cowboys & Injuns), dies at 56
1963 Grant Richards actor (Doug-Doorway to Danger), dies at 48
1970 Harold Vanderbilt America Cup winner (1930, 34, 37), dies at 85
1995 Eva Gabor, actress (Green Acres), dies at 74
1995 Richard "Pancho" Gonzalez, tennis great, dies of stomach cancer at 67
1997 Charles Kuralt, news anchor (CBS Sunday Morning), dies at 62

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1967 CRAIG PHILLIP C. ONEIDA NY.
[POSS DEAD REMAINS RETURNED 11/26/86]
1969 FALLON PATRICK M. PITTSBURGH PA.
1970 BOOKOUT CHARLES F. OKLAHOMA CITY OK.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
1054 Brightest known super-nova (Crab Nebula) starts shining (23 days)
1187 Battle of Hittin (Tiberias): Saladin defeats Renaud de Chatillon
1636 City of Providence, Rhode Island form
1653 Barebones Parliment goes into session in England
1776 Declaration of Independence-US gains independence from Britain
1789 1st US tariff act
1802 US Military Academy officially opens (West Point, NY)
1817 Construction on Erie Canal begins
1819 William Herschel makes last telescopic observation of 1819 comet
1827 Slavery abolished in NY
1828 Construction begins on Band O (Baltimore-Ohio) 1st US passenger RR
1829 Cornerstone laid for 1st US mint (Chestnut & Juniper St, Phila)
1832 "America" 1st sung publicly
1836 Wisconsin Territory formed
1845 Texas Congress votes for annexation to US
1845 Thoreau moves into his shack on Walden Pond
1862 Lewis Carroll creates Alice in Wonderland for Alice P Liddell
1862 Battle at Green River Ky (Morgan's Ohio Raid)
1863 Boise, Idaho founded (now capital of Idaho)
1863 Vicksburg, Mississippi surrenders to Union forces
1865 1st edition of "Alice in Wonderland" is published
1866 Firecracker thrown in wood starts fire destroying « of Portland, Me
1873 Aquarium opens in Woodward Gardens
1874 Social Democratic Workmen's Party of North America formed
1875 White Democrats kill several blacks in terrorist attacks in Vicksburg
1876 1st public exhibition of electric light in SF
1881 Brooker T Washington establishes Tuskegee Institute
1881 Billy the Kid is shot dead in New Mexico.
1882 Telegraph Hill Observatory opens in SF
1883 Buffalo Bill Cody presents 1st wild west show, North Platte, Nebr
1884 1st US bullfight held (Dodge City Ks)
1884 Statue of Liberty presented to US in Paris
1886 1st scheduled transcontinental passenger train reaches Pt Moody, BC
1888 1st organized rodeo competition held, Prescott, Ariz
1889 Washington state constitutional convention holds 1st meeting
1893 A Borrelly discovers asteroid #369 Aeria
1894 Elwood Haynes successfully tests one of 1st US autos at 6 MPH
1894 Republic of Hawaii established
1898 "La Bourgogne" collides with "Cromartyshire", 560 drown
1898 French liner "La Bourgogne" collides with bark "Cromartyshire", 50 die
1898 US flag hoisted over Wake Island (Spanish-American War)
1903 Pacific Cable (SF, Hawaii, Guam, Phil) opens, Pres TR sends message
1905 Phila A's beat Boston Red Sox 4-2 in 20 inning game
1908 NY Giant George "Hooks" Witse no-hits Phila Phillies, 1-0 in 10 inn
1910 Jack Johnson KOs James Jeffries in 15 rounds, ending come-back try
1911 Ty Cobb goes 0 for 4 & ends a 40 game hit streak
1912 Detroit Tiger George Mullen no-hits St Louis Browns, 7-0
1914 1st US motorcycle race (300 miles, Dodge City Ks)
1918 Altar dedicated at full-scale replica of Stonehenge at Maryhill, Wa
1919 Cincinnati Reds are 10« games back in NL, & win the World Series
1919 Jack Dempsey beats Jess Willard in Cuba for heavyweight championship
1919 M Wolf discovers asteroid #914 Palisana
1925 44 die when the Dreyfus Hotel in Boston collapses
1925 Yanks Lefty Grove beats A's Herb Pennock 1-0 in 15 innings
1929 AM radio station WOWO, Indiana's transmitter burns down
1933 Work begins on Oakland Bay Bridge
1938 1st game at Shribe Park, Phila; Braves beat Phillies 10-5
1939 Red Sox Jim Tabor hits 2 grand slams in 1 game
1939 Yankees retire 1st uniform (Lou Gehrig #4), 1st Old Timers Day
1941 Howard Florey & Norman Heatley meet for the 1st time, 11 days later they successfully recreate pencillin
1942 1st American bombing mission over enemy-occupied Europe (WW II)
1946 Philippines gains independence from US
1950 Truman signs public law 600 (Puerto Ricans write own consitution)
1954 West Germany beats Hungary 3-2 for soccer's 5th World Cup in Bern
1956 Independence National Historical Park established in Philadelphia
1956 US most intense rain fall (1.23" in 1 minute) at Unionville Maryland
1959 America's new 49-star flag honoring Alaska statehood unfurled
1959 Cayman Islands separated from Jamaica, made a crown colony
1960 America's new 50-star flag honoring Hawaiian statehood unfurled
1960 Mickey Mantle hits career homer # 300
1962 Island Records begins
1966 LBJ signs Freedom of Information Act
1967 Freedom of Information Act goes into effect
1967 Phillies Clay Dairymple ties NL record of 6 walks in doubleheader
1969 "Give Peace a Chance" by Plastic Ono Band is released in the UK
1969 140,000 attend Atlanta Pop Festival featuring Led Zep & Janis Joplin
1969 Ann Jones defeats Billie Jean King for Wimbeldon Ladies championship
1970 100 injured in race rioting in Asbury Park NJ
1970 Chartered Dan-Air Comet crashes into mountains north of Barcelona, Spain killing 112 vacationing Britons
1973 In audience with Italian cyclists, Pope Paul VI praises athletes who "offer the magnificent show of a healthy, strong, generous youth"
1975 Bundy victim (?) Nancy Baird disappears from Layton, Utah
1976 Raid on Entebbe-Israel rescues 229 Air France passengers
1977 Cubs use fielder Larry Bittner as a pitcher
1977 Nigel Harrison replaces Gary Valentine as bassist of Blondie
1978 L Chernykh discovers asteroid #3332
1978 Memphis firefighters halt 3-day strike under a court order
1982 4th Space Shuttle Mission-Columbia 4 lands at Edwards AFB
1982 Jimmy Connors beats John McEnroe for his last Wimbeldon championship
1983 Yankee Dave Righetti no-hits the Red Sox
1984 Yuri Sedykh of USSR throws hammer a record 86.33 m
1985 Tinker Bell's nightly flight begins
1987 Discovery moves to Launch Pad 39B for STS-26 mission
1987 Martina Navratilova wins 6th straight Wimbeldon defeats Steffi Graf
1987 Nazi Klaus Barbie, "Butcher of Lyon" convicted by a French court
1988 Steffan Edberg beats Boris Becker for Wimbeldon crown
1988 US navy shoots down Iranian civilian jetliner over Gulf, kills 290

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"
USA : National Toe Jam Day
Bahamas : Queen's Birthday
Cayman Islands : Constitution Day
Hannibal Missouri : Tom Sawyer Fence painting Day
Italy : Garibaldi Day (1807)
Philippines : Philippine-American Friendship Day (1946)
Rhode Island : Providence Day (1636)
Tonga : King's Birthday
US & Possessions : Independence Day (1776)
Yugoslavia : Fighter's Day
Iowa : Independence Sunday - - - - - ( Sunday )
Caribbean Common Market : Caribbean Day (1973) - - - - - ( Monday )
Lesotho : Family Day - - - - - ( Monday )
Zambia : Heroes Day - - - - - ( Monday )
Zambia : Unity Day - - - - - ( Tuesday )
National July Belongs to Blueberries Month

Religious Observances
Muslim-Libya : Mohammed's Ascension
RC : Feast of St Bertha, abbess
RC : Mem of St Elizabeth of Portugal, queen/widow, (opt)

Religious History
1765 English poet and hymnwriter William Cowper observed in a letter: 'How naturallydoes affliction make us Christians!'
1831 Baptist clergyman Samuel Francis Smith penned the American patriotic hymn,'America' ('My Country, 'tis of Thee'). Smith was unaware that the tune, ironically, was also that of England's national anthem: 'God Save the Queen'!
1840 Birth of American sacred composer James McGranahan. His most enduring melodiesinclude CHRIST RETURNETH, MY REDEEMER, NEUMEISTER ('Christ Receiveth Sinful Men') andSHOWERS OF BLESSING.
1870 Birth of James Moffatt, Scottish New Testament scholar. Moffatt translated theNew (1913) and Old (1924) Testaments into the colloquial English of his day. They were firstpublished together in 1935.
1970 American Presbyterian missionary Francis Schaeffer observed in a letter: 'Ifstandards are raised which are not really scriptural,... it can only lead to sorrow. If wetry to have a spirituality higher than the Bible sets forth, it will always turn out to belower.'

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy."

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