Saturday Scenes

On 26 September 1820, Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson supposedly proved that tomatoes weren’t poisonous by eating several on the steps of the courthouse in Salem, New Jersey.

Although Johnson existed, the story itself is unlikely to be true and the detail appears to primarily come from a 1949 CBS series “You Are There” episode 79: “Colonel Johnson Eats the Love Apple”.

You can listen to this wonderful time-travelling radio show on Blubrry – You Are There 79 – Colonel Johnson Eats the Love Apple

Johnson’s speech:

The time will come when this luscious, scarlet apple…will form the foundation of a great garden industry, and will be … eaten, and enjoyed as an edible food…and to help speed that enlightened day, to prove that it will not strike you dead – I am going to eat one right now!

And he ate that tomato, despite this warning from his physician:

It is possible that he will foam and froth at the mouth and fall dead on the spot. He may double over with appendicitis. Or if the tomato is overripe, if it has been exposed to the sun, then he may be exposing himself to brain fever. If he should survive this then there is still the risk that the skin will stick to his stomach and may cause cancer!

Such a lovely story – I wish it could be true.

What is true is that we have another wonderful set of Saturday Scenes, all taken on September 26th!

No throwing tomatoes at our participants:

• apgphoto
• NevilleFenn
• RAFAirman
• adhon
• dreamsthedream
• Sithefire
• michrueg
• pixelfreund
• BadlyWiredDog
• sparc
• sarahfenn
• Korwhai
• Vaxanta
• jmorby
• akaSylvia
• tradingnothing
• embee
• StacyJMT
• blue_cat_online
• drewbenn
• Pewari
• Dramagirl
• elibrody
• ingridf

Saturday Scenes is a great way to see the world from someone else’s point of view! Taking part is easy:

1. Take a photograph on a Saturday
2. Send it to @SatScenes on Twitter
3. Wait for the webpage to get updated
4. Oooh and aah over all the great submissions from all over the world!

So take a photograph this weekend and send it to @Satscenes!

Did you know that 19 September is International Talk Like a Pirate Day? This year, it just happened to land on a Saturday. Avast!

The history behind Talk Like a Pirate Day is that a group of guys began talking like pirates while they were playing tennis one day. They decided the world needed an official day in order to sound foolish speak like pirates and promptly chose a date. As the date was plugged into a computer calendar, they received a reminder every year. Seven years on, as a whim, they mailed the syndicated humor columnist Dave Barry and asked him to be the spokesman.

Surprisingly, we had an answer in a matter of days. We had assumed a famous guy like Dave Barry would have more important things to do than read the e-mail of a couple of louts with a hare-brained idea. It turns out, louts like us are where he gets a lot of his column material.

It’s a great idea, he said, (actually “very excellent” were his exact words, in case you’re keeping score.) But then he asked the fatal question.

“Have you guys actually DONE anything about this? Or are you counting on me to carry the ball here?”

Very perceptive of him. The way we answered would be crucial in bringing Barry aboard. We decided on the truth, with a lot of ass kissing thrown in.

“Well, we’ve talked like pirates every Sept. 19, and we’ve encouraged our several friends to,” John wrote in reply. And Mark put it in perspective when he wrote, “We are dinghy-sized-talk-like-a-pirate kinda guys, but you, Dave … you are like a frigate-huge-sized-talk-like-a-pirate kinda guy.”

In early September, John got a phone call from the feature editor at the local paper, someone he had worked with for several years before leaving the newspaper business (But that’s a different story.) She sounded confused.

“John, I was editing this week’s Dave Barry column and it’s about … Is this you?”

You can read about the the aftermath as well as receive concrete advice for talking like a pirate on the official website: International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

In th’ meantime, we would like t’ ‘sure ye that none o’ these photographs be swashbucklerd, although we did hear a bit o’ Avastin’ down Bri’ton way. So ye can feel safe as ye take a eyeball th’ wonderful snaps from Saturday, 19th September 2009 from all o’er th’ world! Savvy?

Extra rum fer me best hearties fer inadvertantly fittin’ in wi’ me theme : Neal55 wi’ a photo in Cove an’ MitchellQuinn wi’ a photo in Hook!

Are ye wantin’ fer fun folks t’ follow? Swabbies who submit Saturday Scenes be seriously super! Pop by an’ say arrrr:

• apgphoto
• Sithefire
• sarahfenn
• pewari
• NevilleFenn
• DramaGirl
• Neal55
• AmandaFClark
• wolfgang
• Korhwai
• robdavies
• michrueg
• adhon
• vaxanta
• elibrody
• akrabat
• pixelfreund
• capo42
• 7of12
• MitchellQuinn
• carocat
• tradingnothing
• PCurd
• akaSylvia
• redalexred

We’d love t’ be seein’ yer corner o’ th’ world, wherever ye might be anchored. ‘t’s easy!

Take a photo on Saturday, send th’ url t’ @SatScenes wi’ a location an’ bask in th’ resultin’ glory.

I’m lookin’ fore t’ seein’ yer Saturday scene this weekend!
(Or yer a lily livered swabbie!)

Did you know that the 12th of September is St. Guidon’s Day?

That is to say, it is the Feast Day for the Poor Man of Anderlecht, a Belgian Christian Saint.

Saint Guy of Anderlecht was born in the early Middle Ages in Brussels. He is also known as Guido or Guidon of Anderlecht, as the Poor Man of Anderlecht and as Wye of Láken. He died in 1012 of exhaustion.

Saints.SQPN.com lists Saint Guy of Anderlecht as the patron saint of the following:

• Anderlecht, Belgium
• against epilepsy
• against hydrophobia
• against infantile convulsions
• against mad dogs
• against rabies
• animals with horns
• bachelors
• convulsive children
• epileptics
• horned animals
• laborers
• protection of outbuildings, sheds and stables
• sacristans
• sextons
• work horses

So if you are looking for protection against animals with horns, the Poor Man of Anderlecht is just the saint you’ve been waiting for. This is of personal importance to @akaSylvia.

Now, on to our photographs from the 12th of September 2009:

Looking for interesting people to follow on Twitter? Saturday Scene submitters have great streams that are fun and full of life (and photographs!):

• apgphoto
• tradingnothing
• Pewari
• redalexred
• akrabat
• akaSylvia
• carocat
• robert_t
• cornellfinch
• Korwhai
• Sithefire
• sarahfenn
• musecrossing
• CliffStanford
• ColinBrooks
• elibrody
• pixelfreund

We want to see MORE photographs of more places! Simply tweet the url of your photograph (taken on a Saturday) to @SatScenes to be included.

Follow SatScenes for more details and you’ll never miss another edition.

On the 5th of September, 1698, Tsar Peter I of Russia imposed a tax on beards.

Russia Now

For centuries Russian men had worn long flowing beards. Not only was it a traditional culture, it embodied Orthodox views on manhood and image. Many considered it a sin to shave and removal was a deeply symbolic act. Of course, Peter’s new rule was difficult to get accustomed to and caused hardship for those struggling to part with their beloved beards.

In order to enforce the new fashion order which was adopted in other European countries, Peter levied a heavy tax on those still much attached to their facial hair. All men except priests had to pay up to 100 roubles (a small fortune in those years) annually.

However, much of Peter’s cultural revolution only affected the upper classes of Russian society. Peasants were allowed to wear beards in their villages, but were required to shave it off when entering the city or pay a one kopek coin for it.

Those who had paid the tax were given a copper token which depicted a moustache and a beard, indicating that the beard tax had been paid. The medal also proclaimed “The beard is a useless burden”.

And in this week’s set of scenes from Saturday, 5 September 2009, there is not a single beard to be seen. I’m so disappointed. I thought you guys were edgy and rebellious!

Nevertheless, the photos are great with lots of reading and writing this week. Take a look:

Are you looking for fun folks to follow? People who submit Saturday Scenes are seriously super! Pop by and say hello:

• rauchy
• akrabat
• UKMelia
• michrueg
• tradingnothing
• adhon
• elibrody
• ElshaHawk
• wolfgang
• pixelfreund
• pewari
• carocat
• Sithefire
• akaSylvia
• Dramagirl
• redalexred
• mousewords
• StacyJMT
• dreamsthedream
• ColinBrooks

We’d love to see your corner of the world, where ever you might be. It’s easy!

Take a photo on Saturday, send the url to @SatScenes with a location and bask in the resulting glory.

I’m looking forward to seeing your Saturday scene this weekend!

August 29 – Wikipedia

August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 124 days remaining until the end of the year.

Interesting events this day:

708 – Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time
1350 – Battle of Winchelsea (or Les Espagnols sur Mer): The English naval fleet under King Edward III defeats a Castilian fleet of 40 ships.
1498 – Vasco da Gama decides to depart Calicut and return to Portugal.
1526 – Battle of Mohács: The Ottoman Turks led by Suleiman the Magnificent defeat and kill the last Jagiellonian king of Hungary and Bohemia.
1655 – Warsaw falls without resistance to a small force under the command of Charles X Gustav of Sweden during The Deluge.
1786 – Shays’ Rebellion, an armed uprising of Massachusetts farmers, begins in response to high debt and tax burdens.
1861 – American Civil War: US Navy squadron captures forts at Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina.
1910 – Japan changes Korea’s name to Cho-sen and appoints a governor-general to rule its new colony.
1966 – The Beatles perform their last concert before paying fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
2005 – Hurricane Katrina devastates much of the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, killing more than 1,836 and causing over $80 billion in damage.

And on 29 August, 2009, this wonderfully colourful set of photographs were tweeted to @SatScenes :

• Pixelfreund
• Elshahawk
• wolfgang
• redalexred
• akrabat
• StacyJMT
• mousewords
• Elibrody
• Pewari
• akaSylvia
• vaxanta
• drewbenn
• ingridf
• colinbrooks

We want to see MORE photographs of more places! Simply tweet the url of your photograph (taken on a Saturday) to @SatScenes to be included.

Follow SatScenes for more details and you’ll never miss another edition.