December 17th miscellany bin, a quiet post.

In order to balance things out and not always concern ourselves with extreme situations, it will be my pleasure to offer a few almanac-type notes today.

It just so happens that in relation to yesterday’s post, there is an anniversary of gun control laws today, in the UK. It was in 1997 on the 17th of December that handguns were outlawed.
This text came to pass after a massacre in a school, as last Friday in Connecticut, in Dunblane, Scotland. It is worth noting that there hasn’t been such an incident in the UK’s schools since.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearms_(Amendment)_(No._2)_Act_1997

A bit earlier in 1938 on the same date, Otto Hahn discovered Uranium fission and thus opened the era of civilian nuclear energy.
3 years prior, the Douglas DC-3 had made its maiden flight. It remains one of the most elegantly simple and beautiful planes to have graced the skies.
In a very related manner, we can remember the 1903 17th of December as the date of the Wright’s brothers first flight of the Flyer at Kitty Hawk 😀

It also happens that in 1777, France was the first country to recognize formally a young republic named … the United States of America. That followed the victory at Saratoga and made a whole lot of sense since France had provided help to America’s Independence efforts and thus also supported the first successful colony in modern history to win its liberation fight, a fact that somewhat came back to bite La République two hundred years later. Such is the irony of history.

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On the 17th 0f December 1883, French actor Raimu was born. Famous for the original versions of the movies made by Marcel Pagnol from his own books or rather plays and although most people do not check old grainy black&white movies anymore especially in a foreign language, I bring attention to him because a very alive and kicking French actor, Gérard Depardieu is raising a storm by threatening to renounce his citizenship to evade taxes on high incomes which are admittedly quite high in La Belle France, especially  since the return of a socialist government. The answer to the threat was uttered by French Premier Ayrault in the form of an insult. All this is quite disgraceful. I have liked the cinematographic accomplishments of Mr Depardieu’s career a lot myself but giving up your nationality over money takes away almost any respect I can extend a person. So watch a Raimu movie instead 😉

And having thus acknowledge Raimu, I can also present December 17 1273 as the date of the death of Rumi. Although incorrect since meaning from Rome and he was a Persian, it is commonly used in the West for short as جلال‌الدین محمد بلخى is not quite easy to remember for most 😀 Just know that his works have influenced the medieval era from native present-day Tadjikistan to Turkey where he died.
My personal attachment to the man comes from a common fondness for ecumenical points of view. While a very active Muslim of the Sufi distinction and part of the Dervish movement, he wrote :

ملت عشق از همه دین‌ها جداست — عاشقان را ملت و مذهب خداست

expressing that if you truly want to love your human brothers and sisters, seeing God as the provider of love is a religion over all others and all nations.
One can now find translations of his works in modern languages and if readers of mine are tired of the same old literature, here’s a chance to get in touch with different writing, culture and religion on top of some history.

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And to close this listing, let me get back a little to the geo-political aspect so prevalent on this blog and remind all of North Korea where a recent missile test sparked renewed controversy with the rest of the world by mentioning that it was on this date last year that Kim Jong-il at 60 years of age disappeared to the very mediatic wailings of his local fans.

Oh, and good National Day to Bhutan, of course and to all, Tay.