Tony's Garden

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: ”It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.” — Thomas Sowell BIRTHDAYS: 1692 Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer, Dutch nobleman who was a diplomat as well as a…

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: ”Are your minds working to complain? Or, are your minds working to solve the problem.” — Hotep Jesus BIRTHDAYS: 1500 Benvenuto Cellini, Italian sculptor, goldsmith and author (Perseus). 1585 Jan Brożek, physician, astronomer, and the most prominent Polish mathematician of his era and an early biographer of Copernicus. 1636 Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux,…

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: ”To have displeased evil and ignorant men is the sure sign of genius and virtue…” — Petrarch BIRTHDAYS: 1291 Philippe de Vitry, French composer and poet. “Firmissime fidem / Alleluya”, and Vos qui admiramini 1632 Jan Vermeer, Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. 1711 Laura Bassi, Italian…

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: ”The duration of the life of men may be considerably increased. It would be true progress to go back to the simple dishes of our ancestors. … Progress would consist in simplifying many sides of the lives of civilised people.” — Élie Metchnikoff BIRTHDAYS: 1735 John Adams, American statesman, attorney, diplomat,…

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: “Most of the major ills of the world have been caused by well-meaning people who ignored the principle of individual freedom, except as applied to themselves, and who were obsessed with fanatical zeal to improve the lot of mankind-in-the-mass through some pet formula of their own. The harm done by ordinary…

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” — Marcus Tullius Cicero BIRTHDAYS: 1466 Erasmus, Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and theologian, educationalist, satirist, and philosopher. 1751 Dmitry Stepanovich Bortniansky, Russian-Ukrainian harpsichordist and composer (Tantum Ergo), born in Glukhov, Russian Empire. Cherubim Hymn No. 7…

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: “Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” — H.L. Mencken BIRTHDAYS: 1483 Hans Buchner, German composer, born in the Free Imperial City of Ravensburg, Holy Roman Empire. Fundamentum: Quem terra. 1645 Aert de Gelder, Dutch painter. 1685 Domenico Scarlatti, Italian composer and harpsichordist (La Silvia), born in Naples,…

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: “The Puritans hated bear-baiting, not because it gave pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectators.” — Thomas B. Macaulay BIRTHDAYS: 1576 Thomas Weelkes, English organist and composer of madrigals. Thule, the Period of Cosmography + The Andalusian Merchant, and O Lord Arise, and Most Mighty and…