Burns Night The 25th January Is My Birthday Too

The Conversion of St Paul is reported to have taken place in the year 36 AD. Paul (Saul in Hebrew) of Tarsus was a Judeo-Roman citizen, the son of pharisee, and his life was dramatically changed on journey to Damascus by a so called divine revalation. Through the writing of Epistles or formal letters to designated groups such as The Romans and The Corinthians the Pauline Epistles significantly influenced early Christian thought. His controverisal life meant he was often arrested and traditon says he was beheaded for treason under the Emperor Nero.

"What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see."
Bible - St.Paul - 1 Corinthians 13

Anne Boleyn was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536. henry's marriage to her caused his excommunication from the Catholic Church because hsi marriage to his first wife Catherine of Aragon was still valid. These events resulted in the creation of the Church of England and the legalities were worked out by Thomas Cranmer.

Ann was formally proununced Queen of England on 1 June 1533, she gave birth to a daughter who became Elizabeth the First on 7 September of that year. After failing to produce a male heir, Henry had her investigated for treason and was beheaded at Tower Green in the Tower of London on 19th May 1536 on what are considered today as highly dubious charges of adultery and incest.

Famous Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne. He was born just south of Ayr in a place called Alloway in Scotland. His birthday is celebrated the world over with a meal of haggis and 'neeps (turnips) washed down with whisky.

My claim to fame (more like noteriety) is that when I was a child in 1966 I was sent a birthday card with a first day Burns stamp like the one featured below. It was from a favourite aunt who always sent a 10 shilling note with the card. In my haste to get the money I ripped open the envelope, tearing the stamp and the watermark to pieces, not even realising that my aunt had sent the envelope and stamp as my birthday gift!

"Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous eastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty
Wi bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murdering pattle."

Robert Burns 1966 Commemorative Stamps

"I know this world is ruled by infinite intelligence. Everything that surrounds us- everything that exists - proves that there are infinite laws behind it. There can be no denying this fact. It is mathematical in its precision."
Thomas A. Edison

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. "
Thomas A. Edison

"America is a country of inventors, and the greatest of inventors are the newspaper men."
Alexander Graham Bell

"Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus. "
Alexander Graham Bell

"A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."

Virginia Woolf published her first novel in 1900 and died after committing suicide on 28 March 1941.

The Cullinan Diamond was found in Pretoria by Frederick Wells, surface manager of the Premier Diamond Mining Company. (Some suggest that it was actually the 26th January). Two stones were cut from the original and both are mounted in the crown jewels of the British Monarch. The largest (Cullinan One) called the Great Star Of Africa set on the Royal Sceptre.

Idi Amin siezed power from President Milton Obote. Amin was a heavy weight boxing champion who held the rank of sergeant in the army. Once in power he unsurprisingly gave himself the rank of General and became Chief of The Armed Forces.

Alicia Keys was born in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City.

"If you knew my streets
You would know all everybody talk about is who got beef
Who snitchin, who told police
Who came home, who still gone, who restin in peace
Now they killin over music money, not drugs, rap replaced it
Cause thugs with no brains got no patience
New jacks I pistol whip 'em with the funky rhythm I be kickin
Musician and flatten composition
A pain, I'm like Saddam Hussein
Still alive lookin at his dead children's burnt remains
I burnt the game, learnt you lames a new lesson
Your crew's soft man, ya'll need some new weapons
The P's breathe Warriorz and skullies and Timmies
Around mixed, spics, niggaz and giddies
From my ghetto kings in deep thought we don't blink
But don't think we wastin our time
It's a New York State of Mind"
Authored by Alecia Keys