Jardin de Luxenbourg don't grow poppies, y'all.

Happy Remembrance Day, homies.

So, when I was a lil' beaver growing up in the wilds of Canada, we celebrated Remembrance Day. (We also celebrate Boxing day, but you'll have to wait until x-mas for that description, my American comrades)

Anywhooo...today was Remembrance Day. It's a day to commemorate the fallen veterans and civilians of Wars and is observed today because World War I ended on Nov.11th in 1918 - just like Veteran's Day. Except that we pin poppies on our chests and have a moment of silence at 11am (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month - even the TV goes silent for one minute, impressive, non?)

So, the poppies are a symbol we use because of military physician John McCrae's poem "In Flanders Fields." Poppies had bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their red color a symbol for the bloodshed of trench warfare.

Okay okay...so ya see, I moved from the country of the Maple Leaf over to the "Red, White, and Blue" when I was around 13. Our cultures are pretty damn similar, so it throws me for a loop sometimes when my Bald Eagle-lovin' bros don't know what the hell I'm talking about when I say things like: " Kraft Dinner, shall I turn over?, or mmmmm...Coffee Krisp."
(translations: Mac & Cheese, should I change the channel?, and a delicious kit-kat-esque chocolate bar)

Alright, my point was - I tried convincing John and Robbie that they had INDEED worn poppies in honor of Remembrance day when they were kids, when in fact, they had no idea what the hell I was talking about. Ravi (our pal from the UK) added to the confusion when he agreed with me. Of course people wear poppies today, it's the 11th of November!

Turns out that NO, Americans do not celebrate Remembrance Day, but YES, Commonwealth countries do (United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, ect...)

Well, there ya go. Incredibly stimulating piece of information, I know.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Flanders_Fields

In other news today: pirate ships, Alphonse Mucha, fish with toofs.