Today’s word of the day is laconic. It is an adjective that means “using few words; terse” (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/laconic). The word entered the language around the “1580s, literally ‘of or pertaining to the region around ancient Sparta’ in Greece, probably via Latin Laconicus ‘of Laconia,’ from Greek Lakonikos ‘Laconian, of Laconia,’ adjective from Lakon ‘person from Lakonia,’ the district around Sparta in southern Greece in ancient times. The Spartans famously cultivated the skill of saying much in few words. When Philip of Macedon threatened them with, ‘If I enter Laconia, I will raze Sparta to the ground,’ the Spartans’ reply was, ‘If’” (https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=laconic).

Here’s another fun story from etymonline about the laconic Spartans: “When the Samians who had been banished by Polycrates [tyrant of Samia in the mid-400s BC] came to Sparta, they went to the authorities and made a long speech, in view of the greatness of their need. At the first meeting, the Spartans said in answer that they had forgotten the first words of the request and could not understand the last. After that, the Samians had another meeting with the Spartan government, and this time they said nothing but, carrying an empty sack, said simply, “The sack needs grain.” At this the Spartans answered, “You did not need to say ‘sack.'” But they resolved to help the exiled Samians. [Herodotus, transl. David Grene].”

On this date in 2007, Portugal held a national referendum to decriminalize abortion during the first 10 weeks of a pregnancy. Those who voted in favor of decriminalization won by a 59% to 40% margin, but the referendum was not binding because only 44% of eligible voters voted in the referendum. Still, the prime minister of Portugal said that a law to decriminalize abortion would be coming soon (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1801020/). The law was passed in April of 2007, but many doctors in Portugal refuse to do abortions under a conscientious objector clause in the law.

On this date in 2008, José Alexandre “Xanana” Gusmão, the Prime Minister of East Timor, and President José Ramos-Horta survived assassination attempts by rebel soldiers led by Alfredo Reinado, one of some 600 or so soldiers who had gone AWOL from the East Timor army in 2006. Reinado and another of the rebels were killed. Gusmão’s car was shot up in the attack on his motorcade, and Horta survived being shot in the stomach by rebel soldiers who invaded his home. Both men are still alive and, in fact, are back in the positions they held at the time of the assassination attempts. BTW, the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, or East Timor, is half of the Timor Island; the other hand is governed by Indonesia. The name Timor comes from an Indonesian word meaning “east,” making the independent part of the island “east east.” The island was colonized by the Portuguese but became independent in 1975.

On this date in 2011, Hosni Mubarak (1928-2020) resigned as President of Egypt, a position he had held since 1981. He was preceded by Anwar Sadat, the President who signed a famous peace treaty with Israel, the Camp David Accords, and who was assassinated in October of 1981. Mubarak held several elections during his 30 years in office, but most of them were single-party elections which he won easily (it’s easy to be first out of one). The anti-government protests that occurred throughout the Arab world led to numerous resignations in a variety of countries, including Mubarak’s. He was later charged with murder and other crimes related to the suppression of the protestors, but after about 6 years in prison, he was released. He died in 2020 at the age of 91.

On this date in 2013, an explosion, probably caused by a methane gas buildup, killed 18 workers in a coal mine in the Komi region of Russia. The mine is near the city of Vorkutinskaya, and it is run by the Severstal company. Three years later in late February, another explosion at this same mine killed 36, making one wonder how it can still be in operation.

On this date in 2016, a riot broke out between rival gangs at a prison in Monterrey Mexico. 52 prisoners died, and 12 more were injured in the rioting. Apparently the problem in such prisons at least at the time, was “autogobierno,” or self government, allowing the prisoners to run the prison. It sounds like letting the fox run the chicken coop.

On this date in 2020, the city of Bagdad, in Iraq, experienced snow for the first tome on almost 100 years. The last time snow stuck in the city was 1914 (https://www.nydailynews.com/2020/02/11/extremely-rare-winter-storm-brings-snow-to-baghdad-for-second-time-in-100-years/). The average high temperature in Bagdad in February is usually about 66, and the low is about 42.

There are things happening all over the world. Sometimes those things affect us here in the USA, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they are big, important events, and sometimes, well, like snow in Bagdad, not so important after all. But we should pay attention to events all over the world if for other reason than to see that we should be sympathetic towards other. And we can be sympathetic without having to say much.

The image today, from Iracheno/Twitter, is of Bagdad waking up to snow. I actually chose this picture for the palm trees.