tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7783988601833339792024-03-14T05:58:13.283-04:00What's That Song About?Music is everywhere. Every culture has it. It was always there. It records everything. It's a living history. Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it, but those who rock remember.LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-31179872657681600302017-10-19T14:15:00.043-04:002021-04-27T14:42:32.505-04:00Lords of Acid, 10/19/2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qhvn-heDZTM/YIhVZS8YpjI/AAAAAAAAIqg/9E2GjHrUGBo97W4fN0C_x0tUHcg-3mQGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/LOA7%2Bcc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="800" height="305" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qhvn-heDZTM/YIhVZS8YpjI/AAAAAAAAIqg/9E2GjHrUGBo97W4fN0C_x0tUHcg-3mQGgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h305/LOA7%2Bcc.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Lords of Acid, whose live appearances are often more industrial and musically powerpacked than what you would experience on the album. As if her vocals weren't enough, DJ Mea truly enjoys her center mic position. Backed by En Esch (KMFDM) bombshell Erica Dilanjian, Mea's passion is electric in its own rite, bringing a surge of energy to a crowded room that rivals any traditional concert. Synonymous with sex, Lords fans are encouraged to dress for the occasion.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5GvS3iSwRY/YIhVuEl6AQI/AAAAAAAAIqo/l0kwmcoy6gYvBefb2N4MDhrbU0L5gZZ9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/LOA4%2Bcc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="520" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5GvS3iSwRY/YIhVuEl6AQI/AAAAAAAAIqo/l0kwmcoy6gYvBefb2N4MDhrbU0L5gZZ9QCLcBGAsYHQ/w260-h400/LOA4%2Bcc.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Fishnets and stilettos, short skirts and skimpy shirts are the order of the day...er... night, and the more ''of the night'' you dress, the more fun you'll have. Regardless <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hK_OmBWK9jk/YIhYTyd8VRI/AAAAAAAAIq4/FP5AtgEOyJEgjtmmD5ROmVMMrBXAO_cngCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/LOA3%2Bcc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hK_OmBWK9jk/YIhYTyd8VRI/AAAAAAAAIq4/FP5AtgEOyJEgjtmmD5ROmVMMrBXAO_cngCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/LOA3%2Bcc.jpg" /></a></div>of body type and size, all people are sexy when Lords of Acid take the stage. In fact, NOT dressing for the show might even earn you more stares than a pair of lime green fishnets would. However, no matter how sexy no outfit is complete without the signature devil horns that appear on many of the bands album covers. Don't have any? Walgreen's says it's not Halloween? It's OK. They sell them at the door. Turn your horns on as Praga Khan turns you on with one of the band's original early 90's releases, ''Rough Sex'' from the 1991 release Lust. Lords of Acid take control with a set-list that spans their entire career from the early Lust days all the way up to their 2016 album release <i>Smoking Hot</i>, including the tongue-in-cheek version of the 1928 Hollywood Golden Age hit ''Loved By You'', which we now know and love as ''Scrooed Bi U'' from the 2000 <i>Farstucker</i> album. And if you're lucky, you can find your way to the stage to dance with the Lords to everyone's favorite super sexy song....<b>=^.^=</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eonC0CL14_4/YIhXWGPgfHI/AAAAAAAAIqw/pz0aV_i7xXI00279XhZwNkjuvGqxZMrbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/LOA12%2Bcc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eonC0CL14_4/YIhXWGPgfHI/AAAAAAAAIqw/pz0aV_i7xXI00279XhZwNkjuvGqxZMrbQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h320/LOA12%2Bcc.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lords of Acid headline the Sextreme Fest 2017 tour supported by Erie Loch and the WICCID duo from Sacramento, California along side Christian Death, Combichrist, and KMFDM's own En Esch.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FPf7btzN-hk/YIhZJ0sR5gI/AAAAAAAAIrE/dnTckl5BJPM36DSsQ3Ykn18JoOVNBB1zwCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/LOA1%2Bcc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="800" height="422" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FPf7btzN-hk/YIhZJ0sR5gI/AAAAAAAAIrE/dnTckl5BJPM36DSsQ3Ykn18JoOVNBB1zwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h422/LOA1%2Bcc.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nHZP_XipRAs/YIhZOnyq-GI/AAAAAAAAIrs/vgAF_gRRnLkBK2gAi3yQEuo3e31hYj2HACLcBGAsYHQ/s800/LOA2%2Bcc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="800" height="494" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nHZP_XipRAs/YIhZOnyq-GI/AAAAAAAAIrs/vgAF_gRRnLkBK2gAi3yQEuo3e31hYj2HACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h494/LOA2%2Bcc.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nSbFmL7u5as/YIhZNp3W_TI/AAAAAAAAIrk/lCqJFNQzQm8FdwCND7VZbf-U0QQ6uEKvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/LOA18%2Bcc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="800" height="512" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nSbFmL7u5as/YIhZNp3W_TI/AAAAAAAAIrk/lCqJFNQzQm8FdwCND7VZbf-U0QQ6uEKvQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h512/LOA18%2Bcc.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ibnFFLx3xls/YIhZOAAgrfI/AAAAAAAAIro/lOtGKSzL4zUGopWhwM3xL62p_4WYySNxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/LOA19%2Bcc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="800" height="414" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ibnFFLx3xls/YIhZOAAgrfI/AAAAAAAAIro/lOtGKSzL4zUGopWhwM3xL62p_4WYySNxwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h414/LOA19%2Bcc.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p><br /></p>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-13991639912849928722017-10-17T12:09:00.016-04:002021-04-27T14:01:31.830-04:00Interview with Erie Loch from the Dark Synth Pop duo WICCID<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xXwsGRYHvVY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><p><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Veteran Sacramento songwriter and performer Erie Loch discusses his creative processes, the evolution of IT in the music industry, and his new futurepop project WICCID along with many of his collaborations over the years with such artists as Prong, Ministry, Pop Will Eat Itself, and Lords of Acid. </span></span></p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)" face="Roboto, Noto, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/631917-Erie-Loch" target="_blank">https://www.discogs.com/artist/631917-Erie-Loch</a>
Listen to BY DESIGN at Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/22UC2FlP8fkmrcV7V7nneF" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/album/22UC2FlP8fkmrcV7V7nneF</a>
Download the BY DESIGN album from Bandcamp:
<a href="https://wiccid.bandcamp.com/releases" target="_blank">https://wiccid.bandcamp.com/releases</a>
All photos and audio are Copyright ©2017 LivingDedGrrl™. All rights reserved. Do not use without written permission. Do not remove watermarks.</span>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-36905693972271619022017-06-06T13:32:00.005-04:002021-04-27T14:01:48.983-04:00Interview with Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein 6/14/2017<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zJ17QwC2Lic" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<p><span style="color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Following the release of his first album, Abominator, on his own record label, Monsterman Records, I interviewed Misfits guitar player and Doyle guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein before his Mesa, AZ tour stop supporting his June 2, 2017 album release "Doyle II: As We Die". This is a rare interview in which Doyle talks...A LOT.....about some of the cool stuff he's been up to since his last album, "Abominator". Fun vegan stories, Monsterman Records, hot sauce, and movies!</span></p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)" face="Roboto, Noto, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Copyright ©2017 LivingDedGrrl™. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission. Do not remove watermarks.</span>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-73558619166727317402016-04-18T12:13:00.139-04:002021-04-27T13:31:14.823-04:00Red Sun Rising at Pub Rock Live April 17, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XpDLbJKcXz4/YIg8k9CHZNI/AAAAAAAAIno/OXMzC8EdrfQkOhOfcjXoeRaT3yEhojj6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Polyester%2BZeal%2BFB.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="848" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XpDLbJKcXz4/YIg8k9CHZNI/AAAAAAAAIno/OXMzC8EdrfQkOhOfcjXoeRaT3yEhojj6QCLcBGAsYHQ/w331-h400/Polyester%2BZeal%2BFB.png" width="331" /></a></div><p>I remember the first time I saw Red Sun Rising. I walked in the gate at Carnival of Madness at the Time Warner Amphitheater in Cleveland. There was a band playing off to the side with a small stack of mains and a couple of monitors. With an incredible amount of energy exploding from this corner, it was impossible to walk past them without stopping to have a listen. That listen turned into an entire set, and I even got a look at the kick drum head so I could check them out later, and check them out later I did! This little band has such an impact on the people around them...enough to make you remember them even long after an exhausting all-day festival with all your favorite national acts. A few days later, I found myself the proud owner of their first (and only) self-produced album. Out of all the music I own, that Red Sun Rising record (and subsequently every one after that) became my favorite. If it was vinyl, I would have worn it out twice by now. I started stalking all the band guys on Twitter. I found a link to their only video, ''Beautiful</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ewDY2KWwMjw/YIhIZ2LyKZI/AAAAAAAAIqY/MSsgeIQFL2kF5owEZWFN_hEYpf7rflHUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Beatiful%2BSuicide%2BFB.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ewDY2KWwMjw/YIhIZ2LyKZI/AAAAAAAAIqY/MSsgeIQFL2kF5owEZWFN_hEYpf7rflHUQCLcBGAsYHQ/w274-h400/Beatiful%2BSuicide%2BFB.png" width="274" /></a></div><br /><p></p> Suicide'' on YouTube. Wow...they have presence, they have energy, and more than anything else....they have real talent. This isn't a couple of college kids banging out some chord riffs. Ryan can play...and I mean PLAY. He makes that Gibson SG sound like hot butter on a greased up griddle. I've heard a lot of music in my time, but these guys are crafters. They have that classic rock sound with a modern rock feel. You know, that groove from the glory days when those guys really knew their way around a fretboard and the songs were more than a couple of cookie-cutter chords strung together to satisfy a formula. And when Ryan isn't soaring above the groove, Mike is. His vocals are reminiscent of an era where rock 'n' roll was about feelings and things you thought about and things that happened to you: They are gritty and real and you believe him. He's engaging. He has an incredible stage presence that makes you want to participate: This ain't no sittin' down music. No, it's true. It was hard to just sit and listen to this band without checking their Twitter for concert announcements. I went to all their shows. I dragged my sister to all their shows. I even sent copies of their album to a friend in S Carolina. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ym8Xz-VRtyI/YIhEra63e8I/AAAAAAAAIoI/x2aVnEm7onQqdRcLq36esD_yUAlYNu9zQCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/Ryan%2BSG%2BFB.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ym8Xz-VRtyI/YIhEra63e8I/AAAAAAAAIoI/x2aVnEm7onQqdRcLq36esD_yUAlYNu9zQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Ryan%2BSG%2BFB.png" /></a></div><p>For the next couple years, this band would put the same amount of energy into their music career as they did their music. There were many bumps in the road. There was a time when, after years of hard work, the unthinkable occurred and they had nothing but a legal pad to write down email addresses for a newsletter. They didn't have anything to give the crowd except themselves, and that's exactly what they did. They never wavered. They just kept swinging for the fences. RSR wasn't done. They had big plans. Huge. And what's more, they were humble throughout, and they continue to be so. They are stand-up guys. So, when they called upon their fans for help with their next album, they were met with overwhelming support, and in true RSR form, in a swing-for-the-fences move, they hurdled the next mile stone, which led them to the break that sent them to the top of the Billboard charts.....twice.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wnxg3UHqNUk/YIhE9_BH6oI/AAAAAAAAIoQ/FAgy1mXUqpQRusxIcO68Viabmr3vyxmwACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Mike%2BProtich%2BFB.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="1024" height="248" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wnxg3UHqNUk/YIhE9_BH6oI/AAAAAAAAIoQ/FAgy1mXUqpQRusxIcO68Viabmr3vyxmwACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h248/Mike%2BProtich%2BFB.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>From the beginning, this has always been a band that was about music and people. They write their own songs, and they do it their way. They never use pre-recorded tracks at their shows. What you see is what you get, and what you hear on the record is what you get live. They have integrity both on and off the stage. People are what got them where they are, and they have never forgotten where they came from. I am old enough to remember the old time rock 'n' roll, and yet here is a new band that I can sit and listen to with my teenage daughter. It is music for all generations, and this was no different at Pub Rock Live on Sunday night. To my left were college kids. To my right, well, let's just say I'm not sure who loved the band more...the elderly gentlemen or his wife. The stage was smaller than the festival stage they'd played the night before, but but that doesn't mean the show was. This band only knows how to go to 11. The crowd pressed closer to see them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a8FrAKyrbCE/YIhGOyQIxjI/AAAAAAAAIog/xEFL2dQ-Uc0mdxFhxLGla9gqzGF6ZZUSACLcBGAsYHQ/s800/Imitation%2BFB.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="570" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a8FrAKyrbCE/YIhGOyQIxjI/AAAAAAAAIog/xEFL2dQ-Uc0mdxFhxLGla9gqzGF6ZZUSACLcBGAsYHQ/w285-h400/Imitation%2BFB.png" width="285" /></a></div><p>Older folks were rocking out with younger, and from start to finish, Red Sun Rising put every ounce of energy they had into the show. Mike even threw in their cover of Alanis Morissette's ''Uninvited'', which sent out a hypnotizing hush over the captivated crowd. Two guys were talking next to me, and I overheard one of them say that Mike Protich could be the next Eddie Vedder. This band carries with it a certain vibe. It brings people together, which is the true spirit of music. After the show, people were sharing their stories of how Red Sun Rising impacted their lives, sharing stories not just with the band, but with other strangers. There were fans from all over the Southwest, and even some from the home team in Ohio, who could say they knew them ''when''. I have been to many concerts in my time, but never have I made as many friends out of strangers than at RSR shows. The band just naturally facilitates a ''family'' atmosphere. So, in a way, their success is kind of a dream come true for us, too. At some point, every kid who picks up an instrument fantasizes about making it to the Big Time. Everybody has a song about the journey to shooting stardom and what it takes to be a jukebox hero, and if you're two guys from Akron, OH, you keep that dream alive. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DjXicj1FR9o/YIhGiCSYT9I/AAAAAAAAIow/4pDJzSg3otQF3yMEZP3DlVnXvfyQyiFMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/Akrons%2BOwn%2BFB.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="567" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DjXicj1FR9o/YIhGiCSYT9I/AAAAAAAAIow/4pDJzSg3otQF3yMEZP3DlVnXvfyQyiFMQCLcBGAsYHQ/w454-h640/Akrons%2BOwn%2BFB.png" width="454" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aH3iIPt05Ck/YIhGh4xtd4I/AAAAAAAAIos/bOq2NvS2YoUlwxOEykP1ysKZSO6YKNVNACLcBGAsYHQ/s800/Amnesia%2B3%2BFB.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="730" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q_3fr9vYEtw/YIhGqr23zqI/AAAAAAAAIp4/Qj65zI7tz7gutZQ0VKzRv62u18tv6yW6gCLcBGAsYHQ/w456-h640/Thread%2BFB.png" width="456" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YyFhcbY3Plg/YIhGqh8Q6QI/AAAAAAAAIp0/xG7OaY_vn7EXV806Il_90foDqZoG-0l7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Worlds%2BAway%2BFB.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="736" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YyFhcbY3Plg/YIhGqh8Q6QI/AAAAAAAAIp0/xG7OaY_vn7EXV806Il_90foDqZoG-0l7QCLcBGAsYHQ/w460-h640/Worlds%2BAway%2BFB.png" width="460" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ISF-_nxSiU4/YIhGmzzPbdI/AAAAAAAAIpc/5fwR7qapgEkamA4ioyfEMIvN_A7Mka8ZACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Polyester%2BZeal%2BFB.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="848" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ISF-_nxSiU4/YIhGmzzPbdI/AAAAAAAAIpc/5fwR7qapgEkamA4ioyfEMIvN_A7Mka8ZACLcBGAsYHQ/w530-h640/Polyester%2BZeal%2BFB.png" width="530" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><br /><p><br /></p>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-59487874351402564442014-11-22T19:38:00.001-05:002014-11-22T19:56:04.597-05:00"Buried Alive" - Dropkick Murphys, 2003 (celtic punk)<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/i1OP4CTaszo" width="560"></iframe></div>
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<i><span style="color: lime;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: lime;">Nothing they could do but sit down there</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">with the black coal all around them,</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">and the water rose so quick and cold,</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">an unlikely place to drown.</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">Nine in the mine, trapped down below</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">down, down, down in the ground</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">and this'll be the day I didn't kiss my wife goodbye,</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">take care of my family I'm buried alive</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">They held their heads up high</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">as they struggled hard to breathe</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">and asked the Lord to open his arms</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">for the nine souls he'd receive</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">Nine in the mine, trapped down below</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">down, down, down in the ground</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">and this'll be the day I didn't kiss my wife goodbye,</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">take care of my family I'm buried alive</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">They lashed themselves together</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">so in death they might be found</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">and prayed there for a miracle</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">some 24 stories down.</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">Nine in the mine, trapped down below</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">down, down, down in the ground</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">and this'll be the day I didn't kiss my wife goodbye,</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">take care of my family I'm buried alive</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: lime;">Down, down, down in the ground.</span></i></div>
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Few events since the safe landing of the Apollo 13 have caught the world's attention and emotion and ended with such a positive uplifting finale than the 5-day rescue attempt that followed the Quecreek mining disaster of 2002. From July 24 through 28, 2002, nine coal miners were trapped for 77 hours in the Pennsylvania mine. All survived. And of course, the champion band of the working man, Dropkick Murphys, who have a history of chronicling the events of blue collar workers, made sure to immortalize the event on their 2003 album, "Blackout".<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_UxEJYgoxqc/VHEQTtL--cI/AAAAAAAAA9o/28erIxWw9G4/s1600/dfarms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_UxEJYgoxqc/VHEQTtL--cI/AAAAAAAAA9o/28erIxWw9G4/s1600/dfarms.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a>Rolling pastures and quaint farm houses dot the landscape of rural Pennsylvania like images by Currier & Ives, and in this sprawling Midwestern bucolic expanse of farm and field lies Dormel Farms, the very picture of Americana. Yet juxtaposed beneath the romantic spread of fruit orchards and sugar camps lies a different scene: an expanse of rock, heat, and dust, long hours of darkness, and danger. On the evening of July 24, as workers began to extend the shaft of the Quecreek mine, which lie just beneath the picture of heaven that is Dormel Farms. They had no idea that they were about to find themselves trapped in a hell underneath.<br />
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The scene in which this story unfolds is typical of an area rich with resources. Often the landscape is unmarred and remains pristine in its appearance while tunnels and shafts riddle the area below. Pennsylvania is no stranger to mining operations, and it is not uncommon for one mine to close for various reasons and for another to be opened in fairly close proximity. Each shaft is carefully plotted, mapped, and recorded with the county as a reference for future digs. However, the method is not fool proof, and on July 24, unbeknownst to anyone, the Black Wolf Coal Company accidentally dug into the adjacent abandoned, poorly documented Saxman Coal/Harrison #2 Mine (last worked in the 1950's), which was underwater, flooding the room and Quecreek pillar mine with an estimated 50-60 million gallons of water.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aIUXhLy4Zoo/VHEW7whEPVI/AAAAAAAAA-s/DbMIh3mj52k/s1600/flooded_mine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aIUXhLy4Zoo/VHEW7whEPVI/AAAAAAAAA-s/DbMIh3mj52k/s1600/flooded_mine.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a>Two hundred and forty feet under solid bedrock, ice cold water inundated the 4x4 foot chamber in which <br />
nine men were working, blocking the entrance and any path of escape. Immediately, they used the mine's telephone system to warn the 2-Left panel workers, who were able to evacuate safely. The nine who saved their lives, however, would not be so lucky and would spend the next 77 hours trapped 24 stories below ground in a pillar shaft with nothing to do but pray. Struggling to stay alive, the nine tried desperately to escape the flood by climbing a 4-foot wide, 3000-foot long safety shaft, only to find that it, too, was flooded. The water continued to rise through the night and into the next morning. On the surface, rescuers scrambled to find a drill that could bore a hole large enough to raise the men from the pit.<br />
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Flooding is a common occurrence in mining operations, and all mines are equipped with pumps. Immediately, the pumps began the race to draw the water out of the shaft faster than it could enter. The more water that entered the chamber and shaft, the less air there was for the nine men to breathe. A second operation began immediately to bore an air vent straight down from the surface into the tiny chamber. It took nearly two hours for the vent to be completed, but even though the miners could breathe, rescue monitors indicated that the water was still rising and threatened to completely fill the chamber in which the miners had sought refuge. They were running out of time. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and an untested theory was put to work: If a pressurized air pocket could be created, it would slow the water flow and allow the pumps to catch up and perhaps even get ahead of the flood. The theory had never been tried before, and after a few calculations, air was sent rushing down the vent and into the chamber. The sound was deafening. The pressure hurt the miners' ears, but they didn't care. It gave them hope knowing that people knew exactly where they were, which raised their odds of survival, and their spirits.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W168ZSudlds/VHEYRKW4rcI/AAAAAAAAA_c/xGjf8514qSI/s1600/635150-r1-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W168ZSudlds/VHEYRKW4rcI/AAAAAAAAA_c/xGjf8514qSI/s1600/635150-r1-12.jpg" height="216" width="320" /></a>By 9am Thursday morning, the water had already filled the entire mine just short of a few feet from the <br />
entrance. The only thing keeping the miners alive was the pressurized air pocket that had been created the night before, but that couldn't stand long. More pumps were brought in to lower the water level, but it wasn't enough. A second entrance shaft would have to be dug to retrieve the men, but it would mean a coin toss: If the water level wasn't low enough and the drill penetrated the mine, the air pocket would be lost and the miners would drown. By Noon, however, the water level had risen high enough to force the men 300 feet from their only air source, and the air quality within the shaft was beginning to deteriorate. If they don't drown, they'll suffocate. Crew Chief Randall Fogle, trapped below with his men, estimated they had only one hour left to live. He and his men said their prayers and wrote their notes. Then the men lashed themselves together to die as a family. If they were going to die together, at least they would all be found together.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aDKfq9Ubo60/VHEX0wXweWI/AAAAAAAAA_E/ZI1bY7EWg-k/s1600/mine-rescue-5fc90e45308873ce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aDKfq9Ubo60/VHEX0wXweWI/AAAAAAAAA_E/ZI1bY7EWg-k/s1600/mine-rescue-5fc90e45308873ce.jpg" height="246" width="400" /></a>Rescuers, however, did not give up, and on Thursday afternoon, the pumps had caught up with the flow, and <br />
the water was reported as having leveled off. The trapped crew within, however, soaked and hungry, now fought for survival in the frigid 50 degrees 24-stories beneath the Earth's surface. With the water stilled, a 30-inch bit was located in W Virgina and was given a police escort to the site. The men inside could hear the bit coming closer, but as Crew Chief Fogle began to encourage them, certain of immanent rescue, suddenly the sound of drilling stopped. The drill bit had broken at 139 feet. It was now Friday. While it is not uncommon for bits to break, when it was retrieved and a second attempt forthcoming, it was discovered that a piece of the bit was lodged in the new shaft, and drilling was now impossible. A special tool would be needed to dislodge the broken piece so that the operation could continue. Building this implement takes 4-5 days, but realizing the urgency of the situation, a 95-man machine shop in Jefferson County built one in three hours. The tool was flown to Dormel Farms by the National Guard. After an 18 hour delay, drilling resumed. Again, the bit broke, along with the miners' spirits. Randall Fogue continued to hold his men together, confident of a rescue. A third bit was brought in. Finally, after many equipment failures and errors, the rescue shaft was complete.<br />
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Rescuers communicated with the trapped men by tapping on the air vent pipe, and were ecstatic to hear a faint return tap from the men below. All nine were alive and well. On July 28, a mesh rescue capsule with supplies was lowered into the rescue shaft. The men were given instructions to enter the capsule one at a time to be raised from the pit according to weight. Squeezing into the tiny 24-inch capsule, Randall Fogle was the first to be rescued. The ascent was slow, and on the surface 10 hyperbaric chambers awaited the men, who now faced a danger of decompression sickness from their lengthy stay at depth with pressure. However, at 2:45am on July 28, all nine miners were on the safe on the surface. None of them sustained injuries past a treatable bout of hypothermia and some chest pains.<br />
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In the aftermath, it was determined that the primary cause of the water inundation was the use of an undated and uncertified mine map of the Harrison No. 2 mine that did not show the complete and final mine workings. The rescue attempt could have been much more serious. If Fogle had not alerted the other nine miners, they too would have been trapped. His quick thinking and encouragement kept his team together, and their togetherness as a team in finding escape routes and procedures is what ultimately saved them all. All nine have sold the rights to their story to the Walt Disney Company, and they lived happily ever after.<br />
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The miners, in order of their rescue are:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Randall Fogle</li>
<li>Harry "Blaine" Mayhugh, Jr.</li>
<li>Thomas "Tucker" Foy</li>
<li>John Unger</li>
<li>John Phillippi</li>
<li>Ron Hileman</li>
<li>Dennis J. Hall</li>
<li>Robert Pugh, Jr.</li>
<li>Mark Popernack</li>
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Sources:<br />
<a href="http://www.quecreekrescue.org/">http://www.quecreekrescue.org/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/12/us/quecreek-mine-rescue-fast-facts/">http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/12/us/quecreek-mine-rescue-fast-facts/</a><br />
<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2002/US/07/28/mine.accident/">http://edition.cnn.com/2002/US/07/28/mine.accident/</a>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-40052336639377080122014-05-19T11:43:00.000-04:002014-05-19T12:24:19.915-04:00"Burning Underground" - Bim Skala Bim, 1998 (ska)<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Xj5KTsbDSF8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />
<i><span style="color: lime;">There's a fire burning underground<br />
through the vacant mine shafts<br />
all around<br />
Underneath the hills and below the town<br />
there's a fire burning<br />
underground<br /><br />
Lehigh Valley<br />
In northern Appalachia<br />
Abandoned, still standing<br />
No one left to tip it over<br /><br />
There's a fire burning underground<br />
through the fabled mine shafts<br />
of the town<br />
Underneath the hills and below the ground<br />
there's a fire burning upside down<br /><br />
A big ol' sink hole opened up last night<br />
swallowed a mailbox and a Dodge<br />
down there by the traffic light<br />
Tow truck pulled it out and said no charge<br /><br />
Open steam and burning at the sight<br />
black smoke turning day into night<br />
Abandoned, still standing<br />
Their good ol' days are over</span></i></center>
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It's a bit ironic, isn't it...one of America's longest-lasting ska bands writing a song about one of America's longest-lasting mine fires? "Burning Underground" isn't one of the Boston band's greatest hits. In fact, it appears on a B-side and outtake album called "The One That Got Away". It really isn't even that great of a song compared to the rest of the band's repertoire, but they needed to fill up space on the record, and why not fill it up with some smoke and mirrors...or at least smoke. After all, that's what the town of Centralia, PA is filled with, and that's what the song is about. At least you're not 3:36 dumber...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CpUelE5XmmM/U3oEce7t28I/AAAAAAAAA4Q/rl0wn4j0k3k/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CpUelE5XmmM/U3oEce7t28I/AAAAAAAAA4Q/rl0wn4j0k3k/s320/hqdefault.jpg" /></a></div>In its heyday, much like any mining town, Centralia had a modest population of about 3,000 people, comprised of coal miners and their families. A tourist's visit today could nearly double the population. There are 10 people who live there...precariously. The United States Census Bureau officially recognizes the Lehigh Valley (in which Centralia is located) as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Metropolitan Area. If you weren't familiar with the area before, perhaps you recognize the names Allentown and Bethlehem, which are historically famous for their mining operations and steel production. <br />
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Centralia was once part of the Lehigh Valley powerhouse. By 1962, mining operations were so successful that trash and mining waste had begun to accumulate. As there was no designated dump site, mining companies would fill old strip mines with trash. At one point there were eight illegitimate dump sites around the city, and Pennsylvania lawmakers had already learned the painful correlation between landfills and mine fires. A precautionary law passed in 1956 required that all strip mine landfills be inspected regularly as it was not uncommon for new mines to have perforated the walls of old mines. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U-vcQlRtd0k/U3oGJ1BBCKI/AAAAAAAAA4k/8Z0dtx4TNSw/s1600/Centraliamap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U-vcQlRtd0k/U3oGJ1BBCKI/AAAAAAAAA4k/8Z0dtx4TNSw/s320/Centraliamap.jpg" /></a></div>Upon the regulatory inspection of the proposed landfill site, an inspector for the Dept. of Mines and Mineral Industries noticed holes in the wall and floor of the mine site and informed Council members that the site would have to be cleared and filled with an incombustible material before the city could officially deposit trash there. The proposed site, however, already had trash in it, and the city would have to remove it before they could meet the regulatory requirements. The meeting minutes do not disclose the proposed disposal procedure, but historians' best guesses speculate that Council had agreed to burn the trash rather than remove it (since that is exactly what they did), and that such discussion was omitted from the minutes because Pennsylvania state law prohibited dump fires...and as Centralia learned the hard way, some laws are there for good reason.<br />
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On May 27, Centralia council hired five members of the volunteer fire department and lit the match. After allowing some of the trash to burn, the flames were doused and the fire was assumed to be out. However, two days later, another burst of flames erupted from the pit. These flames, too, were doused. Given the scale of the burn, a smaller eruption could be considered normal and no big deal as perhaps the fire just hadn't been completely put out. The pit seemed under control until a week later when fires once again erupted. Again the fires were put down,and this time the fire department sent in a bulldozer to stir up the garbage, presuming that the cause was smoldering, underlying waste. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TO_EWg2VbR0/U3oEc9sEoJI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/sIbnLA_YeIs/s1600/mined503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TO_EWg2VbR0/U3oEc9sEoJI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/sIbnLA_YeIs/s400/mined503.jpg" /></a></div>Once the pit was churned, however, workmen found a hole in the floor of the pit that intersected another mine shaft underneath. The presence of trash had concealed the hole. The fire department wetted the trash and killed the flames once again, but the fire would not stop. While there was no open flame at the moment, the fire continued to smolder out of control filling the area with foul odors and noxious fumes. Residents filed complaints with the borough, and eventually more equipment was brought in to determine the cause of the belligerent burning. Detection devices found high levels of carbon monoxide, which was indicative of a mine fire. Despite bids to dig the area and clear the fire out of the mine shafts, on August 6, lethal levels of carbon monoxide were detected, as the fire had spread to network of mines below, igniting a large vein of anthracite coal that could not be extinguished, and all Centralia area mines were permanently closed.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jZ28jxJVQhI/U3oEbsVDdDI/AAAAAAAAA4E/trwGf2mlrlY/s1600/HDR_Centralia__PA___Silent_Hil_by_GhostDakota.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jZ28jxJVQhI/U3oEbsVDdDI/AAAAAAAAA4E/trwGf2mlrlY/s400/HDR_Centralia__PA___Silent_Hil_by_GhostDakota.jpg" /></a></div>For the next 20 years, numerous futile attempts were made to extinguish the fire. Not only were the deadly fumes a threat to residents, but the ground beneath their houses and their feet became highly unstable as coal burned away leaving fissures and causing the collapse of surrounding rock. Sinkholes appeared overnight swallowing houses and sometimes even people. Between the constant belching of toxic gases and the unstable foundation below them, the town of Centralia, PA became unlivable, and most of the residents moved away under the Federal relocation program. Experts say there is enough coal down there for the fire to burn freely for another 250 years. All lands and properties have since been seized by the State through eminent domain, and in 1992 the town's ZIP code was officially revoked.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8uqBNqzMIM0/U3oLKezy_LI/AAAAAAAAA5A/rc_eP2HOSxI/s1600/nothingbuttrouble_6056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8uqBNqzMIM0/U3oLKezy_LI/AAAAAAAAA5A/rc_eP2HOSxI/s200/nothingbuttrouble_6056.jpg" /></a></div>Bim Skala Bim isn't the only band to make something out of the nothing that is left of Centralia, PA. The 1991 movie "Nothing But Trouble" takes a stab at it in a comedy that's almost as bad as the fire itself, starring Chevy Chase, Dan Akroyd, Demi Moore, and featuring hip hop artists Digital Underground (including Tupac's theatrical debut) in a burned out, Rust Belt town called Valkenvania that collapses into a heap of underground flames. It's also the inspiration for the film adaptation of the video game "Silent Hill". Filmmakers made several trips to Centralia to draw up the set, the most iconic centerpiece, of course, being the church. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7y6Pdsw2ptQ/U3oLbm2begI/AAAAAAAAA5M/tBsrtJ3qFMI/s1600/Church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: -2em"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7y6Pdsw2ptQ/U3oLbm2begI/AAAAAAAAA5M/tBsrtJ3qFMI/s320/Church.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0IPaOFm7pq4/U3oLbVULtLI/AAAAAAAAA5I/fAIut2DID3s/s1600/Moviechurch.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0IPaOFm7pq4/U3oLbVULtLI/AAAAAAAAA5I/fAIut2DID3s/s320/Moviechurch.png" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="color: yellow;">Just the facts, Ma'am:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2196">http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/01/pictures/130108-centralia-mine-fire</a><br />
<a href="http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2196">http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2196</a><br />
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/25/centralia-pennsylvania-fire_n_1546552.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/25/centralia-pennsylvania-fire_n_1546552.html</a>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-90884824632061307312012-06-28T17:52:00.000-04:002014-05-16T23:43:48.806-04:00"51 Days" - No Use For A Name, 1995 (punk)<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uVNyoCFTQow" width="420"></iframe></center><br /><pre class="lc" style="border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="color: lime;"><i>51 days without a trace or an indication
That his God would soon be here
To take them all away
Waiting for the final day and for the God
Who never came
They all ended up in flames</i>
<i>Moved by the power of a charming leader
With the love of God and the hatred of humanity
Led to a place where he could hide and lead
The blind, only to find tragedy</i></span></pre>
<pre class="lc" style="border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; text-align: -webkit-center;"><i><span style="color: lime;">Having his way with all the women
'Cause his death would soon be here
Living his life in a dream
85 people, 23 children, and a lot of them were his
His to the end, never be free
He promised them eternal life
If they'd walk into a fire
Now we see the charred remains
Apocalyptic funeral pyre
I guess he got what he desired
All in 51 days</span></i></pre>
<pre class="lc" style="border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; text-align: -webkit-left;"><i><span style="color: lime;"></span></i></pre>
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If the 90's taught us anything, it was that it was finally OK to openly discuss the dark side of humanity. As punk rock began to break free of its Underground restraints, we started to learn a little more about ourselves as a race. While the words and texture of modern music punched holes in the facade of our happy-go-lucky feelings, in 1995, San Jose's No Use For A Name added a chapter to the music-history books with "51 Days"...the number of days surrounding the events of Waco, TX.<br />
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Vernon Wayne Howell was born in Houston, the son an unwed mother. He grew up in Dallas and according to his grandmother "was dyslexic." After dropping out of school in the ninth grade he moved to Tyler, Texas and at the age of 18 joined an Adventist Church. However, after repeated conflicts with the Adventists he moved to Waco, where he found an obscure communal group known as the Davidians. Lois Roden was then the group's aging leader, and Howell's lover. But eventually, Howell would effectively replace her, as Roden's health and power diminished. After her death Howell traveled to Israel, where he claimed American forces would soon invade and begin Armageddon. After those predictions failed, a heated power struggle erupted between Howell and Rodin's son, and ended in a hail of bullets, with his opponent being convicted of murder and sentenced to a mental facility. After his trial was declared a mistrial in the 1987 fiasco, Howell paid the back taxes on the group's Mt Carmel religious compound, and established himself as the Messiah and new leader of the group. He changed his name to David Koresh: David, symbolizing the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom, and Koresh as supposedly the Hebrew pronunciation for the Babylonian king Cyrus, who allowed the Jews to return to Israel. Koresh's new prophetic role was set and he proclaimed the final conflict would now begin in Texas.<br />
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David Koresh's leadership of the Branch Davidians in Waco, TX began and ended in violence. As the cult's new leader, Koresh believed he was charged with establishing and protecting his Biblical "House of David." He purchased hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of military munitions, which were kept at the group's compound for their civilian use. In 1992, a UPS delivery agent reported a suspicious package, addressed to the group's Mt Carmel home, which had broken open during shipping. The mishap revealed a shipment of firearms, inert grenade casings, and black powder. UPS contacted the McLennan County Sheriff's Office, and upon further inspection, Chief Deputy Daniel Weyenberg contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, who began a formal investigation, digging deeper into residential complaints of the sound of automatic gunfire coming from the compound. Agents began surveillance on Mt Carmel immediately, which included having a man on the inside posing as one of Koresh's faithful.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-azwo2ppb4Vs/T-zNBVH67HI/AAAAAAAAAmw/KnY0bV9v2Vo/s1600/map_online_sm.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-azwo2ppb4Vs/T-zNBVH67HI/AAAAAAAAAmw/KnY0bV9v2Vo/s1600/map_online_sm.gif" /></a>Following a lengthy investigation, ATF agents were able to obtain warrant to search the religious compound, citing not only the suspicion of the possession and use of illegal arms, but also the possible presence and operation of a meth lab. After the religious group failed to cooperate, answer questions, and resisted federal orders to execute the search, investigators planned a raid on the compound. The raid was scheduled for March 1, 1993, and while those inside the compound knew it was inevitable, the element of surprise was wasted by a nosy reporter, who was tipped off by a local mail carrier who just happened to be David Koresh's brother-in-law. After news concerning the raid began to spread, federal law enforcement officials began to reorganize their activities; however, so did Koresh, ordering several male followers to arm themselves while the women and children took cover. To catch them by whatever surprise they could, ATF officials launched their raid on Mt Carmel a day early.<br />
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No one knows who fired the first shot. Each side maintains they heard shots from the other side before returning fire. Whether it was accidental is uncertain; however the fire fight that ensued on February 28,1993 left four ATF agents and six Branch Davidians dead and several wounded, Koresh being one of them within the first few minutes of the altercations. Upon learning of the death of four federal officers, FBI officials took over and ordered the ATF to pull back. The next 51 days would become a standoff between federal officials and the religious cult. Federal officials began to negotiate the release of innocents in the ordeal, believing they made headway when Koresh agreed to allow women and children to leave the compound. Koresh bargained for more time, stating he was writing religious documents, and it was believed that he would soon surrender, however as the stalemate continued, law enforcement found negotiations to be more and more difficult. Frustrated by Koresh's followers loyalty and refusal to leave the area, including the children, federal agents turned to US Attorney General Janet Reno apprising her of the deteriorating conditions. She, in turn, brought the case to then-President Bill Clinton. The response, based on the intelligence given, was to give the FBI the green light.<br />
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Tired and frustrated for waiting, on April 19, 1993, the FBI began another assault on Mt Carmel. Initially, federal agents mounted an unarmed assault, flooding the compound with CS (tear) gas, and using loudspeakers to encourage Davidians to leave and not to fire on unarmed government vehicles. Though several cult members did open fire on the officers, the FBI's response was more CS gas. Still no Davidians left the building, choosing instead to weather out the attack with their gas masks in a cinder block room. Around noon, fires began to break out in different parts of the compound. As the fires spread, they prevented escape, and any Davidians that had remained in the compound were trapped. Only nine people managed to escape. Those remaining inside, inducing children, were either buried alive by rubble, shot, or suffocated by the fire. In total, 85 Davidians died...23 of them were children.<br />
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<i><b>Note:</b> This is a highly controversial topic, and this blog isn't in the habit of muddying up the water, primarily for lack of space. As with all controversies, there are plenty of sources to read & debate the "who shot John". The purpose here was to objectively depict an historical event.</i><br />
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<i><span style="color: lime;">Sources:</span></i><br />
<span style="color: lime;"><a href="http://www.culteducation.com/waco.html"><span style="color: lime;">http://www.culteducation.com/waco.html</span></a>
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<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/waco/davidkoresh.html"><span style="color: lime;">http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/waco/davidkoresh.html</span></a></div>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-50036232810350174162012-02-18T18:24:00.024-05:002012-02-18T20:55:23.579-05:00Devil Horns, heavy metal hand signal (1968-present)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sN8WY6F97p0/T0A-lDS1s0I/AAAAAAAAAlk/L4CV9HArkms/s1600/Nuclear-Devil-Horns.jpg" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sN8WY6F97p0/T0A-lDS1s0I/AAAAAAAAAlk/L4CV9HArkms/s320/Nuclear-Devil-Horns.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710633133766193986" /></a><br /><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; "><span>They may not be a song, but you'll see them wagging back and forth at least once during every live performance of every metal song, whether its in the crowd or from the artists themselves. They are the "devil horns", and believe it or not, while they actually have an origin and global meaning outside of rock 'n' roll music, their history fits right in with the music. No one is exactly sure where and when the devil horns first broke onto the scene, but one thing we do know is that they are much older than rock 'n' roll. While many people are concerned that this hand gesture is Satanic or evil, it is, in fact, exactly the opposite: The sign of the horns is based on many old world superstitions as a gesture to ward of evil spirits, danger, curses, and bad luck. </span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; "><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dzVZzBUFd0w/T0BA-aj9nzI/AAAAAAAAAl8/7ZDihQVEn0I/s1600/devilhorns1.jpg" style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; "><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dzVZzBUFd0w/T0BA-aj9nzI/AAAAAAAAAl8/7ZDihQVEn0I/s320/devilhorns1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710635768532016946" /></a><span><span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Dating as far back as Ancient Greece, this symbol has a varied significance in many cultures, ranging from being a </span>superstitious<span style="font-size: 100%; "> folk symbol in some Mediterranean countries to being the symbolic and ritualistic religious Karana mudra symbol of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism, which is to keep curses and negative thoughts away. In Central and South America, the </span></span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; ">mano cornuta</span><span><span style="font-size: 100%;"> as they are sometimes called are often accompanied by a verbalization. In Peru, the word <i>contra</i> (meaning "against") is spoken at the time the sign is given, and is meant to ward off whatever evil fate the gesturer is confronted with. Likewise, in the Dominican Republic, the word </span></span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; ">zafa</span><span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> is used in conjunction with the sign to ward of a particular curse, called a fukú (and any person associated with the casting of the curse). In Cuba and Brazil, the symbol is sometimes used to indicate a person whose spouse has been unfaithful. Elsewhere in the world, the sign is given when black cats and hearses cross one's path and was even used to indicate a person one suspected of witchcraft; the sign is used in much the same ways as knocking on wood or throwing salt over the shoulder. In addition to the devil horns' use as a good symbol against evil, the sign is also often mistaken for the American Sign Language gesture for "I Love You", and if you happen to go to the University of Texas at Austin, the sign means "Hook 'em Horns!" and looks like a Texas longhorn steer, the UT mascot. This is very similar to the South African use of the horns as "Give it a 6!" which is a shorthand gesture for something excellent.</span></span></span><br /><br /><span><span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">In Western Pop Culture, the devil horns are used in Heavy Metal, often accompanied by headbanging and is used by fans and artists alike as a signal of their enjoyment of the music and the moment. While he didn't invent it, use of the symbol was made popular by the late, great Ronnie James Dio (Elf, Blackmore's Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, Dio). In this reference, the symbol is called the </span></span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; ">maloik</span></span><span><span style="font-size: 100%; "><span>, which is a symbol Dio's Italian grandmother used when</span></span></span><span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o1Q6lbby9_g/T0BEaRJN9jI/AAAAAAAAAmI/HUqdpq9E4Jc/s1600/dio_horns.jpg" style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; "><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o1Q6lbby9_g/T0BEaRJN9jI/AAAAAAAAAmI/HUqdpq9E4Jc/s320/dio_horns.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710639545575142962" /></a><span><span style="font-size: 100%;"> he was a child to ward off the Evil Eye, or </span></span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; ">malocchio</span><span><span style="font-size: 100%;">. Dio learned the symbol from his grandmother, who was drawing off an ancient Carpathian supsersition (which was even mentioned in Bram Stoker's "Dracula" in 1897). The making of the devil horns is essentially to poke the Devil in the eyes with the index and pinky fingers to make yourself invisible to him. In 1979, Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne as lead singer of the band Black Sabbath. Ozzy was known for connecting with his fans by using the peace sign with his index and middle fingers. Dio, also wanting to connect with the fans but not wanting to steal Ozzy's play, chose to use the sign his grandmother always used. The fans thought it was cool and did it back to him. The sign may have been used by other artists from as early as 1968, but it was Dio's use during his first Black Sabbath tour as lead singer that the sign was adopted by fans and reciprocated. Ever since then it has been the symbol in the heavy metal community to "rock on". </span></span> <span style="font-size: 14px; ">The maloik, as it pertains to music, is now a symbol of solidarity and group identification among heavy metal fans.</span></span><br /><br /><span><span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">From an interview with Ronnie James Dio on Metal-Rules.com, as Dio, himself, puts it:</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">Metal-Rules.com</span><span><span style="font-size: 100%;"> – </span></span><i style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(51, 204, 0); "><span>"I want to ask you about the sign created by raising your index and little finger. Some call it the "devils hand" or the "evil eye." I would like to know if you were the first one to introduce this to the metal world and what this symbol represents to you?"</span></i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">R.J. Dio</span><span><span style="font-size: 100%;"> – </span></span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0); "><span>"I doubt very much if I would be the first one who ever did that. That's like saying I invented the wheel, I'm sure someone did that at some other point. I think you'd have to say that I made it fashionable. I used it so much and all the time and it had become my trademark until the Britney Spears audience decided to do it as well. So it kind of lost its meaning with that. But it was…I was in Sabbath at the time. It was symbol that I thought was reflective of what that band was supposed to be all about. It's NOT the devil's sign like we're here with the devil. It's an Italian thing I got from my Grandmother called the 'Malocchio'. It's to ward off the Evil Eye or to give the Evil Eye, depending on which way you do it. It's just a symbol but it had magical incantations and attitudes to it and I felt it worked very well with Sabbath. So I became very noted for it and then everybody else started to pick up on it and away it went. But I would never say I take credit for being the first to do it. I say because I did it so much that it became the symbol of rock and roll of some kind."</span></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; "><i><span><br /></span></i></div><div><i style="font-size: 100%; "><span><br /></span></i><center style="font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; "><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uv9NQ07bscE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span><br /><br /><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: center; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);font-size: 16px; "><span>Ronnie James Dio - "Rainbow In The Dark"</span></b></center><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JJxC17el8QU/T0BITtbxQqI/AAAAAAAAAmU/ie2sAnh24uE/s1600/devilhorns2.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 199px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JJxC17el8QU/T0BITtbxQqI/AAAAAAAAAmU/ie2sAnh24uE/s320/devilhorns2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710643830956573346" /></a><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: center; color: rgb(51, 204, 0); "><span style="font-size: 100%; "><span><b>Your's Truly at Avenged Sevenfold... \m/ >_< \m/ </b></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size: 100%; "><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size: 100%; "><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size: 100%; "><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; "><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Devil (horns) found in the details at: </span><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8687002.stm" style="font-size: 100%; ">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8687002.stm</a></div><br /><a href="http://www.thedevilshorns.com/index.php/component/content/article/14" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; ">http://www.thedevilshorns.com/index.php/component/content/article/14</a></div>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-40774512291666177322011-10-21T13:18:00.020-04:002014-05-04T22:45:18.183-04:00"Hey Man Nice Shot" - Filter, 1995 (alternative)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WIn8jkrGK5o/TqHHNuazkhI/AAAAAAAAAjI/B2dwSjIAP-M/s1600/rbudddwyer.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WIn8jkrGK5o/TqHHNuazkhI/AAAAAAAAAjI/B2dwSjIAP-M/s400/rbudddwyer.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666028844821484050" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 262px;" /></a><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" span="" style="color: #33cc00; font-style: italic;">I wish I would've met you;<br />now it's a little late.<br />What you could've taught me,<br />I could've saved some face.<br />They think that your early ending was all wrong;<br />for the most part they're right,<br />but look how they all got strung.<br /><br />That's why I say, "Hey man, nice shot."<br />"What a good shot, man."<br /><br />A man, has gun -<br />Hey man, have fun.<br />Nice shot!<br /><br />Now that the smokes gone,<br />and the air is all clear:<br />those who were right there<br />had a new kind of fear.<br />You'd fight and you were right -<br />but, they were just too strong.<br />They'd stick it in your face<br />and let you smell what they consider wrong.<br /><br />That's why I say "Hey man, nice shot."<br />"...a good shot, man."<br />That's why I say "Hey man, nice shot."<br />"...what a good shot, man."<br /><br />A man, has gun -<br />Hey man, have fun.<br /><br />Oh, nice shot man!<br /><br />Oh, I wish I would've met you.<br />I wish I would've met you, oh.<br />I wish I would've met you, oh.<br />I wish I would've met you,<br />I'd say, "Nice shot."</span></i><div>
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In 1993, the City Cleveland brought us Filter, and in 1995 ex Nine Inch Nails guitar player Richard Patrick made his contribution to history in music with the band's first big hit "Hey Man Nice Shot", which has since been played in everything from movies, to cartoons, to video games, to the NHL's Playoff broadcast and Australia's National Rugby League. All in all, that's not a bad way to enter the history books...unless of course, you happen to be the guy in the song. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">When "Hey Man Nice Shot" first debuted, it was assumed that the song was a nod to Kurt Cobain, who shot himself in April of 1994. However, the song was actually written about the 1987 public suicide of Pennsylvania state treasurer R. Budd Dwyer. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zucFBVmNqRQ/TqHIJXhTqqI/AAAAAAAAAjg/8IZE3CIVZJ4/s1600/dwyerswearin.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zucFBVmNqRQ/TqHIJXhTqqI/AAAAAAAAAjg/8IZE3CIVZJ4/s320/dwyerswearin.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666029869466888866" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 254px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a>Dwyer was a teacher and a family man. Born in 1939, he graduated from Allegheny College and went on to get his Master's in Education, and was not only a Social Studies teacher, but was also a football coach at Cambridge Springs High School. Finally, Dwyer was given an opportunity to visit Poland as a Community Ambassador, where he truly experienced the differences between American and Communist government systems. It was this experience that compelled him to be a part of the democratic process. In 1965, Dwyer won a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and in 1970 he joined the Senate. From 1980-1987, Dwyer finished out his political career as Pennsylvania State Treasurer. Dwyer's life and career would be cut short in 1987, following a hard lesson in honesty and politics.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">During Dwyer's tenure as Pennsylvania State Treasurer, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania accidentally overpaid millions of dollars in FICA taxes. In an effort to correct this mistake, the state undertook the soliciting of bids from accounting firms to determine the amount of refunds the employees would receive. It was Dwyer's job to assist the state in awarding a contract to a company that would order the books. One particular accounting firm out of California, Computer Technology Associates, won the bid with the help of company founder and Harrisburg native John Torquato Jr, who despite his company's base on the West Coast, remained largely influential in the Midwest and used Pennsylvania area connections and bribery to secure the $4.6 million contract for his company. Soon after the contract was awarded, Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh received an anonymous tip that the award was not entirely on the up-and-up, and a full-scale investigation was launched.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">During the investigation, the US Attorney's Office discovered that R. Budd Dwyer had used his position and office to steer the state to awarding Computer Technology Associates with the accounting contract and had refused to invite other bids. He was indicted for the receipt of $300,000 in <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABlYJWP0EXo/TqHJJqzPnMI/AAAAAAAAAj4/eAbIfQbSaK0/s1600/R%2BBudd%2BDwyer1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABlYJWP0EXo/TqHJJqzPnMI/AAAAAAAAAj4/eAbIfQbSaK0/s200/R%2BBudd%2BDwyer1.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666030974154022082" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 183px;" /></a>kickbacks from said company for his favors. Later John Torquato Jr., who was also indicted in the same event, would turn state's evidence and testify against Dwyer and others involved in the fiasco. If Dwyer was willing to resign his office, cooperate with the government investigation, and serve a maximum of five years in prison, the Prosecution would offer him a single charge of bribe receiving. He refused. As a result, the government crippled Dwyer's defense with the help of the testimony of unindicted involved persons.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"> In addition to the bribe receiving, Dwyer faced a myriad of other charges, including: 5 counts of mail fraud, 4 counts of interstate transportation in aiding racketeering, and 1 conspiracy to commit bribery. When all was said and done, Dwyer faced a sentence of up to 55 years in prison and $300,000 fine. Thanks to a loophole in PA law, Dwyer was able to keep his job and continue serving in its capacity until his sentence was given by Federal court. Dwyer insisted he had maintained his good nature and that he had been framed and even wrote a letter to President Reagan begging for a Presidential pardon, which he did not receive.</span></span></div>
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On the day before his sentencing, R. Budd Dwyer called a news conference to update his campaign staff on his status before leaving office. At the meeting, Dwyer handed out envelopes to two of his aides and then acting Treasurer, stating that within each envelope was a set of instructions they were to follow later. He then proceeded to the front of the room where five television cameras and a handful of newspaper and radio reporters and photographers were waiting to document his words for the occasion. As they waited for him to speak, Dwyer reached his hand into a last manilla envelope and pulled out a loaded .357 magnum revolver. The room erupted into a mixture of panic and pleading as those in attendance attempted to persuade him to put the gun down. Dwyer held one hand out defensively and clutched the gun with the other. "Please leave the room if this will...if this will offend you." Dwyer said. As others approached to disarm him he said, "Stay away...this will hurt someone." And with that and with cameras rolling, he placed the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><br />~ You didn't hear it from me. I got it from:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.persiancarpetguide.com/sw-asia/Friends/I_knew_Budd_Dwyer/I_knew_Budd_Dwyer_I_was_at_the_Trial.htm">I Knew Bud Dwyer. I Was At The Trial</a><br /><a href="http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/belarus/651/who.html">Who Was Bud Dwyer?</a></span></div>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-23494922405597196822010-07-07T13:09:00.015-04:002010-07-17T02:35:21.528-04:00"Beep Beep" - The Playmates, 1958 (Top 40)<center><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bMErG-idop4&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bMErG-idop4&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><span><span class="txt_1"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);"><br />While riding in my Cadillac,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">What to my surprise.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">A little Nash Rambler was following me -</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">About one third my size.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">The guy must�'ve wanted to pass me up</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">As he kept on tooting his horn. Beep! Beep!</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">I�ll show him that a Cadillac</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Is not a car to scorn.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">His horn went beep beep beep!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">I pushed my foot down to the floor</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">To give the guy the shake.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">But the little Nash Rambler stayed right behind;</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">He still had on his brake.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">He must have thought his car had more guts</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">As he kept on tooting his horn.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">I�ll show him that a Cadillac</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Is not a car to scorn.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Beep! Beep!</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">His horn went beep beep!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">My car went into passing gear</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">And we took off with gust.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Soon we were doing ninety -</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Must�ve left him in the dust.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">When I peeked in the mirror of my car,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">I couldn�t believe my eyes:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">The little Nash Rambler was right behind -</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">I think that guy could fly.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!<br />His horn went beep beep beep.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Now we�re doing a hundred and ten -</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">This certainly was a race.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">For a Rambler to pass a Caddy</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Would be a big disgrace.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">The guy must'�ve wanted to pass me up</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">As he kept on tooting his horn.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">I�ll show him that a Cadillac</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Is not a car to scorn.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!<br />His horn went beep beep!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Now we�re doing a hundred and twenty -</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">As fast as I could go.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">The Rambler pulled along side of me</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">As if we were going slow.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">The fellow rolled down his window</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">And yelled for me to hear,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">�Hey, Buddy, how can I get this car</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Out of second gear?!</span></span></span><br /></center><br /><span><span class="txt_1"><span><span class="txt_1"><span><span class="txt_1"><span><span class="txt_1"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TEEm-HMweoI/AAAAAAAAAb0/gxhDrlyf9ho/s1600/nash_rambler.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 254px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TEEm-HMweoI/AAAAAAAAAb0/gxhDrlyf9ho/s400/nash_rambler.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494715868895017602" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>In 1952, three students from the University of Connecticut took their comedy show on the road. Within four years, they shed the name "The Nitwits" and transformed themselves into a musical group called "The Playmates". On July 9, 1958, they scored their first big hit with "Beep Beep". Their surprise novelty hit rocketed to #4 on the Billboard Top 40 and became a regular spin on the Dr. Dimento Show. It sold over 1 million copies and went gold. Just as their hit was an innovative novelty, so was the subject matter. "Beep Beep", the song's official title, is subtitled "The Little Nash Rambler".<br /><br />In the 1950's, the Nash-Kelvinator company realized it needed to be more competitive in the automotive industry, and it's president insisted that the next car to roll off the assembly line had to be innovative - different from the other manufacturers' offerings. The result was The Rambler. Originally named the Diplomat (but changed after Nash learned that Dodge had already reserved that name), Ramblers were designed to be smaller than contemporary vehicles while still able to seat five people comfortably, and while this song may have eventually faded into history, the Rambler's did not: Nash Ramblers revolutionized the modern auto industry - they were the first modern American compact cars.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TEEpAGxjp-I/AAAAAAAAAcU/5evAqmPy3bw/s1600/1951_Nash-08_Ad.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TEEpAGxjp-I/AAAAAAAAAcU/5evAqmPy3bw/s320/1951_Nash-08_Ad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494718102163924962" border="0" /></a>Nash Ramblers rolled onto the market in the model year 1950 and gave Ford, Chevy, and Plymouth a run for their money. For the Nash-Kelvinator company, the strategy was efficiency. In 1950, the Rambler was a new car, but it cost significantly less than others in its class. Of course, there was no "compact car" class at the time, so it was considered as one in the category of the competitor's "economy" models. The efficiency strategy was a huge success for Nash. Because of their smaller size, Nash could save on assembly materials, and they could pass that savings along to their customers. An added benefit to the smaller body size was that the car used less fuel than it's hulking competition, and so it was more economical to drive.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TEEpk3PtS3I/AAAAAAAAAcc/GmWiUWc8EvY/s1600/0809rp_05_z%2B1952_nash_rambler_with_vortech_heads%2Bsteering_wheel.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TEEpk3PtS3I/AAAAAAAAAcc/GmWiUWc8EvY/s320/0809rp_05_z%2B1952_nash_rambler_with_vortech_heads%2Bsteering_wheel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494718733650578290" border="0" /></a>The introduction of the style couldn't have come at a better time: Americans had been exposed to European mini cars during news coverage of WWII, <span><span class="txt_1">but Americans already knew that "economy" doesn't always mean "quality". The Nash company wanted to make sure that their new vehicle wasn't perceived to be a "cheap little car", so when it was released, Nash only offered the car as an upscale sedan that they called the "Landau" edition. To help with image (and subsequently sales) the Rambler came very well equipped. Ramblers had a 100 inch wheelbase and the 178 cubic inch (2.8 L) flathead Straight-6 cylinder 82 hp engine was already respected in the automotive industry. The options weren't bad, either. Coming standard on the Rambler were: whitewall tires, full wheel covers, an electric clock, and even a push-button AM radio, which was way more than the standard options being offered by the competition. Nash's Rambler changed not only the concept behind 2-door coup design, but also that of the sedan, convertible, and family wagon, which came later in the Rambler years.<br /><br />And of course as far as the song is concerned, Rambler vs. Cadillac is a great David & Goliath story. Although not specified in the song, at the time of the Rambler's introduction the Coup deVille was the most powerful and most popular of the GM Cadillac line. Of course, the Caddy was much more expensive, and it had a 330 cubic inch v8 engine...which was nothing to scorn...but scorn the little v-6 Rambler did...and it kept right on going, it's compact design ideas traveling well into the 21st century.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TEEqVIcxHOI/AAAAAAAAAck/cFZrgDXE6Rg/s1600/52-Nash_Rambler_DV-07_Volo-01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TEEqVIcxHOI/AAAAAAAAAck/cFZrgDXE6Rg/s320/52-Nash_Rambler_DV-07_Volo-01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494719562902478050" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></span></span>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-12739700708873978092010-06-30T13:11:00.017-04:002014-05-17T01:30:04.389-04:00"El Fusilado" - Chumbawamba, 2008 (a capella)<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/avqNCU-xeIQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);"><br />Listen close to this crooked mouth</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">For my story I will tell–o</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Lived in Mexico by the name of Wenseslao Moguel–o</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Left my home in Santiago</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">The heart of the city of Merida</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Served with my brothers and sisters all</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">For the army of Pancho Villa</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Stand me straight against the nearest wall</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Line up your bravest soldiers oh</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Ten good shots I’ll take them all</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">They call me El Fusilado</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">The Federales captured me</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Bound up my arms with wire</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Officer came he says “Take your aim –</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Steady your guns and fire!”</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Bullet holes all across my chest</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Ripped up my shirt and my body–o</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Heart beat on through the silenced guns</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">To the rhythm of life inside me–o </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);"><br />Stand me straight against the nearest wall </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Line up your bravest soldiers oh</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Ten good shots I’ll take them all</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">They call me El Fusilado</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Fell to the ground the officer came</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">One last shot to the head–o</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Heard through the pain as he walked away</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">And left me there for dead–o</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">All went quiet so I crawled away</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">I wasn’t giving up to the glory</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Ten good shots I took them all</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">And lived to tell my story</span><br /></div><br />The last two songs have been kinda sad, so I thought I'd pick things up a little...at least tempo-wise. This song by Chumbawamba is particularly interesting from a musical standpoint because it's one of those songs that's upbeat and peppy and really gets you boppin' along, but it's really about a subject that's much darker than the mood it creates...although once you learn the story, whether or not this lighter mood is appropriate or not becomes a matter of perspective. This is a true story about a man named Wenseslao Moguel, who's name is famous for being on the many lists as being one of the Top 10 Most Amazing Execution Survival Stories.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCvwiLkWFyI/AAAAAAAAAbc/JfIusCsIVzk/s1600/mexico-flag.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 217px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCvwiLkWFyI/AAAAAAAAAbc/JfIusCsIVzk/s320/mexico-flag.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488745040892532514" border="0" /></a>In the early 1900's, Mexico was under the autocratic rule of Porfirio Diaz, who had held the Mexican presidency continuously since 1876. However, despite his re-elections, Diaz's regime was becoming more and more unpopular because of his political policy continuity and his repressive acts against the Mexican people. As a result, early in the 20th century, Francisco Madero Gonzalez, a wealthy politician, became the centerpiece of a movement to oppose any further re-election of Porfirio Diaz, having previously attempted to win elections with either himself as a candidate or a candidate of his choosing. None of these attempts to win the government were successful, yet he continued his opposition of Diaz. By 1910, Madero's political activities had gathered enough momentum and enough followers to disrupt the current status quo, and what followed after would go down in the history books as the Mexican Revolution, also known as the Mexican War of Independence.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCvx55dBrqI/AAAAAAAAAbk/hCxz8XAG0Mg/s1600/pancho-villa-1.gif"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 232px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCvx55dBrqI/AAAAAAAAAbk/hCxz8XAG0Mg/s320/pancho-villa-1.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488746547858484898" border="0" /></a>From the Mexican state of Durango came one of the most famous leaders of the Mexican Revolution, José Doroteo Arango Arámbula, aka Francisco "Pancho" Villa. Villa and his Villistas joined the Modero movement against Diaz, and in 1911 led the attack on Ciudad Juarez, which overthrew Diaz and put Madero into the presidency. Villa was appointed to the position of military chief commander; however, he and his commanding officer were now at odds with each other, and during an incident involving a horse, Villa was charged with insubordination - a charge for which execution was the penalty to be paid. Villa escaped to the United States and did not return until after the assassination of President Madero, and the presidency fell to Victoriano Huerta .<br /><br />Pancho Villa returned to Mexico to confront the Huerta dictatorship. It is here that our song person enters our story. Wenseslao Moguel was a soldier under the command of Pancho Villa who was captured on March 18, 1915 by the Federales, which is the term given to Mexican Government troops, particularly those in Huerta's Federal Army from 1910-1920. Wenseslao was branded a traitor and sentenced as such - to die via fusillade (firing squad).<br /><br />During the Mexican Revolution, firing squad was the preferred means of execution. The squad was comprised of 9 soldiers who would all fire their weapons at the same time. The 10th shooter, an officer, was to aim at one of the prisoner's vital organs and deliver the "coup de grace" - the kill shot that<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCvyp49CcqI/AAAAAAAAAbs/ZFy9cTdnAWs/s1600/el-fusilado-accident-tm.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 350px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCvyp49CcqI/AAAAAAAAAbs/ZFy9cTdnAWs/s400/el-fusilado-accident-tm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488747372358038178" border="0" /></a> would ensure the death of the prisoner. Wenseslao was just such a prisoner. The Federales soldiers took up their positions to execute Wenseslao, and each one fired, including the officer delivering the "coup de grace", which was to be aimed at Wenseslao's head. Since the rifles were at point-blank range from the victim, after firing at Wenseslao the soldiers did not check to see whether or not he was still alive or not. They assumed he was dead, but they couldn't have been more wrong.<br /><br />Wenseslao was, in fact, shot in the face, chest, and in the head, but they did not kill him. He lay waiting for everyone to leave and then presumably crawled to safety. Though horribly disfigured, Wenseslao Moguel became legendary for his survival after sharing his story on the radio with Robert L. Ripley, founder of Ripley's Believe It Or Not. The show aired on NBC and CBS during the 1930's. After his radio interviews, Wenseslao Moguel also made appearances at Ripley's Odditorium in Cleveland, Ohio, and traveled the country with the Ripley's Museum. He became famously known as "El Fusilado" - the executed one.<br /><br /><br />~information from:<br /><a href="http://www.mexonline.com/revolution.htm">http://www.mexonline.com/revolution.htm</a><br /><a href="http://www.ic.arizona.edu/ic/mcbride/ws200/mex-davi.htm">http://www.ic.arizona.edu/ic/mcbride/ws200/mex-davi.htm</a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">**<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">"El Fusilado"</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);"> by Chumbawamba from the 2008 album </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">"The Boy Bands Have Won"</span>**</span>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-81597319232409037392010-06-26T16:32:00.038-04:002010-07-01T12:54:50.408-04:00"River On Fire" - Adam Again, 1992 (alternative)<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCaw9fPeLJI/AAAAAAAAAZE/bD6cqbqtgf4/s1600/cuy-river-fire1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 310px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCaw9fPeLJI/AAAAAAAAAZE/bD6cqbqtgf4/s400/cuy-river-fire1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487267766402428050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">What would you say if you knew what I was thinking?</span><br /></div><center><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Maybe you do, but you know not to dig too deep</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">What if i knew what you needed for sure?</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">I've seen in your eyes you need more, much more</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">And I could be happy, and you could be miserable</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">I'll grab a metaphor out of the air</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">The Cuyahoga River on fire</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">What can you say? The impossible happens</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">What can you settle for?</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">What can you live without?</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">I remember the night I first darkened your door</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">And I swore that I loved you</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">My heart was pure</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">You could be happy, and I could be miserable</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">My open window, a dream in the dark</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">My fingers, your face</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">A spark, a trace</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">I know a lot about the history of Cleveland, Ohio</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Disasters that have happened there</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Like the Cuyahoga River on fire</span><br /></center><br />Even though this is more of a love song bearing only a couple references to an actual historic event, mushy ballad or not, it did exactly what the title of this blog says - it remembers, or rather, causes someone else to remember or to become intrigued about its lyrics and learn something academic. I first this song when I was a kid, and this was the first time I'd heard anything about the Cuyahoga River catching on fire, and since this river was right in my back yard, I trotted myself up to the library to find out more.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCax882g5OI/AAAAAAAAAZM/mGxwNAznAYM/s1600/cuyahoga1969.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 285px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCax882g5OI/AAAAAAAAAZM/mGxwNAznAYM/s320/cuyahoga1969.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487268856682570978" border="0" /></a>It would be one thing if we could say that the Cuyahoga River fire was a freak accident, we learned from it, and it never happened again. However, it didn't happen just once - it happened in 1868, 1883, 1887, 1912, 1922, 1936, 1941, 1948, 1952, and 1969. And when they say that the river caught on fire all those times, it doesn't mean that many vessels had to be put out or that there were many fires along its banks. When they say that the river caught fire, they mean the actual river, itself, went up in blazes causing $1.5 million in 1952 alone. The last fire on June 22, 1969 lasted 30 minutes, and even though it only caused $50,000 in damages (mainly from damage to overpassing railroad bridges), it was enough to create national awareness to the environmental problems in Ohio, and "sparked" a national movement to improve water pollution control activities, including the creation of both the Federal and Ohio Environmental Protection Agencies.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCayjVRtJnI/AAAAAAAAAZU/QBLvFYhSNc0/s1600/Cuyahogarivermap.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 289px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCayjVRtJnI/AAAAAAAAAZU/QBLvFYhSNc0/s320/Cuyahogarivermap.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487269516074100338" border="0" /></a>The 100 mile Cuyahoga is also one of the main watersheds in NE Ohio, collecting waste and runoff water of an area of 813 square miles, and from as far south as Akron.The City of Cleveland was founded at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River when General Moses Cleveland of the Connecticut Land Company surveyed the company's holdings. The city became the capital of the Connecticut Western Reserve, being the obvious choice once the founders saw how much the area was fit for commerce. Cleveland, of course, is located on the shores of Lake Erie, which is also connected to the other four Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Lawrence Seaway. At the time of the city's birth, the Cuyahoga was a popular waterway for American Indians and fur traders and was well-known for it's many trading posts along its course, which were the first forms of commerce and industry along the river. However, this is considered to also be a key factor in its demise. The Cuyahoga meanders too much and is too unpredictable for long-distance travel, however moving goods a short distance was still possible, and as the City of Cleveland continued to grow, more and more businesses and factories began springing up on its banks to take advantage of the river's water in one way or another.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCazLOCGcBI/AAAAAAAAAZc/AnJZeUZ6We8/s1600/cuya-v2.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 293px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCazLOCGcBI/AAAAAAAAAZc/AnJZeUZ6We8/s320/cuya-v2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487270201324367890" border="0" /></a>As the City of Cleveland continued to grow, it attract more commerce along the river and along the shores of Lake Erie, into which the river empties. While Lake Erie is the source of the city's drinking water, Cleveland also became known for its pollution. In the early 1800s, there were very few governmental controls to limit how businesses functioned within the environment. More businesses attracted more people, who built more cities and towns around them. Continued population grown in the area continued to spur not only the release of factory waste products into the river, but added to that were increased urban runoff, non-point pollution, and later combined sewer overflows. As a result of the pouring in of contaminants, the Cuyahoga soon developed a layer of film on its surface, and this is what would burn whenever ignited.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCa00SHPcdI/AAAAAAAAAaM/_JtLHxgj064/s1600/cuy-river-fire2.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCa00SHPcdI/AAAAAAAAAaM/_JtLHxgj064/s320/cuy-river-fire2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487272006305935826" border="0" /></a>On August 1, 1969, Time magazine reported: "Some River! Chocolate-brown, oily, bubbling with subsurface gases, it oozes rather than flows. 'Anyone who falls into the Cuyahoga does not drown' Cleveland's citizens joke grimly. 'He decays'. . . The Federal Water Pollution Control Administration dryly notes: 'The lower Cuyahoga has no visible signs of life, not even low forms such as leeches and sludge worms that usually thrive on wastes.' It is also -- literally -- a fire hazard." And, in fact, they were correct on more than one account. At this time, the entire length of the river that flowed between Akron and Cleveland was nearly completely devoid of fish and other aquatic life, and as was observed by a Kent State University symposium, the sledge on the surface of the water could be seen for miles and miles, with oil traveling in slicks sometimes several inches thick.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCa0gkVKuWI/AAAAAAAAAaE/_7DrJCVdpBQ/s1600/CUYAHOGAb0104-24-04mn.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCa0gkVKuWI/AAAAAAAAAaE/_7DrJCVdpBQ/s320/CUYAHOGAb0104-24-04mn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487271667598801250" border="0" /></a>Since the 1970s, water quality has greatly improved. The mouth of the river used to be a swampy marshland, where water would slow down as it reached the lake. This would cause the drainage to back up and cause more pollution problems up river. As a result, the mouth of the Cuyahoga was moved about 4,000 feet from it's original marshy mouth and a man-made mouth was created. The Army Corps of Engineers maintains the depth of the river mouth by dredging, it to a depth of 27 feet. In addition, the banks have been straightened and turning basins widened, which help keep the water moving. Of course, the best improvement came in the form of the Clean Water Act and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. While the river and the subsequent lake issues are still being addressed, life has returned to and the waters are once again safe to enjoy recreationally.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCa7B7QVgAI/AAAAAAAAAbM/q2seOWGrCd8/s1600/cuyAHOGA2.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCa7B7QVgAI/AAAAAAAAAbM/q2seOWGrCd8/s320/cuyAHOGA2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487278837758001154" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCa7MxkqQEI/AAAAAAAAAbU/y9rDlzsNkYc/s1600/cuyAHOGA4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/TCa7MxkqQEI/AAAAAAAAAbU/y9rDlzsNkYc/s320/cuyAHOGA4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487279024137453634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><center><br /><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ch6xaXDk3Ok&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ch6xaXDk3Ok&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><b><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">"River On Fire" - Adam Again, alternative (1992)</span></b><br /></center><br /><br />~information from:<br /><a href="http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1642">http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1642</a><br /><a href="http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/fenlewis/History.html">http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/fenlewis/History.html</a>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-27055131236603830952010-03-26T02:13:00.026-04:002010-07-01T13:05:36.599-04:00"Grapevine Fires" - Death Cab For Cutie, 2009 (indie)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/S67J9JswwvI/AAAAAAAAAXU/ESva10czbm0/s1600/wildfires4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453518251205116658" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 248px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/S67J9JswwvI/AAAAAAAAAXU/ESva10czbm0/s400/wildfires4.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div align="center"><em><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">When the wind picked up the fire spread<br />And the grapevines seemed left for dead<br />And the Northern sky looked like the end of days<br />The end of days<br /><br />The wake-up call to a rented room<br />Sounded like an alarm of impending doom<br />To warn us it's only a matter of time<br />Before we all burn<br /><br />Before we all burn<br />Before we all burn<br />Before we all burn<br /><br />We bought some wine and some paper cups<br />Near your daughters school when we picked her up<br />And drove to a cemetery on a hill<br />On a hill<br /><br />And we watched the plumes paint the sky gray<br />But she laughed and danced through the field of graves<br />And there I knew it would be alright<br />That everything would be alright<br /><br />Would be alright<br />Would be alright<br />Would be alright<br /><br />And the news reports on the radio<br />Said it was getting worse<br />As the ocean air fanned the flames<br />But I couldn't think<br />Of anywhere I would have rather been<br />To watch it all burn away<br /><br />To burn away<br /><br />And the firemen worked in double shifts<br />With prayers for rain on their lips<br />And they knew it was only a matter of time.</span></em></div><div align="center"><em><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"></span></em></div><div></div><div></div><div>Peaking at #21 on the Billboard Top Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart in March of 2009 was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">DCFC's</span> soulful first-hand account of the events that ravaged the West Coast just two years prior to the song's release. Beginning October 20, 2007 a series of wildfires began burning across southern California. Seventeen fires raged hot and high enough to even be seen from space. In a state of emergency, California burned from Santa Barbara to the US-Mexico border. Thirty-two hundred homes and structures were destroyed as were 522,000 acres of land and forest. The fires left nine people dead and 85 injured, which included 61 firefighters.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453515826359500210" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 218px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/S67HwAcg_bI/AAAAAAAAAWk/FLhNQgy4GmQ/s400/wildfire1.jpg" border="0" />California has always had a "fire season" just as Florida has "hurricane season" and the Great Plains states have "tornado season". However, the fires that ravage California today burn much hotter than in previous years due to many reasons, including increased population. The 2007 blazes were due in part to a severe drought that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">SoCal</span> was experiencing that year. Adding insult to injury were the hot, dry Santa Ana winds that blow across the state in late fall and early winter. This phenomenon is destructive enough to be described by one reporter as "the weather of catastrophe, of apocalypse".</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453516249364694978" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 266px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/S67IIoQ0B8I/AAAAAAAAAWs/3z0_erAAFVk/s400/wildfires3.jpg" border="0" />The Santa Ana winds are named after the Santa Ana Canyon. These vicious winds blow out across Southern California from the desert. While they form when the desert is cold, the winds are so hot and dry that as they blast across the landscape drying up vegetation. Once a fire starts, the wind fans the flames across the area and at the same time create more dry matter for the fires to consume. The winds during the fires of 2007 were clocked at speeds reaching 60mph and a total of 23 fires were counted. It is believed that the ignition of these fires began with power lines downed by the Santa Ana Winds.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453518038254043746" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 291px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/S67JwwZRQmI/AAAAAAAAAXM/zgw6TNvO3eY/s400/wildfires7.jpg" border="0" />Just as hurricanes and tropical storms have names, so do the fires of the west coast. The "Witch Creek" fire of 2007 was the largest fire in California history. Firefighters feared that the two largest fires burning in San Diego county would merge into and cause more damage than the Cedar fires of 2003 (280,000 acres). While these two largest fires did not merge as feared, they still each caused more damage individually.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453517673533900418" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 192px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/S67JbhtNhoI/AAAAAAAAAXE/PadyuyE9FOc/s400/wildfires6.jpg" border="0" />Hundreds of thousands of regional residents were alerted to evacuate the area via Reverse 911, though the system was no match for the heat and flames, themselves, which drove many from their homes before they could be warned. Within two days of the emergency, over 500,000 residents were facing mandatory evacuation orders from 360,000 homes in San Diego county alone. All in all, over 900,000 people were displaced during the event, which was the largest evacuation in California history. The event was followed by frequent blackouts during which Mexico supplemented the area with electricity. As smoke filled the cities, concentrations of particulate matter, which are particles in the air that are small enough to embed themselves in lung tissue and perhaps even enter the bloodstream, reached unhealthy levels making the air <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">unbreathable</span>.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453514278150046338" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 225px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/S67GV46ngoI/AAAAAAAAAWU/UcXG3f4-FOo/s400/wildfires2.jpg" border="0" />Finally, by November 6, 2007 the fires were brought under control with the help of 2400 National Guard Troops deployed with 17,000 waiting in reserve and 100 National Guard Medical personnel. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">DoD</span> provided 12 fire engines and six crews from the Navy's Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 85 were assigned to the Witch Creek fire. Marine Corps Air Station <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Miramar</span> provided firefighting ground and air vehicles and personnel as well as a 7,000 gallon air tanker.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453517152320861858" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 267px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/S67I9MCVtqI/AAAAAAAAAW8/mz5sH6egeGc/s400/wildfires5.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div><br /><center><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bptVcwBrpOU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bptVcwBrpOU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">"Grapevine Fires" - Death Cab For Cutie, 2009</span></strong></center><br /><br /><div>~information gathered from:</div><div><a href="http://www.atmos.ucla.edu/%7Efovell/ASother/mm5/SantaAna/winds.html">http://www.atmos.ucla.edu/~fovell/ASother/mm5/SantaAna/winds.html</a></div><div><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/socal_wildfires_oct07.html">http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/socal_wildfires_oct07.html</a></div><div><a href="http://www.fema.gov/about/regions/regionix/ca_fires.shtm">http://www.fema.gov/about/regions/regionix/ca_fires.shtm</a></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-71379816501966760532009-09-29T08:51:00.025-04:002009-09-30T15:35:42.503-04:00"Workin' Man's Ph.D" - Aaron Tippin, 1993 (country)<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SsOoMQI4FbI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/2ZNcdxzYh2I/s1600-h/invention.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387334507709339058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 313px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 380px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SsOoMQI4FbI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/2ZNcdxzYh2I/s400/invention.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><center><em><span style="color:#009900;">You get up every morning 'fore the sun comes up<br />Toss a lunchbox into a pickup truck<br />A long, hard day sure ain't much fun<br />But you've gotta get it started if you wanna get it done<br />You set your mind and roll up your sleeves<br />You're workin' on a working man's Ph.D.<br /><br />With your heart in your hands and the sweat on your brow<br />You build the things that really make the world go around<br />If it works, if it runs, if it lasts for years<br />You bet your bottom dollar it was made right here<br />With pride, honor and dignity<br />From a man with a working man's Ph.D.<br /><br />Now there ain't no shame in a job well done<br />From driving a nail to driving a truck<br />As a matter of fact I'd like to set things straight<br />A few more people should be pullin' their weight<br />If you wanna cram course in reality<br />You get yourself a working man's Ph.D.<br /><br />When the quittin' whistle blows and the dust settles down<br />There ain't no trophies or cheering crowds<br />You'll face yourself at the end of the day<br />And be damn proud of whatever you've made<br />Can't hang it on the wall for the world to see<br />But you've got yourself a working man's Ph.D.<br /><br />Now there ain't no shame in a job well done<br />From driving a nail to driving a truck<br />As a matter of fact I'd like to set things straight<br />A few more people should be pullin' their weight<br />If you wanna cram course in reality<br />You get yourself a working man's Ph.D.</span></em></center><br /><br />It's starting to get chilly and that makes me not want to go outside anymore, so it's time to fire up the old blog-ola again and get back to playing the 8th instrument out of seven that I know how to play the best....the radio. Given the current State of the Union (or lack of as the case may be), I thought I'd do a series of songs that touch on the economy.<br /><br />If there has ever been a medium for man to vent his frustrations without fear of reproach, it's music (because music is always considered a "creative art" and therefore accepted as being 100% subjective and individualistic). Music has always been a form of communicating man's darkest fears, his deepest troubles, his doubts, and his shortcomings. It's been there for him to voice his opinion on all aspects of life, from partying and social issues to politics, religion, and even the weather, and unlike all other forms of media, music has always set itself apart as being the one true media within which a person can convey their actual feelings. The pen may be mightier than the sword, and many great orators have risen to and fallen from power on their abilities to captivate an audience with speech, but music is the only thing that has the ability to transcend the boundary between the physical mind and the metaphysical spirit....i.e. "It gets ya right here." (place fist over heart). And besides, as we've seen before and as is the point of this blog, if you want somebody to remember something (consciously or sub), well, just sing 'em a song and they won't be able to help it, even if they disagree.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SsOopDq9kiI/AAAAAAAAARE/agumo2j5ruY/s1600-h/american+pride.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387335002578850338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 192px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SsOopDq9kiI/AAAAAAAAARE/agumo2j5ruY/s320/american+pride.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />And so, to help us remember that it wasn't always this bad, I've chosen a song that really doesn't have much to say in the way of things historically, however we can use music to actually create a memory, or rather, an association. By association, I mean something that we think about when we hear a song. You have probably noticed by now that there have not been many posts here containing country music. It's not that I don't like country music (come on, I'm a farmer and I own 3 horses and live in the country...er...what used to be country). Country music doesn't actually work the same way that rock-n-roll does. It hasn't got much grit when it comes to politics and there's more tears in beers than there are fists in faces. Country music is more laid back and reflective. In fact, the subject matter of country music is actually closer to the daily lives of real people than any other genre, so much so that one of our local country stations' slogan is "Music for real life". Instead us catching a vicarious glimpse of someone else's experiences, country music has that mass "been there, done that" quality that you can actually identify with personally, and that you won't really find anywhere else.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SsOqQcIHe1I/AAAAAAAAARc/8WFFWHY6TIM/s1600-h/men_at_work_sign.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387336778670111570" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 177px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SsOqQcIHe1I/AAAAAAAAARc/8WFFWHY6TIM/s200/men_at_work_sign.jpg" border="0" /></a>Even if you're not a country fan, you can appreciate the message that Aaron Tippin's "Workin' Man's Ph.D" tries to send. It's a song about things being American made. No tricks, no frills, no gimmicks, just a song about the contributions of the American working man. So, let's look at what he's been up to all this time. Here's a list of U.S. inventions, and products and companies that are still Made in the U.S.A.:<br /><br /><ul><br /><li><span style="color:#009900;"><u>Ford</u></span> - that's a no-brainer. Ford may use some foreign parts, but by all rights these cars and trucks are American, based in Dearborn, Michigan. In fact, Ford gets top billing here for not only being an American car, made in America, but also for being THE very first car...ever! (1901)</li><br /><li><span style="color:#000099;"><u>Oreck upright and canister vacuums</u></span>. (Long Beach, MS)</li><br /><li><span style="color:#009900;"><u>Shop Vac</u></span> - those small but mighty vacuums that even have us calling all R2D2-esque canister vacuums "shop vac". (Williamsport, PA)</li><br /><li><span style="color:#000099;"><u>Peanut butter</u></span> - While peanuts have been used to make paste since 930 B.C., it was an unknown U.S. doctor who invented the tasty-sweet pasty snack in 1890, and in 1903 Dr. Ambrose Straub of St. Louis, MO patented the first peanut butter making machine.</li><br /><li><span style="color:#009900;"><u>Eddie Bauer</u></span> - (Bellevue, WA) The clothes, the shoes, and the names on the SUVs. While you may see the name being associated with Germany and Japan, it isn't that the outdoorsy company is contracting to have their clothes made there, but rather that they have their catalogues distributed there.</li><br /><li><span style="color:#000099;"><u>Step2</u> </span>- (Streetsboro, OH...a stone's throw away!). They make everything from those tough plastic mailboxes (have one!) to outdoor children's toys. This stuff can hold it's own against everything, including the snowplow.</li><br /><li><span style="color:#000099;"><u>Pyrex</u> </span>- any woman who's spent time in the kitchen knows what Pyrex is. It's the ONLY company worth buying who makes glass cookware. (Charleroi, PA)</li><br /><li><span style="color:#009900;"><u>Anchor Hocking</u></span> - Next time you order a drink at the bar or pour a Kool Aid (also an American drink) at home, check the bottom of the glass. This company, located in Lancaster, OH (yay!) shows up like a rash when it comes to glassware.</li><br /><li><span style="color:#000099;"><u>MagLite</u></span> - Shining light on the subject from Ontario, CA since 1979. (they make flashlights).</li><br /><li><span style="color:#009900;"><u>Banjos!</u></span> - a purely American instrument for purely American music - bluegrass. Developed by African slaves in the U.S. It's one of the few musical instruments that are made here in the U.S. that are well made. Musical instrument making in the U.S. isn't all that great, I think mainly due to the fact that it's a very old art and we're just too busy and haven't been around long enough as a nation to really perfect it. </li><br /><li><span style="color:#000099;"><u>Louisville Slugger</u></span> - perhaps its the fault of this Louisville, KY company that there was no joy in Mudville when Mighty Casey struck out, but this company's bats have hit more home runs than there are green M&Ms.</li><br /><li><span style="color:#009900;"><u>Channellocks</u> </span>- (Meadeville, PA.)</li><br /><li><span style="color:#000099;"><u>Snap-On</u></span> - forget Craftsman (made overseas by various companies...BOOOOO!). Snap-On is a little more expensive, but their stuff is a lot nicer than the competition. I should know...my husband owns so many that not all the toolboxes fit in our house! (Elkmont, AL; Algona, IA; Elizabethton, TN; Milwaukee, WI)</li><br /><li><span style="color:#009900;"><u>Wiffle Ball</u></span> - now who doesn't love wiffle balls? They don't hurt when they hit you and they make the most delightful sound as they slosh through the air. (Shelton, CT)</li><br /><li><span style="color:#000099;"><u>Big Wheel</u></span> - you know, those tricycle-like plastic toys. Yep, they still make 'em! (Cedar Rapids, IA)</li><br /><li><span style="color:#009900;"><u>Snapper lawnmowers</u></span> - (McDonough, GA)</li><br /><li><span style="color:#000099;"><u>Western Saddles!</u></span> - nobody in the world makes a saddle like the Americans. Cowboys were another purely American invention. They bred their own horses (see next entry) and designed their own saddles. The Western saddle is unique to the U.S. and was designed around the job of the American cattleman's job. Everyone who's been around horses long enough knows that if you want the rootin'est, tootin'est saddle for your money, then you buy one that's hand made right here in the U.S. of A. This is another area that we excel in as a country.</li><br /><li>Benjamin Franklin invented <span style="color:#000099;"><u>bifocals</u></span> in the 1760s.</li><br /><li>2 words... "Eli Witney". There's enough right there: <u><span style="color:#009900;">interchangeable parts</span>, <span style="color:#000099;">cotton gin</span>, <span style="color:#009900;">milling machines</span></u>.</li><br /><li><span style="color:#000099;"><u>Colt and Smith & Wesson</u></span> firearms.</li><br /><li><span style="color:#009900;"><u>Potato Chips!</u></span> - invented by George Crum (how fitting!) in Saratoga Springs, New York in 1853.</li></ul><br /><p>OK, and now for a laundry list of other stuff we invented - stuff that is used on a daily basis throughout the entire world, and without which none of us would be the same. This is stuff that the world couldn't live without, and dag-gone it, we invented it (and of course, let's not forget that with a single invention comes all its ensuing technology and uses): </p><p><span style="color:#cc0000;">disposable diapers</span>, <span style="color:#00cccc;">drive-through windows</span> (the negative feedback amplifier), <span style="color:#cc33cc;">THE INTERNET</span>, <span style="color:#33cc00;">sunglasses</span>, <span style="color:#9999ff;">deodorant</span>,<span style="color:#cc9933;"> inline skates</span>, <span style="color:#ff0000;">LAPTOP COMPUTERS</span>, <span style="color:#336666;">clothespins</span>, <span style="color:#663366;">kitty litter</span>, <span style="color:#999999;">street sweepers</span>, <span style="color:#ff6666;">VOICEMAIL</span>, <span style="color:#3333ff;">condensed milk</span>, <span style="color:#ffcc66;">sextants</span>, <span style="color:#660000;">mail order catalogs</span>, <span style="color:#33cc00;">safety pins</span>, <span style="color:#666600;">vertical filing cabinets</span>, <span style="color:#ff6600;">sousaphones</span> (marching tubas!), <span style="color:#cc33cc;">thumbtacks</span>,<span style="color:#ff9966;"> ZIPPERS</span>, <span style="color:#339999;">mercury vapor lights</span> (oh how I hate them!), <span style="color:#9999ff;">garbage disposals</span>, <span style="color:#33cc00;">CELL PHONES</span>, <span style="color:#ff0000;">jukeboxes</span>, <span style="color:#660000;">reclining chairs</span>, <span style="color:#999900;">ice cube trays</span>, <span style="color:#ffcc00;">air conditioning</span> (freon), <span style="color:#66cccc;">DIGITAL WATCHES</span>, <span style="color:#6600cc;">White Out</span>, <span style="color:#006600;">THE AUTOMOBILE</span>, <span style="color:#ff9900;">crash test dummies</span>, <span style="color:#33cc00;">defibrillators</span>, <span style="color:#cc66cc;">TRANSISTOR RADIOS</span>, <span style="color:#000099;">cruise control</span>, <span style="color:#999999;">MICROWAVE OVENS</span>, <span style="color:#003333;">hair spray</span>, <span style="color:#66cccc;">windsurfing</span>,<span style="color:#999900;"> cable TV</span>, <span style="color:#3366ff;">TV dinners</span>, <span style="color:#cc0000;">CREDIT CARDS</span>, <span style="color:#33cc00;">magic markers</span>, <span style="color:#336666;">golf carts</span>, <span style="color:#cc6600;">artificial hearts</span>, <span style="color:#330099;">BAR CODES</span>, <span style="color:#663333;">automatic sliding doors</span>, <span style="color:#cc9933;">radar detectors</span>, <span style="color:#006600;">HARD DRIVES</span>, <span style="color:#663366;">snowboarding</span>, <span style="color:#00cccc;">NASCAR</span>, <span style="color:#993399;">videotape</span>, <span style="color:#3333ff;">LEDs</span> (light emitting diode), <span style="color:#9999ff;">glucose meters</span>, <span style="color:#ff6600;">smoke detectors</span>, <span style="color:#999999;">COMPUTER MICE</span>, <span style="color:#009900;">Astro-Turf</span>, <span style="color:#ff6666;">CDs</span>, <span style="color:#996633;">Kevlar</span>, <span style="color:#006600;">catalytic converters</span>, <span style="color:#993300;">EMAIL</span>, <span style="color:#ff99ff;">Post-It notes</span>, <span style="color:#cc9933;">control top pantyhose</span>, <span style="color:#ff0000;">AIRPLANES</span>, <span style="color:#3333ff;">the Heimlich meneuver</span>, <span style="color:#ff6600;">LIGHTBULBS</span>, <span style="color:#33cc00;">Gore-Tex</span>, <span style="color:#00cccc;">MRIs</span>, <span style="color:#336666;">nicotine patches</span>, <span style="color:#ff6666;">TiVo</span>, <span style="color:#666666;">THE TELEPHONE</span>, <span style="color:#ffcc33;">GPSs</span>, <span style="color:#000099;">automatic</span> <span style="color:#000099;">coffee makers</span>, <span style="color:#33ff33;">refrigerators</span>, <span style="color:#cc9933;">WINDOWS </span>(as in Bill Gates), <span style="color:#cc33cc;">blue jeans</span>, <span style="color:#ff0000;">Coca-Cola</span>, <span style="color:#009900;">FIBER OPTICS</span>, <span style="color:#6633ff;">Band-Aids</span>, <span style="color:#33ccff;">brassieres</span>, <span style="color:#ff99ff;">corrugated cardboard</span>,<span style="color:#ff6600;"> chewing gum</span>, <span style="color:#663333;">BLOOD BANKS</span>,<span style="color:#999999;"> grocery coupons</span>, <span style="color:#993399;">crossword puzzles</span>, <span style="color:#336666;">drinking fountains</span>, <span style="color:#ff6666;">CAMERAS</span>, <span style="color:#ffcc00;">passenger elevators</span>, <span style="color:#339999;">electric guitars</span>,<span style="color:#3333ff;"> FOOD BANKS</span>, <span style="color:#996633;">Jell-O</span>, <span style="color:#66cccc;">lipstick</span>, <span style="color:#33cc00;">MORSE CODE</span>,<span style="color:#999900;"> nylon</span>, <span style="color:#990000;">roller coasters</span>, <span style="color:#6666cc;">ASSEMBLY LINES</span>, <span style="color:#663366;">tea bags</span>, <span style="color:#ffcc33;">teddy bears</span>, <span style="color:#993300;">Teflon</span>, <span style="color:#ff9900;">TOILET PAPER</span>, <span style="color:#6666cc;">tissues</span>,<span style="color:#cc0000;"> tractors</span>, <span style="color:#ff99ff;">traffic lights</span>,<span style="color:#666666;"> VIDEO GAMES</span>,.....and the ONE greatest invention that has gone down in history as "the greatest thing"....</p><br /><p>......<span style="color:#ff0000;">sliced bread</span>. Yep. We did it here first in 1928. It was invented by Otto Frederick Rohwedder of Davenport, IA.</p><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SsOrMDef7NI/AAAAAAAAARk/f1gef1M_2gM/s1600-h/sliced-bread.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387337802845252818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 288px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 288px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SsOrMDef7NI/AAAAAAAAARk/f1gef1M_2gM/s400/sliced-bread.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><p>WOW! We've been busy! And unlike everyone else, we've done it all in only 229 years. Nothing about this country has come easy or been handed to us. We've done everything by ourselves since our Independence.It would seem to me like we've earned that Ph.D. There's a lot here to be proud of.</p><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SsOpQKfg7KI/AAAAAAAAARU/Br6o2e4f7Mo/s1600-h/american-flag1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387335674424781986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 374px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SsOpQKfg7KI/AAAAAAAAARU/Br6o2e4f7Mo/s400/american-flag1.jpg" border="0" /></a><BR><center><embed style="FILTER: xray" name="RAOCXplayer" autoplay="false" src="http://www.webratsmusic.com/code.php?id=82825" type="application/x-mplayer2" width="425" height="544" ShowControls="1" ShowStatusBar="0" AutoSize="false" loop="false" EnableContextenu="0" pluginspage="http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/Downloads/Contents/Products/MediaPlayer/"></embed></center><br /><br /><br /><i>~Sources? Read the labels...and maybe perhaps somethings from a generic Google search.</i>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-82325587286292127612009-07-03T01:48:00.021-04:002010-03-28T20:28:02.434-04:00"The Battle Hymn of the Republic" - Julia Ward Howe, 1862 (traditional patriotic)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sk7j7mxq8GI/AAAAAAAAAPo/3Q8PItwpMl0/s1600-h/Patriotic_soldier.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354467620150767714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sk7j7mxq8GI/AAAAAAAAAPo/3Q8PItwpMl0/s400/Patriotic_soldier.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><center><em><span style="color:#009900;">Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:<br />He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;<br />He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:<br />His truth is marching on.<br /><br />Glory, glory, hallelujah!<br />Glory, glory, hallelujah!<br />Glory, glory, hallelujah!<br />His truth is marching on<br /><br />I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,<br />They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;<br />I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:<br />His day is marching on.<br /><br />Glory, glory, hallelujah!...<br />...His day is marching on.<br /><br />He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;<br />He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:<br />Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!<br />Our God is marching on.<br /><br />Glory, glory, hallelujah!...<br />...Our God is marching on.<br /><br />In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,<br />With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:<br />As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,<br />While God is marching on.<br /><br />Glory, glory, hallelujah!...<br />...While God is marching on.</span></em></center><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sk7lDayHwqI/AAAAAAAAAP4/St2j5fVikbc/s1600-h/northvssouth.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354468853882012322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 310px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sk7lDayHwqI/AAAAAAAAAP4/St2j5fVikbc/s320/northvssouth.bmp" border="0" /></a>Why is <span style="color:#009900;">The Battle Hymn of the Republic</span> heard playing at some point in nearly every war movie? Well, if you were to pay attention, you'd find that you'll never hear the Star-Spangled Banner played in any movie with a subject dated before 1889, and if you do it means that someone didn't do their homework. Even though the Star-Spangled Banner's words were written in 1814, until the Navy first officially used it in 1889 and President Wilson official use the song in 1916, the U.S. didn't have a national anthem. There were plenty of other patriotic tunes, though, including what Americans refer to as <span style="color:#009900;">"The Battle Hymn"</span>, which was the closest thing the U.S. came to a national anthem in the mid-to-late 1800's.<br /><br /><span style="color:#009900;">"The Battle Hymn"</span> was the unofficial anthem of the Union, although the tune and the words we know today weren't put together until 1861. The tune was transcribed in 1855 by William Steffe, and as is typical of American folk music, there were many different sets of lyrics; however, the most famous version of this song was sung by the soldiers in the Union Army, whose version of the song was known as <em><span style="color:#009900;">John Brown's Body</span></em>. When an Americans hear the name "John Brown", they immediately think of the famous abolitionist and hero of Harpers Ferry, and it would seem that a rousing tune with his name on it would be so fitting to represent the abolitionist American North. Surprisingly, though, the John Brown in the song really isn't the same person. It's about a Scotsman, John Brown of the Second Battalion, Boston Light Infantry Volunteer Militia - who just happened to share the same name, and who had an intermittent punctuality problem.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sk7q1_pYPHI/AAAAAAAAAQg/Yt5_pZ2Q19Y/s1600-h/Statue_of_Liberty_2691.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354475220329053298" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 123px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sk7q1_pYPHI/AAAAAAAAAQg/Yt5_pZ2Q19Y/s200/Statue_of_Liberty_2691.jpg" border="0" /></a>When Sgt. Brown finally did show up he was ribbed by the others, who jabbed that they thought he'd never show up because they'd heard he was dead. So, who was John Brown and what happened to him? John Brown's campaign on Harpers Ferry is considered to be a major catalyst that propelled the U.S. into civil war. He led the raid with 32 men (including his own sons) in an effort to lead an arm slaves and lead them in revolt. His first order of business wast to lay siege to the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. However, news of his actions quickly reached Washington, and he was then shortly met by General Robert E. Lee and a detachment of U.S. Marines who quickly cut off the bridge out of town (and subsequently Brown's only means of escape). He was tried in Jefferson County and found guilty and hanged for treason against the Commonwealth of Virginia. His execution caused a great deal of stir as such a drastic punishment was perceived by anti-slavery supporters to indicate the government's support of slavery. And so, this is the premise behind the chastising of Sgt. John Brown of Boston - that his tardiness was a result of his death (and also quite possibly a slight-of-hand joke that his lack of punctuality was slightly treacherous in itself).<br /><br />All joking aside, the country still had no national anthem, and early on in the Civil War, some well-respected Union gentlemen proposed a national contest to see who could write a song that was worthy of the title. The idea was a smash most likely due to the hefty prize sum of $500 (which was a lot of money back then). Even though over a thousand songs were submitted, none were found to be suitable.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sk7owQI2UnI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/8arxuXxkeL8/s1600-h/Eagle-American-Pride.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354472922653545074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sk7owQI2UnI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/8arxuXxkeL8/s320/Eagle-American-Pride.jpg" border="0" /></a> In 1862, two volunteers from the US Sanitary Commission were invited to visit President Lincoln in Washington. The US Sanitary Commission was a government watchdog agency that was set up as a means to ensure sanitary conditions within U.S. POW camps. As part of their trip, the visitors, Julia and Samuel Howe made a visit to a Union army camp in Virginia, just across the Potomac. Interestingly enough, rumor has it that Samuel Howe was a member of the Secret Six...who were the men responsible for bankrolling the real John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry. That night, the Howe's heard the soldiers singing the song, John Brown's Body. In her autobiography, Julia Howe recalls how she lay awake listening to the song playing over and over in her head, but how she felt that such a noble and inspiring tune had such unfortunate lyrics. In the morning, she awoke with a new words echoing through her brain. She lay there in her bed until she had written them all, then scrawled them onto an old piece of paper. Using forceful words and images like “As he died to make men holy/let us die to make men free,” Julia used Biblical images to urge people to adhere to their principals and end slavery.<br /><br />In 1862, her poem <span style="color:#009900;"><em>The Battle Hymn of the Republic</em> </span>was published in the Atlantic Monthly. The poem was set to the music of John Brown's Body, and if the Billboard Music Charts had been keeping score at the time, it would have gone straight to the top and been a No. 1 Single for four years running. The tune was so popular it became the most instantly recognized Civil War song of all time. In its popularity it became the unofficial anthem of the Union, and at the same time obviously became the most infuriating and hated song in all of the South.<br /><br />As far as the contest to find a national anthem goes, no song was ever chosen as a result of it, and no person received the $500 prize...not even Julia Ward Howe, who's Battle Hymn of the Republic came the closest - her poem was used by the North's military and military supporters until the Star-Spangled Banner's official inception in 1889. She was paid a whopping sum of $4.00 for her contribution.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sk7tzrD3O4I/AAAAAAAAAQw/hV2LXbUQF08/s1600-h/SupportTroops.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354478478978136962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 374px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sk7tzrD3O4I/AAAAAAAAAQw/hV2LXbUQF08/s400/SupportTroops.jpg" border="0" /></a>Omitted third and sixth verses:<br /><br /><center><em><span style="color:#009900;">I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:<br />"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;<br />Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,<br />Since God is marching on."<br /><br />Glory, glory, hallelujah!...<br />...Since God is marching on.<br /><br />He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,<br />He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,<br />So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,<br />Our God is marching on.<br /><br />Glory, glory, hallelujah!...<br />...Our God is marching on.</span></em></center><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sk7lenPXvjI/AAAAAAAAAQA/MEmb2fB9teg/s1600-h/GodBlessAmerica.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354469321082388018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 218px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sk7lenPXvjI/AAAAAAAAAQA/MEmb2fB9teg/s320/GodBlessAmerica.bmp" border="0" /></a> <center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Az5DBgVzdxc&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Az5DBgVzdxc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><b><span style="color:#009900;">"The Battle Hymn of the Republic" - Julia Ward Howe, 1862</span></b></center><br /><br /><br />~Had to raid the Virginia Commonwealth area site for some information...<br /><a href="http://www.wvculture.org/History/jnobrown.html">http://www.wvculture.org/History/jnobrown.html</a>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-55962965853735384622009-06-22T10:54:00.043-04:002010-03-28T20:29:33.189-04:00"Calypso" - John Denver, folk (1975)<div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_QMIAm0VI/AAAAAAAAAPY/Mm4CRkENXNs/s1600-h/lassen.jpg"><em><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350223789066473810" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 224px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_QMIAm0VI/AAAAAAAAAPY/Mm4CRkENXNs/s320/lassen.jpg" border="0" /></em></a><em> </em><span style="color:#009900;"><em>To sail on a dream on a crystal clear ocean<br />To ride on the crest of a wild raging storm<br />To work in the service of life and the living<br />In search of the answers to questions unknown<br />To be part of the movement and part of the growing<br />Part of beginning to understand<br /><br /></em><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_Td9zpRFI/AAAAAAAAAPg/ZCLC70Onvzg/s1600-h/lassen2.jpg"><em><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350227394100282450" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 233px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_Td9zpRFI/AAAAAAAAAPg/ZCLC70Onvzg/s320/lassen2.jpg" border="0" /></em></a><em>Aye, Calypso, the places you’ve been to<br />The things that you’ve shown us<br />The stories you tell<br />Aye, Calypso, I sing to your spirit<br />The men who have served you<br />So long and so well </em></span></div><div align="center"><em></em><span style="color:#009900;"><br /></div></span><div align="center"><span style="color:#009900;"><em></em></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#009900;"><em>Like the dolphin who guides</em></span><span style="color:#009900;"><em> you<br />You bring us beside you<br />To light up the darkness and show us the way<br />For though we are strangers in your silent world<br />To live on the land we must learn from the sea<br />To be true as the tide<br />And free as the wind-swell<br />Joyful and loving in letting it be<br /><br />Aye, Calypso, the places you’ve been to<br />The things that you’ve shown us<br />The stories you tell<br />Aye, Calypso, I sing to your spirit<br />The men who have served you<br />So long and so well </em></div></span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj-8udo7CaI/AAAAAAAAANI/Ql2xP1TQfV0/s1600-h/BlueGrotto2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350202388755712418" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj-8udo7CaI/AAAAAAAAANI/Ql2xP1TQfV0/s200/BlueGrotto2.jpg" border="0" /></a>One of my hobbies is SCUBA diving. I am a certified PADI diver - and not just the crash course certification you get when you go on vacation. Nope, I spent the money and the time in class to receive my honest-to-goodness certification. That's me in the pictures. I've been diving in the British West Indies and Mexico. I live very close to Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes hold the largest concentration of shipwrecks in the world. I've been on many of those wrecks, from modern steel sand suckers to 19th century schooners (tall ships). I have been in underwater caverns with 100 feet of solid bedrock <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350202077698897762" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 211px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj-8cW3Mt2I/AAAAAAAAANA/OrqtxKqfqbY/s320/BlueGrotto1.jpg" border="0" />above me and no way out but to follow a winding narrow corridor at a depth of over 100 feet, and I have been diving in the middle of the night with nothing but a Sabre Light to show the way. I've swam with barracuda, eels, sea sponges, loggerhead turtles, rays, skates, scratched the belly of a manatee or two, and miles upon miles of beautiful coral fields, and I've also been followed around and studied intensely by curious Yellow Snapper. I own several wet suits, air tanks (one looks like a bottle of Dad's rootbeer), buoyancy compensators (BCs), masks, fins, snorkels, dive cameras and housings...and if I need anything else, I'm sure I can borrow it from a buddy of mine. All of this that I have done and all of the equipment that I (and the rest of the SCUBA diving world) uses is all thanks to one man: Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Without his discoveries and contributions to marine science, none of this would be possible. Without his research we would still know next to nothing about what lies beneath the ocean surface. His first research vessel, the RV (research vessel) <em>Calypso</em> is the topic of this John Denver hit.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_BDmzv9QI/AAAAAAAAAOA/2E9xgwlcwkE/s1600-h/jacquescousteau.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350207150040806658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_BDmzv9QI/AAAAAAAAAOA/2E9xgwlcwkE/s320/jacquescousteau.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj--Pfc0M8I/AAAAAAAAANY/8f1q_Yz8gzM/s1600-h/calypso2-405x318.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350204055689114562" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 251px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj--Pfc0M8I/AAAAAAAAANY/8f1q_Yz8gzM/s320/calypso2-405x318.jpg" border="0" /></a><em>Calypso</em> was originally a Minesweeper belonging to the British Royal Navy. In 1950, Irish millionaire Thomas Loel Guiness purchased the ship and leased it to Cousteau for one franc a year. Cousteau converted the ship into a research vessel, a mobile laboratory for ocean exploration. The ship was outfitted to be a support base for diving as well as for filming and other forms of oceanic research. <em>Calypso</em> carried some of the most advanced exploration equipment. On board were both one and two man submarines (also developed by Cousteau). There were diving saucers and underwater scooters, and the ship's bow had a transparent nose cone - an underwater observation area three feet below the water line. <em>Calypso</em> also had a helicopter pad on deck. In 1996, <em>Calypso</em> was accidentally rammed by a barge in Singapore. She was raised by a 230-foot crane, patched, pumped dry, and put into shipyard. The following year, Jacques-Yves Cousteau passed away, having flung open the doorway to the bottom of the ocean and everything in between. His contributions include:<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj-_OPWDfFI/AAAAAAAAANw/ibFNqASqSi4/s1600-h/DiverDown.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350205133697547346" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj-_OPWDfFI/AAAAAAAAANw/ibFNqASqSi4/s200/DiverDown.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="color:#009900;">The invention of SCUBA in 1942.</span> On a small Riviera beach, Cousteau entered the water with his rubber flippers and some new-fangled completely autonomous diving gear - the aqualung, a compressed air device invented in 1925 by Captain Yves Le Prieur. The problem with the aqualung was that air continuously flowed from it, which put limits on how long a diver could use it. Cousteau modified the device based an idea he got from the Germans during WWII. The Germans requisitioned gasoline, and engineer Emile Gagnan invented a demand regulator that would feed the gas into the engine in just the precise amount the vehicle needed. Cousteau modified this device to work with air, placed it at the top of his aqualung, and the <strong><span style="color:#009900;">S</span></strong>elf <strong><span style="color:#009900;">C</span></strong>ontained <strong><span style="color:#009900;">U</span></strong>nderwater <strong><span style="color:#009900;">B</span></strong>reathing <strong><span style="color:#009900;">A</span></strong>paratus was born. Now a diver could move around more quickly with less fatigue, which meant less air consumption and longer bottom time (and consequently more time for undersea observation).<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj-_yKG7OGI/AAAAAAAAAN4/8iYHF1LypsI/s1600-h/denise3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350205750767204450" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj-_yKG7OGI/AAAAAAAAAN4/8iYHF1LypsI/s200/denise3.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="color:#009900;">The development of <em>Denise</em> the diving saucer in 1959.</span> <em>Denise</em> was a permanent part of <em>Calypso's</em> standard research arsenal. This SP-350, aka <em>Denise</em>, nicknamed "diving saucer" because of its resemblance to the sci-fi UFOs of the period, was the first underwater vehicle designed and equipped expressly for scientific research. She sat a crew of 2 in her cabin, which she could take as deep as 1148 feet and could remain there for 4-5 hours. Cousteau designed this little submarine around the squid's propulsion system. It sucked in water from the front and spit it out the back. The crew inside looked through portholes that brought them to within centimeters, but more importantly, since the deeper one dives the darker it gets, <em>Denise</em> was equipped with 3 special underwater lights. These lights were movable by the crew inside, and could light up objects as far as 108 feet away (and at different angles). <em>Denise's</em> lights lit up a world filled with creatures that no man had ever seen before. Luckily, <em>Denise's</em> standard equipment included a radio and tape recorder and 2 cameras. The crew, however, were not limited to just observation. <em>Denise</em> had a sampling arm, which was a sort-of robotic extension of the vessel that could be operated by controls within. The operator could pick up objects as well as look at them. Because of <em>Denise</em>, more development was made of this technology, and today "Sea Fleas" (single-man diving devices) can dive to a depth 1640 feet.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_H1nG2syI/AAAAAAAAAOo/znvXekp-HYE/s1600-h/Manta+Ray.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350214606184166178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_H1nG2syI/AAAAAAAAAOo/znvXekp-HYE/s320/Manta+Ray.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_FmH6ikTI/AAAAAAAAAOI/nprJmUsWjM4/s1600-h/flashlight+fish.jpg"><span style="color:#009900;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350212141089722674" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_FmH6ikTI/AAAAAAAAAOI/nprJmUsWjM4/s200/flashlight+fish.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_GFV3YibI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/ES2RuYkGfks/s1600-h/hairy-angler.png"><span style="color:#009900;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350212677410523570" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 168px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_GFV3YibI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/ES2RuYkGfks/s200/hairy-angler.png" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color:#009900;">In 1942, Cousteau began tinkering with what would be come a submarine camera.</span> It started with a regular Kinamo 35mm camera in a watertight case. The first problem he encountered was light. Everything looks blue under the surface, and objects quickly fade into obscurity. So, in 1948 Cousteau began stringing powerful lights on long cords linked to the surface by an electric cable, and the first in-color film footage was shot. Cousteau and his team studied the behavior of light in the water. They noticed that reds were absorbed first, then yellows, then greens, then blues. The behavior of the light rays led them to develop an artificial light source that was capable of behaving according to the water, and as a result the colors captured on film were not only more accurate but were more vibrant and distinct. And since sea critters can move incredibly fast, he invented underwater scooters, which were basically lawnmowers with propellers, in order that a camera could follow them.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_L0nn11kI/AAAAAAAAAPI/Z1eUag5D8dc/s1600-h/sea+scooter.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350218987189163586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 313px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_L0nn11kI/AAAAAAAAAPI/Z1eUag5D8dc/s320/sea+scooter.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#009900;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350216732642322338" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_JxYx_J6I/AAAAAAAAAO4/XDRNb_ZI_So/s320/conshelf%25201.jpg" border="0" />Believe it or not, in the early 1960's Jacques Cousteau also made a hefty contribution to NASA's space program, but he didn't do it in the air.</span> He did it between 30 and 300 feet underwater with his Conshelf experiments numbers I, II, and III. In these successive experiments, steel cylinders were placed on the bottom of various sea floors and Cousteau's "oceanauts" were placed inside to see if man could live under the sea. These guinea pigs were given every luxury - TV, radio, library, and bed. In Conshelf I, at 30 feet down off the coast of Marsielle, two men successfully lived for one week. In the Conshelf II experiment, at 50 feet under the Red Sea, an entire village was placed inside and lived for a month. In Nice, France, the Conshelf III experiment housed 6 oceanauts at a depth of 328 feet for three weeks. While the experiments were a smashing success, they also proved that man had too many physical limitations and was just simply not meant to live in a world devoid of sunlight. It was the training that these oceanauts received prior to their Conshelf installation that NASA adopted and still uses today.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_MnRvwDUI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/_kGm_yqDVqA/s1600-h/conshelf2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350219857490087234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 252px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sj_MnRvwDUI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/_kGm_yqDVqA/s320/conshelf2.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p align="left">Visit <a href="http://www.cousteau.org/">http://www.cousteau.org/</a> to read all about Jacques Cousteau and his work, which has continued even after his death. If you go to the menu and click "Expeditions" you can see <em>Calypso's</em> "places she's been to" and read "the stories she tells".<br /><br /><center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-ZonmQZG0GQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-ZonmQZG0GQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><b><span style="color:#009900;">"Calypso" - John Denver, 1975</span></b></center><br /><br /><br />Here are a couple of my own SCUBA videos.<br /><br /><br /><center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oGG5ceDThEA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oGG5ceDThEA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zaycMBI0L1I&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zaycMBI0L1I&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GjHtGYOC7UE&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GjHtGYOC7UE&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center><br /><br /><p></p>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-8083400080475236652009-06-10T11:52:00.023-04:002010-03-28T20:30:46.718-04:00"Hot Rod Lincoln" - Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, pop (1972)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SjAA154SXrI/AAAAAAAAALQ/OF2sBdbej3Y/s1600-h/MunsterKoach2c.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345773683758751410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 221px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SjAA154SXrI/AAAAAAAAALQ/OF2sBdbej3Y/s400/MunsterKoach2c.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><center><em><span style="color:#009900;">My pappy said, "Son, you're gonna' drive me to drinkin'<br />If you don't stop drivin' that Hot Rod Lincoln."<br /><br />Have you heard this story of the Hot Rod Race<br />When Fords and Lincolns was settin' the pace.<br />That story is true, I'm here to say<br />I was drivin' that Model A.<br /><br />It's got a Lincoln motor and it's really souped up.<br />That Model A Vitimix makes it look like a pup.<br />It's got eight cylinders; uses them all.<br />It's got overdrive, just won't stall.<br /><br />With a 4-barrel carb and a dual exhaust,<br />With 4.11 gears you can really get lost.<br />It's got safety tubes, but I ain't scared.<br />The brakes are good, tires fair.<br /><br />Pulled out of San Pedro late one night<br />The moon and the stars was shinin' bright.<br />We was drivin' up Grapevine Hill<br />Passing cars like they was standing still.<br /><br />All of a sudden in a wink of an eye<br />A Cadillac sedan passed us by.<br />I said, "Boys, that's a mark for me!"<br />By then the taillight was all you could see.<br /><br />Now the fellas was ribbin' me for bein' behind,<br />So I thought I'd make the Lincoln unwind.<br />Took my foot off the gas and man alive,<br />I shoved it on down into overdrive.<br /><br />Wound it up to a hundred-and-ten<br />My speedometer said that I hit top end.<br />My foot was blue, like lead to the floor.<br />That's all there is and there ain't no more.<br /><br />Now the boys all thought I'd lost my sense<br />And telephone poles looked like a picket fence.<br />They said, "Slow down! I see spots!<br />The lines on the road just look like dots."<br /><br />Took a corner; sideswiped a truck,<br />Crossed my fingers just for luck.<br />My fenders was clickin' the guardrail posts.<br />The guy beside me was white as a ghost.<br /><br />Smoke was comin' from out of the back<br />When I started to gain on that Cadillac.<br />Knew I could catch him, I thought I could pass.<br />Don't you know by then we'd be low on gas?<br /><br />We had flames comin' from out of the side.<br />Feel the tension. Man! What a ride!<br />I said, "Look out, boys, I've got a license to fly!"<br />And that Caddy pulled over and let us by.<br /><br />Now all of a sudden she started to knockin',<br />And down in the dips she started to rockin'.<br />I looked in my mirror; a red light was blinkin'<br />The cops was after my Hot Rod Lincoln!<br /><br />They arrested me and they put me in jail.<br />And called my pappy to throw my bail.<br />And he said, "Son, you're gonna' drive me to drinkin'<br />If you don't stop drivin' that Hot... Rod... Lincoln</span></em></center><br /><br />We're long overdue for a good car song - not the kind of song that just happens to mention a car while singing about something else but an song that pays homage to actual, physical, honest-to-goodness American heavy metal. The song was written and first performed in 1955 by Charlie Ryan, and later Johnny Bond recorded the song with some minor changes to the vehicle's specifications. However, the most popular version, which is the closest to the Charlie Ryan recording, was released in 1972 by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen (and how all of that name fit onto a 45 rpm record label, we'll never know).<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SjBriFzu6dI/AAAAAAAAAMA/EBZO9PY49UY/s1600-h/milnerscoupe.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345890991107664338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 221px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SjBriFzu6dI/AAAAAAAAAMA/EBZO9PY49UY/s320/milnerscoupe.gif" border="0" /></a>The hot rod race between coupe Fords and Lincolns mentioned at the beginning of the song is a section of southern California's "Ridge Route Highway", which winds over the San Gabriel and Tehachapi Mountains between Castaic Junction on the south. "Grapevine Grade" was a 6 1/2 mile section of Ridge Route Highway that was popular among young American motorists with a need for speed. While many people believe that this highway segment is named because of its many winding turns and switchbacks (resembling a giant grapevine), it was actually named Grapevine Grade because the early wagoners had to cut their way through thick patches of Cimarron grape vines. Even today, while travelling this famous stretch, off the road you will see patches of what appear to be ivy. These are actually Cimarron grape vines that date back to the 1800s. California was the birth place of the hot rod, thanks to the landscape of open country, dry lake beds, and to challenge the vehicle's handling...grades just like the Grapevine. And just like Santa, M&Ms, and The Grapevine, Hot Rod Lincolns do exist.<br /><br />At the time the races on the Grapevine were popular, the Hot Rod Lincoln was a 1931 Ford Model A coupe over a cut-down Lincoln Zephyr chassis. This Ford had a 12-cylinder Lincoln engine and a 4.11 rear-axle ratio and overdrive. The popularity of hot rod Lincolns gained so much momentum that they even became the getaway vehicle of choice of bootleggers and gangsters. In fact, if it wasn't for the Lincolns, we might not enjoy extensive vehicle modification like we do today - they were the first hot rods; and while this 1931 Ford has plenty of its own specs, it certainly didn't come off the assembly line that way.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SjAA9Ieqo7I/AAAAAAAAALY/5YglpcMCe98/s1600-h/munsterdragula.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345773807936906162" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SjAA9Ieqo7I/AAAAAAAAALY/5YglpcMCe98/s320/munsterdragula.jpg" border="0" /></a>Even while the motor car was in its infancy, gear heads across the country were tinkering with their toys to achieve greater vehicle performance. "Hot rod" was a term that first appeared in the American language around the 1930's and early 1940's. While it's uncertain exactly where it came from, we do know that it specifically refers to the modification of an American car for the purpose of gaining linear speed. The term "hot rod" was the new, hip term to replace "gow job" and "soup-up". One theory behind the term "hot rod" is that it is a contraction of the words "hot roadster".<br /><br />Traditionally, a "roadster" is defined as a vehicle that only seats two people and does not have a roof, side windows, or a rear windshield. The absence of these features made their bodies light, and because of this (and because of their cool and sporty look) roadsters were a prime target for tinkering with. The early Model A's, however (which is the vehicle specified in our song) had only a single seat for the driver. (Other theories behind "hot rod" include: the practice of leaving the exhaust pipes exposed, which of course are quite hot while the vehicle is running; or referring to the connecting rods, cams, push rods inside the engine, or exposed frame rails of the car).<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SjB1lZyRUjI/AAAAAAAAAMY/UCPGh-99wWI/s1600-h/Batmobile.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345902043126125106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 116px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SjB1lZyRUjI/AAAAAAAAAMY/UCPGh-99wWI/s320/Batmobile.jpg" border="0" /></a> To increase vehicle performance, mechanics would install larger tires in the rear than in the front, which raised the gear ratio for high speed. Leaving the standard size tires in the front lowered the vehicle to the ground and raked it forward, which decreased wind resistance and made the vehicle more aerodynamic. Mechanics would also cut louvers along the sides and into the hood to release trapped air and to help with engine cooling.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SjACT3vJueI/AAAAAAAAALo/kJcBkUX5FDw/s1600-h/zztopeliminator.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345775298091268578" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 189px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SjACT3vJueI/AAAAAAAAALo/kJcBkUX5FDw/s320/zztopeliminator.jpg" border="0" /></a>Ford was usually the chop vehicle of choice because their 85-hp engines were being mass produced by the millions. These engines were relatively inexpensive, and their configuration made it very easy to modify, not to mention that this same configuration provided the opportunity for an infinite number of enhancement. One of the earliest modifications to coax more speed out of these Fords was to remove the muffler and straighten out the pipes. Later, multiple carburetors were added on top of that, and the result was an engine that would zip these cars across open country and dry lake beds at speeds of more than 100 mph.<br /><br />Eventually, the body work caught up with the hot rod engine. Body modifications helped the vehicle's overall handling and performance. A favorite technique was "top chopping", lowering, or channeling the entire frame of the vehicle to within inches of the ground. Seams were frenched (smoothed and filled in) and skirts (smoothed out fenders put over the rear wheel openings). It was also popular to install lakes (exhaust that sticks out the side instead of the back). Of course the car had to look good, so chrome was in abundance as were elaborate paint jobs. However, as the cars got better, the parts got more expensive and junkyard parts just couldn't deliver what the mechanics were looking for.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SjB1PFtOuQI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/WWWiGsY9P_c/s1600-h/greaselighning.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345901659779152130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 176px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SjB1PFtOuQI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/WWWiGsY9P_c/s320/greaselighning.jpg" border="0" /></a>Eventually, Detroit entered the hot rodding arena and began to manufacture normal cars with get-up-and-go --muscle cars. While these cars had more than one seat, a roof, and all of the windows, they were made with huge displacement engines such as the Chevy 396, 409, and 427. Chrysler came out with the 440 and later the 426 hemi, which was racing-engineered (with hemispherical combustion chambers). Of course, the fuel crisis of the 1970s brought an end to the era of the whomping v8 performance engine, which put hot rodding on haitus for almost 20 years. Muscle cars and hot rods rarely saw the light of day except to make an appearance at a special day at the races, a car show, or the slow Sunday drive down Main Street. Hot rodding dwindled and became the hobby of those who could afford it - the parts to build it and the gas to drive it. However, in the 1990's, once again California revived hot rodding among youth. Young Latinos from California's Chicano culture found an interest in the modification of vehicles from the 1960s, particularly Chevy Impalas. Thus, the lowrider was born, and although these vehicles aren't designed around increasing linear speed, the spirit of their design and modification remains true to the character of the hot rod.<br /><br />Figure out what famous hot rods are pictured? They are (from top to bottom)<br />1.) <span style="color:#009900;">Munster Koach</span>, three <span style="color:#009900;">Ford Model T</span> bodies and a <span style="color:#009900;">289 Ford Cobra engine</span> (from the TV series <em>The Munsters</em>)<br />2.) <span style="color:#009900;">Milner's Coupe</span>, a <span style="color:#009900;">1932 Ford Deuce Coupe</span> (from the movie <em>American Graffiti</em>)<br />3.)<span style="color:#009900;"> Drag-U-La</span>, a <span style="color:#009900;">1964 real coffin</span> (molded from) with a <span style="color:#009900;">Ford Mustang engine</span> (also from <em>The Munsters</em>)<br />4.) The original <span style="color:#009900;">Batmobile</span>, a <span style="color:#009900;">1955 Lincoln Futura</span> (from the original TV series <em>Batman</em> starring Adam West and Burt Ward)<br />5.) ZZ Top's <span style="color:#009900;">Eliminator</span>, a <span style="color:#009900;">1933 Ford Coup</span><br />6.) <span style="color:#009900;">Greased Lightning</span>, an imaginary <span style="color:#009900;">1948 Ford</span> (from the movie <em>Grease</em>)<br /><br /><br /><center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QDbON8udTPo&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QDbON8udTPo&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><b><span style="color:#009900;">"Hot Rod Lincoln" - Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, 1972</span></b></center><br /><br /><br /><br />~information gathered and modified from places like:<br /><a href="http://www.californiahistorian.com/articles/ridge-route.html">http://www.californiahistorian.com/articles/ridge-route.html</a><br /><a href="http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hot-rod.htm">http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hot-rod.htm</a><br /><a href="http://www.hotrod.com/">http://www.hotrod.com/</a><br /><a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?The-History-Of-Hot-Rodding-Power-and-Performance&id=572727">http://ezinearticles.com/?The-History-Of-Hot-Rodding-Power-and-Performance&id=572727</a><br /><br /><br /><center></center><center></center>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-21410241892742049042009-05-31T20:06:00.013-04:002009-06-01T15:51:04.756-04:00"James K. Polk" - They Might Be Giants, 1996 (geek rock)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SiQvTrP_AeI/AAAAAAAAALA/KtuhVgTTdVs/s1600-h/territory+acquisitions.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342447073042039266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 271px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SiQvTrP_AeI/AAAAAAAAALA/KtuhVgTTdVs/s400/territory+acquisitions.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><center><em><span style="color:#009900;">In 1844, the Democrats were split<br />The three nominees for the presidential candidate<br />Were Martin Van Buren, a former president and an abolitionist<br />James Buchanan, a moderate<br />Louis Cass, a general and expansionist<br />From Nashville came a dark horse riding up<br />He was James K. Polk, Napoleon of the Stump<br /><br />Austere, severe, he held few people dear<br />His oratory filled his foes with fear<br />The factions soon agreed<br />He's just the man we need<br />To bring about victory<br />Fulfill our manifest destiny<br />And annex the land the Mexicans command<br />And when the votes were cast the winner was<br />Mister James K. Polk, Napoleon of the Stump<br /><br />In four short years he met his every goal<br />He seized the whole southwest from Mexico<br />Made sure the tariffs fell<br />And made the English sell the Oregon territory<br />He built an independent treasury<br />Having done all this he sought no second term<br />But precious few have mourned the passing of<br />Mister James K. Polk, our eleventh president<br />Young Hickory, Napoleon of the Stump</span></em></center><br /><br />President James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States and the last of the Jacksonian legacy and the last strongest President to hold office before the Civil War. Yet despite his monstrous contributions to the country in his single term, he remains somewhat obscure and little discussed. This shouldn't be all that surprising, though, seeing as how he began his Presidential career in obscurity. He does, however, happen to be my favorite President.<br /><br />He was the first "dark horse" President ever elected. The term "dark horse" is an old horse racing term used to describe a mount that just seems to appear from out of nowhere - no one knows who he is or anything about his career, and therefore it is difficult to forecast how he will perform. A race's "dark horse" is virtually unknown, making it difficult for gamblers to place give odds and bets on. The last of the Jacksonians, he shot out of the gate and upset Henry Clay by a nose. It was the issue of expansion that sealed the victory for Polk.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SiQvj3iE-yI/AAAAAAAAALI/GugNZ1FMWiY/s1600-h/polk.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342447351217060642" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 249px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SiQvj3iE-yI/AAAAAAAAALI/GugNZ1FMWiY/s320/polk.gif" border="0" /></a>The clincher in this 1844 election was Manifest Destiny - the belief that the U.S. was destined, if not divinely ordained, to expand across the North American continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Henry Clay did not support this idea, and it cost him the election, although narrowly. In his four years as President, he did a great deal to expand the U.S., which proved to stimulate the country economically. Polk's Presidential administration did everything his campaign promised it would do, and he did it better than everyone expected him to.<br /><br />Probably one of Polk's most famous contributions to America was his permanent acquisition of Oregon. It was certainly a lynch pin in his campaign. The people's feelings regarding the territory of Oregon ran so strong that adamant proponents and extremists were willing to go to war with Great Britain over it, as is evident by their slogan, "Fifty-four forty or fight!". "Fifty-four" refers to the latitude line that marked the boundary of Oregon - 54 degrees, 40 minutes (54* 40') north latitude. The Oregon Question arose as a result of competing ownerships of Britain and America. Both countries had big dreams for their claims on the Pacific Northwest. Polk never did fight for it, though. Neither country wanted an altercation over the area, and so Great Britain conceded to the U.S. and a shot was never fired.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SiQulkV5w3I/AAAAAAAAAK4/O6nvb5gVess/s1600-h/oregon+territory.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342446280913830770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 250px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 192px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SiQulkV5w3I/AAAAAAAAAK4/O6nvb5gVess/s320/oregon+territory.png" border="0" /></a>As a result, the U.S. received permanent ownership of said territories, which eventually became the states of: Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. As a result of that, we can now offer the world: tasty potatoes and apples; grunge music and flannel shirts; a Tony award winning Shakespeare Festival; Appaloosa horses; The Simpsons (Matt Groening was born in Oregon); sportscaster Ahmad Rashad; Batman (Adam West - born in Washington); Microsoft, Windows, and home PCs in general (Bill Gates born in Washington); The Price Is Right (Bob Barker - Washington); Jimi Hendrix (born in - Washington); and an Olympic skier with a cute little name (Picabo Street - born in Idaho).<br /><br />It was Polk's administration that concluded the Mexican-American War in 1848 (in conjunction with what President Tyler's administration had begun earlier), and as a result the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was signed and the United States acquired the territory of Texas. Of course, we're talking about Texas "back then". The territory of Texas "back then" consisted of what became the following states: Texas, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and parts of Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, and Montana.<br /><br />As a result of that, we are now the purveyors of: the Bonneville Salt Flats; half a google of country songs about the geography here; a place to put London Bridge; Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers; the subject for title of a U2 album (a Joshua Tree only grows in Arizona); John Denver; one half of "Dashmi" (Demi Moore born in New Mex.); The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, and most of the other cartoons on the Boomerang channel (creator William Hannah born in New Mexico); every Paris Hilton fiasco to hit the tabloids (great-grandfather Conrad Hilton born in New Mexico); Hollywood, the Silver Screen, and nearly every movie you've ever seen; "Sin City" (not the cartoon or the movie...the place); only about most of any professional ball teams that have ever held a national title; and beef, corn, wheat, and anything else that might be in your fridge (during the growing season, of course).<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SiQteY3t-pI/AAAAAAAAAKw/FFZV80SWYC8/s1600-h/Koeppen+map.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342445058063727250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 265px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SiQteY3t-pI/AAAAAAAAAKw/FFZV80SWYC8/s400/Koeppen+map.png" border="0" /></a>Polk also kept one more promise that he'd made during his campaign. He vowed that if he was elected, he would not run for a second term. That's too bad. He was one politician who actually kept his promises and one politician who arguably made the largest territorial and economic contribution to America, which resulted in an explosion of industries that put people to work and made the U.S. self sufficient and prosperous enough to be able to take care of less fortunate places. Of course, Polk's campaigns weren't the only ones to acquire new land for the U.S., but his incredibly large contribution made it possible for the U.S. to acquire land adjacent to his added territories. As a result of Polk's territorial acquisitions, the United States contains zones of nearly every Koeppen Climate classification. That means that the U.S. contains a sample of nearly every type of environment that the world has to offer. There is no other single country in the world that contains such diversity within its own borders - Mediterranean, humid sub-tropics, tropics, and tundra...from the mountains, to the prairie, to the oceans...white with foam...<br /><br /><center><br /><object height="360" width="425"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="movie" value="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=26619422,t=1,mt=video"><embed src="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=26619422,t=1,mt=video" width="425" height="360" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed></object><br /><b><span style="color:#009900;">"James K. Polk" - They Might Be Giants, 1996</span></center></b><br /><br />~Information manifest from what I remember from 11th grade American History and places like these:<br /><a href="http://www.tmbg.org/learning/jameskpolk/">http://www.tmbg.org/learning/jameskpolk/</a><br /><a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/JamesPolk/">http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/JamesPolk/</a><br /><a href="http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/nc/bio/public/POLK.HTM">http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/nc/bio/public/POLK.HTM</a><br /><a href="http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/borders/essay3.html">http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/borders/essay3.html</a><br /><a>http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/dwe/16336.htm</a>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-53524836350056969642009-05-19T13:30:00.012-04:002010-03-28T20:31:23.297-04:00"Whiskey In The Jar" - Metallica version, 1998 (heavy metal)<div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/ShOW631BHgI/AAAAAAAAAKY/OsPq3FugEf4/s1600-h/robin-hood.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337775921527070210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 162px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/ShOW631BHgI/AAAAAAAAAKY/OsPq3FugEf4/s320/robin-hood.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#009900;"><em>As I was goin' over the Cork and Kerry Mountains<br />I saw Captain Farrell and his money, he was countin'<br />I first produced my pistol and then produced my rapier<br />I said, "Stand and deliver or the devil he may take ya"<br /><br />I took all of his money and it was a pretty penny<br />I took all of his money, yeah, and I brought it home to Molly<br />She swore that she loved me, no, never would she leave me<br />But the devil take that woman, yeah, for you know she tricked me easy<br /><br />M'uishe rinne me me don amada,**<br />Whack fol the daddy O,<br />Whack fol the daddy O,<br />There's whiskey in the jar.<br /><br />Being drunk and weary I went to Molly's chamber<br />Takin' Molly with me but I never knew the danger<br />For about six or maybe seven, yeah, in walked Captain Farrell<br />I jumped up, fired my pistols and I shot him with both barrels<br /><br />M'uishe rinne me me don amada,<br />Whack fol the daddy O,<br />Whack fol the daddy O,<br />There's whiskey in the jar.<br /><br />Now some men like a fishin' but some men like the fowlin'<br />Some men like to hear, to hear the cannonball roarin'<br />But me, I like sleepin', 'specially in my Molly's chamber<br />But here I am in prison, here I am with a ball and chain, yeah<br /><br />M'uishe rinne me me don amada</em></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#009900;"><em>Whack fol the daddy O,<br />Whack fol the daddy O,<br />There's whiskey in the jar.</em> </span></div><span style="color:#009900;"><br /><div align="left"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">**Please note that four years of German has not improved my Gaelic any, and if this part was completely butchered, I do apologize. Nobody is for sure if this is just what the Irish call "lilting" (American's call it 'scat singing') or if it's misspoken Gaelic (as in...drunken, slurred). If those are the correct words, then it's possible that it means "Whiskey has made a fool of me"...or something like that. "Whack fol the daddy, O" sounds like drunken Gaelic for "The work of the devil", which also makes some sense.<br /></span></em></span></div>Usually I try to use the original recorded artists when making these posts, but for this song I just HAD to use the 1998 Metallica version. First, there wasn't a whole lot of great "something to say" music that came out of the late '90s, and secondly, up until recently there wasn't a great deal of fusion of actual, tradional folk songs and rock-n-roll (especially heavy metal) as there is now.<br /><br />Although the original song predates modern recording methods by a couple hundred years, the recording of this song is usually credited to The Dubliners who recorded it in the 1960's and gave it more exposure than any other group. However, it wasn't until 1998 that Metallica's cover of Thin Lizzy's 1972 cover brought the song to a huge music audience, blasting the song to #4 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Finally, the best reason to use the Metallica cover as the representative of this song is because we naturally expect nationals to cover songs of their homeland, and such is the case of The Dubliners and Thin Lizzy; yet, we never expect foreigners to cover their folk songs. Metallica pulled it off, and they did it extremely well. The song contains the subject matter that is the entire basis of rock-n-roll music - "Stick it to the man", which is perhaps why our American "metallurgists" shot this song higher on the charts than anyone else ever had.<br /><br />This is a traditional Irish folk song (of course it is). Many of the song's lines bear a strong resemblance to a traditional ballad concerning the execution of Patrick Fleming in 1650. Regardless of when it first made its appearance, "Whiskey In The Jar" is the classic hero-is-the-villain story. You see, Patrick Fleming was a highwayman. Highwaymen were robbers who travelled on horseback, as opposed to those who travelled on foot. They were also socially superior to any other robbers, so much so that in fact they were often referred to as "knights of the road" or "gentlemen of the road". They were romanticized and became the stuff that legends are made of...just like Robin Hood.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/ShOY03IhX3I/AAAAAAAAAKg/ZuwyXRMJAGI/s1600-h/1222_highwayman%255B1%255D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337778017284480882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/ShOY03IhX3I/AAAAAAAAAKg/ZuwyXRMJAGI/s320/1222_highwayman%255B1%255D.jpg" border="0" /></a>Highwaymen were heroes that transcended the boundaries of societal class. They were secretly applauded by the poor as well as the rich who opposed the ruling royalty. Highwaymen first made their appearance during the Elizabethan period and lasted well into the 19th centuries. Their "rob from the rich" philosophy caught on very quickly and spread to other countries as well. In America, they were called "road agents". In Australia, they were called "bushrangers". You'll notice that these two countries have one thing in particular in common - they were both colonized by the British, but the practice of road robbing didn't spread merely because of colonial efforts.<br /><br />In colonial America, this song and others like it became extremely popular because highwaymen had become more than just muggers. They represented a stealth rebellion to all things imperial. They were the raspberry seeds in the wisdom teeth of British aristocracy and the British Empire. Under imperial rule, one's criticism of government or talk of revolution often met with harsh punishment and was mainly spoken in hushed undertones and in cautious familiar circles. There were many royal subjects who were highly dissatisfied with the government but who feared repercussions if any change was attempted or even discussed. In this way, the government leaders would control many would-be revolutionaries simply with fear.<br /><br />Highwaymen were fearless. They stood toe to toe and eye to eye with their victims and directly engaged them. These men were highly confrontational and were not afraid to fight for what they wanted. Their offensive posture and demanding demeanor was often enough to intimidate the victim, who was probably not used to being treated in such a manner, let alone spoken to with such force that obviously accompanied any threatening movements of the robber. "Stand and deliver!" became the first "franchised" demand, beginning somewhere around 1677. Later, somewhere in the 18th century "Your money or your life!" also became a famous line that announced a hold-up.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/ShOZjItM4-I/AAAAAAAAAKo/ON-KUmcTnIo/s1600-h/american-flag-500.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337778812275712994" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 123px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/ShOZjItM4-I/AAAAAAAAAKo/ON-KUmcTnIo/s200/american-flag-500.jpg" border="0" /></a>Highwaymen became symbols of bravery, courage, and strength. It was their practice to lay in wait for their victims at the most dangerous stretches of road. If the road was dangerous for one traveller it was dangerous for all, but these men demonstrated that the payoff and success would be much greater if one took a calculated risk instead of playing it safe. This tactic alone gave them a high success rate. Successful pursuit and capture was highly improbable often due to the status and location of that part of the road and the environment around it. In fact, the strategies of the highwaymen were the very same strategies that the American colonies adopted to fight off unwanted intruders...including the British during the American Revolution. "Militia" as they were called were small groups of average civilians who banded together to defend their towns and homes. While the militia men weren't very good at standing up to regular forces, they were particularly good at hiding in the landscape and ambushing the British supply lines and small detachments of enemy troops moving from one place to another.<br /><br />The occupation of highwayman began to fizzle out during the 19th century with the beginnings of mounted police patrols. Where the highwaymen had once relied on the speed and agility over various terrain thanks to their horses, police on horseback, unencumbered by bulky coaches or pedally impassable terrain, could now freely pursue the highwaymen after their attack with the same speed and agility. The possibility of a clean getaway became extremely remote, and in the end the practice was futile ( not to mention the impending punishment was death by hanging...for treason).<br /><br />Check out this really cool "highwayman" hobby site: <a href="http://www.stand-and-deliver.org.uk/">http://www.stand-and-deliver.org.uk/</a><br /><br /><center><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/etCZM2lOEFg&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/etCZM2lOEFg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><b><span style="color:#009900;">"Whiskey In the Jar" - Metallica, 1998 (heavy metal)</span></b></center><strong><span style="color:#009900;"></span></strong><div align="left"><br /><br /><br />~This information wasn't "hijacked"...I simply remembered what I learned in 7th grade history and 12th grade AP European History...and I borrowed a little from these folks:<br /><a href="http://www.ushistory.org/people/minutemen.htm">http://www.ushistory.org/people/minutemen.htm</a><br /><a href="http://www.historyisfun.org/militia-in-the-Revolutionary-war.htm">http://www.historyisfun.org/militia-in-the-Revolutionary-war.htm</a><br /><a href="http://www.contemplator.com/history/highwaymn.html">http://www.contemplator.com/history/highwaymn.html</a></div><p align="left"><br /></p>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-72353147584003744862009-05-09T12:01:00.013-04:002009-05-09T16:06:47.538-04:00"The Yellow Rose of Texas", 1836 (western folk)<a href="http://img01.picoodle.com/img/img01/8/5/12/f_texas20flagm_1a365ef.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://img01.picoodle.com/img/img01/8/5/12/f_texas20flagm_1a365ef.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><center><em><span style="color:#009900;">There's a yellow rose of Texas<br />That I am going to see<br />No other fellow knows her<br />No other, only me<br />She cried so when I left her<br />It like to broke my heart<br />And if I ever find her<br />We never more will part</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#009900;">She's the sweetest rose of color<br />This soldier ever knew<br />Her eyes are bright as diamonds<br />They sparkle like the dew<br />You may talk about your dearest May<br />And sing of Rosa Lee<br />But the Yellow Rose of Texas<br />Is the only girl for me</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#009900;">Where the Rio Grande is flowing<br />And the starry skies are bright<br />She walks along the river<br />In the quiet summer night<br />She thinks if I remember<br />When we parted long ago<br />I promised to come back again<br />And never leave her so<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#009900;">Oh now I'm going to find her<br />For my heart is full of woe<br />And we'll sing the song together<br />That we sang so long ago<br />We'll play the banjo gaily<br />And we'll sing the song of yore<br />And the Yellow Rose of Texas<br />Shall be mine for ever more</span></em></center><br /><br /><span style="color:#009900;"><em>**Special Note: These are not the lyrics that appear in modern versions of the song. The original lyrics were re-written to remove anything that could be considered racist.**</em></span><br /></span><br />And now a little bit more of "unsolved history". This is one of those tunes, like the last one, that has been around so long that hardly anybody knows what it's really about or how it got started. Who was the Yellow Rose of Texas that we're still singing about??<br /><br />This song is the unofficial state song of the State of Texas, and while the most famous copyrighted publication of the song is from New York, the cover of which states "Composed and Arranged Expressly for Charles H. Brown by J.K." in 1855, the tune was actually first found handwritten on a piece of paper from 1836. The next question is...what was going on in 1836 that somebody wrote a song about?<br /><br />Many believe this story to be a legend, however there is much verifiable, historical data and discovery to indicate that while incidental details may be fuzzy, at least the basic story is completely true. The story actually begins in 1830 when wealthy entrepreneur James Morgan came to the geographic area we now call "Texas". Land was cheap and the west was being won by anyone who either had enough money to buy it, anyone who could fight better than another, and/or anyone who could get to it first and still manage to hold on to it. Morgan had the ability for all of that. He began forming partnerships with real estate speculators from New York with the intent of buying up the cheap land and starting a colony there. The only problem was that there was that the land did not belong to any American (to purchase it from) and that there was already a colony living there. It was owned and populated by Mexico, who did not take kindly to the idea of being ousted from their own territory.<br /><br />To combat the uncooperativeness of the resident Mexicans, Morgan developed a scheme to constructively evict them ("constructive eviction" is a legal term for making the conditions of one's living or working space so unbearable that one leaves voluntarily and without confrontation). Morgan's plan was to systematically flood the region with non-Mexicans from the United States, which is exactly what he did. In 1835, he doubled his efforts by recruiting workers for his new settlement. One of those workers was an indentured servant by the name of Emily D. West. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SgXaGZ23X1I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/oYkgjDqrrrQ/s1600-h/yellowrose.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333909137245298514" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 209px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SgXaGZ23X1I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/oYkgjDqrrrQ/s320/yellowrose.jpg" border="0" /></a><BR><br />Morgan owned a large plantation on the island of Bermuda. Historical evidence suggests that this is where Emily West was brought from. Emily West was mulatto who had extremely light colored skin despite her mixed ancestry. This gave her skin an almost white, yellowish type hue ("yellow" was the term given to all light-skinned persons of mixed race/color/ancestry until 1930 when it was removed as a descendency category on the U.S. Census). The territory of Texas had outlawed slavery, and so to get around the law, James Morgan converted all of his slaves in to 99-year indentured servants. It is believed that Emily volunteered to be indentured so that she could come to America and escape the persecution she experienced because of her mixed race.<br /><br />The rest of the story goes like this: In 1836, found Texas in the middle of a war for independence from Mexico. James Morgan's new, fully operation colony, New Washington was located at the mouth of the San Jacinto River, which turned out to be a strategic military location. Morgan aided General Sam Houston and his men by providing food and supplies to them. Because of the prime location of the settlement, Houston's men could pilot their flatboats right up to Morgan's docks to be laded. Morgan's aide to Houston showed that he was a friend to Texas, and he was awarded a commission as a colonel. When Morgan went off to fight for Texas, he left Emily West in charge of the settlement and in charge of lading the military flatboats.<br /><br />Mexican army commander General Santa Anna learned of New Washington's military aide operation. In an attempt to cut off this aide, he and his men stole up the San Jacinto River to capture Morgan and New Washington. To his surprise, he found a young woman lading the Texas flatboats. General Santa Anna had always thought of himself as a ladies' man, and he was immediately struck with Emily's beauty. Like any ladies' man would do (ha ha) he kidnapped Emily and her young helper named Turner. He coerced young Turner to tell him where Gen. Houston's men were camped. Before Emily's and Turner's forced removal from New Washington, Emily convinced the boy to escape. The boy ran to Gen. Houston's camp ahead of the Mexican scouts and warned the Texans of Gen. Santa Anna's impending arrival.<br /><br />Even though Santa Anna was married to a woman in Mexico, he had a slight self-control problem. During his command he had also married a teenage captive from one of his Texan campaigns; however, his military duties had already separated him from her for two weeks. He felt that Emily would be an appropriate...er...substitute. In his excitement over Emily, despite the protests of his officers, Santa Anna ordered camp to be set up on the plains of the San Jacinto River. This left the Mexican army completely open to surveillance and attack. It didn't take long for Gen. Houston to move his men to attack Santa Anna. On the morning of August 21, Houston shinnied up a tree to spy on the Mexicans. There he saw Emily West preparing a fancy breakfast for Gen. Santa Anna, and he remarked to himself, "I hope that girl makes him neglect his business and keeps him in bed all day." Houston's men immediately launched a surprise attack on the Mexican army (though not so surprising to the high brass who had warned Santa Anna about this very thing). General Santa was literally caught with his pants down, and the official military report is that Santa Anna was seen running from the heat of the battle with his silk shirt open.<br /><br />Emily West survived the battle and was returned to New Washington. James Morgan had not heard about the Battle of San Jacinto. When he returned to the settlement, Emily told him all about it. He was so impressed at her heroism that he immediately repealed her indenture and granted her a passport back to New York. Even after she left, Morgan made sure everyone heard about her contribution to Texas' victory. In 1956, William Bollaert published a story which was related to him by either Sam Houston or Col. Isaac N. Moreland, who Emily worked for after the Battle of San Jacinto, of a mulatto girl who kept Santa Anna in his tent all day and prevented him from rushing to the conflict. This is the only more modern documentation which is available to historians.<br /><br /><center><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzmpF4QhnGvSpSUBizDqgZj3Veb7eh6BuLLYVi5m2zhDJCMCraH8GEa8PQCfYMJPkIkCWVrDuG-rFFDKEEToA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><b><span style="color:#009900;">"Yellow Rose of Texas" - Jo Ann Castle</span></b></center><br /><br />~information loaded from the following:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amaranthpublishing.com/yellow.htm">http://www.amaranthpublishing.com/yellow.htm</a><br /><a href="http://americanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_yellow_rose_of_texas">http://americanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_yellow_rose_of_texas</a><br /><a href="http://www.blackpast.org/?q=perspectives/yellow-rose-texas-ironic-origins-state-song">http://www.blackpast.org/?q=perspectives/yellow-rose-texas-ironic-origins-state-song</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><center></center><center></center>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-3735220320061335712009-04-22T03:19:00.011-04:002015-06-22T15:11:37.108-04:00"La Bamba" - Ritchie Valens, 1958 (rock)<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Se_scexDuTI/AAAAAAAAAKA/MYtUnR5Fyqk/s1600-h/jollyroger.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327736858241906994" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Se_scexDuTI/AAAAAAAAAKA/MYtUnR5Fyqk/s320/jollyroger.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<em><span style="color: #009900;">Para bailar la bamba,<br />Para bailar la bamba,</span><span style="color: #009900;">Se necesita una poca de gracia.<br />Una poca de gracia para mi para ti.<br />Arriba y arriba<br />Y arriba y arriba, por ti sere,<br />Por ti sere.<br />Por ti sere.<br />Yo no soy marinero.<br />Yo no soy marinero, soy capitan.<br />Soy capitan.<br />Soy capitan.<br /><br />Bam-ba-bamba,<br />Bam-ba-bamba,<br />Bam-ba-bamba,<br /><br />Para bailar la bamba,<br />Para bailar la bamba,<br />Se necesita una poca de gracia.<br />Una poca de gracia para mi para ti.<br />Arriba, arriba.</span></em></div>
<span style="color: #009900;"></span><br />
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Is there anyone who doesn't know the words (or at least what sound like the words) to this one, even if they don't speak Spanish? Thanks to Ritchie Valens' most famous rendition, this 300 year old folk song from Veracruz, Mexico lives on, even though the tradition behind the song is mostly lost.<br />
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In English...<br />
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<span style="color: #ff99ff;"><em>In order to dance the Bamba<br />In order to dance the Bamba<br />A little humor is needed<br />A little grace for me and for you<br />Faster and faster<br />Faster and faster<br />I'll be for you<br />I'll be for you<br />I'm not a sailor<br />I'm not a sailor<br />I'm captain<br />I'm captain<br />I'm captain </em></span></div>
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It doesn't quite have the same amount of "cool" as it does in Spanish. That's because the lyrics just don't quite translate into English. Like most folk songs, La Bamba came about while commemmorating a specific event, but unlike the tunes we are used to, this one's lyrics have very little to say about the actual event. Surprisingly, the song doesn't tell you how to do the dance, either.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Se_rPh7JD0I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/2M9frls2mio/s1600-h/veracruz.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327735536239578946" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Se_rPh7JD0I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/2M9frls2mio/s320/veracruz.png" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 218px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Veracruz was becoming quite wealthy with gold and silver, much of which was being stockpiled, awaiting ocean transport back to Spain. In 1599, because of frequent flooding, the port of Veracruz was moved to the island of San Juan de Ulua. There a fort was built to protect the state from maritime assault on their riches. San Juan de Ulua was nearly impregnable. In fact, in 200 years, there was only successfully assaulted once.<br />
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While the fort was safe, the village of 5,000 people was not. On a night in May of 1683, Lorenz de Graaf, who was a Dutch pirate who was locally known as Lorencillo, stole into the village and did exactly what pirates do. He and his men rounded up all of the villagers and locked them all in the village church while he and his men ransacked, burned, and pillaged the town, doing whatever it was they felt like doing. This lasted three days. It was especially hot this time of year, and rather than wait out the onslaught, the some of the villagers climbed to the top of the church's bell tower and leapt to their deaths to escape the heat, confinement, and lack of food and water. When the rampage was over, the pirates took 30 of the villages prettiest girls to Isla de los Sacrificios before returning to ther lair in Laguna de Terminos. The girls were left there for another five days without food and water before help arrived to rescue them.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Se_tumSfeCI/AAAAAAAAAKI/vvjoOLiNk_M/s1600-h/lorencillo.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327738269010458658" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Se_tumSfeCI/AAAAAAAAAKI/vvjoOLiNk_M/s200/lorencillo.bmp" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 150px;" /></a>After that, the villagers of Veracruz and others up and down the Spanish Colonial Empire in the Caribbean lived in fear of further pirate attack. Lorencillo had left the villagers trembling at their own defenselessness and at the possibility of repeat performances from marauding privateers. Most people threatened to leave the colonies and go back to Spain, so the King spent a fortune to wall up the city for their protection. While they had their wall to hide in, there wasn't much of an army or navy to defend it. Consequently, many young men and slaves were conscripted into military service. This makeshift military set up a defense system of bells, alarms, and maueuver drills. In these drills, civilian participation was mandatory. The only problem in all of this was that while it was so elaborate and intricate, it was a response to a single event that had already happened. This kind of invasion had only happened once, and it wasn't likely to happen again. So, essentially they were attempting to prevent something that already happened. The word <em><span style="color: #009900;">"Bamba"</span></em> comes from the Spanish word <em><span style="color: #009900;">"Bambarria"</span></em>, which means <em><span style="color: #ff99ff;">"to try and prevent something after it has already happened."</span></em><br />
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Thus, the song was born as a poke in the ribs of the local officials who had become quite pompous in their efforts. The tune caught on and spread among the locals, too, and *poof* instant folk song! The <span style="color: #009900;"><em>"Arriba, arriba!"</em></span> part of the song is supposed to suggest the furor of the governmental efforts. The phrase means, <em><span style="color: #ff99ff;">"Faster, faster!"</span></em> which was the attitude of the officials for many years after - build and train faster and faster, hurry up before the pirates strike again! After a few years, however, the people grew weary of the increased drilling (that they still had to participate in) and the vigor of more building, and we have the somewhat suddenly banal repetition of the word, "Bamba" at the end of the chorus, as if to shake one's head and say, "Yeah, yeah, yeah..." As it turns out, the villagers were correct. Veracruz never did experience another pirate attack, and in fact, just 100 years after the Lorencillo incident, Veracruz was instead occupied by foriegn military troops.<br />
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It's kind of a shame, but this song's tradition and story have been lost over the years. Traditionally, it was a song that was performed at weddings. The bride and groom would start by slowly stepping in unison. The song would get faster and faster, and their feet would appear to be making the movements of tying a ribbon together. This dance, however, has not been performed traditionally for many years, though, and the history of it is really only preserved in the dances of folk dancers.<br />
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Along with this wedding tradition, many of the original lyrics and verses have been lost as well. We know the first verse, which begins <em><span style="color: #009900;">"Para bailar la bamba..."</span>. </em>Although it doesn't come right out and say it, is a jibe at the pompous officials. Here are the other missing verses:<br />
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The second verse is about the people being locked up in the church. The climb to the bell tower (to throw one's self off the roof) required a long climb up a long ladder, and then a shorter climb to the top of the roof.<br />
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<center>
<em><span style="color: #009900;">Para subir al cielo</span><span style="color: #ff99ff;">(to go up to heaven)</span><br /><span style="color: #009900;"><em>Para subir al cielo<br />Se necesita</em> </span><span style="color: #ff99ff;">(you need)</span><br /><em><span style="color: #009900;">Una escalera grande</span></em> <span style="color: #ff99ff;">(a big ladder)</span><br /><em><span style="color: #009900;">Una escalera grande<br />Y otra chiquita </span></em><span style="color: #ff99ff;">(and another small one)</span><br /><em><span style="color: #009900;">Ay arriba y arriba</span></em> <span style="color: #ff99ff;">(and up and up)</span><br /><span style="color: #009900;"><em>Y arriba y arriba,<br />Arriba iré</em> </span><span style="color: #ff99ff;">(I will go)</span></em></center>
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We also know the third verse, which begins <em><span style="color: #009900;">"Yo no soy marinero"</span>.</em> This verse is about the youth and slaves being against the military draft. <em><span style="color: #009900;">"Marinero"</span></em> means <em><span style="color: #ff99ff;">"sailor"</span></em>, and nobody in their right mind wanted to be a sailor during the golden age of piracy. Pirates may not have come into fortified ports to do their dirty work, but seagoing vessels were always fair game and almost always taken advantage of. So, no one wanted to be forced into the navy (pirates didn't take prisoners...hint, hint). The recruits would have rather been captains in the army...on land where it was safe. This verse is also repeated in the song, although it has a slight twist at the end, and the words, <em><span style="color: #009900;">"Soy Capitan"</span></em> are replaced with <em><span style="color: #009900;">"Pero por tí seré"</span></em>, which means <em><span style="color: #ff99ff;">"But for you I will be (one)"</span></em>. These lyrics are possibly to indicate a show of force by the recruitment officer, and the draftee reluctantly resigns himself to service in the navy.<br />
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Finally, the last verse of the song follows the repetitive singing of <span style="color: #009900;"><em>"Bamba"</em></span>, and also reflects how the drilling and attack preparations had gotten old, and the public felt ready to move on:<br />
<br />
<em></em><br />
<center>
<em><span style="color: #009900;">Ay te pido, te pido!</span></em></center>
<span style="color: #ff99ff;">(Oh, I ask, Oh, I ask)</span><br />
<em><span style="color: #009900;">¡Ay te pido, te pido por compasión</span></em><span style="color: #ff99ff;">(Oh, I ask, Oh, I ask out of compassion)</span><br />
<em><span style="color: #009900;">que se acabe la bamba!</span></em> <span style="color: #ff99ff;">(that the bamba be finished)</span><br />
<em><span style="color: #009900;">¡Que se acabe la bamba y venga otro son!</span></em> <span style="color: #ff99ff;">(that the bamba be finished and start another song)</span><br />
<em><span style="color: #009900;">Y arriba y arriba,</span> </em><span style="color: #ff99ff;">(and hurrah and hurrah)</span><em><span style="color: #009900;">¡Ay! arriba y arriba y arriba iré,</span></em> <span style="color: #ff99ff;">(and hurrah and hurrah, and up I will go)</span><br />
<align left="">After the alternate occupations of French and US troops in Mexico, during the 1800s this song was reborn and the people of Veracruz began to serenade the foreigners with a new version of it. Not speaking any Spanish, these troops thought it sounded like a quaint little folk song. As the tune was catchyby foreigners, the joke was on them as they walked around singing it - this time, the song's lyrics protested the occupation of Mexico by these foreign invaders.<br /><br />Here's the song the way it would sound originally, played as a folk tune.<br /></align><br />
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<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/T4f75F1YbJ8&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/T4f75F1YbJ8&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><b><span style="color: #009900;">"La Bamba" (Gipsy Kings)</span></b></center>
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<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Jp6j5HJ-Cok&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Jp6j5HJ-Cok&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><b><span style="color: #009900;">"La Bamba" - Ritchie Valens, 1958 (original Valens version)</span></b></center>
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And here's a bit of a rattlesnake...the version you might be more familiar with. It's the Los Lobos version that was used in the movie, La Bamba. It's a just a little faster with a little less "Mexico" and a lot more "rock".<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #009900;">"La Bamba" - Los Lobos, from the 1987 movie "La Bamba",</span></strong><span style="color: #009900;">starring Lou Diamond Phillips as Ritchie Valens.</span></div>
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And now, let's clear up a couple misconceptions about the movie:<br />
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<span style="color: #ff99ff;">1.)</span> NO - that is NOT Lou Diamond Phillips singing "La Bamba" or any of the other songs in the movie. The singing voice you hear is that of David Hidalgo, guitarist for Mexican-American rock band Los Lobos. Los Lobos performed all of Ritchie's music for the movie, including "Donna".<br />
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<span style="color: #ff99ff;">2.)</span> NO - that is NOT Lou Diamond Phillips playing the guitar in the song. The lead guitar parts there are being played by a woman, Carol Kaye, who is a famous studio recording session musician from the Los Angeles area, who also played for Phil Specter's studio band, The Wrecking Crew.<br />
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~Information found from 'cruz-ing the internet and finding ports of call like this:<br />
<a href="http://www.johntoddjr.com/143%20Bamba/bamba.htm">http://www.johntoddjr.com/143%20Bamba/bamba.htm</a><br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093378/">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093378/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spanish-translation-help.com/la-bamba-translation.html">http://www.spanish-translation-help.com/la-bamba-translation.html</a></div>
LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-70650912492645115752009-04-01T15:01:00.023-04:002009-04-03T12:53:25.723-04:00"Single-Handed Sailor" - Dire Straits, 1979 (blues rock)<div align="left"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SdWlxOPA_2I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/SrWuFqhTlJw/s1600-h/mothstamp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320340799861358434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 265px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SdWlxOPA_2I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/SrWuFqhTlJw/s320/mothstamp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><center><em><span style="color:#009900;">Two in the morning dry-dock town<br />The river rolls in the night<br />Little gipsy moth she's all tied down<br />She quiver in the wind and the light<br /><br />Yeah and a sailing ship is just held down in chains<br />From the lazy days of sail<br />She's just a lying there in silent pain<br />He lean on the tourist rail<br /><br />A mother and her baby and the college of war<br />In the concrete graves<br />You never wanna fight against the river law<br />Nobody rules the waves<br />Yeah and on a night when the lazy wind is a-wailing<br />Around the Cutty Sark<br />The single handed sailor goes sailing<br />Sailing away in the dark<br /><br />He's upon the bridge on the self same night<br />The mariner of dry dock land<br />Two in the morning but there's one green light<br />And a man on a barge of sand<br /><br />She's gonna slip away below him<br />Away from the things he's done<br />But he just shouts 'hey man what you call this thing'<br />He could have said 'Pride of London'<br />On a night when the lazy wind is a-wailing<br />Around the Cutty Sark<br />Yeah the single handed sailor goes sailing<br />Sailing away in the dark</span></em></center><br />"Single Handed Sailor" was released on the Dire Straits CD "Communique" in 1979. In Germany, New Zealand, and Sweden the album went <em>strait</em> to the top of the charts. Lord only knows why this ketch-y little tune didn't get much airplay here in the US. Mark Knopfler wrote this song as a tribute to Sir Francis Chichester, a sailor who was the first (and fastest) person to truly nautically circumnavigate the globe with no crew but himself.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SdWx6khW8mI/AAAAAAAAAJo/CWfVINyOS78/s1600-h/ClipperRoute.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320354154602230370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SdWx6khW8mI/AAAAAAAAAJo/CWfVINyOS78/s400/ClipperRoute.png" border="0" /></a><br />In 1966, Chichester set out from Plymouth, England along the clipper route. The clipper route is the traditional route sailed by clipper ships between Europe, the Far East, and Australia. The route runs through the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Ocean" target="_blank">Southern Ocean</a> in order to make use of the wind system known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaring_Forties" target="_blank">The Roaring Forties</a>, located between 40 and 50 degrees latitude. These winds were enough to create rough conditions and sink ships, but they also quickly propelled the clipper ships around the great capes: The Cape of Good Hope (southern tip of Africa), Cape Leeuwin (the southwestern tip of Australia), and Cape Horn (southern tip of S. America). These danger zones became significant landmarks in ocean voyaging. In 1869 and 1914, the Suez and Panama Canals (respectively) made it possible for ships to avoid such southerly travel, which not only saved many lives but also time and money in the delivery of goods; the ships could now sail straight across the globe instead of going all the way around the continents. True global circumnavigation, however, means the sailing vessel rounds all three of these highly dangerous cape areas. Even today, 'round-the-world sailing races incorporate the use of these landmarks, and ironically, despite the installation of the canals, the clipper route is still the fastest way around the world.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SdWuTUK4cFI/AAAAAAAAAJA/kgYZzpO2B0I/s1600-h/3mast-fullrigged.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320350181663207506" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SdWuTUK4cFI/AAAAAAAAAJA/kgYZzpO2B0I/s200/3mast-fullrigged.png" border="0" /></a><br />A clipper ship is a particular type of commercial ocean-going vessel that is very has multiple masts (means it has lots of sails) and square rigging. The hull of a clipper ship was also quite narrow, but the shape of the rigging and the narrowness of the hull is what earned these ships their name. "Clip" was the English slang term for "to fly or move very quickly". These ships may have been limited in their freight capacity, but they made up for this shortcoming in speed. Chichester's Gipsy Moth IV is only a ketch - a sailing craft with only two masts. This means that while the ship itself is smaller and more easily tossed, it also does not have as many or as large of sails to fill with wind. A yacht's top speed is directly <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SdWuf4xKKyI/AAAAAAAAAJI/A3Ll2Tzhqjw/s1600-h/ketch_w_fl_st_light_wind_sails.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320350397645859618" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 184px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SdWuf4xKKyI/AAAAAAAAAJI/A3Ll2Tzhqjw/s200/ketch_w_fl_st_light_wind_sails.jpg" border="0" /></a>related to it's wetted length. The Gipsy Moth IV was only 53 feet, whereas the clipper ships averaged wetted lengths in the couple-hundred-feet range. The little 53' ketch had a maximum hull speed of only 10 knots, while standard clipper ships averaged lengths of over 100, which meant being capable of more than double the hull speed. So, not only was the little Gipsy Moth IV out sized, out weighed, and out manned, she was also pretty slow as far as clipper ships were concerned (at the time).<br /><br />Chichester recorded in his log that at Cape Horn, he was rolled in a 140 degree capsize. Good thing his craft was designed to self right. And then he recorded:<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#009900;">"The waves were tremendous. They varied each time, but all were like great sloping walls towering behind you. The kind I liked least was like a great bank of gray-green earth 50' (15 m) high and very steep. Image yourself at the bottom of one. My cockpit was filled five times and once it took more than 15 minutes to drain. My wind-reading machine stopped recording at 60 knots. My self-steering could not cope with the buffeting....I had a feeling of helplessness."</span></em><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SdWuxDApktI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/YIIMIdin-UY/s1600-h/GypsyMothDM2805_468x320.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320350692452963026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 219px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SdWuxDApktI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/YIIMIdin-UY/s320/GypsyMothDM2805_468x320.jpg" border="0" /></a> <center><em><span style="color:#009900;">Gipsy Moth IV</span></em></center><br />Nautical scholars, explorers, and sailors agree that Gipsy Moth IV has to have been the worst racing vessel ever built. Nonetheless it earned Chichester his knighthood and earned the following bragging rights:<br /><br />-Fastest voyage around the world by any small vessel<br />-Longest non stop passage that had been made by a small sailing vessel (15,000 miles)<br />-More than twice the distance of the previous longest passage by a singlehander<br />-Twice broke the record for a singlehander's week's run by more than 100 miles (160 km)<br />-Established a record for singlehanded speed by sailing 1,400 miles (2,300 km) in 8 days<br /><br />Still, Chichester said of it, "Now that I have finished, I don't know what will become of Gipsy Moth IV. I only own the stern while my cousin owns two thirds. My part, I would sell any day. It would be better if about a third were sawn off. The boat was too big for me. Gipsy Moth IV has no sentimental value for me at all. She is cantankerous and difficult and needs a crew of three - a man to navigate, an elephant to move the tiller and a 3'6" (1.1 m) chimpanzee with arms 8' (2.4 m) long to get about below and work some of the gear."<br /><br />Gipsy Moth IV never raced again after that. When Chichester died, she was put on display in Greenwich, England at a dry dock especially built for two ships that look like a mother and baby. The Gipsy Moth IV is docked with the Cutty Sark, a 212-foot extreme clipper that also ran the clipper race, although at its best it went only from England to China and took 122 days. Despite being the prettier, the larger, the faster, and the more well built of the two vessels, the small, dysfunctional, deteriorating Gipsy Moth IV put all of the Cutty Sark's efforts to shame.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320353425708364178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 260px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SdWxQJLhMZI/AAAAAAAAAJg/PXifsr5ZwRw/s320/cuttysark3.jpg" border="0" /><em> <center><span style="color:#009900;">Cutty Sark</span></em></div><em></em></center><br /><br /><br /><center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vbGPkayG_Tc&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vbGPkayG_Tc&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><b><span style="color:#009900;">"Single Handed Sailor" - Dire Straits, 1979</span></b></center><div align="left"><br /><br /><br />~information from sailing among ports like these:<br /><a href="http://www.gipsymoth.org/">http://www.gipsymoth.org/</a><br /><a href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Gipsy_Moth_IV">http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Gipsy_Moth_IV</a><br /><a href="http://www.eraoftheclipperships.com/">http://www.eraoftheclipperships.com/</a> </div>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-15946524256398727432009-03-23T19:13:00.029-04:002009-03-24T02:16:32.918-04:00"Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)" - Don Mclean, 1971 (ballad)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Schv-sI_UuI/AAAAAAAAAHI/Cj9sgG4AlWc/s1600-h/starrynight.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316622482902307554" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Schv-sI_UuI/AAAAAAAAAHI/Cj9sgG4AlWc/s200/starrynight.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><center><em><span style="color:#009900;">Starry, starry night.<br />Paint your palette blue and grey,<br />Look out on a summer's day,<br />With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.<br />Shadows on the hills,<br />Sketch the trees and the daffodils,<br />Catch the breeze and the winter chills,<br />In colors on the snowy linen land.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#009900;">Now I understand what you tried to say to me,<br />How you suffered for your sanity,<br />How you tried to set them free.<br />They would not listen, they did not know how.<br />Perhaps they'll listen now.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SchyYFcLL4I/AAAAAAAAAHo/zqDp_p9vB2E/s1600-h/sunflowers.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316625118213648258" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 161px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SchyYFcLL4I/AAAAAAAAAHo/zqDp_p9vB2E/s200/sunflowers.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="color:#009900;">Starry, starry night.<br />Flaming flowers that brightly blaze,<br />Swirling clouds in violet haze,<br />Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue.<br />Colors changing hue, morning field of amber grain,<br />Weathered faces lined in pain,<br />Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand.<br /><br />Now I understand what you tried to say to me,<br />How you suffered for your sanity,<br />How you tried to set them free.<br />They would not listen, they did not know how.<br />Perhaps they'll listen now.</span> </em></center><em><center><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SchzfP3mYhI/AAAAAAAAAHw/DbVwmxTUytw/s1600-h/vincent-van-gogh-skull_1196679837.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316626340783743506" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 144px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SchzfP3mYhI/AAAAAAAAAHw/DbVwmxTUytw/s200/vincent-van-gogh-skull_1196679837.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="color:#009900;">For they could not love you,<br />But still your love was true.<br />And when no hope was left in sight<br />On that starry, starry night,<br />You took your life, as lovers often do.<br />But I could have told you, Vincent,<br />This world was never meant for one<br />As beautiful as you.<br /></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sch1LGr76vI/AAAAAAAAAH4/EPHv0M2MfBg/s1600-h/vincent_van_gogh_self_portrait_1887.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316628193744775922" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 156px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sch1LGr76vI/AAAAAAAAAH4/EPHv0M2MfBg/s200/vincent_van_gogh_self_portrait_1887.jpg" border="0" /></a></center><center></center><center><span style="color:#009900;">Starry, starry night.<br />Portraits hung in empty halls,<br />Frameless head on nameless walls,<br />With eyes that watch the world and can't forget.<br />Like the strangers that you've met,<br />The ragged men in the ragged clothes,<br />The silver thorn of bloody rose,<br />Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></center><center><span style="color:#009900;"></span></center><center><span style="color:#009900;">Now I think I know what you tried to say to me,<br />How you suffered for your sanity,<br />How you tried to set them free.<br />They would not listen, they're not listening still.<br />Perhaps they never will...</span></em></center><br />Most well known by its opening line, "Starry Starry Night" was one of Don Mclean's most popular songs. True to his tributary form, this song gives a nod to Dutch post-impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. Perhaps more than in any other song, the lyrics reveal Mclean's personal feelings for the artist and his works.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sch2bG1q-QI/AAAAAAAAAIA/wvhD5MdUdsQ/s1600-h/vangoghear.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316629568175143170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sch2bG1q-QI/AAAAAAAAAIA/wvhD5MdUdsQ/s200/vangoghear.jpg" border="0" /></a>Van Gogh produced more than 2,000 works, including around 900 paintings and 1,100 drawings and sketches, during the last ten years of his life, but he is particularly known for the works that he painted during the last two years of his life. These last two years are what Mclean focuses on in this tribute. They are also the years of which Van Gogh is most noted for...and ironically the ones during which he suffered the worst of an as-yet undiagnosed insanity. In his later life, it was his constant battle with severe mental illness that led to the infamous incident in which he stalked his friend and roommate Paul Gauguin with a razor and then cut off the lower part of his own left earlobe.<br /><br /><br />While Van Gogh experimented with many different kinds of media, his artwork is made unmistakable by three distinct characteristics: dots, yellow, and swirls. Looking closely, the viewer will see that each of his "signature" works (not counting earlier works, sketches, or commissioned works) contains each of these elements.<br /><br />The use of dots, called 'pointillism' is a unique and creative approach to mixing colors. The canvas is stippled with tiny dots of primary colors. The dots are placed far enough apart to be individual, yet close enough that their proximity causes the viewer to see secondary and intermediary colors instead.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sch3lTeGxwI/AAAAAAAAAII/otqZTafwTLQ/s1600-h/van_gogh_gachet.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316630842876282626" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 156px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sch3lTeGxwI/AAAAAAAAAII/otqZTafwTLQ/s200/van_gogh_gachet.jpg" border="0" /></a>Van Gogh's predominant use of yellows has always been a point of intrigue, but he didn't use it because he liked it, and his use of it had nothing to do with any metaphorical color-related emotions. There are many medical theories as to why the artist used this color so often. One theory suggests that Van Gogh's affinity for drinking absinthe might have affected his vision. Absinthe is an alcoholic beverage that contains the neurotoxin 'thujone'; high doses of thujone have been reported to cause xanthopsia, which is a condition that causes the person to see objects in yellow (although recent studies have shown this cannot be possible before the person becomes unconscious from the amount of alcohol consumed to reach this point). Another theory speculates that his physician, Dr. Gachet, had prescribed him digitalis as a treatment for epilepsy. The evidence for this is found in one of the portraits of Dr. Gachet painted by Van Gogh, in which is depicted the stems of Common Foxglove from which the drug is derived. A side-effect of digitalis treatment was the yellow appearance of everyday objects surrounded by a lighter halo, which appear in many of Van Gogh's later paintings. It has also been supposed that Van Gogh may have suffered either lead poisoning, as this was the base of his paints, which causes swelling of the retina also possibly resulting in the appearance of a halo.<br /><br />The final period in Van Gogh's career came during his self commitment to the mental hospital of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in a former monastery in Saint Remy de Provence. While his brother saw to it that Van Gogh had a studio room to paint in, it merely consisted of an adjoining cell with a small barred window. During his confinement, it was the lack of subject matter that found him painting new interpretations of his own earlier works and the works of other artists. All of this he did from his own memory. This is how the swirls began. Those famous swirls landed him an invitation to participate in the annual art exhibition in Brussels, hosted by the illustrious, avant-garde artist society Les XX. This then later led to his works being on display in Paris, where contemporary Claude Monet declared them to be the best in show.<br /><br />Though he was finally beginning to receive a little of the recognition he longed for all his life, it came too late to pull him from his downward spiral and 70 days after his release from Saint Remy, he tragically took his own life. His last words were reportedly, "The sadness will last forever."<br /><br /><em>**Note: In the song, there is an historical inaccuracy in the first verse. "Look out on a summer's day..." This would have been impossible for him to do since at the time The Starry Night was painted he was confined to the mental institution and had nothing more but a small, barred porthole for a window.</em><br /><br /><br /><center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dipFMJckZOM&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dipFMJckZOM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><b>"Vincent (Starry Starry Night)" - Don Mclean, 1971</b></center><br /><br /><br />~information found swirling around all over the internet, and cool places like this:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/starrynightlyrics.html">http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/starrynightlyrics.html</a>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-43148815611804952702009-03-12T02:13:00.013-04:002009-03-14T00:33:53.565-04:00"Allentown" - Billy Joel, 1982 (rock)<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sblh7NX3tAI/AAAAAAAAAGA/ouPo4P-baEE/s1600-h/BethlehemSteel.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312384905290167298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sblh7NX3tAI/AAAAAAAAAGA/ouPo4P-baEE/s320/BethlehemSteel.png" border="0" /></a> <center><em><span style="color:#009900;">Well we're living here in Allentown<br />And they're closing all the factories down<br />Out in Bethlehem they're killing time<br />Filling out forms<br />Standing in line<br />Well our fathers fought the Second World War<br />Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore<br />Met our mothers in the USO<br />Asked them to dance<br />Danced with them slow<br />And we're living here in Allentown<br /><br />But the restlessness was handed down<br />And it's getting very hard to stay<br /><br />Well we're waiting here in Allentown<br />For the Pennsylvania we never found<br />For the promises our teachers gave<br />If we worked hard<br />If we behaved<br />So the graduations hang on the wall<br />But they never really helped us at all<br />No they never taught us what was real<br />Iron and coke<br />And chromium steel<br />And we're waiting here in Allentown<br /><br />But they've taken all the coal from the ground<br />And the union people crawled away<br /><br />Every child had a pretty good shot<br />To get at least as far as their old man got<br />But something happened on the way to that place<br />They threw an American flag in our face<br /><br />Well I'm living here in Allentown<br />And it's hard to keep a good man down<br />But I won't be getting up today<br /><br />And it's getting very hard to stay<br />And we're living here in Allentown</span> </em></center><br />When the going gets tough, the tough get singing. There is no greater outlet for Man's emotions than through music. That's what it's for. It's the stuff of life, good and bad, that makes for a really good meaningful song. "Allentown" is no different, and the topical circumstances are no different than what we are experiencing right now...severe recession.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sbsu-P5RijI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/vxxL9CHGi44/s1600-h/steel-industry_BW-1420-1-30_05_1992.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312891832367155762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 318px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/Sbsu-P5RijI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/vxxL9CHGi44/s320/steel-industry_BW-1420-1-30_05_1992.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The song is about the steel industry in Pennsylvania, and even though the title is Allentown, PA, as there are no steel mills in Allentown, the lyrics are really talking about the city of Bethlehem, PA (the Bethlehem Steel Corporation) and the decline of the American manufacturing industry in the late 1970's, which Billy Joel personally witnessed. He chose to keep Allentown as the title city because he felt that using the name "Bethlehem" would create some confusion, causing people to think about Christmas and Baby Jesus instead of what the song's true focus was. Bethlehem Steel employed most of the people of Bethlehem, PA as well as other neighboring cities in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Lehigh</span> Valley area, and yes, Allentown was one of them.<br /><br />The song opens and closes with a distinct rhythm. It is the sound of a rolling mill, which is used to convert steel ingots into I-beams. During the industrial boom of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, this sound was heard all over the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Lehigh</span> Valley area...but if you go there, today, you won't hear it anymore. In the 1970s they were forced to close the mills and layoff most of the workers and sending the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Lehigh</span> Valley region into a disastrous economic slump, which is reflected in the lyrics, <em><span style="color:#009900;">"Out in Bethlehem they're killing time/Filling out forms/Standing in line"</span></em>...people trying desperately to get unemployment compensation before they lost everything. In 2003, the company closed its doors forever.<br /><br />Realistically, the recession of the 70's and 80's didn't just affect Pennsylvania. The whole country was in distress, so one steel mill closing and putting people out of work was hardly newsworthy. Plus, recession is just one of the fluctuations that a free market economy will experience from time to time; it is inevitable, and it is the nature of that economic system. There are literally thousands of songs that talk about hard life during economic depression and recession. However, the Bethlehem Steel Corporation's demise is a big deal, historically because this corporation's life was an historical big deal.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.gyrodynehelicopters.com/images/0586003.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 372px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 297px" alt="" src="http://www.gyrodynehelicopters.com/images/0586003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#009900;"><em>"Well our fathers fought the Second World War/Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore/Met our mothers in the USO..."</em></span> The corporation was born in 1857, and of course the steel industry was at the core of building America's modern infrastructure, but it was the mid-20<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span> century, particularly during WWII, that Bethlehem Steel would enter its golden days. Legend has it that in September 1939 Bethlehem Steel Corp. Chairman Eugene Grace was teeing off at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Saucon</span> Valley Country Club's Old Course when a caddie ran up to his foursome and announced that World War II had just begun. Upon hearing the news, Grace turned to his golfing partners, who were also his vice presidents, and said, "gentlemen, we are going to make a lot of money." That would later prove to be the understatement of the century. Bethlehem Steel didn't just make a lot of money. They supplied an entire army, built cities, and employed generations of workers. The company grew so large that it even had its own police force, which was actually bigger than the City of Bethlehem's. It also didn't just employ steel workers. It employed service personnel for its company kitchens, carpenters, landscapers, and electricians.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SbsxSSXwa5I/AAAAAAAAAGY/Zb_6hvt8BBo/s1600-h/Chrysler_Building_2005_3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312894375652518802" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SbsxSSXwa5I/AAAAAAAAAGY/Zb_6hvt8BBo/s320/Chrysler_Building_2005_3.jpg" border="0" /></a>Much of Bethlehem Steel's production came from its enormous contribution to the World War II effort. As much as 70 percent of all airplane cylinder forgings, one-quarter of the armor plate for warships, and one-third of the big cannon forgings for the U.S armed forces were turned out by Bethlehem Steel, and the company was responsible for building nearly one-fifth of the U.S. Navy's two-ocean fleet.<a href="http://www.bethlehempaonline.com/steelgolden.html">[1].</a> After the war, Bethlehem Steel continued working on the civilization it had begun before the war. It is responsible for the steel frames for many bridges throughout the U.S. such as the George Washington Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge and buildings such as the Chrysler Building in New York City. In fact, 80% of the skyscrapers in NYC would collapse if Bethlehem's steel beams were removed. In it's glory days, it was the number two steel mill in the nation. In the race for number one on the Fortune 500 list, "The Corporation", as it was known as by the competition, was known as "Little Steel" and was second only to "Big Steel" - U.S. Steel (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">USX</span>).<br /><br />Alas, "as the nation goes, so steel goes" is how things work in the steel industry. Bethlehem Steel couldn't keep up with the invasion of foreign steel and mini mills and substitute materials such as aluminum and pressed concrete. These, however, have been threats to local steel for as long as local steel has been in business. Bethlehem Steel collapsed when other steel companies did not. Much of this is due in part because with the expansion of the free market, the increased availability of cheaper steel, and better methods of production, Bethlehem Steel did not grow and diversify as the competition did. During the recession of the 1970s and 1980s, the steel companies often made business ventures outside of their own industry, using new consolidations and purchases to fund their assets that were failing due to the economy. For example, U.S. Steel purchased the Marathon Oil company and used oil profits to bolster its sinking steel plants until the end of the recession. When its steel profits began to recover, the company then separated the two. Another aspect of Bethlehem's demise was its sloth in developing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">competitve</span> but environmentally conscious production methods. The invasion of foreign materials made it very clear that steel consumers would prefer to use foreign components if the cost was lower and the quality just as good if not better than what was being produced locally. Many failing steel companies did not engage in this aspect of the competition, and in refusing to do so lost so much money that bankruptcy was inevitable, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">dispite</span> a long, successful track record.<br /><br />When the time for expansion was at hand, Bethlehem did not grow as the other steel mills did. It's top executives continued to pay themselves lavish salaries, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">dispite</span> the toll and the distress the economy and lack of and business was putting on the company. Since the war years, the company had maintained the same people on the executive board. These men paid themselves and ran the business as if The Corporation was still reaping the profits of turning out warships, cannons, bridges, and buildings. Sadly, when fresh executives were brought in to clean up the company's fiscal mess, they attempted emergency repairs: freeze executive salaries and lay off workers. However, the fixes came too late, and the company inevitably failed because of itself. It didn't just fail itself, though. It put the entire <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Lehigh</span> Valley out of a job. Entire families for generations had been employed by this company.<br /><br />Given that information, the rest of the song's lyrical meanings are self explanatory.<br /><br /><center><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:97664" width="512" height="319" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" base="." allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="configParams=id%3D1535996%26vid%3D97664%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A97664%26startUri={startUri}"></embed><b><br /><span style="color:#009900;">"Allentown" - Billy Joel, 1982</span></b></center><br /><br />~information rolled out from:<br /><a href="http://www.bethlehempaonline.com/steelgolden.html">[1]http://www.bethlehempaonline.com/steelgolden.html</a><br /><a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/04/05/366339/index.htm">http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/04/05/366339/index.htm</a><br /><a href="http://www.bethlehempaonline.com/steel.html">http://www.bethlehempaonline.com/steel.html</a><br /><a href="http://www.archaeology.org/9911/etc/mill.html">http://www.archaeology.org/9911/etc/mill.html</a>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-778398860183333979.post-64320948608665269412009-03-05T21:31:00.024-05:002009-04-14T22:37:27.719-04:00"Scarborough Fair/Canticle" - Simon & Garfunkel, 1966 (folk rock)<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SbHtwBwjqHI/AAAAAAAAAF4/zI-cJTNSIDU/s1600-h/medieval+fair.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310286845008128114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 234px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SbHtwBwjqHI/AAAAAAAAAF4/zI-cJTNSIDU/s320/medieval+fair.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><center><em><span style="color:#009900;">Are you going to Scarborough Fair<br />Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme<br />Remember me to one who lives there<br />She once was a true love of mine<br /><br />Tell her to make me a cambric shirt<br />(On the side of a hill in the deep forest green)<br />Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme<br />(Tracing of sparrow on snow crested brown)<br />Without no seams nor needle work<br />(Blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain)<br />Then she'll be a true love of mine<br />(Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)<br /><br />Tell her to find me an acre of land<br />(On the side of a hill a sprinkling of leaves)<br />Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme<br />(Washes the grave with silvery tears)<br />Between the salt water and the sea strands<br />(A soldier cleans and polishes a gun)<br />Then she'll be a true love of mine<br /><br />Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather<br />(War bellows blazing in scarlet battalions)<br />Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme<br />(Generals order their soldiers to kill)<br />And gather it all in a bunch of heather<br />(And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten)<br />Then she'll be a true love of mine<br /><br />Are you going to Scarborough Fair<br />Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme<br />Remember me to one who lives there<br />She once was a true love of mine.</span></em></center><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SbHjS7meqyI/AAAAAAAAAFA/Nak5lnv3xa0/s1600-h/henryviii.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310275350022761250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 317px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SbHjS7meqyI/AAAAAAAAAFA/Nak5lnv3xa0/s320/henryviii.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />If my name was Peabody and your name was Sherman, then right about now I'd be telling you to get into the Wayback Machine and set the dial for waaaaaay back to merry old England in the '50s...the 1250s, that is. Here we will watch King Henry the VIII sign a charter (in 1253 to be precise) which began the annual tradition of a 45-day fair in the seaside city of Scarborough in North Yorkshire (on the North Sea side of the UK). The charter stated, "The Burgesses and their heirs forever may have a yearly fayre in the Borough, to continue from the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary until the Feast of St Michael next following".<br /><br />For a brief time, the Scarborough Fair was a big deal; however, it wasn't a medieval fair like we picture as a place to go specifically for amusement. Rather, it was an enormous open-air trading center/market that attracted merchants and tradesmen from all over the country. This monumentous occasion drew impressively large crowds. In its heyday, we might say that a trip to Scarborough Fair would be the equivalent of taking a modern-day trip to, say, New York City. It had everything anyone could need, and from August 15-September 29, it was England's hot spot. It was <em>the</em> place to be. Of course, since many hundreds of people from far and near attended to sell their wares, naturally there also came those who sold food and various amenities to those who were far from home.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SbHl8XAxe6I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/insZajesMro/s1600-h/scarborough.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310278260778695586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 302px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SbHl8XAxe6I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/insZajesMro/s320/scarborough.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The song <em>Scarborough Fair</em>, was actually not written by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. In fact, the song predates them by about, oh, say at least 610 years; the tune and lyrics appeared somewhere around 1300. The song that was sung by this epic duo was actually a song that was written and sung by medieval bards throughout the English countryside. Because of the nature of song at the time, there is no single author credited with the song's inception. It was a folk tune that soon caught on with the local populous, and it became a tradition for the common folk to sing about participating in this auspicious occasion. As is true with most folk music, as time went on more lyrics and verses were added.<br /><br />Although the song, itself, is a song about jilted love, in that respect it has little value for us. However, it does contain lyrics which do have some historical significance (and you know how we love that around here!)<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SbHmaIz6AeI/AAAAAAAAAFY/ishq5RNMxU0/s1600-h/herbs.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310278772362707426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 208px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SbHmaIz6AeI/AAAAAAAAAFY/ishq5RNMxU0/s320/herbs.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />If you know no other words in the song, you at least know the part that says, <em>"Are you going to Scarborough Fair?/Parsley sage rosemary and thyme..."</em> A good herbalist will tell you that Parsley isn't just for making a steak plate look good. It is an herb that is holistically used to treat indigestion. However, during medieval times herbs were believed to have an equivalent spiritual benefit. Indigestion is frequently referred to as "heartburn" because as too many Americans know, it makes the chest hurt in the are near where the heart is found. Due to general lack of understanding the medical sciences, this feeling of indigestion often led folks to believe that their heart hurt. Thus, parsley was prescribed to heal the hurting heart. The herb, Sage, has long been a symbol of strength. Rosemary represents faithfulness, love, and remembrance. The loving Greeks used to give sprigs of Rosemary to each other, and Greek brides traditionally wore a few sprigs of it in their hair on their wedding day. Rosemary, though, is usually symbolic of feminine love because this herb is very tough and strong, but it grows very slowly. Rosemary is also the symbol for prudence and sensibility. Ancient Roman doctors used to put Rosemary underneath the pillow of someone who had to perform a difficult mental job.<br /><br />In the verses that follow, there is a secondary, simultaneous tune which is sung (you'll find it in the parentheses). The song that is sung here is "Canticle" (which has absolutely nothing to do with Scarborough, a fair, or any culinary herbs). It was written in 1963 by Art Garfunkel and is a re-working of the song "The Side of a Hill" (and is an anti-war ballad). Moving on...<br /><br />The verses of Scarborough Fair are a list of impossible tasks for the man's sweetie to perform:<br /><br />Verse 1 - She is to make a cambric shirt with no seams or needlework. This is impossible because cambric is a lightweight cotton fabric that was used specifically <em>for</em> making lace and needlework, so it is impossible because on its own the fabric does not do what it's supposed to. The purpose of requiring cambric for the shirt is so that the shirt will be slightly shiny. The fabric is tightly woven and when completed, it has a slight glossy finish. Cambric is what makes professional playing cards glossy, last longer, and easier to handle. This material wasn't actually available until the 1500s, having been discovered by the French, so this verse was probably not one of the originals.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SbHo9BZviLI/AAAAAAAAAFo/nmkVER8bORc/s1600-h/northyorkshire.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310281570692597938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tclVWoIfw94/SbHo9BZviLI/AAAAAAAAAFo/nmkVER8bORc/s320/northyorkshire.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Verse 2 - She is to find an acre tract of land between the ocean and the shore. It is quite obvious why this one is impossible. "Sea strands" was the poetic term used for shoreline or beach. Of course, she could go out and find him an island, but remember that Christopher Columbus did not sail until 1492; so, at the time this song was originally sung, the world as we knew it was flat and to try and go out and find an island of the prescribed proportions would have been suicide...she would fall off the face of the earth.<br /><br />Verse 3 - She is to reap this one-acre "island" (from verse 2) with a sickle of leather and harvest it all in a bunch of heather. Leather is soft and flexible. A sickle is used to cut down the stalks of grain crops. Basically, she is to cut down all of the crop with what may result to nothing more than the sole of a shoe, and bring it home in bound up in a heather bunch. Heather is a small, compact shrub that grows with tiny, narrow leaves. It doesn't grow on the beach, nor does it do very well in salt water, but it was historically symbolic of luck.<br /><br />Incidentally, I personally find it amusing that the song ends with a witty barb. It all sounds so lovely and forelorn until we get to the end and the man says, "Good luck!" and that makes me chuckle (considering that this song was intended to be a message passed along to the ex-lady). HA!<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#009900;">***Additional Note: It has been brought to my attention that there are quite a bit more impossible tasks for this good lady to perform before the man will give her the time of day. The tune from which this song and some of its lyrics was borrowed from is much older and pre-dates King Henry VIII. Check out:</span> </em><a href="http://www.lyon.edu/wolfcollection/songs/medlinimpossibilities1277.html"><em>The Elfin Knight</em></a><br /><br /><center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XEhAXQ5QQzs&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XEhAXQ5QQzs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><b><span style="color:#009900;">"Scarborough Fair/Canticle" - Simon & Garfunkel, 1963</span></b></center><br /><br /><br /><br />~finding this information wasn't impossible, but I did have to look hither and yond, including this place:<br /><a href="http://www.geocities.com/paris/villa/3895/">http://www.geocities.com/paris/villa/3895/</a>LivingDedGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291110200298021819noreply@blogger.com5