About midway through the Cleveland Air Races in 1946 an event placed somewhat inconspicuously on the program was dutifully announced over the public address system. The man said that a Navy Flight Exhibition team in four Grumman Bearcat fighters would demonstrate Navy precision flying in formation. On the team were a Lieutenant Commander, a Lieutenant and two Lieutenants Junior Grade. They were all Naval Aviators with combat records.
[…]
Such a four-plane formation employed so skillfully in the last war [WWII] gave cause for its leader, out-numbered fifteen to one, to exclaim without hesitation,
“Red Leader to Carrier, I have 60 Zeros surrounded and am proceeding to attack!” All of his four planes got back and were accredited 17 “kills.”
This week in 1946 Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Chester W. Nimitz ordered the creation of a flight demonstration team. In 1949, the team took the name Blue Angels.
I had no idea of Lockwood’s pedigree when he showed up at an early morning jazz appreciation class I took in college. For him, it was all about the blues, and his lecture/demonstration blew me away.
He was taught guitar by Robert Johnson (1911-1938), the legendary King of the Delta Blues (and the Grandfather of Rock and Roll) hence the nickname Robert “Junior.”
Most of Robert Johnson’s songs have been covered by modern musicians, but I hadn’t heard the original “Hellhound On My Trail” until today. It’s got unusual chord patterns and rhythms:
You sprinkled hot foot powder All around your daddy’s door.
Here’s Eric Clapton’s version from 2004, and it’s just as disturbing.
Have a great weekend, folks, and remember that everything’s gonna be alright.
[Image found here. Original image found here via Tineye.]
Here’s the true story via Google Translate:
Heavy rain yesterday / Rufisque totally under water: Citizens are sounding the alarm. (Images)
No ! We are not in Venice, but in Rufisque, the old city. Very heavy rains have ended up invading the entire city and exposed the glaring lack of canalization of this city. Thus citizens of Rufisque are organizing, in a real platform to apply for Rufisque the right to a healthy environment, as voted in the referendum of 2016. These citizens of Rufisque ask the government to trigger the plan ORSEC to save this city drowning more and more in broken promises. Also, they invite the Ministry of water and sanitation to decide on the 10 billion of BADEA funding for the final settlement of the sanitation issue in Rufisque and more particularly the canal. Indeed, they say “the announcement of funding has been made since January 2017. Nearly two years later, nothing. We also call on the government to intervene with UNESCO for the rehabilitation of our old heritage buildings. According to them, “the market deserves to be rehabilitated in the image of those of Ziguinchor, Diourbel, Thiaroye. We also invite NGOs working in the environment to look at Rufisque. The issue of CSR needs to be revisited. The Sococim as well as Valda and Senelec at Cap des Biches do nothing for this city whose municipal authorities have finished resigning their missions. We know that the municipalities of Rufisque do not have the means to solve the flood and canal equation … So only the government can help the Rufisquois get out of the nest, they concluded.
