In the past six years (2002-2018) there have been three recorded deaths in the US from snake bites during religious services. Pastor Cody Coots survived a bite to the face. Jamie Coots, Cody’s father was bit on the hand and died in 2014. (Pinkard and Bowden addressed this practice in 1984.)
Cyriak outdoes himself creepy-wise, with “Indigestion.” [Found here.]
Frank Zappa‘s final live performance (with backup by Pražský výběr) 1991, Prague, Czechoslovakia, shortly after the collapse of the USSR. Long intro, but worth the listen.
Traffic, 1971. We played their albums in college so often that if you held the vinyl to a light you could see through the grooves.
A great cultural icon passed on this week. She possessed one of the greatest voices in the business, singing and performing gospel, blues, R&B, jazz, soul and pop. Multiple generations grew up listening to her recordings, myself included.
What a natural. Only 22 years old in 1964, and she was already amazing. Respect indeed.
R.I.P. Aretha Franklin (1942-2018).
Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here tomorrow.
Ruth Norman (1900-1993) was the gilded leader of “Unarius,” a UFO cult founded with her husband Ernest in 1954. Ruth was not only a figurehead for “interdimensional understanding” but a master at putting together looks fit for an intergalactic space queen.
[Photos & modified caption found here and, yes, there’s more.]
Jared Dines commissioned the design of a 17-string guitar, paid $1,200 for it, then learned that it was made in China for $400. Pissed him off, so he destroyed it. He then ordered this 18-string from a legit Australian company. Nice catchy tune…
The Baboons‘ “It’s Dark” has a solid (but unattributed) Howlin’ Wolf groove, so let’s go there.
That’s Willie Dixon on bass. He wrote, arranged, produced, played and sang on some of the most influential blues standards in modern history, so it’s really a Dixon Groove.
Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here when you’re ready.
In 1893, the average beer consumption [in Cincinnati] was 40 gallons for every man, woman and child – 2-1/2 times the national average. [From Cincinnati’s Rise and Fall as a Brewery Town.]
“Little Kings Cream Ale” is sold in 8-packs of little green 7-ounce bottles across the nation. It was the result of a request by Ted Gregory (aka “The Ribs King“) to the Schoenling Brewery Co. when the beer taps went down and his customers didn’t want to pay for 12-ounce beers to go with their shots of whiskey. TRUE
Fun Facts to Know And Tell Department:
[Via the US Postal Service Website]: The following live, day–old animals are acceptable for mailing when properly packaged: chickens, ducks, emus, geese, guinea birds, partridges, pheasants (only during April through August), quail, and turkeys. Day–old poultry can be delivered to the addressee within 72 hours of the time of hatching, except for Sundays and Holidays. Also included in the list are Baby Alligators, Baby Caimans, Chameleons, Frogs, Lizards, Newts, Reptiles and Amphibians, Salamanders, Tadpoles and Toads, and Giant Bone-Crushing Weasels. (Okay, I added the last one.)
[h/t Mrs. N. Mr. N. opined that the chicken chicks are being used as drug mules.]
That’s the first known recording of John Philip Sousa‘s “The Stars And Stripes Forever March.” It was recorded by Kendle’s First Regiment Band on 29 December 1901 and published by Victor Records [source]. Sousa wrote in his autobiography that he composed the march on Christmas Day, 1896, while crossing the Atlantic, after he learned of the death of his band’s manager.
In 1987, an Act of Congress declared the song to be the Official National March of the United States of America.
Every person who supported cessation and fought for Independence from England was a British subject. Every person who fought against them were also subjects of The Crown. The American Revolution was fought by the British against the British.
The abuse of power by the King had become intolerable, and 13 individual colonies eventually banded together as one to fight the tyranny. The odds were not in their favor, and those colonists in the fray knew that they would be hung (or tortured to death) if they failed.
The Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia in the summer of 1775, shortly after the war with the British had begun. It was preceded by the First Continental Congress in the fall of 1774.
The Congress appointed George Washington as commander of the Continental Army, and authorized the raising of the army through conscription.
On July 4, 1776, the Congress issued the Declaration of Independence, which for the first time asserted the colonies’ intention to be fully independent of the mother country.
The Congress established itself as the central governing authority under the Articles of Confederation, which remained in force until 1788.
While sitting in pre-holiday traffic, I listened to The Mark Levin Show, and he played the audio of those two videos with commentary. I re-learned some history.
Have a Great Independence Day
and Remember What It Means.
“A 65-year-old resident of a Chinese village named Huang Shiguo has been making paper according to old traditional technology for the last 36 years. According to him, for a month he produces about 3,000 sheets of such paper, earning about 9,000 yuan or 1,400 dollars. [Huang] argues that paper made in a traditional way is much more durable, quality and soft compared to the manufactured methods. The master sells its products in the local markets of China.”
At time of posting, 9,000 yuan is equivalent to US $1,355, so each sheet of handmade paper earns him about 45 cents. Not bad, given the cost of living in rural China, but he’s not living in rural China. He’s demonstrating and preserving ancient technology, and selling his expensive product while living in a tourist mecca. Pure undiluted capitalism. Kudos.
“Huang Shiguo, 65, makes paper using ancient methods in his home in Baishui Village, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China’s Guizhou Province. Huang said he began learning the traditional paper-making craft at 29 and has been dedicated to the ancient craft ever since. Locals in the area have a more than 1,000-year history of paper making as the region is rich in Yangshan Bamboo, a main material needed for the craft. Huang said the typical process involves 72 steps and 55 days to produce paper.”
[Photos and 1st caption (translated from Russian via Google Translate) found here. 2nd caption from here.]
Saw a young dove outside our garage late this afternoon. I think it knows how to fly, it just doesn’t seem to see the importance of it yet.
He/she didn’t seem too bothered by my presence, so I went back inside for my camera. Somehow it managed to make an arrangement of river rocks, a plastic colander and a rubber football in an inverted Rubbermaid trash can lid. I decided to take a pic from another angle, and when I downloaded it I found this:
Tacky Raccoons 