Something weird with Orcas started around 6 years ago in the Straight of Gibraltar: Orca pods started ramming sailing boats. Hundreds of boats have been attacked, so many that there is a Wikipedia page about the situation.
Well it seems that yachtsmen have started returning fire:
Country music is alive and well in the Emerald Isle. Glór Tíre is a long running and highly rated country music talent competition on Ireland's TG4 channel. The last season's winner was Paddy Treacy with this song. It's Irish (for sure) but it is indisputably country. I love this video - it looks like he and his mates had a blast filming it.
I was born by God's dear Grace in an extraordinary place. Happy Birthday to that place.
I pledge allegiance to that flag, and if that bothers you, well that's too bad.
But if you have pride and you're proud you do, we could use a some more like me and you. Glen Filthie, this means you. You're already half way thrown out of your current place. The air smells of freedom here ...
Aaron Tippin: Where The Stars And Stripes And The Eagle Fly
Well, if you ask me where I come from
Here's what I tell everyone
I was born by God's dear grace
In an extraordinary place
Where the stars and stripes and the eagle fly
It's a big ol' land with countless dreams
Happiness ain't out of reach
Hard work pays off the way it should
Yeah, I've seen enough to know that we've got it good
Where the stars and stripes and the eagle fly
There's a lady that stands in a harbor for what we believe
And there's a bell that still echoes the price that it cost to be free
I pledge allegiance to this flag
And if that bothers you, well, that's too bad
But if you got pride and you're proud you do
Hey, we could use some more like me and you
Where the stars and stripes and the eagle fly
Yes, there's a lady that stands in a harbor for what we believe
And there's a bell that still echoes the price that it cost to be free
No, it ain't the only place on earth
But it's the only place that I prefer
To love my wife and raise my kids
Hey, the same way that my daddy did
Where the stars and stripes and the eagle fly
Where the stars and stripes and the eagle fly
This song sums up the current Cold Civil War here on the shores of the New World*. It also sums up the increasing Cold War between Western Europe** and the USA under the Trump Administration. It's a fundamental disconnect between world views - us vs. them***.
All I can say is that God spared Donald Trump last summer for a purpose. That statement probably bothers some people.
Well, that's too bad****.
* I only use the term to bother the Usual Suspects.
** Ibid
*** Well, except for the European oppressed political minorities, like the AfD, Marine Le Pen, Tommy Robinson, et al.
**** Damn, this has turned into a rant. I guess that calls for a clarification. Maybe it's not a rant, it's a desire for a Reckoning:
Not just stranger than you think, but stranger than you can imagine.
A few years back, The Queen Of The World and I rev'ed up the Harley and road to Morgantown, WV for Mountainfest. We had a blast - it was a great ride through spectacular scenery, the HOG folks were (as always) a hoot in a holler at the 'fest, and the concert was headlined by Alabama, playing "Mountain Music" and "Country Roads".
As you can imagine, it wasn't a concert, it was a sing-along.
Well knock me over with a feather - it seems that "Country Roads" is a mandatory song at Oktoberfest in Germany, and everybody sings along. Don't believe me?
Reminds me a bit of the bikers in Morgantown. Found through a link from here, which includes this suggested rewrite of the lyrics for a German audience:
Almost Heaven
Schleswig-Holstein
Kaiser Wilhelm
Lederhosen fashions!
Life is Old there,
Older than the Zee!
Younger than the mountains
in Southern Germany.
Autobahn
Take me on
To the Place
to Goosestep On.
Western Poland
into Russia
Take me On
Autobahn
I hear his voice, in the morning hour he heils me.
Der radio reminds me of my oath of loy-al-ty
And drivin’ on to Moscow, I get feelin’
Shoulda been retreatin’
yes-ter DAY!
Yes-ter DAY!
Autobahn…
Whatever you do, don't mention the War. I did once, but I think I got away with it.
Even weirder, it seems that the old Tennessee Ernie Ford "Sixteen Tons" is hugely popular in Russia. Here is the Red Army Chorus (or whatever they're called now) doing a credible version of this from a couple decades back:
I like this version. His voice is in a lower register than Ford's was, and that's saying a lot. But Russian music has always had a bigger dynamic range than western music. This just keeps that tradition alive.
Voted Tree of the Year in 2016 by the conservation charity Woodland Trust, the Sycamore Gap Tree was one of the most photographed trees in the United Kingdom. It’s also known as the “Robin Hood Tree” because it appeared in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, despite Hadrian’s Wall being some 130 miles north of Sherwood Forest.
According to the National Trust, this iconic sycamore tree was planted in the late 1800s by John Clayton, the saviour of Hadrian’s Wall, to be a feature in the landscape.
So why would someone cut it down? Tik-tok views:
Why would anyone do this? A question we are all confused over. Police officers are looking into claims that the tree was felled to be posted online and carried out as part of a TikTok stunt
Dumbass Tik-tockers. Hang em. From a tree. As a warning to others.
Leigh Ann Abernethy started singing in the Indian Trail Baptist Church in the 1970s. After she graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in French, she headed across the Pond and settled down there as Liane Edwards. She's been singing with the Dust Raisers for 30 years, writing a bunch of her own music. She was voted Songwriter of the Year in 2017 in the French Country Highway Awards.
But even though across the sea we find that while you can take the girl out of Carolina, you can't take the Carolina out of the girl. This song only has 463 views on Youtube which is a crying shame. It's the real deal. Formidable!
Good stuff. Like I said, this is the real deal. Or as her web site puts it (en francais), Liane Edwards est un shot de whiskey dans un monde de Coca. Endorsed.
This week is St. Patrick's Day when everyone is Irish. Interestingly, the ever-musical Irish have a flair for Country music so this is a bit of a two way street. The Irish mania for Country music is best seen on Glór Tíre, one of the most watched Irish TV shows - sort of a Country music American Idol from Ireland; if it were any more awesome it would collapse into a black hole of awesome.
Country music - it's as America as Corned Beef and Cabbage ...
Liam Kelly won Glór Tíre in 2015. This is a Merle Haggard, toe-tapping Country song. Enjoy!
Workin' Man Blues (Songwriter: Merle Haggard)
It's a big job just gettin' by with nine kids and a wife
I been a workin' man dang near all my life
I'll be working long as my two hands are fit to use
I'll drink my beer in a tavern,
Sing a little bit of these working man blues
I keep my nose on the grindstone, I work hard every day
Might get a little tired on the weekend, after I draw my pay
But I'll go back workin, come Monday morning I'm right back with the crew
I'll drink a little beer that evening,
Sing a little bit of these working man blues
Hey hey, the working man, the working man like me
I ain't never been on welfare, that's one place I won't be
Cause I'll be working long as my two hands are fit to use
I drink a little beer in a tavern
Sing a little bit of these working man blues
Sometimes I think about leaving, do a little bummin around
I wanna throw my bills out the window catch a train to another town
But I go back working I gotta buy my kids a brand new pair of shoes
Yeah drink a little beer in a tavern,
Cry a little bit of these working man blues
Hey hey, the working man, the working man like me
I ain't never been on welfare, that's one place I won't be
Cause I'll be working long as my two hands are fit to use
I drink a little beer in a tavern
Sing a little bit of these working man blues
Yeah drink a little beer in a tavern,
Cry a little bit of these working man blues
Well, they'll say it's way too cold for cut-off jeans
And they won't be drinking moonshine but G&Ts
They'll be, country boys at heart
Dancing with sweet, country girls all night
We can build our own Nashville
Underneath these grey skies
And people will come, they'll come from far and wide
They'll leave their village greens and their big cities behind
We can build our own Nashville
It's about time
Won't get that Southern sun, we'll be dancing in the rain
Every single night, we'll do it again and again
All those, country girls at heart
Kissing those, country boys in the dark
We can build our own Nashville
Underneath these grey skies
And people will come, they'll come from far and wide
They'll leave their village greens and their big cities behind
We can build our own Nashville
It's about time
It's about time
It's about time
We can build our own Nashville
Underneath these grey skies
People will come from far and wide
They'll be dancing in the rain
People will come, they'll come from far and wide
(Far and wide, far and wide)
They'll leave their village greens and their big cities behind
We can build our own Nashville
It's about time
It's about time
We saw this on our way out of town Saturday. On a Texas highway, I would not have even looked twice. On a German side road, my jaw dropped. So many things about this vehicle screamed mis-placement to us but none more-so than the bumper sticker, "This vehicle protected by Smith & Wesson". Nice.There's a picture, too. As Lissa would say, "That's a Big Ol' truck!"
According to Russian truth orifice RT, Nikolay Irgit was collecting shed antlers in the Tuva region with a couple of mates.
The deer and moose remains, RT said, can fetch a tidy sum on black markets for their alleged medicinal properties and to make furniture.
You need a licence to scavenge them – which Irgit and company did not have so the gang were likely hoping for a quick and painless trip.
They set up camp, cooked some grub, sang Ging Gang Goolie then split up.
The gods were not smiling upon Irgit, it seems, as he soon met a brown bear – one of the largest carnivores second only to its cousin, the polar bear.
Scared, Irgit screamed at the beast, hoping it would scarper. Instead it charged the lad, chomping down on his head and also injuring his hands and stomach.
At this point, chances of survival are drastically waning and yet our heroic antler thief prevailed.
The police report said that as the bear had its teeth locked round his skull, Irgit "managed to bite the bear's tongue off, after which the bear was frightened and ran away".Woah. Sadly, Our Hero is being prosecuted for collecting antlers without a license.
There's a busker playin' on the street
Watching all the people meet
The boys and girls are back in Dublin town
There's young ones there from everywhere
From America to God knows where
It's just another night in Temple Bar
So come on down, out on the town
Cause' this is where a good time can be found
So bring along the old squeeze box, the fiddle and guitar
Let's have a good old night in Temple Bar
There's a stag do here from Liverpool
Chasing hens and on the boat
Old Barney's lashing out the 'Rare Auld Times'
Ah the Glasgow girls are on the floor
And a round of shots have just been poured
It's another crazy night in Temple Bar
So come on down, out on the town
Cause' this is where a good time can be found
So bring along the old squeeze box, the fiddle and guitar
Let's have a good old night in Temple Bar
There is no better place to be than this old town tonight
Nobody's going home till' they turn out the lights
So come on down, out on the town
Cause' this is where a good time can be found
So bring along the old squeeze box, the fiddle and guitar
Let's have a good old night in Temple Bar
So come on down, out on the town
Cause' this is where a good time can be found
So bring along the old squeeze box, the fiddle and guitar
Let's have a good old night in Temple Bar
Let's have a good old night in Temple Bar
There's a busker playing on the street
Watching all the people meet
Un stand-mobile de restauration finit de carboniser au milieu des Champs-Elysées. #GilestJaunes pic.twitter.com/v3Col3owTJ— Vincent Serrano (@Vincent_Serrano) November 24, 2018
Fuel tax rises which had led to weeks of violent protests in France have been suspended for six months.PM Edouard Philippe said that people's anger must be heard, and the measures would not be applied until there had been proper debate with those affected.The protests have hit major French cities, causing considerable damage for the past three weekends.The "gilets jaunes" (yellow vest) protests have now grown to reflect more widespread anger at the government.Three people have died since the unrest began and the resulting violence and vandalism - notably when statues were smashed at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris last Saturday - have been widely condemned."Yellow vests" are so called because they have taken to the streets wearing the high-visibility yellow clothing that is required to be carried in every vehicle by French law.
— Sal the Agorist (@SallyMayweather) December 4, 2018
You have to shift manually and use something called a clutch.It's funny because it's true.
On Saturday almost 1,500 motorcyclists gathered in Aix-en-Provence in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, protesting against the speed limit of 80 kmh [50mph]. Around 5 pm one of the drivers, irritated by the blockage of the road by the demonstration, couldn’t stand it any more and, swinging a knife through the open window, he plowed his car into the rallying motorcyclists. Some of the witnesses testified that he was shouting “Allahu Akhbar”.Ah, France. Blocking roads has become an art form. Or an entertainment. Or both.
Two of the motorcyclists were wounded: one in the hand and the other in the arm. Both were hospitalized. However, the angry crowd turned on the car, and with the help of helmets and rocks they began to destroy it. The driver and the passengers, however, managed to break free and avoid lynching.It may be France, but these are bikers. Click through to enjoy the video of, well, bikers reacting exactly how you think they'd react. I'm actually surprised at how many of them used their helmets to hammer the car - good helmets aren't cheap, and once you give it a thwack like that, it's off to the Helmet Shoppe for you.
Drive away on a pick up truck
Mountain trip, don't get stuck
Riding through the wide prairie
He's got so many new things to see
He's tasting freedom, always on the run
He's tasting freedom, can't find his way back home
but sometimes he's lonely,
thinking about his girl back home,
she's all alone
he'll return, his wheels will burn,
one more hill to climb, he'll be back in time
He's tasting freedom, can't find his way back home
but sometimes he's lonely,
thinking about his girl back home,
she's all alone
he'll return, his wheels will burn,
one more hill to climb, he'll be back in time
He sings lei lei la leileilei, like a bird in the sky
lei lei la leileiloo, hello, goodbye, got to go
He's tasting freedom, always on the run
he's tasting freedom, can't find his way back home
Uh yeah, mhm, he's tasting freedom
