POLKAS: THE MUSIC OF LOVE

The perfect music for any time, anywhere. They say music is the language of love. Most of it ain't. Never mind all them violins and crooners and dreamy elevator music, the C&W yodeling about broken hearts. Polkas have brought more love and bliss and happiness to couples all over the world. Young and old, big and little, every race, color and creed. Except queers. They run contrary to the laws of God and man.


Summer is polka season. In fact it has been designated The Official Music of Summer. I can think of no better way to wait for Fall than by tapping my feet to lively polka music.



That's right, you heard me. The polka has been around for centuries and can be found in classical music, like polkas, mazurkas and waltzes. Many countries of the world venerate polka music; show me people that don't enjoy polkas and I will show you losers.

Never sadness or negativity or dysfunction. No sedition or anarchy or profanity or glorification of crime and drug use. Won't hear no polkas on the boom boxes, uh uh. All in all happy music, happiness being something which we can use more of these days. Experts agree that polka people have divorce rates far below the national norms.

This from Wikipedia, not totally verified but that has never stopped me:

The polka is a lively Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in the Czech lands and is still a common genre in Swedish, Lithuanian, Czech, Polish, German, Hungarian, Austrian, Russian, Slovenian and Slovakian folk music.

In light classical music, many polkas were composed by both Johann Strauss I and his son Johann Strauss II; a couple of well-known ones were composed by Bedřich Smetana, and Jaromír Vejvoda, the author of "Škoda lásky" ("Roll Out the Barrel").

The name comes from the Czech word půlka – literally, "little half" – a reference to the short half-steps featuring in the dance. The word's familiar form has been influenced by the similarity to the Czech word polka, meaning "Polish woman". The name has led to the dance's origin being sometimes mistakenly attributed to Poland.

It should also not be confused with the polska, a Swedish 3/4-beat dance with Polish roots; cf. polka-mazurka. A related dance is the redowa. Polkas almost always have a 2/4 time signature. Tempo is usually 120 beats per minute, also used by the military when marching and can be found in brass band marches, i.e. Sousa et al.

You already heard a polka on this blog and you're gonna hear some more.





Here's an example of winners. Note the instruments these guys are playing:

Frank Yankovic, no relation to Wierd Al, kicks out the jams:

 

The accordion is discussed in another post.

SOMETIMES IT'S THE SINGER ...

... not the song. If ye can't bring good news then don't bring any.


My Art Director suggested I do a blog about these guys. Good musicians and great songs. He sez: 
 

Of course their politics run to the left, but they don't ask for much besides liberty and justice. Anyway, I just ran across it and dug the tunes and vibe of it all. 

Before we get into the tunes I will offer my observations on some music that gained popularity because it spoke for the Little Man, the common folks like you and me.

Back in the Thirties musicians like Woody Guthrie, The Weavers, some others, they railed against Big Government and the bankers and industry leaders that had their boots firmly on the necks of us little guys. The Fifties had protest songs, same theme, common folks being oppressed by Big Government. The Sixties more of the same, us against "The Man". The Blacks in the Caribbean, Rastas mostly, they wailed about the Big Government keeping them down, in very, uh, flowery terms I must say.

The songs were good, the sentiments expressed are valid but they don't get totally across to me. I have a problem fully accepting and identifying with the music because I am not a beatnik, Commie, hippie, or ganga-smoking Rasta man, therefore I tended to dismiss the songs and the message therein contained.

Along came these guys, doing covers of some good tunes and conveying the message of "us against them" without the ethnic and political baggage. 

"The Wicked Messenger"

There was a wicked messenger
From Eli he did come,
With a mind that multiplied
The smallest matter;
When questioned who had sent for him
He answered with his thumb,
For his tongue it could not speak, but only flatter.

He stayed behind the assembly hall
It was there he made his bed,
Oftentimes he could be seen returning;
Until one day he just appeared
With a note in his hand which read:
"The soles of my feet, I swear they're burning"

Oh, the leaves began to fallin'
And the seas began to part,
And the people that confronted him were many;
And he was told but these few words
Which opened up his heart:
"If ye cannot bring good news, then don't bring any".

LIFE NEVER SLEEPS

Neither does rust. Nor does money. Time marches on, for that matter.

This is gonna be one of those multi-media posts that my Art Director is so fond of. After you finish perusing the pic, engage the tunes and read on.




I see a lot of people that are getting ready. Preparing. Planning and gearing up. They anticipate when they will be ready and when their life will start. Scheming about the future and dreaming about the past. As if they are at a movie and they got the popcorn and soda and they sit patiently, waiting for Life to start. Woe unto them. Little do they know that all this time they have been living. Life has been happening as they are sitting on the bench or doing the warmup exercises.

Some folks think they have missed the boat, not realizing that for all these years they have been on it.



It is the moments, the days, the years one after the other that make up a person's life. Life is a process, not an event. How much of your life have you missed already? How old are you? Have you not noticed what has been going on all around you?

EASTER

Thanks to others for gathering this information. I will not re-invent the wheel here, and I do not take credit for the work of others.

Here is the water. If you are thirsty, drink.
 




What is Easter?

What do Christians Celebrate on Easter?

By Mary Fairchild, About.com Guide

On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It is typically the most well-attended Sunday service of the year for Christian churches.

Christians believe, according to Scripture, that Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross. As part of the Easter season, the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion is commemorated on Good Friday, always the Friday just before Easter. Through his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, thus purchasing for all who believe in him, eternal life in Christ Jesus.

(For a more detailed explanation about his death and resurrection, see Why Did Jesus Have to Die? and Timeline of Jesus' Final Hours.)

Easter Season

In Western Christianity, Easter marks the end of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline in preparation for Easter. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday. Eastern Orthodox churches observe Lent or Great Lent, during the 6 weeks or 40 days preceding Palm Sunday with fasting continuing during the Holy Week of Easter. Lent for Eastern Orthodox churches begins on Monday and Ash Wednesday is not observed.

Easter in the Bible

The biblical account of Jesus' death on the cross, or crucifixion, his burial and his resurrection, or raising from the dead, can be found in the following passages of Scripture: Matthew 27:27-28:8; Mark 15:16-16:19; Luke 23:26-24:35; and John 19:16-20:30.

Some scripture:

Matt. 28:1-9

1

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.

3

His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

4

The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

6

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.

7

Then go quickly and tell his disciples: `He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

8

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

9

Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.

LIKE A DULL KNIFE, JUST AIN'T CUTTIN'

"The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place."   ~George Bernard Shaw


Philistine, my art director, has to deal with artsy, techno, managerial, business type people. Y'know, those that are up on the rungs of some ladder or other. Sometimes he has a hard time of it. Recently he wrote:

I'm getting pretty sick of dealing with people. Everyone brings their problems to the table. You cannot have a normal discussion without people putting their motivations on you.

"I don't eat animals"

gets you: "So why do you think you can tell me I can't eat animals?"

 "I have guns to protect my family"

gets you: "So you refuse to kill animals, but you want to kill humans?"

"I don't worship what you call G_d"

gets you: "Oh that's so cool, I was raised blah blah blah and I hate religion too."

"I think the government wastes our taxes"

gets you: "I don't mind paying higher taxes, why do you hate teachers?"

"I think this Occupy thing is a media-mind-fuck-snow-job"

gets you: "Did you see those ingrates pissing all over and doing drugs, someone should round them up! And then the government should reduce regulations and enforce laws from a Constitutional perspective! Liberty for (almost) all!"

"The Constitution protects us from government and allows us to express ourselves in Liberty"

gets you: "No, government protects us from ourselves, including dangerous racists and homophobes like those Teabaggers*, someone should round them up! And then free people should only work for the community, not for a corporation. A livable minimum wage for (almost) all! *but some people should die in camps."

"What's for dinner?" gets you "You can fucking fuck off. Now you get nothing for dinner."

I'm convinced it is beyond the average person to use logic, rely on their own thoughts and feelings, and avoid the constant indoctrination of our electronic media age. People cannot think anymore, just go through the motions and feel emotionally supported by the system. It really comes down to the disintegration of the family and community and culture. Without those backstops, people are emotionally weak and exposed. So along comes the pied piper of consumer ready ideas, in what ever form, and people glom onto what ever makes them feel best. Religion, government, TV, sports, fear, hope. What ever message reinforces their inner needs and makes them feel validated and less vulnerable to the chaos of ideas that the very same system is providing for their neighbors. It's a snake eating its tail. File this under "rise and fall" of empires and cultures.

Doesn't matter much overall, just makes it harder to discuss anything that really matters to me, and it makes it hard to listen to people's empty lives spool out of their mouths.

I know exactly what he is talking about. I'm beginning to hear more and more people the way Ginger does:

So I sez to him, I sez:

Most people I interact with, they are not really listening to me. They are merely waiting for me to stop so they can go on with their rap.

 

APRIL, FOOL

I am sticking this one up until tomorrow morning. 

If you can't laugh at other people, who can you laugh at?

"THE DOUGHNUT IN GRANNY'S GREENHOUSE"  A party is in full swing. Desperate for a pee, a man goes up to the host and asks the whereabouts of the “smallest room". The host is nonplussed. The man continues with every possible euphemism: “little boy's room" - "privy" - "bog" - "john" - "jakes" - "loo" - "facility" – “rest room" – “comfort­ station???”. The host is still baffled. The man finally blurts, “Look you stupid bastard, I'm bursting for a piss!” “Ah,” says the host, “you want the Doughnut in Granny's Greenhouse".

 

10 MYTHS

This is sorta political. Politics is not my favorite topic so I post this reluctantly.
Hey, if it can save just one child ...








































This was lifted from Alan Caruba's blogsite at least a year ago, maybe more:


"In no particular order, here are ten myths that will affect domestic and international policy in the years ahead:

1. Myth: Global warming is real. It was never real except for the natural warming cycle that occurred from 1850 to 1998 when the Earth became another natural cycle, but this time cooling.

2. Myth: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a danger to humans. This is the most pernicious lie that has been put forth by environmentalists and is the basis for the global warming lie. CO2 is vital to all life on Earth as it represents for all vegetation what oxygen is for all animals. This myth is the rationalization for Cap-and-Trade legislation.

3. Myth: The world is running out of oil. Not even close. New reserves of oil are being found on a regular basis. There is no substitute for oil as the basis for transportation and the many other products such as plastic for which it is the basic component. Failure to access national reserves of oil such as that in ANWR or offshore in the U.S. continental shelf is criminally stupid.

4. Myth: Afghanistan is critical to the war on terror. No, sorry, all the real action is in Pakistan these days and, in the days to come, in Yemen. Few NATO members want to provide forces for action there for lack of confidence in its present government.

5. Myth: The future is in “clean energy” as opposed to “dirty” coal. Wrong again. If wind or solar energy could demonstrate any practical use beyond very small projects it would attract investment, but it does not. Dependent on unreliable factors and requiring a backup source of energy such as a coal-fired or nuclear plant, large scale applications are a huge waste of money.

6. Myth: The U.S. must become “energy independent.” No nation on Earth is energy independent. The U.S. has failed to encourage the building of a single new refinery since the 1970s and is failing to encourage the building of nuclear plants to meet the nation’s growing need for more electricity.

7. Myth: The government can create or “save” jobs. Wrong again. The only jobs government creates are government jobs. These are essentially managerial and often exist to justify the continued existence of government agencies that actually impede job growth or significantly interfere with the free market.

8. Myth: The financial crisis is not a significant threat. An economy whose annual gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to be $14 trillion cannot long survive a debt ceiling of $12.4 trillion as approved by Congress on December 24. That requires too much borrowing. Only less spending can ensure stability.

9. Myth: The United Nations is necessary for resolving international disputes. Historically the UN has repeatedly failed to stop conflicts since its inception after WWII. It has a long record of corruption and inaction.

10. Myth: President Obama tells the truth. Barack Obama’s first year in office demonstrated to his supporters, independents, and critics that he lies all the time about everything. The only promise he made that he is fulfilling is the transformation of the U.S. into a failed socialist economy."

PALM SUNDAY

In two parts. This Sunday Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem. The text is graciously lifted from Wikipedia. I present this article as an exposure to the Bible and my Christian faith. My beliefs get me through some rough times, bucko.

Main article: Triumphal entry into Jerusalem

In the accounts of the four canonical Gospels, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem takes place about a week before his Resurrection.

According to the Gospels, Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem, and the celebrating people there lay down their cloaks in front of him, and also lay down small branches of trees. The people sang part of Psalms 118: 25–26 – ... Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord ....
The symbolism of the donkey may refer to the Eastern tradition that it is an animal of peace, versus the horse, which is the animal of war.^[1] Therefore, a king came riding upon a horse when he was bent on war and rode upon a donkey when he wanted to point out he was coming in peace. Therefore, Jesus' entry to Jerusalem symbolized his entry as the Prince of Peace, not as a war-waging king.
In many lands in the ancient Near East, it was customary to cover in some way the path of someone thought worthy of the highest honour. The Hebrew Bible (2Kings 9:13) reports that Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, was treated this way. Both the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John report that people gave Jesus this form of honour. However, in the synoptics they are only reported as laying their garments and cut rushes on the street, whereas John more specifically mentions palm fronds. The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory in Jewish tradition, and is treated in other parts of the Bible as such (e.g., Leviticus 23:40 and Revelation 7:9). Because of this, the scene of the crowd greeting Jesus by waving palms and carpeting his path with them and their cloaks has become symbolic and important.

Here is Scripture:

Matthew 21:1-11

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Triumphal Entry

21 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage,^[a] at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. ³ And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

⁴ All^[b] this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

⁵ “Tell the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.’”^[c]

⁶ So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him^[d] on them. ⁸ And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’^[e]
Hosanna in the highest!”

¹⁰ And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”

¹¹ So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

HEAVEN and HELL

Hieronymus Bosch

Nothing is known of his personality or his thoughts on the meaning of his art. Bosch’s date of birth has not been determined with certainty. It is estimated at c. 1450 on the basis of a hand drawn portrait (which may be a self-portrait) made shortly before his death in 1516. The drawing shows the artist at an advanced age, probably in his late sixties.

In recent decades, scholars have come to view Bosch's vision as less fantastic, and accepted that his art reflects the orthodox religious belief systems of his age. His depictions of sinful humanity, his conceptions of Heaven and Hell are now seen as consistent with those of late medieval didactic literature and sermons. Most writers attach a more profound significance to his paintings than had previously been supposed, and attempt to interpret it in terms of a late medieval morality. It is generally accepted that Bosch’s art was created to teach specific moral and spiritual truths in the manner of other Northern Renaissance figures, such as the poet Robert Henryson, and that the images rendered have precise and premeditated significance. According to Dirk Bax, Bosch's paintings often represent visual translations of verbal metaphors and puns drawn from both biblical and folkloric sources.

Bosch produced several triptychs. Among his most famous is The Garden of Earthly Delights. This painting, for which the original title has not survived, depicts paradise with Adam and Eve and many wondrous animals on the left panel, the earthly delights with numerous nude figures and tremendous fruit and birds on the middle panel, and hell with depictions of fantastic punishments of the various types of sinners on the right panel.

 Adam and Eve

                                                                                                                

Earthly Delights

Hell

SPAM - THERE'S NEVER ENOUGH

Winter is departing. Time to get back to the business of blogging. Do you realize we are hurtling through space at a speed of thousands of miles per hour? Imagine that measured in furlongs per fortnight.

I spend many a happy hour here, expanding my horizons, so to speak. Getting great ideas for parties.

Doomers take note: when the SHTF canned meats is all yer gonna have unless you shoot a squirrel or a gator or somethin'.

History of Spam

Hawaiians have a love affair with Spam - they eat it as a delicacy, adding it to soups and stews, treating it as a side dish for breakfast, and enjoying it as the main event for lunch and dinner. Residents of Hawaii consume more Spam than populations anywhere else in the world: More than four million cans every year, or an average twelve cans of Spam per person per year. In fact, Hawaii is so well associated with Spam that Hormel even introduced a limited edition "Hawaii" can in 2003.

The Hormel Company, in Austin, Minnesota, developed America's first canned ham in 1926. After the hams were cut, the company was left with thousands of pounds of nearly worthless pork shoulder. Jay C. Hormel, son of Hormel founder George A. Hormel, developed the ideas of using the pork shoulder in a new product called "Hormel Spiced Ham." Since the name was rather uninspiring, a contest for a new name was held at a New Year’s Eve party, with a $100 prize to the winner. The winning name was the name it goes by today - Spam. Kenneth Daigneau, an actor and the brother of a Hormel vice president Ralph Daigeau, won the contest.

During World War II, sales of Spam soared. In part because it requires no refrigeration, Spam was perfect for the military and became a standard K-ration for U.S. soldiers. Military personnel introduced it in Hawaii and elsewhere.

I JUST ... FEEL SOMETHIN'

These tunes are in my head; I let them out on occasion for some air.

Sometimes I would rather listen to the music than hear myself think.








Doin' it all over town.





Laissez les bons temps rouler





poison in my chalice




Leave on a happy note:

DONKEYS and ELEPHANTS

This election more than any other was won by people like us voting negative. We didn't, did not want the incumbents to remain in office so we made choices that were not positive ones. We didn't care what the pol's record was or if he had some little secrets and shortcomings, all we knew was that he was not a Democrat. Perhaps that strategy will be the prevailing one in future elections. Instead of "I am this and I promise that" we'll see "I'm not this and I will not that".


I am not surprised. Sad, yeah, in the melancholy sense. The change in power in Congress was inevitable. The Democrats have shown no regard for the voice of any people except the usual suspects: special interest groups, People of Color, and money people. What bothers me is the mindset, the tactics we had to adopt in order to gain some control.

 I am wondering exactly what it is that we have won? The ensuing months will tell the tale. All these pols we put in to take control of Congress, most of them got in because we were voting against Dems, not necessarily for them.

The numbers tell the tale. Jefferson:  “A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.”

One of Pidge’s rules:  Stretch the rules. Always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.

Lombardi:  Some of us will do our jobs well and some will not, but we will all be judged by only one thing -- the result.

I am a winner. What I will do now and how I will survive whatever comes next, that is my focus. With King James and Uncle Sam I can't go wrong.
 

 

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed. – 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.



 

Certain messages should be repeated. Carlin makes some good points.
Warning: he uses swear words.




I read this in The Woodpile Report:

No matter who you vote for, the government gets elected.

(Traditional, cited by Francis Porretto, eternityroad.info )


 Is there anybody reading this stuff that still believes if only we had:

• Republicans   
• Democrats
• Tea Party
• Libertarians
• Penguins for a Gun-free Antarctica
• Sarah Palin
• Donald Trump
• all of the above
• none of the above

that all our troubles would go away?

 (Help at the bottom of the page in video form if you were one of those childs not left behind)

If you chose any of the above please click here. You have earned one of these:

If you didn't even bother to answer there is faint hope.


Consider this:

 

Traces of nobility, gentleness and courage persist in all people, do what we will to stamp out the trend. So, too, do those characteristics which are ugly. It is just unfortunate that in the clumsy hands of a cartoonist all traits become ridiculous, leading to a certain amount of self-conscious expostulation and the desire to join battle.

There is no need to sally forth, for it remains true that those things which make us human are, curiously enough, always close at hand. Resolve then, that on this very ground, with small flags waving and tinny blast on tiny trumpets, we shall meet the enemy, and not only may he be ours, he may be us.

—Walt Kelly, June 1953

Here's another cartoon from the 30s or 40s.

 

These guys did not have super-vision nor were they Nostradamus/Cayce prophets. They did not have their heads in the sand nor were they smoking dope. They just saw things.

 

They saw things like this:
 

Here's another quiz, you can make up for the question you missed above:

How many cows are in this picture?

Never mind the sub-titles.

TIME ON MY SIDE

Before I do more posting I will explain something. I have had many cars, too many females, lots of money (I reckon at least a million bucks has slipped through my hands) some friends, plenty of jobs. These are all renewable resources. Lonely, happy, sad, rich, poor, in wheels or on foot, in a bed or in the back seat of my car, all comes and goes.


Being afflicted with cancer has changed a lot of my perspective. I do not want to waste time. I only have what the Good Lord gives me and that could be ten minutes or ten years.





But time, ah, that is different. Time marches on, and once gone is gone for good. No instant replay except in the back of my mind, the moment comes, lingers briefly, and is gone.

Now that I am retired I have more free time; my days allow me more time, that's true, but priorities dictate how that time is utilized.

 

 

I recently acquired another M1 Garand and I am spending some time restoring, fitting, and finishing her.

It is like this: should I spend three hours putting some posts together that nobody reads? (and I don't give a shit if they do or don't). Except maybe Philistine, but he is my Art Director and he is kin. Or, should I spend three hours fitting hand guards and applying linseed oil, installing a new gas cylinder? 

Blow wise to this: a keyboard never got me a rabbit for the stewpot and would not be much use against a burglar, unless I threw the thing at him. With the way things are going these days, we might not have an internet, but we will have all our tools. 

So there ya go. Read 'em and weep. Better yet, get out to the range and plink some tin cans or go gather some food. That will serve you better than net surfing or blogging.

So mote it be. 

A JOB BEGUN ...

... is a job half done.

Returned from the Mayo Clinic for a while. I need to spend some time with my oncologist and nephrologist before I can go any further at the clinic.

John Hiatt writes better lyrics than I write commentary. Often he says something and I say to myself "dog gone, I wish I woulda said that".















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