We are off to the Grand Canyon. Though I will probably have a chance to post tonight and tomorrow, expect posting to be light, especially the first half of next week when we are at Phantom Ranch.
An evening pause: The British take on America and many American pop songs about our fair country.
I say, they still haven’t gotten over their defeat at Yorktown.
Six images that ruined the lives of the individuals they made famous.
Except for the last (which isn’t a photo), every one one of these images is iconic. That an innocent person was destroyed by each says a great deal about the decline of our culture in the past half century.
An evening pause: Hat tip to commenter Frank for this gem.
An evening pause: The third movement of Richard Harvey’s Concerto Antico, guitar played by John Williams.
I think that few who listen will only listen once.
An evening pause: As this is June 6, the anniversary of D-Day in World War II, let’s watch John Wayne show us how Americans once did it. From the 1962 film, The Longest Day.
Richard Branson has revealed that Justin Bieber has signed on to fly on SpaceShipTwo.
The competition is now really heating up. Bieber probably doesn’t want to be left behind, considering the publicity Sarah Brightman has been getting for her planned space flight to ISS.
News you can use: Wednesday is National Hug Your Cat Day!
An evening pause: A lot of the jokes only gun owners will understand, but nonetheless, this is funny.
The world’s highest traffic jam — at Mt. Everest.
An evening pause: A song about dreams.
These dreams
Go on when I close my eyes.
Every second of the night
I live another life.
These dreams
That sleep when it’s cold outside.
Every moment I’m awake
the further I’m away
Some of the Earth’s creepiest places.
Most of these aren’t natural places, but weird human ruins or artifacts of some kind.
An evening pause: “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?”
Watch how a politician gets his underlings to do his dirty work, while keeping his own hands clean. From the 1964 film, Becket. Click through to part 15 to see that dirty work being done.
Barnes Wallis: the man behind World War II’s Dam Busters.
An evening pause: Some nice folk music, written by Eden MacAdam Somer and Larry Unger and performed by them live in 2010.
An evening pause:
How much does it cost, I’ll buy it.
The time is all we’ve lost, I’ll try it.
But he can’t even run his own life
I’ll be damned if he’ll run mine.
The irony of this song is that it was written during the Vietnam War as a protest against the war and the draft. Today, most of the same anti-war protesters that sung it then, now want that same government to run our lives, even though it can’t run its own.
R.I.P. Ray Harryhausen (1920-2013).
An evening pause:
Where there is desire there’s gonna be a flame.
Where there is a flame someone’s gonna get burned.
But just because you’re burned doesn’t mean you’re gonna die.
You just gotta get up and try, try, try.
An evening pause: Jacqueline Abbott and Iris Dement sing a song by Iris Dement, “You’ve done nothing wrong.”
An evening pause: The original song, by Blondie, had nothing to do with Shakespeare, but I like this celebration of Shakespeare based on the song, produced by Historyteachers. And it is his birthday today!
An evening pause: No visuals, just lyrics, but this song and performance remains one of the best ever. I just can’t find a good live performance to share.
