FRIDAY MUSIC: Sephardic Music, by JD

"The name Sephardi means "Spanish" or "Hispanic", derived from Sepharad (Hebrew: סְפָרַד‎, Modern: Sfarád, Tiberian: Səp̄āráḏ), a Biblical location.[11] The location of the biblical Sepharad points to the Iberian peninsula, then the westernmost outpost of Phoenician maritime trade.[12] Jewish presence in Iberia is believed to have started during the reign of King Solomon, whose excise imposed taxes on Iberian exiles. Although the first date of arrival of Jews in Iberia is the subject of ongoing archaeological research, there is evidence of established Jewish communities as early as the 1st century CE.

"The Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula prospered for centuries under the Muslim reign of Al-Andalus following the Umayyad conquest of Hispania, but their fortunes began to decline with the Christian Reconquista campaign to retake Spain.

"By the late 15th century, Sephardic Jews had been largely expelled from Spain and scattered across North Africa, Western Asia, Southern and Southeastern Europe, either settling near existing Jewish communities or as the first in new frontiers, such as along the Silk Road."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephardic_Jews

The Reconquista of 1492 saw both communities driven out of Spain but they both left a long lasting legacy. When I first visited Toledo many years ago I was surprised to see direction signs in both Hebrew and Spanish; I've never found out the reason for that curious bi-lingual signage. The strongest evidence of the Sephardic influnce lies in their music and so herewith a small selection of that music!

A la una yo nací. Música Sefardí. Emilio Villalba & Sephardica

ANA ALCAIDE: PASACALLES SEFARDÍ- Sinagoga del Tránsito de Toledo

Hija Mía mi querida. Música Sefardí. Emilio Villalba & Sephardica

Ana Alcaide - Khun Caravan (VideoClip)

Morena me llaman. Música Sefardí. Emilio Villalba & Sephardica

Ana Alcaide: LUNA SEFARDITA en Samarkanda

FRIDAY MUSIC: Prague Rhythm Kings, by JD

Prague Rhythm Kings is a professional orchestra providing the original interpretation of jazz and popular music from years 1923 to 1932. The repertoire of the orchestra draws from sound recordings of the most significant American and Czech musical ensembles. Thanks to the use of the original historical interpretations and musical instruments, Prague Rhythm Kings tries to get closer to the authentic sound of jazz orchestras of the 1920s.

Noble, elegance, but also the freedom of these "hot" years will get you into the unique concert show! Not only with Blues, Charleston, Foxtrot, and sweet musical melodies but also with our hairstyles and costumes, we will bring this unique atmosphere to you.

http://rhythmkings.cz/index.html#section-info

Prague Rhythm Kings - Doin' The New Low Down

Prague Rhythm Kings - Navigátor (Why Can't You)

Prague Rhythm Kings - You Tell Her, I Stutter

Prague Rhythm Kings - Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man

Prague Rhythm Kings - You're Driving Me Crazy

..... the lady singing, Radka Říhová (I think that is her name), is slightly off-key at times but that shouldn't spoil your enjoyment!

Money To Burn, by Wiggia

No one can say that running a country is easy, though running it into the ground seems to be an easier option; a couple of examples to open up:

The first is from the DfT. A report supports spending £3 billion on the scheme below; having failed miserably in keeping the road standard high enough to actually drive on they take the easy option under the guise of healthier living.

In itself there is little to complain about. Sensible cycle ways if used are indeed safer than that offered now, but in most cases the current road structure cannot handle the extra lanes so the traffic becomes squeezed out.

That is also ok according to the same source as air quality is improved etc etc. There is never any question mark over the fact that business is hit by lower footfall as customers go online, firms close and jobs are lost, but if you can dress it all up with the catch-all climate change banner then you have a valid (in their eyes) excuse not to update the infrastructure so money is saved to be squandered on other schemes.

See (2)...

1. The report was critical of some areas of the Government’s approach to active travel and said it was not on track to achieve its key policy aim of increasing cycling and walking.

A DfT spokesperson said: “We are investing £3 billion up to 2025 to delivering safe and inclusive active travel infrastructure across all parts of the country which enables everyone to build healthier journeys into their lives.

2. "Britain’s green energy disaster should be an awful warning to Americans.

"The UK’s electricity prices are the highest since records began in 1920 and are now amongst the highest in all Europe. One reason for this is obvious: slightly less than half our electricity comes from gas-burning Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGTs) and gas now costs £90 per megawatt-hour (MWh), nearly five times higher than normal. CCGTs are cheap to build (around £650m per GW) and operate. In normal times they would generate electricity at a total cost of £40 per MWh. That’s now risen to nearly £150/MWh.

"As an example, the offshore wind farms Hornsea Two and Moray East were completed in 2022 with capital costs of £2.77 billion per GW and £2.75bn/GW, more than four times the cost of CCGT capacity. They’re expensive to maintain, which is not surprising since offshore windfarms have all their many generators mounted at the top of 200-metre tall masts far away from land. Estimates of maintenance costs are as high as £200m per GW installed, per annum. The nominal cost of offshore wind generation is £170/MWh – noticeably higher than that for CCGTs, even in these dire times of high gas prices.

"In 2021 the UK annual grid balancing costs reached £4.19 billion, £150 per household. For context, back in 1995 when we didn’t have much wind power the balancing cost for the grid was a mere £250 million per annum. A large, and growing, contribution to these costs is constraint management, as when a wind farm producing electricity which isn’t wanted – perhaps when it is windy in the middle of the night – is paid NOT to put that electricity into the grid. “

Remember that these systems need constantly running back up for when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine, so we are in actual fact paying for two systems. It would be with no storage for the renewables anywhere in sight and even then limited, simpler to run the fossil fuel and nuclear plants and save ourselves a fortune as well as be self sufficient; it is a question that is never asked.

There must be an awful lot of money being diverted into net zero schemes for all the basic wrongs to be ignored.

Out of curiosity I wonder why Lord Deben (formerly John Gummer), he of the mad cow baguette, lives in a listed manor house which cannot be upgraded with insulation to the standards he insists everyone else should attain. Surely he should sell and purchase an eco dwelling... just asking? He is of the ‘GB can lead the world in green technology’ so why not lead by example?

Thats Different Not The Same GIFfrom Thats Different GIFs

“The most absurd and insane thing about the whole green movement is that they believe humans can control the Earth's climate by micro-adjusting a 0.04% trace gas.”

And why is it that anyone who has a contrary position on CC even if qualified is either ignored ridiculed? …

Geologist, Professor Ian Plimer, utterly demolishes the human-induced "climate emergency" fairy tale in three and a half minutes: 

"[Six of the six] great ice ages started when we had more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than now. We have 0.04% of that gas in the atmosphere... Well that means nothing to me, because the atmosphere has changed in its carbon dioxide content from over 20% to now, which is really low in geological time. If we halved it, all plant life would die, and animals would die."

https://twitter.com/i/status/1676156584169205760

It is interesting seeing how many of the Just Stop Oil protesters are of the non-working or privileged class. Many have been outed, the latest being the young man carried off the pitch at Lord's: he is the son of a millionaire who in turn owns an investment company that backs green ‘opportunities’.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12247059/Student-21-carried-Jonny-Bairstow-Just-Stop-Oils-protest-grew-5-2m-house.html

We suffered ‘nudge’ units, an idea we can thank David ‘I’m not a quitter’ Cameron for during Covid and still they exist despite being sold off to a charity. Quite how a government propaganda unit can become charitable is another subject!

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/01/13/downing-streets-controversial-nudge-unit-accused-exploiting/

David Halpern, author of the highly praised Hidden Wealth of Nations, has argued that a society of trustworthy citizens is a platform for economic growth and individual wellbeing.

And so the elites now think they have a way of controlling the masses, how very Orwellian of them. Hard to believe this nation leads the world in population thought control; China must be very envious.

In truth nothing surprises anymore. Daily we get NHS missives on new drugs and treatments that will save lives; the fact the majority are not able to see a doctor makes all this pointless, and should they actually make it to the treatment phase there are no beds for them in hospitals, well not until they have figured a means to get rid of the elderly bed blockers - having been subject to recent efforts to expunge myself so as to not be a burden on the State I can speak with some authority in that area.

Perhaps it is owing to lack of housing, which is only created by the huge numbers of immigrants coming into the country; after all we would not need these housing estates for the indigenous population as it is static in growth.

And ditto with all our other clapped-out infrastructure: energy production, roads, they will solve that by making it too expensive and too inconvenient for the masses to drive, all other transport apart from flying which naturally they also view as ‘unnecessary’ and harmful to the environment will also become too expensive as recent flight fares to holiday destinations are proving.

Water companies, which I wrote about some while back are living up to the facts I wrote about: suddenly everyone is noticing that water shortages in the country can only be averted by spending ever more of taxpayers' money despite the fact they were all privatised.

All this is small beer compared with the elephant in the room: climate change. Endless experts, remember them during Covid?, are telling us the tipping point is nearly upon us and after that we all fry, though even if true we will still be expected to shell out what we have left in a futile Canute moment.

Only thirty years ago we were told, no it was insisted, we were entering a mini ice age; experts?

The only thing for sure is that if Mother Earth is going through one of its cycles of extreme weather as it has done since since conception, there is bugger all we can do about it. You may all remember when the world sky turned dark pink when Mount St Helen's blew up: there was nothing they could do to stop that and we are due more of the same.

It is only 11,700 years since the end of the ice age, we are still coming out of it. This is just a blink of the eye in the evolution of Earth, yet somehow EVs are going to make a difference; the only difference is that there will not be enough electricity to power them all and all the other electric ‘improvements’.

FRIDAY MUSIC: Albert Lee, by JD

I doubt if many people have heard of him but he is/was first choice of backing guitarist for the likes of Eric Clapton, Emmylou Harris and the Everly Brothers among others.

Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also maintained a solo career and is a noted composer and musical director.

Albert Lee is one of the most respected and renowned guitarists in music history, having worked with The Everly Brothers, Eric Clapton, Emmylou Harris and The Crickets over his long and illustrious career. The British-born country-rock artist started his career during the emerging rock 'n' roll scene of sixties London, when he swapped bands with the likes of Jimmy Page and Chris Farlowe.

“The ultimate virtuoso. His skill is extraordinary, his ear is extraordinary and he’s gifted on just about every level.”- Eric Clapton

https://albertleeofficial.com/

Luxury Liner - Albert Lee

Albert Lee - Highwayman

Albert Lee & Peter Asher's fantastic version of Handyman

ALBERT LEE & STEVE MORSE ~ COUNTRY BOY

Albert Lee - Evangelina Wembley UK 1988

Albert Lee: "A Better Place" - NEW ALBUM "HIGHWAYMAN"

FRIDAY MUSIC: Tex-Mex, by JD

Leticia ("Tish") Hinojosa (born December 6, 1955, San Antonio, Texas) is a folksinger recording in both Spanish and English. 

Hinojosa was the youngest of 13 children. Hinojosa's parents were Mexican immigrants. Known for singing both traditional Mexican folksongs and her own original songs, both in Spanish and English, Hinojosa accompanies herself on guitar, which she plays right-handed although she is naturally lefthanded. Hinojosa has charted twice on the Billboard country charts and has recorded several albums, primarily for Rounder Records.

https://www.mundotish.com/about

Donde Voy / Tish Hinojosa ('Homeland', 1989)

Edge of a Dream (Orilla De Un Sonar)

Tish Hinojosa - West Side Of Town (Austin City Limits)

Tish Hinojosa - Love Is On Our Side

Reloj (Clock)

Tish Hinojosa - Till You Love Me Again

Tish Hinojosa Band - Aquella Noche ( that certain night )

Not So Smart

This isn’t about me, it’s about you. It’s about what The System can do to you if it wants; and if it can be done, it will be done.

It does begin with me, in a small way, but the implications are big. A short while ago I was emailed by my energy provider to say I needed to fit smart meters. Having made it clear that I wanted to be the last customer in the country to have a smart meter, I then got a message that someone would be round to fit it soon. I exploded with a how-dare you etc.

The complaints department replied:

‘The metering appointment booked for the 11th July shows booked by Customer using anonymous URL. This suggests that you have booked this appointment yourself I am sorry if this is not the case?’

I didn’t do it. I don’t know who did or why but I’m not after any particular individual or company and I don’t want any speculation; the point is about our vulnerability in the Information Age.

Daily we give away our data privacy, or entrust our data to corporations, to obtain services online. Regularly we read of breaches and abuses; and not just read: our bank account was hacked a few years ago and we still haven’t a clue how our details were obtained (we don’t even do online banking!)

If criminals are bad, governments can be worse, because they have far more power and their motivation is nothing so crass as mere financial greed. Peter Hitchens has raised the case of a man he doesn’t much like, a video blogger called Graham Phillips, who was placed on the UK Government’s sanctions list last summer.

‘As far as I know, he is the first British citizen to be treated in this way. His assets have been frozen. His bank accounts are blocked. He also cannot pay those to whom he owes money.’

Consider: those bank accounts do not belong to the Government. This is the State using private corporations to victimise its citizen. We saw the same last year with the protesting Canadian truckers - and the people who supported them.

That sort of collusion is characteristic, some might say, of a form of fascism; or communism if you consider similar actions in China; let’s settle on ‘totalitarianism.’ Yet this is the allegedly liberal West.

Let’s come back to the smart meter. Not only can it tell outsiders how much energy you use and when, it can be used remotely to disconnect you for non-payment. Who is to say that a dissident might not have his heating and lighting cut off if the government wishes to sanction him? What law prevents the State from doing this? How about your water supply?

How about your smartphone, used by so many for everything including shopping and travel? Imagine switching it on one day to find the screen saying ‘no service’ and all your data in the Cloud frozen, unable to be migrated to another provider? Do you think that could not possibly happen? The precedent has been set already with private banking services.

We have a choice: to see the threat and become completely obedient and quiet as mice, or to remain members of the Awkward Squad; irascible, difficult, sometimes unreasonable - but free.

FRIDAY MUSIC: Folk Songs from north-east England

 Cushy Butterfield - Ian Campbell Folk Group

"Geordie Ridley (1834-1864) wrote this very “Northern” alternative to Harry Clifton’s Polly Perkins, borrowing the tune, but replacing Clifton’s romanticism with an altogether earthier feel. Ridley worked in the mines as a boy, but in his late teens he was invalided out and by 1861 had progressed from part-time to full-time work in the pubs and Workers Institutes of the north-east. His songs were published locally and sold in cheap editions. He is mainly remembered for two parodies, this one, and Blaydon Races which according to Steve Roud is loosely based on the American song 'A trip to Brighton.'

"Whilst as time went by, the songs and entertainment provided in music halls across the British Isles became increasingly homogenous, there were regional differences. The north-east of England developed a distinct tradition which initially at least, remained much closer to its pub singing origins."

Keep Your Feet Still Geordie Hinny - Roly Veitch

"The composer of this most popular local song was Joe Wilson 1841 - 1875. Joe is one of the great composers of local songs. He was certainly the most prolific. His book of ‘Songs and Drolleries’ is a feast of dialect materials."

"The Water of Tyne" - Andrea Haines and Blake Morgan

The Bonny Pit Laddie chrisormston.com

When The Boat Comes In - Geordie Folk Song ( sung by Bob Fox)

"When The Boat Comes In" (or "Dance Ti Thy Daddy") is a traditional English folk song, originating in North East England. An early source for the lyrics, Joseph Robson's "Songs of the bards of the Tyne", published 1849, can be found on the FARNE archive. In FARNE's notes to the song, it is stated that these lyrics were written by William Watson around 1826.

GEORDIE SONG Lass On The Bankies TRUE STORY from Gateshead North East England

"A Geordie song - Lass On The Bankies. This is a true story from many years ago when I was an apprentice in a large engineering works in Gateshead, North East England.

As a young Geordie teenager, I was looking forward to a bright and exciting future, totally insensitive to my previous generation who had just fought a world war to enable me to have this freedom. It's a simple story and typical of those who were affected by world events that completely overwhelmed them and through no fault of their own were left with personal battles to pick up the pieces of their lives. How must they have felt when they'd sacrificed so much and no one cared?"

Blaydon Races - Jimmy Nail, Tim Healy and Kevin Whately - Sir Bobby Robson Foundation

"Probably the most well known song from the North East. Most will be familiar with it because of its connection with Newcastle United FC. Written by Geordie Ridley and first performed by him in 1862 at Balmbra's Music Hall. The song refers to the Music Hall by name, as the starting point of the trip - "I took the bus from Balmbra's and she was heavy-laden, Away we went along Collingwood Street, that’s on the road to Blaydon.

Balmbra's is still there but it closed in 2014 after a fire destroyed the interior. There are plans to restore it and re-open as a music hall once more. Although when that will be is not known."

==================================

Would you like a phrase book for the impenetrable dialect?

https://biblio.ie/book/larn-yersel-geordie-dobson-scott/d/732677861