*** FUTURE POSTS WILL ALSO APPEAR AT 'NOW AND NEXT' : https://rolfnorfolk.substack.com
Friday, February 04, 2022
FRIDAY MUSIC: The Gipsy Kings, by JD
Thursday, February 03, 2022
THURSDAY BACKTRACK: Music and news from 60 years ago - week ending 3 February 1962
The Conservative government's decision to impose a 'pay pause' on public sector workers and override decisions by third part arbitration bodies (see more on Broad Oak for 6 January) continued to cause trouble in industrial relations.
1 |
The Young Ones |
Cliff Richard and The Shadows |
Columbia |
2 |
Rock-A-Hula Baby / Can't Help
Falling In Love |
Elvis Presley |
RCA |
3 |
Multiplication |
Bobby Darin |
London |
4 |
Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen |
Neil Sedaka |
RCA |
5 |
Stranger On The Shore |
Acker Bilk |
Columbia |
6 |
Let's Twist Again |
Chubby Checker |
Columbia |
7 |
Forget Me Not |
Eden Kane |
Decca |
8 |
I'd Never Find Another You |
Billy Fury |
Decca |
9 |
Walk On By |
Leroy Vandyke |
Mercury |
10 |
Let There Be Drums |
Sandy Nelson |
London |
11 |
Crying In The Rain |
The Everly Brothers |
Warner Brothers |
12 |
The Twist |
Chubby Checker |
Columbia |
13 |
Run To Him |
Bobby Vee |
London |
14 |
Lonesome |
Adam Faith |
Parlophone |
15 |
Peppermint Twist |
Joey Dee and The Starlighters |
Columbia |
16 |
The Lion Sleeps Tonight |
The Tokens |
RCA |
17 |
The Comancheros |
Lonnie Donegan |
Pye |
18 |
Wimoweh |
Karl Denver |
Decca |
19 |
Midnight In Moscow |
Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen |
Pye |
20 |
The Language Of Love |
John D. Loudermilk |
RCA |
Monday, January 31, 2022
Five fine things found on Facebook (1)
'Frank “Rocky” Fiegel, is believed by some to be cartoonist E.C. Segar’s inspiration for the character of “Popeye”, the photo was taken in the early 1920s.' Source |
'A kitty basking in the beard of a lighthouse keeper, 1919.' Source |
'This photo of the sun might not look too impressive... until you realize it was taken at night – not looking up but looking down, through the entire Earth, using neutrinos rather than light.' Source |
'“Fire Rainbows” are a rare phenomenon that only occur when the sun has to be at an elevation of 58° or greater, there must be high altitude cirrus clouds with plate-shaped ice crystals, and sunlight has to enter the ice crystals at a specific angle.' Source |
Saturday, January 29, 2022
WEEKENDER: A plague of our age, by Wiggia
No, not another virus, though I am sure they will keep finding them as for many would be lost without willingly complying with restrictions, hence the ‘we will continue to wear masks after Thursday’ - I assume those that choose that route will be wearing them for the rest of their lives.
Friday, January 28, 2022
FRIDAY MUSIC: Burns Night, by JD
Three days late but Burns Suppers are not always held on the day. When I was in Madrid it was usually held on the nearest Friday night to avoid having to stagger into work the following day! So here is a selection which may please for there are literally hundreds to choose from.
"I insist that you shall write whatever comes first, - what you see, what you read, what you hear, what you admire, what you dislike; trifles, bagatelles, nonsense, or, to fill up a corner, e'en put down a laugh at full length."
Translation:
"Good luck to you and your honest, plump face,
Great chieftain of the sausage race!
Above them all you take your place,
Stomach, tripe, or intestines:
Well are you worthy of a grace
As long as my arm.
~
You powers, who make mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill of fare,
Old Scotland wants no watery stuff,
That splashes in small wooden dishes;
But if you wish her grateful prayer,
Give her [Scotland] a Haggis!"
..... address in full here - http://www.robertburns.org.uk/Assets/Poems_Songs/toahaggis.htm
Holy Willie's Prayer is a poem that was written about a certain Willie Fisher who was an elder in the Parish church of Mauchline, in Ayrshire. Fisher was a hypocrite and himself a sinner who spied on people and reported them to the minister if he thought they were doing wrong.
The poem is a satire based on Fisher's sickly self-righteousness. The phrase "Holy Willie" have become part of the Scots language for describing someone that is humourless and ultra religious.
Note: Burns was a God fearing man. This poem is not anti-religion. It is stricly a condemnation of religious hypocrisy and self righteousness.
The full text plus English translation is here - http://www.robertburns.org.uk/Assets/Poems_Songs/holy_willie.htm
- http://www.robertburns.org.uk/merrymuses.htm
One of the poems in the collection is called 'John Anderson My Jo.'
This is the gentler, more wistful version beautifully sung by Eddi Reader
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Major cyberattack imminent, hints Karl Denninger
https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=244966
Commenters are speculating on how easy it might be for foreign state computer experts to disrupt US energy systems, government administration, Electronic Benefit Transfer cards used by the poor to access state benefits and so on.
If this is so then the response of countries that feel threatened by America could be worse than merely regional conventional-military such as artillery and short-range missiles. Imagine the social disruption if for example the benefits system abruptly freezes up.
https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=244972
THURSDAY BACKTRACK: Music and news from 60 years ago - week ending 27 January 1962
At #3 is Bobby Darin's 'Multiplication':
Giles cartoon for this week: police recruitment
- 'The East German government instituted conscription into its armed forces, which formerly had been filled by volunteers. Western sources speculated that the East Germans had waited until the completion of the Berlin Wall before announcing the draft.'
- 'Brian Epstein made a verbal contract with the four members of The Beatles, becoming their manager in return for receiving up to 25 percent of their gross earnings.'
- 'An attempt by the United States, to launch five satellites into orbit from the same rocket, failed when the final stage of the Thor-Able-Star rocket failed to provide sufficient thrust to break the pull of gravity. Falling into the Gulf of Mexico "well south of Cuba" were the 80 foot rocket and the satellites SR-4, Injun II, Lofti II, Secor and Surcal, worth $3,500,000 altogether.'
- 'With the publication of a January 15 decree of the Supreme Soviet, the Soviet Union changed all remaining street names and place names honoring Vyacheslav Molotov, Lazar Kaganovich, Georgi Malenkov, and Kliment Voroshilov two months after the five aides to Joseph Stalin had been denounced by the Soviet Communist Party.[87] The Azerbaijan SSR city of Molotov would become Oktyabrkend, and the city of Perm had reverted to its name after Molotov's ouster in 1957; Voroshilovgrad was renamed Luhansk and Voroshilov in the far east became Ussuriysk.'
- 'The planned 7:30 am launch of Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, Jr. was postponed after the countdown clock stopped 20 minutes before liftoff. Glenn had been in the capsule since 5:10 am and was prepared to become the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth, while much of the nation watched live coverage. After technical difficulties halted the countdown, the skies became overcast with thick cloud cover, and the mission was scrubbed at 9:20 am.'
- 'At a major conference in Beijing, Liu Shaoqi, President of the People's Republic of China, criticized the "Great Leap Forward" economic policies of Party Chairman Mao Zedong. "People do not have enough food, clothes or other essentials... agricultural output has dropped tremendously," Liu told the assembly, adding "There is not only no Great Leap Forward, but a great deal of falling backward." Chairman Mao made a rare self-criticism three days later, and eventually took revenge on Liu, who disappeared in 1968 and reportedly died in 1969.'