Did you ever stop and think that some of today's music just doesn't sound right? I certainly have. I think we tend to stick with the music that we were familiar with when we were growing up. These guys had a different way to look at it, when they created this monstrosity.
In 1997, two composers created ‘The Most Unwanted Song’ by issuing a public opinion survey and compiling all the lyrical and musical elements that most people found annoying.
It combines a harp, accordion, out-of-tune children singing about Christmas and Walmart, high-pitched flutes, tubas, keyboard demos, someone yelling random political terms through a megaphone, and an operatic soprano rapping over cowboy music, bagpipes, and screams.
It’s 22 minutes long.
If you want to hear this little ditty, you can do so right here.
Coffee in the kitchen this morning.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Pretty Good Disguise...!
Mother Nature has a way to keep some of her critters safe from predators by helping them with a terrific disguise. Such is the case even for some spiders like this one from Listverse.
Spiders are so amazing they have a popular fictional superhero named after them. The ladybird (aka ladybug) is special, too. It does not have its own superhero, but it does have real spiders named after it. These spiders belong to the genus Paraplectana. They are a group of spiders that have evolved to look like like ladybirds.The mimicry is necessary, considering that many predatory birds avoid ladybirds.
This is because ladybirds contain toxic chemicals that emit a terrible odor when crushed and leave a nasty, lingering taste in the mouth of the bird. This had made many birds develop a strong distaste for the ladybird. Aside from spiders, a few other insects, like the ladybird-mimic fungus beetle, have also evolved to look like ladybirds.
I like ladybugs, but not to eat, of course. I didn't know that birds found them to taste bad, though. Spiders...not so much.
Coffee inside this morning.Gonna rain again, they say.
Ladybirds And Ladybird Spiders
Photo credit: LiCheng Shih
Spiders are so amazing they have a popular fictional superhero named after them. The ladybird (aka ladybug) is special, too. It does not have its own superhero, but it does have real spiders named after it. These spiders belong to the genus Paraplectana. They are a group of spiders that have evolved to look like like ladybirds.The mimicry is necessary, considering that many predatory birds avoid ladybirds.
This is because ladybirds contain toxic chemicals that emit a terrible odor when crushed and leave a nasty, lingering taste in the mouth of the bird. This had made many birds develop a strong distaste for the ladybird. Aside from spiders, a few other insects, like the ladybird-mimic fungus beetle, have also evolved to look like ladybirds.
I like ladybugs, but not to eat, of course. I didn't know that birds found them to taste bad, though. Spiders...not so much.
Coffee inside this morning.Gonna rain again, they say.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Another Woman Dead-Eye Shooter...!
Did you know that Annie Oakley had some serious competition? Well, she did...and her name was Lillian Smith. Here is her story.
Lillian Frances Smith was another trick shooter who joined Buffalo Bill's show when she was just 15 years old. She became known as the "the champion California huntress" as well as the rival of Annie Oakley. The two were initially not on good terms. After a bad performance against Oakley in front of Queen Victoria, Smith received negative press and eventually decided to leave the show. After relocating to Oklahoma, she joined the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show and performed with other local shows like Pawnee Bill's. She continued to be a record-setting shooter until her death in 1930.
Sounds to me like Lillian did alright for herself in the long run. Wonder why we don't hear much about her, ya know?
Coffee out on the patio once again.
Lillian Smith
Lillian Frances Smith was another trick shooter who joined Buffalo Bill's show when she was just 15 years old. She became known as the "the champion California huntress" as well as the rival of Annie Oakley. The two were initially not on good terms. After a bad performance against Oakley in front of Queen Victoria, Smith received negative press and eventually decided to leave the show. After relocating to Oklahoma, she joined the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show and performed with other local shows like Pawnee Bill's. She continued to be a record-setting shooter until her death in 1930.
Sounds to me like Lillian did alright for herself in the long run. Wonder why we don't hear much about her, ya know?
Coffee out on the patio once again.
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
A Little Weather Trivia...!
Here is something you may not know, but it just might come in handy someday. Never can tell!
There are a bunch of unusual ways you can track what's happening in the economy.
And one of the more popular informal measures is the so-called " The Waffle House Index" — an indicator that is actually unofficially used by FEMA.
Here's the gist of it: Waffle House restaurants notoriously stay open during natural disasters. So if the diner closes during an event, that suggests it was a really bad natural disaster with devastating effects on the economy. And on the flip side, if it stays open and serving a full menu, damage was relatively limited.
As a historical reference point: after 2011's Hurricane Irene, 22 Waffle Houses lost power in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. Only one wasn't open by the Wednesday after the storm passed through — a particularly hard hit location in coastal Virginia.
"If you get [to a place where a disaster hit] and the Waffle House is closed? That's really bad," said FEMA administrator Craig Fugate back in 2011.
As of Friday, 8:01 a.m. ET, Waffle House's official twitter account tweeted that 25 restaurants had been closed across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina amid Hurricane Matthew.
It's always nice to know how some of these weather predictions get made, and I guess that now we have a better idea...right?
Coffee out on the patio again today!
There are a bunch of unusual ways you can track what's happening in the economy.
And one of the more popular informal measures is the so-called " The Waffle House Index" — an indicator that is actually unofficially used by FEMA.
Here's the gist of it: Waffle House restaurants notoriously stay open during natural disasters. So if the diner closes during an event, that suggests it was a really bad natural disaster with devastating effects on the economy. And on the flip side, if it stays open and serving a full menu, damage was relatively limited.
As a historical reference point: after 2011's Hurricane Irene, 22 Waffle Houses lost power in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. Only one wasn't open by the Wednesday after the storm passed through — a particularly hard hit location in coastal Virginia.
"If you get [to a place where a disaster hit] and the Waffle House is closed? That's really bad," said FEMA administrator Craig Fugate back in 2011.
As of Friday, 8:01 a.m. ET, Waffle House's official twitter account tweeted that 25 restaurants had been closed across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina amid Hurricane Matthew.
It's always nice to know how some of these weather predictions get made, and I guess that now we have a better idea...right?
Coffee out on the patio again today!
Monday, August 26, 2019
A Machine Gun Mystery For Monday...!
Many times in the past and even today, folks just disappear for reasons known only to them. Here is one such story from Listverse.
William Cantelo (possibly pictured above) was the inventor of an early form of machine gun. Cantelo kept a laboratory in the basement of the pub he ran in Southampton, England, and neighbors would often hear sounds like rapid gunfire coming from below. Sometime in the 1880s, Cantelo told his sons he was going on a business trip to try to sell his new invention and was never seen again.
It was first assumed that Cantelo had met with an accident on his travels, until his sons saw a newspaper photograph of another inventor named Hiram Maxim. Maxim is credited with creating the Maxim Gun, a type of machine gun. And he bore an uncanny resemblance to William Cantelo.
Cantelo’s sons certainly believed that Maxim was their father and hired a private investigator to establish the truth, without success. There is also some evidence that Maxim visited Southampton and may have met Cantelo, if, indeed, he wasn’t Cantelo. Whatever the truth, Hiram Maxim died an extremely rich man, while William Cantelo’s sons inherited a pub with bullet holes all over the basement.
I'm thinking the old man just didn't want to share the money with his sons, changed his name, and disappeared. Seems logical to me, ya know?
Coffee out on the patio. Not supposed to rain today.
William Cantelo
Photo credit: Barry Cantelo
William Cantelo (possibly pictured above) was the inventor of an early form of machine gun. Cantelo kept a laboratory in the basement of the pub he ran in Southampton, England, and neighbors would often hear sounds like rapid gunfire coming from below. Sometime in the 1880s, Cantelo told his sons he was going on a business trip to try to sell his new invention and was never seen again.
It was first assumed that Cantelo had met with an accident on his travels, until his sons saw a newspaper photograph of another inventor named Hiram Maxim. Maxim is credited with creating the Maxim Gun, a type of machine gun. And he bore an uncanny resemblance to William Cantelo.
Cantelo’s sons certainly believed that Maxim was their father and hired a private investigator to establish the truth, without success. There is also some evidence that Maxim visited Southampton and may have met Cantelo, if, indeed, he wasn’t Cantelo. Whatever the truth, Hiram Maxim died an extremely rich man, while William Cantelo’s sons inherited a pub with bullet holes all over the basement.
I'm thinking the old man just didn't want to share the money with his sons, changed his name, and disappeared. Seems logical to me, ya know?
Coffee out on the patio. Not supposed to rain today.
Friday, August 23, 2019
A Chihuahua Snack For The Seagull...!
Anyone that has spent time on or around the coast knows that seagulls will eat nearly anything, given half a chance. They will steal food from your plate, even your camper. Worse yet, they love to snatch your bait if you are fishing. This report is a bit strange though, even for a seagull.
When they aren’t scavenging food from seaside picnickers, seagulls are generally predators, dining on crabs and small fish within close proximity of their rookeries. The seemingly fearless birds have even been known to attack passing whales, diving for a bite of live whale meat.
In July 2019, a family from Devon was distraught when a swooping seagull carried off their pet. Gizmo the Chihauhua was watching his owner hang out the laundry in the backyard when a seagull suddenly descended and carried off the small dog. Despite hopes that their pet may have been dropped when the gull realized it had snatched a dog, Gizmo has not been located.
Wildlife officers confirmed that this was bizarre behavior, even for seagulls.
Yep...I reckon ol' Gizmo is gone for good. Pretty healthy snack for a seagull, don't you think?
Coffee out on the patio until the rain starts.
Chihuahua Snatched By Seagull
When they aren’t scavenging food from seaside picnickers, seagulls are generally predators, dining on crabs and small fish within close proximity of their rookeries. The seemingly fearless birds have even been known to attack passing whales, diving for a bite of live whale meat.
In July 2019, a family from Devon was distraught when a swooping seagull carried off their pet. Gizmo the Chihauhua was watching his owner hang out the laundry in the backyard when a seagull suddenly descended and carried off the small dog. Despite hopes that their pet may have been dropped when the gull realized it had snatched a dog, Gizmo has not been located.
Wildlife officers confirmed that this was bizarre behavior, even for seagulls.
Yep...I reckon ol' Gizmo is gone for good. Pretty healthy snack for a seagull, don't you think?
Coffee out on the patio until the rain starts.
Thursday, August 22, 2019
How Did He Get Out...?
Did you ever think that there was something wrong with our legal system? It sure seems that way and has for quite some time. Here from Listverse is a case that you have to wonder about.
James Crittenton Lucas was a criminal who got sentenced to 30 years in prison for robbing the First National Bank in Albany, Texas. However, it wasn’t until he arrived at Alcatraz in 1935 that Lucas started gaining national notoriety.
Even though Lucas was only 22 years old, he became one of the prison’s most problematic inmates. He often caused trouble, got involved in a work strike, and, most notably, attempted to kill fellow inmate Al Capone in 1936. Lucas attacked the renowned mobster in the shower with a scissor half, dealing Capone superficial cuts to his hands and chest. Lucas later claimed this was due to Capone threatening to kill him.
Lucas made the headlines again in 1938, when he tried to escape from Alcatraz with two other inmates, Rufus Franklin and Thomas Limerick.The three men assaulted supervising guard Royal Cline and planned to overpower the tower guard as well. However, they failed to get the drop on Cline, and he shot both Limerick and Franklin. Officer Cline and Thomas Limerick died, while Lucas and Franklin received life sentences for murder.
Despite his new sentence, Lucas was still paroled in 1958 and became one of the few gangsters from the public enemy era to enjoy a long, happy life. He married, had four kids, found a law-abiding job, and lived until 1998.
I'm glad that the man finally turned his life around, but stii, I have to ask...how did this man ever get parole? Sure beats me!
BTW, sorry about yesterday and the "brain Fart" that made me miss posting.
Better have our coffee inside again, as it's supposed to rain.
James Lucas
The Man Who Tried To Kill Al Capone
Photo credit: US government
James Crittenton Lucas was a criminal who got sentenced to 30 years in prison for robbing the First National Bank in Albany, Texas. However, it wasn’t until he arrived at Alcatraz in 1935 that Lucas started gaining national notoriety.
Even though Lucas was only 22 years old, he became one of the prison’s most problematic inmates. He often caused trouble, got involved in a work strike, and, most notably, attempted to kill fellow inmate Al Capone in 1936. Lucas attacked the renowned mobster in the shower with a scissor half, dealing Capone superficial cuts to his hands and chest. Lucas later claimed this was due to Capone threatening to kill him.
Lucas made the headlines again in 1938, when he tried to escape from Alcatraz with two other inmates, Rufus Franklin and Thomas Limerick.The three men assaulted supervising guard Royal Cline and planned to overpower the tower guard as well. However, they failed to get the drop on Cline, and he shot both Limerick and Franklin. Officer Cline and Thomas Limerick died, while Lucas and Franklin received life sentences for murder.
Despite his new sentence, Lucas was still paroled in 1958 and became one of the few gangsters from the public enemy era to enjoy a long, happy life. He married, had four kids, found a law-abiding job, and lived until 1998.
I'm glad that the man finally turned his life around, but stii, I have to ask...how did this man ever get parole? Sure beats me!
BTW, sorry about yesterday and the "brain Fart" that made me miss posting.
Better have our coffee inside again, as it's supposed to rain.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
