Memorial Day

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Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater
Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater - Photo WIKI

From the Official Memorial Day Holiday Website:
“Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, “Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping” by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication “To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead” (Source: Duke University’s Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860’s tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.”

“Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 – 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis’ birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.” read more…

Jeanne DArc
Jeanne D'Arc - Image - BiographyOnLine

Jeanne D’Arc – AKA Joan of Arc – was a 19 year old French chick who was burned at the stake in France in 1431.
Jeanne D’Arc connection, May 30, 1431. Source, revdrron.blogspot.com/.
“On this day in 1431 Jeanne d’Arc (1411-1431) perished at the fiery hands of her English foes. She was subsequently declared innocent by the Inquisition on July 7, 1456 after a lengthy re-trial process which was initiated shortly after the English were finally driven from Rouen, thereby allowing access to the documents and witnesses associated with her trial; the presiding Inquisitor, Jean Bréhal, ruled that the original trial had been tainted by fraud, illegal procedures, and intimidation of both the defendant and many of the clergy who had taken part in the trial, and she was therefore described as a martyr by the Inquisitor.”
“After the usual lengthy delay associated with the sluggish and questionable process of canonization, she was beatified on April 11, 1909 and canonized as a saint on May 16, 1920.”

“For some Christians of a different tradition than me, today is the feast day of St. Joan of Arc. Interestingly, it comes on the heels of Memorial Day. I was reminded that many female Christian soldiers wear a medal of Jeanne d’Arc along with their dog tags, seeing as how she was the patron saint for female soldiers (and any female military).”

“So, while keeping all service personnel in your prayers, today on the feast day of Joan of Arc, keep in mind the American women who have gone to serve and not returned home.”

“St. Joan refused to follow any command but God’s!”

Joan of Arc Biography – BiographyOnLine

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Bob Dylan – “How Does It Feel” to be 70?

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NEW MATERIAL HERE – REVISED, Friday May 27th at 10:00 PM Mountain time.

Bob (Robert Zimmerman) Dylan
Bob (Robert Zimmerman) Dylan

From The LA Times Music Blog
Bob Dylan turns 70: ‘I’m younger than that now’
May 23, 2011 | 11:59 pm

Somehow, a chorus of “Happy Birthday” just doesn’t cut it for Bob Dylan, the Poet Laureate of his generation, today as he hits the milestone of 70. First and foremost, Bob didn’t write it.

Not surprisingly, the momentous occasion is being observed in many quarters. Rolling Stone magazine has devoted the cover of its latest issue to him, for a story listing the 70 greatest Bob Dylan songs as selected.

Tonight at the Grammy Museum here in Los Angeles, author and historian Sean Wilentz (“Bob Dylan in America”) and journalist-author Mikal Gilmore will lead a musical and philosophical exploration of Dylan’s legacy following a screening of Murray Lerner’s documentary “The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965.”

And—gulp!—AARP magazine, the publication of the American Assn. of Retired Persons, also has a Dylan cover piece in which the editors coaxed Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Judy Collins, Mavis Staples and Martin Scorsese into writing a few words in recognition of their peer/hero and/or friend.

Not to be outdone, Pop & Hiss views the occasion as a chance to offer up a salutary bonus episode of Dylan’s brilliant radio series, “Theme Time Radio Hour.” Number-conscious guy that he is, Dylan signed on with XM (now Sirius XM) satellite radio and delivered exactly 100 shows from 2006-2009, each devoted to a broad swath of songs reflecting a given theme, such as the Devil, Christmas, Cadillacs, Jail. Then it was time for he and those famous boot heels to be wanderin’. (TTRH had still been part of the Sirius XM lineup in reruns until, ironically, this month. It’s been taken off the air to make room for the Earle Bailey show.)

So with all humility, here’s a chronologically organized playlist of 70 minutes’ worth of Dylan songs spanning nearly 50 years, songs that reference various facets of age, a topic that’s surfaced repeatedly in his music over the decades: birth, death, youth, maturity, fate, heaven, hell, existentialism, spirituality, generational differences, paradise, past, present and future. read more from The LA Times on line…
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
I’m going to add to the story. I was still living with my parents when I first heard Dylan on AM radio. I don’t remember the song, maybe “Subterranian Homesick Blues?” Whatever it was the jacket was on the wall above my bed and I listened constantly. It was like the second coming. I’d been through Elvis and that was really cool. Dylan did it again. I listened – and played and listened and played from the Dylan music that appeared shortly after the “Minneapolis hotel tapes” as I understand through his 70th Birthday.

I still have questions. How did he do it? Where did the music/poetry come from? Knowing Dylan’s apparent clear honesty and crystal integrity why did he change his name? Did he have an issue with his being Jewish?

One word to describe Robert Bob Dylan Zimmerman: BRILLIANT! The closest I ever got to Dylan was at The Tropicana Motor Hotel in Hollywood in the 70s. I was checking in and he was checking out. My understanding was that he came down from Malibu with his kids. I recall that he was driving a station-wagon. Chuck E Weiss and Tom Waits were there…

THE GIVERS AND THE TAKERS
From WIKI:
“At this point, music manager Albert Grossman began to take an interest in Dylan’s business affairs. Grossman persuaded Dylan to transfer the publishing rights of his songs from Duchess Music, whom he had signed a contract with in January 1962, to Witmark Music, a division of Warner’s music publishing operation. Dylan signed a contract with Witmark on July 13, 1962.[18] Unknown to Dylan, Grossman had also negotiated a deal with Witmark. This gave Grossman fifty percent of Witmark’s share of the publishing income generated by any songwriter Grossman had brought to the company. This “secret deal” resulted in a bitter legal battle between Dylan and Grossman in the 1980s.”

BOTTOM LINE – DYLAN WINS!

BobDylan.Com
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Rapture: the end was not nigh, after all

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“Rapture: the end was not nigh, after all”
“The apocalypse did not arrive at 6pm on May 21st, despite the predictions by Christian doomsday prophet Harold Camping.”

Harold Camping
Harold Camping

"Harold Camping, the 89-year-old retired civil engineer, who founded Family Radio Worldwide, an independent ministry that has broadcasted his prediction around the world."

From The Telegraph
By Laura Donnelly, Bonnie Malkin and David Barrett 7:01PM BST 21 May 2011

"Given that the end of the world was supposed to be nigh, it perhaps wasn’t surprising that Christian doomsday prophet Harold Camping had shown some reluctance to take advance bookings.
The 89-year-old Californian preacher and radio host had prophesied that the Rapture would begin at 6pm May 21st in each of the world’s time zones, with non-believers wiped out by rolling earthquakers, as the saved ascended into heaven."
"His refusal to schedule a media interview for the following day - “It is absolutely going to happen. There is no way that I can schedule an interview because I won’t be here.” - was being replayed by media as the world firmly stayed standing."
"On the microsite Twitter, groups of atheists and sceptics were last night swapping tales of After Rapture parties, with one group, in Tacoma, Washington, branding their celebration “Countdown to Back-Pedalling”.
Mr Camping’s doomsday prediction wasn’t his first. He blamed an earlier apocalyptic prediction which passed quietly in 1994 on a mathematical error, last month saying:" “I’m not embarrassed about it. It was just the fact that it was premature.” read more from The Telegraph

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May 21, 2011 – Judgment Day, Rapture, End of World

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Some say that the beginning of the END will start on May 21, 2011.
Plan your Rapture parties now, if you wait it will be too late.

“Judgment Day begins and the Rapture on May 21, 2011… The end of the world on October 21, 2011… Are you crazy? You’re just another one of those lunatics like Nostradamus or the Mayans who say the apocalypse will be in 2012 and all the other crazy, absurd people who have predicted dates for the end of the world throughout history only to be proven wrong each and every time. And doesn’t the Bible say that no man knows the day and hour? You’re just playing on the fears of people because you’re some kind of a sick control freak or something.” read more from May-212011.Com

Just for fun, here’s a video of *Chuck E Weiss with his aptly named straight-on, rock & roll tune – SO LONG…
*The protagonist of Rickie Lee Jones’ song “Chuck E’s in Love.”

How ’bout beautiful Blondie’s “Rapture”. The funky bass-line will send you on your way.

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Full Moon: Tuesday May 17th 2011

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Full Moon on the border - Tucson, AZ
Full Moon on the border - Tucson, AZ

The Moon will be 100% full May 17, 2011 at 4:08 A.M. Las Vegas time.

From FullMoon.Inf
“Full moon will be on Tuesday! For many Buddhists this is a special day, because the annual holiday Vesakha is celebrated worldwide. According to tradition, Buddha was born on this fourth full moon of the moon calendar, became later enlightened and also passed away on this same day. Although, you may belong to another world religion or no religion at all, you might find some cause for thought in some of Buddhas sentences. We, for example, liked this sentence: “The greatest prayer is patience”. Who could not take some practice in this?”

From Western Washington University
“American Indians gave names to each of the full moons to keep track of the passing year. The names are associated with the entire month until the next full moon occurs. Since a lunar month averages 29 days, the dates of the moons change from year to year. Here are titles most closely associated with calendar months.” Two Native tribes are mentioned here – click the WWU link to access more information.

BACK EAST
Mohawk, Eastern WoodlandsMohawk, the most eastern member of the IROQUOIS Confederacy, resided on the banks of the Mohawk River.
According to Western Washington University, the Mohawk name for May’s Moon is “onerahtohko:wa” or “time of big leaf.”

Mohawk Art
Mohawk Art-WWU

OUT WEST
Haida, Northwest CoastHaida live along the coastal bays and inlets of the HAIDA GWAII of British Columbia (QCI).
According to Western Washington University, the Haida name for May’s Moon is: “ntahálaa kungáay” or “food-gathering moon”

Haida Totem
Haida Totem-WWU

From The Old Farmer’s Almanac
“Historically, the Native Americans who lived in the area that is now the northern and eastern United States kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to the recurring full Moons.”

“Each full Moon name was applied to the entire month in which it occurred. These names, and some variations, were used by the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior.”

According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the name for May’s Moon is: Full Flower Moon – “Flowers spring forth in abundance this month. Some Algonquin tribes knew this full Moon as the Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon.”

“Moon and the Gods”
“The Moon is rich in history and folklore, and to many sky watchers, the Moon is home to the gods.” read more from The Old Farmer’s Almanac

The photo at top is of the Full Moon over an abandoned Adobe – near the border at Tucson, AZ.

FullMoon.Inf
Western Washington University
The Old Farmer’s Almanac
NativeLanguages.Org
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I’m going ALL IN for The Asteroids Galaxy Tour’s “The Golden Age” – with a Pair of Aces

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Originally posted 4-12-11@10:23 A.M.

I’m ALL IN for Mette Lindberg, and “The Asteroids Galaxy Tour,” and their song, “The Golden Age” – with a pair of aces! One’s the Ace of Diamonds the other is the Ace of Clubs.

After hanging out on Facebook for awhile, I hit the bed and turned on the tube. That beer commercial with the sizzling-hot blonde came on and I went into my “got to find out who’s singing that song mode.”

This video contains the song by that blonde, Mette Lindberg and her band “The Asteroids Galaxy Tour.” The song is “The Golden Age.” I’m old and half/square and way behind on this one, but nevertheless – I’m All In.

I know that the song is at least eighteen-months old and has a track record. It is as compelling as anything I’ve ever heard. It almost has a fifties, girl-singer R&R sound. But definitely contemporary – influenced I’m sure, by Amy Winehouse, who I understand is promoting the band. There’s a little bit of Blondie’s “Rapture.” in there somewhere. Tinkling upright-piano keys, lagging snare and Mette’s little-girl voice start the tune, after Ms Lindberg swings a slender hip in – in-sync with the first snare hit. At the chorus her voice is doubled with one of the tracks a few clicks behind the beat creating a heavy echo, or they simply used an echo-effect, whatever. Clean, tasty punctuating horns end the chorus, then the little-girl voice returns with another magnetic verse. The second chorus is loaded with the rising horns punching on 2 and 4 and a flute weaving an improvisation. Guys (or gals,) if you don’t want to cuddle with this girl you’re dead and ain’t coming back.

The video showcases Mette, in a little black sequined dress (looking a bit like, Catherine Deneuvre,) with the band – performing in an arched ballroom at a Golden Age formal, house-party. Guests in dinner-wear are mingling in the up-scale mansion as a martial-artist does his thing, and someone scores two points dropping a basketball in a hoop which just happens to be set up in the fancy ballroom. Luscious scenery/sets/costumes.

The chorus is a very sharp hook and it stuck me. I’m stuck as well on Mette Lindberg.
Is this song already a hit or was it ever? Cuz, if it isn’t it should be.

DIG THIS VERSE: “rambling down the boulevard with a fire burning in a wooden heart.”

From Wikipedia:
“The Asteroids Galaxy Tour are a Danish alternative pop band consisting of vocalist Mette Lindberg and producer Lars Iversen. When performing live the band extends to a six-piece with horn section, featuring Miloud Carl Sabri (trumpet), Sven Meinild (saxophone), Mads Brinch Nielsen (guitar), and Rasmus Valldorf (drums).[1] Lars Iversen is the primary songwriter and producer. Formed in 2008, the band is based in Copenhagen, Denmark.”
“Their debut single, “The Sun Ain’t Shining No More”, was released on September 15, 2008 on their own ‘Small Giants’ label. The band is perhaps best known for their single “Around the Bend”, which was used in an Apple iPod Touch commercial starting in September 2008, and was released as a single in December 2008.
“Myer, Australia’s largest department store chain, used the song “The Golden Age” to launch their 2009 summer range, and SBS Television used the song “The Golden Age” to promote the US television series Mad Men. ‘Around The Bend’ is featured in the Anna Wintour documentary movie, ‘The September Issue’ released in 2009. In late 2008, three songs by the band were featured on the Gossip Girl episode “It’s a Wonderful Lie.” ‘Around the Bend’ was also featured in the NBC TV series Chuck in episode 209 when Chuck walks into the ‘Roark Expo’ for his first day at work at ‘Roark Instruments.'”
“Mette Lindberg was a guest on the BBC music quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks in November 2008.[2] More recently the band were guests on the Danish morning TV show ‘Good Morning Denmark’. They have also guested on top French music show ‘Taratata’ where they first performed the track ‘Inner City Blues’, a cover of the Marvin Gaye classic, which later became a favourite of their live shows.”
“The Asteroids Galaxy Tour’s debut album ‘Fruit’ was released on September 21, 2009 in Europe, and Oct 27 in the US.”
“The Sun Ain’t Shining No More” has been chosen as the theme song of the Canadian action comedy television series Insecurity that premiered on January 4, 2011.” more from Wiki…

Interview with Mette Lindberg on YouTube.
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Cinco De Mayo Las Vegas Style

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Battle of Puebla - Wiki
Battle of Puebla - Wiki

First of all, Cinco De Mayo has nothing whatsoever to do with a Fifth of Mayonnaise.

Las Vegas will be helping Hispanics celebrate Mexico’s victory over French forces – May 5 -8, 2011

From WIKI [Brackets are Wiki’s.]
“Not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day, which occurs on September 16[].”

“Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for “fifth of May”) is a holiday held on May 5 that commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.[2][3] It is celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla and in the United States.[4][5][6][7] While Cinco de Mayo sees limited significance in Mexico itself, the date is observed nationwide mostly in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.[8] “Cinco de Mayo is not a Mexican holiday—it is an American Civil War holiday, created spontaneously by Mexicans and Latinos living in California who supported the fragile cause of defending freedom and democracy during the first years of that bloody war between the states.”[9] Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day,[10] the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.” read more…

This – from The Tuscany:

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Royal Wedding – Las Vegas Style: King Steve and His Gorgeous Brit Bride

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King Steve and British sweetheart Andrea Hissom
King Steve and British Sweetheart Andrea Hissom. Best Man, Clint Eastwood in background - photo Daily Mail

The following is a repost from Gaming Today

NO WAY THE STEVE WYNN WEDDING COULD STAY PRIVATE
May 03, 2011 6:09 AM by Phil Hevener

“Las Vegas casino events come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they are not even called events.
Which brings us to last week’s marriage of Steve Wynn who needs no introduction, to Andrea Hissom, a woman most of Las Vegas may never know as well as it did former wife Elaine Wynn.”

“What successful casino events all have in common is their ability to attract people with money to spend, who will probably do exactly that in their pursuit of a good time.”

“We should not expect the Wynn-Encore operators to say anything about how the slot drop and table game volumes benefited from the several nights of spirited partying and high living associated with the wedding. No one expects dozens, perhaps hundreds of millionaires and billionaires to spend multiple nights at a high end resort and satisfy their appetites for good times with room service hamburgers and nickel slots – not that the Wynn and Encore casinos necessarily have any of the latter. Read more…