Happening everywhere, but particularly cool event here.
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Saturday, March 28, 2026
Monday, March 16, 2026
Saturday, March 16, 1946. Route 66. George Mikan turns pro.
Route 66 was recorded for the first time, the introductory edition of the Bobby Troup work by Nat King Cole.
Troup was a songwriter and actor, married to actress Julie London
He was also a graduate of Wharton, which produced the unfortunate Trump and Gray, but that's another matter. He served in the Marine Corps in World War Two, by which time he was already a songwriter. The war did not really interrupt his songwriting.
Route 66 was an absolute masterpiece, and has been recorded an innumerable number of times, and was even used for the basis of a television series that ran from 1960 to 1964.
In some very real ways, Route 66 symbolized the post war world and its sense of youth, indicability, and automotive freedom.
Route 66 itself was one of the original U.S. Highways of the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. It became a huge factor in Depression Era migration to California, which makes the way its nostaglically remembered somewhat ironic, but as
College basketball player George Mikan, who was hugely popular turned pro.
He was a great player, and notably played with glasses. He struggled with diabetes in his final years, which focused attention on the plight of pre big money players.
He died in 2005 at age 80, a basketball great.
The Rocky Mountain News focused again on gambling.
An intersting service was being offered:
A tryst with a German Madchen went rather poorly.
To popular one panel cartoons of the day:
Last edition:
Friday, March 15, 1946. Soviets in Iran.
Labels: 1930s, 1940s, 1946, Harry S. Truman, Iran, Nazi Germany, Propaganda, Radio, Skiing, United States, USSR, World War Two
Saturday, March 14, 2026
The Best Post of the Week of March 8, 2026. The Week King Donald's War went astray for lack of purpose.
It won't go down as a great week in American history. King Donald committed us to a war which it does not look like we can win.
No Trumps will die in this war, but a lot of other people will.
So, what were its bloodstained highlights? Let's take a look.
First we'll note something we failed to. Country Joe McDonald died this past week, sort of a poetic end, in a way. He was a veteran of the Navy.
Not Trumps have served in the Navy. Well of course not.
We finished up 1914 to 1926, by finishing up, 1916.
Wednesday, March 8, 1916. Villa crosses the border.
Let's just admit, by this point, the only people who don't think the Trump Administration is the worst administration in American history are in it, and even some of them probably think that.
An event I sort of wish had never happened:
We looked at some movies.
We looked to an historical example regarding conscription.
We decided to punish our own political party, and we're not alone in that.
Giving up completely on the GOP.
I've noted my political history here before.
I'm a Westerner and an Irish Catholic. That informs my vote pretty heavily.
When I first registered to vote Ronald Reagan was President. Marine Corps Raider veteran Ed Herschler, a Democrat, was the Governor of Wyoming. D-Day veteran Teno Roncolio, also a Democrat, was our Congressman. Republicans Malcolm Wallop and Alan Simpson were our Senators.
That was sort of the political landscape here at the time. More Republicans than Democrats, but there were still Democrats, and those Democrats tended to be pretty tough conservative people. Republicans were already tacking off into batshit crazy economic theories but they weren't completely bathed in them yet.
I registered as a Republican.
I didn't stay a Republican for a really long time. I don't recall when exactly I switched parties, but by the time I was at the University of Wyoming, I had registered Democratic. I stayed in the Democratic Party for a long time. I was still a Democrat when I became a lawyer and I know that I was when I was married. However, sometime after that, I couldn't stand the sea of blood the Democratic Party had become. I became an independent.
As an independent you missed the primaries pretty much, however, and starting in the Clinton era in general Wyoming Democrats began to drift over to the GOP. After all, the mainstream of the Democratic Party wasn't all that different from the traditional mainstream of the local GOP. After awhile, I registered as a Republican.
Little far right Dixiecrats like Chuck Gray like to scream that people like me are "RINOs", when in fact they're the malignant innovation into the GOP. That element hadn't entered the GOP at the time I was first in it, and didn't for a long time. Gray himself, who nobody really knew anything about, was probably the first, followed by Jeanette Ward, who served one term in the legislature before losing a bid to retain her seat. While she lost, that showed the direction things were headed in. Carpetbaggers who knew nothing about their state moved in and wanted to convert it into pre 1964 Alabama.
It's not as if the Democrats stood still. As moderate Wyoming Democrats left the party, it too became delusional. If the Republicans became increasingly fascistic or Dixiecratic, the Democrats lived intellectually in the Greenwich Villages' Stonewall Inn in 1969. It made going back into the Democratic Party an outright impossibility for people like myself, particularly as they lashed themselves increasingly to abortion and perversion.
More recently, I'll note, that seems to be wearing off. The Democrats are still "pro choice", but they don't talk much about it. For that matter Republicans who were really gung ho on being pro life have sort of lost their fire for that as well, following the lead of Orange Mussolini.
What the Republican Party, nationally, has become is flat out insane. No thinking person can be a member of it and be comfortable.
There are still good Republicans here in Wyoming. They began a big fight against the Dixiecrats prior to the legislature and largely prevailed this session, in spite of the fact that the diehard adherents of The Lost Cause were theoretically in control of the solons. That should give local Republicans who aren't literally whistling Dixie some hope.
But with the current national Trumpites in control, the line has been drawn.
For years people like Dixiecrat Chuck Gray, or Dixicrat Bextel, have claimed that the Republican Party here was infiltrated with Democrats. Well, it was. They're the Democrats. Democrats from 1960 Alabama. They just don't know it. But the screaming lunacy that they've espoused does have an effect after awhile. Yell at people that "you are a RINO" for long enough, and they'll take it up.
I'm remaining registered in the GOP. Chuck Gray's efforts to disenfranchise voters has been enough for me in and of itself not to change registrations. Frankly, if I was to take a run at the House of Representatives, and I've thought about it, I would switch parties as right now that would give a person a place in the November election no matter what. But I'm not going to do that. I'm old, worn out, and very tired.
So I'm remaining in the GOP in no small part so that I can vote for the decent primary candidates, of which there are some right now.
At this point, merely stating that you are "pro Trump" will be enough to cross my vote for you off the list. At least three House candidates are promising to be Trump's biggest lover, and they're all of the list. I hope I run into some of them during their campaigns. I probably will.
And I've already quit giving MAGAs in my midst slack. Frankly, since the start of the assault on Iran, that's been easy, as the "never war" MAGAs can't explain that one without sounding like hypocrites, and they know it. Even a few have begun to look as if Valentines to Trump weren't a good idea.
But in the Fall. I'm not voting for any Republicans for anything.
That won't exactly be easy. So far here only one candidate from the Democratic Party has signed on to run for a statewide office. He has my vote even though I like the only Republican whose announced for the same position. And just because I'm not voting for a Republican doesn't mean I will vote for Democrats. In my state house district a really decent Republican holds the seat and a young woman from the Democratic Party has announced against him. She's already on the sea of blood ticket. I can't vote for her, but I won't vote for the Republican I've voted for many times before.
To vote for Republicans in 2026 you have to accept that a low IQ, deranged, octogenarian should have complete dictatorial control over the Federal Government, can start major wars on his own, can demolish parts of the White House as he has the tastes of a bordello owner, can cause the hiding of files on a major pedophile ring, and can have a domestic army occupy the streets. It also means you have to be willing to sacrifice the environment of the planet for scientific denial. You have to be willing to endorse lies at a never before seen rate, which makes you a liar yourself if you do.
I can't go there.
On a bright spot, the Confederate dominated legislature went home routed.
A fellow traveler pondered the long strange trip of the NatCons and J. D. Vance.
The war started wrecking the economy.
Perverts were hitting on Chloe Winters.
Have some of you seen any daylight recently?
This is amusing. Chloe Winters is not unattractive, but the married Galwegian dresses like what she is, a market gardener. It's a dirty job. Her only adornment, normally, is a cross denoting her Christianity.
The fact that she's getting hit on for gardening videos. . . well it's just sad.
It became clear that Donald Trump had committed the nation to war on the concept that the Iranians would just collapse, even though he was warned that they would not.
Wars and Rumors of War, 2026. Part 5. Trump's forever war. King Donald's War, Part 1.
Last edition:
Best post of the week of March 1, 2026.
Sunday, March 14, 1926. Reddy Kilowatt introduced. Manhunt in Natrona County.
Introduced on this day in 1926, the cartoon emphasized, in its introduction, electrical appliances and how they made life easier. Power companies used the cartoon figure for decades. I well recall it from when I was a kid.
There'd been a jail brake in Casper.
A railway disaster in Costa Rica resulted in the deaths of 248 people.
One via Reddit's 100 Years Ago sub, 16 year old Maybelle Addington married 27-year old Ezra J. "Eck" Carter, brother of A.P. Carter, in Virginia giving rise to the "first family of country music".
Country music, we'd note, is a bit deceptive in this context. As we've discussed before, Country & Western were actually two categories of music identified by early record companies, as was Rhythm & Blues. Western ballads, associated with cowboys and ranching, was really its own distinct genre, as was "Country", which was sometimes referred to as "Hillbilly Music". The current categories of C&W, Folk, etc, really hadn't set in, in a hard and fast way, either. Folk and Country music were in fact very rapidly evolving. Blues, which of course also had a Southern rural origin, was frequently picked up by Country artists at the time, even while it was breaking out in new directions in the Midwest and East coast, where it has already given rise to Jazz.
Last edition:
Saturday, March 13, 1926. Daydreaming.
Saturday, February 14, 2026
The Aerodrome: The Aerodrome: Blog Mirror: Without explanation, ...
The Aerodrome: The Aerodrome: Blog Mirror: Without explanation, ...: The Aerodrome: Blog Mirror: Without explanation, FAA closes El P... : Oh great, now what? Without explanation, FAA closes El Paso and New ...
The Aerodrome: Blog Mirror: Without explanation, FAA closes El P...
The Aerodrome: Blog Mirror: Without explanation, FAA closes El P...: Oh great, now what? Without explanation, FAA closes El Paso and New Mexico airspace for 10 days, cites national defense
Friday, February 13, 2026
A few minor observations.
Cosmetic surgery, save for genuine restorative purposes, or genuine medical reasons, ought to be banned.
People who claim to be "Constitutional Lawyers" are no such thing, unless they are public defenders. Anyone claiming that title, who isn't, should be sentenced to a term of being a public defender in Dayton, Ohio for their natural lives, plus twenty years.
Seriously, that's a flaming bullshit claim. Ain't no such thing.
If you look like you are 30, when you are 60, due to cosmetic surgery, you are a deeply insecure weenie.
If you are male, and live in a rural area, and don't hunt or fish seriously, you are an insecure weenie and should move to Greenwich Village.
Boxing is a brutal sport, but it's beautiful.
Fleetwood Mac seriously sucks. Of their songs that suck, Landslide sucks the most.
A twenty something single man giving a lecture on "the fertility crisis" is a freakin' joke. Geez man, get married and get a real job.
If you have to think about the hairstyle a man is evidencing, he's a weenie.
If a man has perfectly combed hair at all times (think Mike Johnson), he's a weenie.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Friday, February 6, 2026
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Wednesday, January 27, 1926. The Paul Whitman Orchestra at UW.
Today In Wyoming's History: January 27: 1926 The Paul Whitman Orchestra played at the University of Wyoming.
Last edition:
Monday, January 19, 2026
Saturday, January 19, 1946. Creation of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East.
The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal) was created by proclamation of General Douglas MacArthur.
Bell Aircraft chief test pilot Jack Woolams fle the XS-1 (X-1) in a non powered flight. It was the first flight of the aircraft.
Country music singer Dolly Parton was born on this day.
Last edition:
Monday, January 14, 1946. Wartime and Post War foodstuffs.
Labels: 1940s, 1945, 1946, Cartoons, Daily Living, Deer, Elk, Food, hunting, It was because of World War Two, J.R. Williams, Rationing, The family
Sunday, January 18, 2026
Don Ho sings "Tiny Bubbles" - Hollywood Palace 1/21/67
To heck with the "Don Roe (row?) Doctrine. . . time for the Do Ho Doctrine.
Saturday, January 10, 2026
Saturday, January 10, 1976. The passing of Howlin' Wolf.
By Eatonland - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=132882253
Chester Arthur Burnett, known to blues fans as Howlin' Wolf, died at age 65 from complications from kidney surgery.
Burnett was born in Mississippi and was a protégé of Delta blues musician Charley Patton in the 1930s. He served in the Army as a cavalryman at the beginning of World War Two but was abused by his NCOs upon being reassigned to an electronics role as he was illiterate. He was discharged early and relocated to Chicago, where he became one of the founders of Chicago blues.
Legendary for his booming voice, he was an unusual bluesman for his time as he did well economically, trusting his earnings to his wife. His band members received health insurance as part of their compensation.
Last edition:
Thursday, January 8, 1976. First Appearance.
Friday, November 28, 2025
Saturday, November 28, 1925. Grand Old Opry premiers.
Nashville's WSM radio premiered the WSM Barn Dance which became the Grand Ole Opry.
It was a Saturday.
Last edition:
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Monday, November 26, 1945. Now's the Time, Wolves and War Brides, Questionable claim about Goering, Test tube babies in Virgin hospitals, Japanese social insurance, ties for Christmas.
Recorded on this day in 1945:
The Sheridan Press reported on wolves and war brides.
The story on the big wolf is ironic in a contemporary context. Wolves were wiped out in Colorado, probably and in Wyoming, probably, until the major reintroduction effort of the 2000s began. It's been a huge success in Wyoming, for which I'm glad, in spite of my initial skepticism. An ongoing effort is occuring in Colorado, which is meeting a lot of opposition in the anti nature Freedom Caucus era.
The Rocky Mountain News, which I remember from the 70s, 80s and 90s, when it was the best, in my view, of the two Denver papers, was a bit sensationalist at the time, which I've only recently come to appreciate. It was always a "tabloid", with that sort of paper format for some reason having a reputation of that type. I've never heard of the story related by the headline here:
A little digging finds that this claim was flat out untrue.
The News also reported on, oddly enough, test tube babies, something that is way earlier than I'd have ever supposed.
The first "test tube" baby was born in 1978. That person Louise Brown, is still with us. The first example of IVF in a mammal did not occur until 1959. Apparently the proponent of this suggestion was well ahead of her time in terms of scientific knowledge.
It's notable that the suggestion had a strong eugenics characteristic. That drive is also now very much coming into fruition, with designer babies now becoming a thing.
On the underlying concern, the explosion in births and the drop in the average age for a woman to first give birth that commenced at this time shows the concern was misplaced. As a Catholic, of course, I regard IVF as both unnatural and immoral. The bizarrely pro natalist Trump administration is all in on it.
The News also reported on Japanese social insurance, something being brought in by the progressive and distributist MacArthur occupation.
The cartoons of the day.
A classic gift was suggested.
British troops swept the Sharon plain in reaction to a prior days terrorist attack.
Ezra Pound was indicted for a second time on 19 counts of treason.
Last edition:
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