Posts by Bob Munro
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I just knew that it would be the Canadian's fault. Typical behaviour for a syrup-eating nation, I'm sorry to say.
Don’t knock the Canucks. They whupped American ass in 1812
where they’ve been cowering below the 49th parallell ever since.“A final attempt in 1812 by American General Henry Dearborn to advance north from Lake Champlain failed when his militia refused to advance beyond American territory. In contrast to the American militia, the Canadian militia performed well. French-Canadians, who found the anti-Catholic stance of most of the United States troublesome, and United Empire Loyalists, who had fought for the Crown during the American Revolutionary War, strongly opposed the American invasion.”
**REPLY:** Believe me, I've heard all about this from my Canadian ex-girlfriend. "And we burnt down Washington DC. And we showed up that US president who said: "taking Canada would be just a matter of marching". And we conquered Maine (but we gave it back). And Canada invented Thanksgiving. And Canada celebrates it on the proper day. With proper maple syrup." Incidentally, try getting a Canadian and American together on the subject of the 1812 war -- they learn totally different historical 'facts' at school, and during the ensuing discussion both sides will generally call for hostilities to be resumed.
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This dialect is now known as Cajun English, and there is a distinct difference between north Louisiana and Cajun country in this regard - you can actually drive from the New Orleans dialect to the Cajun dialect to a generic southern accent within three or four hours.
For some weird reason I’ve always loved the sounds of the place names in songs from this region, which I’ve never visited or have any connection with. Janis Joplin was ‘busted flat in Baton Rouge’. Lucinda Williams has her doomed character in ‘Lake Charles’ born in Nacogdoches, and taking the Louisiana highway to Lake Pontchartrain.
Hard to make the exotic out of Darfield or Dunsundel. Now hang on wasn’t there something way back….?
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And of course Bob (the Pulitzer Prize winning one) is a formidable anthologist himself now with his Theme Time Radio Hour.
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(did you notice the songs in French on the Anthology? Now that's something that has dropped out of the narrative of American ethnogenesis).
I’ve been working my way through French Cajun music like Zydeko recently after listening to the lovely Adieu False Heart album By Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy. Savoy’s first time recording in English.
Years ago I had a crack at it through the Acadian Driftwood song from The Band on their Northern Lights - Southern Cross album. This tells the story of the ousting of the French Acadian settlers from the Canadian Maritime Provinces in the Eighteenth century, some of whom settled in Louisiana. It’s also celebrated in Longfellow’s poem 'Evangeline’ and has been taken up by the Cajun descendants as part of their folklore.
The sound track from the Film ‘The Big Easy’ is a good way into it as well.
I really enjoy the crossover styles like the duets with Ronstadt but can’t quite get too enthused about all the piano accordions in the traditional Cajun bands like Buckwheat Zydeco or Kings of Cajun.
I’m still with little Bob though with the original ‘No Depression’ and its wonderful modern interpreters like Uncle Tupelo.
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High Court judges watch Armstrong and Miller RAF sketches.
Human rights 'apply to UK troops'
Human rights laws can be applied to British troops even in combat, a High Court judge has ruled.
The landmark judgement came in a test case relating to the death of Scottish soldier Pte Jason Smith in Iraq.
Mr Justice Collins said sending soldiers into action without proper kit could breach human rights.
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Peter Cook and Dudley Moore came to Dunedin in 1972 on their 'Behind the Fridge ' tour. The theatre was in poor repair and there was local debate about it closing. Cook would spot a piece of plaster floating down in the lights and stop his monologue and watch it all the way to the floor and then glance casually at us before continuing, bringing the house down by implying that literally the house was coming down. We were in his thrall.
'Behind the Fridge included the famous dark Mini drama sketch.
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a subtle massage
now thats Foreign Affairs....
I'd like to think I was channelling Marshall McLuhan in an Inspector Clouseau accent when I wrote that but it was just the usual typo that slips through and then glares back at you as soon as you hit 'Post Reply'.
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And as for those pesky Buddhists. They just don't know when they are beaten
The Dalai Lama has to come back to Tibet,” one monk said, according to Reuters, which was invited on the tour. “We are not asking for Tibetan independence; we are just asking for human rights. We have no human rights now.”
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Perhaps Winston is trying to send a subtle massage to the Chinese that the sky doesn't fall in if not everyone toes the party line?