Readers Are Very Forgiving with Comments.

     In my last post I made a major error. It was an error that was crucial to the post.

     I put down that the Beatles were on the Ed Sullivan Show 60 years ago. Now I meant to say 50 years ago.

     Readers had their own neat ways of dealing with my blunder.

     Some just ignored my blunder and made their comment.

    Some made a point of saying 50 years in their comment.

     Some made very oblique comments that were very clever. 

     So my apology for my error. My thanks to you dear readers who dealt with the error in some interesting and understanding ways.

     Do I ever have some awesome followers. Thanks for following my blog and supporting me. You are the best.

Phantom Memory

      Well, most people over sixty will probably remember what happened sixty years ago this evening. It was a television evening that will go down in history. The Beatles were on the Ed Sullivan Show!

      The Beatles began as a band around 1960. They became very popular in England and by 1964 they were number one around the world. They brought a new sound, look and show.  They were some what controversial as so much of their performance had never been seen before. The hair almost blotted out the music. The Beatles had many critics. They were new and different and people have a problem accepting that.

    I was not a big Beatles fan when they first came on the scene. I was still too wrapped up in Elvis, Buddy Holly, Pat Boone, Paul Anka and many more performers. However, you couldn't help but follow the Beatles. Beatles were everywhere.

    The Ed Sullivan show was a classic and every Sunday night people were glued to their TV. Ed Sullivan booked the Fab four for his show. There was a tremendous amount of media coverage for weeks before the big show. The show was a huge hit and of course media coverage continued. 

    Now others can tell about  Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show better than I can.

    Up until today I always thought that I had seen the Ed Sullivan show with the Beatles. I was sure I had seen it. Today as I looked at the date , Feb. 9, 1964 , I suddenly realized where I was. I was 2400 km (1500 miles) from the nearest TV that got any reception! I don't know why I think I saw the show. Was there a rerun? Do I remember from what I saw in magazines and newspapers?  It was rather surprising to make this discovery

     So I guess I had a phantom memory!

     Note: An apology
     It seems that I have a problem with telling time. I meant to say 50 years rather than 60 years for the time the Beatles were on the Ed Sullivan Show. My apologies for this error. 

I Don't Do Olympics

      I know that some followers will remember that I am not a sports fan. I'm not a spoil sport. You can watch the Winter Olympics and cheer your face off. I won't hold it against you if you really go all out for the Winter Olympics.

     I'm not completely unaware of the Winter Olympics. I will vaguely follow standings. I will know how many medals Canada has. I will cheer for Canada...but only in my head.

    I know that many of my readers share  a similar view of sports as I do. I like this as it assures me that I'm not some antisocial loner. 

    Television in all it's wisdom spoils sport for me. The analyzers go on and on to describe every aspect of what they are showing.. Then, there are endless replays. You get very little time of actually watching a game , race or activity. It becomes very slow. I like something fast paced and lively. If you go to an NHL game today , you have all kinds of down time for the television net work to air commercials.

     There is also an obscene amount of money spent on the Winter Olympics. I think Olympics could and should have less money involved. There is also the huge emphasis on security. Many athletes and spectators have apprehensions about going to the Winter Olympics. I'm not sure that these issues should be such a big part of sport.

    So I will blissfully skip all television coverage of the Winter Olympics.

Pete Seeger: A Long Influential Life

     
With the death of Pete Seeger last week, I began thinking about my music listening experience and what influences he had on me. 

     Listening to music for me, started when radios became more common and radio formats changed . So as a kid most of what I listened to was country and western. However, I did hear Pete Seeger. I was becoming much more interested in music when folk music became popular in the fifties. I have old reel to reel tapes of the Weavers. I can't play my tapes anymore but I won't throw them away. So folk music grabbed my attention. I was aware of Woody Guthrie ,but didn't hear much of his music. Joan Baez was a biggie.

    Then rock and roll came along and grabbed my attention. I was a teenager when rock came on the scene so I fell heavily for rock and roll. I still like rock and listen to a lot of it.

    Along with these influences I was exposed to classical music and so called popular music. 

    My music listening didn't change much until I retired and had time to explore other genres. I also found a radio station, CKUA, that programmed all types of music along with much information about the music. So I was exposed to jazz  and blues of all kinds and began to listen to these two. This station also has programs that concentrate on very specific types of music. One example would be "Voices in Jazz." One type of music that I enjoy is bel canto which is choral classical. It's very beautiful. So here's a plug for my favorite station which is on the Internet.

    So Pete Seeger was one of the major influences on me. I liked his slant on social justice and how his protest songs influenced society. Pete Seeger was active and influential in the music world until just recently. In 2012 he cut his last record. Pete Seeger was on the music scene long before I was born. His influence will carry on long after I am gone.

I Started Using My Nine Lives Early in Life

     I was raised on a farm along with brothers and a sister. Our playground was the farm yard and the adjoining fields. We were on the go all day playing here and there. There was machinery in the yard that was an invitation for kids to play on and have accidents. Much of the machinery was abandoned and not used. There were numerous outbuildings which provided play activities. Sometimes the chickens were chased. Sometimes the rooster chased us. Every tree in the yard was climbed at some time or other by little kids. Many forts and tree houses were constructed. In the summer gardens were visited and raided.. You get the picture. Life in a farmyard provided many opportunities for playing.

    Now one thing that was abandoned on the yard was an old model T Truck. It was the ancient kind with a canvas top. The frame of the cab was wood and the canvas was attached to the wood. There was a windshield but no side windows. Of course, from time to time we played in this old truck. The relic promoted lots of imagination and play.

    When we were around four or five we were having fun one day. I was inside the truck standing on the seat lifting my sister. My head was sticking up in the canvas making a bump. Many times we took tools from the shop for our play activities. My brother had a heavy hammer from the shop. When he saw the bump in the canvas , he decided to smooth it out. Wham! He hit me square in the head. Of course I howled and the blood pored from a gash on the top of my head. So off I went to the house howling my head off. I think he soon did his howling as he probably go a spanking.

    I was left with a scar and a bald spot. This incident became one of the family stories that was told over and over again with a fair amount of laughter. It was a complete comedy of innocent errors.

    So at age four or five I received a heavy shot to the head which became one of the many nine lives I've lost.

    I'm sure many of you have had incidents from your childhood which innocently turned wrong .

I Should Watch What I SAY

     I would never say anything to purposely offend someone. If I found out that I offended someone by one of my comments I would quickly apologize. I have found it's much easier to live this way and to live in myself.

     Now I don't like pumpernickel bread. I find it dry, course and crummy to the point of being very messy when you cut it. I whine about pumpernickel bread every time we have it. However , someone in my house happens to like pumpernickel bread so I will eat it all the while grumbling about it.

   
    Now this week we had a loaf of pumpernickel bread and of course I whined. This loaf was worse than most. It was really messy and crummy. Many crumbs fell out of the bag and they seem to get on the floor.

    Now a month ago I fell down the stairs. I wasn't hurt but four loaves of bread were squashed and some soup tins very badly crushed. So while I was complaining I was coldly reminded that I fell on this loaf of bread and that I should be thankful as it broke my fall. I shouldn't complain about the crumbs as it was my fault.

    From now on I better watch what I say!

Prime Minister Harper Throws Beads and Trinkets to First Nations

    I heard a news report this week that really irritated me. Prime Minister Harper proposed giving first Nations People who had been in residential schools $3000.00 for further education.

   In Canada we had an educations system for First Nations people that was based on residential schools. Kids were taken from their families and parents against their will. In the residential school the kids were not allowed to speak their own language and were cut off from all social connections with their own people. The students were treated horribly with many beatings and sexual assaults. This produced several generations of people who were without cultural and social experiences. They went back home as severely damaged people and that continued through their lives and that of their children.

    So three thousand dollars thrown at people who have suffered greatly is shameful. Most residential school students are now older. They are no longer in search of further education. What would you get for three thousand dollars when it comes to further education?

   So the three thousand dollars  being offered is equivalent to beads and trinkets. These were tricks to get people to sign treaties. This is what was offered to get first Nations People to sign away their land. Traders also used the same cheap tactics. The government hopes to shut people up rather than help them.

    So I am angered that such a pathetic program is offered to be assistance for people who have suffered so much.