Chamblee54

The sixties were a great time to be a kid. As long as you were too young for a Vietnam Vacation, there were kicks to be had.
One of the more enduring legends was the dirty lyrics to “Louie Louie”. Recorded by an obscure band called the Kingsmen, the song was a massive hit in 1963 ( It never was Number One). When WQXI put out lists of the greatest songs of all time, “Louie Louie” was at the top of the list. This is despite, or because of, the raucous sound. The song was recorded in one take, when the band thought they were playing a rehearsal. The vocals are difficult to make sense of, and rumored to be obscene. No one was ever quite sure why .With the garbled sound on the record, the listener could hear almost anything they wanted to.
The Governor of Indiana, Matthew Welsh, banned radio stations from playing the song in that state. On February 7, 1964, Attorney General Robert Kennedy got a letter from an outraged parent about the lyrics to “Louie Louie”. An F.B.I. investigation followed. After thirty months of investigation, the Bureau concluded that they could not make sense of the lyrics.
PG had a neighbor named Carol. A tomboy who could whip most of the boys, she had a pet skunk named Napoleon. Carol claimed to have heard a band at Lenox Square play “Louie Louie”. “He said the words real slow so you could understand them. I can’t repeat what he said,but it was dirty”.
Louie, Louie Oh no, me gotta go.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, said, ah
Louie, Louie Oh, baby, me gotta go
A fine little girl she waits for me Me
catch a ship for cross the sea.
Me sail that ship all alone Me never think how I make it home.
Ah, Louie, Louie No, no, no, no, me gotta go.
Oh, no. Said, Louie, Louie Oh, baby, said we gotta go.
Three nights and days I sail the sea Think of girl, oh, constantly.
Ah, on that ship I dream she there
I smell the rose, ah, in her hair.
Ah, Louie, Louie Oh, no, sayin’ we gotta go.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
but, ah, Louie, Louie Oh, baby, said, we gotta go.
[Yelled] Okay, let’s give it to ‘em right now! [instrumental]
Me see Jamaica, ah, moon above.
It won’t be long, me see me love.
Take her in my arms again, I got her; I’ll never leave again.
Ah, Louie, Louie Oh, no, sayin’ me gotta go.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
But, ah, Louie, Louie Oh, baby, said, ah, we gotta go.
I said we gotta go now, Let’s get on outta here.
[Yelled] Let’s go.
Transcribed by David Spector Sept. 2000 Public Domain. If anyone reading this can explain what was so dirty about this song, please leave a comment. Thank you Wikipedia for your help in assembling this. This is a repost. Pictures by The Library of Congress

One day in the eighth grade, PG had a sore spot in his eye. They called it a stye. One afternoon, he got out of school, walked to Lenox Square, saw a doctor, and got some drops to put in his eye.
When he left the doctor’s office, there was a man, standing in front of Rich’s on the sidewalk, selling a newspaper. He had dirty blond hair down past his shoulders. PG asked what the newspaper was. Mostly politics, the man said. PG gave him fifteen cents, and had a copy of “The Great Speckled Bird”.
The Bird was an underground newspaper. It was so bad, it needed to be buried. If you are under fifty, you have probably never seen one. These papers flourished for a while. The Bird was published from 1968 to 1976. The April 26, 1968 edition was volume one, number four. This was what PG bought that day.
The Georgia State University Library has a digital collection. Included in it are copies of The Great Speckled Bird. Included in this collection is edition Number Four .
PG went looking for that first copy. He needed to be patient, for the GSU server took it’s time. Finally, the copy he asked for came up.
When he saw page four, he knew it was the edition he had bought forty four years ago. “Sergeant Pepper’s Vietnam Report” was the story of a young man sent to Nam. It had a paragraph that impressed young PG, and is reproduced here. The rest of the article is not that great, which is typical of most underground newspaper writing.
A couple of years later, PG spent the summer working at the Lenox Square Theater. The number two screen was a long skinny room. If you stood in the right place, you could hear the electric door openers of the Colonial Grocery store upstairs. The Bird salesmen were a feature at the mall that summer, which not everyone appreciated. This was the year of the second, and last, Atlanta Pop Festival. PG was not quite hip enough to make it. He was back in the city, taking tickets for “Fellini Satyricon”. The Bird was printing 26 pages an issue, with lots of ads, pictures, and the distinctive graphics of the era.
Stories about hippies, and the Bird, can be found at The Strip Project.
Pictures are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library” .

Many of us spend a lot of time driving. Here are a few thoughts.
1- Find another way to show how bad you are. This is mostly a masculinity thing, but it just might apply to a few ladies. Driving hard and fast is the easy way to prove your toughness. All you do is push the gas pedal. You don’t have to go to the gym, have lots of sex, or go into battle. Just drive fast, and with no concern for your neighbor.
2- Slow down. There is no need to go so fast. When you go somewhere, allow yourself enough time to get there. The faster you drive, the less reaction time you have in an emergency.
3- Stay far enough behind the car ahead of you to stop in an emergency. This will be less stressful for the person in front of you.
4- Pay attention to the road. This is where the cell phones become a problem. You should be focused on the road ahead of you, and not what your phone mate is telling you. Your minutes will be just as good when you get to your destination.
5- The three rules of the workplace apply here…. show up, stay awake, and don’t kill anyone.
6- Keep your car in good condition. The tires and brakes are key items, but also keep the engine running smoothly.
7- Keep your temper. Driving while angry is a cause of many accidents, especially when combined with alcohol.
8- At the risk of saying the unthinkable, some think a bit of alcohol is not that terrible. Of course, when you drink your judgment of how high you are is distorted, so it is tough to tell when too much is consumed. The law takes a much, much sterner view of this.
9- Use your turn signals.
10- Show concern for the well being of your neighbor. Use common sense.
This is a repost .
Pictures are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.

PG was minding his own business, reading Milliard Fillmore’s Bathtub, when he came across a discussion about the 49 star flag. It happened 53 years ago, according to the New York Times. It was mentioned that it had been 47 years since the previous admission of a state. PG wondered if our current stability streak is the longest in the history of the republic.
The admission of states to the union was consistent between December 7, 1787 (Delaware) and February 14, 1912 (Arizona). At first, it was a matter of the colonies approving the US Constitution. Georgia was admitted January 2, 1788, the fourth state to join, and the first of eight for 1788. The first gap in admitting states was 15 years between Missouri (August 10, 1821) and Arkansas (June 15, 1836). Before 1912, this was the longest period without admitting a new state. (In the early 1800s, there was an effort made to keep a balance between the “slave states” and the “free states”. It was sometimes a contentious issue.)
The next spell of not admitting states was 13 years, starting with the admission of Colorado (August 1, 1876). Congress went on a binge in November of 1889, admitting North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington. Finally, forty eight states became the fashion with the admission of Arizona in 1912. For 47 years, the flag had 48 stars. This changed on January 3, 1959, with the admission of Alaska. On August 21, 1959, Hawaii made it 50. It has not changed for 52 years.
There is not much talk about a 51st state. From time to time, Puerto Rico is mentioned, as is the District of Columbia, and Israel. The flag is likely to have 50 stars for a while.
When researching this piece, PG went to Mr. Google. When he typed in “when were”, the auto generated answers were condoms invented, the twin towers built, cars invented, cell phones invented. Wikipedia was given a day off, and wise geek used for the information. Pictures today are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”

This post went up for the first time on May 28, 2008. The meme of looking up the number one hit on your date of birth is making the rounds again. This time, there are videos of the chart toppers for myself, and my brother. The grafitti in these pictures has been covered in gray paint. The Waffle House has not closed it’s doors in the last four years.
There is a man known as XWinger. He sells Celtic music, promotes DimSum groups, and has a blog.
Once at his place I saw a link to a site that tells you what the Number One song was on that day. The arbiter of number oneness is Billboard Magazine.
The List goes back to 1892. On January 1, 1892, the #1 hit was “Drill, Ye Terriers, Drill” by George J. Gaskin. I imagine that before a certain date this would refer to sheet music, or maybe player piano thingies. Other big hits from the Gay Nineties include “The Fatal Wedding” (1894, George J. Gaskin), “Little Alabama Coon” (1895. Len Spencer) and ” A Hot Time in the Old Town”(1897, Dan Quinn).
When my daddy was born in 1916, the top hit was “M-O-T-H-E-R ( A Word that Means So Much to Me) by Henry Burr. When my mother was born in 1922, the top of the billboard charts was “Stumbling” by Paul Whiteman.
In October 1929, the stock market crashed to “Am I Blue” by Ethel Waters. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the big song was “Chattanooga Choo Choo” by Glenn Miller. Mr. Miller joined the Army after the start of the War, and toured with a band to entertain troops. On December 15, 1944, his plane disappeared in France. The number one hit that day was “I’m Making Believe” by the Ink Spots and Ella Fitzgerald. The Ink Spots played at the Domino Lounge downtown when I was a kid.  I heard people say, “the Ink Spots have been around for a while”.
In 1954, this reporter was born. The number one hit that day was “Wanted” by Perry Como. Two years later, my brother was born to the sounds of “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley.
One way to track the hits through the years is to pick a date and follow it. It should be noted that Billboard is the essence of “commercial”. On my tenth birthday, the big sound was “Hello Dolly” by Louis Armstrong. On the verge of the summer of Love, the big hit was “Something Stupid” by Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra. At no time did the Beatles have a number one hit on my birthday. This attitude improved in 1969 with “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” by the Fifth Dimension.
The seventies continued the commercial tradition with “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night. This was in 1971, the year they played a big show at Atlanta Stadium. The disco monster raised its glittering hand with “Night Fever”, by the Bee Gees in 1978.
As the eighties rolled in, I got a job and apartment, and music became less familiar. The first big May hit of the eighties was “Call Me” by Blondie. It was from a movie starring Richard Gere. The movie did not feature gerbils. The decade was not a total loss, as 1983 featured “Beat It” by Michael Jackson.
Moving into the nineties and oughts, my old fogey decrepitude is near total. Or is that the wasteland of pop music? By this time top 40 is all but extinct, am radio given over to all talk stations, and fm music so spread out that no one style of music is dominant. The number one hit on my birthday this year is “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis.
Of course, the leaders of our country don’t always listen. On May 28, 1915, the biggest song was “I Didn’t Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier” by the Peerless Quartet. And, on May 28, 1964, the number one hit was “Love Me Do” by the Beatles.

These visits to alternative reality are from a variety of sources. Included are Facebook (fb), twitter (tw), Futility Closet (fucl) , All Aphorisms, All The Time (Aph) , Texts From Last Night (tln) , and Overheard in New York (ony) . Attempts to maintain a no profanity blog will be suspended for this post. // “The winds of grace blow all the time. All we need to do is set our sails.” – Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Gospel of Ramakrishn (fb) // How many innocent black man are in prison? How racist is the justice system? I’m supposed to care about a kid who leaked docs? Uh, no (tw) // An admirer once asked Winston Churchill, “Doesn’t it thrill you to know that every time you make a speech the hall is packed to overflowing?” Churchill replied, “It is quite flattering, but whenever I feel this way I always remember that if instead of making a political speech I was being hanged, the crowd would be twice as big.” (fucl) // I’m glad they extended train service last night. People crying, screaming, throwing up, fighting and peeing themselves on a train made me feel like I’ve got my shit together. (tln) // Dude, this is like the 4th time today I’ve had to use cruise control for a 25mph zone. This hangover is never fucking gonna end. (tln) // We drove around last night shotting fireworks out the window while they had sex in the back of his car (tln) // How did you even find out? Because you came up to me and said “I just fucked in the bathroom.” Oh. (tln) // You were carrying around a milk crate, randomly putting it down calling out ‘praise be to the milk gods’ and making people pray to it. (tln) // You should’ve come to the party. It was like an identity parade of everyone you screwed last year. (tln) // @billmaher you’re a sick and vile person. I sincerely hope that God in his infinite mercy will heal you. #MerryChristmas @TimTebow (tw) // Dear Off Neighbor, I appreciate that you think your dog, tear assing through the neighborhood, won’t bite me. Understand I might believe you if he actually came when you called him. It looks like he does whatever the phuck he wants and if he wants to snack on a black chick he might. Your announcement that you have to go get your husband to get your dog made my uterus clinch a little…. Your dog has more balls than you do. If he tries me, I will try to knock his head off. No hard feelings. Tell your husband what I said. (fb) // One night, after a couple had retired for the night, the woman became aware that her husband was touching her in a most unusual manner. He started by running his hand across her shoulders and the small of her back. He ran his hand over her breasts, touching them very lightly. Then, he proceeded to run his hand gently down her side, sliding his hand over her stomach, and then down the other side to a point below her waist. He continued on, gently feeling her hips, first one side and then the other. His hand ran further down the outside of her thighs. His gentle probing then started up the inside of her left thigh, stopped and the returned to do the same to her right thigh. By this time the woman was becoming aroused and she squirmed a little to better position herself. The man stopped abruptly and rolled over to his side of the bed. “Why are you stopping darling?” she whispered. He whispered back, “I found the remote!” (fb) // In 1944 a children’s book club sent a volume about penguins to a 10-year-old girl, enclosing a card seeking her opinion. She wrote, “This book gives me more information about penguins than I care to have.” American diplomat Hugh Gibson called it the finest piece of literary criticism he had ever read. (fucl) // There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” -Isaac Asimov (fb) // If we really love ourselves, everything in our life works…..Louise Hay (fb) // Looking sharply into this day. Focus on the pathway that brings about the best feelings and skip along towards the dream. ~Gigi Galluzzo (fb) // “Love is the answer, but while you are waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty good questions.” (fb) // What a woman says: “This place is a mess! C’mon, you and I need to clean up, Your stuff is lying on the floor and you’ll have no clothes to wear, if we don’t do laundry right now!?” What a man hears: blah, blah, blah, blah, C’MON blah, blah, YOU AND I blah, blah, ON THE FLOOR blah, blah, NO CLOTHES blah, blah, RIGHT NOW (fb) // What’s the difference between miracle and shit? Well, shit happens and miracles don’t! (fb) // Some people think having large breasts makes a woman stupid. Actually, it’s the opposite:- a woman having large breasts makes men stupid! (fb) // In this sentence, the word and occurs twice, the word eight occurs twice, the word four occurs twice, the word fourteen occurs four times, the word in occurs twice, the word occurs occurs fourteen times, the word sentence occurs twice, the word seven occurs twice, the word the occurs fourteen times, the word this occurs twice, the word times occurs seven times, the word twice occurs eight times, and the word word occurs fourteen times. (fucl) // Alexander Woollcott asked that his ashes be scattered at his alma mater, Hamilton College in Utica, N.Y. Somehow they were misdirected to Colgate University, and they arrived at Hamilton with 67 cents postage due. He once wrote, “Many of us spend half of our time wishing for things we could have if we didn’t spend half our time wishing.” (fucl) // Interviewing Gertrude Stein on his radio program, Bennett Cerf said, “I’m very proud to be your publisher, Miss Stein, but as I’ve always told you, I don’t understand very much of what you’re saying.” She said, “Well, I’ve always told you, Bennett, you’re a very nice boy, but you’re rather stupid.” (fucl) // Two guys are at a bar. One of them looks to the other and says, “I had the best time last night. I had sex with twins!” The other asks, “How could you tell them apart?” “Well, Jessica had long, beautiful, blonde hair, and Alex had a goatee (fb) // the lightskin vs darkskin is the dumbest battle ever, do u cc white ppl saying rednecks vs white asses? (fb) // BRITISH: “ello beautiful, how are you love?” AUSTRALIAN: “g’day mate!” CANADIAN: “eh?” AMERICAN: “aye shawty, whaddup? (fb) // “I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite.” G.K. Chesterton (fucl) // Still it takes a certain skill to witter indignantly about television shows she clearly hasn’t seen. (tw) // Do what good you can for those who need it, have tons of fun, enjoy great coffee, appreciate every sunset, ask every question you can, answer to no one but your own conscience. You are the master of your destiny through your words and actions. Repeatedly drop kick anyone who says otherwise. Give not a single fuck. (fb) // This is from when I worked at the help desk at Barnes & Noble: Hi, I’m looking for a book *long pause, blank look* (fb) // Appalled at Twinings’ new “improved” flavour Earl Grey tea. A branding disaster up there with Choco Krispies and the jazzy EastEnders theme. (tw) // I’d like to say that I think great thoughts on my train journeys home. Instead I’m pondering ways to cut out some particularly frizzy hair. (tw) // Reading Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo diaries. Favourite bit so far: “At night the rivers have a fever. Yet onions are lying on the table.” (tw) // Anyone who doesn’t oppose the government in exactly the same way as I do is apolitical, apathetic, and equal to Hitler (tw) // I wore water proof eyeliner just incase the first picture of me of 2012 is a mugshot (tln) // You’re in a tuxedo, you can pee wherever you want. (tln) // Also txt me when you take your first dump of the year… I’d like to synchronize if that’s at all possible. (tln) // My living room is scattered with glow sticks wrappers, sparklers, face paint & beer cans? It’s not as cool looking when the drugs wear off, is it? (tln) // I hope we all get so wasted that we ride the cows again (tln) // I’m eating the rest of the Xmas shrooms and welcoming 2012 by communing with the pine cone. (tln) // Well last time he got out of rehab he lasted 6 hours. So 3 days this time is quite an accomplishment. (tln) // “this time has finished me. it’s a long road back and back to where?” ~ Charles Bukowski (tw) // Life is not about what you look like; life is about revealing the Divine in you. The Quakers call it “That of God.” Christians might say the “Holy Spirit” or “Christ Consciousness.” Perhaps you prefer the term “Buddha Nature” or simply “Light.” Whatever you call this Divine spark, it is in you, and in every other person you encounter – or even think of – in your daily life. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, straight, pro-equality, anti-justice, Republican, Democrat, black, white, asian, skinny, fit or fat – “That of God” is in them, and you. (fb) //POST SCRIPT: I don’t know if your keeping up with current events, but Buk is dead. So you missed your opportunity to run him down. Guess you’ll have to stick to old ladies. And while I’m wasting my time let me point out that BUK has NEVER made anybody do anything. Blaming him for “encouraging people to be alcoholics” is absurd, and shows your general lack of intelligence. It’s called CHOICES, dude. People should take responsibility for their actions instead of blaming BUK. HELLO! // “Sometimes you just have to pee in the sink.” ~ Charles Bukowski (tw) // Her brother is definitely not gay. I hooked up with him when she was sleeping. (tln) // I am making a budget for 2012. Should condoms be in the insurance or entertainment category? (tln) // Sometimes you hit a point where you either change or you begin to self destruct…. (fb) // Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real. (fb) // “Life is like a rainbow. You need both the sun and the rain to make its colors appear.” (fb) // Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire, If you did, what would there be to look forward to? Be thankful when you don’t know something For it gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow. Be thankful for your limitation Because they give you opportunities for improvement. Be thankful for each new challenge Because it will build your strength and character. Be thankful for your mistakes They will teach you valuable lessons. Be thankful when you’re tired and weary Because it means you’ve made a difference. It is easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks. GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings. (fb) // I work in a spa and I have to wax 8-10 vaginas a day, but it’s okay, cause I make a lot of tips. (ony) // I’m sorry, blue mascara? Are you a harlot or are you just incurably low class? (ony) // Oh my god, whoever invented pizza I want to touch intimately! (ony) // You’re not telling the truth! It says “made from the best stuff on earth” but the best stuff on earth is pizza! And pudding. And ice cream. All desserts and then pizza. And sushi. And mint tea… (ony) // You girls into hip-hop? (tourist girls look indifferent, he turns to pregnant girl) I know she is… She’s six months pregnant! (ony) // So yeah, every time I drive past this cemetery, the call quality on my cell phone drops. (ony) //selah

PG has finished reading The Whisper of the River. It is the second volume of the Sambo Trilogy, written by Ferrol Sams. Dr. Sams is a physician, who decided when he was sixty years old to write novels. The Sambo Trilogy is the tale of Porter Osborne, Jr., inspired by the life of Ferrol Sams, Jr.
A few days after PG finished Run With The Horsemen, the first Sambo (spell check suggestion:Mambo, Rambo, Samba) book, he went walking to the neighborhood yard sales. There was a sale at this house at the top of the big hill on Skyland Drive. There was a treadmill, which might be fun if PG had a much larger house. There were also copies of the second and third books of the Sambo trilogy. PG usually tries to negotiate at yard sales, but handed the man a dollar, without a seconds hesitation, for the two books.
The Whisper of the River is the story of Sambo at Mercer University. When he left the farm, he was a “raised right” boy, determined to make all As, and not spend any more money than necessary. He met an assortment of characters, had some experiences, and was a different person when the story ended. The book ends December 7, 1941.
The story is tons of fun to read, but sometimes you wonder just how accurate this is. Sambo develops as a man, and the reader suspects a bit of enthusiastic memory. An Amazon reviewer, Mike in the Middle (Midwest), says “While I love this book, I don’t think it is perfect. It could have used a bit more editing; I think it would have worked better with at least 50 fewer pages. Also, Porter is sometimes a tad too sweet. I am not sure I could have stood to be around him in real life. One interesting side note is the portrayal of John Birch, the inspiration for the nutty John Birch Society. He attended Mercer at the same time as Mr. Sams and clearly left a strongly negative impression on him. “
When Sambo gets a yankee jock for a roommate, there is a problem . Sambo asks that he not use the name of the Lord in vain. What the jock said was “goodgodamighty”. Years later, PG had a hellish working relationship with a professional Jesus worshiper. One of the PJW’s favorite expressions was “goodgodamighty”. The third commandment is a flexible instrument. PG had the sense that “goodgodamighty” wasn’t really a good use of a sacred name. He was amused to see where a semi fictional character agreed.(The spell check suggestion for “goodgodamighty” is goodnight.)
Mercer University in the late thirties had several visits from the larger world. A young man named John Birch led a rebellion against some divinity professors who didn’t interpret the Bible strictly enough. Clarence Foster had a series of speeches, raising money for Koinonia Farm. (Sambo wrote a check for twenty dollars, and told his daddy it was for books.) A man named Boston Harbor Jones worked in the kitchen, became friends with Sambo, and joined the Navy. In the last part of the book, Mr. Jones sent Sambo a letter. He was stationed in Hawaii, aboard the USS Arizona.
PG is not a literary critic. He is a slack blogger that likes to read, and is happy with a good story. The Whisper of the River is a good story. Pictures today are from the Australian War Memorial .

This is part two of the Chamblee54 tutorial, Blogging Because You Enjoy It. This lesson will focus on the template, and the HTML codes in it. A companion piece, template with notes, explains what the codes mean. These codes work with a WordPress hosted blog, and may not work elsewhere.
To show how these codes work, we will use screen shots from a post, Why Do Some Want A War In Iran? . The first picture is the HTML for this post. This is what you see when you click on the HTML tab in the editing window. The second picture is the post, as it appears online. There will be numbers on these pictures, which will correspond to notes in this text. Other pictures will be from The Library of Congress .
1- This is the code for a picture of Zachary Taylor. When you enter the picture, in the edit window, the WordPress software will create this code. If you want to use this picture again, you can copy the code into the edit window.
2- This is the code for the start of the text. The justify code tells the system to make the right side of the text smooth. The font code tells the system to use medium size text, and to use a dark green font.
3- This closes the previous font code, and changes the font color to light green.
4- This inserts a link into the text. The link is to a previous post on Chamblee54. This post is the source of the quote by Paul Wolfowitz. The link text is “said”.
5- This changes the previous font code, and changes the font color to blue. The color blue is used for the quote by Paul Wolfowitz.
6- This closes the previous font code, and changes the font color to dark green.
7- This closes the previous font code, and changes the font color to light green.
8- This closes the previous font code, and changes the font color to dark green.
9- This inserts a link into the text. The link is to the Library of Congress. This is a photo credit for images used. The link text is “The Library of Congress. “.
10- This closes the font code, and the justify code.

PG found a post in the archives. It was written the day before BHO was inaugurated. This is a good time to repeat it, with a few comments about 2012.
Al Gore has become the poster boy of global warming. A politician, reputed to be liberal and goofy, he makes the job of deniers a bit easier. Instead of talking about peak oil and the ph balance of the oceans, the oil industry makes jokes about Al Gore. Global warming may, or may not be, a real threat. However, dumping millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is probably going to cause problems. The facts are that the supply of oil is limited, getting more difficult to extract, and frequently in hostile hands. If we could find another source of energy, we would be better off, with or without belief in global warming. This is not said when people make jokes about Al Gore.
The economy is in ruins. The war in Afghanistan rages. American aircraft is slaughtering women and children in Pakistan. BHO signed a bill to allow the military to take prisoners. We are losing our rights, our security, and our money. Whether this is the fault of BHO, or the tail dragging Republicans, is a good topic for debate.
The election in 2012 looks like a replay of 2004. The Republican candidates are a bunch of idiots. The Democrats have a well funded machine. The one percent has invested in BHO, and is looking for their return. The electoral college is intact, with few calling for reform. The Democrats are waiting for their turn to steal an election.
PG listened in on a conversation in October 2000. One person didn’t think the upcoming election was important. The other thought it was important to vote for Gore. PG heard this, and started to think. He had been neutral, leaning towards Gore, but with no enthusiasm. Bush didn’t seem all that bad.
PG lived in Georgia, which everyone knew was going overwhelmingly for Bush. The electoral votes were going for Bush, rendering his opinion meaningless. This was the election where the electoral college system screwed America. In almost every election PG had voted in, this archaic plan had, in effect, stolen his vote. Now, the entire country was put at risk.
In October 2000, the government had a budget surplus. This meant that capital was not scooped up by the government, but went into the private sector. The dot com stock boom was raging, and more than a few thought that the collapse was imminent. America was not at war.
America was not at war.
So George W. Bush became President. The economy started to sputter, which happens from time to time. Then came nine eleven.
PG thought at the time of nine eleven that something was up. A product of the conspiracy happy sixties, PG thought America and the world were in for some bad times. With the new administration in power, we may finally find out what really happened on nine eleven.
There needed to be revenge for nine eleven. We invaded Afghanistan. The example of the Soviet Union was ignored, and we invaded one of the meanest places on earth.
There needed to be revenge for nine eleven. We prepared to invade Iraq. Before we invaded Iraq, the taxes were cut. We went from a surplus, to a half trillion dollar deficit.
There was an election for a second term. Between incompetent Democratic opposition, and the Republican talent for stealing elections, it was never in doubt.
At some point in all this, the banks started to lend money to people who had no business taking it. This went on for a while, until the loans started to not be repaid, and the banks started to fail.
BHO will be sworn in tomorrow. GWB should be sworn out today. The electoral college needs to be eliminated. The wars need to end.

The first part of this new year’s message is a repost from a year ago. Part two is a recycled email. Thank you Ed. The pictures are Union soldiers, from the War Between the States. They are courtesy of The Library of Congress
One thing that is accepted without question is the year starting at midnight on December 31. That is, in some cultures. Jews have a new year in September, China celebrates some time in January, and the fiscal year is whenever the bean counters say. If you ask google “why does the year start january first”, you get 436m options.
The earth runs on a cycle, based on it’s annual trip around the sun. The winter solstice is the longest night of the year, and in many ways the logical end of the year. The celebration of Christmas, a few days after the solstice, is not a coincidence. The question today is, why do we start a new year a week after Christmas, or ten days after the solstice?
The top ranked answer at google is from catalogs.com. They talk about Julius Caesar and Pope Gregory XIII(13), but never quite say why January first is the big day. It does end on a helpful note: “Calendars are a way that grownups organize time, but clearly not all grownups do it the same way. Happy New Year, therefore, whenever it happens for you.”
Lifeslittlemysteries continues with the talk about Caesar and the Pope. It is noted that January 1 was the day that Roman officials started their term of office. In England and her colonies, the new year was celebrated in March until 1752.
The rest of the google results do not look promising. PG does not know the answer to this.

How long have people celebrated the turn of the year? Celebrating the New Year is a tradition that dates back nearly 4000 years. If you had lived in Mesopotamia and Babylon 4,000 years ago (c. 2000 B.C.), you probably would have celebrated the new year in mid-March, at the time of the Vernal (Spring) Equinox. If, however, you were an Egyptian, your new year began with the Autumnal Equinox and the flooding of the Nile. If you were Greek, the Winter Solstice began your new year.
Who set January 1st as the beginning of the year? Julius Caesar was the first to set January 1st as the New Year. Caesar did so when he established the Julian calendar. The Julian calendar, named for Julius Caesar, decreed that the new year would occur on January 1st. Caesar wanted the year to begin in January since it celebrated the beginning of the civil year and the festival of the god of gates and, eventually, the god of all beginnings, Janus, after whom January was named. (It was said, many years later, that the only thing the Julian calender is good for is writing checks.)
Where would you celebrate Hogmanay on December 31st? Scotland is the home of Hogmanay (hog-mah-NAY), the rousing Scottish New Year’s celebration (the origins of the name are obscure). One of the traditions is “first-footing.” Shortly after midnight on New Year’s eve, neighbors pay visits to each other and impart New Year’s wishes. Traditionally, First foots used to bring along a gift of coal for the fire, or shortbread. It is considered especially lucky if a tall, dark, and handsome man is the first to enter your house after the new year is rung in. The Edinburgh Hogmanay celebration is the largest in the country, and consists of an all-night street party.
How is the New Year rung in by the Japanese? The new year is the most important holiday in Japan, and is a symbol of renewal. In December, various Bonenkai or “forget-the-year parties” are held to bid farewell to the problems and concerns of the past year and prepare for a new beginning. Misunderstandings and grudges are forgiven and houses are scrubbed. At midnight on Dec. 31, Buddhist temples strike their gongs 108 times, in a effort to expel 108 types of human weakness. New Year’s day itself is a day of joy and no work is to be done. Children receive otoshidamas, small gifts with money inside. Sending New Year’s cards is a popular tradition—if postmarked by a certain date, the Japanese post office guarantees delivery of all New Year’s cards on Jan. 1.
Who were the first with New Year’s resolutions? It is believed that the Babylonians were the first to make New Year’s resolutions, and people all over the world have been breaking them ever since. The early Christians believed the first day of the new year should be spent reflecting on past mistakes and resolving to improve oneself in the new year.
You can appreciate the Buddhist tradition when you see the timber slung on ropes used to strike their huge temple bell/gong. Some have a huge bronze bell as we are used to seeing, and others have a large round heavy symbol/gong. Smaller temples have, as you might imagine, smaller gongs and will have one or two strikers for the gong. They swing hammer like (as in sledge hammer) items to strike the gong. I’m sure this is what started the heavy drinking associated with their New Year. If you have ever lived close enough to hear these things with their long reverberations you’ll understand after the first few you ‘re ready for a belt. May you all have a health filled and prosperous New Year, Ed