Charlie Louvin passed earlier today (Jan 26th) of complications stemming from an ongoing bout with pancreatic cancer. He was 83. Charlie Louvin is best remembered as one half of the famous Louvin Brothers along with brother Ira Louvin (above video is of the two Alabama-born brothers doing "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby"). Once famously cited as Elvis Presley's favorite musical duo and widely revered for their impeccable harmonizing, these country music artists started out their career playing on the radio in Tennessee in the early 1940's, initially singing traditional gospel harmony style. They later moved to Nashville and joined the Grand Old Opry in the mid 1950's. At that same time they signed a record deal with Capitol Records and churned out a series of popular singles and albums. Their albums included Satan Is Real (the 1959 album with songs like "Are You Afraid to Die" and "The Kneeling Drunkard's Plea." The album has much talked about, unintentionally comical cover art -- see below right) and 1960's My Baby's Gone. The sibling band broke up over personal differences in 1963 (two years later Ira would be killed in an auto accident) and Charlie began his long solo career shortly after.

Everyone knows a couple of things about leprechauns (aka lurachmain, lurican, leprechawn, lepracaun, leprechaun, lubberkin and lurgadhan). They’re small, tricky gingers that, if caught, will show you the money. One theory about the word’s origin is that it comes from luacharma'n (or luchorpán), the Irish word for “pygmy.” Another theory is that the word is derived from leath bhrogan, meaning “shoemaker.” Not as many people know but leprechauns usually find employment as cobblers or shoemakers. Presumably they make and repair the shoes of other faerie folk and Tuatha Dé Danann, because how else could they make money off each other if they all practice the same trade? And leprechauns make money. If you lay your eyes on one, don’t look away or they’ll vanish.

Although the Irish believe that leprechauns emigrated from the island of Fir Bolg, they’ve nonetheless become one of the most common stereotypical images of Eire, along with that Romano-British Englishman, Sanctus Patricius, whose saint day is (of course) today.

Missouri Day

Pendersleigh & Sons' Official Map of Missouri

In my experience, when you'ins tell people you’re from Missouri, most people reply self-satisfiedly with "don't you mean Missouruh?" or "where is Missouri? I don’t think I’ve ever been there." Whether Missouri is Midwestern or Southern is a common conversation amongst Missourians... at least on the internet. In my experience, Missouri's Midwestern neighbors (haters) usually disparage it as a hick state whurr test scores are low, the accent is ugly and you'ins can buy fireworks, liquor and ammo... all in the same place. Missouri's Southern neighbors (haters) usually don't consider it to be Southern because Missouri didn't side with the South in the Civil War (well, that's complicated-- thurr were 30,000 gray and 109,000 blue) and because South Coasters love to disassociate themselves from the Upland South. Mark Twain, Langston Hughes, Thomas Hart Benton all seem fairly Southern, no? And T.S. Elliot, William Burroughs and Maya Angelou don’t so much, right? Cultural cringe I reckon.

a feller with a Missouri hummingbird

  
The Flag of Australia                                             The Australian Aboriginal Flag        The Flag of Torres Strait Islanders


Australia was discovered about 45,000 years ago when they either walked or made short sea-crossings from Papua to the north in what is now the Torres Strait. In Australia they grew into diverse cultures with around 250 languages spoken by nations such as the Koori, Murri, Noongar, Yamatji, Wangkai, Nunga, Anagu, Yapa, Yolngu and Palawah, who together may've numbered around 3 quarters of a million.  43,830 years later (give or take a few thousand) it was claimed, like a quarter of the planet, by the tiny, faraway island of Great Britain.



      Broad: Exemplified by larrikins Paul “g’day mate” Hogan, Steve “crikey” Irwin.
      General: The typical Australian of Cate Blanchett, Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman.
      Cultivated: The British-sounding manner of Geoffrey Rush or Judy Davis.

None of the examples above probably say "shrimp on the barbie" since "shrimp" are called "prawns" in Australia.
     
Most of the wildlife and plant life is endemic. It's the flattest country on Earth, mostly desert and covered with the least fertile soil. It seems like wherever you go in the world, you run into loads of Australians. Luckily, they all have multizone DVD players.