The World According To Carl

Here’s something of interest to the serious harmonica player, a Six-sided harmonica made by Hohner harmonica company. It’s officially referred to as the “53/288 Tremolo Sextet” and according to the Hohner website:

For the largest tonal range available on a Hohner tremolo, these models are nearly 11 inches long and feature 24 double holes on each harmonica. Choose a single key on one Tremolo Harmonica or carry six keys in one beautiful and unique Tremolo Sextet. All offer wood combs for a warm vibrato. The six harmonicas on the sextet can be played while mounted to the wheel-type frame, or dismantled for individual play. 53/288 Sextet has the keys of C, D, F, G, A, and Bb.

The suggested retail price is $399.95 but you can get one for only $299.95 at several online stores specializing in musical instruments.

A big ol’ Florida welcome to all the readers from Pirate’s Cove who came over to this post from their TrackBack Friday, Featuring The DNC Surrender Monkey!.

And also an equally big Florida welcome to all the readers from Stop The ACLU who came over to this post from the Friday Free For All.

Plus I welcome readers from Church and State who came over to this little post from the Weekend Open Trackback.

This entry was filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can trackback from your own site. Rightclick on trackback and click on copy shortcut.

If you have created an interesting post, comment, entry or whatever that you would like to share, please use my blog’s trackback to promote it. I humbly request that you return the favor by linking the article you wish to share to this post so others can find their way to join in with the fun. All you have to do is link your post to this one, send a trackback, and it will appear in the comments upon approval. I have to manually approve all comments due to spammers even though I have a system in place to filter them out. It works pretty good, but a few still get through the filter awaiting to be approved. Of course, I delete the spam before you, the reader, are subjected to it. Just rightclick where it says “trackback” below and then click on “copy shortcut” to get the trackback URL.

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UPDATE:Convenience store chain 7-11 has decided to drop Citgo as its preferred fuel for sale. It appears that this boycott is growing legs and is increasing in scope. About 2,100 of 7-Eleven’s 5,300 U.S. stores sell gasoline.

Here’s something I didn’t know…the gasoline company Citgo is owned by the Venezuelan government and as such is controlled by dictator Hugo Chavez. You remember good ol’ Hugo, dontcha? He’s the guy who’s been calling President Bush “the devil” and supporting evil dictators all over the world. Remember, Chavez is the one who threatened, albeit weakly, that he would attack America if they were provoked. I recently applied for and received a Citgo gas card because the local Circle K convenience stores recently dropped Union 76 and went independent with their fuel. So I needed a gas card for a company that a convenience store nearby sold. And that happened to be Citgo. Now upon learning the Citgo-Chavez connection, I’m cutting up my card and no longer using Citgo. I’ve read a couple of blogs whose owners/authors (whom in the past have shown themselves to be somewhat intelligent) have taken the tact of mindless, vitriolic Bush-bashing. It’s pathetic.

Thanks to Captains Quarters for alerting me about the Citgo-Chavez connection. Other noteworthy blogs with info and links concerning the Citgo-Chavez connection include:

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I was flipping through the channels this afternoon and came across the Great American County (GAC) music channel and once again I see yet another cool and inspirational music video in clear and unabashed support of American troops. And then I got to wondering; why is it that country artists show their patriotism and support more openly than artists of other genres? I mean, just look at some of the artists with videos shown on country music video channels: Toby Keith, Montgomery Gentry, Aaron Tippin, Big & Rich…I could go on and on. Now frankly, I’m not a big country fan. I’m more into rock and blues and ska. But there are several country artists I enjoy quite a bit (the Kentucky Headhunters, Keith Anderson and Junior Brown to name a few).

Then I also wondered, how many music videos by rock and rap artists have been made and aired by MTV and VH1 that support the troops? Honestly I couldn’t name one. [If someone knows of any, please leave a comment and I'll append this entry.] I don’t know if no one in the rock and rap industry is making any or if MTV and VH1 just won’t air them. I have no clue as to the former, but the latter is plausible since MTV and VH1 are controlled by people who support ultra liberal causes. I do know of rock artists who clearly support the troops like Ted Nugent and Jesse James Dupree (of the band Jackyl) but I can’t think of a single rap artist who has publicly and openly supported American troops without supporting a “cut and run” attitude. I can’t think of one but freely admit I don’t keep up with the rap world at all so if someone knows of any (and please cite sources for me to check) please leave a comment and I will amend this post as well.

I know actor Gary Sinise and his band (the Lt. Dan Band) regularly performs in support of American troops. I know actor/comedian Drew Carey regularly performs in support of American troops. And coming back to the world of country music, I know of dozens of country artists who have done the same. Can we say the same of big name rock and rap artists? I want to know.

I found a list of songs supporting American troops with links on how to obtain copies. The artists for the most part aren’t big name acts, but their patriotism and support are unquestionably huge.

I’ve read quotes from some rock artists who claim to “support the troops but are against the war” but that’s an illogical position. They say the best way to support the troops is by “bringing them home.” But what they truly want is to “cut and run” and not allow the American military to properly finish the job they set out to do. So they write hateful little protest songs. Very few of which exhibit any intelligence at all but instead espouse hatred of President Bush and all things conservative. Fine for them. I honestly couldn’t care less. But which among them have made music and videos in support of the American military that show the military in a positive light and aren’t just anti-Bush diatribes set to music? Off the top of my head the only one that comes to mind is an older one by Sammy Hagar called “When Eagles Fly” which highlighted the Blue Angels precision flight team. The video was subsequently and effectively used as a recruiting tool by the Air Force with Hagar’s blessings.

So what is it about country artists that has overwhelmingly supported the American military, been pro-American and very patriotic? This isn’t a new thing, either. Country music artists have exhibited this for decades. It’s just a shame that not more rock and rap artists don’t have the intestinal fortitude to do the same.

However Merle Haggard has the best conservative take on this IMHO…

“The Fighting Side of Me”

I hear people talkin’ bad,
About the way we have to live here in this country,
Harpin’ on the wars we fight,
An’ gripin’ ’bout the way things oughta be.
An’ I don’t mind ‘em switchin’ sides,
An’ standin’ up for things they believe in.
When they’re runnin’ down my country, man,
They’re walkin’ on the fightin’ side of me.
Yeah, walkin’ on the fightin’ side of me.
Runnin’ down the way of life,
Our fightin’ men have fought and died to keep.
If you don’t love it, leave it:
Let this song I’m singin’ be a warnin’.
If you’re runnin’ down my country, man,
You’re walkin’ on the fightin’ side of me.

I read about some squirrely guy,
Who claims, he just don’t believe in fightin’.
An’ I wonder just how long,
The rest of us can count on bein’ free.
They love our milk an’ honey,
But they preach about some other way of livin’.
When they’re runnin’ down my country, hoss,
They’re walkin’ on the fightin’ side of me.

Yeah, walkin’ on the fightin’ side of me.
Runnin’ down the way of life,
Our fightin’ men have fought and died to keep.
If you don’t love it, leave it:
Let this song I’m singin’ be a warnin’.
If you’re runnin’ down my country, man,
You’re walkin’ on the fightin’ side of me.

Yeah, walkin’ on the fightin’ side of me.
Runnin’ down the way of life,
Our fightin’ men have fought and died to keep.
If you don’t love it, leave it:
Let this song I’m singin’ be a warnin’.
If you’re runnin’ down my country, man,
You’re walkin’ on the fightin’ side of me.

God bless ya, Merle!

A hearty welcome to all the readers from Stop The ACLU who came over to this post from the Friday Free For All.

Also a big ol’ Florida welcome to all the readers from Pirate’s Cove who came over to this post from their TrackBack Friday, Featuring The DNC Surrender Monkey!.

Plus I welcome readers from Church and State who came over to this little post from the Weekend Open Trackback.

This entry was filed under Music, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can trackback from your own site. Rightclick on trackback and click on copy shortcut.

Today I received a pair of carpenter shorts that are size 52. I got a great deal on them via ebay but wasn’t sure at the time if I could fit into them well. But I took the chance anyway. Well, I am very pleased to report that not only can I fit in them, but they already are a bit loose in the waist and the seat on me. So I definitely am down to (and most likely below) a 52 inch waist in pants. This from an all-time high of 64 inches (and they were a bit tight on me just before my surgery). Out-freakin’-standing!

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Here’s a portion of what Dick Morris wrote about Clinton’s explosion on FOX News:

From behind the benign façade and the tranquilizing smile, the real Bill Clinton emerged Sunday during Chris Wallace’s interview on Fox News Channel. There he was on live television, the man those who have worked for him have come to know – the angry, sarcastic, snarling, self-righteous, bombastic bully, roused to a fever pitch. The truer the accusation, the greater the feigned indignation. Clinton jabbed his finger in Wallace’s face, poking his knee, and invading the commentator’s space.

And before all you liberal extremist start the “right wing conspiracy” rant in response to Morris’ words, let me remind you that Dick Morris managed Bill Clinton’s successful 1996 bid for re-election to the office of President of the United States. He was a Clinton “insider” and has become a harsh critic of the ex-President. So his opinion does come with some recognizable merit. Morris’ description of Bill Clinton as an “angry, sarcastic, snarling, self-righteous, bombastic bully” rings true especially when many other within the Clinton inner circle also describe him similarly. Morris also correctly points out that “the truer the accusation, the greater the feigned indignation.” This applies not only to Bill Clinton but Hilary Clinton’s defense of his actions during the Fox interview and also to dozens of liberal Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Howard Dean and many others who really have lost touch with the average American.

More Clinton insiders are coming forth exposing the falsehoods Bill Clinton espoused during that interview. Many people have taken the time to examine each claim that Clinton made and have proven most of them to be false and misleading.

Whereas Ronald Reagan is referred to as “the Great Communicator,” Bill Clinton is properly referred to as “the Great Prevaricator.”

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This entry was filed under Humor, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can trackback from your own site. Rightclick on trackback and click on copy shortcut.

A hearty welcome to all the readers from Stop The ACLU who came over to this post from the Friday Free For All.

Also a big ol’ Florida welcome to all the readers from Pirate’s Cove who came over to this post from their TrackBack Friday, Featuring The DNC Surrender Monkey!.

Plus I welcome readers from Church and State who came over to this little post from the Weekend Open Trackback.

This entry was filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can trackback from your own site. Rightclick on trackback and click on copy shortcut.

Debbie Schussel writes about Oprah Winfrey’s rather unsavory comments on XM Satellite Radio. WARNING: Fans of Oprah may wish to avoid reading Schussel’s article.

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In front of a raucus sold-out home crowd of 70,003 in the Louisiana Superdome, the New Orleans Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons 23-3 to go 3-0 in the third week of the NFL season.

Deuce McAllister ran for 81 yards on 19 attempts while Reggie Bush ran for 53 yards on 13 attempts. The Saints defense limited the Falcon offense to only 117 yards rushing; 57 from QB Michael Vick and 44 from Warrick Dunn. The Saints’ defensive unit sacked Vick five times and allowed Atlanta only 10 first downs.

Next Sunday at noon eastern time, the Saints will be facing the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte. I think the Saints have a better than average chance of defeating the Panthers to go to 4-0. That would be outstanding. If they defeat the Panthers, their next opponent on the schedule is Tampa Bay which I believe the Saints have an excellent chance of defeating. For the first time in a long time, I am optimistic about the Saints’ chances of making it to the playoffs.

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In an earlier post, I wrote about the Sam & The Soul Machine from Funky Delicacies (a subsidiary of Tuff City Records). Today I received another CD from Funky Delicacies by a New Orleans funk and soul band, The Gaturs. This reissue CD collects songs by The Gaturs that were originally released only on 45’s and some nice extra unreleased tracks to create this album that “should have been.” It’s a combination of New Orleans funk and good old fashion 70’s soul music with a touch of jazz thrown in for good measure. Willie Tee’s organ performance and vocals are terrific. There’s a sax performance on “Get Up” which reminds me a lot of Charles Neville. The CD doesn’t specifically identify a sax player but the cover photo has Earl Turbinton (Willie Tee’s brother) performing with the band so I am assuming that he’s the one performing on “Get Up.” One of the bonus tracks, “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” is a silky smooth soul ballad with a cool horn section offsetting Willie Tee’s vocals and keyboards. The song really holds up today and doesn’t sound dated at all. “Sweet Thing” puts the funk in high gear with classic wah-wah guitar and a hard-edged horn section complementing a string section. It’s a powerful declaration of a man’s devotion to the woman he loves. “Wasted” is a cool, funky instrumental with jazz undertones which reminds me of some of the incidental music from the movie “Shaft.” Willie Tee has been a well-known New Orleans musician for decades and eventually became the bandleader and producer for Bo Dollis’ Wild Magnolias Mardi Gras Indians. However after Hurricane Katrina, he now resides in New Jersey and has no plans on returning to New Orleans. As with several New Orleans artists displaced by the storm, Willie Tee has found the pay much better as well as treatment of musicians in general is better elsewhere.

A hearty welcome to all the readers from Stop The ACLU who came over to this post from the Friday Free For All.

Also a big ol’ Florida welcome to all the readers from Pirate’s Cove who came over to this post from their TrackBack Friday, Featuring The DNC Surrender Monkey!.

Plus I welcome readers from Church and State who came over to this little post from the Weekend Open Trackback.

This entry was filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can trackback from your own site. Rightclick on trackback and click on copy shortcut.

Tonight is the big night for Saints fans in New Orleans. This marks the first true home game in the Louisiana Superdome since 2004 as the Saints (2-0) host the rival Atlanta Falcons (2-0). The city is pumped up over this event and has activities scheduled all day leading up to kickoff. The game is a sellout so WDSU-TV will be televising it to fans in and around New Orleans who cannot attend the game. The national anthem Monday night will be sung by New Orleans’ own Irma Thomas and Allen Toussaint with Kermit Ruffins on trumpet. The Goo Goo Dolls, Green Day and U2 will perform before the game and the Southern University marching band will provide the halftime show. Former President George H.W. Bush will be performing the pre-game coin toss at midfield. Accompanying him will be 150 Katrina first responders. Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and his successor, Roger Goodell, and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin are also expected to be there. I wonder how the crowd will react when Blanco and Nagin are introduced. The ‘Dome will be rockin’ tonight. I wearing my old Glover #97 jersey all day today in support of my favorite NFL team. I’m wearing it even though it’s a size 4X and ever since I had gastric bypass surgery and have lost over 125 pounds, I now wear a 2X t-shirt. And NFL jerseys are cut large so it’s probably closer to the equivalent of a 5X t-shirt. So it’s going to look like I’m wearing a Saints tent. I have an old Aaron Brooks jersey that’s one size smaller, but taking the advice of some fellow Saints fans, I’m not wearing it because it “might jinx us.“

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UPDATE (and moved to top):Convenience store chain 7-11 has decided to drop Citgo as its preferred fuel for sale. It appears that this boycott is growing legs and is increasing in scope. About 2,100 of 7-Eleven’s 5,300 U.S. stores sell gasoline.

Here’s something I didn’t know…the gasoline company Citgo is owned by the Venezuelan government and as such is controlled by dictator Hugo Chavez. You remember good ol’ Hugo, dontcha? He’s the guy who’s been calling President Bush “the devil” and supporting evil dictators all over the world. Remember, Chavez is the one who threatened, albeit weakly, that he would attack America if they were provoked. I recently applied for and received a Citgo gas card because the local Circle K convenience stores recently dropped Union 76 and went independent with their fuel. So I needed a gas card for a company that a convenience store nearby sold. And that happened to be Citgo. Now upon learning the Citgo-Chavez connection, I’m cutting up my card and no longer using Citgo. I’ve read a couple of blogs whose owners/authors (whom in the past have shown themselves to be somewhat intelligent) have taken the tact of mindless, vitriolic Bush-bashing. It’s pathetic.

Thanks to Captains Quarters for alerting me about the Citgo-Chavez connection. Other noteworthy blogs with info and links concerning the Citgo-Chavez connection include:

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Okay, folks…after getting some help from a fellow blogger, it appears that The World According To Carl now has a working trackback system. So I’m going to start a weekly open trackbacks each Friday. If you have created an interesting post, comment, entry or whatever that you would like to share, please use my blog’s trackback to promote it. I humbly request that you return the favor by linking the article you wish to share to this post so others can find their way to join in with the fun. All you have to do is link your post to this one, send a trackback, and it will appear in the comments upon approval. I have to manually approve all comments due to spammers even though I have a system in place to filter them out. It works pretty good, but a few still get through the filter awaiting to be approved. Of course, I delete the spam before you, the reader, are subjected to it. Just rightclick where it says “trackback” below and then click on “copy shortcut” to get the trackback URL.

If this works, and I hope it does, then I’m going to make this a weekly event.

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With the new fall season underway on all the networks, it will become apparent soon which shows will continue and which shows will be executed by poor ratings. I watched the “Daily Buzz” this morning on the local CW affiliate and saw a segment they did about a website giving odds and taking bets on which shows would be cancelled. I was immediately suspicious of the objectivity when I saw the banner ads for NBC shows and then confirmed it when at the very bottom of the site were the following words:

©2006 NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved

So much for any objectivity. No wonder only one NBC show, “Friday Night Lights” was listed as one of the shows given odds for cancellation. Plus it obviously was no coincidence that the banner ads on the page were for the very same show. This was something the “Daily Buzz” failed to mention. The site’s terms of service is a lawyer’s desire full of legalese. Check the site out if you must but be aware that it’s owned and operated by NBC/Universal so expect the information and “news” to be heavily biased in favor of NBC/Universal properties.

A big welcome to all readers from Stop The ACLU reading its Friday Free For All open trackbacks entry.

Also a big welcome to all readers from TMH’s Bacon Bits reading its Autumnal Weekend OTB Fest.

And a equally as big of a welcome to all readers from Pirate’s Cove reading its TrackBack Friday Featuring The DNC Surrender Monkey trackbacks entry.

Plus a big moose-tacular welcome to all readers from The Bullwinkle Blog reading its Moosetracks Open Trackbacks.

We also welcome to all readers from Stuck On Stupid reading its Weekend OTB.

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My timing was good this morning. I was flipping through the channels on TV as I often do and came across the beginning of Jimmy Buffett’s newest video for his song “Bama Breeze.” I wrote about the shooting of the video in an earlier post and now I got to watch the finished product. It’s quite good. This will be another Jimmy Buffett album I’ll be purchasing sometime in the future.

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Java. Mud. Cup o’ joe. Go-go juice. Ink. Dishwater. Whatever you wish to call it, it’s one of America’s favorite beverages. I, for one, can hardly start my day without a mug full of it. With cream. And just enough sugar to give it a hint of sweetness. However, my wife and I gave up on most store bought brands like Foldgers and Maxwell House long ago. A couple of years ago we stumbled across an online source for good coffee called The Coffee Fool which roasts your order and sends it fresh (I recommend trying their “Snoodle-Doodle,” “Fool’s House American,” “Velvet Hammer” and “Tropical Vanilla” among others they offer). There are several online sources for coffee that does it this way and I’m sure they’re quite good, too however we came across this one, are happy with it and will continue to purchase fine coffees from them.

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Smash over at IndePundit reports on his encounter with a small (and I mean small) handful of members of Code Pink at outside Walter Reed Army Hospital and also other enlightening information. It’s a very insightful article and well written. I highly recommend you read it.

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I really don’t know what triggered this, but something got me remembering events relating to old Color Craft anodized aluminum tumblers. Back when I was a child in the 60’s, my parents would take us down to Lynn Haven, Florida to spend a week with my Great-Grandparents on my Momma’s side of the family. They had a little two-bedroom, one bath home there. On most of these summer vacations, my Grandparents (my Grandmother was my Great-Grandparents’ daughter) would come down from Memphis and stay with us. On a couple of occassions, my Uncle and his family (wife and two kids) came to stay as well.
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