Saturday, July 2, 2016
Greetings fellow Bizarros:
With Independence Day coming up in a couple of days I thought you might find this bizarre bit of American history interesting. Our venerable national anthem 'The Star-Spangled Banner' is really a 250-year-old drinking song from England.
They knew how to rock it out back then.
The original version was called 'To Anacreon in Heaven' and was usually sung by The Anacreontic Society of London. It was sort of like their theme song.
What was The Anacreontic Society? It was a bunch of lawyers, doctors and other well-to-do professionals who enjoyed music, literature, poetry, and more importantly, boozing. They named themselves after the famous, ancient Greek poet Anacreon who liked to write about women and boozing. Go figure.
They would get together periodically, read each other poems they had written and sing popular songs they all enjoyed and drink themselves half insensible. Oh, and they did other things as a society, like present concerts and operas.
Not surprisingly, this kind of club became popular, and so did the theme song. It spread right across the Atlantic where, in the much more rural colonies, it became more about the boozin' and singin' than about organizing concerts for the well-to-do.
50-some-odd years later Francis Scott Key was watching the Brits bomb the hell out of Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812. He was so inspired by the fort's indomitable defense that he wrote the poem 'Defense of Fort McHenry'.
Later, Key gave the poem to his brother-in-law who saw that the words fit perfectly with melody of an oldie but goodie that was still popular around the fledgling country, perhaps hoping that because of its age nobody would remember that the song was originally British. Thus was born 'The Star-Spangled Banner'.
Think about that the next time you're singing the national anthem.
Bizarrely,
Lewis
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*----- This Is How You Blow a Job Interview -----*
A Kentucky man attempted to rob a local Chuck E. Cheese while participating in a job interview. Police Lt. Andrew Daughtery told the Lexington Herald-Leader that the manager of the Chuck E. Cheese said the man came into the Lexington location to get a job application at 2 p.m. and returned at 4 p.m. for an interview. Daughtery said the man announced that he wanted to rob the restaurant and implied that he had a firearm. The manager reportedly told the man that he did not have access to the safe and advised the would-be robber to leave the premises. Police said the man apologized to Chuck E. Cheese employees and began to cry. Police continued their search for the unidentified man and hoped to track him down with the information provided in his interview if it was truthful.
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*-- Police Break Down Door to Rescue Sex Doll --*
Police in Amsterdam said they kicked down the door to an apartment to rescue a woman who turned out to be an inflatable sex doll. Amsterdam police said officers were called to the apartment by neighbors who reported looking into the apartment's window and seeing a woman standing motionless for a long period of time. Officers spotted the woman, dressed only in her underwear, standing at the window and not moving despite them ringing the doorbell and knocking on the door. The officers broke through the door to the apartment and "indeed found a lifeless woman," but she was "made of plastic and filled with air," the report said. Officers moved the blow-up doll away from the window to prevent further confusion from onlookers.
*-------------- READER COMMENTS --------------*
I hope it was the original story and not you that didn't know the difference between reigns and reins. Reins is what you wanted. Reigns is what you do when you win the kingdom.
[Actually, I think it was supposed to be 'rains'.]
Regarding Lisa J's item about a billion rounds of ammo. She needs to get a better source to feed her paranoia.
[It is true, various non-military government agencies have been buying up inordinate amounts of ammunition. The only thing that is not proven is that it is being bought in preparation for some kind of national civil unrest. We just have to assume that for ourselves.]
Lewis, Izazaga looks like it might be a Japanese name--is that how that good lady learn'd to drive to deal with another country's traffic?
[That's a little racist, don't you think?]
Wow! Do the commenters on gun control really think that anybody who wants one should be able to buy any firearm they want? Do you really think that if Homeland Security wants to come and take your AR-15, that you could stop them? They will just "pry it from your cold, dead fingers." I am a gun owner who believes in the right to bear arms. But, I do not think that those on the terrorist watch list should be able to go to a gun show and buy an AK-47, and 1000 rounds of ammunition. What in the hell does a regular citizen need a Barrett 50 cal. Sniper rifle for? Thanks for letting me vent. -Doug
[If Homeland Security has to murder a quarter of the population just to confiscate firearms, they won't be doing a very good job of 'securing' the homeland, will they?]
*----------- END OF READER COMMENTS ----------*