Sunday Music: Planxty

If you like Irish music, or folk music, or traditional music, or good music of any description, then the righteous Planxty is for you. They broke up in 1983, but ...

Here, they sing "The Blacksmith", live on Ireland's "Late Show", in 1980. If I received tickets for concerts by the Rolling Stones and Planxty for the same night, I'd attend the concert by the better group. And I'd make someone happy by giving them Stones tickets.

A blacksmith courted me, nine months or better
He fairly won my heart, wrote me a letter
With his hammer in his hand, he looked so clever
And if I were with my love, I would live forever

Oh, where has my love gone with his cheeks like roses
He's gone across the sea gathering primroses
Will burn and scorch I fear the shining sun his beauty
And if I were with my love, I would do my duty

Strange news is come to town, strange news is carried
Sad news cried up and down, that my love is married
I wish them both much joy, though they can't hear me
And if I were with my love, I'd do my duty

What did you promise me when you lay beside me
You said you'd marry me and not deny me
If I said I'd marry you, 'twas only to try you
So bring your witness, love, and I'll not deny you

Oh, witness I have none, save God Almighty
And may he reward you well for the slighting of me
Her lips grew pale and wan; her heart did tremble
For to think she'd had one love, and he proved deceitful

American Place

I can't imagine buying anything in "American Place". This picture is typical of what its wares look like-huge piles of low-quality clothing, heaped up on tables.

I wouldn't take this stuff if you offered it to me for nothing.

Hopefully, American Place will be out of business before too long.

American Place

Years ago, the corner of Fourth Avenue and Senator Street was the site of an A&P supermarket, later a Waldbaum's, which provided a valuable service for the entire neighborhood.

In more recent years, a Duane Reade drugstore was on the site. It did not do so well, as it was in competition with the more centrally located Rite Aid supermarket on 69th St.

Now it's the site of "American Place", a clothing store.

Al Gore Scams Nobel Peace Prize

Al Gore by Su Berton ©, originally uploaded by Su Bee.

It's been said before, but I must say it again- Gore is a hypocrite on monstrous scale. He uses more energy than your entire neighborhood He is clearly of the "do as I say, not as I do" school, and many in the environmental movement do the cause no favors by giving a knee-jerk defense of Mr. Gore when his personal carbon footprint is mentioned.

I question the value of this prize. In recent decades, so me of the choices have been bizarre and wrong -Henry Kissinger, Le Doc Tho, Yasser Arafat. War-makers getting peace prizes. Beautiful.

Any thinking person should be an environmentalist, and to try to make some of their choices accordingly. Which does not mean that you can't take a critical eye to all or some of the Global Warming Theory. (There's observed Global Warming on Mars. What's the cause of that?)

And which does not mean you accept as a leader a man who does not personally live an environmentally ethical life. He's the environmental equivalent of Bono, who preaches (government-financed) debt relief in Africa while not paying income tax in Ireland.
(Bono takes advantage of Irish law that exempts artists' income from the income tax. When the Irish government sought to tax one of his companies, he moved the company to the Netherlands.

Gore preaches environmentalism, and burns energy on a manic scale, Bono seeks huge revenue flows for Africa, but makes damned sure that he doesn't pay into it.

I could see these two meeting in some private-jet airport, and winking at one another. They've world champion scammers, and the living is very good.

Image (Al Gore by Su Berton ©)