VERO BEACH, FLORIDA — An object identified as a pre-World War II land mine was removed safely from a stretch of Atlantic beach by an Air Force hazardous materials team.
The object was discovered on a beach adjacent to Highway A1A near Patrick AFB. Officials at the base said that from the 1930s to the early 1940s, part of the beach was used for Navy training exercises. One of its missions was using explosives to test the strength of fortifications on the beach.
The beach was cleared of explosives after the training facility closed, the officials said, but the military almost certainly lost track and “left a lot of them here.”
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — A Vancouver supermarket printed embarrassing slogans on its plastic bags, hoping the reverse psychology would prompt customers to bring reusable bags.
East West Market ordered plastic bags featuring ads for an adult video emporium, an ointment for warts, and a colon care service. Included in small type was the statement, “Avoid the shame. Bring a reusable bag.”
Some customers got the message, but others turned the project on its head; many people appreciated the humor, and demand for the plastic bags soared.
The owner quickly switched to printing the sought-after images on reusable bags.
LAKE CITY, FLORIDA — Lake City Mall was evacuated after a suspicious object with multiple wires protruding from it was spotted in a public area.
Units from the Lake City Fire Department, Lake City Police, Columbia County Sheriff, and Florida Highway Patrol secured the area while a HAZMAT team investigated the object.
It turned out to be a sub sandwich wrapped in paper and adorned with wires to make it appear to be an explosive device.
A police spokesman said the device was “most likely intended to cause fear or as part of a prank,” and they intend to investigate the incident.
Under Florida law, placing a hoax bomb in public view is a second degree felony.
“Blue Moon” was written in 1934 by the high-powered composing team of Rogers and Hart for a movie that was quickly forgotten. But the song became hugely popular and has been recorded by dozens of artists over the years.
As intended, most versions of the tune have been gentle and slow. But in 1961, the doo-wop group The Marcels took “Blue Moon” to a wild and glorious new level. They turbocharged the tempo and, while faithful to the Rodgers and Hart lyrics, bookended them with a manic new stanza that is better heard than described.
Alone at home, I’ve been known to belt out a pretty good version of the “bom baba bom” stanza myself.
Blue Moon
By The Marcels, 1961 Written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart
Bom baba bom, Ba bom ba bom bom, Bom baba bom, Ba bom ba bom bom, Danga dang dang, Dinga dong ding, Blue Moon. Moon, Blue Moon. Dip di-dip di-dip, Moon, moon, moon, Blue Moon. Dip di-dip di-dip, Moon, moon, moon, Blue Moon. Dip di-dip di-dip, Bom baba bom, Ba bom ba bom bom, Bom baba bom, Ba bom ba bom bom, Danga dang dang, Dinga dong ding,
[Opening stanza repeats at reduced volume in background.]
Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone Without a dream in my heart. Without a love of my own.
Blue Moon, you knew just what I was there for. You heard me saying a prayer for Someone I really could care for.
And then there suddenly appeared before me The only one my arms will ever hold. I heard somebody whisper, “Please adore me.” And when I looked, the moon had turned to gold.
Blue Moon, now I’m no longer alone Without a dream in my heart. Without a love of my own.
Bom baba bom, Ba bom ba bom bom, Bom baba bom, Ba bom ba bom bom, Danga dang dang, Dinga dong ding, Blue Moon. Moon, Blue Moon. Dip di-dip di-dip, Moon, moon, moon, Blue Moon. Dip di-dip di-dip, Moon, moon, moon, Blue Moon. Dip di-dip di-dip, Bom baba bom, Ba bom ba bom bom, Bom baba bom, Ba bom ba bom bom, Danga dang dang, Dinga dong ding…
1. What is the world’s oldest continuously-inhabited city?
2. In the art world, what is bricolage?
3. What was the first country to give women the right to vote?
4. No major league baseball team uses the number 24 to honor what legendary player?
5. What does BMW stand for?
The Answers…
1. Probably Damascus, Syria. Evidence of habitation there dates back 11,000 years.
2. Bricolage is art created from non-standard material — junk, metal parts, etc. — or mixed media. A collage of photos, for example. The word bricolage comes from the French verb bricoler, which means “to tinker.”
3. New Zealand, 1893.
4. Jackie Robinson.
5. In English, Bavarian Motor Works. In German, Bayerische Motoren Werke.
Rudeness is the weak person’s imitation of strength.
— Eric Hoffer
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The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.
— Dante Alighieri
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The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work, and then they get elected and prove it.
— P. J. O’Rourke
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The best revenge is to be unlike he who performed the injury.
In 1958, Ron Isley of the Isley Brothers spontaneously ended a live show by calling out, “You know you make me wanna…” and the audience answered “Shout!” It worked so well that the band ended all future live performances with a “shout” call-and-response.
The following year, they expanded the routine into a song. They gathered friends at the recording studio to create a party atmosphere, recorded the tune in two parts, and released them on the flip sides of a 45 rpm record.
“Shout” has been covered numerous times, most notably by The Beatles, as featured in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and the version by the fictional band Otis Day and the Knights in “Animal House”
Both of those covers are excellent — as is the original by the Isley Brothers.
Shout, Parts 1 and 2
By the Isley Brothers, 1959 Written by O’Kelly Isley, Jr., Rudolph Isley, and Ronald Isley
[Part 1]
We-e-e-e-e-ellll…
You know you make me wanna (Shout!) Kick my heels up and (Shout!) Throw my hands up and (Shout!) Throw my head back and (Shout!) Come on now (Shout!)
Don’t forget to say you will. Don’t forget to say Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. (Say you will.) Say it right now, baby. (Say you will.) Come on, come on. (Say you will.) Say it, will you-ooooo! (Say you will.) You got it, now!
(Say) Say that you love me. (Say) Say that you need me. (Say) Say that you want me. (Say) You wanna please me. (Say) Come on now. (Say) Come on now. (Say) Come on now. (Say) Come on now.
I still remember (Shooby-doo-wop, do-wop, wop, wop, wop.) When you used to be nine years old. (Shooby-doo-wop, do-wop, wop, wop, wop.) Yeah, yeah! I was a fool for you from the bottom of my soul, yeah! (Shooby-doo-wop, do-wop, wop, wop, wop.) Now that you’ve grown up (Shooby-doo-wop, do-wop, wop, wop, wop.) Enough to know, yeah, yeah, (Shooby-doo-wop, do-wop, wop, wop, wop.) You wanna leave me. You wanna let me go. (Shooby-doo-wop, do-wop.)
I want you to know. I said I want you to know right now, yeah! You been good to me baby. Better than I been to myself. Hey! Hey! And if you ever leave me, I don’t want nobody else. Hey! Hey! I said I want you to know. Hey! I said I want you to know right now. Hey! Hey!
You know you make me wanna (Shout!) (Wooo!) Hey. Yeah. (Shout!) (Wooo!) Yeah, yeah, yeah. (Shout!) (Wooo!) All right! (Shout!) (Wooo!) All right! (Shout!) (Wooo!) Come on now! (Shout!) Come on now! (Shout!) Yeah, yeah, yeah. (Shout!) Yeah, yeah, yeah (Shout!) Yeah, yeah, yeah. (Shout!) Yeah, yeah, yeah. (Shout!) (Shout!) All right. (Shout!) It’s all right. (Shout!) All right. (Shout!) All right (Aah!)
Now waaaiittt a minute!
[Part 2]
I feel aaaaaaaallll right! (Yeah-yeah! Yeah-yeah! Yeah-yeah!) (Oooooooh!) Now that I got my woman I feel aaaaaaaallll right! (Yeah-Yeah!) Every time I think about you. You been so good to me.
You know you make me wanna (Shout!) (Wooo!) Lift my heels up and (Shout!) (Wooo!) Throw my head back and (Shout!) (Wooo!) Kick my heels up and (Shout!) (Wooo!) Come on now. (Shout!) (Wooo!) Take it easy. (Shout!) (Wooo!) Take it easy. (Shout!) (Wooo!) Take it easy. (Shout!)
A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!) A little bit softer now. (Shout!)
A little bit louder now. (Shout!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!)
(Wooo!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!) (Wooo!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!) (Wooo!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!) (Wooo!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!) (Wooo!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!) (Wooo!) A little bit louder now. (Shout!)
Jump now. Jump up and shout now. (Wooo!) Jump up and shout now. (Wooo!) Jump up and shout now. (Wooo!) Jump up and shout now. (Wooo!) Jump up and shout now. (Wooo!)
3. The best-selling novel of all time was written in Spain in the early 1600s. What is it?
4. In ancient Egypt, what served as pillows?
5. What is the largest known cave system in the world?
The Answers…
1. Tulip bulbs. In the Dutch Republic in 1634, tulips were a new thing, and a wave of “tulip mania” swept the country. Certain varieties of tulip became coveted luxury items that soon were accepted as currency. The speculative bubble burst in 1637, and the fad fizzled.
2. The mouthpiece of a wind instrument.
3. “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes. Over 500 million copies sold.
4. Chunks of wood or stone.
5. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. People have explored 400 miles of it, and national park officials believe another 600 miles is out there. Also, scattered around the region are some 200 smaller caves not connected to the Mammoth system.
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