Easter Monday

In the UK today is called a bank holiday but here the banks were even open. Is there a country more keep to drop holidays than Canada? It is on all the evidence the best day to buy meat as the entire A&P meat section was on about 50% off and, so, it has been a day or roasting and braising and stockmaking and freezing amongst a bout of keen spring cleaning.

The day has not been without personal growth. This morning, on NPR, there was a discussion of the short lived genre of boogaloo. I don’t think I knew there was in fact a genre as I only really knew the word from “Back off Boogaloo” by Ringo Starr on one of those really poor early 70s albums he foisted on unsuspecting tweens to mid-teens. Apparently it was a word used by pal to Ringo, Marc Bolan of T-Rex – the greatest band no one much listens to anymore. Not even me as I only have lps and the turntable is in storage. But this is not about Ringo but the recent release of The Rough Guide to Boogaloo:

Boogaloo originated in New York’s inner-cities in the late 1960s and spawned an array of excellent bands and vocalists, but it has never received much broad recognition. The Rough Guide to Boogaloo aims to change that, nicely showcasing the trademark blend of Cuban salsa rhythms and American soul.

I have and enjoyed the introduction to the first wave provided by The Rough Guide to Ska and have just bought but not listened to The Rough Guide to Dub. This series serves as a preliminary step to deeper obsessions which often require hunting out Trojan Records compilations.

Denmark, New York

There are places you hit the brakes. It can be a view but more often than not it is the question of what the heck was going on here. As you can see from these pictures, there are three great stone houses in a row on a rather quite back country road in Lewis County New York. The afternoon shadow across their fronts confirm their eastern orientation facing across the valley. But why, away from a river where mills could develop, did this small hamlet have such a grand life almost 200 years ago. The sign next to the pink sided Freedom Wright’s Inn gives some indication of the importance of the place at one time, as does the solid but closed up church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first occupation by Europeans of the area comes relatively late or so sayeth the 1927 The History of New York State (pub., Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc.):

The settlement of the northern section of New York was greatly delayed by the ignorance concerning it. Old maps of the section named it Irocoicia. “The Land of the Iroquois,” or Coughsagraga, “The Dismal Wilderness.” Travelers who skirted the edges said it was a region of swamps and mountain barrens. Sauthier’s map, published in England in 1777 and supposed to be the beat and latest in its information, mentions it as “This marshy tract is full of beavers and otters.” There is no map earlier than 1795 that shows a trace of the Black River. Soldiers, possibly those of Sullivan’s expedition, knew something of the territory. But it is in no way surprising that when offers were made to the land commissioners of New York for these supposed waste barrens, that they should be accepted readily, and the land sold for mere pittances and on the easiest of terms. One of the many sales, and the, was that to Macomb. On June 22, 1791, Alexander Macomb made an offer for certain lands, the payment to be one-sixth part of the purchase price yearly until the account was complete, no interest to be charged. The price offered was eight pence an acre. Macomb secured net 3,670,715 acres, divided into six great tracts. The one numbered four included the larger part of the counties of Jefferson and Lewis. Macomb conveyed this tract, with others, to William constable, and he in turn part to others sop that the deeds to Lewis County are traced back to nine great tracts known as: Black River, Inmans’ Triangle, Constable’s Four Towns, Brantingham, Brown’s, Watson’s, Castorland, and Great Tract Number Four.

Early settlers included Bedells and many others. Denmark was the first township to be constituted in 1807 after the founding of the county two years before. Someone of local legal note – who attened Denmark Academy and who studied law… in Lowville – was born there in 1825 as was an Iowa banker in 1833 as well as a Mayor of Ottawa. It wasn’t until about 40 years after its founding that the now larger towns formed in the valley below:

In 1848, the towns of Croghan and New Bremen were formed by French, German, and Swiss immigrants.

These towns were likely created as part of the development of the Black River canal, an unprofitable spur off the Erie, which opened in 1855. Denmark was on one branch of the underground railroad, moving slaves from the US south to Canada. A golf club formed in 1925.

Double Dare

Having been embarassed for his failure to vote against the budget and leading the Conservative Party to nowhere in the convention, apparently Tory leader Stephen Harper thinks he has found a spine within his own corporeal form:

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said Thursday the party will vote against the budget if the government goes ahead with an omnibus budget bill that includes an amendment allowing environmental legislation to be used to control greenhouse gas emissions. “This is an attempt by the government to get unlimited power to impose multimillion-dollar fines on any basis, without any parliamentary approval or discussion, whatsoever. It is completely unacceptable,” he said.

Apparently it is now unacceptable unlike two weeks ago when he let the budget pass unchallenged even though it included Kyoto funding. I hope Martin calls his bluff and makes Harper have an election over this. Harper has shown he cares nothing for the constitution and has the gall to say what have the Liberals done in a convention speech moment that made me think of that moment in The Life of Brian when it is asked “what have the Romans done?” Other than balancing and surplussing the budget, protecting the Charter of Rights, removing us from the 80s and 90s Tory nightmare of unending division of power disputes and settling the Quebec issue all the while balancing military participations and health care – and staying out of that missile defence as 60% of Canadians want.

Make the election now Harper and lose ten seats in Ontario and a few out East. You will have the same result in the West and the same Quebec. Almost a Liberal majority. Go on. Pull the trigger. Then resign after, you dull git. If Martin calls the bluff and Harper falters, he might as well quit then and there.

Reader Profile #1: Gary Edward Rith

For 23 months I have written here, posted photos mostly nicked from others all with the main goal of triggering a response from this blue flickering screen. I don’t know many of you who read my words. Some of your write for your own fascinating photon tubes of wonderment but mostly you read, drawn in large part by Google or by being A.A. Gill and a bit surprised that a thread about your work here ranks above your own writing. I really only know portland as an old friend – and if you knew portland like I knew portland…

But then I thought some of you might want the others to know about you so I thought I would start the irregular feature Reader’s Profile. I thought of it when I followed the website link posted over here yesterday, finding a New Hampshire potter being it. Here is Gary’s story as provided after my invitation:

Whoa! Thanks Alan. You have a heck of a blog. My wife Maude and I have enjoyed reading blogs for awhile, but the awards last week highlighted some of the best. Looking at great blogs generally leads to links for more great
blogs. And since I am Gen x about to turn 39, I clicked your page, voila! Both of your blogs are terrific. As one of those few far left Americans who has considered moving across the border (but we won’t) I appreciate the Canadian perspective. I know exactly where you live now. When I was a kid we lived in Brockport, NY, roughly straight across the lake from Toronto,
and I listened to CHUM fm as a teenager, which was very progressive and diverse. My parents live by Syracuse now, and my mother’s radio station always gives the weather report for central and northern New York, and
Kingston, ON too, which seems a stretch, because it is a ways north of Syracuse. I guess they assume their signal travels well.

Well, about me. Been married almost 13 years to Maude, I am 39 years old, we have 3 dogs and 2 cats. At 17 I went to college to study art and fell hard for pottery. It was lucky I did, everybody else was smoking crack or going to law school, and the world (I like to think) but certainly myself, is better for me playing with clay. I work out of a home studio in the woods, near Concord, NH. I make what I please and avoid orders, selling either at fairs or stores and galleries. NH has an unusual organization called ‘The League of NH Craftsmen’ which is like a medieval guild. It runs stores and shows and other marketing opportunities, because it is very
difficult working and selling independently. My wife just happens to work for them, running Gallery 205 plus other stuff….. The guiding factor in what I make is to have fun, and I have developed a strange attachment to pigs as decoration, because they are simply hilarious. The colors are bright and hopefully dynamically patterned. I am giving demonstrations of
sculpture more and more, anything to draw a crowd and earn money for groceries, booze, and pet food. Although we sometimes drink cheap wine, our taste buds were long ago ruined by great whiskey and beer, which sets a rather high minimum standard.

Guess that’s about it. Good luck, we will stay tuned! Gary Edward Rith.

You can see more of his work here. When it turned out that Gary was in New Hampshire, I felt compelled again to thank the Granite State for last year’s help as well as one of my favorite breweries.

Cricket Update!!!

The BBC wrote:

…the report relates specifically to the bowler’s action when delivering the doosra…

The words I read ran down my spine as if someone had walked on my grave.

Under the ICC’s bowling review process, Harbhajan, who was also reported and cleared in 1998, will undergo analysis of his action by human movement specialists within 21 days. A bio-mechanical review of his action should reveal whether his action falls within the 15 degrees of permitted elbow straightening.

Good God!!! Don’t they know there are twenty points riding on this in the pool!?!?. If I have said it once I have said it a thousand times: STRAIGHTEN YOUR DOOSRA, HARBHAJAN!!!