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(14 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

The other night I went on to youtube and came across a young guy doing Cat Steven songs he was brilliant.  I then decided to watch Cat Stevens doing the same songs. I was dissapointed  to discover  the  tribute artist was  better live. I might have to revise my opinion's on tribute acts.
The METALIZER.  ILL BE ROCKING IN MY WHEELCHAIR,  Beamer I with you on that one.

2,302

(24 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Phill on my fathers side  my Grandparents were from the Uk.  They would call melted Cheese on toast Welsh Rabbit. My Maree was telling me her Welsh friends called it Welsh Rarebit. . My UK Grandparents if they said to me lets have a Rabbit and Pork it meant they wanted to have a talk. If they asked you is that a Pork Pie they were saying is that a lie.
Tripe was something my father liked to eat. As a kid I had to eat it but now I wouldnt go near it. For those not familiar with Tripe it was a popular nutritious and cheap dish for the British working classes from Victorian times until the latter half of the 20th century. It is made from sheep or cow's  stomachs.  The stomachs are cleaned and the fat trimmed off.  It is then boiled and bleached, giving it, it's white colour when sold at the Butchers.
Or yes and back to my  Nann  and Grandpah from the UK if they said, "lets have a Butchers Hook"  that meant lets have a look.

2,303

(24 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

TF I bet you never thought your humour would end up with the discussion taking a  segway like  it has ?

2,304

(24 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Phill over in Fiji   the  Muslim people  wouldn't eat meat unless it is known as halal meat. They wouldn't eat tin bully beef Their  food had to come from a supplier that uses halal practices  which is a prescribed method of slaughter for all meat sources, excluding fish and other sea-life, per Islamic law. This method of slaughtering animals consists of using a well-sharpened knife to make a swift, deep incision that cuts the front of the throat, the carotid artery, trachea, and jugular veins.The head of an animal that is slaughtered using halal methods is aligned in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca.  In addition to the direction, permitted animals should be slaughtered upon utterance of a Islamic prayer 'Bismillah' The slaughter had to be performed by a Muslim and blood must be drained from the veins. So I thought maybe in the Middle East none halal meat could have been an issue.

2,305

(24 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

That was interesting Doug. I spent part of my childhood in Fiji. I remember a tin product called Bully Beef which most  people would now know as Salt Beef or Corned Beef. It was very popular as many people in those days in Fijian villages didn't have fridges. I was wondering if tin corn beef was something they had in the Middle East.????
During the first world war the Australian and New Zealand armed forces were known as Anzac's. A hundred years ago our soldiers at Gallipoli,  Turkey were issued as part of their rations bully beef. It came in cans every day  for months and months. They had nothing much else but that and tough-as-rocks biscuits they called hard tack. Bully beef was the major source of protein for the Anzac troops.
Doug I love the way you wrote. If I looked around my larder, there just might be a can hiding in there somewhere, although I tend to lean towards the "Smoked" version, and it will usually make an appearance sometime during the camping season as it still does not need refrigeration, and has the "half-life" of Plutonium in an unopened tin

2,306

(4 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Thank you guys for those links, you have taught me more and introduced me to some brilliant guitar music.

2,307

(9 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Nice Picture Beamer I think sport is a great way to help build character.

2,308

(24 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

I was suprised to discover this morning cans of Spam availabe at our local supermarket. It made me wonder what this product is about as my only reference to it is Monty Python. I discoverd It was first introduced in 1937 and gained popularity worldwide after its use during World War II. the product was intended to increase the sale of pork shoulder which was not a very popular cut..The difficulty of delivering fresh meat to the front during World War II saw Spam become a ubiquitous part of the U.S. soldier's diet. It became variously referred to as "ham that didn't pass its physical", "meatloaf without basic training" and "Special Army Meat". Over 150 million pounds of Spam were purchased by the military before the war's end.
During World War II and the occupations which followed, Spam was introduced into Guam, Hawaii, Okinawa, the Philippines, and other islands in the Pacific. Immediately absorbed into native diets, it has become a unique part of the history and effects of U.S. influence in the Pacific.
As a consequence of World War II rationing, Spam also gained prominence in the United Kingdom. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher later referred to it as a "wartime delicacy. At the time it was introduced, it was the only canned meat product on the market that needed no refrigeration. Spam gained a reputation in the United Kingdom and the United States as a poverty food. The image of Spam as a low cost meat product gave rise to the Scottish colloquial term "Spam valley" to describe certain affluent housing areas where residents appear to be wealthy but in reality may be living at poverty levels. Spam is celebrated in Austin, Minnesota, home to the Spam Museum. The museum tells the history of the Hormel company, the origin of Spam, and its place in world culture. After all that information on it I am not sure if I want to try it. I would be interested to hear Chordie members stories about Spam. I found TIGS story inspiring how a widow managed to bring him and his other nine sibblings up in hard times. Also how Spam kept him alive at college. More Spam stories if you got one please.

TIG you and Phill do some great collaborations.

2,310

(24 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Until Monty Python came along Spam was something most Kiwis didnt eat or know about. Now days we know it as a computer thing but as product to eat.not one sort after by Kiwi's. Great photo TF.

Every week I try and learn about something new mostly to do with history. I regularly visit our local library as part of my weekly routine, This week I read about Andres Segovia someone I had never heard about.
Andrés Segovia was born in southern Spain and began playing the guitar as a child. In those days, it was considered little more than a folk instrument; serious composers and musicians didn’t respect it. But Segovia saw the potential for classical music on the guitar. He began studying the techniques of classical musicians who played the violin and cello. He then applied those techniques to his guitar playing, and developed other methods on his own. He adapted compositions of the old masters such as Bach, and learned to play them on his instrument. In 1909 Segovia made his debut at age sixteen. In 1919 he toured the world and won over the classical music establishment.
For the first time composers started writing classical music for the guitar, and a whole new musical genre was born. Over the course of eighty years, Segovia changed people’s perception of the instrument. And like many big dreams, his dream made an impact far beyond what he imagined. It could be argued that his efforts opened the door to the guitar in concert halls and jazz bands, which in turn led to the electronically amplified guitar. Today if you enjoy the music of the Beatles or Eric Clapton, and so on, thank Andrés Segovia. If it wasn’t for his dream, much of the music from the twentieth century may have gone in an entirely different direction.

2,312

(4 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Bill and Dondra Wishing you all the best it wont be long before you are in your new place  with your love for each  it will become a beautiful home. You cant build a home with  hammer and nails, bricks, mortar , and stone , it takes love to make a house a home.
God bless
Pete and Maree

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(34 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Words in one language when said in another language can be offensive swear words. Whakarewarewa (reduced version of Te Whakarewarewatanga O Te Ope Taua A Wahiao, meaning The gathering place for the war parties of Wahiao, is often abbreviated to Whaka by locals.  This place Whakarewarewa is a tourist destination in Rotorua.  English speaking tourist often find it amusing to hear the word Whaka.  The letters WH  part of WHaka in Maori is pronounce as an f,  So  when you speak the name Whaka in Maori  it  sounds like Far Car to english speaking ears. The aka part of the name is pronounced Uck Car.  Of course with Wh sounding F in front of  the ucker   makes  it  in english a swear word to untrained ears. I supose it is a bit like when the Irish say Whale Oil Beef Hooked. 
Phill  Maori  have a form of twirking with their naked butts known as the act of whakapohane (baring of  buttocks, a traditional Māori insult)
This  was  done to visiting Royalty by Anti Government  protesters against the Crown as the Royal Party drove past them.  One Newspaper Headline reported it as a Twenty One Bum Salute.

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(1,560 replies, posted in Bands and artists)

Badeye great  choice.  I love the way  they use Organ, Piano, Harmonica in  the arrangement.

Zurf, Gordon  Lightfoot's baritone voice  is hard to cover. You got a style which I  call,  Zurfing USA  your music  works for me. If I tried to cover Sundown it would be something that only deaf people could enjoy. My mother in a few days time will have her 97th Birthday when I asked her about music all she could say now I am deaf all music is good.The use of the Tamborine on Knocking On Heavens Door worked good. Maree was trained as classical pianist by local Catholic Nuns even though she was brought up in the Greek Orthodox Church. Because she has a sharp ear for music and can also play by ear any mistakes mess with her nerves. So as a result she doesnt like playing piano much. It was while I was staying over in Greece with her father that I found out she could play piano. At that time I had known her for over fourteen years.  My attempts at music are not pleasing to her ear which I can understand.. When she does play  piano I love it but it doesnt happen very often. Thank you for your feed back.

Jandle l if you get to read this I hope your leg is healing good. Broken bones can be a bit of long journey but eventually it all works out. So I guess having you represent Chordie Land at Skiing  in the Winter Olympics might  be out of the question for now ?

2,316

(5 replies, posted in Poems)

TF we could face the same problem here. Hopefully whoever gets in to  power here works out a fair tax system that can be sustained and not hinder the ability to maintain a good lifestyle for everyone. Big overseas  multi billion dollar Corporations at present can avoid tax while local businesses and the working public pay their fair share.
Our present  tax system lacks coherence, integrity and fairness: Differences in tax rates and the treatment  „of entities provide opportunities to divert income and reduce tax liability.
If it stays the same our demographic change, together with the rising cost of financing higher public debt, will place higher demands on the tax revenue base while simultaneously placing greater tax pressure on a smaller proportion of the population.

2,317

(5 replies, posted in Poems)

Cheers Phill and Jandal thank you for your feedback
i wrote the poem in reply to a good poem sent to  me asking a question  about  the dilemma of who to vote for by Easybeat.  I think worldwide politically people are looking for new and better ways of political leadership and government. Though New Zealand is often lauded overseas as an egalitarian society,  in the decades from 1985 onwards, New Zealand had the biggest increase in income gaps of any developed country. Incomes for the richest Kiwis doubled, while those of the poorest stagnated. Middle income earners didn’t do too well, either. Infrastructure and immigration has divided New Zealand  for years, but the divisive questions usually involve its impact on government deficits, local wages, the environment, and whether immigrants are really needed to do the jobs that Kiwis can do. Auckland our biggest city has a problem where people like Nurses, Teachers, Police cant afford to live there due to high rentals and property values. A property bubble and rampant speculation following the 2008 financial crisis has contributed to soaring income inequality along with sustained attacks on the wage levels and basic social rights of ordinary people, including access to accommodation. Auckland’s housing market is now only slightly cheaper than London but less affordable than Los Angeles, Toronto, New York, Perth, Brisbane and Boston Over the rest of the country it is now harder in most areas for people to get into good housing than it was a couple of decades back. The other issue here is education and health . With education there is issues around are we teaching our children the necessary skills to make it in the real world. With health system is the issue of are we providing first world care.

2,318

(3 replies, posted in Poems)

I don't understand why people don't follow my advice.
Surely people can see I am nice.
Bill keep marching to the beat of your drum.
When you get to where your going,
If you cant sing hum. .
Sit down on your drum stool.
Pick up the guitar and give it a strum,
With one foot play the high hat.
With the other the bass drum.
If Dondra doesnt want that..
Put down the guitar and have a quick chat.
No need  to sit in a corner strumming   guitar. 
Entertain your new neighbours.
They  will have no reason to get mad.
Just  play your drums.
All  day  and all  of the night,
Below is a song for Bill and Dondra by the Kinks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k3MP0aC8Jw

Zurf I managed to con my Maree into  giving the piano a quick play so we did an easy one to cover hopefully Knocking On Heavens Door. Hope its not painful on the ears.
Mojo your cover is done real good. I am not brave enough to cover that.

https://soundcloud.com/eatleville/chord … eaven-door

2,320

(5 replies, posted in My local band and me)

EB Not only have you got the guitar working great your voice is bang on.

Cheers Jandle hope your leg is healing good. I should learn to play the Ukulele my Mum use to play nice  Ukulele tunes  when I was a kid.

2,322

(14 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Grah I am not a fan of tribute acts. Having said that I ended up one night at a club that was hosting a Evis impersonator competition. One of the impersonators even had expensive surgery done  to get an Elvis look. That  night was really entertaining purely for the comedy though I suspect I was in the minority of those who saw the funny side. A  friend  of mine and Easy Beat's  does  cabaret  style shows with an Evis impersonater his  stage stories about the gigs always give me a laugh.  Today  it is claimed there are around 250,000 Elvis impersonators, imagine if  they all lived in the same town. I think that would be a fun place to visit.

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(5 replies, posted in Poems)

Here in NZ it is election time here is a poem I wrote about promise and delivery by Politicians..

Politicians Promise.
A politicians promise made is sometimers  a debt unpaid.
Charasmatic promises  eventually twisted into  differant shapes,
Magical clever deceptions  spoken  words made on a stage. 
Party spokesperson describing  a  sought after garment  seductively covering a promising body.
Once  the garment is removed  and all  is  revealed what  comes to some is a shock
A beautiful garment  all  along covering  a broken down  skeleton with no heart.

Thank you Zurf. I got a medical condition which is making it hard to play instruments at the moment. Thought better to put something up rather than nothing. I am sure with the talent on here someone should be able to knock out a better version. So far yours is the best.  My music is like photography before it went digital and we needed film. I am  still studying  my  negatives looking for positives that could be  developed into an enjoyable musical experience.

Zurf I gave it a quick go hope it is ok.
https://soundcloud.com/eatleville/chordie-sotm