Well, here’s my first real video for the new We Hunted the Mammoth, YouTube version. It’s a look at JD Vance’s rather silly attacks on childless cat ladies that turns into a critique of Republican notions of “family values.” As a bonus there are clips of cats being ridiculous and adorable.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. You can post comments here or on the YouTube video itself.
Sorry about the delay in getting this one up. I’m still learning how to make videos.
@ Alan
Steampunk cowgirl?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvipPYFebWc
I like it.
As a side note, I’ve been reading a lot of novels and short stories by Kim M. Watt, a Kiwi who now lives in Yorkshire. Her stories tend to be set in North Yorkshire (with some exceptions), and her love for the area shines through. Plus there are often cakes, since many of her characters are members of the WI in a quirky village called Toot Hansell, not far from Skipton, a bit further away from Leeds, and (as one of my favorite characters would put it) a hell of a long way from London and she can’t get a decent coffee any closer than that.
@ Vicky P
Ooh, that is a cool look.
I am reminded of the time I was in a Yorkshire pub. I complimented a young lad on his steampunk outfit. He responded “What’s steampunk?”. Turned out he just worked at the local engineering plant. If you’re familiar with Fred Dibnah you’ll get the idea.
Skipton is lovely. “Gateway to the Dales”. Mind you, Bradford also claims that title. Apparently on the ground you can get to Skipton from there. And in fairness Skipton does have a Bradford post code.
@ Alan
Skipton sounds lovely from the descriptions, except for when from the POV character is DI Adams, who requested a transfer to Yorkshire from London because of Things Happening that left her with a sort of PTSD. DI Adams is rather efficient, and heaven help you if she realizes you are up to No Good. Plus she likes dogs.
I think you’d like Kim M. Watts’ Beaufort Scales series – not only is she fond of Yorkshire, but her DI Adams character is veggie (can’t remember now if she identifies as vegan), and there’s another recurring character (Gilbert) who keeps trying to get his friends and family to go veggie; later on in the series his sister and his friend realize they have been expanding their diets in a veggie direction because of Gilbert’s influence. Mostly because Gilbert is sincere and earnest and rather adorkable, even if he WILL get into scrapes trying to rescue animals.
Another character you would probably appreciate is Alice, who is head of the Toot Hansell WI, which she found to be a good way to spend her retirement from the RAF (she was a wing commander). Alice is the sort of woman I’d like to be when I grow up, though I suspect I’m more like her friend Miriam (who is rather like Magrat from Discworld if you know Sir Pterry’s witch books).
Series overview and some freebies can be found on the author’s site here:
https://kmwatt.com/copy/
@Alan,
That’s a cool link. I think a couple of my gaming groups would like to see that.
@Fullmetal Ox,
From what I recall reading about it ages ago, the dead cat was suspended until its nose just touched the ground, then the grain was poured around it. How much grain that might be I don’t know; I don’t recall reading how much was considered an average fine. And since I’m not mathematical enough to work it out, that will remain a mystery for now.
And now for something completely different: this animation (I’m guessing) cell was either a technical glitch or else created by people who have never seen any physical bodies interacting with each other, let alone female bodies.
https://eschergirls.com/photo/2024/08/25/august-2024-caption-contest-winners
Still funny, though.
@Victorious Parasol:
Members of the what?
@ Surplus
WI = Women’s Institute
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_Institute
Oh great, now I want jam.
The best place near Skipton is Malham Cove. That’s a disused waterfall. It’s very spectacular. And a few years back there was enough rain in actually started working again. Which made it the biggest waterfall in Europe or something.
It is bigger than Victoria Falls I seem to recall,
@ Alan
You can’t have jam without…
@ Vicky P
I love Jerusalem. It’s just a series of questions to which the answer is “No”.
Did give us Chariots of Fire as a film title though.
The Princess Royal is rocking it there. She’s now the Ranger of Windsor Great Park. There’s an irony there as the Park is where she got got busted for out of control dog. So she’s the only major royal with a criminal record. Which in my book just makes her even cooler.
Her dad was the previous Ranger. He set the speed limit at 38 mph. Which was quite clever. Everyone goes “Why 38?” But that means no-one can deny they don’t know it.
Although I once had to follow security through the Park and the lass shot off at about 60. I ended up ploughing up one of the very nice lawns after a bend that was a bit too tight.
ETA: Windsor Park…
@ Alan
Speed limit of 38? That’s odd. But memorable.
Speaking of odd but memorable, I present to you a silly English version of a silly Canadian song.
https://youtu.be/_93FkXCxwJQ?si=EPy9H5P2WTFvtOND
@Victorious Parasol:
Speaking of odd but memorable, I present to you a silly English version of a silly Canadian song.
http://youtu.be/_93FkXCxwJQ?si=EPy9H5P2WTFvtOND
That song is primed for localization in any region where farming, a decent-sized body of water, and economic disgruntlement converge. (Heck, I may have been contemplating a Last Daytonian Pirate who scourges the Great Miami, stealing corn and soybeans and all the other grains.)
@Full Metal Ox
I’m still surprised we don’t have a version for the Big Muddy, which is easier to rhyme than “Mississippi.”
@ Vicky P
Cheers for that! I really loved it. I am a massive folk fan.
I also love Bristol. It’s a wonderful city (just don’t ask how they paid for it). As it happens I’m doing some advocacy training up there in a couple of weeks. I should take @FMO’s advice maybe and shoot a folk song video!
But speaking of Bristol and as you know I’m a Brunel fan, a mate’s band’s take on it all…
In case you want to sing along…
@Victorious Parasol:
I’m still surprised we don’t have a version for the Big Muddy, which is easier to rhyme than “Mississippi.”
Which also presents a bit of a scansion obstacle for the Standells’ “Dirty Water”, probably one of the most performance-localized songs ever. (Music Trivia Fun Fact: The Inmates, who covered the song in 1979, sent out numerous localized promo versions to various radio stations; the copy sent to Jackson, Mississippi’s WZZQ-FM—then a freewheeling FM rock station—referenced the Pearl River.)
@Alan Robertshaw:
Good to see somebody keeping the punk in steampunk (and kudos for the “Sixteen Tons” allusion)!
@ Alan
Oh, if you’re going to be in Bristol, here’s an original Longest Johns song about a certain pub over there.
https://youtu.be/VuHq1dF1YeU?si=sIW7Seyfla-6clCm
@ Vicky P
Oh wow, that pub is literally 100 yards from the hotel I stay in when I do the advocacy training. I was trying to figure out how I could have missed it. But looking at the map it’s just after the square I cut through. I shall remedy that in a couple of weeks though!