Playlist for May 6th, 2011

Cairo from the air, looking north with the Ohio (right)
and the Mississippi (left) on either side.

I currently live out on the vast expanses of the prairie, but I was born and raised in the deep southern region of the prairie state.

Right now, the folks down south of the prairie are experiencing some record flooding, with little relief in sight.

There was a chance that the historic town of Cairo, Illinois could have been inundated by both the Mississippi River and the Ohio River.

Cairo from the air, looking south with the Ohio (left)
and the Mississippi (right) on either side.

Cairo lies at the confluence of these mighty waterways and this flood could have washed it all away, but they are holding fast.

Here at Tall Grass & Tasty Trash, we are sending out as many good vibes as possible and wish only the best to Cairo, all the residents of the southern section of the prairie state and points further south.

When the waters recede, try to make it a point to visit Cairo.

Cairo from the air, looking north with the Ohio (right)
and the Mississippi (left) on either side.

While there, get you some barbecue at Shemwell's, spend some time at Fort Defiance State Park and watch the (hopefully receded) rivers roll on by.

In the meantime, enjoy this playlist with tunes about rising water, neverending storms, the river and levees.




Enjoy, but (once again) don't forget Cairo!

BONUS Playlist for May 5th, 2011

Many people think that Cinco de Mayo (the 5th of May) is the same as Mexican Independence Day.

This is not true.

Mexican Independence Day is September 16th, the day that, in 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Roman Catholic priest, gathered his congregation in the small town of Dolores, near Guanajuato, and called for a revolt against the Spanish.

Cinco de Mayo actually commemorates the victory of Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín and 4,000 Mexican soldiers defeated 8,000 better armed troops of the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, during the French invasion of Mexico.

The French takeover of Mexico eventually was completed a year later with the help of an additional 30,000 troops, resulting in the Second Mexican Empire of Maximillian, which itself lasted only lasted three years.

The holiday is celebrated only regionally in Mexico, in and around Puebla.

Here in America, we love bastardized holidays that lead to parties, (see Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day) so, we celebrate Cinco de Mayo north of the Rio Grande.

Here is a bonus playlist full of rock y roll en espanol.



Enjoy!

BONUS Playlist for May 1st, 2011

My political views are drastically left of center.

I think it comes from being born into poverty and seeing how moneyed interests rule the nation and the world, with little regard or concern for those without.

But, anyway, it's May Day around the world, a day set aside to celebrate all things leftist.

In honor of that, I present a playlist full of good old union songs, leftist anthems and some spoken word by Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Utah Phillips and Huey Long.

Enjoy!