Art, #001

--yeah, I drew it with a Wacom tablet.  That's why it says "pen".

Does "History" Ever Get Better?

...specifically, do primary sources ever appear?  Beyond archaeology (which we can presume to have an ever-slowing rate of acquisition, barring some astonishing new technology)?

I'm working from here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Caesars

Kumbayah

I don't want to sound smug, or overbearing about it, but you know that song "Kumbayah"?  "Someone's singing, Lord, kumbayah...", and so forth?


"Kumbayah" isn't a West African term/phrase -- its just a rendering of an accented "Come by here".  I forget when I first learned this, but I was really surprised; its both obvious, but because of the context, and presentation (when we learned it in school, we'd always be told the word was not in English -- and also, the concept of a "creole" was probably too advanced for 7-year-olds, heh.)


When I think about the origins of "Kumbayah", I picture sort of Afro-Caribbean people sitting on a beach, somewhere tropical, and they...wait, this is where the imagery breaks up, because it doesn't square with reality.  Specifically: "Kumbayah" is pretty-much always played on a guitar, right?  Afro-Caribbeans of the 17th (let's say, for example) century didn't use guitars...in fact, the modern "Classical" guitar dates from the mid-19th century, I'm pretty sure.


What's my point?  That this is another blow against the perceived "authenticity" of the song, "Kumbayah". Because the song is always heard on an acoustic guitar (or, admittedly, other modern musical instruments), it seems unlikely that it is much older than the acoustic guitar.


Still a good song, that said, and whats authenticity?  Nuffin!


Wait, wait.  It's not a good song, come to think of it -- its trite!


Aww, screw it.  "Getdeefukout".

On the Merits of Mexican Soft Drinks

You know, I was thinking.  It's very rarely - if ever - mentioned, but the quality and variety of soda pop produced in Mexico is truly top-notch.  A typical brand that comes to mind is Jarritos; I have no idea whether this is well-known in Mexico proper, but here in Connecticut, every Latin-type grocery or restaurant carries their products.  I've never seen a cola (though I'd love to see their take on it), but I've seen about 15 different fruit flavors, and they're all delicious.  Especially the strawberry.  Why is strawberry pop so uncommon in America, that said?  You can sometimes find store-brand versions in large groceries, but thats pretty much it.  Strawberry (yes, even the fakey-type strawberry flavor that's used in soda) has got to be one of the most delicious - and beloved - of all sweet flavors.  Everyone loves strawberry.  So why so little strawberry soda pop?

My guess is twofold: first, colas and diet-colas really do hold a surprising lion's share of the soft-drink market in the US (and in most countries, although this can vary by nation-state -- the Scots, for example, love their Irn-Bru).  Large like, 90%.  Put it this way: you know how root beer is widely available and seems to be pretty popular?  Root beer sales amount to something like 3% of the market, compared to the aforementioned 90% for colas.  So, on the first point, it appears that its incredibly tough to make any sort of dent in the Cola Behemoth's market-share.

Second reason: branding, I suspect.  While its true that you can create a great brand-name for any possible product, I've never seen a strawberry soda that had one.  Try it as a marketing exercise: can YOU come up with a good strawberry pop brand-name?

I suggest...  "Fresh-Pikt".  Or...  "Straw-Burst".  Crap, thats infringing on the "Starburst" brand.

Maybe "Mah Berry"?  Nah, sounds like a possible mocking of accent.

Dammit!  It's tough!