A Racy old Country Song.

You mean country matters.

                  ----William Shakespeare (Hamlet)

Here's a pleasant old country song entitled "Blanket on the Ground" which seems to be a paean to alfresco fucking:

Now the thrill of possible discovery might add to the experience.

Come and look out through the window
That big old moon is shinin' down
Tell me now don't it remind you
Of a blanket on the ground

Remember back when love first found us
We'd go slippin' out of town
And we'd love beneath the moonlight
On a blanket on the ground

I'll get the blanket from the bedroom
And we'll go walkin' once again
To that spot down by the river
Where our sweet love first began

Just because we are married
Don't mean we can't slip around
So let's walk out through the moonlight
And lay the blanket on the ground

Oh, remember how excited
We used to get when love was young
That old moon was our best buddy
We couldn't wait for night to come

Now you know you still excite me
I know you love me like I am
Just once more I wish you'd love me
On the blanket on the ground

I'll get the blanket from the bedroom
And we'll go walkin' once again
To that spot down by the river
Where our sweet love first began

Just because we are married
Don't mean we can't slip around
So let's walk out through the moonlight
And lay the blanket on the ground

Mmm mmm mmm
Mmm mmm mmm
Mmm mmm mmm mmm
Mmm mmm mmm mmm
Do do do do do do

Songwriters: Roger Bowling

The Magic Mountain

Dry Counties? It's Complicated

Alabama historically had "dry" counties. Officially, Alabama has 23 "dry" counties and 44 "wet" ones. However, things are complicated. It turns out that, since 1974 a law allowing towns of at least a minimum population can vote itself "wet" if it chooses.

It turns out that at least one town in each of the "dry" counties voted itself "wet." Lauderdale, where I used to live, has two. Jackson County has four!

I guess you can say that those counties are "moist."

In fact, there were always bootleggers. Before Florence went "wet," there were tales of how newcomers were introduced to trusted bootleggers.

Any, anyway, there was always the stores on the other side of the state line. Especially the enormous walk-in beer cooler in St. Joseph, TN.

A Built-in Problem in Social Media

Social media in its various forms has a built-in problem. I see it as a social capital phenomenon that works very much like Gresham's Law. You know, the idea that there are two types of currency in circulation, the bad tends to drive out the good. This is why people tended to hoard goal (or even silver), and spend greenbacks. 

In the case of social media it seems that over time various fora (Twitter, letters to the editor, blogs, web sites) tend to become increasingly contentious or even insulting.  As a result, there is a slow dropout of the more pleasant contributors; and more acrimony as the number of feisty people increase in numbers and expressions. That seems to be also true with respect to blogs.  

Let's face it: 90-95% of people post comments to share information or for enjoyment; when it stops with that payoff, then they're going to go away. 

To date, I've had only a few to come on to Alabama Noise to start something. And those that do get some tolerance; but only so far. The old rule applies: Don't feed the trolls.   

I can't think of a better solution for this dilemma. All I can do is describe it, and hope that some forms of regulation suffice. At least some form of moderation and throwing out the worst should suffice. 

The Perils of Social Media

It finally is sinking in: various forms social media are available not to altruism or for just the heck of it; but because it can be used as a means of harvesting personal data for various commercial or propagandistic purposes. I guess it was dense of many of us (including me) to realize that there is no free lunch. 

I had no idea that potentially malevolent forces like the Russkies might possibly be involved (not that I give our own government a blank check, either). Or those well-known altruistic entities, corporations or businesses. Anyway, I don't want to provide them with free data; or make it too easy for them to obtain it. 

Or to influence me. If I want to be influenced, then I will read a newspaper. Even the act of reading a piece-of-shit newspaper should be accompanied with the knowledge that they might be trying to influence you, so calibrate your suspend your suspension of belief accordingly. Some, like the WaPo, are about as subtle as a knock on the head.

Actually, it might also be fun to introduce some red herrings into their data harvesting. Why not suggest that statehood for some state be rescinded? Or that I have six children out of holy deadlock? Maybe that I wrote in a lawn gnome's name for public office? [We have a Cabinet Member who looks like a Keebler's elf already, so that doesn't strain credibility.] Or, hey: maybe i can claim that I have a secret crush on Mark Zuckerberg!] Holy Toledo!

Anyway, if people would do this sort of thing on a large scale, then that would introduce some "noise" into their social data harvesting. 

 Yes -- play with their minds! And if some foreign entity is behind the data collection, then providing misinformation should constitute a patriotic act! Who knows: I might be tempted to open a Facebook account just to engage in creative fiction to fuddle the Pals of Putin to some degree.

Hmmmm....can lying on social media be a new, evolving art form?

Call this the Pinocchio Effect!