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Trump letting the rivers run green on St Paddy’s Day

17th March 202517th March 2025 funtime65

It is, of course, the day when the Irish take over, with even Donald Trump letting the rivers run green on St Paddy’s Day.

Whisper it but The Donald has kept the tradition, started by Michelle Obama, alive of dyeing the fountain on the White House North Lawn an emerald hue.

But hey, the 45th and 47th President considers himself a great friend of the Irish.

Particularly the Irish-Americans who he namechecked in meeting Taoiseach Micheal Martin for voting him into the White House.

Of course, The Donald may believe green is also a good way of ‘draining the swamp’ in Washington.

It was too a very practical solution to a drain problem that inadvertently gave rise to the greening the water tradition.

Green and White House: Fountain is green

Now synonymous with St Paddy’s Day in America.

And which Chicagoan Michelle was only too glad to adapt to her new Washington surroundings when she and Barack lived in the White House.

The Limey City

Chicago for green: A staple of the calendar

Nor would The Donald want it to be mentioned that it was a Democrat who got the whole thing flowing.

When in 1961 Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley used a special green dye to clean up the river which had become a dumping ground.

Or more specifically Daley’s pal Stephen Bailey, also the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade chairman.

Whether Daley and Bailey had heard that Savannah, Georgia, had tried to counter their problem by greening up, Chicago has dined out on their dye job ever since.

And other emerald cities

Now where Chicago led others followed.

With San Antonio‘s businessmen dyeing the River City Walk, an unmatched oasis in a city.

And they keep their river green a whole three days rather than Chicago’s half a dozen hours, around the same length of time Tampa Bay, Florida colours their water.

Randomly Indianapolis and Charlotte, North Carolina both get into the greening around St Paddy’s.

And so while Indianapolis colours their canal green over their four days of partying.

Charlotte goes one step further with participants in their 5k run dousing themselves in green.

All of which points to it being green for go for the Irish in America.

Particularly with Donald Trump letting the rivers run green on St Paddy’s Day.

Countries

SuperRiRi Bowl

12th February 2023 funtime65

And for the day that’s in it a celebration of half-time shows which we will name for this year the SuperRiRi Bowl.

But while it is now the hottest ticket in showbiz for an entertainer it wasn’t ever thus.

With marching bands, magic card tricksters and Elvis Presley impersonators then the order of the day.

Who back in 1979 entertained the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys at the Miami Orange Bowl.

We’ll get onto the superstars in due course but a shout-out for now for the likes of Dominican cadence-lypso group.

Super Bowl Thriller

Super Bowl went on a run of musical themes over the Eighties and early Nineties.

Punctuated only by the likes of New Kids on the Block and Gloria Estefan.

The turning point came 30 years ago when the biggest star of his day (or for many any day) Michael Jackson rocked up.

It was a moment frozen in time, literally, as MJ held a statue pose for 30 seconds at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena in California.

Before blowing the audience away with his set.

And long after the Dallas Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills in the final we’re still talking about Jacko’s show.

As with most things in music where Michael led the rest followed.

Chain Reaction

His great friend Diana Ross headlined in Tempe, Arizona.

Before we entered the era of multiple acts for the 1997 showpiece in New Orleans.

Where we were treated to the Blues Brothers, ZZ Top and James Brown.

Super Bowl was in full swing by now and they celebrated 40 years of Motown in style in 1998 in San Diego.

With Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves, and the Temptations getting everybody up on their feet.

Gloria was back the following year alongside Stevie Wonder to sing out the Millennium.

A new Millennium

The 2002 iteration back in New Orleans was always going to be challenging in the wake of the previous year’s 9/11.

For many the Noughties were the high point of the halftime shows.

With Paul McCartney (Jacksonville), The Rolling Stones (Detroit), Prince (Miami) and Bruce Springsteen (Tampa) overshadowing for many the actual sport.

For others it was the last decade with The Who (Miami again), Madonna (Indianapolis), Beyoncé (New Orleans), Bruno Mars (New Jersey), Katy Perry (Phoenix) and Lady Gaga (Houston).

From J-Lo to Ri-Ri

This decade has seen a concentration on R&B, Dance and Hip-Hop.

With Shakira and J-Lo heralding in the Twenties in Miami before The Weeknd put on a spectacular set up the road in Tampa.

Last year in LA saw a feast of rap if that’s the collective term with Dr Dre, Snoop, Eminem, Mary J Blige and Kendrick Lamar leaving us all wanting more.

That more tonight comes in the shape of our favourite Caribbean queen.

Enjoy your SuperRiRi Bowl.

Countries, Culture

Lego building blocks for 2022

2nd January 20222nd January 2022 funtime65

And as we all aim to build back better (the official mantra) how about Lego building blocks for 2022?

With a prompt from my old pal Mr Orlando himself Kevin from Universal who has showcased his Lego Friends apartment.

Lego is the world’s favourite toy and there are ten LEGOLAND parks around the world.

Anyone for fussball? Joey and Chandler’s pad

But first our own sets, and as The Son and Heir drops in on on us (or rather drops his washing in on his Mum) a reminder of a time when he called them Talls.

And he spent hours building them.

While Daddy’s Little Girl spent her childhood watching Friends… now if only there had been an exam in that.

Kevin’s collection includes iconic moments from the series including when Joey put on his entire wardrobe, his and Chandler’s fussball table and screechy Janice.

Friends for ever

Friends for life: Kevin and his Friends apartment

The Seventh Friend, of course, is New York.

And while the show was filmed in LA the Big Apple is where the Super Six are set.

And Friendies will want to check out The Grand Army Plaza in Midtown West in Manhattan which is believed to be the inspiration for the opening credits dance.

While Bloomingdale’s where Rachel worked as an assistant and The American Museum of Natural History (Ross’s workplace, the Museum of Prehistoric History) are actual well-visited and much-celebrated landmarks.

As is the Friends’ apartment block, well the outside anyways, where you must get a selfie outside 90 Bedford Street, Greenwich Village.

A history of Lego

Lets’ go back to the start then with Leg Godt, as they say in Danish but which isn’t an exhortation to the Almighty but actually means ‘play well’.

And it is of course where the name derived.

Great Dane (and isn’t everyone from that peninsula and its islands thus named?) Ole Kirk Christiansen built his company in 1934 into what has become the most enduring toy on Earth.

And how he isn’t remembered with his own statue (made out of building bricks we’d expect) as Hans Christian Andersen is is an injustice which should be put right.

But there was a set of Ole Kirk’s house from his birthplace in Billund given to Lego employees in 2012.

The beauty of Lego

Petra lego: In fine detail of the Jordan landmark

And the beauty of Lego is obviously that you can build whichever world you like to live in around you.

That applies, of course, too time and history as we were treated too when we emerged out of the first lockdown to visit the Ancient Wonders of the World at the National Museum of Flight in East Fortune, East Lothian, near Edinburgh.

Mini-Grand Canyon: In East Fortune in Scotland

And also boarded a real Concorde interior and the next best thing got selfies next to a Lego version.

The world’s Legolands

Billund in Southern Denmark is the mothership and has its own hotel.

And although it is not made out of bricks it is a celebration of all things building blocks.

With plenty of surprises for adult and child alike.

My old stomping ground of Berkshire in the south of England is the home of Legoland in England where once I visited the Windsor Safari Park.

Carlsbad (significantly Scandinavian sounding) an hour south of Anaheim is Legoland Central in California, 51 miles from Tampa.

While go north-west of New York City and you’ll get to Goshen for the NY version which is rollercoaster happy.

A tall order: But not for The Son and Heir

Around the world between Stuttgart and Munich in Germany you’ll find der Legoland.

While in the land of the talls, Dubai, they celebrate all things Lego.

And in Asia where they love to celebrate the childish, you’ll find a LEGOLAND in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea.

Now if you like the world in miniature, check out too the Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, the world’s biggest miniature railway museum.

And with that I’m back to dig out the talls for the Son and Heir.