The City of New Orleans (3)

The City of New Orleans (3) – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 10

The bus journey continues:

The City of New Orleans (3) begins as we reach Arkansas on our bus. The train has no stops in Arkansas so I wonder whether this is an extra state!

We soon pass Osceola. The town is on the Mississippi which forms the border between Arkansas and Tennessee.

Memphis:

The bus is making reasonable progress. We reach Memphis during the rush hour and our progress is slow. Once we get south of the city the road is clearer although we’re on a single track highway.

We stop at another truck stop to pick up an additional driver and a member of the Amtrak team.

Marks:

The next stop is at the small town of Marks. The station opened on 4th May 2018. It results from two decades of work by local civic leaders. The total cost came to $1.2 million. The station was the result of an agreement between Quitman County, Amtrak and Canadian National.

As our journey continues we pass Yazoo City, a flag stop on the rail route. We don’t stop as there are no passengers. We are now 400 rail miles south of Carbondale.

When we reach Jackson we change bus. We had been notified that we would be on a bus for the last part of the journey because of flooding.

On to New Orleans:

As we start our last 180 miles to New Orleans we meet up with people we’ve not seen since morning. This bus is full but I’m sat next to a man who is accompanying a school party who are visiting New Orleans.

It is late when we arrive, so off to the hotel and bed.

The photographs that accompany the podcast:

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

Next up:

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this podcast. Please join me in two weeks for the next episode where I spend a day looking round the amazing city of New Orleans.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

You can also listen to this podcast on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify and Stitcher.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed the theme, Steam Railway, for use in this podcast.

Audioblocks has licensed Train Station by Jason Donnelly and Railroad Blues by Bobby Cole for use as incidental music in this episode.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2019 – 2020

All about Prohibition

Season 2019 / 2020 – Talk 06 – Prohibition

Joanne Watson tells us about Prohibition. She starts by covering the journey that the US followed to the passing of the Eighteenth Amendment. We then hear about what happened after.

Moral conscience:

There was a flowering of moral conscience after the abolition of slavery. American adults drank an average of 1.7 bottles of 80% proof spirits a week in 1830. That equates to 3.5 bottles of spirits at today’s strength.

Someone commented ‘Americans drink from the crack of dawn to the next crack of dawn’.

The first suggestions of Prohibition came in the 1840s. The US enacted their first laws in 1851.

Alcohol generates taxes

Alcohol taxes came and went in the US. They were applied when the government was short of money.

The road to Prohibition:

The United States started to look at Prohibition from 1896. The Acts that were proposed never got past the Committee Stages.

Canada enacted their laws before the US. In Canada doctors could prescribe alcohol. The were queues of patients before holidays – the prescription? Pints!

‘Lemonade’ Lucy Hayes was the wife of President Rutherford B Hayes. She was an activist and he banned alcohol in the White House.

Carrie Amelia Nation was another active member of the Temperance movement. She used to stand outside bars singing hymns and throwing rocks. Then she graduated to using a hatchet to destroy the bars. She was arrested many times but made money from the sales of replica hatchets.

The British Government enacted licensing restrictions during the First World War. Lloyd George said ‘we are fighting the Germans, the Austrians and the drink and the drink is the deadliest’.

75% of the US States ratified the Eighteenth Amendment by early January 1919.

The law took effect in January 1920 and then the lawlessness began. F Scott Fitzgerald said that ‘during prohibition the parties were bigger, the pace was faster and the morals were looser’.

You’ll need to listen to Joanne to hear the full story.

About this podcast:

The Farnham U3A site is found at Farnham U3A Home Page.

This podcast is also available through the Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify and Stitcher ‘apps’.

AKM Music has licensed Media Magazine for use as the title music.

© The MrT Podcast Studio and Farnham U3A World History Group 2020

Message in a Bottle (5)

Message in a Bottle (5)

Welcome to Message in a Bottle (5), the a store for the material in the fifth Flotsam and Jetsam e-Newsletter from Farnham U3A.

It doesn’t matter if you deleted the e-Newsletter – the important bits are here!

From your editors:

Showing the stiff upper lip

We love the story about the Scottish newlyweds who didn’t let the pandemic spoil their honeymoon. Having married in Ireland they got home just in time for lockdown and their three week dream safari was cancelled. True love prevails and they’ve honeymoon at home. He’s brought his bride breakfast in bed; they’ve gone on long romantic walks and pretended to see African wildlife, eaten alfresco, got dressed up, and had candlelit dinners. They even got sunburned (yes in Edinburgh), just like they would have done on Safari. Congratulations!

Important information about your U3A membership fees

Recently Farnham U3A emailed you via Beacon about next year’s fees. Normally about now you’d be asked to renew your subscription; however, until the Maltings informs us when they will fully re-open, your 2019-2020 membership is being extended. Meanwhile please do not pay any membership fees for 2020-2021 now.

Groups on the go:

French – Beginners’ conversation

They’re another group using Zoom for their meetings. Normally the group would meet every fortnight but because of the lack of congestion in their diaries they’re conversing every Tuesday morning. They frequently have 11 people on the call. Bien Joué!

Painting

The members of the painting groups haven’t let their paint harden. They’ve been busy and are holding an exhibition of their work online. Click here to see their artwork.

Silk Roads

The Silk Roads group has held their first meeting using Zoom. There was a lively discussion and there is a programme of weekly meetings. Its another group which has increased its frequency in lockdown.

Tall Tales

Tucked away in our U3A programme is Tales of Our Lives – a conversation group where members take turns in sharing their life stories, or join a round table discussion about a common experience like ‘My most memorable holiday’ (oh, would that we could!). In June, the Tales group will join the Zoom generation with the first member to sign up to the online meeting being group founder Alec who at 91 shows age is no barrier to change. Even the creative genius of Roald Dahl could not have written a Tale of the Unexpected about life in lockdown.

Wine anyone?

Brits Booze Their Way Through Lockdown screamed the Daily Mail – the broadsheets carried rather more discrete headlines for the same story.  Yes, in lockdown alcohol sales have soared, with wine leading the charge, then lager, gin and whisky. Remarkably liqueurs sales have risen by 78% and cocktail ingredients by 48%. Tequila sales have almost doubled – pass me the lemon and salt please Joe.  

Given our love affair with wine, little wonder all three of our wine groups are active during lockdown. We’ve reported earlier on Wine Discoveries’ links to WSET training and the WFF1 Zoom meetings and for those who enjoy a glass at their own pace, WFF2’s initiative is the Sips & Tips email full of tempting advice and offers. Issue 3 is here.

Fed up with the Armchair?

News from the National Trust

The houses and gardens remain closed, but the NT is opening many of their outdoor spaces in England. They’ve already reopened some of smaller, local, car parks. The larger outdoor venues tend to involve staff and facilities, such as toilets, and are taking a little longer to open.

As the larger sites can accommodate large numbers of people there’s an online pre-booking system. Members can book for free, non-members must pay in advance. Find out more here.

Armchair Culture

The Theatres are closed and the concert halls silent but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a good play or concert. Your editors scour the world to bring you the best in cultural events!

The National Theatre

We’ve mentioned it before, but the National Theatre has added to the plays that they’re making available online.

  • Barbershop Chronicles – a never before seen archive recording available until Thursday 21st
  • A Streetcar named Desire – premieres at 7 p.m. on Thursday 21st May and available for seven days.
  • This House – a funny insight into the workings of British politics in the 1970s. premieres at 7 p.m. on Thursday 28th May and available for seven days.

The link for the National Theatre is here.

Five activities to see and hear

BBC Arts editor Will Gompertz introduces a number of ideas for you to look up. They range from DJ sets to a virtual visit to the Vatican. You’ll find him here.

Armchair Travel:

Here are some more clips from around the world.

The first might be one for the French Conversation group. A virtual tour of the Eiffel Tower – without having the climb – click here.

Easter Island is difficult to get to at the best of times. This clip shows work moving the statues – here.

This might be one for the honeymooning couple in our editorial. Go on Safari with the BBC here.

Or you might want to chill out with the British Antarctic Survey here.

And finally your editors found this clip about the plastic hunting pirates of the Cornish coast who collect Flotsam and Jetsam here.

The Chelsea Flower Show

The Chelsea Flower Show is online. You can visit without the hassle of the journey and the crowds. You can see videos from garden designers, presenters and experts. Tune in to Lunchtime Q&A sessions, join behind the scenes tours of nurseries and much, much more. Follow this link to find out more. 

On a lighter note

Those who like Monty Python will enjoy this clip.

Creative thinking?

Can anyone answer this question?

A word from the wise

Cyber Aware is a government advice service to help you stay secure at the current time. The National Cyber Security Centre is running a campaign to keep us safe.

Many of us are using technology in ways we never imagined; home schooling, banking, shopping, gaming, and video calling with friends and family as well as more time surfing the internet.

The National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) Cyber Aware campaign has six important steps to stay secure online. The NCSC has also provided guidance on using video conferencing apps securelystaying secure while playing online games and shopping online securely.

Follow this link to find details of the six steps.

Remember – if someone contacts by email or ‘phone don’t be panicked into doing something. Sit back and think about it rationally.

Check your records. If you really do have to make contact enter the details rather than clicking on a link.

Also if it sounds too good to be true it usually is – report anything suspicious to Action Fraud online or phone 0300 123 2040

If you need help with anything contact those you can trust or the Farnham & Villages Coronavirus Helpline on 01252 745446 (Monday-Friday from           9 am-6 pm) or email to help@farnhammaltings.com

Resources

We’re all having to learn new skills with technology, hopefully we can help. Please don’t let it get to you like it got to Joe!

Surrey County libraries have extended their collection of e-books and e-audiobooks. Available to all Surrey library members – more here

The Zoom Guide below has helped members connect. Feel free to read it and circulate it to others. The guide was updated on 23rd April 2020.

Zoom instructions 20200423

Tip for joining an online meeting: please sort out the software and your computer / tablet / ‘phone before the meeting. This is because the meeting host can’t tutor you during the meeting!

Community Tips

The Town Council, along with the Maltings and the Farnham Herald, has produced a useful fact-sheet full of help and advice for residents of Farnham and villages which is worth printing.  Click here.

About this post:

The Farnham U3A site is found at Farnham U3A Home Page.

Please use this material to help you through the lock-down.

Posted by The MrT Podcast Studio for Farnham U3A – 2020

Exhibition of Paintings (1)

Exhibition of Paintings (1)

Welcome to the Farnham U3A Painting Groups Exhibition of Paintings.

This is the first online Exhibition by the group. The Artists hope that you enjoy the pictures that they have painted during lockdown.

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

About this post:

The Farnham U3A site is found at Farnham U3A Home Page.

Please use this material to help you through the lock-down.

Posted by The MrT Podcast Studio for Farnham U3A – 2020

The City of New Orleans part 2

The City of New Orleans part 2 – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 9

Carbondale:

The City of New Orleans part 2 begins as we realise that the train will go no further. It is 6.30 am and we are in Carbondale. We are given the options of returning the way we came or going on by bus.

Some of the passengers are not happy!

Our train failure is news! A local TV station comes to report on the situation and interview the passengers – it must be a slow news day!

We hear that buses are coming, but from some distance away. Because there will be a delay I go to look for coffee but find that the shops don’t open early. Its after 9.00 a.m. and nothing is open!

The buses arrive, they are driven on to the platform. The first gets caught on some fencing and suffers slight damage. It is soon full so we get on the second one which, after a short delay, sets off for our journey south.

Going South:

The bus makes reasonable progress. Our route takes us past shopping areas all with single storey buildings and brands that are new to me. We then come to an area with hotels.

The bus then turns off down a dirt track. At the end of the track we come to Fulton station. Its basically a container with a couple of windows. The person we were meant to pick up has gone. I can’t understand why – we are only 7 hours late!

Someone calls 911:

The bus turns, we retrace our route to the highway and get going. A passenger complains loudly about the route we are taking. The Amtrak staff member tries to calm her. The complaints continue. She is disturbing the other passengers so she is warned that she must be quiet or get off the bus.

A police car overtakes us. The bus stops. All because the complaining passenger dialled 911. The policeman gives the passenger a choice, keep quiet or get off. There’s not much here so she stays.

Gourmet lunch:

We stop at Loves. It is a truck stop. At least it is an opportunity to get something to eat.

The photographs that accompany the podcast:

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

Next up:

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this podcast. Please join me in two weeks for the next episode where the journey on the Rail Replacement Bus continues and we reach New Orleans.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

You can also listen to this podcast on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify and Stitcher.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed the theme, Steam Railway, for use in this podcast.

Audioblocks has licensed Train Station by Jason Donnelly and Country Road both by Bobby Cole for use as incidental music in this episode.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2019 – 2020

Message in a Bottle (4)

Message in a Bottle (4)

Welcome to Message in a Bottle (4), the a store for the material in the third Flotsam and Jetsam e-Newsletter from Farnham U3A.

It doesn’t matter if you deleted the e-Newsletter – the important bits are here!

Listen to a Personal View of Lockdown:

Your editors ‘phoned Ann Vickers to find out how she is coping with the lockdown. She’s been keeping busy as you’ll hear – listen using the media player above.

From your editors:

Our wonderful spring has continued and the arrival of recent rain has really perked everything up in our gardens and parks. Those able to take a walk for our daily exercise will have noticed how polite 95% of the community has become with a ‘thank you’ to those who step aside and a cheery ‘good morning’ to people they’ve never seen before. At the shops people stand back to let us reach onto the shelves. Let’s hope that this is a lasting benefit.

DIY hairdressers

Last time we asked whether you’d brave a DIY haircut during the lockdown – here’s the answer.  25% of respondents would brave the scissors – no doubt believing that any damage will have grown out by the time they see their hairdresser; 44% were fence-sitters opting to ‘wait and see’; whilst 31% remembered Sampson.  Thank you to everyone who participated in our straw poll.

For those willing to take the plunge the most important tip is to use small scissors and trim small sections a time. YouTube is full of video tutorials, but sadly the models are half your editors age and twice as glamorous.  The Telegraph offers this video and The Independent this one.

Groups on the go:

Architecture

This group has maintained contact through a monthly newsletter which is distributed through Beacon about the time the group would have met. The aim is to provide updates (where appropriate), to inform and entertain.  Members have also contributed content which has broadened the range of topics was covered in the second edition.  A copy of the April newsletter can be found here.

The Arts Community can dip into an embarrassment of riches ….
Art History

There are a great many Art talks, virtual Gallery tours, and clips available on-line. Information about these are regularly sent to group members.

Concert Club

Just before lockdown on 5th March the group attended a concert of chamber music by Handel, Telemann and Bach at the Purcell Room. Sadly, the rest of their programme is likely to be cancelled but members will be kept posted.

The websites of their regular orchestras are offering music, either from their archives or recorded at home. One of their favourites is the OAE with informative content about their instruments as well as performances. You can listen here. The baroque spoons video is particularly entertaining – look at the date…. and they love this one from the orchestra of the Royal Opera House – click here.

Discovering Music

Group members are regularly receiving relevant clips and links and for others there is the BBC Sounds.  This may be a good time to try a free online digital music library like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music or ask a family member with a subscription to add you onto their account. [Editor tip – now’s the time to spoil yourself with a good quality portable Bluetooth speaker]

Jazz Club

Various clips, and interesting pieces by Alan Little on Mingus/Pre-war Blues/Great piano players, have been sent to group members. It’s very easy to search Jazz music on your BBC sounds app or on line digital music service provider.

Philosophy 1&2

Group members have received their scheduled session content by email and been invited to comment on the chapters they would have studied during the classes.

Wine knowledge online

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) is offering free online events through Zoom. There is their Tuesday drinks-themed quiz plus their varietal tastings on Thursdays.  If you are seriously interested you can also access online their well-regarded industry training courses here.

Armchair Travel:

We bring you more clips from around the world. Showcasing the vastness of the USA the first two come from the Yosemite National Park in California’s stunning Sierra Nevada mountains then over to the Grand Canyon

  • To start some 360 degree panoramas are here.
  • And a selection of time lapse films showing the scene yesterday are here.
  • If that’s not energetic enough how about a (virtual) hike through the Grand Canyon.  Start hiking here!
  • Then take an 8 km walk through the Rainforests of Washington’s Olympic National Park here.
  • Or see the Skagit River in Washington State here.

Missing the Flower Shows?

We found a video of the Arundel Castle Tulip Festival here.. You will also find some other videos to help you in the garden.

This year’s Chelsea Flower Show has been cancelled so the RHS is making plans for a virtual Chelsea. There will be online events during the week of 19th to 23rd May on the RHS website and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We’ll bring you more details in the next issue. You can also find out more at.

From our muse:

A word from the wise

One recent scam warns that your television licence is going to expire and unless you click the link, you’ll have no service. Don’t! Another tells PayPal users that there is a problem with their account. Again – don’t click the link.

Remember – don’t be panicked into doing something.  Check your records and if you really do have to make contact enter the details in your browser rather than clicking the link. Also if it sounds too good to be true it usually is – report anything suspicious to Action Fraud online or phone 0300 123 2040

If you need help with anything contact those you can trust or the Farnham & Villages Coronavirus Helpline on 01252 745446 (Monday-Friday from           9 am-6 pm) or email to help@farnhammaltings.com

Resources

We’re all having to learn new skills with technology, hopefully we can help. Please don’t let it get to you like it got to Joe!

Surrey County libraries have extended their collection of e-books and e-audiobooks. Available to all Surrey library members – more here

The Zoom Guide below has helped members connect. Feel free to read it and circulate it to others. The guide was updated on 23rd April 2020.

Zoom instructions 20200423

Tip for joining an online meeting: please sort out the software and your computer / tablet / ‘phone before the meeting. This is because the meeting host can’t tutor you during the meeting!

Community Tips

The Town Council, along with the Maltings and the Farnham Herald, has produced a useful fact-sheet full of help and advice for residents of Farnham and villages which is worth printing.  Click here.

About this post:

The Farnham U3A site is found at Farnham U3A Home Page.

Please use this material to help you through the lock-down.

Posted by The MrT Podcast Studio for Farnham U3A – 2020