Early Reggae, Rocksteady, Ska

 

If you like this type of groove, check out this playlist...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9N2DEzQ208&list=PLE4mKoUG301U_2jXhyzI_7-vX504T423o

This French Guy Named Tarrare (He Ate Puppies!)

 

This story haunts me.

There was once this guy named Tarrare — living proof that somewhere in history, the gods looked down at France and said, “What if we made a guy with the appetite of a black hole?”

Tarrare was an 18th-century Frenchman whose defining personality trait was apparently: “I'm still hungry.” Not “I like food.” Not “I enjoy a hearty meal.” No. This man treated the concept of eating the way industrial shredders treat abandoned Buicks.

As a teenager, he could eat most of a cow in a single day and still wander around looking like someone who had just finished a light salad. His family eventually kicked him out because feeding him was economically comparable to feeding a medium-sized army.

So naturally, Tarrare joined a traveling band of thieves, prostitutes, and street performers. And because when you possess the supernatural ability to swallow mounds of apples, rocks, corks, and live animals, the entertainment industry comes a-calling, he became a Paris sideshow attraction, delighting audiences everywhere with acts that caused nauseated spectators to mutter things like, “I wish I had not seen that.”

Doctors later examined him and concluded several important scientific facts, including:

1. He could eat an entire meal meant for 15 laborers.
2. He smelled so horrifying that people reportedly couldn’t stand within 60 feet of him.
3. The approach to medicine in the 1700s was basically “let’s see what happens.”

The descriptions of his body odor are especially impressive. Witnesses claimed he stunk so bad that the stench rose off his body in visible stink lines (like in cartoons) after eating, like a freshly cooked turkey on a cold morning. But with more stink.

Then the French military — displaying the sound judgment for which late-1700s Europe is famous — decided this horrifyingly vile man should become a spy. Their plan was simple: have Tarrare swallow secret documents, sneak behind enemy lines, then… recover the documents later after nature called, through what historians technically refer to as “the worst recovery mission in military history.”

Perhaps not shockingly, this plan did not go well.

The Prussians caught him almost immediately because apparently a stinking, steaming Frenchman frantically asking where the bathroom is tends to attract attention.

Back in the hospital, things somehow became even MORE unappetizing. 

Tarrare drank blood drawn from patients, ate garbage, carrion, body parts in the morgue, cats, puppies, a toddler... Yes, that's right, a toddler went missing, and he was was suspected of eating him (or her) — which is the sort of accusation that can really damage your reputation.

Modern readers naturally wonder: “Was there a medical condition that caused this?”

The answer from history is essentially: “We have absolutely no clue, but let's see what happens.”

Tarrare eventually died at a fairly young age after years of horrifying everyone within smelling distance. I know. You're shocked. During the autopsy, doctors reportedly found his insides were an absolute catastrophe, medically speaking. Ravaged by sores and pus everywhere. Ew!! Which I guess makes sense, because by this point his digestive system had spent years processing a diet consisting mainly of disgusting meat, garbage, and other hideous dinner selections that no self-respecting non-zombified human should ever make.

The whole story is disturbing.

My Most Influential Books #70: The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

 

I can't recommend this book enough. I read it over the course of two nights when I worked at Posada Ana Inn back in 1999. Great book! The part where here he accidentally goes into the extremely distant future is pretty harrowing. Cool book!

https://archive.org/details/timemachine00boga

I also read "the Island Of Dr. Moreau" at that time as well. Also great!

https://archive.org/details/islanddrmoreau0000hgwe/mode/2up

My Most Influential Books #69: Tales From Shakespeare (Charles & Mary Lamb)

 

Shakespeare's third appearance in this series. These are narrative versions of these classic Shakespeare stories. 

https://archive.org/details/talesfromshakesp0000arth_c6n4/mode/2up

My Most Influential Books #68: Kingdoms of Europe, An Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Ruling Monarchs from Ancient Times to The Present

 

https://archive.org/details/kingdomsofeuropeanillustratedencyclopediaofrulingmonarchsfromancienttimestothepresent_202003/mode/2up

He also made this one too which was also very cool!

https://archive.org/details/bwb_S0-CTT-566

More Historical "Hotties" (Dateable Women of History)

In a previous post made long before the advent of AI, I posited the potential of "dating" women from history. Notorious and/or famous women of history. This was back in 2012. Wow. I was 45 then. I'm 58 now. So, things change.

Anyway, THAT list was made up of:

#1: Eve

#2: Eva Braun (NOW REJECTED - Butterface and OLGISP*)

#3: Cleopatra

#4: Mata Hari (Semi-Rejected. Unfortunately she OLGISP*)

#5: Frida Kahlo (Now Rejected - too hairy! Haha! And also OLGISP* as well)

A few others mentioned were Lady Godiva, Salome, Joan Of Arc, Helen of Troy, and Nefertiti.

============================================================

Well, here is round two. Opinions change. Eva Braun is out! LOL! We are in 2026 and this is the age of AI images. 

For instance, how about Elizabeth Bathory? You've heard of her, right? A terrible human being. But take a look... would you date her? I probably would. 

So the question we are answering is: "Would you date this woman?"

Here is Cleopatra: Yes. The answer is YES.

Here is Eve: Yes. Definitely YES.

Helen of Troy? Yep. Absolutely!

How about Joan of Arc: Sure. Not too crazy about the hair, but hey. Maybe?

How about Bathsheba? David's temptress. Yes. Very much yes.

How about Lady Godiva? Here she is... with more clothes than usual ;-P

Queen Joan of Navarre.. Not bad!

Princess Isabelle Zapolya (age 20), of Transylvania... YES!

Mata Hari... she was pretty nice looking! I dig the exoticness. Is that a word?

*Only Looks Good In Some Pictures

In Common (My Plea to Mankind)

 

Every human being, regardless of race, sex, nationality, language, culture, or social status, shares a remarkably deep set of things IN COMMON. Some are biological, some psychological, some moral, and some spiritual or existential.

Biological Commonalities

All humans:

• Are members of the same species: Homo sapiens
• Share overwhelmingly similar DNA
• Are born, grow, get old, and eventually die
• Need food, water, sleep, shelter, and oxygen to live
• Feel pain and physical pleasure
• Experience sickness and vulnerability
• Possess brains, nervous systems, emotions, and senses
• Reproduce through the same biological processes
• Share the same basic bodily systems (heart, lungs, blood, etc.)
• Require care and protection during infancy
• Experiences certain physical limitations
• Has emotions tied to chemistry and cognition
• Is vulnerable to fear, stress, fatigue, and suffering
• Has a capacity for reproduction and family bonding
• Shares universal bodily experiences like hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and physical affection

Emotional Commonalities

All humans experience emotions such as:

• Love
• Fear
• Joy
• Sadness
• Anger
• Grief
• Hope
• Loneliness
• Shame
• Compassion
• Anxiety
• Desire for belonging
• Desire to be valued and understood

People may express emotions differently culturally, but the emotional framework itself is universal.

Psychological and Cognitive Commonalities

Humans universally:

• Think and reason
• Learn from experience
• Form memories
• Dream
• Use language or symbolic communication
• Imagine the future
• Ask questions
• Seek meaning and purpose
• Recognize patterns
• Make moral judgments
• Experience curiosity
• Learn through observation and experience
• Solve problems
• Form memories
• Imagine possibilities
• Create stories, myths, music, and art
• Seek meaning and explanation
• Develop moral systems and social structures

Social Commonalities

Humans naturally:

• Form families and communities
• Develop friendships and bonds
• Cooperate for survival
• Create and value family traditions 
• Develop and grow cultural traditions
• Teach younger generations
• Seek acceptance and identity
• Establish systems of rules and justice
• Mourn the dead
• Celebrate important events
• Feel the sting of injustice
• Feel the joy of achievement
• Feel a sense of justice or fairness
• Feel concern for family and community
• Desire the safety and success of their offspring
• Condemn betrayal and murder
• Like to laugh
• Enjoy being entertained
• Love a good meal
• Appreciate comfort
• Crave security
• Admire courage and sacrifice
• Respect loyalty and honesty
• Create rules governing behavior
• Feel the desire for order and cooperation
• Have the capacity for both kindness and cruelty

Moral Commonalities

Across cultures, humans generally recognize concepts such as:

• Fairness
• Justice
• Loyalty
• Responsibility
• Courage/Bravery
• Compassion
• Honesty
• Protection of the vulnerable
• Condemnation of needless cruelty
• Strength
• Joy
• Contentment
• Many many more...

Different societies apply these principles differently, but the underlying moral instincts are nearly universal.

Existential Commonalities

Every human being faces:

• Mortality
• Suffering
• Uncertainty
• Questions about meaning
• The awareness of good and evil
• The desire for significance
• The longing for love and acceptance
• The fear of death
• The search for identity
• Loss of loved ones
• The desire for meaning and purpose
• The desire for significance and personal identity
• The desire for relationships
• The fear of loss
• Questions about right and wrong
• Questions about what happens after death

Spiritual/Common Religious Themes

Throughout history, humans across nearly every civilization have:

• Worshiped or sought transcendence
• Believed in realities beyond themselves
• Practiced prayer, ritual, or meditation
• Asked where we came from and why we exist
• Wondered what happens after death
• Contemplated the majesty of nature
• Considered the supernatural or transcendent
• Engaged in religious practices
• Engaged in rituals
• Engaged in a form, or type, of prayer
• Worshipped a higher power
• An awareness of guilt and accountability
• A desire for reconciliation, forgiveness, or salvation

Shared Human Dignity

Many philosophical and religious traditions — including Christianity — hold that all humans possess equal intrinsic worth simply by being human. In Christian theology specifically, all of humanity:

• Shares a common origin.
• Shares a fallen condition.
• Shares moral accountability.
• Shares the capacity for redemption.
• Has the capacity for negative behaviors.
• Has the ability to help others.
• Has equal value before God.
• Realizes that everyone eventually experiences suffering.
• Realizes that everyone desires relationships.
• Realizes that everyone faces death.
• Realizes that everyone leaves some kind of legacy.
• Realizes that everyone depends on others at some point in life.
• Realizes that everyone is capable of good and evil.
• Realizes that everyone longs for hope.

While the differences between people are real and meaningful, compared to what humanity shares in common, they are relatively small. Human beings are far more alike than different.

Doing this requires a little empathy!

Here is my plea to mankind. In light of all these similarities, I propose we as humans pull together and focus on our SIMILARITIES and not our DIFFERENCES. Constantly focusing on our differences will divide us. The truth is, our similarities unite us. By focusing on our similarities instead of our differences, we can get to a point where empathy flourishes and we care about each other more. We see ourselves as brothers and sisters, not enemies. We become more tolerant of each other, rather than intolerant. We will start to give each other the benefit of the doubt. We will see others as member of our family, not the enemy. This will encompass all people. ALL humans. Regardless of your skin color, preferences, religion, or cultural proclivities. If we did this, racial tension and injustice would rapidly become obsolete.

I pray that we can make this a reality today!