They did it all together. Willie Nelson is gearing up to release his 78th career solo studio album (the 155th of his career in total), and this current project will pay tribute to another country music legend, Willie’s friend, the late, great Merle Haggard. Titled Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle, the album is set to drop soon, on Friday, November 7th, and features 11 country classics penned by the Hag himself. Of course, the two of them put out several projects together during their careers, including their iconic Pancho and Lefty in 1983, Seashores of Old Mexico in 1987, Last of the Breed also in 1987, and lastly, Django and Jimmie in 2015. They were close friends, and in a Rolling Stone article from 2016, following his death around a week prior in April, Willie wrote about their friendship and how much Merle meant to him. They were friends for over 50 years, and first met in Nashville in the early 60’s, of course, during a poker game at Willie’s house. This was before either of them went back home, Merle to Bakersfield and Willie to Texas, and they had an instant connection: “Merle and I were buddies from way back. I first met him at a poker game at my house in Nashville in the early Sixties, before he went back to Bakersfield and I went back to Texas. We always had a lot in common. We both hopped trains as kids. We both got our starts playing bass in other bands before stepping out on our own. We’d both been married for the last 20 years. We both had our sons playing guitar with us. Over the years, we played a lot of dates, a lot of poker. He was a great audience for my jokes. I told him recently, ‘You know what you call a guitar player without a girlfriend? Homeless,’ and he laughed.” Willie recalled recording Pancho and Lefty in 1983, when Merle visited Austin, and they recorded their iconic song. There’s a great story behind it, which you can read about HERE, but possibly the most interesting part of the article is Willie talking about how they tried to be healthy in the midst of all the drinking, smoking and debauchery. In fact, they would “burn one down” and run two miles in their cowboy boots, and also did a “10-day cayenne-pepper juice cleanse,” which Willie called “horrible,” obviously: “In the early Eighties, he came to stay with me in Texas to record. We were living pretty hard back then, but we’d also try to be a little healthy. We used to go jogging a lot. We’d burn one down and run two miles in cowboy boots. In Texas, we went on a 10-day cayenne-pepper juice cleanse. It was horrible. One day after we’d been up all night, Merle went to the condo to get some rest. Around 4 a.m., we woke him up to sing his part on ‘Pancho and Lefty.’ He sang it half in his sleep, but Hag sings pretty good in his sleep.” Only those two… I’m actually impressed they made it through all ten days doing that, though, and would absolutely LOVED to have seen them running those two miles through Texas in their cowboy boots… what a visual. Willie also went onto say that he deeply admired Merle, and the fact that he scored so many “Number One songs.” “I always had a lot of admiration for him. He came onto the scene with a bang. He wrote more Number One songs than me, Kris [Kristofferson], anybody. He was a great one to follow. He was able to talk about his life in his songs intelligently and ingeniously, really.” While it’s sad Merle is no longer around to hear Willie’s take on his classic music, it’s so cool to see how much he still means to Willie so many years after his passing. They lived a ton of life together, and accomplished more than either one of them had likely ever dreamed of, and I will never get tired of hearing them tell stories about everything they did together outside of music (especially the not-so-legal stuff). They were two peas in a pod, and two absolute legends, who will both go down as two of the best to ever do it. You can listen to “Somewhere Between” here: “Somewhere Between” “Workin’ Man Blues” Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle Tracklist: 1. Workin’ Man Blues 2. Silver Wings 3. Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down 4. Today I Started Loving You Again 5. Swinging Doors 6. Okie From Muskogee 7. Mama Tried 8. I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink 9. Somewhere Between 10. If We Make It Through December 11. Ramblin’ FeverThe post Willie Nelson Recalls Running For Miles (In Boots) Through Texas With Merle Haggard, Then Doing A 10-Day Cayenne Pepper Juice Cleanse: “It Was Horrible” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

President Donald Trump canceled trade talks with Canada on Thursday after the Canadian province of Ontario began running a television advertisement in the United States that used President Ronald Reagan’s words to criticize Trump’s tariff policies. The ad, which was shared by Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford on X, features Reagan stating that protective tariffs work “only for a short time” and that trade barriers, such as the ones Trump has enacted in his second term, “hurt every American worker and consumer” in the long run.  In response to the ad, Trump called the ad a “fraud” and wrote that “CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!!” in a post shared to Truth Social. Trump also stated that Reagan “LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY.” The Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute on Thursday said it was reviewing its legal options over the use of the video without permission. “The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address, and the Government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks,” the organization said in a statement. Canada is one America’s top trading partners with more than $410 billion worth of goods being imported into the U.S. in 2024. This is the second time this year that Trump has terminated trade talks with Canada. In June, Trump rescinded “ALL discussions on trade with Canada” over perceived unfairness to America’s tech companies and dairy farmers. Talks were restarted days later however after Canadian officials announced they would rescind its digital services tax. The post Trump Calls Off Trade Talks With Canada appeared first on The American Conservative.

Every so often, Halloween celebrations can get a little out of hand. That's when the courts have to intervene, scaring everyone with summary judgments.

Walter on Scary Movies | JEFF DUNHAM

It might be an understatement to say that we are in divisive times. Many of us live in an echo chamber of our own making—carefully curated social media bouncing the same news sources and opinions back and forth like a game of pickleball.But what if you find yourself in a situation where you can no longer curate your surroundings? What happens when circumstance make it impossible to only be around like-minded people? This happened to my mother (and many of her friends) when she moved into a senior living facility. All of a sudden, she found herself having dinner and playing Mahjong with people who (gasp) held different political opinions.It took some getting used to. My mom, like many of us, is steadfast in her beliefs. She has spent decades learning about and fighting for the things she believes in, and in her mid-80s, most of those opinions are unlikely to change. That said, there was a simple solution to bridging the (often vast) gap between her and her new friends and building mates.I asked her, "When you're seeking out friendships, even now in the senior center, what are the kinds of traits you look for? What bonds you?"Her answer was quick and simple. "Volunteering together." She further explained, "Doesn't matter if you're on the left or right side of the aisle. If we're doing something together to help someone else, it's almost like that other stuff goes out the window." Senior citizens volunteer together. via Canva PhotosBecause of my mom's sight and mobility issues, her ability to volunteer is a bit limited. But she can help put care packages together for those in need, donate and organize jewelry for fundraisers (like for Alzheimer's), and she even offered up a dance class to the other residents called "Dances with Walkers." What she has found is that others who offer themselves with acts of service tell her nearly everything she needs to know about them. And it creates a true bond that goes beyond voting records.She shared, "I mean there are still big ideas I'll always fight for. But the kindness people show by helping others is very important." I asked her how else that 'kindness' presents itself and, again, her answer was clear. "The way they talk to the staff. When we sit in the dining hall for dinner, I want to be around people who are kind to wait staff. On the day to day, that matters more than how they feel about tax brackets."She also notes that laughter is a big factor. If she can sit and laugh with someone, that helps tide over any religious or political beliefs. Though here she also brings up an impactful quote that she calls "the right to exist one." The actual quote is: "We can disagree and still love each other, unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist." (Snopes shares it's often attributed to James Baldwin, but was actually written by author Robert Jones, Jr.) See on Instagram As some might imagine, there are many recent Reddit threads regarding building bridges. One asks bluntly, "Is it possible for Democrats and Republicans to get along?" There are many answers, including a few who dig into their ideologies and claim the stakes are too high at this time. But there are also many who eloquently express that it's not only possible—it's common.One Redditor writes, "It is. Respect for one another just needs to transcend political opinions. My best friend is very left wing and hates Trump. They even have an autograph from Obama framed and hanging in their home. We talk about politics infrequently because we already know each other's stances and realize our friendship is far more important."This person argues that most people get along, despite what social media might portray: "I would say a far majority of the people of the US get along regardless of their political affiliation. Reddit is NOT the 'far majority.'" See on Instagram Just recently, a piece was published on NJ.com (a site for all things New Jersey) about two political consultants, Julie Roginsky and Mike DuHaime, who are dear friends despite having different political views. On Friendly Fire, they're interviewed by Star-Ledger editor Enrique Lavín. When asked, "Q: Do you think your friendship has helped you better understand the 'other side'?" they each had insightful answers.Roginsky said, "People would be surprised to know that Mike and I probably don’t disagree on much and I think we have probably evolved in each other’s directions as we have gotten older and ideology gave way to real learned experience. Mostly, I just really wish the best for Mike. When he has career successes or his kids do well and I hear about it, I am happy for my friend. Politics is really secondary to all that."And DuHaime agreed. "I realized a long time ago that Julie and I have so much in common, and we should never be distracted by different viewpoints on policy. I cannot be happier than when I see Julie doing a great job on television or hearing somebody tell me about some success she has had. Think of how many billions of people there are on the Earth, and we were dropped into New Jersey politics at the same time. There is tremendous amount to have in common and a wonderful starting point for many great conversations."

It’s one of the most charming hazards of loving books: you’re exposed to a much wider, richer vocabulary than you are in everyday life. And so when you meet unfamiliar words on the page, your brain just takes a guess at pronunciation, sometimes incorrectly. That’s certainly not your fault. For one thing, English, written or spoken, is famously inconsistent and phonetically confusing. Second, when we see a new word, it’s natural to apply established rules we think make sense. Linguists even have a term for this called “spelling pronunciation.” Sometimes it works out beautifully. Other times…not so much.When one Reddit user, a self proclaimed “voracious reader,” admitted they’d spent years mispronouncing “banal” and “ultimatum” due to only seeing it written down, a wave of fellow bookworms were inspired to confess their own humbling word mistakes:“Albeit as ‘all bite’ instead of "all be it" probably because I was learning German as a kid.”“Anemone too. Hooked on Phonics didn't prepare us for these words at all.”“Armageddon. In my mind, I pronounced it Ar-MEGA-don, like some sort of dinosaur.” Dinosaur media0.giphy.com “Bedraggled. I broke it up as bed-raggled rather than be-draggled. I still like the image that invoked!”Many admitted that even after they learned the correct pronunciation, their brains couldn’t fathom saying it any other way. Linguists call this phenomenon a “fossilization of errors,” which is a simple way of saying that a repeated mistake gets so ingrained and unconscious that it becomes your brain’s default setting. This isn’t impossible to correct, but it's not easy. “Somehow I read it as BE-emoth with a silent h and second e was soft. ??♀️. Because I read that word for a decade or so before I actually ever heard it I've never adjusted and it still sounds like a mispronunciation when people use it.““Cacophony. For years, I said CACK-uh-fawn-ee in my head. I spoke it out loud one day, and my husband was like wth????!!!”“Detritus. Always pronounced it in my head with a short ‘i’ then finally heard it spoken.”“Dilapidated - read it in a book and knew full well what it meant, then pointed out some dilpa-dated houses to my mom when we were driving.”“I’d explain en-ER-Gee (hard G) but I don’t have enough energy.”“Every time I see ‘epitome’ written my brain says ‘ep-i-tome.’ Always takes a second to realize, oh.. ‘E-pit-oh-mee.’”“I chose to focus my [college] report on the ornate Greek and Roman- inspired fa-KA-days of renaissance architecture. About halfway through, the professor politely raised his hand and said, ‘Excuse me for interrupting, but are you meaning to say facade?’ Oh, right, yes, of course. ??” Clueless media0.giphy.com “Gauge. I knew ‘gage’ was a word, but I thought this was a separate word pronounce ‘gog.’”“I described something gross as GRO tes cue. It was grotesque.”“As a child, I loved telling my older relatives how gullible my little brother was. I said it as ‘Gill-able’".“Harbinger. I was in my thirties when I first said it aloud in front of people and learned it was har-binj-er, not har-bing-er.” Agatha All Along media1.giphy.com “Very young me pronounced huge as hug.”“Young me assumed it was ‘highpocritical’ when I first encountered it.”"’in-dicked’ for ‘indict.’”“Inevitable.I had it as in-uh-VIT-uh-ble.”“Macabre. Legit thought it was mock-ah-brey. And never associated when someone said muh-cob as the word I read.”There’s also sometimes a fun bit of reader logic at play, fixing the language so that it works within the fictional worlds read about. “When I was maybe 7 or 8 a magician performed at the school near me. My mom took me…We got in an argument because…I knew the word ‘magic.’ and I knew what the C at the end sounded like. HOW DARE SHE try to convince me to say ‘magishin’ when it was quite obvious that the word ‘magic’ had a suffix added and now said ‘maj-i-can’…I probably believed it was maj-i-can for another year after that before something or other convinced me otherwise.” Gif media3.giphy.com "As a pre-teen, I used to read a lot of historical novels and had no idea what ‘beribboned’ meant or how it was pronounced. Turns out it's ‘be-ribboned’ (as in covered in ribbons), but I pronounced it like ‘berry-boned’ and thought it had something to do with corset stays.” Women media2.giphy.com “Mine was ‘melancholy.’ In my head it was meh-lan-cho-lee, instead of melon-collie.”“Misled: I used to read this as MY-zld.”“The 'mores' part of social mores. I pronounced the word as if it rhymes with 'bores' well into adulthood. I heard Hilary Clinton use it in a speech about ten years ago and was shocked. I even pronounced it as rhymes with bores in a college presentation before a large class and was not corrected.”“Subtle ?”“The Tao of Pooh is an excellent introduction to Taoist philosophy using Winnie the Pooh has the ultimate Zen. While discussing the book with a friend I was informed that Tao is pronounced with a D, not a T. I had no idea.” Winnie the Pooh media3.giphy.com “Tertiary TER-tee-ary. I'm still not sure how there's a ‘shee’ in there.”“Trebuchet. It always puzzled me how an english speaker would pronounce this. I concluded with Tree Bucket.”“Vehement. I always read it as va-HE-ment.”On the bright side, we do live in an age where we can instantly Google the correct pronunciation of a word the minute we see it. So, keep reading. After all, every word you learn (even the ones you trip over) makes the world a little more interesting.