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Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Southern accent is disappearing. By golly, I'm holding on for dear life!
'Oh no!!!!!' 'Hush your mouth!" "No way!!" "Against my religion!" "Who do I call?" These are just a few gasps I uttered after learning that the Southern accent was slowly disappearing. Bless those evildoers' hearts; they don't understand that such a tragedy must not occur. Y'all can ask anybody what a hissy fit I throw when folks want to rid themselves of their accents. I like diversity in speech because it reflects each person's ancestry. Why do we want plain vanilla when adding sprinkles is more fun? Why do we desire to mold others into our likeness? I don't believe that was the Good Lord's intention. Some quirky folks from non-Southern states once believed our dialect was synonymous with limited intelligence. Come to find out, they weren't so smart. President Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and many of our founding fathers are from Virginia. Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, George Bush and nine other American Presidents are as Southern as grits. William Faulkner, who won the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature, is from Oxford, Mississippi. Southern authors such as Margaret Mitchell, Truman Capote, Harper Lee, Pat Conroy and Eudora Welly also expanded our minds with their eloquent words. People visit the Southland through books and their imaginations. Let's not forget the laughter we shared with the oh-so-Southern writer Lewis Grizzard and his dog, Catfish. The South gave birth to Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers and countless Black heroes whose bravery to live by the Christian principle of loving one another opened doors and hearts. Thank goodness. Imagine a world without the soulful jazz from New Orleans, the heartfelt country music from Tennessee, and the diverse stylings from every southern state. The South's musical influence is undeniable, and we continue to enrich the world with our unique sounds, putting our souls into every note. More: Black indie country musicians flourish in the South beyond Nashville's mainstream scene Where else could you learn to fry up a chicken, hogtie a fella, catch a mess of fish or hold your horses? These are uniquely Southern skills and sayings that make us who we are. Where could one go at midnight to buy a plunger without Sam Walton's Walmart? Flying Delta? Well, its Southern roots began in Macon, Georgia, in 1925. Maybe you need a Co-Cola while looking for a new hammer or doohickey at Home Depot. Several years ago, I wrote a story, "The Magic of the Fry Pan and Fried Chicken," published across America. A lady from Iowa wrote me and asked, 'How do you fry chicken?' After trying and failing to explain, I responded, "Ma'am, just go over yonder to your local KFC. They got the fixins, biscuits and sweet tea to go with that crispy goodness." Bless her heart, I reckon she never heard of an iron skillet. I'm worn slap out with highfalutin folks who know nothing about the richness found in the South. And worse, I am doggone, dern tired of those who are too big for their britches believing their God-given drawl should change. Plumb ridiculous!! I am proud of my roots, which began in Tennessee. My family settled in the Appalachian hills in the late 1700s and is still there today. They speak like little ol' me, and I couldn't be prouder. They are wise and wealthy beyond what money can buy. More: Why these Tennessee cities were ranked among Southern Living's best in the South When I moved from Tennessee to Georgia, I quickly realized that the Georgia accent differed from mine. Those Georgia peaches added letters to words. I learned that the "tile" I used to dry dishes was pronounced "tow-el." However, sometimes, when I'm babbling, I still omit unnecessary letters. Why add a "g" to banana puddin' or fixin' to? Hello? It is a high compliment when people say I sound like Dolly Parton. They may not see it that way, but they don't know nothin', and they can't sing like her, and they sure as heck don't own a theme park. Can you imagine Dolly Parton without her accent? Life just wouldn't be the same. Till those old cows come home, I reckon I'll never understand why we don't embrace our differences and cultures. Not one of us has identical fingerprints. God ensured that each of us was designed to achieve the best of who we can be. No matter what color we are or the accents we use, those sprinkles he added are our signature. Diversity has recently been perceived in a negative light. However, if we fail to embrace our distinctness, perhaps the God who created us all will not embrace us. We should consider that our accents and heritage do not define us as individuals. Instead, it is our goodness, kindness, and wisdom that truly shape our character. Honey child, our unique sprinkles keep us happier than a pig in the mud! Lynn Walker Gendusa is a writer in Georgia and the author of the book "Southern Comfort." She is originally from Monterey, Tennessee. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: It's the sprinkles, honey! A defense of Southern accents. | Opinion
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A top CEO declared the U.S. oil industry has ‘peaked'
A record-breaking but maturing U.S. oil industry has 'peaked' and already begun its decline as it struggles under the weight of tariffs and lower oil prices, the CEO of the Permian Basin's top pure-play producer said. Crude oil prices have fallen this week to new four-year lows since the pandemic amid recession fears and unexpected production hikes from OPEC nations and their allies. As a global slowdown spreads throughout every industry, U.S. oil producers are quickly pivoting to drop drilling rigs and cut costs with prices now below the levels for profitability, including key Texas Permian producers Diamondback Energy and Coterra Energy, both of which held their earnings calls May 6. 'We believe we are at a tipping point for U.S. oil production at current commodity prices,' Diamondback chairman and CEO Travis Stice said in a needle-moving shareholder letter prior to the call. 'As a result of these activity cuts, it is likely that U.S. onshore oil production has peaked and will begin to decline this quarter. 'This will have a meaningful impact on our industry and our country,' Stice added. As the global economy goes, so to does oil demand. Diamondback, the largest oil producer focused only on the Permian, has grown into a key bellwether for the industry. Stice's warning was, in effect, a wake-up call to anyone in the industry yet to heed what was already underway. The company said it will reduce its drilling rig count by three and cut one of its well completions, or fracking, crews. Diamondback lowered its 2025 midpoint capital expenditure guidance by $400 million down to $3.6 billion, although oil volumes are only expected to fall by 1% because of efficiency gains. Steel tariffs have increased downhole well costs by more than 10% and contribute to the declining activity levels, Stice said. 'We're a little over 100 days into this new administration and, 'Good Lord.'' Coterra chairman and CEO Tom Jorden said it is likely 'tied together' as certain OPEC nations led by Saudi Arabia, and their allies announced a second straight unexpected hike in their production quotas on May 3—at a time when President Trump wants lower oil prices to push gasoline costs down. 'We're a little over 100 days into this new administration and, 'Good Lord,'' Jorden said in the May 6 earnings call. 'There's been a tremendous amount of volatility introduced, whether we're talking about the oil markets or tariffs and our relations around the world. All of these converge on forecasts for oil price. The president is trying to do a lot of difficult things up front, and the White House is in a hurry. We have some sympathy for that sense of urgency.'
New York Times
27-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
As Rays make Steinbrenner Field their new home, Yankees cast a Ruthian shadow
TAMPA — The New York Yankees are not coy, and they are not subtle. Their pinstripes and interlocking NY logo are ubiquitous. Their 27 championships are the most in baseball. Their players are among the most famous ever to play the game. Even the things they lack — no mascot, no names on their jerseys — are evidence of their fame and austerity. We're supposed to know the Yankees just by looking at them. Advertisement And the Tampa Bay Rays have to make us forget all of that by first pitch on Friday. Most of Major League Baseball opens the season on Thursday. The Rays were given an extra day: an extra 24 hours in which to cover up, strip away, and place into storage the 123-year history of the most famous team in American sports. The roof of the Rays' ballpark, Tropicana Field, was ripped apart by a hurricane six months ago, and for the past four days, they've been moving into a temporary home 21 miles away: George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the Yankees. As recently as last week, fans entered Steinbrenner Field by walking around a life-sized bronze statue of its namesake, the bombastic former Yankees owner. They passed a team store with a three-story Yankees logo on its floor-to-ceiling windows. Inside the main entrance, a tunnel into the seating bowl behind home plate was topped with a quote from Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio. 'I want to thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee.' The Yankees played their last home spring training game at Steinbrenner Field on Sunday. Ever since, five installation companies, plus 80 to 100 Rays staff members, have been working around the clock to install more than 3,000 pieces of art to replace or paper over the inescapable Yankees logos, murals and pictures of Lou Gehrig and Derek Jeter, to turn a celebration of Yankees history into a sort of Airbnb of Rays baseball. 'It is our goal to have Day 1 feel like a different building,' Rays chief business officer Bill Walsh said. 'Opening Day is such a special day. It is a sacred holiday on everyone's baseball calendars for those who believe.' The Rays believe. As of Thursday afternoon, there were new murals on the concourse walls, new hats in the team store, and new logos on the clubhouse lockers and training room tables. Advertisement On the stadium's main facade, a blue and white banner accented with a yellow sunburst: '2025 home of the Tampa Bay Rays.' Right above it? A giant, metallic NY logo. The Yankees do not disappear easily. When Hurricane Milton ripped through Tampa Bay on October 9, less than two weeks had passed since Hurricane Helene struck the same area, and the region was devastated. Power was lost, homes were flooded, and more than a dozen people were killed. A visceral image of the destruction was the tattered roof of Tropicana Field, its fiberglass remnants hanging limp from its frame, debris scattered like sunflower seeds across the stadium's seats and artificial turf. For a grieving community, there were matters far more pressing than a distant baseball season. But for the Rays, the Trop was home. It was a ballpark uniquely their own, and now it was wet and exposed, its future uncertain. Many on the staff still couldn't get into their homes, and a long-awaited stadium deal was in jeopardy, but between the immediate upheaval and long-term instability, the Rays had a baseball season to play in six months. So, they secured office space down the street from Tropicana Field — a bit of solid ground from which they could see their destroyed playground — and set about doing several years' worth of work in a matter of weeks. 'There was initially a little bit of understandable freakout,' Walsh said. 'We were so behind.' The roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, was ripped apart by Hurricane Milton. — AccuWeather (@accuweather) October 10, 2024 Almost everything hinged on finding a place to play. Immediate speculation was literally all over the map — Nashville? Durham? Salt Lake City? Montreal? — but the Rays focused on options closer to home. A month after the storm, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner — the son of the late owner George — brought many of his top lieutenants into a Tampa conference room and told them a decision had been made. The Rays were going to play at Steinbrenner Field. Advertisement The ballpark was in the final stages of a massive, two-year renovation — its training facilities and player amenities now rival most Major League stadiums — but Steinbrenner told his people that renting such a state-of-the-art stadium to a division rival was, quite simply, the right thing to do. The Steinbrenner family had long lived in the Tampa area. They were prominent within the community. The Yankees had employees of their own whose homes were lost or damaged in the storm, and Steinbrenner Field itself had seen both foul poles knocked to the ground and some of its outfield lights left broken and dangling. This was personal for the Yankees, too. 'They have roots here locally,' Walsh said. 'And they understand how the community was reeling in the wake of those storms.' Official word of the agreement came on Nov. 14. Opening Day was 134 days away. A small-market team going toe-to-toe against the big-spending teams of the American League East, the Rays have cultivated a reputation as scrappy underdogs. They play beyond their relatively limited payroll to contend year after year, and that ethos, Walsh said, has extended beyond the notoriously deep pitching staff and famously forward-thing baseball operations department. The Rays' staff is conditioned to see opportunity in every challenge. In this case? That means fireworks. The Rays could never put on a real pyrotechnics show inside a dome, but they're going to launch fireworks after home runs this year. They've adorned some of the new ballpark signage with suns and palm trees, a salute to this outdoor baseball experiment. They're going to try new things, then learn and adapt. 'A spirit of opportunity,' Walsh called it. So far, so good. As the Rays took media on a stadium walkthrough on Wednesday, one executive quietly noted that they were actually ahead of schedule. They'd decided not to remove the Steinbrenner statue or any of the other Yankees monuments out front (those are baseball history, and there's no shame in this stadium's roots), and they did not cover the Yankees top hats at the end of each seating row (they found no cost-effective way to do it without risking permanent damage). But they did hang a Rays sunburst over the interlocking NY in the ceiling of the home clubhouse, and they put a TB logo on top of the scoreboard in center field, and that DiMaggio quote behind home plate has been replaced by a yellow slogan: 'Built in the Bay.' Advertisement One stroke of luck: the Yankees' shade of navy blue (Pantone 289) is remarkably similar to the Rays' shade (Pantone 282), meaning Steinbrenner Field's basic color scheme fits its new occupants pretty well. Most of the concession stands and party pavilions had generic names —the Bullpen Club, the Outfield Bar — which could fit any franchise. As for the decorative changes, some were straightforward, while others required at least a little gumption. Dozens upon dozens of Yankees photos lining the suite level were put into storage — so was an oversized Babe Ruth bobblehead — and Rays decorations were hung in their place. The massive, see-them-from-the-street letters spelling out 'YANKEES' down each side of the loge level were left hanging but covered by Rays banners. The enormous logo on the team store window was basically just a vinyl sticker, which was peeled off and replaced with a Rays version. The Rays are going to buy a new Yankees sticker in the offseason. There's a lot of trust and understanding in this endeavor. Trucks were unloading at Steinbrenner Field throughout the week — seven of them for the home clubhouse alone — and some of them arrived via the Rays' long-time concessionaire company, which is not going to be their concessionaire this season. The last time the Rays changed concessionaires, the vetting, planning and implementing took a year and a half. This winter, they did it in a matter of weeks, and largely because the Yankees' company had its refrigerators and cash registers in place. There wasn't going to be time to bring in someone else. Swapping ballparks is far more complicated than hanging a few signs and covering a few logos. Steinbrenner Field is a Ticketmaster facility, but the Rays operate through Getting those two systems to work together was a chore. Even more complicated: one of the Rays' corporate sponsors is Coca-Cola, but the pouring rights at Steinbrenner Field belong to Pepsi. Coke wound up maintaining its sponsorship in a ballpark where fans are drinking the competition. 'We've learned how to embrace apples to oranges,' Walsh said. 'And many of our partners have had to do that as well.' Same for the Yankees and the city of Tampa. Steinbrenner Field was not meant to sit idle this summer. At the end of spring training, the facility typically becomes the home of the Tampa Tarpons, a Class-A Yankees minor league affiliate. To keep the Tarpons playing, the Rays helped finance upgrades to the adjacent Field 2 — typically a practice field — by expanding the dugouts, installing lights and padding the outfield wall. Fans will watch from metal bleachers as the Tarpons try to win the Florida State League while peeing in a portable toilet placed next to the dugout. Advertisement The list of workarounds and adaptations is long: On June 6, the Rays will play a rare Friday afternoon game because there's a Metallica concert that night at Raymond James Stadium across the street; Members of the Rays grounds crew spent the spring working for the Yankees so they could get used to the natural grass field; Season ticket holders who didn't want to make a longer drive or sit in the Florida heat all season were allowed to pause their ticket packages without losing priority or seniority for next year. Such is the give and take when fitting an 81-game Major League schedule into a facility, and a city, that didn't expect it. Reminders are scattered about the ballpark — a banner that won't fasten quite right, a bit of turf that had to be replaced late — but the Rays trust that their fans understand. Just in case their visitors don't? There's a pointed reminder right inside the visiting clubhouse door. Even with a wall knocked down to expand the space, the visiting clubhouse is relatively small by Major League standards. Few are likely to complain, but as opposing players enter the visiting clubhouse, they won't be able to miss the picture of Tropicana Field's tattered roof, underlining just why all of this is happening. The disaster that begat this situation is still rippling through the Tampa Bay area, and the Rays are never going to suggest that they are anything more than temporary occupants of this ballpark. At the end of their tenure, the stickers will be gone, the replacement art will come down, DiMaggio and Ruth and Jeter will return to the stadium walls. Everything has been documented and archived so that the Rays can return the ballpark to its original design. But for now, it's theirs. 'All of our guys are going to get a little bit more Vitamin D this year,' Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe said. 'Which I don't think anybody is too upset about. I think, honestly, everybody is pretty excited to see what it's all like.' Advertisement Opening Day is a sacred holiday for those who believe, and every ballpark is a sanctuary for those who don the cap and wear the colors of the local team. Friday's forecast in Tampa is 84 degrees. Slightly breezy. Partly cloudy. Sun shining with very little chance of rain. The Yankees will have the day off. The Rays will be home.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Best concerts in Austin this week: 8 album releases, 2 birthday parties and more
It's a really good weekend to live in Austin — and I'm not just saying that. The Live Music Capital of the World is packed to the brim with release parties from the History Department, Lola Tried, Witches Exist, Mugger, Tough on Fridays, Specific Thing, White Lightning Co. and Andrew Cashen and the Disciples of Creation. Strap on your running shoes and say a prayer because this weekend offers a crash course on the local scene. Let's see if you're up for the challenge. Known for their 1960s R&B classics including 'My Girl' and 'Cloud 9,' the Temptations have evolved their lineup over their prolific career. Now, they are joining forces with Motown legacy act the Four Tops for a 40th anniversary tour coming to Moody Center in late-January. This is the perfect opportunity to treat your parents or grandparents to a nostalgic trip as these two musical institutions revisit their era-defining, chart-topping All ages, $70-$105, The History Department () with Half Dream, Good Lord and GOOD. at Hotel Vegas: 21 and up, $12, Too Many Zooz and Moon Hooch with Honeycomb at Mohawk: All ages, $33, Lola Tried (single release), Stella and the Very Messed and Housewarming at Chess Club: 21 and up, $12, Skloss, Neon Lemon and New Scenery at Feel So Good: All ages, $10, Drip-Fed, Shut the Light, Billy Glitter and Die Mart at Hole in the Wall: 21 and up, $10, Subpar Snatch and Glass Mansions at Radio/East: All ages, $12, Young indie five-piece Witches Exist are playing the release show for their new EP 'shelter in the cocoon' at Hotel Vegas before they kick off their winter tour in the first week of February 2025. They are supported by A.L. West, who also released two new singles entitled 'Nothing at All' and 'Rabbitbrush 2' on Tuesday, and a scrappy new band formed in 2024 called Amelia's Best 21 and up, $19, Mugger's show celebrating their album 'Luck Forever,' released in November 2024, may be late, but it will still be great. The local punk powerhouse, composed of members from the bands Creepoid, the Well and Radioactivity, promises that the first 30 people to buy tickets will get limited edition 'Mugger' dice and the opportunity to roll them 30 minutes before doors open for the show at Mohawk. Very intriguing. They are joined on the lineup by Anchorite, xderisionx, U.N.I.T. and Chest Pain, the last of whom is a local DIY band playing their first show in eight All ages, $15, Lutalo with Clarence James at 29th Street Ballroom: All ages, $20, Tough on Fridays (single release) with Humble House and Neopolitan Daze at the Courtyard: 21 and up, $10, Important Group, So Many Cults and Sanctum Sanctorum at Chess Club: 21 and up, $12, Big Bill is back home after a 15 show tour across the U.S. and Canada. The band recently received their seventh Austin Music Awards nomination for 'Best Punk' following the June 2024 drop of 'Strawberry Seed.' The band took to Instagram on Jan. 3 to say the following: 'Though our 2024 album 'Strawberry Seed' was our least 'punk' release yet, clearly the vibe we put off is still very much 'don't look at us' and 'we'll cut you,' which, by the way, both are true.'They are supported on the lineup by Modernform, who released a new single called 'French 75' on Jan. 17, and 'goblin-core' band Billy All ages, $22, Specific Thing just released their debut album 'Now Is Actually Not A Good Time' on Monday and while they are currently sporting 24 monthly listeners on Spotify, I predict that number will soon skyrocket. The band will be joined at Hole in the Wall by Pelvis Wrestley, who received our number one spot on our list of the Best Austin Releases of 2024 for 'Andy, or; The Four Horsegirls of the Apocalypse,' and Sammy G aka local multi-band musician Sam 21 and up, $12, White Lightning Co., Andrew Cashen and the Disciples of Creation (split EP release), Hunch and Bubba Lucky at Hotel Vegas: 21 and up, $15, Aquarius Zodiac Party with Ash and the Endings, Minivan Dad and Whyburn at the Far Out Lounge: All ages, $10, KOOP's 30th Birthday with Shinyribs, Chief Cleopatra and Double Heads at Antone's: 21 and up, $30, ChicoSelfie, Bad Luck Penny and lluvii at Hotel Vegas: 21 and up, $12, Dead Register with Insomniac, Slumbering Sun and Dim Light at Valhalla: 21 and up, $15, This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Top weekend concerts in Austin: Temptations, Shinyribs, Big Bill, more
