Rumbelly Russ

.. rumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrum rumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrum rumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrum rumrumrumrumrumrum

rumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrum rumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrum "There’s nought no doubt so much the spirit calms as rum and true religion" – Lord Byron rumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrum rumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrum I nay desired t' become an actor, it was just th' way things turned out. I always enjoy'd dressing-up in a character... an' gettin' paid buckets to do it, just a bonus. Why not? sez I! More money fer grog, sez I! - I nay seek fame or fortune... I most desire t' become an historical novelist. {PS. Any publishers out here??} rumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrum rumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrum I's been born t' be a pirate, from early years o' burning, plundering, ravashing an' rebellion. Fourty odd years I've carried these 'ere bones, but a pirate o' mind an' spirit I be, stuck in th' wrong bloomin' tyme, sez I. But since I's 'ere... I'll make a fuss of it till I goes down in a sea o' Rum!!! Savvy? Oh, an' did I mention'd I like's me Rum? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ye wanna know about Rum? Well the modern history of Rum owes a lot to the spread of air conditioning and the growth of tourism. In the second half of the 20th century, modern air conditioning made it possible for large numbers of people to migrate to warm-weather regions where Rum remained the dominant spirit. Additionally, the explosive increase in the number of North American and European tourists into Rum-drinking regions lead to a steady rise in the popularity of Rum-based mixed drinks. Nowadays White Rum gives Vodka serious competition as the mixer of choice in a number of distinctively nontropical markets. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Locally, Rum was used as cure-all for many of the aches and pains that afflicted those living in the tropics. Sugar-plantation owners also sold it at discounted prices to naval ships that were on station in the Caribbean in order to encourage their presence in local waters, and thus discourage the attentions of marauding pirates.The British navy adopted a daily ration of a half-pint of 160 proof Rum by the 1730's. This ration was subsequently modified by mixing it with an equal amount of water to produce a drink called grog. The grog ration remained a staple of British naval life until 1969, but in the New Zealand Navy the practise continued into the 1990's.Fact: Rum is the second* most popular alcoholic beverage in Australasia! [*After beer of course] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now as ye see, ye can no see me fellow maties nor their comments, and fer good reason that they's be me worship'd crew an' nay fer th' plunderin', and nor does I show their officer ranking due t' onboard preferential treatment an' squabblin' of who is beneaf th' Capt. {so t' speak} ~ But th' most definitive reason being that a pirate likes t' keep his Booty under lock an' key. ~ ............................... All unique beings aboard this craft have been deemed worthy an’ as such are treated as equal, an’ each understanding o’ th’ “Pirate Code of Conduct”. == Flaunt th' unconditional rules o’ mate-ship by slanderous conduct, mutineer or malice shall see thee balancin’ precariously ‘pon a very short plank, savvy? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If oft I's flappin' a loose tongue 'ere abouts... Escooose me... But all is th' truth I speak, lo, often garbled, then tat be th' RUM tarkin'! ... Now if ye be so kind... I's goin' back t' watchin' me movie... "Muppet Treasure Island"... Yaaaaar there, Jim Lad! Have ye got PIRATITUDE? Get it now... {usually it's found at th' bottom of a bottle o' Rum}. *hic* rumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrum rumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrum rumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrum rumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrum "It's good that war is so terrible.... Otherwise men would grow fond of it." - [Robert E. Lee] rumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrum rumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrumrum N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N ..

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