Rare Earth

Welcome to 2020! I'm back after a bit of a forced hiatus. Christmas and my stage show were crazy busy, so I had to take a little time off. But I'm back! Unfortunately not on my favourite video from Japan, but I wanted to save the best for last. I wrote this and filmed it in my final 24 hours in a hectic rush, so I'm actually pretty upset about how bad the script is compared to how it could be. Sorry about that. It's still an idea worth knowing, even if I presented it kind of meh.

Is it a city so ancient it defies our understanding of history? Or just a rock? I took a little swim around so you could decide. This is Yonaguni monument.

Who can build a shisa? It's a harder question than it seems.

I added a little outro to the Yugoslavia episodes and mushed them all together. The transitions are a little wonky, but presumably next time I do this I'll be writing it that way in advance. Before we move on to a new country and back to the old style, I just wanted to thank Zygmund hugely for the music. He volunteered to help a while back and I think he did an amazing job with this season.

Johnny Barnes wasn't a saint. But he wanted people to know he loved them. So he told them. Just as fast as his mouth would allow. Now Johnny Barnes is a statue. Because you don't have to be a saint to be important.

This is the second in my little two part working holiday to Bermuda. Another somewhat happy story. After this we're headed to Uruguay, a country I knew virtually nothing about until I showed up at the airport. Like Bermuda, it will be a lot less heavy than our last few seasons, which I for one appreciate. Then we get to Cuba where I go to a cock fight. Which was gross. But that's not for a while yet.

I hope you've enjoyed this little self-indulgent segue into our new season in Uruguay. The coming episodes feature those classic Uruguayan vacation highlights of Cuban refugees, dead cows, light drug use, and a splash of genocide. Don't worry, I'll keep it light. Enjoy!

Be it known that I take no responsibility for this video giving you typhoid.

Sorry I took a week off, it was my birthday and I wasn't really feeling the birthday work. This is somewhat of an update to that old Laos introductory video idea. I had so much footage of Artigas I kind of had to. Hopefully this helps set the scene for future episodes. Thanks for watching!

Edit: Sal*SI*puedes, not sal*IS*puedes, you dumb Canadian. In case it isn't clear to some through the text, I believe in Charruan rights. I believe in the rights of people in Uruguay to look to their heritage for support and guidance. I believe in the value of the state recognizing and understanding the reality of the blood and history of all their people.

No bang, no excitement. Just some farmers living life. I thought the Volk deserved a story, too.

Dear Australia, I thought you were more keen on Marm. Apparently you're all about that Vegem. I kind of want to do this story again as a real documentary, with an hour and tons of stock footage. It seems like it would be a cool 'follow the thread' type tale through a bunch of different individual experiences. Maybe when I hook up with Nebula... Hope you enjoy it!

The first-hand account of a Cuban trafficked to Uruguay and the life and family he left behind.

I love Larry. I hope you love Larry too.