Carrick to Calgary

Big news today - was the smoke white or black? The Vatican radio said black, and the Vatican TV said white, and then the bells of St Mark's started ringing. So the new pope is Benedict XVI, a 78-year old German theologian who grew up in Nazi Germany. He was the only cardinal who had been to a conclave before, he's been the pope's righthand man for the last few years and has probably been running the show for the last few years anyway. He's a renowned conservative and hard-liner and he'll keep the pope's chair warm for a few years until a younger man comes along again.


Saint Benedict


Benedict XV


Benedict XVI


Eggs Benedict

And in other news: the Hitmen have been wavering against the Wheaties in the hockey playoffs and have squandered their 3-1 lead. The Wheaties have won the last 2 games and the score is now 3-3, with the decider to be held tomorrow night in Brandon, Manitoba.


Hitmen 3


Wheaties 3

And while we're on the matter of sports... Paula's grandfather Robson always talked about the "Purple People Eaters coming to get you", and we never knew what he was on about. I always imagined a sort of purple alien monster thing, that ate people, but recently we Googled the term and it turns out that the Purple People Eaters were the defensive line for the Minnesota Vikings American football team in the late 1960s and 1970s:

The Vikings' defensive line was so good in the late 1960s and during the 1970's that it obtained several nicknames. The "Purple People Eaters" and the "Purple Gang" were the ones most often heard. Like other good defenses, the Vikings tackled quarterbacks and runners for losses, but they went a step further. They used a "big play" defense that could turn a game from defeat into victory in one spectacular play. The Purple People Eaters did not consider it a day's work unless they intercepted passes, forced fumbles, blocked punts and field goals, and ran back loose balls for touchdowns. The defense was so good that even when the other team had the ball, it was difficult to say which team would score. Even if the opposing team had marched into the red zone, it was not uncommon to see Paul Krause or Bobby Bryant intercept a Page-tipped ball and run it back 70+ yards for a score.


Spot the Ball

And we never knew he followed American football...

Update from a Mr Peter Robson of Carrickfergus, who writes that his dad wasn't a fan of the gridiron after all, but that the term Purple People Eaters originally came from even further back:

The Purple People Eater was the #1 song for 6 weeks in 1958 and the #24 song of the 1955-1959 rock era. It sold over 3 million records and received a Gold Record within 3 weeks after it was released. And over 100 Million Copies Overall!!!


The first verse goes:

Well I saw the thing comin' out of the sky
It had the one long horn, one big eye.
I commenced to shakin' and I said "ooh-eee"
It looks like a purple people eater to me.


Playing music out of a horn on your head - not advisable

So it looks like it was a pop song from the late 1950s, and not a defensive line at all! Look here for more details and lyrics and here for the American footballers. I think the footballers were probably named after the song, but I'm just guessing... it was a wee while ago, after all!

And if you can't get enough of the Purple People Eaters, go here for the full audio horror in glorious MP3. It's not for the faint of heart...