On The Rocks

If I'm hankering for a cocktail in Bermuda it's no secret that I'd normally grab a Dark n' Stormy. The sweet and spicy mix of Gosling's Black Seal rum and fizzy ginger beer is the country's national drink and can easily be ordered at any island bar or restaurant. If I'm looking for a drink in the South Pole however, I might reach for something a little stronger—ya know, something to warm the bones that also has a long shelf life. Like whiskey. More specifically single malt Scotch whiskey, which has long been the preferred hooch of the world's greatest explorers like Ernest Shackleton. How can I be so sure? Five cases of 114-year-old Mackinlay's whiskey were recently found buried in Antarctic ice beneath Shackleton's Cape Royds expedition hut, a discovery that has delighted whiskey enthusiasts the world over since they've been frozen since 1907. If you'd like to learn more about the literally groundbreaking discovery, then head on over to my Outside Television blog This Way Out and read On The Rocks, about the newest oldest whiskey in the world. In the meantime I'll be back tomorrow with all of your regularly scheduled Bermuda Shorts programming. Cheers!

First Rudolph and Now, Muppets!

Thanks to an anonymous commenter, Bermuda Shorts has learned of yet another island connection to a famed children’s classic (ala “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which I wrote about on Friday). According to one of you intrepid readers—and confirmed by a local news story last month—Bermuda’s crystal caves were actually the inspiration for the underground world of Fraggle Rock, the children’s television series co-created by puppet master Jim Henson and Bermudian Michael K. Frith. Reports Bernews: “In a letter included in [Fraggle Rock’s] DVD boxed set, Mr. Frith explains his inspiration for the show came from his childhood in Bermuda, specifically from the island’s exclusive reliance on rainfall as a source of water. ‘And so a water cycle became the center of the Fraggle world,’ Mr. Frith said. ‘The difference being that they didn’t understand it or how each resident of the Rock (and beyond) depended on the others to maintain it.’”

I always enjoyed the Fraggles as a kid, but now their crazy underground world totally makes sense. For example, listen to what Frith had to say in this interview from LongTale Productions (or watch for yourself at the six-minute mark in the interview above): “One of my absolutely most magical memories as a kid was lying in bed at night during a rainstorm and listenening to the water going down through the pipes from the roof down into the tank underneath. It was music. It was just pure music. And it so connected you to this process of being part of the world. The whole idea behind [the Fraggles] was to show both the natural eco system that ties all these different worlds together but also the metaphorical human eco system that ties all of theses disparate groups in ways that they don’t understand. What [the Fraggles] see as differences [are] actually strengths and the strength of each group becomes the strength of the world as a whole. Time after time as I explore this world of the Fraggles I find myself going back to my world and relating from that to this magical place. Because I do believe that Bermuda is a magical place. I think you can find in it an energy, a beauty and a mystery and possibilities that I don’t see anywhere else in the world.”

I don’t think I could've said it better myself.

Like Animated Classics? Thank Bermuda.

I’m a sucker for cheap animation and of course, for evergreen characters like Hermey the elf who instead of making toys just wants to become a dentist (you go Hermey!). A cheerful narration by Burl Ives doesn’t hurt either. Nor does a slate of original Christmas tunes like “Misfits,” which you can watch on the short video above. So what does this all have to do with Bermuda? Well my friends, I’m happy to report that “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” the 46-year-old, much-beloved holiday special was created by none other than Arthur Rankin Jr., a native Bermudian who also created animated favorites “Frosty the Snowman” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” The special originally aired on December 6, 1964 on NBC and it remains the longest-running highest-rated show of its kind in the history of American television. In fact, with an estimated 11.9 million viewers according to Nielsen ratings, it just beat out the oh-so-popular Fox program Glee when it aired on CBS last week. I guess Santa Claus knows where Bermuda is after all! I told you it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Bermuda, From a Distance

It's a considerably slow news day here in sunny Bermuda so I leave you with this—your official photo of the day. It was taken from approximately 700 kilometers above Earth by NASA's Landsat 7 satellite on August 14, 1999. Have a good long look and start counting those dots because contrary to popular belief, Bermuda is not one island but an archipelago of over 180 islands and cays. Ya know, in case you need a conversation starter at your next cocktail party. You can thank me later.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

It's December, which means the halls are being decked, eggs are getting nogged and my Christmas tree will soon be delivered to my front door (Seriously. I can't get a large pizza delivered to my home, but a balsam from North Carolina? No problem!). This weekend also welcomed Bermuda's annual Christmas parade, complete with high school marching bands and the island's famous Gombeys—traditional Bermudian folk dancers in brightly colored costumes. That's them in the photo above and with a full calendar of holiday events slated for December no doubt we'll be seeing more and more of the festive troop throughout the month. In the meantime for more pictures of Bermuda's Christmas Parade check out Bernews. Only 24 days left till Christmas, folks!