October 27, 2025

Writerz

Supertramp Overview

  • Formation: Supertramp was formed in London, England in 1969 by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson.
  • Early Years: The band’s early work was marked by frequent lineup changes and a more experimental, progressive sound.

Breakthrough and Success

  • Breakthrough Album: Supertramp’s breakthrough album “Crime of the Century” was released in 1975, featuring hits like “School” and “Bloody Well Right”.
  • Commercial Success: The band achieved significant commercial success with albums like “Breakfast in America” (1979), “Even in the Quietest Moments” (1977), and “Famous Last Words… and More” (1980).
  • Top Songs:
  • “The Logical Song”
  • “Take the Long Way Home”
  • “Breakfast in America”
  • “Goodbye Stranger”
  • “It’s Raining Again”

The “Trip Across the Water” Theme

  • Inspiration: The song “Take the Long Way Home” features lyrics about taking a trip across the water, but it’s not about a specific geographic location. Instead, it’s more about the emotional journey and the sense of disconnection.
  • Roger Hodgson’s Perspective: In an interview, Roger Hodgson explained that the song was about “the pain of being on the road and being away from the people you love” and the desire to find a sense of home and connection.

Band Members

  • Founding Members:
  • Rick Davies: Keyboards, vocals
  • Roger Hodgson: Guitar, keyboards, vocals (left in 1983)
  • Other Notable Members:
  • John Helliwell: Saxophone, woodwinds
  • Dougie Thomson: Bass (left in 1988)
  • Bob Siebenberg: Drums

Interesting Facts

  • Supertramp’s music often explores themes of alienation, social commentary, and personal relationships.
  • The band’s name “Supertramp” comes from a book by W.H. Davies, “The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp”, which explores the life of a homeless person in the early 20th century.
  • Roger Hodgson’s distinctive vocals and songwriting style were a key part of Supertramp’s sound, and his departure from the band in 1983 marked a significant change in their musical direction [1][2].

Home: https://www.wendellsweet.com


  • Prison 101 – Ten years in the can Kindle Edition

by Dell Sweet (Author)  Format: Kindle Edition To my brothers and sisters on the inside, those whose names I whisper in the quiet hours, those who taught me the brutal calculus of survival: may your scars be badges of your strength, and may your eventual release be a sunrise that washes away the long night. This book is a testament to your resilience, a raw whisper from the belly of the beast. It is for the ones who never made it out, whose lives were extinguished by the system, and whose memories serve as a perpetual warning. #Prison #Crime #Survival #Inside


Home: https://www.wendellsweet.com


Earth’s Survivors Life Stories: Bear

Series: Earth’s Survivors Life Stories

by Dell Sweet

This book begins at the beginning of the apocalypse and works through the first few months as Bear makes his way from Manhattan to New Jersey; Pennsylvania and then through the middle states. And finally Kentucky where he meets Mike Collins and becomes a member of the fledgling Nation, founded by a group of survivors who believe they have found the perfect place to begin to rebuild society… #Horror #Series #Dystopian #Apocalyptic

Get it: https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1260438647




Earth’s Survivors Life Stories: Beth

Series: Earth’s Survivors Life Stories

by Dell Sweet

She travels across the country with Billy, facing both the living and the dead as she makes her way from one coast to the other. The trip is long and she is holding out hope of structure, life, safety on the east coast: Hopes that may not be realized. Still they continue. Depending only upon one another as they struggle to make their epic journey… #Horror #Series #Dystopian #Apocalyptic

Get it: https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1260438925




Earth’s Survivors Life Stories: Billy

Series: Earth’s Survivors Life Stories

by Dell Sweet

He lay there for a long time, the rough, unfamiliar texture of the thin mattress an insistent reality against his skin. His body ached with a weariness that went beyond mere physical exertion; it was a soul-deep fatigue, a profound exhaustion born from the relentless weight of his own undoing. The remnants of his past now pressed down on him like the relentless sun… #Horror #Series #Dystopian #Apocalyptic

Get it: https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1366151923




Earth’s Survivors Life Stories: Candace and Mike

Series: Earth’s Survivors Life Stories

by Dell Sweet

Candace and Mike: The two most popular people from the Earth’s Survivors series. The extended book tells their story from their point of view; start to finish as they make their way through the apocalypse… #Horror #Series #Dystopian #Apocalyptic

Get it: https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1359482457




Earth’s Survivors Life Stories Jack and Maria

Series: Earth’s Survivors Life Stories

by Dell Sweet

The weight of his pack felt less like a burden and more like a promise. A promise of a few more days, a few more weeks, where the immediate threat of starvation was held at bay. A promise that he could continue to move, to explore, to survive. The cacophony of the infected was not merely a byproduct of their existence. Maria, hunched over her worn journal in the meager light of her shelter… #Horror #Series #Dystopian #Apocalyptic

Get it: https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id934709430




Dell Sweet on Apple Books https://books.apple.com/us/author/dell-sweet/id722382569


Home: https://www.wendellsweet.com


J is a rock legend! She’s a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. J’s music style blends punk, rock, and glam, with a rebellious spirit that’s inspired many. She’s also a pioneering female musician who’s been a huge influence on women in rock. With a career spanning decades, J’s still rocking!
But she started out like any of us. She was exposed to music early on. She convinced her parents to let her take guitar lessons at a young age. She formed her first band, in the 1970s with fellow teenage girls and the rest is history… #Music #Rock #Legend #Amazon


Home: https://www.wendellsweet.com


The Nation Collection One

Series: The Nation, Book 9

by Dell Sweet

The Nation Collections contain four books in one volume. Follow the survivors as they struggle to survive in a vastly changed world, where the living are just as likely to kill you as the dead are.  They navigated a maze of shattered streets, the buildings looming over them like skeletal giants. The air vibrated with a low, guttural hum… The initial reaction was instinctual – fear and suspicion. But as they crept closer, the fear began to give way to a cautious curiosity. The group in the cellar was clearly as desperate as they were, as weary and worn as they felt… #Horror #Series #Dystopian #Apocalyptic

https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1154467599


Dell Sweet on Apple Books https://books.apple.com/us/author/dell-sweet/id722382569


Home: https://www.wendellsweet.com


Canada is a large North American country that is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. It has a unique history shaped by both French and English colonization, and its close relationship with the U.S. is occasionally marked by disagreements.


How Canada Became a Country

Canada’s formation was a gradual process, often described as an evolution rather than a revolution:

  • Early History: The land that is now Canada was originally inhabited by diverse Indigenous peoples for thousands of years.
  • European Colonization: Starting in the 16th century, the land was colonized by both French and British explorers. The French established New France along the St. Lawrence River (modern Quebec).
  • British Conquest (1763): Following the French and Indian War (part of the Seven Years’ War), France was defeated and ceded almost all of its North American territory to Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris (1763). This effectively placed all of Canada under British rule.
  • Confederation (1867): On July 1, 1867, the British North America Act was passed by the British Parliament. This act united three British colonies—the Province of Canada (now Ontario and Quebec), Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—into a single entity called the Dominion of Canada. This created a self-governing federal state, though it remained part of the British Empire.
  • Full Independence (1982): Canada’s final step toward full legal autonomy came in 1982 with the repatriation of the Constitution (the Canada Act 1982), which severed the last legal ties to the British Parliament.

Why Canada is Part French and Part English

The country’s bilingual nature is a direct consequence of its colonial history:

  • French Legacy: The French were the first to establish major permanent settlements in the early 17th century. Even after the British conquest, the Quebec Act of 1774 guaranteed the French-speaking population the right to maintain their French civil law, Catholic religion, and language. This preserved a distinct French-Canadian culture.
  • British Dominance: The majority of the rest of the land was settled by English speakers, primarily from Great Britain and later by Loyalists who fled the American Revolution.
  • Official Bilingualism: The Constitution Act of 1867 formally recognized both languages for use in the federal Parliament and courts. Today, the Official Languages Act (1969) makes English and French the two official languages, ensuring all federal services are available in both. Quebec remains the only officially French-only province (for provincial institutions), while New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province.

Disagreements with the United States

While the U.S. and Canada share the world’s longest undefended border and are close allies (including through NATO and NORAD), disagreements occasionally arise, often due to Canada’s desire to maintain its autonomy in the shadow of its much larger neighbor:

  • Trade Disputes: Disagreements frequently occur over trade and tariffs on specific goods, such as timber, steel, and agricultural products. The management and interpretation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is a constant source of friction.
  • Cultural Sovereignty: Historically, Canadians have been sensitive to the overwhelming influence of American culture and media. This has led to policies intended to protect Canadian cultural industries (e.g., funding for Canadian content).
  • Foreign Policy Differences: While often aligned, Canada has at times refused to join U.S. military actions, most notably refusing to participate in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Canada’s Form of Government

Canada is neither a pure democracy nor a theocracy; it is a complex form of representative governance:

  • Parliamentary Democracy: Canada operates under a parliamentary system based on the Westminster model. Citizens elect members of Parliament, and the political party with the most seats forms the government, led by the Prime Minister (the head of government).
  • Constitutional Monarchy: The King of Canada (currently King Charles III) is the head of state. However, his power is largely ceremonial and exercised on the advice of the government. The King’s representative in Canada is the Governor General.
  • Federal State: Power is divided between the federal government (responsible for national issues like defense, trade, and banking) and ten provincial governments (responsible for areas like health care, education, and property rights).

Home: https://www.wendellsweet.com