The Daily Dose/July 13, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
CAPSULE BOOK REVIEW: Walden, by Henry David Thoreau: Regular readers of the crap have heard us blab this before: one of the pleasures of reading is re-reading old favorites. We indulge in this from time to time, but it’s rare when we go 30 years between readings.
Running The Numbers: We were 26 or so when we read it the first time and we’re 56 now. Thirty years. And if 30 years pass before we read it again, we’ll be 86, a fright on first consideration, but 56 would’ve been a fright at 26, and life – outside of needing reading glasses and shopping lists now – is good; we have 24 hours every day and we do our darndest to put everyone to work for us, plus we get to write for you, a nice prize.
Some Philosophy Crap: Thirty years is a long time for us humans and while we’re still the same person, chasing our few attainments and even more failures has made us completely different, too, just like Walden is the same book it was thirty years ago and was completely different this time around. This can be measured in the number of quotes we found worthy of inclusion in our personal quote book: 30 years ago we found 15 quotes worthy of inclusion, while this time around there were 80 new quotes, which is pleasing because it means the past three decades haven’t been spent marking time.
Oh, Jesus H: So if it’s another thirty years before we read Walden again, our good fortune. One, we made it to 86, and, two, would that the next 30 years sail us off to the harbors these past 30 years have.
Yeah, Yeah…Whatever: Walden was published in 1854 and chronicles Thoreau’s time living for two years in a cabin he built at Walden Pond in Massachusetts in the 1840s.
A Break In The Action: Here is the Daily Dose rating system: 1 – The Very Best; 2 – Very Good; 3 – Good; 4 – Average; 5 – A Steaming Pile
Final Ranking: 1 – Walden is a triumph on both a naturalist and philosophical scale, a book as good as our species has produced.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow deals with a guest. Today’s Diary.
Both his hair and beard are long and scruffy and he has a gut that you used to be able to pitch batting practice off of but which gravity has now taken hold of…
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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1977 – Power goes out to almost all of New York City. The incident began at 8:34 pm when several lightning strikes caused transmission lines to be overloaded and eventually sufficient power could not be generated and the entire system shut down at 9:37 pm. The blackout resulted in rioting and over 1,600 stores being looted, with damage estimated at over $300 million, about $1.3 billion in today’s money. Power began being restored the following morning and was not fully restored until 10:39 pm.
In 1930 – The first soccer World Cup begins in Montevideo, Uruguay, with France defeating Mexico 4-1 and the US defeating Belgium 3-0 in matches played simultaneously. Thirteen teams were divided into four groups, with the group winners advancing to the semifinals and the first goal in World Cup history was scored by Lucien Laurent of France. Uruguay, Yugoslavia, Argentina, and the US advanced to the semifinals, with Uraguay defeating Argentina 4-2 in the finals on July 30.
In 1974 – George McCrae is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Rock Your Baby. The song went to #1 in ten other countries, including Norway and Great Britain, also peaked at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart, and remains McCrae’s only #1 pop and soul hit. The song was written by Harry Casey and Richard Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band and was not originally intended for McRae, but he could reach high notes Casey couldn’t.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
…and there are whole nations in that condition, nations without fancy or imagination, whose vast abdomens betray them.
Henry David Thoreau
Walden
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The golf tournaments that now comprise the Grand Slam are the Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open, and the British Open.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Who was the mayor of New York City during the 1977 blackout? – Answer next time!
