The Daily Dose/September 30, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience:
BACK TO THE FUTURE: The quotes were straight out of the Cold War, a representative of one government saying in a UN speech that a bloc of nations was hell-bent on evil. He talked about “the aspirations of a number of states for domination”, about the use of “unilateral force” and how “military interference has become the norm” despite the fact it doesn’t work.
What was funny, and telling, was that it wasn’t a US or British representative giving the speech, it as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Dry, Technical Matter: Intrigued, and in a desire for some context, we actually went and read Mr Lavrov’s speech. It wasn’t too bad. Sure, there was some of the usual bluster you’d expect in a UN address from the evil Ruskies, but there was some sense, too. Our favorite quote was this:
It is hard for the West to accept seeing its centuries-long dominance in world affairs diminishing…
Here, Swallow This Pill: There’s some truth in this statement: to think the United States, which sets the pace for the West, still has the influence it once did is folly. Our influence has diminished because we are no longer a country anyone wants to emulate. America is nothing more than a big bully now, willing and able to butt in wherever it wants, despite the fact the dividends for this interference are non-existent. The only dividend war provides is more war; a violent American government has only produced a violent planet and a violent country.
Some Philosophy Crap: Our planet and our nation desperately want and need an America worth looking up to and we are not going to have that until we have an America at peace with the world and itself, an America that means something both to itself and to others. An America perpetually at war does not do anyone any good. Everyone on this planet is entitled to see the world produced by am America at peace.
Today At The Site:
The Diary of a Nobody: The Wife blows $5 on a gallon of water. Today’s Diary.
The Wife also stopped by the water aisle and spent $5 on a gallon of water!!!…I am not making that up…It must have been holy water from the confluence of the Tigris and the Euphrates to cost that much…Regular readers of this crap know I have some zero use for buying water and $5 is a lot.
Tho I can remember living in Sin City and heading out of town with a buddy to umpire some high school baseball and I forgot water and I paid $4 for a gallon of cold water at a convenience store that had a brothel attached and I thought that was robbery…And that was 20 years ago…But there I was in the desert, at the junction with a road that headed to Death Valley and if you’re there and you need water you should be prepared to fork over…Here tho, there’s no point…I wanted to tell The Wife this town has the best tap water on the planet, but it’s been established she doesn’t want to hear that argument, so I keep it to myself now.
It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life
Click here to get in on the laffs. We offer 4Ever and Ever access, or cheapskates can purchase books and columns individually.
On This Date
In 1989 – The USS Blueback (SS-581) completes its final full day of commissioned service in the United States Navy. It would be decommissioned the following day, after almost 31 years of service, the last diesel submarine warship in the US fleet, though the research submarine USS Dolphin (AGSS-555) remained in service. The Blueback is now enjoying a useful retirement telling tales of a bygone era at a museum in Portland, Oregon.
In 1947 – The 1947 World Series begins with the New York Yankees defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers 5-3 at Yankee Stadium. The series produced a number of firsts: Jackie Robinson became the first black to play in the World Series, it was the first World Series to be televised, the first to exceed $2 million (about $22 million in today’s money) in total receipts and the first to use six umpires. The Yankees would win the series in seven games.
In 1978 – Exile is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of four consecutive weeks with Kiss You All Over. The song also went to #1 in New Zealand and was Billboard’s 5th biggest song of the year. It remains Exile’s only #1 pop song and only a #40 hit later in the year prevented Exile from being a one-hit-wonder on the pop chart. They would later have ten #1 songs on Billboard’s country chart beginning in 1983, including seven in a row.
Quotebook
In times like these, it helps to remember there have always been times like these.
Paul Harvey
American radio announcer
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The American League record for most shutout losses in a season is 3o, done by the 1909 Washington Senators.
Today’s Stumper
Who was the MVP of the 1947 World Series? – Answer next time!
