The Daily Dose/July 7, 2020
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
USA! USA!: We are getting mixed messages on the coronavirus.
On the one hand, the media is fixated on the rise in cases. Yes, of course, they are rising: more people are getting tested and more cases are being reported and we Americans are moving about in public more and more and not all of us are taking precautions.
OTOH: The number of deaths around the world and in the US from COVID-19 are going down, but good luck finding any mention of it in the media. The focus continues to be on the rise in the number of cases.
Running The Numbers: Let’s take a look at some figures:
On July 6, 378 people died of COVID-19 in the United States, up from 262 the day before and down from our PB of 2,749 on April 21. Worldwide, the total was 3,583 deaths and worldwide daily deaths have not topped 5,000 since July 3. The worldwide high for deaths came on April 17, when 8,485 people died.
Dry, Technical Matter: Our favorite stat, the death rate amongst closed cases, continues to fall, too. It is currently at 9% in the US and 7% worldwide, down from early April figures of 44% in the US and 22% worldwide.
Fly In The Ointment: We’re not out of the woods yet, of course. We’re still wearing our masks and keeping to ourselves and we hope you are, too. But let’s keep an eye on what the media and our elected officials are spoonfeeding us.
The Bottom Line: America has blood on its hands. If we had provided a timely and competent response there would have been a fraction of the deaths both in the US and worldwide because a proper response by America would have set the pace for the rest of the world. We’re not doctors – nor have we ever played one on television – we can’t help feeling that at least three-quarters of all COVID deaths were unnecessary. A proper response would have kept economies open, too, and prevented financial catastrophe for millions.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow buys a hat. Today’s Diary.
I blew some money on a hat, too, this morning…I was farting around online and it showed up as an ad on Faceplant…It’s a green felt-ish fedora with a brown band and even tho it was one of those love-at-first-sight deals, ol’ Sparrow still has some zero clue what in the hell he was thinking…I like the look tho when will I wear it???…I suppose I could wear it into work instead of the usual ranch hat, but I wear overalls otherwise and it won’t go well with those at all and, besides, I like the ranch hat…On the other hand, the fedora will look sharp, more or less, with khakis and a polo shirt, which I probably wear twice a year, less now that I’m not on the US Senate ballot this November.
Backstairs at the Monte Carlo: 88TonyB talks with Gaylon about promotional opportunities at MCSD. We are not making that up.
He said there could be some (unspecified) changes coming at Monte Carlo and that if a supervisor position should somehow open up, he would like to see me show some interest in it. He said he thought I’d make a good supervisor and I mentioned that I had been thinking I might like the supervisorial life and we had a rather nice chat for about a half-hour. Which was funny because dispatch kept trying to send me on calls:
– Control, Henry 2.
– 10-6 with Eight-eight.Well, there really isn’t much they can say to that. When you’re talking with the boss you’re talking with the boss, and it really adds an air of mystery to you, too, because others hear what is going on and are wondering “Hey”. To lend to that air, I didn’t tell the couple of people who asked anything about the meeting, though I implied it was pretty important.
Backstairs at the Monte Carlo is a memoir of Gaylon’s time working as a security officer at what was then the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Our $2.99 deal for 4Ever & Ever access for these two American classics ends soon, so click on the button to take advantage now.
On This Date
History’s long march to today.
In 1981 – President Ronald Reagan announces he will appoint Sandra Day O’Connor to the United States Supreme Court, the first woman to be so appointed. O’Connor was then serving on the Arizona Court of Appeals and had earlier been a Superior Court judge and a member of the Arizona legislature. O’Connor would be formally nominated in August and was unanimously confirmed by the US Senate in September, replacing Potter Stewart, who was retiring after 23-years of service. Now 90, O’Connor retired in 2006.
In 1990 – Martina Navratilova becomes the first player to win nine Wimbledon singles titles, defeating Zina Garrison in the lady’s final 6-4, 6-1. Navratilova broke the record of eight set by Helen Wills Moody of the US between 1927 and 1938. Navratilova had first won Wimbledon in 1978 and this year’s title was her last. Her 18 Grand Slam singles titles are tied with Chris Evert for fifth on the all-time list. The men’s record for most Wimbledon singles titles in eight, done by Roger Federer between 2003 and 2017.
In 1962 – Ray Charles is at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart – then known as the Hot R&B Sides chart – for the seventh of ten consecutive weeks with I Can’t Stop Loving You. It was the ninth of eleven #1 soul hits for Charles and his third and final pop #1 hit. The song also went to #1 in Australia and the Great Britain, had ended a five-week stay at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 the week before, was Billboard’s second-biggest song of the year and ranked 125th on Billboard’s 60th Anniversary Hot 100 in 2018. In 1958 the song had been a country hit for both Don Gibson, who wrote it, and also for Kitty Wells and has charted several times since.
Quotebook
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
I do not believe man has even begun to realize who he is or what he can become. So far he has been playing it by ear, following paths of least resistance… – Louis L’Amour, Education of a Wandering Man
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
It’s not who you know, but what you know.
The major league record for most home runs in consecutive games by a player is five, done many times.
Today’s Stumper
Cheaper than Trivia Night at the bar.
How many career Wimbledon titles did Martina Navratilova win? – Answer next time!
