Monday's video: It's Vance and Trump's new opportunity

A chat with Bruce Piasecki, author of "Wealth and climate competitiveness"

Squeaky and Sarah Jane memories

Squeaky and Sarah Jane memories: It was a close call for President Trump. It reminded me of another close call or when President Ford had his two moments back in 1975. This is the story: Ford faced two assassination attempts within weeks in 1975 and was not hurt in either ...

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Squeaky and Sarah Jane memories - American Thinker https://t.co/6ZcH1hVF7o

— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) July 15, 2024

Happy # 78 to Linda Ronstadt

We say happy birthday to Linda Ronstadt who was born in Tucson, Arizona, on this day in 1946.   

She started her career with The Stone Poneys in the 1960's.    

Linda went solo in the 1970's and recorded pop, Mexican music and ballroom dancing.   

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1979 and the week that gave us ‘malaise’ and ‘disco sucks’

For many of us, the summer of 1979 was a tough one. It certainly appeared as if President Jimmy Carter was in over his head and radio was saturating us with disco music.

It was no coincidence that two of the most famous days of that summer happened this week.

On the political front, we had “the malaise speech” or the speech that left most people dumbfounded.

On July 15, 1979, a frustrated President Carter gave that famous “malaise” speech that probably sank his presidency.      

Fair or unfair, the speech and the word he didn’t use, defined President Carter.  He spoke of a “new age of limits” and that just exposed him to attacks from Ronald Reagan, the ultimate optimist about the U.S.  The U.S. is not a country of “limits.” It does not seem to like leaders who tell them to “downsize” their dreams.

In other words, the speech did not work.

Then came “disco night” at the old Comiskey Park in Chicago.  By the summer of 1979, disco was here, there, and everywhere. It got to a point that Frankie Avalon recorded a disco version of “Venus” and we heard a disco version of the “I Love Lucy” theme.

On July 12, 1979, the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers were scheduled to play a doubleheader.  The Chisox needed a promotion and they got one by joining forces with Chicago DJ Steve Dahl, one of many rock fans who resented how disco threatened rock ’n’ roll.

The “Disco Demolition” promotion called for fans to blow up disco vinyl 45’s and LP’s between games.

What could possibly go wrong? Everything did, as the Chicago police department will tell you.

It happened one week in 1979.  As for disco, it probably died that night, but, assailed by punk and new wave, it was dying already anyway. 

As for “malaise”, it got worse for President Carter, from the Iran embassy hostages, to the failed rescue, the challenge from Senator Ted Kennedy and the humiliating defeat in 1980.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

July 15, 1973: Nolan Ryan 2nd no-hitter

We remember Nolan Ryan's second no hitter of 1973 and career: a 6-0 victory over Detroit with 17 Ks.   It may have been his most impressive performance!   In 1973, Ryan was 21-16 with a 2.87 ERA & 26 complete games.    How do you lose 16 games with a 2.87 ERA?

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

"In the year 2525": Another July to remember 'Exordium & Terminus'

 

 (My new American Thinker post)

Back in July 1969, we were talking about Apollo 11 going to the moon and a song on the radio called "In the year 2525" subtitled "Exordium & Terminus."  To be honest, I did not know what "Exordium & Terminus" meant but I figured that it was Latin.  I asked my father, who had been an altar boy when the mass was in Latin, and he told me that it translated to "the beginning and the end."  Then I got more confused because it seemed that the lyrics were all about a future 500 years now.  

Zager and Evans recorded the song and it quickly became a "one-hit wonder." Nevertheless, it had a lot of people talking.  Even today, people are trying to figure lyrics like these:

In the year 2525, if man is still alive

If woman can survive, they may find In the year 3535

Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lie

Everything you think, do and say 

Is in the pill you took today.

Are you still confused?  Probably.   

Anyway, I found this by Bruce Kauffmanninteresting:    

While half a million young people attended the Woodstock Music Festival in the summer of 1969, the number one song on the charts that summer -- from July to this week (Aug. 22) -- wasn’t on the Woodstock playlist. That song was “In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus),” by Denny Zager and Rick Evans.

Wow.  That's something to think about.  So nobody remembered the song at the Woodstock festival in late summer.  Maybe those people were too "whatever" to think about anything deeper than Jimi Hendrix playing the National Anthem.  Back to Mr. Kauffman:

The song begins, “In the year 2525 / If man is still alive / If woman can survive, they may find …” And then Zager and Evans take listeners to a dystopian future in which humans are zombies who don’t work, think, make choices, or even use their senses -- sight, smell, speech -- because medical and technological advances have taken over their lives.

In the second verse, the human race is “In the year 3535,” where we, “Ain’t gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lie / Everything you think, do and say / Is in the pill you took today.” A thousand years later, “In the year 4545 / You ain’t gonna need your teeth, won’t need your eyes / You won’t find a thing to chew / Nobody’s gonna look at you.”

And a thousand years after that, “In the year 5555 / Your arms hangin’ limp at your sides / Your legs got nothin’ to do / Some machine’s doin’ that for you.”

So if, in 1969, millions of people were moved by a song about a world doomed because technology controlled our lives, imagine if the song came out in today’s world, where machines have taken over entire industries, we take pills (legal and illegal) for nearly everything, Google and other search engines, including our user-friendly “Siri” and “Alexa,” answer our questions, tell us where to go, what to do and how to do it, and government agencies such as the FBI, CIA and NSA keep a constant eye on our daily lives.

The song "In the year 2525" always raises a few questions based on today's headlines.

For example, "if woman can survive" may be a reference to men winning beauty pageants or winning female sporting events.  Anyway, imagine hearing "Some machine’s doin’ that for you" today when we rely so much on a machine, an I-Phone, a calculator, etc.  

Anyway, I found a copy of the original RCA 45 in a garage sale recently.  I asked the homeowner why she was selling it.  She said that it was from her late father's collection and she had no use for it.  I laughed and kept looking, knowing that most people probably have no use for it either.

Of course, this song could be like Nostradamus 500 years from now with all those predictions about the future.  So hold on to your 45.  It may mean something in the year 2525 if man is still alive and woman can survive.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

July 15, 1964: Goldwater was nominated for president

Many years ago, I saw an interview with the late Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona.  He joked that he kept meeting people who voted for him and should ask for a recount.

It was many years ago that the GOP nominated Goldwater for president.   He went on to lose big against President Johnson.  However, his conservative ideas survived and the GOP went on to win 7 of the next 10 presidential elections.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

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