November 1971: Three Dog Night released “Old fashioned love song”

Three Dog Night had many hits, from "One" to "Joy to the world" to "Black and white".   

My favorite was released in November 1971.    "An old fashioned love song" was a Paul Williams' composition.    It peaked at # 4 in the US and # 2 in Canada.

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Remembering the JFK-Nixon election of 1960

Years ago today, Senator John F. Kennedy defeated Vice President Richard Nixon to win the 1960 election.   VP Nixon conceded the next day despite this election being very close.

Wonder how many people know how close that JFK-Nixon election was?   The two men were separated by about 113,000 votes, or 49.72% to 49.55%!  

The Kennedy “mystique” is such that many people assume that he was elected by a landslide.  On the contrary, it was a very close election and one wonders what would have happened if Nixon had insisted on a recount.   

In fact, I think that the nation owes VP Nixon thanks for not having thrown the country into a chaotic recount, much like what we saw in 2000 between Governor Bush and VP Gore.  One big difference between Gore vs Bush and JFK vs Nixon is that 2000 was about Florida whereas 1960 would have involved several states, such as Illinois and Texas. 

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November 1976: A song about a real Great Lakes tragedy!

It wasn't The Titanic but I remember this terrible shipwreck many years ago:

"The Edmund Fitzgerald was lost with her entire crew of 29 men on Lake Superior November 10, 1975..." (GLSM)

The tragedy shocked the nation.  It also reminded us of the size of Lake Superior, one of the Great Lakes of North America.

A few days ago, there was a memorial to remember the crew.

Gordon Lightfoot wrote and recorded this great song a year later.

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"The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down

Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee

The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead

When the skies of November turn gloomy.

With a load of iron ore - 26,000 tons more

Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty

That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed

When the gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side

Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin

As the big freighters go it was bigger than most

With a crew and the Captain well seasoned.

Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms

When they left fully loaded for Cleveland

And later that night when the ships bell rang

Could it be the North Wind they'd been feeling.

The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound

And a wave broke over the railing

And every man knew, as the Captain did, too,

T'was the witch of November come stealing.

The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait

When the gales of November came slashing

When afternoon came it was freezing rain

In the face of a hurricane West Wind

When supper time came the old cook came on deck

Saying fellows it's too rough to feed ya

At 7PM a main hatchway caved in

He said fellas it's been good to know ya.

The Captain wired in he had water coming in

And the good ship and crew was in peril

And later that night when his lights went out of sight

Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does anyone know where the love of God goes

When the waves turn the minutes to hours

The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay

If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her.

They might have split up or they might have capsized

They may have broke deep and took water

And all that remains is the faces and the names

Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings

In the ruins of her ice water mansion

Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams,

The islands and bays are for sportsmen.

And farther below Lake Ontario

Takes in what Lake Erie can send her

And the iron boats go as the mariners all know

With the gales of November remembered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed

In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral

The church bell chimed, 'til it rang 29 times

For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down

Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee

Superior, they say, never gives up her dead

When the gales of November come early.

© 1976 Moose Music, Inc."

Trump after the midterms plus a reaction to Texas

 

Trump after the midterms plus a reaction to Texas.....

Hasan Piker opens the liberal zoo

Hasan Piker opens the liberal zoo:

The Democrats’ foremost spokesman is turning the long knives on those he deems insufficiently radical.

--------------------------

Who knew that we’d be hearing a lot from Hasan Piker after the election? Well, he is back, and his new target is Governor Newsom of California. I guess that Hasan doesn’t think that Gavin is cool. Let’s check this out:

Anti-American leftist Hasan Piker, the Democrat Party’s favorite podcaster, is shutting the door on supporting California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom and his potential run for president.

During his recent podcast appearance with rapper and activist Vic Mensa, Piker spoke about Newsom — who has been widely considered a possible Democrat candidate for 2028 — and said he just doesn’t like the slick Californian.

“He’s very unappealing to me, he’s terrible, but he’s terrible because of his policies,” Piker told Mensa.

Bad policies. Unappealing. Just another day at the liberal zoo. It reminds some of us of that book “The Bronx Zoo” or the story of the dysfunctional New York Yankees of the late 1970’s. To be fair, those Yankees won back-to-back championships. Wonder if the new Democrats will be that good?

Piker’s return is a shot across the bow that the podcaster will speak his mind. Piker probably doesn’t like Newsom because he can see the damage that “slick,” lousy governor is doing to the Democrat brand. Furthermore, Piker wants to see a more radical choice for president in 2028. He is tired of the establishment, too. He will probably be very loud if the newly elected Democrat majorities do not come through with their promises.

All in all, a pain in the you-know-what for the new Democrat majority. Piker will call them cowards if they don’t come through or try to work with the GOP.

Get ready because Hasan ain’t going away. He plans to hang around and remind everyone that you can be primaried too.

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Happy # 88 Jim Kaat

We say happy birthday to Jim Kaat born on this day in 1938.   He was a great lefty who later became a wonderful baseball analyst.

Kaat broke with the Washington Senators in 1959 and became a starter in 1961 now that the team was in Minnesota.  

"Kitty", as he was called, pitched 15 years with the Twins and won 190 games with a 3.34 ERA.    

Kaat beat Sandy Koufax in game 2 of the 1965 World Series.    In 1966, Kaat was named AL Sporting News Pitcher of the Year.   Later, he started games in the 1969 & 1970 ALCS but the Twins were swept twice by the Orioles.

Surprisingly, the Twins traded him to the Chicago White Sox where he won 45 with a 3.10 ERA in 3 seasons.    It was probably the best pitching period of his career.

Kaat hung around until 1983.    He finished with 283 wins, a 3.45 ERA and completed 180 games.

After baseball, Jim Kaat moved to the radio/TV booth and became one of the best game analysts.

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Happy # 84 Johnny Rivers

We say happy birthday to Johnny Rivers.    He was born John Henry Ramistella in New York City on this day in 1942.   

Rivers recorded a very popular live album with covers of "Memphis" (Chuck Berry), "Mountain of Love" & "The Seventh Son".    It was great dancing music.

After that, he had a string of great songs like "Secret agent man", "Poor side of town" and "Summer rain".    

In the 1970's he came back to the charts with "Rockin' Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie Flu".

His songs always bring a memory of this or that.     

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1972: Nixon reelected in landslide!

In 1968, Richard Nixon was elected with 42% of the popular vote in a very divisive presidential election.    In 1972, President Nixon enjoyed one of the greatest landslides of all time.    He got 61% of the popular vote beating Senator McGovern by 18 million votes.     

The campaign was dominated by the war in Vietnam.  However, President Nixon withdrew most of the troops and the war not the issue that the Democrats expected.    Also, Senator McGovern was branded as a liberal and flopped in most of the country.

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1956: We can not forget what happened in Hungary many years ago

The Cold War is over. The USSR is the answer to a trivia question.  We call them Russia now.

Nevertheless, an amazing thing happened in Hungary this week in 1956. It started with simple protests and then students, workers, and even some soldiers demanded more freedom.

The Soviet tanks eventually crushed the rebellion and the dream was not realized until 1989.

However, we can never forget what the brave citizens of Hungary did this week in 1956. They stood up to communism and we can not forget their bravery.

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The border now and good jobs report