Holiday Weekend Edition
I cannot think a better time to have a long holiday; The
Thing, the innumerable amount of BS in our day-to-day lives, airline travel,
gas prices, Detroit Tigers, Fox News – it is time for a break.
Canada Day - The British North America Act came into effect on 1 July
1867, creating the country of Canada with its initial four provinces of
Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In June 1868, Governor General
Charles Stanley Monck called for a celebration of the anniversary of
Confederation on 1 July 1868. While several communities did organize
celebrations on this day, the legal status of Dominion Day as a public holiday
was uncertain. In May 1869, a bill to make Dominion Day a public holiday was
debated in the House of Commons, but it was withdrawn after several members of
Parliament voiced objections. A more successful effort, sponsored by Senator
Robert Carrall of British Columbia, passed through Parliament in 1879, making
Dominion Day a public holiday.
In the decades following the Second World War, several private
members’ and government-sponsored bills were proposed to change the name of
Dominion Day, but none succeeded. In July 1982, a private member’s bill to
change the name to Canada Day was proposed by Vaudreuil MP Hal Herbert. The
bill quickly passed through the House of Commons and was ratified by the Senate
in the fall.
Independence Day - The Fourth of July—also known as Independence Day or July
4th—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the
tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and
the American Revolution. On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in
favor of independence, and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies
adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas
Jefferson. From 1776 to the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the
birth of American independence, with festivities ranging from fireworks,
parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues.
When the initial battles in the Revolutionary War broke out in
April 1775, few colonists desired complete independence from Great Britain, and
those who did were considered radical.
By the middle of the following year, however, many more
colonists had come to favor independence, thanks to growing hostility against
Britain and the spread of revolutionary sentiments such as those expressed in
the bestselling pamphlet “Common Sense,” published by Thomas Paine in early
1776.
On June 7, when the Continental Congress met at the
Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, the
Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee introduced a motion calling for the
colonies’ independence.
Amid heated debate, Congress postponed the vote on Lee’s
resolution, but appointed a five-man committee—including Thomas Jefferson of
Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin
Franklin of Pennsylvania and Robert R. Livingston of New York—to draft a formal
statement justifying the break with Great Britain.
On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of Lee’s
resolution for independence in a near-unanimous vote (the New York delegation
abstained, but later voted affirmatively). On that day, John Adams wrote to his
wife Abigail that July 2 “will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the
great anniversary Festival” and that the celebration should include “Pomp and
Parade…Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of
this Continent to the other.”
On July 4th, the Continental Congress formally adopted the
Declaration of Independence, which had been written largely by Jefferson.
Though the vote for actual independence took place on July 2nd, from then on
the 4th became the day that was celebrated as the birth of American
independence.
The tradition of patriotic celebration became even more
widespread after the War of 1812, in which the United States again faced Great
Britain. In 1870, the U.S. Congress made July 4th a federal holiday; in 1941,
the provision was expanded to grant a paid holiday to all federal employees.
Here in North America this is a “party weekend.
But where to party?
THE BEST BARS - Here a list of favorite Rink Rats watering holes from coast
to coast.
- “Durty
Nelly’s Irish Pub”, Halifax, Nova Scotia
- “Bar
Ste-Angéle”, Quebec City, Quebec
- “Real
Sports”, Maple Leaf Square Toronto, Ontario
- “Beachcomber
in Wellfleet”, Wellfleet, Mass.
- “Barking Dog
Saloon”, Potsdam, New York
- “Salt Shack”,
Babylon, New York
- “The
Commissioner”, Brooklyn, New York
- “Off the
Record”, Hays-Adams Hotel Washington DC
- “Bar Bar”,
Savannah, Georgia
- “Anchor Bar”,
Detroit, Michigan
- “Mitchell
Street Pub”, Petoskey, Michigan
- “The Beach
Bar”, Clarklake, Michigan
- “The
Waterfront Café”, Chicago (Berger Park), Illinois
- “Whiskey
Bar”, Denver, Colorado
- “Heroes &
Legends Bar & Grill”, Claremont, California
- “Frog &
Beach Pub”, San Luis Obispo, California
- ‘Sandbar
Sports Grill”, San Diego Mission Beach, California
- “The Pickle
Room”, Santa Barbara, California
- “Bourbon
& Branch”, San Francisco, California
- “Zig Zag
Café”, Seattle Pike Place, Washington
There that should cover your thirst this holiday weekend.
Please do not ask me how this writer knows of all these establishments. I will
deny it all.
MARKET WEEK - It’s the final day of the
second quarter, which has been a doozy.
Entering Thursday’s session, the S&P 500 was down more
than 15% for the quarter — on pace for its biggest quarterly loss since 2020,
when it lost 20%. The Nasdaq Composite was headed for its worst quarter since
2008, losing 21.4%. As for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, it was down more
than 10% for the period — on pace for its worst one-quarter decline since 2020.
This quarter’s losses also put the S&P 500 on pace for its
worst first half of a year since 1970, falling 19.9%. The benchmark tumbled
into a bear market as well — dropping more than 20% from a record set in
January.
There are a few, interrelated culprits for this horrible
second quarter. One is inflation, which has led the Federal Reserve and other
central banks to hike rates at a faster pace than previously expected. The Fed
earlier this month hiked rates by 0.75 percentage point — its biggest increase
since 1994.
This has led to the second factor, which is increasing fears
that the economy will fall into a recession. “The Fed’s commitment to
aggressive tightening is slowing economic growth faster than initially
expected,” wrote Ned Davis Research’s Veneta Dimitrova and Joseph Kalish wrote
in a note. “Although key economic indicators are not yet at recessionary
levels, the risk of recession has been pulled forward to end of 2022/early
2023.”
Some on Wall Street are saying we’re already in a
recession. We were wrong on one thing
and that was inflation being as sustained as it has been. Supply chain ...
Can’t believe it’s taking more than two years and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
of course we couldn’t have seen that. Inflation has been a bigger problem, but
it has set us up for deflation.
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK –
Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Dan Aykroyd (70), Jim Brooks ….he
cares about students, Tom Cruise (60), Marcia Godwin ….famous for quotes,
Richard Lewis (75), Richard Petty (85).
HOLIDAY TRIVIA – RR holiday trivia will separate the real geography nerds
from everyone who just relies on Google Maps for everything. We’ll give you two
US interstate highways, and you must name the city in which they intersect.
90 and 93
80 and 15
35 and 94
25 and 40
70 and 71
Answer at the end of the blog.
HOLIDAY WEEKEND RINK RATS COCKTAILS – Some of our preferred holiday beverages.
- Mello
Over crushed ice: one shot of Ketel One Vodka.
Three-quarters glass of cranberry juice.
Splash of lemonade.
Top with cherry juice.
Stir aggressively. Good night.
- The Walloon
Place a handful (about 10-12) of raspberries in the bottom of
a cocktail glass.
Add a teaspoon of honey, a few mint leaves, and a squeeze of
lime juice to the glass. (Add more honey if you like sweeter cocktails...up to
one tablespoon per cocktail.)
Muddle raspberries until coarsely pureed.
Add 1 1/2-ounce gin (or vodka if you prefer) to each cocktail
glass.
Squeeze the juice of one lime into each glass.
Add crushed or cubed ice to the glass.
Top each cocktail with 8 ounces of Vizzy Raspberry Tangerine
Hard Seltzer and stir.
Top with mint leaves and lime for garnish. Cheers!
- Safe and
Sorry
Remove 2 tablespoons zest from lemons. In a small saucepan,
stir together 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water and the lemon zest. Bring to a boil
over medium heat; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Cover and chill lemon syrup
24 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve; discard zest.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine blackberries and the
remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Bring to a boil over medium
heat; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Press through a food mill on
the finest setting or strain through a fine-mesh sieve; discard pulp. Cover and
chill syrup at least 1 hour.
Squeeze 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons juice from the zested lemons.
In a pitcher, combine lemon juice, the 4 cups water and the lemon syrup. To
serve, pour into ice-filled glasses and drizzle with blackberry syrup. Boring
but tasty.
SUMMER DILEMMA – As summer arrives, the fact that hot dogs come in packs of
10 but hot dog buns only come in packs of eight once again existentially
unbalances the barbecue season and life as a whole.
OUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY SNACK – Salsa
Verde Deviled Eggs
If you know this writer, you know deviled eggs are a food
group.
Ingredients
Ingredient Checklist
6 large eggs
¼ cup mayonnaise
3 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry and finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed, drained and chopped
1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh basil
4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus extra
for garnish
Directions
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a rolling boil; reduce
heat to a gentle boil. Use a slotted spoon to lower eggs into boiling water.
Cook, maintaining a gentle boil, 13 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a bowl of ice
water. Immediately transfer eggs to the ice water; let cool at least 15
minutes.
In a medium bowl, stir together mayonnaise, anchovies,
shallot, capers, lemon zest, mustard and a good grind of pepper. Stir in basil
and parsley.
Peel shells from eggs. Halve eggs lengthwise; gently remove
yolks and transfer to a plate. Mash yolks with the back of a fork; add yolks
and 1 teaspoon water to herb mixture and gently combine. Spoon into eggs.
Garnish with whole parsley leaves.
TOP FIVE – July 4 Holiday Movies
1). John Adams, HBO Series (2008)
2). Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
3). Independence Day (1996)
4). Jaws (1975)
5). Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
BIG SIXTEEN? - The Big Ten may have
just sparked another round of major conference realignment.
USC and UCLA are reportedly planning to leave the Pac-12 – and
could do so by 2024, according to The Mercury News.
A deal could finalized by Friday, according to the Action
Network, and the Big Ten could add additional schools. The report also noted
that other Pac-12 schools could exit — Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and
Utah — could end up joining the Big 12.
USC and UCLA are two iconic members of the Pac-12, a league
that has struggled in recent years to sustain its historic football prowess.
The news comes just a year after the Pac-12 brought in George Kliavkoff as the
new commissioner.
Big Implications -
The moves could also have major implications for media rights.
The Big Ten has been negotiating a new deal that could be
worth $1 billion annually.
With the additions of major brand names like USC and UCLA, the
numbers would likely be even higher.
Without schools in the Los Angeles market, the Pac-12 could be
at a catastrophic disadvantage at negotiations for media rights, which are up
in 2024.
There could be logistical financial concerns, however, as most
Big Ten schools are in the Midwest. UCLA and USC would have to contend with
significant travel costs. The Big Ten’s easternmost schools are Rutgers,
Maryland, and Penn State.
ON THIS DATE - Hold your horses —
literally. Today marks 370 years since the city of New Amsterdam — about a
dozen years away from becoming New York City — got what’s thought to be the
first speed limit law in what became the U.S. (or perhaps in North America).
ON THIS DATE PART DEUX -
President Eisenhower tomorrow 1956 signed act creating Interstate Highway
System, at that time called largest public works project in history:
THE SWAMI’S HOLIDAY WEEKEND PICKS –
MLB Game of the Week –
Saturday 7/2, 4:15 PM (PDT), Fox: San Diego Padres (46-32) vs. Los Angeles
Dodgers (47-28). Padres are 2 ½ games back, now they take three of four from
the Blue. Padres win this one 6 – 4.
Wimbledon Championship – Continues
through July 10, ESPN: Men’s winner – Rafa Nadal, Women’s winner – Simona
Halep.
British Grand Prix Formula 1 – Sunday
July 3, 65:30 AM (PDT), ESPN: 1). Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes; 2). Max Vestappen,
Red Bull; 3). Carlos Sainz, Ferrari.
Season to Date (14 - 9)
Next Blog: Figure It Out
Until July 11, 2022, Adios.
Claremont, California
July 1, 2022
#XIII-5-451
2,371 words, four-minute read
HOLIDAY TRIVIA ANSWER –
90 and 93 - Boston
80 and 15 – Salt Lake City
35 and 94 - Minneapolis
25 and 40 - Albuquerque
70 and 71 – Columbus, Ohio
THIS JUST IN – The White House has
unveiled it’s official portrait for The Thing.
RINK RATS POLL – Ocean or lake?
____ Ocean
____ Lake
QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND –
“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone.” – John Adams
Rink Rats is a blog
of weekly observations, predictions and commentary. We welcome your comments
and questions. Also participate in our monthly poll. Rink Rats is now viewed in
Europe, Canada, South America and the United States.
Posted at Rink Rats The Blog: First Published – May 3, 2010
Our Eleventh Year.
www.rhasserinkrats.blogspot.com
