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The Daily Dose/July 1, 2008
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
   
This will surprise you, but today we have more notes from the Human Experience for you, starting off with a new law in New York City which is a good example of government butting in where it has no business butting into, plus other new laws which will effect you if you pack heat and park your car in Florida or drive in California, plus some short but sweet On This Date action, including our 1908 Cubs, plus the usual Trivia drivel, plus Batgirl, Yvonne Craig, is - hubba-hubba - the Column Four Foto!
WELL, THIS IS NO FUN: A new New York City Health Department regulation takes effect today requiring all restaurants, bakeries, caterers and mobile commissaries to stop using or storing artificial trans-fats
FunFact: New York is the first city to pass such a law. Hopefully it will be the last. We are sort of getting tired of repeating ourselves, but Writer's Shack policy on these matters is clear: the purpose of government is to protect the liberty of its citizens, not tell them what they can and cannot eat. It is the responsibility of the citizenry to know what they are eating and eat responsibly. It is not the responsibility of the government to dictate what restaurants can and cannot serve. The free market will take care of that.
My Kind Of Town: Chicago tried something similar four years ago, when aldermen voted to ban the serving foie gras in 2004. The ban lasted two years before being repealed in 2006.
What The Hell Is Foie Gras? Foie gras is French for 'fat liver' and can be either duck or goose liver.
Capsule Liver Review: Foie gras is really, really good. Really good. As tasty a morsel as this species can muster up.
Why Was It Banned Then? Unfortunately, the feeding of potential foie gras donors is not out of the Free Range Fine Dining Manual. Twice a day ducks and geese have a tube forced down their throats and they are stuffed with a mixture that is mainly corn. Such feeding is designed to make their livers nice and fatty and delectable. This is slightly more humane than it sounds because geese and ducks do not have a gag reflex. But not too much.
A Moral Dilemma: So regular guys, like the type found on the staff of the Writer's Shack, are stuck. On the one hand, we're classy guys who appreciate, as previously noted, that foie gras is really, really, good. Easily the best meat we have eaten, and that includes kobe beef and Fatburger.
OTOH: Do we really need animals that are going to be harvested for our consumption to be force fed like that? I dunno. Although we do note that one independent observer reported the animals take their feeding "matter-of-factly" and do not display any sort of panic. Still though, we've seen enough slaughterhouse video clips to know that a lot of animals raised for human consumption are not treated like royalty. We like to console ourselves by saying we only indulge in this delicacy once every couple of years, though.
On The Agenda: Other laws taking effect today include California requiring drivers to use hands free devices while driving. If you are over 18, you can text, however the fine for the first offense is $20, $50 for the second. And a new Florida law prohibits private and public employers from banning legally owned and permitted firearms that are locked inside vehicles in employee parking lots.The law does not apply to schools, correctional institutions, nuclear power plants or any facility involved in the manufacture, storage, use or transportation of combustible or explosive materials regulated by state or federal law.
WAR IS HELL, EVEN WHEN FIGHTING FOR THE GLORIOUS UNION: On this date, in 1863, the American Civil War's Battle of Gettysburg began. It would end on July 3 in a bloody Union victory.
Editor's Note: Throughout the summer, On This Date is pleased to take a look at the 1908 Chicago Cubs season, the last season they won the World Series.
Back In The High Life Again: After losing the first two games at The Palace of the Fans in Cincinnati, the Cubs beat the Reds 5-1 behind Ed Reulbach's two hitter.
Scoreboard Watching: Elsewhere in the National League, the Boston Doves took two from the Phillies, 6-1 and 14-5 and the Dodgers, going through a period (1899-1910) when - for reasons we're sure they thought good - they were known as the Superbas, shutout the Giants 4-0.
Moving On Up: The Cubs pick up a half game on the still-idle Pirates. At 38-23 the Cubs are two percentage points and a half game behind the 40-24 Pirates.
Showdown: The Cubs play the Pirates the next six games, the first five in Pittsburgh. There are doubleheaders on the second and the fourth and a single game on the third, before the teams play a one-game series in Chicago on the fifth.
We Deliver For You: On this date, in 1963, the post office introduced the five-digit zip code.
And He Still Hasn't Had A Promotion: On this date, in 1969, Writer's Shack fave Prince Charles is invested as Prince of Wales.
The Prince Of Wales Is A Writer's Shack Fave? Yes. As Prince of Wales, he has no specific duties either legislated by Parliament or mandated by the Monarch, which results in a pretty kick-back life, which we admire. The Prince, however, was born into a life he more or less does not have complete control over, which we don't really admire, and he has done a good job of carving out an existence that makes his time on this planet serve him and his subjects.
This Isn't Going To Send You Off On Another Second Amendment Tirade, Is It? No, we've gotten it all out of our system. For now.
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: Meet The Press, which is still on the air, is the longest running program in tee vee history, debuting on NBC in 1947.
Today's Stumper: List all the nicknames the Brooklyn major league baseball teams were known as over the years. - Answer next time!
Threats? Recipes? Trivia question answers? Email The Writer's Shack Here!
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