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The Daily Dose/August 27, 2008
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
   
Notes from around the Human Experience...
DEPT. OF FOREGONE CONCLUSIONS: The Democrats are gathering in Denver to formally anoint their nominees for president and vice-president. These affairs used to be sort of interesting, but it's been a generation since there's been anything even remotely resembling suspense, since 1980 when Ted Kennedy tried to stir things up by stealing some of President Carter's delegates, which didn't work.
In 1976 there was still some doubt whether Ronald Reagan or President Ford would get the nomination, but Ford still won on the first ballot.
Gavel To Gavel Coverage: Not only that, it's been 60 years since either party's required a second ballot to select a nominee, when the Republicans needed three ballots to nominate Thomas Dewey. The last time the Democrats needed more than one ballot was 1932 when they needed four ballots to decide on New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Sad, But True: But, like a lot of things in this country nowadays they exist solely to use television to reach an audience. That's it. There will be no surprises and even less of substance at either convention.
NOT THE START WE WERE HOPING FOR: On this date, in 1776, the US Army fights its first battle under American colors, losing the Battle of Long Island to the British in Brooklyn. The British take control of New York, control they would not relinquish until the end of the Revolution in 1783. Under cover of night and some early morning fog, General George Washington does manage to sneak the Americans back to Manhattan, much to the admiration of the British.
Wow, Just In Time For An Early Lunch: On this date, in 1896, history's shortest war was fought, as the British - angry at Zanzibar's refusal to install their preferred Sultan. The occupying British demanded the Sultan leave his palace and when he didn't, a little more than a half-hours worth of incoming artillery for both land and naval units convinced the Sultan the British were serious. Firing had commenced at 9:02 a.m. and stopped at 9:40 a.m.
Editor's Note: In the interest of driving the knife even deeper to the hearts of Cubs fans, On This Date is pleased to chronicle the 1908 Chicago Cubs season. This is because the Cubs won the World Series that year, the last year they have done so.
Showdown At The West End Grounds: The Cubs and Giants began a three-game series at West Side Grounds today, with the hated Giants in first place, three-and-a-half games up on the both the Cubs and Pirates, who they just got through taking four games from and are sinking like a stone. The Giants are the hottest team in baseball and have won eight straight.
God, We Hate The Giants: The Cubs aren't doing too bad, either, coming off a spell where they had lost nine of twelve games. They've won five straight, all over hapless Brooklyn, and eight of their last nine.
Well? The Cubs take the opener 5-1 in front of an overflow crowd estimated at 25,000 "frantic, disheveled screaming men and women," according to the New York Times. Jack Pfiesterr went the distance for the Cubs and wasn't exactly a puzzle, giving up nine hits, but the Giants couldn't muster a big hit when they needed it, leaving ten on base, and failing to capitalize on two Cub errors.
Elsewhere In The National League: The Pirates broke their four game losing streak, beating Philadelphia 4-3, so the Pirates and Cubs remained tied for second in the National Leage, three-and-a-half games behind the Giants.
Great Moments In Race Relations: The Washington Post of Aug. 28, 1908 contains an item announcing the universities of Alabama and Cincinnati have signed a contract to play football in October in Birmingham. The last item of the blurb reads "The contract calls for the drawing of the color line". Alabama would win 16-0.
Speaking Of War: On this date, in 1928, war came to an end with the signing of the Kellog-Briand Pact in Paris. A real, honest-to-goodness, legally binding international treaty, the pact provided "for the renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy". Since then, no nation has ever gone to war with another.
Dry, Technical Matter: The treaty itself is rather short. Once you get past the "Whereas'" and the "In Faith Whereof's", the actual three articles that compose the treaty are rather short, just 270 words, about the length of this item on the treaty.
Really Dry, Technical Matter: The treaty opens up with Article I declaring, in the name of the people of the High Contracting Parties, that everyone will "condemn recourse to war for the solution of international controversies" and "as an instrument of national policy in their relations with one another".
Oh, Jesus H: In Article II, the High Contracting Parties basically agree to chill when they don't agree on something, stating, in part, that " the settlement or solution of all disputes or conflicts…shall never be sought except by pacific means".
Oh Yeah: Article III, about a third longer than the other two articles combined, discusses exciting stuff like "respective constitutional requirements" for ratification and remaining open "as long as may be necessary for adherence by all the other Powers of the world". It also instructs ratifying nations to deposit their instruments of adherence with the benevolent folks at US Government in Washington, D.C.
Well, At Least That's Settled: Since the Kellogg-Briand Pact officially brought an end to war, mankind has been involved in at least 217 wars, including the roughly three dozen going on right now.
Thanks, Guys, This Is Interesting, Too: On this date, in 2003, Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in 60,000 years, coming within 34.6 million miles. It should be noted, however, that every couple of years Mars comes similarly close to Earth, and, while this was the closest approach in some time, other closest points of approach are usually in the same general area.
Please Pass The Dry, Technical Matter: Here's what's happening: think of Mars and Earth as runners on a track going around Mr. Sun. Every 26 months or so Earth passes Mars as both travel around the Sun, and Earth, Mars and the Sun find themselves in a direct line. For a lot of different reasons, most beyond the scope of this column, orbits and distances from the Sun vary, however, in 2003, Mars and the Earth not only happened to be at their closest point of approach, but Mars also happened to be as close to the Sun as it will ever get, about 128.4 million miles, an event called perihelion.
Mark This On Your Calendar: The next time Mars will be this close will be in 2287, and in 2729 it will even closer, a mere 34.5 million miles away. Hopefully by then we will have people on Mars marveling about how close they will be to Earth.
Thought For The Day: "A right without an attendant responsibility is as unreal as a sheet of paper that has only one side." - Felix Morley
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: There wasn't a trivia question last time, silly! How quickly people forget.
Today's Stumper: What is the most number of ballots a Republican or Democratic national convention has required to select a presidential nominee? - Answer next time!
Threats? Recipes? Trivia question answers? Email The Writer's Shack Here!
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