STEAK TAILGATES

From Worldometer:

        DAY  USA  WORLD   Brazil    India    South Africa

June     9     1093    4732        1185       246          82

July    22     1205    7128        1293      1120         572

Aug    12     1504     6556       1242       835         130

Sept     3      1094    5886        830     1083         174
            9      1208    6222        1136      1168          82

Oct      8        957    6420         730       967        160

          20       952     6169           662       714       164

          21     1225     6849            571       703         85

          27     1039      7023          530       519         45

Nov     4      1199       8192          276       511         74 

            5      1201      9067          622       704         46

            6      1248      9082          256       576         72

          10      1346      9191           204       511        106 

          11       1479    10178           564       550         60 

          12      1190       9659           926       521         65

          13      1297       9951           614       539         77

Summary:  

• The World experienced the worst day of new COVID-19 cases:  656,527.
• So did the USA:  183,625.
• Japan is also seeing a Fall surge.  However, with less than a third of the U.S. population, it only had 1587 new cases, with 16 new deaths.  As relatively low as these numbers might be:

Shigeru Omi, head of the subcommittee made up of health experts, warned at a press conference after Thursday's meeting that if "sufficient measures are not taken, there will be no other way but to implement restrictions on social and economic activities."

My sports-watching tailgate is spread out this weekend.  First, after my wellness center workout, I prepared a martini with these ingredients to accompany a bath:

Then, before dinner, prepared a salad, which certainly looks like a Bloody Mary:

This tailgate is only part one, for the Hawaii-San Diego State football game is not until tomorrow.  Here are the ingredients for dinner:

Note that the bluefin tuna is $90/pound.  The ribeye is a puny $25/pound.

Steak and sashimi with hot sake, cold beer and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.  For dessert I went down to make a cappuccino.

Tailgate, phase 2, loco moco steako brunch:

Watched the Masters' golf tournament, with football to come.

The political statement of the day comes from Bill Maher:  Farewell Douchebags 2020.

For song #44, I go international:

• La Cumparsita:  ?
• Loch Lomond:  Scotland
• When Irish Eyes are Smiling:  Ireland
• Rosamunde:  ?
• O Canada

I've always associated La Cumparsita with Mexico.  Wrong.  It is a march written in 1916 by 18-year old Uruguayan Gerardo Matos Rodriguez.  The title translates as the little parade.  Over time, adjustments were made, and it is now one of the more popular tango songs.  Here is Gene Kelly dancing to La Cumparsita in the 1945 Anchors Aweigh.  In the 1959 Some Like It Hot, Jack Lemmon in drag with Joe E. Brown.  They were taught this dance by George Raft.

The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond was first published in 1841.  Loch is lake and bonnie is pretty. What the song is is an adaptation of an 18th century erotic song.  The current lyrics come from Andrew Lang's poem.  More recently, Scottish folk-rock band Runrig made it their anthem, closing with some version of the tune for over a quarter century.

When Irish Eyes are Smiling was written by Chauncey Olcott and George Graff in 1912.  During World War I John McCormack made the song popular.  There are over 200 singles.  Canadians were miffed when their Prime Minister Brian Mulroney sang this song with President Ronald Reagan in 1985.

Again, I was wrong.  I thought Rosamunde, composed by Czech musician Jaromir Vejvoda in 1927 as Skoda Lasky, was a German song.  It is known as the most popular song from Czechoslovakia.  In American it is known as Beer Barrel Polka, recorded in 1939 by Will Glahe, hitting #1 that year.

O Canada has been the national anthem of Canada since 1939.  The song was composed by Caliza Lavallee, with words by poet Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier.  Originally, the song was French.  The English translation is different in meaning.  This my song #44.

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