BE SURE TO CELEBRATE JULY THE 4th....Might be your last time.

 It was Patrick Henry who said, Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death.

The decline of Joe Biden and resurrection of Donald Trump could well signal the end of July 4 as you know it.  This is our nation's 248th birthday, and next year could well be Year One of America as a Dictatorship.  The Supreme Court gave our president permission to assassinate anyone who threatens him.  Henry's statement now has a double meaning.

Gone will be:

• Land of the free, home of the brave.
• Born free.
• Freedom.
• Patriotism.
• The Constitution.
• Independence.
• Integrity.
• United.
• Happiness
• Heritage.
• Remembrance.
• Dignity.
• Honor.

The night July 4 is sparkling because of fireworks.  CNN begins its annual The Fourth in America special with an all-star musical lineup which I don't recognize and fireworks across the country from 7PM ET to 1AM.  In their initial list, Keith Urban, sure, but:

Kesha, Bebe Rexha, The Kid LAROI, The Killers, The Goo Goo Dolls, Kane Brown, T-Pain, Bleachers, Keith Urban and more.

Of course, there are others to watch:

• Macy's New York City 4th of July Fireworks on NBC from 8PM ET.
• A Capitol Fourth on PBS from 8PM ET.
• Fox News Proud American franchise from 8PM ET.
• Bloomberg's Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular from 7:45PM ET.

Then, of course, earlier today we had Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti from Chicago chomping down 58 hot dogs in that Coney Island Nathan's contest, with Miki Sudo winning her 10th Ketchup Belt with 51 dogs.  Too nauseating for me to watch.  

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  Perpetual champ Joey Chestnut, now 41 years old, was banned for touting artificial hot dogs and hamburgers.  He will vie against his nemesis from times past, Takeru Kobayashi, in a Netflix Labor Day special to determine who is the greatest eater in the world.

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  Now 46 years old, Kobayashi was #1 at Nathan's for six years in a row, until 2007, when Chestnut won, then went on to win 25 of the next 16 competitions.  Takeru had an excuse, for he had recently injured his jaw.

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  Kobayashi made a big splash in 2001.
• Before coming to New York, he consumed 16 bowls of ramen in one hour to become the Japanese champion of this bowl.

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  Arriving in New York, he ate his first American hot dog on 2July2001, then on the 4th ate 50 of them in 12 minutes, almost doubling the then record of 25.125.

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  Kobayashi met his match in 2003 when he ate 31 bunless hot dogs in 2 minutes, but a 1089 pound Kodiak bear swallowed 50.
• Taketaru in the meantime ate 20 pounds of rice balls (150 musubis) in 30 minutes, 21.3 pounds of soba in 12 minutes, and 17.7 pounds of cow brains in 15 minutes.

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  Nathans changed the rules, so Kobayashi abstained from competing there, but did go on to eat 159 tacos in 10 minutes, winning 9 years in a row until that competition came to an end in 2018.
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  Interestingly enough, in 2009, Kobayashi beat both Chestnut (81) and Bertoletti (third with 76) by eating 93 points worth of Krystals and Big Angus Burgers.
• Chestnut's record is 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

What music is appropriate for July 4?  Of course, our Star-Spangled Banner, America and God Bless America.  This list includes these three, plus some more recent versions, like America by Neil Diamond.  Watch this video, where he talks about his grandma coming a century ago from Kiev, Ukaine, and of his mother, Rose.  Diamond's first #1 hit was Cracklin Rosie in 1970.  What is the story behind America?  Click on this.

Billboard has two such lists.

• 35 Top America Songs for July 4th.
• #19  Don McLean, American Pie.
• #2    Kate Smith, God Bless America.
• #1    Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA.
• 15 Patriotic Country songs, with #1, Lee Greenwood, God Bless the USA.  Here, another video of this tune by a Donald Trump supporter.

Below, #1 Billboard songs in America on July 4 from 1987 to 2017.

• 1987  Whitney Houston, I Wanna Dance with Somebody.
• 2009  The Black Eyed Peas, Boom Boom Pow.
• 2013  Robin Thicke with T.I. and Pharrell Williams, Blurred Lines.  Stayed #1 for 12 weeks and won Grammy Best Song, but the Marvin Gaye family sued and won millions for  their stealing his song.
• 2017  Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee, featuring Justin Bieber, Despacito.

For the record, #1 today on the Billboard Hot 100 is I Had Some Help, Post Malone, featuring Morgan Wallen and Jo Tyler.  

• I just about don't know any song on that long list.  
• Worse, barely recognize only a very few names.  Four Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift songs each.  
• The closest Taylor Swift is to #1 is her #17 Fortnight, featuring that same Post Malone.
• However, 60 years ago on July 4, I just about knew all 100 songs on Billboard for 4July1964.

15 Craigside served our annual July 4th lunch, and did have a sausage dish, but no hot dog, and a small slider instead of hamburger.

Watched a baseball game with my meal.

Pearl's sunbursts began blooming this week.

I should call these flowers fireworks, or firebursts, for they look like a ball of them.  They have been annually blooming now just around the July 4th period for more than 40 years.  Here is the story of Pearl and these flowers.

It was in 1983 that Pearl had an operation for breast cancer.  I saw this sunburst flower with no leaves and brought it to her hospital room.  Turns out that after blooming, the bulb located underground then sends out leaves.  She took it home and, over time, grew a few more, for the bulbs sometimes double.  I brought a few of these plants to 15 Craigside, and they have survived my absences during long trips.  This photo of Pearl and her sunbursts to the left was taken the year of her passage in 2009.

Hurricane has weakened to 110 MPH and scheduled to make landfall over Tulum, Mexico Friday morning.

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