The Daily Dose/February 11, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

NOW HEAR THIS: Years ago, we were on the bridge of the old diesel submarine, the USS Blueback (SS-581), heroically performing lookout duties. We were returning to San Diego, and the officer of the deck (OOD) EnsignWende noted there was no bothering us, noting we were cruising along “fat, dumb, and happy”. 

USA! USA!: That describes America right now, because a country that was lean and thoughtful would never have taken someone as ignorant as Donald Trump seriously as a presidential candidate. He would’ve been laughed out of the race well before the 2016 primaries. 

Fly In The Ointment: But he wasn’t, and Trump – a man of zero intellectual substance – has twice been elected president by an America that no linger any intellectual substance.  

BOHICA: He is trying to force-feed us attempts to countermand acts of Congress, established federal law, and the Constitution. His vice president recently suggested the courts would do well to get out of the way and stop obstructing them, which should cause all of us to shudder and clutch our Constitutions. Trump has ignorantly renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America and witlessly said Canada should be our 51st state. 

Please Check Your Democracy At The Door: Friends, we must start paying closer attention to our government. Trump, as usual, is trying to keep us on our heels by overpowering us with bluster and blather so he can force-feed what he wants on us, most of it born in ignorance. Congress is useless, merely standing by and cooing, and while the courts are stopping some of it, who knows what will happen once cases arrive at the conservative Supreme Court. 

The Bottom Line: America is facing its greatest internal crisis since the Civil War. If we’re not careful, the American Experiment may not see its 250th birthday next year. We’ve left our government unchecked for too long; it’s time for you and me – we the people – to start paying closer attention. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow gets pulled over. Today’s Diary. 

…we had entered a 50 mph zone with cruise control still confidently set to 67, and that is pulloverable in any jurisdiction…Especially here where constables generally don’t have anything better to do than catch evil arch-criminals like us.

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Of course you would.
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Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device. 

———

On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it. 

In 1999 – Then-planet Pluto, which spends 20 years of every 248-year orbit inside the orbit of Neptune –  crosses outside Neptune’s orbit and again is the farthest planet from the Sun. Due to a couple of factors that are, thankfully, beyond the scope of this feature, the two planets can never collide. Pluto had last crossed in front of Neptune’s orbit in 1979, and it is expected to cross in front of Neptune again in 2229. 

In 1973 – The Philadelphia 76ers establish a new NBA record for most consecutive losses in a 108-90 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the 20th straight loss for the 76ers, breaking the record of 19 they established in the 1971-72 and 72-73 seasons. The mark has been broken several times, and is now 28, done twice, by the 76ers in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons and by the Detroit Pistons last season. The 76ers are the only NBA team to lose at least 20 consecutive games three times. 

In 1978 – The Bee Gees are at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second of four consecutive weeks with Stayin’ Alive. The song went to #1 in seven other countries, including Mexico and Italy, peaked at #4 in Great Britain, on Billboard’s soul chart, and on their year-end survey. It was the fifth of nine #1 songs for the group, and their second of six consecutive #1 songs, a mark then shared with the Beatles and now held by Whitney Houston.

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Genius is from the school of solitude.
Edward Gibbon

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

The NHL record for the fastest three goals by one team is 20 seconds by the Boston Bruins on February 25, 1971. 

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

What planet has the longest day? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/February 10, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

Leading Off will return.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow reports new uniforms are coming to the hotel. Today’s Diary.

Actually, it’s just a black dress shirt, plain, without a hotel logo…And, in keeping with Official Hotel Policy (OHP), there has been absolutely zero communication on the matter…

———

Would you like 4Ever & Ever access to Gaylon’s crap?
Of course you would.
Click here. It’s only $24.99.

Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device. 

———

On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it. 

In 1567 – Lord Darnley, the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, is murdered in an explosion in Edinburgh. Darnley and Mary had married in 1565 and Darnley had claims to th Scottish and English thrones through his parents, though due to his erratic behavior, this didn’t seem to please anyone. Their union did produce a son, the future James VI of Scotland and I of England. 

In 1883 – The New York Rangers and the Minnesota North Stars establish a new NHL record for the fastest three goals by both teams in a 7-5 North Stars’ victory. The two teams scored three goals – the first two by the Rangers – in 15 seconds to break the record of 18 seconds established by the Rangers and Montreal Canadiens in December 1963, and the record still stands. The goals came in the last minute of the second period. 

In 1990 – Paula Abdul with the Wild Pair is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first of three consecutive weeks with Opposites Attract. The song also went to #1 in Australia and Canada, peaked at #2 in Great Britain, at #3 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was Billboard’s 14th-biggest pop hit of the year and its 40th-biggest soul hit of the year. It was the fourth of six #1s for Abdul and remains the only Top 40 hit for the Wild Pair. Abdul’s album Forever Your Girl was also in its third of ten non-consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard’s album chart.  

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

One must show the truth to posterity with boldness, and to his contemporaries with circumspection.
Will Durant
The Story of Civilization, Vol X: Rousseau and Revolution 

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

Billboard’s #1 country song of 1959 was Battle of New Orleans, which spent ten weeks at #1. It was also Billboard’s #1 pop sing of 1959, with six weeks at #1. It remains the only time a song has been both the #1 country and pop song in a year. 

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

Who holds the NHL record for the fastest three goals by one team? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/February 9, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things.

1. Donald Trump – Petty, vindictive, and ignorant, highlights of the week include firing Kennedy Center directors so he can take over himself, spitefully stripping former President Biden of his security clearance, and suggesting the US take over in Gaza…Only 1,141 days left of this nonsense, less if America collapses under the weight of her own ignorance beforehand.  

2. Executive Orders – Executive fiat is not the way America was designed to be governed…We all remember Civics classes where we were told Congress is the lawmaking branch of our government, but Congress is now merely standing by and letting President Trump do whatever the hell he wants…An executive order allows the president to enforce current US law, not make new ones.

3. USA! USA! – The 3-hole staple…A hundred years from now all new people – including Americans, if there are any left – will look back at us and the Trump Era and wonder exactly how America – the nation that split the atom and put men on the moon – dumbed down enough to twice elect Donald Trump president…We are now as ignorant as he is.  

4. Super Bowl 59 – While Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters remain “pretty sure” Chiefs pretty sure the dynasty has more Super Bowl titles in them, they “strongly suspect” Eagles have a bit more talent and are coached well enough to pull this one out. 

5. Donald Trump Fact Check: – Click here for lies and misinformation from President Trump about his flurry of executive orders…From the New York Times. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has beverage container news. Today’s Diary. 

The big news is the Stanley water mug the clerk at the gym gave us was brought into the hotel tonite…

———

Would you like 4Ever & Ever access to Gaylon’s crap?
Of course you would.
Click here. It’s only $24.99.

Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device. 

———

On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it. 

In 1825 – John Quincy Adams is elected president of the United States by the House of Representatives over Andrew Jackson and William H Crawford. Though Jackson had earned the most electoral votes, 99, well short of the 131 needed for election, Adams was elected on the first ballot, receiving 13 votes as each of the 24 states had one vote. Adams would serve one term, losing to Jackson in 1828. The Electoral College had overwhelmingly elected John C Calhoun of South Carolina vice president. 

In 1964 – The Winter Olympics conclude in Innsbruck, Austria. One thousand and ninety-one athletes, including 199 women, from 36 nations competed, with the Soviet Union winning both the most gold (11) and total (25) medals and the US winning one and seven, respectively. Innsbruck would also hold the 1976 Winter Games after Denver decided they didn’t want to host them. 

In 1959 – Jim Reeves is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot C&W Sides chart – for the fourth of five consecutive weeks with Billy Bayou. The song spent 25 weeks on the chart – a long time for a chart with only 30 positions – including 18 in the Top 10, and was Reeves’ fourth of eleven #1 country songs. The song also peaked at #95 on the Hot 100 and was written by Roger Miller. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

…it was his nature to find greater ecstasy in contemplation than in fulfillment.
Will Durant
The Story of Civilization, Vol X: Rousseau and Revolution 

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

Minnesota won the first Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest’s football title in 1892 with a 3-0 record. 

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

What was Billboard’s #1 country song of 1959? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/February 8, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT: One of the ways President Trump’s ignorance manifests itself is in his issuance of executive orders. He thinks – or knows and ignores – that executive orders are a way for him to force-feed America whatever he wants. 

Dry, Technical Matter: They’re not, of course. The purpose of an executive order is to allow the president to manage the country and fulfill his constitutional mandate to execute the laws of the United States faithfully. 

#Ooopsies: They cannot be used to countermand federal law nor can they be used to initiate new policy. Their purpose is to instruct executive departments on executing existing federal law. 

FunFact: Trump is on a pace to issue more than 3,700 executive orders this term, roughly what FDR issued in twelve years and about 1,900 more than the next closest competitor, Woodrow Wilson. 

Civics 101: Congress, of course, is the only branch of the government that can make laws; the president cannot dictate them. He is not a dictator; dictators dictate, and presidents preside. 

The Bottom Line: What were we expecting? Donald Trump is petty, vindictive, and ignorant and cares about nothing except drawing attention to himself and overpowering everyone until he gets his way. His only real talent is blathering off the top of his head. We’ve known this for nine years, though, and we’ve elected him anyway. We deserve everything we get during his second term.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow and Asher work their last graveyard shift together. Today’s Diary. 

Then Asher and I went and unlocked doors and that was that, the Asher Era concluded. 

———

Would you like 4Ever & Ever access to Gaylon’s crap?
Of course you would.
Click here. It’s only $24.99.

Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device. 

———

On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it. 

In 1924 – A gas chamber is used for an execution in the US for the first time, at Nevada State Prison in Carson City. Gee Jon had been convicted in February 1922 of murdering Tom Quong Kee in an Asian gang dispute. Accounts indicate Jon passed out within a few seconds and was motionless ten minutes later. The gas chamber was built in the prison butcher shop when pumping gas directly into Jon’s cell failed, and the last execution in the US in a gas chamber occurred in Arizona in 1999.

In 1896 – The oldest extant intercollegiate sports conference in the US forms when seven universities form what would become the Big Ten. The conference consisted of Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Chicago, Purdue, and Northwestern, and today, it has 18 teams. The name Big Ten was first used in 1916, and before that, the conference was commonly known as the Western Conference. The first college conference was the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest, from 1892-93, with members Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Northwestern. 

In 1992 – Right Said Fred is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first of three consecutive weeks with I’m Too Sexy. The song went to #1 in five other countries, including New Zealand and Ireland, peaked at #2 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 13th-biggest song of the year. It was the first of two chart singles for the group and remains their only Top 40 hit. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

But for the chosen, there is no choice.
Saul Bellow
Ravelstein

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

Lebron James career high for points in a game is 61, on March 3, 2014 against the Charlotte Bobcats. 

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

Who won the first Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest’s football title in 1892? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/February 7, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT: The line in the New York Times about how President Trump arrived at his plan for the US to take ownership of Gaza said it all:

There was little beyond an idea inside the president’s head.

Fly In The Ointment: The plan he read at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surprised everyone, including Netanyahu. It had not been discussed or reviewed by anyone anywhere, either in the White House, the State Department, or the Pentagon. 

Dry, Technical Matter: The plan, which calls for the US to occupy Gaza and for Palestinians to be relocated, has been meet with almost universal derision. With reason, too, because – like President Trump – it is vacuous and inane, not deserving of consideration by any thinking person. 

Stop Us If You’ve Heard This Before: President Trump is not a thoughtful man; in fact, he is a man of zero intellectual substance. The Gaza plan is as witless as his plans for wanting the US to buy Greenland, wanting to take back the Panama Canal, and his saying Canada should become America’s 51st state. 

The Bottom Line: We elected this nonsense. We’ve known for nine years that Trump was a blatherskite, but we don’t care.  We have no idea why Americans and their media have given Trump’s idiocy a free pass, but a hundred years from all new people – including Americans, if there are any left – will be wondering why we did. 

 Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow deals with a disgruntled patient at the hospital. Today’s Diary. 

The last thing this situation needs is a confrontational security officer and we’ve learned over the years the best way to handle these sorts is to be pleasant, calm, and respectful…

———

Would you like 4Ever & Ever access to Gaylon’s crap?
Of course you would.
Click here. It’s only $24.99.

Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device. 

———

On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it. 

In 1984 – Man makes their first untethered spacewalk when US astronauts Bruce McCandless and Robert Stewart spend 5 hours and 55 minutes outside the space shuttle Challenger. McCandless got as far as 322 feet from Challenger, and on Feb 9 the pair made a 6 hour, 17 minute spacewalk. Challenger had lifted off on Feb 3 and would land on the 11th. 

In 2023 – Lebron James of the Los Angeles Lakers establishes a new NBA record for most career points in a 133-130 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Los Angeles. James needed 36 points to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 and scored 38, and his record still stands. James is still active and to date he has 41,557 points and is averaging 27.0 points per game. 

In 1970 – Shocking Blue is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the only week with Venus. It was the second of three chart singles for the group and remains their only Top 40 hit.The song went to #1 in 13 other countries including Brazil and France, peaked at #8 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 33rd-biggest song of the year. A version by Bananarama went to #1 in 1986, making it the fourth of nine songs to go to #1 by different acts. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we ourselves could have wished.
Miguel de Cervantes
Don Quixote

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

Phil Spector, Cynthia Weil, and Barry Mann wrote You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling. 

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

What are the most points Lebron James has scored in an NBA game? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!