The Daily Dose/June 21, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience. 

Leading Off will return. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow runs into an old sailor at the hotel. Today’s Diary. 

Then we got nosey and asked if he was an A-ganger MM or a nuke MM and he said A-ganger and we nodded authoritatively, not disclosing we still have some zero clue what A-gangers do except breathe with their mouths open and drag their knuckles on the ground…

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

In 1788 – The United States Constitution takes effect when New Hampshire becomes the ninth state to ratify it, giving the document ratification by two-thirds of the thirteen states, making it effective in the states where it had been ratified. The first presidential election would begin in December, Congress would first convene the following March, with George Washington inaugurated president in April. 

In 1970 – Brazil wins the World Cup, defeating Italy 4-1 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. It was the third of five World Cup titles for Brazil and was the first of two runner-up finishes for the Italians. The tournament featured 16 teams -including the only appearance of Israel – divided into four groups for pool play, with the top two teams advancing to bracket play. West Germany defeated Uraguay for third place. 

In 1974 – Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the second and final consecutive week with Billy Don’t Be a Hero. It was the fourth of five chart singles for the group, their third and final Top 40 hit, and remains their only Top 10 and #1 song. The song also went to #1 in Canada and was Billboard’s 21st-biggest song of 1974. Earlier in the year, a version by Paper Lace had gone to #1 in Great Britain and peaked at #96 on the Hot 100. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

How not to be forgotten? How to retain the floor for life? That was the question ambition asked but did not answer. 
Gore Vidal
Washington, D.C.

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Besides Billy Ray Cyrus, the Everly Brothers, Elvis Presley, and Ray Charles are the only acts to have #1 songs on Billboard’s pop, country, and soul charts in the Hot 100 era. 

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

Which was the final state to ratify the Constitution? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/June 20, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience. 

Leading Off will return. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody -Sparrow discovers there isn’t a fax machine in the new county building. Today’s Diary. 

We were so stunned we weren’t even able to stare at it crossly with our hands on our hips…After a few seconds, we turned toward Paula, the office manager: 

“Paula is there not a fax machine…here???”

The pause before the last word was necessary to preempt saying several words inappropriate for the workplace…

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4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.

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 1942 – Four Poles – Kazimierz Piechowski, Eugeniusz Bendera, Józef Lempart Stanisław, and Gustaw Jaster escape from the Auschwitz concentration camp by driving through the main gate. The escape was successful, however, Jaster was recaptured in July and is thought to have died later that summer. Assorted relatives of the escapees were later arrested and killed in Auschwitz and an accomplice who did not escape was discovered, tortured, and allowed to starve to death. 

In 1980 – Roberto Duran wins the WBC welterweight title, defeating champion Sugar Ray Leonard with a 15-round unanimous decision at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. It was the second world title for Duran, who was already the WBA light heavyweight champion, and he would later win the super welterweight, and middleweight titles. Leonard would regain the title from Duran in November when Duran quit in the 8th round and would later unify the welterweight titles as well as win titles in four other weight classes. 

In 1992 – Billy Ray Cyrus is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the third of four consecutive weeks with Achy Breaky Heart. It was the first of 16 Top 40 country hits for Cyrus and remains his only #1. The song also went #1 country in Canada, and went #1 pop in Australia and New Zealand, went #3 pop in Great Britain, peaked at #4 on the Hot 100, and was Billboard’s 2nd-biggest country song of the year.

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

But men must know that in this theatre of man’s life it is reserved only for God and angels to be lookers on.
Francis Bacon

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Sing Sing prison in New York executed 614 people, including four federal inmates, from 1922-72. 

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

Billy Ray Cyrus is one of four acts to have #1 songs on Billboard’s pop, soul, and country charts in the Hot 100 era. Who are the other three? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/June 19, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience. 

Leading Off will return. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow’s in love. Today’s Diary. 

The big news is ol’ Sparrow fell in love with the singer in a band this morning…Now, regular readers of this crap know this happens from time to time and is fairly harmless…

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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.

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 1953 – Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed for espionage in the electric chair at Sing Sing prison in upstate New York. The pair had been arrested in the summer of 1950 and were convicted in March 1951. Julius went first – the couple had been separated and did know the order they would die in – and died after the first shock but Ethel needed five shocks before she died. They were survived by two boys, who were later adopted by another family. 

In 1846 – The first baseball game between separate teams under rules established by Alexander Cartwright is played, with the New York Nine defeating the New York Knickerbockers 23-1 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Cartwright’s rules called for, among other things, three outs in an inning, which were called hands back then, balls being pitched and not thrown, and provisions for balks. The Knickerbocker name remains the oldest nickname in American sports, carried on today by the New York Knicks of the NBA. 

In 1970 – The Beatles are at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart for the second of four consecutive weeks with Let It Be. It was the 14th and final #1 album for the group and the album went to #1 in six other countries, including Italy, Norway, and Great Britain. The album produced three chart singles, including the #1s Let It Be and The Long and Winding Road. The album was released with a documentary of the same name and earned the Beatles the Grammy Award for Best Original Score for a Motion Picture or Television Show and won an Oscar for Best Original Film Score.

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

We are going to sing so that they will remember this for the rest of their lives. There is no other reason to do it, folks, none.
Garrison Keillor
Love Me

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The major league record for most hits in a game is nine, by Johnny Burnett of the Cleveland Indians in a 1932 18-inning game. The nine-inning record is seven, done twice, by Rennie Stennet of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1975 and Wilbert Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles (NL) in 1892. 

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

How many people were executed in the electric chair at Sing Sing prison? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/June 18, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things.

1. Stand With Trump – Good gravy GOP, you can’t do better than standing with a twice-indicted blowhard who admits to grabbing women by the p*ssy and believes the moon is part of Mars???…A man with blood on his hands from an ignorant and incompetent COVID response???…A man who lies to himself as often as he lies to you???…Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters genuinely curious as to which of these elements continues to solidify your support. 

2. Toronto Maple Leafs – Add Vegas Golden Knights to list of teams who didn’t exist last time you won Stanley Cup in 1967…Maybe Leafs will win Cup before 2030 expansion teams in Quebec City, Portland manage to hoist trophy…Maybe not.

3. Mass Shootings – The 3-hole staple…A banner week for our violent, bickering country with 22 mass shootings – defined as shootings with at least four killed and/or injured – accounting for 17 deaths and 85 wounded, a marked improvement over last week’s nine dead and 52 wounded.  

4. Fat Kids In America – Headline heralded amount of weight being lost by fat teenagers with drugs and surgery, but Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters – who’ve fought this battle for a long time – remain “pretty sure” another good way to lose weight is to eat less food…This isn’t always easy, tho its effectiveness increases with regular exercise. 

5. Juneteenth – It’s good to commemorate the end of slavery in America, but all June 19th commemorates is Texas telling their slaves they’re free, a mere two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation and then only because there were federal troops there encouraging them to do it…Slavery in US would end the following December when the 13th Amendment ended it in Rhode Island and Kentucky. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

Sure, why not; it’s Read Free Sunday (RFS) at The Diary. 

The Diary of a Nobody -Sparrow handles some cash at the hotel. Today’s Diary.

There were, however, 68 ones, so we went to the safe – which, fortunately, we now know how to open – and exchanged 50 of them for ten fivers, a fair trade. 

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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.

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 1178 – Five monks in Canterbury, England report seeing an event on the moon that is now believed by some – though not everyone – to have caused the Giordano Bruno crater. The monks reported seeing a “flaming torch” and that the moon “writhed, as it were in anxiety”. The crater is, barely, on the far side of the moon and can sometimes be seen from Earth. Giordano Bruno was a 16th-century Italian cosmological theorist and philosopher.

In 1953 – Gene Stephens of the Boston Red Sox ties the major league record for most hits in an inning in a 23-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. Stephens had three hits in the seventh inning – a double and two singles – to tie the record established by three Chicago White Stockings (now the Cubs) in an 1883 game and the mark was tied by Johnny Damon of the Red Sox in 2003. The Red Sox got 17 runs in the inning. 

In  2005 – Mariah Carey is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the third of 14 non-consecutive weeks with We Belong Together, her 17th of 19 #1 songs. The song also went to #1 in Australia, peaked at #2 in Great Britain, at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was their #1 song of the year. It was the sixth song in the Hot 100 era to spend at least 14 weeks at the top, and the second time Carey had done it (One Sweet Day, with Boyz II Men, 16 weeks, 1995-96) and she remains the only act to do it twice. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Artists fall in love, of course, but love isn’t their primary gift. They love…the use of their genius.
Saul Bellow
Ravelstein 

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The 1973 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Male was won by Harry Nilsson for Without You. 

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

Who holds the major league record for most hits in a game? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/June 17, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience. 

Leading Off remains MIA while we work on a project.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has the latest MPG figure for the new ride. Today’s Diary. 

Regular readers of this crap know this is a full MPG better than last week, tho based on a casual glance at the odometer and the gas gauge, we thought it would be higher. 

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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.

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 1972 – What would become the Watergate scandal begins when five men, who would turn out to be White House operatives, are arrested for burgling the offices of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate building in Washington, D.C. The scandal stemmed not from the break-in but from the Nixon Administration’s attempts to cover up White House involvement. The scandal culminated with President Richard Nixon’s resignation in August 1974 and the five burglars either pled guilty or were convicted at trial. 

In 1943 – Joe Cronin of the Boston Red Sox becomes the first major league player to hit pinch-hit home runs in both games of a doubleheader in a 5-4 win and an 8-7 loss to the Philadelphia Athletics. Cronin, the Boston manager, had a three-run, two-out home run in the seventh inning of the opener and a three-run home run in the eighth inning of the second game. The feat was matched by Hal Breeden of the Montreal Expos in 1973. 

In 1972 – Sammy Davis, Jr is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the second of three consecutive weeks with The Candy Man. It was the eighth Top 40 hit for Davis, his second and final Top 10 hit, and remains his only #1 song. The song spent 21 weeks on the chart, including 16 weeks in the Top 40 and seven weeks in the Top Ten, and was Billboard’s fifth-biggest song of the year. The song earned Davis a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, in 1973. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

A man’s life is interesting primarily when he has failed — I well know. For it’s a sign that he tried to surpass himself.
Georges Clemenceau

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Besides Jay Clarke in 1902, who hit eight, there have been three instances of minor leaguers hitting five home runs in a game. Lou Frierson, 1934, Jacksonville Jax, West Dixie League, Ceil Dunn, 1936, Alexandria Aces, Evangeline League, and Dick Lane, Muskegon Clippers, Central League. 

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

Who won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Male in 1973? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!