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The Course: https://tinyurl.com/4dbw3t5z
The Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/479zxeeh
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The Daily Dose/August 22, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes From Around Our Human Experience
USA! USA!: America’s national debt hit the $40 trillion mark this week, a figure that is almost beyond comprehension. It has doubled since 2017 and is easily the highest on Earth, with China second at $21.4 trillion.
Running The Numbers: Here are some figures associated with our national debt:
The Bottom Line: The numbers are so overwhelming and flummoxing, we couldn’t provide our usual context and witless commentary, and you don’t have to be Alexander Hamilton to know debt at this rate isn’t sustainable. Eventually, that and our perpetual wars will destroy our once-great and once-proud country.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow strikes his usual troubleshooting pose. Today’s Diary.
It certainly wasn’t any place logical, like with other nearby lobby/hallway light switches, and yours truly ended up standing in the middle of the lobby, staring at everything crossly with his hands on his hips…
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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 1642 – The First English Civil War begins, when King Charles I raises his royal standard on a hill near Nottingham Castle. Royalists and Parliamentarians had been bickering for years over the church, taxes, and control of the army, and the war ended with a Parliamentarian victory in 1646. Charles I was later arrested for treason and was executed in 1649.
In 1885 – Richard Sears wins the US National Tennis Championship – now the US Open – defeating Godfrey Brinley 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 in Newport, Rhode Island. It was the fifth of seven national championships for Sears – all consecutive – and remains the only Grand Slam singles final for Brinley. Sears is one of three men to win seven titles, and the only one to do it in consecutive years. The tournament was played in Newport through 1914, when it moved to New York City.
In 1970 – Bread is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the only week with Make It With You. The song also peaked at #2 in Canada, at #5 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 13th-biggest song of the year. It was the first of twelve Top 40 hits for the group, their first of five Top 10 songs, and remains their only #1. The song was written, produced, and sung by Bread front man David Gates.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
All other major disputes on important issues ended in compromise thanks to the fact that the men of power were afraid of the masses and the people held some respect for the senate.
Plutarch
Roman Lives
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
The only Olympics where the US women’s soccer team failed to win a medal was at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, where they lost to Sweden in the quarterfinals.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
When was the first US women’s tennis national championship? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/August 21, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes From Around Our Human Experience
USA! USA!: The last time out here we talked about New York City mayor Zorhan Mamdani’s plans for free daycare for certain residents, and vouchers for others. While researching this, we were reminded that Mamdani had earlier announced plans for city-owned grocery stores.
Dry, Technical Matter: Mamdani wants to put one city grocery store in each of the five boroughs, starting with one in East Harlem next year. Its goal is to offer staples like fresh produce, meats, seafood, dairy, and selected frozen or pantry goods at 30% off prices charged at other grocery stores.
More Dry Technical Matter: They can do this by eliminating the need to make a profit and using city-owned properties, which avoids city fees and taxes.
Please Pass The Dry, Technical Matter: Mamdani is a Democratic Socialist, an exciting element of the party that has seen 38 candidates win primary elections so far.
USA 101: Good gravy, why doesn’t the mayor just go and wipe everybody’s asses for them, too? Governments competing with the free market is not what this country is about. It will undercut small businesses, and the first lawsuits have already been announced.
Fly In The Ointment: This means both major parties are under the influence of their most extreme wings. Democrats are now hell-bent on providing cradle-to-grave coverage for everyone, while the Republicans continue to enable the idiocy of Donald Trump, and it’s now to the point where our country is no longer recognizable to its citizens or the world.
The Bottom Line: There was a time when Americans would not have tolerated either the idiocy of Donald Trump or government-run grocery stores. But we Americans are well fed and well entertained, now. We have full bellies and empty minds, and we are no longer capable of anything hard or great. We deserve better than this – and we are certainly capable of better than this – but we’re not demanding that right now, either of our country or of ourselves.
Editor’s Note: Gaylon is the Libertarian Party’s nominee for Congress from Colorado’s 2nd District. Visit his campaign site here.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow again shows flexibility at the gym.
…our plan to return to Room 2 for the last two deep breathing sets was foiled because of yet another old biddy let’s-lie-down-on-mats-and-yap class.
———
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 1831 – A slave named Nat Turner begins a rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia. Joined by 70 or so slaves and free Blacks, they used knives and hatchets to kill around 70 Whites. The following day, state and local militia killed over 150 Blacks, and the rebellion was completely suppressed on Aug. 23rd. Turner was caught in late October and was tried, convicted, and executed. History refers to the incident as either the Nat Turner Rebellion or the Southampton Rebellion
In 2004 – The US wins the women’s Olympic soccer gold medal with a 1-0 overtime win over Brazil at the Beijing Summer Olympics. It was the second of five Olympic gold medals for the US, and was the first of three silver medals for Brazil, which remains their highest Olympic finish. Earlier in the day, Germany defeated Japan for the bronze medal. Women’s soccer became an Olympic sport at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
In 1982 – Zapp is at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart – then known as the Black Singles chart – for the first of two consecutive weeks with Dance Floor. It was the fourth of nine Top 40 soul hits for the group, their third of five Top 10s, and remains their only #1 song. The song also peaked at #1 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart, and the group’s biggest pop hit was Slow and Easy, which peaked at #43 on the Hot 100 in 1993.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
It was not the practice of Caesar’s men to accept mercy, but to offer it.
Plutarch
Roman Lives
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
USS Constitution’s last combat engagement was on February 20, 1815, when it defeated two British ships off the coast of Portugal.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Which was the only Olympics where the US women failed to win a soccer medal? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose will return.
You are commanded to click here to read today’s entry in The Diary of a Nobody.
Thank you for being here,
It’s Sparrow…An average man passing an average life.
Wednesday, August 19
Sparrow’s Night Off
Ol’ Sparrow’s proverbial Nite Off Cup (DOC) runneth over ebcause for the third consecutive week we had one, and it went very well…Like other nite’s off, we got to the gym and got our rest, had a couple-three snorts, and there were the usual grandiose plans for actually accomplishing things that, as per Standard Sparrow Policy (SSP) didn’t materialize.
The Daily Dose/August 19, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes From Around Our Human Experience
NYC! NYC!: New York City mayor Zorhan Mamdani recently announced many low-income residents will be eligible for free childcare. Mamdani, recently elected, ran on a Democratic Socialist platform, so this announcement is hardly the Upset of the Year.
Dry, Technical Matter: The program has three aspects: eliminating out-of-pocket fees for those already receiving subsidized childcare, a voucher program to help others pay for child care, plus free programs for kids up to three years old. The city is paying most of the cost, though it will also use state and federal funds.
FunFact: It’s hard to make a go of it in America right now, but taking care of us like this is not the purpose of government. The program isn’t for everyone and puts private day care providers in competition with the government, plus good luck depending on state and federal dollars for the long term.
Gaylon For Congress…Vote Early, Vote Often: The very best way to help those who need it is to provide an economy anchored in low taxes and free markets, to put every American in a position to make something good happen for themselves. We don’t have that right now. We are overtaxed, and current policies are driving prices up.
Fly In The Ointment: America is being run by the extreme elements of both major political parties right now. Republicans are enabling the idiocies of Donald Trump, and Democrats want to provide cradle-to-grave coverage for everyone. We deserve better than this.
The Bottom Line: The purpose of American government is to ensure every American has the opportunity to make a go of it and build the life their talents and energies will give them. It’s not doing that right now. Between perpetual war, tariffs, and an Administration hellbent on enriching themselves without regard to us, and Democrats unable to stop it, we deserve better than what we have now, but we are not going to get it until we demand it on Election Day.
Editor’s Note: Gaylon is the Libertarian Party’s nominee for Congress from Colorado’s 2nd District. Visit his campaign site here.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow reports there is another ghost at the hotel. Today’s Diary.
Former maintenance guy Luke always maintained he saw someone in the indoor hot tub long after it had been looked up for the night, and ol’ Sparrow even has a ghost story…
———
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 1812 – The USS Constitution defeats the British ship HMS Guerriere off the coast of Nova Scotia in the War of 1812. In a battle that lasted about an hour, Guerriere was so badly damaged she was scuttled while, despite being made of wood, Constitution earned the nickname Old Ironsides. The Constitution remains in naval service, homeported in Boston, the world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat. The War of 1812 lasted until 1815, with inconclusive results.
1951 – Eddie Gaedel makes his only major league appearance, pinch-hitting in the second game of a doubleheader, a 6-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers. Batting in the bottom of the first inning for leadoff hitter Frank Saucier, Gaedel was walked on four pitches by pitcher Bob Cain and then was immediately replaced by pinch-runner Jim Delsing. Gaedel, a professional entertainer, was 3 feet, 7 inches tall, had a strike zone about the size of a coffee cup, and remains the shortest player to appear in a major league game.
In 1995 – Waterfalls by TLC is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the seventh and final consecutive week. The song also went to #1 in New Zealand and Switzerland, peaked at #4 in Great Britain, was Billboard’s 2nd-biggest song of the year and its 19th-biggest of the decade. It was the second of four #1 songs for the group.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
…all men are ready to change masters in the hope of bettering themselves.
Niccolò Machiavelli
The Prince
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
Billboard’s #1 country song of 1979 was I Just Fall In Love Again by Anne Murray, which spent three weeks at the top. It also peaked at #12 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
When was the last time the USS Constitution engaged in combat? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/August 18, 2026
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 has to adjust on the fly at the gym. Today’s Diary.
That old biddy was holding her let’s-lay-down-on-a-mat-and-yap class in Room 2 this evening, but Room 1 was open, so we got a full 30-minutes of deep breathing in…
———
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 1920 – Women in the US are granted the right to vote when Tennessee ratifies the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. The amendment had passed Congress and been sent to the several states on June 4, 1919, and was first ratified by Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan on June 10. Mississippi was the last state to ratify the 19th Amendment in 1984, and the first women’s suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878.
In 2004 – Adam Nelson of the US and Yumileida Cumba of Cuba win gold medals in the men’s and women’s shot put at the Athens Summer Olympics. The events were held at the Stadium at Olympia, site of events in the Ancient Olympic Games that began in 776 BC, and marked the first time women had competed there. The site was originally scheduled to hold the discus – an event held at the ancient games – but the facility was now too small to hold modern discus throwers.
In 1979 – Mel Tillis is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the only week with Coca-Cola Cowboy. It was the 44th of 68 Top 40 country hits for Tillis, his 25th of 36 Top 10 hits, and his fifth of six #1s in a chart career that ran from 1958-82. The song also went #3 country in Canada and was Billboard’s 22nd-biggest country song of the year.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
…a prince will be fortunate who adjusts his behavior to the temper of the times and on the other hand will not be fortunate when his behavior is not well attuned with the times.
Niccolò Machiavelli
The Prince
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
American writer Richard Halliburton paid the lowest toll ever for a Panama Canal crossing, 36 cents in 1928 when he swam across the entire length of the canal.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What was Billboard’s #1 country song of 1979? – Answer next time!
