Friends, if you’re ready to stop fitting into the slots others have assigned you, then you’re ready for The Life 101 Project.
The Life 101 Project: Start summiting your mountains today.
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The Course: https://tinyurl.com/4dbw3t5z
The Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/479zxeeh
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The Daily Dose/May 1, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
AND SO IT STARTS…: The Republican Party’s plan to turn our country into an autocracy took its latest step Thursday when Louisiana postponed its Congressional primaries. It did this to take advantage of this week’s US Supreme Court opinion upholding a lower court ruling that disallowed specially drawn Congressional districts that favored Black voters.
Dry, Technical Matter: The postponement will allow the GOP to redraw Louisiana’s Congressional districts to eliminate historically Black districts before the election is reinstated. They are rigging the election right before our eyes.
America…The Soviet Union On Line 2: This is bad, friends. Think about it: a state has postponed an election for the sole reason of getting more members of the ruling party elected. This happens in banana republics and African countries that stage military coups. This does not happen in America. Or should not. Until it does.
This Is How Dictatorships Are Started: And you don’t have to be Leonid Brezhnev to strongly suspect this will not be the only time the Republicans will do this. They will do whatever you and me – we the people – let them get away with. Those who think they will not try to cancel November’s midterms or void unacceptable results are deluding themselves.
The Bottom Line: A hundred years from now, all new people will marvel that we gave the bullying and ignorance of Donald Trump the time of day. And this is what his bullying and ignorance have gotten us: a Congressional primary being postponed to get more seats for the ruling party. This is wrong, but this is America right now. The GOP will get away with whatever we let them. It is up to you and me – we the people – to say no.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow and David talk about other life in the universe. Today’s Diary.
…we told him our opinion is a case can be made either way for there being other life in the universe.
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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 1997 – The Labour Party wins the United Kingdom general election, with Tony Blair being elected prime minister. Labour won decisively, winning 418 seats in the House of Commons, while the Conservative Party took 165 and the Liberal Democrats took 46. Blair replaced John Major as prime minister, and would serve until June 2007, when he was replaced Gordon Brown.
In 1920 – The Brooklyn Robins and the Boston Braves establish a new major league record for the longest game in a 1-1 tie at Braves Field. The teams played 26 innings before the game was called because of darkness, and broke the record of 24 innings, done in 1906, when the Philadelphia Athletics defeated the Boston Americans 4-1, and the record still stands. The game was not picked up from that point, and was declared a tie. Boston’s Charlie Pick remains the only player to go 0-for-11 in a big league game.
In 1982 – Alabama is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the only week with Mountain Music. The song also went #1 country in Canada, and peaked at #1 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under The Hot 100 chart, and was Billboard’s 24th-biggest country song of the year. It was the sixth of 32 #1 country songs for the group and band member Randy Owen said the song took him three years to write.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
Albert Einstein
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
Jerry West of the Los Angeles Lakers was the leading scorer in the 1969 NBA Finals, averaging 37.9 points per game.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
When did prime minster officially become the name of the principal minister of the crown and the head of the British cabinet? – Answer next time!
Valued Reader(s),
Your Daily Dose will return.
Click here to read today’s installment in The Diary of a Nobody.
The Daily Dose/April 29, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
Editor’s Note: Today is the 150th anniversary of Louisville Grays first baseman John Carbine making five errors in a game in 1876. The record still stands and is the oldest record in the major league record book, and today’s Leading Off segment is authored by Mr Carbine.
Editor’s Note II: this item first ran in 2020.
HEY BATTER, BATTER…SWING: Hi baseball fans, John Carbine here. Thank you for remembering me. I was not a very good major league baseball player. 1876 was my only year in the NL and I had ten errors in my seven games for the Louisville Grays. I was the classic no-field, no-hit first baseman – never in any particular demand – and batted .160 and was released in June.
Baseball was real popular back then, but as a business, it was kind of hit and miss for a while, and it’s good to see the NL still going strong.
Dry, Technical Matter: The previous season, I had played with the Keokuk Westerns of the National Association (NA). Now, I know some of you don’t consider the NA a major league. The major league record book doesn’t. Clubs came and went – my Westerns only played 13 games – and schedules were changed on the fly from time to time, but it was the highest level of pro ball back then, and I always told folks I played two major league seasons.
Quote That Sucker: I remember after the game, my manager John Chapman said, “Christ, Carbine, we knew you weren’t any good, but we didn’t know you were that bad. Five errors could be tough to top.”
Ol’ Chap was a funny guy, and we got a chuckle out of that line, but we didn’t have those big gloves you have now, and fielding was tough. But he was right. A couple of other first basemen had five errors later in the year and a couple of others did it too, later, but no first baseman has been bad enough to have ever topped it.
Broad Historical Context: April 29, 1876, was just a few days after the first NL game. In fact, depending on the times the other two games that day started, it was either the ninth, tenth or eleventh game in National League history, so my record is the oldest.
The Bottom Line: I don’t know how many people have played big league ball over the years – Gaylon probably does – and most of them don’t make it into the ML record book, so I’ll take it. It’s nice to be remembered.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow faces tragedy at the hotel. Today’s Diary.
We were devastated because we had no replacement pots ready to go, which meant two working men had to wait eight minutes for a fresh pot to be brewed…
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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 1946 – The International Military Tribunal for the Far East convenes in Tokyo, and indictes 28 Japanese leaders on assorted war crimes and crimes against humanity. The trial would begin on May 3, with defense testimony beginning in January. The defense rested in September 1947, and the judges released their verdicts 15 months later. Seven death and 16 life sentences were issued, with three dying in prison and the remainder being paroled the following decade.
In 1969 – The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers establish a new NBA Finals record for fewest assists in a game in an 89-88 Boston win. The teams combined for 21 assists, research into whose record they broke was inconclusive, and the record still stands. Jerry West and Elgin Baylor led with four assists, and the Celtics won the series in seven games.
In 1989 – Shenandoah is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the second and final consecutive week with The Church on Cumberland Road. It was the third of 15 Top 10 country hits for the group and was their first of five #1s. The song also went #1 on the country chart in Canada and was Billboard’s 29th-biggest country song of the year.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
…deep in your belly, you know what is right as well as any gentleman…{righteousness} involves two things: consideration for others and loyalty to others.
Gore Vidal
Creation
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
The all-time major league record for consecutive losses is 26, by the Louisville Colonels of the American Association in 1889.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Who was the leading scorer in the 1969 NBA Finals? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/April 28, 2026
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 sees someone he hasn’t seen a long time. Today’s Diary!
In fact, we didn’t even recognize her at first, tho we did recognize her mom, a rather distinctive woman with a shock of white hair you could file a snow report on…
———
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 1983 – The German magazine Stern begins publishing excerpts from a diary believed to have been written by Adolf Hitler. Stern had bought the rights for $3.7 million, which then sold serialization rights to other news outlets. The diary had actually been written by a German named Konrad Kujau, who had been producing fake Hitler diaries for a few years and later served three years in prison
In 1988 – The Baltimore Orioles establish a new American League record for most consecutive losses in a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins. It was the 21st consecutive loss for the Orioles, breaking the record of 20 straight losses that had been done by three other American League teams. The record was tied by the 2024 Chicago White Sox and still stands.
In 1951 – Les Paul and Mary Ford are at #1 on Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart – a predecessor to the Hot 100 – for the first of nine consecutive weeks with How High the Moon. It was the second of three pop #1s for the duo, and the song also went to #1 on Billboard’s Most Played by Jockey and Most Played in Juke Boxes charts. Paul and Ford were the first married couple to have a #1 song on a Billboard chart, a feat that no longer has any statistical significance.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
History and our own conscience will judge us harshly if we do not now make every effort to test our hopes by action.
John F Kennedy
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
Walter Johnson broke Cy Young’s career strikeout record in 1921 with his 2,804th career strikeout.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Which team holds the major league record for most consecutive losses? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/April 27, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
READY…AIM…FIRE: Last week, the federal government announced it had instructed the Justice Department to look into other methods of execution, as carrying out lethal injections becomes more and more difficult.
The federal execution protocol should include other manners of execution.
Most news reports focused on the return of firing squads, but the report directs the Department to consider electrocution and the gas chamber, too. It is part of their plan to increase the number of executions, both by making it easier to carry out executions and by seeking the death penalty in more federal cases.
Oh Yeah: Currently, five states – Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah – allow for firing squad executions. The last one occured in South Carolina in March of last year, and our research did not show any federal government firing squad executions at any time in US history.
Dry, Technical Matter: There is no need to start stockpiling ammunition now, as there are now only three people on federal death row. In December 2024, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of the 37 other condemned inmates to life in prison.
Get Your Official Daily Dose Policy Right Here: This country has executed innocent people. To deny that in either a circumstantial or intrinsic context is folly. For that reason, the death penalty must be abolished. Other reasons for the death penalty, like public safety and deterrence, do not pass muster, either. The only thing the death penalty is good for is vengeance.
The Bottom Line: Mankind has been putting people to death as punishment for crimes since time immemorial. You would think that our species would’ve moved away from it as we’ve evolved over the centuries – we used to eat our prisoners of war, too – but we haven’t. We deserve better than this, frankly. The death penalty in the US should’ve been done away with long ago.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow again quizzes Robert about last night’s pizza. Today’s Diary.
Recall it tasted sweet, and under initial questioning, Roberto confessed to having put honey on it, tho he declined to disclose whether his Jamaican or Chinese heritage made him do it…
———
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 2018 – North and South Korea sign the Panmunjom Declaration in the Peace Building, on the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area at the 39th Parellel. The two countries agreed to work to end the Korean War, which is still technically active, and to promote prosperity and reunification. The agreement is no longer in force, with North Korea suspending it in 2023 and South Korea doing so the following year.
In 1983 – Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros establishes a new major league record for most career strikeouts in a 4-2 win over the Montreal Expos. Ryan’s 8th-inning strikeout of Brad Mills was the 3,509th of his career, breaking the record established by Walter Johnson from 1907-27. Ryan retired in 1993 with 5,714 strikeouts, still the all-time mark. Pat Jarvis of the Atlanta Braves was Ryan’s first strikeout victim, on Sept 11, 1966.
In 1974 – MFSB & the Three Degrees are at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second and final consecutive week with TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia). It was the first of five chart singles for MFSB – a collection of Philadelphia session musicians – and remains their only Top 40 hit. It was the first of two Top 40 hits for the Three Degrees and was their only #1. The song also went to #1 in Canada and Spain, peaked at #22 in Great Britain, at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was their 7th-biggest song of the year.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
She’d often observed that people generally lived up to whatever expectations they had of themselves.
Emily Brightwell
The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
The conspirators behind the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln also planned on murdering Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward. Johnson’s assigned killer decided to get drunk instead of carrying out his assigned task, though Seward barely survived his attack.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Whose career strikeout record did Walter Johnson break? – Answer next time!
