The Daily Dose/Sunday, June 23, 2024
The Daily Dose/June 23, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things.
1. Israel/Hamas War – Israeli Army creating more memories by killing children waiting for aid after previous attacks had already ruined their lives…Might as well finish the job, I guess…Israel long ago gained tactical, military advantage, and current slaughter of innocent women and children constitutes planet’s latest geonocide.
2. Biden/Trump Debates – Official SB5 sportsbook putting over/under on Alzheimer’s moments for both candidates at 13.5…America deserves better than candidates with an average age of 79.5 years, but America can’t be bothered to demand better right now…We’re too well-entertained and well-fed.
3. USA! USA! – The 3-hole staple…Seven decades of TV being focal of American life coming home to roost, with US scheduled to collapse thanks to ignorance and perpetual war before this half-century is out…Americans now prefer to be told what we want to hear rather than what we need to hear, now preferring appeasement to accomplishment.
4. Los Angeles Lakers – Once proud organization scrambling now, reduced to hiring articulate, basketball geek with zero (0) head coaching experience…Team grasping at straws now, with last five (5) head coaches each getting fired after two years…SB5 pollsters strongly suspect J.J. Reddick will not break that trend.
5. Fact Focus – Click here for a summary of some things that some people believed, though they really shouldn’t have…Courtesy of the AP.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
Indeed, it is Read Free Sunday at The Diary.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow can’t get into the gym. Today’s Diary.
This is our first workout since getting our new phone Friday, so, needless to say, the app wasn’t set up yet…We go to do that and we’re told they sent us an email with instructions on how to do that…Boo for that because email hadn’t been set up, either…
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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1611 – Mariner Henry Hudson, his son, and others are set adrift in a boat in Hudson Bay following a mutiny on the Discovery. Problems had begun when the ice melted in the spring and Hudson wanted to press on with the voyage, while most of his crew wanted to go home. The mutineers were arrested when they returned to England, and while some went to trial, no one was punished, and the Hudson party was never heard from again.
In 1922 – Walter Hagen becomes the first American to win the British Open, shooting a final round 72 to defeat Jim Barnes and George Duncan by a stroke. It was the first of four British Open titles for Hagen and his third of twelve majors. Hagen earned £75 for the win, about $2,100 in today’s money. The tournament was held at the Royal St George’s Golf Club in Kent, England, it’s fifth of 15 Opens, the last in 2011.
In 1962 – George Jones is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot C&W Sides chart – for the sixth and final consecutive week with She Thinks I Still Care. Later in 1962, Connie Francis peaked at #57 on the Hot 100 with the song and in 1974, Anne Murray went #1 country with it. It was the third of 13 #1 country hits for Jones, who has said initially he did not want to record the song.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
The ox must plow the furrow, the nightingale must sing, the dolphin must swim, and I must fight.
Frederick the Great
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The leading money winner in the history of the Senior PGA tour is Bernhard Langer, with $35,964,414.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
How many hits on the Hot 100 did George Jones have in his career? – Answer next time!
The Diary of a Nobody/June 22
It is Read Free Sunday (RFS) at The Diary.
It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life…
Saturday, June 2
The hotel was sold out tonite…There was one last nite, too, but this my first in a while, with the Assistant Front Desk Manager (AFDM) noting our Sold Out Bonus (SOB) tonite was $46 and change….Regular readers of this crap know this isn’t great – sometimes it’s double that – but it’s better than no SOB.
The Daily Dose/Saturday, June 22, 2024
The Daily Dose/June 22, 2024
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 tosses his phone in the washer, and is obliged to get a new one. Today’s Diary.
They worked out…Wonderfually and brilliantly…For just $5 or $6 more a month, here’s what we got…
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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 – France declares war on Russia, leading to Napoleon’s invasion two days later. Napoleon invaded with five columns and occupied Moscow by September. The occupation lasted 36 days, with Muscovites setting fire to much of the city. Faced with dwindling supplies and the first snows, Napoleon abandoned the city on October 19, and in December, the war ended in a Russian victory.
In 1980 – The Senior PGA Tour concludes its inaugural tournament, the Atlantic City Senior Invitational at the Atlantic City Country Club, with Don January defeating Mike Souchak by two strokes. The tour had four tournaments that year, including two majors, the first US Senior Open and the Senior PGA, a tournament started in 1937. The tour would later become the Champions Tour and today is the PGA Tour Champions.
In 1974 – Gordon Lightfoot is at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart for the first of two consecutive weeks with Sundown. It was the fifth of 13 chart albums for Lightfoot and remains his only #1. The album also went to #1 in Lightfoot’s native Canada and produced two chart singles, the #1 Sundown and the Top 10 song Carefree Highway.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
To feel myself living, that is the main thing.
Philippe Petit
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The Beatles have spent 59 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, fourth on the all-time list behind Mariah Carey (93), Elvis Presley (79), and Rihanna (60).
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Who is the leading money winner in the history of the Senior PGA Tour? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Friday, June 21, 2024
Your Daily Dose is enjoying a day off. It will return.
Click here to read today’s entry in The Diary of a Nobody.
The Daily Dose/Thursday, June 20, 2024
The Daily Dose/June 20, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
GET OUT YOUR ERRATUM SLIPS: On Saturday, May 25, in this space, we noted that Post Malone had become the fifth act in the Hot 100 era to have hit #1 on Billboard’s pop, soul, and country charts when his latest hit, with Morgan Wallen, was at #1 on both pop and country charts. It was Malone’s first country #1.
Yay: Our glee was total, too, because the item was dated Today, meaning we nailed the accomplishment the day it happened because new Billboard charts come out on Saturday. We were pleased with ourselves and happy for our valued reader(s).
Fly In The Ointment: We were wrong though, because it turns out Malone was the sixth person to have turned the trick.
We Are Not Making This Up: The fifth person was – and, again, we are not making this up – Beyonce – Beyonce!!! She had already accumulated nine pop and ten soul #1s, and earlier this year her song Texas Hold ‘Em spent ten consecutive weeks at #1 on the country chart. So she was the fifth, joining the Everly Brothers, Elvis, Ray Charles, and – of all people – Billy Ray Cyrus and preceding Malone.
Warm, Personal Remembrance: Ages ago, while working security in Las Vegas, we happened to meet Beyonce while supervising her security detail. Nice girl, though she was always behind schedule.
In Other News: We listened to this song and it’s pretty good. If Reba or Tanya – or any one of a dozen of country’s great lady voices – had done it, it would’ve done well, too, and perhaps have even become a standard.
The Bottom Line: Completely whiffing on one of our favorite pieces of chart history stung. We don’t work in the Billboard PR office, but we keep tabs on the charts in a manner that would cause Casey Kasem to achieve and maintain a state of arousal and we missed this. We should’ve thought of it, too, frankly, the instant we saw a pic of Beyonce in a cowboy hat. But for reasons that may never be clear, we never put two and two together. Apologies are issued.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow pays a bill in person. Today’s Diary.
…and, odd for the third decade of the 21st century, they do not offer a link so you can pay online…You’re expected to send a 19th-century check or kick it Middle Ages and come by and pay it in person.
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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 1782 – The Congress of the Confederation adopts the Great Seal of the United States. The seal authenticates certain government documents, like treaty ratifications, ambassador appointments, and warrants. The current seal was made in 1903, is kept at the State Department, and is used between 2,000 and 3,000 times a year. The seal has a reverse side, consisting of a 13-step pyramid with an eye above it, that is never used as a seal.
In 1960 – Floyd Patterson becomes the first person to regain the world heavyweight title, defeating Ingemar Johannson of Sweden with a 5th-round knockout at the Polo Grounds in New York City. Patterson had lost the title to Johannson the year before and would beat him in another rematch the following year. Patterson would lose the title to Sonny Liston in 1962 and these remain the only world title fights for Johannson.
In 1970 – The Beatles are at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the second and final consecutive week with The Long and Winding Road. The song also went to #1 in Canada, was not released as a single in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 41st-biggest song of the year. It was the group’s 20th and final #1 song, a Hot 100 record that still stands. The song only spent ten weeks on the Hot 100, all in the Top 40, including six weeks in the Top 10, and jumped to the #1 spot from #10.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
When their turn in the spotlight of History came, these people challenged the accepted thinking of their day.
David J Peck
Or Perish in the Attempt: Wilderness Medicine in the Lewis & Clark Expedition
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The largest margin of victory in the Belmont States was 31 lengths by Secretariat in 1973.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
How many weeks did the Beatles spend at #1 on the Hot 100? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Wednesday, June 19, 2024
The Daily Dose/June 19, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
Leading Off will return tomorrow. Promise.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow turns the heater on at The Shire. Today’s Diary.
It was chilly today and when turned in, with the windows open, the temperature inside the cabin was only 61°…It wasn’t going to get a whole hell of a lot warmer outside, so we shut the windows and turned on the heater…It fired right up, and we set the thermostat to 68°…
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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 1865 – US Army troops led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger informs slaves in Galveston, Texas they are free. The Emancipation Proclamation had freed slaves in the rebel states two years earlier, but Texas officials neglected to inform their slaves. The day is now celebrated as Juneteenth, with celebrations starting in Texas the following year and spreading throughout the South. Slavery in the US officially ended in the United States the following December when the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution abolished it in Kentucky and Rhode Island.
In 1867 – The first Belmont Stakes is run, with Ruthless defeating De Courcey by a head at Jerome Park Racetrack, then in Westchester County, now part of the Bronx. The winning jockey was Gilbert W Patrick and the winning purse was $1,850, about $31,000 in today’s money. Jerome Park was the first of five sites of the Belmont, followed by Morris Park, Belmont Park, Aqueduct, and this year at Saratoga.
In 1993 – Janet Jackson is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the sixth of eight consecutive weeks with That’s the Way Love Goes. The song went to #1 in four other countries, peaked at #2 in Great Britain, earlier spent four weeks at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart, was their 4th-biggest song of the year, their 17th-biggest of the decade, and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. It remains the most weeks spent at #1 for a song by any member of the Jackson family and was her sixth of ten #1s.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Why are you doing this?/I want to./Is that all?/I should think that that was everything.
Gore Vidal
Empire
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The American, man or woman, with the most time in outer space is Peggy Whitson with 665 days.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What was the largest margin of victory in the Belmont Stakes? – Answer next time!