The Daily Dose/June 2, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things.

1. GOP – Party of Lincoln now reduced to unwavering support for ignorant, lying, convicted felon unable to take responsibility for anything…Other factors compelling support is previous admission to grabbing women by the pussy, in-depth knowledge of how Continental Army won Revolution by securing British airports…We can do better than Donald Trump – and Joe Biden, for that matter – but Americans too lazy now to put required work in.

2. Fact Check – American Revolution lasted from 1775-83…The Wright Brothers flew the first plane in 1903…100 years from now, people will wonder how Americans tolerated a candidate who believed otherwise. 

3. Mass Shootings – The 3-hole staple…2024 mass shootings continue to post solid – if not spectacular – numbers in 2024, with eleven (11) mass shootings – defined as one with four (4) or more (more) casualties – this week producing 17 dead, including three (3) shooters, with 38 wounded down significantly from last week…With election, US collapse both gaining steam, this item in danger of losing coveted, weekly spot in 3-hole.   

4. USA! USA! Our social divides are so deep now that Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters have moved the US Collaspe Doomsday Clock from before this half-century is out to the middle of next week… Seventy years into TV being the focal point of American life, Americans are well-entertained and well-fed enough to now prefer appeasement to accomplishment, with only satisfaction coming from being told what they want to hear. 

5. Donald Trump Fact Check – It’s back!!!…Click here for a recap of falsehoods uttered by Trump in the wake of his 34 felony convictions…With election nearing and more felony trials still to come, Sunday Bottom 5 polls “pretty sure” Donald Trump Fact Check will keep fact-checkers busy 24/7 for foreseeable future…If mass shootings don’t pick up, item could become new 3-hole staple.  

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

It’s Read Free Sunday (RFS) at The Diary.

The Diary of a Nobody – There are plumbing problems at the hotel. Today’s Diary. 

We have arriving guests, and this poses a problem: Do you check guests into a hotel that might lose water, or do you tell them to go somewhere else???…

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

In 1692 – The Salem Witch Trials begin, with Bridget Bishop going on trial, accused of bewitching five girls. She would be found guilty and was executed on June 10, though she was exonerated of her crimes in 2001 by Massachusets lawmakers. The witch trials ended the following May with 30 convictions and 19 executions, with one dying under torture and five more dying in jail. 

In 1973 – Margaret Court of Australia wins the French Open, defeating Chris Evert of the US 6-7, 7-6, 6-4. It was the fifth and final French Open title for Court, and her 23rd of a record 24 major singles titles and was the first of two runner-up finishes for Evert, to go with a record seven championships. Court also won the women’s doubles title with Virginia Wade, her 59th of a record 64 overall major titles. 

In 1984 – Deniece Williams is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Let’s Hear It For the Boy. It was Williams’ fourth and final Top 40 hit, her third Top 10 hit, and her second #1. The song also went to #1 in Canada, peaked at #2 in Great Britain, was in its first of three consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was Billboard’s 13th-biggest song of the year.

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

When a priest explained to Antisthenes how many good things the virtuous will enjoy after death, he asked, “Why, then, do you not die?
Will Durant
The Story of Civilization, Vol. II: The Life of Greece

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Florida Georgia Line broke the record of 21 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s country chart which had been done three times: I’ll Hold You In My Heart (Until I Can Hold You In Arms (Eddy Arnold, 1947), I’m Movin’ On (Hank Snow, 1950, and In the Jailhouse Now (Webb Pierce, 1955. 

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

Which movie soundtrack did Let’s Hear It For the Boy come from? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/June 1, 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 fusses over the cat. Today’s Diary. 

It was what she had eaten an hour earlier, and didn’t look a whole lot different regurgitated on the kitchen table than it did in her bowl…Still, tho, we resisted the urge to feed it to her again.

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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 1495 – The production of Scotch whiskey is mentioned for the first time, in the exchequer (revenue) rolls of Scotland. The batch was produced by a friar named John Cor and it quickly became a favorite of King James IV. Little is otherwise known of Cor, who was probably a pharmacist by trade. Whiskey comes from a Gaelic word meaning ‘water of life’. 

In 2019 – Mexican-American Anthony Ruiz wins the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles, defeating Anthony Joshua of Great Britain with a 7th-round TKO at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Joshua would regain the titles in a rematch in December in Saudi Arabia with a unanimous decision. Ruiz has only fought twice since losing the title to Joshua, going 2-0, with a third fight scheduled for August, and Joshua lost the title to Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in 2021. 

In 2013 – Florida Georgia Line is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for the twelfth of a then-record 24 non-consecutive weeks with Cruise, their first of six #1 country songs. The song also went #1 country in Canada, peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 and spent 66 weeks on the chart, including 28 weeks in the Top 10 and ten weeks at #2. The record for most weeks at #1 on Billboard’s country chart is now 50 weeks by Meant To Be, by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line in 2017-18. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

If we would only give, just once, the same amount of reflection to what we want to get out of life that we give to the question of what to do with two weeks vacation, we would be startled at our false standards and the aimless procession of our busy days.
Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The winning pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1937 game that broke Carl Hubbel’s major league record 24-game winning streak was Fred Frankhouse. 

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

Whose record for most weeks at #1 on Billboard’s country chart did Florida Georgia Line break? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/May 31, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE JURY: An interesting aspect of Donald Trump’s convictions is that they really don’t change anything. He is still an ignorant blatherskite and his base will still believe everything he chooses to spoonfeed them, including how this trial was rigged against him. He will still be the Republican nominee for president. 

Dry, Technical Matter: Look, if his base hasn’t deserted him yet, they’re not going to. They long ago decided ignorance, incompetence, impeachment, and insurrection aren’t barriers to their support, so why would a mere 34 criminal convictions change anything? 

USA! USA!: For a while now, we’ve been in a post-knowledge America, where all that matters is our preferred candidates telling us what we want to hear. Facts and truth – not to mention character – don’t matter anymore, so American life is paced by a liar, a sexual predator who admits to grabbing women by the pussy, and an idiot who believes the moon is part of Mars. We can do better than this but, collectively, we choose not to. 

Crystal Ball Me: A hundred years from now, people – perhaps some Americans, if any are still around – will look back at the Trump Era, scratch their heads, and wonder what we were thinking, allowing a man of zero moral, political, or intellectual substance to take center stage in American life. They will see an America that, collectively, is simply not as smart as it used to be. They will note an America that could’ve demanded better but chose to shrug and accept being led by an idiot. 

 The Bottom Line: Donald Trump should’ve been dismissed out of hand the day after he announced his candidacy for the 2016 GOP nomination. He should’ve been dismissed by the media and dismissed by the electorate. He wasn’t, though, and ignorance has been America’s calling card ever since. Combined with our perpetual wars and mindless spending, America remains far closer to the oblivion that awaits us than the influence and prestige we once had.  

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow does the lawn. Today’s Diary. 

Recall it rained yesterday, putting all lawncare plans in flux for today but – in the Upset of the Year – we really didn’t want to put it off until Friday…

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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. 

Editor’s Note: Due to time constraints, these items have run before. 

In 1889 – The Johnstown Flood occurs, after the failure of the South Fork Dam in southeastern Pennsylvania. The failure occurred after several days of unprecedented rainfall, unleashing 3.8 billion gallons of water from Lake Conemaugh on the area. It took about an hour for the waters, 60 feet high and traveling at about 40 miles per hour,  to hit Johnstown, killing over 2,200 people, at the time the largest loss of civilian life in US history. Survivor’s inability to collect damages from the dam’s owners led to major changes in American liability law. 

In 1937 – Pitcher Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants has his major league record of 24 consecutive victories end, taking the decision in a 10-3 loss to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Hubbell gave up two runs in both the first and third innings and one more in the fourth before coming out of the game. Hubbel had broken the record 19 consecutive wins established by Tim Keefe (1888) and Rube Marquard (1912) both also with the New York Giants. The streak had started on July 17, 1936,  included five relief appearances and does include Hubbell’s loss in Game 4 of the 1936 World Series. 

In 1980 – Lipps, Inc. is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of four consecutive weeks with Funkytown. The song went to #1 in eleven other countries, including Norway and Israel, peaked at #2 in both in Great Britain and on Billboard’s soul chart, and was the magazine’s eighth biggest song of the year. The song returned to the Hot 100 in 1986 when a version by Pseudo Echo peaked at #6.

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

History will hand out the medals. Our problem is to win the battle.
Jean-Francois Steiner
Treblinka

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Shawn Green of the Los Angeles Dodgers holds the major league record for most total bases in a game with 19 in 2002. 

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

Who was the winning pitcher in the 1937 game that broke Carl Hubbel’s record winning streak? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/May 30, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME…AGAIN: Yesterday we discussed the recent inclusion of statistics from the Negro Leagues into the major league (ML) record book. 

About Time: It is neither possible – nor, frankly, particularly desirable – to hold the ML record book with greater reverence than we do and our reaction when this news was positive. Like whites in the National and American leagues, Blacks were playing against the best competition allowed by social custom and having the Negro Leagues recognized as a major league was long overdue. 

The Morning After: There are a couple of quibbles, neither of which affect our support. One, the Negro Leagues seldom played more than 80 games in a season, while the major leagues have been playing at least 140 games since 1900. This affects rate statistics – those with a decimal point – because playing 80 games in a season is easier than playing the 162 games scheduled now and it is fair to wonder how 80-game per-game averages would hold up over a season that is twice as long. 

And In This Corner: Something else we are whining about is the Negro League numbers aren’t complete, with researchers estimating they’ve chronicled a bit less than three-quarters of Negro League games. 

Dry, Technical Matter: This is really a case of reverse whining though, because this does not affect the stats that were entered this week. They are not going to go down, only up, if and when the remaining games are chronicles. 

Fly In The Ointment: This somewhat violates the statistical principle that everything that happens in a major league game is chronicled, but that’s all right, though, because it means that stats for Negro League players will only compound. We can live with that. 

The Bottom Line: The above quibbles notwithstanding, we’re looking forward to getting our hands on the 2025 record books incorporating these changes. They should’ve been included ages ago, but we’re humans, not images on stained glass windows and sometimes things like this take time. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow may not be able to mow the lawn tomorrow. Today’s Diary. 

It didn’t rain for all that long, but it came down pretty good, so who knows if we’ll be able to…

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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 1854 – The Kansas/Nebraska Act becomes law after being signed by President Franklin Pierce. The law established Kansas and Nebraska as territories of the US, with residents deciding the legality of slavery. The act had the practical effect of repealing the Missouri Compromise, which had prohibited slavery north of 36 degrees, 30 minutes north latitude, a line which both territories were north of. Kansas became a state in 1861, Nebraska in 1867, 

In 1894 – Bobby Lowe of the Boston Beaneaters establishes new major league records for most home runs and total bases in a game in a 20-11 win over the Cincinnati Reds in the second game of a doubleheader. Lowe hit four home runs, to break the record of three done five times previously and the mark has been tied 17 times since. Lowe also had a single, giving him 17 toral bases, breaking the record of 15 done by Guy Hecker in 1886. Lowe had gone 0-for-6 in the first game. 

In 1970 – Ray Stevens is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Everything is Beautiful. It was Stevens’s fifth of eight Top 40 hits and his first of two #1 songs. The song also went to #1 in Australia and Canada, peaked at #6 in Great Britain, at #22 on Billboard’s country chart, and was Billboard’s 12th-biggest song of the year. It earned Stevens the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, his first of two Grammy awards. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Mackenzie was a good guy, but he was a guy after all, not an image on a stained glass window.
William Irish
After-Dinner Story

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Ralph Boston of the US broke the world long jump record six times. He died last year at 83. 

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

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

Share Gaylon! Go!