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

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

Leading Off will return. Promise.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow reports the weekly Coke order is a doozie. Today’s Diary. 

I know what you’re thinking: wow and double wow, especially considering the economies that had been in place the past couple of weeks…

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It’s easy reading on any device. 

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

In 1946 – Japanese Lt General Masaharu Homma, who led a march of Allied POWs in the Philippines on what History refers to as the Bataan Death March, is executed in the Philippine city of Los Banos. The march lasted from April 9-17, 1942, with Allied prisoners subjected to scarce food and water rations, in addition to beatings and other atrocities. An estimated 600 or so Americans died, with Filipino deaths estimated to be as high as 18,000. 

In 1996 – The St Francis (Ill.) Fighting Saints establish an NCAA all-division record for most runs in a game in a 71-0 victory over the Robert Morris (Ill.) Eagles, an NAIA school. The record still stands and research into whose record the Division II Eagles broke was inconclusive. The Fighting Saints’ 26 first-inning runs established an NCAA all-division record for most runs in an inning that still stands, and Robert Morris decided to call it a day after the fourth inning. The Eagles chipped in 16 errors, which tied the US collegiate record established by NCAA Division III Widener in 1989. 

In 1965 – Roger Miller is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the second of five consecutive weeks with King of the Road. It was the fourth of twelve Top 10 country hits for Miller and was the second and final #1 song in a chart career that spanned from 1960-86. The song also went #1 pop in Norway and Great Britain and peaked at #4 on the Hot 100. In 1997 a version by Randy Travis peaked at #51 on Billboard’s country chart. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Create the individual you admire, then give him to the world.
Wes Watson

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Gene Sarazen won the 1935 Masters, defeating Craig Wood by five strokes in an 18-hole playoff. 

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

Who was the US officer who surrendered American and Filipino forces to the Japanese before the Bataan Death March? – Answer next time!

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

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

OPEN UP THOSE GOLDEN GATES…: A new law in California took effect Monday, raising the pay of certain fast-food workers to $20/hour. This in a state where the minimum wage for everyone else is $16 

The Classic Yay/Boo Scenario: We’re all in favor of raises here at The Daily Dose. In fact, we like to receive them ourselves. However, this is nothing the government should have a hand in; it is something that must be either demanded by the worker or collectively bargained by a union. 

Dry, Technical Matter: The point here is not to discuss the economic effects of minimum wages, about whether or not they do good or whether they merely raise the price of everything to the point where there is no real gain in buying power; we’ve seen credible reports on both sides of the issue. The purpose is to discuss the government’s role in them. 

Get Your Official Daily Dose Policy Right Here: The government must butt out of this. A wage, like any other condition of employment, is an agreement between an employee, or a union, and an employer. The government has no business mandating any other aspect of employment, and they should not be mandating wages, either.

USA! USA! Anyone who is not happy with what they make is free to do three things: 

1. Identify the money they need to make;
2. Find work that pays that much; and 
3. Get the skills and experience required to get that job.

That’s the American way; you get out of this life what you put into it and, frankly, those who are unwilling to put some effort into their working lives deserve what they get at the pay window. Besides, if you’re out of your teens and the minimum wage is still a factor in your life, it is time to reevaluate your job skills. 

The Bottom Line: The Federal government hasn’t raised its minimum wage of $7.50/hour (about $10.85 in today’s dollars) since 2009 so assorted municipalities and states are doing so. And a minimum wage means well. But it is not the government’s job to mandate wages. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has the latest from the hotel’s Information Technology desk. Today’s Diary. 

There are a couple of thumb drives we save reports to: the main one where the nite audit reports are saved and another one for the tax-exempt reports…

———

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 – The Third Battle of Petersburg in the American Civil War is fought with Union troops under Gen. Ulysses S Grant scoring a decisive victory over Confederate troops commanded by Gen. Robert E Lee. The loss was so devastating Lee ordered the evacuation of the Confederate capital of Richmond a few miles north, and the battle marked the end of the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign and the start of the Appomattox Campaign, which would eventually end the war. Union forces would occupy Richmond the following day. 

In 1939 – Ralph Guldahl wins the Masters with a final round 69 to beat Sam Snead by one stroke. It was the only Masters win for Guldahl, who also won the US Open in 1937 and 1938, and was the first of two runners-up finishes for Snead, to go along with three Masters titles. Guldahl’s 72-hole total of 279 broke the Masters record of 282 established by Gene Sarazen and Craig Wood in 1935 and the record is now 268 by Dustin Johnson in 2020. 

In 1988 – Terrence Trent D’Arby is at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart – then known as the Hot Black Singles chart – for the only week with Wishing Well. It was the second of four Top 40 soul hits for D’Arby, his first of three Top 10s, and remains his only #1. The song went #1 pop in Canada and The Netherlands, went #4 pop in Great Britain, and later spent a week at #1 on the Hot 100. D’Arby has been recording as Sananda Maitreya since 2005. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Providence is universal, not particular.
Will Durant
The Story of Civilization, Vol X: Rousseau and Revolution

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The Bee Gees first #1 song on Billboard’s Hot 100 was How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, which spent four weeks at #1 in 1971. 

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

Who won the 1935 Masters? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/April 1, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

QUOTE THAT SUCKER: Today’s Thought for the Day (see below) inspired today’s Leading Off segment. It’s from the book American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham. 

There was nothing foreordained about the future of democracy in the Jackson years. 

USA! USA!: It’s not uncommon nowadays to hear talk of America’s democracy being at stake – more at least at a crossroads – and it got us to thinking. We concluded that rare was the time when the American Experiment wasn’t too far from being felled. 

USA! USA! II: It came pretty close during the Jan 6 insurrection and would’ve succeeded if Trump were courageous and evil, but Donald Trump is neither of those. He is a coward whose only goal is to draw attention to himself. He’s stupid, intellectually lazy, and morally bankrupt, but he is neither courageous nor evil. 

We The People: Even the most casual reading of US history shows that the first years of the republic were rather tenuous. If President Washington had been less weary after decades of service to his country, he may well have reigned as King George I, and who knows where we’d be now because he never bothered to reproduce.  

Dry, Technical Matter: Other times in American history have been fraught with peril, too. A listing of all of them is, thankfully, beyond the scope of this column. 

USA! USA! III: Democracy has always had to earn its keep in America, and freedom’s never-ending mortgage is again due this Election Day. It’s a lousy time for an election in America because we are a partisan, fractured, and bickering mess. We were unable to respond to the great challenge of COVID and we haven’t done anything great since since Apollo. Our last election was contentious and there is no reason to think this one won’t be, too. 

The Bottom Line: We’re on record as saying our perpetual wars will destroy this country, perhaps before this half-century is out. There is still time to avoid this, of course, but we must make the next installment on America’s never-ending mortgage this November by taking charge at the ballot box and demanding better government than we are getting now.  

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow deals with a woman wearing only a towel and sneakers. Today’s Diary. 

The question, of course, is why in thee hell she was out of her room in only a towel and sneakers???…

———

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 1984 – Singer Marvin Gaye, 44, is shot to death by his father at the family home in Los Angeles. Gaye had intervened in a fight between his parents and had started hitting and kicking his father, Marvin Gay (correct), Sr. Gaye had been shot with a pistol he had bought for his father to protect him from intruders and testimony from his mother, Alberta, had said that violence was common in the Gay(e) household. Gay, Sr. was charged with first-degree murder, though he later accepted a no-contest plea to involuntary manslaughter and was given a suspended sentence and probation. 

In 1997 – The first major league baseball neutral site game since 1969 takes place at Cashman Field in Las Vegas, with the Toronto Blue Jays beating the Oakland A’s 9-6. It was the first of six games the A’s played in Las Vegas while renovations to the Oakland Coliseum were completed. The last major league neutral site games took place in 1969 when the Chicago White Sox played eleven games in Milwaukee. 

In 1978 – The Bee Gees are at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the third of eight consecutive weeks with Night Fever. The song went to #1 in five other countries, including Spain and Great Britain, peaked at #8 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was Billboard’s 2nd-biggest song of the year. It was the sixth of nine #1 songs for the group. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

There was nothing foreordained about the future of democracy in the Jackson years.
Jon Meacham
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The Vancouver Canucks and the Buffalo Sabres are the oldest NHL expansion teams never to win the Stanley Cup. They both played their first game in 1970.  

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

What was the first #1 song on the Hot 100 for the Bee Gees? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

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

The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things.

1. Donald Trump – Good gravy, a man of no declared religious conviction who probably cannot name the first five (5) books of the Bible without divine intervention now in such dire financial straits he is now pandering to his base by hawking Bibles…Fortunately for him, his base believes everything he says and he’ll probably sell a few. 

2. Leap Second – Unprecedented increase in Earth’s rotational speed may – or it may not – force some very dull people to subtract a second from world clock…Leap seconds – to account for the slowing of the Earth – have been added since 1972, but this would be the first leap second to be subtracted…Thrilling, unprecedented change is due to shifts in Earth’s inner core 

3. Mass Shootings – The 3-hole staple…2024 mass shooting numbers – defined as a shooting with at least four (4) or more casualties – continue to trend lower, with only six (6) shootings, five (5) deaths – a figure which includes one (1) suspect – and 23 (23) injuries, this past week…2024 numbers so low entry in danger of losing treasured “3-hole staple” status. 

4. Shohei Ohtani – SB5 pollsters “pretty sure” Ohtani didn’t actually bet on baseball games -though only he knows for sure – and realize he doesn’t actually control his finances but are curious to know as to how in the hell $4.5 million leaves your bank account without someone in your inner circle wondering what in the hell was going on. 

5. California Minimum Wage – New law giving state’s fast food workers a raise to $20/hour takes effect Monday…Yay for raises, but this is something that should’ve been collectively bargained and not mandated by the government, who should butt out of what employers pay employees. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

It’s Read Free Sunday at The Diary. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow is the only one at the gym. Today’s Diary. 

I don’t know if everyone stayed home to watch the NCAAs or were outside taking advantage of the cloudy, cool, and wet weather, but we had the place to ourselves…

———

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 1966 – The Soviet Union’s Luna 10 is launched from the cosmodrome in what is now southwestern Kazakhstan. On April 3, Luna 10 entered lunar orbit, the first spacecraft to do so, and the spacecraft spent two months analyzing various aspects of the moon. Radio communications ceased on May 30 and Luna 10 is presumed to have later crashed into the lunar surface. 

In 2018 – The Vegas Golden Knights become the second NHL expansion team to win a division title in their first year in a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. It was the Golden Knights’ 50th win of the season and they would later lose the Stanley Cup Finals to the Washington Capitals. The first NHL expansion team to win their division was the St Louis Blues, who won the West Division in 1967-68, which consisted of six expansion teams. 

In 2001 – Shaggy featuring Rayvon is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the only week with Angel. It was the third and final Top 10 hit and second and final #1 song for Shaggy and remains the only #1 song for Rayvon and only a #94 hit prevented him from being an ultimate one-hit wonder: an act whose only chart single went to #1…The song went to #1 in twelve other countries, including the Netherlands, Norway, and Great Britain, peaked at #46 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was Billboard’s 17th-biggest song of the year. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

The cost of partisanship for partisanship’s sake was, [Edward] Livingstone said, too high a price for a free society to pay.
Jon Meacham
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Four US presidents have been assassinated: Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and John Kennedy. 

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

Which are the oldest NHL expansion teams never to win the Stanley Cup? – Answer next time

Share Gaylon! Go!