The Daily Dose/January 25, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

HERE WE GO AGAIN: The ignorance of President Donald Trump is as appalling as it is unsurprising. His recent skirmish with the 14th Amendment is only the most recent example. We strongly suspect it will not be the last. 

USA! USA! Earlier this week, as part of his Government by Executive Fiat program, Trump signed an executive order mandating the end to birthright citizenship. This is where anyone born in America is entitled to US citizenship, regardless of the citizenship status of their parents. Trump’s order would end this if at least one parent wasn’t a citizen. 

Fly In The Ointment: Birthright citizenship, however, is protected by the Constitution, the 14th Amendment being very clear on the matter, with Section I stating, in part, that: 

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.

That is pretty clear, and while the Constitution can be changed – the 14th Amendment itself is one of those changes – it cannot be changed unilaterally by the president, and its implementation was blocked by a federal judge in Seattle. 

Dry, Technical, Matter: The 14th Amendment is one of three amendments adopted after the Civil War that are referred to as the Reconstruction Amendments. It was sent to the several states in June 1866 and ratified two years later. 

Back On Message: This whole imbroglio is Trump in a nutshell: govern off the top of your head and bully people until you get your way. A president with some brains would’ve been fully briefed on the matter and been told such an executive order would’ve been unconstitutional. Then again, it is entirely possible Trump was briefed on the matter and ignored his briefing. It’s hard to say if no one in Trump’s inner circle tells him no or if they do and he ignores him. 

The Bottom Line: We have four more years of this nonsense. We can’t whine about it, either, because we elected it. How we got to this point, how America came to accept the lies and ignorance of Donald Trump is something all new people – including Americans, if there are any left – can debate a hundred years from now. Yesterday, we only half jokingly referred to the US as the People’s Republic of America. If you and me – we the people – don’t start paying attention, we might well end up exactly that. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow’s plan to help with Daniel’s car problem unravels. Today’s Diary. 

And even if [the lug wrench had fit], we were still up a creek because numbnuts had forgotten his car keys, meaning we had no way to access the trunk to get the spare…

———

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———

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

In 1995 – Russia prepares for a nuclear attack after Norwegian and US scientists launch a rocket carrying scientific equipment from Norway. The Russian military mistakingly took it for a US nuclear missile and activated their nuclear briefcase, giving President Boris Yelstin the option launching a retaliatory attack. Typical of the Russians, the incident was not reported to their citizens for a week, and the incident remains the closest a nuclear power has come to launcing a nuclear weapon since the US attack on Nagasaki in 1945. 

In 1894 – James J Corbett defends his world heavyweight boxing title, defeating Charley Mitchell of England in a 3rd-round knockout. It was the only successful title defense for Corbett, who had won the title from John L Sullivan in Sept 1892 and remains Mitchell’s only world title fight. Corbett lost his title to Bob Fitzsimmons in 1897 and lost title fights to James Jeffries in 1900 and 1903. 

In 1975 – The Carpenters are at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the only week with Please Mr Postman. It was the 15th of 16 Top 10 hits for the brother and sister duo and their third and final #1 song. The song also went to #1 in Canada, Australia, and South Africa, peaked at #2 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 32nd-biggest song of the year. It was the second of 14 consecutive #1 songs to spend only one week at the top, a Hot 100 record that still stands. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

The sportsman trains himself and primes for his particular game…After due…and long preparation…he goes out…{to a place where} most of his townsmen never saw nor dreamed of…He had them halfway in his bag when he started, he has only to shove them down.
Henry David Thoreau
Diary entry, 11/4/1858

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

The other song to spend 19 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 was Old Town Road by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus in 2019.

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

What was the Carpenter’s biggest hit on the Hot 100? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/January 24, 2025
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 another newborn at the hospital. Today’s Diary. 

Recall 2-3 months ago we saw a kid who was only 18 hours old, the youngest human we’d seen in over 50 years…This one was double that, 36 hours old but, honestly, it was tuff to the tell the difference…You’d think you’d be able to tell the difference – he was twice as old, after all, – but we couldn’t…

———

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 1989 – Serial killer Ted Bundy is executed by electrocution at the Florida State prison in Raiford. Bundy was condemned following three murder convictions, though he would later confess to 30 murders, though the exact number of people he killed will never be known. Bundy was cremated and his ashes spread over the Cascade Mountains in Washington state. Bundy was first arrested in 1975 near Salt Lake City. 

In 1987 – Hana Mandlikova of Czechoslovakia wins the Australian Open, defeating Martina Navratilova 7-5, 7-6. It was the second Australian Open title for Mandlikova and her fourth and final Grand Slam title and was the third and final Australian Open loss for Navratilova to go along with three titles. It was also the final Australian Open played on grass, with the tournament going to a hard court the following season. 

In 1993 – Whitney Houston is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the ninth of a then-record 14 consecutive weeks with I Will Always Love You. The 14 weeks at the top broke the record of 13 weeks established by End of the Road by Boys II Men in 1992, and the record is now 19 weeks, done twice, most recently last November by Shaboozey with A Bar Song (Tipsy). It was the tenth of eleven #1s for Houston.   

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

To succeed, they had to be awed by the magnitude of the task and be humbled, not assertive.
Walter Isaacson
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

The NHL record for the highest goals against average in a season is 7.38 by the 1919-20 Quebec Bulldogs. They finished with a record of 2-20. 

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

What other song has spent 19 weeks at #1 on the Hot 100? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/January 23, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF AMERICA: The dictatorship of Donald Trump has begun. From executive orders that are as petty as they are vindictive to pardoning his fellow insurrectionists, Donald Trump has taken charge of America. 

Fly In The Ointment: This is bad because you cannot argue with this statement: 

Donald Trump is a lying, ignorant sexual predator, a convicted felon, and a man of zero moral or intellectual substance. 

Yeah, Yeah, Whatever: Nobody cares, though. Substance isn’t important in America anymore. Character is a thing of the past, and believing something is all that matters now, whether or not it’s true. 

Get Your Official Daily Dose Policy Right Here: Right now, few are willing to voice opposition to this blather. Certainly, nobody in Trump’s government will do this because failing to fit into assigned slots will get you fired. And few outside his government are saying no, either. America was afraid to say no at the ballot box, and we are afraid now. Even the Associated Press has succumbed, cooing over how Trump looked “supremely confident” at his inaugural and declining to fact-check him with the aggressiveness they did in his first term. 

America, Himmler On Line Two: It isn’t going to get any better, either, now that Trump has pardoned his fellow insurrectionists from their January 6, 2021, attempt to overthrow our government. They are free now; it’s as if it never happened. 

Ladies And Gentlemen Of The Jury: Think about this for a minute: the president now has, in essence, a private militia that is in his debt. They can do whatever they want with impunity for the next four years because they know they’ll be pardoned. 

The Bottom Line: America is going to be ridden hard and put away wet until some of us decide to say no to the lies, no to the ignorance, no to forcing a misguided worldview down our collective throats. That America has fallen for this shows a country that is merely marking time until it decides to roll over and end the American Experiment. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow gets his car back from the shop. Today’s Diary. 

Darrell showed us a printout of exactly what was done…Needless to say, we understood none of 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 1960 – Swiss oceanographer Jaques Picard and US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh, riding in the bathyscaphe Trieste, become the first humans to to reach the bottom of Challenger Deep, the deepest part of Earth’s seabed. The pair reached a depth of 35,814 feet following a 4 hour 47 minute decent and communications with their support ship took seven seconds each way. To date, 27 people have visited Challenger Deep, most recently in 2022. 

In 1944 – The Detroit Red Wings establish NHL records for most points and consecutive goals in a game, largest margin of victory, and tied the record most goals in a period in a 15-0 victory over the New York Rangers. The Red Wings had 37 points and eight goals in the third period, both records that have been broken over the years. The Rangers finished the season giving up an average 6.2 goals per game, the 2nd-highest total in NHL history. 

In 1965 – Petula Clark is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Downtown. It was the first of 15 Top 40 hits for Clark, her first of six Top 10 hits and her first of two #1s. The song also went to #`1 in six other countries, including South Africa and Ireland, peaked at #2 in her native Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 6th-biggest song of the year. Future Led Zeppelin member Jimmy Page played guitar on the record. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

…he reminded himself he was not noble. He did what he wanted to do and not more.
Gore Vidal
Washington, D.C.

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

Sugar Ray Robinson’s career professional boxing record was 174-19-6, with two no-contests.

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

What team holds the NHL record for highest goals against average in a season? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/January 22, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

HUT, HUT, HIKE: College football finally ended this week, with Ohio State beating Notre Dame for the CFP title. The 12-team tournament – a long time coming – went pretty well. 

Fly In The Ointment: Sure, some tweaks are needed. While rewarding conference champions was admirable, neither Boise State and Arizona State really deserved top four seeds. The top four seeds should’ve had home games. Oregon would’ve had an easier route had they not won the Big Ten title. The organizers know this, too, and they’ll take care of it. 

Dry, Technical Matter: We do have a couple of big picture suggestions, suggestions that if followed would make everyone forget about the NFL for the month of December. 

Leading Off: First, make it a 16-team tournament. This could be done without extending the length of the tournament. And no more playing on odd, non-traditional nights. These Thursday and Monday games must stop immediately. Every game should be played on Saturday, though we’ll allow first-round Friday games. 

Get Your Official Leading Off Policy Right Here: The big thing, though, is – for the love of Knute Rockne – play the national championship game on either January 1 or Monday, January 2. And to completely cement the CFP in the hearts of sports fans everywhere, play the title game at the Rose Bowl every year. It’s OK for the Super Bowl to be a movable feast, but as it shows year in and year out, nothing says “college football” like the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.  

The Bottom Line: This coming season, a 16-team CFP could start on Saturday, December 6 and end, triumphantly, on New Year’s Day. The season could start on Aug 28, and 12-game season with a bye week can be concluded by November 22. Any conference desiring to hold a championship game can do so on the 29th, though a 16-team CFP might make them irrelevant for the big conferences. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow gets a rental car. Today’s Diary. 

The rental is a Nissan Rouge and even tho it’s a mid-size, it is considerably bigger than the new ride and ol’ Sparrow actually feels small inside it, not particularly easy to do at my size…

———

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 1970 – The Boeing 747 enters commercial service, with a PanAm flight from New York City to London. Boeing built the 747 at the request of PanAm, which was looking for a way to lower per-passenger costs by flying more people. The plane was so big Boeing had to build a new plant to accommodate its construction, and over the years 1,547 747s were built, with the final one delivered to Atlas Air in January 2023. 

In 1960 – Paul Pender of Massachusetts wins the world middleweight boxing title, defeating champion Sugar Ray Robinson in a split decision at the Boston Garden. It was the first world title for Pender, who would defeat Robinson again in June, lose the title the following year before regaining it and retiring in 1962. Robinson had first won the middleweight tile in 1951, and would also hold the world welterweight title. 

In 1983 – Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney are at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart – then known as the Black Singles chart – for the second of three consecutive weeks with The Girl Is Mine. It was the third of 13 soul #1s for Jackson and was the second of three soul hits for McCartney and remains his only #1. The song also went #1 pop in Norway, peaked at #8 in Great Britain, and at #2 on the Hot 100. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

…a vast majority of mankind is entirely biased by motives of self-interest.
Alexander Hamilton

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

The Black Eyed Peas hold the Hot 100 record for most weeks at #1 by an act that replaced themselves at the top, 26 consecutive weeks in 2009 with Boom Bom Pow and I Gotta Feeling. 

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

What was Sugar Ray Robinson’s career record as a professional? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/January 21, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

HERE WE GO AGAIN: President Donald Trump’s inaugural address was 2,996 words long, longer than his 2017 address (1,433 words), a bit longer than the historical average (2,340), and well shorter than William Henry Harrison’s 1841 record (8,445). Some of it was decent rhetoric. Most of it was blather, the kind America nine years ago decided it was willing to tolerate. 

Leading Off: This one is rich, coming as it does from a man with blood on his hands for presiding over an incompetent COVID response, though it should be noted we all have some blood on our hands for tolerating it:  

We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home while, at the same time, stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad.

At Least Fact Checkers Will Have Steady Work: This is false. No country is sending us their criminals and mentally ill.

It fails to protect our magnificent, law-abiding American citizens but provides sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions, that have illegally entered our country from all over the world.

Go In Peace, Serve The Lord: The following two excerpts come from a man of no known religious convictions and who we strongly suspect cannot name the first five books of the Bible.

 I was saved by God to make America great again.

We will not forget our country, we will not forget our Constitution, and we will not forget our God.  

USA! USA!: Good luck with this. Trump will need to deport over 7,500 illegals a day every day for the next four years to make this happen. That people actually believe this says a lot about America in the third decade of the 21st century. 

…we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came. 

Econ 101: This is ignorance personified because foreign countries do not pay tariffs, they are paid by the importing company, who will pass the cost along to us. 

Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.

If Ignorance Is Inevitable: Anybody who believes this is as ignorant as Trump: 

A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America…

Dry, Technical, Matter: This is just a sampling; there were also claims about China operating the Panama Canal and the US stopping all wars. This would go against millennia of human nature because war has been man’s calling card since time immemorial, not to mention America’s calling card since before the Revolution.  

The Bottom Line: Donald Trump will surround himself with people who should know better than to fall for his nonsense, but it can be said America should’ve known better, too. And there was a time when Trump would’ve been dismissed out of hand. But America is now as ignorant as its president, and a hundred years from now people – including Americans, if there are any left – will wonder why America decided to embrace ignorance and lies. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

Friends, The Diary of a Nobody is enjoying a day off. 

———

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. 

Due to time constraints, today’s entries first appeared in 2021.

In 1954 – The world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus (SSN-571), is launched in Groton, Connecticut. Nautilus would be commissioned in September and served until 1980 and is now a museum in New London, Connecticut. The ship was named after the fictional submarine in the Jules Verne novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea.

In 1945 – The Boston Bruins establish a new NHL record for the fastest four goals scored in a 14-3 win over the New York Rangers. The Bruins got four goals in a 1 minute and 20-second span in the second period, between the 6:34 and the 7:54 marks. The Bruins broke the record of 1 minute, 25 seconds they had established on January 11, 1927, and the record still stands. 

In 1995 – On Bended Knee by Boyz II Men is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the sixth and final non-consecutive week. The song also peaked at #20 in Great Britain and at #2 in Billboard’s soul chart, was Billboard’s fifth-biggest song of the year and its 14th biggest of the 1990s. The song had first gone to #1 on December 3, replacing their single I’ll Make Love to You at the top, making them the first act to replace themselves at #1 on the Hot 100 since the Beatles in 1964. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today…There is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously.
Franklin Roosevelt
First Inaugural Address
3/4/33

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

Billboard’s #1 song of 1973 was Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando. It spent four weeks at #1. 

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

What act which replaced themselves at #1 on the Hot 100 spent the most weeks at the top? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/January 20, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

HERE WE GO AGAIN: Donald Trump takes the presidential oath of office today for the second time. By all appearances, it will be steady-as-she-goes for his second term, meaning the lies and ignorance that were the hallmark of his first term will return. 

USA! USA! There is no reason to think otherwise. Trump is already on record as believing the moon is part of Mars, that Colorado deserves a border fence, and that the American Revolution was won when the Continental Army secured British airports. Since Election Day, Trump has brilliantly called for US ownership of Greenland, Canada becoming the 51st state, and taking the canal back from Panama. All of these suggestions are witless and not deserving of consideration by any thinking American. 

Ladies And Gentlemen Of The Jury: Do you believe the moon is part of Mars? Do you believe America won the Revolution because we secured British airports? Of course you don’t, and neither does anyone you know over the age of twelve. That the president of the United States believes these things is beyond comprehension.  

Fly In The Ointment: But America is open to ignorance now. Mired halfway between the prominence we once had and the oblivion that awaits us, we now prefer appeasement to accomplishment. The American Century ended ages ago, we could not produce a cogent, competent response to COVID, and we haven’t done anything great since leaving the moon over 50 years ago. If we’re not careful, the entire American experiment will come crashing down, perhaps before this half-century is out. 

Dry, Technical Matter: The surprise, of course, is not that Trump is spewing nonsense; he’s been doing that as long as he’s been in the public eye. No, History will record that the real surprise was that America tolerated his blather for even one day, much less nine years. Trump was given a pass, though. The media saw ratings and clicks, and we citizens appreciated being told what we wanted to hear, even if it was neither practical nor truthful. Trump was heralded for changing the narrative when he should’ve been condemned for being a dolt.

The Bottom Line: We will always get the government we deserve. Last November we elected, again, lies and ignorance, and that’s what we are going to get for the next four years. That America tolerated ignorance of this magnitude will baffle historians for decades to come. There was a time when both the American media and electorate would’ve dismissed Donald Trump for the witless blatherskite he is, but that time has passed. We’re in a post-knowledge, post-competence America now, and our collective American experience is the lesser for it. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow reports it was a slow night at the hotel. 

Boy, it was slow tonite…

———

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. 

1265 – The first English parliament to include not only lords but burgesses from major English shires sits for the first time. Called by Simon de Montfort, who had defeated forces loyal to Henry III and claimed to rule under his name, the parliament lasted until March. The practice of inviting burgesses to Parliament continued intermittently until 1341, when lords and burgesses began meeting separately, and today the chamber is known as the House of Commons. 

In 1980 – The Pittsburgh Steelers win the Super Bowl, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 31-19 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. It was the fourth of six Super Bowl titles for the Steelers and was the first of three Super Bowl defeats for the Rams, to go along with two titles. The halftime show was performed by Up With People, and Cheryl Ladd performed the national anthem. 

In 1973 – Carly Simon is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the third and final consecutive week with You’re So Vain. It was the third of twelve Top 40 hits for Simon, her first of six Top 10 songs, and remains her only #1. The song also went to #1 in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, peaked at #3 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 9th-biggest song of the year. Simon has long said the song refers to three men, one of whom is Warren Beatty. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

I can’t bite my tongue because my heart will bleed.
Cyril Neville

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

Secretary of State Warren Christopher signed the Algiers Accords on behalf of the United States. 

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

What was Billboard’s #1 song of 1973? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!