The Daily Dose/June 2, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience. 

Leading Off remains in time-out.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow trots one of his favorite lines. Today’s Diary. 

Still tho, we’re not spraying or pulling [the dandelions] on the theory that not only are they good for the lawn, but we seem to recall reading they’re good for insects, too, and that’s a win for the environment…

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

In 1946 – The republic of Italy is approved by Italian voters in a referendum, voting to abolish the monarchy that had reigned since 1861 by a 54%-45% margin. The king who lost his job, Umberto II, would see his reign end on June 12, on which day he flew to Portugal, where he remained until dying in 1983 at age 73. He was succeeded as head of state by President Enrico de Nicola. 

In 1985 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers establishes a new NBA record for most career points in the playoffs n a 136-111 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Abdul-Jabbar had 26 points and broke the record of 4,457 points established by Jerry West from 1961-1974. Abdul-Jabbar would retire with 5.762 career playoff points, the record was later broken by Michael Jordan, and the mark is now held by LeBron James with 8,023. The Lakers would win the series in six games. 

In 2001 – Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and Pink are at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first of five consecutive weeks with Lady Marmalade. The song went to #1 in 13 other countries including Australia, Norway, and Great Britain, peaked at #43 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was Billboard’s 24th-biggest song of the year. It was the fourth of five #1 songs for Aguilera, the first of four #1s for Pink, and remains the only #1 song for Lil’ Kim and Mya. In 1975, a version by LaBelle spent a week at #1 on both the Hot 100 and the soul chart. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

I balanced sometimes between principle and inclination…So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do.
Benjamin Franklin

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Justin Verlander has pitched three no-hitters, the most of any active major league player. 

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

Who wrote Lady Marmalade? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/June 1, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience. 

Leading Off remains on hiatus.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow’s new office still isn’t done. Today’s Diary. 

[The door handle] cooled down after a while tho, with one of the guys noting “they had taken it off the schedule” his manner indicating that any idiot knew what “off the schedule” meant…Needless to say we didn’t, tho we pursed our lips and nodded like this was obvious to any casual observer. 

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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.

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 1962 – Nazi Adolf Eichmann is executed, hanged in Israel following his conviction of war crimes during World War II. Eichman had been captured in Buenos Aires by Israeli agents in May 1960, following his discovery after a boy his daughter was dating told his dad, a German Jew, about Eichmann bragging about his Nazi exploits. After capture, Eichmann had been sedated and smuggled out of Argentina and had been convicted on December 12, 1961. His body was cremated with his ashes scattered in the Mediterranean Sea. 

In 1975 – Nolan Ryan of the California Angels tied the major league record for most career no-hitters in a 1-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles. It was the fourth career no-hitter for Ryan, who tied the record established by Sandy Koufax between 1962-65. Ryan would break the record in 1981 and retired in 1993 with seven no-hitters, still the major league record. 

In 1946 – The Ink Spots are at #1 on Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart – a predecessor to the Hot 100 – for the second of ten consecutive weeks with The Gypsy. It was the second of four #1 hits on a Billboard pop chart for the group and was Billboard’s #1 song of the year. A version by Dinah Shore was at #3 on the chart and the following week would peak at #2, making The Gypsy one of the few songs – though not the only song – to have two different versions in the top two spots simultaneously. As in the past, further research into this oddity was inconclusive. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

All the misfortunes of men derive from one single thing, which is their inability to be at ease in a room {at home}.
Blaise Pascal

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

There are a variety of dull, technical, answers to yesterday’s question. It is withdrawn. 

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

What active major league pitcher has thrown the most no-hitters? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/May 31, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience. 

Leading Off is on hiatus.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow finds they were giving out beer at the hotel. Today’s Diary. 

It turns out Chris and Kylie had been issuing them as morale boosters following a power outage that not only knocked out power for a while but knocked out all hotel internet access, too…

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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.

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 1790 – President George Washington signs the Copyright Act of 1790. The law copyrighted books, maps, and nautical charts for a period of 14 years, with another 14-year term available if the copyright holder was still alive. Though musical works weren’t covered, they were routinely filed as books. Previously, some states had passed copyright laws of varying terms, though the Articles of Confederation had not granted these powers to the Continental Congress. 

In 1930 – Bobby Jones of the US wins the British Amateur at the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland, defeating Roger Wethered of England 7 & 6, which means Jones led by seven holes with six holes remaining. It remains the only British Amateur title for Jones, was his tenth of 13 major titles, and was the second and final runner-up finish for Wethered, who had won the tournament in 1923. Jones went on to win the British Open, the US Amateur, and the US Open in 1930 and remains the only golfer to win all four majors in a calendar year. 

In 1975 – Freddie Fender is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the only week with Before the Next Teardrop Falls. The song also went to #1 in Australia and Canada, peaked at #1 on Billboard’s country chart, and was Billboard’s 3rd-biggest song of the year. It remains the only #1 pop song for Fender and was his first of four Top 40 hits and two Top 10s. The song was from the album of the same name, which went #1 on Billboard’s country album chart and peaked at #20 on their pop album chart. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we ourselves could have wished.
Miguel de Cervantes
Don Quixote

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The other two women tennis players besides Doris Hart to win singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles in all four Grand Slam tennis tournaments are Margaret Court and Martina Navratilova. Court has actually done it twice. 

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

How long do current US copyrights last? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/May 30, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience. 

Leading Off will return.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow attends the Memorial Day ceremony. Today’s Diary. 

Yours truly carried the Space Force flag in the flag detail and, as usual, was slow and out of step, but what are you going to do???

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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.

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 1958 – The remains of unknown servicemen from World War II and the Korean War are buried at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The first Unknown had been interred in the tomb in 1921 and is guarded constantly by soldiers for the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard. They stand watch in a uniform without insignia, so as to not outrank the Unknowns. 

In 1953 – Maureen Connolly of the US defeats Doris Hart of the US 6-2, 6-4 to win the French Open. It was the first of two French Open titles for Connolly and her fifth of nine Grand Slam singles titles and was the only loss for Hart in the French Open final after two consecutive wins. Connolly had earlier won the Australian Open and would later win Wimbledon and the US Open, to become the first woman to win the Grand Slam in a calendar year. 

In 2015 – Little Big Town is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then as now known as the Hot Country Single chart – for the fourth of 13 consecutive weeks with Girl Crush. It was the second of four #1 songs for the group and was their seventh of ten Top 10 hits. The song also peaked at #18 on the Hot 100 and was Billboard’s 2nd-biggest country song of the year and its 21st-biggest of the decade. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Not daring to put myself ahead of everybody/I can take the time to perfect my abilities.
Lao Tzu
Tao Che Ching, #67

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The Rolling Stones’ first #1 song on the Hot 100 was (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, which spent four weeks at #1 in 1965.  

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

Doris Hart was the first of three players, all women, to achieve what is known in tennis as the “boxed set”: winning every title at every major tournament over the course of a career…Who are the other two women to win singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles at all four major tennis tournaments? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/May 29, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience. 

Editor’s Note: today’s item originally ran on Memorial Day 2020.

USA! USA! Today is Memorial Day. Now, between this and Veterans Day and Armed Forces Day, it can get confusing as to who to honor, so we will clarify it for you: Memorial Day honors those who have died fighting our country’s battles. So don’t bother thanking a living veteran today. Save that for Veterans Day. Armed Forces Day is the time to give those currently serving a pat on the back.

FunFact: One thing Memorial Day is not is a time to bicker about the worthiness of the wars we’ve fought. Save that for another time. Why our country called is not important today.

Dry, Technical Matter: Tracing the origins of Memorial Day is not easy, as over two dozen places claim to have held the first one and putting flowers on veteran’s graves predate the Civil War. It is almost interesting to note it did not become an official federal holiday until 1971. Memorial Day was long known as Decoration Day.

A Personal Note: We’ve gotten off pretty easy in our family. We’re veterans ourselves and we have relatives (father, brother, grandfather, 5x great-grandfather, uncles) who have served in Desert Storm, Vietnam, both world wars and even the Revolution and all came back. Not everyone is so lucky. Family members dealing with this find little comfort in knowing their loved one(s) died an honorable, heroic death. Veterans still deal with the horror of seeing comrades die in front of them and some still wonder why luck favored them and not their buddies.

The Bottom Line: So do something today in tribute to those who have died. It’s tough this year, of course, because the usual parades and cemetery ceremonies are being canceled. And you don’t have to fast or rend garments, either. If you can’t attend a ceremony, please consider putting a candle in a window or putting a flag up. Those who have died fighting our wars would appreciate that.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow gets ready for Monday. Today’s Diary. 

The big thing we did was make sure our Legion uniform was ready for Monday’s ceremony at the cemetery because if we put it off until we head out the door for the hotel tonite we’d invariably forget something…

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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.

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 1886 – Coca-Cola is advertised for the first time, with founder John Pemberton placing an advertisement in The Atlanta Journal. The beverage, invented by Pemberton, had first appeared in Atlanta a few weeks earlier and the ad was simple, advising readers that the drink was delicious, refreshing, and exhilarating, not to mention invigorating. While History has not passed down the cost of the ad, Coca-Cola today is one planet’s biggest advertisers, spending over $4 billion a year. 

In 1997 – The Utah Jazz win the NBA’s Western Conference title for the first time, defeating the Houston Rockets 103-100 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. Utah guard John Stockton’s had the game-winner with a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Jazz had won the NBA’s Midwest Division and had beaten the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Jazz would lose the NBA Finals 4 games to 2 to the Chicago Bulls, a feat they would repeat the following season. 

In 1971 – The Rolling Stones are #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Brown Sugar. The song also went to #1 in Switzerland, Canada, and the Netherlands, peaked at #2 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 18th-biggest song of the year. The song was the sixth of their  eight #1s and was their 13th of 23 Top 10 hits. Though credited to the songwriting team of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song was mainly written by Jagger. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

When everybody owns everything nobody will take care of anything.
Aristotle

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Billboard’s #1 song of 1983 was Every Breath You Take by The Police, which spent eight weeks at #1. 

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

What was the Rolling Stones’ first #1 song on the Hot 100? – Answer next time!

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