The Daily Dose/January 10, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
President Donald Trump addressed America from the Oval Office Tuesday night, pressing his case for his treasured wall to keep evil Mexicans out. It really was more campaign rally than policy speech, not really deserving of the national airtime the networks gave it, though we will leave further analysis of the speech to others and to your own good sense.

The one question we kept asking ourselves while reading the usual fact-check stories that are now daily features was this:

Has any president humiliated himself by representing misstatements, half-truths and outright lies as actual policy as President Donald Trump?

No, no other president has used falsehoods as actual policy as much as President Trump does. The president does this with impunity, too. Sure, there are the usual fact-check columns exposing where he is wrong, but the mainstream media isn’t demanding better, his party isn’t demanding better and Lord knows you and me – we the people – aren’t demanding better, either. We are content to be lied to by our president and, of course, our continued approval of Government by Falsehood means we are going to get more of it. Trump will continue to lie, drawing on his only real talent: drawing attention to himself. We’re putting up with it.

Meanwhile, the government shutdown is now the second-longest ever, meaning several hundred thousand government employees are in their third week of working for free. Car payments aren’t being made and the first meals are probably now starting to be missed.

We deserve better, but election after election we decline to elect better, so we will continue to receive substandard government.

Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow calls tech support at the hotel, gives an update on his paper cuts and is not appointed to the town council.

Not too surprisingly, the other lady who applied at the same town council meeting I did wasn’t chosen either because recall the town council was so thrilled with us they immediately reopened the application process…I’m glad I wasn’t picked…It would have been a lot of work on things that bored me to tears…Besides, I lost interest when there were other applicants and it became plain my appointment wouldn’t be heralded with trumpets and a parade down Main Street.

Subscriptions are required to read The Diary of a Nobody, The Bottom Ten and our pretty funny books.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.

On This Date
In 1946 – Man reaches the Moon for the first time, as the US Army Signal Corps sends radar waves to the Moon and receives the reflected signals at Camp Evans in Wall Township, New Jersey. It took 2.6 seconds for the waves to make the round trip, meaning the Moon was 238,000 miles from Earth that day. Known as Project Diana, the program was merely an attempt to see if radar waves could penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere. Actually having the waves bounce off the Moon was a bonus.

In 1982 – The Cincinnati Bengals defeat the San Diego Chargers 24-7 in the AFC Championship Game. With a wind-chill factor of minus-59 degrees, it is the coldest game in NFL history. The weather was such a factor the Bengals won the toss and elected to kickoff, making them one of the few teams in NFL history to kickoff to start both the first and second half.

In 1970 – The Jackson 5 is at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart – then known as the Best Selling Soul Singles chart – for the first of six times with I Want You Back. It was the first chart hit ever for the Jackson 5, spent four weeks at #1 on the soul chart and later in January spent one week at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100. I Want You Back was the first of four consecutive #1 singles for the Jackson 5 on both charts, and while soul chart data was unavailable, they were the first group to have their first four singles go to #1 on the Hot 100.

Quotebook
To think without having first learned is dangerous.
Confucius

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The acts that have had the most consecutive #1 songs on the Hot 100 since Whitney Houston had seven are Mariah Carey and Katy Perry who have each had five.

Today’s Stumper
What act has the most #1 songs on Billboard’s soul chart? –Answer next time!

Let’s Be Friends: follow me on Facebook.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/January 9, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
Editor’s Note: the Leading Off staff is seeing how long it can go without writing about the current presidential administration.

Scott Dozier, an inmate on Nevada’s death row, killed himself this week. This by itself isn’t particularly newsworthy, except for the fact death rows exist to ensure its occupants stay alive long enough to have their death warrants carried out and they generally make it as difficult as possible for an inmate to kill himself.

Dozier, however, was determined to die. He had been condemned for the 2002 murder of a drug associate and had long ago given up his appeals, preferring to have his sentence executed than spending any more time on death row. Usually giving up your appeals in Nevada is enough to ensure you’re taken out back and shot immediately, but most recently in Dozier’s case the company that made one of the drugs to be used to kill him objected to its use, leading to his death’s delay. Dozier had been on suicide watch off and on during his captivity in Nevada and was alone in his cell the afternoon he hung himself.

We are on record here at Leading Off as favoring the abolition of the death penalty because we’ve executed innocent people. If you do not believe that you are deluding yourself. Dozier’s battle to get himself killed is merely further proof of how broken our justice system is: we cannot even execute someone who is clearly guilty and who wants to die.

We deserve better. Dozier’s victims deserved better than to be murdered, Dozier deserved better than being obliged to hang himself to get the death he long wanted and you and me – we the people – deserve better than to have these humiliating imbroglios carried out at all.

We deserve a nation without the death penalty.

Today At The Site

The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow scams some pizza at work, in addition to moving a lot of Choco-Tacos.

The big sellers were those Choco-Taco ice cream deals, plus bottled water, both the regular and premium smart water…I want to tell guests don’t do this, some of the very best tap water on the planet comes out of your bathroom tap, but I’m not paid to tell people not to spend their money, so I keep this to myself because people like spending money on water…We sell air at the retailer for Pete’s sake, so this shouldn’t be too surprising.

Subscriptions are required to read The Diary of a Nobody, The Bottom Ten and our pretty funny books.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.

On This Date
In 1349 – The residents of Basel, Switzerland – then part of the Holy Roman Empire – murder their Jewish neighbors, locking 600 Jews in a barn on an island in the Rhine River and burning them to death. Almost as bad, 140 surviving Jewish children were forced to convert to Catholicism. Known to History as the Basel Massacre, residents believed the Jews were responsible for the Black Plague then currently decimating their town and Europe.

In 1930 – The Boston Bruins defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 to become the first NHL team to win 14 consecutive games. On January 4th the Bruins had established a new NHL record with their 12th straight win and the streak would end at 14 three nights later with a 3-2 loss to the New York Americans. The record was broken in 1982 by the New York Islanders (15) and is now held by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who won 17 consecutive games in 1993.

In 1988 – So Emotional by Whitney Houston is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for its only week. It was Houston’s sixth consecutive #1 song, tying the Hot 100 record established by the Beatles and later tied by the Bee Gees. Houston would later extend that record to seven consecutive #1 singles, still the Hot 100 record.

Quotebook
Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment.
Gandalf
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The University of San Francisco won the 1955 NCAA basketball championship, defeating LaSalle 77-63 in the title game.

Today’s Stumper
What acts have had the most consecutive #1 songs on the Hot 100 since Whitney Houston’s seven consecutive #1s? –Answer next time!

Let’s Be Friends: follow me on Facebook.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/January 8, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
Leading Off  will return.

Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Because nobody is paying attention to them, Sparrow reissues his safe winter driving tips and the days of four or five shifts at the retailer every week are officially over and he gets another gratuity at the hotel.

The biggest tip I’ve ever gotten was $800 dollars when working security on the Vegas Strip…This guy had gotten into trouble with a hooker and I managed to clear the matter up without either his wife or the media being alerted, which he appreciated more than he really needed to…Even after tipping out the bellman and my security officer who had been helpful, I still managed to slide $500 into my wallet.

Subscriptions are required to read The Diary of a Nobody, The Bottom Ten and our pretty funny books.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.

On This Date
In 2005 – The USS San Francisco, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, collides with an undersea mountain 364 miles southwest of Guam. The ship was at a depth of 525 feet and while there was some sonar and ballast tank damage, the pressure hull wasn’t breached. One crewman died from head injuries and 98 others were injured. As usually happens when ships run into things they shouldn’t, the investigation found that established navigation techniques and Navy procedures were not followed.

In 1955 – In college basketball, Georgia Tech defeats Kentucky 59-58, Kentucky’s first loss at home in 129 consecutive games, an NCAA record that still stands. Kentucky’s last home loss had been to Ohio State, 45-40, on January 2, 1943.

In 1955 – Mr Sandman by the Chordettes is the #1 song Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart – predecessor of the Hot 100 – for the sixth of seven consecutive weeks.It is also at #1 on the Most Played by Jockeys and Most Played in Jukeboxes charts. It was the only #1 song for the Chordettes, who would have three other Top 10 hits including Lollipop, which went to #2 in 1958. In 1981, Mr Sandman was a Top 10 hit for Emmylou Harris on Billboard’s country chart.

Quotebook
The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.
George Bernard Shaw

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Billy “Crash” Craddock’s biggest hit on the Hot 100 was 1974’s Rub It In, which peaked at #16.

Today’s Stumper
Who would in the NCAA basketball championship in 1955? –Answer next time!

Let’s Be Friends: follow me on Facebook.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/January 7, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Leading Off
Leading Off  will return.

Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow is starting to wonder what the deal is with his application for town council vacancy and it is dead slow at the retailer. Plus the latest from the Sleep Log.

Dead slow tonight at the retailer…Good gravy, it was if the town was deserted and not about as busy as it can get because this is the week the Texans travel 2,000 miles so they can stand in the cold and hear music they can get at their local tavern…

Subscriptions are required to read The Diary of a Nobody, The Bottom Ten and our pretty funny books.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.

On This Date
In  1999 – The trial of President Bill Clinton begins in the United States Senate, following his earlier impeachment by the US House. Clinton was tried on one article of perjury and another of obstruction of justice and he would be acquitted the following month. Clinton was the second president to face trial in the Senate. In 1868, Andrew Johnson was acquitted by one vote.

In 1972 – The Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Atlanta Hawks 134-90, the final win in their NBA-record 33-game winning streak. The streak had started the previous November 5 with a win over the Baltimore Bullets, now the Washington Wizards, and they had broken the NBA record for Most Consecutive Victories on December 12 with their 21st straight win. It remains the longest winning streak in North American major league sports.

In 1976 – Billy “Crash” Craddock is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – with Broken Down in Tiny Pieces. It was Craddock’s 14th of 19 Top Ten country singles and his third and final #1 and before making it in America, Craddock had had two #1 songs on Australia’s pop chart. He earned the nickname Crash while playing high school football in his native North Carolina.

Quotebook
Superfluous wealth can buy superfluities only. Money is not required to buy one necessary of the soul.
Henry David Thoreau
Walden

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The longest NBA game played this century took four overtimes. It has been done three times.

Today’s Stumper
What was Billy “Crash” Craddock’s biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100? –Answer next time!

Let’s Be Friends: follow me on Facebook.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.

Share Gaylon! Go!