The Daily Dose/April 11, 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 has the latest on the chick front. Today’s Diary. 

We are pleased to report that the cacophony of last week – when ol’ Sparrow had no less than three women in play – has passed without yours truly getting a date…

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

In 1970 – Apollo 13 is launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Two days later an oxygen tank failed, making a lunar landing impossible, and getting the crew back to Earth took no small amount of ingenuity in extraordinary circumstances, a safe return to Earth not entirely certain until they reentered Earth’s atmosphere. Apollo 13 Commander James Lovell was also a member of the crew of Apollo 8 and remains the only person to travel to the moon twice and not walk on the surface.

In 1912 – Rube Marquard of the New York Giants wins the first of a major league record-tying 19 consecutive games in an 18-3 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Marquard would not lose until July 8 at Chicago and tied the record established by Tim Keefe, also of the Giants, in 1888. Marquard finished the season 26-11 and the mark remains the major league record for the longest winning streak from the start of a season. 

In 2009 – Lady Gaga is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the only week with Poker Face. It was the fifth of  17 Top 10 hits for Lady Gaga and her second of five #1s. The song went to #1 in 21 other countries including Mexico, Norway, and Great Britain, peaked at #75 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was Billboard’s 2nd-biggest song of the year. The song spent 40 weeks on the chart, including 18 weeks in the Top 10 and nine non-consecutive weeks at #2. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Either the people would overthrow the government or, more likely, the government would overthrow the people.
Gore Vidal
Empire

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Four Americans – three men and one woman – have won Olympic marathon gold medals.  

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

Who holds the major league record for most consecutive wins over multiple seasons? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/April 10, 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 is obliged to listen to a woman whine about rates. Today’s Diary. 

What’s funny, of course, is there is no proper response on my part…I mean, we’re the problem: we’re a hotel with the temerity to manipulate/utilize the free market and jack up rates in a season when people need places to stay…Silly us…

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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 1963 – The nuclear submarine USS Thresher sinks about 220 miles east of Boston. Thresher was doing a deep diving test following an overhaul and an inquiry concluded Thresher sunk when a joint in a saltwater piping system failed, though some maintain an electrical fire was the cause. The final underwater telephone transmission with a support ship was the number “900”, possibly her depth as it continued to sink. In keeping with US Navy tradition, Thresher remains in commissioned service, officially lost at sea.  

In 1896 – Spyridon Louis of Greece wins the first Olympic marathon in 2 hours, 58 minutes, and 50 seconds. There were 17 runners, 13 from Greece, in the race and the highest-finishing non-Greek was Gyula Kellner of Hungary, who finished third. The race from Marathon to Olympic Stadium in Athens was a bit less than 25 miles and the current distance of 26 miles, 385 yards was first run at the 1908 London Games and became standard in Paris in 1924. 

In 1982 – Stevie Wonder is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the eighth of nine consecutive weeks with That Girl. It was the 33rd of 47 Top 10 soul hits for Wonder and was his 15th of 20 #1 soul songs, a record once held with Aretha Franklin and now held by Drake (26). The song also peaked at #4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and remains Wonder’s biggest soul hit. That Girl spent 19 weeks on the chart, including 15 in the Top 10. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

A ship does not sail with yesterday’s wind.
Louis L’Amour
The Walking Drum

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The Congress of the Confederation had one chamber. It existed during the period the Articles of Confederation were in force, 1781-89. 

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

How many Americans have won an Olympic marathon gold medal? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/April 9, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things.

1. Dallas Mavericks – Hey guys, if you didn’t want to play your stars in a meaningless season finale that’s your lookout, but keeping them out of a game with play-in tournament implications – perhaps to improve your draft position – is wrong…Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters hereby fine you $10 million…Please remit check soonest. 

2. Clarence Thomas – Supreme Court justice might – or might not – have a technically legal argument that his acceptance of luxury trips is merely accepting personal hospitality but public servants like him should make the point moot by not accepting them in the first place.  

3. #USA! #USA! – 70 years into TV being the focal point of American life, Americans so well-entertained and well-fed they are tolerating 1.4 shootings per day involving no less than four (4) injuries/deaths, perpetual war, and sub-standard government…Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters remain “pretty sure” US has until this half-century is out to do something before Great American Experiment tossed aside History’s scrap heap. 

4. 2024 Presidential Election – Good gravy, potential options like choosing preferred strain of the clap: a Democratic Party hell-bent on providing cradle-to-grave coverage for all of us and a GOP determined to force-feed America their way of life…The middle of the road in America has been overtaken by extremes, tho Americans – unwilling to make changes at ballot box – seem to be OK with this. 

5. Boston Bruins – As good a team as NHL has produced, Bruins now third team to win at least 62 games in a season and are trying to become first of them to actually win Stanley Cup…Bruins looking to hoist Cup for seventh time and first time since 2011. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has to tell a guest the bar is closed. Today’s Diary. 

…this is another instance where ol’Sparrow could’ve made some extra cash by having a cooler or a bottle handy, but we don’t really think in terms of hustling cash, except after its too late…

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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 1784 – The American Revolution comes to an end when the Treaty of Paris is ratified by King George III of Great Britain. The treaty had been signed in Paris the previous September and had been ratified by the US Congress of the Confederation in January and the countries would exchange signed copies in May. The only article of the treaty still applicable and in force is the first, which acknowledges the US’s independence. 

In 1912 – Fenway Park in Boston hosts its first game, an exhibition between the Red Sox and the Harvard Crimson won by the Red Sox 2-0. The first batter was Harvard’s Dana Wingate, the first pitch was thrown by Casey Hageman, and about 3,000 fans showed up on a snowy day. The first American League game was a 7-6 win over the New York Highlanders on April 20 and to date Fenway Park has hosted 8,696 regular season games, a total that includes 85 Boston Braves games between 1913-15. 

In 1977 – ABBA is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the only week with Dancing Queen. The song went to #1 in 14 other countries including Norway, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 12th-biggest song of the year. It was the eighth of 14 Top 40 hits for the group, their first of four Top 10 hits, and remains their only #1 song. Versions by the Glee Cast (#74, 2011) and A*Teens (#95, 2000) have also hit the Hot 100. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

To live, one must embrace the immediate and actual…as well as the distant and perfect.
George Santayana

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The first US senator elected under the provisions of the 17th Amendment was Augustus Bacon of Georgia, on June 15, 1913. Bacon had served in the Senate since 1894 and had been appointed to the seat on March 4 when the legislature failed to elect a successor. He ran unopposed in the election. 

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

How many chambers did the Congress of the Confederation have? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/April 8, 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 – It’s been a slow week in the sack for Sparrow. Today’s Diary. 

…and 37.5 hours for the week, a lousy figure that is so low it will take a Herculean effort in the finale – the Saturday Sleep Session (SSS) to hit our preferred 50-hour mark. 

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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 1913 – The 17th Amendment to the US Constitution takes effect, following ratification by Connecticut. The amendment provides for the election of US Senators by a state’s residents; previously, the Constitution had provided for senators to be elected by a state’s legislature. Congress had sent the amendment to the several states the previous May, Utah rejected it, and eight states took no action on the amendment. 

In 1995 – Oliver McCall retains his WBC heavyweight boxing title with a 12-round unanimous decision over former champion Larry Holmes. It was the first defense for McCall, who won the title from Lennox Lewis the year before and he would lose the title to Frank Bruno in September. Also on the card, Bruce Seldon defeated Tony Tucker for the WBA heavyweight title that had been stripped from George Foreman. 

Today – Jimin is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in his first week on the chart with Like Crazy. It’s the second Top 40 hit for Jimin, who is also a member of the South Korean group BTS, and his first #1. Jimin is the first South Korean solo act to hit #1 on the Hot 100 and the third Asian act to do so, after BTS (five, 2020-21) and Kyu Sakamoto (Sukiyaki, three weeks, 1963). Like Crazy is the 68th song to debut at #1 on the Hot 100, has also gone to #1 in Vietnam, and peaked at #8 in Great Britain. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

There is no duty so much we underrate as the duty of being happy.
Robert Louis Stevenson

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The major league record for most saves in a season is 62, by Francisco Rodriguez of the Los Angeles Angels in 2008. 

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

Who was the first senator elected under the provisions of the 17th Amendment? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/April 7, 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 goes shopping. Today’s Diary. 

I gotta be honest, I know prices go up over time, but spending almost a C note when you are eligible to go thru the speedy lane (20 items or less) is really bad for economic morale…

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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.  

Due to time constraints, today’s On This Date segment previously ran in 2019.

In 1989 – The Soviet submarine Komsomolets catches fire and sinks in the Barents Sea north of Norway. The ship was submerged when a short-circuit caused a fire in the engineering spaces and while the ship safely surfaced, the fire continued to burn and the ship sank several hours later and still rests on the bottom of the Barents Sea. 42 of the 69 crew members died.

In 1969 – Bill Singer of the Los Angeles Dodgers records the first official save in major league history, pitching the final three innings of the Dodgers’ 3-2 win in Cincinnati over the Reds. The save was Singer’s only relief appearance of the season and Ron Perranowski of the Minnesota Twins would lead the majors with 31 saves.

In 1983 – Kenny Loggins is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the second of three consecutive weeks with Footloose, from the soundtrack of the movie of the same name. The song also went to #1 in four other countries, including South Africa and New Zealand, peaked at #6 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 4th-biggest song of the year. Footloose was the third of five Top 10 hits for Loggins as a solo act and remains his only #1 song.

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.

John Tyler did not have a vice president. The Constitution did not provide for filling a vice presidential vacancy until the ratification of the 25th Amendment in 1967. Had President Tyler died, the Speaker of the House would have assumed the presidency. 

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

Who holds the major league record for most saves in a season? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!