The Daily Dose/Sunday, January 30, 2022
The Daily Dose/January 30, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things.
1. USA! USA! – The US has been at war every day for over 30 years so of course we’re going to butt in in the Russia/Ukraine imbroglio…It’s what we do: fail to heed the lessons of the past that show US interference does no good and that the only dividend war provides is more war…We deserve better than this, but Americans currently not demanding better.
2. Tom Brady – Still officially undecided about retirement, SB5 pollsters never believed initial announcement, wondering why Brady, still healthy and still good, would turn his back on his life’s work.
3. Donald Trump – The 3-hole staple remains a lying sexual predator who believes that 1) the moon is part of Mars and that 2) the Revolution was won by Continental Army securing British airports, ignorance almost beyond comprehension in anyone older than five…SB5 pollsters still curious as to which of these elements continues to secure GOP support.
4. President Joe Biden – President Biden’s avatar should be a token after announcing he will appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court…While not lawyers, SB5 pollsters “strongly suspect” that while there’s no shortage of qualified Black women for seat, declaring this in advance diminishes the seat, the nominee and the presidency.
5. President Joe Biden Fact Check– While not the consummate liar his predecessor was/is, Mr Biden does his own admirable job of stretching the facts this week…Click here for the latest, courtesy of the AP.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
Read Free Sunday (RFS) will return.
The Diary of a Nobody – At the hotel, Sparrow deals with a persnickety guest. Today’s Diary.
Then she tried to make this my fault by noting that if the room went unoccupied the hotel would lose money, which shows her ignorance because we’re paid whether the room is vacant or manned by the 5th Marines…
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Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device.
———
On This Date
History’s long march.
In 1862 – The USS Monitor, the first ironclad warship in the US Navy, is launched in Brooklyn. She was commissioned in February and in March saw action at the Battle of Hampton Roads in the Civil War, where she fought the CSS Virginia to a draw. The Monitor would serve the Union until December 31, when she was lost at sea during a storm off the North Carolina coast. The ironclads would eventually evolve into the steel-hulled warships we have today.
In 1948 – The fifth Winter Olympics open in St Moritz, Switzerland, the first Winter Games since 1936 because of World War II. Norway and Sweden each won four gold medals, Canada won their fifth consecutive ice hockey gold medal and the US won gold medals in the women’s slalom, men’s figure skating, and bobsleigh. The games were held without the participation of Japan and Germany, who were still ostracized by the international community for their roles in World War II and it was the second Winter Games for St Moritz, which had also hosted the 1928 Winter Games.
In 1988 – INXS is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the only week with Need You Tonight. It was the second of nine Top 40 hits for the group, their second of seven Top 10 hits, and remains their only #1 song. The song also peaked at #3 in their native Australia, at #2 in Great Britain and at #73 on Billboard’s soul chart. A version by the Rogue Traders – retitled One of My Kind – peaked at #10 in Australia in 2003.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
…there are many who confine themselves to criticism of the way others do what they themselves dare not even attempt…these are marks, not…of superiority but of weakness. They mark the men…who seek…to hide from others and from themselves their own weakness. The role is easy…
Theodore Roosevelt
The Man in the Arena speech
Paris, 1910
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
36 nations competed in the 1964 Winter Olympics at Innsbruck, Austria.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Which nation holds the record for most gold medals at the Winter Olympics? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Saturday, January 29, 2022
The Daily Dose/January 29, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience.
Leading Off is running intermittently right now.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – At the veterans service office (VSO), Sparrow fields a phone call. Today’s Diary.
…and he regularly calls me about things that are beyond the scope and interest of a VSO…Today he was in rare form, announcing he’d received a letter from Social Security declaring his checks would be getting withheld at a 15% rate…Why is this, he wondered his tone, as always, implying it’s in my hands now.
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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
History’s long march.
In 1856 – Queen Victoria of Great Britain establishes the Victoria Cross for valor by members of the British military in the Crimean War, which would end the following month. Since its inception, a total of 1,355 men have won the award, including three who have won it twice. The Victoria Cross is awarded for “conspicuous bravery…in the presence of the enemy” and the Victoria Cross has been awarded only 15 times since World War II, most recently in 2013 for valor in Afghanistan.
In 1964 – The 9th Winter Olympics open in Innsbruck, Austria. The Soviet Union won the most gold medals (11) and the most total medals (25) and the only US gold medal was won in 500-meter speed skating by Terry McDermott. As sometimes happens, sufficient snow refused to fall and the Austrian Army had to import snow from a pass near the Italian border. The Winter Olympics would return to Innsbruck twelve years later when the original host city, Denver, backed out.
In 1966 – The Beatles are at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart for the fourth of six consecutive weeks with Rubber Soul. It was the seventh of 19 #1 albums for the group and the North American release produced zero chart singles. The album sold 1.2 million copies in its first nine days, an unprecedented total in an era when singles generally outsold albums and the record also spent eight weeks at #1 in Great Britain.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
I only learned all this from the losses. Losses turn to lessons.
Wes Watson
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
Billboard’s #1 song of 1989 was Look Away by Chicago, which spent two weeks at #1, eight weeks in the Top 10 and 24 weeks in the Hot 100.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
How many nations participated in the 1964 Winter Olympics? – Answer next time!
The Diary of a Nobody/January 28
It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life…
Friday, January 28
Madam Public Health Director was by for our sort-of-weekly meeting in the hot spring this morning…She had a variety of talking points this morning and, because I asked, she told me conditions on the mountain were starting to deteriorate because we haven’t had decent snow in a while…She’s an avid skier and she noted that she and her husband were up there this past weekend and it was still OK, but there was more ice than anyone liked to see and the first brown patches are starting to be seen.
The Daily Dose/Friday, January 28, 2022
The Daily Dose/January 28, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience.
Leading Off is running intermittently right now.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow is so committed to a strong day off he doesn’t even clean house. Today’s Diary.
In the interests of hygiene, however, dishes were washed and the cat’s stuff attended to…Laundry, however, was not done and, of course, you can forget about vacuuming…
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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
History’s long march.
In 1896 – History’s first speeding conviction is handed down in Kent, England when one Walter Arnold – a local automobile dealer – is fined one shilling plus court costs for driving his “horseless carriage” 8 mph in a 2 mph zone. Speed limits had first been introduced in Great Britain with the first Locomotive Act in 1861 and it is estimated that worldwide 1.3 million people die in traffic accidents every year. Speed limits are almost universal now, though there are roads in, among other places, Germany, the Isle of Man, and India that do not have speed limits.
In 1940 – Les Cunningham of the Chicago Blackhawks ties the NHL record for most points in a period in an 8-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Cunningham had five points on two goals and three assists in the third period to tie a mark done twice previously. The mark was tied on many other occasions before being broken by Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders who had six points in the second period of a December 1978 win over the New York Rangers. That mark was tied in March of last year by Mika Zibanejad of the Rangers.
In 1989 – Phil Collins is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second and final week with Two Hearts, the sixth of seven #1 songs for Collins. The song also went to #1 in Denmark, Japan, and Canada, peaked at #6 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 220th-biggest song of the year. The song was from the soundtrack to the movie Buster and earned the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for Collins and co-writer Lamont Dozier.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcoming…
Theodore Roosevelt
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
Billy Joel has had four #1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What was Billboard’s #1 song of 1989? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Thursday, January 27, 2022
The Daily Dose/January 27, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience.
Leading Off is running intermittently right now.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – At the veterans service office, Sparrow has trouble sending a fax. Today’s Diary.
He called to apologize and give me the correct prefix and we had an appropriate laff over that and then BOOM the two or three times I tried to send it to that number there wasn’t any answer, either…I even called it on the office phone just for funsies and after several dozen rings, the phone line got worn out and said the hell with it and stopped ringing …The line didn’t cut off and return to the dial tone, it merely went dead…
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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
History’s long march.
In 1776 – Knox’s Expedition – a caravan led by Col. Henry Knox carrying heavy weaponry captured from the British at the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga – arrives outside Boston to aid the Continental Army. Long regarded as a paramount feat of military logistics, Knox’s unit moved 60 tons of armament 300 miles in the dead of winter. Knox, then 25, was a bookseller in Boston before the Revolution and would later serve President Washington as secretary of war before retiring in 1794.
In 1991 – The New York Giants defeat the Buffalo Bills 20-19 in Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium. It was the second of four Super Bowl wins for the Giants and the first of a record four consecutive Super Bowl defeats for the Bills. The national anthem was performed by Whitney Houston and the Florida Orchestra and the halftime show was headlined by the New Kids on the Block, though ABC aired it after the game, preferring to air an update on Operation Desert Storm, which had begun on Jan 17.
In 1979 – Billy Joel is at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart for the eighth and final non-consecutive week with 52nd Street. The album also went to #1 in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, peaked at #10 in Great Britain and was Billboard’s biggest album of the year. 52nd Street also earned Joel Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Album of the Year and yielded three chart singles, including the #3 hit My Life. 52nd Street refers to the street in New York City where both Joel’s record company his recording studio were located.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Mere longevity is a good thing for those who watch life from the sidelines. For those who play the game, an hour may be a year, a single day’s work an achievement for an eternity.
Gabriel Heatter
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The record for the most points scored in a US high school, college or professional game is 138 by Jack Taylor of Grinnell College in Iowa on November 20, 2012. Taylor shot 108 total field goals, a bit more than two-and-a-half per minute.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
How many #1 albums has Billy Joel had on the Billboard 200 album chart.? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Wednesday, January 26, 2022
The Daily Dose/January 26, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience.
Leading Off is running intermittently right now.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – At the hotel, Sparrow fields a complaint about the coffee. Today’s Diary.
She might have a point…It’s a light European roast designed to alert you to your day’s duties and not prepare you to build an overpass…Typically, ol’ Sparrow apologized and noted we try to keep it mellow here at the hotel, not really wanting to put hair on your chest.
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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
History’s long march.
In 1966 – Three children – Jane, Arnna and Grant Beaumont, ages nine, seven and four – disappear from a beach in southeastern Australia. Witnesses reported seeing the children with a man in his 30s and while there were later sightings of them, they were never found and are presumed to have been kidnapped and murdered. Though there were a variety of suspects, there were never any arrests in the case, which has since fascinated Australians and has long been considered close. Mr and Mrs Beaumont later separated, with Mrs Beaumont dying in 2021.
I960 – Danny Heater of Burnsville High School in West Virginia establishes a new high school record for most points scored in a game in a 173-43 win over Widen High School. Heater had 135 points in the game to break the record of 120 points done by Dick Bogenrife of Canaan, Ohio in 1953. The total might have been more, but Heater didn’t really want to set a record and didn’t shoot for the first couple of minutes. Heater later attended Richmond University but, homesick, left after six weeks. Still alive, Heater lives in eastern West Virginia retired after a long career with Delta Airlines,
In 1974 – Ringo Starr is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the only week with You’re Sixteen. It was the fourth Top 40 hit for Starr as a solo act, his fourth of eight Top 10 hits and his second and final #1 song (Photograph, one week, 1973). The song also went to #1 in New Zealand, peaked at #4 in Great Britain and a version by Johnny Burnette peaked at #8 on the Hot 100 in 1960.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
It is undeniable, however, that despite the suddenness of his advent, he had been long preparing for this emergence.
John C Miller
Alexander Hamilton: Portrait in Paradox
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The longest-running show in worldwide broadcast history is The Grand Ole Opry, which has been on the air on WSM Nashville since 1925.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What is the record for the most points scored in an American prep, collegiate or professional game? – Answer next time!