The Daily Dose/February 14, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

YAWN…HERE WE GO AGAIN: You know, we would’ve liked to have been surprised when we saw the headline announcing the State Department would be buying $400 million of those ugly Tesla Cybertrucks from Assistant President Elon Musk’s company. 

We weren’t, however, and you probably weren’t either. It’s too bad we weren’t surprised, but governments have been passing out contracts to friends and family since Roman emperors passed out highway contracts to brothers and cousins. 

Extra, Extra, Read All About It: The plans were later scrapped as both American media and citizens finally raised enough of a ruckus about one of Trump’s witless actions for the government to withdraw the plans. 

Dry, Technical Matter: Exactly why the US State Department – charged with presiding over US foreign relations and policy – requires armored electric vehicles wasn’t immediately clear. Exactly why anyone needs one could result in a rather dull discussion. 

We Elected This: This was another example of President Trump’s ignorance, thinking he could overpower everyone and ramrod a $400 million contract for his BFF through. It was ignorant to think it would not become public. It was not ignorant of him, though, to think it wouldn’t be accepted. America, from her citizens to her media, to her Congress, have more less stood by and consented to this nonsense and it was not unreasonable to believe we’d accept this.   

The Bottom Line: This wasn’t the first idiocy that Trump has tried to steamroll over us and it won’t be the last. We elected pettiness, vindictiveness, and ignorance, and Trump and company are delivering on that mandate. It’s good to see America, however, stand up and protest enough that the Witlessness of the Day is rescinded.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow sees someone he knows at the ER. Today’s Diary. 

One thing we’ve wondered since we started here was how long it would take to see someone we knew report to the ER…The answer was almost seven months…

———

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 1130 – Cardinals of the Catholic Church, meeting in Rome, elect two popes, Innocent II and, shortly thereafter, Anacletus II. Innocent had been elected by several cardinals shortly after the death of Honorius II, but many cardinals did not support Innocent. Anacletus had control of Rome, forcing Innocent to sail for Pisa before ending up in France. The Catholic Church regards Innocent as pope and Anacletus as antipope. 

In 1971 – Richard Petty wins the Daytona 500 with an average speed of 144.462 mph by ten seconds of Buddy Baker. It was the third of a record seven Daytona 500 titles for Petty and was the only 2nd-place finish for Baker to go along with four titles. Petty earned $45,450 for the win, about $375,000 in today’s money and later in the season won the inaugural Winston Cup title. 

In 1953 – Theresa Brewer us at #1 in Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores Chart – a predecessor to the Hot 100 – for the first of five consecutive weeks with Till I Waltz With You Again. It was the sixth of 27 Top 40 hits for Brewer was her second and final #1 song in a chart career that spanned from 1949-73. The song was also at #1 on Billboard’s Most Played by Jockeys and Most Played in Jukeboxes charts. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Voltaire’s politics stemmed partly from a suspicion that many people would be incapable of digesting education even if it were offered them.
Will Durant
The Story of Civilization, Vol. X: Rousseau and Revolution

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

Bruno Richard Hauptman was born in Germany. 

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

What driver had the longest span between their first and second Daytona 500 victory? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/February 13, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

THE DAY IN TRUMP: President Trump’s blitzkrieg on our government continues with attacks Wednesday on both a free press and the courts. 

Extra, Extra Read All About It: The White House barred the Associated Press from an Oval Office event because the AP has the temerity to continue to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as such and not as the Trump-mandated Gulf of America. 

Oh Yeah: Then the White House press office declared that the courts are the problem and are the ones causing a constitutional crisis, and not Trump’’s executive orders, some of which are in violation of the Constitution and established federal law.  

Stop Us If You’ve Heard This Before: The purpose of a presidential executive order is to help him administer established federal law. There is no legal basis for an executive order to establish new policy and courts are right to step in when this is tried. 

LOL: How do these people keep a straight face? The idea of keeping the Associated Press from an Oval Office function for any reason is ludicrous. To keep them out for not complying with Trump’s witless renaming of the Gulf of Mexico is intolerable. To start pestering the courts because they aren’t marching in step is the first step to trying to eliminate them. 

The Bottom Line: We elected this. We elected, pettiness, vindictiveness, and ignorance so lets not act all shocked when that’s what we’re getting. Trump’s complete disregard for anything other than his own ignorant worldview is as in character as it is dangerous. The next four years of bluster, ignorance, and blather may well spell the end of the American experiment if we don’t start paying attention. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow stops reading a book midway through. Today’s Diary. 

This book, however, is boring…We have no idea why, either: we’ve been reading dull biographies of this sort for decades – hell, we write this – and the subject and the era are right up ol’ Sparrow’s alley…

———

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 1935 – Bruno Hauptman is convicted of kidnapping and murdering the baby of Charles and Anne Lindbergh by a jury in Flemington, New Jersey. Charles Linbergh, Jr. was 20 months old when he was kidnapped from the family home in March 1932 and his body was found on May 12. Hauptman came under suspicion after spending some of the ransom money, part of which was found in his garage. Hauptman was executed the following May. 

In 2022 – The Los Angeles Rams win the Super Bowl, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Los Angeles. It was the second Super Bowl title for the franchise and their first while in Los Angeles, and was the third Super Bowl loss for the Bengals. Both teams were the fourth seed in their conference, marking the first time the game had been played without one team being seeded at least third. The Rams became the second team to win the Super Bowl in their home stadium, following Tampa Bay the year before.  

In 1982 – Eddie Rabbit is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the only week with Someone Could Lose a Heart Tonight. The song also went #4 country in Canada, peaked at #15 on Billboard’s Hot 100, and was their 45th-biggest country song of the year. It was the tenth of 16 #1 country songs for Rabbit, who died at age 56 of lung cancer.

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Almost nothing great has ever been done in the world except by the genius and firmness of a single man combating the prejudices of the multitudes.
Will Durant
The Story of Civilization, Vol. X: Rousseau and Revolution

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

Besides Sonja Henie, the other woman to win consecutive Olympic figure skating gold medals is Katarina Witt in 1984 and 1988. 

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

Where was Bruno Hauptman born? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/February 12, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

NOW HEAR THIS: Years ago, we were on the bridge of the old diesel submarine, the USS Blueback (SS-581), heroically performing lookout duties. We were returning to San Diego and the officer of the deck (OOD) was one Ensign Wende. There was no bothering us, causing Ens. Wende to note we were cruising along “fat, dumb, and happy”. 

USA! USA!: That describes America right now, because a country that was lean and thoughtful would never have taken someone as ignorant as Donald Trump seriously as a presidential candidate. He would’ve been laughed out of the race well before the 2016 primaries. 

Fly In The Ointment: But he wasn’t, and an American electorate that has as little intellectual and moral substance as Trump himself has twice elected him president. We are paying the price for it. 

BOHICA: He is trying to force-feed us attempts to countermand acts of Congress, established federal law, and the Constitution. His vice president recently suggested the courts would do well to get out of the way and stop obstructing them, which should cause all of us to shudder and clutch our Constitutions. Trump has ignorantly renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America and witlessly said Canada should be our 51st state. 

Please Check Your Democracy At The Door: We must start paying closer attention to our government. Trump, as usual, is trying to keep us on our heels by overpowering us with bluster and blather so he can force-feed what he wants on us, most of it born in ignorance. Congress is useless, merely cooing and genuflecting, and while the courts are stopping some of it, who knows what will happen once cases arrive at the conservative Supreme Court. 

The Bottom Line: America is facing its greatest internal crisis since the Civil War. If we’re not careful, the American Experiment may not see its 250th birthday next year. We’ve left our government unchecked for too long; it’s time for you and me – we the people – to start paying closer attention. 

 Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

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

Well, if we had no knowledge of the POS system, it was highly unlikely we’d acquired a manager’s code in the last five minutes…

———

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 1999 – President Bill Clinton is acquitted in his trial by the United States Senate. The US House had impeached Clinton in December on two charges: lying under oath and obstruction of justice, and neither charge came particularly close to the two-thirds majority required for conviction. Clinton was the second US president tried by the Senate, following Andrew Johnson in 1868, and the last before President Donald Trump’s two impeachment trials. 

In 1932 – Sonja Henie of Norway wins the women’s figure skating gold medal at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. It was the second of three consecutive gold medals for Henie, an Olympic record that still stands and Henie also won ten consecutive world championships from 1927-36, also a record. Henie had made her Olympic debut at the 1924 Chamonix Winter Games as an 11-year-old, finishing eleventh. 

In 2011 – Bruno Mars is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the fourth and final non-consecutive week with Grenade. It was the seventh of 24 Top 40 hits for Mars, his sixth of 18 Top 10 hits, and his third of eight #1s. The song went to #1 in 15 other countries including Israel, Noway, and Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 6th-biggest song of the year. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

…and what is still grander and more wonderful, going back into himself, there to study man and to to know his own nature, his duties, and his end.
Jean-Jaques Rousseau

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

Venus has the longest day in the Solar System at 243 Earth days, which is longer than its year of 225 days. 

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

Who is the only other woman to win consecutive Olympic figure skating gold medals? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/February 11, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

NOW HEAR THIS: Years ago, we were on the bridge of the old diesel submarine, the USS Blueback (SS-581), heroically performing lookout duties. We were returning to San Diego, and the officer of the deck (OOD) EnsignWende noted there was no bothering us, noting we were cruising along “fat, dumb, and happy”. 

USA! USA!: That describes America right now, because a country that was lean and thoughtful would never have taken someone as ignorant as Donald Trump seriously as a presidential candidate. He would’ve been laughed out of the race well before the 2016 primaries. 

Fly In The Ointment: But he wasn’t, and Trump – a man of zero intellectual substance – has twice been elected president by an America that no linger any intellectual substance.  

BOHICA: He is trying to force-feed us attempts to countermand acts of Congress, established federal law, and the Constitution. His vice president recently suggested the courts would do well to get out of the way and stop obstructing them, which should cause all of us to shudder and clutch our Constitutions. Trump has ignorantly renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America and witlessly said Canada should be our 51st state. 

Please Check Your Democracy At The Door: Friends, we must start paying closer attention to our government. Trump, as usual, is trying to keep us on our heels by overpowering us with bluster and blather so he can force-feed what he wants on us, most of it born in ignorance. Congress is useless, merely standing by and cooing, and while the courts are stopping some of it, who knows what will happen once cases arrive at the conservative Supreme Court. 

The Bottom Line: America is facing its greatest internal crisis since the Civil War. If we’re not careful, the American Experiment may not see its 250th birthday next year. We’ve left our government unchecked for too long; it’s time for you and me – we the people – to start paying closer attention. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow gets pulled over. Today’s Diary. 

…we had entered a 50 mph zone with cruise control still confidently set to 67, and that is pulloverable in any jurisdiction…Especially here where constables generally don’t have anything better to do than catch evil arch-criminals like us.

———

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 1999 – Then-planet Pluto, which spends 20 years of every 248-year orbit inside the orbit of Neptune –  crosses outside Neptune’s orbit and again is the farthest planet from the Sun. Due to a couple of factors that are, thankfully, beyond the scope of this feature, the two planets can never collide. Pluto had last crossed in front of Neptune’s orbit in 1979, and it is expected to cross in front of Neptune again in 2229. 

In 1973 – The Philadelphia 76ers establish a new NBA record for most consecutive losses in a 108-90 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the 20th straight loss for the 76ers, breaking the record of 19 they established in the 1971-72 and 72-73 seasons. The mark has been broken several times, and is now 28, done twice, by the 76ers in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons and by the Detroit Pistons last season. The 76ers are the only NBA team to lose at least 20 consecutive games three times. 

In 1978 – The Bee Gees are at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second of four consecutive weeks with Stayin’ Alive. The song went to #1 in seven other countries, including Mexico and Italy, peaked at #4 in Great Britain, on Billboard’s soul chart, and on their year-end survey. It was the fifth of nine #1 songs for the group, and their second of six consecutive #1 songs, a mark then shared with the Beatles and now held by Whitney Houston.

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Genius is from the school of solitude.
Edward Gibbon

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

The NHL record for the fastest three goals by one team is 20 seconds by the Boston Bruins on February 25, 1971. 

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

What planet has the longest day? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/February 10, 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 reports new uniforms are coming to the hotel. Today’s Diary.

Actually, it’s just a black dress shirt, plain, without a hotel logo…And, in keeping with Official Hotel Policy (OHP), there has been absolutely zero communication on the matter…

———

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 1567 – Lord Darnley, the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, is murdered in an explosion in Edinburgh. Darnley and Mary had married in 1565 and Darnley had claims to th Scottish and English thrones through his parents, though due to his erratic behavior, this didn’t seem to please anyone. Their union did produce a son, the future James VI of Scotland and I of England. 

In 1883 – The New York Rangers and the Minnesota North Stars establish a new NHL record for the fastest three goals by both teams in a 7-5 North Stars’ victory. The two teams scored three goals – the first two by the Rangers – in 15 seconds to break the record of 18 seconds established by the Rangers and Montreal Canadiens in December 1963, and the record still stands. The goals came in the last minute of the second period. 

In 1990 – Paula Abdul with the Wild Pair is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first of three consecutive weeks with Opposites Attract. The song also went to #1 in Australia and Canada, peaked at #2 in Great Britain, at #3 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was Billboard’s 14th-biggest pop hit of the year and its 40th-biggest soul hit of the year. It was the fourth of six #1s for Abdul and remains the only Top 40 hit for the Wild Pair. Abdul’s album Forever Your Girl was also in its third of ten non-consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard’s album chart.  

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

One must show the truth to posterity with boldness, and to his contemporaries with circumspection.
Will Durant
The Story of Civilization, Vol X: Rousseau and Revolution 

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

Billboard’s #1 country song of 1959 was Battle of New Orleans, which spent ten weeks at #1. It was also Billboard’s #1 pop sing of 1959, with six weeks at #1. It remains the only time a song has been both the #1 country and pop song in a year. 

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

Who holds the NHL record for the fastest three goals by one team? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!