It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life…
Friday, February 28
That girl who was brought into the ER last nite who had OD’d and whom we watched sleep all nite was still in room five!!!…When we reported for duty at General Hosptial (GH) no one was in the office because Crotchety Old Phil (COP) was off and Connie was in the ER watching the girl.
The Daily Dose/February 28, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
USA! USA!: The downside to another Trump Administration is not so much his policies. Some have merit, though you can go argue their merits on your own time. No, the downside is that America is going to have to suffer through four more years of substandard presidential leadership.
Let’s Go Live To The White House: As we see repeatedly, Trump’s concept of leadership is bullying and blustering his way to what he wants, regardless of merit or whether or not it is in accordance with established US policy, tradition, and law, and whether or not it’s constitutional. He throws mud against a wall and sees what sticks.
Fly In The Ointment: This is not out of the Leadership 101 manual and America remains a partisan, fractured, and bickering mess. Nothing of substance is going to get done.
USA! USA! II: America really hasn’t been led by an elected president since Kennedy said let’s go to the moon. Johnson got caught in the Vietnam crosshairs. Nixon resigned in disgrace, Ford – not elected, of course – did well under circumstances the Son of Man would’ve found challenging. Carter appeared overwhelmed, while Reagan was the most managed president to that time, an influence that is still felt today because nobody speaks plainly and from the heart anymore. Everyone has to stay on message.
Dry, Technical Matter: George Bush was gracious but couldn’t get reelected and lied when he said “No new taxes”. Clinton produced our last balanced budget, but it was always something with him; George W Bush lied to get us into war. Obama talked a good game but left the country much as he found it. Trump’s first term saw, among other things, a COVID response so incompetent he will always have blood on his hands. Biden wanted his party to be all things to all people, and America merely marked time under his watch.
Here We Go Again: Now Trump is back, and we can’t really complain about it because we elected him. We elected him despite two impeachments, an insurrection, a felony conviction, despite the fact we know he is a lying, ignorant, blatherskite.
Fly In The Ointment: Now, the man who believes the moon is part of Mars and that the American Revolution was won when we secured British airports witlessly wants Canada as the 51st state and says Ukraine started its war with Russia.
The Bottom Line: So say goodbye to the prospect of America getting any substantive leadership the next four years. We are going to get four years of blather, lies, and mismanagement. Four years of ignorance. At least two years of Congress standing by and cooing at all this despite the fact they know better. All of us know better, but we elected this nonsense anyway. We deserve everything we get.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow is back in the game. Today’s Diary.
That doesn’t sound very romantic, but such matters are a compendium of needs and when two people have what the other needs – like US citizenship – things happen…
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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.
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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1525 – Aztec King Cuauhtemoc is executed on the orders of conquistador Hernando Cortez while on an expedition in southern Mexico. Cortes, a Spaniard, had conquered the Aztec empire in 1521 and suspected Cuauhtemoc of wanting to kill him. Some histories say Cortes’ suspicion was unfounded and that he felt guilty afterward and suffered from insomnia.
In 1960 – The United States wins the Olympic ice hockey gold medal with a 9-4 victory over Czechoslovakia in the final game of the medal round at the Squaw Valley Winter Games. It was the first of two Olympic titles for the US, while Canada earned its second of four silver medals and the Soviet Union earned its only bronze medal. The Olympic ice hockey tournament did not use a single-elimination bracket tournament to determine its champion until the 1992 Albertville Games.
In 1970 – Simon and Garfunkel is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of six consecutive weeks with Bridge Over Troubled Water. It was the sixth of eight Top 10 hits for the group and their third and final #1. The song went to #1 in five other countries, including Indonesia and Great Britain, was Billboard’s #1 song of the year and their 5th-biggest of the decade. The song won five Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
But for the chosen, there is no choice.
Saul Bellow
Ravelstein
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
The US Navy’s – indeed, the world’s – first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), in commissioned, active service from 1961-2012.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What country won the most gold and overall medals at the Squaw Valley Olympics? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose will return. We don’t think it is on haitus, however.
Today’s entry in The Diary of a Nobody can be read here.
Thank you for stopping by,
The Daily Dose/February 25, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
CAPSULE AMERICAN GANGSTER FRANCHISE REVIEW: The Godfather; book by Mario Puzo and three movies by Francis Ford Coppola: One of the pleasures of reading is, finally, getting around to books others enjoyed a half-century ago.
Dry, Technical Matter: We have no idea why it took so long to get around to The Godfather. We like novels and we have the same interest in mobsters some others have. Confounding the matter even further – even if it doesn’t make it any more interesting – is our folks had the book around the house growing up…An uncle was a cop back then and we admired him, so we were pretty law and order as a kid and may well have turned our nose up at it.
I’ll Make Him An Offer I Think Will Be To His Liking: The series chronicles the Corleone family, New York City mobsters. The patriarch is don Vito Corleone (played by Marlon Brando) and his son Michael (Al Pacino) eventually takes over the business. There are the usual dealings anyone with even a passing interest in the mob is familiar with.
Dry, Technical, Matter II: The book was really good, earning just a notch below our highest mark. The Godfather movie was excellent, about as good as we’ve seen, though we are hardly movie buffs here.
Thank You, Siskel And Ebert: The Godfather II was really good, too, perhaps a notch below the first one, if only because we thought it meandered a bit much at the start. The Godfather III was less good – Coppola only agreed to do it because he needed the money, a lousy reason for any artist to ply his trade – but the plot twists involving real-life events were nice…The ending, where a lot of people get whacked at the same time, was too confusing for us.
Affairs Of The Heart: We fell in love with Sophia Coppola, too. She was generally panned in this film, too, which we don’t understand. She wasn’t in any danger of having the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress named after her, but she did her work competently, if not brilliantly.
Get Your Official Daily Dose Rating Scale Right Here: 1 – The very best; 2 – Very good; 3 – Good; 4 – OK; 5 – A steaming pile.
Final Rating: 2: Note this is for all four elements collectively. Had Godfather III been as good as the other elements, we would’ve given it our highest mark, something regular readers of this crap know is not passed out with the rations.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow gets mentioned in a survey. Today’s Diary.
The gent detailed his complaints, noting the PM guy (the AFDM) wasn’t doing anybody any good, but the “overnite guy” (ol’ Sparrow) was very helpful, a credit to the hotel who would probably end up being humanity’s savior…
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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 1933 – The USS Ranger (CV-4) – the US Navy’s first aircraft carrier built for that purpose – is launched in Newport News, Virginia. Ranger began sea trials in May 1934 and she was commissioned the following June. During World War II she served in the Atlantic Ocean, as she was deemed too small for her own task force in the Pacific. Ranger was decommissioned in 1946 and sold for scrap the following year.
In 1941 – The Boston Bruins’ NHL record undefeated streak comes to an end in a 2-0 loss to the New York Rangers. The Bruins had gone 15-0-8 in their previous 23 games, breaking the record of 19 the Rangers had established the season before. The Montreal Canadiens broke the record with 28 in 1977-78 and the record is now 35 by the 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers. The Bruins finished the season with an NHL-best 27-8-13 record and defeated the Detroit Red Wings in four games for the Stanley Cup title.
In 1995 – Wade Hayes is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart – for the first of two consecutive weeks with Old Enough To Know Better. It was the first of 14 country hits for Hayes, his first of six Top 10s and remains his only appearance at #1 on a Billboard chart. The song also went #1 country in Canada.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
…but you may believe the effect is not always as magnificent as the promise.
Will Durant
The Story of Civilization, Vol. X: Rousseau and Revolution
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
The NCAA all-division men’s basketball record for most assists in a game is 37 by Patrick Maher of Division III Grinnell College in Iowa on January 6, 2014. This is not one of the two games where Grinnell’s Jack Taylor scored more than 100 points.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What was the US Navy’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/February 23, 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 has coffee going early. Today’s Diary.
The big news is there was a request for an 0400 Morning Coffee Service (MCS)…
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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 1803 – The US Supreme Court establishes the precedent of striking down laws they deem unconstitutional in the Marbury v. Madison opinion. The case stemmed from President John Adams making judicial appointments at the end of his term. Some of the commissions, including William Marbury’s, were not delivered before the end of Adams’ term and were not recognized by President Thomas Jefferson. Marbury sued and the Supreme Court ruled in his favor, though Marbury never assumed office. The case found elements of Section 13 of the Judiciary Act of 1789 unconstitutional.
In 1978 – Kevin Porter of the New Jersey Nets establishes a new NBA record for most assists in a game in a 126-112 win over the Houston Rockets. Porter had 29 assists to break the record of 28 established by Bob Cousy of the Boston Celtics in February 1959 and tied by Guy Rogers of the San Francisco Warriors in March 1963. The record is now 30, by Scott Skiles of Orlando in December 1990.
In 1973 – The O’Jays are #1 on Billboard’s soul chart – then known as the Best Selling Soul Singles chart – for the second of four consecutive weeks with Love Train. It was the 14th of 47 soul hits for the group and their second of nine #1s. The song also went #9 pop in Great Britain and later spent a week at #1 on the Hot 100, their only #1 pop hit. The song was written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Heroism is the decision to maintain one’s consideration for others in the face of danger to oneself.
Miss Manners
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
New Hampshire has the lowest winning percentage amongst NCAA Division I basketball teams that have played at least 50 seasons. The Wildcats have 668-1,219, a .354 winning percentage in 73 seasons. They have yet to play in the NCAA or NIT tournaments.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What is the NCAA all-division men’s basketball record for most assists in a game? – Answer next time!
