The Daily Dose/Wednesday, January 2, 2019
The Daily Dose/January 2, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
It’s been some time since we’ve checked in on the latest developments on the “investigation” into the death of writer Jamal Khashoggi, so let’s dive right in.
- One, he is still dead, killed October 3rd in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, a killing Saudi officials have since acknowledged was carried out by Saudis, though the Saudi government still insists was a rogue slaying, which we don’t believe any more than you do.
- The first book on the killing was released last week. Titled Diplomatic Atrocity: The Dark Secrets of the Khashoggi Murder, it was written by reporters from the Daily Sabah, a Turkish daily newspaper and is said to have inside information on the killing. The reporters put their names on the book, too, probably on the theory that the Saudis have done enough killing and they are pretty safe.
- The Saudi king reorganized his country’s intelligence service, tossing aside whatever hapless royals was heading it and putting his son, the crown prince, in charge, which should cause all of us to sleep better at night.
- Turkey is trying to get the UN to investigate, which might well be the same as putting an indictment in a bottle and throwing the bottle into the Black Sea.
- The US is still issuing a collective sigh. President Trump is committed to not stirring the pot, though the Senate got its collective shorts in a knot last month and passed a strongly-worded resolution on the matter.
Official Leading Off police applauds Turkey’s pursuit of the killers, but this pursuit is likely to be as futile as it is persistent. America’s citizens collectively seem content to let this go and without US pressure nothing will probably get done. Our loss.
Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: There is news from The Shire and the WiFi is out at the retailer.
And Jerry plowed our driveway!!!…I am not making that up!!!…This is hardly the Upset of the Year, tho, because one, he’s done it in the past and, two, I did everything but issue him an invitation, letting it pile up the past day or so and parking under the car port when I got home from work this morning…
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 1860 – Members of the French Academy of Sciences announce the existence of a new planet they named Vulcan. Located, in theory, between the sun and Mercury, Vulcan’s existence was theorized based on discrepancies in findings following observations of Mercury. Vulcan’s existence continued to be theorized based on observations made during transits and eclipses, not to mention the viewing of sunspots. Vulcan’s days were numbered when Albert Einstein published his Theory of Relativity in 1915, and its non-existence was finalized during observations made during a solar eclipse in May 1919.
In 1983 – Ken Anderson of the Cincinnati Bengals establishes a new NFL record with 20 consecutive pass completions. Anderson went 27-of-31 for 323 yards and two touchdowns as the Bengals defeated the Houston Oilers 35-27 in the final game of the season. The record stood until Joe Montana completed 22 consecutive passes over the course of two games in 1987 and his single-game record stood until Rich Gannon broke it in 2002. Both the overall and single-game records are now 25, done on three occasions.
In 1954 – Eddie Fisher is at #1 on Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart for the first of eight consecutive weeks with Oh! My Papa (O Mein Papa). For Fisher, it was the third of four number ones on the Best Sellers in Store chart. Fisher, the father of actress Carrie Fisher, served in the Army during the Korean War, where he spent time both in Korea and as the vocal soloist for the United States Army band. O Mein Papa was written in 1939 for a German musical.
Quotebook
The difference between the possible and the impossible lies in the person’s determination.
Tommy Lasorda
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The second-oldest college football bowl games are the Orange and Sugar bowls, both of which debuted on January 1, 1935.
Today’s Stumper
By what name is the United States Army Band also known? –Answer next time!
Let’s Be Friends: follow me on Facebook.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.
The Daily Dose/January 1, 2019
The Daily Dose/January 1, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
One of the almost interesting notes from the holidays is that my wife and I took it off. The whole thing. Well, we did eat well on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, but we didn’t buy presents and ignored our already modest social obligations.
It started shortly after Thanksgiving, when neither of us was in the mood to put up decorations. We have a nice Christmas village and some other decorations, including some lights we bought last year. I asked my wife if she was interested in the same tone I would have used to inquire if she wanted me get a case of the clap, and she wasn’t any more interested than I was. So no presents for each other and no decorations. I didn’t even listen to too much Christmas music, which I usually enjoy.
What’s funny is I’ve already been out of the present buying racket for many years. I can remember going to the family Thanksgiving gathering one year and afterward we drew names, which was silly because my mom and my aunts and uncles all bought presents for everyone. It was, I suppose, designed to get slackers like my dad and his sons and a few others off their duffs to buy at least one present.
Anyway, one year in my 20’s the name I drew was my own. I looked at the slip for a second, thought this was my ticket out of the present buying racket I never really enjoyed and stuffed it in a pocket without missing beat. A few days later my mom calls me and asks if I drew my own name because she and my aunts had been busily piecing together who drew whose name and the only way anything worked was if I drew my own. I fessed up, Mom wasn’t entirely pleased, and I haven’t bought, or received, too many presents since.
If you splurged this holiday season, great, we hope you enjoyed it. We certainly enjoyed ours. Happy New Year. We plan on making our time serve us instead of merely marking time this year, and we hope you do, too.
Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow is busy at the hotel.
The bar closed at 2315…I am not making that up!!!…A bar in a tourist town closed down before midnight on New Year’s Eve…Business was slow, tho, and the workers probably had their own parties to go to, so perhaps it wasn’t that 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 1362 – The Grand Duchy of Lithuania becomes the first country to celebrate the new year on January 1st. The duchy lost its independence in the 16th century and today encompasses portions of present day Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, the Ukraine and Poland.
In 1916 – The Washington State Indians, now known as the Cougars, defeat the Brown Bruins 14-0 in the Tournament East-West Football Game, now known as the Rose Bowl, played at Tournament Park in Pasadena. It was the second college football bowl game ever and the first since Michigan defeated Stanford 49-0 in the 1902 Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl has been played annually since the 1916 game and the 105th edition will be played today between Washington and Ohio State.
In 1977 – Rod Stewart is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the eighth and final week with Tonight’s the Night. It was the second of four #1s for Stewart and the song also went to #1 in Canada and was Billboard’s #1 song of 1977. At the time, it was the most weeks any song at spent at #1 on the Hot 100 in the 1970’s, a mark that stood until Debby Boone spent ten weeks at #1 with You Light Up My Life later in in 1977.
Quotebook
Everyone has it within his power to say, this I am today, that I shall be tomorrow.
Louis L’Amour
The Wandering Drum
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Whitney Houston holds the record for Most Consecutive #1 Songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 with seven. The streak started with Saving All My Love For You in October of 1985 and ended with Where Do Broken Hearts Go in April 1988.
Today’s Stumper
What is the second-oldest college football bowl game? –Answer next time!
Let’s Be Friends: follow me on Facebook.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.
The Daily Dose/Monday, December 31, 2018
The Daily Dose/December 31, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off: Happy New Year
As you read this the planet has been ringing in the New Year for several hours already, 2019 beginning at 3am Mountain Standard Time in Samoa, Tonga and Christmas Island. 15 minutes later the Chatham Islands celebrated at at 6am New Year celebrations began in much of Australia. You get the picture. Here are some other times:
Beijing: 9am
Bombay: 11:30am
Moscow: 2pm
London: 5pm
Rio de Janeiro: 7pm
You might think that because there are 24 hours in a day it takes 24 hours for the entire planet to ring in 2019. You would be wrong. The entire New Year’s evolution takes 26 hours, with the Baker and Howland islands entering 2019 at at 5am MST Tuesday.
Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: The cat sleeps on the crew neck sweater Sparrow was going to wear to work, while at the retailer Sally shows Sparrow the buffalo nickel she found. Also, Wes talks to Sparrow some more about markdowns.
Recall last night he talked with Charlie about how we couldn’t just mark down a projector screen from $180 to $20 willy-nilly…I overheard part of it and told Wes I’d found it moderately, tho not completely, interesting, and he continued the lesson tonight…I have little financial acumen, however, and didn’t understand most of it, but he noted markdowns aren’t bad and just because something is priced to move doesn’t mean it is hurting our bottom line…
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 1857 – British monarch Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa as the capital of Canada. Ottawa was then a small logging town, though its location on a cliff meant it was difficult to attack and it and it was halfway between what was then Canadian east and the Canadian west. Today, Ottawa has a population of about 965,000. Its name comes from an Algonquin word meaning ‘to trade’.
In 1967 – The Green Bay Packers defeat the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 in the NFL Championship Game. Known to history as the Ice Bowl, game time temperatures in Green Bay were -15 degrees F with a wind-chill of -38 and was so cold the officials were unable to use their whistles. The Packers won the game on a quarterback sneak by Bart Starr with 13 seconds remaining. With the win, the Packers become the first team to win three consecutive NFL championships.
In 1977 – The Bee Gees are at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the fourth time of nine times with How Deep Is Your Love. The song was at #1 for the second of three consecutive weeks and was the first of six consecutive #1s for the Bee Gees, which tied the Hot 100 record established by the Beatles between December 1964 and January 1968. Due to when How Deep Is Your Love charted, the song was the the sixth biggest song of 1978.
Quotebook
Only one who has learned much can fully appreciate his ignorance.
Louis L’Amour
Education of a Wandering Man
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The Gadsden Purchase was named after James Gadsden, a former colonel in the US Army who was the US ambassador to Mexico at the time.
Today’s Stumper
What act now holds the record for most consecutive #1 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100? –Answer next time!
Let’s Be Friends: follow me on Facebook.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.
The Daily Dose/Sunday, December 30, 2018
The Daily Dose/December 30, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Leading Off will return on January 1st.
Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow really enjoys what The Wife makes for dinner, while at the retailer he eavesdrops on Wes’ and Charlie’s conversation about markdowns, plus there are the weekly, monthly and yearly totals from Sparrow’s Sleep Log.
The running joke between The Wife and I – and it ain’t too far from the truth – is that I only get stuff like this once because The Wife eschews recipes, preferring to wing it in the kitchen, so I asked the cat, in her usual mealtime place on the table, if we will ever see this again…The question was rhetorical, of course, but the cat actually meowed, tho it was difficult to tell what her answer was.
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 1853 – The United States and Mexico agree to the Gadsden Purchase, where Mexico sells most of Arizona south of Phoenix and a portion of southwest New Mexico for $10 million, about $270 million in today’s money. With the exception of some minor border adjustments over the years, this remains America’s last territorial acquisition in the lower 48 states.
In 1997 – Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls scores 41 points as the Chicago Bulls defeat the Dallas Mavericks 111-105. By scoring at least ten points Jordan establishes a new NBA record for Most Consecutive Games Scoring at Least Ten Points with 788, breaking the record that had been held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Jordan’s streak would end in December, 2001 at 866 games and the record is now held by LeBron James with 907.
In 1967 – For Loving You by Bill Anderson and Jan Howard is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the second of four consecutive weeks. It was the first of four consecutive Top 10 hits the duo would have together and was Anderson’s fourth of seven #1 songs while it remains Howard’s only #1 song.
Quotebook
Go for the top. If you aim for second you will end up there.
John F Kennedy
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The 1934 Chicago Bears were the first NFL team to go undefeated and untied for a regular season, going 13-0. They finished 13-1 after losing the NFL Championship Game 30-13 to the New York Giants.
Today’s Stumper
Who is the Gadsden Purchase named after? –Answer next time!
Let’s Be Friends: follow me on Facebook.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.
The Daily Dose/December 29, 2018
The Daily Dose/December 29, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Leading Off will return on January 1st.
Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: A customer takes it to DefCon 1 when Sparrow won’t accept a return when doesn’t have either the receipt or the original barcode, plus he plays travel agent for Mamadou’s flight to Senegal.
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 1860- Naval warfare enters a new era when Great Britain launches the HMS Warrior, the world’s first iron-hulled, iron clad, steam-powered warship. The ship was ordered in response to French navy’s launching of the first steam-powered warship in 1850 and the first iron-clad warship a year earlier. Her usual complement was 50 officers and 650 men -known as ratings in the British Navy – and though decommissioned in 1883, Warrior still serves Her Majesty as a museum ship in Portsmouth.
In 2007 – The New England Patriots defeat the New York Giants 38-35, becoming the fourth NFL team to finish a regular season undefeated and untied, the first since the 1972 Miami Dolphins and the first to go 16-0. The Patriots would finish the season 18-1, losing Super Bowl XLII to Giants 17-14.
In 1979 – Escape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second of three non-consecutive weeks. The song is about a man who answers a personal ad that had been placed by his wife and Holmes later said the original lyrics included Humphrey Bogart instead of pina coladas, the first exotic cocktail Holmes could think of. Escape (The Pina Colada Song) was the 252nd and last #1 on the Hot 100 for the decade. It would fall to #2 the following week and return to #1 two weeks later, still the only song to ascend to #1 in different decades.
Quotebook
That is always best which gives me to myself.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Address, Harvard Divinity School, 7/15/1838
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Spiro Agnew was the other vice president to resign, in 1973 after being charged with one count of tax evasion.
Today’s Stumper
Which was the first NFL team to go undefeated and untied for a regular season? –Answer next time!
Let’s Be Friends: follow me on Facebook.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.