The Daily Dose/November 27, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

In The News
Friends, after some thought we are discontinuing The Thought for the Day for the time being. Regular readers of this crap know it had been on hiatus for a while and we don’t anticipate fresh columns appearing anytime soon. Hiatus implies it is coming back and there are no plans for that right now.

That could change tomorrow. Writing, as we have noted here, is best done from the heart. Every time a writer sits down to ply his trade his only obligation is to say what he feels needs to be said and the points we wanted to make with The Thought for the Day –  follow your heart and trust your instincts, 24-hours every day to make our time serve us, put nature and circumstance to work for us instead of fighting it – have been made. Every day, too, as some have pointed out.

As it should be. It’s the only message that matters because when our time comes to die we are the ones that are going to have to examine the lives we have passed – I can’t do it for you and you can’t do it for me. We are going to ask ourselves did we do well, or was our time here squandered? Those that are able to say they did well are the ones who had the wisdom to know the lives they were meant to lead, the courage to go and live that life and the patience to see it through till the very end.

We think quotes are useful and, in the hopes you like them, too, a Quotebook item has been added to this feature. Like The Thought for the Day quotes, they come from our own private stock begun at the Golden Bear Inn in Berkeley, California in the fall of 1988.

We will not offer commentary, though. We will leave that to you.

Today at the Site
The Diary of a Nobody: The dreidel hilarity continues as it turns out The Wife knows what they are, too, plus The Wife makes spaghetti squash and homemade (almost) vegetable soup for dinner, then gets some preliminary work done on some napkins she is making.

The Wife cooks it up with olive oil and some top secret seasonings and even put a perfect amount of parmesan cheese in…Perfect for me…The Wife found it inadequate for her tastes and put five more pounds on top of her portion.

On This Date
In  1973 –  Michigan Congressman Gerald Ford is confirmed by a 92-3 vote as vice president of the United States by the United States Senate. Ford would be confirmed by the House of Representatives and inaugurated on December 6th. It remains the only time in American history the provisions of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment have been exercised. Previously, vacancies in the vice presidency were left unfilled.

In 1960 – Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings becomes the first NHL player to score 1,000 points in a career in a 2-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Howe had become the NHL’s all-time leaders in points the previous season when his 932nd point eclipsed the record that had been held by Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard. Howe would retire with 1,895 points and the record is now held by Wayne Gretzky with 2,857 points.

In 1971 – Isaac Hayes is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second and final week with Theme From Shaft. The following year the song would win the Oscar for Best Original Song, the first time the recipient had both written and performed the winning song. Hayes died in 2008 and Theme From Shaft remains his only #1 song on the Hot 100.

Quotebook
Everything you saw out there, good or bad, was the best I had.
Gordie Howe

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Of the four teams that played in the NHL’s first season in 1918-19, the two that are still in the league are the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs – then known as the Arenas. The Montreal Wanderers disbanded after six games and the Ottawa Senators moved to St Louis after the 1933-34 season, where they lasted one season.

Today’s Stumper
What three US Senators voted against the confirmation of Gerald Ford as vice president of the United States? – Answer Next Time!

Let’s Be Friends: follow me on Facebook.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/November 26, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

In The News
It is not, of course, reasonable to expect the Saudis to prosecute anyone in the death of one of their own, writer Jamal Khashoggi. Perhaps if international pressure becomes too great they will offer up some low-ranking royal to take one for the team, but that’s about it. No one of any significance who had anything to do with Khashoggi’s murder will be tried in Saudi Arabia. This is hardly a bulletin.

All right, where can they be tried?

Turkey, of course, has jurisdiction, since the murder happened in their country. Embassies and consulates are properties of their countries and are inviolable, but they are not sovereign. You cannot do whatever the hell you want inside them. They remain under the jurisdiction of, and subject to, the laws of their host country. Their diplomats do enjoy immunity, but if Turkey can rustle the suspects up and they were not accredited diplomats, they could be prosecuted and punished in accordance with Turkish law.

They can also be tried in the international court that is the world stage.

America has already announced to the world that we don’t care about the murder, but let’s pretend we hadn’t. What could we do? The G20 summit is coming up at the end of the month in Buenos Aires and the Saudis, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will be there. America sending regrets for this would send a strong moral message, with the added benefit of not causing any disruption in the world’s economy, a point we cannot be completely insensitive to.

We had no control over the murder or its aftermath. The only thing we have control over is our reaction to it. One moral statement by us might well lead to moral statements by others. Enough people shun the Saudis – even while continuing to do business with them – and invariably something will happen.

Today at the Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow dreams about golf, even though he doesn’t golf, plus there is more dreidel nonsense at the retailer.

Sally and I might be the only people on the planet who didn’t know what a dreidel was…It came up again today…Jasmine is working Aisle 5 and I’m walking past and my buddy Rob is in line so I stop and say howdy and we chat a bit and I ask him if he knows what a dreidel is and he shrugs as if this was common knowledge and says sure, Sparrow, of course, I know what a dreidel is.

On This Date
In  1986 – John  Demjanjuk, a Ukranian-born American citizen, goes on trial in Jerusalem, accused by Israel of being a guard at the Treblinka concentration camp. Demjanjuk would be found guilty, but the conviction was overturned by the Israeli supreme court in 1993 and Demjanjuk was returned to the US. In 2009 Demjanjuk was deported to Germany and found guilty of being an accessory to murder at the Sobibor concentration camp, but he died before his automatic appeal could be heard, legally innocent.

In 1917 – The National Hockey League (NHL) is founded, the successor to the National Hockey Association (NHA). Four teams began play on December 19, though only three finished the season. The Toronto Arenas won the first NHL title and later defeated the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey League for the Stanley Cup. Though initially expected to last one year, until the NHA could resume play, today the NHL has 31 teams and the Stanley Cup is in its permanent possession.

In 1983 – All Night Long by Lionel Richie is the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 for the third of four consecutive weeks, the third of five solo #1 songs by Richie. The song also went to #1 in South Africa, Australia and the Netherlands, went to #2 in Great Britain and was also in its sixth of seven consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard’s R&B chart. Richie later admitted some lyrics thought to be from a native African language were actually gibberish made up by him.

Quotebook: The primary sign of a well-ordered mind is a man’s ability to remain in one place and linger in his own company. – Seneca

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The longest-running play in Broadway history is The Phantom of the Opera, which has been playing continuously at the Majestic Theater in New York City since January 20, 1986. It remains the only show in Broadway history with over 10,000 performances.

Today’s Stumper
How many charter NHL teams are still in the league? – Answer Next Time!

Let’s Be Friends: follow me on Facebook.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/November 25, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

In The News: Jamal Khashoggi is still dead.
The Saudi’s latest efforts to legitimize the murder of one of their citizens consisted of trotting out Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former ambassador to both the US and Great Britain, for an interview with the Associated Press. His basic message was, look, despite our contradictory statements and denials no one, including us, really believe, you are going to have to deal with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a long time. The only thing remotely resembling contrition was this:

It’s not something that should not be faced. And we do face it,

No, you’re not facing your complicity in Khashoggi’s murder. If you were facing it, the culprits would be held accountable. They’re not, nor, honestly, is there any reasonable expectation they will be. You are stonewalling and brazening your way through it, so far with admirable results, including two big thumbs up from the government of the United States.

You know, it’s hardly a surprise a crown prince authorized a precautionary murder; they’ve been going on for only slightly less time than there have been crown princes. And it’s not as if President Trump’s official sanctioning of it is a bulletin, either. He has overseen American drone strikes in Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia that have killed over a thousand citizens of countries we are not at war with so far in 2018. In fairness to the Special Olympians at the Pentagon, however, only eight percent of the deaths have been civilians, with only a couple of dozen children killed. – Source: Bureau of Investigative Journalism 

The real bulletin is that collectively you and me, we the people of the United States, have accepted our government accepting it. Sure, some columnists like us are still whining about it. Turkey is still putting up a valiant effort. Some in Congress are making noises but there is not sustained opposition from anyone whose whining would mean anything.

There should be sustained and loud opposition to America’s sanctioning of Khashoggi’s murder. We will be the lesser for it until there is.

Today at the Site
The Diary of a Nobody: There’s a new microwave at Hotel B, Sparrow shovels the driveway for the first time this season, and Sparrow finally finds out what Flarp Noise Putty is.

Gone is that low-wattage cheapo that a family of refugees would have scorned and in is a sleek, new, professional grade machine that could probably hold a giraffe…

The Thought for the Day will return.

On This Date
In 1952 – The Mousetrap, a play by Agatha Christie, opens at the Ambassadors Theatre in London. 66 years later it is still running, the longest running play in human history. The play traditionally changes its entire cast every year, and the murder mystery play has what in the trade is known as a twist ending, with a tradition of audience members not revealing the ending.

1976 – O.J. Simpson of the Buffalo Bills establishes a new NFL record for Most Rushing Yards in a Game, slashing his way through the Detroit Lions defense for 273 yards in a 27-14 loss. The record would be broken the following year by Walter Payton (275 yards) and is now held by Adrian Peterson, then of the Minnesota Vikings, who rushed for 296 yards in a 2007 game.

In 1950 – Harbor Lights by Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra is at #1 on Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart, one of several charts that predated the Hot 100. Kaye was a rather famous bandleader of the era, and the vocals on the song were sung by Tony Alamo and the Kaydets. Harbor Lights, Kaye’s only Billboard #1 song, was also in the second week of a four-week stint at #1 on Billboard’s Most Played in Jukeboxes chart.

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The NBA player with the most rebounds in an NBA game played this century is Kevin Love, then of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who had 31 rebounds on November 12, 2o10.

Today’s Stumper
What is the longest-running play in Broadway history? – Answer Next Time!

Let’s Be Friends: follow me on Facebook.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/November 24, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

In The News
Official In The News Memo:

Fr: In The News
To: The GOP
Re: Why are you guys still around?

Guys, it is time for you to roll over and call it a day. You are long past the point where you are doing our country or yourselves any good. Your list of sins, in no particular order, is long.

You are finishing two years of having control of the White House and Congress, a splendid opportunity to do some good, but you took a flier on doing good. You did produce a tax cut, but that didn’t go half as far as it should have: the government will continue to take more of our money than they are entitled to. Other than that, nothing. You have ensured that our government remains a partisan, fractured and bickering mess. Two wasted years, because in January you lose control of the House of Representatives.

You have stood around scratching your collective noses while the president has and continues to mock protocol, decency and good sense. His only real talent is drawing attention to himself and you could have put this to work for you. You could have stood up to him and said look, we’re going to pass some bills that will do our country some good, you are going to sign them and take the credit and you will live down the ages. But nobody did. Through all the insults and lies, you stood by shrugging.

Your shameful acceptance of his, our, shameful accessory-after-the-fact performance in the murder of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi is the final straw. Nobody in America, save for a few whackjobs like us, is getting worked up over this. Some of you are making a fuss, but no one is yelling too loudly. You are accepting this as the cost of doing business. The Saudis are going to get away with murder. Sure, if enough people get their shorts in a knot some hapless fifth cousin twice removed will be trotted out and offered as a sacrifice, but the real culprits will never be called to account.

You have not produced a decent elected president Eisenhower. Ford did well under circumstances the Son of Man would have challenging, but he wasn’t elected. Plot a graph from Eisenhower to Trump and you have a perpendicular line and friends, it ain’t going up.

The party of Lincoln has left the country, and it’s time for the GOP to call it a day.

Today at the Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow encounters his first-ever dreidel, and there are a lot of leftover dinner rolls at The Shire. Today’s Diary.

…I’d never heard of a dreidel until two minutes ago, but here’s Jasmine, your retailer self-checkout professional, singing songs about them…Later, Jasmine brought a torn dollar bill to the service desk for a tape job and, feigning peevishness, I asked if she needed a dreidel.

The Thought for the Day: A friend of mine from Senegal named Moussa has today’s Thought, about no one saying no.

He noted that Africa has had a lot of dictators over the years and that African dictators always mean bad things for African people.

On This Date
In 1963 – Lee Harvey Oswald, who had assassinated President John F Kennedy two days earlier, is himself murdered, shot to death in Dallas by Jack Ruby. The shooting occurred in the basement of the Dallas police building as Oswald was walking to a van to be transported to the county jail. Ruby was convicted and sentenced to death, but the conviction was overturned on appeal and Ruby died in early 1967 in jail while awaiting a new trial.

In 1960 – Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors sets a new NBA record with 55 rebounds in a game against the Boston Celtics. The old record had been held by Boston’s Bill Russell, who had 49 rebounds in a 1957 game and then 51 rebounds in a February 1960 game. The record still stands – and may well never be broken. The Celtics won the game 132-129.

In 2018 – After an unprecedented 50 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line falls to #2, yielding to Lose It by Kane Brown. Meant To Be had been #1 since December 16, 2017 and 50 weeks is the longest stretch any single has spent at #1 on any Billboard chart. It falls short – so far, it’s chart run is far from over – of the all-time Billboard chart record for Most Weeks at #1, 54 weeks the soundtrack from West Side Story spent at #1 on the album chart in 1962-63.

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The late November observance of Thanksgiving in America superseded the observance of Evacuation Day on November 25, the day in 1783 when the British left New York City after the American Revolution.

Today’s Stumper
What player has the most rebounds in an NBA game played in the 21st century? – Answer Next Time!

Let’s Be Friends: follow me on Facebook.
Click here to subscribe. Reasonable rates.

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/November 23, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy

Friends, your favorite Daily Dose features like In The News, On This Date and Trivia will return Saturday.

Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow’s Famous Strawberry Pie didn’t turn out all that great, but otherwise Thanksgiving dinner wasn’t a total disaster.

…today [my pie] looked like someone used it for self-defense and it tasted like it was marinated in printer ink.

Share Gaylon! Go!