There is not much time for anyone, really. We must all move with such haste toward…our goals. – Gore Vidal, Lincoln
Lincoln is a historical novel from Vidal’s Narratives of Empire, a series of seven historical novels that chronical America from 1775 through 1950, though in the last one Vidal does visit the year 2000, where he makes an appearance as himself. Lincoln is told through the eyes of assorted figures of the era and tends to chronicle the day in, day out political and personal challenges Lincoln faces, instead of the battles of the Civil War. It is one hell of a book and comes with our highest possible recommendation. It was our introduction to Vidal, too, as mom and dad had the book in our home library. Click Here For More…Now.
The Daily Dose/August 11, 2018 By Gaylon Kent America’s Funniest Guy
Let’s dive right in, shall we:
From The Mail Bag We got some feedback on a couple of items we ran yesterday. The first concerned our lead item about NFL anthem protests and how perhaps the NFL should consider not playing the national anthem before their games. We noted how this would be both an easy and difficult decision. One reader wondered how it would be difficult. It would, after all, solve the anthem protest problem immediately and for good. No anthems, no protests. Easy.
Well, The Star-Spangled Banner has been played before sporting events for about a hundred years and that is a lot of tradition to buck. It would cut so against our American grain that it might end up doing the NFL more harm than good, though we tend to doubt that.
Also yesterday we noted that Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, both Puerto Rican, do not qualify as a foreign act for the purposes of the Billboard charts. They are American citizens after all. The reader made the point that Puerto Rico, while certainly part of the United States, also fielded their own athletic teams in international competition and Fonsi and Daddy Yankee are, indeed, foreign acts. Besides, their song is in Spanish.
Yes, you make a good point, and we considered that. However, the point about them being American citizens trumps any other point: an American citizen cannot be a foreign act on an American music chart. If you disagree with this, get your own column.
Today At The Site
Sparrow is in a much better mood on today’s edition of The Diary of a Nobody. Freshly rested, he triumphantly whiles away the morning before reporting for his shift at the retailer, where both a messy restaurant worker and yapping older lady amuse him.
Today’s Thought for the Day is from a book we read many years ago called The Super Sleuths by American writers Bruce Henderson and the late Sam Summerlin, writers of some note that readers may recognize. They talk about shining amid the brightness.
On This Date In 1934 – Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary receives its first prisoners. Prior to being a federal prison, Alcatraz had been a military prison in World War I and had even held POWs during the Civil War. Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary would remain open for 29 years, with Alvin “Creepy” Karpis serving the most time, 26 years.
In 1907 – Ed Karger of the St Louis Cardinals pitches a perfect game against the Boston Doves, later known as the Braves, winning 4-0. The game was the second game of a doubleheader and went seven innings by prior agreement, a common practice at the time. In fact, the two other National League doubleheaders that day were also scheduled for seven innings. Despite this, Karger is not credited with an official perfect game. The plate umpire for the game was Karger’s teammate Fred Beebe and the base umpire was Boston Doves pitcher Irv Young, who were pressed into service when Bob Emslie, who worked the first game alone, left for the day.
In 1984 – Ghostbusters by Ray Parker, Jr is #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of three weeks. The song would also go to #1 in Spain, South Africa, Belguim, France and Canada, was Billboard’s 9th biggest song of 1984 and remains Parker’s only #1 song in America. His first hit, The Other Woman, went to #1 in Australia and #4 in the US.
Answer To The Last Trivia Question One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men is the other song to spend 16 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Today’s Stumper Of the 36 men who tried to escape from Alcatraz, how many were never found? – Answer next time!
Shameless Plugs Backstairs at the Monte Carlo: A Vegas Memoir!: Clock in with the graveyard crew at the Monte Carlo Security Department on the glamorous Las Vegas Strip. You’ll meet drunks, reprobates and scoundrels, and those are just the officers! The funniest Vegas memoir ever! Promise!
The Regular Guys: Meet Lenny and Larry, two comedians who team up more or less out of desperation and become the biggest in show business. As funny as you would expect from Gaylon, and poignant, too.
Click here to read previews of both! Click here to subscribe and get your all-access pass.
…to shine amid the brightness. – Bruce Henderson and Sam Summerlin, The Super Sleuths
Bruce Henderson and Sam Summerlin (1928-2017) are American writers. Henderson has had a successful career writing books about history, particularly military history, while Summerlin had a long career as a reporter for the Associated Press before becoming an executive with The New York Times. Henderson served his country honorably in the navy, while Summerlin was the first to report the singing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, which ended the actual hostilities of the Korean War, though the war has yet to be officially ended. Summerlin would later say this was because he was still in his 20’s and weighed 125 pounds and was able to outrun everybody to the only telephone available to reporters in Pyongyang. Click Here. Now.
The Daily Dose/August 10, 2018 By Gaylon Kent America’s Funniest Guy
Let’s dive right in, shall we:
Here We Go Again The NFL is back playing games and some of its players are back protesting racial inequality in this country during the national anthem. Some stayed in the locker room, some held up a fist and one player stood on the sideline with his back to the field.
The NFL came up with a policy in the offseason but later withdrew it. As they should have, because the more rules they establish the more action they will be obliged to take when players violate those rules. The easiest, and the most difficult, solution to the problem is to stop playing the national anthem before games, though the NFL does appear to be seriously considering that.
Today At The Site Sparrow is completely out of sorts on today’s edition of The Diary of a Nobody. He slept like crap, couldn’t be bothered to mow the lawn and he has hot dogs for dinner, despite a commitment not have them for dinner. He does manage a moderately funny line while on the phone with The Wife, but Sparrow can’t even be bothered to offer it for Line of the Year consideration.
Thomas Laird, an American writer, has The Thought for the Day. It is about the Dalai Lama, and comes from a book based on extensive conversation Laird had with His Holiness.
On This Date In 1977 – David Berkowitz, a 24-year-old post office worker, is arrested in Yonkers, New York for a series of killings History refers to as the Son of Sam murders. Berkowitz would plead guilty to six murders and during his confession, he claimed he killed because a neighbor’s dog was demanding the blood of pretty, young girls. Now 65, Berkowitz remains in custody, serving the first of six life sentences.
In 1981 – Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies singles in the 8th inning against the St Louis Cardinals, the 3,631st hit of his career, breaking the National League record that had been held by Stan Musial. The record still stands and Rose would later break Ty Cobb’s all-time major league record and would retire with 4,256 career hits.
In 1974 – Roberta Flack becomes the first female solo act to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in three consecutive years when Feel Like Makin’ Love reaches the top. It also went to #1 in Canada and topped Billboard’s Soul and Easy Listening charts as well. Flack had also hit #1 in 1973 with Killing Me Softly with His Song and in 1972 with The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.
Answer To The Last Trivia Question Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight by Elton John spent 14 weeks at #1, the biggest song by a foreign act on Billboard’s Hot 100. Puerto Ricans Luis Fonzi and Daddy Yankee did spend an all-time record 16 weeks at #1 with Despacito, however, Puerto Ricans are American citizens and we do not consider them foreign acts.
Today’s Stumper What other song has spent 16 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100? – Answer next time!
Shameless Plugs Backstairs at the Monte Carlo: A Vegas Memoir!: Clock in with the graveyard crew at the Monte Carlo Security Department on the glamorous Las Vegas Strip. You’ll meet drunks, reprobates and scoundrels, and those are just the officers! The funniest Vegas memoir ever! Promise!
The Regular Guys: Meet Lenny and Larry, two comedians who team up more or less out of desperation and become the biggest in show business. As funny as you would expect from Gaylon, and poignant, too.
Clickhere to read previews of both! Click here to subscribe and get your all-access pass.
He has a remarkable faith in the power of the truth. – Thomas Laird, The Story of Tibet: Conversations With the Dalai Lama.
Thomas Laird is an American writer, journalist and photographer whose work particularly emphasizes Tibet. The Story of Tibet is based on 60 hours of conversations he had with the Dalai Lama, and covers the long, rich and tragic history of that country. Laird lives in both New Orleans and Kathmandu. The Dalai Lama, of course, is the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism and like all Dalai Lamas, he is believed to be the reincarnation of his predecessor. Now 83, the 14th Dalai Lama was obliged to flee Tibet in 1959 after the Chinese invaded and since the Chinese are still there he has been living in India ever since. He earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Continue Reading…Or The Kitty Gets It
The Daily Dose/August 9, 2018 By Gaylon Kent America’s Funniest Guy
Let’s dive right in, shall we:
Leading Off One of the aspects of President Trump’s unilateral imposition of tariffs on assorted foreign raw materials and finished products is the Constitution does not give the president authority to do this. Now, Congress began passing off this responsibility on the president through assorted legislation in 1917, but the Constitution is very clear on the matter, with Article I, Section 8 stating, in part that:
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises…
This is another example of Congress abrogating a Constitutional duty. Longtime readers know we harp on Congress’ yielding of its power to declare war to everyone from the president to the UN every hour on the hour. Our country is worse off for this. The Founding Fathers gave Congress certain powers and the president certain powers because they did not want one person consolidating power and Congress should not be giving away these powers.
Today At The Site Sparrow’s plan to catch a nappie-poo at the hotel is foiled, he bickers with Mic about whether fifties or hundreds go on top in the cash drawer and he has his usual Wednesday night dinner at the local diner, all on today’s edition of The Diary of a Nobody.
British crime and science fiction writer John Creasey has The Thought for the Day, a quote from Day of Fear about putting your money down and seeing, and accepting, what happens.
On This Date In 1173 – Construction on the Leaning Tower of Pisa – then known as the Cathedral of Pisa because it wasn’t leaning yet – begins in Pisa, Italy. It began leaning a few years later when the second story was built because the foundation was too soft on one side. The tower would take 200 years to complete and today leans about 13 feet off-center.
In 1988 – The first official night game at Wrigley Field is played, with the Chicago Cubs defeating the New York Mets 6-4. The previous night their game against the Philadelphia Phillies had been rained out in the fourth inning. The Cubs are limited to about three dozen night games a year, though they have asked the city for permission to play up to 54, about the major league average.
In 1952 – Vera Lynn, one of the most popular British singers of the era, is at #1 on Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart for the fifth of nine weeks with Auf Wiedershe’n Sweetheart. Miles is the first foreign act to hit #1 on a Billboard chart and the nine weeks at #1 established a record for most weeks at the top by a foreign act, a record that was matched in 1969 by the Beatles with Hey Jude. Lynn is 101 now and our research into whether Lynn is the oldest living act to have hit #1 on a Billboard singles chart was inconclusive.
Answer To The Last Trivia Question The countries that have defeated the United States in men’s Olympic basketball are the Soviet Union (1972 finals, 1988 semifinals), Puerto Rico (2004 group play), Lithuania (2004 group play) and Argentina (2004 semifinals).
Today’s Stumper What song by a foreign act has spent the most weeks at #1? – Answer next time!
Shameless Plugs Backstairs at the Monte Carlo: A Vegas Memoir!: Clock in with the graveyard crew at the Monte Carlo Security Department on the glamorous Las Vegas Strip. You’ll meet drunks, reprobates and scoundrels, and those are just the officers! The funniest Vegas memoir ever! Promise!
The Regular Guys: Meet Lenny and Larry, two comedians who team up more or less out of desperation and become the biggest in show business. As funny as you would expect from Gaylon, and poignant, too.
Click here to read previews of both! Click here to subscribe and get your all-access pass.
Cash down ‘ol boy, don’t blame anyone but the customer. – John Creasy, Day of Fear
While nobody will mistake John Creasy (1908-73) for Gore Vidal or Henry David Thoreau around here, this is the second quote of his that has been included in this feature, not too bad for a crime writer, an accomplishment of probably no merit. The British Creasy was prolific, too, producing over 600 novels an astonishing, and perhaps enviable, total. We’ll be honest, we read this book in the early 90’s and we do not remember what it is about, though we do recall today’s Thought centering around one character signing up for some adventure with another character. Click Here For More Or The Kitten Gets It
