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The Daily Dose/August 19, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes From Around Our Human Experience
NYC! NYC!: New York City mayor Zorhan Mamdani recently announced many low-income residents will be eligible for free childcare. Mamdani, recently elected, ran on a Democratic Socialist platform, so this announcement is hardly the Upset of the Year.
Dry, Technical Matter: The program has three aspects: eliminating out-of-pocket fees for those already receiving subsidized childcare, a voucher program to help others pay for child care, plus free programs for kids up to three years old. The city is paying most of the cost, though it will also use state and federal funds.
FunFact: It’s hard to make a go of it in America right now, but taking care of us like this is not the purpose of government. The program isn’t for everyone and puts private day care providers in competition with the government, plus good luck depending on state and federal dollars for the long term.
Gaylon For Congress…Vote Early, Vote Often: The very best way to help those who need it is to provide an economy anchored in low taxes and free markets, to put every American in a position to make something good happen for themselves. We don’t have that right now. We are overtaxed, and current policies are driving prices up.
Fly In The Ointment: America is being run by the extreme elements of both major political parties right now. Republicans are enabling the idiocies of Donald Trump, and Democrats want to provide cradle-to-grave coverage for everyone. We deserve better than this.
The Bottom Line: The purpose of American government is to ensure every American has the opportunity to make a go of it and build the life their talents and energies will give them. It’s not doing that right now. Between perpetual war, tariffs, and an Administration hellbent on enriching themselves without regard to us, and Democrats unable to stop it, we deserve better than what we have now, but we are not going to get it until we demand it on Election Day.
Editor’s Note: Gaylon is the Libertarian Party’s nominee for Congress from Colorado’s 2nd District. Visit his campaign site here.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow reports there is another ghost at the hotel. Today’s Diary.
Former maintenance guy Luke always maintained he saw someone in the indoor hot tub long after it had been looked up for the night, and ol’ Sparrow even has a ghost story…
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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 1812 – The USS Constitution defeats the British ship HMS Guerriere off the coast of Nova Scotia in the War of 1812. In a battle that lasted about an hour, Guerriere was so badly damaged she was scuttled while, despite being made of wood, Constitution earned the nickname Old Ironsides. The Constitution remains in naval service, homeported in Boston, the world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat. The War of 1812 lasted until 1815, with inconclusive results.
1951 – Eddie Gaedel makes his only major league appearance, pinch-hitting in the second game of a doubleheader, a 6-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers. Batting in the bottom of the first inning for leadoff hitter Frank Saucier, Gaedel was walked on four pitches by pitcher Bob Cain and then was immediately replaced by pinch-runner Jim Delsing. Gaedel, a professional entertainer, was 3 feet, 7 inches tall, had a strike zone about the size of a coffee cup, and remains the shortest player to appear in a major league game.
In 1995 – Waterfalls by TLC is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the seventh and final consecutive week. The song also went to #1 in New Zealand and Switzerland, peaked at #4 in Great Britain, was Billboard’s 2nd-biggest song of the year and its 19th-biggest of the decade. It was the second of four #1 songs for the group.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
…all men are ready to change masters in the hope of bettering themselves.
Niccolò Machiavelli
The Prince
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
Billboard’s #1 country song of 1979 was I Just Fall In Love Again by Anne Murray, which spent three weeks at the top. It also peaked at #12 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
When was the last time the USS Constitution engaged in combat? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/August 18, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes From Around Our Human Experience
Leading Off will return.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has to adjust on the fly at the gym. Today’s Diary.
That old biddy was holding her let’s-lay-down-on-a-mat-and-yap class in Room 2 this evening, but Room 1 was open, so we got a full 30-minutes of deep breathing in…
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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 1920 – Women in the US are granted the right to vote when Tennessee ratifies the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. The amendment had passed Congress and been sent to the several states on June 4, 1919, and was first ratified by Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan on June 10. Mississippi was the last state to ratify the 19th Amendment in 1984, and the first women’s suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878.
In 2004 – Adam Nelson of the US and Yumileida Cumba of Cuba win gold medals in the men’s and women’s shot put at the Athens Summer Olympics. The events were held at the Stadium at Olympia, site of events in the Ancient Olympic Games that began in 776 BC, and marked the first time women had competed there. The site was originally scheduled to hold the discus – an event held at the ancient games – but the facility was now too small to hold modern discus throwers.
In 1979 – Mel Tillis is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the only week with Coca-Cola Cowboy. It was the 44th of 68 Top 40 country hits for Tillis, his 25th of 36 Top 10 hits, and his fifth of six #1s in a chart career that ran from 1958-82. The song also went #3 country in Canada and was Billboard’s 22nd-biggest country song of the year.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
…a prince will be fortunate who adjusts his behavior to the temper of the times and on the other hand will not be fortunate when his behavior is not well attuned with the times.
Niccolò Machiavelli
The Prince
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
American writer Richard Halliburton paid the lowest toll ever for a Panama Canal crossing, 36 cents in 1928 when he swam across the entire length of the canal.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What was Billboard’s #1 country song of 1979? – Answer next time!
Treasured Reader(s), The Daily Dose will return.
Click here to read today’s entry in The Diary of a Nobody.
Cheer(s),
The Daily Dose/August 15, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes From Around Our Human Experience
Leading Off will return.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow gets an oil change. Today’s Diary.
We were the first one there after they opened, and the only fly in the ointment was it took a full 30 minutes because part of their service is a thorough window washing and interior cleaning…
———
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 1914 – The Panama Canal opens, with the steamship Ancon – owned by the canal company – making the first official transit. The first attempt to build the canal was begun in 1881 by the French, with the US taking over in 1904. Before the Ancon transit, two service ships had transited the canal, Panama took control of the canal in 1999, and today tolls to cross the canal average about $1.1 million.
In 1886 – Guy Hecker of the Louisville Colonels (American Association) establishes new major league records for most runs and total bases in a game and ties the single-game marks for home runs and hits in a 22-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles in the second game of a doubleheader. Hecker scored seven runs and had 15 total bases, along with three home runs and six hits. The seven runs scored remain the major league record, and everything remains a record for pitchers.
In 2015 – Cheerleader by Omi is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the fourth of six non-consecutive weeks. The song went to #1 in 21 other countries, including Poland and Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 11th-biggest song of the year. It remains the only Hot 100 hit for Omi, making him the 13th of 19 ultimate one-hit wonders, acts whose only Hot 100 hit goes to #1. Omi was born Omar Samuel Pasley in Jamaica in 1986.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
A man is worth most to himself and to others, whether as an observer, or poet, or neighbor, or friend, where he is most himself, most contented and at home.
Henry David Thoreau
Diary entry, 11/20/1857
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
John Sebastian was the leader of the Lovin’ Spoonful. His #1 solo hit was Welcome Back in 1976.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What was the lowest toll ever paid for a Panama Canal transit? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/August 14, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience.
DRY, TECHNICAL MATTER: One noticeable trait in America right now is our diminished capacity for outrage. We simply are not getting worked up about things that 1) would have collectively infuriated us a generation or two ago and, 2) frankly should infuriate us now.
Leading Off: We should’ve been outraged when our government started sinking Venezuelan shipping. Under the guise that they were hauling drugs to America, these ships were sunk and mariners killed, essentially executed without a trial.
And In This Corner: We should’ve been outraged when we bombed an Iranian schoolhouse at the start of the war with Iran. 156 people were killed, including 120 schoolchildren, but that didn’t outrage us, either.
Here We Go Again: We should be outraged at the war with Iran in general, because it remains illegal, immoral, and stupid. Illegal because it was not declared by Congress. Immoral because we killed schoolchildren. Stupid, because we are fighting to retain conditions that existed before the war, a circumstance that is causing History’s great commanders to roll in their graves.
USA! USA! Why we’re not capable of outrage anymore is not clear, though we have a theory: we are now in our seventh decade of TV and fast food occupying central places in American life. We are well entertained and well fed and aren’t really willing to get too worked up about anything that doesn’t affect that. We have full bellies and empty minds and, collectively, America is no longer capable of doing anything great or hard.
The Bottom Line: We deserve better than this. We deserve a government that doesn’t execute mariners on the high seas, doesn’t bomb school children, and only fights wars declared by Congress. But we’re not demanding that right now. For the second time, we elected a man of zero moral or intellectual substance president; we are being governed accordingly, and we are not getting to worked up over it.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow reports on the county fair. Today’s Diary.
The county fair’s a thing this week and to celebrate we’ve been driving by it every night heading to and from the gym, to make sure it was as hopelessly boring as ever…
———
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 1936 – The last known public execution in the US is conducted in Owensboro, Kentucky. Rainey Bethea was executed in an empty lot near the county garage for raping and murdering a 70-year-old woman the previous June, with Bethea becoming a suspect after leaving a ring at the scene. Kentucky outlawed public executions in 1938, with two executions before then held in private.
In 1982 – Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies establishes a new major league record for most career at-bats in a 15-11 win over the Montreal Expos. Rose passed Henry Aaron with his 12,365th at-bat, and five days later Rose would become the all-time leader in plate appearances with 13,941. Rose retired in 1986 with 14,053 at-bats and 15,890 plate appearances, both records that still stand.
In 1966 – The Lovin’ Spoonful is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first of three consecutive weeks with Summer in the City. It was the seventh of twelve Top 40 hits for the group, their seventh of nine Top 10 hits, and was their only #1 song. The song also went to #1 in Canada, peaked at #7 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 35th-biggest song of the year.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
This species could have been so great, and now everybody just wants a new Salad Shooter or sneakers with lights in them. This is what we’ve settled for.
George Carlin
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
Switzerland, France, and Great Britain have participated in the most combined Olympic Games, 55.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
The leader of the Lovin’ Spoonful had a #1 song as a solo act in the 1970s. Who was it? – Answer next time!
