The Daily Dose/November 29, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
In The News
You know, when you think about it, there aren’t many surprises in the murder of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, the disclosure that the Saudis were behind it and the hardly unreasonable presumption that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman authorized it and perhaps even ordered it. As we’ve noted here before, the odd murder by a crown prince is hardly news: they’ve been racking them up for centuries. Heck, their history is so long if I’m the Saudi king I’m having my food tasted before every meal, even if the crown prince is far away.
Even President Trump’s shameful reaction to it is hardly a bulletin. One, it was completely in character with him personally. He cares nothing about anything except drawing attention to himself and his warped view of how this country should operate. Besides, do you really want to piss off a crown prince who authorizes murders? Probably not. As it has been since time immemorial, it’s easiest to just get along, especially when the claptrap about maintaining a strong economic relationship provides cover.
The American media refuses to get too worked up about it? That’s not a bulletin, either. They, by and large, have abandoned their roles as guardians of democracy and reporters of truth to become entertainers. Our favorite item that we haven’t seen in the American media is Aljazeera’s report that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week presented the Saudi royal family with a plan to shield them from blame in the Khashoggi affair.
Editor’s Note: Aljazeera runs a column that features running updates. Click here to read it.
Now, to be sure, there is strong resentment and objection to America’s sanctioning of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. And Lord knows the rest of the world is getting their shorts in a knot, so much so the crown prince may well be an outcast at this weekend’s G20 summit. Generally, however, America’s citizens and media are accepting whatever our president chooses to spoonfeed us. In the past, it’s been lies and venom and now it’s legitimizing murder.
Our loss. We continue to get the government we deserve.
Today at the Site
The Diary of a Nobody: A relatively busy night at the hotel.
It was about 0640 or so and she wanted to pay cash which blew because then I have to drop the eight bucks and recount the drawer and fill in one of those spreadsheets that automatically figures everything out…This takes five whole minutes, taking away time from me sitting in the back office and putting my feet up on the desk.
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On This Date
In 1972 – Pong – the first commercially successful video game – is released by Atari to the public. Laughably simple by 21st century standards, Pong was a two-dimensional table tennis game for one or two players and was developed by Allan Alcorn as a training exercise. Pong was an immediate success, both in taverns and arcades and in the home.
In 1890 – Navy defeats Army 24-0 in the first Army/Navy football game at The Plain at West Point. It was the first intercollegiate football game in Army history, while Navy had first fielded a team in 1879. The next meeting is on December 11 in Philadelphia and Army has won two straight, though Navy leads the series 60-51-7. The old Philadelphia Municipal/John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia has hosted the game the most times, 22. Seven stadiums have hosted it once, including Soldier Field and the Rose Bowl.
In 1975 – Silver Convention becomes the first German act to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, as Fly, Robin, Fly is #1 for the first of three consecutive weeks. The song only hit #3 in their native Germany, but also went to #1 in Norway and Canada and also topped Billboards dance and soul charts. It was originally named Run Rabbit Run.
Quotebook
What is modesty but hypocritical humility?…No doubt when modesty was made a virtue it was a very advantageous thing for the fools; for everybody is expected to speak of himself as if he were one.
Arthur Schopenhauer
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The song that broke Once a Day by Connie Smith’s record for Most Weeks at #1 by a Female Solo Act on Billboard’s country chart was We Are Never Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift, which spent nine weeks at #1 in 2012.
Today’s Stumper
On how many college campuses has the Army/Navy game been played? – Answer next time!
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