The Daily Dose/October 17, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE: Here’s a problem that wasn’t around years ago: those born boys competing as and with girls. It’s a recent phenomenon because for centuries trans people have been scorned and shunned. Now, they’re more mainstream than ever, and for a while now, trans girls have been competing on girl’s teams. 

Get Your Official Daily Dose Policy Right Here: This is wrong. Those born girls should be permitted to play against girls. They should not be obliged to play against those born boys.

Fly In The Ointment: The latest turbulence in this storm comes from San Jose State University, whose women’s volleyball team has a trans player. Four teams have forfeited matches against them this year, with a fifth one planning to. 

Dry, Technical Matter: Now, we understand that work orders sometimes get mixed up at conception, meaning some who are born one gender really should’ve been born the other gender. It’s the way the world is built, and it has been built since time immemorial. It is appropriate that they are not only tolerated but accepted. It takes all of us to make this planet go.  

Back On Message: Trans supporters say it’s not fair that transitioned girls are not allowed to play on girl’s teams. They have a point. It’s not their fault they weren’t born the girls they really should’ve been born as. A useful solution to this problem is to have a third gender classification, a trans division. This would be ahead of its time, though. Last year, the international swimming governing body showed some foresight by having an open division for trans swimmers, but no one entered. 

The Bottom Line: We appreciate that some born boys should have been born girls, and vice-versa: they should have their own division. We are halfway through the third decade of the 21st century, and it’s time. Those born girls should be allowed to participate only against those also born girls. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow gets his ballot in the mail. Today’s Diary.

This is our fourth time on a general election ballot so the thrill of seeing your name on the ballot for Congress – or the US Senate, for that matter – has faded somewhat, so we didn’t bother opening it…Besides, we generally vote in person anyway…

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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. 

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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it. 

In 1781 – The American Revolution effectively ends when the British under General Charles Cornwallis surrenders to US forces commanded by General George Washington following a siege of approximately three weeks at Yorktown. It was the last major land battle of the Revolution, and a surrender document would be signed two days later. Almost 8,000 British were taken prisoner, most of whom were returned to Great Britain, and the Revolution officially ended in May 1784 when both countries exchanged ratified copies of the peace treaty both sides had approved the year before. 

In 1968 – Victor Saneyev of the Soviet Union wins the triple jump at the Mexico City Summer Olympics. Saneyev jumped 57 feet, .5 inches to break the world record, the second time he had set the world record that day and the fifth time the mark had been broken in the two-day competition. Saneyev would defend his title at Munich in 1972 and Montreal in 1976, and win the silver medal in Moscow in 1980. 

In 1942 – Glenn Miller and His Orchestra with Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton, and the Modernaires are at #1 on Billboard’s National Best Selling Retail Records chart – the predecessor to every other Billboard chart – for the sixth of seven consecutive weeks with (I’ve Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo. It was Miller’s fourth #1 song of the year and his 15th of 16 #1s on assorted pop charts of the era. Miller was a major in the Army’s Air Forces during World War II when the plane he was on disappeared over the English Channel in December 1944.  

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise, and all courses may run ill.
J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The last US woman to win the Olympic 100 meters was Gail Devers at Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996. 

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

What was the name of the peace treaty that ended the American Revolution? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/October 16, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

Leading Off will return.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow gets a couple of vaccines at work. Today’s Diary.

Today’s two shots were a hepatitis B vaccine and a flu shot, the first time we can remember getting two shots at work since boot camp, where they line you up and you walk the gauntlet of vaccine guns…

The Bottom Ten/NFL Week 8 – It’s the tightest race for The Dan Henning trophy ever. 

It’s tough to go winless in today’s NFL, but Patriots making losing out after Week 1 win look easy following third loss of 2024 by at least 17 points…

Saints fan(s) giddy over current four (4)-game skid, as Saints look to recover from disastrous 2-0 start…

…with Jets, Giants not meeting in 2024, every loss key in race for coveted Ed Koch Cup – symbolic of Gotham professional football mediocrity.

———

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 1962 – The Cuban Missile Crisis begins when President John F Kennedy is shown pictures taken by US surveillance planes of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, which is 90 miles from Florida. The US would later respond with a blockade of Cuba, and negotiations led to the Soivets to agree to remove the missiles. The Soviet deployment was in response to US deployment of nuclear missiles in Italy and Turkey the year before. 

In 1964 – Wyomia Tyus of the US wins the 100 meters at the Tokyo Olympics with a time of 11.4 seconds, defeating Edith McGuire (US) and Ewa Klobukowska (Poland) by .2 seconds, with McGuire being awarded the silver medal. In the quarterfinal the day before, Tyus had tied the Olympic and world record with a time of 11.2 seconds and, in 1968, became the first to win the 100 meters at consecutive Olympics. 

In 1982 – Evelyn “Champagne” King is at #1 in Billboard’s soul chart – then known as the Hot Black Singles chart – for the third of five consecutive weeks with Love Come Down. It was the eighth of 18 Top 40 soul hits for King, Her fourth of eight Top 10s, and her second and final #1. The song also went to #1 on Billboard’s dance chart, went #7 pop in Great Britain, and peaked at #17 on the Hot 100. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Writers don’t make good husbands. They reserve their Eros for their art.
Saul Bellow
Ravelstein

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The Four Tops had one #1 song in Great Britain, Reach Out I’ll Be There, which spent three weeks at the top in 1966. 

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

Who was the last US woman to win the Olympic 100 meters? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/October 15, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

Leading Off will return.

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow fields yet another phone call reporting a bear. Today’s Diary. 

A guy did call to report he was tracking a bear in our parking lot, sounding like he wanted to lead an expedition to kill it…

The Bottom Ten/NCAA Week 8 – The race for the more or less coveted ESPNCup is heating up.

#21 Tigers first ranked team to visit UMess since #9 Worcester Tech in 1893.

LA restaurant advertising free wings for every Bruin win starting to realize they are not really getting a whole hell of a lot of value for their money.

Air Force hampered in 2024 by preseason Defense Secretary ruling requiring cadets going into Space Force to wear self-contained space suits while on field, leading to several violations of seldom-enforced NCAA rule about having both feet on ground at snap.

———

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 2003 – China sends its first astronaut into space, as Yang Liwei is sent into orbit aboard Shenzou 5. Liwei would spend 21 hours in space and orbited the earth 14 times, making China the third country behind the Soviet Union/Russia and the US to send humans into space.  China has sent explorers into space six times since the most recent a 91-day mission this past summer. This would be Liwei’s only space voyage and he later retired as a major general in the Chinese army.  

In 1988 – The Oklahoma Sooners establish a new NCAA major division record for most rushing yards in a game in a 70-24 win over Kansas State. The Sooners rushed for 768 yards to break the record of 758 yards they had established in a 1980 win against Colorado. The record still stands and the all-division NCAA mark is 789 by Davidson of the FCS in 2018. 

In 1966 – The Four Tops are #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Reach Out I’ll Be There. It was the seventh of 24 top 40 hits for the group, their third of six top Ten 10 hits, and their second and final #1 song. The song also went to #1 in Great Britain, would later spend two weeks at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was Billboard’s 4th-biggest song of the year. Versions by Diana Ross and Gloria Gaynor would hit the charts in 1971 and 1975 respectively. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

I have said to myself a thousand times that I should be happy if I were but as ignorant as my old neighbor; and yet it is a happiness which I do not desire.
Voltaire
The Good Brahmin

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Ben Hogan won five PGA match-play titles. This also established the record for most overall PGA Championships won, a mark later tied by Jack Nicklaus. 

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

How many #1 songs did the Four Tops have in Great Britain? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Daily Dose/October 14, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

GO IN PEACE, CHECK YOUR MESSAGES: Recently, we received a text from Richard at Truth and Liberty. It noted that 41 million Christians probably wouldn’t vote this year. He deplored this and included a link for a voter guide. 

USA! USA!: Yay for them. If any organization wants to distribute voter guides, it’s a free country. The problem comes when a government tries to enforce a specific morality on its citizens, which is what is happening in America right now. 

Quote That Sucker: Former US Senator Barry Goldwater said it very well:

Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they’re sure trying to do so, it’s going to be a terrible damn problem…Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can’t and won’t compromise. 

USA! USA! II: From the Supreme Court ramming conservative morality down our collective throats to others trying to, Goldwater was right. Christians are trying to make America a Christian nation.  

Fly In The Ointment: We are not, either by custom or decree. America’s basic proposition includes the freedom to worship – or, equally important, not worship – as you see fit. You can ram your spirituality down an adeherent’s throat, but it must be kept out of public life. The government’s only job is to ensure we can live the life we want. 

The Bottom Line: It is not the government’s job to legislate morality. One, we’re entitled to make our own judgments on these matters and, two, it doesn’t work anyway. Prohibition and our current Drug War prove that. Besides, just because something is legal  does not make it mandatory. There is room for all of us in this country, but all of us must make room for everyone else. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow is told he sucks. Today’s Diary. 

He grunts OK, and offers an ID and credit card, advising the credit card is his grandfather’s…Oh…We can’t take that, I’m afraid, sir…But he has power of attorney, he says in a tone that indicated he thought his power of attorney would probably also solve the Mideast crisis…

———

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 2012 – Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner establishes a new record for the highest exit altitude and becomes the first person to freefall faster than the speed of sound in a jump that ended in the New Mexico desert. Baumgartner jumped from 127,852 feet and exceeded Mach 1 at 843.6 mph. He broke the record of 102,800 feet established by Air Force Col. Joeseph Kittinger in 1960 and the record is now 135,890 feet, done by Alan Eustace in 2014. 

In 1916 – Jim Barnes of England wins the first PGA Championship, defeating Scotsman Jock Hutchinson 1-up (leading by one hole after the final hole) at the Siwanoy Gold Club north of New York City. It was the first of two PGA titles for Barnes and his first of four major wins. The PGA had been established in April, and the PGA Championship went to a 72-hole, stroke-play format in 1958. 

In 1972 – Donna Fargo is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the first of three consecutive weeks with Funny Face. It was the first of 16 country Top 10s for Fargo, her first of five #1s, and the song also went #1 country in Canada and peaked at #5 on the Hot 100. The song was written by Fargo, who later said it originally had 16 verses. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

But Tim had done his best to dramatize an election in which neither candidate dared to say what he meant to an uneasy people who realized something was seriously wrong with their political system.
Gore Vidal
The Golden Age

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Micahel Jackson’s smallest hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 was Stranger in Moscow, which spent two weeks on the chart in 1997, peaking at #91.  

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

Which golfer won the most match-play PGA titles? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!