The Daily Dose/December 23, 2020
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience.
Leading Off is enjoying its annual, reader-depleting holiday break. It will return after the first of the year.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has his treasured sleep session interrupted. Today’s Diary.
This wasn’t straight thru sleep, tho because twice I was woken up by my phone buzzing…Now, I usually leave the phone on my desk but the past couple-three sleep sessions I’ve been using an app that produced those soothing sleep sounds…With some results, I think, because it hasn’t been taking forever to fall asleep.
Anyway, it started out on the nightstand and I sleep with earplugs and it was tuff to hear, even with the volume cranked, so I moved it to the bed, right next to my head and about 1630 it starts to buzz like there’s a call…I ignore it and then after buzzing the river noise starts again…20 minutes later more buzzing…This time I check and there isn’t a record of an incoming call so who the hell knows what the buzzing was…Yours truly half-thinks it’s the app wondering why it’s still going, but why would an app designed to help you sleep intentionally wake you up???
The Bottom Ten/NFL Week 16 – The Jets win, throwing the race for The Dan Henning Trophy – symbolic of NFL Bottom Ten supremacy – into even more chaos than usual.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-13; lost to Baltimore 40-14) – Owner Genghis Khan elated over ascending B-10 throne, calling off jihad against coaching staff, players, for failure to lose opener…Jaguars’ first-ever B-10 title there for the losing…Literally…Next Loss: Chicago
The Regular Guys/Chapter 23 – Part III – A ransom note for Larry is received.
Like every other communication from the kidnappers, this one was brief:
Larry is OK and will remain OK as long as you do as you are told. Get $10 million cash ready for delivery.
We will be in touch.Sam Rider read the note, whistled, and showed the note to Ron Thomas.
“That’s a lot of money,” Ron Thomas said after reading it.
Sam knew Ron wasn’t talking about the value of that amount of money, but rather how much space ten million dollars in cash would take up; that was 100,000 $100 bills, the largest bill currently circulated by the United States Treasury. Ransoms were strictly cash transactions and 100,000 U.S. banknotes would weigh just over 220 pounds and would not be easy to deliver.
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On This Date
The long march to today.
În 1948 – Seven Japanese civilian and military leaders – including former Prime Minister Gen. Hideki Tojo – are executed in Japan following convictions for war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. The seven had been sentenced to death on Nov. 12 and had been notified of the time of their death two days earlier. Originally 28 Japanese had been charged with 55 separate counts, though the court ruled 45 of charges were either redundant or not authorized under the tribunal’s charter.
In 1972 – The Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Oakland Raiders 13-7 in the opening round of the AFC playoffs. Trailing 7-6 with 22 seconds remaining, Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a pass that was deflected by Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum and picked up right before it hit the ground by Steelers running back Franco Harris, who ran it 43-yards for a touchdown. History refers to this play as the Immaculate Reception.
In 1989 – Phil Collins is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of four consecutive weeks with Another Day In Paradise. The song went to #1 in ten other countries, including Zimbabwe and Norway, peaked at #2 in Great Britain and was Billboard’s seventh biggest song of 1990. It’s the seventh #1 single for Collins as a solo act, all in the 1980s, tying him for second with Whitney Houston and Madonna behind Michael Jackson, who had nine #1 songs in the 1980s.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
One may talk of peace only with those who are peaceful. To talk of peace with him who holds a drawn sword is foolish unless one is unarmed, then one must talk very fast, indeed.
Louis L’Amour
The Education of a Wandering Man
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Cheaper than Trivia Night at the bar.
The Washington Capitals have given three shorthanded goals in a game five times, an NHL record.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
How many countries provided judges for the Tokyo War Crimes Trial? – Answer next time!
