Random Notes from a Crank

For the US to elect a pathologically-lying, corrupt, bloviating, narcissistic, pedophilic criminal twice and be run by a total kakistocracy right now, we should be renamed Dumbfuckistan.

Carlin said it well with this joke, which is dark humor and not really funny when you think about it. 

  it. 

And by the way, Dan Quayle would be a help to this administration. At least that guy might have some morals and respect the Constitution. 

And speaking of crazy people like Carlin did, during Covid Facebook showed me who the crazy people are. 

Once The Late Show with Stephen Colbert goes off the air, I'm not watching CBS anymore. 

I'll more likely frequent The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel, and Seth Myers more often. 

As mu hometown TV station reports, the Iran War is going to drive up fertilizer costs for farmers: "Fertilizer Costs Soar: Strait of Hormuz Closure Impacts Farmers." 

FAFO, farmers. Many of you idiots supported President Adolf. 

Nice job, you chuds. 

I'm interested to see who shakes out as the winner of the Democratic primaries here in Illinois. I voted this morning. I'm closely watching the U.S. Senate race. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Gas prices are crazy high because of President Adolf's Iran War to distract us from the fact he's a pedophile. 

The tire pressure point is a good one. It's one factor I've paid more attention to over the past few years. 

When I was at a car dealership today to get my car's oil changed, it is difficult not to overhear the salespeople talking to one another and to customers. The one sales guy on the phone and in his interactions with other males has a tendency to call those guys "brother." 

As someone who grew up watching then WWF wrestling, I automatically associate the term "brother" with the likes of Hulk Hogan and other wrestlers who liked using that word. I just find it odd that "brother" when addressing a male person is a constant in some peoples' lexicons. 

The idiocy of President Adolf is on full display with European leaders not willing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.

The Guardian informs us about Moscow Don trying to get help with the Iran War: "European Countries Reject Trump's Call for Help to Reopen Strait of Hormuz."   

Random Notes from a Crank

I had noticed this word before, but I didn't really get what the reference meant until I saw a TikTok video about it. 

There are a lot of chuds out there. 

I will be integrating that term into my lexicon. 

The U.S. is being run by a senile madman who is enriching himself on our dime: "The Great American Cash Grab."

The Republican Party needs to no longer use the acronym of GOP for Grand Old Party. It should change to AFP: American Fascist Party. 

Are maybe just CHUD? 

Here are some gleanings from the February "Harper's Index":

• Percentage of Americans who said that Trump and RFK Jr.'s policies would make the country healthier in 2024: 28
• Percentage who say that they have made the country healthier today: 19
• Portion of American girls and women aged 15 to 44 who say they want to permanently leave the country: 2/5
• Of American boys and men aged 15 to 44: 1/5
• Portion of U.S. sports betters who say they have taken out a loan from a friend or family member because of their gambling: 1/5
• Who say they have hidden their gambling debts from a loved one: 1/3
• Who say they have made wagers in the hopes of paying off existing gambling debts: 2/5

I'm surprised there are so many dumbasses who thought RFK's policies would make the U.S. more healthy. 

It does not surprise that women want to leave the U.S. 

I've been enticed by sports gambling, but I would be worried that I would get sucked in. And in general, I'm averse to gambling. It's just a really good chance to lose your money. 

Also related to sexism and the U.S., which is a probably reason why 40% of American women want to leave the U.S,  this season I witnessed some blatant sexism related to high school sports. 

My son's high school basketball team had an away game, and the cheerleaders are supposed to cheer at all conference away games. At this particular game, the girls high school team was going to play after the boys team played. 

Well, the cheerleaders drove all the way to cheer for the boys team, but they left before the girls game even started. 

That's women and a woman head cheer coach being sexist to other women. 

Astounding. 

Random Notes from a Crank

It looks like President Adolf wants to put all Americans on welfare because of his stupid tariffs: "Trump Dangles Cash Payments to Buoy Voters' Views of the Economy." 

He put farmers on welfare with 12 billion going to them, and now he wants to put everyone else on government assistance. 

MABA: Making America Barkrupt Again

Trump Welfare 

The GOP leadership has no spine in regard to fiscal responsibility. 

I first starting liking cop TV shows when I was young and watched Hill Street Blues. 

Then another cop show came along with NYPD Blue, which is probably my favorite TV cop show. 

One show that rivals NYPd Blue is the Bosch series on Amazon. 

And yet again, the administration has stepped up its attacks on trans folks. 

Clay Jones' political cartoon puts it well. 

I didn't even bother paying much attention to President Adolf's presidential address, and calling it an "address" is being kind because it sounds like it was rant-filled pack of lies. 

CNN does a good job documenting his lies: "Fact Check: Trump Repeats Numerous False Claims in Prime-Time Address." 

False claims are LIES. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I was watching an episode of Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, and O'Brien used the term "peter out." 

Because I usually have dirty mind, I initially thought the term originated from "Peter" meaning a penis. To my thinking, something petered out when a dude couldn't get it up anymore. 

It turns out my thinking is way off base if you choose to read "What's the Meaning of the Phrase 'Peter Out?'" 

There are about three different possibilities of how the phrase originated, but the one related to the use of saltpeter when mining in the 19th century seems the most plausible. 

This nonsense the U.S. is doing down in Venezuela needs to stop. 

Lalo Alcaraz has done some fine work below. 

Ah, MAGA socialism with the Aid Package that is going to U.S. farmers. 

According to Reuters, "US Farmers Say Trump's $12 billion Aid Package Won't Cover Losses." 

Random Notes from a Crank

I'm loving these blow-up costumes that have been at protests across the country, especially the frogs. 

If I didn't already have a costume prepared for Mrs. Nasty and me for Halloween, I would get a frog costume. 

The cartoonist Nick Anderson has done good work here. 

The GOP has basically become a party of Nazi-enablers. 

And President Adolf and his GOP enablers are bankrupting the country. 

A prime example is how the US is giving Argentina all kinds of money to help out their economy while Argentinian soybean farmers sell their beans to China while American farmers are screwed by not selling any to China. 

The grift is at an all-time hight because Moscow Don is demanding that he get paid 230 million because of past cases with the Justice Department: "Trump Said to Demand Justice Dept. Pay Him $230 Million for Past Cases." 

We're living in a full-on kakistrocracy. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Because it's hard to trust anything President Adolf's administration says about the economy and in light of how they are no longer putting out economic data, the Washington Post has an interesting article that shows how the economy is doing poorly based on some significant signs. 

Some of the signs are cardboard boxes, Hamburger Helper, and thrifting. 

Check out "Recession Warning Signs to Watch: Goodbye Lipstick, Hello Hamburger Helper." 

The New York Times has a great article on Nick Offerman: "Nick Offerman Woodworked His Way to Playing the President." 

I'm intrigued by the series Death by Lightning. 

I'm tired of the saying, "Chef's kiss." Just stop saying it, people.

And I feel the same way about "it's been a minute," but I think I've bitched about that stupid verbal construction before on this blog. 

This political cartoon by Clay Jones sums up the kind of people who are ICE agents.

 

Random Notes from a Crank

The Washington Post reports that the National Guard troops deployed for "crime" are cleaning up parks by getting rid of graffiti and trash and raking leaves: "National Guard Troops in D.C. Add Sanitation, Landscaping Duties." 

This move simply shows how President Adolf's "crime emergency" is just another example of his lies and bullshit and misuse of resources. 

I was surprised that the Vikings traded for Adam Thielan. But I guess he's probably close to retirement and might want to end his career with the team he started with. 

In a special election for an Iowa State Senate seat, a Democrat won in what I assume is usually a red district: "Democrat Caitlin Drey Wins Iowa Senate Special Election, Breaking Republican Supermajority."  I enjoyed what the DNC Chair said: "Iowans are seeing Republicans of who they are: self-serving liars who will throw their constituents under the bus to rubber stamp Donald Trump's disastrous agenda - and they're ready for change."

I am going to have to use the phrase "self-serving liars" more often.  

As is easy to expect, the Daily Kos reports that "Of Course Conservatives Are Being Weird about Taylor Swift's Engagement." 

The current administration is possibly going to depress sales of EV vehicles even though EV vehicles are being bought in other countries in the world: "EV Sales Are Booming in America--For Now." 

The big stupid bill killed the EV tax credit. 

Random Notes from a Crank

 

I got this meme from "Eat the Rich" on FB. It's appropriate. We only have so many natural resources and probably way too many unnatural ones.  

In my job I have to work with first-year students, who are usually 18-year-olds. Their inability to use the basic "attach file" function of email is astounding. Yes, I know how that statement makes me sound old as Hell. 

As reported in The New York Times, the enrollment of international students has steeply declined. President Adolf's hurdles have turned us into the United States of Xenophobia. Here's the article: "Trumps Tactics Mean Many International Students Won't Make It to Campus."

I dislike the statement, "It's been a minute." People try to make it sound funny, but it just sounds stupid. 

This political cartoon by Nick Anderson is relevant to how President Adolf is trying to sugar coat the reality of slavery as presented by the Smithsonian. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I read an article in Mother Jones about Rep. Maxwell Frost: "Why Maxwell Frost Wants Democrats to 'Get Caught Fighting.'"

Later that day he was on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He's sharp as hell. 

When he turns 30, he needs to run for the U.S. Senate to kick out one of the GOP douche bags in Florida--hopefully that penis-look-alike Rick Scott. 

Lately I've become irritable about the drivers where I live. They drive so damn slowly. 

So this past weekend I was in Muncie, Indiana for a baseball tournament, and the drivers around there might be even morse. 

People were driving so slow, especially around corners. It's like I was in the Deep South again with all these slow-ass drivers. 

What's the deal with people calling sports stars/personalities by their first names? My in-laws do this with professional golfers they follow. Or most notably they use when they talk about Caitlin Clark. They call her "Caitlin" in casual conversation. 

I just find that weird because using the first name connotes a personal connection. 

Well, the U.S. under President Adolf is back to bombing brown people because of "weapons of mass destruction." 

We've seen that move before. The president's poll numbers are in the crapper, so the administration gets into some kind of military intervention based on shoddy intelligence. 

There are some consequences here. First, Congress is the only entity that can wage war, not the Executive Branch. Moscow Don has basically involved us in a war because he's just doing what Israel wants. 

Second, one can assume Iran is going to react in various ways, whether it's related to the Strait of Hormuz or sleeper cells inside the U.S. doing terrorist activities.

The Trump administration is making America poor and making American less safe again. 

Random Notes from a Crank

 

I saw this image from the Radical Centrist on FB. I thought I'd share. 

If you were to make a Venn diagram of these assertions, that Venn diagram don't hunt. 

I don't understand why Tottenham Hotspur appears not to be showing any interest in the Canadian striker Jonathan David. 

He's a free agent. He's two-footed. He's productive. He's in his mid-20s. And there's no transfer free. I think he's a fabulous player. 

In a recent YouGov daily survey, 50% of people polled said "Yes" to this question:"Would you ever vote for a third party or an independent candidate?" I said Yes to that question. I'd vote for one for sure if the candidate was viable. 

The third question was "Do you think a third major political party is necessary for the United States, or are the Democratic and Republican parties enough?" 55% answered "A third party is necessary in the U.S." Only 20% agreed with "The Democratic and Republican parties are enough to represent Americans." 25% were "Not sure." 

Mother Jones has a solid short article that describes the importance of preserving and probably expanding wetlands: "The Economic Case for Preserving America's Wetlands." 

As the author relates, wetlands work like sponges, so they can prevent the massive flooding events that are only going to be more frequent because of climate change. Unfortunately, under the the administration of President Adolf, I doubt many projects like the one in Raleigh are going to get going.  

A frightening article in that same issue of Mother Jones is one about Clearview AI, a facial-recognition tech company whose founders have ties to right-wing extremists, Holocaust deniers, and Neo-Nazis. 

Check out "The Shocking Far-Right Agenda behind the Facial Recognition Tech Used by ICE and the FBI."

Here are some interesting statistics from the June "Harper's Index":

• Percentage by which tourism to the United States is projected to decrease this year: 9
• Percentage increase this year in seizures of eggs being smuggled into the United States: 48
• Percentage increase last year in the number of U.S. households that owned chickens: 28
• Factor by which the word "notable" appears more frequently in AI-generated sentences than in those written by humans: 13
• By which the word "esteemed" does: 120

I'm surprised the decrease in tourism is only projected to be 9%. I thought it would be in the high teens.

I'll be on the lookout for "notable" and "esteemed." 

Random Notes from a Crank

After watching Elizabeth Warren's appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, it's pretty clear to me that she is the President of the United States that the country should have had. 

She was my first choice, and Kamala was my second choice. 

Thursday's word of the day on my word-of-the-day calendar was "superbity," which is a noun meaning "haughtiness or arrogance." That's a new one on me, but it's a word that can applied to current conditions in the U.S. for sure. 

I saw a guy on Tik Tok talking about a "joke going around the White House this week." It's "What do all the universities that Trump is targeting have in common? Baron didn't get into them." 

It's probably true. He's attending NYU.

The Washington Post has reported on the proposed cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services: "Internal Budget Document Reveals Extent of Trump Program Cuts." 

Apparently they plan to eliminate Head Start, and there are severe cuts to the hospitals in rural areas. As the article states, "Rural programs formerly under the Health Resources and Services Administration appear to be hard-hit. The rural flexibility grants, state offices of rural health, rural residency development program and at-risk rural hospitals program grants are listed as eliminations under AHA." 

Rural America, FAFO. You nitwits voted for this idiotic goon. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Rachel Maddow covered the imbecility of the Secretary of Education extensively in one of her shows, but the marketing gurus took it a step further with this Instagram post. 

That's some pretty good satire right there. 

I happened upon an interesting article from the BBC that talks about how people are using brewers spent grain. They're experimenting will turning it into food products and an alternative to leather. Check it out in "How Beer Sludge Is Being Turned into Vegan Milk and Leather." 

My word-of-the-day calendar shows that today's word as "mala fide," which is an adverb or adjective meaning "with or in bad faith." That word sums up a lot about the current administration in D.C. 

My club, Tottenham Hotspur, have a huge away game tomorrow. 

As much as I like Ange, if he doesn't win it all in the Europa League, I think he's going to get sacked. 

The team went through a dreadful spell for about three months when they had all kinds of injuries, but with the way he has turned again or criticized the fans, I don't think he'll survive for next season. 

But I hope to be proven wrong by him winning a trophy and Spurs doing well in the remaining games in the Premier League. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Back in the 90s I was an avid reader of the work of Henry Rollins, and I listened to spoken-word performances. 

What he says above makes sense to me. 

It makes me think about what my mentor in grad school said about "extra money." He said it's an oxymoron. 

With what President Adolf is doing to the U.S. economy and the world's economies, that statement is clearly apparent. 

Normally when someone says, "I know what I'm doing," that person is indicating they don't know what they're doing. Moscow Don is a case in point. 

For no good reason, the current administration is going after international students in the U.S.: "With Secret Moves against International Students, Feds Spread Fear." 

The complicity of the GOP to what Moscow Don is doing can be summed up in this image. 

Random Notes from a Crank

The strip from today for Rabbits Against Magic has it right. 

The MAGA hat should be referred to as a "Ku Klux Kap." 

Moscow Don and his minions are calling what's happening to Tesla dealerships "domestic terrorism." No, it's vandalism. 

Domestic terrorism is what happened on January 6th. 

Or what one of Moscow Don's supporters did to protesters in Palm Beach County. That move, albeit at a slow speed, is reminiscent of what happened in Charlottesville, Virginia. 

What a jackass. 

In related news, Tesla sales are dropping like a lead balloon in Europe as reported by The Guardian: "Tesla's Europe Sales Drop Nearly 45% amid Row over Musk's Trump Links." 

I follow the US Men's National Team. They had a terrible week by losing to both Panama and Canada. I thought Pochettino would take them to another level, but I hope these are just growing pains.  

Poch's comments after the game basically related that it's better for them to find out what they need to work on now rather than later. At least this summer the coaching staff should have a full month or so to work with the players they select for the Gold Cup. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I have a couple of favorite Norm Macdonald jokes (1) The moth who went to the podiatrist and 2) The unconventional doctor's solution to a husband whose wife is in a coma), but one of his small observations is spot on. 

I wonder if there is a similar deal with the abbreviation of "number," which is "No." as in No. 2. 

Why the heck is an "o" used instead of "Nu. 2" or "Nr. 2"? But some cursory research shows that it's my old friend the Latin language making an appearance on the linguistic scene because the Latin word for number is "numero."  

This week's Existential Comic is one of my favorites: "The future will have stupidity beyond our wildest imagination." Indeed. "Stupidity will multiply and spread, and new advanced forms of stupidity will emerge that we cannot even begin to conceive of." 

As Stephen Colbert noted in Tuesday's monologue, Moscow Don didn't even say the car company's name right in his photo app. He called it "Tesler," which is probably a Freudian slip since it seems to be a mash-up of Tesla and Hitler. That's on brand because Musk supported a far-right Neo-Nazi-like party in Germany's recent election. 

After watching the first two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+, I am wondering if there are plans for a move to San Francisco in the series because we find out that Karen Page is in the Bay Area, and in the comic books under Mark Waid's run, Murdock moved to San Francisco. In fact, I think I have a number of those issues/books down in the basement. 

As Moscow Don cuts the Department of Education, the smallest federal agency, by half, it remains to be seen how these cuts will affect the funding for K-12 education and the FAFSA. I doubt the cuts will improve matters. 

Musing of the Moment: "Up and Not Crying"

Mrs. Nasty posted a reel from "wanderingbird.adventures" on social media that I also posted after I saw it.

Here's what it says: "In Norway 'up & not crying' is a standard response to 'How are you doing?'--and I think that's a very reasonable standard to hold oneself to these days." 

I agree.

I've read or heard that Norwegians have a reputation as the Scandinavians who are the most depressed. So that response "up and not crying" tracks. And I guess you can tie in seasonal affective disorder. 

Yet the saying flies in the face of the reputation of Nordic countries scoring the best on happiness surveys, which they do according to the World Happiness Report.

An article in The Guardian from 2018, "Nordic Countries 'Happy' Reputation Masks Sadness of Young, Says Report," shows some figures. And the numbers support that those countries are doing much better than other countries in Europe. 

Regardless, I like the black/dark humor of the saying.  

Random Notes from a Crank

I got these stats from some dude on social media. I'm pretty sure it's from the Jon Cooper who is a Democratic strategist. Since Moscow Don has openly talked about how his policies might create a recession, it seems appropriate to share.

The dipshit is affecting markets worldwide apparently. 

In related news, Canada got a new Prime Minister who has harsh words for President Adolf as reported by the BBC: "Canada's Next PM Mike Carney Vows to Win Trade War with Trump." 

 

On most weekdays I've been sharing a word-of-the-day post from The Dictionary of American Slang on social media. I've been discovering all kinds of words I never knew about, and some of them are quite old timey. 

Today I shared a V-word, the "visiting fireman." But the one I thought about sharing was "voos," which is a plural noun signifying "Human female breasts, esp. of a sexually attractive young woman." 

I've heard of all kinds of words used for tits, such as "cans," "headlights," and "ta tas," but voos is a new term for me. I would guess it came about because it rhymes with "boobs"? 

Happy National Napping Day.  

Random Notes from a Crank

If you like a good fact checking like I do, read "Fact Checking 26 Suspect Claims in Trump's Address to Congress" from The Washington Post.  

Journalists need to stop calling what he's doing as "false claims." They are LIES. I do like how the author calls one of his assertions "absurd" though. 

I learned in January issue of Harper's that the "word 'huh' or its equivalent seems to exist in every human language, for unknown reasons." That fact makes sense to me. 

Here are some interesting gleanings from the February and March Harper's Indexes:

• Rank of November 6, 2024, among the days with the most account deactivations on X since Elon Musk acquired the company: 1
• Factor by which the average wait to receive approval for federal disability benefits has increased since 2019: 2
• Estimated number of Americans who died in 2023 while waiting for such approval: 30,000
• Percentage change since 1973 in the average American's carbon emissions: -36
• Factor by which per capita U.S. carbon emissions exceed the global average: 3
• Average percentage by which the opening of a Walmart Supercenter causes nearby household incomes to decrease: 6
• Percentage of U.S. solar-power capacity growth last year accounted for by Texas: 31
• Percentage by which Texas's new solar-power capacity exceeded California's last year: 358
• Chance that an American believes they have undiagnosed ADHD: 1 in 4
• Chance that they do have ADHD: 1 in 17

I wonder how many more deactivations have happened on Twitter because of Musk's work with DOGE? I hope there have been a lot. 

And I imagine the number of Americans who will die while waiting for approval for federal disability benefits will skyrocket this year because of DOGE cuts to the workforce. 

I'm surprised about the solar growth in Texas. However, it makes sense that the state could harness solar power. 

Like ADHD, I think there is a similar difference in Americans who think they have an anxiety disorder and those who actually have an anxiety disorder. 

The U.S. is a well medicated nation because of Big Pharma. 

Random Notes from a Crank

In what has become normal for the GOP, they focus on stupid issues. 

For example, the Texas Lieutenant Governor, instead of focusing on the measles outbreak in his state, is more concerned about renaming a cut of beef to be called "Texas strip" instead of "New York strip." 

Read about this lunacy in The Guardian: "Texas Republican Focuses on Rebrand of 'New York Strip' amid Outbreak." 

It will always be Gulf of Mexico, people. 

Distractions keep people focused on the wrong issues. 

I know a guy who works in some kind of government program that's linked to Veterans Affairs. He's a big supporter of Moscow Don. I wonder if he lost his job. That'd be ironic.  

The Executive Branch is clearly a puppet of Russia. At least that's what the Kremlin is saying: "Washington Now "Largely Aligns" with Moscow's Vision, Kremlin Says." 

I got a package today from this company. 

As a Star Wars fan and as a big fan of the character Chewbacca, I dig it.