Random Notes from a Crank

The comic above makes a lot of sense. I got it from The Atheist Vanguard on FB. 

As inflation worsens, all signs point toward the U.S. economy suffering stagflation. Read all about in the article by The New York Times: "U.S. Inflation Accelerated in June as Trump's Tariffs Pushed Up Prices." 

And as reported in The Washington Post, the shaky economy and tariffs are seriously affecting the travel plans of Americans: "Americans Are Downsizing Their Summer Vacations." 

If you're interested in a bit of satire, surprisingly from USA Today, check out "I Saw the New Liberal Superman Movie and It Gave Me a Woke Mind Virus." 

Of all the things that the MAGA faithful should be mad about in regard to the doings of President Adolf, they're really concerned about the release of the Epstein files? 

Those are some bizarre priorities. 

Random Notes from a Crank

 

I saw this sign through my high school wrestling team's FB page. I really like it as a question and slogan. 

If any of you readers are moving from Twitter to Bluesky, I'm on that platform: @quintilianbnasty.

I was saddened to see that legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker passed away. Here's some an article by USA Today about "Major League Bob Uecker Quotes." 

I'm excited to see that there is going to be a new Daredevil series. Here's an article from a site called RadioTimes: "Daredevil: Born Again."

The Disney+ trailer is intriguing. 

I might have to watch the third season of the Netflix show to remind myself what happened at the end. Of course, there was also The Defenders series too that came after that third season. 

What Marvel needs to do a Power-Man and Iron Fist show (or Heroes for Hire), which might bring some levity to the MCU. 

Because I'm a frugal person, I'm astounded by people who don't return their shopping carts for their quarters. My usual spots for shopping for groceries are Aldi and Ruler Foods. Both places require you to put in a quarter to get a cart. 

However, there are some folks who don't return the carts, and I'm making money by returning their carts. I bet over the course of a year I probably make about 10 bucks doing this. 

I chalk up this frugality of mine to being a son of two parents who were children during the Great Depression. You don't waste money. 

Random Notes from a Crank

After reading so many articles in the paper about Moscow Don's associates, I'm getting weary of the word "pleaded." That past tense in the English language doesn't make any sense to me. I would argue it should be "pled." 

If one considers the past tense of "lead," which is "led," it is not logical that the past tense of "plead" is "pleaded." It just sounds funny. 

In a similar vein, I get that the past tense of "cancel" is acceptable as either "canceled" or "cancelled." Cancelled to me just looks better. It's got two Ls. It is not playing around. It's CANCELLED. I like that extra l for emphasis. 

We finally made the switch from Directv to HULU. I am liking the change for monetary reasons, but I miss watching The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and MLB Network on a regular basis. 

I surely won't miss the weather wreaking havoc with Directv's reception though. 

In the wake of yesterday's testimony, this is an opinion piece that, to me, gets it right: "Michael Cohen Testimony on Donald Trump Was a WWE Body Slam Against Trump. Here's Why It's Credible."  I enjoy the concluding sentence: "Prosecutors have a saying: Conspiracies hatched in hell don't have angels as witnesses."

Stay Positive: Nike's Ad Campaign

As the Senate grills a hand-picked far-right probable Supreme Court justice, it seems more people are concerned about Nike's ad campaign that includes Colin Kaepernick. 

One of my Facebook "friends," a relative by marriage, immediately spread the following opinion piece among his social network: "Why I'm Boycotting Nike: Get Broke or Woke." 

A more measured and nuanced take on the whole situation is this article: "What Did Nike Just Do? Kaepernick Ad May Gain More from Gen Z than It Loses." 

It stands to reason that one of the iconic American brands probably did quite a bit of market research before unveiling this ad campaign. I'm sure they did some serious cost-benefit analysis before featuring Kaepernick in the campaign. 

As the second article relates, a number of companies have taken political stances, which is nothing new. I'm thinking Nike weighed short-term loses against long-term gains and went with the latter. 

As for me, I need some new athletic shoes. My pair of Saucony running shoes have lost some umph on their footboards. I haven't bought a pair of Nike shoes in ages, probably since the 90s, because I tend to like the styles and fits of Adidas and Saucony. When I do my next shopping spree for athletic shoes, I'm trying on some Nikes. 

Regardless, I still don't see how kneeling is a sign of disrespect. Not going out during the anthem or belligerently doing something else might be seen more accurately as disrespectful. 

People can stupidly burn their shoes or tear up their clothing all they want, but Kaepernick was advised by a veteran and 49ers fan way back when to kneel as a sign of respect. 

The rest of all this hokum is just dog-whistling.  

Random Notes from a Crank

The July-August issue of Mother Jones has a solid trio of articles people should read. 

The first, "This is Your Brain on Smog," relates the scientific studies that are linking air pollution to dementia. 

The second, "The End of Punishment," provides a different take on the bad kids (or just kids in general) and how educators and other folks should deal with them. It's possible the type of punishment schools have been using just makes things worse.

The third, "The Natural," details the exploits of Allen Hershkowitz, the NRDC, and Hershkowitz's Green Sports Alliance in getting sports franchises and whole leagues to be more sustainable and thereby save money. 

Today is National Left Handers Day. Being a southpaw, I'm happy we have our own day amongst the tyranny of a right-handed world. This article explains seven points most people don't know about handedness. To celebrate southpaws though, check out this article from USA Today about fourteen of the greatest lefty athletes. 

Random Notes from a Crank

As I was driving down a main road in my town today, coming the other way was a 4x4 pickup truck parading down the road with two large flags situated at the front of the truck's bed, flapping in the wind as it drove. One flag was the American flag. The other was the Stars and Bars. With what happened in Charleston and with the governor of SC wanting to take the Confederate flag down from the state capitol building (as if that act would assuage what happened in that church), you can't pinpoint the motivations for what those two morons in that truck are trying to do. Regardless, it was a spectacle of idiocy I haven't seen in a while.

Roxane Gay has a solid opinion piece in the New York Times: "Why I Can't Forgive Dylann Roof." 

Later that day I was watching my son doing his tae kwon do class. The large women two rows in front of me had one of the uglier tattoos I've seen in a good while. It was on her left shoulder, and it was large version of Hello Kitty, but it was green to make it a zombie Hello Kitty. 

Recently I noticed my son likes saying, "Holy smokes." Then I noticed that I say that too. I can't figure out if I picked it up from him or he picked it up from me. It's a rooster-and-egg thing. 

Since I'm an assistant coach for a machine-pitch baseball team, I've been contemplating pitching a new reality series: Baseball Moms. 

The season premiere of True Detective was quite the episode. Wow. That Colin Farrell character looks like a classic antihero.