Help Request

WTF?

The last few days, Blogger (long since bought up by Google) has been doing weird things behind the scenes that are working my nerves big time.  Unfortunately, there is no official Help Desk to go to, but I am working with a volunteer helper to try to get to the bottom of this.

I'd like to ask my readers, especially my longtime truckbuddies who are familiar with the Blue Truck, to please let me know if they see any strange posts here, or if the BT does not display normally.

Thanks.

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100 Million Americans Did Not Vote - Why?

The brown-nosing and sucking-up begins:
People magazine glorifies Trump on the cover of its next issue.
(Do I really have to point out the divine-halo effect for you guys?)

A summary of the popular and electoral votes from Wikipedia.

Some quick stats for you all to chew on: Nationwide turnout was, as of yesterday's estimates, only 56.9 percent of eligible voters (U.S. citizens over age 18), or by my calculation, 65.8 percent of registered voters. So about a third of the registered electorate just sat out the election, which is pretty much what has happened in every presidential election for the last fifty years.

Let me make the point one more time, for clarity:  out of the 220 million-plus Americans who are old enough to vote, 60 million and a smidgeon voted for Clinton, and 60 million and a speck voted for Trump, and about 100 million did not vote at all.  That is the staggering fact.

If 80 or 90 percent had voted, would we still be living in the nightmare of a Trump victory today? I can't answer that, but you all can meditate on the figures and links below if you can stand to.

Voting-age population characteristics from the United States Census Bureau,
posted on their website Oct. 28, 2016.  Click to enlarge.

Vox:  Trump was elected by a little more than a quarter of eligible voters

Heavy: Over 90 Million Eligible Voters Didn’t Vote in the 2016 Presidential Election


Politico: America hits new landmark: 200 million registered voters

United States Elections Project: 2016 November General Election Turnout Rates, by states

The American Presidency Project: Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections, 1828 - 2012

Pew Research Center: Behind Trump’s victory: Divisions by race, gender, education

Pew Research Center: How the faithful voted: A preliminary 2016 analysis

(This last link has some very interesting items:  60 percent of white Catholic voters checked the box for Trump, as did 24 percent of Jewish voters.  Why, why, why?)

This Has Got to Stop, NOW

I am steaming mad and deeply, deeply ashamed of Texas and its police.  To the point of nausea, in fact.

I'm not running a daily news blog here, so I don't try to post about everything that happens in the world, and I rarely go on a blog rant anymore (realizing how useless my 2 cents' worth is in the scheme of things) - but among all the other awful things in the news today, this in particular made me lose it.

What the fuck is wrong with these big bruiser cops, throwing a little bitty woman around like a rag doll and slamming her to the ground and sitting on her?  On a simple, petty little traffic stop - which, by the way, is totally discretionary - in broad daylight, in front of hundreds of passing motorists?  Just What.The.Fuck. is wrong with them???

If it had been a white woman, you can damn sure believe the officer's badge would be gone, his career would be toast, and no second chances. And his ass would be sitting in jail for a good long while.

Unlike what happened to the McKinney police officer last year, who showed what a really BIG MAN he was by manhandling and kneeling on a skinny 14-year-old black girl in a bikini - and has now been cleared of all charges by the local grand jury:



What a travesty of justice.  The police are NOT the law.  The police are NOT above the law.  The police are NOT our masters.  They are the servants of the law and of the public, and somebody better get that across to them, pronto. 

I understand that there are times when the police are obliged to use force to preserve the peace, or defend life and property. Of course. But the sword of justice must be wielded wisely, kindly, and judiciously - and there are many, many more times when the police are under an overriding obligation NOT to use force. Something has gone far wrong here, and just what are all our elected leaders doing about it? Where is the corrective action?

This cannot go on.  Nor any of the other godawful things spilling across your TV screen every day, not if civilization is to continue.

And of course Herr Trump is milking it for all it is worth - "Vote for me, I Will Keep You Safe."  Yes, in a police state run for his and his lackeys' goddamn profit, 24/7.  Just like Hitler promised and every other shitheaded dictator you can name.  This is how and where it starts - and don't think it can't happen here.  It can.

Maybe it already has, and we just haven't realized it yet.

I have no answers.  I just say, it all has to stop now, just STOP THE MADNESS before we are all engulfed by a monstrous, evil darkness that will devour feckless liberals and overweening conservatives alike.  And if that comes, don't think for a moment that your white skin or cool clothes or your pretty college diploma will give you any immunity.  The boot will be on everyone's neck.
 
Here's the Washington Post article, if you care to read it:

Austin Police Body-slam Black Teacher

Oh, and of course there's this too, in sunny, laid-back South Florida:



North Miami Police Shoot Black Man with Hands Raised

And no, even this does NOT in any way, shape, or form justify the stupid fuckheads who have been shooting police officers.  Two wrongs do not make a right.

But it all has to STOP.  NOW.  And that means EVERYBODY on all sides.

Race and religion have nothing to do with it. Simple human decency does.

That's all I can say, I'm too upset to carry on further here.

Holy Crap, Electric Bacteria

Geobacter rockin' the electron gobble.

New Scientist reports:

Unlike any other life on Earth, these extraordinary bacteria use energy in its purest form – they eat and breathe electrons – and they are everywhere.

STICK an electrode in the ground, pump electrons down it, and they will come: living cells that eat electricity. We have known bacteria to survive on a variety of energy sources, but none as weird as this. Think of Frankenstein's monster, brought to life by galvanic energy, except these "electric bacteria" are very real and are popping up all over the place.

Unlike any other living thing on Earth, electric bacteria use energy in its purest form – naked electricity in the shape of electrons harvested from rocks and metals. We already knew about two types, Shewanella and Geobacter. Now, biologists are showing that they can entice many more out of rocks and marine mud by tempting them with a bit of electrical juice. Experiments growing bacteria on battery electrodes demonstrate that these novel, mind-boggling forms of life are essentially eating and excreting electricity. . . .

The discovery of electric bacteria shows that some very basic forms of life can do away with sugary middlemen and handle the energy in its purest form – electrons, harvested from the surface of minerals. "It is truly foreign, you know," says Nealson. "In a sense, alien."

Nealson's team is one of a handful that is now growing these bacteria directly on electrodes, keeping them alive with electricity and nothing else – neither sugars nor any other kind of nutrient. The highly dangerous equivalent in humans, he says, would be for us to power up by shoving our fingers in a DC electrical socket.

This modern world is just Too.Fucking.Weird. Can I please have a ticket back to the nice, quiet, normal 20th century? Pleeease?

Winter Storm Warning - WTF?

I don't often check the weather reports - your Head Trucker is of the old school that prefers to look out the window and see if it's rainy or sunny. But it does seem that just a day or two ago I glanced at the forecast and it was all 40s to 60s and clear. Last night I had some reason to look again, and OMG a shitload of icy nastiness is bearing down upon my locality.

Your Head Trucker grew up further south, where snow just doesn't happen - a couple of flakes once every ten years or so, maybe, which sends everyone into a great panic. Otherwise, it might get cold but no ice, no sleet, no hail, no snow. Which is just the way I like it. Somehow though, the road of life led me to this place of exile out on the prairie, so I have to bear it. Just hope I have enough essential provisions to get by until the ice melts again.

And yeah, I know I sound like a total wuss to all you big, bad dudes who grew up in the frozen North - but then, you guys totally wimp out in the summer heat down here, so there.

Speaking of warmer climes, I ran across this charming compilation of home movies from about 1940 - some jolly tourists from up Nawth are vacationing at a resort on the Atlantic coast of Florida.  They must be pretty well fixed because they traveled on the all-Pullman, extra-fare Florida Special. No sound, thank God - I hate cutesy, anachronistic soundtracks added to silent films - but it's quite intriguing to me.  Who are these people, where are they from, and what are they talking about, thinking about?

It's also pretty amazing to see people on vacation lounging about and walking the beach in suits, ties, and smart frocks. Nowadays, not even the super-rich do that; but with all the comfort we've gained by relaxing the dress codes, what have we lost, I wonder?



P.S. - Even in Miami, further south from where these people stayed, it's much too damn cold to go swimming in the wintertime - the air temp is okay, but the water temp will turn your balls blue in a hurry. And then when you get out of the water, you really start to shiver as the ocean breeze evaporates the water on your skin. Your Head Trucker knows because he tried it on Christmas Day in Miami Beach one time, back when he was young and stupid.  But the Yankees in this film seem to be having a big time - they must think it's warm.

Obama's Address to the Nation about Syria

A transcript of the President's remarks is here.

Well, here are your Head Trucker's thoughts, just for the record:  the first two minutes were fine, with the President reviewing the use of poison gas since World War I and saying that the nations of the world have worked for a century to outlaw this terrible weapon of war.  Lofty ideas, noble thoughts.  All well and good.

ut from there, he seemed to tumble down one slippery slope after another, sliding on generalizations and doubletalk, vague claims and promises, and outright contradictions.  To wit, for example: "I've had letters from a number of citizens saying the United States shouldn't be the world's policeman, and I agree."  But then a few minutes later:  "For seventy years, the United States has enforced the rules of international law, and the world is a better place for that."  Um, so what exactly is the difference between a policeman and an enforcer, I wonder?  And also, what about all the debacles and destruction so carefully ignored by that far-reaching claim?  Cuba, Vietnam, Iraq, Libya, and others we could name?

Another example:  "We are not going to try to remove a dictator, we already learned from Iraq that that's no good because then we are responsible for all that comes afterwards.  I am not going to put American boots on the ground.  We're just going to degrade Assad's ability to use chemical weapons."  But then:  "In response to some comments in Congress, this attack will not be a pinprick strike.  The United States military does not do pinpricks."  So WTF?  How big and how bad will it be, exactly?  What the hell will happen when the order to hit Syria goes out?  Why all this vagueness and obfuscation?

Another:  "Syria has no ability to attack our military.  And any other attacks that might happen, well we deal with those threats every day, anyway.  And our BFF Israel [which your Head Trucker has been thinking is the elephant in the room that Obama has never mentioned until this speech], well everybody knows they have the power to respond to any attacks with overwhelming force."  In other words, Syria can't possibly do anything to hurt us.  And yet:  "Even though there is no imminent or direct threat to the United States . . . I believe I have the power to order this strike in order to enforce international law and protect our own children from being gassed like those poor Syrian kids."  What the holy fuck???

In other words, boys, as much as I want to support this president - and I do believe his fundamental motive of stopping an outlaw use of chemical weapons is sincere - I am hearing nothing but the same old bureaucratic doubletalk that has been used every fucking time before, when this country has muscled in where it shouldn't have gone.

And on top of all that - What exactly was the point of this speech?  What was his point, what was he asking us citizens, or anyone, to do?  The first three-fourths of the speech sounded like it might have been written last week - not until towards the end did he get around to mentioning that, oh yeah, somebody has a crazy idea for a diplomatic solution here, so I've been chatting with my bud Putin about that - we'll see where it goes, and I've asked Congress to chill on voting for anything until I know more.  Then I'll let 'em know.

And so your point is, Mr. President?  Why have you just been talking at us for 15 minutes, then?  What kind of idée fixe is this, which you just keep repeating and repeating?

Something is just not right here. I am vividly reminded of a brilliant aphorism that I heard Judge Judy say once: If it doesn't make sense, it's not true.

Continued after the jump . . .

WTF? Church of England Drops Opposition to Same-Sex Marriage Bill

Yesterday, the Most Reverend Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin "Whatajerk" Welby, went out of his way to utterly trash the idea of same-sex marriage, saying it would "abolish" true marriage between men and women and replace it with "a less good option that is neither equal nor effective," thereby handing our homo-hating enemies a wonderful cache of ammo to use against us for years to come. Here's the video of his speech in the House of Lords:



Today, however, a church spokesman declared that after seeing large majorities in both Houses of Parliament vote in favor of the same-sex marriage bill, the Church has no further objections to make, and the 26 bishops who sit in the House of Lords will now work on amendments to refine and "improve" the bill. Which it seems is not so evil after all.

Politics. What a difference a day - or a vote - makes.  What a fucking turnaround.  What sheer, unmitigated hypocrisy.  I'm glad the Church, and presumably the two-faced Archbishop too, is going to stand out of the way now - but I am totally underwhelmed by their transparent, self-serving motives.

WTF: Cereal Killer

Anti-gay activist targets General Mills headquarters in Minnesota. Who knew Cheerios were flammable?




Pssst - Guys, this exactly is what you look like to the other side when you allow all our long struggle for civil rights and equality to be focused down on a commercial product. So just don't go there, okay bitches?

WTF: Drop Dead Beautiful

Okay guys, your Head Trucker has to admit to being an old fart who just doesn't understand the younger generation.  I never thought I would say those words, but I guess it happens to all of us sooner or later. 

What really confuses me is the way straight boys act so g-a-y in this day and time, always hugging one another and such.  So would somebody please clue me in here:  are these guys gay or what? 

I mean, I'm serious - my gaydar was never that great to begin with, and I really can't tell about kids these days. 




Or is this just one of the dreaded aftereffects of the repeal of DADT that the republitards warned us about?

WTF: The Cube House

Continuing with the domestic architecture theme, or should I say - from the sublime to the totally fucking ridiculous:




Would have a made a terrific playhouse when I was about 10. It's the sort of thing that appeals strongly to navel-gazing young men who fancy themselves both deep and progressive thinkers. The type who think real life happens only in overpriced coffee shops and deeply-dark nightclubs. Who are always on the make, but never quite seem to have a steady girlfriend. Which perhaps is because they are so fond of quoting arcane philosophers no one has ever heard of, and trying to impress at parties by playing endless madrigals on hand-carved flutes.

I say girlfriend deliberately, because no sensible gay man would ever go for such a shipping crate of a house. Not nearly enough room to decorate!


Speaking of ridiculous - at this very moment, 2:15 p.m., it is exactly 100 degrees here on the prairie, and your Head Trucker is all hot and sweaty and naked. But it's not nearly as sexy as you think, guys - the a/c unit went haywire last night, and I've been waiting all day for the service company to arrive, all the windows open and all the fans going. Which helps very little. Probably they won't get here till 5 or so, by which time your Head Trucker may be a tepid puddle on the floor.

This would, of course, happen on the hottest damn day of the year. Send some cool thoughts my way, will ya?

UPDATE, 2:40 p.m. - Dayyum, that was fast! The service guys (straight and none too cute, crap) just left, and cool air is flowing once again. One of my readers must have amazing psychic powers - whom should I thank for this blessed relief?

WTF: Wait a Minute, Mr. Postman

Sigh. Now I know why my parents shook their heads at the crazy ideas of my generation. Some days it seems like the whole world is being super-sized . . . in reverse. Apparently the next thing to go is your mailbox, if this article from Canada is any portent:

End door-to-door mail delivery

. . . you didn't stop to make me feel better,
by leaving me a card or a letter . . . .

 

WTF: Reindeer on the Brain

Scientists in England who were investigating how neurons work made this startling photograph recently of a blood vessel in the brain, with a very curious resemblance to a certain well-known quadruped.

WTF: Christmas Around the World

Just surfing around the 'net, your Head Trucker has discovered some odd news and views of Christmas.

In Sweden, for example, the entire country shuts down at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve to watch Donald Duck cartoons like this one, an ironclad tradition that's been going on for more than fifty years:



In France, it turns out that Père Noël has a helper:  le Père Fouettard, or Father Spanker, dressed all in black and carrying chains and a whip.  While St. Nicolas rewards the good kids, Father Spanker works over the bad boys.  Hmm.

Which in modern times, it seems, has become the inspiration for good, clean holiday fun:  a spankfest for the whole family.  Hmm.



In Japan, even though it's not an official holiday, Christmas is a popular celebration.  An aquarium even features an underwater Santa . . . which is pretty damn trippy.



In Brazil, where it's midsummer, they kick off the Christmas season in Rio with the world's largest (and only?) floating Christmas tree - which shoots fireworks, yet. That's pretty trippy, too.



And in Blue State America:

Pat Oliphant/Slate

 

WTF: Half-Naked Hunks in the Vatican?

What is the world coming to?  This has already made the rounds of the big blogs, but in case you missed it - according to NPR:

The "Fratelli Pellegrini," or "Pellegrini Brothers," performed for Pope Benedict XVI during his general audience on Wednesday. The acrobatic team formed a human tower for the pope, a feat that drew applause from the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The Pellegrinis were were invited as part of a convention on circuses organized by the Vatican's office for migrants.

Um, okay.  I guess it has something to do with brotherly love, huh?  I can go for that.

WTF: English Cowboy

He sure looks the part, starting at about the 4:00 mark.  Seems strange at first, hearing a British accent coming out of his mouth instead of a Texas twang.  But I could get used to it.  I tell you what.

WTF: Pentagon Clueless about Missle Launch off California

Unfuckingbelievable:



I came across this story just an hour ago, and I'm speechless with wonder at the apparent total fucking ineptitude of not merely our government's military surveillance, but also of Washington's public-relations ability as well:

Mystery Missile Launch Seen off Calif. Coast

Pentagon can't explain 'missile' off California

Mystery missile vapor trail stumps Pentagon

Memo to the White House:

Hello?  Is anybody minding the goddamn store?  Somebody launches a big-ass missile 35 miles from downtown L.A., and nobody knows what the fuck it was?  Nobody in the Army, the Navy, the Air Force even noticed it?  Even NORAD has no clue, for chrissake??

Jesus mercy.  It's 24 hours now, and still a mystery.  This is not the way to run the fucking country.  What, are you shitheads partying while the Boss is out of town?  We need some reassurance out here, if not defense.  You guys in the West Wing need to put the bong down and do your fucking job.  Or rightly get your collective asses kicked by the Republicans.

As a commenter on this YouTube video remarked:

We strip-search grandma at the airport and make sure that my shampoo is in an approved container, but our Pentagon can't tell who's firing missiles around our country.

Unfuckingbelievable.


Update:  There's a lot of chatter being spread around now on various news sites and blogs about its being just a jet airliner contrail. And your Head Trucker says bullshit. I've never seen a rocket launch in person, but I've been seeing them on TV ever since John Glenn went into orbit, and I've also seen uncountable jet contrails living here in North Texas, with hundreds of planes flying into or out of DFW every day of the year. None of that makes me any kind of expert, of course, and I don't have a degree in anything relevant to rocket science or optics; but I still say bullshit. That's not a goddamn plane, it's some kind of missile.

If it was merely an airliner, then why the hell hasn't somebody identified it yet for the public? You know the FAA tracks every single plane into and out of L.A., and NORAD tracks everything in the skies over the U.S. If it was a plane, they could easily tell the public exactly which flight it was, judging by the time of day and the direction of travel.

But they aren't doing that, are they? Instead, they are saying they saw nothing at all on their radars in that time and place. Now why would they withhold that very elementary piece of information - unless it wasn't an airliner at all?

Besides, if you look at the video, it seems very clear to me that the object is moving away from the camera, and I think I see the flame of a rocket exhaust, a pinpoint of flickering light. Maybe I'm wrong, sure. But the cameraman who took the video says the object was moving with a spiraling motion.  So it was no plane.

Notice also the photos of a similar phenomenon last Dec. 31 in the same area, and the extended discussion in the comments section there about the plane vs. missile theories. Notice also the links in those same comments to official sources about the U.S. Navy's missile tests on San Nicholas Island, out beyond Catalina.

Using Occam's Razor, then, it seems pretty much a sure thing to your Head Trucker that this was a missile launch for some unknown purpose by our own military. Which if so, that's fine; no doubt there's a good reason for it. But why do this in broad daylight, and then pretend that our own military - which is supposed to be protecting us 24/7 from all enemies foreign and domestic, as the phrase goes - that the military is so inept and so clueless?

Instead of inspiring public confidence, that does just the opposite. A damn piss-poor way to run a country, if you ask me, whoever is in office.

WTF: Chevy Is a Four-Letter Word

Just when I was thinking it might be safe to get back in the water, here comes yet another jaw-dropping example of human pissiness and prissiness.

Perhaps this is old news to you fellas, but here in Greater Podunk we just got word of the mindless diktat which will no doubt become infamous for all time to come:  Chevy, "one of the world’s best-known, longest-lived product nicknames," so the NYT calls it, is now a taboo word for all Chevrolet employees, whether at work - or at home.  Strictly verboten.  Whether talking to colleagues, customers, or even your children in the privacy of your own home. 

Employees who break the rule at work have to put a quarter in the cuss jar each time; proceeds will be used for "team building" activities.  Which makes me want to throw up.

And just why should this be, you ask?  From the company's own memo:

When you look at the most recognized brands throughout the world, such as Coke or Apple, for instance, one of the things they all focus on is the consistency of their branding.  Why is this consistency so important? The more consistent a brand becomes, the more prominent and recognizable it is with the consumer.

I'm not making this up.  Swear to God.  Never mind the fact that Chevy has been extremely prominent and eminently recognizable for the last hundred fucking years, just like, um . . . Coke.  Ya know?

Ah, but the world never tires of reinventing the wheel, and every fresh generation thinks they are the first ones to come off the line with built-in brains as standard equipment.  But this folly surpasses even the Edsel.  It's right up there with New Coke.  Remember that one, fellas?

If GM is wanting to torpedo their biggest division . . . goll-ee Moses, I reckon they're halfway there already.

Frank - be nice now, no gloating.

WTF: Massive Oil Spill Was No Big Deal?

So were we just dumbshits to get all upset over that ginormous oil spill in the Gulf?  Did the BP fairy godmother wave her magic wand and poof! make it all disappear like a big, greasy pumpkin?  Have we all just been big, screaming drama queens about this trifling little incident?

Your Head Trucker is no oceanographer or marine biologist, so he can't answer those questions.  But here's an excerpt from an article by the folks at Nature who quote some experts in those areas, so read and judge for yourself, fellas:

More scientists have come forward to criticize a US government report on the fate of the oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico during the recent Deepwater Horizon debacle.

Earlier this month the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated that only 26% of the 4.9 million barrels that spewed from the BP well was “residual” in the Gulf. A number of scientists interviewed by Nature (see: Upbeat oil report questioned) and Science questioned the positive spin put on this report .

Now researchers from the respected Georgia Sea Grant programme have joined the fray. In their report they say that up to 79% of the oil from the spill remains.

“One major misconception is that oil that has dissolved into water is gone and, therefore, harmless,” says Charles Hopkinson, director of Georgia Sea Grant a researcher at thee University of Georgia Franklin College of Arts and Sciences (press release).

“The oil is still out there, and it will likely take years to completely degrade.”

The UGA report is available here.

And here's a CNN clip about what scientists at the University of South Florida in St. Pete have discovered:

WTF: Snow?!

On the first day of spring, no less.

Tonight and tomorrow too, they say.  That sucks.  Cold and rainy here at the house today, and 34 degrees as I type, but hoping this is winter's very last gasp before a warm sunny spring like we had all this week, till now.

Update:  Midnight and cold as fuck here, wind chill is 22 degrees.  And yesterday afternoon it was 70 degrees.  That's TX weather for you.  When I went out for liquor about 8:30, it was snowing so hard I had to run the windshield wipers the whole time.  Now we got a couple inches of white stuff on the ground, and more coming very steady.  This was fun at Christmas, but . . . I'm over it now, let's get on with spring.

It's lovely to stand on the front porch and watch the big, fluffy flakes blowing across the sky, big as quarters or more.  The haze around the street light in these following pics is actually hundreds of flakes swirling around the lamp just like bugs in summertime.

From the kitchen window, 3 a.m.:

WTF: Blog Security Warnings

Okay, surely this can't be just me.  The last 24 hours I've been getting dire Area-51-type pop-up warnings from McAfee SiteAdvisor on some of your blogs, guys.  Yesterday it was when I tried to open the comment box on Sebastian's blog; tonight his is okay, but Frank's blog does the same thing when I try to post a comment, and Gary's whole blog is radioactive, apparently.

Shit.   I loves the Intertubes and all, but things are getting out of hand here.  Let me know if this kind of stuff is happening on my blog.  Not that I have one fucking clue what to do if it is - but I guess it's the kind of thing your friends ought to tell you, like when your fly is open.