< Notes...

I am so very sorry! Going to be quiet around here for a little bit.

Update: 20 Feb 2026 @ 18:22:26

Before I truly go quiet, I wanted to reply to this oldie, which I quote:

“If a dictator’s son wins this year’s elections, our country will be one of the saddest jokes in history, ever.”

Dear Claud, hold my beer. :-(

Three days from today, towards the end of the day, we in the US will have an idea of who the nation’s presiding person will be for the next four years. In the 32 years I have lived here, I have never been more worried about an election outcome.

On last night’s debate Trump didn’t answer any questions, didn’t outline any plans. He rambled, lied, and trolled, every single time. In case there was any doubt, and though my vote—living in a red state—might seem worthless, I am voting for Kamala Harris.

Breaking news:

Mike Pence consoles former President Trump, noting: “I know what it’s like to have someone try to take your life.”

Congratulations to the British people for kicking out the Tories tyranny, and embracing a forward looking/moving Labour government!

I forgot to come around yesterday to drop a note to mark a transgression, an indignity, handed over the American people by our own Justices. Never too late, though. Not for this. A brief excerpt from Justice Sotomayor’s opinion.

“The President of the United States is the most powerful person in the country, and possibly the world. When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority’s reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution. Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.”

American democracy is in real peril. It is not an exageration.

A convicted criminal is still running for the presidency of the United States of America, while supported by a major political party and, arguably, half of the U.S. population. Meanwhile someone convicted of a minor crime (weed, for example) will struggle to get a job. Let that sink in.

Trump is found guilty on all 34 counts. Of course he said it is a disgrace.

Whatever Donald Trump says, this is a devastating outcome for the former president.

It’s one thing being controversial and provocative, it’s quite another being a convicted criminal.

The suckers, of course, continue to pour money to his pockets. Half of America are suckers, so yeah.

Yes, that unbelievable screenshot you might have come across social media about reporting certain things to the IRS is true:

“Illegal activities. Income from illegal activities, such as money from dealing illegal drugs, must be included in your income on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 8z, or on Schedule C (Form 1040) if from your self-employment activity.”
— IRS.gov

And:

“Stolen property. If you steal property, you must report its FMV in your income in the year you steal it, unless in the same year you return it to its rightful owner.”
— IRS.gov

This is something to which the government has no business. It’s a parent’s decision/concern.

“Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill that bans children aged under 14 from social media platforms and requires 14- and 15-year-olds to get parental consent, a measure supporters say will protect them from online risks to their mental health.”

Good luck enforcing it!

From the Government Offices of Sweeden:

“Just before 17.30 CET, Sweden’s instrument of accession was deposited with the United States Government, as depositary of the North Atlantic Treaty. Therefore, Sweden is now a member of NATO.”

Why should I be happy? How can I? My friends Chuck, and Justyna, have cancer. They have suffered, and continue to suffer, very, very much. Their family, and friends, suffer.

War rages on in Ukraine, in Israel, in Palestine. Conflicts, and deep poverty, remain in Africa, Asia, Central, and South America; pain and death everywhere. Children are being exploited, and women, and people all over the world. There is so much suffering, and horror. How could I be happy? Where can I fit a bit of it?

I can’t be happy. Nobody truly should.

Once again we are beating records, with September breaking them “for the highest temperature anomaly of any month”. And we are doing next to nothing. Are we really that stupid? I am sure we know the answer by now.

It is proven, time after time, that it is completely stupid to censor that which you don’t want people to remember, or know. Stupid because the end result is the total opposite of the aim. In this case, especially, because it wasn’t something done on purpose.

The whole “VIP” system is discriminatory. I provide priority service to them, because it’s policy, but don’t agree with it. Priority should be assigned based on certain parameters, I agree, but not on someone’s pay scale, or “bourgeoisie” status.

If this weren’t enough, then you will be surprised—or maybe not—to read about Clarence’s latest escapades and misdeeds.

Thomas has attended at least two Koch donor summits, putting him in the extraordinary position of having helped a political network that has brought multiple cases before the Supreme Court.

It is truly incredible that I can find my iPhone with ease, yet the United States military can’t find an F-35 (yes, that very expensive plane), and it’s asking for help. I guess it is truly stealth, after all. 😂

“Their (Beijing’s) policy has been to reunite Taiwan with China. From their standpoint, maybe it is analogous to Hawaii or something like that, like an integral part of China that is arbitrarily not part of China mostly because … the U.S. Pacific Fleet has stopped any sort of reunification effort by force,” he said.

That guy sure is an arsehole.

I don’t think Kim Jong Un likes to air travel very much (or at all), and as he doesn’t go places that aren’t connected through land mass, he uses an armoured(!) train instead. He is travelling to meet Putin as I type this.

It is rumoured to include at least 20 bulletproof cars, making it heavier than average trains and unable to go beyond 59 km/h (37mph). His journey to Vladivostok is expected to take an entire day.

I wondered why was a train picked as the preferred travel method (it was such curiosity what brought me here to type this note), and Wikipedia provided a suitable, logical explanation.

Not a day goes by without hearing on the radio about global warming, and how we aren’t doing anything—or very, very little—about it. Our lack of action is nothing but the reflection of who we are. We smoke, even though we know for certain it is bad for us. We indulgue with unhealthy foods; we don’t exercise. We insist in hating, and hurting each other. Our lack of care for our planet is just a continuation of our own stupidity.

Of course, Global Warming isn’t happening, it is all a myth invented “by the left”. Let us not care about the environment, cancel our participation on all accords, and live like we don’t care. Because it seems we don’t.

“Multiple natural disasters are occurring simultaneously across different parts of the world, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of people being displaced. The World Meteorological Organization has declared this summer the hottest ever recorded, with August being the warmest month ever recorded.” — Paraphrased by AI.

Where there is smoke, there is fire. Little sparks are starting to flare out on Clarence Thomas. There must be more transparency, Justices are not above the law.

“Justice Clarence Thomas disclosed Thursday that Republican megadonor Harlan Crow paid for private jet trips for Thomas in 2022 to attend a speech in Texas and a vacation at Crow’s luxurious New York estate, as ethics questions continue to rock the Supreme Court.”

But Clarence is not alone. Samuel Alito has also shed some light.

Having anyone from either side (Democrat, or Republican) covering expenses, or otherwise doing anything with the purpose of gaining favour, or swaying a Justice should be considered illegal, unethical, and disqualifying.

The former Attorney General is a discreet man.

“Discretion” is a complicated word. It can imply discernment, restraint and sober judgment, for example. It’s also a wonderful euphemism for covering up wrongdoing. And William Barr is a discreet man. — Bloomberg

Related to my previous note, this The New York Times annotated indictment is very good. It is especially good for those who might have a hard time reading legalese—though I found the language used on the indictment very easy (purposely?) to read.

“Despite having lost, the defendant was determined to remain in power”, prosecutors wrote. The 6 January 2021 riot was “fueled by lies” — Mr. Trump’s lies. The gigantic ignoramus also known as Donald Trump has been indicted—yes, again!—on four criminal charges relating to his involvement on the 6 January 2021 revolt.

From The New York Times :

1. Conspiracy to defraud the United States (1 count)
   The charge against Mr. Trump details the various methods he and co-conspirators used to try to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
2. Related to efforts to obstruct the vote certification proceedings (2 counts)
   Mr. Trump faces two charges involving the vote certification proceedings at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021: one of obstructing that process and one of conspiring to do so.
3. Conspiracy to violate civil rights (1 count)
   Related to Mr. Trump’s attempts to reverse election results in states with close elections in 2020.

The wheels of justice move slow, but thank goodness they move. I also found interesting what Will Hurd (a Republican presidential candidate) said about Trump:

“Trump’s presidential bid is driven by an attempt to stay out of prison and scam his supporters into footing his legal bills…”

As of 9 June 2023 there were 37 charges against Trump; there have been some more since. How someone so criminally tarnished—to say the least—can even run for President of the United States? Then again, he “served” one term as one already.

I wrote this note with this today’s news in mind, which adds more charges to the born disgraced ignoramus.

This was not only a racist comment, but a stupid, uneducated one. The fact that he is still defending it makes it even worse.

“COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese,” he added. “We don’t know whether it was deliberately targeted at that or not but there are papers out there that show the racial or ethnic differential of impact for that.”

The newly announced cybersecurity certification and labeling program is a step in the right direction. It is meant to “help Americans more easily choose smart devices that are safer and less vulnerable to cyberattacks”. My only worry is, wouldn’t these type of programs be easily dismantled by a future administration? That’s always my fear; many things change in our country based on the political party currently at the helm.

The Guardian is banning all advertising that relates to gambling. That is the right thing to do!

The Guardian has announced a global ban on gambling advertising, arguing it is unethical to take money from services that can lead to “addiction and financial ruin.”

Mike Pence declaring his presidential candidacy is a joke, just like Ron DeSantis, and Trump before them. But hey, look back at the four years we had to endure. Anything is possible. Yes, even that remotely unbelievable absurdity.

The president of a nation that is waging a war on another (being the aggressor!) is saying that the Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow is “a clear sign of terrorist activity.” Allow me to pull out the tiniest of all violins in my collection, to play something for Putin.

Why would any associate justice on the US Supreme Court by exempt from the law? Why do they enjoy such impunity? Who watches the watchmen?