I didn’t know Harvard University offered free courses online. Their “government” (some are free) subject highlights basic US government, understanding the Constitution, and how to recognise a dictatorship takeover 101.
politics“Eichorn and four other Minnesota Republican senators proposed legislation to the Health and Human Services committee that would label “Trump Derangement Syndrome” as a mental illness.
Their bill describes the faux “syndrome” as the “acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump.”
And on the same day he was arrested.
politics“Senator Justin Eichorn was arrested Monday night around 6 p.m. for allegedly soliciting a minor for prostitution, according to a statement from the Bloomington Police Department.” […] “Eichorn, 40, is married and a father to four children. Police found two iPhone, an unopened Trojan condom and $129 in cash upon his arrest, according to the Guardian.”
As expected, Trump wrote expressive, warm, candid, full of love, respect, and remembrance words for today’s Memorial Day on his Truth Social account. I am not going to link to it, nor repeat them here; you can find them easily if you use your search engine of choice.
Whatever you do, do not go to Fox News’s comment section for a matching or related headline. You will shed IQ points fast, and lose faith in humanity.
politicsJohn Gruber describes fluidly why the dream of making iPhones in the United States is just sheer fantasy.
“United States doesn’t have anyone with the necessary vocational skills, who would want to work tedious factory jobs at factory-job wages, and China does. That’s part of the fever-dream mad-king fantasy of this entire cockamamie endeavor by Trump: these are difficult, low-paying, long-houred jobs that Americans don’t want. That these jobs are all in China and India is proof that America is far ahead, not that we’ve fallen behind.”
Of course I agree! Asking Apple to make the iPhones in the US is rotten non-sense coming out of a necrotic mind.
apple politics techI know it is a complex relationship—just like any other big company CEO—that of Tim Cook and Trump. Yet, Tim should have never donated money to Trump’s inauguration, nor attended to it. If favours were what he was after, he failed. He should have known better.
“I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s [sic] that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,” he said. “If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.”
Since when does a US president have the rights to interfere with free commerce, without congressional oversight?
apple politics“We came here because of what America stands for: freedom of speech, academic freedom, a vibrant intellectual community,” Mr Gerdén said of his international classmates. “And now Trump is threatening all those values.”
This cannot be allowed to continue. It is a personal grudge against Harvard, and goes against everything American stands for—which is sadly, and slowly, being no more.
politics rantsI know it happens, of course, but still stumping to me: how in the world someone manages to bankrupt a casino? Furthermore, who trusts a “businessman” with a history of bankrupcies? What to do? Ah, yes, you elect him president of the country, of course. 🤦🏻♂️
politics rantsThe US House of Representatives (controlled by the GOP) approved Trump’s “one, big beautiful bill”, which “will add about $3.8 trillion to the federal government’s $36.2 trillion in debt over the next decade”. In case it wasn’t noticed, that’s trillions.
politics“The bill also slashes spending in other areas, including hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), while rescinding a series of clean energy tax credits passed by Democrats in 2022. And it raises the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.”
— NBC News
Well, well, well. This just keeps getting “better”, eh? But “criticism of Waltz”, according to Trump, was “unfair”. 🙄
politics“A hacker who breached the communications service used by former Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz earlier this month intercepted messages from a broader swathe of American officials than has previously been reported, according to a Reuters review, potentially raising the stakes of a breach that has already drawn questions about data security in the Trump administration.”
Oh boy! Half a trillion dollars for a “Golden Dome” aimed to do precisely what, and why?
“The Golden Dome, however, would be many times larger [than Isreal’s Iron Dome] and designed to combat a wider range of threats, including hypersonic weapons able to move faster than the speed of sound and fractional orbital bombardment systems—also called Fobs—that could deliver warheads from space.”
I was under the impression that Xi Jinping, together with Vladimir Putin were Trump’s “friends”. With the countries those two represent out of worry—they are “friends”, right?—who has the threat capability this upcoming “golden” dome is mean to protect us from?
politicsI have been considering keeping track of everything anti-constitutional President Donald J. Trump does, similar to the Trump Tracker, but for anti-constitutional issues. The only thing that’s holding me back is the extraordinarily huge amount of time it will require. It seems to me it would be a full time job.
politics rantsWe really don’t want that. Alarmingly, we are so close to it becoming a reality!
politics“Your argument seems to turn our justice system, in my view at least, into a catch me if you can kind of regime … where everybody has to have a lawyer and file a lawsuit in order for the government to stop violating people’s rights.”
Today I learned about José Mujica, because he died. It seems he was a good man, with plenty of “interesting” takes, friendships, and connections; all enough to cause concern. This phrase attributed to him, though, resonates:
philosophy politics quotes“No soy pobre, soy sobrio, liviano de equipaje, vivo con lo justo para que las cosas no me roben la libertad.”
Listening to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, and, more importantly, reading about his beliefs on medical-related conspiracy theories, is as jarring as seeing a medical doctor smoking—or worse.
health politics rantsA new Pope has been elected, just on the second day of conclave. Three Popes (counting this one) have been elected on the second day of conclave. Now the world waits to know who he is, and the name he has chosen to bestow upon himself.
Update: 20 Feb 2026 @ 18:22:26
The new Pope is ex-Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the US. He has chosen the name Leo. So, he is Pope Leo XIV.
interesting politicsI 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. :-(
politics rantsCongratulations to the British people for kicking out the Tories tyranny, and embracing a forward looking/moving Labour government!
politicsI 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.
politicsA 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.
politics rantsTrump 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.
politics rantsYes, 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:
humour interesting politics“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!
politics rants socialFrom the Government Offices of Sweeden:
interesting politics“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.
life politics thoughtsOnce 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.
politics thoughts weather
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.
interesting politicsIf this weren’t enough, then you will be surprised—or maybe not—to read about Clarence’s latest escapades and misdeeds.
politics rantsThomas 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. 😂
humour interesting politics“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.
politics tech teslaI 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.
interesting politicsNot 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.
politics rants thoughtsOf 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.
politics thoughts weather“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.
politics