CRANKY OLD FART’S
BROWSER HISTORY
#371 [archive]
The headline says, House makes history, removes McCarthy as Speaker, but what makes that ‘history’? My flatmate Robert dropped some toast on the kitchen floor yesterday, then fell over picking it up. First time that’s happened — was that ‘history’, too?Why should anyone care that some ghastly Republican has been ousted as Speaker of the House? It’s news that doesn’t matter — he’ll be replaced by someone as bad or worse, and the reliable fuckery of the US House of Representatives will continue. Meanwhile, “the global average temperature for September broke records by such an absurd margin that climate experts are struggling to describe the phenomenon,” but la-di-da and golly gee, let’s talk about the latest Republican nincompoopery.
On Wednesday, there was a nationwide emergency alert test, sent to everybody’s cell phone. Did yours go off?It was announced in advance, so I tested the test by putting my phone into absolute silence mode, in which it makes no sound. And yet, at the pre-announced time, my phone came awake and began making noises and spoke Spanish to me. I don’t speak Spanish.Is it a good thing that the government can override the settings on your phone, as merely a ‘test’ to show that it can? I’m uncertain. Not to get all QAnon wrapped in a tin foil hat, but it’s kinda creepy.
• Texas man sent to death row by junk science is denied US Supreme Court appeal
Shaken baby syndrome is a real thing; what’s junk science is the 1990s-era
belief that aggressively shaking a baby is the only cause of it. We’ve learned that other things can cause the same swelling of the
brain.
So this man was “guilty” under outdated medical knowledge, but by present knowledge we’re not even sure a crime was committed. And he’s going to die.
• Biden administration waives federal laws to allow border wall construction in Texas
I won’t even bother detailing the dumbness and doublecross of a Democrat saying, “Build this wall.” You learn to expect less than the least from Democrats, but we all know that.
What I didn’t know is — the President can simply ‘waive’ dozens of federal laws? That’s even more fucked-up than building a damned wall.
• Buffalo newspaper moves printing operations to Cleveland
News on paper is outdated before it’s printed. Add three hours drive time? The news will be positively ancient.• New bill seeks to pressure police nationwide to give a damn about untested rape kits
They found a Republican co-sponsor of this legislation, which struck me odd. Ah, but the article reveals that the Republican was herself a victim of rape.
I swear, the only way to squeeze empathy or sympathy or anything human from a Republican is if it affects them personally, or their immediate family.• The curse of Dialup World
Amusing stories from olden days.
• Seattle Hard Rock Cafe to close, costing 66 workers their jobs
My condolences to the 66, but for the rest of Seattle this is great news.
The local Hard Rock Cafe was located mere footsteps from Pike Place Market, and always kicked the Market’s vibe in the nuts. Now it’ll be a nice empty space — perhaps a real restaurant could move in.
Next to go, I hope, is the frickin’ Target across the street. Such abominations should never have been allowed at the Market.
• Alabama cops are denied ‘qualified immunity’ over arrest of auto mechanic for not giving them his ID
This mechanic was working on a customer’s car that was stranded in a church parking lot, and the church’s security guard called the cops. That’s the story, and it’s aggravating enough, but let’s get tangential:
Why does a church, backed by the awesome omnipotent power of Jesus, Mary, and the Holy Ghost, need a security guard?
• Grumpy old man gets banned from Lake Champlain ferries
Dude wrote an angry email to the ferry company. They told him to row a boat.
Nothing much to it, but this item amused me because I’m a grumpy old man, so I sympathize with
writing the angry email. And also because I’ve fielded kooky customer
complains, so I sympathize both ways.• Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics, study finds • Definitely do not put plastic in the microwave, experts say, even if it claims to be “microwave-safe” • Seattle was once a hub for ‘multiphones’, playing music over the telephone • What ever happened to that Ford Bronco, after the Great Chase of OJ Simpson? • The Police Problem
This is my ongoing collection of police brutality, beatings, and general corruption.• Amusing, Interesting, Outrageous, or Profound
And this is my Lemmy page, for anything that’s amusing, interesting, outrageous, or profound (in my opinion).
♫♬ MUSIC ♫• All My Happiness is Gone — Purple Mountains • The Communists Have the Music — They Might Be Giants • Gone Daddy Gone — Violent Femmes • Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity — Gustav Holst • You — George Harrison
❔ MYSTERY LINKS ❔• Click • Click • Click • Click • Click
⚰️ OBITUARIES ⚰️• Jake Abraham • Pearl Bowser • Dick Butkus • Joe Christopher • Wayne Comer • Josh Kruger • Jeremy Silman • Tim Wakefield
10/6/2023 Cranky Old Fart is annoyed and complains and very occasionally
offers a kindness, along with anything off the internet that’s made me
smile or snarl. All opinions fresh from my ass. Top illustration by Jeff Meyer. Click any image to enlarge. Comments & conversations invited.
Joey Jo Jo emeritus, John the Basket, Dave S, Name Withheld, and always extra
special thanks to my lovely late Stephanie, who gave me 21 years and
proved that the world isn’t always shitty.
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