25 Tidbits Of Useless Information

By D.S. Mitchell

Poll Numbers

I am well aware that there is breaking news. As if Thursday June 20th, 2019 would be any different from yesterday, or any day last week.  Yesterday, the Iranians shot down a 130 million dollar American drone and Hope Hicks refused to talk to the House Judiciary Committee. Today as I wait for Trump to let us know what he is going to do about the drone attack I see a poll result from Gallop, or somebody, cross the television screen. Without surprise I see  that 57% of Americans believe we need a new president.  I hope Trump doesn’t think war will get his poll numbers up.

Some Distraction

In this age of craziness I think the world needs a bit of distraction. I love useless information and thought I would share some useless information with my readers today, instead of writing something topical and newsworthy. So, here goes.

25 tidbits of useless information:

1.) Did you know a cockroach can live for up to nine days without a head, until it starves to death? Who knew.

2.) An Ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain. While we are on the subject of the Ostrich, did you know that Ostrich’s have only two toes on each foot?

3.) Marilyn Monroe, the 1950-1960 sex goddess, had 6 toes on one of her feet. See. None of us are perfect.

4.) Women blink twice as often as men do.

5.) No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

6.) Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. Thank God! Man and woman lived on this planet for 200,000 years before someone invented scissors. They seem so basic, so necessary. How did people live without scissors? Amazing, on so many levels.

7.) Our noses and ears never stop growing, while our eyes remain the same size for life.

8.) A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

9.) Some species of piranhas are vegetarians, while all butterflies are carnivores.

10.) The most shoplifted book in America is the Bible. I wonder what that says about us as a society?

11.) Rats can tread water for three days without stopping.

12.) All the clocks in the movie Pulp Fiction were stuck on 4:20.  I know what 420 means to me. I wonder if it means the same to Tarantino? Probably. Sit back, light up.

13.) Mosquitoes are attracted to the color blue.

14.) There are 13 witches in a coven.

15.) Abraham Lincoln’s first choice to lead the Union Army was Robert E. Lee.

16,) “E” is the most used letter in the English alphabet. “Q” is the least used letter.

17.) Fingernails grow 4 times faster than toenails.

18.) November 15th is National Clean Your Refrigerator Day

19.) Cleopatra was Greek (Ptolemy), not Egyptian

20.) The colder your bedroom the higher the chance of having a nightmare.

21.)  Cornelius Vanderbilt was born a farmer’s son who left school at age 11 and despite his lack of education went on to become the richest man of 19th century America.

22.) Oprah Winfrey, a black woman raised by her grandmother, sent to juvenile detention at 13, an unwed mother at 14 (to a child who died). Oprah went on to TV stardom and stratospheric wealth in the 20th century.

23.) The most common spoken word around the world is “O.K., ok, okay, or, k”  It can be heard from New York City to the tiniest rain forest village.

24.) “Jiffy” is an actual unit of time. So when Mom says she’ll be there in a “jiffy” she really mean 1/100th of a second.

25.) It takes six months to build a Rolls Royce……and 13 hours to build a Toyota.

Okay, there you go. 25 Tidbits of Useless Information. Use it as you will.

TRUMP CHILDREN DO THE U.K. ON TAXPAYER’S DIME

OUR OPINION:

TAXPAYER’S DIME

By T.K. McNeil & D. S. Mitchell

Family Man

It is a tradition in American politics for candidates to play up their religion, their military service and their progeny. Apparently one out of three is enough considering who is currently occupying the Oval Office, at least when he isn’t golfing.  Trump recently re-enforced the Big Daddy reputation by taking the whole dang family (that he is willing to admit exists) on a state visit to the United Kingdom. The adult Trump children their spouses and their children were everywhere. You couldn’t turn on the TV without seeing them carrying notebooks and briefcases, and shooting selfies as if they were part of an ‘official’ diplomatic U.S. delegation.

With Spouses & Grand Kids

The visit, of course, was totally legitimized by the fact that his daughter Ivanka, and son-in-law Jared Kushner hold, thanks to him, high government positions. No other administration would have hired Trump’s adult children because they are so inept and corrupt. My God, they are so unfit they needed a presidential command to get their security clearances.

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What Happened At Columbine

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This is a piece I wrote about the Columbine tragedy. It turned out a bit different than I thought it was going to, but I think it works. It basically centers on the difficulty of really knowing the past with so many factors and interests involved, and ends with a counter-factual. A counter-factual is a sort of intellectual game we historians do to better understand what actually happened. We go through the facts and find a factor, usually a small one, that plausibly could have changed everything; presuming everything else stayed the same.

My factor was the fact that both of the attackers were under the legal age to buy the kind of guns they used and had to get them through an illegal “straw purchase.” In this case, meaning through a third-party, someone who got them at a gun show from unlicensed sellers. Had this not happened they would have been left with their primary bomb plot which if successful would have been the second largest domestic bomb attack after Oklahoma City. We, however, know that the large bombs completely failed and the homemade pipe-bombs were ineffective, all of the deaths coming from gunshots. No guns, no dead and what is seen as the first-mass shooting becomes an embarrassing fuck-up-T.K. McNeil

What Really Happened At Columbine

By Trevor K. McNeil

When Are Facts, Really Facts?

Recording history accurately is a tricky business at best. Particularly when there is a degree of shock and trauma involved in the events. Passion, stress and the now known unreliability of eye-witness reports make accuracy difficult if not impossible to piece together.  Furthermore, human memory can lead to things being a matter of record that turn out not to be true. The only reason we have a good idea of what happened on 9/11 is that there is video. But to this day, there are theorists who believe there were explosives inside the towers that were the real cause of the towers collapse.

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THE BENEFITS OF PORNOGRAPHY

OPINION:

THE BENEFITS OF PORNOGRAPHY

By Trevor K. McNeil

Always With Us

Archeologists have long known that as long as there have been people there has been sex. And nearly as long as there has been human sexuality there have been representations of it.  Whatever medium was available at the time, cave wall, animal tusk, clay or papyrus pornography was available. Obviously, our forefathers understood the benefits of pornography.

Across Cultures

Through sculpting, painting, and pottery the ancients depicted the benefits of pornography.  Egyptian artisans depicted the beauty of human sexuality. This goes for the written word, there being some pretty racy entries in the Bible.  The Song of Solomon being a famous example. The Romans through sculpture glorified human sexuality.  Pre-Christian Viking sagas told of great adventures; and no great adventure would be worth telling if there wasn’t plenty of sex.

Today

The benefits of pornography have followed us through the ages; emerging today primarily in streaming videos on the internet.  Thanks to the vision of our forefathers we have reached for the stars and surpassed them.

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OPEN LETTER TO ROBERT MUELLER

May 5/25/2019

Dear Mr. Mueller,

We at Calamitypolitics.com respectfully ask that you appear before the Judiciary Committee of Congress to specifically address the factors described in your report. Mr. Mueller, our reading of your report clearly indicates Donald J.Trump, President of the United States, has participated in obstruction of justice. Your  testimony must occur in front of  television cameras. The public must know the truth, whatever it may be. Watching your face, your demeanor is essential. We believe such openness is required for the public to grasp the essentials of your report.

Mr. Mueller, impeachment by its very nature is “political”. The Founding Fathers made the president’s removal a political process.  The public is a central part of that process. The public needs to hear you say what you found. At last count nearly a thousand former prosecutors have stated the president’s crimes are indictable. In addition, Trump is an unnamed conspirator in the Michael Cohen case in the state of New York.

In this same vein, we would appreciate it if you would appear to testify whether  subpoenaed or voluntarily.  Our country is at a dangerous point in history. No matter how much pressure you receive from the White House please appear. To be honest, if you describe “no collusion” or “no obstruction of justice” committed by the President that would be great.  The public will be able to sort out the truth if you give it to them.  The public needs a spin-free Mueller interpretation of your investigation.

In two separate letters to Attorney General Barr you complained that the AG had misinformed the public about the findings. It is imperative that you appear in person and sit for a filmed under oath testimony Mr. Mueller. We truly believe any testimony you give that is then presented to the public by transcript will be a failure. You complained that Bill Barr has manipulated your original report. Your testimony will clear up any confusion.

Sincerely,

D.S. Mitchell                                                                           www.calamitypolitics.com

 

SEARCHING FOR ALTERNATIVES TO OPIOIDS

Alternatives To Opioids

By D. S. Mitchell & Trevor K. McNeil

Definitions: *Opiate and opioid are often used interchangeably although that interchange of usage is not precisely accurate. The following would be more correct:

Opiate: A drug (such as morphine, codeine or heroin) containing or derived from opium or the opium poppy, used to alleviate pain, or induce sleep or euphoria.

Opioid: A synthetic or semi-synthetic drug producing an opium-like effect, often prescribed for the alleviation of moderate to severe pain; a prescription painkiller in the opiate class.

Balancing Act

With drugs, even those considered alternatives to opioids, there is always a risk. Even a “safe” drug such as caffeine.  Caffeine is regularly consumed by children, and has had documented negative effects. The same goes for nicotine, deemed for the most part “safe” except when smoked by children. Some of those effects include paranoia, muscle spasms and heart arrhythmia’s. The question becomes how much of a risk is there; and are the positive effects worth the negative risks?

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60,800 Professionals Agree: The President of the U.S. is a Crazy Ass Criminal

26000 mental health professionals signed on to a letter warning the public about Trump's mental health.

A Crazy Ass Criminal

By D. S. Mitchell

Mental Health Professionals Agree

60,000 mental health professionals have signed on to a letter warning of Donald J. Trump’s mental instability. Now 800 former prosecutors claim if Trump were not president he would have been indicted for obstruction of justice. So, that is 60,800 people who point to the president of the U.S. as a crazy ass criminal. Hmm.

800 Former Prosecutors Sign On

Recently 800 former prosecutors signed on to a letter stating that if Donald J. Trump was not President of the United States he would be indicted for obstruction of justice. Sadly, Donald J. Trump is president of the United States. This is not the first time that Donald Trump has been identified as unfit to be president of the United States.

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25 Things To Love About America

By D. S. Mitchell

I have been on a hair pulling rant for the last 48 hours.  I recognize that. I am taking off my Calamity Politics Editor’s cap, and putting on a ball cap, and getting the hell out of this office. The blogger’s life is a good life, most of the time. Sometimes, however, U.S. politics and political rhetoric can just sap the energy from a person, no matter how earnest their intent.

So, let’s take time, lighten up, smoke one and check out, ‘25 Things To Love about America.’ These strange bits of illumination were partly supplied by Bowers’ and Gottlieb’s amazing book ‘1,000 Things To Love About America.’  Although I have used some of their text, but I have changed the numbering.

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Rudy Giuliani: Moments Great And Small

Rudy Giuliani:

Moments Great And Small

By D.S. Mitchell & Michael Leonard Douglas

Chances Offered

Most men are offered only one chance at greatness. Fewer men yet rise to extraordinary levels of heroism to be followed by extraordinary levels of greed, depravity, and personal and political immorality. But, Rudy Giuliani isn’t your average guy.

Background

Rudolph William Louis Giuliani was born in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, borough of New York City, N.Y. May 28, 1944. Rudy was the only child of working class parents Harold Angelo Giuliani and Helen D’Avanzo Giuliani. Both parents were children of Italian immigrants. Rudy Giuliani’s large extended family was mostly made up of criminals, cops and firefighters. “I grew up with uniforms all around me,” he has reportedly said.

Secrets Exposed

In 1934, ten years before Rudy Giuliani’s birth, his father was arrested for robbing a milkman at gunpoint.  He was later convicted of felony assault and robbery. He served 18 months at Sing Sing, a maximum security prison in New York state. When he was released from prison he had trouble finding employment and ended up “working as an enforcer for his brother-in-law Leo D’Avanzo. D’Avanzo ran an organized crime operation involved in loan sharking and gambling” (Wikipedia).

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Books About Donald J. Trump and Other Literary Legacies

BOOKS ABOUT DONALD J. TRUMP 

“A biography, is a detailed description of a person’s life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person’s experience of these life events,” Wikipedia

By Trevor K. McNeil

Write It All Down

Trump rarely reads and has been writing his memoir on his Twitter feed.

Trump rarely reads and is writing his memoir on his Twitter feed, 240 characters at a time

We live in an age of documentation. The word “biography” did not enter the English lexicon until relatively recently. We now have the ability to create personalized literature 240 characters at a time.  I’m sure a book about Donald Trump will someday be written based on his Twitter feed.  Before this age of technology however, a person had to be somewhat well-known  before anyone would think to write, or read, a book about them. One group that has almost always been in this category are U.S. presidents.

Once In The Ground

For much of American history, a president could count on being at least out of office before the ink began to fly. Some of the former leaders with the most pages dedicated to them being those who are long dead. Once in the ground, presidents become easy targets for writers and historians to delve into every aspect of their life and career from multiple angles. It’s always easier once someone is dead to dig about in their personal correspondence and investigate rumor and innuendo, and talk to people who shared time with the president.

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