Your Bag of Nothing for Thursday, January 9, 2024

  • School’s closed today and tomorrow, thanks to an impending winter storm. The kids really lucked out, snagging two days off during their very first week back from winter break—what a way to start the new year! It got me thinking about my own school days as a small-town kid in the Eighties.

    These days, parents get emails, texts, and alerts, not to mention the school district’s name popping up on the TV screen crawl. Back then, it was a whole different ballgame. Mom would be stuck redialing the school office, only to be greeted by that relentless busy signal— there was no informative voicemail greeting and leaving a message wasn’t even an option, just the sound of “try again.” Meanwhile, Dad would hover over the radio or keep an eye on the TV, hoping to catch the news. Waiting for our tiny school district to show up on the TV crawl felt like a lost cause.

  • Honestly, I can’t even remember the last time I heard a busy signal on a phone. It’s funny how something so small can stir up such vivid memories.
  • Last night, I saw the kitten still on my back porch when I got ready for bed. BoyGeeding and I made him a little shelter and set out some cat food and milk. But I couldn’t find the little fella in the morning, and he never made another appearance. How. Freaking. Rude. I laid out the welcome mat, made his bed, provided a meal, and he left without as much as a thank-you. I hate cats. They are just rude. Uncouth, I tell ya. Not even a thank-you. Here’s hoping he returned to his owner and is warm inside a house.
  • During my recent deep dive into the details surrounding JFK’s assassination, I came across something surprising about the widely circulated autopsy photos. When I first saw them as a young adult, I was shocked that such graphic and unsettling images could be made public. The image of his naked body and lifeless eyes staring open haunted me—it felt as though all dignity had been stripped away.What I’ve since learned is that these photos were not officially released by the government or the Kennedy family. In fact, all official autopsy photographs remain under the strict custody of the National Archives, where access is tightly controlled. While many researchers believe these public images are likely authentic, there’s no definitive way to verify their origin or whether they were part of the official autopsy. Some argue they could be altered or unrelated, leaving room for doubt about their authenticity.
  • President Biden welcomed his first great-grandchild yesterday after his granddaughter Naomi had a cesarean section birth in Los Angeles. Biden, 82 and just 18 years younger than the late Jimmy Carter, is believed to be the first sitting president to be a great-grandfather while in office, according to The Associated Press.
  • I think this 100-inch virtual display has potential. But I’m not sure of the $950-a-year subscription model.

  • I’m fortunate to have made a few Canadian friends because of this silly blog, and I always enjoy bantering with them, learning more about their government and culture. With President Trump floating the idea of annexing Canada, one of my Canadian friends stated that would hurt Trump and his party because most of Canada would be blue. He also had a few questions about how adding Canada to the U.S. would affect the Electoral College, something he was unfamiliar with. Curious, I asked Perplexity AI  that question. For your entertainment, here’s the interesting answer.

    If the U.S. annexed Canada and transformed each province into a state, the Electoral College would be significantly altered. Here’s an estimate of how the Electoral College might look for the new Canadian U.S. states:

    1. Ontario: 38 electoral votes
    2. Quebec: 26 electoral votes
    3. British Columbia: 16 electoral votes
    4. Alberta: 14 electoral votes
    5. Manitoba: 7 electoral votes
    6. Saskatchewan: 7 electoral votes
    7. Nova Scotia: 7 electoral votes
    8. New Brunswick: 6 electoral votes
    9. Newfoundland and Labrador: 6 electoral votes
    10. Prince Edward Island: 3 electoral votes

    These estimates are based on population comparisons with existing U.S. states and the current Electoral College system. Each new state would receive a minimum of 3 electoral votes (2 for senators and 1 for representative). It’s important to note that:

    1. The total number of electoral votes would increase from 538 to approximately 668, changing the majority needed to win from 270 to about 335.
    2. The Canadian territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut) would likely remain as territories without electoral votes due to their small populations.
    3. This annexation would significantly impact U.S. politics, potentially creating new battleground states and altering the existing two-party dynamic.
    4. The addition of these new states, which tend to be more liberal, could shift the balance of power in the Electoral College.
    5. Existing Electoral College votes for current U.S. states would need to be recalculated and redistributed to account for the new population balance.

    This hypothetical scenario would require a complete overhaul of the U.S. political system and would likely lead to the formation of new political parties or coalitions to represent former Canadian values and interests

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