Category Archives: Muddled Musings

Never Forget, Jackass.

The Republican elephant made its first appearance in this 1874 cartoon by Thomas Nast. A fox in the bottom right corner represents the Democratic party.

Hawk-eyed HB correspondent Earl Troglin spotted the hilarious video below a day ago. And it got me thinking about politics, of all things. Maybe that shrill den from the Democratic debate is still ringing in my ears.

Regardless, I couldn’t help but think that the creatures in the video make an odd symbol for the Republican Party. Have Republicans ever been this funny, let alone enjoyed life so much? All humans, for that matter?

But back to the symbols. I know WHY the GOP is represented by an elephant. A Harper’s  cartoonist, Thomas Nast, penned the image as a mockery of them, not a plaudit for them, during the 1860s. Same for Democrats, who were represented by the donkey. This political cartoon by Thomas Nast, taken from a 1879 edition of Harper's Weekly, was an early use of the elephant and the donkey to sybolize the Republican and Democratic parties.

The mystery is why both parties would agree to adopt the symbols. Perhaps  Nast was simply too popular with the public to even attempt re-branding. Nast also drew the iconic images of Santa and Uncle Sam.

Though the word was born in Europe in the mid 16th century, modern urban myth held that the word “nasty” came from the name Nast, so popular was he. He would become known as the nation’s first political cartoonist. But why would his primary targets not only accept the labels, but embrace them? How times have changed. Ish. Now we have one of Nast’s creations running the show. Image result for nast political cartoons

I get Democrats’ grudgingly accepting donkey status. We are asses, of myriad suffixes: Jack_, Dumb_, Arrogant_, you name it.

But elephant? The cult of Trump can’t remember that slavery ended in 1865, or that women got the right to vote in 1920. And have you ever seen footage of Trump laughing? Why are there no right-leaning versions of SNL, late shows, or Bill Maher on the air? Perhaps it’s tough to be funny when you’re not allowed to criticize The Great Leader. Or god. Image result for bill maher

But enough with the windbagging. You’re here for elephants!

 

Well Goddamn

Image result for george carlin

What’s your favorite cuss word?

It says a lot about a person. Is it one of the original seven George Carlin said could not be spoken on television (shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits)? Is it quaint (ass or dammit, with two m’s)? Is it an epithet? And what do you use it for? To express anger? To express frustration? To express…yourself?

Mine is goddamn. I can still remember when the word was unofficially one of Carlin’s verboten. Well, the full word. The networks would let you get away with “damn.” But god forbid you add the unholy predicate.

So it automatically became my go-to phrase for anything that doesn’t go my way. My team lost? Goddamn. I screwed up my taxes? Goddamn. There isn’t syrup in every one of the squares of my waffle? Goddamnit!

Today, the word become even more precious to me when I stumbled upon this FactSlap: Latin had about 800 obscene words; English has only about 20.

Well goddamn.

Onward, FactSlaps!

  • A 2018 study of Hitler’s teeth, held in Moscow, claims to prove he died after taking cyanide and shooting himself in the head in 1945. Image result for hitler's teeth
  • The fastest a dolphin can swim near the surface is 33.5 mph.Image result for dolphin
  • Netflix is responsible for 15% of global Internet traffic.
  • About 20% of the world’s tech founders are immigrants, even though immigrants only make up about 4 percent of the world’s population.
  • In 1924, half the cars in the world were Fords.Image result for 1924 Ford
  • No one knows what Machu Picchu was used for, but some believe it was a royal estate or a secret ceremonial center.Image result for Machu Picchu
  • In 4 of the 5 largest cities in the U.S., it’s cheaper to rely on Uber than to own a car, a 2018 report found.
  • During WWII, Japan bombed China with fleas infected with Bubonic Plague.Image result for During WW2, Japan bombed China with fleas infected with bubonic plague.
  • Bart Simpson’s name is an anagram of BRAT. His full name is Bartholomew Jojo Simpson.Image result for bart simpson
  • Germany had highest numbers of asylum requests in 2015.
  • Elon Musk was ousted as CEO of PayPal because he insisted on switching from Unix-based infrastructure to Windows.Image result for elon musk
  • In 2004, Los Angeles planted a pine tree in memory of Beatle, George Harrison. Ten years later, it died of a beetle infestation.Image result for In 2004, Los Angeles planted a pine tree in memory of Beatle, George Harrison. Ten years later, it died of a beetle infestation.
  • There is a version of the Bible translated into Hawaiian Pidgin called ‘Da Jesus Book’.Image result for There is a version of the Bible translated into Hawaiian Pidgin called 'Da Jesus Book'.
  • Bill Gates continued to fly coach until 1997, when his net worth was already US$36 billion.
  • In more than half of U.S. cities, it is illegal for homeless people to sit or lay on the sidewalk.Image result for sit or lay on sidewalk