Posts by Alex Miller

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The 2024 Venezuela Election

On 28 July 2024, Venezuela held a national election, voting for a six-year term for president, beginning in January 2025.  Nicolas Maduro, the two-term authoritarian president, was running for a third term, and to stack the deck, the administration barred many in the opposition from even running for office, including leading candidate Maria Corina Machado.  Edmondo Gonzalez Urrutia ran in her stead, representing the Unitary Platform party, the main opposition political alliance.

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Debby Down(pour)er

Hurricane Debby made landfall as a Category 1 storm in the small town of Steinhatchee, in Florida’s Big Bend, at about 7 AM EDT on August 5, 2024.  Debby had been named as a Tropical Storm just two days before, an unusually short interval between naming and effect.  Winds began falling rapidly shortly after Debby went inland, and she was downgraded to Tropical Storm status again within a few hours, but Debby’s impact is expected to be felt in the arena of rain, with as much as 30” predicted in some regions.  Already as of this writing (August 6), Debby has dropped some 16” in Manatee County, Florida, and historic flooding is expected in Georgia and the Carolinas.

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Asteroid Sleuth: The Case of the Baneful Bulge

On August 3rd, 2024, aspiring Olympian Anthony Ammirati coined a whole new meaning for the term “cockblocked” after failing to qualify for a pole vault event when his penis collided with the bar on the way down, knocking it to the ground (the bar, not his penis).  The embarrassing footage of the phallic fail immediately went viral, and though Olympic authorities later confirmed that Ammirati would have been disqualified regardless, as other, less intimate portions of his anatomy had touched the bar prior to its dickish dislodgment, there was no stopping the cock-a-hoop hilarity that ensued.  The French athlete, with no apparent irony, later described the incident as “a big disappointment.”  Cheer up, Anthony – a manly manhood has its compensations! 

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Tim Walz Wins Dem Veepstakes

On August 6, 2024 Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her pick for running mate in the November presidential election.  Straightforward and folksy, Walz makes a good counterpoint for Harris, and has proven his worth as a foil for the Trump/Vance ticket, as one of the earliest protomers of the “they’re just weird” trope that seems to be gaining traction, or at least, getting under Trump’s very thin skin.  Born just six months before Harris, Walz’ white hair and “dad” vibe makes him appear older than his sixty years, though still hale and hearty, a venerable statesman whose executive governing experience makes him a valuable asset for the team.

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Asteroid Sleuth: The Case of the Molested Monument

Italians in Florence were livid after disturbing footage went viral on the internet, of a female tourist simulating sexual acts with a statue of Bacchus, Roman god of wine and revelry, in the streets of Firenze, as the city is known locally.  A fully dressed blonde had mounted the plinth that holds a copy of the original sculpture by Giambologna, kissing it lasciviously, then miming fellatio and penetration from the rear.  Outraged locals have been outspoken in their condemnation of the incident, revealed in grainy still shots that were captured from the internet, but authorities have not been able to identify the tourist or her friend who took the pictures.

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Grim Reaper Album: What I Did on My Summer Vacation

Despite the title, the Grim Reaper has seemingly been working overtime this July, with a spate of celebrity deaths mid-month that have gone largely unnoticed in the midst of the political maelstrom of a presidential election summer.  It’s actually been open season on the rich and famous for months, with Jupiter, planet of fame and celebrity, linking arms with two asteroids that indicate mortality:  Lachesis 120 and Libitina 2546.  Lachesis is named for the mythic Greek Fate who determines the span of life, while Libitina’s namesake is the Roman goddess of funerals and burial. 

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