Overcast with a chilly breeze this later-afternoon Sunday here in California’s Central Valley — another day in the life.

On the weekend and the power-slot news is brisk and mostly empty of substance — the following are just a few items of interest I spied while doomscrolling through the Interwebs. Just about everything sucks — not much light in the far-reaching corners of the virtual landscape, and everywhere you look there puts up an asshole Republican.
They are the fucking worse and seem to be getting even more worse than how horribly-worse they have already become the past 40 years.

Thusly, when one has no desire to govern, only to make a scene:

I don't live in the US. Can someone advise which govt agency Big Bird is working for? Also, how deep was his involvement in Air America. Thanks in advance. https://t.co/YfpxSIaY87

— Dan Barrett (@TheDanBarrett) November 7, 2021

Nutshell via Forbes this morning:

On Saturday, the Twitter account for Sesame Street’s Big Bird tweeted, “I got the Covid-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it’ll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.”
Not exactly the most controversial stuff.
Yet, Cruz then called it “government propaganda…for your 5 year old,” on a tweet.

Government propaganda? Is that really what you think of when you think of Big Bird?
Folks, today’s episode of Sesame Street is sponsored by the letters “W”, “T”, and “F.”

And it’s not just asshole-crud Cruz  — a wingnut trait: ‘Robbie Starbuck, a Republican running for Congress in Tennessee, joked about Big Bird dying from the shot, saying “*7 days later* Big blood clot Bird is served!.”‘
(If you want, see ‘Starbuck’s’ tweet here — it’s just incredibly cruel and horrid).

Maybe a slap-back of sorts to all the callous, nasty lies the T-Rump creates to cause chaos and harm (just saw this today):

A Pennsylvania election worker who was falsely accused of rigging the state's election for Joe Biden is suing Trump and some of his top surrogates, charging their lies about him led to numerous death threats and two heart attacks.https://t.co/fAPppXmfeq

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 7, 2021

Story from NBC News last Thursday:

A Pennsylvania election worker who was falsely accused of rigging the state’s election for Joe Biden is suing former President Donald Trump and some of his top surrogates, charging their lies about him led to numerous death threats and two heart attacks.

In papers filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Delaware County voting machine warehouse supervisor James Savage says his “character has been assassinated on a national level” thanks to the false claims made by Trump, his lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis and others that he’d uploaded 50,000 votes for Biden.
“The plaintiff did nothing of the sort,” the suit says.

“Despite knowing the impossibility of such claims and/or insinuations,” Trump, his surrogates and followers “spread, reposted, and disseminated these outrageously defamatory claims and/or insinuations against Mr. Savage, subjecting him to threats of physical violence, and causing Plaintiff to suffer .. two heart attacks,” it continues.

“Simply put, Mr. Savage’s physical safety, and his reputation, were acceptable collateral damage for the wicked intentions of the Defendants herein,” the suit says.

Most-likely a shitload of election officials have grounds to sue the fat-ass pants off the T-Rump, too: ‘“It’s been a barrage every day,” Katie Hobbs, Arizona’s secretary of state, told the Guardian. She said the threats have bombarded virtually every part of her office, including services that have nothing to do with elections.‘
Rick Barron, director of voting and elections in Fulton county, Georgia, who also has been plagued by death threats: ‘“I’ve done election observations overseas and you see how in those emerging democracies, former Soviet countries, how people are afraid to vote certain ways and so they all vote for the person. You can see now that possibility on the horizon at some point.”‘

Hence, the shit is deep.

Meanwhie, another interesting item I spied this afternoon: China has built some threateningly-obvious missile practice sites — details via USNI News this afternoon:

The Chinese military has built targets in the shape of an American aircraft carrier and other U.S. warships in the Taklamakan desert as part of a new target range complex, according to photos provided to USNI News by satellite imagery company Maxar.

The full-scale outline of a U.S. carrier and at least two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are part of the target range that has been built in the Ruoqiang region in central China. The site is near a former target range China used to test early versions of its so-called carrier killer DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles, according to press reports in 2013.

This new range shows that China continues to focus on anti-carrier capabilities, with an emphasis on U.S. Navy warships. Unlike the Iranian Navy’s aircraft carrier-shaped target in the Persian Gulf, the new facility shows signs of a sophisticated instrumented target range.
…
“The mockups of several probable U.S. warships, along with other warships (mounted on rails and mobile), could simulate targets related to seeking/target acquisition testing,” according to the AllSource Analysis summary, which said there are no indications of weapon impact areas in the immediate vicinity of the mockups.
“This, and the extensive detail of the mockups, including the placement of multiple sensors on and around the vessel targets, it is probable that this area is intended for multiple uses over time.“

(USNI is part of the US Naval Insitute).

Finally, another alluring, off-the-wall bit and still doesn’t answer the question of how actually do astronauts go potty?
Per the Guardian yesterday afternoon:

Astronauts who will leave the International Space Station on Sunday will have to use diapers on the way home, because of a broken toilet in their SpaceX capsule.

The Nasa astronaut Megan McArthur described the situation as “suboptimal” but manageable. She and three crewmates will spend 20 hours in the capsule, from the time the hatches are closed until a Monday morning splashdown.

“Spaceflight is full of lots of little challenges,” McArthur said in a news conference from orbit.
“This is just one more that we’ll encounter and take care of in our mission. So we’re not too worried about it.”

No porta-potties in orbit at this time.

Closing out with a song for the moment it feels — cover of the 4 Non Blondes “What’s Up” by currently my most-favorite musical duo, The Running Mates — good timing (original here):

Once again, yet, here we are…

(Illustration out front: M.C Escher’s ‘Three Spheres II,’ found here).