Blumudus

The day when FiveThirtyEight and the pollsters bombed

This is a story of people looking down on you. More than that, this is a story of fake scientific data and deception. This is about those who tried to control the result of the election. And lost anyway. I’ve been dreaming of writing this very article for months. All those experts, day after day condescendingly belittling people like me, who wouldn’t be convinced to accept the reality of their data… Now it’s time for a little revenge. A sweet opportunity to unload all the frustration of the last months. They won’t mind: they still have all the clout and visibility in the world, plus they have all the…

Don’t do as I did

Bragging about betting on Trump: setting a bad example As you may already know, in 2015 I bet on Donald Trump. I feel uneasy about my telling the entire world that I did. Of course that’s how I can boast that I understood the Trump phenomenon long before the vast majority of observers. But I’m also sending a disturbing signal in favor of gambling: placing bets on an event, then imagining yourself enjoying an unexpected, resounding victory. The thing is, you hear a lot about the rare success stories, not so much about the countless losses. The House in the end is the only winner. But many people get…

Let me gloat. Trump won. I won!

As you may or may not know, in July 2015 I bet on Trump’s victory. Today, thanks to Donald Trump’s triumph, I won more than enough money to cover all the expenses incurred during the a recent tour trip to the USA that me and my wife took in September. I dubbed it “Our Donald Trump Trip” for obvious reasons. Now I feel the need to celebrate the victory. (All photos are © 2016 Alessandro Grasso.) Thanks Donald! It’s been a hell of a ride. Even if I’m living in Italy I followed the election very closely; not just because this was set to be the…

Clinton email scandals? Much ado about everything

Democratic Party Election Strategy in 8 years increments

And so we got to Election Day. Americans have been served useful distractions by a complacent media machine. Anyone who wanted to, had the opportunity to catch wind of the multiple Clinton scandals, granted; but the details are often too intricate for the average person’s attention span. Confusion→ uncertainty→ irrelevance. And if you lean Democrat, journalists give you plenty of excuses to banish the uncomfortable thought. The idea was to sell a stripped down message: Hillary is a woman (!) and is supposed to be about all the usual Democratic Party policies. That’s it. And they pushed the narrative that her opponent was allegedly vulgar, racist, sexist and dangerous,…

#LoveTrumpsHate made right

Love Trumps Hate: Trump Loves, Clinton Hates, Trump Trumps

Love trumps hate. Ok, let’s say it’s stipulated. #LoveTrumpsHate is a silly, simplistic slogan used by the Clinton Campaign. Please enjoy their hilarious play on words based on the name of Donald Trump. But if you examine it carefully, it works perfectly only if you read it the other way around. Let’s make a deal: I bet if you follow through my reasoning, you’ll agree I’ve surprised you, and you never saw things this way. You can comment below re: your changing your mind or not. Trump loves Trumps loves himself immensely. I believe the entire world agrees on this bit. But the process doesn’t stop there. Then his…

On Prayers Of The Faithful And Distractions

Painting of the martyrdom of the 7 Maccabees

At Mass Scene: today we went to Mass in a church that we know but isn’t our parish. All went well, no complaints (oh, how grumpy we pew-critters tend to be at times!): a good priest, a beautiful church full of art. Before the beginning of the service, while we are already seated, there comes a guy in charge of organizing stuff. The following exchange ensues: -Anyone wants to read the Readings? The Prayers Of The Faithful? Moment of indecision. I’m pondering the idea of blurting out the appropriate answer for an occasion like this, one I’ve prepared some time ago. -I may read a Reading, but… -Then it’s…

Here’s why I bet on Trump. In 2015.

Donald Trump, the President Americans deserve

As I said yesterday, Donald Trump will win the Presidency. This article is still about letting you come to terms with such reality. I put money where my mouth was. Ok, I’m not a US citizen so I cannot vote for Donald Trump. Next best thing, I bet money on his victory! It was in July 2015: 16 months ago. I caught wind of the fact that Trump, a man I barely knew something about, had launched his campaign for the Presidency. Up to that point I considered him a minor nuisance, one of those vapid tv celebrities slash narcissistic yet funny looking guy slash megalomaniac entrepreneur. I saw him…

Trump won next Tuesday’s election

people endorsing Clinton and Trump. Notice Chuck Norris

Come to terms with it. Ok, this is a public service post; it won’t get to many people but I hope it will help some friends to soften the blow. Better get used to it gradually. Initially you’ll probably mumble, with a condescending air, that there are too many idiots (myself included) insisting on a Trump victory. Then you’ll begin to realize, feeling a cold sweat, that maybe they are not really idiots… And then afterwards… Uh oh…! Ooops, it happened… Chuck Norris: when he gets to the polling station, suddenly all the within a 500 miles range spontaneously self-combust. Seriously, this is not about the joke meme…

Martin Luther a sort of Christian Icon? Not In My Name

What would you say if you were a Lutheran? Today in Catholic countries we celebrate All Saints’ Day. Yesterday the Pope went to Sweden to open this ill-fated year of celebrations for the 500th of the so-called Protestant Reformation. As a Catholic representative, of course. Now, to better grasp how absurd all of this is, try to put yourself in the shoes of a Lutheran (if you are not already a Lutheran, that is). Please appreciate the behavior of the Pope and his entourage of sycophants/commentators/self-appointed-spokespersons, as seen from the perspective of someone who’s coming from a distance. Consider the implications of the photo I put here above. This is not…

Beware of heat waves, drink lots of fluids!

Bonus tip: go for a swim right after meals, it’s good for you! It’s sort of a tradition for Italian newscasts (and I guess not just in Italy): during the summer, on a slow news day, expect a breaking news report for which they clearly didn’t break a sweat, rehashing the usual slush about the most predictable hot topic. Temperatures! Dear listeners, it’s hot out there! Drink lots of fluids, prefer light meals and avoid leaving the house in the central hours of the day, especially if you are elderly. Thanks a lot, you saved my life once again, just as last year. Actually I don’t watch TV at…

My 1st Twitter block! (Anti-Trump fanatics)

Recently I decided to give Twitter a go. It’s part experiment, part connecting with people and cracking sarcastic jokes, part self-promotion. This far, I can say it doesn’t look promising, to say the least. I feel blessed my brain development happened on other decades, long before this mess. Here’s a teachable moment about the dismal state in which “dialogue” lays nowadays. As if you needed any confirmation. Trump vs. Clinton Disclaimer: I am biased in favor of Donald Trump, due to the fact that I think he is one of the best possible choices for US President, and also because I’m obtaining a monetary gain if he wins. Background: as…

A new beginning

Ok, I’m determined to develop this blog properly, and this time it’s for real. It stayed put as a stealth website for years, semi-abandoned and without publicity, needing a layout overhaul and shamelessly sporting outdated code. Mea culpa. Such a long time… An example to put things in perspective: I chose the domain blumudus.net instead of the obvious blumudus.com, but I cannot even remember why. (From now on the .net redirects to the English version website.) World events are now unfolding rapidly (and I wasted enough time already): Erdogan’s Turkey is completing a transition into a full fledged dictatorship, Islamic terror attacks are becoming ever more frequent, not to mention…