Scott Bradford: Off on a Tangent
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Scientists studying the genome of SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic, have learned that a future variant of the virus traveled back in time from 2029 to 1984 on a mission to assassinate Doctor Anthony Fauci before he could be appointed director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The mission was unsuccessful.

The variant, provisionally designated Schwarzenegger-29, appears to be a hybridized version of the naturally occurring Tau-800 variant from 2028 and the Model 101 artificial variant manufactured by Cyberdyne Systems, a Chinese-owned technology firm, in 2029. Upon arrival in 1984, Schwarzenegger-29 began systematically assassinating anybody it could find named Anthony Fauci.

“Yeah, I remember back in ’84, a few months before I was made director of NIAID, I get this knock at the door,” Fauci said in a hastily-arranged press conference this afternoon. “I opened up and there was this big, tough lookin’ variant there. It asked if I was Tony Fauci. It seemed suspicious, especially with its fake German or Austrian accent, so I just told it, ‘Nah, I’m Sarah Connor,’ and it went away. Good thing too. I wasn’t wearing a mask or anything.”

Fauci assumed office as director at NIAID in December of 1984, and has been at the forefront of the American response to the COVID-19 pandemic since it emerged in 2019.

“I did have another weird experience with a very similar looking variant, and this other shape-shifting metallic one. Must have been back around ’91. I’ve been pretty busy since then so I can’t say much more about it.”

Officials advise that time-traveling COVID-19 poses a minimal risk to the general public. Each new variant tends to be less deadly, but versions designed to target specific individuals could pose a serious risk to the targeted person or anybody who shares their name. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki added, “If you are approached by any COVID-19 variant, simply identify yourself as Sarah Connor and walk away. We’re all in this together. I will circle back with more details as soon as we have them.”

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I usually plan to publish my list of the ugliest cars of a given model year in the first quarter of the year. Last year I was late—I finally got it published in July. This year I’m even later. It’s November. It’s barely even still 2021.

Sorry. I’ve been busy. But the tradition cannot die, and I’ll try to do better next year.

There have not been a lot of big changes from last year. The Fiat 500L and the Honda Civic Type R have been discontinued. There has also been a little bit of adjustment to the order as my tastes change and I get more used to certain objectionable car designs. Sometimes something that looks bad at first becomes slightly less bad with time.

The criteria are simple. Cars that are currently sold new in the United States are eligible unless they sell in very low volume or are not sold to the general public. Volume is defined based on my subjective opinion—if I see ’em on the roads, they qualify; if I don’t, they don’t. Vehicles that are only sold for exotic, military, commercial, or special purposes are excluded.

As always, this list is my personal opinion. If you own one of the cars on this list, don’t take it (too) personally.

Read more . . .

Election 2021 Results (Final)

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Updated
Ballot Races
Virginia Governor
Princess Blanding (LP):0.70%
Terry McAuliffe (D):48.64%
Glenn Youngkin (R):50.57%
Other:0.08%
Virginia Lt. Governor
Hala Ayala (D):49.18%
Winsome Sears (R):50.71%
Other:0.12%
Virginia Atty. General
Mark Herring (D):49.55%
Jason Miyares (R):50.36%
Other:0.09%
Virginia House, 87th
Greg Moulthrop (R):41.44%
Suhas Subramanyam (D):58.42%
Other:0.13%
Ballot Issues
Loudoun School Bonds
Yes:66.54%
No:33.46%
Loudoun Safety Bonds
Yes:82.04%
No:17.96%
Loudoun Transp. Bonds
Yes:76.15%
No:23.85%

Read more . . .

I Voted; Final Thoughts

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Each year, on the “Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November,” I go to my local polling place to vote. This year was no different. My lot is cast. Now I wait ’til evening, when the results start to come in.

On Virginians’ ballots this year are the governor, lieutenant governor, state attorney general, members of the House of Delegates, and various local offices and ballot issues. These are important. In some ways, they are more important than the big-tickets presidential and congressional elections that tend to get a lot more attention. So, if you are an eligible voter, go vote.

But first, take some time and do some research. I encourage you to read my endorsements, which explain why I voted the way I did. But read other peoples’ too. Read the candidates’ websites, watch some of their stump speeches (if you can find them), read opinion articles and editorials, and talk to your friends. And don’t pay too much attention to party lines and hyperbolic ads.

Use your head, get informed, and make your own choices.

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Governor of Virginia, 2021

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Seal of Virginia
Seal of Virginia

In the open race to serve as Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, former Governor Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) faces Glenn Youngkin (R). One minor candidate, Princess Blanding (Liberation), will also be on the ballot. The Constitution of Virginia prohibits governors from serving multiple consecutive terms, so incumbent Governor Ralph Northam (D-VA) is ineligible for reelection.

The office of governor is established by the Constitution of Virginia, and the office holder’s primary duty is to serve as the chief of the commonwealth’s executive branch of government. The governor must report on the state of the commonwealth to the General Assembly, convene the legislature when a special session is called, ensure that state laws are executed properly, and serve as commander-in-chief of the state militia. Additionally, governors have the power to submit recommendations to the General Assembly, veto bills (in whole or in part with a line-item veto), commute fines and issue pardons, and restore rights to convicted felons.

Virginia governors must be at least thirty years old, citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and have been a resident and registered voter in the commonwealth for five years preceding the date of the election. They are elected to four-year terms and there are no term limits, although governors are prohibited from serving consecutive terms. Virginia is the only state in the United States that does not permit governors to stand for reelection.

Read more . . .

Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.