Morning Update: 08/08/24
Something feels off this morning, though I’m clueless as to what it might be. Yesterday was largely uneventful. Kids went to school and came home without issue. G had his violin lesson. We fixed dinner but only the kids ate as Kat and I were both feeling nauseous. Bedtime came early (again) and I didn’t hear anyone up during the night. After such an uneventful day, I’m sitting here wondering where today’s big news might drop.
But even the news is a bit off this morning. We’ve been hearing for years about the various dangers of mylar balloons, right? Yesterday, one caused a boil water alert in New Orleans after intersecting with a power line. The dip in power caused four water pumps to turn off. Yet, I’m still not seeing any outrage or movements to ban mylar balloons. I guess we’re just going to accept this as “one of those things.”
Where there is outrage is the UK. After days of racist right-wing protests and violence, people are starting to call bullshit and confront the protesters. It’s about damn time. Police haven’t had any effect on the protests at all. When it comes to flagrant character flaws such as racism and bigotry, perhaps having your neighbors in your face is a better solution than policing. We’ll see.
Oklahoma never fails to disappoint in the arena of strange news. This time, a dog chomping on a lithium-ion battery sparked a serious house fire in Oklahoma, footage taken from the home shows, as the dog bit down and sparks began to shoot from the battery. (AP video: Javier Arciga) This highlights two critical issues. 1. Dogs will eat anything, so stop leaving shit lying around. 2. Lithium batteries, even those that seem “dead,” are fucking dangerous! Treat them accordingly.
Stocks are slipping again this morning, mostly in the tech sector. Between you and me, I expect this volatility to continue until the Fed cuts rates, which may not happen until September. The test is whether investors have the stomach to wait out the ride.
Talk about bad luck. Imagine getting to go into space, two weeks about the International Space Station. The capsule that got you there (barely) breaks and your trip is extended to 30 days. Whee! But now… NASA says it’s looking more like they’re going to be there until FEBRUARY 2025! They’ll most likely be coming back on a SpaceX rocket. Who knows what the fuck will happen to the Boeing mess that now feels like a metaphor for the entire company’s performance.
Bad luck also hit Swifties hoping to see their idol in Vienna as three shows there were canceled because of a terror threat. Two have been arrested and Austrian officials claim one of the men, a 19-year-old, may have ties to the Islamic State. If you think threats against music venues are growing, you’re not wrong. The past decade has seen a frightening escalation in attacks, including 140 killed in Moscow this past March, and 260 killed at a music festival in Israel on October 7, sparking the current war.
Interestingly enough, US abortion numbers, which had been in decline, have risen slightly since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Expect those numbers to escalate as more women grow fearful of antiquated religiously-fueled laws that endanger their well-being. At the same time, however, more abortion providers are scaling back. Planned Parenthood in Manhattan says it will stop providing the service after 20 weeks. All the more reason for women to make this election all about them, their rights, and their autonomy.
Speaking of the election, it was predictable that there would be misinformation about Tim Walz coming out. Know the facts before you open your big mouth. Remember, a lot of the misinformation is coming from international enemies. Don’t help them spread it.
There’s no chance of rain today, or any time in the near future. Morning temps will be almost chilly by Sunday. There’s really nothing earthshaking going on outside of the 7.1 rattler off the coast of Japan. The tsunami warning isn’t getting a lot of attention, though.
So, maybe we just have a nice, calm day. What do you think? Can we make that happen?
Morning Update
For all the early-morning angst I had yesterday, nothing horrible happened. At least, not here. Kat was sick enough to stay home all day. She’s feeling some better and will be at the salon this afternoon, but it’s still questionable whether she’ll attend an event planned for this evening. The kids were over an hour late getting home because the bus broke down and they had to wait for a replacement. Again. They were exhausted when they did get home and when I went to bed at 8:00, I was the only one awake. They did have dinner, but there was no conversation. Days like this pass as a blur.
What did happen yesterday was that the Orange Felon held a press conference from Mar-a-lago. Supporters will say he was “forceful.” Everyone else will say it was unhinged with the most ridiculous moment coming when he claimed that the crowd at his Jan. 6 2021 speech was larger than that of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech. There was a lot of looking back at his first term and exaggeration of numbers. He admitted he lost in 2020, which was startling. Remember that when he reverts back to the lie later. What’s possibly most relevant, from my perspective, is that the Felon hasn’t been out campaigning this week. At all. He’s sent Vance, who hasn’t brought the numbers he was supposed to bring. The optics lean into the fact that the Felon is 78 years old. He would be the oldest President ever, and there are already plenty of warning signs that he’s losing what little mental faculties he had. As Nancy Pelosi has said, we can’t let “that man” win.
ABC News reports that the September 10 debate is back on. The Felon says he wants more, but there’s been no comment from the Harris/Walz campaign. In fact, the Vice President hasn’t been giving interviews, either. She’s sticking to campaign speeches where her message is well defined and there’s little chance of misspeaking. How long will that strategy work?
Microsoft is saying that Iran has accelerated cyber activity which is most likely a sign of increased interference in the US election. Be on the lookout for attacks against Harris/Walz that are completely unfounded. Don’t be afraid to call them out. Their whole purpose is to create chaos and disenfranchisement around the election. Please, again, check your sources carefully.
You may be seeing holiday displays even earlier than usual. Reuters reports that retailers are rushing holiday shipments on anything imported out of fear that their could be disruptive events in the near future. Both the fluctuations of the stock market and threats of terrorism are to blame. This could mean early discounts as excess inventory crowds stores, but also be aware that this year’s prices are already higher than last year as companies look to pad their profit margins as much as possible.
If you use a nebulizer for asthma or migraines, you know how clunky and unwieldy those devices are. That may be about to change. Companies are again testing vape-like devices that would be considerably easier to use. The delay comes from having to convince the FDA and other medical professionals that the devices a) actually work, and b) don’t accidentally encourage other vape use. There are also the optics. Imagine being in a restaurant, almost all of which are nonsmoking now, and needing to use a nebulizer. Cue conflict over convincing your server that no, you’re not smoking. The new devices would be considerably easier to use, but they’re still not likely to be available any time soon.
There are clusters of international stories taking up space this morning, but nothing that currently raises severe concern. Internal struggles are just that: internal. They have to be worked out by those affected.
One last thing, though, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Hall of Fame golfer known for antics on the greens, has died. Now, I’ve never been a huge golf fan, and had it been any other golfer I might not have bothered to mention the passing. But people of a certain age will remember a famous episode of the television show, “WKRP in Cincinnati” where the station’s news director, Les Nessman, played brilliantly by Richard Sanders, completely bungles the golfer’s name while on the air, to the horror of Johnny Fever, played by the late Howard Hessman. So, we say goodbye to Chi Chi with thanks for being a good sport. Here’s the clip:
I’m not making any firm weekend plans as both kids have mentioned possibly doing things with their friends. These are the moments we have to step back and give them room to grow beyond academics. Letting them out of our sight is something that’s never quite comfortable. When the Citizen app issued an alert yesterday that someone had been hit by a truck on Lafayette Road, Kat was quick to have both kids check in, making sure they were safe. We hope that we’ve given the kids enough guidance and support to be able to make safe decisions, but we also know that teens test boundaries and often think that past rules no longer apply. So, I’m going to sit here and try to be flexible and supportive and encouraging, and no, I’m not crying. You’re crying.
Kat’s finally sleeping. The twins are snuggled up together at the foot of the bed. Both dogs are back to sleep. Queen Bit plopped herself down right smack in the middle of the bed, defying anyone to disturb her. All the rain chances are along the East Coast and remnants of Hurricane Debby continue to make life difficult.
Maybe I’ll just have another cup of coffee and sit here quietly. Because I can.
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