Morning Update: 10/18/24

Welcome to Friday and all the cheer and joy that it brings! Yes, I’m being quite facetious. Friday is trash day around here, both literally and figuratively. For whatever reason, the dogs and I woke up early. I took a shower, attempted to dry this graying hair, gathered the trash and set it by the curb, then took the dogs out while chatting with Tipper. She was angling to stay home, saying her stomach hurt, but I didn’t give in and sent her on her way. I think what she’s experiencing is more anxiety than illness. Yes, anxiety is real and its effects are nothing to laugh about, but if she stayed home every time she felt a bit anxious, she’d rarely go to school!

Kat’s the one who’s ill. She ended up having to go to emergency care yesterday and was found to have an ear infection in both ears! She has meds and is still sleeping this morning. The question is whether she’ll be able to stand without getting light-headed. No one needs a dizzy stylist.

I finally got a text from G last night, after I’d gone to bed. Yes, he’s seen “a few” alligators. Yes, he’s having fun. That’s all the info he gave me. Can you tell he’s a teenager?

Tipper is still trying to get out of school. She’s texting me that a constant air horn noise on the bus is giving her a headache. I won’t be surprised if she’s home early today.

If anyone was thinking that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar might mean a cooling of tensions in the Gaza war, think again. Netanyahu is saying that the war will go on. No peace. That should tell you everything you need to know about the man who is bankrupting Israel, starving Gazans, and murdering civilians. Why the fuck is the US still supporting him?

Meanwhile, a Reuters investigation shows that the UN’s World Food Program allowed donated grain to go to all the wrong people. As a result, Ethiopians are starving. There’s only so much NGOs can do to take up the slack when corruption is at the core of the government.

AP’s deep dive takes aim at the increasing number of military veterans who are advocating violence against their own country. This goes well beyond the Jan. 6 debacle of 2021. These folks are advocating and prepping for civil war, and the outcome of the election either way may not slow them down. These are your neighbors, maybe your friends. They need to be stopped.

Then, there’s this:

Here’s a fun one for your Friday: Scientists show how sperm and egg come together like a key in a lock. I bet you thought you already knew how babies are made, didn’t you? This brings to mind the 1971 by the artist Melanie that sings, “I’ve got a pair of brand new roller skates, you got a brand new key. Why don’t we get together and try them out to see…” Roller skates are an interesting euphemism, aren’t they?

The entire world is watching sleepy little Delphi, Indiana as the trial of a man charged with killing two teenage girls in 2017 finally begins today. This is way overdue. The judge has changed. Attorneys have changed. The whole thing is a mess where comma placement and scientific details are manipulated in attempts to either convict and prove the innocence of the person on trial. At this point, one has to question whether there is any remaining chance of actually getting to the truth.

Ya’ know what stinks? Thousands in North Carolina can’t flush their toilets amid hurricane damage. As if things weren’t already bad enough.

NOAA released its winter outlook yesterday. Remember, they’re focused on climate, not the daily weather. What we’re looking at is a 60% chance of a change in the jet stream that is likely to lead to a wetter but warmer winter here in Indiana, and a significantly drier winter for the South and Southwest. The drier, warmer weather along the Southeast coast may actually help hurricane-ravaged areas in their attempt to recover from back-to-back hurrricanes. Around here, it means we’ll probably have more snow than we did last year.

Okay, that should get your Friday kick started. Don’t expect much, if anything, to change over the weekend. You should be able to get out and enjoy the fall leaves, pick some apples, drink some cider, and all those fun things. I’ll be right here, snuggling with sleepy pups, worrying about everyone. Some of ya’ll need to wrap yourselves in bubble wrap.

More coffee.