Welcome to Friday! Is it just me or does it seem that Labor Day was a month ago, not just five days? The week has been long and trying for a number of people. Personally, I spent most of yesterday alone and in bed. I didn’t know when Kat left for work, and since the kids went to the salon after school, I didn’t know when any of them came in last night. The dogs were quite willing to spend the day in bed with me, getting up only when they picked up on Police cars outside. Exactly how they know that without looking out the window, I don’t know. One was giving a neighbor a parking ticket for having their vehicle parked over the sidewalk. I’m not sure what the second was doing as they left before we could get outside. I guess all the real crimes have sufficient manpower if they’re out writing petty tickets for non-crimes.
The only thing I expect to be different about today is that the temperatures will be cooler. There’s an off chance of a random rain shower, but looking at things this morning, I think it’s all going to stay primarily to our North. Even if we do see a few drops hitting the ground, it will be so little that it won’t put a dent in the moderate drought conditions we’re currently facing. With no rain and temperatures yo-yo-ing up and down, the outlook for a brightly-colored autumn diminishes. Leaves are more likely to go straight to brown, eliminating the colorful fall foliage that everyone enjoys.
There’s not a lot in the news that’s worth talking about, either. The father of the shooter at Apalachee High School has been arrested and charged with murder. Police are saying that he knowingly allowed his son to take the weapon that killed four people on Wednesday. For a moment yesterday, it appeared as if the shooter’s extended family was willing to come to his defense, but all of those posts and articles have since been deleted, raising the question as to whether they were legitimate in the first place. Probably the most important article regarding the shooting is this piece from the Associated Press on How to talk with kids about school shootings and other traumatic events. Then, notice the silence from your politicians. “Thoughts and prayers” is about all they’re saying. That means nothing is going to change and more children and teachers will die because of their cowardness.
The first NFL game of the season was last night and, at least on paper, the Chiefs won, 27-20. Every sportscaster outside of Kansas City is questioning that win, though. A Ravens’ last-second touchdown was nullified in a move that culminated a night of hard-nosed and questionable officiating. Before the game, the NFL issued a memo stating that certain rules would be judged harshly. Those judgments affected the Ravens much more than they did the Chiefs. While all the complaints are likely to fall on deaf ears, if this kind of officiating proceeds into Sunday’s games, fans could deliver a severe financial blow to the NFL by turning away from the sport.
If there was ever any question as to whether the Orange Felon was lying about January 6, 2021, the truth is being exposed in court. All the collusion, deceit, and blatant efforts to overturn the election are being laid out clearly. What’s being presented in courts is a story that not even NPR has picked up. Anyone who votes for the Felon after seeing all this evidence can only be considered a traitor to the Constitution.
Teenage E-Cigarette Use Drops to a 10-Year Low.
Surprising New Research Links Infant Mortality to Crashing Bat Populations.
What happens to priests who are accused or convicted of abuse? They end up here.
I’m not expecting much news over the weekend, either. This is the time of year that tends to be historically boring. Sure, there have been exceptions, such as 2001, but overall September is usually a good time to take vacation. I won’t, of course, but don’t expect there to be as much to talk about.
Which is fine. That leaves more time for coffee.
Morning Update: 09/09/24
This is going to be one of those weeks where how you dress in the morning isn’t going to be comfortable by midday. We’re at that time of year, and I’m more grateful this year than I was last year that I’m not covering anyone’s Fashion Weeks this fall. The pace and the hours would kill me. Malia Obama’s choice of Vivienne Westwood for her red carpet look in Paris is pretty smart, but few of us “normal” people have red carpets to walk, so we might want to be more careful about our choices. The kids, of course, chose slightly heavier hoodies than the ones they normally wear.
Kat is having to take the kids to school this morning. The IndyGo bus that normally picks them up was already full by the time it arrived at their stop. Waiting for the next bus an hour later would make them late for school. Over-capacity buses along school routes are a known issue that IndyGo seems to be ignoring. Drivers have complained. Riders have complained. I’m not sure what it’s going to take to get additional buses on the street, but something needs to be resolved quickly. Looks like I’ll be making another complaint this morning.
We survived the first Sunday of NFL football, which may be more than we can say for some coaches. I didn’t expect the Colts to win, so I’ve nothing bad to say about their two-point loss to Houston. They kept it close, which is saying something against a team that is already getting Super Bowl chatter. The Cowboys actually won against the Browns, which is a damn good thing given how much the team is paying Dak Prescott now. The Bears pulled off an impressive win against the Titans after being down 17-3 at the half. And the Dolphins stayed close enough to win the game on a last-second field goal against the Jags. You’ll hear a lot of armchair quarterbacking this morning, but don’t buy it. The first-week strategy for every team is pretty much, “Let’s try this and see what happens.” They’ll make adjustments and hopefully, next week will be different.
Emotionally, this could be a tough week for a lot of people. Questions are being raised as to whether or not the Apalachee school shooting might have been prevented. While the newly installed panic buttons helped alert police to a problem, questions now center around whether the entire incident could have been prevented. Of course, the ultimate prevention would have been to not give the child the gun in the first place, but no one wants to talk about that.
Tuesday is the big debate between the two major-party presidential candidates. Their approaches are vastly different and their histories could make this one of the most entertaining debates we’ve seen in many years. In the background, though, lies the fact that the Orange Felon is threatening to jail his adversaries if he wins. Be prepared for there to be a lot of emotion on both sides and the rhetoric will be impossible by Wednesday morning.
Wednesday morning, however, brings another set of emotions with it as we once again recognize the anniversary of the 9/11 bombings. Activities have morphed some over the years. The children who lost their parents that day are now adults and bring their own unique feelings to the commemorative events. The day inevitably stirs emotions for us much as December 7 did for our parents and grandparents. We can only hope that those born after that day will never have such an experience of their own.
If you’re a fan of discount stores, you may be sad to learn that Big Lots is declaring bankruptcy. I don’t think anyone familiar with the store’s history is surprised. Private equity firm Nexus Capital is acting as the stalking horse bidder. No mention has been made yet whether any stores will be closed. That likely will be the decision of whoever buys the company.
Police are under scrutiny yet again after Miami police handcuffed and detained Dolphins RB Tyreek Hill and defensive tackle Calais Campbell early Sunday morning. While those involved are being careful to not yell racism, after the arresting officer was placed on leave it’s difficult to not imagine anything else being at the center of the problem. That problems such as this keep happening shows how little is being done to correct a problem that’s been in the news for several years now. More needs to happen.
I’m not even sure what to think about the entire Middle East situation this morning. It’s a mess. On one hand, Israeli strikes in Syria left 14 dead and more than 40 wounded. Israel says they were only acting in retaliation for Syrian involvement in the war with Hamas. Syria says those killed were civilians. Meanwhile, the U.N. human rights chief asked countries to act on what he called Israel’s “blatant disregard” for international law in the occupied Palestinian territories. Uhm, stoking the fire there much? Comments like that aren’t going to push either side toward accepting a cease-fire anytime soon.
If you thought Tim Ballard of Operation Underground Railroad was an anti-trafficking good guy, you may want to think again. A number of women are accusing him of being a predator. This seems to be a pattern for conservatives who use non-profit organizations to hide their devious acts. The Latter-day Saints church last September denounced Mr. Ballard’s “morally unacceptable” activities in a statement to VICE News, which had published a series of stories raising questions about the nonprofit’s operations. At least ten women have come forward. You’ve been warned.
Speaking of nefarious conservative action, there’s an interesting opinion piece in this morning’s Times on how the state of Tennessee is preventing at least half a million people from voting. “About 9 percent of the state’s voting-age population is prohibited from voting because of felony convictions. And the effects are particularly acute among the Black population, with an astonishing 21 percent of Black adults barred from voting — the highest rate in the country.” This is shameful. This is racist as hell. And this is not surprising.
The Times also has an interesting test for you. Can you tell the difference between real videos and those generated by AI? This is going to be an increasingly difficult issue and our perception of what is real is in jeopardy.
It’s only Monday and we already need a break. This could be a long week.
Grab your coffee mug and hold on.
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