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First, the good news. Folks in Florida knew that another major hurricane was heading their way. That, and some out-of-the-box thinking, helped them get ready. Now, the bad news. Folks in Florida were still cleaning up after Hurricane Helene, when Hurricane Milton hit. Cleaning up after this double-header disaster won't be easy. But there are a few bright spots, which I'll eventually get around to. Topical Twaddle The Usual Doom, Gloom, and Politics "Up, Up and Away": Weather Modification and the Montgolfier Brothers Tenants of Tampa Bay This May Be the End of Civilization As We Know It Customary Protocols, Private Citizens, and Pinellas County Flamingos and Being Human Making Sense: It's an Option Wednesday Evening: Hurricane Milton Arrives Milton in Context: Numbers and a Little History A Handy Hurricane Wind Scale Just How Bad Was It? Memorable Hurricanes Now What? Something I Can Do More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Tw...

Folks living in the Caribbean, Yucatan Peninsula, and south Texas are cleaning up after Hurricane Beryl. Some are also mourning those who didn't survive the storm. I haven't been personally affected by Beryl, although my in-laws are in Louisiana, next state over. They seem to have been away from the worst weather, for which I'm grateful. This week I'll take a quick look at what happened, what the storm doesn't mean, and — as usual — whatever else comes to mind. Death, Destruction, and a Power Outage Disasters and Focused Wrath: No Noticeable Correlation The Siloam Reminder Perspectives It's a Changing World Days, Millennia, and Planning Ahead More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Beryl stopped being a hurricane July 8, 2024. By then it had broken several records. I look at Beryl, and what we are learning about tropical cyclones.)

For some reason, I expected Monday's Starliner launch to go ahead on schedule. It didn't, which is probably a good thing. But the delay, and staying up far later than I usually do, waiting for a news conference that I slept through anyway — The long and the short of it is that, instead of focusing on the Starliner spacecraft this week, I decided to start talking about Boeing's reputation, SpaceX, the shift to commercial space travel and exploration; and see where that led me. As usual, I've made a list of links to this week's headings: so feel free to skip ahead to whatever looks most interesting. Or go get a cup of coffee, take a walk, whatever. This post should still be around when you get back. SpaceX Dragon, Working Since 2010; Boeing Starliner, ... Third Starliner Orbital Test Flight, the First With Astronauts "Ad Astra Per Aspera": "To the Stars Through Difficulties" Lilienthal's Letter, a Lunar Plaque, and a Work in Progres...

I started writing about Yellowstone, hazards, and science a few weeks ago. Then life happened — there's a link near the end of this post — something more timely came up, and now I'm back with a look at the area's past, present and future. Travelers' Tales Yellowstone: Hydrothermal and Other Hazards Explosions and Boardwalks Earthquake Lake and a 1959 Landslide Looking Ahead Supereruptions: and a Film Clip More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Yellowstone history, tall tales, science, hazards and disasters: one recent, another possible. How geysers work, what's ahead: and a short disaster film clip.)

Folks living in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, are not having a good time. The last I checked, the Northwest Territories capital was being evacuated. Understandably, since there’s less than a mile of open water between Yellowknife and one of Canada’s wildfires. Since Yellowknife has been in the news, and I knew next to nothing about the place, I did a little checking and took a quick virtual trip to the Northwest Territories’ capital. I'll be talking about something else for next week's post, so what I found gets a once-over-lightly treatment.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Canadian wildfires and folks living in Yellowknife, capital of Northwest Territories: and a remarkable house. Also a cursory glance at crazy rumors.)

The 2020 Summer Olympics and Stearns County Fair are both in progress this weekend. One is an annual agricultural and commerce show, the other is half of a four-year Olympiad; but they're not entirely different. The COVID-19 pandemic shut both down last year, for example.... ...Can't say that I blame Tokyo officials for saying that they could keep athletes and visitors safe, though. My culture has variations on 'the show must go on' — and sometimes it makes sense. But the International Olympic Committee said 'not now, maybe next year.' Can't say that I blame them, either. I had quite a bit to say this week, mostly about Olympic history .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

CANADA BURNS AS SMOKE SHROUDS MINNESOTA!!! Well, no. Not really. Although that'd make a dandy headline. On the other hand, maybe it's too obviously overblown. Maybe there's a fine line between headlines that grab attention without inspiring thought and those destined for supermarket checkout lines. Or maybe it's more a matter of style and content. And that's another topic, for another day. At any rate, wildfires in two Canadian provinces, Ontario and Manitoba, triggered an Air Quality Alert for my part of Minnesota. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Patriotism comes in many flavors: cheesy, sour, salty: and that's enough 'flavor.' Maybe too much. My country's Independence Day celebration, our Fourth of July, started me thinking about patriotism. Also screwball notions, drought and Florida's pancaked condo. But mostly, the impending holiday is probably why part of an old song has been on my mind's playlist this week.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Sunday's rain dampened Sauk Centre's streets, but delivered under four tenths of an inch. That's been good for our weeds, and for grass next to sidewalks. But it's nowhere near the two or three inches we need to get back to adequate soil moisture in these parts. Medical issues have been distracting me. I took one of the kids to an unscheduled clinic checkup with follow-up lab work. Then another enjoyed, if that's the word, a day or so in the hospital. Not Sauk Centre's hospital. One up in North Dakota, near where she lives. On the 'up' side, I've been okay this week, which left me free for chauffeur duty. I'm hoping the next week here will be less eventful. But, quoting an old Minnesota saying, it could be worse. I woke up Thursday morning. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

This week hasn't been a good time for India. Statistics say Tuesday was their worst day yet for COVID-19 pandemic deaths. It's also when the worst cyclone of recorded so far hit India's west coast. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

A winter storm was moving across North America a couple weeks back. By February 15, when The Texas Tribune posted Miguel Gutierrez Jr.'s photo of Austin's Interstate 35 near Stassney Lane, we were dealing with sub-zero (Fahrenheit) temperatures and serious windchill. And, for the most part, dealing successfully. I live in central Minnesota. The mid-February storm included temperatures that were unusually cold, compared to the last 50 years. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Last Tuesday, August 4, 2020, something exploded in Beirut. It was around 6:00 p.m., Beirut time, 15:00 UTC. By Wednesday afternoon, I'd read that the blast killed at least 100 folks and hurt some 4,000. Upwards of 100 people were missing. My guess was that the body count would increase. I was right about that, sadly. By Monday, August 10, the acknowledged death toll had passed 200. I don't know how likely it is that search and rescue teams will find more survivors. Some of the good news is that there were search and rescue teams. And that many folks in Beirut "...rushed to the blast location ... to offer support and assistance...." More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

A tsunami flooded the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant eight years ago. Fires, explosions and meltdowns followed. Folks living within 20 kilometers were told to leave the area. Radiation levels are dropping. A few folks are moving back. Clearing debris and removing radioactive fuel rods is taking more time than expected.... (More, at A Catholic Citizen in America )

My wife noted that yesterday's bridge collapse near Miami, Florida was "horrible." I think she's right. What is certain at this point, Friday afternoon, a bit over 24 hours after the incident, is that a structure collapsed and people died. Others were injured, but are still alive.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .