Quite the potpourri of news this week. Of course, Hurricane Idalia tore through parts of Florida that seldom bear the brunt of that type of storm. Areas of Georgia and the Carolinas also felt the effects. Fortunately, property damage far outpaced the human toll as those in the path smartly heeded the pleas to hunker down or evacuate.

Idalia, it seems, is just another in a long line of devastating squalls that start with the letter “I.” Its name will be stricken from the hurricane list along with Ian, Ida, Igor, Ike, Inez, Ingrid, Ione, and Iota as monikers that will never be used again by the World Meteorological Organization. (“I” storms, by the way, lead the list of retired names.)

There was at least one miracle reported during the worst of the torrential downpours and slam-you-against-the-wall winds that accompanied Idalia. Two elected officials from opposing political parties actually talked to each other civilly and worked TOGETHER to help the people affected by the onslaught. President Joe Biden and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis put aside their partisan power struggles to jointly coordinated federal and state relief operations. And you know what? The Earth didn’t stop spinning! Not even for a second. I guess there’s nothing like a war or a natural disaster to bring Americans together.

Also on the teleprompters in newsrooms this week came word that perhaps, just perhaps, the plane carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the private Russian military company known as the Wagner Group, was brought down on purpose. You might know that he’s the guy who staged a bit of a coup attempt against one Vladimir Putin a couple of months ago. A Kremlin spokesman said the regime is looking into the possibility that “a deliberate atrocity” may have taken place. Gosh. What a shock that would be.

In a far more fanciful story, it seems that love is in the air in China. Apparently, an area in the eastern part of the country is offering a cash reward to young couples willing to get married. Provided the bride is no older than 25 (no word yet on an age requirement for the groom), the newlyweds can pick up a cool 1,000 yuan to say, “I do.” That’s about $137 bucks in American. What a deal!

You may recall China recently had its first population drop in six decades and has a rapidly aging population. So, basically, that one-child policy put into place by the Communist government back in the 80s to curb population growth actually worked. Except apparently nobody did the math. I wouldn’t think that a whopping $137 would be enough of an enticement for a couple to walk down the aisle if they weren’t totally committed to each other, but, hey, the deal also comes with a bunch of childcare, fertility, and educational subsidies, so maybe it’s not such a bad arrangement.

On a much more ominous note, North Korea continues to spend a ton more money on shooting off rockets than it does on feeding its people – for no apparent rational reason. I don’t know about you, but I have never once seen a news story saying either South Korea or the United States, or any other country on earth for that matter, is contemplating wiping Pyongyang off the face of the earth with nuclear strikes. Yet Kim Jong Un, well-known despot and best-fed citizen in his country, seems to think an attack is imminent.

So, once again this past week, it was reported that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) “conducted a simulated ‘scorched-earth’ nuclear strike on targets across South Korea.” Sure, the U.S. and South Korea were doing some naval exercises off the coast of the peninsula to prepare for any eventuality, but, really, DPRK, don’t you think if we really wanted to take over your country we would have done so before now?

Fortunately, there was other-worldly good news as well. India safely landed a lander/rover combo (kind of like a crossover SUV) on the South Pole of the moon. Scientists are thinking there might be a large amount of frozen water trapped in the ice on that area of our ever-waxing-and-waning satellite. If true, it’s a distinct possibility colonization on the lunar surface could take place. Also, it might be possible to use the water to produce rocket propellant for return trips. (How soon before AquaMoon is available on grocery store shelves?)

And, finally, hey, it’s Labor Day weekend. Good time for a mattress sale or a family outing somewhere fun. As of this writing, there are no hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes or even any man-made disasters in the offing. So, go enjoy the holiday. Surely next week will bring better news, right?

©MMXXIII. William J. Lewis, III – Freelance Writer