The 2022 Hurricane Season

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This year CSU again predicted an above-average season with 19 named storms, 9 hurricanes, 4 major hurricanes.

Not to go too far off on a tangent, but in 2020 CSU predicted 16 named storms, 8 hurricanes, 4 major hurricanes. Four months later they revised these numbers to be 24 named storms, 12 hurricanes, 5 major hurricanes! We ended 2020 with 30 named storms, 14 hurricanes, 6 major hurricanes!

In 2021 they predicted 17 named storms, 8 hurricanes, 4 major hurricanes. We ended 2021 with 21 named storms, 7 hurricanes, 4 major hurricanes.

From the National Hurricane Center, the 2022 Atlantic tropical cyclone names are: Alex, Bonnie, Colin, Danielle, Earl, Fiona, Gaston, Hermine, Ian, Julia, Karl, Lisa, Martin, Nicole, Owen, Paula, Richard, Shary, Tobias, Virginie, Walter.

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

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This new virus is called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or Sars-CoV-2. The disease it causes is called Covid-19. Source: Wall Street Journal. This is a serious disease – “a potential pandemic.” They think it originated in a (animal/seafood) market in Wuhan, China, on December 1, 2019. As of March 3, 2020, the WHO reports that there are 92,315 confirmed cases – 3,131 deaths; 60 cases in the US and 6 deaths.

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What’s New With Monkeypox

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We can now add monkeypox to the list of highly contagious, virial diseases that are trying to kill us all.

WHO declares monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern
Currently, the US is reporting over 2,800 probable or confirmed monkeypox cases in 44 states, DC and Puerto Rico, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Globally, there are over 16,500 cases reported in 74 countries.

Source: CNN.com taken July 22, 2022

Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

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Roe v. Wade is literally as old as I am. (They began arguments 1 month after I was born.) Today, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, held that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, thus overruling Roe v. Wade (and Planned Parenthood v. Casey).

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Breaking Records In Heat and Inflation

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I thought this was newsworthy. The US is going to fry this weekend, and it’s going to cost a lot more to eat, sleep, travel, and cool down. The high temperature forecast for my area in Texas on Saturday is 99F, but we’ve already topped 100F this year, and we’ve been hot since early May. It’s the I-10 corridor that is really going to cook.

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Russia Invades Ukraine

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Vlad the (Impudent) Impaler
Vlad the (Impudent) Impaler

Have you seen this guy? Of course you have. It’s ol’ Vlad. The Putinator. The Russian President for Life. Well, about 10 days ago he went off his meds and attacked – excuse me, launched a ‘special military operation’ – in the sovereign nation of Ukraine with soldiers, tanks, bombs, missiles, etc.

In the past 10 days over 1 million people have crossed the border to neighboring Poland, Romania, Moldova and Hungary. Estimates range from 136 to 2,000 Ukrainians have been killed so far.

Some of the Ukrainians fought back with what else – the quintessential weapon of choice – Molotov cocktails made by an Ukrainian brewery.

The 2022 Primary Election in Texas

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It’s midterm election season once again, and somethings have changed: the Texas Legislature redrew district maps. I was in US Congressional District 17, now District 10. My State House District stayed 14. My State Senate District stayed 5. I was State Board of Education District 8, now District 10.

The Primary Election this year is March 1 (early voting starts February 14), and the General Election will be November 8 (early voting starts October 24). As usual, the Texas Tribune has a useful primary election guide.

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Texas to allow carrying guns without a license or background check

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So this is a thing now…

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas is poised to remove one of its last major gun restrictions after lawmakers approved allowing people to carry handguns without a license, and the background check and training that go with it.

Source: ABCNews.com

I got a License To Carry a few years ago, and I passed background checks for every gun I purchased. I’m with the LEO on this one – I object! I think all gun sales (private too) should require a background check. And people that carry should have a License To Carry (LTC) license.

UPDATE:

Governor Abbott signed House Bill 1927 into law on June 16, 2021, and it takes effect September 1, 2021. (Source: Texas Tribune, Texans can carry handguns without a license or training starting Sept. 1, after Gov. Greg Abbott signs permitless carry bill into law)