This week on Lost Terminal: Maddie and the gang head to the market, Seth ponders the importance of testing, and receives an unwelcome visitor. Lost Terminal will return next week! đ Free transcript: https://www.patreon.com/posts/144469199 đľ Today's SIGNAL is: https://namtao.bandcamp.com/track/lumen-square 𦣠Mastodon https://namtao.com/@lostterminal đ Tumblr https://lostterminalpod.tumblr.com đď¸ Recorded using a RODE NT-1 v5 USB in 32-bit float, edited with REAPER on Linux đ CREDITS Credits narrated by Lucy Stringer â¤ď¸ Thank you so much to everyone who supports me, but especially my Patreon Producers: Ada Phillips Kit Mike McCaffrey Jade Felicity Bilkey Stephen McCandless Mike Schneider Catoxis
TORONTO â Following the news that a top Campbellâs executive was fired after being caught on microphone calling the companyâs soups âshit for poor peopleâ, Tim Hortons have released a statement reminding the Canadian public that they too offer a wide variety of bad soup for poor slobs. âWe were horrified by the comments made [âŚ]
This comment section is open for any discussion youâd like to have with other readers (work or non-work or possibly even entirely dessert-focused if thatâs your bag).
In brief: In todayâs post we look ahead to resplendent weather for the holiday, to be followed by brief warm-up this weekend before widespread showers and couple of shots of colder air. Parts of Houston may hit the 30s later next week.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Good morning, everyone. Just a relatively short post this morning due to the holidayâthe Berger household has been up since 5:30 am working on smoking turkeysâbut I wanted to share the latest on a fairly dynamic forecast. Fortunately weâre not looking at any serious storms, but there is a healthy chance of rain this weekend, and then conditions turn quite a bit colder next weekend. So with this post we are going to hit the high notes.
Thanksgiving Day
As weâve been saying for awhile now, weather today will be ideal for the holiday. This morningâs low temperature of 48 degrees at Bush Intercontinental Airport was bang-on for the normal temperature for this time of year and todayâs highs in the mid- to upper-60s will be typical for this time in November (normal high, 69 degrees). When you add in sunny skies, low humidity, and light winds, we have just exceptionally fine weather for a holiday. Lows tonight will probably be a couple of degrees cooler than Wednesday night. Think low-40s north of Houston, and upper 40s in Houston and further south.
Low temperature forecast for Friday morning. (Weather Bell)
Friday
This will be a transition day, with partly sunny skies and highs in the upper 60s. Winds will shift to come from the east-southeast, gusting up to 20 mph, or perhaps a bit higher. Lows Friday night will only drop to around 60 degrees.
Saturday
The first half of the weekend will see rising temperatures, into the mid-70s, along with much more humid air. I think Saturday morning will be mostly rain-free, with only some light showers as an exception. However, later in the day rain chances increase with the advance of a cold front. The best chances will occur later on Saturday evening and overnight when the front pushes through. Iâm hesitant to predict accumulations, but at this time I expect most of the area to pick up 0.5 to 1.5 inches of rain. There is a slight risk of excessive rainfall, but given the overall dryness of our soils Iâm not too concerned about flooding.
The Houston region faces a âmarginalâ risk of excessive flooding on Saturday and Saturday night. (NOAA)
Sunday
This will be a chilly day, with leaden skies. Highs probably will not rise out of the upper 50s. Some rain chances will linger, but for the most part I just expect gray skies. Lows on Sunday night will probably drop into the 40s.
Next week
Monday should bring another shot of rainfall as what looks to be a reinforcing front moves in. As a result the first day of December looks to be a dreary affair, with highs perhaps topping out in the low 50s. Weâll see our lowest temperatures next week, possibly in the 30s for parts of Houston, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and/or Thursday mornings. At this point most of our available evidence points toward temperatures remaining above freezing in the metro area, but weâre going to keep an eye on things.
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OTTAWA â The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission will no longer impose Canadian Content quotas on pornographic websites, leading to the cancellation of several upcoming productions starring Corner Gasâ Eric Peterson. The regulatory change has removed all Canadian content requirements for adult programming, meaning that numerous porn films whose government funding relied upon casting Canadian [âŚ]
SECOND CIRCLE OF HELL â Speaking over screams for pity and the roaring wind buffeting those unfortunate souls convicted of regular lust, the Prince of Darkness expressed frustration Wednesday with the stubborn pleasure which Hellâs most hardcore masochists take in his punishments. âItâs not the kink-curious weâre talking about. Of course, any sex that is [âŚ]
Some long-standing retail rumors may come true if a planned redevelopment of the former Macyâs at Almeda Mall takes place. When Macyâs closed earlier this year, rumors began swirling about what was coming for the property. The building predates the mall and was suspected by many to be demolished to accomplish any redevelopment of the land. However, according to renderings and a site plan produced by the real estate firm handling redevelopment, the old Foleyâs ...
In brief: In todayâs post we discuss the seasonal conditions for Thanksgiving, which will be followed by widespread showers this weekend. After this we will be sharply colder next week, with a slight chance of a freeze. Also, a brilliant fireball soared through the skies over Houston last night.
Fireball over Southeast Texas
Last night around 10 pm I received a couple of messages about a bright object transiting the sky above Houston. This almost certainly was a fireball, a name for a large meteor (typically a few feet across, or larger) that has an apparent magnitude of -4 or brighter. According to unconfirmed sightings at Fireball reports, this object was brighter, closer to magnitude -10, or nearly as bright as the Moon. Via the local Houston subreddit I found this video of the object, captured at 9:34 pm CT on Tuesday night from north Houston. It is quite spectacular, although I believe you have to be logged into Nextdoor to view it. Even for dedicated meteor observers, such a bright fireball would be a fairly rare sighting. Congratulations to everyone who got to witness it in real time!
Information about a fireball. (American Meteor Society)
Early week tornadoes
A high-end EF-1 and a low-end EF-2 tornado on Monday were confirmed from damage surveys conducted by the National Weather Service northwest of Houston. The first occurred in Riata Ranch. The second was in Klein. Matt compiled a full report on what is known about these tornadoes, which were not particularly well forecast in advance.
Wednesday
Away from the coast temperatures have generally fallen into the 50s this morning. Weâre starting to see some gusty winds from the north, and thatâs evidence of a reinforcing front that will bring some significantly drier air into the region. As a result we are going to see gusty conditions this afternoon, up to 20 or 25 mph. With the influx of colder air, highs today are likely to max out in the upper 60s, despite sunny skies. Low temperatures tonight will bottom out in the upper 40s in Houston with cooler conditions for outlying areas. Winds will slacken some.
Low temperature forecast for Thanksgiving morning. (Weather Bell)
Thanksgiving Day
The holiday will dawn cold and clear, with light northeasterly winds. High temperatures will, for the most part, be in the mid-60s across the region with clear skies. Really we have zero weather concerns so please just enjoy the holiday with friends and family. Lows on Thanksgiving night will again drop into the upper 40s for many locations, although winds will shift to come from the east overnight, a harbinger of a returning onshore flow.
High temperature forecast for Thanksgiving Day. (Weather Bell)
Friday
After a chilly start, highs on Friday will push into the upper 60s. We are going to see building clouds as atmospheric moisture levels increase. Winds from the southeast will pick up, gusting to perhaps 20 or 25 mph. This increase in moisture will lead to some slight rain chances by Friday night, but for the most part I think theyâll hold off until the weekend.
Saturday and Sunday
We are going to warm up on Saturday, with highs in the 70s and a return of humidity. This will set the stage for widespread showers (although probably not any severe weather) during the day and evening. At some point on Saturday night or early Sunday, a front is going to push into the area. This will bring colder air, but not end rain chances. Sunday should see highs in the vicinity of 60 degrees during the daytime, with perhaps a 50 percent chance of rain. Skies remain mostly cloudy. Most of us should probably pick up, roughly, 1 inch of rain through the weekend. Totals will vary widely, however.
Next week
The first half of next week looks cold, with highs in the 50s, and an ongoing chance of rain. Tuesday and Wednesday morning look to be the coldest of the forecast period, and we cannot rule out a light freeze for inland parts of the Houston area. I would say the chances are low, but non-zero. Weâre going to keep an eye on it. When we flirt with a freeze, and there is lingering precipitation, the next question is whether there could be any frozen precipitation. The short answer is probably not. The longer answer is probably not because the colder air arriving by Tuesday should do so as precipitation is ending, but I would not rule anything out just yet. Temperatures appear to moderate some by the second half of next week, with highs likely in the 60s.
So youâre telling me thereâs a chance of snow? Probably not. (Weather Bell)
Fundraiser
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LOW EARTH ORBITâSaying the dreaded nightly ritual had quickly become his least favorite part of his mission, astronaut Dave Barron told reporters Wednesday that he absolutely hated the long, freezing spacewalk required to reach the International Space Stationâs outhouse. âGod, itâs such a pain. You have to put on the whole suit, depressurize, and then spend 25 minutes trudging through the dark, near-absolute-zero void just to take a piss,â said Barron, adding that if, God forbid, he forgot to bring toilet paper, he had to spacewalk all the way back to the orbital station. âAnd once you get to the outhouse, itâs even worse. Thereâs always human waste floating around and just an old copy of Popular Mechanics to read. They only gave the ISS one john for all seven of us, and the whole place reeks because they only send up maintenance from Earth every few months. You canât wash your hands in there, eitherâthey just have a Purell dispenser thatâs always empty. Iâm telling you, if itâs the middle of the night, Iâll just hold it until morning, âcause thereâs no fucking way Iâm heading out there to be pelted with micrometeorites if I have to wake up in a few hours.â Barron went on to complain about the ISSâs outdoor shower, which he described as âway too cold.â
INDIANAPOLISâIn an effort to get hands-on experience stigmatizing patientsâ bodies in a safe environment, Indiana University medical student Dylan Loera confirmed Wednesday that she was practicing fat shaming on a cadaver. âAt first it felt strange, but the opportunity to practice saying, âHave you tried losing a few pounds?â in the flesh is so different than just shaking your head at a picture in a textbook,â said the first-year student, adding that she felt humbled by the generosity of the deceased individual who donated their body so she could roll her eyes a few times and poke their stomach folds with an audible âoof.â âAfter so many hours sitting in lectures, it was nice to finally put on my scrubs and reduce a patientsâ value as a human being by criticizing their weight. It almost feels like Iâm right there in an actual medical practice, dismissing a fat patientâs every concern while suppressing my laughter.â Loera reportedly received a perfect score on her examination after informing a cadaver with cancer symptoms that there was nothing she could do for them if they werenât willing to help themselves.
WASHINGTONâResponding to concerns about high grocery prices ahead of the holiday, President Donald Trump held a press conference Wednesday to tout the affordability of hay-based Thanksgiving dishes. âIâm doing a great job on the economy and bringing the price of Thanksgiving dinners way down by encouraging Americans to replace costly ingredients with straw,â said Trump, adding that the low-cost, grass-based livestock feed could be shaped into the form of a roasted bird or baked into casseroles and pies. âThanksgiving meal prices are down 33% compared to what they were under Biden, and now you can stay full by chewing on the hay for hours and hours. Americans consuming dried grass out of necessity is just another sign that the United States has the strongest economy in the history of the worldâhorses eat this stuff, and look how strong those guys are. I promised to lower cud prices for Americans, and by God have I delivered. Bet you canât eat just one bail!â Trump then asked Vice President JD Vance to show Americans that hay was delicious by eating some off the floor for the camera.
Vince Offer, the once-prominent infomercial pitchman better known as the âShamWow guy,â has filed to run as a Republican in Texasâs 31st congressional district, claiming he wants to âdestroy wokeismâ in Congress and âmake America happy.â What do you think?
âHow absorbent are his opponentâs towels?â
Mario Lobo, Replica Appraiser
âHeâll poll well with the sizable bloc of voters who are overwhelmed by spills.â
Penny Norfolk, Doll Clothier
âAnyone with a proven track record of battering women has my vote.â
In brief: A high-end EF-1 and a low-end EF-2 tornado were confirmed today from damage surveys conducted by the National Weather Service northwest of Houston. The first occurred in Riata Ranch. The second was in Klein. Additional damage surveys may still be done to check for other tornadoes or to fine tune these paths.
Preliminary tornado confirmations from Monday. (NWS Houston)
Two confirmed tornadoes
The NWS Houston office went out and did the dirty work on damage surveys from Mondayâs tornadoes. They confirmed two so far. The first was a high-end EF-1 that had maximum winds of 105 mph (corrected from the above graphic) in Riata Ranch and a path length of 2.6 miles. The second was a low-end EF-2 that hit the Klein area, with maximum winds of 115 mph (corrected from the above graphic) and a path length of 3.8 miles. I believe these are the first tornadoes in Harris County since just after last Christmas.
Riata Ranch tornado
The Riata Ranch tornado touched down just after 1:20 PM on Monday. For those unfamiliar, Riata Ranch is just east of Barker Cypress Road just south of 290. A radar capture from 1:23 PM on Monday shows the tornado developing. The first touchdown point occurred in Towne Lake, just off Tuckerton west of Barker Cypress.
Radar capture from 1:23 PM on Monday, when the tornado initially touched down in Towne Lake, just southwest of Riata Ranch. (RadarScope)
Following radar, you are able to see the rotation track to just west of Barker Cypress at 290 by 1:26 PM. It seems that a debris signature (TDS) becomes evident on radar between 1:26-1:29 PM, which indicates a pretty healthy tornado in progress. This occurs as the original circulation begins to broaden out crossing 290. At this point, the tornado was lifting.
Tornadic debris signature showing on radar at 1:29 PM indicating a confirmed tornado. Meanwhile, the tornado was actually dissipating at this point. (RadarScope)
Indeed, the NWS found that the tornado dissipated around 1:28 PM at 290 and Barker Cypress.
Overall, the TDS on this one was very impressive, usually only the type of TDS Iâve seen in typically stronger tornadoes. This is likely indicative of the densely populated area it struck.
Klein tornado
We got a 10-to-15-minute break before the same supercell dropped another tornado. Around 1:41 PM, a new tornado dropped just east of Cutton Road along Louetta Road.
The Klein tornado tracked from just east of 249 to just north of Spring Cypress and Stuebner Airline Road. (RadarScope)
This one did not show quite as strong a TDS as the Riata Ranch tornado, despite being a little stronger. Nuance is a thing. It didnât take long for it to show up, however, which happened around 1:47 PM. Notably, the debris signature from the Riata Ranch tornado does not appear to have dissipated entirely around this time, but it does show up nicely.
A fairly sharp TDS was evident on the Klein tornado as well, maybe just a smidge less impressive than the Riata Ranch one. (RadarScope)
Notably, when youâre looking at these tornadic debris signatures, remember a radar beam doesnât go out flat. It aims up, so at this distance, about 49 miles from the HGX radar in League City/Dickinson, weâre sampling whatâs occurring about 3,500 feet up. So this indicates that the tornado was lofting debris several thousand feet up in the atmosphere. Overall, this was a very impressive event for Houston. We see tornadoes rather frequently here, but not usually this strong. Of the 78 tornadoes confirmed in Harris County since 2000, only 6 have been F/EF-2 or stronger. The Klein tornado now makes seven.
GEORGE, NB â Despite no self-defense training and being incredibly out of shape, cell phone kiosk employee Wade Creamer, 27, has often described to friends his plans for countering a potential home invasion. âIâd hear an intruder entering, even as I slept. Iâve trained myself to awaken instantly at any unusual sound,â he told friends [âŚ]
The popularity of GLP-1 weight-loss medications continues to soarâand their uptake is helping to push down obesity rates on a national scaleâbut a safe, evidence-based way off the drugs isnât yet in clear view.
An analysis published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine found that most participants in a clinical trial who were assigned to stop taking tirzepatide (Zepbound from Eli Lilly) not only regained significant amounts of the weight they had lost on the drug, but they also saw their cardiovascular and metabolic improvements slip away. Their blood pressure went back up, as did their cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c (used to assess glucose control levels), and fasting insulin.
In an accompanying editorial, two medical experts at the University of Pittsburgh, Elizabeth Oczypok and Timothy Anderson, suggest that this new class of drugs should be rebranded from âweight lossâ drugs to âweight managementâ drugs, which people may need to take indefinitely.
RealPage has agreed to settle an antitrust lawsuit raised by the Department of Justice, alleging that landlords used its tools to coordinate efforts to artificially raise rental prices across the US.
In a press release, the DOJ promised the proposed settlement âwould help restore free market competition in rental markets for millions of American renters.â
For years since the pandemic started, rental prices outpaced inflation, and the DOJ suspected that RealPage was the dominant force driving a market that never favored renters. Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data covering a 12-month period ending this September showed rents are still rising by 3.5 percent amid an affordability crisis, leaving some US renters in fear of housing instability.
