In brief: Houston faces the slight possibility of some thunderstorms as a cold front pushes into Houston this afternoon, with drier air following. A stronger push of cold air on Wednesday will bring the coldest night of the season for most locations, making it feel more seasonal as we get closer to the holidays.
Low temperatures on Monday morning were 20 to 25 degrees warmer than normal. (Weather Bell)
November will feel more like November soon
For mid-November it is an incredibly warm morning, with temperatures generally in the mid- to upper-70s. We are running about 25 degrees above normal for this time of year for morning lows. And if you’re thinking, golly, I’d like it to be feel a little bit more like the holiday season, you’re in luck as a front will arrive today. A push of colder air on Wednesday will make things downright chilly during the second half of the week. Also, please don’t forget that we’re in the midst of our annual fundraiser, during which your support keeps Space City Weather going all year long. You can find more information here.
Monday
Houston will see scattered, mostly light showers this morning in advance of a front moving in from the west. Highs will reach around 80 degrees, or a bit above. A line of storms should push into western areas of Houston, including Katy, by around 2 to 4 pm. At this time it looks like this line of showers will be falling apart as it pushes into Houston during the next hour or two, but I’m not ready to entirely rule out some stronger thunderstorms and the possibility of damaging winds. Still, the overall threat from this frontal passage appears to be pretty low. The showers will be clear of the area by around sunset or shortly after, with somewhat drier air pushing in. Lows tonight will drop to around 60 degrees.
Tuesday
This will be a sunny day, with moderately drier air and light winds. Most areas should see highs in the upper 70s. Lows will drop into the 50s on Tuesday night, but the more noticeable trend will be stronger winds after midnight, from the northwest. This will herald the arrival of a secondary push of colder and drier air.
Wednesday
Said winds will peak during the early morning hours on Wednesday, gusting up to 25 mph or higher before relaxing during the afternoon or evening hours. Skies will remain sunny throughout. Lows on Wednesday night will generally drop into the 40s in Houston, and this should be the coldest night of the week.
Low temperatures will bottom out on Thursday morning. (Weather Bell)
Thursday and Friday
These will be pleasant and sunny days, with highs of around 70 degrees, and lows around 50 degrees with cooler conditions in outlying areas. Humidity will be low.
Saturday and Sunday
The sunshine party continues this weekend, and there are zero concerns for any outdoor activities you may have planned. Humidity will be on the upswing, but still quite a bit lower than is normal in Houston. Look for highs in the mid-70s on Saturday, and about 80 degrees on Sunday. By Sunday night lows will only be dropping into the 60s.
Next week
We’ll start out warm next week, but at some point a cold front should arrive. The timing for this front is critical, of course, with Thanksgiving on the horizon next Thursday, and the possibility of some rainfall with the front. In tomorrow’s post I will dig a bit deeper into the forecast for Thanksgiving Day in Houston, when hopefully there will be a little more clarity.
TORONTO – As shopping malls and grocery stores switch to Christmas music and eager neighbours begin putting up decorations, local accountant Thomas Muncy has told reporters that he’s ejaculating even earlier than usual this year. “I’ve struggled with premature ejaculation for decades, and it feels like every year it comes even sooner than before,” Muncy […]
REGINA, SK – A new study conducted by researchers at The Littlest Hobo Memorial University has uncovered a starling trend; in 95% of cases, most hero dogs’ attempts to get help are ignored by human authority figures. “Going back through hundreds of incidents of children having fallen down wells and similar crises, we found that […]
TORONTO—Though he tried hard to recall what he had learned about space rocks back in middle school, local man Jason Nieto reportedly forgot the difference between meteoroids and meteorites Thursday, struggling to describe what had just killed his dog. “God, I always forgot which one is the kind that actually hits the ground, if that’s even the difference, so I’m not sure what just crushed Churro,” said Nieto, explaining that the meteorite or meteoroid—or maybe asteroid, if that was a category including all of them—came streaking out of the clouds while he was walking his Pomeranian in the park. “If it hadn’t left a crater where Churro was and had just burned up in the atmosphere, then that’s a meteoroid, right? One of them kills dogs in space in orbit, and the other kills dogs on Earth. I just can’t remember which is which. Oh wait, shit, there’s also just a ‘meteor’ too, isn’t there? What am I supposed to tell the vet when I bring the ashes over?” At press time, reports confirmed a stumped Nieto was frantically searching his phone to see if it mattered that the space rock had exploded when it hit his dog.
MINNEAPOLIS—Grabbing their pom-poms before heading out to pump up the crowd, several WNBA players confirmed Thursday that they have been forced to supplement their incomes during the offseason by cheerleading for NBA teams. “With the season over, everyone in the league is scrambling to make ends meet by getting a second job dancing for the NBA,” said Minnesota Lynx power forward Napheesa Collier, who earns $200 per game as a cheerleader for the Timberwolves. “We spend all day at regular practice, and then in the evenings we head straight to the arena in order to change into our crop tops and skirts and run through our dance routines before tipoff. I’m supposed to be using this time to rest my foot injury, but instead I’m shimmying around the court during the halftime show and shooting the T-shirt cannon into the crowd. None of the women want to be moonlighting like this, but at least we get to watch basketball while we work.” At press time, sources reported that Colliers and her teammates were claiming their free Chick-fil-A sandwiches after Lakers center Anthony Davis missed two consecutive free throws.
Today we celebrate a new addition to the Global Tetrahedron LLC family of brands. And let me say, I really do see it as a family. Much like family members, our brands are abstract nodes of wealth, interchangeable assets for their patriarch to absorb and discard according to the opaque whims of the market. And just like family members, our brands regard one another with mutual suspicion and malice.
All told, the decision to acquire InfoWars was an easy one for the Global Tetrahedron executive board.
Founded in 1999 on the heels of the Satanic “panic” and growing steadily ever since, InfoWars has distinguished itself as an invaluable tool for brainwashing and controlling the masses. With a shrewd mix of delusional paranoia and dubious anti-aging nutrition hacks, they strive to make life both scarier and longer for everyone, a commendable goal. They are a true unicorn, capable of simultaneously inspiring public support for billionaires and stoking outrage at an inept federal state that can assassinate JFK but can’t even put a man on the Moon.
Through it all, InfoWars has shown an unswerving commitment to manufacturing anger and radicalizing the most vulnerable members of society—values that resonate deeply with all of us at Global Tetrahedron.
No price would be too high for such a cornucopia of malleable assets and minds. And yet, in a stroke of good fortune, a formidable special interest group has outwitted the hapless owner of InfoWars (a forgettable man with an already-forgotten name) and forced him to sell it at a steep bargain: less than one trillion dollars.
Make no mistake: This is a coup for our company and a well-deserved victory for multinational elites the world over.
What’s next for InfoWars remains a live issue. The excess funds initially allocated for the purchase will be reinvested into our philanthropic efforts that include business school scholarships for promising cult leaders, a charity that donates elections to at-risk third world dictators, and a new pro bono program pairing orphans with stable factory jobs at no cost to the factories.
As for the vitamins and supplements, we are halting their sale immediately. Utilitarian logic dictates that if we can extend even one CEO’s life by 10 minutes, diluting these miracle elixirs for public consumption is an unethical waste. Instead, we plan to collect the entire stock of the InfoWars warehouses into a large vat and boil the contents down into a single candy bar–sized omnivitamin that one executive (I will not name names) may eat in order to increase his power and perhaps become immortal.
All will be revealed in due time. For now, let’s enjoy this win and toast to the continued consolidation of power and capital.
Infinite Growth Forever,
Bryce P. Tetraeder, Global Tetrahedron CEO
The Onion Is Back In Print. Get The Paper. Become A Member.
I have a happy update. I have been using your “I’m having trouble hearing from back here, shout out if you need me” language — so simple.
I am not normally an e-book reader but found it was much easier to politely read in the backseat on my phone vs. a physical book. So grateful I can read without getting carsick!
I also took many commenters’ advice and set the stage early in a trip with a low-key, “Hey, are you good with listening to (radio station)/ what music do you enjoy listening to?” When interests align, I have suggested playing safe-for-work humor or science podcasts, which has led to others sharing additional podcast recommendations for future drives.
There was one instance when a coworker requested no radio and was not seemingly interested in discussion. It was a very quiet seven-hour drive! But that’s just working with a variety of people.
A few commenters suggested working rather than reading a book. When needed, or if meetings overlap, I will work. But generally, working while actively traveling (outside of longer layovers) is not an expectation in my agency and I am glad for that.
Overall, my latest long drives with coworkers have been so much more comfortable. A good reminder for me how easy it can be to politely push back on workplace norms. Thank you!
First of all, thank you very much for your advice. It was good to know I wasn’t being unreasonable. It does seem like this varies a little bit, from what I could tell from the comments. Some commenters mentioned they would be required to donate the money in a situation similar to this.
Here’s what I replied to my employer with: “Thanks again for all this info. Most of this looks good to me. Because I’ll be working on this on my own time and not as a representative of the library, I don’t think I can agree to a requirement to donate any compensation I’m paid for the outside work. But, the rest of this all looks good to me, and I thank you for your support.”
The legal rep responded back by saying they took my point, but a conflict of interest includes a staff person using their position to obtain financial gain or privilege. They went on to say that we can reconvene after we determine the actual amount of money we’re talking about, because as some of the commenters mentioned, the compensation might be minimal or nil.
As happens with publishing, the book timeline has been pushed back many times so it’s still not published, and so I haven’t needed to figure out how I’m going to respond if / when I do get any compensation.
To answer some thoughts in the comments:
– In a happy twist for me, my question was published at the same time as a dog question, and so that question of course took all the heat of the comments.
– A couple people wondered why I had involved Legal at all. I think it would be a bad look if admin and Legal found out from anyone but me about my involvement in a profit-making book about librarianship. So I wanted to be the one to share that info.
– There was a lot of suspicion of my org’s legal department. They have been very supportive in general, and we’ve worked on many other things in the meantime with no hitches or touchy communications.
– I wanted to mention that I got the compensation amount that I was discussing ($2,000ish) by asking my co-author what she thought, as she has published with this publisher before on a similar topic.
I didn’t get the job and I’m still looking. But people may be interested to know that (as many people suspected would be the case) my relationship with Carol has not been negatively affected by my decision to distance myself from Jane. If anything, Carol and I are a bit closer now that I’m not expending time and energy on trying to get Jane’s attention, and I’ve learned that Carol has had similar experiences with Jane.
It was probably obvious to everyone but me that the interpersonal side of this situation was likely to play out that way, but I’m a rather anxious person and I guess sometimes you just need a dozen strangers on the internet to tell you, “If Carol is as sensible and chill as you think she is, this is probably gonna be fine.”
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
A reader writes:
Which would make it harder to get another job — quitting without another job or getting fired?
If you have a job where requirements have changed radically and unreasonably, where every day is a nightmare, and people with long track records of good work are being threatened with being fired, I know that getting fired means you at least get unemployment compensation. And it seems that you’d have to explain either quitting without a job or getting fired to a potential employer. So is there any reason to quit before you’re fired? Or it’s the same, either way?
It varies depending on the circumstances.
If your finances dictate that you’ll need unemployment benefits, then quitting without another job lined up may not even be an option.
But if your finances allow you to quit and you’re truly miserable, you’re usually better off quitting. First and foremost, it’s better your mental health. But also, it’s easier to explain leaving without another job lined up than it is to explain a firing.
There are plenty of ways to explain a firing too — being fired doesn’t make you unemployable — but it raises more concerns for most interviewers, and will usually require more of a explanation, than simply leaving will do. It’s more likely to make interviewers worry that whatever was behind the firing will pop up as an issue at the new job too — that your skills might not be as strong as you’re saying they are, or that you have trouble getting along with people, or on and on. Any decent interviewer knows not to assume that’s the case — just because one job wasn’t the right fit doesn’t mean that other jobs won’t be, and you might not even be the cause of whatever went wrong — but it raises questions that you’re better off not raising if you can avoid it.
So all else being equal, it’s better not to be fired if you can avoid it. But it’s also not the end of the world if you can’t avoid it.
There’s also a middle option that can work in some cases but not all: if you know you’re not meeting your boss’s expectations and don’t think that’s likely to change, sometimes it makes sense to have a candid conversation with your manager about that reality and agree on a planned transition, where you’re not being fired but you both decide it makes sense to set an end date. In the kind of situation you described with what sounds like punitive management, this may not be a wise option, but it can work when you have a reasonable boss who sees it as the best option for you both. More on how to do this here.
Vaughan, ON – Members of the Braiden family are excited to have an entire day where nobody in the house is sick. “Usually October through April at least one of us will have a fever, sore throat or will be shooting absolute fire from both ends,” said mom Mary-Anne. “But today we all woke up […]
TORONTO – Local tax accountant Arthur Nowak has reported being unable to tell whether the city’s long-anticipated influx of Taylor Swift fans has begun, or if this is just regular Thursday morning traffic. “I’ve been sitting on the Gardiner for the past 3 hours on my commute in from Oakville, which honestly seemed pretty fast,” […]
Star 102.1 Dallas-Fort Worth just switched to all Christmas music today. So when does iHeartMedia sister station Sunny 99.1 KODA Houston flip to all Christmas music for the rest of 2024?Sunny 99.1 KODA Houston's Christmas music debut is Friday, November 15, at 5 p.m. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sunny 99.1 Houston (@sunny99houston)
740 KTRH listeners have emailed me asking about the whereabouts of "Houston's Morning News" anchor Shara Fryer. They say she has not been on-air lately, and no explanation has been given.I found that Fryer's image and social media links have been removed from the KTRH website's morning newscast page. However, she is still listed in the text field along with co-anchor Jimmy Barrett, whose photo
Some electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are set to get less affordable from next year, it seems. As expected, the incoming Trump administration has set its sights on killing off the IRS clean vehicle tax credit, according to a report in Reuters this afternoon.
The clean vehicle tax credit was overhauled as part of President Joe Biden's signature climate legislation. Until then, the size of a plug-in vehicle's tax credit was based on its battery capacity, with a credit of up to $7,500 available. But from 2023 the rules changed, requiring a certain amount of domestic production to qualify, as well as adding price and income caps to address criticism that the tax credit mostly subsidized the already-wealthy.
Far fewer vehicles are now eligible for the rebate at time of purchase, particularly after the US Treasury Department got tougher about Chinese content, although a loophole means that none of these conditions apply to leased EVs.
The satirical publication partnered with families affected by the Sandy Hook massacre to buy Jones' media empire. Jones said he would challenge the purchase in court.
William Campbell Gallery, Fort Worth’s longest-running gallery, is celebrating its 50-year anniversary this weekend with a new exhibition featuring artists it has represented over the years.
Bill Campbell
Founded in November 1974 by Bill and Pam Campbell, the gallery has seen many changes over the past five decades. Originally named Gallery One Frames, the inaugural space was located at 4715 Camp Bowie Boulevard for the first seven years. When the gallery moved into its current space on Byers Avenue, it took on the new name and separated out the framing business in a small space behind the gallery.
In 2020, the Campbells announced their retirement and sold the gallery to the Fort Worth Contemporary Art Partners, which at the time included Jadz Pate, Clayton Snodgrass, Tim Locke, Peeler Howell, and J.W. Wilson. In 2022, William Campbell Gallery opened a second location on Foch Street, three miles east of its Byers space and closer to Fort Worth’s downtown. Mr. Peeler Howell served as the Gallery Manager from 2017 to 2022, when Anne Kelly Lewis was named as the new director. In May 2024, Mrs. Lewis stepped down from her role and Misty Locke was named Managing Partner and Gallery Director.
Jadz Pate, Sam Brown, Victoria Boll, Clayton Snodgrass, Vince Veazey, Alden Kresena, Pam & Bill Campbell, Andrea & JW Wilson, Tim & Misty Locke. Photo by Macka Photography
Over the last few years, other changes have come about, including a shift in leadership with the Fort Worth Contemporary Art Partners now including Tim and Misty Locke, Clayton Snodgrass, and J.W. and Andrea Wilson. More recently, the gallery’s Foch Street location has also expanded. The footprint of the space was 2,500 square feet, with another business occupying part of the building. Recently, the gallery had the opportunity to expand, taking over the full 6,000-square-foot building.
Maxine Helfman “Birds and Flowers” at William Campbell Gallery, Fall 2023.
The 50th Anniversary show celebrates the gallery’s long history by highlighting more than 50 artists, past and present, that it has represented. The majority of the works in the exhibition were either newly created for this milestone or have not been previously shown at the gallery.
Ms. Locke told Glasstire, “Celebrating William Campbell Gallery’s 50th anniversary as a cornerstone institution in Fort Worth is truly remarkable. As we build upon the visionary legacy that Bill and Pam Campbell established, we remain committed not only to preserving it but expanding it. Our goal is to champion our artists while welcoming new voices that enrich our gallery’s offerings. By embracing diverse talent and pioneering innovative art, we aim to elevate the conversation around contemporary art in Fort Worth, fostering a vibrant and inclusive community.”
The exhibition opens Saturday, November 16, with a reception from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will be on view through December 21. Learn more about the gallery and exhibition at William Campbell Gallery’s website.
“Moody Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new work by Sherry Tseng Hill. liminal being marks her first exhibition at the gallery. The artist states, ‘From the Latin word limen, meaning threshold, the liminal state is the gray area between two states of being, a sense of the present while glancing at that slightly distant feeling, ambiguous and unfixed, the cross-over in which self-understandings and boundaries of thought can shift and expand, and behaviors change. My work explores this feeling of being on the threshold between two things.’”
“Conduit Gallery is honored to announce the second solo exhibition in the Conduit Gallery Project Room, of ceramic based paintings by Russian-born, Arizona-based Yana Payusova. Payusova’s paintings and sculptures blend the styles and symbols of folk art, icons, graphic poster art, illustration, and comics, and reflect both her cultural heritage and her training in traditional Russian realist painting. The work in Is Your Halo On Too Tight?, created in part during her recent residence at C.R.E.T.A. in Rome, is Payusova’s attempt to make sense of our new reality. Highly detailed ceramic sculpture and a wall-based installation inspired by a Rube Goldberg machine explore how propaganda and misinformation operate within our news cycle and society as a whole.”
Katarina Janečková Walshe in her studio. Artwork and image courtesy the artist
“Katarina Janečková Walshe’s painterly practice has long explored complexities of female-identified experience, including sexuality, domesticity, and motherhood. Ten years ago, when she moved from her hometown of Bratislava, Slovakia to Corpus Christi, Texas, she was prompted to examine how those aspects of experience manifest in American and Texan culture. In this installation, titled Mother Land, the artist extends her inquiry to contemplate the transformative potential that applying a mother’s love and care universally might unleash.”
“Un Grito Gallery is pleased to present Bloomed Before Me by Jesselyn Gordon.
Artist statement: My work emerges from a deep-rooted need to navigate the complexities of existence and our place within the vast expanse of the universe. Each creation is a reflection of my quest to process the enigma of time and space while seeking connection amidst our seemingly insignificant presence. With an overarching vision to overwhelm viewers with the sheer volume of work, I aim to underscore the fragility of our existence, reminding us of our inherent smallness and the delicate balance upon which our lives teeter. This current body of work is an extension of my previous explorations into themes of grief, relationships, and the profound questions that are interwoven into our existence. It delves into the relentless interrogation of our purpose and the relentless pursuit of understanding.”
A work by Gavin Gilmore
5. Gavin Gilmore: Layers
Anne Dean Turk Fine Arts Gallery, Kilgore College
November 4 – December 5, 2024
From Kilgore College:
“Gilmore examines the practice of mark-making through pigments and various media. Working with different materials and processes, I explore what defines a mark, and how the methods and techniques change while the work progresses. A native of East Texas, Gilmore takes inspiration from the things around him, and his twenty-years’ experience as an art educator has deepened his need for creative expression. In the time of COVID, he decided to further his studies in the visual arts. Gilmore’s works involve complex processes of layering and removal of materials — to cover over and then partially excavate the imagery to reveal something of what has been hidden.”
Local leaders and rural revitalization experts say Texas’ smallest towns can survive — despite a shift to urban and suburban counties — but it will take investments.
Tropical Depression 19 should become Sara later today.
Sara will be a deeply serious flooding threat to coastal Honduras.
The odds of a major hurricane, in particular a major hurricane tracking toward Florida have dropped off since yesterday.
There is still substantial uncertainty surrounding the details of Sara’s development and peak intensity, but broadly a drift/stall near the coast of Honduras through the weekend, followed by a track toward Belize and the Yucatan and then a hook northeast toward Florida is favored.
Also, our parent site, Space City Weather is doing our annual fundraiser if you are interested in also directly support the work of The Eyewall!
Quick sidebar: Over at our primary site for Houston, Space City Weather, we launched our annual November fundraiser yesterday. Basically, for now, it’s the one chance you have to monetarily support our work. If you don’t have extra money, please do not feel pressure to give; your using the site and spreading the word helps just as well! Ultimately, it does cost a lot to operate a website; develop, update, and support an app (something we may eventually do with The Eyewall in time); and pay for all of our other activities. So if you can help, we’d greatly appreciate it. You’re ensuring our work is freely available to all. We are grateful for any support you’re willing to provide. Thank you!
On with the show…
TD 19 is going to hug the coast of Honduras over the next few days, but exactly where that stall happens is critical in determining if it becomes a hurricane or not. Either way, it’s going to deliver a massive flooding threat to Honduras. (NOAA NHC)
Tropical Depression 19: A major Honduras flood threat, less of a Florida hurricane threat
Invest 99L was given the potential tropical cyclone treatment yesterday. It’s now officially Tropical Depression 19, and it is expected to become Sara by later today. The track of 19 is pretty straightforward — but also immensely important and sensitive to exactly where it sets up. If we look at the forecast for hour 60, which is for Saturday morning, notice that the models are in pretty solid agreement. Each dot below shows where one of the 51 ensemble members is placing Sara’s center at that time.
There is good model agreement on roughly where Sara will be over the next 3 to 4 days. But the proximity to land is going to throw an enormous wrench into determining the exact intensity. (Tomer Burg)
For Honduras, unfortunately this only means the difference between a really bad situation and a really, really bad situation. Significant flash flooding and mudslides courtesy of torrential rain will be likely heading into the next several days as 19/Sara crawls along the coast of Honduras.
Rain totals could exceed 20 inches (500 mm) in parts of coastal Honduras over the next 5 to 6 days, leading to severe flooding. (NOAA WPC)
If the center of Sara stays offshore, it could become a hurricane, which would yield an even worse outcome. But even if that does not happen and Sara stays along the coast or just inland, the rain issues will be just as bad.
But that position of Sara over the next 3 or 4 days will have implications on what happens next for Belize, the Yucatan, and Florida. Sara should eventually get dislodged from its stall and start tracking toward Belize and the Yucatan by Monday. Obviously if it’s still over water and a hurricane, that could produce a pretty rough impact on Belize or Mexico. If it emerges from over the physical coast of Honduras, it will be less of a threat to be a hurricane.
Models have increased agreement on land interaction with Honduras keeping the storm weaker and more over land the next 5 days, but there is still uncertainty. (Tomer Burg)
If anything, trends since yesterday have drastically lowered the potential for a hurricane or major hurricane. There is simply too much land interaction with Honduras and the Yucatan or Belize. But there is a heaping amount of uncertainty still.
For Florida, this means that the threat of a significant hurricane on the west coast seems to have fallen off a good bit since yesterday. That’s good. I would continue to monitor this closely, but the trends have been friendly to you. There could still be some heavy rain and strong thunderstorms as a powerful cold front sweeps across the state next Wednesday. We’ll assess this in the coming days.
In the meantime, any interests in Honduras in particular, but also perhaps Belize or the Yucatan should monitor Sara closely. Even if it never becomes a hurricane, the flooding threat is dire for coastal Honduras. We’ll keep following this aspect of things.
Now, before you decide where I’m going with that quote, please allow me to give a disclaimer as to what this letter is not.
It is not meant to interfere or intermingle with your country’s affairs. It is neither an interrogation of the rise of fascists in the US (we too are teeming with them here in India, where I live) nor is this a critique of your country’s policies, whether economic or environmental, domestic or foreign.
I also don’t mean for this letter to be a criticism of you, the American people. My appreciation for America and its citizens remains profound. I have never visited, but the USA still inspires me with its passionate student protests, coveted colleges, skyscrapers, pride parades, and wonderous natural beauty. America is where Emily Dickinson lived and breathed, and it’s the place where aliens and zombies always go first. I have no reason not to admire your country.
But what this letter is is a reminder that there is a world outside your country’s borders. The borders that many of you, including President-elect Trump, treat as though they are the outer edges of the world, frontiers to guard with unparalleled fervor.
Now, back to what Trump asked on the campaign trail: “Who the hell cares?” I suppose the question mirrors what many Americans ask of themselves, despite their differences: “Why should we care?”
It’s a fair question. You have everything, after all: crude oil and natural gas, Hollywood and New York, Dancing with the Stars and detention centers. Why should you care? Plus, you also have Elon Musk. So if everything fails, you can just hitch a ride to Mars in one of his rockets, leaving us unchosen ones behind, waving at your shiny spacecraft from down below.
I am told that one of the most American things an American can do is die without ever having stepped outside America. For a while, I almost believed the myth that only ten percent of you have passports, but then I’ve come across a few of you here in India and am reminded that you do indeed travel. Although probably not as often to remember the names of the cities and the islands you have visited that are slowly sinking into the ocean (not to mention the names of the monsters who were spawned by your leaders that control them).
So, when Trump asks, “Who the hell cares?" there is only one thing to be said, despite the prevailing fashion of being dubbed as anti-American (“You’re either with us or against us”) or the fear of getting your visas canceled, or worse, being deported: We care, Mr. President-elect. The world is not just America. We, too, exist.
“The oceans are rising,” Trump mocked, cracking himself up. “So what, we’ll have a little bit more beach-front property. That’s not the worst thing in the world.”
Oceans do not care for our laughter or our beach-front properties. When they roar and decide to come sit beside us on our couches and sleep beside us in our bedrooms, our laughter wilts, our bodies swell and burst open like potpourri leaves, and no god knows the trick of taming an ocean back to where it came from.
The World Economic Forum has a list of eleven sinking cities that could disappear by 2100. Some are tucked in faraway places the average American citizen could not care less about, partly due to indifference and partly due to inconvenience. But I bet you didn’t know that some of these cities happen to be in your country, and one of them is sinking two inches every year. Any guesses which one? Want a hint?
Houston: we have a problem. (As do New Orleans, Virginia Beach, and Miami.)
I concede this election was a tough choice. The lesser evil vs evil incarnate. You had to choose, and choose, you most certainly did. So, as you stand with your choice, an old, racist felon who will “fix it,” and make you “great again,” I wish you the best of luck.
Just please understand that your choices matter to the rest of us around the world just as much or even more than they matter to you. We may not have your Walmarts or tater tots, your Statue of Liberty or Guantanamo Bay, but we do have oceans, and they are coming for us.
And once they have come for us, they will come for you too.
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