Friday links: 17 June, 2022

Good morning, and happy Friday! It’s beach day for us. The high today is going to be 85, with sunny skies, so I feel like that’s a much better choice for a beach day than our original pick of Wednesday, which was 99 degrees. YIKES. We weren’t interested in risking heatstroke, so today it is! I haven’t been to the beach since the summer of 2019, so this should be a fun time.

Here’s what I found interesting online this week!

 

Shooting at Uvalde: A conspiracy theorist explains why she says no kids were ever killed.

Starting off with the tough one. This is a horrifying, yet enlightening article on the muck and mire that fills a conspiracy theorist’s head and what they’re willing to sacrifice to maintain their delusions. This woman is possibly one of the worst people out there, and I have nothing good to say about her. I feel terrible for her children, because she absolutely threw them under the bus in order to pursue the conspiracy theories that made her feel powerful and made her life feel worth living. This is a massive tragedy all around, and I’m sorry for everyone that has to deal with this woman on a daily basis.

 

Abbott halts production at Michigan baby formula plant due to storm

Just when we thought things were getting back to normal…

Production will likely be halted for a few weeks. We’re going to be seeing more and more of this as storms get worse and worse with climate change. We’ve already had several tornado warnings that sent us into the basement in my area the past two months; even a few years ago, we’d only have maybe one per year. Look at what’s happening out in Yellowstone, and the water levels at Lake Mead. This time it’s formula (again). Next time it may be something you depend on. This isn’t good.

Speaking of shortages…

 

Here’s what’s behind the tampon shortage

Yikes! I’m lucky enough to own and use a Diva cup; it’s served me well for about 15 years now, but I know that’s not for everyone, whether it’s because of cost or comfort. Scrambling to get period supplies sounds like an absolute nightmare, but that’s where we’re at these days. If you donate to food pantries, feminine hygiene products like pads and tampons are always needed, and I’m guessing that need has only increased with the pandemic and inflation, and now even more so with this shortage. Not a bad idea to donate if you can…if you can find them.

 

DNA analysis reveals source of Black Death

This is so cool!

Researches extracted DNA from some skeletons they had unearthed in Kyrgyzstan, and found plague bacterium – from bodies of people who had died a handful of years before the Black Death had raged through Europe! They’re still working to figure out which animal species it originated in, before it made the leap to humans, but this is seriously fascinating. Learning about this may help us figure out how COVID started and how to potentially prevent future pandemics. I can’t wait to find out more, but science moves at a snail’s pace most of the time, so we’ll just have to be patient.

And that’s it for this week! I have to go dig through the closet and figure out which swimsuit fits after three years of not wearing any of them, so…this should be interesting! Wish me luck…

Wishing you all a relaxing, peaceful weekend. Stay cool and hydrated. Shalom, friends. :)