This morning I saw a headline about atmospheric river storms causing major problems in the USA. I had never heard of an atmospheric river. The term dates apparently from 1994 and refers to vast airborne corridors of water vapor flowing from Earth’s tropics toward higher latitudes. These atmospheric rivers can steer much-needed rain to parched lands but in extreme form, they can also cause destruction and loss of life, as seen in some of the storms which last for days.
Presumably this phenomenon doesn’t just affect the USA and maybe explains why we seem to get so many storms in recent years. Or maybe we’ve always had them but notice them more because we name them. Rather like becoming more ill because you decide your sniffle is really flu.
Today, despite earlier forecasts of rainy weather, has so far turned put to be mostly fine and dry with sunny intervals. We took ourselves off on a walk along the forest path - still rather muddy.
Out in the wider world, Azhar Ali is a candidate in the Rochdale by-election taking place at the end of the month. He recently upset people by suggesting that Israel had “allowed” the October 7th Hamas attack to take place despite being warned that it was going to happen, giving them a pretext to enter Gaza in force. Others have suggested the same thing but they aren’t Labour Party candidates. And Azhar Ali has now “apologised unreservedly to the Jewish community” for comments which he described as “deeply offensive, ignorant and false.”
There are some who think Labour should withdraw support from Mr Ali but they are not doing so, maybe because time is short for finding another candidate, maybe because it seems that George Galloway is going to stand in the same by-election on a pro-Gaza platform. Ón the news last night someone said that the Rochdale situation is getting the party “mired” in the antisemitism scandal of the Corbyn era. Oh dear!
It crosses my mind that if we criticise US actions and policies we could potentially accused of anti-christianism, if such a term exists!
Here’s a bit of Michael Rosen:
'People are expressing grave concerns about what we're going to do next,' said the King.
'So?' said the King's tutor.
'Surely we can't have people thinking we shouldn't be doing what we're doing,' said the King.
'I think we can,' said the tutor. 'I'm disappointed that when things get tough, you turn out to be weak and feeble.'
'I just worry that we might not be doing the right thing,' said the King.
'I just worry that you don't listen to me,' said the tutor.
'I'm listening,' said the King.
'First - tell people that what we're doing is right and necessary,' said the tutor.
'Got it,' said the King.
'Second - tell the people that the worst of all things going on at the moment is that people are saying horrible things about us,' said the tutor.
'Got it,' said the King.
'That's it,' said the tutor.
'Got it,' said the King.
Meanwhile attacks on Rafah continue and according to this report two Israel hostages have been released/rescued as a result. Dozens of Palestinians, including women and children, were killed in the process. That gives us a new equation: 2 freed hostages = 10s of dead Palestinians.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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