Onward: The Week Ahead
Your quick, curated guide to the most important events that should be on your radar. Share these with your friends so they know you're the smartest person in the room -- or the Zoom!
Monday. August 11
Watching the tropics. Starting today and all through the week, we’ll be keeping a sharp eye on the Tropics following the development of what could be the year’s first hurricane, Erin. It is too early to tell, but with each passing day we’ll have a better picture of the storm’s development and likely path. It’s that red blob in the above map we’re concerned about.
Speaking of the weather, today is the last official day of the Dog Days of Summer. Does it feel cooler yet? I didn’t think so.
Presidential Joke Day is also today. I offer several in my Essential News column in Florida Weekly. You can check them out here:
Tuesday, August 12
Watch your wallet. The latest data on the economy will be in the news today with the expected Consumer Price Index for July being released. Expect the numbers to show inflation continues on the rise as a consequence of the tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration that is driving up the taxes on imported goods. Wholesale inflation data will also be released later in the week as will corporate earnings reports.
Wednesday, August 13
The sky is falling. The year’s best meteor shower — the Perseids — peaks tonight. That’s the fun news. The less-great news is that if the sky is clear enough to see shooting stars, it will also be clear enough for the moon to blot out most of them. But you’ll still be able to see the brightest among them, and they will be plentiful. They’re fragments burning through the Earth’s atmosphere from the comet Swift-Tuttle. Actual viewing is best starting the night before flowing into the early morning hours of today.
Thursday, August 14
Oh, Rocky! Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, originally released in American theaters in 1975, it is the longest continuously running movie in history thanks to theaters who continue showing it to keep the record going. Cool trivia: Time Warp, perhaps the performance’s most iconic song, was a late addition to the original play added only because the producers needed to stretch out the length of the show.
Friday, August 15
Snowball summit. President Donald Trump has announced he will meet face-to-face with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Alaska today in an effort to end the war in Ukraine. Oddly, nobody from that war-torn country, and certainly not Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was invited. But that could change. Or the whole thing could be called off. Interesting to note: Alaska used to belong to Russia. There are no rumors that the talks will include returning The Last Frontier to its former owner (unless this starts it).
J.C. Bruce is the editor of Tropic Press, an award-winning journalist and columnist, and author. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and his native Florida.
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