Culture

Deserted In The Desert

A “mass exodus” began early this week as thousands of Burning Man attendees rushed to escape after a rainstorm drenched Black Rock City, leaving festival-goers surrounded by thick, ankle-deep mud. Officials halted all traffic, as the only route in or out was unfit for travel, leaving them stranded for days. Attendees were told to shelter in place and conserve as much food, water, and fuel as possible. Festival organizers reopened the road on Monday, although some were unlucky enough to get stuck on the grueling drive out. On a normal year, leaving the event can take up to 12 hours, further entrenching an already labourious situation.

Politics

Here we go again

As the Senate and House return to their duties after a break this August, they have a daunting dilemma to look forward to; another government shutdown. GOP hardliners are yearning to see what Senate members decide regarding the end-of-month deadline to fund federal agencies, forcing them to accept a myriad of GOP priorities or risk a government shutdown.

Who’s caught in the crossfire?

Yet again, Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy finds himself right in the middle of things. In a private conference call, he urged conservative aids to accept a short-term spending deal and relocate their energy for the larger funding confrontation in the fall. McCarthy stated that GOP priorities should lie in the year-long spending bills focused on funding federal agencies, as they could better enact the cuts and policy changes conservative members have demanded, such as border security and immigration.

• McCarthy urged far-right members of the House to “stop squabbling amongst themselves” or they risk getting deadlocked between bipartisan efforts and being forced to accept higher spending levels

What’s next?

The House reconvenes next week, while the two chambers have little time to resolve the many disagreements over funding the government. Partisan efforts have each side hundreds of billions of dollars apart; the two sides will have to work alongside each other to postpone the skirmish until early December. This is all as Congress faces key end-of-the-month deadlines along with a potential impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden.

Sports

Its finally here

Football season has finally arrived and America is giddy, like every season, to sit on the couch, have a beer, and watch some football. The season kicked off yesterday with a bout between the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Detroit Lions, with a slate of games to come this weekend. Personally, I’m looking forward to the 17-0 season the Minnesota Vikings are about to have. SKOL VIKES!

Record breaker. Max Verstappen won his 10th race in a row, breaking the Formula 1 record for straight wins. This happens as he continues his streak of dominance this season, winning the Italian Grand Prix.

Verstappen, 25, has won 12 of the 14 races this season, while his Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez has won the two others. No team in Formula 1 history has won every race in a season. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton seemed to minimize Verstappen’s achievement by saying his streak wasn’t any more impressive than that of previous win streak holders. Hamilton also added that he believes his “teammates have been stronger than the teammates Max has had”, which only adds insult to injury if you ask me.

Snippets

Skyrim in Space? The long-awaited game by Bethesda Studios, Starfield, came out this week with mostly positive reviews, and a lot of basement dwellers ready to play (myself included).

Vaccination Vacation: First Lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19, the White House announced Monday night.

Plane Poops: A Delta Airlines flight had to be turned around as there was diarrhea “all the way through the plane”. It eventually took off again after an eight-hour delay. I’ll walk after that one.

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