Weather It Is (That Kind of Weather)

Good Afternoon:

It's been that kind of weather.  The temperatures are mild in the afternoon and nights are cool, and there are sprinkles or drizzle from time to time.

It's a time of change, and because the weather patterns are not very settled, it's a difficult time to forecast much ahead.

For instance, a few days ago it seemed that our first real rain of the season would be upon us at the end of the week. Instead, there will just be showers.

Looking ahead again, we see that the beginning of the week should feel more like early fall than winter arriving at our doorstep.  The warm weather will arrive on southeasterly winds early next week ahead of low pressure, stick around for a day or two (Monday and Tuesday), and then more winter-like temperatures should return on the backside of the low.

As the colder temperatures move in, there is a 50% chance of showers and a 25% chance of a heavier rain.  It's the time when plants and other creatures should be getting ready for winter, so we'll hope for cold temperatures and a heavier rain.

Speaking of creatures -- bad  creatures -- there continues to be in the news more news about predatory men preying on women, and these predators are turning up in far too many places.  In fact, our first accused offender -- Harvey Weinstein -- was most likely just one of many such men.

They say that "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," wrote John Emerich Dalton Acton in 1887. He went on to write that: "Great men are always bad men."  It seems to have turned out that many of whom we consider great personalities used their power to obtain favors that were not appropriate.

In a previous column, I pointed out the possible advantage of more modest dress, and noted that it might provide some protection against such men (as such men would more likely spend their energies on those they found more obviously appealing).  Please note, I am not speaking about rapists who commit acts of violence without any regard to their victims looks, personality, etc. My supposition may be true, but given the actual number of those accused it seems the real problem is the relatively large numbers of men engaging in this behavior, and the only practical way to stop this type of behavior is through sanctions against them (i.e, make it not worth their while to engage in this behavior).

On a parting note: corruption is not necessarily gender specific -- although the problem seems rather one sided at the moment.

Barry Lynn