Obituary of local interest | Roy S. Derr 

woo-hee, gonna’ be 103 | Incredible as it sounds, the National Weather Service (Today’s Weather!) is calling for: “WHAT… Heat index values up to 103 expected.” It’s the kind of heat the warriors we still have in Iraq endure and it’d be a signal that your doctor’s office or or other places would be a COVID-19 flashing signal the thermometer they pointed at your head if your “measured temperature of 100.0^oF (37.8^oC) or higher.”

OPINION | Many parents and grandparents remember the school-yard chant: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” This Psychology Today article states, “name-calling is part of a preschoolers natural development.” And that’s exactly what’s playing out on the pages of some local facebook groups. The uglier ones are posted a “closed” groups; kind of like preschoolers’ hiding places.

These facebook groups are supposed to be the domain of like-minded persona who gather for group communication and for people to share their common interests and express their opinion.” Many groups are inclusive and the posts and comments are open for all to see; others are closed and “only those who have been invited to the Group can see the content and information shared within it.”

Sh-h-h, there even are |  “Even more private than the closed Group is the secret Group. This type of Group is exactly what you would expect it to be — secret. Nobody on Facebook can see a secret Group other than those in the Group.” We suppose these are the ones favored by the extremists: white nationalist devotees; sexual predators and others who just hate inclusiveness and transparency.

Twat’s that | Wonder whether the spewing of the poster of the above rant at the local “closed” facebook group is misogynistic as well as racist? Wonder whether the person even knows what a vulva is? Schoolyard bullies often resort to name-calling; but then there comes the time — that Ralphie moment! That’s when they melt back into “closed groups” where name calling is safe.

Sometimes | bullies, facists, misogynists, homophobes, nativists and haters venture out of their “safespaces” hiding places and try to inject their venom at open, transparent sites. In open digital spaces, there’s room for civil discourse, including philosophical disagreement. If the schoolyard bullying begins, though, the medical professional above has advice for them.

Younger poll workers | There’s a page one syndicated article in today’s LNP – Always Lancaster about the need for polling places to have younger poll workers. “Governments across the country are scrambling to find people to staff polling places for the presidential election this fall as the coronavirus sows doubt about how safe it will be to cast a ballot in person and thins out an already scarce pool of workers.

“Recruitment efforts are increasingly targeting younger people, who are less at risk of developing serious illness from the virus, as officials and advocates aim strategies toward professional associations, students and sports teams to make sure election sites stay open. Still, a big unknown remains.”

“Be an Election Worker! | Election workers are essential to ensuring that elections are a success.” – U.S. Election Assistance Commission