As I’ve reflected recently on my life and the words included in my daily lexicon, there are words that I find to be disgusting. Now, when I say disgusting, I’m not talking about their definitions, no, I mean how they sound. For example, the word “moist” is horrid. It makes you want to shed all layers of clothing, bathe in hydrogen-peroxide and hermetically seal yourself in an oxygen-friendly Ziploc bag. Here is a list of several other terms that I find gross and hope that if you use any of these, you stop at once.
- Yolk
- Gurgle
- Phlegm
- Curd
- Chunky
- Damp
- Fester
- Orifice
Now that you’re disgusted and en route to the nearest shower or bath, here’s what you missed in the news yesterday.
But, Wait! There’s More?
Federal investigators are searching far and wide for whoever is responsible for sending pipe-bomb filled packages to former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and at least six other top political figures. The packages, typically consisting of a poorly wrapped manila envelope with bubble wrap, each with six stamps, printed shipping labels, and a return address to political personality.
Officials say that when a sender adheres excessive amounts of tape and stamps to a package, this is a clear sign of suspicious activity.
“Why would they put excessive postage on there? They don’t want the package returned. They want it to reach its intended target. The FBI is going to divide this as they’ve always done terrorism (into) two aspects: International terrorism and domestic terrorism. We don’t from I’ve heard yet, have any indication…which it is. ”
–James Gagliano, retired FBI supervisory special agent
Below is a list of intercepted packages with their intended targets
- Former President Barack Obama
- George Soros
- Maxine Waters
- Former Vice President Joe Biden
- Former CIA Director John Brennan
- Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fl)
- Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Despite the multiple attempted attacks, all packages have been intercepted and no one has been injured.
Okay, Google (GOOG). Search “Unwanted Physical Contact”
In a report released by Google (GOOG) on Thursday, the company recently fired 48 of its employees without pay for actions of sexual misconduct over the course of the last two years. The tech giant responsible for the world’s most used search-engine acted swiftly to handle these firings given their previous history with executives who overstepped their physical boundaries.
The New York Times reported that Andy Rubin, father of the Android mobile operating system, received a substantial severance package of $90 million when he was fired for sexual harassment in 2014. Sundar Pichai, Google’s (GOOG) chief executive officer, ensured his employees, as well as the company’s shareholders that he is “dead serious about making sure that we provide a safe and inclusive workspace.”
“We want to assure you that we review every single complaint about sexual harassment or inappropriate conduct, we investigate and we take action.”
–Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer Google
One Flu Over The Doctor’s Nest
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published their final estimates on the most recent flu season on Thursday. According to their estimates, only 37% of Americans elected to get vaccinated last season. Getting vaccinated is the most effective way to prevent sickness and death caused by the flu.
“Flu vaccination coverage among adults was 37.1%, a decrease of 6.2 percentage points from the previous flu season. To improve flu vaccination coverage for the 2018-19 flu season, healthcare providers are encouraged to strongly recommend and offer flu vaccination to all of their patients.”
–CDC Oct. 25 Report
Medical experts believe the percentage of adults who get vaccinated has dropped because of the rhetoric surrounding the infamous “anti-vaccination movement.” Those aligned with the movement claim that vaccinations are to blame for individuals diagnosed with intellectual and physical disabilities. There is no science to back these statements, but nevertheless, the movement has a substantial following.
Ultimately, it is up to the individual as to whether they choose to get a flu vaccination or not. My only request is that if you choose to not get vaccinated and catch the flu, find yourself a clean, safe comfortable environment and stay there until you feel better.
