Did we get through this week? Arguably, no. Lives, homes, businesses and acres and acres of land are lost to the ongoing wildfires in Northern California. For many of us at KQED, this tragedy is more than just a news story, it's also deeply personal. The entire Bay Area is shrouded in a suffocating haze of smoke and falling ash -- a sobering reminder that cities like Baoding in China, Delhi in India and Zabol, Iran experience pollution like this every day.
In Southern California, more and more women speak out about sexual assaults suffered at the hands of deposed impresario Harvey Weinstein. It's staggering to ponder how many have been silenced not just in Hollywood by this "culture of complicity," but elsewhere, by our society's devaluation of women -- their bodies, their experiences and their voices -- in general.
And speaking of devaluing bodies: The current administration continues to steadily undermine the Affordable Care Act, most recently by signing an executive order that allows for the sale of cheaper policies with fewer benefits and fewer consumer protections.
It's been a doozy of a week, here's what got us through it.
Nature's Cutest Real-Life Cartoon Character
I’m tempted to say what got me through this particularly upsetting week was a stiff drink (or three). Sometimes, you just have to let your hair down, you know? But, since my mom knows how to use the internet now (hi, mom!), I’ll go with something else. This week, I learned about the “Dumbo octopus,” an adorable little critter that gets around by flapping its ear-like fins. It’s hard to look at Li'l Dumbo and not smile, and we can all use a lot more of that these days. —Emmanuel Hapsis
