OLD AND BUSTED: Global Warming.
The New Hotness Coolness? Burning Man freezes! Revelers are catching hypothermia and fleeing to local bars for warmth as torrential rain and biting winds cause havoc at Nevada hippie festival.
Archive for 2023
September 3, 2023
STILL A FEW BUGS IN THE SYSTEM:
Floridians battered by Hurricane Idalia this week may not have expected another threat — that floodwaters could cause their cars to suddenly burst into flames. https://t.co/L2UkhrXyDG
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 3, 2023
THE NEW SPACE RACE: India tests parachutes for Gaganyaan crew capsule using a rocket sled (video).
THE NEW COLD WAR: In China’s shadow, U.S. rushes back to neglected Indian Ocean island.
DEAL OF THE DAY: BISSELL 2998 MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet Vacuum. #CommissionEarned (Bumped)
AMERICA’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD: Margaritaville Orders All Little Umbrellas To Be Flown At Half-Staff.
DESTROY THE EVIDENCE, AND YOU’VE GOT IT MADE: Teachers union to teachers: Destroy evidence of student gender identity surveys.
SOGGY MAN: Burning Man attendees told to shelter in place because of rain.
More than 73,000 Burning Man attendees remain confined to their camps Saturday and are blocked from leaving the event after a slow-moving rainstorm turned their desert playground into a soupy, muddy morass.Organizers banned vehicle traffic from the roads Friday afternoon and kept the exit gates closed as of 5 a.m. Saturday. Even walking was treacherous as thick, slimy mud clung to shoes and anything else it touched.Organizers warned attendees to conserve their food and water, indicating the closures could be lengthy.Dawn revealed puddled water and ruts in the streets, which are just delineated routes along the ordinarily rock-hard desert floor. More rain was expected through Sunday, along with whiteouts, event organizers said.
“No driving is permitted on playa except for emergency vehicles,” event organizers said in a 5 a.m. statement. “If you are in (Black Rock City), please shelter in place and stay safe.”They added separately: “If you are in BRC, conserve food and water, shelter in a warm space.”The road closures appeared to have forced a halt to cleaning and servicing of the thousands of port-a-potties used by attendees who spent Friday night huddled in muddy tents and RVs as the temperature dropped into the low 50s.
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Hannah Burhorn, a first-time attendee at the festival, told CNN in a phone interview Saturday she and her friends were not expecting any rain – only extreme heat.
The sand on the desert has formed into thick clay, Burhorn said, and puddles and mud are everywhere.
“It’s unavoidable at this point,” she said. “It’s in the bed of the truck, inside the truck. People who have tried to bike through it and have gotten stuck because it’s about ankle deep.”
People are wrapping trash bags and Ziploc bags around their shoes to avoid getting stuck, while others are going barefoot, Burhorn said. The mud is so thick that it “sticks to your shoes and makes it almost like a boot around your boot,” making it even more difficult to move around, she added.
I’m sure the attendees are enjoying the history they’re learning this weekend — the long awaited mashup of Woodstock and Stalingrad has finally arrived.
However, there is a bit of good news, at least: No, There’s Not An Ebola Outbreak At Burning Man.
AN IDEA SO CRAZY IT JUST MIGHT WORK: British home secretary wants police to focus on policing. “The home secretary has commissioned a review into police activism and impartiality as she tells officers to focus on crime rather than being involved in ‘political matters.’ Suella Braverman said public confidence had been damaged as a result of police engaging in ‘contentious issues’, such as officers taking a knee in a gesture against racism and policing gender-critical views on social media. Braverman said: ‘The British people expect their police to focus on cutting crime and protecting communities – political activism does not keep people safe, solve crimes or support victims, but can damage public confidence.'”
JUST ANOTHER HATE HOAX FROM THE LEFT: Canada’s Mass Graves Narrative That Sparked Church Burnings Crumbles Amid Dearth Of Evidence.
PELOSI ATTACKS TRUMP SUPPORTERS: They’re ‘Afraid’ Of ‘Diversity, Women, Minorities, LGBTQ.’
Ben Carson, Kayleigh McEnany, and Richard Grenell could not be reached for comment.
LIFE IN THE BLUE ZONES: “Most New Yorkers are fed up with the inescapable stench of lawlessness… but refrain from saying so for fear of being shouted at by progressive friends.”
Maybe you need friends who aren’t insane bullies. Or maybe you need to shout back, and make them feel bad. They all have some variant of impostor syndrome, because deep down they know they’re awful people.
THIS SHOULD MAKE INFILTRATION EASIER: There Are Still Buses From Kyiv to Moscow – and Ukrainians Are Still Using Them. “While it’s not illegal for Ukrainians to travel between Kyiv and Moscow, it isn’t the sort of thing a bus company is going to widely advertise these days and hasn’t been since 2014 – when Russia annexed Crimea and started a bloody war in the Donbas. However, even now, in 2023, over a year-and-a-half into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there are still Ukrainians traveling to Moscow, many doing it in ways that leave no Russian stamps on their passports.”
September 2, 2023
OPEN THREAD: It’s almost Saturday night.
REFRESHING: Globalstar picks SpaceX to refresh LEO constellation. “Apple has agreed to reimburse Globalstar for 95% of the constellation, including manufacturing and launch costs. The smartphone giant is also lending Globalstar $252 million to help cover upfront costs. In return, Apple would use 85% of the new network’s capacity to upgrade satellite services launched last year for its latest iPhone, which can connect with one of Globalstar’s 24 existing satellites for emergency services when cell towers are out of reach.”
EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY:
Why is "Burning Man" trending with "Ebola"?
— wretchardthecat (@wretchardthecat) September 3, 2023
EFFORT TO FORCE BAN ON LEAD AMMUNITION IN NATIONAL FOREST blocked by 9th Circuit. Not a Second Amendment case, but interesting anyway.
NOW THEY TELL US: Smoking Cannabis May Not Be as Harmless as You Think. Here’s Why.
THE DEATH OF #METOO: ‘To Be Fair, It Was Never Actually About Helping Women.’
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Plus: “In other words, #BelieveWomen, unless a woman makes an accusation that could keep Democrats from winning the White House, in which case, the hashtag will be instantly converted to #ThatBitchIsLying.”
INCOMPETENTS ARE USUALLY OVERSENSITIVE TO CRITICISM: Kamala Harris has ‘rabbit ears’ for detecting criticism, overly sensitive, colleague says: new book.
IN A RED CITY, IT WOULD BE OPEN SEASON ON DRONES: New York City will be using police drones on Labor Day to make sure the peasants aren’t holding large parties in their backyards.
Of course, in a red city the police wouldn’t try this. And even in a blue city they should be smart enough to know that outdoor backyard parties are safe, but that this will drive parties indoors. Should be.
SUDDENLY, EVEN THE ATLANTIC has a good word for hunting and hunters. “It’s also ironic, of course, that many left-leaning Americans can be so ambivalent about some of the longest-running, most successful, and scientifically grounded government programs. The same well-meaning people with those signs in their yard that read In this house, we believe … that science is real often seem to be among those happy enough to throw the science aside when it comes to effectively managing wildlife, as in Connecticut, where the state is resisting the recommendation of its own wildlife biologists that it should authorize a bear hunt. Animal-rights activists are fighting to have louder voices on state fish-and-game commissions, minimizing the contributions of hunters as well as the input of state wildlife biologists.”
Animal-rights activists are idiots who should never be listened to.
Related: Bears, Boston, and the Gods of the Copybook Headings.