It’s Dead Whale Monday: Three grey whales washed up in Southwestern Washington last week. Experts who like their whales living large worry this is a sign the boom-and-bust species is struggling to recover from its latest mass die-off, writes theSeattle Times. The latest count from NOAA numbers the species at 13,000, the lowest since the 1970s. Starvation may be the driving problem. Two of the whales that washed up last week were emaciated. The third, nicknamed Willapa Willy, was feeding in the freshwater.
And Dogs? On Friday, the Seattle Times reported that at least 16 canines, some skinned and missing their front paws, washed ashore on Guemes Island in Skagit County. Two had orange twine around their necks. I thought about this all weekend so you have to think about it, too.
Our Paltry Human Affairs: People lined up to see the World Cup Trophy at Victory Hall in Hatback Bar & Grille in Seattle over the weekend. Tomorrow it heads to Bellevue, then onto Vancouver. It’s shiny and gold :).
War: President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas flows, is nearly up. On Truth Social, Trump wrote that tomorrow will be “Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F****** Strait, you crazy b*******, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.” (He forgot “war crime day.”) Iran said it will respond “in kind.”
The Latest: US and Israel killed 34 people, including six children, in attacks on residential areas and the country’s MIT, Sharif University. The US and Israel have hit at least 30 universities since they started the war on February 28. Iran said it has formulated its response to ceasefire proposals presented by intermediaries, but will not negotiate directly with the US or Israel. Messages are being exchanged but “negotiations are entirely incompatible with ultimatums, crimes and threats of war crimes,” said Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson.
The Moon: The Artemis II crew will whizz around the moon for seven hours today, seeing sights never before seen by human eyes (jury’s out on alien eyes). The flyby starts at 1:30 p.m. Eastern. Scroll here for a timeline.
Sidenote: The government’s aliens.gov site is still blank. Perhaps they’re waiting until the astronauts’ return, or until Ryan Coogler releases his Animorphs TV show. (JK, odds are aliens.gov will be a racist hellsite).
Prepare Yourself, Urbanists: On three Saturdays this May and June, the Ave will go car free between NE 42nd Street and NE 43rd Street from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. To tide you over.
This Asshole: Steve Bannon—the Trump ally, conspiracy theorist, and racist—won a Supreme Court order expected to dismiss his criminal conviction for defying a subpoena from the House committee that investigated January 6th. Bannon already did four months’ time, so the order is mostly symbolic, writes the AP.
You’re Getting Very … Well: Research from the University of Washington shows that hypnosis could be used to ease chronic pain. Fear that pain will never go away often exacerbates than pain. So researchers hypothesized that hypnotic suggestion could allow people to more readily accept positive messaging about pain. For the study, 127 participants with spinal cord injuries attended hypnotherapy and were asked to rate their pain. Six weeks after sessions ended, their pain had dropped by nearly a quarter, researchers reported.
Well, That Makes Sense: A toddler was hurt at the North American Wildlife Park in Pennsylvania after crawling under a fence and sticking his hand into the wolf enclosure. “A wolf approached and made contact with the child’s hand,” the zoo told USA Today. “This type of response is consistent with natural animal behavior, and was not a sign of aggression.” The zoo described the child’s injuries as minor. To be fair to the child—doggie. Doggie good.
Weather: Sunny with a high of 69, which is how a lot of the week is shaping up, give or take a few degrees. Very nice.
Here, this will take away the pain.
