London is underwater. This weekendâs climate catastrophe was in London, where heavy rains filled roads and subway stations. Just as a reminder â when Seattle floods, which it certainly will at some point in the future, never ever ever ever walk or drive through flood water. If it doesnât wash you away, it is almost certainly full of substances too disgusting to even contemplate.
Heavy floods in London, UK đŹđ§ đđ
This is the climate crisis unravelling. No place is âsafeâ any more. pic.twitter.com/tB7VCGLgWV
â Daniel Moser (@_dmoser) July 25, 2021
Eight shot, three dead in various shootings across the city this weekend. All of the shootings appear unrelated; or maybe it would be more accurate to say that the only thing they have in common is that they stem from this countryâs deranged worship of gun culture. The first shooting was on First Ave at 1:48 am Sunday morning, the second was at 2:32 am in Pioneer Square, and the third was at 4:40 am in Cal Anderson Park. There were 900 separate shootings across the country in just the last week, claiming 430 lives.
If only snake oil were an effective treatment. The NY Times ran a fascinating profile on who they say is one of the people spreading dubious health claims about COVID while also making a ton of money off of the gullible saps who believe him. Dr. Joseph Mercola looks at first like a credible medical professional, but he basically invents weird claims. In one instance, he told people that mattresses with springs amplify harmful radiation, and then he sold people miracle alternative cures.
Here comes more hot weather. This week's going to get up into the 80s, which is not miserably hot, but it's also not the weather I was promised when I moved here. I miss the PNW rainforest that's apparently been replaced by the PNW desert. As a reminder, Stranger readers determined that Seattle voters, who rejected sustainable transportation funding, are to blame for local heat waves.
A cigarette company wants to ban cigarettes. Just not here. A Philip Morris executive is calling on the government to ban cigarettes ⊠in the UK. In the United States, Philip Morris is an entirely separate company, and thereâs no sign that they plan to stop killing people.
How dare Kevin Smith violate the sanctity of these 30-year-old toy commercials? The reaction to the new He-Man series on Netflix appears to be that it is good, actually, unless you are the kind of person who thinks that adding more women characters to a franchise that you remember from your youth will destroy your childhood. If that is the kind of person you are, well, good, your childhood deserves to be destroyed.
So long, Jackie Mason. The last of the great borscht belt comics, âI think of the Talmud and build the joke from there.â
Do we really believe pot farms are to blame for drought? Cops are claiming that illegal pot farms are responsible for sucking lakes and rivers dry across the west, but honestly Iâm not sure I buy it. For sure, water theft is a big issue, and illegal farms are an issue, too. But law enforcement seems awfully eager to conflate the two without providing any evidence that grow ops are having a significant impact on water levels. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says illegal marijuana farms have stolen 1.2 billion gallons of water in the last two years. Meanwhile, golf courses use 2.08 billion gallons of water a day.
Gonzo is a nonbinary icon. A new episode of Muppet Babies shows Gonzo wanting to dress as a princess for a party, and after some consternation from his friends they are all loving and accepting. Itâs nice.
In my eyes, the Muppets represent the ability to be accepting and loving of others, even if they may be a little different. To embrace those who others may shun.
Iâm glad to see that philosophy is still going strong. pic.twitter.com/9mnKBdCsIT
â Muppet History (@HistoryMuppet) July 24, 2021
But what are the sealâs thoughts on private property ownership? The elephant seal thatâs been hanging out on private beaches around West Seattle has been named âRuckusâ and he seems to be in fine condition. If you spot him, youâre asked to call the new Marine Mammal Hospital in Des Moines so they can keep tabs on him. Also, sidenote, itâs legally murky if private beach owners can actually prevent you from walking across their sand, but we can litigate that outrage after weâre done admiring these very handsome photos.
Our local Northern Elephant Seal is now gracing the beaches of West Seattle! This guy is a young adult male, and if you see him sleeping on your beach, remember to watch him from a distance.
đ· David Hutchinson #westseattle #seattle #elephantseal #marinemammal pic.twitter.com/Uxv7FaHWgj
â SR3 (@SR3Sealife) July 23, 2021
Sharks! Not every oceanic creature is having a pleasant time on local beaches; a shark washed up on Bainbridge last week. Cause of death: Humans, of course. It was killed after eating fishing equipment.
Netflix wants to be Netflix for games. The company plans to add games to its offerings sometime in 2022, which is ⊠huh. This is already a pretty crowded marketplace, with Steam and Itch.io and GOG and a ton of other game services already well-established. But then again, theyâre well-established with gamers. If Netflix can make it as easy to play a game as theyâve made it to watch Beastars, well, okay, I can see that working.
Mary Tyler Moore: Good. This isnât exactly breaking news, but The Mary Tyler Moore Show is really really good, which is why I was so excited to hear that Lena Waithe is producing a documentary about the show. Itâll be out in 2022. In the meantime, please watch this, one of the funniest moments ever broadcast on television.