I Am Getting So Hot . . .
“The Pacific Northwest is experiencing a record-shattering heat wave with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees in many locations, a virtually unheard of occurrence in that part of the world. This extreme heat is causing, among other problems, roads to buckle and public transit to shut down. In western Seattle, asphalt is literally baking to the point where it buckles up and away from the earth, making roads impassable. The Seattle National Weather Service Twitter account said tomorrow may be even worse, and warned to “remain vigilant on your commutes!” In Portland, the public transit authority TriMet suspended light rail and streetcar service until Tuesday morning “due to extreme heat” because the heat is literally melting the power cables.”
“As the Pacific Northwest’s infrastructure melts, Congress and the Biden administration continue to move forward with a bipartisan compromise infrastructure bill that experts predict will actually increase emissions because it spends more money on new emissions-increasing infrastructure than clean energy or environmental mitigation programs.” Vice: The Heat Wave Is Literally Melting Portland’s Infrastructure Sometimes compromise is just dumb. Once again, many scientists warned of this type of heating event and agree the cause is environmental and once again they are being ignored by short sighted people. Good luck Earth!
Players Can Now Ball
“The National Collegiate Athletic Association on Monday indicated that it would allow athletes in all 50 states to make money from their name, image and likeness as soon as July 1 without forfeiting their eligibility. According to the Division I Council’s proposals, any student athlete in the country will be able to cash in once the policy is approved by the Board of Directors, no matter if their state has a law allowing athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness. The Board is scheduled to vote on the interim policy on Wednesday. At least six states are set to permit undergraduate athletes to sign endorsement deals starting on Thursday. Some 19 states have passed legislation that will allow college athletes to do so within the next two years. The NCAA stressed on Monday that the policy is a stopgap measure intended to be replaced either by federal legislation or more detailed NCAA rules.” Wall Street Journal: NCAA Proposes Interim Policy for Athletes to Profit From Images Congrats athletes, it’s about time! Go forth and earn, just remember there is usually a morals clause so be careful.
Worst Kept Secret
“Leaked membership data from the neo-Confederate Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) organization has revealed that the organization’s members include serving military officers, elected officials, public employees, and a national security expert whose CV boasts of “Department of Defense Secret Security Clearance”. But alongside these members are others who participated in and committed acts of violence at the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and others who hold overlapping membership in violent neo-Confederate groups such as the League of the South (LoS). The national membership data was provided to the Guardian by a self-described hacktivist whose identity has been withheld for their safety. The data reveals the names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses of almost 59,000 past and present members of the organization, including 91 who used addresses associated with government agencies for their contact email, and 74 who used addresses associated with various branches of the armed forces.” The Guardian: Revealed: neo-Confederate group includes military officers and politicians Not sure about the “revealed” part. I’m not surprised by the membership roster are you? If you are, you haven’t been paying attention. FYI-this is the same group that initiated legal action against the city of Decatur, GA to try and restore a Confederate memorial obelisk which was removed in June 2020, and later replaced with a statue of the late congressman and civil rights activist, John Lewis.
The Culture Commentary 