“People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage.” —J. K. Galbraith, quoted here
The temperature of the ground in some areas of Spain has hit more than 60C during the deadly heatwave sweeping Europe, satellite recordings have shown.t was so hot that a heat map that highlights scorching temperatures in red turned even darker – to black.
Temperature records have been broken on most of the continent, including France, Switzerland, Germany and Italy, where highs of 40C were recorded again on Wednesday.
Sicily and Sardinia were forecast to be as high as 48C.
60°C is 140°F. 48°C is 118°F. Given any humidity, humans can’t use sweat to cool at those temperatures. The result is death. More here:
1. “Heat domes” have settled over parts of the world
Heat waves — an extended period of extreme temperatures — are caused by a buildup of high pressure in the atmosphere. This pressure compresses and heats up the air below it. As the air descends, it pushes out cooler, fast-moving air currents and squeezes away clouds, giving the sun an unobstructed line of sight to the ground.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The ground — soil, sand, concrete, and asphalt — then bakes in the sunlight, and in the long days and short nights of summer, heat energy quickly accumulates and temperatures rise. Additionally, waves in atmospheric air currents known as the jet stream can hold this high-pressure lid in place for extended periods.
This pattern is sometimes called a “heat dome” because the heat is trapped under a dome of pressure. Parts of the US, including Florida, California, and Arizona, are now baking under these heat domes.
Between Oct 2021 and Nov 2022, researchers surveyed a representative sample of 3,198 people, and conducted in-depth interviews with 365 more. They concluded that, contrary to popular folk-stories about “homeless migration” by out-of-staters seeking an easy life on California’s streets, “people experiencing homelessness in California are Californian.” Nine tenths of respondents were already living in California when they lost their housing. …
So how did they end up homeless? It’s depressingly easy. It starts with getting evicted. …
File under “Because the rich aren’t rich enough yet.”
To paraphrase New York Governor Mario Cuomo, Jackson campaigned in poetry while the others droned in prose. The poetry, however, had a purpose. Jackson’s genius was in presenting a complicated message and agenda in language that, as William Greider put it, “had a beat so strong that even white folks can dance to it.”
And yet the piece contains this tragic note. Referring to both the Jackson and Sanders campaigns, Borosage writes: “The limits of these insurgencies are also apparent.”
File under “One day, one of these rebels will rebel.”
• Your musical treat, Damien Saez performing at the big Zenith arena in Paris. Stick around to the end. It’s a real rock classic.
For the fist we raised
And those we'll raise again.
