Top headlines this morning:

[kpete]

West braces for another record-breaking heat wave, bringing with it fire, death, and ecological collapse

Billionaire launches self into space, beating other billionaire by about a week

Link to tweet

?s=20

mr pete & i drove through the Owen's Valley from Mammoth Lakes yesterday
(this was at 8,300 ft in the Eastern Sierra Mountains!)
it was 87° inside the house when we left at 10:00 a.m.
105° in Bishop
115 ° in Adelanto
107 to 113° until Cajon Pass which was bumper to bumper
87° in San Diego
69° this morning

as we drove, I couldn't help but wonder why the weatherpersons on the radio were not screaming:
THE EARTH IS ON FIRE PEOPLE!

Don't even get me started on forest fire, death & ecological collapse.

[markie]

1. ...can't understand why

collectively we aren't all screaming, instead of celebrating filthy rich people in space

[jimfields33]

2. I thought we were pro space program.

I know it’s another avenue to collecting data but it will ultimately help the goals. By them doing it, it will allow the government to add another mission on another fact find.

[paleotn]

3. I've had uncomfortable feelings about SpaceX and Blue Origin since their inception.

I really have heartburn now. Devolving more of the commons to the whims of the private sector is rarely a good idea long term. I won't even put Virgin Galactic in the same group as SpaceX, since it has no function other than a toy for a rich kid who never grew up. Peter Pan the billionaire.

[Warpy]

11. It wouldn't be quite as bad if they'd just leave them there

If the last year as taught us anything, it's taught us we need working people, not billionaires.

If you want more of something, subsidize it. If you want less of something, TAX IT.

[underpants]

4. 🚀🚀

[moondust]

7. +1

"narcissistic joy ride"

I heard a former astronaut on TV last night comparing this to the early days of air travel that then developed into a common thing for lots of people. WTF? Maybe hoping for a big job in a new industry or something? Unlike air travel, I don't see this ever becoming anything more than joy rides for the obscenely wealthy.

[deminks]

5. I am suddenly reminded

I think it is the over the top ridiculous coverage on my teevee.

Another billionaire buys his wings.

[not fooled]

6. Yes

"fawning" doesn't even come close to accurately describing the level of media coverage.

As if anyone needed more evidence of the natural inclinations of the corporate-owned media...

[rickyhall]

8. I'm Pro Space/Anti-Rich Bastard

The billionaire is an obscenity.

[Traildogbob]

9. Multimillionaires

Billionaires, and Corporate planet rapers are enthusiastically racing to leave the planet they are destroying. They will keep raping every last resource and fly away to spawn more of their own on another planet or space rock to rape. How they gonna carry all that cash. And will they bring some blacks to do the work, or this time keep it all white, with some Poor white slaves willing to do it just to survive?

[Mickju]

12. I hear you.

But the billionaires won't make it to another planet before they burn up here on this planet with the rest of all life on earth.

[Traildogbob]

13. Think you are correct

They miscalculated the speed of our destructive ways. Or listened to Fox a little to much.

[CrispyQ]

15. And underestimated the scope of space.

It's pretty frickin' big.

[Hugin]

17. And overestimated the value of money...

I doubt the aliens accept cash, credit, or debit.

Although, you might find yourself appearing on the menu, market price.

[Traildogbob]

18. Damn sure is.

Watched Neil Degrasse Tyson explain this launch altitude with a visual scale relationship.
He had a globe the size of a basketball and said the thickness of two dimes laid against the globe was how high they got. He had a smaller ball, about tennis ball size, and said it would need to be 20 yards away from the globe to represent its distance from earth to scale.

[CrispyQ]

19. I love visual representations like that!

Thanks for posting!

[Traildogbob]

20. Absolutely

Neil did all the calculations. I just plagiarized.🤜🤛

[orwell]

10. 113 degrees...

...on my north facing front covered front porch in the shade.

I live in Northern CA right above Napa County (Lake County) at 1800 ft. elevation.

I can barely keep the fruit trees alive.

I see ravens sitting on the ground in the shade of oak trees with their mouths hanging open terrified.

I see herds of deer in my front yard under a Mimosa tree (shade) clustered around a ten gallon pail of water I put out for the wildlife.

There are stands of dead pine trees dotting the hillside over 50 feet tall like matchsticks.

This is after 5 years of extended drought and endless fires.

The power was out for 15 hours yesterday and PG&E can not explain why.

It is starting to feel pretty apocalyptic...

[kpete]

14. man made planet warming and degradation

right before our eyes

mr pete and i fear for our grandchildren
your descriptions paint the picture of the reality that is before us and is their future

stay safe orwell,
kp

[orwell]

22. Thanks...

...you too.

Unfortunately the mass of ignorant sheeple are choosing our fate for us. There is only so much recycling, Prius driving, vegetarian eating, downsized living, organic gardening, energy conserving, borderline poverty existence to save the earth one person can do.

I have been preaching to anyone who will listen for over 40 years about this inevitability but mostly to deaf ears.

I even moved up here 20 years ago from my birthplace in the SF Bay Area because I feared the effects of climate change in crowded urban environments.

Alas, there is no place to run. We are all in this together whether we like it or not.

We are not "saving the earth". The earth will be just fine. This is about the extinction of the stupid mammal that thinks it is far more important than it is.

Nature bats last...

[Hugin]

16. Even when I water my wilting plants they become steamed vegetables.

Not kidding in the slightest or sadly, exaggerating in the least.

[lame54]

21. Mr. Pete and I drove through the Owen's Valley from Mammoth Lakes yesterday...

Is the best of the 3 headlines

[CrackityJones75]

23. Monkey gone to heaven.

And if the ground’s not cold
Everything is gonna burn
We’ll all take turns
I’ll get mine too.