This is Portland, we do what we like. This is Portland, we do what we like.

https://www.wweek.com/news/environment/2024/07/06/bill-mckibben-talks-climate-action-as-heat-wave-arrives-in-portland/

As Portland entered a five-day heat wave, McKibben, the celebrated climate activist and author, arrived Friday evening at the First Unitarian Church in downtown Portland—a building, like many in this city, that lacks air conditioning.

“It’s not our job to stop global warming. It’s too late for that,” McKibben said to the sweating crowd. “It’s our job to stop it getting to the point where it cuts civilization off at the knees.”

Just a plug for local folks that I'm playing songs Sunday night with other good acts at Turn! Turn! Turn!, starting at 8. (Sets on the shorter side, so it won't go too late.) Info and links to all our music is on this page.

I'll try to make it! Things have been stressful lately but I'm hoping to start getting out again :)

That would be great! And if you can't make it, hope we can catch up another time soon.

Yeah, it's been too long!

https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/oregon-lottery-billboard-issue-08152024/

VIDEO: Oregon Lottery billboards taken over by possible furry hack

was it Raygun

(#onethread)

In local news, we might get 50-70 mph winds and heavy rain around 6 p.m. tomorrow.

yep it's looking pretty crazy

Criminy! the National Weather Service forecast for my Portland suburb tomorrow reads:

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

I think it's one of those situations where if it makes it here, it's bad, but it might not:

Chances for thunderstorms on Saturday continues to increase (20-60%) across NW OR and SW WA. The SPC has upgraded the risk of severe weather along & east of the I-5 corridor to the Cascades. See the graphic for potential impacts from these storms Sat afternoon through Sun evening pic.twitter.com/CvxzppgsZY

— NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) August 16, 2024

Here is what Portland NWS is saying about the flash flood potential.
"Heavy rainfall is expected over the 2024 burn areas associated with active wildfires. Hourly rainfall rates up to 0.75 inches per hour will be possible. Rogueweather added - in looking at the forecast models, I am seeing potential of up to an inch per hour.
Residents near these areas should prepare for potential flooding impacts. Be sure to stay up to date with information from local authorities. Heavy rainfall could trigger flash flooding of low-lying areas, and debris flows in and near recent wildfire burn scars."

And now a severe thunderstorm watch until 9 tonight, although from the comments it looks like Washington County has a slightly lower risk:

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of California, Oregon and Washington until 9 PM PDT pic.twitter.com/XaFuLo6E0k

— NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) August 17, 2024

thunder and rain so far, but no gusts or hail

lightning too

my cat is extremely unhappy rn

Yeah, same as sleeve here in Southeast. Enjoying it!

One of the dumbass cats didn’t come in till after it had stopped thundering, and the other stayed out until it had alll blown over

I'll be looking carefully to see if yesterday's lightning started any new fires in the vicinity of the 5 day backpack I'm planning on this week. The fire danger nearly everywhere except the oceanside has been rated at "extreme" for a month now, so any ground strikes are likely to have found dry fuel. The smoke from all the wildfires sucks, but getting trapped in the wilderness by a wildfire sucks far worse.

Downtown storefronts getting boarded up today.

Yeah, I noticed that yesterday morning too. Some in Old Town, which is an area I didn’t think any sort of March or protest would congregate

i spend too much time on youtube

it's these fucking true crime dramaposters, i had one of those recommended to me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkSpIqYAHNg

i had to watch it to see what he said because i know kristine casually. she is _not_ a fascist. it was a fucked up situation and it was extremely traumatizing to her, obviously. it's these fucked up compromises that so many of us have to make. she deserves better.

idk, it's interesting to see the way stuff gets presented for the looky-loos. there's nothing here that's _strictly_ factually inaccurate, but it is misleading, particularly as regards the involvement of the portland police. jo ann hardesty, for instance, was _not_ the police commissioner. she had no power over the police. ted wheeler did. he consistently refused to exercise it. that's why we all hated him. the police here are fascists and are aligned with the proud boys. that's the thing, is that the larger _context_ gets missed. dire trip says the "apolitical furries" didn't like ben being a nazi. what's an "apolitical furry"? i'm not a furry, and the ones i know are queer leftists. ben, being a queer fascist furry, was in the decided minority.

this was a deeply political crime that deeply affected people i know, and what happened, and how it was handled, says a lot about the reality of being queer in portland. i guess "nazi diaper furry" gets more clicks, though.

Yay heat wave (again)

At least it's not 116 degrees.

Having moved here from the Midwest, I just love that the temps basically reset overnight instead of staying in the 70s.

That notorious "heat dome" of June '21 scared the willies out of me, but it involved the whole western third of North America, not just us. Truth is, we Portlanders really have nothing to complain about when it comes to the climate here, or our daily weather on at least 350 days of the year.

yeah last couple days sucked, i was too hot to think, and i'm so relieved that it's not that bad this morning