By Morf Morford, Tacoma Daily Index
On the big screen
Summer, especially late summer, is always the season for blockbuster cinema. But if there ever a match made, somewhere, it would have been “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” opening the same weekend at the end of July.
At first glance, it would be hard to find two films with a more opposite visual sense and philosophical atmosphere. You could describe this as the ultimate cinematic version of “he said, she said”.
“Barbie” is, at minimum, in the running for the most popular movie of the year. And is approaching the status of being one of the top ten best selling movies ever.
Somehow the convergence of perky and pastel “Barbie” with the all-too-grim legacy of “Oppenheimer” seems like an apt metaphor for the season we find ourselves in.
“Barbie” is apparently an exception to the phrase “Go Woke and go broke”.
Paradise Lost
More than 2,000 structures were damaged or destroyed in a fire at Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. More than one hundred people lost their lives. Several hundred were reported missing. Estimated cost to rebuild is many billions. Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state on August 21, 1959.
Hurri-quake hits Southern California
In mid-August, Hurricane Hilary became the worst hurricane in decades to hit Southern California. The same day it hit, an earthquake also occurred. Later in the month a major hurricane hit Florida and other Gulf states causing massive flooding and related damage.
To put it mildly, hurricanes on both coasts in one month is not our usual weather.
In politics
The first Republican presidential debate of the upcoming 2024 race took place with eight candidates – not including the front-runner, who was literally out on bail on 91 felonies in four jurisdictions. To qualify, candidates had to have at least 40,000 individual donors and 1% support in three national polls. They were also required to sign a pledge to support whichever candidate got the nomination.
The former president, and leading GOP candidate, gives new meaning to the term “orange is the new black”.
On the BRICS
BRICS stands for the non-NATO nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The combined economies of these countries represent a greater share of GDP than all the G7 (mostly NATO) countries.
One agenda item that has been proposed in recent years, for deeper integration of the bloc, has been for a common currency for the bloc to trade in – as opposed to the near universal use of the US dollar. This could be a digitalized, gold-based currency for official national trade, not for individual use.
International intrigue
In a scene reminiscent of a Cold War thriller, a plane crashed in Russia on August 23, killing all 10 people on board. The head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was on the list of passengers. But there was not immediate confirmation that he was, in fact, on board.
Prigozhin, besides leading hardened troops against Ukraine on behalf of Russia, also “staged” a coup against Russian leadership. (In Russia, “staged” has multiple meanings).
The Wagner Group, Prigozhin stated a few months ago, was dedicated to “making Russia great on all continents”. They have also been intimately involved in a several African civil wars and coups; mostly in exchange for rare-earth and essential mineral resources.
In Russia, “plane crashes” also has many possible interpretations. Some “plane crashes” are even “accidental”.
Ticks are here
Once rare in the Northwest, ticks have proliferated in our area thanks to shifting weather patterns. Ticks are tiny, painful and carriers of disease. Watch out for them in the wilderness. For details, look here.
On the moon
India made its name in space, landing its unmanned Chandrayaan-3 mission safely on the moon’s unexplored south pole. This makes India the fourth country – after the then-Soviet Union, the U.S. and China – to land on the moon, and the first to land on one of the moon’s lunar poles. Russia and Japan both had crash landings of their moon probes earlier in the year.
Real estate on Earth
Thanks to near record high interest rates, stalling pay scales and stabilizing, but still record high real estate prices, housing, according to many who follow the market closely, hit the least affordable price point in August in many decades.
According to a recent survey by Redfin, about 33% of homes in the Seattle metro area were worth at least $1 million in June of 2023— down from just over 39% in 2022, but still a much higher percentage than most U.S. cities.
Across America, low inventory is pushing up prices and sending more into seven-figure territory.
In Washington, million-dollar plus homes rose from a little more than 6% in June 2019 to about 16% in June 2023.
And in King County so far in 2023, 7% of all homes sold are valued at $2 million or more. The median price of homes in King County year to date is $793,000, down from a pandemic era high of $820,000 in 2022. This compares to the typical median national home value of $349,679 – which is also at an all-time high,
It’s smoke season again
Besides record heat, North America (and much of Europe) saw far higher than usual levels of fires – and, of course, residual smoke.
In previous years, fires were primarily “forest fires” except of course those historic fires that burned down prominent cities (like London and Chicago, among many others). In the past few years fires have moved into urban and suburban areas – which also means increased burning of those non-natural items that fill our homes, from electronics to insulation and synthetic materials of all kinds which produce – and leave behind – toxic residues with unknown impacts and longevity.
You can see a continually updated map of fires here. Fires and increased heat are expected to be a continuing feature of summers in the future.
In sports
The University of Oregon and the University of Washington will officially leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten Conference starting in 2024. There have now been four schools to leave the Pac-12 conference for the Big Ten since 2022. The two southern California powerhouses – USC and UCLA – both announced they would join the Big Ten for the 2024-2025 season.
COVID comes back
What has been called a “late summer surge” of COVID has increased both cases and hospitalizations. In short, in many areas, from schools to grocery stores and work places, masking is back.
