Friday, July 6, 2018

Hiya friends! It’s Drip time for Friday, July 6, 2018. Today we prune ten degrees off yesterday’s high of 87, and mix in a slight chance of a shower. The weekend could start with a Saturday morning sprinkling, then warm to 80 or more. Sunrise 5:29 AM, sunset 9:01 PM.

So let’s find out what’s up, on this very strange working week with a huge holiday right in the middle of it…

Heads up for travelers…a wildfire in northern California has closed a 120 mile stretch of I-5 between Ashland and Yreka, and there is no estimated time of reopening.

Another brush fire at Kelley Point Park…and one along SR 14 on the Washington side of the Gorge, which has closed part of the Cape Horn Trail because of the potential for rolling debris…two men are accused of lighting illegal fireworks that started the 10-acre Pilot Butte fire in Bend, which took out power to 20,000 people and shut down US 20 for two hours…pretty crispy out there, folks…

This is the weekend the barricades go up for the first of a summer’s worth of major road construction closures right in the heart of Portland. The ramp from I-5 southbound to I-84 will close on Sunday night, and stay that way for two weeks. That will shove thousands of cars onto I-205 and surface streets, and fill up the MAX Yellow Line with commuters who are lucky enough to find a parking spot at the Expo Center.

Former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler takes over as acting head of the EPA, with Scott Pruitt’s resignation yesterday. Pruitt was effective at his mission of peeling away environmental safeguards enacted by President Obama, but blew through millions of tax dollars for security and personal perks, and accepted sweetheart deals from people connected to industries he was supposed to regulate. Reaction on Twitter from Merritt Paulson, the Portland Timbers owner whose father, Hank Paulson, was GWB’s Treaury Secretary: “It take a lot of work and effort to be the lowest deplorable in DC these days but Scott took the crown. Imagine a legacy of leaving a wasteland for future generations.”

The world is waking up to a trade war, as the US started imposing tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese products at midnight Eastern, and China immediately retailiated with tariffs on unspecified tech products sold to US industry.

A retired Thai navy SEAL has died in that cave where twelve boys and their soccer coach remain trapped. His air ran out as he was bringing oxgen tanks to the team.

Waterfront Blues Festival headliner George Thorogood performs Saturday night on the Main Stage. A favorite story about him dates back to the 70s when his band, the Destroyers, and another blues band, Jimmy Thackery and the Nighthawks, were performing across the street from each other at competing joints in Georgetown. George and Jimmy hatched a plot: at midnight, the Destroyers and the Nighthawks each played the same Elmore James song in the same key. Midway through the song, the two lead singers unplugged their guitars, marched out of the nightclubs, met in the middle of M Street, exchanged patch cords, and went to the opposing club and finished the song fronting each other’s bands. Love it! Bad to the bone!

John Lennon and Paul McCartney met on this day in 1957, and formed a little band a few years later.

Tomorrow is Ringo Starr’s 78th birthday.

It’s George W. Bush’s birthday. He’s 72. People miss him today, but he had his rocky moments. And Sylvester Stallone was born the very same day.

World Cup Quarterfinals begin this morning with Uruguay and France kicking off at 7 AM Pacific, followed by Brazil and Belgium at 11. Tomorrow look for Sweden and England at 7 AM, and Russia and Croatia at 11.

The Utah Royals are at the Portland Thorns tonight. Then it’s the Portland Timbers against the San Jose earthquakes tomorrow night.

If you’re into beads….jillions of them from around the world are on display and up for sale at Bead Faire starting at noon at the Oregon Convention Center. It’s Bead Faire Day!

And now today’s Headlines to Lower the BP, because part of our job here is to provide plausible hope…

–“Elon Musk offers to help rescue the Thai soccer team stuck in a cave” (one of his companies drills tunnels)

–“Boston commuters rock a train car to rescue woman whose leg got stuck between the train and the platform”

–“Sweden to reach its 2030 renewable energy target this year” (And they’re in the World Cup quarterfinals. My great grandparents, up in Swedish heaven, are very pleased)

–“Japan Team Leaves Locker Room Spotless and Leaves Thank You Note in Russian after Loss to Belgium in World Cup”

–“For only the second time on record, no one killed by tornadoes in US in the deadly months of May or June.”

–“Golden Retriever saves owner by taking rattlesnake bite”

–“‘Alaska’s version of Lassie’: Dog helps rescue injured hiker near Anchorage, smiles in selfie with victim.”

That wraps up the DD for what’s felt like a really long week. I’m batching it…which usually means I’ll pick some project, and spend the weekend thinking about it while I find me some good baseball on TV. And it’s time to get into the World Cup. Go Sweden! Who’s up to what?