Indy Digest: July 13, 2023
While I could use this space to yammer about topics you likely already know about—like the heat wave or the huge Hollywood labor strikes—instead, I am going to talk about a story about a dangerous sea otter.
Actually, two dangerous sea otters. OK, I am getting ahead of myself.
The online headline on the Los Angeles Times story in question is: “A renegade sea otter is terrorizing California surfers: ‘It’s a little scary.’” While it’s easy and perhaps even appropriate to chuckle at a headline containing the phrase “renegade sea otter,” the otter’s attacks are a rather serious matter, as the story explains:
Mark Woodward—a photographer and social media influencer … said he’s documented a number of similar episodes and believes they have been escalating in ferocity since mid-June.
He said he’d heard a report last year about an otter grabbing a surfboard off the coast, but it wasn’t until Juneteenth that he saw it with his own eyes—and the thieving spree really got underway.
Woodward was standing on the bluff by a lighthouse, photographing a Black Santa surf event off Cowell Beach, when he saw a hefty sea otter torpedo toward a surfboard, wrest it from the startled surfer, and then catch a few solo waves.
An adult sea otter can weigh 30 to 100 pounds, and reach 5 feet in length.
Since then, Woodward has witnessed three more encounters and has heard about plenty more. He said the otter—which can be identified by the blue tag on the webbing between the toes of its left foot—seems to be growing increasingly aggressive.
Anyway, the reason I am mentioning this story, by LAT staff writer Susanne Rust, is because it’s impeccably well-written, and I strongly encourage you to give it a read if you’re a fan of well-written, entertaining journalism.
And whatever you do, do NOT stop reading before you get to the portion of the story starting with: “But here’s where things get a little weird.”
The quotes are great. The piece is well-researched. There’s foreshadowing, a twist and even a bit of a mystery—all in a piece about a very serious topic, even if it may not seem so at first.
Props to Susanne Rust. Check it out.
—Jimmy Boegle
From the Independent
Civic Solutions: As We Endure Another Heatwave, Why Aren’t We Giving Free AC to People in Need?
By Maria Sestito
July 13th, 2023
Free air conditioners aren’t the most energy-efficient option, and they don’t help with the environmental effects of climate change—but they might save some lives in the short-term.
Caesar Cervisia: A Diet Has Forced Me Toward Non-Alcoholic Beers—and I’ve Been Pleasantly Surprised by What I’ve Found
By Brett Newton
July 12th, 2023
Much of the non-alcoholic beer that’s been on the market for years in the U.S. has tasted of sadness. Fortunately, times have changed in favor of teetotalers.
A Wash and Blowout: An Excerpt From Michael Craft’s New Novel, ‘Desert Deadline: A Dante and Jazz Mystery’
By Michael Craft
July 11th, 2023
Maude Movay, a reclusive author of romance novels, is facing a tight deadline for a multimillion-dollar deal. So she checks in at one of Dante’s rentals intending to write a blockbuster—then checks out on a gurney, feet first.
The Weekly Independent Comics Page for July 13, 2023
By Staff
July 13th, 2023
Topics addressed this week include Culver City, nothingburgers, sick owns, firing the prosecution—and more!
More News
• Could the next pandemic involve the bird flu? Scientists are increasingly concerned about that possibility, as reported by none other than the World Health Organization: “The current outbreaks of avian influenza (also called “bird flu”) have caused devastation in animal populations, including poultry, wild birds, and some mammals, and harmed farmers’ livelihoods and the food trade. … The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) are urging countries to work together across sectors to save as many animals as possible and to protect people. Avian influenza viruses normally spread among birds, but the increasing number of H5N1 avian influenza detections among mammals—which are biologically closer to humans than birds are—raises concern that the virus might adapt to infect humans more easily. In addition, some mammals may act as mixing vessels for influenza viruses, leading to the emergence of new viruses that could be more harmful to animals and humans.”
• Another day, another story revealing potential corruption within the U.S. Supreme Court. This time, the media source is The Guardian, and the justice is, again, Clarence Thomas: “Several lawyers who have had business before the Supreme Court, including one who successfully argued to end race-conscious admissions at universities, paid money to a top aide to Justice Clarence Thomas, according to the aide’s Venmo transactions. The payments appear to have been made in connection to Thomas’ 2019 Christmas party. The payments to Rajan Vasisht, who served as Thomas’s aide from July 2019 to July 2021, seem to underscore the close ties between Thomas … and certain senior Washington lawyers who argue cases and have other business in front of the justice. Vasisht’s Venmo account—which was public prior to requesting comment for this article and is no longer—show that he received seven payments in November and December 2019 from lawyers who previously served as Thomas legal clerks. The amount of the payments is not disclosed, but the purpose of each payment is listed as either ‘Christmas party,’ ‘Thomas Christmas Party,’ ‘CT Christmas Party’ or ‘CT Xmas party.’”
• The first over-the-counter birth-control pill in the U.S. will hopefully be on store shelves early next year. NBC News reports: “The approval is a major win for medical groups, including the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which have been pushing for years for an over-the-counter (OTC) birth control pill. It also comes amid legal battles over women’s reproductive rights. ‘This is a monumental decision,’ said Dr. Melissa Simon, a professor of clinical gynecology at Northwestern University. ‘OTC birth control is available in over 100 countries, so we’ve been behind in availing safe, effective methods such as this oral contraceptive pill to individuals who are trying to avoid pregnancy.’ Opill, also known as the ‘mini-pill,’ contains one hormone, progestin, and is taken daily. It was first approved by the FDA as a prescription in 1973. The FDA said it is approving the over-the-counter version for all users of reproductive age, including teenagers, a move that is expected to remove barriers to access and reduce the risk of unintended pregnancies.”
• PEN America makes the case that the next battles in the culture wars will be fought over college accreditation: “Former president Donald Trump has vowed to ‘fire’ them. Republicans in Congress would like to restrict them. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants the courts to break them. And Christopher Rufo, the chief architect of today’s ‘Critical Race Theory’ panic, recently declared them his ‘next target.’ The culture wars have come for university accreditors. … There are seven major bodies in the United States, the so-called ‘regional’ accreditors, that accredit higher education institutions. Many majors and disciplines, such as nursing and engineering, also have their own accrediting bodies. Simply put, accreditation is one of the principal guarantors of quality in America’s higher education system and one of the major ways students can differentiate between a reputable institution and a diploma mill.”
• San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing, the oldest craft-beer brewery in the U.S., is shutting down. The San Francisco Standard takes a decidedly local look at the sad news: “Sapporo said the local craft brewing scene helped usher in Anchor’s demise but claimed that several other factors had also killed the brewery, including the growing popularity of hard seltzers and liquor and a pandemic-related loss of sales at bars and restaurants, where Anchor sold 70% of its beer, according to spokesperson Sam Singer. The Japanese brewing conglomerate purchased Anchor Brewing Company in 2017. … The Brewers Association, which represents craft breweries nationwide, said the large craft brewing scene stands on the shoulders of Anchor. The trade association also said rising costs make it difficult for breweries to survive. ‘Anchor’s contributions to craft brewing and American beer history cannot be overstated,’ said Brewers Association Chief Economist Bart Watson.”
• Our partners at Calmatters look at the various technologies CalFire is using to battle hotter, deadlier and more frequent wildfires: “CalFire has responded by tapping into all the new technology—such as drones, military satellites, infrared images and AI-assisted maps—that can be brought to bear during a fire. Commanders now must consider a broader range of possibilities so they can pivot when the firefront shifts in an unexpected way. The agency also has beefed up its ability to fight nighttime fires with a new fleet of Fire Hawk helicopters equipped to fly in darkness. The state has thrown every possible data point at the problem with its year-old Wildfire Threat and Intelligence Integration Center, which pulls information from dozens of federal, state and private sources to create a minute-by-minute picture of conditions conducive to sparking or spreading fires.”
• And finally … from the Interesting Stories That Skeeve Jimmy Out File comes this Washington Post piece about, bleh, snakes: “William Hayes was conducting research into snake venom a few years ago when he met up with some colleagues in the mountains of Southern California. They handed over two rattlesnakes, which he corralled into a bucket and put in the back seat of his car. As the college professor drove back toward his lab, he noticed the snakes sounded oddly quiet. It seemed like they were rattling less than usual. In the following months, Hayes and a team of researchers started to study whether rattlesnakes were less stressed when they were near other snakes—leading to softer rattling. … Researchers found that snakes, like humans, are calmer when they have company, according to the results published Thursday in the Frontiers in Ethology journal.”
Support the Independent!
We’re coming up on what could be the hottest moments of the year. Please, stay safe. Those of us at Independent World Headquarters will spend much of the next three days in the AC (presuming it holds) working on copy for our upcoming August issue. If you’d like to buy us a lemonade, or perhaps a nice, icy glass of bourbon, please click the button below to become a Supporter of the Independent. As always, thanks for reading!
