The BLT Episode 11: Bin Through A Lot
Things got heated this week in more than one sense. Let’s unpack some of this week’s news stories and curiosities, plated up and delivered hot off the press in this week’s BLT.
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Record-searing temperatures
Of course, this week’s BLT had to mention what everyone has been talking about - the heat. The red alerts weren’t false alarms, and on Tuesday (19th July) temperatures soared above 40 degrees in the UK for the first time in recorded history. The village of Coningsby in England hit 104.5 F (40.3 C), according to the Met Office.
A frightening direct sign of the climate emergency, the weather caused major travel disruption and London’s Fire Brigade saw their busiest day since WW2.
We’re *clearly* not used to the heat
With barely any air con, the UK isn’t cut out for such high temperatures, and many took to Twitter to dish out their sage advice, including stuffing frozen peas under your clothing. One radio show even suggested rubbing yourself in raw onion has a palliative effect. It’s just people, at the UK’s biggest agricultural show, pigs were given a slathering of factor 30 sun cream.
And then there were two
Boris (literally) said “hasta la vista baby” as he signed off his final PMQs this week, leaving prospective PMs with one last message, “focus on the road ahead, but always remember to check the rear-view mirror.”
The race to succeed the ‘big dog’ is on, and just two remain - Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, with Sunak topping the vote. They’re set to go head-to-head in televised debates before September, when the next leader will be announced.
Got the t-shirt and the degree
What it means to be the ultimate fan has just gone up a level thanks to Texas State University, who have announced that from 2023 Harry Styles will be the subject of a class titled ‘Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity: Identity, the Internet and European Pop Culture’. Might the real meaning of ‘watermelon sugar’ finally be revealed?
Christmas starts earlier every year…
We’re at the peak of the hot hot summer. The natural time, of course, to launch a Christmas campaign. As food prices rise amid the cost of living crisis, Tesco have decided now is the time to launch their Christmas campaign, encouraging people to spread the cost of their Christmas shopping and save up Clubcard points.
Gentle giants roaming Kent
Wild bison have been released in the wild in a commercial pine forest in Kent, back in the UK for the first time in more than 1000 years. These beefy beasts weigh up to a ton and are Europe’s largest land mammal. With their tree-scratching, dust-bathing, and grass-eating habits, it’s hoped they’ll reshape the ecosystem and lay the foundation for a more vibrant natural woodland.
Bonnie, the lost dog, comes back a winner
A family from West Sussex were sick with worry when their beloved five-year-old beagle went missing.
The whole neighbourhood helped with the search for little Bonnie. It turns, Bonnie was not just OK, but thriving. She had been found by a dog-owner on his way to a bonny-doggy contest. Before returning Bonnie, the man entered her in the contest. Bonnie and her third-place rosette were happily returned.
Sun-fried breakfast
One man saw the heatwave not as an inconvenience, but an opportunity, cooking a full English on the hot surface of his metal fridge.
Wheelie Bin making the most of the weather
A nice dip in water is just what’s needed when the weather is scorching. But we aren’t all lucky enough to have a pool. Improvising, one man filled his wheelie bin with cold water and jumped in. Cocktail in hand, he was having a lovely time. That is, until his neighbour filmed him, and his angry reaction went viral. Triggered, he stood up to fight his intrusive neighbour, only for him, and the bin, to comedically topple over.
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Give us the week’s offbeat news stories, and we’ll sum them up in an image, bringing them into the same universe.