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Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea | KQED Truly CA

Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea | KQED Truly CA on HackerTube: recommended by 4 Hacker News commenters across 4 separate months, 2017–2025.

KQED Arts

documentary · evergreen

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A KQED Truly CA documentary narrated by John Waters about the Salton Sea, a once-glamorous California vacation spot now home to an eccentric community. It covers the area's economic, political and environmental problems and features Salvation Mountain.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN recommends it as an engaging, funny and fascinating documentary, and cites it in threads on the Salton Sea's history and environmental decline.

people recommended it
4
separate months
4
strong recommendations
2
discussed on HN
2017–2025
“Definitely one of my top 10 documentaries”
— nolanpro, Jun 2017, in “A California Dream”

What HN commenters said

6 Hacker News comments link this video. Each one links back to its thread.

darrenfJul 2023Strongly recommends

The similarly named Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea is one of my favourite documentaries of all time, I find it so fascinating: ▶ this video The video made to sell the place as a paradise in the 60s is also fascinating: [link]

in “Poisons and Perils on the Salton Sea” · View on HN

nolanproJun 2017Strongly recommends

Theres a great documentary "Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea" (narrated by John Waters!) Definitely one of my top 10 documentaries ▶ this video

in “A California Dream” · View on HN

lizknopeNov 2025Recommends

Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea narrated by John Waters ▶ this video I watched this 20 years ago. It's a really interesting and funny documentary about the Salton Sea and the area around it. [link]

in “Toxic Salton Sea dust triggers changes in lung microbiome after just one week” · View on HN

scroseOct 2021Recommends

For anyone unfamiliar with the history of the Salton sea and the effect all these chemicals have had on the surrounding areas, check out this documentary: ▶ this video A part of me wants to visit just to fully take in the reality of it all. But I don’t think my family would be too happy.

in “Where have all the insects gone?” · View on HN

TSiegeJan 2024Cites it

I remember watching a documentary on the Salton Sea and it interviewed some residents who were holding out that eventually there was gonna be a turn around and kept buying real estate in the hope of that. I wonder how they're fairing now with this latest development Doc in question: Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea ▶ this video

in “The lithium revolution has arrived at California's Salton Sea” · View on HN

TSiegeApr 2022Cites it

The salton sea is a man made disaster. I couldn't see how it could be any worse than it is now. Given the dire climate situation we're in, it seems like a no brainer ▶ this video

in “Lithium drilling advances at the Salton Sea” · View on HN

Topics & tags

Documentaries & storytellingEnvironment, agriculture & food systemscaliforniaenvironmental disasterjohn waterssalvation mountaindocumentary