Finished: The Boys of Everest, by Clint Willis 📚. A history of (some) British climbers from the early 1950s to the early 1990s. The author is a climber himself, and this book focuses quite a bit of attention on the innter mental and emotional states of various climbers. Some of this comes from interviews, some is inferred from letters and other documents or (I suspect) the author’s own experiences. Rings true and makes for a distinctly different climbing book, though it will be impossible to ever know how accurate some of this stuff is.
Pam Bondi’s brother crushed in DC Bar Association election
Take the tiny rays of sunshyine where you can get them.
“Good Morning”
Olympus TG-6 @ 8.4mm, f/4.5, 1/30s, ISO 1600. Columbia Lily along the trail at Mount Pisgah.
“The Trail Entices”
Olympus TG-6 @ 4.5mm, f/8, 1/50s, ISO 200. Trail at Mount Pisgah.
“Sand in the Gears”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42mm kit lens @ 14mm, f/10, 1/125s, ISO 125. Driftwood near the John Dellenback Dunes Trail.
#mbjune Day 9: wood 📷
One sign that I’ve been vegan for many years: tofu-based “cheese” sauce actually tastes pretty good on noodles.
“Candystick”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42mm kit lens @ 42mm, f/5.6, 1/100s, ISO 2000. Close-up of the weird and wonderful candystick plant along the Rainbow Falls Trail.
“Who Dat?”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42mm kit lens @ 15mm, f/8, 1/40s, ISO 320. The best travel is foot travel. This is me on the Cummins Creek Trail a few months back.
#mbjune Day 8: travel 📷
“Bears and Diamonds”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42mm kit lens @ 14mm, f/16, 1/1250s, ISO 2500. Diamond Peak over flowering bear grass along the Eugene to Crest Trail.
“Moonscape”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42mm kit lens @ 14mm, f/8, 1/400s, ISO 250. A high-intensity burn scar on the Eugene to Crest Trail along Bunchgrass Ridge.
Trump deploys National Guard to quell Los Angeles area ICE raid protests
Looks like we’ve reached the “military occupation” stage of the fascist takeover. Perhaps the most troubling part is the deliberate attempt of the Trumpists to erode the distinction between “protest” and “rebellion.” This is not to excuse every action taken by protestors in LA - but they’re clearly setting the stage to use the military anywhere, any time, for any reason.
“Steepness”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 60mm 14-42 kit lens @ 14mm, f/7.1, 1/50s, ISO 4000. Looking back at steep switchbacks on the Eugene to Crest Trail.
#mbjune Day 7: switch 📷
Supreme Court hands DOGE big wins in Social Security, records cases
If we’re getting this shit on the shadow docket, I can only imagine how bad the remaining merits decisions this term will be. Unfortunately the judiciary can’t be much of a long-term restraint on illegal executive branch thuggery when 2/3 of the Supreme Court are worthless trained seals.
Cruz seeks $10 billion for NASA programs in budget reconciliation bill
It’s so cute watching Senators pretend that the Trump administration will spend funds as Congress directs. That ship has already sunk, boys.
13 House Republicans urge Senate to save green credits
“We hope you grow the spine that we couldn’t find when we voted against them.”
“Rest Time”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42mm kit lens @ 41mm, f/14, 1/160s, ISO 320. Middle Sister, South Sister, Broken Top and Ball Butte seen from a high point on Bunchgrass Ridge.
“Lilies”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42mm kit lens @ 42mm, f/4.5, 1/800s, ISO 250. Subalpine Mariposa Lilies (I think) at a high point on Bunchgrass Ridge along the Eugene to Crest Trail.
RFK Jr. Is Opening the Alternative Medicine Floodgates
What could possibly go wrong?
(To clarify: I do think there is a place for experimental and alternative treatments to be a personal choice. But I also think it’s important to have science-based evidence and recommendations available, and that’s the part that our health fuhrer is trying to get rid of.)