Words from Harvard Grads

 #Harvard #Graduation #Classof2026

Apparently this specimen from the genre "graduation speeches" has gone viral. For people who don't swim in the places it has gone viral, RantWoman presents it as is with no attempt to explain what must be Harvard in-jokes, no discussion of self-referentiality, and no comment on either What is Literature or What is a Book.

And for a bonus

'I Am The Son Of Immigrants': Ex-US Navy Seal-Turned-Astronaut Fiery Speech At Harvard Alumni Event

EARTHQUAKES in Venezuela

 TONS of valuable history here for earthquaker recovery nerds.

Short version:

--In Venezuela: shoddy construction. Lack of iterative learning about improved earthquake readiness

--Shoddy construction from Russia, China ?

--Geology: ground that amplifies shockwaves.

--Compare Japan, Mexico City and to a certain extent the Phillipines.

The unfolding horror of the Venezuela Earthquake

CNN visits Venezuela rescue site as death toll tops 1,700

VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKE: Piles Of Coffins Overwhelm 'MORGUE' As Families Scramble To Identify Victims!

Venezuela earthquake: More survivors found as families plead for help | DW News

Rescuers race to find survivors after Venezuela earthquake as hopes fade

Venezuela Earthquake Update; 65,000+ Missing, Casualties Climb

Blanche Day 3 and Elsewhere

 

Meanwhile the US tries to have a 250th birthday party. The "county fair" in Washington DC gets RAINED ON. GOOD THING for pride events all over everywhere else.

Watch Everyone Get KICKED OUT of Trump Fair - YouTube

And a lot of the rest of Europe swelters.Adventures of RantWoman: 1000 excess death in France due to heat wave compared to last year

Guess which story RantWoman would rather pay attention to today.

1000 excess death in France due to heat wave compared to last year

 

Record heat: What Northern Europe can learn from Southern Europe | DW News

Boiling Point: The week of extreme heat | BBC News

Why Is Europe Baking? | Deadly Heatwave in UK, France, Spain, Italy | Mmega Block | WION Wideangle

MAGA Congressman tries to shield Uber from 3000 pending SA civil lawsuits

 This post is about a PROPOSED amendment sitting in a house committee.

Aside from shielding Uber retroactively from lawsuits with NO demand for improvements in risk management, the amendment also tries to assert federal supremacy over stricter state regulations.

Over 100 DEMOCRATIC female lawmakers have demanded this amendment be removed.

Stunningly silent. #GOP women although it would be just fine if a lot of men of both parties decide this proposal is ridiculous.

Waterfalls with breakfast: road trip with really bad photographer.

Iceland

RantWoman promises premium quality rant and ramble but invites readers to start out with their own media faves before RantWoman lets loose her inner child.

On the Road with Icelandair’s Bad Photographer | Icelandair US

The whole travel diary with links to a map and a bingo card must do list.

 

Let's see:

RantWoman is intrigued by the possibility to rent clothing appropriate for the climate. Waterfalls are fun to look at over breakfast when one is warm and dry; RantWoman is glad to see Blanche has scored both an insulate jacket and a proper hooded raincoat. She has clearly needed both several times even though it is JUNE, a time when people in the northern hemisphere naively expect SUMMER. 

RantWoman is glad to view the tour map on a big screen. Even though YouTube is full of videos about all the apps one might need besides Google, in RantWoman's fantasy life it would be possible to have the journey mapped out in Google if only so that people who stumble over Icelandic placenames have a frame of reference that could be navigated in more detail.

Likewise RantWoman needs a big screen to appreciate the bingo card and the "Pose at your Own Risk" warning on the side of the trip vehicle.

The video of Blanche camping out showed up in RantWoman's media streams the day after one of the hottest evenings so far in Seattle. The evening also featured a power outage. Seeing Blanche camping out made RantWoman feel much cooler and also touched some very fond memories from childhood of camping out during a big storm with siblings and cousins.

Day 2: Blanche chomped into something blue that she just pulled out of the ground. What was that? Considering all the YouTube comments along the lines of "Dear tourists, please don't do that," is anyone worried about swarms of tourists showing up to munch on the local flora?

RantWoman needs more narrative. RantWoman understands perfectly well that this excursion is about PHOTOGRAPHY. RantWoman also traffics as much in words as in pictures.

RantWoman has about a kazillion science nerd kid questions: 

--Where does all the water in the waterfalls come from?

--Do the glaciers get renewed or are they shrinking like LOTS of other glaciers around the planet?

--Is there any kind of map or info source that talks about how easy or hard the hikes to key observation points are?

--Is it common to find whalebones on the beach?

--Do people wear waterproof eye gear when soaking in the lagoons. RantWoman is twitchy about what does or does not get into her eyes but would prefer not to look like a total dork about handling her concerns. 

Sharing History from an official Emotional Support Canadian

Not Exactly a Canada Day celebration. Remembering events of July 12, 1844 but get some cool merch by June 30. 

Don't wait for Canada day. Head over to shop.todmaffin.com for organic cotton t-shirts that say "Relentless Decency," "I Stand With Canada," tees that have a cool line of trees and assorted other gear. Buy NOW, before June 30.

Now the video: 

Video content warning: violence, drunkenness, and extreme police accountability.

Language note: several quite respectable Canadianisms

Today From RantWoman's brand new Emotional Support Canadian

The Great Toronto Circus Riot

This item is honest about Canadian history, somehow a welcome relief from the overabundance of tendentious ranting RantWoman tolerates in other channels.

Enjoy!

And one more rant: for anyone from the US who might be travelling abroad and thinking of trying to pretend to be Canadian in order to duck floods of national embarrassment, just DON'T!

Small footnote: RantWoman knows how to share things just fine in Elon's Sandbox. RantWoman even managed to share with a tiny number of friends on Instagram. And for further Instagram fun, RantWoman MUST look up the swipes needed to make her phone read a lot of text--if only to read posts from one important national blindness organization.