Edward Snowden today

 #Russia #NSA

This channel is flagged as AI.

RantWoman is posting this here without extensive comment.

Adios Copa Mundial

#FIFA #FIFA2026 #CopaMundial

Inspired by all of RantWoman's connections who watched the World Cup final.

 Was it a good game?

For the side that won. The other side played badly.

So RantWoman heard.

Also, President #StableGenius got booed. He also fell asleep. He was rooting for Argentina. Was this because Argentine president Javier Milei is a giant groupie of #DonSnorelone while Spain has firmly said "No" about lending airspace to ill-advised military campaigns? Is the curse of the President's team preferences? On the bright side, someone managed to herd #DementiaDon off camera during the trophy presentation.

RantWoman loved the idea of turning whole sections of cities into giant watch parties. RantWoman also avoided travel around watch parties she did not care to attend. RantWoman loves the idea of nerding out about one sport and getting more fulsome national stories than the olympics where there are dozens of sports and hundreds of athletes.

Dear World

Thank you very much for coming. 

Lots of people in the US hope that next time around we will have a better-behaved President. 

Also, please take home some Ranch dressing.

Bad Bunny's Halftime show nominated for multiple Emmys

 

Icelandic hot dog vs Seattle dog?

Iceland Photography 

One of RantWoman's summer amusements has been following Blanche, proclaimed World's worst photographer by Icelandair around Iceland.

Here at last Blanche has gotten to chomp on a famous Icelandic Hot Dog.

In a spirit of actual research, below the video, RantWoman presents comparison between the Seattle Dog and the Icelandic Hot dog.

Be advised, RantWoman admits to thinking the Seattle dog is not her first choice in hot dogs, but let's see why the Icelandic hot dog probably tops it.

Seattle Style Hot Dogs with Cream Cheese and Grilled Onions - Our Best Bites

All beef dog, caramelized onions, jalapenos

Sigh: RantWoman likes cream cheese but not really on hotdogs. RantWoman does like roasted onions and  jalapenos, but horrors, has usually skipped the cream cheese in favor of sauerkraut and mustard. RantWoman definitely approves of buns toasted on the grill next to the vegetables.

The Icelandic Hot Dog - Pylsur - ✮ The Food Dictator ✮

Free range lamb, beef, pork in a natural casing with coriander, garlic and onions sounds delicious. Add Remoulade with pickles, capers, chervil.

Sounds yummy though definitely get real Icelandic hot dogs rather than ordinary polish sausages.

Watch the PFies try to ride the DC Metro

 #America250 #Heatdome

The image of the lone Black woman in a Metro car full of Patriot Front adherents in the nation's capital on #July4th2026 has gone around the world many times.

RantWoman thinks the video discussed here is really the one that should go viral. RantWoman snark on the other side.

I am sorry but the vision of the poor PFies having trouble figuring out that big city public transit stuff is pretty funny. That is the image that should be amplified. I support people's right to parade around in whatever getup they choose but did the PFies all just cook themselves dressing like that in 100+ degree F weather? Racism is NOT funny and there is at least one other clip of a Black man alone on a car with some of the PFies. No one should be masked for any other reason that #COVID prevention, not ICE, not anti-ICE protestors and not the PFies. If the cause is enough to march about, have enough decency to show your faces.

Internet MOCKS White Nationalists After DC FAIL

Estimates only 400 of the estimated 540 membership showed up. Maybe a FEW of them had enough sense to stay out of the heat.

Timelines: a reminder

 #America250 #USA250

While the country is recovering from weather and fireworks smoke, brief but VERY useful historical reminders

Is the US a Maritime Power

 Another great item from What's Going On with Shipping.

Impressive history lesson, great book recommendations.

--Are the books still in print?

--Are they available in accessible formats?

WHO KNOWS. But the book list is here for anyone ready to find out.

A really great way to come at #America250

World Cup Cringe, small town warmth, and the COOL things about the US team

 #FIFAQorldCup #CopaMundial

And a rave

Trump FURIOUS as USMNT Defies his ADMINISTRATION’S WISHES!!!

Sordid State of the supposed State Fair

#America250 #USA250 

Dial-a-Tirade: America is a WHOLE CONTINENT. The USA is one country.

RantWoman is VERY glad it has not occurred to her to go steam herself under the heat dome in our nation's capital. 

RantWoman is posting this snapshot of YouTube offerings with the caveat that circumstances got even crazier than the videos here show.

Heat index of 110+

Thunderstorm

President #StableGenius only went on for about 40 minutes and then there were fireworks.

Twitter / X is invaluable for windows into #MAGA minds. They hallucinated MUCH bigger crowds than other sources reported.

Great American State Fair emptied due to extreme heat | NBC4 Washington

SHOCKING scandal ERUPTS over Trump’s Great American State Fair | Another Day

A new DISASTER at Trump’s Great American State Fair

Trump PANICS and CANCELS FAIR before JULY 4 EVENT!!!

Trump's Great American State Fair Keeps Getting Worse

High Quality Reese Waters ranting

Utterly Abysmal. Trump’s State Fair Flops. Delusional Fox Pretends Crowds Are Huge.

Roland Martin and a panel of Black voices

Nobody with offices close to the mall is having problems parking.

HOT TAKES! - Don & Joy Can't Believe How Bad The America 250 State Fair Is

Don and Joy pan it even before it gets shut down,.

Trump's State Fair Food Leaves Everyone GAGGING, IT'S DISGUSTING!

After the SemiQuinCentennial Party after the party and Zoom open house. Sunday July 5, 5pm-9pm

  AfterParty The SemiQuincentennial a day later.

The Short Version:

Happy 250th Birthday USA

It's the Party after the Party!

Please join RantWoman and friends for an After the party Zoom open house 

Sunday July 5, 

5 pm-9 pm Pacific.

Zoom info on request: leave a comment /

Has it really been 50 years since the bicentennial?

(Will there be guests who were not alive in 1976? Please come.

Can we stare down our nation's current mess and possibly contemplate a few more centuries? 

YES dang it.

The RantFamily observance of the bicentennial involved a lot of schlepping things around for a Billings Symphony concert in the park, a certain amount of helium balloon sales, and a thoroughly satisfying family picnic the next day.

In that tradition, time for a Zoom party!

Also, family circumstances got in the way of my customary holiday procrastination-themed Zoom open house so family time as needed. 

Put on your best patriotic gear, irreverent or ironic T-Shirt or at least come dressed appropriately for Zoom.

Come meet characters from many parts of RantWoman's life

Bring a recipe or at least a vivid description of a favorite picnic food.

Bring something that makes you laugh.

Bring a reason to be hopeful, outraged, or just perplexed.

Bring a story of a memorable Fourth of July. 

Come as you are for as long as you like.

There will also be a couple breakout rooms if people find something they want to chat about in a smaller group.

Readers who would like to attend and have not received an email invite, please leave a comment and Zoom info will arrive.

Canada Day in Newfoundland and Labrador and the rest of Canada

Happy Canada Neighbors.

History probably known only to few people in the US.

 Most Canadians celebrate the day Newfoundland mourns

RantWoman could of course stand to learn more about Canada Day. For now, RantWoman wants a pat on the head for thinking of it at all.

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.

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.

Happy belate birthday #GrandpaSleepyhead.

RantWoman is a grown-up. RantWoman made the grown-up decision to watch this entire video. Sorry Dear Readers, though. If you want to experience the Kai Trump goes to her grandpa's birthday party at the White House, please click on the link your own selves.

I went to the UFC fight at the White House

Neither Grandpa farmer nor the Righteous Reverend Rant Grandad needed a UFC fight for their birthdays. They did not need to surround themselves with (fake) gold. 

They did not turn any rose garden into concrete.

There is NO WAY that RantChildren would have been permitted to kick a soccer ball around outside the residential areas of the White House.

If anyone in the RantFamily had the opportunity to tour the white house and the Washington monument, maybe they would have made some effort to share interesting factoids. Not Kai.

Kai and her aunt Ivanka both do breathy blond frighteningly well. RantWoman has a very good friend who is blonde and perfectly capable of exploiting people's assumptions about blondness; this friend is also a doctor with multiple published scientific papers. Apparently there is no hope of expecting anything like that from the Trump family blondes.

But anyway, Happy belated birthday Mr. President. Sorry you fell asleep at your own party though.

Unsolicited clothing tips for Blanche, recently proclaimed Icelandair's World's Worst Photographer.

Blanche, Icelandair's "World's Worst photographer" is heading out on the promised 10-day trip around Iceland! 

RantWoman has mastered enough Instagram skills to search for specific channels, to like videos, to absorb ads for all sorts of travel giveaways (Clue: RantWoman seems to have a bit of a travel bug). RantWoman truly enjoys, for instance all the joy and energy and hope flowing from the Obama Presidential Center. RantWoman, who spends a bit of her time loathing #bikeshare vehicles also noticed someone, perhaps a Qatari "football" fan trundling around downtown Seattle on a #LimeBike. RantWoman has not really mastered sharing, reels / Threads, or how to target the floods of things one might want to share. Hence the need to offer unsolicited advice in blogland.

Back to IcelandAir and Blanche. Yesterday there was advice, mostly in Icelandic with tiny print that MAY be subtitles, for Blanche. Today both IcelandAir and Blanche posted a video that is almost to jittery and visually busy for RantWoman to appreciate. 

RantWoman did, though, notice that Blanche might need advice from one of the numerous "what to wear" / "how to pack for Iceland" videos.

Here, in case it is helpful are a couple such examples.

Rain Gear: How to Stay DRY in Iceland

There. Now RantWoman has to speak about Seattle. No need for rain gear, at least for a couple days. Temperatures have hit close to 90 F a few days in a row. RantWoman, who has lived in hotter climes, has gotten used to the need to whine about the heat anytime the temperature rises above about 80F. 

The summer temperature yo-yo in Seattle, for better or worse, does not include as much summer rain / heavy mist as was Seattle's reputation when RantWoman first moved here decades ago. The important point for tonight's ramble: weather definitely not as variable as Iceland but a young intern RantWoman knows will in fact, for the next few days, need the wrap RantWoman encouraged her to get.

US Hosting?

 #FIFAWorldCup 

RantWoman is not capable of just calming down and watching some #FIFA rah-rah mainstream coverage.

RantWoman appreciates high quality ranting.

Hang in there until about minute 32 for very pointed observations about Somali referee Omar Artan.

WTBBL to re-open to the Public June 22, 2026!

The WA Talking Book and Braille wtbbl.org will reopen to the public on Monday June 22, 2026!

 

Anyone with a print, physical, or reading disability can now call the WTBBL main number and a staff member will fill out an application for service, and they will be instantly certified for all services by the person taking the application. It is not necessary to have a doctor or someone else sign off for you any more. This seriously lowers the barriers to access to Braille and digital talking books. The National Library Service is working on an online form to simplify this process as well.

 

In other news: There are 40 episodes available in their Literary Notes podcast, and transcripts are being added.

Due to the Marrakesh treaty, people from many other countries are downloading Washington produced books, and we now have access to tens of thousands of books recorded by other services from all over the world.

The assistive technology specialist at the library Dusty will be on leave till sometime in August, but many resources are available to fill that gap.

700 books are currently in production in the audio department, and over 200 in the Braile department.

If you have digital players and aren’t using them, please return them  to the library so that others may enjoy them.

And state librarian Sarah Jones is retiring. She will continue as a volunteer to advocate with the legislature for stable state funding for our library system.

Friends of WTBBL and the All Foundation are fud raising sources for the library if people want to get more involved.

For more information on any of these topics, call WTBBL: (206) 615-0400