"He likes me" Umm, BELIEVE THE WARNINGS

 #Yellowstone #Bison

DO NOT try to pet the bison! GIVE THEM SPACE!

RantWoman is always OUTRAGED to hear about some dumb tourist not respecting wild animals.

This video is much kinder but also blunter about realities.

Scary bison attack DECODED | Yellowstone National Park | Wild animal attack

Rutting season!

While we are at it, some other animals have their moment.

Man Taking Selfie With Bison Instantly Regrets It - Yellowstone Tourists Are Idiots

Man Approaching Bison Instantly Regrets It - Yellowstone Tourists Are Idiots

The new Senator Graham in it for the long haul.

 #SCpol #DarlineGraham

Would SOMEONE please eff-ing do some research about the new Sen. Graham's professional background? Digression: modern married women make all kinds of choices about which names they use where. If Sen. Darlene is already getting grief because people assume she got where she is because of her brother, how would an unknown name help her? The new Senator Graham has successfully run a state agency serving the blind for a long time. Assuming that is not worthy of a Senate campaign is both sexist and dismissive of the importance of making sure #PWD are part of the community. She probably knows her way around SC politics really well. Sorry guys, there flat need to be more women in the Senate and Darline seems a LOT saner than Nancy Mace. Maybe women's insight can help cut through the Epstein sludge.

Oh, and President #StableGenius treats the word #affordability" like some kind of epithet. THe #GOP could take a bath because of it. OR someone who can talk effectively about domestic matters COULD just save the party...

MAGA Backlash ERUPTS After Lindsey Graham's Sister Makes Major Announcement

The President endorses Lindsay Graham's sister in the SC GOP Primary.

 #SCpol #VocationalRehabilitation

RantWoman is not sure the opinion of a legally blind person from the other Washington is going to carry much weight in South Carolina but here goes: Darline Graham has been the head of the state agency for the blind for a long time. She probably knows her way around SC politics really well and MAYBE around some dimensions of national policy better than people expect just from the fact of her being Lindsay's sister. Can she work across the aisle? We wouldn't know just from the SC = red state logic, but blindness is a non-partisan challenge. Progress comes from people who can work together and draw out the best in each other. (Don't tell the President in case any of this sounds too "woke.") People who don't talk about Darline's professional life are being both sexist and disrespectful of the people her agency serves. But maybe talking too much about this will just make the President sour on her. As someone whose first reflex is always to want more women in the Senate, Darline also comes across as a lot less crazy than Nancy Mace. RantWoman doesn't vote in SC but would still also want to see a good Democrat make a run for it too.

Previously on this topic

Adventures of RantWoman: Contacts Matter. So does competence

Contacts Matter. So does competence

 #DarlineGraham #DisabilityPrideMonth #VocationalRehabilitation

RantWoman does not usually cite talking AI-generated cats when looking for news stories. Here, though, "we will watch this evolving story" is a blessedly neutral contrast to all the different howling voices of the internet commentariat!  Treat the other stories here with caution. Still, RantWoman is inspired to try to plow through the online howling, to congratulate the newly appointed Senator Graham or Senator Graham Nordone, RantWoman is unsure of the preferred usage, and to see what can happen when people actually try to work across the aisle. 

Darlene Graham Nordone has been the Commissioner of the SC Commission of the Blind. She has a master's degree in vocational rehabilitation services and has a long career working with the blind in SC. The commissioner of a state agency almost certainly works closely with the governor. This should reasonably give her a leg up, even compared to other female political figures in SC.

Darline Graham is not a professional politician but she clearly has a long career working in political environments.

Now here come the tangled internet commentaries.

Some voices claim that Darline Graham was appointed to the Senate just because she is the late Sen. Graham's sister,. RantWoman has definitely heard that line from the left-leaning YouTube voices that come RantWoman's way. Not doing homework to find out actual qualifications is one thing. 

Even worse is a gratuitous diss that  "she does fine as an optician but that does not make her qualified to serve in the Senate." 

Come again? RantWoman has not seen any recognition of a optician certification. RantWoman has seen documentation about a Master's Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation. RantWoman would hope that a Commissioner of the State Commission of the Blind would not have to be making eyeglasses for the people she serves. RantWoman has also heard enough glasses nightmare stories that it might be really convenient to have someone who understands eyeglasses when it comes to matching blind and visually impaired people with the tools that will help them thrive, gain employment, function in modern society.

More importantly, having a brother in the Senate who respects one's work could be really, really helpful when advocating about need for resources and it would be a genuine mark of respect for the late Senator to want to support the asks she brings. RantWoman would like to find more media info about this, but that is not happening tonight.

"A woman would never be elected in her own right in SC."

Uhhh, thank you Nikki Haley for speaking up. Enough said? 

Nikki Haley's Got Something to Say to the 'Ladies' at 'The View' – PJ Media

RantWoman thinks it is about darn time that there was a woman Senator from SC, but RantWoman thinks that about a lot of states.

It would be safe to imagine that RantWoman disagrees strongly with the late Senator Graham about A LOT of things; RantWoman definitely would not mind if the newly appointed Senator Graham deviates from some of her brother's views.

The main point: blindness is not a partisan issue! Getting things done in the nation's capital is hard work and a lot of erstwhile journalists need to do their homework a lot better. Can everyone also try to think about ways people can work TOGETHER. RantWoman realizes it's not fashionable. Do it anyway.

Announcing...a major age threshold

 

Look,

It's a MAJOR birthday for RantWoman. RantWoman will be celebrating by inviting herself to dine with a number of different friends because why stop at one celebration.

RantWoman has had a very celebratory day. Scratch that. RantWoman made a delicious omelet to use up things in her refrigerator before an out-of-town trip.

RantWoman received a birthday email and offer of celebratory cupcake flages (cupcake flags?)  from her graduate alma mater. The offer makes RantWoman smile at least.

RantWoman has also made herself ANOTHER spinoff blog.

RantWoman of Age

RantWoman will be easing slowly into what she wants to do so please bear with the bare bones presentation.

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.

In AI is evil news, NE Supreme Court suspends a divorce lawyer's license over AI hallucinations and 57 defects in a brief.

 RantWoman is not a lawyer but has experience with AI hallucinations about a number of topics. Divorces can be messy enough without AI hallucinations.

Nebraska Supreme Court Suspends Omaha Attorney for AI Hallucinations in Divorce Brief (April 2026) | Divorce Law News | Divorce.law

The website has several kinds of resources and concrete tips for NE specific situations. Research about other states is left to the reader.

RantWoman's off the cuff recommendation: ask to review documents before they are submitted and object vigorously to hallucinations.

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. 

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.

Waymo anecdotally, and in the news

 First a Waymo news item, posted without further comment.

Next, one of RantWoman's best friends from high school visited Seattle over the weekend. This friend is now a doctor based in LA. She and another best friend recently had a somewhat harrowing experience involving hills in San Francisco. RantWoman does not recall all the details. Sigh.

Doctor friend noted a frequent problem reported to her: the Waymo just arrives and announces that it is around a corner, down a block, too far away for someone with a walker to reach at all or within the time Waymo allows. Let us not forget need to cross a busy street. There is also the same issue blind people report with Uber: how to find the Uber or Waymo

RantWoman knows there is software in the world that helps a driver get near someone with a cellphone. RantWoman has NO idea why implementing that should not be automatic. RantWoman also has no opinion about how blind people can identify a place it is safe to wait.

Doctor friend noted that there are many reasons that people might need extra time to get into or out of the vehicle. RantWoman wonders whether there could be some options either to configure a setting or to adjust for each different passenger.

RantWoman did learn that there are now Waymo vans. This sounds promising for people who use wheelchairs, but RantWoman has yet to see any information about securing one's mobility device once one gets inside.

But Onward!

Celebrating the opening of the Obama Presidential Center

Actual grand opening set for #Juneteenth

 One of the things RantWoman has noticed in run up publicity to the center's opening is all the rooms named after other people.

Obama Center Opens As A Permanent Home For Hope On Chicago’s South Side

EXCLUSIVE: The Obama Presidential Center: A sneak peek inside the state-of-the-art facility

And from the Lego corps

Michelle Obama's SAVAGE Speech Shadows Trump at Obama Center Opening | Iran Lego Animation

Excellent High Quality--and DANGED TIRESOME--UFC trash talk.

Dear world, Michell Obama is STILL NOT A MAN. More on the other side of the video.

 RantWoman's X feed has been full all day of #MichelleObama appreciation pieces. RantWoman had been wondering what brought that about. 

This here is the best specimen RantWoman as been served up about the whole pathetic trash-talking saga that launched the "Michelle Obama is a man" internet trope this time around.

It's not just "Michelle Obama is a man." it's that on top of "my lord Jesus Christ." Michelle is much too polite to put things this way, but it would not take much to be 10 times the man of the limp-d*Ked cu*ks flinging around that ridiculous trope. They should apologize or their (insert vulgarity of choice about male genitalia) might fall off.

It is nice that at least a FEW people in the president's circle might the original comment disgusting.

Trump's silence after Michelle Obama attacks at UFC event raises red flags for ex-aide

MAGa Fighter Sparks MASSIVE BACKLASH After Trump Fight Night!

UFC's Josh Hokit 'Finally Responds’ To Being ‘Checked' For ‘Michelle Obama Is A Man' Diss - HP News - YouTube

Michelle Obama Disrespected At Trump’s Despicable UFC White House Spectacle

Michelle, in her own, much more uplifting words.

LET’S BE VERY CLEAR:
“Strong men who are TRULY Role Models, don’t need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful. People who are TRULY Strong lift others up. People who are truly powerful bring people together”, #MichelleObama pic.twitter.com/gthB2Q1WZs

— I Am Neecha 🌷🎀💖🌹💞👠💐 #PositiveEnergy (@AuthorJoeNBrown) June 16, 2026

Good Trouble on behalf of the Kennedy Center

 

Aside from the clear statements in this post, judges probably do not have a way to ruling about karma. RantWoman has just said from Day 1 of President #StableGenius assault on the Kennedy Center: #DonSnoreleone is messing with seriously bad karma. After 3 apparent assassination attemps, to RantWoman it seems like a REALLY DUMB idea to paste one's name on a landmark named for an assassinated president.

Warm wishes to this family

 

"When I was going through the adoption process, I [feared the judge would say] 'You're blind. I'm concerned about you being a parent,'" Deja said.

[The judge said] 'You are obviously a better mother than she could have ever hoped to have.'"

Listen: https://t.co/NOc6tqB6sI pic.twitter.com/ZfQJYSnxvG

— National Federation of the Blind (@NFB_voice) June 11, 2026

Blanche!

 Congratulations Blanche, recently proclaimed the Icelandair "World's worst photographer.

Readers who don't want RantWoman ramble, scroll down for comments specifically about this. Readers game for more piquant notes from RantWoman's life, moments from RantWoman's Instagram learning curve, and / or more contributions to crowd sourcing social media market research, stick with us. 

1. RantWoman does not exactly have out loud conversations with Ambassador Thwack, the badly behaved white cane and anger management consultant. RantWoman does suspect need to note the following:

"Hot lava AND ice caves? You want me to do WHAT exactly?"

"Relax. We can handle it when necessary. Just Chill. Wait. Is that the wrong word?"

2. RantWoman thinks she has figured out how to do a like that is not just a reply with an emoji.

 RantWoman, knock on wood, seems to have trained her instagram to skip the annoying thumbnails and always just open with a full screen photo that RantWoman can swipe about.

RantWoman has not figured out what a reel is, how to sort out who to follow into coherent streams, or how to fire up her phone's AI to read the itty-bitty text way too many stick in their posts. Sorry, but if it's too busy for RantWoman, RantWoman just swipes away fast.

RantWoman really likes Instagram posts with sound, either sound that tells a good story or sound that bears some relationship to the visual content.

3. RantWoman has not fully gotten into the reply vibe, but RantWoman is going to gripe anyway. Along with all the congratulatory posts for Blanche, there were people still trying to vote for Diane, the mom from Kansas who can't photograph her own children. RantWoman can relate. RantWoman did not submit her own "who are these people and why can't they take decent photos?" specimens. 

Why? Because privacy. Even though a lot of the "who are these people?" faces have long departed to other realms, enough of the ones who are allergic to the internet are still around that RantWoman did not want to subject them to mockery. RantWoman has been looking at other older, pre-digital family photos and grumbling about all the times no one thought to note who the person is next to Aunt Tilley, or where the photo was taken. So maybe a nudge to everyone out there laying photo tracks in the digital sand: label your photos as soon as you can after you take them.

4. The chorus of voices looking for some Mom energy jogged RantWoman's memory about one thing. RantWoman has watched a ton of Iceland videos. She onley remembers seeing a child in one channel and the child was a toddler riding in his Mom's video. Surely children exist in Iceland. Surely some arrive as tourists. 

Iceland is EXPENSIVE but RantWoman wonders whether some videos specifically about family friendly travel would put Iceland in a better position for the "planning a family vacation" market segment. RantWoman's mind also wandered to the question: do kids do pen pals any more? or what about some kind of teleconference learning and interaction? Understand, RantWoman is tossing out the idea without necessarily any capacity to work details out further, but there are so many interesting things about Iceland...

So now we get to Blanche. RantWoman thinks Blanche will be an absolute hoot to travel with. So again Congratulations Blanche!

Not the worst of 127,642 bad photographers? Disappointed? Relieved?

 RantWoman is grinning about the following communication from IcelandAir:

Dear applicant,  Thank you for applying to become Icelandair’s bad photographer.  After reviewing all applications, we’ve made our final selection – and unfortunately, you won’t be moving forward this time.  The good news, however, is that out of 127,642 applications, a sea of truly questionable photography, you’re simply… not the worst. Congratulations (we think).  As a small token of our appreciation, we’re awarding you a diploma certifying that you are not the worst photographer in the world. (read the diploma. It makes RantWoman grin.) We’re also gifting you $100 off flights from the US to Iceland. Use code XXXXXX (actual code not shown) when booking. Valid for travel between September 1 and December 15, 2026, and available for booking until June 1, 2026. Offer applies to Economy Standard and Saga Premium airfares.   We also invite you to join the Icelandair community by signing up for our newsletter. You’ll get early access to offers and package deals to Iceland, and a first look at what’s coming next. We hope to welcome you here one day. Sign up here. (Oh GOOD, Email and not some freaky social media thing RantWoman is already vexed about.) If you sign up before May 31, you’ll also be entered into a draw to win .... gift card to use on icelandair.com. Thank you for the time, effort, and admirable commitment to being authentically not great at photography. We genuinely enjoyed every submission.  We hope to welcome you on board soon!   Wishing you all the best in your future photographic misadventures,  The Icelandair team  Whew! What a relief.  No expectations to perform vigorous outdoor exercise, no matter how gorgeous the scenery might be. No need to plan for appropriate apparel. No need to clear schedule and a chance at a later booking opportunity. RantWoman has been having LOTS of fun thinking about possibilities. RantWoman never minds another chance to share her own eccentricities with a wider audience. OK, so MAYBE AI is about to render obsolete a capacity to go on at length about the literary dimensions of alt text  RantWoman is not objecting to multiple nudges to wander further into social media channels outside her current familiarity zone. RantWoman has been contemplating demographics that might enjoy different aspects of Iceland life and culture. Add in watching YouTube videos and reacting both about things that intrigue her and things that evoke history, culture, collisions of religious traditions, and whether or not, as a story on AL Jazeera suggests Prozac is essential for happiness in Iceland. Stay tuned for more ramble.

If one is going to fret about Ebola, aim to fret--and be informed--about the right things

 #Ebola #DRC #Uganda #Kenya

HEALTH EMERGENCY Declared after Trump DITCHES Agency

Takeaways:

Anyone who has been in the DRC affected areas in the last 21 days and who is already home should monitor symptoms. As with ANY possible hemorrhagic fever, do not just go to a walk in facility. Call your clinic or the CDC hotline for guidance.

Trust the science and the containment centers

Ebola in Eastern Congo: No Vaccine, No Cure – What Now? | DW News

Ebola Outbreak: Mexico Airlines Restrict Uganda, DRC Or South Sudan Travellers | WION

Kenyan perspectives

U.S. MEDICAL EXPERTS ARRIVE IN KENYA AS COURT BLOCKS EBOLA FACILITY

The Trump-Ruto Secret Deal That Just EXPLODED in Kenya

The President doing his bilateral deals in lieu of collaborating through international bodies.

Add a budget cut compared to previous arrangements.

In other words, RantWoman opinion, some of the same disease management approaches as #COVID. cut budget. Bilateral agreements..

President Ruto on how the agreement has been pitched to him.

"Why do Americans think their lives are more important than Kenyans?" CNN on Ebola quarantine uproar

U.S TRIED TO SHIP EBOLA PATIENTS TO KENYA — THEN A KENYAN JUDGE SAID NO

May is maternal health awareness month

 Deal #AI techbros.

Beat this. 

Talk to, involve actual HUMANS, like oh say, MOMS postpartum.