There was a slight drizzle on and off today outside, which was very welcome.
Very little rain fell in May.
Happy Friday ☔️
Thursday/ consequences ⚖️
Stealing top secret documents from the White House (‘willful retention of national defense secrets’ is the charge, reportedly) and lying about it, bring consequences.
As simple as that.
This guy is continuing to making history— in a very bad way.
Friday Jun. 9 The DOJ unsealed its indictment of Trump today.
Prosecutors are charging Trump with 37 felonies, including 31 counts under the Espionage Act of ‘willful retention’ of classified records.
The charging docket also says that on at least two occasions, Trump showed classified records to visitors without security clearances at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey — including the map of a military operation to a representative of his political action committee.
[Information from Politico.com]
Every little thing is not ‘Breaking News’ as the cable news networks like to call it, but this certainly is. Trump himself broke the news, actually, writing on social media that he has been summoned to federal court on Tuesday in Miami.
Wednesday/ sweaty 😅
It was warm here in the city today (85 °F/ 30 °C).
Most of the Pacific Northwest has— so far— been spared the smoke from Canada that is plaguing New York City and the Northeast.
We picked the pickle ball court that has a nice patch of shade on the one side of the net.
Tuesday/ from Spain, South Africa 🇪🇸 🇿🇦
Two envelopes arrived yesterday, with the latest acquisitions I had made for my stamp collection inside.
The sellers did me the favor of pasting lots of beautiful stamps on the outside of the envelopes.
150th Anniversary of Spanish Stamps (from a set of 11)
Issued 2000, Oct.8, , Perf. 13 (round stamp), 13½x14, Photolith.
3067 A1073 Multi-colored 200p €1.20 Invention of the antenna and radio
3063 A1073 Multi-colored 200p €1.20 Signature of Miguel Induráin, cyclist
Traditional Sports and Games
Issued 2008, Perf. 13½x14, Photolith.
Miniature Sheet of Martial Arts, 3 stamps & 3 labels
3577 A1469 Multi-colored, €0.43 Stick fighting (palo canario)
3577 A1469 Multi-colored, €0.43 Wrestling (lucha leonesa)
3577 A1469 Multi-colored, €0.43 Wrestling (lucha canaria)
150th Anniversary of International Red Cross
Issued 2013, Oct.28, Perf. 12¾, Photolith.
3939 A1722 €0.90 Red and white
Tapestries of Sports Scenes Taken from Painting
Issued 2009, Jul.6, Perf. 12¾, Photolith.
3657 A1519 Multi-colored, €0.78, By Francisco de Goya (El Juego de Pelota a Pala)
Women’s Dresses by Paco Rabane
Issued 2013, Sept.12, Perf. 13×12¾, Photolith.
3926 A1715 Multi-colored, €0.52, See-through dress of red diamonds
3926 A1715 Multi-colored, €0.52, Dress made of large golden disks
[Information from Scott 2017 Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue]
The 40th IHF World Hospital Congress
2016, Oct.31, Perf. 14
2496 Multicolored, Intnl. Small Letter, Minisheet (75mm x 75mm)
The Many Faces of Nelson Mandela
Issued 2001, Nov.26, No watermark, Perf. 13¾, Designer Alf Kumalo
1481 Multicolored, Airmail Postcard Rate (R2.10), Nelson Mandela
1477 Multicolored, Airmail Postcard Rate (R2.10), Nelson Mandela
Wildlife— The Big 5
Issued 2001, Apr.25, No watermark, Perf. 14
1386 Multicolored, Airmail Postcard Rate (R1.90), Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer), Imperforated Right
1385 Multicolored, Airmail Postcard Rate (R1.90), Leopard (Panthera pardus)
Fauna and Flora— Fish
Issued 2000, Nov. 1, No watermark, Perf. 14½x14¾, Designer Chris van Rooyen
1335 Multicolored, 60c, Powder-blue surgeonfish (Acanthurus leucosternon)
1334 Multicolored, 50c, Coral rock cod (Cephalopholis miniatus)
African Nations Football Championship, South Africa
Issued 1996, Jan. 10, No watermark, Perf. 14¼ x 14, Design Marc de Jong
1027 Multicolored, Standard Postage (60c), Goalkeeper w. Africa map outline
[Information from stampworld.com]
Monday/ on indictment watch 👁️
Word is that Trump is about to be indicted for the classified documents he took to Mar-a-Lago when he left the White House.
Here’s Andrew Weissman* on Twitter today.
*Attorney and professor, an Assistant US Attorney from 1991 to 2002, where he prosecuted high-profile organized crime cases.
Trump’s team of lawyers were seen today visiting the offices of Special Counsel Jack Smith. The speculation (a certainty looking at Weissman’s tweet) is that the Trump lawyers were given a final opportunity today, as a courtesy, to try to argue why Trump should not be charged.
Background
A subpoena for the documents and an FBI search at Mar-a-Lago last summer resulted in the return of only some of the documents.
We already know from published reports that deception and actions on the part of Trump and his collaborators followed, obstructing the return of the rest of the documents.
Sunday/ at Madison Park beach 🛶
I made it down to Madison Park beach this afternoon.
A smattering of heliophiles were sunning themselves on the lawn.
There was plenty of sunlight today, but only mild temperatures (70 °F/ 21 °C).
The water’s edge consists mostly of pebbles here, but there is a sandy portion on the south by a tall apartment building.
Saturday/ eat mostly plants 🥦
Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
– Advice that journalist and activist Michael Pollin offers in his 2008 book ‘In Defense Of Food’.
I tried the black bean vegetarian burger at Capitol Hill Elysian Brewing tonight.
It was tasty and light—and I will definitely order it again.
The beer is a Superfuzz Blood Orange Pale Ale, 5.6% ABV.
The green salad I had with it had slices of watermelon radish in: great to look at, and great to eat.
Friday/ happy Pride month 🌈
Happy Friday.
June is Pride month. Pride Month began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests in 1969, and has spread outside of the United States since that time.
P.S. I walked around looking for a nice Pride flag to photograph tonight, but couldn’t really find one. So the Pride flag color lines in the lettering on this sign will have to do for now. The letters are missing a line of indigo— but maybe the artist simply had no indigo crayon, right?
Thursday/ as the ceiling flew away 💸
We skipped the light fandango
Turned cartwheels ‘cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
The crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
The waiter brought a tray
And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale
– From ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, song by the English rock band Procol Harum that was issued as their debut record on 12 May 1967.
Turned cartwheels ‘cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
The crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
The waiter brought a tray
And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale
– From ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, song by the English rock band Procol Harum that was issued as their debut record on 12 May 1967.
10.58 pm, Washington DC
From the New York Times:
The legislation passed the Senate by a vote of 63-36, ensuring the federal government will not run out of money to pay its bills on Monday. It now goes to President Biden to be signed.
Wednesday/ a New York city sunset 🌇
From the Washington Post, reported by Ian Livingston:
Streaks of golden light bathed the urban canyons of the Big Apple on Tuesday evening as it was treated to a spectacle dubbed ‘Manhattanhenge’, when the setting sun aligns perfectly with the middle of the western-facing streets.
The warm evening glow of sunlight was made even more intense because of smoke wafting into the region from wildfires in Nova Scotia.
Along certain thoroughfares of New York City — including 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd and 57th streets — unobstructed views toward the horizon made the scenes especially magnificent.
[Photo by Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images]
Tuesday/ on the ferry ⛴
Here are a few photos that I took while I was on the 11.05 am Kingston-to-Edmonds ferry today.
The Commander was built in 2021, and has a cruising speed of 35 knots (top speed 37 knots).
Look for the spec in the sky— possibly a Kenmore Air seaplane.
Memorial Day
It’s Memorial Day here in the United States of America— the day for honoring and mourning the soldiers and personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
Sunday/ at the Waterfront 🛳
I walked around the Seattle Waterfront this afternoon.
It is still somewhat of a work in progress.
The new Colman Dock ferry terminal is nearing completion, but several walkways and connections to the Waterfront are still under construction.
This is the Norwegian Encore, getting ready for its 5 pm departure to Juneau, Alaska.
‘Don’t mind me, please, driver’ I thought as I snapped this picture of a forest green Rivian R1T electric truck.
Saturday/ are we getting there? 🤝
With days to spare until a government default, President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Saturday evening announced a deal to raise the federal debt ceiling and fund the government for the next two years.
– Jeff Stein reporting for the Washington Post
Excerpts from Jeff Stein’s reporting in the Washington Post:
Raises the debt ceiling beyond the 2024 election
For Biden, one upside of the deal — assuming it passes — is that he will not have to deal with the debt ceiling again until after the next presidential campaign, because the agreement raises the debt ceiling until 2025.
Largely holds funding flat for domestic programs
The biggest sticking point in negotiations has been funding levels for part of the federal budget — separate from Social Security and Medicare — that funds hundreds of domestic programs, such as scientific research, rental aid and nutritional assistance for mothers.
Claws back some money for the IRS
Despite sparing domestic programs from cuts, the Biden administration agreed to do so in part by paring back some portion of the $80 billion it approved last year for an expansion of the IRS.
Slight funding boosts for the military, veterans affairs
The deal also meets the requests in Biden’s budget to increase spending for the military and veterans affairs in line with inflation.
New work requirements on federal programs
Meeting a GOP priority, the deal increases work requirements on federal food stamps and on family welfare benefits.
Out of the deal: Closing tax loopholes, cutting student debt relief
Negotiators on both sides agreed to drop key demands.
Now it’s over to the House and the Senate to finalize the details and get this over and done with.
Just to reiterate— this is completely upside-down, inside-out, the-horse-has-bolted-from-the-stable insane.
Congress (the Republican Party) failed to agree on the nation’s spending priorities, overspent— and is now holding the world’s financial systems hostage, while haggling over what the money should have been spent on.
And lest you forget, Congress: the 14th amendment in the Constitution of the United States say
‘The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned’.
Friday/ have a beer 🍺
Happy Friday.
It’s Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer here in the US.
It’s also the end of Seattle Beer Week, and The Seattle Times reports that Seattle is a city full of beer snobs.
Cheers!
Bring on the likes of Georgetown’s Bodhizafa American IPA and Space Dust IPA by Elysian Brewing Company. Life is too short for big-box diluted beer.
Thursday/ astronaut white 👨🏻🚀
The galaxy gold of 13 months is gone at the top of the Space Needle— the dome now has a new coat of astronaut white.
I will go back some time and take a few nicer, close-up pictures.
Wednesday/ stamps from Denmark 🇩🇰
My seller in Denmark sends me my stamps in envelopes decked out with beautiful stamps from yesteryear.
The descriptions are from the Scott 2012 Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, Vol 2 Countries C-F.
Issued 1972, Oct. 19
509 A150 40 Øre, Dark green, Bridge Across Little Belt
510 A150 60 Øre, Dark brown, Hanstholm Harbor
511 A150 70 Øre, Dark red, Lim Fjord Tunnel
512 A150 90 Øre, Dark bluegreen, Kundshoved Harbor
Issued 1977
544 A161 100 Øre, Brown
Small State Seal, Engraved, Perf. 13
Issued 1972-1978
502 A55 4.5 Krone, Olive
Protected Animals, Engraved, Perf. 13
Issued 1975, Oct. 23
583 A174 130 Øre, Avocets
Ferslew’s Essays, 1849 and 1852
Issued 1975, Feb. 27
565 A168 Sheet of 4
a. 70 Øre, Gray, Coat of Arms
b. 80 Øre, Gray, King Frederik VII
c. 90 Øre, Brown, King Frederik VII
d. 100 Øre, Brown, Mercury
Issued 2006, Mar. 29
1351 A457 4.75 Krone, Multi-color, Rosenborg Castle exterior
1352 A457 5.50, Krone, Multi-color, Silver lion, thrones of king & queen
1353 A457 13 Krone, Multi-color, Royal coat of arms ceiling decoration
Tuesday/ the long arm of the law👮
More than two years out, convictions and sentences are still getting handed out for the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Eduardo Medina writes for the New York Times:
Mr. Grider, who operates a vineyard in Central Texas, pleaded guilty last year to entering a restricted area and unlawfully parading at the Capitol, his lawyer said. He went to trial on seven other charges, including civil disorder and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., convicted him on all counts.
On Tuesday, Judge Kollar-Kotelly sentenced Mr. Grider to six years and 11 months in prison and ordered him to pay $5,055 in restitution and an $812 fine.
In March, Judge Kollar-Kotelly said in court that videos of the episode had clearly demonstrated “how Mr. Grider put himself at the center of this conflict, steps away from some of the most violent, lawless and reprehensible acts that occurred in the Capitol on that day.”
She then asked: “How close can a person be to unquestionably violent and completely unacceptable lynch-mob-like acts of others, and still claim to be a nondangerous, truly innocent bystander?”
Mr. Grider’s lawyer, Brent Mayr, said in an interview on Tuesday that his client “truly regrets his actions on Jan. 6 and apologizes to his family, his community and, most importantly, his country.”
But he added that they were “deeply disappointed that his sentence is significantly longer than others who did so much worse than him.”
“He did not assault any officers, much less threaten anyone with any violence before, during or after that day,” Mr. Mayr said. “The disparity in this sentence is very, very disappointing to us.”
Another Monday/ tick tock ⏰
I’m just going to play Wordle and Scrabble and Duolingo and ignore the news until the debt-ceiling hostage situation at the Capitol is resolved.
(The Republicans with their fake outrage over spending seem determined to crash the world economy).
As for IGLOO, here’s Wikipedia—
An igloo (Inuit languages: iglu) is a type of shelter built of suitable snow. Although igloos are often associated with all Inuit, they were traditionally used only by the people of Canada’s Central Arctic and the Qaanaaq area of Greenland. Other Inuit tended to use snow to insulate their houses, which were constructed from whalebone and hides. Snow is used because the air pockets trapped in it make it an insulator. On the outside, temperatures may be as low as −45 °C (−49 °F), but on the inside, the temperature may range from −7 to 16 °C (19 to 61 °F) when warmed by body heat alone.
Sunday/ gray skies ☁️
It was cool here in Seattle today, with gray skies (high 63°F / 17 °C).
In the late afternoon, I walked down to the REI outdoor store, and on the way back, there was a little bit of drizzle.
REI stands for Recreational Equipment, Inc. The company was founded in Seattle in 1938 by Lloyd and Mary Anderson.
Suunto is a Finnish company that manufactures and markets sports watches, dive computers, compasses and precision instruments.