Rumblings of Mauna Loa – Attack on Russian troops at Crimea – The ongoing protests in Iran – Summiting El Capitan – Evening statistics
A great explosion is imminent. No, Donald Trump has not threatened to release all of the classified data that he purloined to Putin – not yet, anyway – but there are ominous rumblings on the Big Island of Hawaii. Mauna Loa, which makes up over 50% of the island’s landmass, has delivered several low-intensity earthquakes recently, signs that an eruption may be forthcoming. The volcano last erupted in 1984. Lave travels relatively quickly, and in one eruption (in 1950) it took less than three hours to flow from its source to the sea, a distance of 15 miles. Since the 1984 eruption, the population of the Big Island has more than doubled in size, so substantial damage to homes is a definite possibility. Several homes are sufficiently close to the vents in the volcano to be reached by the lava flow.
The Ukrainians have carried out a “massive” drone attack on the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol as part of their large-scale effort to retake some of the territory occupied by Russian troops since the invasion on February 24th. The Crimean peninsula was actually annexed by Russia in 2014 and is regarded by Putin as being of supreme strategic importance. He evidently is unaware of that fine old adage, “Crimea doesn’t pay.”
The head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards has told Iranians to end the weeks-long demonstrations that have gripped the country, warning that Saturday would be their “last day” of protest. Hossein Salami, the Guard’s Commander-in-Chief, called on Iranian young people specifically to desist from protesting, saying “Today is the last day of the riots. Do not come to the streets again. What do you want from this nation?”
Well, at a guess, I’d say that what Iranians want is a government that does not meddle in matters that do not concern them, such as the sort of headgear people wear or whether or not they bare their arms or legs in the midst of the heat of summer. Then again perhaps they might feel a distinct preference for leaders who do not act as sanctimonious killjoys, forbidding any form of singing or dancing in public. Oh, and if one may touch upon so delicate a point, perhaps they also yearn for a government that is a trifle less enthusiastic about inflicting the death penalty; the Iranian government has the reputation of executing the greatest number of people per capita of any nation in the world. This is merely a guess on my part, you understand, and of course I may be mistaken. But somehow I do not think that I am.
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, a granite monolith about 3,000 feet from base to summit along its tallest face. It is a popular objective for rock climbers. So it is not surprising that Sam Baker completed the climb over the course of several days, resting in hanging camps at appropriate intervals, except for one trifling circumstance: he is eight years old. The climb to El Capitan has claimed over 30 deaths since 1905, or about a quarter of all rock climbing deaths in the history of Yosemite. But Joe Baker, his father, airily brushed aside any concerns onlookers expressed for his son’s safety, because, after all, he was wearing a harness. Well, I daresay an eight-year old child warning a harness has a better chance of surviving such a climb than a fully-fledged adult without one. I suppose young Master Baker’s next feat will be clambering along Hanshelleren Cave in Flatanger, Norway, widely considered the most challenging rock climb in the world; but it is to be hoped that he will attempt this feat before his thirteenth birthday, for of course he will at that point be past his prime.
Today’s statistics as of 8:30 PM – # of cases worldwide: 635,253,241; # of deaths worldwide: 6,593,193; # of cases U.S.: 99,341,447; # of deaths; U.S.: 1,095,199 .