Environmentalists are decrying language added to a U.S. House spending bill that would open future federally supported oyster restoration projects around the Chesapeake Bay to commercial harvesting.
U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland’s lone Republican member of Congress, inserted the provision into a bill funding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The House Appropriations Committee passed the bill on a 32-28 vote in May. It is expected to come up for a vote by the full House in the coming weeks.
The provision is likely to face stiff opposition if it reaches the Senate. A similar measure was stripped out of last year’s funding package before it became law. But it is part of a growing number of efforts in Washington, Annapolis and Richmond aiming to soften or remove the protected status of restored reefs amid the bivalve’s rebound in the estuary.
“It comes at a time when ideas like this maybe have more legs,” said Ben Ford, the Miles-Wye Riverkeeper. “Everyone wants more oysters in the Bay. But people see the success of meeting the oyster restoration goals in the Bay Agreement and think the job’s done.”
It's worth noting that Andy Harris, the sole Republican in Maryland's congressional delegation, represents a district on the Eastern Shore, where the politics are dominated by watermen and agriculture. Watermen have long balked at having oyster sanctuaries protected from harvesting, and they've been known to sneak in under cover of darkness and pillage them.
Although oyster populations have improved in recent years, they are nowhere near the numbers that existed before the widespread oyster mining of the late 1800s and early 1900s. I'm still in favor of stopping the harvest of "wild" oysters for 5-10 years to find out how well they will be able to flourish in the modern Bay.
There is some encouraging news for Maryland lawns this week.
After
several weeks dominated by drought concerns, the latest U.S. Drought Monitor
shows additional improvement across portions of the Mid-Atlantic. While
Moderate to Severe Drought remains across much of Central Maryland and
Extreme Drought continues on parts of the Eastern Shore, recent rainfall has
helped replenish soil moisture and slow the progression of drought in many
locations.
This week’s Lawn Health Index remains at 48 out of 100
(Fair). Conditions continue to improve, but long-term rainfall deficits and
summer stress are preventing a more significant jump.
Our grass greened up considerably after a few storms a week or two back, but it's starting to look a crispy again in spots.
Harold Hutchinson at Da Caller reports Vice President JD Vance Announces Birth Of Newest Son. "Vice President JD Vance announced Sunday that second lady Usha Vance gave birth to the couple’s fourth child...“We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning,” the second family said in a statement posted Sunday evening to X. “Usha and the baby are happy and healthy and out kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother.”" Hat Hair's Beege Welborn notices the WSJ Decides to Play Outrage 'Where's Waldo?' With New Father J.D. Vance. So how long was Pete Buttigieg's "paternity" leave?
John Sexton at Hat Hair, Wildberries: Ukraine Expands Strikes to Include Russia's Version of Amazon. "The primary rationale for striking Wildberries' warehouses is to disrupt Russian logistics and the supply of dual-use goods, critical electronics, sanctioned goods and the like to the Russian army and Russian arms manufacturers," he said. "The collateral damage from such strikes could also have a serious impact on the Russian economy, as well as a psychological effect on Russian society and, likely, on continued support for the war."
NYPo's Ari Hoffman opines Jack Smith’s snooping through texts between congressmen may have violated the Constitution’s most important principles "The rub, though, is that the Constitution gives ironclad protection to lawmakers — the Framers had seen all they needed to see about what happens when executive power runs amok. The Speech or Debate Clause promises Senators and Representatives that “for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.” It is as absolute a protection — and as strict a command — as can be found in the Constitution."
Our guest today is Esmee Van Sinderen. She is a 23-year-old guitarist from the north of The Netherlands. Her guitar career started at the age of 16. Where she played in a Thin Lizzy tribute band for a few years. Still one of her all-time favorite bands! Right after that she joined the heavy metal band Cobra Spell. Where she has been touring with bands such as Ross The Boss, Enforcer and Evil Invaders. In December 2021 they recorded the EP ‘’Anthems Of The Night’’ which was recorded in Madrid, Spain at PKO Studios.
During Cobra Spell Esmee decided that she wanted to start her own band as well. This became an oldskool heavy rock band named Gramophone, starting in the beginning of 2022. In this band Esmee wrote music with Mattis Karlsson (Ex-Dynamite) from Sweden. They did everything with just the two of them. Their debut EP titled ‘Time To Strike’ came out this year which is being mixed and mastered at Pama Studios, in Sweden!
After the split of Cobra Spell, Sebastian Spyder Silva (Unto Others, Ex-Cobra Spell) and Esmee Van Sinderen decided to start a brand new 80’s heavy metal band! This became Neon Black, started at the end of 2022. Currently they are working a lot behind the scenes on everything band related but are thrilled to release our music soon!
Besides music Esmee spends a lot of time on cars and painting. She graduated as a restoration painter and builds her own guitars as well! Whenever she has time left, she works on American muscle cars! Esmee owns a Buick Skylark from 77 and a Chevrolet Impala from 78. Esmee would love to drag race in the future as well! On her Patreon she is restoring a 79 Pontiac Trans Am!
The heat has subsided, and the air cleared, mostly. It was in the lower 80s, with a trace of east wind.
There was more sand than gravel on the beach, but I did manage to find this broken upper Snaggletooth. Feeding damage. You can imagine what happens to a tooth like this when it comes down on a piece of bone, or coral.
SmrtMugg, a company specializing in temperature-controlled coffee mugs,
says it has observed growing consumer interest in products that help
maintain beverage temperature throughout the drinking experience. The
company offers a
heated travel mug
designed to maintain coffee at a preset temperature, as well as an insulated
tumbler travel mug
intended for extended heat retention without electronic components.
This sign at an Oregon theatre is objectively untrue.
We don't have exact points in history for either, but the Odyssey was written around 700 BCE, and the earliest mention of Israel came in 1213 BCE, with Jews undoubtedly having been around a lot longer before then.
The foremost criticisms of the marquee missive included that the statement was incorrect – and that it might spark antisemitic acts, such as the death threat scrawled on Northwest Portland’s Congregation Beth Israel building in 2022.
“It’s historically inaccurate. That’s the first piece,” said Rabbi Eve Posen of Congregation Neveh Shalom in Southwest Portland. “It’s a movie that doesn’t need much to get people to come see it, so why the theater would make this decision knowing that it’s historically inaccurate makes no sense.”
Historians generally date “The Odyssey” to the eighth or seventh century B.C.E., while the Jewish people predate that period by centuries.
Posen said she began receiving complaints Wednesday morning from congregants who were offended by the message. Others in the community also were outraged by the theater’s message.
In an email to the theater, West Linn resident Abby Farber wrote: “I think your marquee advertising ‘The Odyssey’ contains an inappropriate reference to Jews. If it’s an attempt at humor, it falls flat. Moreover, in this era of rising antisemitism, I think it’s also highly distasteful to everyone who is a fair-minded person.”
Farber continued: “What do Jews have to do with this piece of fictional art? Why bring up a religion? Definitely not funny.”
It's Sunday, so the news is a bit sparse and somewhat off the wall. From Sundance at CTH, Canadian Prime Minister Blames U.S. Climate and Energy Policy for Canada Wildfires "President Trump pointed out Canada’s forestry mismanagement and their failure to follow through with previous promises of investment that have led to catastrophic wildfires now producing smoke streams making U.S. Northern cities and states live under dangerous conditions. Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked about the U.S. government position, and he immediately hit back by saying the cause of Canada’s wildfires is ‘climate change’ and President Trump’s unwillingness to support the Paris Climate Treaty has created the problem that Canada is now dealing with." Tim Sheehy@TimSheehyMT, "As a former waterbomber pilot who used to lead an aerial firefighting fleet, I can tell you “send help” is an extremely dishonest framing by the Canadian government. The Canadian government routinely blocks U.S. firefighting companies from attacking fires in Canada, while aggressively sending their government-subsidized aircraft to the U.S. to earn commercial rates from the U.S. taxpayer. It’s big business for them and they run it like a Chinese protectionist racket." The smoke was thickest here on Friday. You could smell it easily. Last evening a thunderstorm and a cold front came and blew it away.
NYPo claims New numbers reveal the child sex-change mania is worse than we knew "Recently released court documents show that Children’s Hospital Colorado, affiliated with the University of Colorado School of Medicine, prescribed puberty blockers to more than 250 patients and cross-sex hormones to nearly 550 patients in a single year, 2025."
