It might be true that they haven’t ever seen Mt. Rainier not completely covered in snow, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, or that it’s unprecedented.
▪️You don’t have to go back too far to find similar pictures and comments. This web post was from 2020 and has a picture credited to the National Park Service at an unknown date (but prior to this year) showing a beautiful, but very bare Mt. Rainier. (Picture posted in comments)
https://www.historylink.org/file/21111
▪️In 2015, hot weather caused greater than normal snowmelt on Rainier, which many articles covered showing the bare rock. (Again, pictures in the comments)
https://www.knkx.org/post/mount-rainiers-glaciers-retreating-likely-fastest-rate-ever-seen-summers-heat
▪️In fact, there was a group post back then lamenting that they had “never seen the Rainier peak without snow.” Although that person was admittedly just 16.
http://www2.lifeinusa.com/communities/seattle-wa/mt-rainier-melted-snow-july-2015https://www.nps.gov/mora/faqs.htm
▪️Going back further, an informational booklet on Mt. Rainier published in 1978 (when the person from this meme was 5) had a cover photo of Rainier in the summer showing ~1/2 snow coverage on the top. But this was presented showing the beauty of the area, not pronouncing doom. (Photo in comments)
http://npshistory.com/publications/mora/barnett-c1978.pdf
This is from the 1978 booklet:
🔹”Finally, some 10,000 years ago the climate began warming up again and the great ice shield slowly retreated. The alpine glaciers, which had extended many miles down the canyons retreated to their high altitude "last stand". This is how we see the landscape today. But remember that the forces of nature are constantly at work.”
▪️Also, the current FAQ from the NPS on Rainier says this:
🔹”Does the snow at Paradise ever melt?
Although Paradise is one of the snowiest places on Earth where snowfall is measured regularly, it does enjoy a brief but glorious snow-free season. In most years, the area is snow-free from about mid-July through late September. October snowfall usually melts in between storms. The ground is usually completely snow covered for the winter by Thanksgiving.”
https://www.nps.gov/mora/faqs.htm
I first critiqued this terrible take by looking at how food has actually improved substantially. Even though I said the same could be done in every category, people said “you’re only doing food.” So let’s do air travel and see why it’s not gotten better, not worse.
▪️Aircraft have greatly improved. Just 15-20 years ago, many domestic routes (~15%) were flown by turboprops like the Brasilia, Dash 8 or Saab. Now, almost everything is in jets, and most aircraft have WiFi. Some even have Starlink, where you probably have faster WiFi than your home. Most major airlines offer dozens or hundreds of movies and shows to watch.
▪️Newer designs like the 787 have lower cabin altitudes and improved humidity, which make a huge difference in passenger comfort on long haul flights. The first/business class international market has gotten very competitive globally, with many carriers offering excellent service and amenities. Pods, suites, showers, etc. Coach still sucks but is dramatically cheaper ...
This is the complete opposite of an empirical fact. The right has now joined the left in being pessimistic about the modern world and completely unappreciative of the amazing abundance we now have. I’ll just focus on food here, but you could do it for almost every category.
▪️Fresh produce used to be available only in season. In the winter it was canned or frozen. People used to send fruit for Christmas gifts, it was that much of a luxury good. Now, you can get giant, sweet berries year around in every grocery store. Corn on the cob in February. Not to mention once rare items like dragon fruit, heirloom tomatoes or baby bok choy.
▪️If you didn’t live on the coast, seafood was either not available, frozen, or extremely expensive. If you lived in the Midwest and traveled to coastal locales you would quite literally be able to eat food you had never seen. Salmon has become much more abundant and accessible. You can get fresh ahi at Walmart today. Sushi and oyster bars exist everywhere ...
▪️This is a proposal that pertains only to graduate level nursing degrees, not undergraduate ones (which were never considered professional degrees). The proposal will have a 30-60 day public comment period next year, where groups can object, before the DoE will decide on it.
▪️This is about how much federal student loans someone can take out for a particular degree. The cap on graduate degrees is $100k ($20,500/yr), while a “professional degree” limit is $200k ($50k/yr).
▪️Under the new rule proposal, professional degrees include:
🔹Pharmacy
🔹Dentistry
🔹Veterinary medicine
🔹Chiropractic
🔹Law
🔹Medicine (including osteopathic medicine & podiatry)
🔹Optometry
🔹Theology
▪️The nursing degrees excluded are ones like master of science in nursing (MSN), doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and PhD in nursing. These degrees would be limited to $100k in federal student loans, like all other graduate degrees.
▪️These changes came from the One Big Beautiful Bill’s...
