Cristin W.

'This is the future' — Amid blackouts, these Ukrainian mountain villages have green solution As Russian missiles and drones plunge much of Ukraine into darkness this winter, the mountain community of Ust-Chorna has largely kept the lights on — thanks to green energy. The district, made up of...

Want to remain resilient in the face of attacks from a larger, stronger neighbor? Install distributed energy microgrids!

One of Big Sur’s most spectacular trails, impassable for most of the past decade, has finally reopened, reconnecting hikers and backpackers to peaks, waterfalls and swimming holes in the heart of the region’s rugged mountains.

Read more → bit.ly/4cr0nQf

The Trump administration rolled back restrictions on toxic pollution from power plants, including limits on the release of mercury and lead.

PARADE! PARADE!!

Pope Leo Will Spend July 4 Visiting Migrant Crossing Island Pope Leo has spoken out against the treatment of migrants in the United States several times over the last year.

JD Vance personally invited Pope Leo to the U.S. 250th celebration on the 4th of July. Today the Vatican announced Leo will be spending the day with migrants instead.

Image quotes Matthew 35-40 (King James Version), in which the Pharisees asked Jesus to say which was the greatest commandment. To which Jesus said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

I've attended enough church services to have absorbed the section from Matthew about the Pharisees trying to trip up Jesus on the question of commandments, and always thought it did a great job of cutting to the chase.

How Nazgul the wolfdog made his run for Winter Olympic glory in Italy Nazgul isn't talking, but his owners come clean about how he got loose, got famous, and how they feel now

NPR continues to bring you all the news you can use about Nazgul.

They can’t figure out how to spend the extra $500 billion they gave themselves for the military, but cut our healthcare and food assistance because they said they couldn’t afford it.

Opinion | The Former British Prince and the Very American Outrage

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/21/o...

Interesting viewpoint.

In Japan, the number of deaths each year is around twice the number of births Line chart of annual births and deaths in Japan from 1950 to 2023. Births fall from about 2.4 million in 1950, with a peak near the early 1970s around 2.1 million, then decline steadily to about 750,000 births in 2023. Deaths start near 900,000 in 1950, remain below births through the late 20th century, then rise steadily from the 1990s and cross above births around 2008 to 2010, reaching 1.52 million deaths in 2023. Y-axis labeled in increments from 0 up to 2.5 million. Data source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024). Licensed CC BY.

In Japan, there are approximately two deaths for every birth—

Forty years ago in Japan, two babies were born for every person who died. Twenty years ago, these numbers were equal. And today, the ratio has reversed: one baby is born for every two people who die.

Let's learn some surprising things about hummingbird tongues.

First, as you can see, their tongues are forked & feathery, highly specialized for lapping up their liquid diet of nectar.

But it gets weirder up close!

YouTube video by FatherPhi #chatgpt thinks you should throw away all your upside down cups

I chuckled so hard at this.

www.youtube.com/shorts/3fYiL...

As I've noted before (but is worth noting again!), I have it as a contract point that cover art has to be done by humans. One, because it solves many issues involving copyright and licensing and assures a unique cover. Two, PAY ACTUAL HUMANS FOR ACTUAL HUMAN ART, it's really just that simple.

This local Wolfdog joined an Olympic ski event and triggered the finish-line camera. This is Nazgul. He snuck into a cross-country skiing sprint this morning and raced the homestretch with some competitors before being escorted home. 14/10 someone get him a medal

When you've got one that will wash the dishes, give me a call.

Happy anniversary, Lil' Blue Dot.

Finnish Ski Jumping Team Caught Tampering With Earth’s Gravitational Field

Finnish Ski Jumping Team Caught Tampering With Earth’s Gravitational Field https://theonion.com/finnish-ski-jumping-team-caught-tampering-with-earths-gravitational-field/

Yesterday morning kids were sent running from their bus stop in panic because ICE showed up. This guy at today’s ICE Out of Lindenwold protest is a must watch 😭. @maddow.bsky.social

“I’ve reviewed over 50 sticky toffee puddings” is an incredibly powerful way to begin a video

Trump Had Unusual Call With F.B.I. Agents After Election Center Search

If anyone doesn't have NYT access: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...

Trump Had Unusual Call With F.B.I. Agents After Election Center Search

The president getting on speakerphone with frontline FBI agents executing a search tied to his own debunked 2020 fraud claims is the destruction of DOJ independence in real time.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...

Timeline cleanse from Murderbot. I know time is meaningless now but it aired in May-June 2025 and is eligible for award nominations this year marthawells.dreamwidth.org/670572.html

Right-wing media’s cynicism about climate leaves out ongoing global success of renewables

You'll be shocked to hear that Fox viewers are not getting the full story about renewable energy.

6 takeaways from Oaklandside’s investigation into OPD overtime Missing records. 23-hour workdays. What about understaffing? Your cheat sheet to understanding one Oakland police officer's $500,000 payday.

I'm sure it's fine.

"On July 9, 2024, Dolan reported working 23 hours. The next day, he worked 16 hours, followed by three consecutive 15-hour days.

oaklandside.org/2026/01/30/o...

Sea cows!

YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

Stay free

How AI assistance impacts the formation of coding skills Anthropic is an AI safety and research company that's working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.

This study by people from Anthropic itself should raise huge alarm bells about the use of AI in teaching how to code (and later on in coding itself, but esp. in the learning stage).

And remember: this is by the people who make Claude!

tl;dr: not that long, read it
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...

'Melania' Is a Horror Movie The first lady is trapped, and she doesn’t seem to know it.

Thirty-five million dollars were spent marketing this! It is like someone eating spoonfuls of gold-encrusted garbage and beckoning you to watch. Look at how much gold I’ve put on it! More gold than anyone! Doesn’t it look delicious?

A 550-mile hiking-and-biking trail encircling the Bay Area might soon gain a prized federal recognition that would put it in the same class as the Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail.

📸: Brontë Wittpenn/S.F. Chronicle

Always worth a rewatch.