Life in Common

Princess Leia standing in the prison corridor of the Death Star. Drawing with Clip Studio Paint by Arthur Smid.

Escape from the Death Star

A win for transit on 82nd, but concerns remain A decision on BAT lanes moves the project forward. For now.

From six total miles of BAT lanes in October, to 14 miles of BAT lanes today. One member of the project committee said the voices of transit advocates is what made the difference.

It would be Portland's largest-ever transit priority project.

bikeportland.org/2026/02/17/a...

Bill would allow Oregonians to ‘corner cross’ on public lands Some squares of Oregon land are private and some are public. But the pattern means reaching adjacent public lands can be difficult without trespassing on private property — a gray area that has dogged hunters, hikers, anglers, birdwatchers and other outdoor enthusiasts for years.

Large swaths of Oregon’s public and private lands are chopped into a checkerboard pattern. Senate Bill 1545 would secure the right of people to “corner cross” the checkerboard, without fear of trespass.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS The 1847 edition of the only novel Emily Bronte published was released under the male alias Ellis Bell as a three-volume set less than two years before she died in 1848, aged just 30. Rarer and more poignant than any #WutheringHeightsMovie - only 250 copies were ever printed.

American Sinophobia is being overtaken by something more ambivalent: an anxious fascination with Chinese ascendancy amidst US decline. Our essay of the week tracks the shifting consensus on China’s techno-developmentalist state capitalism.

By @nplusonemag.com editors

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The business school is where capital hones its instruments, not its conscience. As our podcast of the week argues, by rendering exploited labor an abstract externality to shareholder value, mainstream business curricula normalize structural violence.

With Priya Sharma

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It’s Time To Target The Political Power Of Polluters | NOEMA We won’t make progress on decarbonization until we rein in the power of fossil fuel asset owners and invest in green assets. Tax and investment policy can help.

Global climate efforts are failing because they do not tackle the power imbalance between fossil and green asset owners. This piece unpacks how fossil fuel elites exploit weak global rules to protect profits, stalling decarbonization.

By @greenprofgreen.bsky.social in @noemamag.com

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Anti-urbanism, our open-access article of the week contends, is not an immutable divide between city and countryside, but a political and aesthetic project with deep Romantic roots, one that emerged as a backlash against modernity.

By Jan Nijman in @geographicalreview.bsky.social

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EP. 836: THE US FIGHT FOR VENEZUELAN OIL ft. MATT HUBER | THIS IS REVOLUTION ＞podcast Read Matt's Substack here: https://open.substack.com/pub/matthuber/p/us-oil-capitals-interests-in-venezuela?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web Depressed oil prices plus extremely…

U.S. efforts to control Venezuelan oil reveal a stark marriage of energy capitalism and state power. This dialogue suggests this push reflects a broader reshaping of global energy governance, driven by profit motives disguised as democracy promotion.

With @matthuber.bsky.social

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Tickets are now on sale for DCEFF 2026! Running March 19-28, the Festival will feature 50+ programs at venues throughout DC (many free). Learn more at dceff.org.

The American Media Polycrisis: Cascading Layers of Capture In countries facing democratic backsliding, attention often centers on state capture of the press. Recent U.S. media failures, however, demand a wider lens. Authoritarian encroachment here rests on…

@victorpickard.bsky.social does not miss

Gotta watch ‘em all? Pokémon-style app for birdwatching launches Users of Birdex get points for each bird they see and can compete with friends, with 200,000 sightings logged so far

Gotta watch ‘em all? Pokémon-style app for birdwatching launches

We’ve identified at least ten cases in which chatbots, primarily ChatGPT, fed a user’s fixation on another real person — fueling the false idea that the two shared a special or even “divine” bond, roping the user into conspiratorial delusions, or insisting to a would-be stalker that they’d been gravely wronged by their target. In some cases, our reporting found, ChatGPT continued to stoke users’ obsessions as they descended into unwanted harassment, abusive stalking behavior, or domestic abuse, traumatizing victims and profoundly altering lives. Reached with detailed questions about this story, OpenAI didn’t respond.

We identified a number of cases in which chatbots — primarily ChatGPT — fueled a user's worsening obsession with another real person (or people.) This ranged from affirming false beliefs about "divine" connections; reinforcing romantic delusions; and insisting that the user had somehow been wronged.

The Overseer Class: A Manifesto A Manifesto

2/2 He tells it like it is and has receipts. A fresh and urgent take on what our enslaved ancestors always knew: the overseer is the master’s first line of defense."

—Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination

bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

The Souls of White Jokes | Stanford University Press A rigorous study of the social meaning and consequences of racist humor, and a damning argument for when the joke is not just a joke.

a great and important text @stanfordpress.bsky.social www.sup.org/books/sociol...

‘A realistic take on marriage’: readers on their favourite lesser-known movie romances After Guardian writers shared their picks for big screen love stories people may not have seen, readers have responded with some alternative options

‘A realistic take on marriage’: readers on their favourite lesser-known movie romances

Appreciate the sentiment of this article but some of us have been banging this drum for decades to no avail. Our work has been ridiculed at SFN and we constantly have to defend ourselves within our neuroscience dept. The field is unwilling to change.
#neuroskyence

Bye bye bird — hello regular!

"Over four bustling days, Pictoplasma Berlin investigates the art and impact of adventurous figurative representation across creative genres and cultures." pictoplasma.com

New on PictoTV: Jon Burgerman, British-born New York-based artist, shares strategic advice on how to get your character to proudly parade as XXL float on Macy's Day!

Wherever you are, whenever you want — unlock one month of unlimited character-driven creativity on PictoTV

📺 tv.pictoplasma.com

The Character Campus 2026 is calling:

Next May the Pictoplasma Academy returns bigger, longer – with even more character!

Apply for 10 intense days in Berlin, filled with character design development courses, mentoring sessions, workshops, and full VIP access to the 22. PictoConference

… and maybe Half-Life 3

What’s on your list?

Seasons Greetings & Love from Pictoplasma

We’re giving away 3 free PictoTalks:
Soothe your souls with the preachings of Master Tingus (AU), Fran Nemesis (CL) and Johnny Kelly (IE) – and see you all again IRL in 2026!

Follow the 🎁 on tv.pictoplasma.com for 3 free VoDs till the end of the year…

Some Venezuelan characters from our international character creator network PictoHome: share and find art – all without data mining, algorithm, AI or adds! Next up: Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, Mexico, maybe Canada ...

by @miguel_guercio, @iogarcia, @taniavisual, @veronica_ettedgui

Catching up with work by the PictoAcademy Alumni:
Artist and creative technologist ursooperduper blends intricate combinations of color and form to explore the relationship between visual systems and character.

Sign up for May’s Academy Masterclass:
academy.pictoplasma.com

Who’ll be in charge of creating the faces of tomorrow?

Next May's 22nd #PictoBerlin celebrates the art and impact of forward looking figurative representation across EVERY media + opens its stage to ALL creative genres that give character agency, urgency, and Joy!

You’re welcome:
⬤⬤ link in bio

A green hummingbird on a wire has its body facing left, but has its neck and head twisted toward our right, so we see its right eye

🪶 Going with Rob's @robcrank68.bsky.social Alt theme of #Green. This is a green mango hummingbird in Tuis, #CostaRica.
#Birds #photography

Idaho legislator calls on Congress to protect public access to public lands An Idaho legislator is calling on Idaho’s congressional delegation to protect public access to public lands and oppose efforts to sell federal public lands.

An Idaho legislator is calling on Idaho’s congressional delegation to protect public access to public lands and oppose efforts to sell federal public lands.

via @idahocapitalsun.com

Today in no shit.

With the best team, for the best tournament!