Paula 🌹

How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers For decades, schools have taught children the strategies of struggling readers, using a theory about reading that cognitive scientists have repeatedly debunked. And many teachers and parents don't kno...

At a Loss for Words

How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers

www.apmreports.org/episode/2019...

56 million years ago, the Earth suddenly heated up – and many plants stopped working properly It could be a sign of what’s to come.

When global temperatures shot up by ~6°C about 56 million years ago, plants were unable to thrive

The reduced ability of vegetation & soils to capture & store carbon may have kept temperatures elevated for >100,000 years

Today Earth is warming ~10 times faster than it did 56 million years ago

Over a pint in Oxford, we may have stumbled upon the holy grail of agriculture | George Monbiot I knew that a revolution in our understanding of soil could change the world. Then came a eureka moment – and the birth of the Earth Rover Program, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

1. Some good news at last. This week’s column is about the amazing thing a couple of us stumbled into three years ago, which we’ve now developed into a global research programme. It doesn’t change everything, of course, but it could help change quite a lot. + 🧵 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

This is a thing of joy - why we need multiple disciplines within our universities, with a nod to the value of music too. Specialist institutions won’t produce these sorts of random encounters.

Climate change should not be political Fossil fuel corporations have spent billions manufacturing political divide for profit at our planet’s expense

Climate change must be recognized as a scientific reality rather than a political debate. Any solution requires it to be addressed as a human issue that transcends our political affiliations.

elestoque.org/2025/12/02/o...

60,000 African penguins starve to death after sardine numbers collapse – study Climate crisis and overfishing contributed to loss of 95% of penguins in two breeding colonies in South Africa, research finds

60,000 African penguins starve to death after sardine numbers collapse – study

Climate crisis and overfishing contributed to loss of 95% of penguins in two breeding colonies in South Africa, research finds
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

“Despite perennial claims from team owners that building new stadiums or revamping existing ones will result in a fiscal and jobs boom for a city or region, research consistently shows that the hundreds of millions of public dollars that are often outlaid are not typically a sound investment.”

Sports stadiums and taxpayer financing: A primer and research roundup Research conducted over decades indicates sports stadium public investments almost never lead to massive economic gains for host cities.

Sports stadiums and taxpayer financing: A primer and research roundup

journalistsresource.org/economics/sp...

Why Won’t the Media Report Accurately on Road Deaths?

jakecoppinger.com/2025/12/why-...

Germany’s Top Research Institute Confirms What Critics Said All Along About Gaza For two years officials in Germany dismissed Gaza’s death toll as propaganda. Now the Max Planck Institute released estimates that make such denial impossible – and echo the patterns of past genocides

For two years officials and media in Germany dismissed Gaza’s death toll as propaganda. Now the Max Planck Institute released estimates that point to the same patterns seen in past genocides. Latest on my Substack
hannohauenstein.substack.com/p/gaza-genoc...

'Abhorrent': Kids to face adult courts in Victoria under tough new youth crime laws Aboriginal and legal advocates say the new youth crime laws will not address the root causes of violent youth crime.

Abhorrent': Kids to face adult courts in Victoria under tough new youth crime laws

Aboriginal and legal advocates say the new youth crime laws will not address the root causes of violent youth crime.

www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article...

"Temperatures are rising at twice the global average, with intense heatwaves that are pushing society to the limits.

Human health, ecosystems & economies can’t cope with extended spells of more than 50 °C – it is simply too hot to handle" - @wmo-global.bsky.social

#MENA

wmo.int/news/media-c...

When ‘common sense’ cuts are code for a cruel con job The greatest trick neoliberalism ever pulled was convincing people government intervention shouldn’t exist. And yet, governments know we will accept it without question when it comes to taking from th...

The greatest trick neoliberalism ever pulled was convincing people government intervention shouldn’t exist. And yet, governments know we will accept it without question when it comes to taking from the most vulnerable.

thepoint.com.au/opinions/251...

Why We Should Stop Talking About 'Bus Stigma' Obsessing over trying to serve different economic classes on mass transit misses the point.

Why We Should Stop Talking About 'Bus Stigma'

Obsessing over trying to serve different economic classes on mass transit misses the point.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Our infrastructure isn’t ready for what’s coming.

State of the Climate in the Arab Region 2024

Temperatures in Arab region are rising at twice the global rate, says @wmo-global.bsky.social

- "Extreme weather causes massive social and economic disruption"

But Arab group were key blockers of a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels at #COP30

#climatecrisis
1/2
wmo.int/publication-...

Zillow deletes climate risk data from listings after complaints it harms sales The site removed the feature after real estate agents and some homeowners alleged that the scores appear arbitrary and hurt sales.

Zillow deletes climate risk data from listings after complaints it harms sales

grist.org/housing/zill...

Euphemisms and false balance: how the media is helping to normalise far-right views The mainstream media doesn’t simply cover far-right politics from a critical distance, it also helps to define what counts as politically acceptable.

Euphemisms and false balance: how the media is helping to normalise far-right views

theconversation.com/euphemisms-a...

I really hate it when scientists keep saying that “we need to rebuild trust in science,” because it implies that scientists are to blame for the mistrust rather than the millions of dollars of dark money that have funded political attacks on science in order to advance a far right agenda.

do you ever stop and wonder why humans will rapidly spend trillions to expedite AI - a technology that basically no one needs or asked for...

while doing next to nothing to mitigate climate change.

6. But again and again, legislators seem determined to make idiots of themselves on behalf of powerful industries. They are meant to represent our interests, not those of the lobbyists, but that message seems to have got lost. Vote for those who represent the people, not the money. 6/6

Landmark glyphosate safety study retracted for Monsanto ghostwriting, other ethics problems A scientific study that regulators around the world relied on for decades to justify continued approval of glyphosate was quietly retracted last Friday.

'These findings “underscore the need for stricter journal policies to screen and retract ghostwritten papers, in order to safeguard science integrity, as well as public health and safety,” Kaurov and @naomioreskes.bsky.social wrote'

Great podcast explaining to Americans how “balcony solar” took off in Europe, with millions in Germany 🇩🇪 alone now harvesting solar power with these panels that you just take home and plug in, and they pay back their price within a few years.

Not enough folks know that the Foo Fighters are massive AIDS denialists and ran fundraisers for proto-RFKJ types that refused to treat children with HIV.

FWIW: Courtney Love and Pearl Jam have both worked extensively with responsible AIDS orgs. #noalternativescience

Hey! I’m CEO of a company that has just raised $10 billion for an app that takes the hard work out of enjoying music. Did you know, some people waste hours each day listening to “tunes”. Our AI will listen to it for you and summarise it in a 15 second scream leaving you more time to add value.

People (Americans especially) get so caught up in means-testing and gatekeeping and a scarcity and competition mindset. We have to realize that things like “enough time to finish a test” or “enough money to pay for every kid to eat lunch” are well within our capacity. Even more, but that’s a start.

Data centres are energy hungry but what if we could use their waste heat to heat our homes?

That's exactly what happens in places like Finland: Cities are tapping the vast amounts of waste heat generated by data centres, and feeding it into district-heating networks.

Cutbacks, revenue raising in line to help fund Hobart AFL stadium Tasmania's premier and treasurer agree to reduce borrowings for government businesses in an effort to accommodate more debt for the Hobart AFL stadium.

Tasmanian government looks to revenue raising and state business cutbacks to fund Hobart stadium

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...

Families on rooftops, homes buried by mud: Asia floods show water is overtaking wind as main threat Much improved response systems are struggling to cope with ever more powerful and destructive storms

Families on rooftops, homes buried by mud: Asia floods show water is overtaking wind as main threat

Much improved response systems are struggling to cope with ever more powerful and destructive storms

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

With a sneaky tweak, the government has made welfare recipients guilty until proven innocent New social security laws allow payments to be cancelled for people with outstanding arrest warrants, even if they have not been charged or convicted, raising serious concerns about justice, rights and...

With a sneaky tweak, the government has made welfare recipients guilty until proven innocent

johnmenadue.com/post/2025/12...