Hi Karen! Sorry to see you had to ride a sled. ☹️

Obama: "We are living in a time where it can be hard to hope. Each day we wake up to some new assault on our democratic institutions. Another setback to the idea of the rule of law ... but this man - Rev. Jesse Jackson - inspires us to take a harder path ... bc if we don't step up, nobody else will"

#LunarEclipse FAQ:

Q: Is it safe to look at?
A: Absolutely! Unlike a solar eclipse, there's no UNsafe time to look at a lunar eclipse.

Q: Do I need a telescope?
A: Nope! Best view is with naked eye. Just look up!

Q: Does the eclipse portend terror & doom?
A: Not at all! The news has that covered.

If you aren't on @dansinker.com's newsletter, you're missing the fuck out. His recent one about Goonies, no matter how you feel about the film, is so personal, but so universal. Grab hope where you find it.

Do you love Star Wars and geology? I’ve got a podcast for you!!

I had the pleasure of geeking out with @jamesjawa.bsky.social and @melissatruth.bsky.social about the geology of Star Wars!

“Your mountainish inhumanity”

We’re doing this to ourselves

Screenshot of an X.com post by The Associated Press (@AP) stating that dozens of immigrant families protested for better treatment behind fences at a Texas detention facility, where a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father were sent after being detained in Minnesota. Below is a video thumbnail showing a crowd gathered outdoors along a fenced walkway; many people wear bright blue or red outerwear, and some hold signs.

After being held in two of them as a boy, I fought for decades urging America to never again build concentration camps and put human beings in them. It breaks my heart to watch this happen twice now in my own lifetime.

Sayre: "My background is in international humanitarian response in conflict zones in Yemen, Haiti, Syria, Iraq, and Ukraine. What I've seen here is what I've seen there. A powerful entity violently and intentionally terrorizing people."

Mnemonic   Thirty days hath September, April, June and November. Unless a leap year is its fate, February hath twenty-eight. All the rest hath three days more, excepting January, which hath six thousand, one hundred and eighty-four. Brian Bilston

Annual reminder of how many days there are in each month.

Bruce MacKinnon: World leaders' remarks aren't created equal Bruce MacKinnon's cartoon for The Chronicle Herald

Bruce MacKinnon: World leaders' remarks aren't created equal www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/...

Gift link!
Federal Officials Launch ICE Operation in Maine and Begin Arrests

By Joanna Slater, Perry Stein, Marianne LeVine & Theodoric Meyer

“Everyone is on high alert,” Portland Mayor Mark Dion said. His city and nearby Lewiston have seen an influx of migrants and asylum seekers in recent years.

That last sentence....

Forested area divided by a wire fence. One side of the fence is green and grassy (the Canadian National Vimy Memorial site) whilst the other has a dirt track running through it (the 'zone rouge' (red zone), deemed too geographically and ecologically annihilated and contaminated for human occupation).

This #RemembranceDay we invite you to think on the enduring effects of conflict on modern landscapes. Near Vimy 🇫🇷 is a patch of fenced-off forest along the old Western Front. These exclusion zones materially and ecologically 'remember' armed conflict.

Learn more 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

a blue and white sticker that says i voted have you Alt: a blue and white sticker that says i voted have you

This election day there aren’t any offices on my local ballot. But, there are two ballot questions: one with far reaching implications for future elections and one for safety.

Municipal and state election matter so much, always, but especially now.

I know a lot of people (cough Millennials) feel like they need to START a thing, START a food bank, build a little free food pantry.

My friends, my loves, my dears.

Don't start.

JOIN.

These exist. They have community ties! They have some funding! Accountability! Regulations!

I've used Spoonflower a few times and been happy. Best part is a poster that folds up and fits in a purse - no awkward tube to carry around.

This footnote to Illinois and Chicago's lawsuit against Trump is an important reminder:

* There is no Department of War or Secretary of War, which are make-believe names for the actual agencies created by Congress.

Doc storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Indeed my worms did escape on occasion. It was never clear whether they were as distressed at living in TX as I was, wanted adventure, or just didn't like the food. Typically a 'too much' issue - heat, moisture, or food. Maybe fluff up their bedding so they get some air?

Also, let's be really fucking clear: There are no "federal laws" requiring any of this. There are only the dictatorial but legally meaningless pronouncements of a toweringly bigoted asshole who thinks he should be king, and that is not a "mandate." It's fucking Nazi pablum.

White House Announces Comprehensive Review of Smithsonian Exhibitions

Think about this for a second. It’s grotesque and dangerous.

White House Announces Comprehensive Review of Smithsonian Exhibitions www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/a...

Bay Area companies skewered over false tsunami information Amid active tsunami warnings, Grok said they'd been cancelled.

‼️ The time to determine who to trust IS NOT during an emergency.

NOW is the time to find trustworthy sources for scientific and emergency response information.

www.sfgate.com/tech/article...

Poster for IF/THEN STEAM Squad Panels at San Diego Comic Con: 7/24: It's a Disaster! The Science Behind Disaster Movies with Dr. Wendy Bohon, Dr. Tammy Goulet, Dr. Becca Peixotto, Dr. Ana Maria Porras, Dr. Sam Porter, Sydney Hamilton 7/25: The Evolution of AI Through Film and in Reality with Bea Mendez Gandica and Dr. Latasia Jones 7/26: The Best Invention Ever! (Phineas and Ferb) with Gracie Ermie 7/27: Mixer for Science-Minded Geeks Panel with Dr. Claire Meaders, Gracie Ermie, Syndey Hamilton, Dr. Cori Lathan 7/27: Defying Gravity: Exploring the STEM and Ethics of Magic in Wicked with Dr. Afua Bruce, Dr. Jaye Gardiner, Dr Earyn mCgee, Dr Beata Mierzwa

Here we go again!! For the 4th year, I’ll be taking on San Diego Comic-Con® with my fellow IF/THEN ambassadors.

The IF/THEN STEAM Squad is heading back to #SDCC with 5(!) exciting panels and off-site events like Nerd Nite and Genius in the House.
#ComicCon2025 #popculture #cosplaying #STEAMSquad

Graphic with federal funding messaging

Proposals to claw back federal funding for public media are happening now. This means the NPR Network is at serious risk. Your local station, the shows you listen to, and the website you read - could go dark forever.

Protect one of America’s greatest resources. Take action here: n.pr/4mGteTj

You know you can just not use AI, right?

You can make a choice not to be part of this.

Even if your job uses it, YOU don’t have to in your normal life. You don’t have to let your kids use it.

You didn’t have it three years ago. You can just…be on Team Human. You can choose.

why only 29? Where are the rest?

This is about all of us. Never forget that.

So fun to catch up with you there!

(2/3)
Here’s what to do:
1. Find a cancelled NSF grant in your state here 👇

airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...

2. Find your reps. Explain why this grant is important - & you won’t be silent on it. 👇

www.congress.gov/members/find...

🚨URGENT RESPONSE CALL🚨

You’ve seen the bad news. Now it’s time for us to flood the zone.

Over 400 NSF grants — gone. Trump’s cronies are cutting science funding and betting we won’t notice. But we’re not powerless. We’ve got 24 hours to make noise.

Here’s how 🧵(1/3) ➡️

Also willing to help if needed for SAA.