#lfc

The pedestrian plaza surrounded by shops & cafes: a basic, atomic unit of pretty much every European city; available virtually *nowhere* in the US.

Going to most towns/cities in US is a bit like visiting Radiator Springs from Cars.

Cars lining up at the coffee takeout, cars hanging out in the huge parking lots, cars waiting in line to take their car kids home from school. You go through a place and never see a human

Earthquake on Friday, eclipse on Monday I’m sure the angered gods don’t have anything planned for this nice trip to Louisiana oh

Six months into Israel's war in Gaza -
- 33,000 people killed
- 70% killed were women and children
- 1.7 million people displaced
- 56% of buildings damaged or destroyed
- 3 hostages released through military action, rather than prisoner swaps
bbc.com/news/world-mid…

I wrote about the surge in bee rustling - which is modern California's version of horse and cattle theft of yore but raises more profound questions about our food and our environment noemamag.com/the-rise-of-th…

Everything started wobbling and realized it was an earthquake, not me. 4.8 one, centered in New Jersey earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/ma…

It does not seem wrong. It is wrong. It proves the original point that Palestinians are not seen as human or equal by the West

“Rattlesnakes are among the most feared, misunderstood and abused animals of all. Yet, they are not all that different from us. They, too, have fears, emotions and find comfort in companionship.” latimes.com/environment/st…

He's talking about auto industry elections.

*One in three* of all of Africa's great apes - gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees - are at threat from mining projects, often for materials used in smartphones and clean energy components, new study finds science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…

🚨 New: IDF sources tell Haaretz the bombing of the convoy was not a communication mishap but commanders and units in the field ignoring instructions and disobeying orders - and not for the first time.
haaretz.co.il/news/politics/…

Some standard Brooklyn happenings here

This part jumped out to me. A rare and honest admission from a (former) U.S. official on how folks in Washington - especially Biden - empathize with Israelis in a way they simply don’t (can’t?) with Palestinians. Explains much of our current predicament.

there are several aspects of US life that are just treated with a sort of blasé cruelty, this is one of them -

Oklahoma judge tells prison staff feeling strain of execution schedule: ‘Suck it up’

theguardian.com/us-news/2024/a…

Honeybees-for-hire has become a big business as wild pollinators die off.

It’s so lucrative, in fact, that bee bandits in California’s Central Valley are now stealing hives in droves, Oliver Milman reports.

noemamag.com/the-rise-of-th…

‘Not a normal war’: doctors say children have been targeted by Israeli snipers in Gaza theguardian.com/world/2024/apr…

Geothermal energy appears to be finally having its moment in the US theguardian.com/environment/20…