People can make of all this what they will. But teaching kids the true course of events is *never* a bad idea. Personally, I don't think knowing what actually happened automatically makes you "hate America." Maybe it's revealing that Musk apparently does.

Pretty pottery made by people of northern Mesopotamia ~6,200 to 5,500 BC is painted w/ flowers that have 4, 8, 16 or 32 petals, some show arrangements of 64 These show a clear understanding of symmetry & spatial division long before written numbers came into use, researchers now argue:

What does US invasion of #Venezuela mean for its historically oppressed #Indigenous Wayúu & other communities? Answer is complex and the Native America Calling radio show panel does a good job explaining it "They are no fans of Maduro, enduring the same oppressive tactics as other residents..."

"An assessment by Conservation International said [that] 99.9% of participating farms didn’t rely on child labor, and at least 98.4% “ensured a minimum wage for permanent workers.” 👀 ...so they're admitting to some child labor in every Starbucks #coffee cup I guess? cc @sbworkersunited.org

[free download] #Agroforestry combines useful trees w/ shrubs, crops & livestock in a system that supports #biodiversity, builds soil horizons & water tables, and sequesters #carbon An ancient system, even rubber has been/is still grown this way, here's a free book published by @cirad.bsky.social

America has tried to be a real multiracial democracy for just over 60 years and that attempt has been contested at every step along the way. The dinner has been held every year, without fail, since 1969. www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...

[free download] #Agroforestry combines useful trees w/ shrubs, crops & livestock in a system that supports #biodiversity, builds soil horizons & water tables, and sequesters #carbon An ancient system, even rubber has been/is still grown this way, here's a free book published by @cirad.bsky.social

[New just-in-time arrival] "How to Live Under Fascism: New Poems" by @andreicodrescu.bsky.social "A guide to living in the dictatorship of the new American plutocracy. I was born and raised in Romania...where poetry was always a nightmare for the state, and a lifeline to the terrified citizen."

This has been the plan all along. - Foment violence and chaos in the streets of MN - Implement the Insurrection Act - Declare Martial Law - Suspend elections

Most Americans don't want Greenland. They want the Epstein files.

Alongside “AI colonialism”, the other big worry with this is that modelling results are never confronted with reality, they exist in some kind of desk-based bubble. All models are wrong, only some are useful. It’s by going out & touching the grass that we can sort the useful from the nonsensical.

Sustainable pirarucu fisheries in Brazil’s Amazonas are restoring once-depleted populations of this freshwater giant, thanks to community-led management systems and sales to brands overseas. Jenny Gonzales on @mongabay.com news.mongabay.com/2026/01/cowb...

The Tyee spoke with our editor in chief, Carol Linnitt, about The Narwhal's press freedom case against the RCMP for arresting photojournalist Amber Bracken. thetyee.ca/News/2026/01...

It's a scramble for Ottawa which hopes to keep its iconic 7km skating corridor viable ❄️ Robots & such being debated vs the inevitable creep of #climatechange via Canada's own fossil fuel policy Canal opened early this year but is now closed again due to a warm spell, bringing unsafe conditions 😑

“Time immemorial is saying ‘since the beginning of our people as a cultural group, as a community, and we don’t know how long that is,’” Steeves said. “And maybe it’s not important to us, but it sure as heck, in North and South America, is a lot more than 11,000 or 12,000 years.’”

[New just-in-time arrival] "How to Live Under Fascism: New Poems" by @andreicodrescu.bsky.social "A guide to living in the dictatorship of the new American plutocracy. I was born and raised in Romania...where poetry was always a nightmare for the state, and a lifeline to the terrified citizen."

❄️ New in my photo series on winter & wonder ❄️ For 25 years I've strapped on skates to find refrozen ice fishing holes, they look like eyes or exploding stars in the morning light Many of these images are in public or private collections now See more at Instagram: www.instagram.com/erikhoffner/

The most successful Indigenous rebellion against colonization in the history of what became the US happened in New Mexico long before the American Revolution Po’pay led the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, as described in fascinating detail by @theconversation.com:

Ontario officials mowed a resident’s #pollinator garden, saying it violated bylaws But she identifies as an animist who believes in the “personhood and intrinsic value in all life-forms” So, now the city is suing her for $400K but she's fighting back, saying they violated her freedom of religion:

[nonprofit #journalism impact] @mongabay.com's team investigated impacts of EU desires for recyclable paper packing: ➡️ Mozambique thus became home to giant eucalyptus plantations that communities in Portugal now reject, displacing farmers & poisoning waterways 🏆 A new award spreads their story:

@insightcrime.org been the best on Venezuela coverage insightcrime.org/news/will-ma...

- Jamming vital infrastructure with 'Anne of Green Gables' souvenirs - Giving birth to future resistance fighters without taking on crippling debt - Sunglasses art night

This recent Mongabay video about #Greenland not be more timely US rhetoric about its security is actually about 'rare earth' or 'critical' minerals The livelihoods of subsistence hunters / fishers & Indigenous lifeways are at stake - some oppose new mines and US imperialism, others welcome it:

As climate change and urbanization intensify flooding in Rwanda, the hilly capital of Kigali has pushed nature-based solutions, reshaping 18,000 acres of degraded wetlands, planting native species to filter and slow runoff and enhancing biodiversity.

#Venezuela #Epstein #Imperialism #Pedophilia

What a pleasure it was to write the epic story of plate tectonics - and the woman who brought the theory from the ocean to the land - with the fabulous editors at @highcountrynews.org. Give a read! #womeninstem #science #geology #scicomm

Jellyfish & sea anemones lack brains & yet seem to sleep in ways similar to humans New findings bolster a theory that sleep evolved before centralized nervous systems to repair DNA damage that builds up in individual nerve cells while animals are awake. “Neurons are very precious”

January 6 in History Wrote this two years ago: “If the insurrectionist-in-chief returns to power without ever facing any real consequences and while explicitly declaring his intent to establish a vindictive autocracy, then January 6 will have been successful.” And here we are.

A billion people drink coffee but most are unaware of its supply chain's environmental & human rights problems In the heart of its culture, Colombia, growers are turning to #agroforestry as one solution which benefits the #climate & #biodiversity too Was glad to publish this analysis recently:

New research has confirmed that the first year of a project to reintroduce wildcats to Scotland was highly effective, with survival and reproduction rates "exceeding expectations". www.heraldscotland.com/news/2570419...

Miguel Ángel de la Torre Loranca is a Mexican biologist who kidnapped on November 21 His family received a ransom demand but after an initial payment, communication stopped Since then, there has been no verified information about his whereabouts, please share this along toward finding/freeing him:

Azores must respect its exceptional network of marine protected areas (commentary) news.mongabay.com/2026/01/azor... 🧪🌎🦑

Miguel Ángel de la Torre Loranca is a Mexican biologist who kidnapped on November 21 His family received a ransom demand but after an initial payment, communication stopped Since then, there has been no verified information about his whereabouts, please share this along toward finding/freeing him:

"You’ve lived through several waves of feminism, and they’ve culminated in two women who were among the most qualified candidates in US presidential history losing to the same misogynistic con artist." #McSweeneysTop25of2025

When I exhibit this 25 year photo series of frozen ice fishing holes, gallery visitors have a wide range of reactions: are they eyes? stars? cells? Captured new ones like these last week during prime conditions, which climate change shrinks every year, see more here: www.instagram.com/erikhoffner

International law won't constrain Trump's thirst for oil. But every solar panel that goes up makes crude reserves that much less valuable billmckibben.substack.com/p/just-possi...

This war/invasion/kidnapping is a lot of terrible and illegal things, but don't forget that one of them is a distraction from the still-largely unreleased Epstein files and what they may tell us about Trump's history of sex crimes.

New Year read: Norway & Sweden repeatedly displaced #Indigenous Sámi saying ‘reindeer herders can live anywhere’ But nomadic people aren’t rootless, as the forthcoming translation of Elin Anna Labba’s award winning novel powerfully argues Much Sámi ancestral territory was drowned by hydro dams:

When I exhibit this 25 year photo series of frozen ice fishing holes, gallery visitors have a wide range of reactions: are they eyes? stars? cells? Captured new ones like these last week during prime conditions, which climate change shrinks every year, see more here: www.instagram.com/erikhoffner

A recent experiment confirms the quantum principle of complementarity, supporting Bohr’s view that certain particle properties cannot be measured simultaneously, as predicted by quantum mechanics. doi.org/qhc9

🏆 Congrats to Glòria Pallarès who won the Anti-Corruption Excellence Award last week for a @mongabay.com investigation supported by @pulitzercenter.org at a ceremony during UN Convention against Corruption (COSP11) "Entities engaged in corrupt practices do not fear the law; they fear exposure.”

Skating into winter — & 2026 — like this today It’s a little rough but stunning out there, merry solstice to all ❄️ See more on-ice-imagery at Instagram, www.instagram.com/erikhoffner

A leaked draft of legislation for MPAs that nearly passed in 2024 indicates that the government is taking a minimalist approach with low ambition for restoration of marine life. www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/ou...

Truphena Muthoni beat her own world record, hugging a tree continuously for 72 hours at the foot of Mount Kenya Her protest was aimed at authorities for irresponsible tree cutting, forest land use change and inadequate protection of water catchment areas:

Five holly leaves from the same tree 🌳 If holly is allowed to grow into a tree it is highly likely to do the same Holly evolved to fight back against the large herbivores that used to roam the Earth. The higher the tree grows the smoother the leaves get Photo: Emmanuel Lattes

If you read @bengoldfarb.bsky.social's terrific book "Crossings" or heard him discuss it on our podcast, news.mongabay.com/podcast/2023... ...you'll see the value in this And it's proof of bipartisan will in the US gov't to do things for the environment 👀 Bill would provide funding through 2031:

“Within days, Claudius had given away nearly all its inventory for free — including a PlayStation 5 it had been talked into buying for ‘marketing purposes.’ It ordered a live fish. It offered to buy stun guns, pepper spray, cigarettes and underwear. Profits collapsed. Newsroom morale soared.”

Cold weather = stunned sea turtles washing up on Cape Cod New England Aquarium has already treated 450+ during the 2025 season! Strandings began on Nov 7 w/ 200+ requiring care in the first weeks: most are critically endangered Kemp’s ridleys Rehabbed ones are flown south for safe release 🙌 💯 🏆

Hadn't heard of this "shocking" issue until this op-ed pitch came across my desk --> 6,262 (reported) cases of electrocution just between June 2022 & 2023, especially monkeys, kinkajous & sloths 👀 'Green' Costa Rica's currently debating whether to start enforcing its policy & cover electric lines:

1/ At bargaining yesterday, @propublica.org management said that they should have 100% discretion to replace workers with AI and would not commit to labeling future AI-generated content.