It is 78 degrees. My neighbor is mowing the lawn. Jess is tending the garden. I have the garage door open and I’m breaking down boxes for recycling. It is two days until Christmas and we are dismantling the global warming tracking infrastructure. Everything is fine.

this is just to say I have loosed  the blood-dimmed tide that you were probably saving for the ceremony of innocence forgive me the best lack all conviction while the worst are so passionate and so intense

This is what happens when you get AI to author your signage. This is in Amarillo, Texas.

In case you're unclear on what JD Vance is trying to do here maybe it will help to recall Italian writer Ignazio Silone's 1938 description of what fascism is: “Fascism is a counter-revolution against a revolution that never took place.”

DOJ broke the law today by refusing to produce all the Epstein files. It also broke the law by redacting information other than to protect victims. Yet, the corporate media is acting that DOJ did us a huge favor. Now, more than ever, help build independent, pro-democracy media. hubs.ly/Q03CbHTt0

Since yesterday, many people have DM’d to say that they were strongly affected by my essay & wished they could share it. So I've revised, expanded, & posted it for free on both Substack & Patreon. Please feel free to share. www.patreon.com/posts/this-i... catvalente.substack.com/p/this-is-wh...

Well, I'm definitely seeing this one.

As predictable as it is infuriating and stupid that this is occurring. (Gift link)

Not sure about the "architects of AI" being the TIME person of the year, but Indie booksellers, librarians, & library workers are def our winners. They continue to fight book bans and support their communities by creating safe spaces, mutual aid drives, and opportunities for curiosity and escape 🩵

The current "this is ai" discourse is rubbish; I use semicolons, the Oxford comma, and em dashes--and I always will.

This #InternationalMountainDay, we’re raising awareness on the importance of mountains and their crucial role in sustaining high altitude ecosystems. Did you know the snow leopard and the manul (Pallas’s cat)—two focal species in our Bhutan Wild Cat Health Project—

Nooooo!

The only surefire way to stop oligarchs buying up the things we love is to drop those things the moment oligarchs buy them & that requires changing habits and massive self-discipline. It means going to alternatives that might not be quite as good or convenient. It’s really hard. But there it is.

RFK Jr.'s claim that COVID vaccines are deadly? Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. In this new extraordinarily large study, vaccinated individuals had a 74% lower risk of death from severe COVID-19 and a 25% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to those unvaccinated. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

I will certainly be better prepared to deal with zombies, Bigfoot, cabins in the woods, and basements.

The Nobel Prize committee should announce the World Cup winner tomorrow

AI is a climate issue. AI is a climate crisis.

It's clear what this administration's priorities are. And aren't.

Merriam quits the high-stakes world of lexicography to teach at a college in Springfield, MA…where Webster just became the head librarian. She shows him that ‘love’ isn’t that hard to find…if you know where to look it up. “A Merriam Little Christmas 2: Collegiate Edition.”

South Korea removed two corrupt Presidents in an eight year span and the US needs to take notes.

New post by me on #MITPressReader @mitpress.bsky.social On the 100th anniversary of the #ScopesMonkeyTrial the ways we depict #evolution can still give an erroneous progressive view (that evolution leads to humans or ‘increased complexity’). thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/is-our-pictu...

This is deeply terrifying. www.ms.now/news/trump-f...

This is actually quite brilliant, up to and including the final sentence 🔥

It’s so wild how the wealthy are destroying the Amazon that potentially has the cure for all the cancers in favor of an Amazon that’s creating new types of cancers

And it goes on. The man is completely unraveling. Bombing boats, threatening invasions “to stop drugs,” and now promising a full pardon to a president convicted of trafficking 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S. This isn’t law and order. It’s the most lawless presidency in American history.👇

It should go without saying, but the president has no authority to do this, and anyone reporting the story needs to say as such.

Yikes.

I’ve been running around asking tech execs and academics if language was the same as intelligence for over a year now - and, well, it isn’t. @benjaminjriley.bsky.social explains how the bubble is built on ignoring cutting-edge research into the science of thought www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

I appreciate any Canadian or other non-American who minds our business. Our leaders sure aren't doing it.

This is moving and beautifully written; highly recommend.

I'm in the final stages of getting the 2026 new horror list ready to launch, so a reminder: please let me know about your books if you haven't already! RTs very appreciated

#WorldWalrusDay The Arctic region is Much More than many realize ... infinitely precious ... #Arctic

Thrilled that my MG adaptation of Loren Grush's The Six, about America's first women astronauts, is a SLJ Best Book of 2025: www.slj.com/story/best-n...

In The Hunting of the Snark, regarding the Baker who could not remember his name, Carroll says His intimate friends called him "Candle-ends," And his enemies "Toasted-cheese." Would not intimate friends call him a delicious treat and enemies a scrap of old wax? This has bothered me for years.

There is hope, if we can ban neonics and systemic pesticides.

The latest round of @nymag.com's Best Books of 2025 includes SAD TIGER! Thanks to @islemcelroy.bsky.social for their thoughtful writeup.

We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation in 2025! "Each of these books arrives in English in expert and accessible translations that honour the art and voice of their original authors." tinyurl.com/f9sccz4v

I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered. He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here : www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...

I think the President of the US responding to a question about the murder of a journalist with "A lot of people didn't like that gentleman" is probably pretty bad.

I just finished reading God's Junk Drawer by @peterclines.bsky.social, and what a thrill ride--a very satisfying journey. I'll do a proper review tomorrow, but for now: highly recommended!

I can‘t believe that we‘re willingly handing over crucial parts of our workforce, data management and even education to a criminal version of Clippy

Those who cause the problem don’t belong anywhere near negotiations to solve the problem. We need a new system for dealing with climate change.

Here’s a great story about the Chicago Nighthawk Project and the birds people have come to think of as their neighborhood birds: blockclubchicago.org/2025/06/27/g...

Good news! I’ll be giving a virtual nighthawk talk for the Olympia Bird Alliance 11/13/25, 7pm. Registration is here: southsoundbirds.org/event/novemb...

Rockwell, Verbinski, time travel? I know what I'll be doing on Feb 13.

Oregonians living in the Portland metro area now have access to a climate dashboard that looks at how the changing environment is impacting their health.

Big thanks to Wendy Wagner @wnwagner.bsky.social for organizing last night's fun storytelling benefit at the Rose City Book Pub. We got to hear readings from Caitlin Starling, Danger Slater, Gretchen Newberry, and more--all while raising money for the Oregon Food Bank.

Just need everyone to Google the name "Rosalind Franklin" at this moment.

The #FindThatLizard Scholarship is accepting applications until 12/10. We fund girls, women, and gender non conforming persons pursuing herpetology🦎🐍🐸🐢 I can’t wait to read your application! earynmcgee.com/findthatliza...