Meera
@gruntleme.bsky.social
Late-model Gen X. Ecologist (especially fond of plants and insects), teacher, abolitionist. Transplant from Singapore to Duwamish land (Seattle). Not sure how much I will be here. (She/her)
For my 30th birthday, my wife threw me a salmon-themed party. One of the activities was a salmon-drawing station.
An update following feedback from several kind people. As before, reuse as you see fit..
Russell Garwood@russellgarwood.co.uk · 4d agoInterested in how species diversity is split between major animal groups? Here is the infographic for you! 🧪⚒️🦀🦑 #evosky
Knowing who deserves our anger is important, but so is knowing who deserves our gratitude. On this issue: The main force on the outside has been the Free to Pee coalition, led by @vocal-ny.bsky.social and @nyhomeless.bsky.social. On the inside—Council members @sandynurse.bsky.social + Rita Joseph.
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani@mayor.nyc.gov · 3d ago17 new public bathrooms. Across all five boroughs. Because you can’t wait — and you shouldn’t have to.
Heard an excellent talk today by Jamie Micciulla about microbiology work at NASA. Such a cool job! She was so great with students questions too, and they had a LOT of questions! She also reminded us about the 96 bags of human waste on the moon, LOL. Somehow that changes how I look at the moon
I’ve recorded a few instances on this website @yourfriendlara.bsky.social call tell us more about this website and how it’s used www.closecall.report
Close Call
Community-reported near misses to help make our streets safer
closecall.report
i was told by SDOT that they don't track near misses, dangerous designs, or accidents unless reported to the police
Streetcrafting@streetcrafting.bsky.social · 7d ago@transportation.seattle.gov I came a across a cyclist doored on 12th today. They were very shaken-up and didn’t call the police, so there will be no record of this crash. How do we report these incidents to you so you have better data about the safety hazards on 12th Ave (and elsewhere)?
TIL about Eichlinea gloriosa, the “glorious squash vine borer” Moth that sounds like a @tkingfisher.com bit but it’s real (and it’s magnificent)
This is why @ecocityaction.org believes making northwest cities more walkable and bikeable/improving public transit infrastructure is crucial for supporting salmon AND humans!
Northwest Treaty Tribes@nwtreatytribes.org · last wk.The tire chemical 6PPD-Q is deadly for coho salmon—and tribes are among those on the front lines fighting it. thenarwhal.ca/bc-coho-salm...
Introducing the BEEP BEEP Choir from Coyote vs ACME!!
Antpittas are the epitome of #borbs This is the Crescent-faced Antpitta that I was able to spend some quality time with at Hacienda el Bosque #Colombia #birds #antpittas #birdoftheday
This friend was back again this morning. They ate some grapes before lying down to groom themselves to sleep. 🦝 🛁
Meera@gruntleme.bsky.social · 4w agoOur neighbor has a shed behind our fence that's covered in grape vines. This morning there was a raccoon snoozing on the roof, half hidden in leaves. It was the most asleep I have ever seen a raccoon. You could see its breathing change as it dreamed & twitched. Our city is full of remarkable life.
ProPublica spoke to dozens of people who had lived in homeless encampments when cities cleared them out in “sweeps.” We distributed notecards so people could tell us about the toll in their own words. ➡️ This is what they wrote:
This is one of the most amazing ecological phenomena I've ever heard of. "Satellite imagery confirmed the island was in fact real, and floating in the main body of the reservoir, roughly 60 miles west of the dam." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
Peekaboo island: the floating forest confounding nature watchers in western Canada
A 150-metre-long island appeared from nowhere on Williston Lake, British Columbia; vanished, then reappeared 20 miles away
theguardian.com
I have become a person who owns the means of production for (small) linocut block prints.
that thing you’ve been thinking about? just start.
Right up there with "cops don't have to protect or serve"
jentrification ♎@jentrification.com · 2w agoConstitution Doesn’t Cover Right to Clean Water, Court Rules
Essential reading for Seattle, especially D5 folks, from @analogist.net ↙️↙️↙️
James everything is analog@analogist.net · 2w agoSeattle city council's District 5 has been held by pro-business backed candidates for a long time. Debora Juarez has held this seat on-and-off for nearly a decade. Cathy Moore won the seat in 2024, but resigned 18 months later. There is a special election *right now* to fill the seat until 2028.
Read this thread, then if you're following that alt account, unfollow and block it. You don't need that qanon conspiracy crap in your life.
AltWatcher@altwatcher.bsky.social · 2w agoThe Alt National Park Service exploded in popularity after the 2024 election, and their cryptic, mysterious "code number" posts were a big part of their rise. In the aftermath of the election, people were desperate for hope, and AltNPS was ready to exploit that desperation 🧵:
When I was volunteering at the COVID19 vaccine POD in 2021, people would say over and over again that they were getting vaccinated for the people they love. Last year, only 17.5% of American adults got the COVID19 vaccine. Please get one for the people you love. 💕
I would say it’s only as likely as good organizing and building political will. Golf numbers are just inane numbers. Let’s take the 18-hole use in 2024 as an example: 101,889 rounds played, a “great” year after “high growth”. And yet that’s just 280 rounds / day, a usage of 2.2 persons / acre-day!
Absolutely floored by the ineptitude and...childishness? of the data manipulation from Ariely (again). I'm "enjoying" (?) reading the full analysis: datacolada.org/138
[138] Artificial Deadlines (Part 1): Evidence of Fraud in an Influential Study About Procrastination
A new paper in Psychological Science (.htm) reports a failure to replicate Study 2 of Ariely and Wertenbroch’s influential article entitled, “Procrastination, Deadlines, and Performance: Self-Contr…
datacolada.org
Tressie McMillan Cottom@tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 2w agoAgain. Again. It was just the usual white supremecist double standard the first dozen times. After Arday‘s sad, avoidable tragedy it feels like more than the usual distraction. They want to gaslight us to death. www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke...
Each of us can do something meaningful to lessen suffering. This is borne out daily.
According to tracking data from Mapping Police Violence, police have killed 712 people in the United States so far in 2026. Historical tracking consistently shows that fatal police encounters happen on a very frequent basis, averaging around 3 to 4 deaths per day nationwide.
This made me happy: blockclubchicago.org/2026/09/02/m... - I am doing my best to become the trinket lady in my communities... lol.
Meet Chicago's 'Bubble Lady,' Filling Buses With Bubbles And Hearts With Joy
Bridget Josey started blowing bubbles with her grandson. Now, she’s bringing them to buses, festivals and beyond. “If I can see a smile where I didn’t see one before, that’s a good thing.”
blockclubchicago.org
*Great* thread about learning and teaching. It's very hard not to buy in to "best practices." It's in the name! Maybe we should call them "best guess practices." Knowing nothing else about you, here's our best guess at what you should try first.
John Warner@biblioracle.bsky.social · 2w agoThis is a great overview of the available research on handwritten notes in school contexts. I remember the phase maybe a decade or so ago where the message was that handwritten notes were "better." It's knew it was more complicated than this, because it always is. substack.com/inbox/post/2...