The Germanic ancestor of ‘thing’ and its cognates, such as German ‘Ding’ and Danish ‘ting’, meant “folk assembly”. The Latin ancestor of the Romance words for “thing”, such as French ‘chose’ and Spanish ‘cosa’, meant “legal case”. My infographic shows how their meanings shifted to “matter; thing”.

Happy 14 Years on Mars, Curiosity!

It'd be a bit of a bluff, but the tech is far enough along that you could certainly build a policy package that gives them all a heart attack

Nepalese mystery bird!

Mongabay@mongabay.com · 3h ago

Found only in Nepal, the spiny babbler is the country’s sole endemic bird, yet it remains understudied and vulnerable to habitat loss. Scientists are calling for global attention to protect this elusive species and its threatened habitat. @bibekbhandari.bsky.social reports for #Mongabay.

🚨 BREAKING We are supporting a legal challenge to the Code of Practice. And we need your help. Join us in fighting back 👇

We’re supporting a legal challenge against the code of practice | Good Law Project

The government’s transphobic statutory guidance is now up and running – we’re fighting back

goodlaw.social

We aren't backed by billionaires. We can only defend trans rights with your help. Please give your support.

Fight back against the code of practice

The government’s transphobic code of practice is now up and running. But we’re not going to take it, we’re helping to fight back. Join us

goodlaw.social

Our Policy & Public Affairs Coordinator Flo has written a guest blog for the wonderful folks over at @lighthousebks.bsky.social about what we can do now in the face of feeling loss and despair at the EHRC's Code of Practice. You can read it here: lighthousebookshop.com/posts/what-c...

Exclusive: cases of Afghan man, Ukrainian man and Saudi woman show repeated nasogastric tube insertions and lack of legal representation

‘What they’re doing qualifies as torture’: new details of ICE force-feeding revealed

theguardian.com

The case for rewilding could not be more clear, on every conceivable level. Now it's time to put it into *action*.

The Conversation UK@uk.theconversation.com · yesterday

Done properly, rewilded landscapes are more fire-resistant.

there are no trans players in the wnba. the highest estimate is that maybe 0.9% of the us population is transgender. this is just people crushing the most vulnerable humans in america and if you don’t stand up against this you are a fucking piece of shit. what are we doing here.

Like, just love your kids unconditionally and do what follows from that.

People often act as though Mizuki Shigeru is some rare find. We have produced twenty volumes of his work in English

Zack Davisson@zackdavisson.com · 2w ago

His work is readily available in English. www.amazon.com/stores/Shige...?

Goodnight, friends. My beloved and I went for a drive amid the corn fields today. The borders and ditches teemed with Little Yellows (Pyrisitia lisa), flitting among the chicory, Queen Anne's Lace, and compass plants. There is beauty to be found. I love you.

BOOM. The AAUP is suing Texas A&M University System over their censorship policy that prohibits faculty from discussing topics & viewpoints related to race, sexual orientation, & gender. www.aclutx.org/app/uploads/... 1

If you show up to Bluesky without following anyone, you'll be treated to a series of posts about art, music, and dogs. If you show up to X without following anyone, you'll be bombarded with right-wing conspiracies and white supremacist slop. It's weird which one is seen as a "political bubble"

"Together, we have demonstrated that the answer to fear is not division, it’s community. And that’s why we’re here today—to build a Maine where local resources remain dedicated to local communities.” ~Ruben Torres, MIRC mainebeacon.com/community-is...

“Community is stronger than fear” — New ICE Out of Maine laws take effect - Maine Beacon

Three new laws aimed at protecting Maine communities from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s violent tactics take effect today. The laws, known collectively as ICE Out of Maine laws, are called ICE...

mainebeacon.com

Morning Dopple #pigeonSky 🪶

Battle of the banh mi: We put two Bay Area sandwich favorites head to head to declare the best.

We blind tasted banh mi from two Bay Area institutions. Here’s the winner

Battle of the banh mi: We put two Bay Area sandwich favorites head to head to declare the best.

bit.ly

The Spokane Complex Fire has destroyed hundreds of homes and displaced thousands of people. Our communities are jumping in to help. Here are a few resources for where to locate resources and how to pitch. If you think of anything we missed, let us know at team@rangemedia.co.

Where wildfire victims can find resources, how neighbors can help

An evolving resource directory for people affected by the disaster and people who want to lend a hand.

rangemedia.co

Max Miller to join Harvard’s Institute of Politics.

11 years ago today, Ken Paxton surrendered at the Collin County Jail on felony securities fraud charges. This is his mugshot.

At a moment of rising anti-government CJP protests in Delhi, the Hindutva right is denying that the protests are organic by blaming them on George Soros. Even in a place with no particular history of the rootless cosmopolitan Jew as the Other, they’re imbibing the same online right-wing tropes.

A lot of pretty young people seem to die in ICE custody www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/n...

Immigrant Held at Delaney Detention Center Has Died, Officials Say

The mayor of Newark identified the dead man as Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo. The New Jersey center has been the focus of intense scrutiny for its treatment of detainees.

nytimes.com

I’m more and more in the camp that we just cannot handle video clips as a species.

That said, let us take a moment to thank our Bluesky Trans and Furry Elders for freaking out Jack Dorsey so much he bolted and left us this nice social media playground, taking most of his crypto chuds with him. We thank you for your service.

Insane that democrats keep trying to cave on this issue rather than amplifying the fact that it’s being spearheaded by bigots and freaks

Gillian Branstetter@gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 2d ago

An initiative on the ballot in Washington state in November would require all athletes seeking to play girl's sports from kindergarten to high school to undergo "genetic screening, a testosterone-levels test, or an examination of their reproductive anatomy" before they can play

this wikipedia editor is orbiting the moon right now!

#themoreyouknow

I just donated to @wikipedia.org because it's made by humans and I use it every day and it's not serving me slop

404 Media@404media.co · 4mo ago

NEW: Wikipedia has banned AI-generated content.

no amnesty

Minnesota Reformer@minnesotareformer.com · 2d ago

On Jan. 11, Gregory Bovino watched as his Border Patrol agents dragged a man out of his car at a St. Paul Speedway, knelt on his back until he lost consciousness, and dragged his limp body into the back of a van. The man's name is Orbin Mauricio Henriquez Serrano and this is his story.