banner
LightNews
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski
@ralfekrowski.bsky.social
210 followers 250 following 2.1K posts
Born in Ahlen, shaped in Münster, now settled on Germany’s coast. Lawyer. Focused on politics, urban development, and democracy. "Humans built SUVs to feel powerful. They only look smaller inside" www.lennyslaterne.de @blogkrowski.bsky.social
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Pinned
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 6d
youtu.be/lfLKHY52ERc?...
Dr. Jane Goodall’s Final Message To The World | Famous Last Words | Netflix
YouTube video by Still Watching Netflix
youtu.be
Reposted by Ralf Ekrowski
nytimes.com
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 8h
Reporters walked out of the Pentagon on Wednesday after news outlets refused to sign new press rules laid out by Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense. The new rules raise the prospect of punishment for simply requesting information on matters of public interest. Read more: nyti.ms/48sfl6q
48 170 580
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 8h
When the Pentagon locks its doors to the press, it’s not just journalists who are evicted — it’s the public’s right to know.
“Journalism is not a crime.”

(Nancy A. Youssef, The Atlantic: “The Last Days of the Pentagon Press Corps”)
www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
The Last Days of the Pentagon Press Corps
I’ve been evicted from a building I’ve covered for 18 years. I’ll keep doing my job anyway.
www.theatlantic.com
1 3 7
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 9h
A free press is democracy’s early warning system.
When CNN, Fox, ABC, CBS, and NBC unite against Pentagon restrictions, it’s not about politics — it’s about survival.
Once the government controls information, democracy is already fading.
www.cjr.org/news/the-pen...
The Pentagon press corps is gone.
As reporters for major news outlets turn in their government-issued press badges rather than accept new restrictions, some argue that the best military journalism is yet to come.
www.cjr.org
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 10h
The WMO reports a record CO₂ rise of 3.5 ppm in 2024 — the biggest jump since 1957.
Not just Trump or Putin — even the Earth system is out of control.
It’s not the Anthropocene.
It’s the Obsceneocene.
wmo.int/media/news/c...
Carbon dioxide levels increase by record amount to new highs in 2024
The WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin said continued emissions of CO2 from human activities and an upsurge from wildfires were responsible, as well as reduced CO2 absorption by “sinks” such as land ecosyste...
wmo.int
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 12h
1948: The Marshall Plan — rebuilding peace through cooperation.
2025: The “GREAT Trust” — rebuilding Gaza through borrowed logos and private security.
Most firms never knew their names were used.
One rebuilt trust.
The other just trades on it.
www.wired.com/story/a-plan...
A Plan to Rebuild Gaza Lists Nearly 30 Companies. Many Say They’re Not Involved
A presentation that has been shared with the Trump administration references Tesla, Ikea, TSMC, and more in its plan to rebuild Gaza. Some of these companies say they had no idea they were mentioned.
www.wired.com
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 14h
If you use an AI to be interviewed by an AI
for a job where you’ll build an AI
that helps people build AIs for job interviews —
then the only sensible thing left
is to quietly close the door,
pick up a book,
and take your robot dog for a walk.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Job Interviews Are Broken
People are sneaking answers from AI, and who can blame them?
www.theatlantic.com
3
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 1d
youtu.be/K3b6SGoN6dA?...
BLACK SABBATH - "War Pigs" (Live Video)
YouTube video by Black Sabbath
youtu.be
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 1d
Some records stay with you for a lifetime. Among all the rock, blues, and heavy stuff — @carolekingofficial.bsky.social Carol King’s Tapestry is one of them. The MOFI edition sounds simply beautiful.
A vinyl record of Carole King’s Tapestry spinning on a turntable, with the album cover showing Carole King sitting by a window with her cat.
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 1d
Trump calls it “law and order.”
Others call it what it is: looking away from public executions.
www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Trump suggests Hamas has approval for internal security operations in Gaza
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Hamas had been given a greenlight for internal security operations it is conducting in the Gaza Strip, saying the group wants "to stop the problems" and "we gave them approval for a period of time".
www.reuters.com
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 1d
After WWII, the U.S. faced the same question:
How to help people without empowering their aggressors.
Back then, America sent its best — the Marshall Plan and the faith in democracy.
Today, it sends Trump.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
Israel limits aid into Gaza in dispute over hostage remains as ceasefire faces test
Hamas accused of breaching agreement by withholding bodies of hostages but Palestinian militants say they face obstacles in retrieving them
www.theguardian.com
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 1d
America’s democratic story began with tea. Maybe coffee will help now — the drink Americans won’t give up without a fight.
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
The Drink That Americans Won’t Give Up Without a Fight
Coffee has almost no nutritional value and lots of substitutes. It’s also, apparently, too important to lose.
www.theatlantic.com
2 4
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 1d
youtu.be/usNsCeOV4GM?...
The Beatles - A Day In The Life
YouTube video by TheBeatlesVEVO
youtu.be
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 2d
Authoritarianism spreads when democracy grows tired.
In Germany, the AfD rises by selling fear as identity.
In the U.S., Trumpism does the same.
Both thrive on fatigue.
Time to rebuild a culture of courage — one story, one town, one act at a time.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
America Needs a Mass Movement—Now
Without one, America may sink into autocracy for decades.
www.theatlantic.com
2 2
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 2d
This was never a war — it was a confrontation with terrorists.
Civilians became collateral for both sides, and now Hamas applies the same logic to its own people.
Violence, once justified as resistance, has become governance by fear.
www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Clans and armed groups challenging Hamas in Gaza
As the Gaza war dragged on, a diminished Hamas faced growing internal challenges to its control of Gaza from long-standing rivals, many of them affiliated with powerful local clans.
www.reuters.com
Reposted by Ralf Ekrowski
markhamillofficial.bsky.social
Mark Hamill @markhamillofficial.bsky.social · 2d
THIS: 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
reasonsvoice.bsky.social
reasonsvoice.bsky.social @reasonsvoice.bsky.social · 2d
800 8.4K 21K
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 2d
I’m wrestling with WordPress again – menus, updates, plugins.
It’s messy. It’s mine.
Should I really let an algorithm decide how I look on the internet?
www.wired.com/story/best-w...
Want to Start a Website? These Are the Best Website Builders
Don't fuss around with files and servers. Just use one of these WIRED-tested website builders.
www.wired.com
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 2d
Knock, knock.
Nobody answers.
But the knocking doesn’t stop.
Because climate change doesn’t wait for permission —
theconversation.com/climate-tipp...
Climate tipping points sound scary, especially for ice sheets and oceans – here’s why there’s still room for optimism
A report warns that coral reefs may have reached their tipping point, and ice sheets, ocean currents and the Amazon are at growing risk. But, what does that actually mean?
theconversation.com
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 2d
The gods of consumption and media offer no real faith — only distraction.
Old religions can destroy, but without them, the void grows darker.
The French Revolution tried to abolish belief. It created a cult instead.

Explore this gift article from The New York Times.
Opinion | Why So Many Gen Z-ers Are Drawn to Conservative Christianity
www.nytimes.com
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 2d
Peace will last only if Gaza’s neighbors grow into something larger than themselves —
a regional union, not just a ceasefire.
The EU was born from exhaustion. The Middle East still waits for that moment.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
One Era Ends in Gaza, and Another Begins
A moment for radical hope
www.theatlantic.com
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 3d
A time to pause — to rejoice for the survivors, to remember the victims.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The Existential Heroism of the Israeli Hostages
The release of the remaining October 7 captives shows that hope can survive even in the darkest hole.
www.theatlantic.com
1
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 3d
Yes. WWII didn’t end with diplomacy but with surrender — only then could rebuilding begin.
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 3d
Reposted by Ralf Ekrowski
michaelburchert.bsky.social
Michael Burchert @michaelburchert.bsky.social · 4d
Use it as material, not as fuel to make materials / to make stuff go.
Bunch of drywall solutions from plant fibers, straw, hemp, typha
1 37 93
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 3d
Trump seems to have learned from Gaza: we live in a world where threats work better than diplomacy. Sobering.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
Ukraine war briefing: Moscow voices ‘extreme concern’ at Trump threat to send Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv
US president says he may warn Russian counterpart ‘look, if this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send them Tomahawks’. What we know on day 1,328
www.theguardian.com
1
ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 3d
While Spotify pays fractions of a cent, The Life of a Showgirl sells vinyl, CDs, prints, and sweaters — and keeps people employed.
Pop capitalism meets the anti-Spotify movement, and for once, everybody gets paid.
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
Buy This Album. Now Buy It in Green.
Here’s how Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl just shattered sales records.
www.theatlantic.com
1 1 4