Chuck Darwin
cdarwin.bsky.social
Chuck Darwin
@cdarwin.bsky.social
Social and economic justice, technology and tennis.

Follow me on Mastodon:
https://c.im/@cdarwin
 
 searchable
Pinned
Trump’s wrecking-ball approach to America has a precedent:

the Maga evangelical perversion of Jesus’s message of radical love to one of hate and aggression
c.im/@cdarwin/115...
Chuck Darwin (@[email protected])
Trumpism’s most revealing and defining moments – not its most important, nor cruelest, nor most dangerous, nor stupidest, but perhaps its most illuminating – came earlier this autumn. In the c...
c.im
A protective shield built to contain radioactive material from the 1986 disaster at the Chornobyl nuclear plant
can no longer perform its main safety function
due to drone damage

An International Atomic Energy Agency inspection found a drone impact had degraded the structure.
UN agency says Chornobyl nuclear plant's protective shield damaged
A protective shield at the Chornobyl nuclear plant in war-torn Ukraine, built to contain radioactive material from the 1986 disaster, can no longer perform its main safety function due to drone damage...
www.reuters.com
December 6, 2025 at 5:16 AM
The most celebrated architect of his age,
a singular genius,
Frank Gehry, died Friday at 96

In Bilbao and Berlin, New York and, especially, Los Angeles
— where the Canadian-born Gehry became inseparable from the city
— he left behind playful, materially and technologically stunning buildings
Frank Gehry: 12 Essential, Stunning Projects
www.nytimes.com
December 6, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Frank Gehry,
one of the most influential architects of the 20th century,
has died aged 96.

Gehry designed many iconic structures such as L.A.'s Walt Disney Concert Hall and the titanium-covered Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain.

He died at his Santa Monica home after a brief respiratory illness
Frank Gehry dead at 96: Renowned architect dies at home after brief illness
Frank Gehry, one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, has died aged 96.
www.newsweek.com
December 5, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Israel’s killing of two young Palestinian boys in Gaza
for supposedly crossing the Israeli military’s ever-shifting yellow line last week
is “horrific” and must be investigated

"It’s hard to see how two boys,
eight and 10,
can be considered a threat."
UN Calls for Investigation Into Israeli Killing of 2 Boys Aged 8 and 10 in Gaza
The boys’ father said that their bodies were torn to pieces by Israel’s strike.
truthout.org
December 5, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Infosys co-founder
NR Narayana Murthy
called for Indian workers to adopt a 70-hour week last year,
-- but he thinks that’s still not enough.

During a recent interview,
Murthy called for an increase in working hours from 70 to 72:
-- the '996' schedule:
working from 9am to 9pm,
six days a week
Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy called for a 70 hour week last year — now he says that’s not enough
Murthy thinks longer hours akin to China’s '996' approach are the key to success
www.itpro.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Amazon dipped as one of the biggest drags to the benchmark S&P index
after the e-commerce company said it was in discussions with the U.S. Postal Service about their future relationship
and is considering its options before its contract expires next year
stocks.apple.com/AmuHAuFEeSi6...
Indexes end near flat, supported by Fed hopes but dragged by Amazon — Reuters
U.S. stocks closed near the unchanged mark on Thursday, as investors weighed a report on the labor market and other economic data, while equities drew support from elevated hopes for a Federal Reserve...
stocks.apple.com
December 5, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Reposted by Chuck Darwin
She was allowed a phone call to her parents, who contacted a lawyer.

The next day, a federal judge issued an emergency order barring her removal from the US for at least 72 hours.

But the next morning, she was shackled at her wrists, ankles and waist and deported to Honduras
Student describes ‘horror show’ ICE deportation to Honduras at Thanksgiving
Any Lucia López Belloza, 19, was detained at Boston airport while on the way to see family in Austin for a surprise trip
www.theguardian.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Orwell wrote
Nineteen Eighty-Four
not as a prophecy
but as a warning.

As he explained:
“I do not believe that the kind of society I describe necessarily will arrive.
But I believe, allowing, of course, for the fact that the book is a satire,
that something resembling it could arrive.”
1984 revisited: George Orwell would be relieved at how we’ve done
It’s common to suggest the great dystopian novel was full of warnings that have largely come true. But the evidence shows otherwise
www.thetimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Donald Trump was awarded the new
"FIFA peace prize"
on Friday at the 2026 World Cup draw
— giving the spectacle to set matchups for the quadrennial soccer tournament
even more of a Trumpian flair.

www.startribune.com/fifa-gives-p...
FIFA gives Trump a peace prize in a departure from its traditional focus on sport
President Donald Trump was awarded the new FIFA peace prize on Friday at the 2026 World Cup draw — giving the spectacle to set matchups for the quadrennial soccer tournament even more of a Trumpian fl...
www.startribune.com
December 5, 2025 at 8:33 PM
“All five nucleobases used to construct both DNA and RNA,
along with phosphates,
have already been found in the Bennu samples
brought to Earth by OSIRIS-REx,”
said Yoshihiro Furukawa.

“The new discovery of ribose means that all of the components to form the molecule RNA are present in Bennu.”
Sugars, ‘Gum,’ Stardust Found in NASA's Asteroid Bennu Samples - NASA
The asteroid Bennu continues to provide new clues to scientists’ biggest questions about the formation of the early solar system and the origins of life. As
www.nasa.gov
December 5, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Physicist Max Born’s other great cultural contribution,

besides the probabilistic interpretation of quantum mechanics,

Is his granddaughter Olivia Newton-John.

You can see the family resemblance. (4/n)
Robert “The Bobby Yaga” McNees (@[email protected])
Attached: 2 images Max Born’s other great cultural contribution, besides the probabilistic interpretation of quantum mechanics, is his granddaughter Olivia Newton-John. You can see the family resem...
mastodon.social
December 5, 2025 at 8:18 PM
A new report by Amnesty International says that immigrants held at the ICE jail in Florida known as “Alligator Alcatraz”
were shackled inside a two-foot-high metal cage
and left outside without water for up to a day at a time.
Prisoners Face “Harrowing Human Right Violations” at Infamous ICE Jail in Florida Everglades
A new report by Amnesty International says that immigrants held at the ICE jail in Florida known as “Alligator Alcatraz” were shackled inside a two-foot-high metal cage and left outside without water ...
www.democracynow.org
December 5, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by Chuck Darwin
And candidates there were: 31,153 of them! We narrowed these down the 728 that looked most promising. Iona, Michael, and Dale followed up every single one in the field. All of that in parallel of the drone survey+upload still happening. Most of them were gum nuts, very convincing candidates. 7/X
December 5, 2025 at 4:13 AM
She was allowed a phone call to her parents, who contacted a lawyer.

The next day, a federal judge issued an emergency order barring her removal from the US for at least 72 hours.

But the next morning, she was shackled at her wrists, ankles and waist and deported to Honduras
Student describes ‘horror show’ ICE deportation to Honduras at Thanksgiving
Any Lucia López Belloza, 19, was detained at Boston airport while on the way to see family in Austin for a surprise trip
www.theguardian.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Reposted by Chuck Darwin
Can't go any lower.

"One shocking stat: 98% of the roughly 2,100 Foreign Service members who responded to the voluntary survey reported poor morale."

www.axios.com/2025/12/04/t...
"Dangerously low": Morale in the U.S. Foreign Service craters under Trump
86% said changes the Trump admin instituted have affected their ability to advance U.S. diplomatic priorities.
www.axios.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Reposted by Chuck Darwin
But Kash Patel and Don Jr aren’t quite intelligent enough to connect the dots, are they

In 2020, Joe Biden won. The Democrats were also poised to take control of both the House and Senate

The only person who needed a “backup plan” on January 6 was Donald Trump
DON Jr: It's almost like the pipebombs were the backup plan if they didn't get what they wanted out of January 6, which to me seems like a very clear setup operation

KASH PATEL: You're absolutely right
December 4, 2025 at 10:11 PM
"China has done massive-scale regreening over the past decades.

They have actively restored thriving ecosystems, specifically in the Loess Plateau.

This has also reactivated the water cycle."
China has planted so many trees it's changed the entire country's water distribution
Huge "regreening" efforts in China over the past few decades have activated the country's water cycle and moved water in ways that scientists are just now starting to understand.
www.livescience.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:25 AM
“Even if you buy all the legal falsehoods
(that this is an ‘armed conflict’,
that drugs are war-sustaining objects),
the two shipwrecked were in no way, shape or form engaged in ‘active combat activities’
(the actual legal test),”
Ryan Goodman added.
Pentagon announces it has killed four men in another boat strike in Pacific
Strike comes amid congressional turmoil over legality of US attacks on suspected drug smugglers
www.theguardian.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Iran’s president calls for moving its drought-stricken capital

amid a worsening water crisis

– How Tehran got into water bankruptcy

theconversation.com/irans-presid...
Iran’s president calls for moving its drought-stricken capital amid a worsening water crisis – how Tehran got into water bankruptcy
Iran’s sprawling cities and irrigated agriculture, along with tight market controls, have left the country vulnerable to drought. There are steps that would help.
theconversation.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:02 AM
Palantir CEO and Trump ally Alex Karp
is no stranger to controversial (troll-ish even) comments.

His latest one just dropped:

Karp believes that the U.S. boat strikes in the Caribbean
(which many experts believe to be war crimes)
are a moneymaking opportunity for his company
Palantir CEO Says Making War Crimes Constitutional Would Be Good for Business
Alex Karp vows to use his
gizmodo.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Iran's capital Tehran is counting down to 'day zero'
- the day the water runs out,
and the taps run dry.

news.sky.com/story/bluesk...
This country's on the brink of 'water bankruptcy'
Iran's capital Tehran is counting down to 'day zero' - the day the water runs out, and the taps run dry.
news.sky.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:49 AM
Microsoft has announced the company will no longer publish its annual diversity report
and has removed diversity
& inclusion as a core priority for employee performance reviews

This decision comes in the wake of political changes in the US,
particularly following an executive order issued by Trump
Microsoft Is Quietly Walking Back Its Diversity Efforts
microsoft is quietly walking back its diversity: Microsoft is making significant changes to its diversity and inclusion initiatives, marking a departure from
www.hashe.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:46 AM
As Trump pushes for a more Republican-friendly House map,

more than half a dozen states are potential targets for mid-decade tweaks to congressional boundaries.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Mapping where the redistricting fight stands and where it’s headed
As Trump pushes for a more Republican-friendly House map, more than half a dozen states are potential targets for mid-decade tweaks to congressional boundaries.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Zanskar, a Geothermal startup which uses AI to find hidden geothermal resources deep underground,
says that it has identified a new commercially viable site for a potential power plant.

The discovery, the company claims, is the first of its kind made by the industry in decades
A Startup Says It Has Found a Hidden Source of Geothermal Energy
Zanskar uses AI to identify hidden geothermal systems—and claims it has found one that could fuel a power plant, the first such discovery by industry in decades.
www.wired.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:11 AM
ARMR Sciences of New York is trialing a vaccine in the Netherlands
to protect against fentanyl-related overdose and death.

www.wired.com/story/a-fent...
A Fentanyl Vaccine Is About to Get Its First Major Test
ARMR Sciences of New York is trialing a vaccine in the Netherlands to protect against fentanyl-related overdose and death.
www.wired.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:06 AM