Ethan Freedman
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ethanpfreedman.com
Ethan Freedman
@ethanpfreedman.com
Reporter: science, nature, agriculture, climate. Bylines at Scientific American, Live Science, Hakai, Sierra, Slate, Fatherly, etc.

He/Him. RTs =/= Endorsement. Opinions solely my own. Old posts regularly delete en masse.

Chicago

www.ethanpfreedman.com
*chanting*

Wild Loop
Wild Loop
Wild Lo
A ton of conservation initiatives mentioned, including "Transform underutilized auto-centric land uses like parking lots and spaces into walkable pedestrian plazas and green spaces to increase biodiversity, mitigate the urban heat island effect, improve air quality, and promote social gathering." 🌎
Chicago's 20-year development plan for Downtown calls for more nightlife, housing and greenery
It’s the latest update to a framework the city puts together every 20 years on the future growth and development of Downtown and adjacent neighborhoods.
chicago.suntimes.com
December 6, 2025 at 12:35 AM
A ton of conservation initiatives mentioned, including "Transform underutilized auto-centric land uses like parking lots and spaces into walkable pedestrian plazas and green spaces to increase biodiversity, mitigate the urban heat island effect, improve air quality, and promote social gathering." 🌎
Chicago's 20-year development plan for Downtown calls for more nightlife, housing and greenery
It’s the latest update to a framework the city puts together every 20 years on the future growth and development of Downtown and adjacent neighborhoods.
chicago.suntimes.com
December 6, 2025 at 12:31 AM
This is why I moved to Chicago
How New York Killed Culture
And What We Can Do to Save It
www.magazinenongrata.com
December 5, 2025 at 8:52 PM
There are some good points in this report, but I'm disappointed not to see a single mention of freelancers or freelancing – freelancers are both holding up the tent of rigorous reporting and getting paid insanely low wages to do so. This is unsustainable and central to American journalism's woes.
NEW📰: Democracy requires both an informed citizenry and a free press. But how do these ideals show up in public policy?

Today, we have a paper out that looks at how media has become highly concentrated, commercialized, and drained of its public interest potential.
December 5, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Reposted by Ethan Freedman
A new bill aims to extend the U.S.’s only federal program to fund wildlife crossings, which expires in 2026. In this article, CLLC's Rebecca Boslough King highlights the demand for funds and importance of crossings to reduce collisions and reconnect habitat.

mountainjournal.org/wildlife-cro...
Wildlife Crossings Could See Permanent Federal Funding Through Bipartisan Bill - Mountain Journal
Led by Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke and Virginia Rep. Don Beyer, Congressional bill aims to extend nation’s only federal program for wildlife crossings
mountainjournal.org
December 5, 2025 at 5:59 PM
"Everything is just a meme until you physically crash into a telephone pole" is maybe the defining ethos of everything now
December 3, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Two stories on CITES -- sharks get new protections, while eels do not 🌏 🧪

apnews.com/article/eels...
Eel populations are falling, and new protections were defeated. Japan and the US opposed them
Valuable eels are in decline all over the world, leading to a new push for restrictions on trade to try to help stave off extinction.
apnews.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Holds up
December 3, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Reposted by Ethan Freedman
3 new ahead-of-print articles available now! In "Germany’s Feral Rheas," Chris Halstead examines the establishment of a population of these flightless birds in northern Germany, facilitated by the creation of the Schaalsee Biosphere Reserve. 🗃️ #envhist doi.org/10.3828/whpe...
December 2, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Fascinating story on the future of the most interesting little town in Canada, maybe the most interesting little town in the whole far north
Is This Polar Bear Town Canada’s Key to the Arctic?
www.nytimes.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:25 PM
This is what happens when a team is focused too much on tradition and not enough on keeping up with the game — it’d be like trying to play the 90s Bulls against SGA or Jokic
Might be time for the Steelers to fire everybody
December 1, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Reposted by Ethan Freedman
“The Steelers offense is better with Mason Rudolph”

No it’s not. That’s not true.
November 23, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Do yourself a favor, and read @hels.bsky.social's newsletter on Thanksgiving traditions and the "supremacy of the turkey carcass"
The New Yorker Food Scene Newsletter
link.newyorker.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:36 PM
“The Steelers offense is better with Mason Rudolph”

No it’s not. That’s not true.
November 23, 2025 at 8:30 PM
"Since becoming Green Bay’s QB1 in 2008, Rodgers has piled up more wins [in Chicago] than almost anyone — the third-most of any starting quarterback in that span. Including Bears QBs."
What I’m hearing about Brandon Aiyuk, Joe Burrow’s status and Shedeur Sanders’ first start
Also: What the Browns are seeing from Shedeur Sanders, the Chiefs face a nemesis and the perfect Thanksgiving debate topic.
www.nytimes.com
November 22, 2025 at 10:10 PM
"Trump’s denial of disaster aid has left thousands of residents in Cook County, which encompasses Chicago, waiting to remove mold and to repair homes that were damaged by flooding from a storm in July or a storm in August"
Trump refused to send disaster aid to Chicago after 2 devastating storms
The destruction caused by the summer storms was enough that past presidents likely would have approved requests for federal assistance.
www.eenews.net
November 21, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Looking forward to the next season of Emily in Paris
United Talent Agency has signed literal type of cheese Parmigiano Reggiano to its roster with the goal of finding product-placement opportunities for the brand in film and TV
www.vulture.com/article/parm...?
Beloved Cheese Parmigiano Reggiano Signs With UTA
The blonde Italian bombshell is about to be all over film and TV.
www.vulture.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:25 PM
I was just talking about this with some other freelancers -- if you're worried about the quality of journalism nowadays, you should be worried about the incredibly unstable economics of freelance journalism.

Freelancers are the bottom of the journalism pyramid, holding it up and bearing its weight.
November 19, 2025 at 8:15 PM
"Freelance journalism in 2025 is an incredibly difficult place to build a career. But, it turns out, it’s a decent enough arena for a scam."
Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era | The Local
A suspicious pitch from a freelancer led editor Nicholas Hune-Brown to dig into their past work. By the end, four publications, including The Guardian and Dwell, had removed articles from their sites.
thelocal.to
November 19, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Reposted by Ethan Freedman
once again forced to conclude that the cultural dynamic of late 2025 is 'i have lead poisoning' or 'there is a gas leak'
November 18, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Legitimate chance the Bears (yes the ones from Chicago) are solely on top of the NFC North after tonight
November 17, 2025 at 2:43 AM
As of right now Shedeur has a passer rating of 8.3
Shedeur in an NFL game is going to be hilarious either way. I think we all know which way but let's go
November 16, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Nevermind the zero-sum game implied here, it's wild to just assume that tourists won't be interested in visiting the places where there is better food, unique cultural establishments, world-class theater, and walkable neigborhoods
From the editorial board:

Even though downtown Chicago desperately needs a shot in the arm, woe betide you if you imply that it is more important than the “neighborhoods.”
Editorial: Chicago tourism fundamentally is about downtown, not all 77 neighborhoods.
Chicago tourists primarily are coming for downtown, not “all 77 neighborhoods.”
trib.al
November 16, 2025 at 11:16 PM
It’s 2019. Mason Rudolph replaces an injured Ben Roethlisberger and does pretty good.
It’s 2023. Mason Rudolph replaces an injured Kenny Pickett and does pretty good.
It’s 2025. Mason Rudolph replaces an injured Aaron Rodgers and does pretty good.
It‘s 2032.…
November 16, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by Ethan Freedman
Not Sure How They Deal With Criminals In Your Town, But ’Round Here We Use A Restorative Justice Process
Not Sure How They Deal With Criminals In Your Town, But ’Round Here We Use A Restorative Justice Process
Well, well, well. What have we got here? Another city slicker who thinks he can waltz into my town and start causin’ all sorts of trouble. I’d be careful if I was you, fella. Because however they do t...
theonion.com
November 16, 2025 at 5:00 PM