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felinecannon.bsky.social
felinecannonball
@felinecannon.bsky.social
“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something... but it is not always quite the something you were after.”

Pseudonymous geologist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Signed up for too many starter packs.
Pinned
he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed
Reposted by felinecannonball
Looks like it worked?

In this essay ⬇️, @naomioreskes.bsky.social called out issues with a 2000 paper on glyphosate.

There is now a retraction notice on the website
(but I cannot find the exact date though)
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
December 2, 2025 at 7:52 AM
Reposted by felinecannonball
europe's defense industry needs rare earths

unfortunately for them, the us defense industry is much better at tracking them down--even in europe www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
US Firms Are Snapping Up the Rare Earths Europe Needs to Rearm
As Europe embarks on a historic rearming effort, its defense companies are scrambling for a vital component in high-tech weapons: rare earth minerals, which more nimble US rivals are scooping up.
www.bloomberg.com
December 2, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Reposted by felinecannonball
In August 1833, Charles Darwin needed a passport to travel over land through the Pampas, and got an audience with Rosas, who would soon be dictator of Buenos Aires Provencia (basically Argentina)

Darwin called him “smileless“ and “terrible”

Rosas is to this day an Argentinian far-right icon
I gotta say as I read more of Darwin’s account of 1832–35 in South America, that I don’t know a damn thing about S. American history, and none of it sounds pleasant

Darwin had to meet the genocidal president of Provencia de Buenos Aires, documental awful atrocities
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ma...
Juan Manuel de Rosas - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 2, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Reposted by felinecannonball
The targeted termination of skilled, experienced immigration judges across the nation is lawless scandal. Their replacement with “deportation judges” is nothing short of an outrageous disregard for democracy.

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/n...
Trump Administration Fires 8 Immigration Judges in New York
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:27 AM
Reposted by felinecannonball
This is the largest known retrogressive thaw slump in the world (Yakutia)! 🧊🔥

It exposes a remarkable sequence of Ice Age permafrost that record interaction of colluvial/eolian/periglacial processes on a hillslope episodically forested during last 650 ka! 😲

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
November 30, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Reposted by felinecannonball
This makes me want to take the 12 hours to watch this!
The American Revolution I Didn't Know: Thoughts on a 12-hour teachable "moment" from Ken Burns. Surprises and provocations, gritty details and historical sweep. Also brutality, hypocrisy, and oh yeah, our lofty ideals. My latest at History Keeps Happening. jilllawrence.substack.com/p/american-r...
The American Revolution I Didn't Know
Thoughts on a 12-hour teachable "moment" from Ken Burns
jilllawrence.substack.com
December 2, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Reposted by felinecannonball
Sooooooo this is another interesting wrinkle that I don't think any other media org has pulled on yet

TEA can be and often is delegated, but it also can be kept at a very high level...and if pete did indeed keep it with him without being delegated at least for the first strike, hoo boy
December 2, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Reposted by felinecannonball
I gotta say, when a Republican governor suddenly comes out in support of state supreme court expansion *right* after that court implements an electoral map preserving a blue-leaning district in a deep-red state, but says it’s not “court-packing,” I am…skeptical www.sltrib.com/news/politic...
December 2, 2025 at 4:31 AM
This administration is going to bury us in BS till the end of time. Never acknowledge policy failures, illegality, incompetence, unconstitutionality, corruption, .... At least not as bad things.
NYT:
Five officials told us that Hegseth had nothing to do with the second strike

Washpost (which broke the story 2 days ago):
“This is ‘protect Pete’ bullshit,”
and
“It’s throwing us, the service members, under the bus.”
December 2, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Reposted by felinecannonball
Driftless Area landscape on November 17 of this year. The woods on the steep valley sides have the reddish brown tinge of oak leaves in late fall. Sentinel 2 image.
December 2, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Reposted by felinecannonball
Near Salida, Colorado…
December 2, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Reposted by felinecannonball
Yet another day without any SCOTUS decision on the Texas case. 🤔

The filing deadline is in a week now...
December 2, 2025 at 1:11 AM
40% of the week is accounted for. 19% of the jury groups have been called. And I have the highest group number possible, in line behind the other 99.5%. 🤞

Got a gangland murder trial last time. A bit stressful.
December 2, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Reposted by felinecannonball
Our new preprint review on archaeal lipids (GDGTs) led by @lipidorama.bsky.social and @climategordon.bsky.social are live! Fresh updates on these amazing lipids and their environmental applications, from the 2nd int'l GDGT workshop (led by @cindydejonge.bsky.social, Francien Peterse & David Naafs).
November 29, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Reposted by felinecannonball
Well, finally the cat is out of the bag @science.org! (or at least part of a very complex story)🐈🧬. Great job from @mdemartino.bsky.social and my team @felix-erc.bsky.social. Huge thanks to all the colleagues and the institutes involved! @erc.europa.eu www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The dispersal of domestic cats from North Africa to Europe around 2000 years ago
The domestic cat (Felis catus) descends from the African wildcat Felis lybica lybica. Its global distribution alongside humans testifies to its successful adaptation to anthropogenic environments. Unc...
www.science.org
November 28, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Reposted by felinecannonball
Great list of the year’s 10 best science books.

Special shout to Washington State’s Drew Harrell, star (so to speak) of my @biographic.bsky.social story this year about unraveling the riddle of what is killing billions of sea stars along the U.S. West Coast.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Spineless creatures, possibly the world’s oldest beer receipt and more: 2025’s best Books in brief
Bibliophile Andrew Robinson reveals 10 essential science reads from the past year.
www.nature.com
December 1, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by felinecannonball
It’s far from clear whether Republicans have gained enough support to pass this new gerrymander in Indiana’s Senate, where many Republicans previously expressed their opposition.

Trump recently called for primaries against the holdouts, and several were targeted with swatting attempts within days
Indiana’s governor and at least 8 lawmakers have been swatted or threatened as state Republicans face redistricting pressure | CNN Politics
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said he and his family are among the Republicans targeted in a wave of threats against state officeholders this week as President Donald Trump pressures Hoosier State lawmakers...
www.cnn.com
December 1, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Reposted by felinecannonball
I can't wait for Hegseth to walk back what part is "fake" news. Also, you don't have the troops' back by ordering them to do illegal things in an action that is not a lawful armed conflict. It is the opposite in fact. He's subjected them all to legal jeopardy.
The degree to which a recording exists or command staff was present taking extemporaneous notes needs to be immediately subject to a Congressional subpeona by the HASC & SASC. These records need to be preserved immediately & someone with integrity in uniform needs to accept what's coming & confess.
REPORTER: Does the administration deny that that second strike happened, or did it happen and the administration denies that Hegseth gave the order?

LEAVITT: The latter. Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes. He worked well within his authority and the law.
December 1, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Reposted by felinecannonball
“That sounds illegal”
December 1, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Reposted by felinecannonball
The degree to which a recording exists or command staff was present taking extemporaneous notes needs to be immediately subject to a Congressional subpeona by the HASC & SASC. These records need to be preserved immediately & someone with integrity in uniform needs to accept what's coming & confess.
REPORTER: Does the administration deny that that second strike happened, or did it happen and the administration denies that Hegseth gave the order?

LEAVITT: The latter. Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes. He worked well within his authority and the law.
December 1, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Reposted by felinecannonball
DOJ says immigration judges, as "inferior officers," may be fired on the basis of sex, religion, race, or national origin. Leaving aside the law, it's *politically* remarkable they're taking this position.
washingtonlitigationgroup.org/news/former-...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
December 1, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Reposted by felinecannonball
For those following DHS's entry onto religious property-- No More Deaths is affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson.
🚨 On Sunday, November 23, U.S. Border Patrol illegally entered the No More Deaths’ humanitarian aid station and arrested three people who were receiving aid, without a warrant.
December 1, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Reposted by felinecannonball
2/2 Part of the pain in watching that response is knowing how the reported patently illegal orders will affect US servicemembers.

I highly recommend this essay by @marknevitt.bsky.social (Commander, JAGC (ret.)):
Killing Shipwrecked Survivors is Not Just Illegal—It Endangers U.S. Servicemembers
If the United States chooses a path where killing defenseless survivors becomes acceptable, American servicemembers will pay the price for that choice.
www.justsecurity.org
December 1, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Reposted by felinecannonball
Today, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that NY Attorney General Letitia James can't enforce false advertising and consumer protection laws against crisis pregnncy centers over their promotion of pseudoscientific and potentially dangerous abortion pill "reversal."
Abortion ‘Reversal’ Speech Protected From NY State Regulation (1)
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) is barred from enforcing state false advertising and consumer protection laws against anti-abortion medical centers in the state that promote abortion “reve...
news.bloomberglaw.com
December 1, 2025 at 8:00 PM
People willing to give their credit card info to a hallucinating chatbot are the new marks and retail CEOs want a piece of the pie.
December 1, 2025 at 7:59 PM