Merriam-Webster's word of the year for 2023 ... drumroll please ... "authentic".

"Sokolowski and his team don't delve into the reasons people head for dictionaries and websites in search of specific words. Rather, they chase the data on lookup spikes and world events that correlate. This time around, there was no particularly huge boost at any given time but a constancy to the increased interest in “authentic.”

https://www.opb.org/article/2023/11/27/what-s-merriam-webster-s-word-of-the-year-for-2023-hint-be-true-to-yourself/

"Voters have a problem with Republican extremism.The GOP’s problems go beyond abortion, however. Reproductive rights are one plank in the Democrat’s case against Republicans to these voters, but the GOP’s stances on election denialism, book bans, anti-trans legislation, gun control, and anti-immigrant proposals are all parts of this anti-extremist pitch to suburban and well-educated voters as well." #democracy #elections #ClimateVoter #SocialJustice

https://www.vox.com/politics/23955909/election-results-2023-abortion-republicans-suburban-vote

Patterns in nature never cease to amaze.

"In 1952, Turing unlocked the reaction-diffusion basis of chemical patterns," said Dr Gadêlha. "We show that the 'atom' of motion in the cellular world, the flagellum, uses Turing's template to shape, instead, patterns of movement driving tail motion that pushes sperm forwards."

Study (downloadable): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-40338-2

Science Daily article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230927155522.htm

R.I.P. Ady Barkan dead from complications of ALS. "Over the course of a career cut tragically short by illness, Barkan managed to shape policy debates on workers’ rights, the Federal Reserve, the Trump tax cuts, Medicare for All and civil liberties." My thoughts to his wife, Rachael, family, friends, and colleagues. What a sad moment in social justice activism history.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ady-barkan-als-progressive-activist-dies_n_601494bfc5b622df90f37244

Dean Phillips longshot running against Pres. Biden can’t say what specific Biden policy is not working nor specifically how he plans to fix problems with U.S. he sees such as high cost of living. Likely too little too late. However I do appreciate seeing new blood in the Democratic Party. Helpful to his campaign that he’s so rich he doesn’t have to take PAC money and then be beholden. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/10/27/55-things-to-know-dean-phillips-00123600

Took this photo this morning overlooking Woodland WA and St. Helens OR. Wrote a haiku to match:

Perch above the clouds
Columbia River runs below
Unpredictable

In this day and age one would think tech companies would have completely accessible websites and know what a screen reader is. Jeez! The appalling customer service reported here reminds me a bit of the "Verizon math" call from years back. https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/16/apple_lenovo_blind_fail/

I don’t know how often this is possible but today was the first time I solved my wooden calendar puzzle two different ways. Exciting!

#POTUS #Biden is working to fix burdens accessing #SocialSafetyNet. As a #DemocraticSocialist I welcome changes so that people can get (usually temporary) aid they need. These are lost benefits that should be used but often paperwork is too time consuming and confusing. “Fewer than 50% of those eligible for Medicaid are signed up. Half those potentially eligible for unemployment insurance in 2022 did not apply. 28% of those eligible for food stamps do not receive it.” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-government-benefits_n_65030635e4b01f6f9b9baeee

"Filmmakers have spoken: we want oil & gas out of our industry." “TIFF celebrates socially conscious films and elevates Indigenous filmmakers. That is a good thing, but it is incoherent with teaming up with Canada’s worst offenders on social issues,” said Chief Na’Moks of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, whose lands are being destroyed by the RBC-supported CGL pipeline. https://deadline.com/2023/09/mark-ruffalo-adam-mckay-joaquin-phoenix-julianne-moore-rachel-mcadams-more-sign-open-letter-calling-on-tiff-to-drop-rbc-sponsor-1235544473/

Want to know more about Canada and big oil & gas? Watch ~5-min satire video. Warning: F-bombs. Stop #CoastalGaslink Pipeline. #LeaveItInTheGround https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7s-BgfcFX

Columbia River this morning. Smells like rain. Feels like autumn approaching. Electricity in the air. Photo © Sally Keely.

Sweet story on the intersection of the mathematics of #ChaosTheory and the natural chaos of marriage. "Chaos theory is just one of many ways I have applied the mathematical thinking I use in my work to shape my approach to life." https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/aug/27/saved-by-a-butterfly-how-chaos-theory-became-the-secret-ingredient-in-my-happy-marriage

I don't drink Horizon milk so maybe this is old and has been corrected. Or maybe they meant to use "carbon positive" meaning maybe moving positively to reduce carbon footprint? Seems like a stretch. I'm used to seeing "carbon negative" or "carbon neutral".

Good list of a dozen #ClimateChaos related summer reads from Yale Climate Connections. I bought three to start with. Exited to #read! #reading #GoodReads https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2023/08/books-for-our-new-climate-changed-summers/

Worthy quick read from #TedGlick. I especially like (appreciate!) the last paragraph. "... appreciation that we are living at a decisive time in the history of the human race and the planet. We collectively have the opportunity to make a very big difference ..." Good way to think of it (#ClimateChaos) all rather than constant doom and gloom. https://tedglick.com/2023/08/07/building-a-new-world-attitude-is-everything

As an #insomnia sufferer, I appreciated #sleep tips: "Lie down, keep your eyes open. Trying to stay awake can bring about sleep. It’s not something recommended as a 1st strategy, but is to people who claim they endure being awake for several hrs in bed. It’s unlikely they’re fully awake. Why don’t you try to stay awake for that whole period and see what happens with your eyes open? The whole point is that instead of trying to sleep, it’s just adjusting that attention." https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/aug/03/dont-check-the-clock-15-ways-to-get-back-to-sleep-when-you-wake-at-3am

Excellent clear guide to Drumpf's 78 felony charges (78!!!) via @kegill. Image from #MidJourney. #TrumpIndictment #January6th #JackSmith READ at https://themoderatevoice.com/a-guide-to-trumps-78-felony-charges-plus-what-this-means-for-2024/ via https://pnw.zone/@kegill@mastodon.social/110819228423673958

#PeterKalmus op-ed "Declaring #ClimateEmergency wd unleash additional powers - banning oil exports and further accelerating renewable energy buildout on a scale not seen since mobilization for WWII. It wd send an unmistakable signal to investors still living in past, to universities shamefully slow to #divest, to media outlets that have failed to connect dots, to all dangerously lagging institutions of our society. And wd be a desperately needed win for #climateactivists https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/27/joe-biden-climate-emergency-peter-kalmus

My #BuckleySchool schoolmate #AbigailDisney wrote excellent op-ed for #TheGuardian re: getting arrested for protesting wealthy persons' private jet's carbon pollution. Thank-you for your continued passionate actions, Abby! https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/20/private-planes-carbon-emissions-abigail-disney