Same. My Grandparents gifted me a subscription that I maintained well into adulthood.

I grew up spending much of family parties reading Grandma’s stack of Nat Geos. It’s how I learned history, wildlife, anthropology, and developed my interest in science. I haven’t bothered to look at an issue since the buy out/gutting of this former intellectual flagships. Too heartbreaking.

Me: WAT? Bacteria that are 0.6 mm long? Also me: Searching for largest known bacterium in the world which is Candidatus (Thiomargarita magnifica). It’s… ready for it? . . . . . . . . . . Up to 2 cm in size! Like, you don’t even need a microscope to see that. There is interesting science there…

Fascism eats itself from the inside out.

The NIH proposal to conceal reviewer scores from program officers, investigators, and advisory councils is ill-conceived, introduces disproportionate weight to small percentile differences, diminishes the role of scientific peer review, and should be withdrawn in its entirety. a 🧵

The blessing of fire is that it burns. Fire, and the technologies that constitute its metaphorical successors had perceptible dangers that gave the humans mastering them pause. Linear algebra fell into a different category of dangers—imperceptible risks decorated with potential rewards.

I remember thinking that perhaps they will recover. But there are precious few priors and even fewer more recent exemplars where something beautiful once broken, cannot be repaired. They must be completely reinvented anew to fix the needs they met.

Awww thanks. I’d rather just hang out with y’all, and share conversation and a meal again.

Hilari, I miss you as a teammate. Home projects were easier with you as part of the team. Alice Jones (our Cat) tries to help, but… Mostly she just yowls at me, telling me I’m doing it wrong.

Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hammer of Antioch towards thy nail, who, being naughty in My sight, shall sink it.

I think you've just about covered the materials, but have you remembered all those special tools, that you only need once?

Any home repair project will consist of three trips to the home supply store. The total number of trips will be three. Not one. Not two. Three is the correct number of trips to accomplish even the simplest of repairs.

It is also inherently anti-science. What it cannot distort and pervert to serve its cause, it will seek to destroy.

I cancelled a 30 year old subscription to National Geographic back when they were sold to Fox/Disney is 2015. The writing was on the wall when they fired their writers, reduced field reporting and focused on “entertainment”. Every issue I’ve looked at since has continued the slide into advertising.

Fascism is inherently unfair, undemocratic, and hypocritical. People react unfavorably to those circumstances, and the “free speech” Republicans do not understand the wave of anger that is coming for them with all of their culture war stuff that is breaking the very foundations of our society.

Pamela Atkinson was one of the best human beings that Utah had. Her legacy of helping others lived up to Fred Rogers admonition to "look for the helpers". Pamela was a giant of a human being, and we are all better for her life and her advocacy of her neighbors.

"bound by values – democracy, freedom, as well as respect for the rule of law and the dignity of the individual, regardless of their origin, skin colour, creed, gender, sexual orientation, or political views. On the basis of these values, I offer close cooperation" – Angela Merkel (2016-11-09)