Magazine Posts

"Chances of getting records from a federal agency drop. An analysis of 37,000 Freedom of Information Act requests submitted to federal agencies through MuckRock.com shows that in 2010, barely more than half of requests yielded the records sought. But by 2022, barely more than 10% of requests met with success". More at The Conversation ➜

Pi Day π (pi) is observed on March 14 (3/14 in the month/day format) since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π. Pi (π) Day has become an international holiday, celebrated live and online all around the world. 

What is π anyway? Divide any circle’s circumference by its diameter; the answer (whether for a plate or a planet) is always approximately 3.14, a number represented with the Greek letter π. Mathematicians have been calculating π’s digits with more and more accuracy and have discover they go on literally forever, with no pattern.

Josep Borrell remarks at the United Nations, N.Y: 

“But this is a humanitarian crisis, which is not a natural disaster. It’s not a flood. It’s not an earthquake. It’s man-made. And when we look for alternative ways of providing support, by sea or by air, we have to remind that we have to do it because the natural way of providing support, through roads, is being closed, artificially closed, and starvation is being used as a war arm. And when we condemn this happening in Ukraine, we have to use the same words for what’s happening in Gaza.”

"We are now facing a population fighting for their own survival,"  

A Spanish ship has left Cyprus for Gaza carrying urgently needed food supplies but the UN says this cannot replace the delivery of aid by land.

The growth of Data Centers is taxing our power systems. Now we are learning that they are also using our scared water resources. More at Noema ➜

"In early 2015, the 10,000-entry Oxford children’s dictionary dropped around fifty words related to nature — words like fern, willow, and starling — in favor of terms like broadband and cut and paste, some of the world’s most prominent authors composed an open letter of protest and alarm at this impoverishment of children’s vocabulary and its consequent diminishment of children’s belonging to and with the natural world. Among them was one of the great nature writers of our time: Robert Macfarlane....Troubled by this loss of vital and vitalizing language, MacFarlane teamed up with illustrator and children’s book author Jackie Morris, who had reached out to him to write an introduction for a sort of “wild dictionary” she wanted to create as a counterpoint to Oxford’s erasure. Instead, Macfarlane envisioned something greater. The Lost Words: A Spell Book (public library) was born" . Read more at the Marginalian

"Disturbances on the sun may have the potential to devastate our power grid and communication systems. When the next big storm arrives, will we be prepared for it?"  More at The New Yorker ➜ 

The conflict in Gaza has become “an era-defining catastrophe.” It’s increasingly clear what — and who — is to blame. More at VOX ➜

Photo credit: Anadolu Agency

Over half of Stockton, California’s residents are diabetic or prediabetic. A prescribed meal program aims to change that. More at Reasons to be Cheerful ➜

"Language is an instrument of great precision and poignancy — our best tool for telling each other what the world is and what we are, for conveying the blueness of blue and the wonder of being alive. But it is also a thing of great pliancy and creativity — a living reminder that how we name things changes what we see, changes the seer" .....Read more at the Marginalian

"Much like love itself, St. Valentine and his reputation as the patron saint of love are not matters of verifiable history, but of faith". Read more

Leadership, discovery, and global change often define February. From George Washington’s birth and the founding of the Boy Scouts to the Yalta Conference and the discovery of Pluto, events in February highlight decisions and breakthroughs that shaped nations and expanded human understanding.

Across eras, February often marks turning points—when alliances form, ideas take hold, and scientific advances push history in new directions. These moments show how even a short month can leave a lasting imprint on the world.

Explore historical events throughout February by viewing the full month timeline, or jump to a specific date to see what happened on this day in history—from February 1 through February 28 (or 29). Use the timeline to research individual dates or trace the events that define February’s place in history.

"It’s the big threat. A cheap, white powder — 50 times more powerful than heroin — which kills more than 70,000 people each year in the United States and countless others across the rest of the Western Hemisphere. EL PAÍS, in a long-term investigation that spanned two continents and included interviews with anti-drug czars in the U.S. and China, visited the clandestine laboratories in Sinaloa, where fentanyl is manufactured".......Read More at El Pais ➜  Also Read: How the United States got hooked on fentanyl