DecaturNature @DecaturNature@social.cleverlibre.org

The main staircase in the administration building of the abandoned Bethlehem Steel plant in Lackawanna NY

More at https://www.abandonedamerica.us/lackawanna-steel

I keep seeing articles, about people trying to violently overturn election results, that use phrases like “motivated by election lies”.

They aren’t motivated by lies, they are motivated by not liking the result. Repeating the lies just makes them feel powerful because it makes them part of the grift. They think they’re fooling people.

Blaming the lies lulls us into thinking that this is an education/disinformation problem which, if addressed, will eliminate the violence.

These folks aren’t deluded. They’ve learned from their leaders that violence and lying are the route to power.

For most of my life I thought these problems could be solved by education. I no longer do. As far as I can tell, about 30% of the population believes that getting away with grifts and bullying people is proof of power and leadership that should be respected, worshiped, and emulated.

We can’t educate these folks. We can only build a society that ensures that they cannot gain control. Unfortunately, the entire human race has largely failed to do so, and we’re suffering the consequences on a planetary scale.

Every day we act as though they don’t *know* that the elections were valid, is a day we risk losing the fight for democracy, equality, and a stable environment.

#brazil #JAN6

Listen, if you are feeling like it’s too late to follow your dreams or to change things, recall that the very first LIFE ON EARTH film by David Attenborough came out in the 70s when David was 53. Think of every amazing thing he has done since to change the world and promote the environment; these happened in his 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and now at 96 he is working on a new documentary in Scotland. I’m 45. It’s like I haven’t been born yet in David years. #nature #environment #aging #hope

We are almost 3 years into this and I am still (positively) surprised by Covid culture in Mexico City. I kind of knew that some public health messaging would feed into the cultural obsession with cleanliness, and it sure did with contraptions like the “hygienic doormat” and increased cleaning cycles in public spaces.

But to see people primarily masked indoors, with no mask mandate left in place, leaves me in awe and gratitude.

@jeff I think Mastodon instance owners and operators should encourage their users to contribute directly to Mastodon gGmbH in addition to giving whatever they can. It should not be thought of like franchise fees or tithing. I feel strongly that everyone who uses the Fediverse should be aware and occasionally reminded that this is all possible because of the open-source community who contribute code and volunteers who keep things running by investing their time and/or money.

McCarthy represents the Republican establishment. That doesn’t mean he’s a “moderate.” It means the GOP establishment is fully embracing the extremism as the party has moved so far to the right that yesterday’s radical fringe is now firmly in the center of conservative politics.

First Mastodon🧵(making use of the 500 character limit)

With #SARSCoV2 becoming #endemic, the question remains how much #mortality we will have to expect in the coming years.

While naturally acquired and vaccine-elicited immunity has greatly reduced the risk of severe disease and death, many European countries still experience substantial #excessmortality. This is not unexpected given the observed short- and long-term mortality following #SARSCoV2 infection. (1/4) #xp

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2022.100394

Vaccination of staff, including boosters, appears to reduce transmission to nursing home residents.

#COVID #vaccines
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2799964