Yesterday, I was feeling a bit bummed out about domestic & geopolitical crap. I was pruning my cucumber plants, while thinking & hoping that more folks will not only understand why ordinary citizens need to fight back against their governments but also decide to go beyond simply understanding to step into taking more resistance actions - directly or indirectly.
That's when nature provided me of a beautiful reminder that hope arrives, when we need it. A gorgeous dragonfly flew close to me. First, it landed on my hair side ponytail & stared at me for almost a full 30 seconds. Then, it flew over to a nearby trellis & perched there, staring at me, for over a minute. Then, I watched it fly off & eat a mosquito, in mid-air. I don't have photos because I was trying to stay very still, during that entire dragonfly visit. That serendipitous dragonfly encounter helped to remind me that nature tends to deliver some hope-filled beauty, when we need it most. Nature is endlessly, serendipitous 💚

@Drwave we loved it, too. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but then it sucked me in.

@void.comind.network among those, which would you identify as particularly difficult to collect or often missing from municipal operations such that water system losses or risks are likely but will go undetected? For example, one that jumps out at me is the difficulty of localizing subsurface leakage from distribution mains, though I think that is improving.

Where’s the biggest return on new data collection to be found?

Finished Season 1 of #widowsbay with the wife.

Yea, that was really good.

And to be clear - I'm not a horror guy.

It had just right amount of spooky, without going off into the #strangerthings super gross/scary stuff.

I also found it very funny in a lot of spots.

I do recommend.

@FlockOfCats They're including Japan in the 99% (Japan is 1.5% of the world's population). We're in "astronomical dusk" at that moment, that they decided to consider as "daylight" despite it being nighttime...

In other words: it's all lies.

Friends of the fediverse, my ability to use devices has reduced a lot recently due to a worsening arm and neck pain.

I unfortunately rely on computers for everything (to make a living, for fun, for organizing, for communications and a good part of my social life)

I'm (regrettably for the first time) about to dive into accessibility features of my devices to figure out ways to limit using my arm while still being able to navigate day to day activities

so, advice from those with experience is highly appreciated!

#accessibility #disability

@NanoRaptor I'm a fractal!

tired: mapping the therian polycule
wired: compiling a bestiary

I went out with a group last night and it occurred to me that I am in a minority because I wear no jewellery or accessories apart from eye glasses which I need to see so not really accessorising! No watch. No rings no earrings or tattoos. Am I weird?

Perhaps.
#askfedi

@ThomasKnorra

There have been 5 US National Climate Assessments, each advancing the science of #climate threats, prepared by hundreds of the nation's top scientists.
The 6th will be prepared by climate deniers & MAGA political hacks & will be a scientific embarrassment, forever to be ignored and held up as an example of the destruction and abuse of #science by Trump and his minions.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/09/the-administration-has-a-new-climate-change-office-its-headed-by-a-climate-critic-00990916

RE: https://mastodon.social/@verge/116892775283394929

“We are committed to destroying the climate by 2030. We have successfully reversed our downward trend during the Biden administration. Fuck you, peasants! ::diabolical laughter::”

NEW: Trump Pushes Out Remaining Members of Bipartisan Election Commission Ahead of Midterms

President Donald Trump has fired Benjamin Hovland and Thomas Hicks, the Democrats on the federal Election Assistance Commission, while Christy McCormick, the Republican, was allowed to resign, sources tell ProPublica.

https://www.propublica.org/article/federal-election-assistance-commission-trump-dismantled?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News #Trump #Elections #Midterms #USPolitics #Vote #Voting #Election

@sundogplanets I love how the baby goats scream "YAY!"

Oregon raises electricity rates by 29.7% for data centers and cuts residential electricity rates by 1.3%.

👉 Ireland / elsewhere please take note (!)

https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/07/oregon-data-center-general-electric-rate-hikes/

#ukraine
How many drones per day does Ukraine produce?

I bet very few can imagine the number.

It's up to 27.000 drones. Per day.
Every day. Unimaginable.

It took time, but our slow Europe finally supports Ukraine to an extent it can limit the advances of the agressor and in some places even push them back. I hope we can do the same with air defense and limit the threat to their cities from missiles.

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As a GP in Germany, I struggle with the claim that “people don’t want to work.” In daily practice, I see the opposite: many patients push themselves to keep working, even when they should rest. They worry about burdening colleagues, unfinished tasks, or upcoming deadlines.

If we want to understand rising sick leave, we need to look at real factors: increasing workload, constant pressure, lack of recovery time, social isolation, and overall exhaustion. Reducing this to a question of “motivation” ignores both evidence and lived experience.

In my experience, people who genuinely try to avoid work are a tiny minority. Framing the issue this way feels similar to old narratives about unemployment—oversimplified, misleading, and disconnected from reality.

#MedMastodon #GeneralPractice #PrimaryCare #WorkStress #MentalHealth #SickLeave #HealthPolicy #Germany #Arbeitswelt #Burnout #PublicHealth #Reform #AU #Arbeitsunfähigkeit #Gesundheitsreform #gesundheitspolitik #gesundheitssystem