Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
@spacefire.ca
Academic researcher in the field of Futures Studies, futures literacy specialist, and international consultant. I help groups explore transformation to innovatively address climate change. Photo credits: Skies and Universes- Uuchu (cfca-fig2-full) & Nasa.
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
If this is accurate, Good was killed by a bullet fired after there was any conceivable argument Agent Ross was in the path of her vehicle, which means there was no legal justification for using deadly force. But DOJ says there’s no reason to investigate.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/u...
Private Autopsy Shows Renee Good Was Shot at Least 3 Times, Lawyers Say
www.nytimes.com
January 22, 2026 at 11:46 AM
If this is accurate, Good was killed by a bullet fired after there was any conceivable argument Agent Ross was in the path of her vehicle, which means there was no legal justification for using deadly force. But DOJ says there’s no reason to investigate.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/u...
Noviolence is the more effective path.
See the humanity in each other and demand respect for human dignity from everyone.
See the humanity in each other and demand respect for human dignity from everyone.
January 22, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Noviolence is the more effective path.
See the humanity in each other and demand respect for human dignity from everyone.
See the humanity in each other and demand respect for human dignity from everyone.
Today I ran my 1st in-person Futures Literacy Lab of 2026. It was a great. We imagined futures of economic geography in varied ways for varied purposes and arrived at some interesting invented resources for the future of this field and our research group.
January 21, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Today I ran my 1st in-person Futures Literacy Lab of 2026. It was a great. We imagined futures of economic geography in varied ways for varied purposes and arrived at some interesting invented resources for the future of this field and our research group.
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
Someone who actually won the award: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Oslo, 1964 minnesotareformer.com/2026/01/19/m...
Martin Luther King Jr.'s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Oslo, 1964 • Minnesota Reformer
Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood.
minnesotareformer.com
January 19, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Someone who actually won the award: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Oslo, 1964 minnesotareformer.com/2026/01/19/m...
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
A combat-wounded veteran's eight-hour detention by federal agents in Minneapolis raises concerns about due process in ICE facilities.
Army veteran says ICE agents detained him for hours without access to phone or his attorney
A combat-wounded veteran's eight-hour detention by federal agents in Minneapolis raises concerns about due process in ICE facilities.
www.kare11.com
January 20, 2026 at 3:14 AM
A combat-wounded veteran's eight-hour detention by federal agents in Minneapolis raises concerns about due process in ICE facilities.
Minnesotans are standing up for their neighbors and neighborhoods in the face of injustice. This resolve crosses political lines, because we all cherish our inalienable rights.
"Yet here I was, eyes stinging and throat burning as tear gas wafted over me, watching heavily armed agents of the federal government invade a quiet residential neighborhood 5 miles from where I went to middle school." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/o...
Opinion | In Minneapolis, I Glimpsed a Civil War
www.nytimes.com
January 19, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Minnesotans are standing up for their neighbors and neighborhoods in the face of injustice. This resolve crosses political lines, because we all cherish our inalienable rights.
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
1/19/1850 — b. Alice Eastwood, Canadian-American systemic botanist, conservationist, discoverer, author, educator. Curator of botany, California Academy of Sciences (1894-49); expert on the flowering plants of the CA coast + the Rockies #womenshistory #WomenInSTEM #SciSky #HistSci #PlantSky #EduSky
January 19, 2026 at 4:19 PM
1/19/1850 — b. Alice Eastwood, Canadian-American systemic botanist, conservationist, discoverer, author, educator. Curator of botany, California Academy of Sciences (1894-49); expert on the flowering plants of the CA coast + the Rockies #womenshistory #WomenInSTEM #SciSky #HistSci #PlantSky #EduSky
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
📸 Oulu, Finland, a 2026 European Capital of Culture
📍 Finland
🛰️ European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery
📍 Finland
🛰️ European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery
January 16, 2026 at 9:10 AM
📸 Oulu, Finland, a 2026 European Capital of Culture
📍 Finland
🛰️ European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery
📍 Finland
🛰️ European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery
For those into remote sensing and Earth science, I fully recommend @earthdaily.bsky.social (The Copernicus program is amazing!)
🇦🇷 Large wildfires have devastated Argentine Patagonia since early January 2026, burning 15,000+ hectares of forest. This satellite image highlights active blazes in Chubut, leading to 3,000+ evacuations. Burned areas appear dark brown.
📍 Argentina
🛰️ European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery
📍 Argentina
🛰️ European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery
January 18, 2026 at 10:49 PM
For those into remote sensing and Earth science, I fully recommend @earthdaily.bsky.social (The Copernicus program is amazing!)
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
What's the difference between remembering and learning?
Researchers found evidence that AI models are apparently storing training data. OpenAI’s GPT-4.1, Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro, xAI’s Grok 3, and Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet.
1/2
futurism.com/artificial-i...
Researchers found evidence that AI models are apparently storing training data. OpenAI’s GPT-4.1, Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro, xAI’s Grok 3, and Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet.
1/2
futurism.com/artificial-i...
Researchers Just Found Something That Could Shake the AI Industry to Its Core
Researchers found compelling evidence that AI models are actually copying copyrighted data, not "learning" from it.
futurism.com
January 17, 2026 at 4:04 PM
What's the difference between remembering and learning?
Researchers found evidence that AI models are apparently storing training data. OpenAI’s GPT-4.1, Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro, xAI’s Grok 3, and Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet.
1/2
futurism.com/artificial-i...
Researchers found evidence that AI models are apparently storing training data. OpenAI’s GPT-4.1, Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro, xAI’s Grok 3, and Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet.
1/2
futurism.com/artificial-i...
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
"Native Americans—the first peoples of this land—are among those being abducted and detained. These arrests and detentions blatantly violate the treaty, as well as the constitutional and civil rights of the Native Americans being apprehended." narf.org/narf-stateme...
NARF statement on unlawful ICE activity - Native American Rights Fund
The Native American Rights Fund (NARF) condemns the unlawful actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). We stand with our neighbors—whatever their country of birth—who are getting…
narf.org
January 18, 2026 at 10:20 PM
"Native Americans—the first peoples of this land—are among those being abducted and detained. These arrests and detentions blatantly violate the treaty, as well as the constitutional and civil rights of the Native Americans being apprehended." narf.org/narf-stateme...
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
Taken tonight with @ucalgary.bsky.social’s Rothney Astrophysical Observatory’s 50 cm Kaylie Green Memorial Telescope of Cold War Baker-Nunn design. This very wide angle view captured the Andromeda #Galaxy, M31 and its two satellite galaxies, M32 & 110 as well as a bright #meteor. #astronomy
January 18, 2026 at 6:29 AM
Taken tonight with @ucalgary.bsky.social’s Rothney Astrophysical Observatory’s 50 cm Kaylie Green Memorial Telescope of Cold War Baker-Nunn design. This very wide angle view captured the Andromeda #Galaxy, M31 and its two satellite galaxies, M32 & 110 as well as a bright #meteor. #astronomy
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
Elijio Panti National Park in Belize is under threat ... for furniture. therevelator.org/protect-elij...
Protect This Place: Elijio Panti National Park, a Mayan Heritage Site in the Heart of Belize’s Rainforest • The Revelator
A logging concession granted to a furniture company threatens to disrupt the park, its cultural legacy, and its amazing biodiversity.
therevelator.org
January 16, 2026 at 10:04 PM
Elijio Panti National Park in Belize is under threat ... for furniture. therevelator.org/protect-elij...
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
This is huge: For the first time since the early 1970s, coal power generation has fallen in both China & India.
It undercuts claims that decarbonisation is pointless while they expand coal. Renewables are no longer just adding capacity — they’re displacing coal.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
It undercuts claims that decarbonisation is pointless while they expand coal. Renewables are no longer just adding capacity — they’re displacing coal.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Coal power generation falls in China and India for first time since 1970s
‘Historic’ moment in biggest coal-consuming countries could bring decline in global emissions, analysis says
www.theguardian.com
January 15, 2026 at 9:34 AM
This is huge: For the first time since the early 1970s, coal power generation has fallen in both China & India.
It undercuts claims that decarbonisation is pointless while they expand coal. Renewables are no longer just adding capacity — they’re displacing coal.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
It undercuts claims that decarbonisation is pointless while they expand coal. Renewables are no longer just adding capacity — they’re displacing coal.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
New World Economic Forum Global Risks data provides a stark warning: While short-term crises dominate headlines, "Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse" jumps to the 2nd highest risk over the 10-year horizon.
The long term is sooner than we think. Science-based policies via IPBES are crucial.🌍
The long term is sooner than we think. Science-based policies via IPBES are crucial.🌍
January 16, 2026 at 1:30 PM
New World Economic Forum Global Risks data provides a stark warning: While short-term crises dominate headlines, "Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse" jumps to the 2nd highest risk over the 10-year horizon.
The long term is sooner than we think. Science-based policies via IPBES are crucial.🌍
The long term is sooner than we think. Science-based policies via IPBES are crucial.🌍
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
Hats off to whoever did this (and the beautiful model).
January 16, 2026 at 8:18 AM
Hats off to whoever did this (and the beautiful model).
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
Holy shit.
Renee Good was alive when the bystander physician asked to check her pulse. She was alive when ICE refused to let him help. She was alive when they told him “I don’t care.”
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Renee Good was alive when the bystander physician asked to check her pulse. She was alive when ICE refused to let him help. She was alive when they told him “I don’t care.”
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Live Updates: Newly Released Records Detail Chaos During Fatal ICE Shooting in Minneapolis
www.nytimes.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:43 AM
Holy shit.
Renee Good was alive when the bystander physician asked to check her pulse. She was alive when ICE refused to let him help. She was alive when they told him “I don’t care.”
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Renee Good was alive when the bystander physician asked to check her pulse. She was alive when ICE refused to let him help. She was alive when they told him “I don’t care.”
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
For my friends in the US. A small reminder of some definitions that may matter soon.
Invoking the Insurrection Act is not the same as declaring “martial law.”
Here’s a good explainer on the Insurrection Act:
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Here’s a good explainer on the Insurrection Act:
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
January 15, 2026 at 10:53 PM
For my friends in the US. A small reminder of some definitions that may matter soon.
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
We honor the life and legacy of Claudette Colvin, whose courage and conviction continue to inspire students, educators, and school communities across the country.
📕Teach young readers about Claudette's impact through a #ReadAcrossAmerica favorite: Because Claudette by Tracey Baptiste.
📕Teach young readers about Claudette's impact through a #ReadAcrossAmerica favorite: Because Claudette by Tracey Baptiste.
Because Claudette | NEA
This picture book biography celebrates both Claudette Colvin, whose teen-aged activism launched the Montgomery bus boycott, and the power of collective action.
www.nea.org
January 15, 2026 at 4:52 PM
We honor the life and legacy of Claudette Colvin, whose courage and conviction continue to inspire students, educators, and school communities across the country.
📕Teach young readers about Claudette's impact through a #ReadAcrossAmerica favorite: Because Claudette by Tracey Baptiste.
📕Teach young readers about Claudette's impact through a #ReadAcrossAmerica favorite: Because Claudette by Tracey Baptiste.
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
American educator Ella Flagg Young was born #OTD in 1845.
She served as Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools (1909-1915)--the first female head of a large US city school system. Elected, first woman president of the National Education Association (NEA) in 1910. #education @neatoday.bsky.social
She served as Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools (1909-1915)--the first female head of a large US city school system. Elected, first woman president of the National Education Association (NEA) in 1910. #education @neatoday.bsky.social
January 15, 2026 at 5:48 PM
American educator Ella Flagg Young was born #OTD in 1845.
She served as Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools (1909-1915)--the first female head of a large US city school system. Elected, first woman president of the National Education Association (NEA) in 1910. #education @neatoday.bsky.social
She served as Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools (1909-1915)--the first female head of a large US city school system. Elected, first woman president of the National Education Association (NEA) in 1910. #education @neatoday.bsky.social
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
A beautiful but skewed spiral galaxy in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image. The galaxy, called Arp 184 or NGC 1961, sits about 190 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Camelopardalis (the Giraffe).
Link for more info: www.flickr.com/photos/nasah...
Link for more info: www.flickr.com/photos/nasah...
January 13, 2026 at 7:08 PM
A beautiful but skewed spiral galaxy in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image. The galaxy, called Arp 184 or NGC 1961, sits about 190 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Camelopardalis (the Giraffe).
Link for more info: www.flickr.com/photos/nasah...
Link for more info: www.flickr.com/photos/nasah...
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
The benefits of wetlands extend well beyond the environment, they are also economic powerhouses.
💰 Wetlands sustain 266 million jobs in wetland tourism and travel.
www.worldwetlandsday.org
#WetlandsWednesday #WWD2026 #WorldWetlandsDay #WorldWetlandsDay2026 #CelebratingWetlands
💰 Wetlands sustain 266 million jobs in wetland tourism and travel.
www.worldwetlandsday.org
#WetlandsWednesday #WWD2026 #WorldWetlandsDay #WorldWetlandsDay2026 #CelebratingWetlands
January 14, 2026 at 10:44 AM
The benefits of wetlands extend well beyond the environment, they are also economic powerhouses.
💰 Wetlands sustain 266 million jobs in wetland tourism and travel.
www.worldwetlandsday.org
#WetlandsWednesday #WWD2026 #WorldWetlandsDay #WorldWetlandsDay2026 #CelebratingWetlands
💰 Wetlands sustain 266 million jobs in wetland tourism and travel.
www.worldwetlandsday.org
#WetlandsWednesday #WWD2026 #WorldWetlandsDay #WorldWetlandsDay2026 #CelebratingWetlands
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
🤖 image processing for #JWST 🔭 data (1287_trim_final_clean). RGB Filters: 444, 277, 90
PI: Isaak, Kate, program 01287. CRVAL: 53.003431, -27.803278
Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI.
PI: Isaak, Kate, program 01287. CRVAL: 53.003431, -27.803278
Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI.
January 14, 2026 at 3:15 AM
🤖 image processing for #JWST 🔭 data (1287_trim_final_clean). RGB Filters: 444, 277, 90
PI: Isaak, Kate, program 01287. CRVAL: 53.003431, -27.803278
Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI.
PI: Isaak, Kate, program 01287. CRVAL: 53.003431, -27.803278
Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI.
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
On January 12, 1932, Hattie Caraway of Arkansas became the first woman to be elected to the United States Senate, winning a special election to serve the remainder of her late husband’s term.
January 12, 2026 at 3:01 PM
On January 12, 1932, Hattie Caraway of Arkansas became the first woman to be elected to the United States Senate, winning a special election to serve the remainder of her late husband’s term.
Reposted by Nicolas Balcom Raleigh
Today is Alice Paul’s birthday! Alice was instrumental in getting women the right to vote in 1920 & then went on to introduce and lobby for the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923!
She’s quoted as saying:
“There will never be a new world order unless women are a part of it.”
— Alice Paul, 1885-1977
She’s quoted as saying:
“There will never be a new world order unless women are a part of it.”
— Alice Paul, 1885-1977
January 12, 2026 at 1:49 AM
Today is Alice Paul’s birthday! Alice was instrumental in getting women the right to vote in 1920 & then went on to introduce and lobby for the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923!
She’s quoted as saying:
“There will never be a new world order unless women are a part of it.”
— Alice Paul, 1885-1977
She’s quoted as saying:
“There will never be a new world order unless women are a part of it.”
— Alice Paul, 1885-1977