Vaska Raeca
@vaskaraeca.bsky.social
He/Him
Technical Writer
Professional Doomscroller
Fan Of A Certain Spectre Haunting Europe
Technical Writer
Professional Doomscroller
Fan Of A Certain Spectre Haunting Europe
Pinned
Vaska Raeca
@vaskaraeca.bsky.social
· Jan 1
This account incoherently posts about the environment, politics, animal welfare, queer issues, the arts, world endurance championship racing, books, tea, systems analysis, various cats, movies, and the nuclear apocalypse in popular culture.
Boosting domestic ginger farming would not only reduce the huge amount of carbon produced by shipping millions of tons to the United States each year, but also open the possibility of new varieties that don't have to be frozen for transport. #environment
Tarheel Ginger - Offrange
We import almost all of this common kitchen ingredient, but a team of North Carolina researchers is asking: Why not grow it here?
ambrook.com
November 16, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Boosting domestic ginger farming would not only reduce the huge amount of carbon produced by shipping millions of tons to the United States each year, but also open the possibility of new varieties that don't have to be frozen for transport. #environment
"Humans engineer nonhuman animals for utility, then often abandon them when economic situations or cultural practices shift. As cities expand...these urban exiles multiply, forcing us to confront what we owe the nonhuman animals our choices have shaped." #environment
Following the Life of an Abandoned Bull in Nepal
A visual anthropologist explores how divine cattle collide with contemporary urban realities in Kathmandu, Nepal.
www.sapiens.org
November 16, 2025 at 6:25 PM
"Humans engineer nonhuman animals for utility, then often abandon them when economic situations or cultural practices shift. As cities expand...these urban exiles multiply, forcing us to confront what we owe the nonhuman animals our choices have shaped." #environment
I've tried gently persuading friends and acquaintances to shift to veganism or vegetarianism for ethical and environmental reasons, but now I can tell the more outdoorsy ones it could keep them from dropping dead.
A red meat allergy caused by ticks killed a N.J. man. Here's what to know
Researchers say they believe they've documented the first known death from alpha-gal syndrome — a red meat allergy caused by tick bites.
www.npr.org
November 16, 2025 at 5:20 PM
I've tried gently persuading friends and acquaintances to shift to veganism or vegetarianism for ethical and environmental reasons, but now I can tell the more outdoorsy ones it could keep them from dropping dead.
It's like as if the popular artists turned the genre into such a cliche-ridden, hollow pastiche of itself, post-9/11, that it became a cultural wasteland where an AI slop generator was able to effortlessly copy and paste its way to success.
AI country singer Breaking Rust tops Billboard with ‘Walk My Walk’
A country hit made by artificial intelligence has climbed to the top of a Billboard chart — a first for the genre.
www.sfchronicle.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:16 PM
It's like as if the popular artists turned the genre into such a cliche-ridden, hollow pastiche of itself, post-9/11, that it became a cultural wasteland where an AI slop generator was able to effortlessly copy and paste its way to success.
I'll be more blunt and say I'll use this book to beat to death anyone who tries arguing the poor or destitute shouldn't have a companion.
November 9, 2025 at 1:08 AM
I'll be more blunt and say I'll use this book to beat to death anyone who tries arguing the poor or destitute shouldn't have a companion.
On this night of celebration, spare a thought for us Floridians who are apparently going to be inundated by a deluge of The Worst People.
November 5, 2025 at 9:35 AM
On this night of celebration, spare a thought for us Floridians who are apparently going to be inundated by a deluge of The Worst People.
It's essential that people shift to true organic foods ( labeling in the United States is a mess), not only to keep poison out of their system, but out of the groundwater, out of farmers, and out of the often marginalized fieldworkers who are exposed to contaminants at dangerous levels. #environment
"I was contaminated": New study reveals widespread pesticide exposure
Wristbands worn by Dutch volunteers captured 173 substances in one week.
www.motherjones.com
November 1, 2025 at 5:01 PM
It's essential that people shift to true organic foods ( labeling in the United States is a mess), not only to keep poison out of their system, but out of the groundwater, out of farmers, and out of the often marginalized fieldworkers who are exposed to contaminants at dangerous levels. #environment
Texas and Louisiana are essentially petro-states that nominally exist within the borders of the United States. It's no accident that these sacrifice zones, particularly around Cancer Alley, are being expanded at the cost of Black and Brown communities. #environment
Trump moves to boost greenhouse, toxic emissions in Gulf states
Expansions at five petrochemical plants in Texas and Louisiana could add the equivalent of more than 1 million cars’ worth of pollution, advocates say
floodlightnews.org
November 1, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Texas and Louisiana are essentially petro-states that nominally exist within the borders of the United States. It's no accident that these sacrifice zones, particularly around Cancer Alley, are being expanded at the cost of Black and Brown communities. #environment
"Ray particularly worried about the volume of wastewater being crammed underground by high-pressure injection — tens of billions of gallons each year, enough to fill the Empire State Building over 300 times." #environment
Toxic wastewater from oil fields keeps pouring out of the ground. Oklahoma regulators failed to stop it.
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is spewing from Oklahoma oil wells.
grist.org
November 1, 2025 at 3:02 PM
"Ray particularly worried about the volume of wastewater being crammed underground by high-pressure injection — tens of billions of gallons each year, enough to fill the Empire State Building over 300 times." #environment
The fossil fuel industry knows there's evidence to prove they knew they were causing damage and covered it up. They understand convictions will impact them far more than the tobacco companies, and are bribing lawmakers to prevent victims from being able to sue for redress and justice. #environment
Trump and Republicans Join Big Oil’s All-Out Push to Shut Down Climate Liability Efforts - Inside Climate News
Republican attorneys general, GOP lawmakers, industry groups and the president himself are all maneuvering to foreclose the ability of cities and states to hold the fossil fuel industry liable for…
insideclimatenews.org
November 1, 2025 at 2:01 PM
The fossil fuel industry knows there's evidence to prove they knew they were causing damage and covered it up. They understand convictions will impact them far more than the tobacco companies, and are bribing lawmakers to prevent victims from being able to sue for redress and justice. #environment
The United States has spectacularly failed to figure out either a processing or a long-term storage plan for the tons of nuclear waste scattered about the country and growing larger every day. The political failure makes the chance of an accident or attack a catastrophic possibility. #environment
You're Being Lied To About Nuclear Waste | Truth Complex
Nearly 80 years of nuclear waste in the US is currently stranded — stuck in "temporary" storage sites without a permanent place to go. How big of a problem is this? And could recycling this waste…
youtu.be
October 31, 2025 at 6:03 PM
The United States has spectacularly failed to figure out either a processing or a long-term storage plan for the tons of nuclear waste scattered about the country and growing larger every day. The political failure makes the chance of an accident or attack a catastrophic possibility. #environment
As people shift from gas to electric cars, the fossil fuel industry has quietly made deals to offer discounts to manufacturers to make plastic items. This has resulted in record production that is clogging rivers and oceans, poisoning the land, and even getting into our bodies. #environment
How the world is choking on plastic | DW Documentary
Plastic is everywhere, not just in our rivers and oceans. It permeates the air, soil, and even our bodies. The problem is getting worse, and yet the plastics industry is increasing…
youtu.be
October 31, 2025 at 4:04 PM
As people shift from gas to electric cars, the fossil fuel industry has quietly made deals to offer discounts to manufacturers to make plastic items. This has resulted in record production that is clogging rivers and oceans, poisoning the land, and even getting into our bodies. #environment
It's insane how we've normalized international corporations coming in and wreaking havoc in community after community like a serial killer. Time and time again, state governments refuse to create laws or regulations to stop the destructive extraction, meaning the public eats the costs. #environment
Saudi-owned corporate farms are draining Arizona’s desert dry
Arizona’s lax water laws let corporate farms pump unlimited groundwater to grow alfalfa for cattle overseas, even as local families spend their savings drilling new wells.
floodlightnews.org
October 31, 2025 at 3:02 PM
It's insane how we've normalized international corporations coming in and wreaking havoc in community after community like a serial killer. Time and time again, state governments refuse to create laws or regulations to stop the destructive extraction, meaning the public eats the costs. #environment
The jewelry stores telling you to buy gold to show off, the investment firms selling gold futures, it is greed with a terrible cost for the land, which is obliterated, and the people who live there, who are displaced, often by deadly force. Gold needs to be viewed like blood diamonds. #environment
Illegal gold mining clears 140,000 hectares of Peruvian Amazon
Armed criminal groups tear down precious rainforest to capitalise on record gold prices, report finds
www.theguardian.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:04 PM
The jewelry stores telling you to buy gold to show off, the investment firms selling gold futures, it is greed with a terrible cost for the land, which is obliterated, and the people who live there, who are displaced, often by deadly force. Gold needs to be viewed like blood diamonds. #environment
When the Republic of South Sudan gained independence in 2011, pundits claimed its oil reserves would benefit the nation. Instead, it suffered the same resource curse as other African nations, where profits go to an elite while the people see their land polluted and children become ill. #environment
The Hidden Cost of Oil
Oil sustains South Sudan’s fragile economy, and for decades, international companies have operated there. But those who live near the oil fields allege pollution has tainted their water, causing…
youtu.be
October 30, 2025 at 5:03 PM
When the Republic of South Sudan gained independence in 2011, pundits claimed its oil reserves would benefit the nation. Instead, it suffered the same resource curse as other African nations, where profits go to an elite while the people see their land polluted and children become ill. #environment
Isle de Jean Charles is a warning: that climate change is real, displacement will happen, that governments are unwilling or unprepared, communities will be hurt, and people will suffer. It should have been a wake-up call to America; instead, the victims are left alone with the wreckage. #environment
As millions face climate relocation, the nation’s first attempt sparks warnings and regret
Three years after a federally funded move, Indigenous residents of Louisiana’s Isle de Jean Charles report broken homes — and promises
floodlightnews.org
October 30, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Isle de Jean Charles is a warning: that climate change is real, displacement will happen, that governments are unwilling or unprepared, communities will be hurt, and people will suffer. It should have been a wake-up call to America; instead, the victims are left alone with the wreckage. #environment
People began noticing Valley Fever in the 1990s when the drying climate made storms more common and infections skyrocketed from California to Arizona. A new program of health monitoring is targeted by Trump for cuts, meaning as the heat worsens, more will be infected, sickened, and die. #environment
In Arizona, a fight against a deadly fungus is under threat from Trump’s health policies
What one Arizona doctor’s quest to stop valley fever says about America’s preparedness for climate-driven disease.
grist.org
October 30, 2025 at 3:02 PM
People began noticing Valley Fever in the 1990s when the drying climate made storms more common and infections skyrocketed from California to Arizona. A new program of health monitoring is targeted by Trump for cuts, meaning as the heat worsens, more will be infected, sickened, and die. #environment
When I drive from Tarpon Springs to Tampa, I can still count thousands of homes devastated by Milton. Yet the communities that yielded to reality and made policies to mitigate climate change have been torpedoed by DeSantis and developers who pushed SB180, making this planning illegal #environment
These Florida Communities Wanted to Be More Sustainable and Resilient. A New State Law Blocks Their Efforts. - Inside Climate News
The DeSantis administration has since targeted local sustainability and resilience policies. Now local governments and other detractors are firing back with litigation.
insideclimatenews.org
October 30, 2025 at 2:03 PM
When I drive from Tarpon Springs to Tampa, I can still count thousands of homes devastated by Milton. Yet the communities that yielded to reality and made policies to mitigate climate change have been torpedoed by DeSantis and developers who pushed SB180, making this planning illegal #environment
When cops kill someone, they're legally required to notify family, but training created by Bruce Praet, used by nearly every state department, instructs them to hold off and instead gather evidence they can use to smear the victim. Thankfully, California has now outlawed this odious practice. #acab
California cops can no longer conceal police killings while interrogating loved ones for dirt
A Reveal investigation helped spark a crackdown on a disturbing, widespread practice.
www.motherjones.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:03 PM
When cops kill someone, they're legally required to notify family, but training created by Bruce Praet, used by nearly every state department, instructs them to hold off and instead gather evidence they can use to smear the victim. Thankfully, California has now outlawed this odious practice. #acab
Every decade, the police get hysterical about some supposed threat (see: the yardies, yakuza, russian mob, etc.) It's always racism combined with pleas for more militarization and laws. This time, it conveniently echoes talking points by the administration about the 'threat' from Venezuela. #acab
Revealed: police across US spread false rumors about Venezuelan gang threats
Claim that Tren de Aragua planned to attack officers was widely shared – only for FBI to later acknowledge it was mistaken, internal files show
www.theguardian.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Every decade, the police get hysterical about some supposed threat (see: the yardies, yakuza, russian mob, etc.) It's always racism combined with pleas for more militarization and laws. This time, it conveniently echoes talking points by the administration about the 'threat' from Venezuela. #acab
Besides having a great YouTube channel, the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board does amazing work examining industrial disasters, detailing systemic problems before issuing recommendations. But now Trump has zeroed the agencies' tiny 14 million budget on behalf of his corporate backers.
Refinery fires, other chemical disasters may no longer get safety investigations
Because of the federal government shutdown and proposed budget, key federal investigations may stop, including into what happened at a Chevron refinery in California in October 2025.
theconversation.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Besides having a great YouTube channel, the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board does amazing work examining industrial disasters, detailing systemic problems before issuing recommendations. But now Trump has zeroed the agencies' tiny 14 million budget on behalf of his corporate backers.
It was frustrating to watch coal counties ignore changes Biden enacted and overwhelmingly vote for Trump despite how he actively harmed them during his first term. Now in his second term, the mines are still closing, and the scant health resources available to the afflicted are being halted.
Coal Miners and Advocates Plead With Trump to Enforce Black Lung Rule - Inside Climate News
In a rally outside the U.S. Department of Labor, miners and their advocates stressed the need to limit silica exposure and protect workers from irreversible health impacts.
insideclimatenews.org
October 29, 2025 at 3:04 PM
It was frustrating to watch coal counties ignore changes Biden enacted and overwhelmingly vote for Trump despite how he actively harmed them during his first term. Now in his second term, the mines are still closing, and the scant health resources available to the afflicted are being halted.
Bosch, DeWalt, and Milwaukee bribed Trump to kill a regulation that would have added automatic anti-finger brakes to table saws. Almost ten people a day suffer an injury with a table saw, which means two billion dollars in health care costs and leaves several thousand with permanent disfigurement.
The GOP Is Fine With You Getting Your Fingers Chopped Off
Donald Trump’s yes-men at the Consumer Product Safety Commission are withdrawing a series of proposed safety rules, including an appendage-saving safety mandate for table saws. This will mean…
jacobin.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Bosch, DeWalt, and Milwaukee bribed Trump to kill a regulation that would have added automatic anti-finger brakes to table saws. Almost ten people a day suffer an injury with a table saw, which means two billion dollars in health care costs and leaves several thousand with permanent disfigurement.