WestPhillyMatt
@westphillymatt.bsky.social
Retired earth scientist; 36 years with the US Geological Survey and the Smithsonian Institution. From Philly; landed in San Francisco 50 years ago.
I think this is a juvenile red shouldered hawk, reminding us that there is other life on earth, beyond the infantile wannabe king in Washington.
Thanks, Steve Matthews, my neighbor, for the photo.
Mission Bay, San Francisco, California.
Thanks, Steve Matthews, my neighbor, for the photo.
Mission Bay, San Francisco, California.
December 11, 2025 at 1:48 AM
I think this is a juvenile red shouldered hawk, reminding us that there is other life on earth, beyond the infantile wannabe king in Washington.
Thanks, Steve Matthews, my neighbor, for the photo.
Mission Bay, San Francisco, California.
Thanks, Steve Matthews, my neighbor, for the photo.
Mission Bay, San Francisco, California.
The world loses a spectacular innovator. RIP - Frank Gehry, who stretched architecture’s boundaries, dies at 96
December 5, 2025 at 8:13 PM
The world loses a spectacular innovator. RIP - Frank Gehry, who stretched architecture’s boundaries, dies at 96
Go Birds!
The Washington Post snubbed Philly on list of America’s best sports cities. Here are nine reasons they’re wrong. share.inquirer.com/NE2Hts
The Washington Post snubbed Philly on list of America’s best sports cities. Here are nine reasons they’re wrong. share.inquirer.com/NE2Hts
The Washington Post snubbed Philly on list of America’s best sports cities. Here are nine reasons they’re wrong.
The Washington Post included Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and even Cleveland on its list of America's best sports cities. Philly didn't make it. Here's why it should have.
share.inquirer.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Go Birds!
The Washington Post snubbed Philly on list of America’s best sports cities. Here are nine reasons they’re wrong. share.inquirer.com/NE2Hts
The Washington Post snubbed Philly on list of America’s best sports cities. Here are nine reasons they’re wrong. share.inquirer.com/NE2Hts
Reposted by WestPhillyMatt
Remember: Almost all of us are the descendants of immigrants who fled persecution, or were brought to America under duress, or sought better lives for themselves and their descendants.
Politicians who stoke fear and hatred over immigration want you to forget this.
Do not.
Politicians who stoke fear and hatred over immigration want you to forget this.
Do not.
December 1, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Remember: Almost all of us are the descendants of immigrants who fled persecution, or were brought to America under duress, or sought better lives for themselves and their descendants.
Politicians who stoke fear and hatred over immigration want you to forget this.
Do not.
Politicians who stoke fear and hatred over immigration want you to forget this.
Do not.
Reposted by WestPhillyMatt
The COP30 climate conference wrapped up on Sat and we have thoughts!
@amywestervelt.bsky.social, @fisherdanar.bsky.social and I discuss the bad news--how the COP30 agreement didn't mention fossil fuels, the good news--new opportunities for climate policy, and the overall utility of global meetings.
@amywestervelt.bsky.social, @fisherdanar.bsky.social and I discuss the bad news--how the COP30 agreement didn't mention fossil fuels, the good news--new opportunities for climate policy, and the overall utility of global meetings.
Ep.5: Early PostMortem on COP30
Podcast Episode · The COPOut Podcast · 11/24/2025 · 55m
podcasts.apple.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:56 PM
The COP30 climate conference wrapped up on Sat and we have thoughts!
@amywestervelt.bsky.social, @fisherdanar.bsky.social and I discuss the bad news--how the COP30 agreement didn't mention fossil fuels, the good news--new opportunities for climate policy, and the overall utility of global meetings.
@amywestervelt.bsky.social, @fisherdanar.bsky.social and I discuss the bad news--how the COP30 agreement didn't mention fossil fuels, the good news--new opportunities for climate policy, and the overall utility of global meetings.
Clever idea. Clever birds. (The Guardian ran an article about this in 2022 so it seems to be real!)
m.facebook.com/story.php?st...
m.facebook.com/story.php?st...
m.facebook.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Clever idea. Clever birds. (The Guardian ran an article about this in 2022 so it seems to be real!)
m.facebook.com/story.php?st...
m.facebook.com/story.php?st...
The face of disappointment…
November 23, 2025 at 9:50 PM
The face of disappointment…
Reposted by WestPhillyMatt
One of the easiest things we can do to help wildlife in cities is plant native plants. We’re going to make this as easy as possible for Philly people this winter/spring by giving them the seeds they need to start.
I need YOUR help prepping those seeds on Dec 17.
Join us! luma.com/o3sladpu
I need YOUR help prepping those seeds on Dec 17.
Join us! luma.com/o3sladpu
November 23, 2025 at 2:38 PM
One of the easiest things we can do to help wildlife in cities is plant native plants. We’re going to make this as easy as possible for Philly people this winter/spring by giving them the seeds they need to start.
I need YOUR help prepping those seeds on Dec 17.
Join us! luma.com/o3sladpu
I need YOUR help prepping those seeds on Dec 17.
Join us! luma.com/o3sladpu
Reposted by WestPhillyMatt
Reposted by WestPhillyMatt
"Despite the difficulties getting everyone to agree on how to tackle climate change, real-world solutions are being implemented at speed almost everywhere."
Love this #COP30 takeaway from
@georginarannard.bsky.social. Just because countries aren't acting at scale doesn't mean the rest of us can't!
Love this #COP30 takeaway from
@georginarannard.bsky.social. Just because countries aren't acting at scale doesn't mean the rest of us can't!
COP30 in Brazil fails to secure new pledges to cut fossil fuels - follow live
www.bbc.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:35 PM
"Despite the difficulties getting everyone to agree on how to tackle climate change, real-world solutions are being implemented at speed almost everywhere."
Love this #COP30 takeaway from
@georginarannard.bsky.social. Just because countries aren't acting at scale doesn't mean the rest of us can't!
Love this #COP30 takeaway from
@georginarannard.bsky.social. Just because countries aren't acting at scale doesn't mean the rest of us can't!
Moving backwards
Bottom line on COP: Not good…Offering no new plans to cut fossil fuels, the UN’s climate conference failed to produce a roadmap to stop global warming.
insideclimatenews.org/news/2211202...
insideclimatenews.org/news/2211202...
COP30 Backpedals on Climate Action - Inside Climate News
BELÉM, Brazil—After negotiators at COP30 retreated from meaningful climate action by failing to specifically mention the need to stop using fossil fuels in the final conference documents published Sat...
insideclimatenews.org
November 23, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Moving backwards
Wait, corruption in the Trump administration?!? I’m shocked, shocked!
Kash Patel’s deployment of SWAT teams to protect his girlfriend and his own travel on government jets has led to questions about whether the FBI director is using taxpayer funds inappropriately. His moves have drawn sharp criticism from some former agents and conservatives.
Patel Under Scrutiny for Use of SWAT Teams to Protect His Girlfriend
The F.B.I. director’s travel on government jets has contributed to growing questions inside the administration about whether he is using taxpayer-funded resources inappropriately.
nyti.ms
November 23, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Wait, corruption in the Trump administration?!? I’m shocked, shocked!
Reposted by WestPhillyMatt
Tehran is cutting water pressure 12-5 am. “If it doesn’t rain in Tehran by late November, we’ll…[formally] ration water,” Iran’s president said. “And if it still doesn’t rain, we’ll have to evacuate.” Drought & long-term sanctions have major reservoirs nr dry.
www.motherjones.com/environment/...
www.motherjones.com/environment/...
Iran's capital must relocate due to dire water situation, president insists
Tehran's troubles are a red flag for thirsty cities around the globe.
www.motherjones.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Tehran is cutting water pressure 12-5 am. “If it doesn’t rain in Tehran by late November, we’ll…[formally] ration water,” Iran’s president said. “And if it still doesn’t rain, we’ll have to evacuate.” Drought & long-term sanctions have major reservoirs nr dry.
www.motherjones.com/environment/...
www.motherjones.com/environment/...
Successful experiment that more cities should try!
Iowa City Made Its Buses Free. Traffic Cleared, and So Did the Air. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/c...
Iowa City Made Its Buses Free. Traffic Cleared, and So Did the Air. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/c...
Iowa City Made Its Buses Free. Traffic Cleared, and So Did the Air.
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Successful experiment that more cities should try!
Iowa City Made Its Buses Free. Traffic Cleared, and So Did the Air. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/c...
Iowa City Made Its Buses Free. Traffic Cleared, and So Did the Air. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/c...
Reposted by WestPhillyMatt
The US may be doing more than simply failing to aid global vaccination efforts, Rivka Galchen writes. “The domestic stoking of anti-vaccine sentiment is itself infectious.” Millions will die and this will be the principal consequence of Trump's rule. www.newyorker.com/science/elem...
Calculating the Damage of Vaccine Skepticism
It’s clear that we’re on the precipice of a surge in preventable diseases. But how bad will it get?
www.newyorker.com
October 5, 2025 at 1:45 PM
The US may be doing more than simply failing to aid global vaccination efforts, Rivka Galchen writes. “The domestic stoking of anti-vaccine sentiment is itself infectious.” Millions will die and this will be the principal consequence of Trump's rule. www.newyorker.com/science/elem...
Reposted by WestPhillyMatt
Superb take on geothermal. Especially good: no coy question in the title. Just a convincing explainer of "Why the Time Has Finally Come for Geothermal Energy" by one Rivka Galchen in @newyorker.com
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Why the Time Has Finally Come for Geothermal Energy
It used to be that drawing heat from deep in the Earth was practical only in geyser-filled places such as Iceland. But new approaches may have us on the cusp of an energy revolution.
www.newyorker.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Superb take on geothermal. Especially good: no coy question in the title. Just a convincing explainer of "Why the Time Has Finally Come for Geothermal Energy" by one Rivka Galchen in @newyorker.com
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Reposted by WestPhillyMatt
“The dream of geothermal energy is to meet humanity’s energy demands affordably, without harnessing horses for horsepower, slaughtering whales for their oil, or burning fossil fuels,” Rivka Galchen writes. Has its time arrived? https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/b198KG
Why the Time Has Finally Come for Geothermal Energy
It used to be that drawing heat from deep in the Earth was practical only in geyser-filled places such as Iceland. But new approaches may have us on the cusp of an energy revolution.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM
“The dream of geothermal energy is to meet humanity’s energy demands affordably, without harnessing horses for horsepower, slaughtering whales for their oil, or burning fossil fuels,” Rivka Galchen writes. Has its time arrived? https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/b198KG
The trouble with artificial intelligence…
November 13, 2025 at 6:53 PM
The trouble with artificial intelligence…
Why would the Trump administration cut funding to this research? Hmmm, maybe because of their insecurities about gender?
He Studied Why Some Female Birds Look Like Males www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/s...
He Studied Why Some Female Birds Look Like Males
www.nytimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Why would the Trump administration cut funding to this research? Hmmm, maybe because of their insecurities about gender?
He Studied Why Some Female Birds Look Like Males www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/s...
He Studied Why Some Female Birds Look Like Males
www.nytimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:37 PM
He Studied Why Some Female Birds Look Like Males www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/s...
From the NewYorker.
Commentary on the juvenile would-be king…
Commentary on the juvenile would-be king…
November 1, 2025 at 3:48 AM
From the NewYorker.
Commentary on the juvenile would-be king…
Commentary on the juvenile would-be king…
Reposted by WestPhillyMatt
The Walton family (who own Walmart) are worth over $400 billion, yet many of their employees are on SNAP.
Bezos is worth over $400 billion, many Amazon employees require SNAP.
The people who need help are not the problem.
It’s corporate greed. It’s an unwillingness to pay a living wage.
Bezos is worth over $400 billion, many Amazon employees require SNAP.
The people who need help are not the problem.
It’s corporate greed. It’s an unwillingness to pay a living wage.
October 27, 2025 at 9:08 PM
The Walton family (who own Walmart) are worth over $400 billion, yet many of their employees are on SNAP.
Bezos is worth over $400 billion, many Amazon employees require SNAP.
The people who need help are not the problem.
It’s corporate greed. It’s an unwillingness to pay a living wage.
Bezos is worth over $400 billion, many Amazon employees require SNAP.
The people who need help are not the problem.
It’s corporate greed. It’s an unwillingness to pay a living wage.
Reposted by WestPhillyMatt
what a GREAT thread. Add your entries to the end please!
I really think we should do a whole series about facts like this:
Have you noticed that poison ivy seems worse and itchier?
It's not your imagination. It's Climate Change.
grist.org/climate/clim...
Have you noticed that poison ivy seems worse and itchier?
It's not your imagination. It's Climate Change.
grist.org/climate/clim...
October 27, 2025 at 3:50 PM
what a GREAT thread. Add your entries to the end please!
Reposted by WestPhillyMatt
🚨 New pre-proof landed today by Amber LeBlanc Deonie Castle Erika Merschrod Justine Ammendolia Noreen Kelly Vittorio Maselli ⬇️
#Microplastic contamination in edible American #lobster (Homarus americanus) muscle tissue
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#PlasticPollution
#Ingestion
#Canada
#Microplastic contamination in edible American #lobster (Homarus americanus) muscle tissue
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#PlasticPollution
#Ingestion
#Canada
Microplastic contamination in edible American lobster (Homarus americanus) muscle tissue
This study investigated internalized microplastic (MP) concentration, size, and polymer composition in the edible muscle tissue of Homarus americanus …
www.sciencedirect.com
October 27, 2025 at 6:40 PM
🚨 New pre-proof landed today by Amber LeBlanc Deonie Castle Erika Merschrod Justine Ammendolia Noreen Kelly Vittorio Maselli ⬇️
#Microplastic contamination in edible American #lobster (Homarus americanus) muscle tissue
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#PlasticPollution
#Ingestion
#Canada
#Microplastic contamination in edible American #lobster (Homarus americanus) muscle tissue
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#PlasticPollution
#Ingestion
#Canada
Another example of Trumpian fascism: detaining political dissidents.
www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s...
www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s...
Sami Hamdi, British Muslim journalist, reportedly detained by ICE at SFO
The political commentator was on a speaking tour of the U.S. when he was reportedly detained by immigration authorities at San Francisco International Airport.
www.sfchronicle.com
October 26, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Another example of Trumpian fascism: detaining political dissidents.
www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s...
www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s...