Tootfinder

Progress! Mexico becomes latest country to ban marine mammal performances https://www.speciesunite.com/news-stories/mexico-becomes-latest-country-to-ban-marine-mammal-performances?utm_source=Mastodon

Progress! Mexico becomes latest country to ban marine mammal performances — Species Unite
In a step forward to animal protection, lawmakers voted unanimously to ban marine mammal breeding, performances, and concrete tanks following years of advocacy.

Israel bombs Iranian state TV during a live broadcast, sending the anchor fleeing her desk amid smoke and rubble, as it broadens its bombing campaign in Iran (Axios)
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/16/iran-state-tv-bombed-israel-strike

Israel bombs Iranian state TV during live broadcast
Watch the moment Iran's state TV was struck.

Measurement of photo- and radio-luminescence of thin ThF4 films
Mikhail Osipenko, Carlos de Almeida Carrapico, Dmytro Burdeinyi, Roberto Caciuffo, Rachel Eloirdi, Mauro Giovannini, Alban Kellerbauer, Rikard Malmbeck, Marco Ripani, Mauro Taiuti
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.11585

Measurement of photo- and radio-luminescence of thin ThF4 films
We conducted measurements on the photo- and radio-luminescence of thin ThF$_4$ films in both the UV and visible ranges. In the UV range, we found that both luminescences are at a similar level as the internal dark counting noise of the photo-multiplier-tube (PMT). Our results suggest that thin ThF$_4$ crystals could be used as a target for the search for $^{229m}$Th and as a medium for the future nuclear clock. The measurements indicate that using a small and thin ThF$_4$ film can reduce backgr…

Scoop: RFK Jr.'s PAC stirs, fueling speculation on a 2028 campaign (Brittany Gibson/Axios)
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/16/rfk-jr-pac-2028-speculation
http://www.memeorandum.com/250716/p9#a250716p9

Adiabatic nonabelian braiding of imperfect Majoranas
Maximilian Nitsch, Viktor Svensson, William Samuelson, Konstantin Nestmann, Jeroen Danon, Karsten Flensberg, Rub\'en Seoane Souto, Martin Leijnse
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.11039

Adiabatic nonabelian braiding of imperfect Majoranas
Demonstration of a nontrivial result of quasiparticle exchange (or braiding) is usually considered the definitive proof of a topological phase with nonabelian excitations, such as Majorana bound states (MBSs). However, in finite systems with disorder and smooth potential variations, the MBSs are imperfect in the sense that they are not fully isolated in space and can, to a varying degree, resemble conventional fermions. Here, we study the braiding properties of isolated MBSs, regular fermions, …

❝Police on horseback charged at the crowd, striking some with wood rods and batons as they cleared the street in front of the federal building. Officers then fired teargas and crowd control projectiles at the large group, sending demonstrators, hotdog vendors and passing pedestrians fleeing through the street. Some have since regrouped, ignoring an LAPD dispersal order.
‘It was a total 100% over-reaction. We weren’t doing anything but standing around chanting peaceful protest,’ said Samantha Edgerton, a 37-year-old bartender.”❞
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/jun/14/trump-birthday-military-parade-no-kings-protest-live-updates?page=with:block-684e0b918f08be826d571aa2#block-684e0b918f08be826d571aa2

In some UK woodlands, every young tree has died. What’s going wrong? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/10/britain-ancient-woodlands-failing-regenerate-forests-climate-drought-heat-dis…

One of those days.
tw depression
https://evemassacre.de/blog/2025/05/12/one-of-those-days/

Interesting that some who replied to my post on tax and GDP growth yesterday missed the point.
The point isn't to debate whether tax -> growth (it might, with a tail wind).
The point is that
1) Growth won't happen like it used to.
2) That is good because GDP growth is ecologically and socially lethal.
3) So our leaders (sic) had better adapt to the new reality and use taxation and other measures to build a better, fairer future.
More here:

Getting Real about the Crises Facing the UK | Stop the Damage! Build a Better Future!
Britain and the rest of the world face a set of almost intractable challenges, ecological (including climate), economic and social. Yet political leaders with few exceptions are failing to propose the actions and policies that could address the scale of this pancrisis. Here though is an alternative initiative, a kind of alternative manifesto with a portfolio of illustrative policies...

Variety of wildlife in UK’s woodlands falling as habitats degrade, says report https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jun/10/variety-of-wildlife-in-uks-woodlands-falling-as-habitats-degrade-says-report