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Egg-citing Drama: Albatross Couple Shares Egg Duty in Captivating Reality Show (Maria)
The author writes, “It’s a reality show about a loving couple waiting to welcome their new arrival, watched by thousands of ardent fans. But the stars of Royal Cam, now in its 10th season, aren’t socialites or hopefuls in love but northern royal albatrosses — majestic New Zealand seabirds with 10-foot wingspans. The 24-hour livestream of the birds’ breeding season at Taiaroa Head — a rugged headland on New Zealand’s South Island — was established to raise awareness of the vulnerable species, numbers of which have grown slowly over decades of painstaking conservation measures. Millions have watched the stream since it began in 2016.”
Fact Check: What Really Happened With the Pacific Palisades Water Hydrants? (Dana)
From LAist: “It’s a headline no one would want to see: Fire hydrants being used to fight the Palisades Fire were running dry. The fast-moving fire tested the L.A. Department of Water and Power’s municipal system: The final tank used to maintain water pressure in the area ran dry by 3 a.m. Wednesday, according to officials. The news drew ire both on social media and from prominent figures like Rick Caruso. The former mayoral candidate and Pacific Palisades landowner went on local TV news stations to complain about the situation, telling Fox 11 it was an ‘absolute mismanagement by the city.’ Officials say they were and are operating in extreme conditions. We looked into how exactly the shortage happened, and what, if anything, could have been done to prevent it.”
Trump Trolls Canada, Sparking Anger and Fear (Reader Steve)
From The Boston Globe: “A specter is haunting Canada. Deep in the Canadian soul — deeper than the cultural clichés of the reverence for hockey, the devotion to poutines, and the mania for Tim Hortons coffee — is an abiding fear. It is a fear of American invasion or, worse yet, annexation. … And so when President-elect Donald Trump began to taunt Canada … late last month — referring to our northern neighbor as the ‘51st state’ and dismissing Trudeau as its ‘governor’ — the alarm bells rang from Newfoundland to British Columbia.”
Zuckerberg’s MAGA Turn Insulates Meta for a While. But the Business Has Bigger Problems (Reader Jim)
From CNN: “While Zuckerberg is clearly trying to insulate Meta from Trump’s looming corporate retribution tour, he’s also courting a potential disaster if Meta’s advertisers flee and users begin to associate the brand — already tarnished by AI slop and a yearslong dearth of innovation — with the kinds of unsavory characters who now dominate X.”
Linda McMahon Has No Education Experience Except Wanting to Defund Public Schools (Laura)
The author writes, “As Washington prepares for President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration, federal agencies are bracing for a wave of anticipated cuts — perhaps none more so than the Department of Education. Trump promised the total destruction of the long-standing federal agency in a September 2023 campaign video, with an announcement that he would be ‘sending all education and education work and needs back to the states.’ Since the brash pronouncement, the former president has refused to offer calcifications about whether he still plans to shutter the department and how he plans to get Congress to buy in. He has, however, named someone to shepherd his vision for the agency: Linda McMahon.”
Her Changing Body, and Politics, Sent a Transgender Preteen on a Quest (Russ)
The author writes, “As doctors and politicians debate puberty blockers, access has been in flux for young people who identify as transgender. Here’s what that meant for 11-year-old Maria.”
‘Firkle,’ ‘Gluschdich,’ and More: 10 Words We Learned in 2024 That Will Expand Your Mind (Sean)
From the BBC: “From words that capture a reindeer’s search for food in the Arctic, to new expressions that convey the nuances of climate change around the world, this year we’ve explored how languages can help our minds travel and take us deep into other cultures. … Here are some of the most intriguing expressions we learned from languages around the world during our reporting in 2024. They are listed in alphabetical order — click on each word to read the full story behind it.”
