John Vaillant
@johnvaillant.bsky.social
I write about collisions between human ambition and the natural world: The Golden Spruce, The Tiger, The Jaguar's Children,
FIRE WEATHER: @pulitzerprizes.bsky.social
10 Best Books: @nytimes.com
https://www.lyceumagency.com/speakers/john-vailla
FIRE WEATHER: @pulitzerprizes.bsky.social
10 Best Books: @nytimes.com
https://www.lyceumagency.com/speakers/john-vailla
I would rather walk than ride with #uber.
It's a parasitic business - like #amazon.
Don't have the uber app (or prime). Never will.
It's a parasitic business - like #amazon.
Don't have the uber app (or prime). Never will.
(6/11) Uber tracks battery life. Former exec Keith Chen noted in 2016 that users with low battery are statistically more likely to accept surge pricing. Uber says it doesn’t use that data to set prices, but the correlation remains a point of regulatory scrutiny. www.npr.org/transcripts/...
This Is Your Brain On Uber
This week we feature Keith Chen, a behavioral economist at UCLA and the head of economic research at Uber. Keith explains why surge pricing makes us nuts and discusses our weird economic choices.
www.npr.org
February 16, 2026 at 5:27 AM
Reposted by John Vaillant
Epstein survivor Danielle Bensky: "There were 3 times that Bondi could have turned around in that room & just looked us in the eye. Just the sheer acknowledgment that we were human would have been enough. And she couldn't even do that. She reminded us we are nothing to her."
February 15, 2026 at 6:27 AM
Epstein survivor Danielle Bensky: "There were 3 times that Bondi could have turned around in that room & just looked us in the eye. Just the sheer acknowledgment that we were human would have been enough. And she couldn't even do that. She reminded us we are nothing to her."
Reposted by John Vaillant
The previous record high of as during Covid…. Under 🍊💩
February 16, 2026 at 3:48 AM
The previous record high of as during Covid…. Under 🍊💩
Reposted by John Vaillant
🇨🇦🇪🇺 Canada has officially joined the SAFE program, aimed at facilitating the rearmament of European countries.
February 15, 2026 at 9:41 PM
🇨🇦🇪🇺 Canada has officially joined the SAFE program, aimed at facilitating the rearmament of European countries.
Reposted by John Vaillant
The Dawlish - Teignmouth railway line feels like the absolute front line of climate adaptation in Britain (a test we are not passing so far).
And yet somehow, somehow, this article manages to go in-depth on the problems with the line without mentioning the climate once. The sea is literally higher!
And yet somehow, somehow, this article manages to go in-depth on the problems with the line without mentioning the climate once. The sea is literally higher!
Fresh fears for South West's rail link in Dawlish after storms
Taxpayer money has flowed into fixing the rail line connecting Cornwall with the rest of the UK - but the elements have other ideas.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 15, 2026 at 8:27 PM
The Dawlish - Teignmouth railway line feels like the absolute front line of climate adaptation in Britain (a test we are not passing so far).
And yet somehow, somehow, this article manages to go in-depth on the problems with the line without mentioning the climate once. The sea is literally higher!
And yet somehow, somehow, this article manages to go in-depth on the problems with the line without mentioning the climate once. The sea is literally higher!
Reposted by John Vaillant
The trees breathe birds in and out, northward, in continental rhythm
February 15, 2026 at 11:32 PM
The trees breathe birds in and out, northward, in continental rhythm
👏
February 15, 2026 at 11:45 PM
👏
Reposted by John Vaillant
"I’ve wanted Marc Elias to be wrong for seven years, or six years, for as long as he’s been coming on my show. I have wanted his warnings to be wrong, but every single one of them has been either affirmed or prescient."--Nicolle Wallace. www.democracydocket.com/opinion/its-...
It’s not too late for states and Congress to stop Trump from subverting the midterms
With only nine months before the midterm elections, Trump is plotting to prevent Democrats from taking control of Congress.
www.democracydocket.com
February 15, 2026 at 11:11 PM
"I’ve wanted Marc Elias to be wrong for seven years, or six years, for as long as he’s been coming on my show. I have wanted his warnings to be wrong, but every single one of them has been either affirmed or prescient."--Nicolle Wallace. www.democracydocket.com/opinion/its-...
Reposted by John Vaillant
Reposted by John Vaillant
Seen yesterday at the Düsseldorf (Germany) carnaval 😐
February 15, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Seen yesterday at the Düsseldorf (Germany) carnaval 😐
Reposted by John Vaillant
Local residents, immigrant rights groups and a couple City Council members marched in a protest against ICE in northeast Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon.
Read the latest: bit.ly/3MMvefi
Video: Louis Krauss/The Minnesota Star Tribune
Read the latest: bit.ly/3MMvefi
Video: Louis Krauss/The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 15, 2026 at 8:26 PM
Local residents, immigrant rights groups and a couple City Council members marched in a protest against ICE in northeast Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon.
Read the latest: bit.ly/3MMvefi
Video: Louis Krauss/The Minnesota Star Tribune
Read the latest: bit.ly/3MMvefi
Video: Louis Krauss/The Minnesota Star Tribune
Reposted by John Vaillant
We can never get true justice for those killed by ICE. Because true justice would mean they would be alive today.
But our demands for accountability remain clear:
Abolish ICE.
Impeach Kristi Noem.
End qualified immunity.
But our demands for accountability remain clear:
Abolish ICE.
Impeach Kristi Noem.
End qualified immunity.
February 15, 2026 at 3:14 PM
We can never get true justice for those killed by ICE. Because true justice would mean they would be alive today.
But our demands for accountability remain clear:
Abolish ICE.
Impeach Kristi Noem.
End qualified immunity.
But our demands for accountability remain clear:
Abolish ICE.
Impeach Kristi Noem.
End qualified immunity.
Reposted by John Vaillant
Describes as 'one of the UK’s most influential cultural assets', it broadcast to millions.
Former UN secretary general Kofi Annan called it:
“Perhaps Britain’s greatest gift to the world” in the 20th century.
I learned so much working there.
Yet, its end has been coming since I joined. So sad..
Former UN secretary general Kofi Annan called it:
“Perhaps Britain’s greatest gift to the world” in the 20th century.
I learned so much working there.
Yet, its end has been coming since I joined. So sad..
February 15, 2026 at 3:42 PM
Describes as 'one of the UK’s most influential cultural assets', it broadcast to millions.
Former UN secretary general Kofi Annan called it:
“Perhaps Britain’s greatest gift to the world” in the 20th century.
I learned so much working there.
Yet, its end has been coming since I joined. So sad..
Former UN secretary general Kofi Annan called it:
“Perhaps Britain’s greatest gift to the world” in the 20th century.
I learned so much working there.
Yet, its end has been coming since I joined. So sad..
Reposted by John Vaillant
And another bites the dust?
The BBC World Service will run out of funding in just seven weeks. Its funding arrangement with the Foreign Office finishes at the end of March. There is no plan for what happens next.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The BBC World Service will run out of funding in just seven weeks. Its funding arrangement with the Foreign Office finishes at the end of March. There is no plan for what happens next.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Guardian view on the BBC World Service: this is London calling | Editorial
Editorial: With just seven weeks before its funding runs out, the UK’s greatest cultural asset and most trusted international news organisation must be supported
www.theguardian.com
February 15, 2026 at 3:40 PM
And another bites the dust?
The BBC World Service will run out of funding in just seven weeks. Its funding arrangement with the Foreign Office finishes at the end of March. There is no plan for what happens next.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The BBC World Service will run out of funding in just seven weeks. Its funding arrangement with the Foreign Office finishes at the end of March. There is no plan for what happens next.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The diffusion of responsibility enables sociopathic behavior:
Reading @tante.cc's latest blog post and agreeing and grimacing at the same time with:
"Because a bunch of men – and it is always all men – just don’t want to be responsible for their actions. Which is fine if you are 5. But after 18 it gets old really fucking fast."
tante.cc/2026/02/14/d...
"Because a bunch of men – and it is always all men – just don’t want to be responsible for their actions. Which is fine if you are 5. But after 18 it gets old really fucking fast."
tante.cc/2026/02/14/d...
Diffusion of Responsibility
One of the features of “AI” is the diffusion of responsibility: “AI” systems are being put in all kinds of processes and when they fuck up (and they always fuck up) it was just the “AI”, or “someone s...
tante.cc
February 15, 2026 at 10:29 PM
The diffusion of responsibility enables sociopathic behavior:
Reposted by John Vaillant
Reposted by John Vaillant
I joined this campaign because the Eastern Slopes are Alberta’s lifeline. Once they are destroyed, they may never fully recover.. Can you take 30 seconds to join me and send a letter to the Premier too? #waterislife #ableg saveourslopes.ca
URGENT: Defend Alberta's Eastern Slopes Headwaters
The Eastern Slopes are the source of life for Southern Alberta, but they are at a breaking point.
saveourslopes.ca
February 15, 2026 at 8:44 PM
I joined this campaign because the Eastern Slopes are Alberta’s lifeline. Once they are destroyed, they may never fully recover.. Can you take 30 seconds to join me and send a letter to the Premier too? #waterislife #ableg saveourslopes.ca
Reposted by John Vaillant
STOP WOMEN FROM VOTING!!!
“They’re saying this is a voter ID bill? That is NOT what’s happening here
Women, because they got married & changed their names, they have to go down to a clerk & prove they’re citizens, sign affidavits, & do this in person
A minefield of red tape put in front of women"
“They’re saying this is a voter ID bill? That is NOT what’s happening here
Women, because they got married & changed their names, they have to go down to a clerk & prove they’re citizens, sign affidavits, & do this in person
A minefield of red tape put in front of women"
“Because They Got Married and Changed Their Names, They Have to Go Down to a Clerk and Prove They’re Citizens?” Rep. Katherine Clark Raises Concerns That GOP Voter ID Measure Could Disadvantage Women ...
Rep. Katherine Clark (House Session / C-SPAN) House Minority Whip Katherine Clark criticized Republican-backed voter identification legislation during a Ho
share.newsbreak.com
February 15, 2026 at 1:12 PM
STOP WOMEN FROM VOTING!!!
“They’re saying this is a voter ID bill? That is NOT what’s happening here
Women, because they got married & changed their names, they have to go down to a clerk & prove they’re citizens, sign affidavits, & do this in person
A minefield of red tape put in front of women"
“They’re saying this is a voter ID bill? That is NOT what’s happening here
Women, because they got married & changed their names, they have to go down to a clerk & prove they’re citizens, sign affidavits, & do this in person
A minefield of red tape put in front of women"
Reposted by John Vaillant
Need to haul a mattress? Behold the power of bikes!
February 15, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Need to haul a mattress? Behold the power of bikes!
Reposted by John Vaillant
A judge ruled that groups representing residents of Louisiana’s Cancer Alley can proceed with their landmark lawsuit seeking a pause on toxic industrial plants in two majority‑Black districts
Black Residents Win Key Ruling in ‘Cancer Alley’ Environmental Racism Case
The lawsuit could force a jury to decide if turning Black communities into sacrifice zones is a legacy of slavery.
capitalbnews.org
February 15, 2026 at 7:21 PM
A judge ruled that groups representing residents of Louisiana’s Cancer Alley can proceed with their landmark lawsuit seeking a pause on toxic industrial plants in two majority‑Black districts
Reposted by John Vaillant
‘Military service is one of the strongest predictors for becoming a mass shooter in the US.’
@lalehkhalili.bsky.social on the symbiosis of drugs and war.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@lalehkhalili.bsky.social on the symbiosis of drugs and war.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Laleh Khalili · Guns, Money and Opium
There is an undeniable symmetry between surges in drug use in the US and the country’s covert operations overseas. The...
www.lrb.co.uk
February 14, 2026 at 5:10 PM
‘Military service is one of the strongest predictors for becoming a mass shooter in the US.’
@lalehkhalili.bsky.social on the symbiosis of drugs and war.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@lalehkhalili.bsky.social on the symbiosis of drugs and war.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by John Vaillant
🇩🇪🇺🇸🤯 "The Orange Plague" in Munich, Germany.
February 15, 2026 at 11:46 AM
🇩🇪🇺🇸🤯 "The Orange Plague" in Munich, Germany.
Reposted by John Vaillant
Who'd have thought Texas (not to mention the DOD) would have so much in common with a Russian vassal state? #education #censorship
Georgian students and other protesters have gathered in front of the Deda Ena (“Mother Tongue”) monument.
Students have protested daily since Georgian Dream imposed new rules dictating which programs state universities are allowed to offer and how many students they can admit. 1/2
Students have protested daily since Georgian Dream imposed new rules dictating which programs state universities are allowed to offer and how many students they can admit. 1/2
February 15, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Who'd have thought Texas (not to mention the DOD) would have so much in common with a Russian vassal state? #education #censorship