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cbabe
cbabe's Journal
cbabe's Journal
December 6, 2025
62,000 African Penguins Starving to Death Highlights Humanity-Driven Extinction Crisis
“If a species as iconic as the African penguin is struggling to survive,” said one researcher, “it raises the question of how many other species are disappearing without us even noticing.”
JESSICA CORBETT
Dec 05, 2025
A study published this week about tens of thousands of starving African penguins is highlighting what scientists warn is the planet’s sixth mass extinction event, driven by human activity, and efforts to save as many species as possible.
…
As the study explains: “African Penguins moult annually, coming ashore and fasting for 21 days, when they shed and replace all their feathers. Failure to fatten sufficiently to moult, or to regain condition afterwards, results in death.”
The team found that “between 2004 and 2011, the sardine stock off west South Africa was consistently below 25% of its peak abundance, and this appears to have caused severe food shortage for African penguins, leading to an estimated loss of about 62,000 breeding individuals,” said co-author and Exeter associate professor Richard Sherley.
…
Sherley said that “high sardine exploitation rates—that briefly reached 80% in 2006—in a period when sardine was declining because of environmental changes likely worsened penguin mortality.”
Humanity’s reliance on fossil fuels is warming ocean water and impacting how salty it is. For the penguins’ prey, said Sherley, “changes in the temperature and salinity of the spawning areas off the west and south coasts of South Africa made spawning in the historically important west coast spawning areas less successful, and spawning off the south coast more successful.”
… more …
62,000 African Penguins Starving to Death Highlights Humanity-Driven Extinction Crisis
https://www.commondreams.org/news/african-penguin62,000 African Penguins Starving to Death Highlights Humanity-Driven Extinction Crisis
“If a species as iconic as the African penguin is struggling to survive,” said one researcher, “it raises the question of how many other species are disappearing without us even noticing.”
JESSICA CORBETT
Dec 05, 2025
A study published this week about tens of thousands of starving African penguins is highlighting what scientists warn is the planet’s sixth mass extinction event, driven by human activity, and efforts to save as many species as possible.
…
As the study explains: “African Penguins moult annually, coming ashore and fasting for 21 days, when they shed and replace all their feathers. Failure to fatten sufficiently to moult, or to regain condition afterwards, results in death.”
The team found that “between 2004 and 2011, the sardine stock off west South Africa was consistently below 25% of its peak abundance, and this appears to have caused severe food shortage for African penguins, leading to an estimated loss of about 62,000 breeding individuals,” said co-author and Exeter associate professor Richard Sherley.
…
Sherley said that “high sardine exploitation rates—that briefly reached 80% in 2006—in a period when sardine was declining because of environmental changes likely worsened penguin mortality.”
Humanity’s reliance on fossil fuels is warming ocean water and impacting how salty it is. For the penguins’ prey, said Sherley, “changes in the temperature and salinity of the spawning areas off the west and south coasts of South Africa made spawning in the historically important west coast spawning areas less successful, and spawning off the south coast more successful.”
… more …
December 6, 2025
A seal galumphs into a bar. The bartender says ‘Grab the salmon!’
BY CHARLOTTE GRAHAM-MCLAY
Updated 11:06 PM PST, December 3, 2025
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A seal walked into a bar. Or to use a technical term, it galumphed.
The creature was apparently lost, curious and well below New Zealand ’s legal drinking age. It lodged itself under the dishwasher and showed no interest in calling a cab.
It was a wet, lazy Sunday evening when the baby fur seal waddled into the Sprig + Fern The Meadows craft beer bar in Richmond, at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. Accustomed to seeing animals in the pet-friendly bar, co-owner Bella Evans assumed the visitor was a dog before she took a closer look.
“Everyone was in shock,” Evans said. “Oh my gosh. What do we do? What’s going on?”
A patron grabbed a sweater and tried to usher the seal out of the back door. Evading its pursuers, the creature dashed into a restroom and then hid under the dishwasher, which was swiftly unplugged.
… more … video at link …
A seal galumphs into a bar. The bartender says 'Grab the salmon!'
https://apnews.com/article/seal-bar-new-zealand-pub-richmond-487e2a8207c9f0e69be79ac7eb8045c0A seal galumphs into a bar. The bartender says ‘Grab the salmon!’
BY CHARLOTTE GRAHAM-MCLAY
Updated 11:06 PM PST, December 3, 2025
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A seal walked into a bar. Or to use a technical term, it galumphed.
The creature was apparently lost, curious and well below New Zealand ’s legal drinking age. It lodged itself under the dishwasher and showed no interest in calling a cab.
It was a wet, lazy Sunday evening when the baby fur seal waddled into the Sprig + Fern The Meadows craft beer bar in Richmond, at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. Accustomed to seeing animals in the pet-friendly bar, co-owner Bella Evans assumed the visitor was a dog before she took a closer look.
“Everyone was in shock,” Evans said. “Oh my gosh. What do we do? What’s going on?”
A patron grabbed a sweater and tried to usher the seal out of the back door. Evading its pursuers, the creature dashed into a restroom and then hid under the dishwasher, which was swiftly unplugged.
… more … video at link …
December 5, 2025
NJ parents fume after Trump Cabinet member bans parents from public school meeting
Tom Boggioni
December 5, 2025 1:01PM ET
A visit by Education Secretary Linda McMahon at a public school in New Jersey ended up infuriating the parents who were invited to take part and then were banned from entering after arriving.
According to a report from MS Now, from Colts Neck, New Jersey, McMahon was scheduled to appear before the children at Cedar Drive Middle School with representatives from the late Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA to discuss civics labeled, “History Rocks!”
A memo went out to parents on Tuesday, alerting parents and giving notice under the Open Public Meetings Act, that they would be welcome if they arrived at 7:45 AM.
According to the report, parents who showed up were denied entry.
… more …
(How many of those kids phone recorded this…)
NJ parents fume after Trump Cabinet member bans parents from public school meeting
https://www.rawstory.com/linda-mcmahon-tpusa/NJ parents fume after Trump Cabinet member bans parents from public school meeting
Tom Boggioni
December 5, 2025 1:01PM ET
A visit by Education Secretary Linda McMahon at a public school in New Jersey ended up infuriating the parents who were invited to take part and then were banned from entering after arriving.
According to a report from MS Now, from Colts Neck, New Jersey, McMahon was scheduled to appear before the children at Cedar Drive Middle School with representatives from the late Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA to discuss civics labeled, “History Rocks!”
A memo went out to parents on Tuesday, alerting parents and giving notice under the Open Public Meetings Act, that they would be welcome if they arrived at 7:45 AM.
According to the report, parents who showed up were denied entry.
… more …
(How many of those kids phone recorded this…)
December 4, 2025
New Texas law allows residents to sue those suspected of providing access to abortion pills
Abortion providers, and even manufacturers, will be liable for penalties over pills mailed into the state
Carter Sherman
Thu 4 Dec 2025 07.00 EST
Residents of Texas can now sue people who they suspect of making, distributing or mailing abortion pills in or out of the state, in a first-of-its-kind law that aims to dam the flood of abortion pills into states that ban the procedure.
Under the new law, which went into effect on Thursday, abortion providers could face penalties of at least $100,000 if they mail pills into Texas. Manufacturers of abortion pills are also eligible to be sued, although women who take abortion pills are not.
Anti-abortion activists are hoping that the law will escalate the war between states that protect abortion rights and those that do not, since it marks the first legislative challenge to “shield laws”. Enacted in a handful of blue states after the fall of Roe v Wade, shield laws aim to protect abortion providers from out-of-state prosecution, even if they are shipping pills across state borders. By the end of 2024, abortion providers in shield-law states like Massachusetts and New York were facilitating more than 12,000 abortions a month in states that ban the procedure, including in Texas, according to #WeCount, a research project by the Society of Family Planning.
“They are going beyond their jurisdiction and their authority by coming into Texas and hurting Texas women and killing Texas babies with abortion pills,” said John Seago, the president of Texas Right to Life and one of the main architects behind Texas’ new abortion ban. “We think there is going to be a kind of this standoff between Texas and New York that maybe goes back to the supreme court. I would be very interested to get that case. We’re actually looking to spur that on.”
… more …
(Sadists.)
New Texas law allows residents to sue those suspected of providing access to abortion pills
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/04/texas-law-abortion-pill-access-lawsuitNew Texas law allows residents to sue those suspected of providing access to abortion pills
Abortion providers, and even manufacturers, will be liable for penalties over pills mailed into the state
Carter Sherman
Thu 4 Dec 2025 07.00 EST
Residents of Texas can now sue people who they suspect of making, distributing or mailing abortion pills in or out of the state, in a first-of-its-kind law that aims to dam the flood of abortion pills into states that ban the procedure.
Under the new law, which went into effect on Thursday, abortion providers could face penalties of at least $100,000 if they mail pills into Texas. Manufacturers of abortion pills are also eligible to be sued, although women who take abortion pills are not.
Anti-abortion activists are hoping that the law will escalate the war between states that protect abortion rights and those that do not, since it marks the first legislative challenge to “shield laws”. Enacted in a handful of blue states after the fall of Roe v Wade, shield laws aim to protect abortion providers from out-of-state prosecution, even if they are shipping pills across state borders. By the end of 2024, abortion providers in shield-law states like Massachusetts and New York were facilitating more than 12,000 abortions a month in states that ban the procedure, including in Texas, according to #WeCount, a research project by the Society of Family Planning.
“They are going beyond their jurisdiction and their authority by coming into Texas and hurting Texas women and killing Texas babies with abortion pills,” said John Seago, the president of Texas Right to Life and one of the main architects behind Texas’ new abortion ban. “We think there is going to be a kind of this standoff between Texas and New York that maybe goes back to the supreme court. I would be very interested to get that case. We’re actually looking to spur that on.”
… more …
(Sadists.)
December 4, 2025
ALA welcomes reinstatement of all federal IMLS grants to libraries
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | DECEMBER 3, 2025
Washington – Today, the American Library Association (ALA) greeted an announcement by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) that it had reinstated all the agency’s grants, including those to libraries and library organizations across the country. The grant reinstatements come as a direct result of a November 21 federal court decision in a lawsuit brought against President Trump by 21 states.
ALA President Sam Helmick said, “ALA welcomes the good news that IMLS is restoring all federal grants that had previously been terminated. This means that libraries across the country will be able to resume vital services for learning, imagination, and economic opportunity.
“Restoration of these grants is a massive win for libraries of all kinds in all states. Every public, school and academic library and their patrons benefit from the research findings and program outcomes from individual library and organization grantees.
“We are breathing a sigh of relief, but the fight is not finished. The administration can appeal court decisions. Congress can choose to not fund IMLS in future years. ALA calls on everyone who values libraries to remind their Congressmembers and elected officials at every level why America’s libraries deserve more, not fewer resources."
… more …
ALA welcomes reinstatement of all federal IMLS grants to libraries
https://www.ala.org/news/2025/12/ala-welcomes-reinstatement-all-federal-imls-grants-librariesALA welcomes reinstatement of all federal IMLS grants to libraries
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | DECEMBER 3, 2025
Washington – Today, the American Library Association (ALA) greeted an announcement by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) that it had reinstated all the agency’s grants, including those to libraries and library organizations across the country. The grant reinstatements come as a direct result of a November 21 federal court decision in a lawsuit brought against President Trump by 21 states.
ALA President Sam Helmick said, “ALA welcomes the good news that IMLS is restoring all federal grants that had previously been terminated. This means that libraries across the country will be able to resume vital services for learning, imagination, and economic opportunity.
“Restoration of these grants is a massive win for libraries of all kinds in all states. Every public, school and academic library and their patrons benefit from the research findings and program outcomes from individual library and organization grantees.
“We are breathing a sigh of relief, but the fight is not finished. The administration can appeal court decisions. Congress can choose to not fund IMLS in future years. ALA calls on everyone who values libraries to remind their Congressmembers and elected officials at every level why America’s libraries deserve more, not fewer resources."
… more …
December 3, 2025
Village People lead ‘world-class line-up’ for Trump-tinged World Cup 2026 draw
Reuters
Wed 3 Dec 2025 07.45 ES
Robbie Williams, Andrea Bocelli and the Village People are to perform as part of a “world-class entertainment line-up” during Friday’s draw for the 2026 men’s football World Cup. The draw for next year’s tournament will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, with model and TV personality Heidi Klum, comedian Kevin Hart and actor Danny Ramirez co-hosting the event.
The Village People will perform YMCA to cap off an event that promises have distinctly Trumpian overtones. The disco hit became a staple at Donald Trump’s campaign rallies and Mar-a-Lago fundraisers.
… more …
(Fifa goes full maga. Maga goes full gay. Brain twist.)
Village People lead 'world-class line-up' for Trump-tinged World Cup 2026 draw
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/dec/03/world-cup-draw-village-people-robbie-williams-fifa-trumpVillage People lead ‘world-class line-up’ for Trump-tinged World Cup 2026 draw
Reuters
Wed 3 Dec 2025 07.45 ES
Robbie Williams, Andrea Bocelli and the Village People are to perform as part of a “world-class entertainment line-up” during Friday’s draw for the 2026 men’s football World Cup. The draw for next year’s tournament will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, with model and TV personality Heidi Klum, comedian Kevin Hart and actor Danny Ramirez co-hosting the event.
The Village People will perform YMCA to cap off an event that promises have distinctly Trumpian overtones. The disco hit became a staple at Donald Trump’s campaign rallies and Mar-a-Lago fundraisers.
… more …
(Fifa goes full maga. Maga goes full gay. Brain twist.)
December 3, 2025
Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation Gets 900-Acres ofLand Back
DECEMBER 02, 2025
Nearly 900 acres of land have been returned to the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation in California. The land borders Yosemite National Park -- one of the most visited National Parks—— and the Sierra National Forest.
The land was transferred from the Pacific Forest Trust and was underwritten by a grant from the California Natural Resources Agency Tribal Nature-Based Solutions Program.
The Nation now has ownership of the culturally significant Henness Ridge, site of an ancestral trail from the Central to the Yosemite Valley and a key migration corridor for deer and other mammals.
The trust has a history of working with tribal nations. In the 1990s, the organization partnered with the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council, establishing the first-ever conservation easement with tribal entities in the U.S.
… more …
Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation Gets 900-Acres ofLand Back
https://nativenewsonline.net/environment/southern-sierra-miwuk-nation-gets-900-acres-ofland-backSouthern Sierra Miwuk Nation Gets 900-Acres ofLand Back
DECEMBER 02, 2025
Nearly 900 acres of land have been returned to the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation in California. The land borders Yosemite National Park -- one of the most visited National Parks—— and the Sierra National Forest.
The land was transferred from the Pacific Forest Trust and was underwritten by a grant from the California Natural Resources Agency Tribal Nature-Based Solutions Program.
The Nation now has ownership of the culturally significant Henness Ridge, site of an ancestral trail from the Central to the Yosemite Valley and a key migration corridor for deer and other mammals.
The trust has a history of working with tribal nations. In the 1990s, the organization partnered with the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council, establishing the first-ever conservation easement with tribal entities in the U.S.
… more …
December 2, 2025
How Pixar’s technology helped develop more lethal military drones
The 3D modeling systems that made ‘Toy Story’ possible have been key to enabling unmanned aircraft to navigate and aim their weapons with greater precision
MANUEL G. PASCUAL
Madrid - DEC 02, 2025 - 11:32 EST
Pixar’s animated films and military drones have something in common. One of the key technologies in the success of the studios behind Toy Story and Finding Nemo has also been crucial in enabling unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to gain precision and become a lethal tool widely used in wars like those in Gaza and Ukraine. This technology is 3D rendering, or object modeling, systems developed by Pixar, which now belongs to Disney. Pixar uses this technology to create more realistic animations; drones use it to better understand the space they navigate and reach their target.
…
RenderMan was conceived at the University of Utah in the 1970s, where one of Pixar’s founders, Ed Catmull, earned his doctorate precisely on rendering problems. Catmull is probably the only person to have won both an Oscar (2008) for his contribution to the animation industry and a Turing Award (2019), considered the Nobel Prize of computer science, for his “for fundamental contributions to 3D computer graphics, and the revolutionary impact of these techniques on computer-generated imagery (CGI) in filmmaking and other applications.”
What is less well known is that the research conducted by Catmull and his colleagues was funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). One of Catmull’s colleagues at the University of Utah, the Vietnamese-born scientist Bùi Tường Phong, came to the U.S. in the 1970s precisely through DARPA, as revealed by Theodore Kim, an associate professor of computer science at Yale, who worked at Pixar and was a colleague of the Asian researcher.
…
Why would the Pentagon want to support these kinds of projects? The advances of the Hanoi-born scientist were transferred to F-16 fighter jet flight simulators in the 1980s, significantly improving their graphic resolution. And advanced rendering programs, such as RenderMan, built upon Dr. Phong’s work, have been fundamental to the recent success of military drones. Pixar declined to comment to EL PAÍS for this report.
… more …
How Pixar's technology helped develop more lethal military drones
https://english.elpais.com/technology/2025-12-02/how-pixars-technology-helped-develop-more-lethal-military-drones.html#How Pixar’s technology helped develop more lethal military drones
The 3D modeling systems that made ‘Toy Story’ possible have been key to enabling unmanned aircraft to navigate and aim their weapons with greater precision
MANUEL G. PASCUAL
Madrid - DEC 02, 2025 - 11:32 EST
Pixar’s animated films and military drones have something in common. One of the key technologies in the success of the studios behind Toy Story and Finding Nemo has also been crucial in enabling unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to gain precision and become a lethal tool widely used in wars like those in Gaza and Ukraine. This technology is 3D rendering, or object modeling, systems developed by Pixar, which now belongs to Disney. Pixar uses this technology to create more realistic animations; drones use it to better understand the space they navigate and reach their target.
…
RenderMan was conceived at the University of Utah in the 1970s, where one of Pixar’s founders, Ed Catmull, earned his doctorate precisely on rendering problems. Catmull is probably the only person to have won both an Oscar (2008) for his contribution to the animation industry and a Turing Award (2019), considered the Nobel Prize of computer science, for his “for fundamental contributions to 3D computer graphics, and the revolutionary impact of these techniques on computer-generated imagery (CGI) in filmmaking and other applications.”
What is less well known is that the research conducted by Catmull and his colleagues was funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). One of Catmull’s colleagues at the University of Utah, the Vietnamese-born scientist Bùi Tường Phong, came to the U.S. in the 1970s precisely through DARPA, as revealed by Theodore Kim, an associate professor of computer science at Yale, who worked at Pixar and was a colleague of the Asian researcher.
…
Why would the Pentagon want to support these kinds of projects? The advances of the Hanoi-born scientist were transferred to F-16 fighter jet flight simulators in the 1980s, significantly improving their graphic resolution. And advanced rendering programs, such as RenderMan, built upon Dr. Phong’s work, have been fundamental to the recent success of military drones. Pixar declined to comment to EL PAÍS for this report.
… more …
December 2, 2025
‘You Got Gold – A Celebration Of John Prine’ Begins North American Theatrical Run
December 1, 2025by Lorie Hollabaugh
The new documentary You Got Gold – A Celebration of John Prine is currently in the midst of a week-long engagement at Quad Cinema in New York that kicked off Nov. 28.
You Got Gold is a tribute to the legendary songwriter’s life and music and was filmed at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Produced by RadicalMedia and Oh Boy Pictures and distributed by Abramorama, the documentary features exclusive interviews and performances by Brandi Carlile, Kacey Musgraves, Tyler Childers, The War and Treaty, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Bonnie Raitt, Dwight Yoakam, Jason Isbell, Lyle Lovett, Allison Russell & JT Nero, Nathaniel Rateliff, The Milk Carton Kids, The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and more.
The film world premiered at the Nashville Film Festival to a sold-out audience last month. You Got Gold will screen across North America through the remainder of the year and into 2026, with more dates added each week. Fiona Whelan Prine will participate in Q&A events at upcoming screenings in Arlington, Massachusetts, on Dec 3, Chicago on Jan. 14 (with Jack Prine), Columbus, Ohio on Jan. 22, and New Orleans on Jan. 24.
… more …
Trailer
https://m.
Side note:
The Mountain Eagle
https://www.themountaineagle.com › articles › years-later-peabody-still-angry-over-classic-song-from-john-prine
Years later, Peabody still angry over classic song from John Prine ...
Peabody Energy Corp., which operates major mines in Wyoming, asked a federal judge in Casper to strike lyrics of singer-songwriter John Prine's 1971 song…
You Got Gold: a celebration of John Prine
https://musicrow.com/2025/12/you-got-gold-a-celebration-of-john-prine-begins-north-american-theatrical-run/‘You Got Gold – A Celebration Of John Prine’ Begins North American Theatrical Run
December 1, 2025by Lorie Hollabaugh
The new documentary You Got Gold – A Celebration of John Prine is currently in the midst of a week-long engagement at Quad Cinema in New York that kicked off Nov. 28.
You Got Gold is a tribute to the legendary songwriter’s life and music and was filmed at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Produced by RadicalMedia and Oh Boy Pictures and distributed by Abramorama, the documentary features exclusive interviews and performances by Brandi Carlile, Kacey Musgraves, Tyler Childers, The War and Treaty, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Bonnie Raitt, Dwight Yoakam, Jason Isbell, Lyle Lovett, Allison Russell & JT Nero, Nathaniel Rateliff, The Milk Carton Kids, The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and more.
The film world premiered at the Nashville Film Festival to a sold-out audience last month. You Got Gold will screen across North America through the remainder of the year and into 2026, with more dates added each week. Fiona Whelan Prine will participate in Q&A events at upcoming screenings in Arlington, Massachusetts, on Dec 3, Chicago on Jan. 14 (with Jack Prine), Columbus, Ohio on Jan. 22, and New Orleans on Jan. 24.
… more …
Trailer
https://m.
Side note:
The Mountain Eagle
https://www.themountaineagle.com › articles › years-later-peabody-still-angry-over-classic-song-from-john-prine
Years later, Peabody still angry over classic song from John Prine ...
Peabody Energy Corp., which operates major mines in Wyoming, asked a federal judge in Casper to strike lyrics of singer-songwriter John Prine's 1971 song…
November 30, 2025
A teenager redrew the Alabama voting map – and it’s now state law
Daniel DiDonato, 18, drafted new state senate districts at home on free software – and a judge picked his map ahead of professionals’ efforts to remedy voting rights violations
Sam Levine in New York
Sun 30 Nov 2025 11.00 EST
Earlier this month, after years of litigation, a federal judge in Alabama ordered a new state senate map. In a surprising decision, the map she chose wasn’t one drafted by a court-appointed special master and his expert cartographer, but rather one that had been submitted by an anonymous member of the public, known only by their initials, “DD”.
…
DiDonato’s success underscores how the wide availability of redistricting data and mapping software has transformed mapmaking from something once reserved for supercomputers and backrooms to an activity that anyone can participate in. It’s a transformation that has allowed for observers to immediately scrutinize maps for partisanship or signs of racial discrimination.
The widespread availability of political data tools has created an online community – Election Twitter – where political, data and mapmaking junkies will create and share maps and forecasts. DiDonato said he “definitely” considered himself a member.
“You have a whole bunch of these kids who are snippy and savvy and know about the Voting Rights Act, Section 2 of the VRA,” said Chaz Nuttycombe, 26, who developed an impressive record forecasting state legislative races while a student at Virginia Tech and has since founded State Navigate, a non-profit focused on state legislatures. “I’ve seen maps put together by special masters that I disagree with, and I’ve seen kids on Election Twitter put forward better maps for equivalent states and districts than those special masters.”
… more …
A teenager redrew the Alabama voting map - and it's now state law
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/30/alabama-teenager-election-map-voting-rightsA teenager redrew the Alabama voting map – and it’s now state law
Daniel DiDonato, 18, drafted new state senate districts at home on free software – and a judge picked his map ahead of professionals’ efforts to remedy voting rights violations
Sam Levine in New York
Sun 30 Nov 2025 11.00 EST
Earlier this month, after years of litigation, a federal judge in Alabama ordered a new state senate map. In a surprising decision, the map she chose wasn’t one drafted by a court-appointed special master and his expert cartographer, but rather one that had been submitted by an anonymous member of the public, known only by their initials, “DD”.
…
DiDonato’s success underscores how the wide availability of redistricting data and mapping software has transformed mapmaking from something once reserved for supercomputers and backrooms to an activity that anyone can participate in. It’s a transformation that has allowed for observers to immediately scrutinize maps for partisanship or signs of racial discrimination.
The widespread availability of political data tools has created an online community – Election Twitter – where political, data and mapmaking junkies will create and share maps and forecasts. DiDonato said he “definitely” considered himself a member.
“You have a whole bunch of these kids who are snippy and savvy and know about the Voting Rights Act, Section 2 of the VRA,” said Chaz Nuttycombe, 26, who developed an impressive record forecasting state legislative races while a student at Virginia Tech and has since founded State Navigate, a non-profit focused on state legislatures. “I’ve seen maps put together by special masters that I disagree with, and I’ve seen kids on Election Twitter put forward better maps for equivalent states and districts than those special masters.”
… more …
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