Some of us attended the lovely State of the Map conference in Paris at the end of last month. In this blog post we share how it went and what learned!

https://www.comaps.app/news/2026-09-14/comaps-at-state-of-the-map-2026/

cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/shit/p/1409120/english-water-german-wasser-spanish-agua-italian-acqua-french

Long-term research in New York shows efforts to reduce air pollution associated with higher cognitive test scores

Improvements in air pollution are leading to brighter, smarter toddlers, according to a new study from Columbia University in New York.

For more than two decades, Prof Frederica Perera and a team from the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health measured the air pollution exposure of pregnant women and the development of their children in the disadvantaged communities of northern Manhattan and the South Bronx. More than 1,100 children were assessed when they were one, two and three years old.

Perera said: “We tested cognitive processing including memory and sensory perception, problem-solving such as matching shapes, stacking blocks and communication, both speech and language comprehension. In the early years of the study, we reported significant associations between prenatal exposure to air pollution and neurodevelopment effects in the children. That was bad news.”

I have a bad habit of posting photos of Red Kites that are disheveled or disturbed - but today this one was sitting there perfectly composed and tail feathers all nicely folded.

Now to find something other than kites to photo!

Prospect Park, Reading, UK

Canon R5 MkII + RF200-800

Nearly 90% of children in federal custody being directed to GOP-controlled state that has unlicensed facilities and low legal representation rates

The Trump administration has started sending a majority of undocumented children who came to the US alone and have new immigration court cases to Texas, where government facilities for them are unlicensed, their chances of getting a lawyer are low and advocates fear that “a deportation churn-out factory” awaits them, the Guardian has learned.

Almost 80% of children in federal custody who arrived unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian and who were placed in immigration court proceedings in July – and over 90% in August – have been funneled into shelter networks somewhere in Texas, a dramatic upswing from the months prior, according to analysis shared exclusively with the Guardian from researchers at the immigration data insights platform bklg.org.

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/36709674

A stoush has erupted over a new Brisbane City Council park on land bought back after repeated flooding events.

Families setting up a community soccer pitch have been threatened with a $3500 fine if they don't remove goals from the park. As Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner says, "you can't keep privately owned items on public land".

But...what about parking?

Motonormativity: how social norms hide a major public health hazard
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376537718_Motonormativity_how_social_norms_hide_a_major_public_health_hazard

0:00 Introduction - the soccer pitch stoush
2:38 Why we think differently about car parking?
6:35 The safety issues created by car parking
7:40 Outtro

[...]

Der Medienforscher Bernd Gäbler fasst es für die Otto-Brenner-Stiftung sehr gut zusammen: Die AfD wirft den Journalisten ein Stöckchen hin und weil es Klicks bringt, wird es von allen sofort aufgegriffen. Und wenn sie wieder mal verliert, hat das scheinbar keinen Nachrichtenwert mehr. Aber genau dadurch wird der Mythos vom unaufhaltsamen AfD-Aufstieg aufrechterhalten. Nicht, weil er stimmen würde, aber weil sich anscheinend niemand traut, ihn zu widerlegen. Die Angst der Medien vor schlechten Aufrufen von Artikeln, die das Scheitern der AfD thematisieren, ist noch größer als ihre Angst vor der AfD. Dabei liest du gerade den Beweis, dass die Angst kompletter Unsinn ist. Denn wir haben uns getraut, auch die Realität zu berichten, die viel zu selten medial behandelt wird: Die von den Niederlagen der AfD.

[....]

Colombia has left the 45-member Equal Rights Coalition, ending its co-chairmanship with Spain before the term was due to expire.

Colombia withdrew Thursday from the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC), a 45-member group that works to advance LGBT rights, ending its co-chairmanship with Spain before the mandate was due to expire.

RELATED: Colombia Flags Over 500 Areas at High El Niño Risk

The Colombian Foreign Ministry notified the coalition of the decision in a letter stating that the withdrawal would take effect immediately.

Colombia had shared the coalition’s co-chairmanship with Spain since 2024. The ERC brings together governments and civil society organizations from different countries and works on international diplomacy, legislation and public policy, donor coordination, the Sustainable Development Goals and humanitarian protection.

Caribe Afirmativo, a Colombian organization focused on LGBT rights, said the government withdrew before completing the mandate it assumed in December 2024 and called on the government and Foreign Ministry to publicly explain the decision.

According to official sources consulted by Caribe Afirmativo, the argument used by the government to justify the withdrawal was reportedly linked to the perception that Colombia’s participation in the coalition was a legacy of the previous government.

The organization argued that commitments to the rights of LGBTIQ+ people should be matters of state policy rather than depend on changes in government.

Caribe Afirmativo also requested information on the future of the equality agenda in Colombia’s foreign policy and on funding allocated to implement the Feminist Foreign Policy in 2027.

During the electoral campaign, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella opposed adoption by same-sex couples. The position forms part of his stance on the traditional family and has been cited by organizations as a source of concern over the direction of the government’s equality policies.

Caribe Afirmativo called for greater clarity on the continuity of Colombia’s equality agenda in foreign policy following its withdrawal from the coalition.

From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

Hey guys! I'm getting into the open source world and for years, i am finally hoing to try Linux! However, i see a lot of complains about Ubuntu and i just dont know why. What are you guys complains about Ubuntu? My next PC will come with Ubuntu. Do you guys think i should use Mint instead? Need help.

Found here https://bsky.app/profile/elleisanisland.bsky.social/post/3mvr7g6yb7c2o

The only article I could find about it was Fox News: