Manuel Erhardt @erhardt@librem.one

Today in 1969, 56 years ago: the death penalty is abolished in the United Kingdom.

#OnThisDay

What a shot. Seems to be real, and seems to not be a composite.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251216.html "Explanation: What’s happening over that tree? Two very different things. On the left is the Andromeda galaxy, an object that is older than humanity and will last billions of years into the future. Andromeda (M31) is similar in size and shape to our own Milky Way Galaxy. On the right is a red sprite, a type of lightning that lasts a fraction of a second and occurs above violent thunderstorms. Red sprites were verified as real atmospheric phenomena only about 35 years ago. The tree in the center is a boab, which may live for as long as a thousand years. Boab trees grow naturally in Australia and Africa and are known for being able to store large amounts of water: up to 100,000 liters. The featured image was captured last month near Derby in Western Australia."

SBB vergeben erneut Milliarden-Auftrag ins Ausland. https://www.watson.ch/!249575635?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social-auto&utm_campaign=auto-share

These Meduza readers emigrated from Russia. Here’s what strikes them when they visit home.
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/12/16/these-meduza-readers-emigrated-from-russia-here-s-what-strikes-them-when-they-visit-home

Today I learned that the aurochs (Bos primigenius), the wild ancestor of domesticated cattle, only went extinct as late as 1627, in Poland

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurochs
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1pmt1k5/today_i_learned_that_the_aurochs_bos_primigenius/

Plooivlieswaaiertje

#Fungi #Mosstodon #Mushtodon #Photography

Meanwhile if you’re using TikTok, you might be walking deeper into a political echo-chamber.

Data shows TikTok users “tend to follow accounts that align with their political beliefs,” and especially right-leaning communities on TikTok are more tightly insulated from opposing views.
https://buff.ly/RATWVhH

🇪🇺 EU Foreign Chief Kaja Kallas confirms: the EU has indefinitely immobilized up to €210 billion in Russian assets, a major step to ensure they remain frozen unless Russia pays full reparations to Ukraine. The pressure on Moscow keeps building ahead of next week's European Council.