If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. House Democrats have issued a strong call to Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg‚ urging them to address what they call the widespread issue of abortion “misinformation” on their social media platforms‚ including Facebook‚ Instagram‚ and X. These concerns were expressed in two letters from the House Oversight Committee. We obtained a copy of the letter for you here. The letters‚ spearheaded by Jamie Raskin (D-Md.)‚ the committee’s Ranking Member‚ request that Musk’s and Zuckerberg’s platforms urgently tackle the spread of false abortion information and provide Congress with briefings on this matter by December 14. “Your company’s decision to keep these posts visible seems at odds with your Terms of Service that allow you to remove unlawful conduct on your platform‚” the letter states. “Even more concerning is your company’s apparent double-standard when it comes to removing posts that you label ‘abortion advocacy’ or posts that offer legitimate medical and logistical advice for someone considering abortion‚ while allowing crisis pregnancy centers and anti-abortion advocates to spread false and misleading information regarding abortion.” The committee‚ in its letters‚ highlights the nature of the allegedly misleading medical information and false content about abortion that is proliferating‚ especially on the platforms managed by Musk and Zuckerberg. This alleged misinformation‚ according to the committee‚ can lead to people doubting their healthcare providers and even their own judgment‚ posing significant health and safety risks. The letter targets posts from pro-life groups spreading what they call false claims about abortion medication‚ challenging its safety. This is contrasted with the committee’s assertion that abortion pills like mifepristone are safe and effective. The post Democrats Demand Social Media Platforms Censor Abortion “Misinformation” With Direct Letters to Musk and Zuckerberg appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

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Humans of the industrialized world don’t realize how easy they have it. Sure‚ there’s glaring wealth disparity‚ rampant heart disease‚ prolific depression‚ and a ravaged ecosystem‚ but you know how fortunate you are to purchase a new electric toaster for just a few dollars? While studying at London's Royal College of Art‚ Thomas Thwaites set out on a mission to build a toaster from scratch – and he really committed to the task. The young designer aimed to craft the device using raw materials he had sourced himself‚ a feat that would involve mining and refining the ore‚ forging the metal‚ and making the plastic from fossil oil products.Through this creative endeavor‚ Thwaites wanted to make a point about an individual’s place in our deeply interconnected‚ hyper-consumerist society. He was inspired by a quote from Douglas Adams' 1992 novel Mostly Harmless‚ which reads: "Left to his own devices he couldn't build a toaster. He could just about make a sandwich‚ and that was it."   IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.The challenge quickly proved much tougher than he first imagined. He bought the cheapest toaster available for £3.49 (around $4.50) and took it apart‚ intending to reverse-engineer the device. He came across 400 components made out of over 100 materials‚ although he managed to simplify these parts to just a few ingredients: copper‚ steel‚ nickel‚ plastic‚ and mica (a silicate mineral used for insulation).Things didn’t get any easier from here‚ however. After all‚ would you have any idea how to make plastic?His hilarious and insightful exploits were detailed in the book The Toaster Project: Or a Heroic Attempt to Build a Simple Electric Appliance from Scratch. Thwaites also delivered a brilliant 11-minute TED Talk about the project‚ which you can watch above.

Nestled along the northern Silk Road in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region stands a beautiful testament to China’s ancient Buddhist past – the Kizil Caves. Carved into the face of the ochre-hued cliffs of the Flaming Mountains‚ the caves are an archaeological treasure that beckons history enthusiasts and the spiritually minded alike.China’s oldest Buddhist complex Far from simply communicating traders and travelers‚ the Silk Road was also a channel for the exchange of ideas and beliefs. For instance‚ Arab traders helped spread the influence of Islam along the Middle East‚ through the points that connected this ancient network.Similarly‚ Buddhism and Buddhist art was introduced into China from India via the Silk Road in the first century CE‚ during the Eastern Han Dynasty. In Xinjiang‚ where the ancient Tocharian rulers were sympathetic to Buddhism‚ many temples were created for worshipers. Among them were the Kizil Caves.These caves‚ sometimes known as the Qizil Thousand-Buddha Caves‚ are a complex of Buddhist cave temples that were created between the third and eight centuries BCE. There are 236 known cave temples (135 of which are still in good condition) carved into the cliff face‚ spreading from east to west – spanning 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) in length.The caves contain a large range of architectural styles that vary across the years they were constructed. For example‚ some of the earlier influences were Indian and Central Asian in design‚ while later caves are more Chinese in their influences.The caves include common architectural features‚ such as prayer halls‚ assembly halls‚ corridors‚ and meditation cells. All of these were typically richly decorated with frescoes‚ murals‚ and sculptures.Although most of the sculptures are gone‚ the murals and frescoes are well preserved. They depict a variety of narratives‚ including the life of Buddha‚ tales from Jataka stories‚ and celestial beings from Buddhist cosmology.An example of a mural from the Kizil Caves depicting a figure painted with a vibrant blue pigment.Image credit: Unknown 5-6th century artist via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)Aside from their religious and artistic allure‚ the Kizil Caves are also a testament to the cultural exchanges that took place along the Silk Road. The murals also depict scenes from everyday life‚ including farming‚ hunting and riding‚ and even musical performances.Generally speaking‚ the murals are classified into three periods. Firstly‚ what is referred to as “Indo-Iranian style I”‚ because the images show a blend of Indian and Iranian artistic influences‚ covers the earlier caves‚ which are adorned with tone-on-tone paintings using browns‚ oranges‚ and greens.The second category‚ “Indo-Iranian style II”‚ features stronger contrasting colours‚ bolder line strokes and the vivid lapis-lazuli blue that came from Afghanistan. As with the first period‚ murals created at this time show the influence of Iran as well as those from India and other contributions from Central Asia.Finally‚ the last style‚ the “Uyghur-Chinese style‚” appears in two caves at the complex and shows distinct Chinese influences from the Tang dynasty.Their preservation Despite their beauty‚ many of the caves within the complex have been defaced over the centuries. This was done by some Muslims when they arrived in the region‚ as well as more recently by enthusiasts during Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution. In addition‚ German archaeologists smuggled large chunks of murals from the caves‚ which they took back to Berlin during the early 20th century. These human interferences have taken a toll on the appearance of this grand construction that was centuries in the making.The caves are also in danger from the elements‚ as the harsh desert environment impacts their preservation. Nevertheless‚ scholars and conservationists are collaborating to find ways to protect them and to allow visitors a chance to see such a rich source of historical and cultural interaction.

How much would you spend on a chicken sandwich? $5? $10? What about $1‚500? Sounds like a lot for a sandwich‚ and the deal gets even less sweet when you find out it takes six months to make it from scratch.The sandwich was the passion project of Andy George‚ host of How To Make Everything‚ a YouTube channel that’s amassed 1.74 million subscribers. In an episode that went live in 2015‚ he learned the hard way how much effort can go into making a bang-average sandwich.“I spent 6 months and $1500 to make a sandwich completely from scratch‚ including growing my own vegetables‚ making my own salt from ocean water‚ milking a cow to make cheese‚ grinding my own flour from wheat‚ collecting my own honey‚ and killing a chicken myself‚” wrote George on YouTube.It begins with growing a garden – after all‚ you need a place to grow those veggies. Next‚ George tackles the salt with a trip to the ocean. The seawater is boiled down and the suspicious white powder popped into a Ziploc – the same container that carried off a tomato for an eight-month joy ride in space – that made getting through airport security a little more eventful.  It's important to note that while ocean salt is perfectly suitable for seasoning your food‚ making salt from heavily polluted seawater can be problematic. Heavy metals‚ chemicals‚ and bacteria can be present and may linger if the salt isn’t prepared properly.We later see George mechanically agitating some freshly squeezed cow’s milk‚ churning the fatty “cream” layer of the milk‚ which causes butterfat globules to stick together. Eventually‚ the fats are combined into a lump we know as butter‚ and the remaining liquid is what we call buttermilk. Six months and a lot of money later‚ George finally has his from-scratch sandwich. So‚ how did it taste? According to his friends and family‚ not good. “It tastes like a corkboard dipped in lemon juice‚” one person can be heard saying in the video. Damn.As DIY projects go‚ it’s not even the weirdest we’ve seen this week. We beg you‚ behold the wonder that is a homemade toaster.[H/T: The Verge]

Africa is slowly but surely splitting in two. Like anything in geology‚ it’s an extremely long process that will take millions upon millions of years‚ but it will eventually see part of East Africa chip off from the rest of the continent‚ likely resulting in a new ocean arising between the two land masses.The colossal breakup is associated with the East African Rift System (EARS)‚ one of the largest rifts in the world that stretches downward for thousands of kilometers through several countries in Africa‚ including Ethiopia‚ Kenya‚ the Democratic Republic of the Congo‚ Uganda‚ Rwanda‚ Burundi‚ Zambia‚ Tanzania‚ Malawi‚ and Mozambique.This rift system means that the African plate is splitting into two – the smaller Somalian plate and the larger Nubian plate – that are pulling away from each other at a super-sluggish snail’s pace of millimeters per year‚ according to a 2004 study.Back in 2018‚ news of a crack emerging in Kenya went viral‚ with many claiming that this was evidence of Africa snapping in two before our eyes. While this startling scene was related to the EARS‚ it’s a bit misleading to present it as live evidence of Africa’s great split-up. A map of East Africa showing some of the historically active volcanoes (red triangles)‚ as well the two parts of the African Plate (the Nubian and the Somalian) splitting along the East African Rift Zone.Image credit: USGSAs IFLScience previously pointed out‚ this was likely just a highly localized expression of the valley's regular rifting activity. The EARS has been in this current process for around 25 million years and the crack in Kenya was an indirect whisper of what’s occurring on the continent.However‚ in another 5 million to 10 million years‚ changes in the EARS could result in a drastically different-looking world. Around this timeframe‚ we are likely to see a new ocean form between the Somalian plate and the Nubian plate. The great continent of Africa will lose its eastern shoulder and a vast sea will cut off East Africa. As strange as this may seem‚ it’s worth remembering that Earth’s surface is in a constant state of flux; it’s just so slow that human experience can’t account for it.     The appearance of the world as we know it is relatively new. The land and sea we see today – of Eurasia‚ the Americas‚ Africa‚ Antarctica‚ and Oceania – are the product of vast tectonic plates that slot together like a jigsaw puzzle. Very slowly‚ however‚ these jigsaw pieces move around on a timescale of millions of years.Just think of the split-up that the Earth saw around 138 million years ago when South America and Africa divided. If you look at the west coast of Africa and the east coast of South America‚ you'll notice they fit together like two jigsaw pieces‚ beautifully highlighting how these continents were once joined as one.The departure of East Africa will just be another page in this giant geological storybook. Who knows whether humanity will be around to see any of these changes‚ but it doesn't look too hopeful.A previous version of this article was published in March 2023.

Many people hesitate to adopt shelter animals‚ fearing they might not be as affectionate due to their tough pasts. But‚ as this heartwarming story shows‚ these animals are just waiting to shower love on someone who treats them right. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Monty Happiness (@monty_happiness) Prepare to have your... The post Man brings home ‘unwanted’ shelter cat and adorable nighttime routine melts 3M hearts appeared first on Animal Channel.

"People may find that hard to believe‚ but it had never happened‚" Warren Haynes tells UCR. "It was history." Continue reading…