1.Documenting the war in Gaza as the Palestinian death toll passes 25,000. “A report from the United Nations found that women and children are the main victims of the conflict.” In related news, List of Charities Responding to the Humanitarian Crisis in Israel and Gaza from Charity Navigator, “Since 2001, we’ve empowered millions of donors by providing free access to data, tools, and resources to guide philanthropic decision-making. With more than 200,000 charities rated, our comprehensive ratings shine a light on the cost-effectiveness and overall health of a charity’s programs, including measures of stability, efficiency, and sustainability. The metrics inform donors of not just where their dollars are going but what their dollars are doing.”

2. ‘My life will be short. So on the days I can, I really live’: 30 dying people explain what really matters.

3. The Surprising Gift of the “Old Age” Filter, “And what a PetScan cannot see.” A health and heart update from Andrea Gibson.

4. Sanctuary founder rehabilitates animals removed from Puerto Rico zoo closed after years of complaints.

5. Being Emotional Doesn’t Make You Weak, It Makes You Strong.

6. ‘So Amazing’: These Are Our Favorite Luther Vandross Songs. “With a new documentary chronicling the music legend’s life, we’re revisiting some of his unforgettable classics.” In related news, ‘Luther: Never Too Much’ First Look and ‘Luther: Never Too Much’ Review: Dawn Porter’s Tribute To An R&B Icon.

7. Sixty years ago, 17-year-old Randy Gardner broke a Guinness world record by staying awake for 11 consecutive days. I can barely stay awake for 11 consecutive HOURS. 

8. Recipe I want to try: Oatmeal breakfast cookies.

9. Trooper enlists Traverse City man’s dog to help rescue him from an icy lake. Good girl, Ruby!

10. N. Scott Momaday, Pulitzer winner and giant of Native American literature, dead at 89.

11. Charles Osgood, veteran CBS newsman and longtime host of “Sunday Morning,” dies at 91.

12. My Parents Both Died By Suicide — On The Same Day. I Haven’t Been The Same Since.

13. This Woman Deconstructs 100-Year-Old Books To Restore Them. (video)

14. “Little Women” author Louisa May Alcott was a transgender man.

15. Why Substack is at a crossroads. “Some thoughts on platforms and Nazis.”

16. In the World’s Largest Cypress Forest, Surf Durrani Captures Atmospheric Autumnal Colors. Swamps are spooky, but these pictures are gorgeous.

17. Winners of the People Photography Award Embrace the Diverse Beauty of Humanity.

18. Inspiring Wildlife Winning Photos From The Drone Photo Awards 2023.

19. Is Your Yard Undergrown? “For too long the lawn care and pest control industries have normalized meaningless, divisive terms like ‘overgrown.’ We need to take the language back.”

20. Change by Hugh Hollowell.

21. This, a gorgeous poem from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer.

22. this little life from Karen Walrond on Chookooloonks, because this: “in a world that capitalizes on our horror and discouragement, sometimes loving our little lives can feel like an act of rebellion.”

23. Lucian James’ The Kō Strategies, “a series of 24 newsletters based on the Japanese microseasons that make up the year. They are written to help you stay present, focused and creative in a tense world.” I really enjoyed this series, and Lucian is leaving the full archive of all 24 newsletters available until February 20th. I especially loved this final contemplation:

“There’s one big lesson from this season, and it’s the same lesson of all the 24 seasons we’ve covered. It’s been implicit all year, let me spell it out. The natural world is always changing, always in process. And so are you. You are not a thing, you are a process, a magnificent kind of process. And in some way you already know this. But when you really consider it, it can set you free from regret, from stuckness, and from hanging on to things.

We get broken, we can start again, bruised but better.

We get complicated, we add too many things, we can let go.

We can always rebegin. To set everything back to zero. The whole cycle renewed.”

24. Yellow Boat, a short but gorgeous piece about loss on Short Reads.

25. The Stories that Save Us on The Isolation Journals with Suleika Jaouad.

26. The social media star helping people fall in love with libraries. “At a time when public libraries are threatened by funding cuts and even book bans, librarian Mychal Threets sings their praises with infectious enthusiasm. Everyone belongs in a library, he says, and a library card can unlock a world of magic and possibility.” In related news, Mychal Threets Wants Everyone to Experience ‘Library Joy’ on The New York Times (gift link).

27. Social Media has made harassment acceptable. “And we should absolutely not be okay with that” from Nikita Gill.

28. Learning to love January from Rita Ott Ramstad on Rootsie.

29. No, you are not hysterical from Patti Digh. “On this, the 8th anniversary of my heart attack, a note to the women.”

30. Endangered Attention: The Relentless Distraction Tyrant Requires Trickery from Jill Badonsky on The Muse is In.

31. tree.fm, “People around the world recorded the sounds of their forests, so you can escape into nature, and unwind wherever you are.”

32. From Sky to Sky from Jena Schwartz.

33. The White Inevitability of Donald Trump: How complicit whiteness kept Donald Trump in power from Frederick Joseph. “In essence, the battle against Trump and what he represents is not just political; it is cultural, social, and deeply personal. It demands a relentless commitment to truth, justice, and a willingness to disrupt lives. It requires a radical reimagining of societal structures and a profound transformation of our individual and collective consciousness. Only then can we hope to truly divest from the ideologies that Trump espouses and forge a path toward a more equitable and just society.”

34. How To Slow Down: 97 Ways To Enjoy Your Life This Year on Be More With Less from Courtney Carver.