Wednesday, June 3, 2026

"Between the Dome and the Sky" by Palestinian (Ramallah) Artist Wadeei Khaled (Born in Al-Arroub Refugee Camp in 1986)

Amazing Painting "Between the Dome and the Sky" by Palestinian (Ramallah) Artist Wadeei Khaled (Born in Al-Arroub Refugee Camp in 1986)

GAZA, PALESTINE

This was a thriving nation with families, holidays, hopes, schools, hospitals and customs.

Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting- Community Awareness Initiative | Your voice matters. Report. Engage. Protect. ... Key Concerns with AI Data Centers USA "When residents and councils want time to study the impact before approving more data centers, they're enacting temporary pauses. These moratoriums vary in duration and scope, but they share a goal: don't let the buildout get ahead of the planning."

AI Data Centers &
Our Communities

An initiative by Erin · Environmental Advocate

"The RACE to build AI infrastructures is unfolding town by town across America. In some places, data centers are welcomed. In others, they are delayed, contested or abandoned altogether. This MAP captures the real-world footprint of that race — revealing patterns of growth, conflict and uncertainty.

I am watching as YOU, the communities show up and speak out. In the famous words of Mark Twain … “The secret of getting ahead is getting started,” so let’s go!

— Erin" https://www.brockovichdatacenter.com/index.html

⚡

Energy Consumption

High energy usage contributes to significant environmental impact and escalating costs for surrounding communities.

💧

Water Usage

Cooling systems often require substantial water resources, straining local water supplies and ecosystems.

♻️

E-Waste

Frequent hardware upgrades and replacements generate significant volumes of electronic waste.

🌊

Location Risks

Natural disasters, flooding, or geopolitical instability can disrupt operations and impact local infrastructure.

📈

Scalability & Efficiency

Growing demand strains local resources and infrastructure, often outpacing community planning capacity.

🔊

Noise

Constant humming from cooling systems, generators, and substations can disrupt sleep, daily life, and wildlife in surrounding neighborhoods.

AI Data Centers Across the United States

A map of major AI data centers in the U.S. that are either operational or under construction, overlaid with locations where community members have emailed in concerns. Click any marker for details.

Operational

built & running

Under Construction

announced or building

Proposed

in pipeline / pending approval

3674

Community Reported

locations nationwide

Last updated: May 28, 2026

Not all DATA centers are on this map

There are over 4,000 data centers operating in the U.S., many built before the AI boom. This map isn't intended to show every data center. It's focused on locations where community members are actively voicing concerns.

https://www.brockovichdatacenter.com/index.html

Communities Making a Difference

Across the U.S., residents, town councils, planning boards, and lawmakers are organizing, voting, and litigating to shape how AI data centers come to their towns. Here are concrete examples of that work — drawn from the 2,971+ reports Erin has received from 49 states, and from coverage by reputable news outlets.

15+

Moratoria & Pauses

passed at the local, county, or state level

66%

Voter Approval

for Port Washington's nation-first referendum

Council Members Ousted

in Festus, MO after a data center vote

19%

Reports Citing Secrecy

of community submissions mention NDAs, secret deals, meetings, or no public voice

⏸️Moratoriums & Pausestowns and counties pressing the brakes

When residents and councils want time to study the impact before approving more data centers, they're enacting temporary pauses. These moratoriums vary in duration and scope, but they share a goal: don't let the buildout get ahead of the planning.

https://www.brockovichdatacenter.com/community-impact.html

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

DATA Center backlash grows

In perspective... the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms..

A gold cup at the National Museum of Iran, from the first half of the 1st millennium BC

1776 Declaration of Independence USA National Archives

Cedar Tree of Lebanon

1920 With the end of World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Allies give France a mandate over Greater Syria... France divides Greater Syria into Syria and Lebanon

1948 End of the Nazi Holocaust & the emergence of The United Nations, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and international law...

United Nations

Preamble

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,

Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,

Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms... READ MORE https://www.unonline.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights.html

Golden Rule Thinking

FREEDOM OF & FROM RELIGION

Jesus Christ in Palestine AD 28-29 ancient mosaic from Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire

Palestine - A crossroads for religion, culture, commerce, and politics, Palestine was among the earliest regions to see human habitation, agricultural communities and civilization.

Iran 559 BC

America 1776 AD

Lebanon 1920 AD

Israel 1948 AD

Hezboullah 1982 AD

The Guardian view on Trump and Lebanon: civilians need lasting peace, not short-term patches. The US president seeks to curb Israel’s intensified offensive as he looks for an exit from war with Iran, but turmoil in the Middle East will not easily be ended

The southern Lebanese port city of Tyre was targeted by Israeli airstrikes on 2 June 2026. Photograph: Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Editorial

“Let’s see how long that lasts,” Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday night, addressing his attempts to de-escalate in Lebanon following Israel’s intensified military campaign. Within hours, Israeli drone strikes had killed eight people in the south, including a father and his two children, and damaged a hospital. Hezbollah continued launching rockets and drones.

Anxious to escape the illegal war that he launched on Iran, and with Tehran threatening to suspend peace talks over the Israeli offensive, the US president reined in Benjamin Netanyahu – for now – in what was described as an expletive-laden phone call. Mr Trump’s post, despite its unusual admission of doubt, still oversold the agreement. He claimed that Hezbollah and Israel had agreed to “stop all shooting”. Lebanon’s presidency suggested a more limited deal: Israel would not strike Beirut’s southern suburbs if Hezbollah did not launch attacks against Israel.

That people are discussing de-escalation at all when a ceasefire is already supposed to be in place epitomises the cruelty of this conflict. The truce has not prevented Israel killing hundreds of people in Lebanon, including civilians, and it had intensified its offensive in late May. Mr Trump’s intervention appeared on Tuesday to have achieved – for however long – a return to a lower rate of death.... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/02/the-guardian-view-on-trump-and-lebanon-civilians-need-lasting-peace-not-short-term-patches

"Thank God for Pope Leo. He’s the leader our world desperately needs. Even for nonbelievers like me, the pope has become a reassuring – and all too rare – voice of moral clarity " - Arwa Mahdawi in the Guardian

‘He is still a mere mortal, he is not perfect, but he is proving to be a much-needed force for good.’ Photograph: Remo Casilli/Reuters

OpinionPope Leo XIV

Arwa Mahdawi

Do you remember the early 2000s, when Silicon Valley buzzed with idealism and tech bros told us they were going to save the world? “Don’t be evil” was Google’s unofficial motto; it’s 2004 IPO prospectus declared that doing “good things for the world” was more important than “short term gains”. Mark Zuckerberg similarly wrote in Facebook’s 2012 IPO letter that the social network was “built to accomplish a social mission – to make the world more open and connected”.

As was obvious to anyone paying attention, this was all performative bullshit. Nevertheless, it’s hard not to feel nostalgic about that period of time – which came to a definitive end in 2018, with the Cambridge Analytica scandal. By and large, billionaires and CEOs still cared what the hoi polloi thought of them. They were self-aware enough to realize that, even with all their billions, there’s a lot more of us than there are of them.

Now, however, there has been a seismic vibe shift. Donald Trump has made cruelty cool, and normalized greed and corruption. Tech titans, meanwhile, have lined up to kiss the ring – and extract as much money from his administration as they can. Elon Musk has gone from quirky rocketman to rightwing agitator. Zuckerberg is in his macho era, urging companies to unleash their “masculine energy” and saying he regrets apologizing so much in the past.

As for the mantra “don’t be evil”? Ha. Now tech companies are unapologetically fueling unimaginable evil. Project Nimbus, for example, a $1.2bn contract awarded by Israel to Google and Amazon, has been accused of playing a role in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founder, meanwhile, has said using the term genocide in connection to Gaza, which scores of leading human rights organizations and scholars do, is “offensive”.

Amid this vibe shift, something odd has happened: the Vatican City has... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/03/pope-leo-ai-technology

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Mosab Abu Toha- My translation of a new poem by my friend Hamed Ashour, who is in Gaza and writing from there: And just like this, whenever you smile, I see sorrowful peoples migrating from one cheek to another, mistaking—while thirst is killing them— every dimple they encounter for a well of water.

Mosab Abu Toha

@MosabAbuToha

My translation of a new poem by my friend Hamed Ashour, who is in Gaza and writing from there:

And just like this,

whenever you smile,

I see sorrowful peoples migrating

from one cheek to another,

mistaking—while thirst is killing them—

every dimple they encounter

for a well of water.

https://x.com/MosabAbuToha/status/2061653289687474377/photo/1

"They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Is 2:4)... Vatican announces theme for 2026 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation - traditionally SEPTEMBER 1

Nature (AFP or licensors)

Vatican

Vatican announces theme for 2026 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation

The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announces the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the 2026 celebration of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, held on September 1, as "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Is 2:4).

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Leo XIV has chosen “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Is 2:4) as the theme for the 2026 edition of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, traditionally celebrated on September 1.

In the statement from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development making the announcement, the Dicastery states that the Holy Father’s Message for the Day highlights the connection between armed conflict and environmental degradation.

Such degradation, it underscored, constitutes both a serious violation of our duty to care for creation, as well as a long-term threat to the lives of hundreds of millions of people.

Moreover, it said "the now widespread awareness of the impact of war on natural resources has not led to the creation of adequate institutions or to responsible decisions aimed at preventing conflicts and resolving disputes peacefully."

Finally, the statement concluded that the title, the passage in which the Prophet Isaiah prophesies the transformation of weapons into agricultural tools, "is an explicit invitation to prioritize development and sustainability over violence and destruction."

Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2026-06/vatican-theme-2026-world-day-of-prayer-for-the-care-of-creation.html

B'Tselem: "Israel is carrying out ethnic cleansing in East Jerusalem through discriminatory legislation, planning procedures, funding allocations and service provision, all designed to advance the Judaization of the area. "

B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم

@btselem

Immediately after occupying East Jerusalem in 1967, Israel annexed about 70,000 dunam (1 dunam = 0.1 hectares) from the West Bank to its territory in violation of international law. Parts of this area were added to Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries.

One third of the annexed territory was used to build settlements expressly designed to secure a Jewish majority and create a contiguous territorial bloc, while pushing Palestinian communities out of the urban space.

The Silwan area, located near the Old City, is home to about 20,000 Palestinians who suffer from systemic, criminal neglect in terms of public infrastructure and services the Jerusalem Municipality is obligated to provide: Many streets are unpaved, waste is left to pile up in the streets, and street lighting is limited.

On top of this neglect, residents face daily harassment and violence by both Israeli security forces and settlers.

Right now, about 1,800 Silwan residents are being forced out of their homes, which Israel is granting to settler families. This follows the past two years in which hundreds have already been uprooted and left homeless, as their houses are being demolished to make way for a national park and a parking lot.

Israel is carrying out ethnic cleansing in East Jerusalem through discriminatory legislation, planning procedures, funding allocations and service provision, all designed to advance the Judaization of the area. Read the full article >> btselem.org/jerusalem/2026

"Tech billionaires are plowing hundreds of millions into political campaigns, to fend off attempts at regulation and evade accountability lest their endeavors go awry. They want to make sure nobody butts in as they work to reshape society. And they are largely succeeding – for now, no one with the power to stop them is butting in."

Our tech overlords are planning for conscious AI to conquer the cosmos. What could go wrong?

A new belief set is uniting some of the wealthiest men in the world around a ‘transhuman’ future – actual humanity be damned

Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, took to the Internet a few years ago to propose that homo sapiens would be the first species “to design our own descendants”. In his best case scenario, the “merge” between humans and artificial intelligence occurs at some point over the next 50 years. The alternative, where we remain simply human and the machines follow their own path, is more ominous. “If two different species both want the same thing and only one can have it – in this case, to be the dominant species on the planet and beyond – they are going to have conflict,” he wrote.

More recently, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who at one point last year was granted the power to reconfigure the US federal government, argued on his social media platform, X, that “it increasingly appears that humanity is a biological bootloader for digital superintelligence” – our role in the history of the cosmos reduced to that of the low level code that boots up a computer before you can run sophisticated programs on it.

And Musk is on the tame side of the evolutionary proposition. According to Silicon Valley lore, he once pushed back against Google co-founder Larry Page’s claim that our next manifestation, to follow in the steps of the meat-and-bone humans you see walking about today, would necessarily have digital form in order to spread throughout the galaxy. (In fact, he recently testified in court that it was those concerns that prompted him to found OpenAI with Altman.) Meat and bones do not make for efficient interstellar travelers.

It would be a mistake to understand these weird worldviews as an ultimately harmless take by techies who grew up on a diet of dystopian science fiction. The notion that we are approaching the end of the homo sapiens, as defined since Darwin’s day, is coalescing into a durable body of belief among the elites at the helm of our technological future.

Their dreams are not all perfectly aligned. But like the folk stories and superstitions that have for ever revolved around more established religious traditions, the collection of far-fetched scenarios valley oligarchs are writing into our future exhibits the hallmarks of a religion in the making, a body of belief to confer a sense of cosmic transcendence and inevitability to their hi-tech project.... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/may/31/transhuman-silicon-valley-ai

Annie's New Letters (& notes)

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Wednesday, June 3, 2026

"Between the Dome and the Sky" by Palestinian (Ramallah) Artist Wadeei Khaled (Born in Al-Arroub Refugee Camp in 1986)