Google Cuts Down 400,000 Trees for Finland Data Centers

Google has illegally cut down a about 400,000 trees near the towns of Muhos and Otanmäki in rural northern Finland for data centers. Google even took the topsoil with it. All that remains is a vast expanse of mud indented with the trail marks of machinery, puddles and mounds of earth, roots and branches. Residents say that brown water flowing off the site is going into a stream that feeds the Oulujoki River.

Typical of corporations who want to build hierarchies and the wealth they bring and what is good for them is the root of their decision making, many people in Finland are appalled by the arrogance and destruction. 

Jussi Kangasharju, head of computer science at the University of Helsinki, said about data centers, “They are international companies serving international customers. Very little corporate taxes go to Finland. Datacenters ultimately have very little benefit for others except the datacentre operator.”

When the trees were felled, the wolves who had lived there came to the village, said Anni Ranta, 53, whose family has lived there for generations. Vesa Hyyryläinen, chair of the local SLL district, said three-toed woodpeckers nesting in the forest had been pushed out.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2026/oct/22/finland-google-felling-trees-datacentre

Witches of Scotland Tartan Officially Registered

Serving as a living memorial and visual symbol following the successful campaign that secured formal legal pardons, apologies, and memorials for the victims, An official memorial textile created to honor the thousands of people—mostly women—who were wrongfully accused, tortured, and executed under Scotland's Witchcraft Act between 1563 and 1736. 

The black, red, gray, and pink design honors the thousands of individuals - mostly women - who were persecuted under the Scottish Witchcraft Act. 

Religion has been classified into hierarchies for centuries, with pagan spiritualities being placed on the bottom by Christian-dominated societies. 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-new-tartan-pattern-created-to-honor-women-accused-of-witchcraft-in-scotland-between-1563-and-1736-180986172/

Hundreds of Students March to Cast Votes after Republicans Remove Their Ballot Boxes

Hundreds of students at North Carolina A&T, UNC Greensboro, and Bennett College walked about 45 minutes, then waited in long lines, to cast ballots on the first day of North Carolina's early voting after Republicans took away campus ballot boxes. For hours, students could be seen marching to their new polling places. 

The GOP-led Guilford County Board of Elections voted 3-2 along party lines to deny polling places at NCA&T and UNC Greensboro, which were present at both locations for the 2024 general election.

Hierarchical Republicans will use any control tactics they can dream of in order to keep their position in their hierarchies, including, of course, trying to stop those who would oppose them at the ballot box. 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/north-carolina-t-unc-greensboro-014543629.html

The Feminist Majority Foundation Speaks Out on the Cornell Rape Case

The Feminist Majority Foundation believes that the Cornell rape case is an established system of power designed to prioritize the wants and needs of men at the expense of women’s livelihood. 

"Universities have a responsibility to investigate allegations of sexual violence and provide survivors with meaningful avenues for reporting and support. When institutions fail to do so, survivors can be left navigating both the consequences of the assault and the consequences of the institution’s response."

Concerning the current case at Cornell:

"The lawsuit and public outrage has prompted District Attorney Matthew van Houten to reopen the case. But it should not take this much pressure to secure justice. Accountability must extend beyond the individual perpetrators to the system and cultures that allow sexual violence to go unaddressed."

https://feminist.org/news/the-cornell-57-how-educational-institutions-fail-women/

Human RIghts Champions Meeting in Sweden

More than 100 human rights defenders from over 50 countries are meeting in Sweden to share experiences, build networks, and strengthen their work. Defenders’ Days is an international conference for human rights defenders, providing a safe space where participants from across the globe can meet, exchange experiences, and learn from one another. 

“We are witnessing democracy and respect for human rights come under pressure in many parts of the world. At the same time, human rights defenders continue to stand up for others, often at great personal cost. For a few days, they have the opportunity to come together, build networks, and strengthen one another for the work ahead,” says Sofia Walan, Executive Director of Civil Rights Defenders.

We applaud people who risk their lives and livelihoods to break down the hierarchies of our world. 

https://crd.org/2026/10/12/they-risk-their-lives-for-human-rights-now-they-are-coming-to-sweden/

Coastal Land to be Returned to the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

In 1855, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians ceded much of their ancestral land as the U.S. ratified treaties across Oregon and drove Native people onto smaller parcels.

But now, a 6.82 acre area called Rocky Shores, located south of Yachats in an undisclosed area will be returned to the CTSI.

“This was part of our ancestral territories, and it was also part of the coast reservation,” CTSI Natural Resources Director Angela Sondenaa explained. “There was 100 miles of the central Oregon coast that was included in that reservation through treaty. And those promises were broken.”

The Siletz tribe won’t open up Rocky Shores to the public, a decision meant to protect its ecosystem from traffic. But some CTSI officials said they might hold organized events there for invited guests soon.

With lands returning to Native peoples, we can have hope that even more of the hierarchies that have dominated this country will be broken down, and in whatever ways possible, groups such as Native people can regain some of what was lost in the past. 

https://www.klcc.org/environment/2026-10-05/siletz-tribe-land-back-rocky-shores-yachats?fbclid=IwY2xjawUyni9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAWJyaWQRMWlMY2VVSHlQTUU5Um80SGhzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEebpXi5fXyZDkxUDwVG2Ij_3W5VpLuuDmGUo535cCjHtf3te-dh5cqolQyOEY_aem_BsRCg85R4Hkf-BWWSnV15g

Minneapolis - Turns Warehouse into 100 Tiny Homes

Taking seriously how our hierarchies favoring the wealthy are harming many of our citizens, Avivo Village was created in Minneapolis. designed to be a dignified, safe, and COVID-aware alternative to outdoor encampments, housing people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. The tiny homes were built in a warehouse. 

Since opening December 2020, and through July, 2026, Avivo Village’s success is measured by:

• 873 total individuals served since opening in December 2020
• 339 individuals moved on to safe, permanent housing
• 261 overdoses have been reversed
• 21 babies were born to Avivo Village residents
• 41% of people housed identify as Native American
• 49 veterans served
• 73 pets (dogs and cats) have lived with residents

https://avivomn.org/avivovillage/