Becky Beamer

31/08/2026

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31/08/2026

Thoughts on 📸 cameras?

Texas — August 28, 2026: A Texas Tribune investigation found that a $1 increase in annual auto-insurance fees—approved to combat catalytic-converter theft—helped supply at least $30 million for roughly 3,200 Flock license-plate cameras. The cameras record plates and identifying vehicle details in a searchable database.

Governor Greg Abbott has paused further state-agency funding, but the order does not remove existing cameras or prevent local and federal spending.

Should surveillance funding require explicit public approval?

Sources:
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/08/28/texas-flock-cameras-auto-insurance-fee-mvcpa-grants/

https://www.texastribune.org/2026/08/28/texas-greg-abbott-flock-cameras-order-state-money/

https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/986541/texas-governor-abbott-flock-cameras

https://www.texastribune.org/2026/08/24/flock-cameras-face-growing-backlash-across-texas-counties-but-getting-rid-of-them-is-complicated/

The funding trail and pause are documented. Debate continues over effectiveness, privacy and cameras already installed; corrections will be noted.

28/08/2026

Your body matters.

Spain is reviewing an official nutrition report for women experiencing perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause after researchers identified inadequately disclosed reliance on evidence derived from men.

The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition, known as AESAN, published the report in 2026. This is a nutrition and health-risk report—not Spain’s complete clinical guideline for diagnosing or treating menopause.

On page 19, Table 4 describes nutrient-reference values for the “adult female population” aged 40 and over. It includes 95 milligrams of vitamin C and 11 milligrams of iron per day.

The vitamin-C figure traces to a 2013 European Food Safety Authority scientific opinion. EFSA explicitly stated that it lacked measurements of metabolic vitamin-C losses in women. It therefore calculated the women’s requirement by adjusting the requirement established from male data according to reference body weight.

EFSA’s 2015 iron opinion used a broader evidence base, including some data involving women. However, it explicitly proposed the same dietary reference values for postmenopausal women as for men. That distinction matters: the iron evidence should not be described as entirely male-only, but the postmenopausal value was directly aligned with the male reference.

Spanish nutrition researcher Sonia de Pascual-Teresa Fernández noticed the issue while checking the report’s footnotes. Scientists associated with the Spanish Association of Women Researchers and Technologists argued that AESAN presented general or extrapolated values as recommendations for women over 40 without giving the evidentiary limitations sufficient prominence.

According to original reporting by Antonio Martínez Ron for elDiario.es, AESAN acknowledged omitting a warning and asked its scientific committee to review the report. EFSA subsequently told the newspaper that the English publication would be republished after the necessary updates.

The full report was not based entirely on men. It cites numerous studies involving menopausal and postmenopausal women. There is also no evidence that the listed vitamin-C or iron amounts directly harmed anyone. The accountability story concerns scientific transparency: readers were not clearly shown where women-specific knowledge ended and mathematical extrapolation began.

RELIABILITY

The disputed table and its underlying EFSA opinions are directly accessible and confirm the central facts. AESAN’s response is documented through multiple Spanish and European outlets, although a standalone public correction from the agency was not located as of August 28, 2026. Claims that Spain studied menopause entirely in men would be misleading.

SOURCES

Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition. “Informe sobre los riesgos nutricionales de la mujer durante la menopausia, perimenopausia y posmenopausia.” 2026. Spanish; free; primary government report. Table 4 presents the disputed reference values for women aged 40 and over.
https://www.aesan.gob.es/dam/jcr:e334f918-3ae9-47e8-b5d4-6aa4a663b8a3/MENOPAUSIA.pdf

EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. “Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for Vitamin C.” November 4, 2013. English; free; primary scientific opinion. It states that the women’s requirement was extrapolated from men because metabolic-loss measurements were unavailable for women.
https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3418

EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. “Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for Iron.” October 21, 2015. English; free; primary scientific opinion. It proposes the same reference values for postmenopausal women as for men while incorporating some mixed-sex evidence.
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4254

Antonio Martínez Ron, elDiario.es. “La Agencia Española de Nutrición publica un informe sobre mujeres con menopausia con datos obtenidos en hombres.” Published August 25 and updated August 26, 2026. Spanish; free; original independent reporting.
https://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/agencia-espanola-nutricion-publica-informe-mujeres-menopausicas-datos-obtenidos-hombres_1_13465926.html

EDITORIAL STATEMENT

I’m an American living in Norway as a permanent resident and an Associate Professor of photojournalism at OsloMet. I’m not from this community, so I have relied on and centered Spanish reporting and the original scientific documents. This post was independently prepared and does not represent OsloMet. Mentioning or linking a source is not an endorsement. I retain editorial responsibility, and corrections or changes to the official report will be noted transparently.

Any AI-generated accompanying image will be labeled as an editorial illustration and will not be presented as documentary evidence.

RELATED VIEWING

Watch News You May Have Missed — Week in Review for more unusual and underreported stories from around the world.

27/08/2026

27/08/2026

A TikTok video has led scientists to the first known subterranean fish from the Gangetic Basin in Bihar, India.

Researchers encountered the video in 2024. It showed a small, nearly transparent fish emerging from a borewell somewhere near the India–Nepal border. Because no groundwater-adapted fish had previously been documented from this enormous alluvial plain, scientists began searching wells in northern Bihar.

The investigation was difficult. The team examined more than fifteen borewells and pumped approximately 2,500 litres of groundwater before obtaining three specimens—only one of which was sufficiently intact for detailed analysis.

Genetic testing, micro-CT imaging and anatomical comparisons showed that the fish represents both a new species and a new genus of earthworm eel: Gangaichthys indonepalicus.

The animal measures approximately four centimetres. Its translucent body, reduced eyes covered by skin, lack of pigmentation and unusual skeletal characteristics appear adapted to life in permanent darkness.

Researchers still do not know its complete geographical range, population size, water-quality requirements or vulnerability to pollution and groundwater extraction. Only three physical specimens have been scientifically documented.

SOURCES

Akshay Khandekar et al., “Gangaichthys indonepalicus, a new genus and species of miniature stygobitic earthworm eel,” ZooKeys, August 11, 2026. Peer-reviewed primary research:
https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/188089/

Pensoft Publishers/EurekAlert, “TikTok video leads to discovery of rare underground eel in India,” August 17, 2026. Participating publisher’s research announcement and scientific images:
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1139818

Nature, “TikTok video leads to discovery of new underground fish species,” August 22, 2026. Independent specialist summary:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d44151-026-00164-z

Times of India, “A TikTok clip helped scientists discover a new translucent eel living beneath India’s plains,” August 22, 2026. Indian national reporting:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/animals/a-tiktok-clip-helped-scientists-discover-a-new-translucent-eel-living-beneath-indias-plains/articleshow/133381979.cms

EDITORIAL STATEMENT

I’m an American living in Norway as a permanent resident and an Associate Professor of photojournalism at OsloMet. I’m not from this community, so I have relied on the peer-reviewed research, participating scientists and Indian and specialist reporting.

This report was independently prepared and does not represent OsloMet. Linking a source is not an endorsement. Corrections and substantive scientific updates will be clearly labeled and dated.

Any AI-generated accompanying image will be identified as an editorial illustration—not scientific evidence or a documentary image of the species.

RELATED VIEWING

Watch News You May Have Missed — Week in Review for more unusual and underreported stories from around the world.

26/08/2026

More Secrets found …


Sources posted on previous post.

26/08/2026

Do you like turtles? Turtle Power—more than 16,000 years before the Ninja Turtles? 🐢

İn Cave, Bilecik, Türkiye — reported August 20, 2026: Archaeologists uncovered about 25 limestone turtle figurines in Ice Age layers. Their placement may indicate ritual use—and the hill above the cave resembles a turtle—but researchers say that interpretation remains preliminary.

If you saw an animal in the shape of a mountain, would you make it sacred?

Sources: Atahan Gezer and Muhsin Arslan, Anadolu Agency; BIA News Desk, Bianet; Archaeological Institute of America. The excavation photographs are credited to Anadolu Agency

I relied on Turkish and specialist archaeological reporting. Corrections and significant research updates will be noted.

25/08/2026

Welcome to the jungle—because Slash officially has his own snake.

Papua New Guinea — study published August 11, 2026: DNA and anatomical research confirmed that a specimen collected in 2006 belongs to a distinct species, now named Lielaphis slashi after Guns N’ Roses guitarist and reptile enthusiast Slash. The nonvenomous groundsnake’s forest habitat faces pressure from mining and agriculture.

If you could name a new species after any musician, who would it be?

Sources: Tianqi Huang and colleagues, Zootaxa; Field Museum; ABC Pacific; Sophie Ellis, Discover Wildlife.

I’m not from this community and relied on Papua New Guinean, scientific and independent reporting. Corrections will be noted.

24/08/2026

What if the person threatening a woman is a neighbor, colleague or stranger—not a partner?

Brazil, August 19, 2026: The Supreme Court ruled that emergency protections under the Maria da Penha Law can apply to gender-based violence beyond domestic or intimate relationships. The nationwide decision could extend protection into workplaces, public spaces and politics.

Should protection ever depend on the victim’s relationship with the aggressor?

Sources: Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court, official ruling summary; Ana Pompeu, Folha de S.Paulo; Verônica Serpa, Alma Preta; Associated Press.

I relied on Brazilian and primary reporting. The originating allegations remain allegations, and corrections will be clearly noted.

23/08/2026

A documentary crew went looking for “impossible roads”—then their own road home disappeared.

Kara and Lomé, Togo — detained July 27; charged August 17; government update August 22, 2026: Two French directors and Togolese fixer Fred Vedomey were filming Les Routes de l’impossible when police detained them and seized their equipment. Their producer says they had work visas and filming permission; authorities allege they lacked proper accreditation and made false declarations.

One director is under house arrest. The other director and Vedomey remain in pretrial detention. Togo says it possesses serious evidence but has not released it publicly; all three deny the charge.

When does a disputed paperwork issue become a press-freedom crisis?

Sources: Reporters Without Borders, “Togo: RSF Calls for the Immediate Release…,” August 19, updated August 20; Associated Press, “Togo Detains French Filmmakers Over Alleged Immigration Violations,” August 20; France 24, “Togo Says It Has ‘Serious’ Evidence Against Detained French Filmmakers,” August 22.

I’m not from this community. Claims remain disputed, and corrections or custody updates will be clearly noted.