Porch geese, lawn flamingos, and garden gnomes

The newest work dress code: Tokyo summer.

Japan is preparing for another cruelly hot summer by setting energy use guidelines and recommending a lighter work wardrobe. It's leg season! CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity Tokyo Gov't Allows Shorts at Work to Beat Heat, Cut Energy Use (The Sankei Shimbun, Japan Forward, May 4, 2026) [https://japan-forward.com/tokyo-cool-biz-shorts-beat-heat-cut-energy-use/] Tokyo workers encouraged to wear shorts to cut energy costs and keep cool (Justin McCurry, The Guardian, Apr 24, 2026) [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/24/tokyo-workers-asked-to-swap-suits-for-shorts-to-combat-energy-costs-and-heat] Cool Biz: Energy Conservation Efforts in Japan (Ryan Chang, The NEBB Professional - Q4 2023 Edition) [https://www.nebb.org/blog/cool-biz-energy-conservation-efforts-in-japan/] Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me [condensedsoup@proton.me] *This episode was recorded in my bedroom.

We're building American women's handball

The US is rushing to compete in women's Olympic handball, so they're building a team -- from scratch. CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity * These women are training to represent the US in an Olympic sport they'd never heard of (Jaimie Ding, AP, May 16, 2026) [https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2028-us-women-handball-b9e54fc46678c7c1bee096367dde4694] * Try Out For Team USA (USA Team Handball, accessed Jun 9, 2026) [https://www.usateamhandball.org/try-out] * Sports (The Olympics, accessed Jun 9, 2026) [https://www.olympics.com/en/sports/] Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me [condensedsoup@proton.me] *This episode was recorded in my bedroom.

Hikers build up Acadia National Park's mountains

The beautiful mountains of Acadia National Park need a little extra love, so hikers are helping out by volunteering to carry soil to the summits. CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity * The surprising thing visitors are carrying up Acadia's mountains (Eve Chen, USA Today, Jun 8, 2026) [https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/national-parks/2026/06/08/acadia-national-park-summit-conservation/89613233007/] * The Dirt on Acadia (Nicholas Lund, National Parks Conservation Association, Winter 2025) [https://www.npca.org/articles/5924-the-dirt-on-acadia] Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me [condensedsoup@proton.me] *This episode was recorded in my bedroom.

Scientists and doctors ejected from diabetes conference

No funny news today, friends. A group of leading scientists and doctors were thrown out of a diabetes conference for supporting and distributing a journal editorial criticizing current health policies. Lists are being maintained. CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity * Scientists ejected from diabetes conference for distributing journal reprints (Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, Jun 6, 2026) [https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/scientists-ejected-from-diabetes-conference-for-distributing-journal-reprints/] * U doctor booted from conference for handing out editorial opposing Trump health policies (Jeremy Olson, MSN / Minnesota Star Tribune, Jun 5, 2026) [https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/u-doctor-booted-from-conference-for-handing-out-editorial-opposing-trump-health-policies/ar-AA24Xg2h] * Media offenders (The White House (official), accessed Jun 7, 2026) [https://www.whitehouse.gov/mediabias/] * McCarthyism (Wikipedia, accessed Jun 7, 2026) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism] Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me [condensedsoup@proton.me] *This episode was recorded in my bedroom.

Does the Great Salt Lake have enough water for boats?

Last month, over twenty boats were lifted out of the Great Salt Lake due to declining water levels. It's a great wake up call to preserve a unique (and economically important) body of water. CONDENSED SOUP: 10 minutes of cozy curiosity * Boats pulled from Great Salt Lake marina again (Ben Winslow, Fox 13, May 30, 2026) [https://www.fox13now.com/news/great-salt-lake-collaborative/boats-pulled-from-great-salt-lake-marina-again] * Great Salt Lake Facts (Utah (dot) com, accessed Jun 5, 2026) [https://www.utah.com/destinations/state-parks/great-salt-lake-state-park/great-salt-lake-facts/] * The Saltiest Body of Water Isn't the Dead Sea (Grant Virellan, How Stuff Works, Mar 24, 2026) [https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/saltiest-body-of-water.htm] Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me [condensedsoup@proton.me] *This episode was recorded in my bedroom.