“The bathroom’s down the hall,” Gustavo Faleiros tells me, as we speak one June afternoon in his sunny São Paulo apartment. “But there’s no running water.” Residents of his building in the middle-class neighborhood of Pompéia have agreed to alternate water supply to their apartments—one day with and one day without—in order to eke out what trickles in from the water mains each day.
The São Paulo water shortage is bringing residents of Brazil’s biggest city face to face with environmental crisis inside their own homes. But for Faleiros, it has been part of his daily life for years. He is the founder of geo-journalism initiative InfoAmazonia, which uses data gleaned from databases and satellites to create innovative, deeply contextualized maps, graphics, reports, and features concerning the Amazon, covering burning issues facing the immense region—in some cases, literally: InfoAmazonia’s map of “heat focuses” shows the forest fires currently raging over the entire continent, updated hourly.
A dip into InfoAmazonia’s website reveals a wealth of interactive maps, which become ever richer as you enable layer after layer. In one, a map showing Brazil’s indigenous reserves is interlaid with another displaying the country’s environmentally protected areas, then layered with more depicting the ravages of deforestation, in color-coded historical phases. Another map starts with the same deforestation data, then surfaces the locations of slaughterhouses and timber clusters, and overlays those with red dots of varying sizes, pinpointing the locations and numbers of people rescued from slavery or slave-like conditions by the Ministry of Work and Employment from 2003 to 2013. The site’s data and mapping software are made available to the public, part of Faleiros’s commitment to increasing interest in the region.
“Our maps are not about just collecting and presenting raw data,” says Faleiros. “They are usually an integral part of a story, and sometimes even the starting point. What are enslaved workers doing in these areas?” He answers his own question—as, to some extent, do the maps: They’re removing roots after the felling of trees, burning scrub, making charcoal, and preparing the ground for cattle and later, perhaps, soya.
Faleiros, softly spoken and still fresh-faced at 37, has been working as an environmental journalist since 2001, when he graduated from college and joined the staff of the financial newspaper Valor Econômico. “I found environment stories immediately interesting,” he says. “And better still, there was no one covering it at the time—it was a space I could occupy within the newspaper.”
In a new phase for Faleiros and his team, InfoAmazonia has just initiated a Google sponsored project in two Amazon communities equipping local volunteers with sensors to monitor the quality of water for human consumption, whether delivered via the mains or drawn from wells. With this initiative, says Faleiros, InfoAmazonia is evolving from purely collecting, processing, and presenting information to becoming a primary source of information, generating relevant data using citizen journalists and communicators. “It’s about mobilizing and training people to monitor the environment around them, and to learn to collect usable data,” he says. “The possibilities around that are incredibly exciting.”
Wiman hiding her face behind a bunch of cashCanva
A mansion and its reflection in the swimming poolCanva
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Parents of young children get more time with them if they work from home.Photo credit: Canva
Juicy subject matter
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We could start a rumor.
Grieving couple comforting each other
This response to someone grieving a friend might be the best internet comment ever
When someone is hit with the sudden loss of a friend or loved one, words rarely feel like enough. Yet, more than a decade ago, a wise Redditor named GSnow shared thoughts so profound they still bring comfort to grieving hearts today.
Originally posted around 2011, the now-famous reply was rediscovered when Upvoted, an official Reddit publication, featured it again to remind everyone of its enduring truth. It began as a simple plea for help: “My friend just died. I don't know what to do.”
What followed was a piece of writing that many consider one of the internet’s best comments of all time. It remains shared across social media, grief forums, and personal messages to this day because its honesty and metaphor speak to the raw reality of loss and the slow, irregular path toward healing.
Below is GSnow’s full reply, unchanged, in all its gentle, wave-crashing beauty:
Why this advice still matters
Mental health professionals and grief counselors often describe bereavement in stages or phases, but GSnow’s “wave theory” gives an image more relatable for many. Rather than a linear process, grief surges and retreats—sometimes triggered by a song, a place, or a simple morning cup of coffee.
In recent years, this metaphor has found renewed relevance. Communities on Reddit, TikTok, and grief support groups frequently reshare it to help explain the unpredictable nature of mourning.
Many readers say this analogy helps them feel less alone, giving them permission to ride each wave of grief rather than fight it.
Finding comfort in shared wisdom
Since this comment first surfaced, countless people have posted their own stories underneath it, thanking GSnow and passing the words to others facing fresh heartbreak. It’s proof that sometimes, the internet can feel like a global support group—strangers linked by shared loss and hope.
For those searching for more support today, organizations like The Dougy Center, GriefShare, and local bereavement groups offer compassionate resources. If you or someone you know is struggling with intense grief, please reach out to mental health professionals who can help navigate these deep waters.
When grief comes crashing like the ocean, remember these words—and hang on. There is life between the waves.
This article originally appeared four years ago.