We very often failed to live up to that ideal. Now, we don't profess any kind of ideal at all. Artemis II carries men and women of great courage and competence, farther than any human has ever traveled before. But the country that launched this mission has squandered any chance of ever saying to the world: Trust us, we will use this power well and wisely. So, on a nervous night, the world watches us again, not gathered communally around black-and-white televisions to look at the moon, but individually staring at our cellphones, wondering whether there may be nuclear bombs in that ominous tool kit the vice president mentioned. Artemis II feels like an echo of a world that has passed, an old, beloved leitmotif from a symphony we have shredded. Once again we wonder about technology and power, but it is not the wide-eyed wonder of unprecedented achievement of the Space Age, but an unprecedented promise to return an entire people to the Stone Age.

Watching Artemis II at the same time as everything else going on felt heartbreaking. Theres is a younger version of me in my head that still enjoys things, and it closed its box of space toys, with their little American flags, and walked out of the room for good

Farage saying don't deny visas due to speech

Farage minion wanting to deny visas to whole countries based on speech of their government he disagrees with

Free speech news

The United States of America is the ONLY Nation on earth who's citizens are permitted to have guns SPECIFICALLY in order to rise up against an Authoritarian government and yet they choose to do FUCK All 🤔

This is the feeling we have in Europe.

It is absolutely brilliant, but I'm glad I have to wait till Saturdays to see each episode. One a week is enough.

Fluffy!

America’s favorite sport: saying the right thing and hoping no one checks the scoreboard.

Hello, everybody!
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme from @robcrank68.bsky.social is #BlackHeads, any bird with Black on its head, the Alt Theme is #Grey, birds with Grey Feathers on them.
Here's a twofer; Mike's photo of a Rüppell's warbler. Taken on Crete, June 2023.

One month ago.

Ex Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting under Obama👇🏽

All of Us Should Be Able To Agree With This…..

The people of Iran aren’t free. Iran can now charge tolls. The nuclear material sits EXACTLY where it did, in the same amount, since June. The regime is still in place with a younger ayatollah. Iran still was launching missiles, now with more money to rebuild.

Period

You're right. And don't apologise.

Ooooh, I haven't read those...yet.

When corrupt Tories get found out
there's always a home for them
as "carefully vetted"
Reform Ltd MPs & councillors

meme via William J Dovercourt III

23 people could stop this genocidal war criminal. That’s it. 23.

20 Republican senators and 3 republican reps in the house and he’d be out of politics forever. But they won’t.

They’re addicted to power. A drug so strong they’d rather see a civilization die than give it up.

Stunning! They are very like amaryllis, which grow in pots in late winter/early spring.

So pro-life means jailing women who miscarry but shrugging when the deranged president says “a whole civilization will die tonight.” Do I have that right?

The same geniuses who think Trump, who dodged the draft five times, knows how to win a war also think Trump, who declared
bankruptcy six times, knows how to run the economy.
That's what Trump Derangement
Syndrome actually looks like.

Lying on behalf of an inimical foreign power? He should be arrested and tried for treason.

At this point, if the parents of school shooters can be prosecuted/convicted, we should prosecute politicians and government officials who are accomplices to (war) crimes.

Most of Brits in 2026 agree with Sir Michael Morpurgo - Brexit was a grave mistake. Many of Brexit voters are simply dead by now, showing that senior vote can negatively affect a future for younger people, just because of senile phobias and nostalgia.

It's time to fix the damage. UK stil can do it

What he says…

Screenshot of a tweet by Rep. Ted Lieu stating that U.S. military law prohibits war crimes, including strikes on civilian infrastructure that cause disproportionate harm. The tweet warns that service members must disobey illegal orders and could face prosecution by a future administration if they commit war crimes.

Rep. Ted Lieu isn't backing down.

I feel sick to my stomach waiting around to see what atrocity Trump has in mind for the people of Iran this evening. It's hard to fathom our other elected leaders aren't able to check him in any meaningful way. It's an indictment not just of voters but of our whole system. We're ruled by a mad king.

There is no pivoting from genocide. There's no refocusing on kitchen table issues--a madman with an itching to drop nukes is threatening to eradicate a country. There is no planning session for this, there is only action.

Like… We cannot go ahead and have the World Cup now like nothing is going on. Regardless of what does or doesn’t happen tonight. Countries should simply refuse to send teams. The rest of the world cannot treat us as a remotely normal country after this

Actually, they're crinums. Not true lilies. Related to amaryllises, and also to daffodils.

They are not true lilies. They are crinums, closely related to the amaryllis family and also to daffodils.

Damn, you got me.

I'm really jealous as it was on one of his trips without me!