Good morning! 🪶

What national news covered this yesterday? Any of the major news TV shows? This should have been on constant coverage!

It is not, I think, an accident that the administration mounted a campaign to intimidate people out of calling them fascist right before doubling down on overt fascism.

September’s Folklore (136:3) features two of my reviews on books about the social supernatural & the persistence of paganism. Both richly worth the doing. Some splendid other stuff too! 😉 @uexeterpress.bsky.social @robincdouglas.bsky.social @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social @folkloresociety.bsky.social

This only happens to you once

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Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world. 💚 - John Muir #ThickTrunkTuesday #Twosday #trees #forest #nature #photography #EastCoastKin

Dust Bowl - 📍 Deadvlei, Namibia, July 28, 2025

We have received many questions about whether it’s safe to sign up for No Kings protests while Trump ramps up his attacks on free speech.

"Democratic leaders have had six months to come up with a plan. If there’s a better plan than a shutdown, great. But if the plan is still nothing, then Democrats need new leaders."

"Eradicate practices that devalue and demean the Christian faith." That's not terrifying at all.

Ah, it's the little social media joys that keep me here.

Good morning from the burrowing owls!

"Pat, why do you carry that ridiculous 600mm lens on long hikes?" Buddy, I can see mountains reflected in the eyes of a trailside pika.

This is how I want to start every day of my life. 🪶

Stand By Me turns 40 next year. To celebrate, Corey, Jerry, and I are hosting 35mm screenings of the film, followed by an audience Q&A, and a little VIP photo reception thing for folks who are into that. Current dates are: 4 December Concord, NH 5 December Red Bank, NJ

Gorgeous grasses #iPhone

Hey everyone! Just landed back in France after spending 3 weeks guiding photo tours in Greenland. Looking forward to share some new work from there 🙂. Meanwhile here’s a video of a really cool iceberg 🧊 we found last week.

People think they're cute and snarky, but really people are just judgmental assholes.

In a Welsh wood #wodland #nikon #photography #landscapephotography

This is who runs this account.

Sunrise over Slains Castle, Cruden Bay #Scotland #Aberdeenshire #Castles www.damianshields.com

River Coupall

This is very wrong, and very right. Image source: youtu.be/rGqEuk8Om-4

'Brand New Day'

Joanne Robertson’s beautifully murky folksong and the best of the week’s new tracks

Well, if this isn't the perfect insight for dealing with 2025.

Some beautifull sunflowers

A complete lesson for learners of all ages: use the three sites I've provided PLUS end on a study of Zoot Suit Riots to show Disney propaganda using language of the era to make people feel + act. It hits home the real life application of this propaganda. www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles...

Along the way of studying these sites, I ask students to apply some of their new media literacy by watching + analyzing Spirit of '43, which has countless symbols and other text that are implied and explicit--great place for media learners to spread wings. www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNMr...

@yashin.bsky.social The above site plus this one for up to grade 12: videa.ca/wp-content/u... This isn't media-specific but all critical thought + forcing thinkers to consider "outside the box." I use this with the media literacy site I shared in the above post. These exercises look easy; th'ain't.

mediaeducationlab.com/sites/defaul... A basic I've used for years to teach people media literacy through mastery of reading comprehension & how to detect context clues that are implied/inferred, & how to decode text messages, their authors, and the author intent in making us "feel" and then "act."

It also says what we’ve seen again and again, adults are being left behind. Overconfident, under-informed, and with no clear route to improve.

The report calls for exactly what I and others have been arguing: media literacy must be embedded across the curriculum, starting in early years and supported by proper teacher training.

They found media literacy in schools is fragmented, inconsistent, and often absent. Teachers lack support and critical thinking isn’t embedded into education consistently, creating an educational postcode lottery for media literacy and critical thinking.

The House of Lords just released a major report on media literacy. Its core message is that the UK is falling behind, and it’s putting democracy at risk. committees.parliament.uk/work/9030/me...

They're already on top of it. www.npr.org/sections/sho...

Astronomers have observed what they believe to be a never-before-seen companion star orbiting Betelgeuse, a pulsating red supergiant star in the shoulder of the Orion constellation.

Good morning! 🪶

PBS News is not going anywhere. We will continue our work without fear or favor, as we have for nearly five decades on the air. We are profoundly grateful to Viewers Like You for your loyalty and unwavering support.

Cat pic of the day. Meet Jack! We love Jack.

Did you know that for $5/month, you can get PBS Passport, a service that unlocks the vastness of the @pbs.org libraries? Feed your mind while you help PBS stay on the air.

The Ceti eel worm thing freaked me out as a little kid. It was my first exposure to Star Trek. Freaking loved it.

'Darkness Falls'

A State Department employee shared with PBS News an image from inside the department. The image includes a piece of paper taped to a mirror with the words, "Colleagues, if you remain: RESIST FASCISM. Remember the oath you vowed to uphold."

This is your sign to kill your lawn and plant native wildflower seeds!

"Being by the sea is like a permanent baptism; the light and air hypnotises, and your soul is washed by vastness." ~ Iain Pears Girl in a Silver Sea (1909) 🎨 Joaquín Sorolla

A magical woodland scene. #woodland #woodlandphotography

I can't stress enough how close U.S. science is to the cliff. "Numbers released in May by the National Science Foundation (NSF) indicate that if Congress approves the cuts to the agency proposed by the White House, the number of early-career researchers it supports could fall by 78%" (@science.org)

A simple moment, standing in the sea.