The Child Carburetor by Francis Picabia, 1919 https://botfrens.com/collections/212/contents/137237

First glance at new Aotearoa Planning Bill and there are definitely parts drafted by dodgy AI... tacked on in a hurry. LOLed at a couple of parts clearly not written by anyone that knew what they were doing. www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/governm...

In which I eviscerate the profound stupidity of the new National Security Strategy document: open.substack.com/pub/nilsgilm...

Lady Wharncliffe, Untitled, https://botfrens.com/collections/14375/contents/1132382

Absolutely. A must-read.

i read stuff like this and can genuinely angry at guys like jd vance who insist that this country belongs to some narrow vision of the "native born"

A close-up of one of Ireland's three native translucent rainforest ferns: Tunbridge filmy. Best appreciated in the wet, its fronds swell and glisten with fat drops of succulence.

"I'm not in denial, I'm in open rebellion" damn that quote goes hard

Chic hits #1 today in 1978 with “Le Freak”, a song originally titled “F**k Off!” — and written after the band was turned away by the bouncers at Studio 54. “We go back to my apartment really pissed off,” said Nile Rodgers, “and Bernard starts singing, ‘Ahhh, f**k off!’ .. and that became the hook.”

👏👏👏👏👏

Monet’s Poplars series almost didn’t happen because the trees were about to be cut down. So he purchased them until he finished painting, then sold them back.

Live your life in such a way that you never find Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blowing smoke up your ass. bbc.com/news/article...

Used to live upstream of a highland cattle farm. Can attest that slowing the car and watching them as you drive past significantly lowers your cortisol and blood pressure, your desire harm anyone/anything and consequently your subsequent alcohol uptake. OK, that last one's debatable

There can’t be no third party (Canada) come in there. We were two parties that made this treaty because a treaty is a contract which we have to live up to.”

Me and the fellas beating the toxic masculinity out of each others souls

I think I've read this book before ...

Heatwave? hard rain? Blame #climatechange Sea Surface Temp anomalies out in the Tasman: 2.7˚C above normal earth.nullschool.net#current/ocea... #nzpol

Malawi sent 80 armed police to search ex-president Lazarus Chakwera’s home for four missing German Shepherds — legally classified as police officers — but were denied entry. A court says the dogs may be in his “illegal possession”.

I have no idea how sincere MTG is here, but the idea that Trump would be bothered by his comments generating death threats misses the point that he has used terror as as a tool. Terror is not a byproduct of Trumpism; it is a central feature of how he governs.

Comment: The Government is enabling ministers to have the final say in wide areas of NZ public policy – with risks to our democracy, writes Sir Geoffrey Palmer.

This:

If you're one of those who's swallowed the lie that "plants and trees are having a party with all the increased CO2 in the atmosphere and flourishing, it's all good", please read this. Natural ecosystems ARE vital allies in the fight against climate breakdown, but that can only go so far.

Third and final post in my waxcap run, and species I find particularly gorgeous, the Goblet Waxcap (Hygrocybe cantharellus) #fungi

The Nobel committee have just launched a football prize and made Diana Ross their first recipient.

Found when sorting an old drive. I still, very occasionally, say 'not many badgers in the House of Lords' and this is why:

Carol Long, contemporary US ceramicist who draws influences from plant and animal life and also art nouveau #womensart

This is why Pohutukawa "Maori Princess" is considered the best varietal for use as a street tree. Today is the best flowering day for this variety:

"I can see there's a fire. I can tell that it is causing a lot of damage. I realise that if we put the fire out we'd be better off. But I am not going to put the fire out." That's the worst possible situation, because it amounts to wilful destruction.

Read an extract from Charlotte Macdonald's new book, 'Garrison World: Redcoat Soldiers in New Zealand and across the British Empire', in the ODT! Pick up a copy of 'Garrison World' today from your local bookshop or through the BWB website. www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/maga...

The Nobel Prize committee should announce the World Cup winner tomorrow

Can't believe our tax dollars are going to be spent settling the upcoming exorbitant defamation suit with Sabrina Carpenter, but maybe this is just how public arts funding is going to work now.

The most important line in a solid piece by @iandunt.bsky.social "And yet for all its flaws, Bluesky offers something which is becoming vanishingly rare in the modern world: a vision of life without the algorithm. What I see is what I have chosen to see. We own our own destiny on Bluesky."

The most common Pohutukawa (Metrosiderous excelsa) clone used for street trees in Aotearoa is "Maori Princess". But, being a clone means they all flower at the same time, which is both magnificent and frustrating. Anyway, today is peak flower day, so get out and take some Christmas pictures.

10/In short, Europe is being told that the old security bargain is over and it should prepare for intervention related to how it governs itself (the EU) and on what principles (its democracy). Not a light read.

The headline, the main takeaway from a European viewpoint is this: The transatlantic relationship as we know it is over. Yes, we kinda knew this. But this is now official US White House policy. Not a sppech, not a statement. The West as it used to be no longer exists.

What could go wrong? www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Very pleased that feral cats have been added to the 'predator free' list www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Woman in Front of the Sun https://www.wikiart.org/en/joan-miro/woman-in-front-of-the-sun

I know I'm a fairly big fellow, and combined with my generally unkempt appearance I can sometimes make people in front of me at the ATM a little nervous. In order to allay their fears and show them I'm not a threat, I find it helps to give them a gentle kiss on the neck.

Landscape with Thunderstorm, Vetheuil, 1880 https://botfrens.com/collections/41/contents/9555

This is only going to get much worse too, because these people don’t only want the minority groups they hate hounded and excluded. They want society to welcome them, praise them and tell them they are correct and beautiful. And that won’t ever happen, because they are repugnant and hateful.

This Pluribus ad on a fridge caused a schizophrenic woman named Carol to be hospitalized.

Peasant with Hoe by Georges Seurat, 1882 https://botfrens.com/collections/212/contents/137886

'Pond in the Mist.' (1910) Henri Biva painted a very good line in meditative landscapes. Inspired by the example of English watercolour painters, notably Turner, he was a painter of rivers, lakes and coasts, often depicted at twilight or, as here, early morning or daybreak.

Reminder article: #nzpol

The Football Players by Henri Rousseau, 1908 https://botfrens.com/collections/212/contents/137327

Important for those here who aren't on Twitter. Some very important, and interesting questions to consider. | The New Zealand MFAT’s seeking public views on next Strategic Foreign Policy Assessment. Complete the survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/J7J8P9V #nzpol

Extraordinary findings. www.popularmechanics.com/science/a694...

Alexander Cozens, A Shrine among Trees, https://botfrens.com/collections/14375/contents/1129787

Farage. Grifter-in-chief. Racist. Russian asset. Trump groupie. He gets an MP’s salary and spends his time doing anything but. A professional piss-taker and national security (and sanity) threat, leading the polls to be the next PM. Come on UK. Get some sodding self-respect.